Monument record 10855 - Boughton Chapel

Boughton Chapel was a Chapel of Ease to St Oswald's Parish, which stood within the triangle formed by Tarvin Road, Christleton Road and Gee's Court. The chapel was pulled down on 20th June 1643 (1).

Attached to the Church and parish of St Oswald there were three subsidiary chapels, one was the former Chapel of Boughton. There is some confusion over the location of the chapel, chiefly due to it being adjacent to the chapel and hospital of St Giles. Gee’s Court may the located on the line of the boundary ditch, mentioned in documentary sources, which existed at the eastern end of the chapel enclosure (2).

The basement to 31 Christleton Road has an irregular shape and is built on two levels. It is restricted to half the width of the floor above and gives the impression that it was constructed to preserve the floor at the lower level. This floor is tiled with brownish red six inch tiles, but one foot six inches from the surrounding walls is a rectangle nine feet long by five feet wide in six inch black tiles. The internal angles of the rectangle are filled with a single black tile. Within this brownish red enclosure is a Latin cross formed of black tiles. The higher floor may be due to constraints such as the foundations of earlier buildings. The tiles may mark the location of the chapel, but are modern (see OS Record Card) (3).

Eighteenth century maps show wide spread rebuilding in this area following the demolition of buildings which took place in this area during the siege of Chester. Westons map of 1789 shows a large building on the western side of Gee’s Court, woods map of 1833 shows the same building. Parts of this building may still stand to the rear of this and adjoining shops. From 1827 to 1882 these shops were the female penitentiary which afforded ‘…an asylum to females who having deviated from the paths of virtue, might be desirous of being restored by religious instruction…’ (3). This suggests an alternative explanation for the tiles (4).

There are references to Boughton Chapel in 1248-9 and one to the cemetery of 'Bontone' which was stated to be the land of the Abbot of Chester, who held the chapel. The Vicar of St Oswald was obliged to keep a chaplain or curate at his own charge to assist him, who was to officiate four days a week at St Oswald's and three days at Boughton (5).

<1> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, SJ46NW64 1976 (Index). SCH2487.

<2> Chester Courant, 1878-1990, The Cheshire Sheaf, Bennett J H E 3rd series vol.30 July 1935 p.55 (Newspaper-Magazine). SCH3105.

<3> Chester Courant, 1878-1990, The Cheshire Sheaf, Turley F 1967 4th series vol.2 June 1967 p.23-27 (Newspaper-Magazine). SCH3105.

<4> Various, Various, Oral communication to the HER (Oral Communication). SCH2330.

<5> Gastrell F, 1845-1850, Notitia Cestriensis, or historical notices of the diocese of Chester, Gastrell F 1845/117 (Article in Journal). SCH2290.

<6> Wood, J, 1833, Plan of the City of Chester (Maps and Plans). SCH5258.

<7> Lewis C.P & Thacker A.T. (eds), 2005, Victoria County History - A History of the County of Chester: Volume Vii, The City of Chester - The City of Chester, Culture, Buildings, Institutions (Book). SCH6522.