Child's Ercall

Child's Ercall

St Michael's Church, Child's Ercall
Child's Ercall
 Child's Ercall shown within Shropshire
OS grid referenceSJ 667251
Unitary authorityShropshire
Ceremonial countyShropshire
RegionWest Midlands
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town MArket Drayton
Postcode district TF9
Dialling code 01952
Police West Mercia
Fire Shropshire
Ambulance West Midlands
EU Parliament West Midlands
UK ParliamentNorth Shropshire
List of places
UK
England
Shropshire

Coordinates: 52°49′19″N 2°29′42″W / 52.822°N 2.495°W

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.[1] 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,[2] along with "child" in its mediaeval sense, meaning "knight".[3] 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, better 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.[3]

Childs Ercall Football Club are a member of the Mercian Regional League (that covers most of Shropshire) and they play their home games in the village at Jubillee Hall.

References

  1. Child's Ercall CP, Office for National Statistics
  2. Gelling, M. The place-names of Shropshire, pt.1, English Place-Name Society, 1990, pp.125-6
  3. 3.0 3.1 Raven, M. A Guide to Shropshire, 2005, p.50

External links

Media related to Child's Ercall at Wikimedia Commons