Distance Table of Towns in Shropshire.

The Asterisk [*] attached to the name of a Town denote the number of Representatives it returns to Parliament; the Italic letters signify the Market Days.

The names of the towns are on the top and side, and the square where both meet gives the distance.

Distance fromLondon,

Bishop’s Castle, f.

157

Bridgnorth**

33

Bridgnorth, s.

139

Church Stretton

12

21

Church Stretton, th.

153

Cleobury Mortimer

30

13

27

Cleobury Mortimer, w.

137

Clun

6

36

18

27

Clun, tu.

157

Drayton

39

31

32

39

45

Drayton, or Market Drayton, w.

151

Ellesmere

37

36

29

52

42

23

Ellesmere, tu.

169

Hales Owen (Wcstr)

51

18

39

23

50

43

51

Hales Owen, m. (Worcester)

117

Ludlow**

19

20

16

11

16

48

45

34

Ludlow, m. w. f. and s.

143

Madeley

34

8

19

21

40

22

30

23

26

Madeley, f.

147

Newport

39

21

29

34

45

11

31

31

37

13

Newport, s.

139

Oswestry

38

38

31

51

44

30

8

53

47

32

37

Oswestry, w. and s.

171

Shiffnall

39

13

25

26

45

19

34

25

32

5

8

36

Shiffnall, tu.

136

Shrewsbury**

20

20

13

33

26

19

16

35

29

14

19

18

18

Shrewsbury, w. & s.

153

Wellington

31

14

20

27

37

16

28

29

31

6

9

29

7

11

Wellington, th.

140

Wem

30

30

23

43

36

13

9

45

39

24

22

17

28

10

21

Wem, th.

164

Wenlock**

26

8

13

20

32

27

28

26

20

6

20

30

11

11

11

22

Wenlock, m.

148

Whitchurch

40

40

33

53

46

13

11

52

49

28

21

19

28

20

22

10

33

Whitch. f.

161

BISHOP’S CASTLE AND NEIGHBOURHOOD.

Bishop’s Castle is a borough corporate, market town, and parish, having separate jurisdiction, locally in the hundred of Purslow, 157 miles N.W. by W. from London, 20 S.W. by S. from Shrewsbury, and 8½ S.E. from Montgomery (North Wales). It is situated partly on the summit, but chiefly on the steep declivity of a hill, in the midst of a fertile country, abounding with pleasing views. The town, which is irregularly built, and the habitations, for the most part, detached, derives its name from a castle, that stood here, belonging to the Bishop of Hereford—but of which the site (now a bowling green belonging to the Castle Inn), and some small portions of the walls, only can be traced. The government of the town, by charter granted in the 15th year of Elizabeth, and confirmed and extended by James I. is vested in a bailiff, recorder, and fifteen capital burgesses, assisted by a town clerk, a serjeant-at-mace and subordinate officers: the bailiff, late bailiff and recorder are justices of the peace. The corporation hold a court of session quarterly; and Bishop’s Castle is included in the twenty-seventh circuit of County Court-towns, under the acts passed for the recovery of debts not exceeding £50. The town hall, a plain brick edifice, erected by subscription of the burgesses in 1750, has a prison on the basement for criminals, and above it one for debtors. The elective franchise was conferred in the 26th of Elizabeth, from which time it sent two members to parliament, till the Reform Bill deprived it of that privilege, but made it a polling station at the election of representatives for South Shropshire.

About ten miles distant from the town are some considerable lead mines; but those works have no influence upon the trade or prosperity of the place—the former being entirely of a local nature, without manufacturing establishments of any kind.

The parish church of Saint John the Baptist, is a fine old structure, principally in the Norman style, with a square embattled tower, crowned with pinnacles; it was burnt by Cromwell in the parliamentary war, and was re-built without a due regard to the original style of its architecture. The living is a vicarage, in the gift of the Earl Powis and Rev. William Morgan Rowlands is the present vicar. There are places of worship for Independents and Primitive Methodists. The free school here was founded in 1737 by Mrs. Mary Morris, and endowed with £1,000. in the three per cents., for the instruction of twenty-five boys and twenty-five girls in reading, writing and arithmetic, and the girls also in plain sewing. There are some handsome seats within a few miles of Bishop’s Castle—Walcott, the property of the Earl Powis, is about four miles distant; Linley Hall, the seat of Thomas Frederick More Esq. is about the same distance, and nearer the town is Oakeley, belonging to the family of that name. The market is held on Friday; and the fairs on March 26th, and 27th, the first Friday after May 13th, the second Monday in June, July 5th, Friday before July 13th, September 9th, and November 13th. By the government returns for 1841 the borough and parish contained 1,781 inhabitants, and by those for 1851, 1,961

POST OFFICE, Market cross, Edward Griffiths, Post Master.—Letters from London, Liverpool, Bristol and all parts, arrive every morning at eight, and are despatched thereto every evening at six.