History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Shropshire [1851]

by Samuel Bagshaw

THE SOUTH BRADFORD HUNDRED.

The South Bradford Hundred is bounded on the north by North Bradford Hundred, on the east by the county of Stafford, on the south by the Brimstree and Condover Hundreds and the Wenlock Franchise, and on the west by Albrighton Division and the Shrewsbury Liberty. The hundred is divided into the Newport and Wellington Divisions. The Newport Division, in 1841, contained 2,111 inhabited houses, 61 uninhabited, and five building. At the same period there were 10,929 inhabitants; of whom 5,446 were males and 5,483 females. The Wellington Division at the same period contained 5,959 inhabited houses, 211 uninhabited, and 43 building; and 30,938 inhabitants; of whom 15,856 were males and 15,082 females. The hundred of Bradford at the Domesday survey was divided into the hundreds of Odenet and Recordin, and are now distinguished by North and South Bradford. These names in early times had a certain meaning, and were given either by reason of the importance or situation of a place, or in respect of some remarkable circumstance—as the name before us, Bradan Forde (that is, Broad Ford), is said to have its name from a ville named Bradford, situate on the river Tern, near Ercall, and long since destroyed.

The South Division contains the several parishes of Bolas Magna, Chetwynd, Edgmond, Kinnersley, Lilleshall, Longford, Newport, Preston-upon-the-Wild-Moors, and Woodcote Chapelry.

The Wellington Division contains the parishes of Atcham, Buildwas, Dawley Magna, Eaton Constantine, Ercall Magna, Eyton-upon-the-Wild-Moors, Leighton, Longdon-upon-Tern, Roddington, Stirchley, Uppington, Upton Magna, Upton Parva, Wellington, Withington, Wombridge, Wrockwardine, and Wroxeter.

ATCHAM, OR ATTINGHAM,

is a parish in the Wellington Division of the South Bradford Hundred, comprising 3,491 acres of land, mostly a fertile undulating district, richly timbered, and watered by the rivers Severn and the Tern. The soil in some parts is a strong fertile loam, producing good wheat and barley; in other parts it is of a lighter nature, and the meadow lands are very fertile. Rateable value, £6,126. In 1801 there were 430 inhabitants; 1831, 463; and in 1841, 95 houses and a population of 513 souls. The parish comprises the townships (for highway purposes) of Chilton, Cronkhill, and Emstrey, on the south-west bank of the Severn, and of Berwick, Atcham, and Uckington, on the north-east side of that river. The village and township of Atcham is delightfully situated in a salubrious district richly adorned with sylvan beauty, and contains Attingham Hall, the princely seat of the Right Honourable Richard Noel Hill (Lord Berwick), and several handsome villa residences. The Hotel is a noble pile of buildings, and affords every accommodation to the numerous visitors who resort here in the summer season to enjoy the fishing as well as the beautiful views of this interesting locality. The river Severn is crossed near to the hotel by a magnificent stone bridge of seven arches, and is about one hundred and thirty-four yards long. The river Tern has a bridge across it of beautiful workmanship, which is forty-four yards across. It is ornamented with an open balustrade of fine chiselling, upon which is engraved, “This bridge was erected at the expense of the county, in 1780, and decorated at the expense of Noel Hill, Esq.” The great Holyhead and London turnpike road which intersects the township is in an admirable state of repair. The village is three miles and six furlongs south-east from Shrewsbury. The Right Hon. Lord Berwick is lord of the manor and the principal landowner. Robert Burton, Esq. and others are also proprietors. A branch of the Shrewsbury, Birmingham, Chester, and Shropshire Union Canal passes through Atcham parish, where there is a tunnel of about a mile in length.

The Church, dedicated to St. Hyatia, and situated in a sequestered spot near the banks of the Severn, is built of free stone, and consists of nave and chancel, with a square tower. It was built in 1665, and has recently undergone a complete reparation. The sittings are of oak, and the pews of Lord Berwick and those of the Burton family are elaborately adorned with carved work. The interior has a very chaste appearance, which is much heightened by the subdued light admitted through the richly stained glass windows. The altar is of the most elaborate workmanship. The central window on the south side is a stained glass memorial of superb workmanship, in memory of Blanch, daughter of Henry Milnes Parry, Esq., who held the appointment of “chief gentlewoman of Queen Elizabeth’s privy chamber,” whom she served from the birth of her majesty, and died at court on the 18th of February, 1589, aged 82. There are also two beautiful windows of stained glass, embodying the arms of the Burton family. On an altar tomb, with two full length figures in memory of deceased members of this family, is a brass plate, on which is engraven—“This monument was removed from a pew belonging to the estate of Longnor, in the parish church of St. Chad, Shrewsbury, on the fall of that church, July, 9th, 1788.” There are also several beautiful mural tablets in memory of the Burtons and others. The living is a vicarage valued in the king’s book at £11. 6s. 8d., now returned at £300 in the patronage of Robert Burton, Esq. Incumbent, Rev. Henry Burton, M.A. The vicarage is situated near to the church.

The manor, vicarage, and lands in Attingham, otherwise Atcham, together with other property of great extent, were given to the monastery of the blessed Virgin Mary, of Lilleshall, by persons of the name of Blemies, in honour of God and the Virgin Mary. This was subsequently confirmed by King John. In the reign of Henry III., the abbot of Lilleshall was questioned as to his right in taking toll at the bridge of the Severn of passengers that travelled that way. In the 53rd of the same reign the abbot had a grant of a fair to be kept at Attingham on St. Giles’s day, and two days after. In the 4th of Edward I. the said abbot had a grant of another fair in the month of May, to be held on the feast of St. Augustine, and the two following days. On the dissolution of religious houses the manor and tithes of Attingham were granted by the crown to Thomas Palmer, Knight, but Sir Thomas subsequently became convicted of treason, and his lordship and estate was forfeited to the crown, and was soon after granted to Sir John Gage, Knight. In 1693 it was possessed by the Gowers, and the lordship is described as containing twenty messuages, three water mills, twenty gardens, 200 acres of land, forty acres of meadow, 200 acres of pasture, ten acres of wood, twenty acres of furze, and the fishery of the Severn. In the 1st year of Queen Anne, William Gower obtained an act for the sale of the manor, when it was conveyed to Rowland Hill, Esq., for the sum of £3,413. His descendant, the Hon. Richard Hill, in consideration of his affection and regard for his sister, Margaret Harwood, wife of Thomas Harwood, Esq., conveyed the manor of Attingham to the use of his sister Margaret for her life, with remainder to Thomas Harwood, the younger, who afterwards took the name of Hill, on whose decease this property descended to his son, Noel Hill, who was created a baron by the title of Baron Berwick, of Attingham, in the year 1784, on whose decease it came to his eldest son, Thomas Noel Lord Berwick, who dying in 1833 without issue the manor and domain of Attingham descended to his brother, William Noel Hill Lord Berwick, and is now held by the Right Hon. Richard Noel Hill Lord Berwick, whose princely seat is Attingham Hall, one of the most extensive and elegant mansions in the county. It was built from a design by Stewart, and consists of a centre adorned with a magnificent portico of the composite order, supported by four circular pillars upwards of forty feet in height, and two wings connected with the main building by corridors. The situation of the mansion is peculiarly fine, and the extensive park by which it is surrounded is beautifully enriched with wooded scenery; the waters of the majestic Severn and the river Tern adding much to the picturesque beauty of the whole. The interior of the mansion is magnificently furnished, and contains a fine gallery of pictures, chiefly by the early Italian masters, also a fine collection of Etruscan vases and other antiquities from Herculaneum. In the picture gallery is a curious model of Mount Vesuvius, upon a large scale, made of the materials of the mountain by the late traveller Dr. Clarke. The park is stocked with deer. Attingham hall has not been occupied for several years, the present noble lord having chiefly resided at Cronkhill, on the opposite side of the Severn.

Berwick Mavaston is a lordship within the parish of Atcham, and was bestowed on Malvesyn, “one of those two hundred and sixty knights famous in the conqueror’s army,” who fought in his cause at Hastings, and by whose means he won the crown of England. Malvesyn having braved all the dangers, and therefore having a right to share the spoils of victory, would be eager to fix his residence on some of the conquered lands. His valour was rewarded by the grant of the lordship of Rideware, which was probably held by this Norman knight, under the Earls of Shrewsbury by the knightly tenure of bearing arms against the Welsh. He got possession of other lands about the same period, among which was the lordship of Berwicke Juxta Attingham, which he held under the same barony, by military service; and as the leading branch of this family gave their name to the seigniory of Manvesin Rosny, in France, so we find the younger branch communicated the same name to the respective lordships of Manvesin Ridware, and Manvesin Berwick, in England, where this family flourished in the days of our Henrys and Edwards—a knightly race in an age of gallantry; foremost like their Norman kindred in deeds of arms and works of piety. The situation, however, not being very distant from the borders of Wales, and holding the domain by the tenure of border service, his descendants found it no easy task to defend what their common ancestor had won by the sword. In the reign of Henry IV. John Malvesyn being slain at a hunting match, with men of Shropshire, at the Wrekin, and dying without issue, his niece Editha carried the Berwick estate into the family of Wydcomb, from whom it passed in like manner to the Hambrooks, and was purchased from them by the ancestor of the present proprietor, Lord Berwick.

Chilton, Cronkhill, and Emstrey are three small townships for highway purposes, in the parish of Atcham on the western side of the river Severn, near the Holyhead and Shrewsbury turnpike road. The land in Chilton is chiefly the property of Robert Burton, Esq. Cronkhill is the property and seat of the Right Hon. Richard Noel Hill Lord Berwick, whose principal seat is Attingham hall. The house at Cronkhill is a plain stuccoed structure. Emstrey is situated about two miles and a half from Shrewsbury, and has upwards of 500 acres of land, which is the property of Lady Tyrwhitt. Uckington township is situated on the eastern side of the Severn; the land is the property of the Duke of Cleveland, who is also the impropriator.

