EATON HALL, 



CHESHIRE, 



THE SEAT OF THE MOST NOBLE THE MARQUIS OF WESTMINSTER. 



V^HESTER is the centre of a locality more impressed with the broad features of English history 

 than any other probably in the island ; and it also bears the most ancient traditional foundation of any 

 city in the world. A writer in the early part of the sixteenth century, Sir Thomas Elliott, imputes 

 its origin to Magus, a great-grandson of the patriarch Noah, who first colonised England, and built a 

 city here which he named Neomagus. Other authors attribute its rise to Leon Gawer, a British prince, 

 at some remote period ; but however vague these relations, under the Romans it rose to the greatest 

 importance, and formed one of the principal stations of those noble pioneers upwards of four hundred 

 years. Although so many centuries have passed since they held rule, numerous traces of their occupation 

 remain, among others the foundations of the city walls ; and almost every year brings to light some 

 interesting relic of their enterprise and skill. After their final evacuation of the island, Chester was, 

 for many centuries, the scene of almost constant war, being possessed alternately by Britons, Saxons, 

 and Danes. The most glorious part of its chequered and sanguinary history, up to the time of the 

 Norman Conquest, is that of the early part of the tenth century, when Ethelfleda, the daughter of King Alfred 

 the Great, and wife of Ethelred, Earl of Mercia, recovered the city by force of arms from the Danes, 

 rebuilt its walls, and restored it to something like its ancient importance. Long previous to this event, 

 however, about the year 663, the site of the present noble Cathedral was occupied by an Abbey, supposed 

 to have been erected and dedicated to St Peter and St Paul by Wulphere, King of Mercia, and of which, 

 it is said, his daughter, " the pious and blessed virgin, St Werburgh," subsequently became Abbess. 



Eaton is situated in the Broxton hundred, three miles from Chester, and before the Norman 

 Conquest was a township divided into two distinct manors, held by different Saxon proprietors, both of 

 whom, as in innumerable other instances, were ejected in favour of the more fortunate race. According 

 to the Saxon vill of Etone, mentioned in Domesday, one of these manors was the present hamlet of 

 Belgrave, but at what time it merged in that of Eaton is not clear. Ilbert, one of the minor Norman 

 grantees, received these estates ; and one adjoining, on the banks of the river Dee, belonging to Edwin 

 the Saxon Earl of Chester, was reserved at the same time by Hugh Lupus, who was created by his 

 uncle, William the Conqueror, the first Norman Earl of that distinguished city. This powerful nobleman 

 was a great favourite of the King, and invested by him with the supreme authority of the whole 

 county. He held his own parliaments, and was otherwise absolute sovereign of the small but important 

 territory- The title and privileges were enjoyed during a period of 160 years by six successors of the 



