Child's Ercall (/ɑːrkəl/ AR-kəl) is a village and civil parish in Shropshire, England. It is located in a 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] rising to 732 at the 2011 Census.[2] The closest neighbouring village is Ollerton, around 1 mile to the west.
| Child's Ercall | |
|---|---|
 St Michael's Church, Child's Ercall | |
  Child's Ercall Location within Shropshire | |
| Population | 732 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | SJ667251 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MArket Drayton |
| Postcode district | TF9 |
| Dialling code | 01952 |
| Police | West Mercia |
| Fire | Shropshire |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
Etymology
editThe second part of its name, recorded in the forms "Archelou" and "Erkalwe" in the 13th century, has been suggested as derived from a Celtic word, perhaps an old Welsh name Ercal.[3] An Old English root based on the name of a hill, ear "gravel" plus the adjective calu(w) "bare", has also been proposed.[4] The affix "child" may come from its mediaeval sense, meaning "knight".[5] A possible etymology suggested by the toponymist Margaret Gelling, is that Child's Ercall was named as it belonged to a younger member of the Strange family, who owned much of the area in the mediaeval period.[6]
Church
editThe village church has a 12th-century doorway, a 13th-century arcade and 14th-century aisle, as well as stained glass by Charles Eamer Kempe.[5] It contains a brass war memorial plaque to local men who died serving in both World Wars, and another to Staff Sergeant Ronald Beckett who was killed on bomb disposal work in Northern Ireland in 1973.[7]
Sport
editChild's Ercall Football Club is a member of the Mercian Regional League (that covers most of Shropshire) and they play their home games in the village at Jubilee Hall.
Airfield
editThe former RAF Peplow is nearby.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Child's Ercall CP, Office for National Statistics
- ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- ^ Gelling, M. The place-names of Shropshire, pt.1, English Place-Name Society, 1990, pp.125-6
- ^ Owen, Hywel Wyn (1987) "English place-names and Welsh stress-patterns", Nomina, XI, 107
- ^ a b Raven, M. A Guide to Shropshire, 2005, p.50
- ^ Journal of the English Place-name Society: Eighty First Annual Report, EPNS, 2004, 69
- ^ Francis, Peter (2013). Shropshire War Memorials, Sites of Remembrance. YouCaxton Publications. p. 157. ISBN 978-1-909644-11-3.
External links
edit
Media related to Child's Ercall at Wikimedia Commons
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