Notes on the history of Tarvin

The Middle Ages
Following the Norman conquest and before the rise of the Tudor kings Tarvin appears in the written record only spasmodically. In the 12th century there is a reference to 'Robert the chaplain of Tarvin' which suggests that there was a church at that time. This should not be surprising as the Romans had introduced Christianity throughout their Empire following the conversion of the Emperor Constantine in A.D.315. The later Saxon kings, and therefor their subjects, were converted to Christianity by St. Columba and St. Aiden. In A.D. 597 Augustine was sent by the Pope to convert Britain to the Roman version of Christianity and, at the Synod of Whitby in A.D.651, the Celtic churches were converted to the Roman version.

The Normans, who were Christians, saw three divisions in society: those who fought (and ruled), those who prayed and those who worked. Those who fought were the nobles who knew that they were sinful but they hoped to have their time in purgatory limited by paying someone to pray for their souls. With this attitude the Normans were generous givers to the Church in the form of endowments to monasteries and chantries and in church building. It is therefore more than likely that there was a church in Tarvin both before the conquest and afterwards.

Edward I
Tarvin was visited by King Edward I on a number of occasions. "According to one authority, in September 1275 A.D. he was staying at the episcopal manor in order to negotiate with Llewellyn and to receive his homage". There are other similar references. The historical records also refer to local land ownership, forest rights and disputes.

During this period various wars were fought, notably with the French. The English victories at Crecy, Poitiers, and especially Agincourt owe much to the English archers, with those from Cheshire being outstanding. No doubt there were Tarvin grown archers at these battles. It was also the period when the crusades were in progress and again it is likely that Tarvin archers went on crusade. Whether they took part in the Wars of the Roses is also a matter for conjecture.

Henry Tudor
However, much of the fighting between rival warlords came to an end when Henry Tudor defeated Richard III in 1485 and was crowned King Henry VII. He then married Elizabeth of York uniting the houses of Lancaster and York. To the people of Tarvin this would mean very little except that they would be less likely to be robbed by foraging soldiers and their lords might give up raising taxes to pay for wars.

John le Bruen
The local gentry are mentioned in written records from time to time, notably John le Bruyn of Tarvin who was appointed "Escheator to administer estates forfeit to the crown". The Hockenhulls of Hockenhull Hall are mentioned in a court case of 1505 and "During the reign of Queen Elizabeth the right to hold a weekly market in Tarvin" was granted to Sir John Savage who bought the manor of Tarvin in 1550. The market is thought to have been held on the cobbles outside Tarvin Hall but it fell into disuse in the 18th Century.

Plague
In 1517 an outbreak of plague in Chester forced the Mayor to conduct his business affairs from Tarvin.
In 1654 a family of five people died of the plague in Tarvin itself.

The grammar school
Also in the 17th Century a grammar school was founded by Mr Pickering, a London merchant.

This is the grammar school now. It is used as the parish Rooms