Tithe maps

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6ncLpGyTtc&t=30s

There are hundreds of field and track names in Wirral with Scandinavian names or showing that many Scandinavian dialogue words were still being used well into the 19th century. Many of these names are recorded in 19th century tithe maps, which are archived in Chester at the record office. In this visit we went to investigate one name in particular, Piladall near Raby. Piladall is an old Viking name meaning ‘willow tree valley’. We now show how we use a tithe map alongside a modern map to help find where it is today and who knows? If we can find it, maybe there are some willow trees still there. Let’s investigate!

So here we are inside the record office and we come across some tithe maps. Now this particular tithe map in front of me is from Little Neston parish in the area of Hargrave and the reason why these fragments, which come from the Victorian period, are useful is you can find names of fields and roads, many of which have our Viking roots. So, if I look in the records which go with the tithe map, this is called an apportionment and this is number 242, Blakeley and Hargrave region of Little Neston, I come across here landowner Harry Brereton (…) place called Piladall, which is down here as pasture and it has a code number of 36. Now that code number allows us to locate where Piladall is on a tithe map. You see here a rental payable to the vicar of ? of 8s 4d for this particular piece of land. OK, if you look at the tithe map, this blue line here is part of the River Dibbin and this is a small tributary coming off with sort of tree land marked on either side of this tributary. Now this is Piladall. Piladall is an old Viking name meaning ‘willow valley’ (Willow Tree Valley) from ‘píll’ which means ‘willow tree’ and ‘dalr’, which means ‘valley’. If you look at a modern Ordnance Survey map, you can see the same area here. This is the River Dibbin here; this is Hargrave House Farm and this little area here with some greenery representing trees is the same place, but of course no longer called Piladall. So we can use tithe maps from the Victorian period in conjunction with modern Ordnance Survey maps to locate the positioning of interesting places, in our case with Viking roots, in terms of where they actually are now.

So here it is. This is Piladall, Willow Tree Valley, and here is a willow tree.

 

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