When is a Square not a Square?
Great Eccleston has no green, the Church is about a mile away in Copp, even the earlier Roman Catholic Church is not in the centre of the village. It does have a 'Big House' but that is modern in relation to the origins of the village, being built around 1600 with Victorian addons. Many believe that Great Eccleston was built around a Square but they are wrong..
What is defined as a Square?
A Square is an area bounded on three or four sides. Great Eccleston's Square is only bounded on two sides, therefore what is it?
The village as we know it today was laid out in Medieval times. The building ogf the centre of the village which involved houses being built in an area bounded by Chapel Street in the East and the greengrocers in the West and closely follows the turnpike road. In the middle of this area the houses no longer hug the road of which pattern a Medieval village would follow but spreads out on the Northern side (Black Bull side). Why does it do this? It must have been due to something being in the way - this could only have been the area set aside for the market. We know there were three markets / fairs a year at:
Shrovetide (round Pancake Day) - this was the Apprenticeship Fair
Midsummer Fair
Michaelmas Fair - this included the Rushbearing
The fairs must have been important and ancient to cause houses to be built around them. The market was granted a Royal Charter by King Henry III in 1216, 800 years ago.