PROBATE VALUATIONS IN CHESTER
The History of Chester
Chester history spans almost two thousand years, starting in AD 79 with the construction of the Roman fort ‘Deva Victrix’, possibly named from ‘Dee’, a Roman goddess, and from the name of the stationed Legion. The fortress brought the potential of trade, and was soon surrounded by civilizations, growing the population of Chester.
It’s possible that the Chester fort was designed as the capital, with the construction of key Roman monuments, like the amphitheatre, which could seat in the region of 10,000 people, and the Minerva Shrine. The Roman occupation of Chester would last almost 400 years, until 410, when the Roman occupation of Britannia ended.
Chester is then believed to have became part of the Powys kingdom, before becoming an Anglo-Saxon position in 616, after the defeat of the Welsh army. Anglo-Saxon occupation led to the cities eventual naming, starting out as ‘Legeceaster’, before becoming ‘Ceaster’, and eventually ‘Chester’. By 973, King Edgar, one of many Kings of the time, had his court in Chester.
A large part of Chester was later to be destroyed during the Norman Conquest in 1066, and a motte and bailey was constructed, later to be re-built in stone in 1245. Six Norman Earls took up charge of Chester, until the eventual death of the sixth Earl without issue.
During the Civil War, Chester played a large role, with the city being sieged in 1645, and multiple battles waged between the Cavaliers and Parliamentary forces. In wasn’t until 1646, after famine and destruction had swept through Chester, that a treaty was signed; only for the city to then fall victim to the plague.
Chester saw further disasters through the 18th and 19th centuries; the port was not as successful as Liverpool, the Chester Canal was a failure, and the Dee bridge collapsed. Through the 20th century, the city was built-up, and farmland was destroyed for residential housing. Today, the Duke of Westminster owns much of the land in Chester, and the city is home to a large number of historical buildings from the medieval period.