Charities.—Joseph Jones, by will, 1729, directed that six o’clock prayers in St. Alkmund’s church, Shrewsbury, should be continued for ever, for which purpose he gave a yearly rent charge of £7. 10s., issuing out of his tenement and lands in Astley, £6 thereof yearly to be paid to the vicar or curate of the parish of St. Alkmund, or St. Mary, or on their neglect to such other minister of the church of England as should read prayers in either of the said churches about the hour of six o’clock in the evening, and 20s. to the clerk, and 10s. to the sexton for officiating on such occasions; and in case of neglect or refusal, he gave the said legacy to the poor of the parish of Atcham, to be applied in the education of poor children, or in the maintenance of decayed housekeepers; and he further directed that the payment of 20s. yearly, for the instruction of two poor boys or girls in the charity school of Shrewsbury, should be continued for ever, if his wife should think fit. And as to the residue of the rents of the lands in Astley, he bequeathed the same to his wife, with liberty for her to sell a parcel of land called the Wood Meadow; and after her decease, without issue, he decided that she, by her will or otherwise, should dispose of the remainder of the rents reserved upon the lease to such charitable uses as she should think fit; but for want of such appointment after his wife’s decease, he directed that as there was divine service in the chapel of Astley only every third Sunday in the month, 10s. monthly should be paid to a minister to read prayers and preach in the said chapel every first and last Sunday in the month; but in case of neglect or refusal, he gave the rent charge to the poor of Atcham and Astley, or for educational purposes, at the discretion of the trustees. As executor to Thomas Cox, Mr. Jones had in his hands a legacy of £5, given for the poor of Atcham, and a sum of £30 entrusted to him by the Bromley, to buy coals for the poor of Shrawardine; for securing the payments of 5s. and 30s. as interest of the above, Mr. Jones charged his lands in Astley and Coleham with the payment thereof. Elizabeth Jones directed the six o’clock prayers should he continued in the parish of St. Alkmund as mentioned in her husband’s will; and the yearly sums of £6. 20s., and 10s. paid as by him directed; and she appointed 40s. to be paid to the said minister to provide candles during the winter, in case the parish should refuse, and £5 yearly to be paid to the organist of St. Mary’s. The estate at Astley contains 58a. 2r. 6p., and when the charity commissioners published their report, produced a yearly rental of £60, out of which £6 is paid to the minister of Astley, £5 to the organist of St. Mary’s, and £1. 10s. to the poor of Shrawardine. Though the last-mentioned payment, and the interest of £5 as Cock’s legacy, were charged upon the testators’ estates in Shrewsbury and Coleham, as well as that in Astley, the Shrewsbury and Coleham estates have been sold or passed to different hands as being exonerated from the charge. Nothing has been paid for many years for maintaining prayers in the church of St. Alkmund, or St. Mary’s, Shrewsbury, the duty required not having been performed. The interest of Cock’s legacy is to be considered as included in the portion of the residue paid to the parish. After the payment of the several sums above mentioned, and any incidental expenses that may be incurred, the residue is divided between the parish of Atcham and the township of Astley, £40 generally to the former, and £10 to the latter. The Atcham portion is disposed of with the produce of other charities, in money or clothing, on St. Thomas’s day, chiefly among such of the poor as do not receive parochial relief.

Thomas Burton, Esq., of Longnor, in 1730, bequeathed £10 per annum for the use of the poorest inhabitants of this parish, and charged an estate in Berwick with the payment of the same. The amount is given away with the produce of Jones’s charity.

The Countess of Harborough, in 1765, left to the poor of this parish the sum of £200, the interest to be annually distributed by the patron and minister of Atcham. This sum was laid out, in the year 1792, in the purchase of £193. 11s. 6d. stock, four per cent. annuities, and in the year 1803 the sum of £44. 2s. 10d., which was raised by suffering the dividends to accumulate, was laid out in the purchase of additional stock to make up the sum of £250. The dividends, amounting to £8. 15. per annum, together with £1. 5s. added by the vicar to make up the deficiency occasioned by the reduction of the dividends, is also disposed of with the produce of Jones’s charity.

Margaret Thompson, in 1751, gave £6, the yearly interest to purchase bibles and prayer books for poor children. This sum is in the hands of the vicar, and he applies the interest according to the donor’s intentions.

Thomas Hill, in 1779, bequeathed £100 to the vicar, churchwardens, and overseers of Atcham, on trust, to apply the interest in relieving the necessities of the poor not receiving parochial relief. This gift is in the hands of Lord Berwick, who distributes annually a quantity of meat and provisions, exceeding the amount of the interest.

In 1666 John Cox left £20 to the poor of the parish. Joan Blakeway, in 1684, left a yearly sum of 6s. to be distributed among the poor. John Calcott, in 1698, charged a tenement in Worthen with the payment of 12s. and 7s. a year, to be distributed among poor housekeepers of Atcham. He also charged the same premises with the legacy of Joan Blakeley, of 6s. yearly. It is supposed that something was paid in respect of these charities by Scarlet Lloyd, Esq., who died about fifty years ago. Nothing, however, has been paid since that period; and though some pains have been taken to discover the tenement in Worthen subject to the payment of the charities, no satisfactory information has been obtained.

Richard Cox gave £5, and directed the interest to be expended in bread and given to the poor on Easter day. The sum of 5s. was paid in respect of this charity for several years, by Robert Burton, Esq., of Longnor, supposing it to be charged on property taken by him from one of the Calcott family, in exchange for other lands. On examining the title deeds at a subsequent period, no such charge is mentioned, and he therefore declined paying in any longer.

Dorothy Whitcome left £10 for the benefit of the poor. In 1742, this gift, by some means which we are unable to account for, was reduced to £4. 7s. 8½d., and at a parish meeting held in that year, it was agreed to distribute the principal among the poor.

Atcham, Berwick, Chilton, Cronkhill, Emstrey, and Uckington Directories.

The Right Hon. Richard Noel Hill, Lord Berwick, Attingham Hall and Cronkhill

Adams John, farm bailiff, Cronkhill

Burgwin Thomas, blacksmith, Atcham

Burton Rev. Henry, the Vicarage, Atcham

Casewell Thomas, shoemaker, Atcham

Clayton John, farmer, Berwick

Cotterill Edwin, farmer, the Grange, Atcham

Ditcher Joseph, farmer, Uckington

Hand Ann, vict., Berwick’s Arms, commercial and boarding house

Higgins John, farmer, Berwick

Hughes Hannah, vict., Horse Shoe, Uckington

Leigh Edward, coal agent, to Shropshire Coal Company, Atcham

Linell Henry, farmer, Emstrey

Lowe James, farmer, Uckington

Mancell Ann, shopkeeper, Atcham

Mason Robert, wheelwright, Atcham

Miller William, farmer, Uckington

Nunnerley William, coal agent to Hazledine and Co., Atcham

Peach Miss, boarding school, Chilton

Peach William, maltster & saddler, Atcham

Price John, farm bailiff, Berwick

Price William, farmer, Chilton

Rose John, farmer, Emstrey

Vaughan John, Esq., Chilton grove

Weatherby Robert, registrar, Atcham

BOLAS MAGNA, OR GREAT BOLAS,

is a parish and small rural village, in a retired part of the country, seven miles W. by N. from Wellington. The houses are in general scattered, but pleasantly situated on the banks of the river Tern, which divides this parish from Little Bolas. The parish contains 1,784 acres of land; mostly a bold undulating district, the soil of which is a mixture of sand and loam. The meadow lands are highly fertile. In 1801, there were 207 inhabitants; 1831, 255; and in 1841, 55 houses and a population of 228 souls. Rateable value, £2,682. The principal landowners are John Taylor, Esq., Thomas Taylor, Esq., Joseph Ogle, Esq., and Mrs. Pooler, besides whom there are several smaller proprietors. The Newport, Preston Brockhurst, and Wellington turnpike roads cross the township. The Church, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, is a brick structure, except the chancel which is of stone, situated on a gentle eminence near the banks of the river Tern. It has a square tower, which contains two bells. The interior has a neat appearance; it is pewed with oak sittings, and has a small gallery. In the chancel is a neat tablet in memory of John Ogle, Esq., and his wife, dated 1840. Another mural tablet remembers Thomas Griffith, and several members of that family, and is dated 1745. The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £7. 9s. 4½d. Gross income, £368. 14s, in the patronage of Viscount Hill, incumbent, Rev. John Hill, M.A., who resides at The Rectory, a pleasantly situated house, on elevated ground, near the banks of the river Tern. The rectory was built a few years ago by the present incumbent, in aid of which a grant was obtained from the governors of Queen Anne’s Bounty. There are 46 acres of glebe land. A small organ was purchased for the church in 1843; the cost of it, £63, was raised by subscriptions, chiefly given by the family of Hill. There is a School in the village, where 20 children are educated free; other children are admitted on the payment of a small sum weekly. Bolas House, the residence of John Taylor, Esq., is a spacious brick structure, surrounded with neat pleasure grounds and park-like enclosures. Burleigh Villa, a good house, with projecting gables, is approached by an avenue of trees, and delightfully situated, is the property and residence of Thomas Taylor, Esq. Bolas is celebrated as the place where the late Marquis of Exeter domiciled for a time under the assumed name of Mr. Jones, courted, and married Miss Sarah Hoggins, and finally raised her to the rank of a British peeress. At the time Mr. Cecil visited Great Bolas, Mr. Hoggins had a farm and kept a small shop. One evening, just as the day had closed, a stranger presented himself at the door, and stated that he was benighted in a strange part of the country, and would be grateful for the accommodation of a bed, or, in case that would be inconvenient, to rest on a chair or otherwise. Mrs. Hoggins, however, very abruptly gave a refusal, but Mr. Hoggins expressed it as his opinion that it was their christian duty to befriend the stranger; to which Mrs. Hoggins eventually assented. In the morning, the stranger arose, and went to survey the farm premises and stock; but the principal object that attracted his attention was the farmer’s daughter, Sarah, feeding the poultry. She was a handsome girl, with a lively and cheerful countenance, bespeaking sensibility and happiness. The heart of the stranger was no longer his own, but he determined not to be too premature, and therefore made an agreement to become an inmate of the farmer’s dwelling. He employed his leisure hours in assisting Mr. Hoggins in the rural affairs of his farm, and in domestic matters as occasion occurred, frequently visiting Wellington in the market cart. Mr. Jones eventually began to manifest a degree of partiality for Miss Hoggins, and placed her at a school at Wellington. This circumstance did not escape the notice of the neighbours, and the mysterious stranger was the talk of the surrounding district. Most people could discover that he was no ordinary person, and various were the suppositions as to his real character; but generally the idea prevailed among the gossips of the neighbourhood that he was captain of a gang of robbers, and this opinion was strengthened by the occasional visit of strangers and the absence of Mr. Jones every now and then for a few days, after which he had always plenty of money. He finally made proposals of marriage to Miss Hoggins, whose heart had from the first felt a kindred flame, and he was accordingly accepted. He then pressed his suit with the parents, but the cautious mother sternly refused, and thought there might be some truth in the supposition of her neighbours as to the real character of her guest; but the father had observed their mutual attachment, and the conclusiveness of his reasoning, “Has he not plenty of money to keep her?” eventually prevailed with the good old dame. After his marriage with Sarah, he engaged masters in every branch of polite education to accomplish his bride. In the course of time the lovely bride had a daughter, which died, and was buried at Bolas. Her second child, Brownlow, became the Marquis of Exeter. On the demise of his uncle, in December, 1793, he became entitled to the honours and estates of the Earldom of Exeter; he, therefore, found it necessary to repair to London. He accordingly set out, as on a journey of pleasure, taking his wife with him, and on the route called at several noblemen’s houses, where, to the astonishment of his wife, he was welcomed in the most friendly manner. At length they arrived at the beautiful patrimonial seat of his lordship (Burleigh, in Northamptonshire), and on approaching the house he asked his wife, with an air of unconcern, whether she would like it to be her home; which she immediately assenting to, he then said, “My dear Sarah, it is yours!” and on making his appearance in front of the house, he was instantly recognised, and received with acclamations of joy by the family and domestics.

His lordship shortly afterwards returned to Bolas, discovered his rank to his wife’s father and mother, put them in a house he had built there, and settled on them an income of £700 per annum. He also amply provided for the brothers and sisters of his countess; and generously pensioned all the servants and workpeople of the villa. The countess, from her pleasing and unassuming manners, was received with the greatest cordiality in the high circle of her noble husband, and was introduced to her majesty, the late Queen Charlotte. She, however, lived but a short period to enjoy her exalted station, dying in child-bed January 8th, 1797.

Messon is a small township, in Great Bolas parish, about half a mile S.E. from the church, the acres of which are returned with the parish. The landowners are the Duke of Cleveland, Joseph Ogle, Esq., Mr. Collier, Mr. Samuel Miner, Mr. William Flemming, Mr. William Wild, and Mr. Thomas Wild. At the census in 1841 the township contained 17 houses and 85 inhabitants. Messon Hall is now occupied by Mr. Joseph Ogle, as a farm residence.

Charities.—Elizabeth Walker, in 1723, bequeathed £20 to the poor of this parish, the interest to be expended in bread, and given every Lord’s day among the poor. John Whitfield, who had lived 55 years a servant in the family of Sir Rowland Hill, and who died in 1747, left £10 for a distribution of bread on St. John’s day.

Bolas Directory.—William Oxon, farmer; John Betley, farmer; John Blanton, farmer; Samuel Brasenell, shopkeeper and victualler; Fox and Hounds; Samuel Buckley, farmer and corn miller; Richard Cherrington, shoemaker; Richard Fox, farmer; Rev. Matthew Kinsey, curate, The Rectory; Benjamin Phillips, wheelwright; John Taylor, Esq., Bolas House; Thomas Taylor, Esq., Burleigh Villa.

Meeson Directory.—Thomas Bellingham, farmer, Shrey-hill; Thomas Blanton, farmer; William Flemming, tailor; Samuel Miner, farmer; Joseph Ogle, farmer, Meeson Hall; Thomas Wild, shoemaker; William Wild, farmer.

BUILDWAS

is a parish township and small rural village delightfully situated near the banks of the Severn, four and a half miles N.E. from Much Wenlock. The parish contains 2,152 acres of land, of which 350 acres are in woods and plantations, the remainder is about equally divided in arable and pasture or meadow lands; the soil is mostly heavy, and produces good wheat and barley. In 1801 there was a population of 258 souls; 1831, 240, and in 1841 there were 59 houses and 273 inhabitants. A beautiful iron bridge of one arch 130 feet span was erected by the Coalbrook-dale Company over the Severn at this place in 1796, at an expense of £6,034. The rise of the bridge is 24 feet, and as the road-way could not be carried to a greater height, advantage was taken of the Schaffhausen principal by making the ribs rise to the top of the railings, and connecting them to the lower ribs by means of dove-tailed king posts. The old bridge, which had narrow arches that impeded the navigation of the river, was carried away by a flood in 1795. Walter Moseley, Esq., (a minor), is landowner, lord of the manor, and impropriator of the tithes, which are commuted for £350. The incumbent of the parish has a payment of £16. 2s. 6d. issuing out of certain lands contiguous to the abbey. The Church is a small structure of free stone, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and consists of nave and chancel, with a wooden turret; it was rebuilt in 1720. It contains several neat marble tablets, one of which on the north wall remembers Margaret Smitheman, who died 1818; another on the south side remembers John Smitheman, and is dated 1809; Humphrey Wheeler and his four sons are also remembered on a neat mural tablet dated 1739, besides which there are several others. The living is a donative in the patronage of W. Moseley, Esq. Incumbent, Rev. John Bartlett, M.A., who resides at Marn Wood, a pleasantly situated residence just within the bounds of Madeley parish. The poor of this parish enjoy the benefit of a rent charge of £5 per annum, the benefaction of Miss Ann Lacon. The annuity is received by the churchwardens, who distribute in equal moieties at Michaelmas and Lady-day among four poor widows in shares of 12s. 6d. each. Near to the bridge there is a respectable inn, conducted by Mr. William Jones.

Buildwas Abbey.—The magnificent ruins of Buildwas abbey are situated in a picturesque vale, near the banks of the river Severn, whose silvery waters are here crossed by a noble cast iron bridge, having a span of 130 feet. The massive walls of the abbey, with the grey pillars and arches, present a fine contrast to the rich verdure which surrounds them, and being environed with high grounds crowned with timber, it presents one of the most lovely spots for conventual retirement that can well be imagined. The outer walls of the abbey church are almost entire. The structure was cruciform with a massive tower in the middle, which rested on four pointed arches. On each side of the nave are seven pillars, with indented capitals, from whence spring arches with obtuse points. Above is a clerestory with small round headed windows. The side aisles, the transept, and the chapel of the choir are entirely in ruins. Under the north wing of the transept is the crypt, the whole of which has evidently been groined with stone, and was supported by circular and diagonal pillars. Over the chapter house and other apartments forming the east side of the cloister are the remains of a second story, which was probably the dormitory. A little eastward of the cloister are probably the remains of the refectory. The view of this venerable structure from the west end is peculiarly striking: the huge pillars with their bold arches and projecting capitals, the lofty arches which supported the tower, and the windows of the gloomy choir, contrasted with the rich verdure, and the luxuriant ivy mantling the walls, altogether form a solemn spectacle of fallen grandeur. The abbey was founded by Roger de Clinton, in 1135, for monks of the order of Savigny, who were afterwards united to the Cistercians. The house was dedicated to St. Mary and St. Chad, and the foundation was confirmed by King Stephen, in the year 1139. Leland in his itinerary says, “Matilda de Bohun, wife of Sir Robert Burnell, was founder of Buildwas abbey,” but among the charters of the monasticon there is no mention of this Matilda, and the foundation is in two or three places ascribed to Roger de Clinton, Bishop of Chester. Rustandus, the pope’s legate, with the assistance of the bishop of Hereford, extorted large sums of money from the clergy; the legate summoned the abbots of the Cistercian order to meet at Reading, when he demanded supplies for the use of the pope and the king, which amounted to the value of their wool. The abbots made answer that the tax was very grievous, and therefore could come to no resolution without the consent of their convents. Rustandus incensed at that answer acquainted the king that the Cistercians refused to grant him supplies. The king swore that those who refused to submit to his demands should feel the effects of his power. There was then at court the abbot of Buildwas, whom the king reprimanded after this manner, “What is the meaning, abbot, that you refuse to supply my necessities; am I not your patron?” To whom the abbot replied, “I would to God, sir, you were our patron, our father, and defender; but it does not become your majesty to extort money from those who can only assist you with their prayers; let the exemplary piety of the king of France be a precedent to your majesty in this respect.” The king replied, “I demand both your money and your prayers.” “How is that consistent,” said the abbot, “for one of them you must be without.” At the suppression here were twelve monks who, according to Dugdale, were endowed with £110. 19s. 3d. per annum, but Speed estimates the value at £129. 6s. 10d. The site, with all the land in Shropshire, Staffordshire, and Derbyshire, were granted to Edward Lord Powis in the 29th of Henry VIII.

An extraordinary phenomena occurred on the 27th of May, 1775, at a place called the Birches, situated between Buildwas and Ironbridge, which will be found noticed with the latter place.

Moseley Mrs. Elizabeth, Buildwas Park

Moseley Walter, Esq., Buildwas Park

Bartlett Rev. John, M.A., Marnwood

Birkin Charles, farmer

Eveson Thomas, farmer and gardener

Francis Thomas, farmer

Hewlett John, farmer, Lawleys Cross

Intone Thomas, blacksmith

Jones William, maltster, farmer, and vict. Bridge Inn, Buildwas

Lewis William, farmer, Abbey farm

Nickless Enoch, farmer & builder; residence, Iron bridge

Nunn Rev. John, B.A., curate, Wire Hill Cottage

Pothan William, farmer

Ridley Edward and Samuel, farmer and corn millers

CHETWYND

is a parish which includes the townships of Chetwynd and Howle, part of Pickstock and part of Sambrook; the latter will be found noticed in Cheswardine parish, and Pickstock is given with Edgmond in which parish it is chiefly situated. The hamlet of Pixley noticed with Hinstock contains 89a. 1r. 28p. of land in this parish. The parish of Chetwynd contains 3,803a. 0r. 30p. of land, and in 1801 had 594 inhabitants, 1831, 766, and in 1841, 760. The village of Chetwynd forms the northern suburb to the town of Newport, on the line of road leading from that town to Market Drayton, but the church, the hall, and the rectory are situated on the same line of road nearly two miles north from Newport. The township contains 1,727a. 2r. 5p. of land, and in 1841 had 109 houses and 543 inhabitants. John Charles Burton Borough, Esq., is the principal land owner and lord of the manor; Robert Fisher, Esq., Thomas Collier, Esq., the Rev. William Dalton, are also land owners. The Church, a plain brick structure dedicated to St. Michael, has been built about one hundred years; it consists of nave and bay, and has a square tower in which are six bells; there is a gallery at the west end built in the year 1841 by voluntary subscriptions. The living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £10. 16s. 3d., now returned at £775. in the patronage of J. C. B. Borough, Esq.; incumbent, Rev. Rev. Thomas Whateley, M.A., who resides at the rectory, a good residence near the church. The tithes are commuted for £742. 4s. 11½d. The Hall is an ancient structure near the east end of the church, which appears to have been built at different periods; in the low grounds in front of the hall, the river Meese, an inconsiderable stream takes its course. The park comprises about 300 acres of land, and is situated on the west side of the turnpike road leading from Newport to Market Drayton; it has a bold undulating surface, well timbered and stocked with about two hundred head of deer; a fine sheet of water covers about thirty acres. The National School is situated about midway between Newport and Chetwynd church; there is a residence for the teacher, and the number of scholars that attend average about seventy.

Charities.—In 1717 a house and croft situated in High street, Newport, was conveyed in trust for the benefit of the poor of Chetwynd, in consideration of £80 paid to James and Thomas Liversage, whereof £50 was money given by Honor Dryden and others for charitable uses. This house has been unfortunately long lost to the charity, and there is no evidence to show that the poorhouse ever derived any benefit from it. Of the croft in Chetwynd a small part, about a rood, was taken upwards of fifty years ago for the site of a house of industry, for which no compensation had been made when the charity commissioners published their report. The remainder of the land produces about £3 per annum.

There is a piece of land containing about three acres known by the name of Lady meadow, the rent of which was received by the parish officers as early as the year 1625, but there is no trace of the source from which the land was derived. The sum of £1 0s. 4d. was the rent paid from the above year down to 1820, although the premises were then worth about £8 per annum. There are certain premises in the parish of Edgmond now consisting of three cottages with gardens and about nine acres of land, which were purchased in 1728 with certain benefactions left by Ann Pigott and Robert Pigott for the benefit of the poor of Chetwynd; the rents from these premises amount to £28 per annum.

There is reason to believe from entries in the parish books, that the land at Hinstock consisting of about ten acres, was purchased for the use of the poor of Chetwynd about the beginning of the 18th century, but there is no evidence to show what was the amount of purchase money, or from what particular source it was derived. It first appears in the parish books in the year 1700 at a rent of £2. 10s., which continued without increase until 1760. In 1783 it was let for £4. 15s. and the amount has since been raised to £14. 14s.

William Unite’s charity of five penny loaves weekly, and several sums of money amounting to £30 left by several benefactors, have been applied to the use of the parish, and the parish officers now pay £2. 11s. 8d. as the interest thereof.

The gross income of the several charities above mentioned amounts to £49. 6s. per annum, and at the time the charity commissioners visited Chetwynd, was expended in the following manner: £1. 14s. applied in aid of the church rates, £5. 6s. 8d. in distributions of bread, £4 in the purchase of coal, and £38. 10s. was carried to the poor’s rates. The latter, we conceive, is an objectionable mode of applying money left for charitable uses, and totally at variance with the donors’ intentions. It was intended, however, by the parishioners, to have a fresh application of the charitable funds, and to apply a portion towards the support of a school.

Robert Pigott, who died in 1746, left the sum of £50, the interest to be distributed among poor housekeepers. Certain benefactions, recorded on tables in the church, left by twelve several donors, amounting to £68, in the absence of any account of their disposal, may be presumed to have formed the purchase money of the lands, of which there are no documents to trace their origin.

The inhabitants of Chetwynd End are entitled to participate in the benefits of the Grammar School and other charities at Newport.

Those names with * affixed are at Chetwynd End.

Boroughs John Charles Burton, Esq., Chetwynd hall

* Allen Harry, spirit merchant

Allmen George, blacksmith, Pilson

* Bailey Robert, maltster and farmer

* Brittain Thos., corn miller

* Cobb John, builder and architect

* Cockayne Miss Sarah

* Cockerill Thomas, Esq.

Collier Thos. Esq., Beech hill

* Derrington Thomas, Chetwynd villa

Emberey Mrs. Ann, Summerhill house

Fisher Robert, Esq. Chetwynd lodge

Ford William, woolstapler

* Franklin John, vict., King’s Arms

* Geates Joseph, gardener

* Hector Miss Elizabeth

Holt David, gamekeeper

* Icke Mrs. Mary

Ingram George, land agent

* Jellicore Mrs. Mary

* Matthews Charles veterinary surgeon

* Morris Thomas, seedsman

Myatt Richard, farmer

* Palin Mrs. Jemima

* Pickworth Mrs. Elizabeth

Podmore Thomas, farmer

* Pritchard Mary Ann, boarding school

* Randal John, architect

Rowley Andrew, schoolmaster and parish clerk

* Rylands Mrs. Jane

* Stevens Mary Ann, schoolmistress

Thompson Mark, woolstapler

Veitch John, farmer

* Washbourne William, Esq., solicitor, Chetwynd house

* Watkin Watkin, timber merchant

* Weate William, farmer and butcher

Webb Joseph, farmer, New house

* West Samuel, shopkeeper

Whately Rev. Thomas, M.A., the Rectory

HOWLE

is a small township with a scattered population, five miles north-west from Newport, and three miles north-west from Chetwynd. The township contains 765a. 1r. 28p. of land; and at the census in 1841 there were 18 houses and 102 inhabitants. The land here has an undulating surface, and is highly fertile. Arthur Mountford, Esq., is the principal landowner, and farms most of the land. The Wesleyan Methodists have a small chapel in the township.

The chief residents are Arthur Mountford, Esq.; and Messrs. Dawes and Whitfield, corn millers.

DAWLEY MAGNA,

a populous parish busily engaged in the extensive iron works and collieries with which the vicinity abounds, is situated four miles S.E. from Wellington. The parish comprises the townships of Dawley Magna, Dawley Parva, and Malinslee. In 1801 there was a population of 3,869 souls; 1831, 6,877, and in 1841 there were 1,716 houses and 8,641 inhabitants, of whom 4,490 were males, and 4,151 females. The township of Dawley Magna contains 997a. 1r. 21p. of land, and in 1841 had 904 houses and 4,485 inhabitants. R. A. Slaney, Esq., is lord of the manor and a considerable landowner; Beriah Botfield, Esq., the Coalbrook Dale Company, Robert Burton, Esq., and the Langley Field Company, are also proprietors. The collieries vary from 150 yards to 200 yards in depth, and the seams of coal from two feet to four feet in thickness; the coal is of a very superior quality, and got in immense quantities. The Coalbrook Dale Company give employment to upwards of 3,500 hands, and the quantity of coal raised by this firm in the parish of Dawley alone amounts to 8,500 tons per month, or 102,000 tons per annum, of ironstone 42,000 tons a year. The same company also make 17,880 tons of pig iron, at the Horse Hay Works in this parish, besides 14,200 tons of finished merchant iron yearly. A very ingenious contrivance is adopted at the Horse Hay Works, by means of which 100 tons of coal per month are saved. Attached to the furnace chimnies where the iron is made are pipes by which the gas is brought down under the immense steam engines which are necessary for raising the coal and ironstone from the mines contiguous to the works. On the gas uniting with the atmospheric air under the engines it immediately ignites, and thus an immense saving and power is acquired which is generally neglected in other establishments. At the time we saw the works there was a surplus supply of gas thrown off, which would have put in motion an engine of 100 horse power. The Horse Hay Works took their name from the circumstance of this place, in former days being the depository for hay, when the minerals were carried on pack horses from Ketley-bank to Coalbrook dale—this was a half-way house where the horses were fed, and hence the name Horse Hay Works. Each of the adult workmen employed at this extensive establishment pays 1s. per month, which forms a fund for educational purposes and funeral expenses.

The Church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, is a handsome structure of free stone, erected in 1845, at a cost of about £3,000, raised by subscriptions and grants from the church building societies. The stone was got from a neighbouring quarry. It consists of nave, chancel and side aisles, with a tower at the west end, in which are six bells. The interior has a chaste appearance: the nave is separated from the side aisles by four lofty arches; on the north side of the chancel is a neat stone pulpit, and there is a gallery at the west end, upon which there is a superior organ erected in 1851 at a cost of £200. The pews are uniform in character, and there are 831 sittings, of which 664 are free and unappropriated. The living is a perpetual curacy in the patronage of the Messrs. Phillips. Incumbent, Rev. William Richards, M.A. The parsonage is about half a mile N.W. from the church. The rectoral tithes are commuted for £82. 10s. Messrs. Phillips are the impropriators. The incumbent receives £1. The parish register dates from the year 1666. The old church stood a little S.E. of the present edifice; it was a small structure of primitive simplicity, and had a short tower at the west end. On the east side of the church yard stands the old parsonage, an antique fabric of wood and plaster with a thatched roof; it is much dilapidated by time, and is expected shortly to be taken down. The Wesleyan Chapel, Dawley Green, is a plain octagonal structure, which will hold about 400 hearers. The Wesleyans have also a spacious chapel at Dawley Bank, built in 1846. The Wesleyan New Connection Chapel is a spacious structure at Dawley Green, which will hold about 1,000 persons. The Particular Baptist Chapel is a small structure situated at Dawley Bank. The Primitive Methodist Chapel is a spacious structure capable of holding about 1,000 persons, situated in Dawley Green-lane. Dawley Green is a most densely populated part of the parish, and is about half a mile from the church; in High street are many good houses and shops in all the different branches of the retail trade. Pool Hill School is a noble pile of buildings, erected at a cost of upwards of £3,500, defrayed by the munificence of different members of the Darby family. The interior is spacious and lofty, and the roof is of groined timber stained in imitation of oak. There is a good library containing upwards of 400 volumes. The school has been built for the education of the children of workmen belonging to the Coalbrook Dale Company, and is partly supported from a fund into which each workman pays 1s. per month for educational purposes and funeral expenses of deceased members; the residue necessary for the support of the school is paid by the Coalbrook Dale Company. The National School is a plain structure, erected in 1841, and situated near the parsonage house. About 100 children attend. It is supported by subscriptions and the pence of the children. Finger Lane is a scattered district to the east of the church.

DAWLEY PARVA,

a township situated near a mile W. of Dawley Magna, comprises 900a. 1r. 38p. of land, and in 1841 had 270 houses and 1,435 inhabitants. The canal and roads occupy 30a. 1r. 8p. The tithes of Dawley Parva have been commuted, and £146 apportioned to Messrs. Phillips, the impropriators, and £6 to the incumbent. The Church is a neat structure, dedicated to St. Luke, and consists of nave and bay, with a belfry at the west end, built of hewn stone of very beautiful workmanship. The roof is of groined timber, and there is a gallery at the west end. The cost of the fabric was about £1,300, which was raised partly by grants from the church building societies and partly by subscriptions. There are 507 sittings, which are all free and unappropriated. The church was built under Sir Robert Peel’s act, and is endowed with £150 per annum. The patronage is vested in the crown and the bishop of Lichfield alternately. The Rev. James Morris is the incumbent. The vestry is used as a Sunday school for girls, and the boys are taught in the church. The parsonage is a neat residence situated near the church. The Wesleyan Methodists have a spacious chapel, built in 1837. Holywell Lane is a populous district, chiefly of cottage residences, which take their name from a well here called Holy Well. At Hinkhay are a number of scattered cottages.

MALINSLEE

is a township in the parish of Dawley, situated about a mile N. from the parish church, which comprises 736a. 1r. 9p. of land, and in 1841 there were 510 houses and 2,721 inhabitants, Robert H. Cheney, Esq., is the principal landowner; Beriah Botfield, Esq., is also a proprietor. The Shropshire union canal occupies 34a. 1r. 31p., and there is 1a. 2r. 20p. of glebe in the township. Malinslee forms a part of the great Shropshire coal field; ironstone is found in large quantities, and the iron and coal works of Beriah Botfield, Esq., are of considerable extent. The Old Park coal works are celebrated for superior coal. The Church is an octagonal structure, erected in the early part of the present century; it is built of free stone, and will accommodate about 800 persons. The expenses of the erection were defrayed with money left by J. H. Browne, Esq., of Burton-upon-Trent. The patronage is vested in the incumbent of Dawley Magna; the living is a perpetual curacy enjoyed by the Rev. William Harris. Malinslee House is a good brick residence, built about sixty years ago by the late William Botfield, Esq. It is now occupied as offices by the clerks of B. Botfield, Esq. About 150 yards from the house are the ruins of a small religious house called Malinslee Abbey. This may have been subordinate to some of the larger abbeys in the vicinity, but of which we find no record. The ruins consist of a small oblong square with walls at each end about twenty feet high, and on each side from six to nine feet in height, having traces of the Saxon style of architecture.

Charities.—Richard Hodden, by will, dated 19th June, 1684, devised his land of inheritance, situated in Dogpole-street, Shrewsbury, and also his lands lying in Middleton-on-the-Hill, in the county of Hereford, to Richard Hodden and his heirs, on condition that he should (among other things) pay an annuity of £7 to the poor of Dawley Magna. The premises in Dogpole-street, Shrewsbury, mentioned in Hodden’s will, cannot now be identified, but the annuity is paid by Mr. Bird, the occupier, and part owner of the premises of Middleton, which consists of a farm and buildings, and about seventy acres of land. The amount is divided among poor widows, who are relieved according to their necessities.

Rebecca Walthall, who died in 1756, bequeathed to the churchwardens of Dawley £40, and directed the interest to be distributed yearly to the poor of Malinslee. This money was in the hands of the late William Botfield, Esq., who distributed 40s. as the interest thereof among poor widows. When the charity commissioners published their report Mr. Botfield had also a further sum of £50 in his hands, left as he believed by Rebecca Walthall, for which he paid interest to the incumbent of Dawley.

In the year 1738, by deed, dated 14th of April, Richard Styche, in consideration of £20 paid to him by Edward Forsbrook, with the consent of the parishioners, for placing the said money at interest for the benefit of the poor of the parish, assigned a cottage at Madeley Wood, which had been granted to him in 1732, by George Yorke, for securing the repayment of £30 advanced by him to Yorke, and of which £10 had been since paid off. And by a memorandum at the back of the deed the parties agreed that interest at four per cent. should be paid for the £20. On the 7th March, 1857, the said George Yorke, by endorsement on this deed, acknowledged to have borrowed of the parish officers of Dawley the sum of £13, which sum, with interest at the rate of 10s. a year, he agreed should be payable from the said premises, making the whole principal sum £33. We could not ascertain with certainty the origin of this poor’s money, but find that Enoch Cooper, in 1721, left a sum of £20 to the use of the poor of Great Dawley, and this sum probably formed the first amount advanced on this mortgage. In the returns of the commissioners under the act of the 26th of George III., there is mention of a benefaction by another person of the name of Cooper of £13, which agrees with the further sum advanced on the mortgage in 1757, but we have not found any other trace of this donation.

Post Office.—At Mr. Samuel Deakin’s, High street. Letters arrive at 8 A.M., and are despatched at 5 30 P.M. Money orders are granted at this office.

Those names with 1 affixed are in High street; 2 Chapel lane; 3 Dawley Green lane; 4 Dawley Bank, 5 Horse Hay; 6 Finger lane; 7 The Wickets. Those marked * are Dawley Magna; and † in Malinslee.

4 Bailey Edward, farmer

1 Bailey George, grocer, seedsman, and ironmonger

1 Bailey Henry, butcher

2 Bailey John, relieving officer

1 Bailey Michael, shopkeeper

5 Bailey Robert, cashier

2 Bailey William Henry, surveyor of highways, accountant, assistant overseer, and agent to Birmingham District Fire Office

1 Barclay John Brown, shopkeeper

* Barker John, cabinet-maker, registrar of births, deaths, and marriages, and vict., Crown Inn

3 Barnes Richard, inland revenue officer

1 Bason Edward, grocer and tea dealer

1 Baugh John, saddler

1 Belshaw Robert, draper and hatter

† Blakemore Thomas, victualler, Stag Inn

† Bishton William, victualler, Plough Inn

† Bishton Geo., accountant, Malinslee House

† Botfield Beriah, Esq., ironmaster

1 Bradbury Thomas, chemist and druggist, & agent to the Royal Farmers & Medical, Legal, and General Insurance Office

5 Bratton John, accountant

6 Bray and Garbett, timber dealers

6 Bray Moses, shoemaker

6 Bray Thomas, victualler, Queen’s Arms

4 Brown Richard, butcher

4 Broom William, shoemaker

1 Brown William, butcher

1 Burroughs James, watch and clockmaker

1 Carver James, joiner and builder

1 Chilton Joseph, beerhouse

1 Chirm Jane, shopkeeper

3 Clarke John, tailor

4 Clarke William, wheelwright

3 Clemson William, maltster and victualler, King’s Arms

1 Cooke Henry, grocer, maltster, corn-miller, and seedsman

4 Cox Rev. Alfred (Baptist)

5 Dobbs James, boot and shoemaker

1 Davies George, surgeon

Darby and Co. (Colebrook Dale Company), ironmasters, Horse Hay

3 Deakin Catherine, beerhouse

1 Deakin Samuel, plumber, glazier, painter, and postmaster

* Deakin Thomas, grocer and draper

1 Deakin Wm., painter, glazier, & beerhouse

* Dixon Thomas, farmer

4 Done James, grocer and draper

1 Egerton Joseph, butcher, and beerhouse

1 Egerton Samuel, victualler, Angel Inn

1 Evans Thomas, victualler, Crown Inn

2 Faulkner Richard, beerhouse

Finley Jane, schoolmistress, Pool-hill school

* Fletcher George, farmer

3 Franklin Francis, shoemaker

3 Garbett and Bray, timber dealers

1 Garbett John, draper

2 Garbett Matthew and Benjamin, charter masters

* Garbett Michael, clerk of St. Luke’s

5 Garbett William, victualler, Peacock

1 Gill Robert, brazier

3 Green Charles H., surgeon, The Terrace

* Greenhalgh Robert, grocer

1 Greenhalgh William, grocer, draper, and hop and corn dealer

3 Gregory Mary, bonnet maker

1 Gun Robert, shoemaker

4 Guy Mary, grocer and victualler, Queen’s Head

1 Guy Thomas, pork butcher

6 Harris James, blacksmith and chainmaker

† Harris Rev. William, curate, Parsonage

3 Hayward George, shoemaker & beerhouse

1 Heaford Jonathan, tailor and draper

3 Hewlett Jane, shopkeeper and beerhouse

† Hudson William, accountant, Dark-lane House

1 Hudson William, timber dealer & builder

Hughes Andrew, butcher, and victualler, Red Lion

James Joseph, police constable

1 Jones Benjamin, ironmonger

4 Jones George, blacksmith

3 Jones John, charter master

3 Jones Phillip, beerhouse

1 Jones Thomas, confectioner

2 Jones William, charter master

1 Kirby Samuel, tailor

Langley Field Coal Company

1 Lane Rosannah, beerhouse

* Leigh Randle, beerhouse

1 Lewis George, butcher

3 Lewis James, butcher and grocer

2 Lord Mrs. Mary Ann

1 Lloyd Robert, shoemaker

* Mancell Thomas, shoemaker

3 Mason Thomas, shoemaker

† Mason William, tailor, Church lane

5 Maun James, victualler, Labour in Vain

6 Merrington Charles, blacksmith, iron-fence and chain maker

1 Millington John, beerhouse

1 Millman Richard, wheelwright

1 Mogg William, earthenware dealer

7 Morgan Thomas, blacksmith

3 Morgan Jeremiah, grocer and victualler, The Lamb

* Morris Rev. James, The Parsonage

3 Onions Enoch, shopkeeper and beerhouse

5 Owen Mary, victualler, Craven Arms

* Nightingale Saml., farmer & vic., Unicorn Inn

3 Parish Joseph, spade maker

7 Parsons John, vict., Wickets Inn

1 Pearce Richard Reynolds, leather dealer

3 Pickin James, hair dresser

4 Pierson John, hair dresser

† Poole James, boiler, chain, and nail maker, and vict., New Wickets Inn

1 Poole and Son, hair dressers

† Poole Robert, ground bailiff

1 Poole Sarah, dress maker

3 Poole William, tailor

4 Poole William, charter master

* Powell Matthew, farmer

4 Powis George, shoemaker

3 Pritchard Charles, shoemaker

6 Pritchard George, vict., Peter’s Finger

4 Pursell Lancelot, butcher

Richards Rev. William, M.A., Parsonage

5 Roden Benjamin, rolling mill manager

1 Roum Alice, beerhouse

1 Roum Maria Louisa, bonnet maker

1 Russell Joseph, draper and hatter

6 Sandlands John, saddler

Sides John James, schoolmaster (National)

1 Simms John, tailor

6 Smallman William, beerhouse and grocer

1 Slater Joseph, stationer, and at Ironbridge

5 Stanley William, grocer and draper

Stewart Elizabeth, beerhouse

Smart Rev. John, Wesleyan

Summers Thomas, maltster, farmer, and vict., Hinkshey

Taylor John Joseph, maltster and vict., Dun Cow

1 Taylor Richard, grocer, maltster, and draper

* Taylor William, farmer

4 Teece James, tailor and draper

4 Tipton Henry, charter master and vict., Red Lion

† Tipton Mark, manager to B. Botfield, Esq.; residence, Mossy Green

1 Tranter Sarah, maltster & vict., Elephant and Castle

1 Tranter William, vict., Lord Hill

* Trigger Elizabeth, farmer

3 Vaughan Thomas, charter master

3 Walford John, tailor

3 Walford Mary, dressmaker

3 Walkis Miles, joiner

1 Webb Mathew, surgeon

5 Wilkes Thomas, mine agent

5 Wilkes Mark, furnace and forge manager

5 William Edward, vict., Pudlers’ Arms

* Wright Peter, farmer

EATON CONSTANTINE,

is a parish and delightfully situated village, near the Wrekin Hill, seven miles S.E. from Shrewsbury, and five miles S.W. from Wellington. The parish comprises 874a. 0r. 10p. of land, the principal owners of which are the Duke of Cleveland and Mrs. Maun, besides whom Mrs. Langley, Mr. Samuel Dalloe, Mr. George Davies, and Mr. William Langley, are also proprietors. The Duke of Cleveland is lord of the manor. In 1801 Eaton parish contained 204 inhabitants; 1831, 244, and in 1841 59 houses and 294 souls. The Church, a neat stone edifice dedicated to St. Mary, exhibits the gothic style of architecture, and was almost wholly rebuilt during the years 1847–8, at a cost of £775. Of this sum £490 was raised by subscriptions, £125 was granted by the Diocesan Society, £60 by the Incorporated Society for Enlarging and Building Churches, and £100 was raised by a parish rate on the parishioners. It is considered a free chapel or rectory, in the patronage of the Duke of Cleveland; incumbent, Rev. Henry Beckwith. The tithes are commuted for £176, of which £46 is paid to the vicar of Leighton, and the residue is paid to the incumbent of Eaton Constantine. There are 25 acres of glebe land. The National School is a modern structure erected at the cost of £190, and situated near the church. The Privy Council on Education granted £40 towards the erection, the Diocesan Society £20, the National Society £15, and the residue was raised by public subscriptions. The average attendance of children is about sixty.

There is belonging to the poor of this parish the sum of £20, the origin of which is not known. It is secured on the Atcham House of Industry, and the interest, amounting to 18s. per annum, is distributed among four of the poorest parishioners. William Warham, in 1806, bequeathed after the decease of his wife the interest of £100, and directed the same to be distributed among five of the poorest parishioners of the parish. The testator’s widow died in 1826, and £90 (£10 having been deducted for the legacy duty), was laid out in the purchase of £114. 2s. 1d. three per cent. consols. The dividends, amounting to £3. 8s. 4d. per annum, are divided on Candlemas-day among five poor men residing in the parish.

Directory.—The Rev. Henry Beckwith, The Parsonage; John Bullock, carpenter; Samuel Dalloe, carpenter; John James, carpenter, Longwood; Maria Langley, beerhouse keeper; John Morris, blacksmith; Henry Smith, grocer; Zechariah Smith, farmer; Robert Thomas, farmer; Thomas Ward, carpenter.

EDGMOND

is a considerable parish, comprising the townships of Adeney, Butterey, Calvington, Caynton, Cherrington, Chetwynd Aston, Church Aston, Stanford, Tibberton, and part of Pickstock. The parish contains 5,026a. 0r. 31p. of land; gross estimated rental, £9,227. 16s. 1½d.; rateable value, £7,854. 8s. 11½d. Population in 1801, 1,699; 1831, 2,300, and in 1841, 2,471. The village of Edgmond is pleasantly situated on elevated ground, about a mile W. from Newport; it contains several good residences, and commands some pleasing prospects of the surrounding country. The township contains 1,933a. 2r. 27p. of land, and in 1841 there were 174 houses and 792 inhabitants. Rateable value, £3,741. 4s. 9¼d. The lands are intersected by the Shropshire union canal, which covers 20a. 0r. 32p. of land. The principal landowners are Thomas Bayley, Esq., Mr. John Cooke Hill, Rev. John D. Pigott, Rev. William Dalton, Mr. John Moore, Mr. John Alcock, Mr. Thomas Harper Adams, and Mrs. Dewson; J. C. H. Borough, Esq., is lord of the manor.

The Church is a fine old castellated structure, dedicated to St. Peter, consisting of nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a square tower in which are six bells; four pointed arches rising from octagonal pillars divide the nave from the side aisles. The chancel is spacious and covered with tesselated pavement. Above the altar is a beautiful stained glass window, added a few years ago at the expense of the present rector; it contains figures, chastely executed, representative of St. Peter, St. James, and St. John, the other compartments being richly ornamented with gothic tracery. The west window has also been beautified with stained glass by the liberality of the parishioners. In the centre aisle is a brass with two full length figures, the armorial bearings of the family, and figures of thirteen children, in memory of the Young’s, a family of consequence in this locality in former days. A neat tablet in the south aisle remembers William Briscoe, Esq., of Caynton, who died in 1828; near to it is another tablet to the memory of John Bayley, Esq., who died in 1833. The font has been re-hewn, but the original characters have been preserved. An alabaster slab, recently removed from the chancel to the west end of the church, remembers Nicholas Peckell, supposed to have been the last Roman Catholic rector of this place. The church was anciently appropriated to the abbey of Shrewsbury. In the 10th of Henry VII., the advowson was given to the Carthusian priory at Shortly, near Coventry. The patronage is now vested in the Rev. John Dryden Pigott, B.A., who is also the incumbent. The tithes have been commuted for £2,400, and there are 62a. 2r. 25p. of glebe land. The rectory is a very ancient building on the south side of the church yard; it was no doubt built for the reception of some of the religious orders in Catholic times. A low doorway and some other small fragments are all that remain of the ancient fabric. Edgmond Hall, a handsome brick residence pleasantly situated a little south from the church, is the property of Mr. John C. Hill, but unoccupied when our agent visited Edgmond. The National School, situated a little west from the church, has an attendance of 54 boys and 46 girls. The Primitive Methodists have a small chapel built in 1835.

Charities.—In 1699 certain lands were purchased with the sum of £70, which is supposed to have been derived from some of the numerous benefactions which are recorded on a tablet in the church, and for the greater number of which, amounting to £211, no permanent mode of application is there designed. In the purchase deeds it is directed that six penny loaves should be distributed in the parish every Sunday, from which it is inferred that John Moreton’s gift of £26 formed part of the purchase money, the interest of which at five per cent. would exactly suffice for the weekly distribution of six penny loaves. These lands, with an allotment of about three-fourths of an acre made in respect of them some years ago, contain in the whole 13a. 0r. 22p., and now produces a yearly rental of £12. There are also about twelve acres of land situate in the parish of Edgmond, and belonging to the poor of the parish, which are supposed to have been purchased with other of the benefactions recorded upon the tablet in the church, but there are no deeds or documents now extant indicating the source from which the property was derived, or the trusts on which it is held. There are four pieces of land which together are let for £26. 12s. per annum; from this fund, and £4. 10s. added from the rents of the Hinstock estate, 7s. worth of bread is distributed every week among the poor of Edgmond, and 14s. worth is sent every Easter to Tibberton. £1. 19s. is distributed among the poor of Edgmond on St. David’s-day in sums of 6d. each, as the gift of David Oliver. The residue of the fund amounting to £10. 5s. is expended in warm clothing for the poor during the winter season.

The Rev. Dryden Pigott, in 1734, bequeathed £200, and directed the interest thereof to be employed in clothing and schooling, and for books for such poor boys inhabiting the village of Edgmond as his executor and the rector of Edgmond, their heirs and successors, should judge to be a sufficient number for the purpose; the said boys to be clothed and kept at school so long as the said trustees should think fit. This legacy in 1806 was invested in the purchase of £258. 8s. 3d. four per cent. stock, and the dividends, which amount to £10. 4s. 8d., are employed in the clothing and education of seven or eight boys.

John Smith left £100, the interest to be given upon St. John’s-day to the poor of Edgmond. Robert Pigott, in 1746, left £50, the interest to be given to the poor of Edgmond and Adeney. An annual sum of £7. 10s. is paid by the Rev. John D. Pigott as the interest of these two benefactions. The amount is given away in half-crowns to the poor of Adeney and Edgmond on St. John’s-day.

Adams Thomas Harper, farmer, Anceller House

Alcock John, gentleman

Bayley Thomas, gentleman

Blakemore John, farmer

Bolas Benjamin, shoemaker

Bolas John, shoemaker

Bratton Thomas, tailor

Buckley Thomas, tailor

Casewell William, farmer

Davies William, wheelwright

Dewson Mrs. Catherine, Hill House

Evans Edward, shoemaker

Harper John, tailor and vict., Lion Inn

Hill Capt. Clement, Summer Hill

Hill John Cooke, farmer

Hollins Mr. John

Icke Mrs. Elizabeth Glover, Edgmond Grove

James John, shopkeeper

Large John, shopkeeper and carpenter

Lewin George, schoolmaster

Littleton Ben., blacksmith

Mansell Thomas, blacksmith

Moore John, farmer

Morris William, tailor

Patrick James, shoemaker

Phillips John, wheelwright

Pigott David, shoemaker

Pigott Rev. John Dryden, B.A., The Rectory

Pigott William, wheelwright

Pinson William, shoemaker

Pooler Richard, butcher

Sillitoe John, farmer

Sillitoe Thomas, farmer

Tomlins Rev. Richard, M.A.

Vigers Peter, carpenter

Wainwright Abrm., road surv.

Wiggin Thomas, farmer and vict., Old Lamb

Williams John, farmer

Yeomans John, maltster, butcher, and vict., New Inn

ADENEY, OR ADNEY,

is a small township in the parish of Edgmond, situated about a mile W. from the parish church; the township contains 618a. 2r. 22p. of land, the soil of which in some places is light and sandy, and in other parts a strong fertile loam. The Shropshire union canal intersects the township, and occupies 15a. 0r. 2p. of land; Lady Tyrwhitt is the owner of the land, the gross rental of which is £1,175. 13s. 3d. Rateable value, £982. 2s. 7½d. At the census in 1841 there were ten houses and a population of 71 souls.

The principal residents are Richard Asterley, farmer; George Hammond, farmer and surveyor; and John Pooler, farmer, and brick, tile, and draining pipe manufacturer.

BUTTEREY

is a township with only one house, partly situated in the parish of Edgmond and partly in that of Lilleshall; in the former are 239a. 3r. 38p. of land, and in the latter about 30 acres. The rateable value of the land in Edgmond is £354. 16s. 5d. The Shropshire union railway crosses the township and occupies 5a. 2r. 6p. There is a considerable extent of low marsh land, which is used for grazing purposes. The Duke of Sutherland is the proprietor. Mrs. Sarah Masefield, farmer, occupies the land, and resides at a good residence near the banks of the canal, about two miles S.W. from Edgmond.

CAYNTON,

a township two miles N.W. from Edgmond, has 670a. 0r. 17p. of land, which is the property of George Briscoe, Esq. Rateable value, £995. 12s. 6d. At the census of 1841 there were 14 houses and 51 inhabitants. Caynton House is a handsome brick residence pleasantly situated, in the occupancy of Mr. Thomas Paddock, farmer. There is a corn mill here situated on a small stream, which has its confluence with the river Tern in the parish of Ercall Magna. Calvington, returned as in the township of Caynton at the census of 1841, is held as a separate township by the parish officers. It contains 339a. 2r. 18p. of land, which is the property of Mr. Charles Morris. Rateable value, £464. 0s. 1½d. Stanford, a good farm two miles N. from Edgmond, has 221a. 0r. 23p. of land, which is the property of the Rev. William Dalton. Rateable value, £228. 17s. 1d.

Directory.—Thomas and William Paddock, farmers, maltsters, and corn millers, Caynton; Thomas Paddock, farmer, Caynton House; Sarah Pooler, farmer, Calvington; Edward Banton, farmer, Stanford Hall.

CHERRINGTON

is a township in the parish of Edgmond, three miles and a quarter from the parish church, comprising 1,035a. 1r. 12p. of land, mostly a light fertile loam, about equal portions arable and in pasture lands. The Duke of Sutherland is lord of the manor and owner of the whole township, except 29a. 1r. 20p. of land, which is the property of Mr. Joseph Ogle. In 1801 there were 173 inhabitants; 1831, 192; and in 1841, 39 houses and 189 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,522. 12s. 4d. The farms here are of considerable extent, and the land has been much improved by superior cultivation.

John White gave the sum of £20 to the poor of Cherrington, and directed the interest to be distributed by the minister, churchwardens, and overseers of the parish, among the most deserving objects of charity. This gift is now in the savings’ bank, and the interest is usually distributed among old men or widows of Cherrington. There are traces of the distribution of this charity for more than a century back; and an entry in the churchwardens’ book for the year 1788, describes it as money left by the late Captain White.

The principal residents are Thomas Browne, farmer; Henry Green, farmer, Day House; Sarah Palin, farmer, Cherrington Manor; William Podmore, farmer; William Fletcher, joiner and builder; William Harper, shoemaker; Richard Hobson, shoemaker; Thomas Jones, shoemaker; Richard Middleton, rope maker; Benjamin Rea, corn miller; and John Williams, shopkeeper and vict., Four Crosses.

CHETWYND, OR FIELD ASTON,

is a township in the parish of Edgmond, situated near the eastern verge of the county, about a mile south from Newport. The township is intersected by the railway, and the Newport station is within the bounds of this township, situated about half a mile from the church. The township contains 1,244a. 0r. 8p. of land. Gross estimated rental, £3,051. 11s. 3d. Rateable value, £2,670. 7s. The principal landowners are the Duke of Sutherland; John Cotes, Esq.; John Tayleur, Esq.; Miss Elizabeth Slaney; Lilleshall Company; Mr. Phillips; and Mr. Stoneley. The population of this township in 1801 was 268; 1831, 246; and 1841, 385; at the latter period there were 82 houses, which are for the most part straggling, and form in part the southern suburb to the town of Newport, and stretch on the turnpike road as far as Pave Lane, upwards of a mile and a half.

Pave Lane is a hamlet on the turnpike road, where the Lilleshall company have a depôt for coal, which is brought by canal from the extensive collieries of the Duke of Sutherland, which are leased by the Lilleshall company. The town of Newport is almost wholly supplied by the coal brought hither, which is of very superior quality, and varies in price from 6s. 3d. to 10s. 10d. per ton.

