Chester is the county town of Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to
the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most
populous settlement of the wider local government district of the City of Chester,
which had a population of 118,210 according to the 2001 Census. Chester was granted
city status in 1541.
Chester was founded as a "castrum" or Roman fort with the name Deva Victrix in the
year 79 by the Roman Legio II Adiutrix. Chester's four main roads, Eastgate,
Northgate, Watergate and Bridge, follow routes laid out at this time – almost 2,000
years ago. One of the three main Roman army bases, Deva later became a major
settlement in the Roman province of Britannia. After the Romans left in the 5th
century, the Saxons fortified the town against the Danes and gave Chester its name.
The patron saint of Chester, Werburgh, is buried in Chester Cathedral.