Footsteps from the Past

As I ambled down Platts Lane, the thought struck me just how many others had passed this way. Not in hundreds but in thousands of years. It seems people could have been using the lane some 8,000 years ago and even living close-by.

In the whole of Cheshire, at that time, there may have been as little as a few hundred people. Yet, a small group, perhaps. two families, arrived by chance along the Gowy marshes. They may have used canoes to work their way through miles of reedbeds.
For whatever reason, they stopped at Hockenhull Platts. One family moved on towards Stapleford, the other stayed. This was Hocca's family. He decided the marshes were not the ideal place to build a home. It was far too wet and there were clouds of midges and other nasties.
Needing somewhere dry and safe, Hocca sought a spot above the Gowy. Following a fast-flowing stream uphill, the family found an ideal place. A clearing in the woods with a great view over the marshes. The land was was well-drained and the nearby stream gave them fresh water.
This was Hocca's place. In time it became known as the place of Hocca on the Hill. I wonder, could it have been where Hockenhull Hall is today?
The first Tarvinians(?) Now, there's a thought!

Ed: This series of articles by our "Geodetective" will try to give an outline as to how Hockenhull Platts came about. It does not present a detailed history. Instead, it offers an insight into a chance event thousands of years ago that remains part of our lives today.