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A Brief History of Wallasey
ANCIENT WALLASEYBack in 613 A.D. the army of the Angles of Northumbria were advancing northwards through Wirheal(Anglo-Saxon form of "Wirral", meaning "myrtle tree corner"). having already conquered the City of Chester. They were a strong force, and the simple peasants they came against were no match. They burned down many of the homesteads on their seemingly relentless march.
On reaching the marshes of what was later to be called the Wallasey Pool, the Britons were to make their final stand, joined by a small number of inhabitants they hid amongst the sandstone outcrops and thick gorse that covered the area, and prepared to fight to the death. The hill they were on was surrounded by water on 3 sides,the Irish Sea to the North,the River Mersey to the East, and Wallasey Pool to the South. Boggy marshland covered the remaining area.
The effect, with the incoming tide, was the creation of an island. After attempts to reach the small band of Britons failed, the Saxons decided to let them remain on their "Island", and the old name for Wallasey was then born: "Weala-sieg", meaning "Welshman's Island".(Saxons called the Britons "Wealas" or "Strangers", which has, over the generations, come down to us in the word "Welsh".)
At the time of the Domesday book in about 1085, there is the first official record of Wallasey, then listed as "Walea" there were 35 inhabitants at that time. We now have more pubs than that...