Extract from "The Cheshire Township of Kelsall 1841-1891": An Example of Demographic Change
Kelsall is within the ancient parish of Tarvin, 7 miles east of Chester, and was described in the mid 19th century (Bagshaw 1850) as a "straggling village pleasantly situated on the west side of Delamere forest on the road from Chester to Northwich". Figure 1 is part of a late 18th century map showing Kelsall and surrounding townships.
The distance from Kelsall west to Tarvin is approximately 3 miles and the salt mines of Northwich 9 miles to the east.
The Wesleyan Methodists established a congregation in 1815 completing their chapel one-year later. A new Methodist Chapel was erected in 1884. In 1844 the Anglicans established a Chapel of Ease (St. Peter's) replaced in 1868 with the completion of St Philip's Anglican Church. The Salvation Army established a presence in an area known as "The Barracks".
During the period reviewed initial schooling was provided by societies with religious affiliations. The non-conformists provided Wesleyan Day & Sunday Schools and the Anglican National Society School was established in 1844 with provision for 100 pupils.
Being on a hill neither the railway nor canal system reached Kelsall, however the village did "ribbon" the turnpike. A section of the 1874 OS map is reproduced in Figure 2 and comparison with a manual tracing of the Tithe map of 1838 indicates little change. A daily coach (1839), then omnibus service, (4 times daily in 1892), departed from the "Royal Oak" connecting Kelsall with Chester.
Kelsall was a nucleated village with population clusters that centred round religion and inns. On the west-side houses and cottages clustered round the Royal Oak Inn and north along Dog Lane. In the centre housing was concentrated around both the Anglican & Wesleyan Methodist churches.
Copyright D G Dickson 1998