Chester, city and district, England

Chester, city (1991 pop. 80,154) and district, Cheshire, W central England, on a sandstone height above the Dee River. It is a railroad junction. Manufactures include electrical equipment, paint, and window panes. Tourism is also important. Chester has a long military history, and it was a significant port for centuries. Under the name Castra Devana or Deva, it was the headquarters of the Roman 20th legion. The area was ravaged by Æthelfrith of Northumbria in the 7th cent. and the Danes in the 9th cent. Æthelflæd of Mercia fortified Chester again in the 10th cent. William I took it in 1070 and the following year granted it to his nephew, Hugh Lupus, as a palatine earldom. Chester served the English crown as a defensive bastion and was used as a base for operations against Wales from 1275 to 1284. During the English civil war English civil war, 1642–48, the conflict between King Charles I of England and a large body of his subjects, generally called the "parliamentarians," that culminated in the defeat and execution of the king and the establishment of a republican commonwealth .
..... Click the link for more information. , parliamentarians took Chester by siege in 1646. Its role as a port peaked from c.1350 to 1450; silting and the rise of Liverpool Liverpool, city (1991 pop. 448,300), NW England, on the Mersey River near its mouth. It is one of Britain's largest cities. A large center for food processing (especially flour and sugar), Liverpool has a variety of industries, including the manufacture of electrical
..... Click the link for more information. contributed to the decline of port trade by the late 18th cent. Chester remains medieval in appearance and is the only city in England that possesses its entire original wall. Notable features are this red sandstone wall, with a walk along the top; Agricola's Tower; 15th- and 16th-century timbered houses; the cathedral, with architecture of styles from Norman to Late Perpendicular; the Roodee, on which races have been held since 1540; St. John's Church; Grosvenor Museum; and "The King's School," a public school founded by Henry VIII in 1541. Characteristic of Chester are the Rows, a double tier of shops formed by projecting the second stories of the buildings along the main streets. The Chester Plays (see miracle play miracle play or mystery play, form of medieval drama that came from dramatization of the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church. It developed from the 10th to the 16th cent., reaching its height in the 15th cent.
..... Click the link for more information. ) originated in the town.

Chester, city, United States

Chester, city (1990 pop. 41,856), Delaware co., SE Pa., on the Delaware River south of Philadelphia; settled c.1644 by Swedes, inc. as a city 1866. A port, it was also long a shipbuilding center. There are ship transfer facilities and factories making metal, food, and paper products; marine anchors; machinery; communications equipment; and consumer goods. The Commodore Barry Bridge, with one of the world's longest cantilever main spans, crosses the Delaware to Bridgeport, N.J.

The oldest city in the state, Chester (established as Upland) was the site of William Penn Penn, William, 1644–1718, English Quaker, founder of Pennsylvania , b. London, England; son of Sir William Penn .

Early Life

He was expelled (1662) from Oxford for his religious nonconformity and was then sent by his father to the Continent to
..... Click the link for more information. 's first landing (1682) in America. Penn renamed the settlement and convened (1682) the first assembly of the colony there. Foundations of the original settlement remain, in Governor Printz Park. Chester is home to Widener Univ. (1821) and Crozer Theological Seminary (1867).

Chester

ancient Deva or Castra Devana

City and administrative district (pop., 2001: 118,207), seat of Cheshire county, England. Located on the River Dee south of Liverpool, it is an active port and railroad centre. The Romans chose it as the headquarters of the 20th Legion; well-preserved Roman walls remain. It was the last place in England to surrender to William the Conqueror, who made it the centre of a palatinate earldom in 1071. It became an important port in the 13th–14th century, trading especially with Ireland. From about the 14th century, it was the scene of the presentation of the mystery plays of the Chester cycle. The gradual silting of the Dee led to the city's decline, but in the 19th century railroad traffic renewed Chester's prosperity.