Chester has beneath its walls a beautiful river abounding with fish, with a harbour on its south side were ships from Aqutaine, Spain, Ireland and Germany unlade their cargoes of wine and other merchandise. The daily tide provides a flourishing trade and its rising and falling makes a wide expanse of water and sand. Chester has two straight streets which meet in the centre and make four. The market, held in the middle of the town, received ample supplies of goods, especially food. The English brought Corn, the Welsh brought cattle and the Irish brought fish. Travellers were given hospitality at St. Werburgh's The district surrounding Chester was fertile, and the Welsh, impelled by hunger, used to approach this region of abundance, but retired, not daring to attack ' There are also two excellent straight streets in the form of the blessed Cross, which through meeting and crossing themselves, then make four out of two, their heads ending in four gates (and) in the middle of the city, in a position equal for all (God) willed there to be a market for the sale of goods ....'

Chester where this chronicle present was laboured, in the coste of Wales betwene armes of the sea whiche be called Dye and Meresie, whiche was the chiefe of Nort wales in the tyme of Britones, the firste founder of whom is not knowen. For hit scholde seme to a man beholdenge the fundacion of hit that werke to be rather of the labor of gigantes other romanes, then of britones. That cite was called Somme time in the language of Britons, Caerelyon, in latyn Legecestria, and hit is callede now Chestre, other than Cite of Legiones, in that the legiones of knyghtes tariede ther in wynter, whom Julias Cesar sende to Yrlonde to subdue hit to hym. This cite habunde the in euery kynde of vitelles, thaughe William Malmesbury dreamede in other wise, as in corne, flesche, fische, and specially in salmones, whiche cite receyvethe and sendethe from it.

Ranulf Higden