Child's Ercall
Encyclopedia
Child's Ercall is a village and civil parish in Shropshire
, England
. It is located in a rather remote rural area between the small towns of Market Drayton
and Newport
: the civil parish had a total population of 599 at the 2001 census. The closest neighbouring village is Ollerton
, around 1 mile to the west.
Its name is thought to derive from a Celtic word, perhaps the old Welsh
name Ercal, along with "child" in its mediaeval sense
, meaning "knight
". The parish is sometimes referred to as Ercall Parva, which turned into "Little Ercall". This name saved it from confusion with the other Ercall in Shropshire - Ercall Magna, now called "High Ercall
". The change from use of the names Ercall Magna and Ercall Parva to High Ercall and Little and later Child's Ercall, pbetter suggests that the use of the term "Child's" merely alludes to it being 'Little' like a child, compared to the 'adult' High(er) Ercall, rather than any link to a term for a young knight.
The village church has a 12th century doorway, a 13th century arcade and 14th century aisle, as well as stained glass by Charles Eamer Kempe
.
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is located in a rather remote rural area between the small towns of Market Drayton
Market Drayton
Market Drayton is a small market town in north Shropshire, England. It is on the River Tern, between Shrewsbury and Stoke-on-Trent, and was formerly known as "Drayton in Hales" and earlier simply as "Drayton" ....
and Newport
Newport, Shropshire
Newport is a market town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. It lies some north of Telford and some west of Stafford sitting on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border...
: the civil parish had a total population of 599 at the 2001 census. The closest neighbouring village is Ollerton
Ollerton, Shropshire
Ollerton is a small village, located in the parish of Stoke upon Tern in Shropshire, England.Ollerton is located in a rural area approximately mid way between the towns of Telford and Market Drayton; immediately to the west is the hamlet of Peplow, while Child's Ercall lies to the east.- External...
, around 1 mile to the west.
Its name is thought to derive from a Celtic word, perhaps the old Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
name Ercal, along with "child" in its mediaeval sense
Middle English
Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
, meaning "knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
". The parish is sometimes referred to as Ercall Parva, which turned into "Little Ercall". This name saved it from confusion with the other Ercall in Shropshire - Ercall Magna, now called "High Ercall
High Ercall
High Ercall, also known in the past as Ercall Magna, is a village in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. The civil parish is still called Ercall Magna, and had a total population of 1,679 at the 2001 census. The parish also includes the villages of...
". The change from use of the names Ercall Magna and Ercall Parva to High Ercall and Little and later Child's Ercall, pbetter suggests that the use of the term "Child's" merely alludes to it being 'Little' like a child, compared to the 'adult' High(er) Ercall, rather than any link to a term for a young knight.
The village church has a 12th century doorway, a 13th century arcade and 14th century aisle, as well as stained glass by Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe was a well-known Victorian stained glass designer. After attending Twyford School, he studied for the priesthood at Pembroke College, Oxford, but it became clear that his severe stammer would be an impediment to preaching...
.