31 May 2026 Halton Castle and Norton Priory
The weather turned cooler last night, so now I don't have to change sweaty clothes every day that I am over here. Low to mid 60's for at least the next 10 days, and maybe a little rain, but I'll take it. I have only had to do laundry once since I have been over here (18 days), so instead of shorts weather, its back to blue jeans and maybe a light jacket.
I wasn't so sure that I'd get to see much of Halton Castle when this trip started. it's a ruin, on top of a hill overlooking the River Dee on the South side of the river 17 miles Southeast of Liverpool. When I got there, there was an old building that had been turned into a pub, and the ruins were fenced in, with do not enter signs posted all around. At least I could walk around the perimeter of the castle walls, and take a few pics, so that was what I did. After I was done, I went into the pub, and "felt" obligated to buy a pint of something to thank them for watching over my Great Grandfather's castle ruins.
Well, I got there too early. It was 1130, and they couldn't sell alcohol until after 1200, but the bartender was really nice, and when I asked her if I could see the castle, she said sure and led me to the back porch of the pub. Now I could see everything I couldn't see before. They had picnic tables everywhere for patrons to sit outside and eat, and it looked like what I would have expected in a ruined castle.
The castle was built in 1070 by Nigel, Baron of Halton, and was a wooden structure. Within the first 100 years, it was rebuilt in stone. below is an engraving of the castle from the 1800's after it had started to deteriorate.
It had two Kings of England visit and stay at it during its peak period; King John came and stayed in 1207, and Edward II stayed here in 1323. The castle eventually was turned into a prison and a courtroom, and later, during the English civil war, parliamentary troops tore down the gatehouse and slighted the castle walls. The courtroom was on the second floor, and I got a tour of that as well as the castle.
In 1908, it was turned into the Castle Hotel and Pub, which is what it is used for today. It is also a Biker Hangout, and a lot of motorcyclists come here all the time.
John FitzRichard de Lacy 1144-1090, died on the third crusade with King Richard the Lionheart.
Next stop was Norton Priory. originally established at Runcorn Priory. When Runcorn Priory got too big to expand, it moved over to Norton Priory in 1134. This was an Augustinian Sect of the Church, and had a large number of canons there. Canons, unlike Monks, administered to the local community. Although lacking possessions, they shared what they had with their fellow canons, and took on monk duties when they were not tending to the locals outside of the priory.
When the Dissolution of the Monasteries took place under Henry VIII, the canons at the priory were outraged, and refused to leave. Sir Piers Dutton, Mayor of Chester, and a staunch supporter of King Henry VIII, was appointed the Royal Commissioner for Chester, and went to town. He had the Canons arrested, and imprisoned them in Halton Castle. He also tried to have the executed, but that didn't quite work out for him. The Dutton's then purchased the lands of the Priory, adding it to their own estates.
Today, it is a museum of two Priories that once meant a lot to the people of Chester. There are some nice gardens that you can go through, but in the end, it's just another ruined church. The ancestors that I know of who are associated with Norton Priory include:
