It is located near the larger towns of Chester to the north, Wrexham to the west and Whitchurch to the south.

[4] Tilston stands on the site of the Roman town of Bovium,[5] which was a staging post on the Roman road (similar to Watling Street) between the larger settlements at Deva Victrix (modern-day Chester) and Viroconium (now Wroxeter).

Initially Gerbod the Fleming and a few years later Hugh Lupus, thought to be a nephew of King William I (William the Conqueror), were given extensive areas of Cheshire by the King, to assume the titles of 1st and 2nd Earl of Chester respectively.

Lupus gave control of parts of his earldom to his supporters, with the Manor of Tilston assigned to the Norman knight Sir Eynion, who assumed the title Eynion de Tilston and passed title and manor on to his descendants.

The 'Tilston lords' lived in a castle on the manor thought to be close to the current village of Shocklach, eventually losing their status during the demise of feudalism in England.