Dodleston Local History Group

By EssentialsMAG history contributor BERNARD DENNIS, MBE

John Donne in Dodleston –“For whom the bell tolls”

The Parish Church of Dodleston, St Mary’s, has an interesting past and like many churches in the realm, it struggles to draw in the congregations in modern times.

It is believed there has been a place of worship on the site of St Mary’s for more than 1,000 years, although the present church in its earliest form dates from about the beginning of the 16th century. Between the years 1869 – 1870 it was remodelled by the Cheshire architect, John Douglas.

During the subsequent centuries, its walls have witnessed many notable, although not well-known events and personalities. In 1588, the year of the Spanish Armada, Lady Elizabeth Egerton, first wife of Sir Thomas Egerton was laid to rest in the floor of the bell tower. There is a marble monument honouring her life. Their firstborn son, also Sir Thomas, rests close by to his mother. He died in 1599 at the age of 25. He was mortally wounded in a skirmish at Dublin Castle where he’d gone with the infamous Earl of Essex, Robert Devereux. His body was shipped back to Dodleston for burial in St Marys Church. During his young life he had forged a strong friendship with John Donne (1572-1631) the famous poet, and together they had earlier travelled to Cadiz and the Azores on raiding missions with the Earl of Essex. It was there that young Thomas was knighted.

The funeral took place on 8th September

1599 and is recorded in the Parish Register of Burials. It was this funeral that John Donne attended, and a single bell tolled in honour of his departed friend. With “drums and fife, soldiers trailing pikes” and “the trumpet sounding dolefully” the mourners walked the distance to Chester Cathedral to a requiem ceremony. Afterwards, the assembly celebrated Egerton’s short life in a grand dinner at the bishop’s palace. Sadly, his father, Sir Thomas Egerton, was simply too busy to be there! After all, he was Lord Keeper of the Great Seal!

Sir Thomas Egerton, Baron Ellesmere, Viscount Brackley also chose St Mary’s Church as his final resting place, to be buried next to his first wife and son. A simple marble slab in the bell tower floor marks the spot.

During the English Civil War (1642-1651)

Dodleston also played its part for the siege of Chester (1644-1646) as Sir William Brereton garrisoned a large parliamentary force on the outskirts of Dodleston. The north face of St Mary’s bell tower shows evidence of musket shot scars and a multitude of lead musket balls, of varying calibre, have been found in the vicinity by metal detectorists over recent years.

John Donne had a difficult start in life but in 1621, King James 1 appointed him Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral. He remained in that post until his death in 1631.

For further information please contact: Bernard Dennis on 07966 436073.

Sarah Atherton MP

Member of Parliament for Wrexham

Last month, the Chancellor announced the Spring Budget. Having written to the Chancellor, alongside other Conservative MPs a couple of weeks before the Spring Budget, calling on him to freeze the fuel duty and ease the tax burden, I was delighted that he took decisive action to support hard-working constituents by freezing fuel duty and maintaining a 5p reduction for a further year. Alongside this, he froze the energy price guarantee at £2,500 for households until the end of June, pledged an additional £180 million for the Welsh Government, froze pint duty, added £11million to the defence budget over the next five years and over £30 million for the Office of Veterans Affairs.

All of this shows the UK Government’s commitment to supporting hardworking individuals and families in Wrexham, alongside measures that ensure the longterm, sustainable, healthy growth of the UK economy.

In A483 news, last month I met with representatives from the North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent (NMWTRA) after requesting an urgent meeting for an update on the A483 roadworks. Since the roadworks started, I have been contacted by many constituents regarding delays, with daily commutes taking twice as long. I am pleased to report that NMWTRA are on schedule and the works’ estimated completion date is 2nd April.

Last month, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board re-entered special measures. During Prime Minister’s Questions and health oral parliamentary questions, I raised my concerns with Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary, Steve Barclay that the Welsh Labour-run NHS is failing Wrexham. To watch, head over to the health section on my website.

There needs to be some vast changes and a focus on delivering excellent healthcare and outcomes to the people of North Wales. Regardless of political opinions and contrasting personalities, what the Welsh Government seems to be continually forgetting here is people’s lives and wellbeing are at stake.

This month, I am meeting with the Executive Director of BCUHB, Gill Harris, to understand what steps they are taking to resolve the situation. After this, I will update residents via my website and social media. There has never been more of a prominent time to highlight that my health campaign continues. If you have not done so already, you can give your views under the ‘surveys’ section on my website.

As always, if you are a resident in Wrexham and need my assistance with any local or national issues, please contact me.