67 



VII. — CIVIL HISTORY OF THE DISTRICT. 



" We next turn to inquire what circumstances connect 

 the present district undoubtedly with the past.. We find 

 that in the writings of both Camden and Speed there is 

 notice of pieces of lead being frequently found, on the 

 sea-shore of Cheshire, impressed with the legend, 



IMP. DOMIT. AUG. GER. DE. CEANG. 



Camden says there were 20 such pieces, " of a square 

 oblongform;" and Speed adds that " theCeangi were subdued 

 " by P. Ostorius Scapula immediately before his great victory 

 " over Caractacus, when, in the mouth of Deva, he built a 

 " fortresse at the back of the Ordovices, to restrain their 

 " power, which was great in those parts." After the 

 departure of the Romans the district became a portion of 

 the Saxon kingdom of Mercia, though the city of Chester 

 itself was long held by the Britons. Their character is 

 drawn fully and somewhat quaintly by " Lucian the 

 Monke :" 



" They are found to differ from the rest of the English, 

 " partly better and partly equall. In feasting they are 

 " friendly — at meat chearfull — in entertainment liberall, — 

 " soone angry — soone pacified ; lavish in words, impatient 

 '' in servitude, mercifull to all, compassionate to the 

 " poore, kinde to their kindred, spary of labour, void of 

 " dissimulation, not greedy in eating, and far from dan- 

 " gerous practises." 



Until the time of Edward III., however, Wirrall was 

 still a forest; but it was not the less fitted to be the position 

 of British towns and villages. This circumstance may also 

 in part account for the quantities of timber still found here, 

 similar to those which were found in Bagmere and Ellesmere 

 two centuries ago. From the period when Wirrall was dis- 

 afforested, it, of course, became much better known. The 

 Roman station at Hilbre was taken possession of by monks, 

 and the shepherd, the husbandman, the sailor, and the eccle- 

 siaslic, passed frequently over the district that had longbeen 

 known only to the forester or the sportsman. Villages 

 were no doubt built, and others extended ; and there can 

 be little doubt that the convenience of Hoylake for purposes 

 of navigation caused it early to attain considerable 

 celebrity. For several centuries it was the practical 

 Liverpool of our north-western coast. It was one of the 

 great Landing-places from Ireland. It lias been celebrated 

 in history as the place of embarkation of William III. at 



