Monument record 1955/1/1 - Pond Bay

<1> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, SJ46SW 23 (Index). SCH2487.

The Pond Bay extends for 195m from SJ 43826119 to SJ43776101 and averages 13m in width at the base. It rises in height from 0.5m at the ends to 1.5m at the centre, where it has been breached for a width of 10m by a stream. An overspill channel passes round the northern end of the bay (TPW 23/07/1964).

Powseybrook Bridge- '(bridge at a stream to a pool') was mentioned as Pulsey Bridge in 1558. W.F. Irvine (see 2) reports that this bridge was also called Pool Bridge, and was near the site of 'le Untidymulnedom' (the unsuitable mill-dam) mentioned in the Palatinate of Chester Indictment Rolls of 1359 (RPM 01/05/1985). Also see (3).

<2> Chester Courant, 1878-1990, The Cheshire Sheaf, 3rd series, vol.20, no.4695 (Newspaper-Magazine). SCH3105.

The following short extract from the Chester Indictment Rolls preserves a very curious place name. A translation of the entry is as follows : "Richard of Seynesbury Abbot of Chester obstructed the road which leads from the town of Buyrton to Chester, namely at a place called the Untidy Mill Dam of Saighton." The only road which leads from Buerton to Chester through Saighton is the main road from Bruera Church to Saighton Grange, which leaves the "vill" of Buerton a few yards to the north of the entrance to Eaton Park, known as the Buerton Approach. At this point the road falls sharply to a bridge, which formerly was called Pool Bridge, but is now described on the six inch Ordnance Survey as Powseybrook Bridge. At this point, roughly parallel to the road on its east side and lying athwart the brook may still be seen a substantial and well-engineered dam, apparently of earth, which no doubt represents the Mill Dam known in the 14th century by the uncomplimentary adjective, "untidy." The meaning of the –word tidy in middle English was, well-favoured, good, excellent, useful, sound; so we may assume that untidy meant the opposite, and we may, therefore, translate the place name as meaning the bad, or unsound, mill dam, which may account for its haying passed so soon out of use that no tradition even seems to have come down of its ever having worked a mill.

<3> Dodgson J McN, 1970-2, 1981, The Place-Names of Cheshire, Vol.IV, p.122 (Book). SCH3228.