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21 October 2004

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History of Chester

Chester is famous for many things and one of these is its history. 2000 years ago the Roman occupied Chester and are responsible for the original city walls built at this time.
The Roman's 20th Legion, one of the three stationed in Britain during the occupation, threw up the original earthworks of the wall. Their fortress, which they called Deva, stood on a sandstone mound in a bend of the River Dee at the head of the estuary.
The four main roads of the camp, now called Northgate Street, Eastgate Street, Watergate Street and Bridge Street, remain exactly where the Roman surveyor marked them out 1,900 years ago. Today the walls are entirely walkable, and offer a nice 2 mile leisurely stroll. The walls also offer some splendid view over the city on one side and on the other the distant Welsh Mountains.
Nobody knows what happened to Chester during the 400 years after the Romans withdrew. Later in the 9th century the Saxons brought the body of St. Werburgh from Staffordshire during a Danish invasion, and restored Chester's defenses. During the Saxon era it became an important town. Chester was one of the last towns to fall to the Norman's, four years after the Battle of Hastings. From this time Cheshire was ruled by a line of Norman earls, right until the Norman Earls died out and King Henry III claimed the title. Since then the eldest son of the reigning monarch has always held it, hence Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester.
During the 13th and 14th centuary Chester was the principle port in the north west, trading with many countries. Then the River Dee estuary began to silt up, no longer allowing ships to moor at Westgate, trade declined and was eventually no more.
During the Civil War the city was a royalist stronghold. Charles I stood on one of the towers to see his troops defeated in the Battle of Rowton Heath. After the King fled the city held on for five more months. After this Chester no longer used her great defensive walls and during the returned peace became a quit but prosperous administrative center.

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