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English Surnames record localities or places where ancestors originated or from their occupation or physical attributes. 

Eachus is an old English Surname, First Mentioned in the field name Eachus Plan in Church Minshull, Cheshire in the year 1304 CE.

It is a local ‘house’ name, perhaps with a first element related to 'addition' or ‘increase'

The name Eachus comes from the Norman French word ēaca, which means land added to an estate.                  

Difficult Times

One of the things that would have affected our ancestors was the long hot summer of 1305, it was a summer of burning heat and drought which resulted in the hay harvest failing.

Later in 1316 was the start of two years of terrible floods, which resulted in famine and thousands losing their lives. Burning heat & drought.

In the mid-16^th Century, a run of very cold winters and short growing seasons resulted in food shortages and famine. In 1557, the harvest failed for the third year running, this followed two years of heavy rains, which resulted in what was reckoned to be the worst famine that century. As well as starvation, thousands died from an outbreak of plague, one observer noted that it was, ‘The like whereof has never been known before’, to make matters worse, prices rose sharply and in the previous year grain had cost double what it did in 1553. This was a disaster for the 60% of the population who lived at subsistence level, wage earners had to spend 80% to 90% of their income on food. One of the biggest trades was the cloth trade, which collapsed, with exports down by 30%. Whilst there is no information as to how this situation effected the Eachus family, it is a fact that the only written reference to any Eachus family members in the following years, is in 1566 when on the 3rd Day of May 1566 in Church Minshull, a child of Thomas Eachus named John was baptised.

Our story really starts with the person who is believed to be John’s brother, Peter.  The marriage between Peter Eachus and Margaret Pownall  took place on the 21^st April 1594, again in Church Minshull.  All the Eachus family members alive today can be traced back to this marriage. 

Cheshire, Northwich Hundred.

Minshull Vernon.

Minshull Vernon was a township in Middlewich Parish, Northwich Hundred, which became a civil parish in 1866.

• Including the hamlets of Bradfield Green, Eardswick, Hoolgrave, Minshull Hill, Walley's Green and Weaver Bank.
• The population was 357 in 1801, 375 in 1851, 302 in 1901, and 267 in 1951.

The suffix is the surname of Walter D Vernon, Lord of this Moiety of Minshull circa 1200.

Manessell                          1086 CE

Muneshull                          1200 CE

Moinshull                           1287 CE

Munshul Vernon                 1308 CE

Munschul Vernon                1311 CE

Minshull Vernon                 1394 CE

Among the field names is Eachus Plan.

In the great survey of 1086 [Doomsday Book] there are two entries for Minshull

1. In King Edwards Time: Leofnoth held it; he was a free man. 1 hide paying tax. Land for one plough. 1 rider, 2 slaves and 2 smallholders have 1 plough. Meadow, 1 acre; woodland 1 league long and 1 wide; 4 enclosures; a hawk’s eyrie. [League, originally a distance a horse could walk in a day – usually accepted as 3 miles] The value was and is 4s; it was waste.
   
   
2. In 1086: Derchj and Arngrim held it as 2 manors; they were free men. 1 hide paying tax. Land for 2 ploughs. They are there, with 3 riders and 2 smallholders. Meadow, 1 acre; woodland ½ league long and ½ wide; an enclosure; a hawk’s eyrie. The value was 4s; now 8s.

Cheshire, Nantwich Hundred.

Church Minshull.

Church Minshull was formerly a Chapelry of Acton Parish and became a separate parish in the eighteenth century.

Mann’s scylfe from the Old English Mann and Scylfe. The second name probably means shelf. Church Minshull on the west bank of the River Weaver, occupies a broad shelving terrain between the river and the 150-foot contour. The affix is cirice ’a church’ because this part of Minshull contained a parish church.

Maneshale                         1086 CE

Munschulf                         1130, 1230, 1331 CE

Church Munchulfe               1266, 1331 CE

Chirch Munschull                1289 CE

Chirchemunchul                  1315 CE

Church Mynschull               1436 CE

Midch Minchell                    1660 CE

Among the field names are  Echeles          1304, 1313 CE

                                  The Echowes         1567 CE

                                        Etchus            1617 CE