Allman John, shoemaker and blacksmith

Baddeley Charles, farmer, Aston cottage

Baleson Rev. John, curate of Church Aston

Birks Thomas, beerhouse

Bridgwood Mr. William

Brittain Richard, farmer

Brittain Thomas, farmer and corn miller

Collier Joseph, commercial academy

Cheadle James, agent to Lilleshall company, Pave Lane

Goodwin Joseph, wheelwright

James John, farmer, Pave Lane

Hall John, station master

Humphreys Joseph, farmer and butcher

Lawley Thomas, shoemaker

Lilleshall Company, coal & lime merchants

Mancell Walter, maltster and vict., Fox and Duck, Pave lane

Mancell William, vict., Horse and Jockey, Pave Lane

Nevett John, toll-gate contractor

Paddock James, farmer

Slaney Miss Elizabeth, Holly grove

Slaney Elizabeth, farmer

Stoneley James, brick maker and farmer

Tomkinson Joseph, tailor

Treasure John, land agent, surveyor, and builder, Aston villa

CHURCH ASTON

is a chapelry and small village, with some genteel residences, pleasantly situated about a mile south from Newport, and a mile and a half east by south from Edgmond. The township contains 720a. 2r. 37p. of land. Ralph M. Leeke, Esq., is the principal landowner and lord of the manor. William Underhill, Esq.; John Treasure, Esq.; Miss Elizabeth Slaney; and Charles B. Brown, Esq., are also proprietors. Gross estimated rental, £2,769. 9s. 6d. Rateable value, £2,459. 11s. 1d. In 1801 there was a population of 451 souls; 1831, 451; and 1841, 512, at which period there were 110 houses. The Chapel is a neat brick structure, consisting of nave, bay, and transepts, with an octagonal tower surmounted by a vane. The chapel was enlarged in 1823, by which means 200 additional sittings have been obtained; and in consequence of a grant from the Society for Promoting the Enlargement and Building of Churches and Chapels, 150 of that number are free and unappropriated for ever, in addition to 50 sittings formerly added; it is provided with galleries, has a small organ, a neat font, and the east window is beautified with stained glass. The living is a perpetual curacy in the patronage of the rector of Edgmond; the Rev. John Baleson is the officiating minister. Aston Hall is a handsome stuccoed mansion, embosomed in foliage, and has been built about twenty years; it is the property of R. M. Leeke, Esq., and seat of Ralph Ormsby Gore, Esq. Mr. Underhill has recently built a neat villa residence on elevated ground a short distance from the village, which commands a pleasing view of the country. The township is crossed by the Newport and Wellington turnpike road, by the Shropshire Union railway, and the canal formed by the Lilleshall company, for the conveyance of coal and lime; of the latter large quantities are made in this township; it is extensively used for agricultural purposes. There is a large reservoir in this township of excellent water, which partly supplies the town of Newport. The National School is a brick structure, where about eighty children are educated.

Charities.—Mrs. Mary Broughton, by will, 1728, gave to Robert Pigott and Henry Jervis the sum of £650 in trust, and directed the rents or profits thereof to be applied to the following uses, viz., 20s. to be laid out in bread and distributed among the poor of the village on the 28th July; 20s. to be laid out yearly, and distributed in like manner on the day of the month on which she should happen to die, and the residue of the yearly profits to be applied by the trustees in educational purposes, and in apprenticing poor children of this township. By a decree of the Court of Chancery, made the 7th of May, 1752, in a cause in which the Attorney-general, at the relation of Adam Jervis and Richard Jervis plaintiffs, and Robert Pigott defendant, it was decreed that £650 should be laid out in the purchase of stock, which was accordingly invested in the purchase of £611. 15s. 4d south sea annuities. The costs of the suit were paid out of a sum of £136. 5s. 8d., which had accumulated as interest before the stock was purchased. The trusts of this charity had been very inefficiently carried out when the charity commissioners published their report. The amount expended up to the year 1819 was for bread, £103. 15s.; schooling and books, £115. 5s. 10d.; apprenticing, £120; extra charges on the charity estate, £59. 14s., making a total of £398. 14s. 10d., whilst the dividends to October 1820 amounted to £688. 2s. 4d.

A sum of £20, supposed to have been the gift of Francis and Elizabeth Watson, is placed in the Newport Savings’ Bank. The interest is distributed among the poor, with other sums collected for the same purpose from the parishioners, at Christmas. An annual sum of 5s. is expended in bread for the poor on Good Friday.

Brown Charles Baldwin, Esq.

Bullock Elizabeth, vict., The Last

Crump Mr. Thomas

Doody Mrs. Elizabeth, Aston grove

Felton Joseph, farmer

Gore Ralph Ormsby, Esq., Aston hall

Icke James Joseph, farmer, and corn and guano merchant, Vanx hall

Jackson William, farmer

Kittridge William Smith, schoolmaster

Lowe William, shopkeeper, winnowing and thrashing machine and general agricultural implement manufacturer

Norris Mrs. Martha

Underhill William, Esq.

Vaughton Thomas, Esq., Ashton villa

Ward George Joseph, timber merchant

Williams Mrs. Sarah

PICKSTOCK

is a township and small village in the parish of Edgmond, situated on an acclivity near the eastern verge of the county adjoining Staffordshire, about three miles north-east from the parish church. It is a detached part of the parish separated from the rest of Edgmond by the parish of Chetwynd intervening. The township contains 1003a. 0r. 14p. of land, the principal owners of which are Robert Gardener, Esq., William Justice, Esq., Rev. William Dalton, Mr. Pooler, and Mr. Joseph Smith. Gross estimated rental, £1,298. 13s. 0½d. Rateable value, £1,087. 15s. 5d. At the census in 1841 there were 29 houses and 157 inhabitants, of which three houses and fifteen persons were returned as in Chetwynd parish.

Directory.—William Bevan, farmer and corn miller: John Firmstone, farmer; Richard Hazledine, farmer; John Rudge, farmer; John Stokes, farmer and butcher; Mary Maria Stokes, farmer; Richard Wright farmer; Theodore Wright, farmer.

TIBBERTON

is a chapelry, township, and small village three miles W.W. by N. from Edgemond, which contains 1418a. 1a. 22p. of land, the soil of which is chiefly a cold clay, in some parts it is of a light loamy nature, and highly fertile, having been much improved by superior cultivation. The farms here are of considerable extent, the land held by fourteen different tenants within memory of man, is now held by three farmers; nearly the whole of the land is the property of the Duke of Sutherland, there are, however, three small freeholders, viz., the Rev. J. D. Pigott, Mr. J. Brittain, and Mr. J. Fletcher. Rateable value of the township, £2,410. 5s. 5d. At the census in 1801 there were 289 inhabitants; 1831, 351, and in 1841 72 houses and 329 souls. The Chapel is a small structure of free stone, and consists of nave and chancel, with a square tower. It stands near the site of a former edifice which had become dilapidated. The Rev. George Pigott is the officiating minister. There are several handsome monumental tombs in memory of members of some of the principal families in the neighbourhood in the cemetery which surrounds the chapel. A National School has been built in the village; about sixty scholars attend. The Primitive Methodists have a small chapel here, built in the year 1842. The paper mill of Mr. J. Brittain is situated near the church. The Spray Hill is an eminence planted with a clump of Scotch pine trees, which is a conspicuous object for many miles round. The poor of this township receive 14s. worth of bread out of the rents of the poor’s lands at Edgmond. In the returns of charitable donations made to parliament under the act 26th George III. there is mentioned a legacy of £40 by one Mr. Matthews, to poor housekeepers at Tibberton, which is stated to be then in the hands of William Fletcher, rendering an annual interest of £1. 12s. There is no evidence to show what become of the ultimate destination of this gift, but its benefits have long been lost to the poor.

Directory.—The farmers are Thomas Green, Day House; Thomas Jones and William Taylor, Tibberton Grange; the other principal residents are Robert Bates, wheelwright; John Booth, butcher; John Brittain, paper manufacturer; Henry Cotton, blacksmith; John Crawford, shoemaker; Theophilus Fletcher, shoemaker and beerhouse keeper; William Howle, tailor; William Lawley, schoolmaster; Mary Morgan, beerhouse keeper; Elizabeth Podmore, schoolmistress; Robert Simpson, wheelwright.

ERCALL HIGH, OR ERCALL MAGNA,

is a considerable parish in the Wellington division of the South Bradford hundred, comprehending the townships of Cold Hatton, Cotwall and Mooretown, Cruddington, Ellerdine, Ercall Magna, Haughton, Isombridge, Osbaston, Poynton, Rowton, Sleap, Tern, and Walton, together containing 11,152 acres of land, of which 179a. 3r. 24p. are in woods, roads, and waste, and there are 39a. 1r. 11p. of glebe. The parish in 1801 contained 1,091 inhabitants; 1831, 2,048, and in 1841 there were 364 houses and a population of 1,999 souls. Rateable value, £14,140. 19s. 6½d. The houses are in general built of brick, and slated; the cottages are also of brick, and in many instances the occupants have a small allotment of ground. The ancient residences of the gentry are in most instances converted into farm dwellings; there are, however, many neat villa residences in the modern style of architecture, of a respectable character, surrounded with park like enclosures. The soil is chiefly a mixture of sand and loam, and the land is mostly used for arable purposes, in some instances large dairies of cheese are made, and the district is celebrated for a fine breed of sheep. The land is chiefly tithe free, the tithes on the rest of the parish were commuted in 1841 for £829. 15s. The village of High Ercall is pleasantly situated eight miles N.E. from Shrewsbury and five and a half miles N.N.W. from Wellington. Here are several good shops and respectable residences; the air is salubrious, and the country around beautifully diversified with picturesque scenery. The township contains 1,589a. 1r. 18p. of land, and in 1841 had 42 houses and 213 inhabitants. Rateable value, £2,453. Few districts possess so good a soil; the farms are extensive, and in most cases the land has been greatly improved by superior cultivation, and removing the fences and throwing the land into large enclosures. The Duke of Cleveland is lord of the manor and owner of the whole township. The turnpike roads to Newport, Shawbury, Wem, Whitchurch, Wellington, and Shrewsbury, intersect the township. In the 51st of Henry III., John de Ercalewe had a grant of a market here on a Monday, and a fair on the eve and the feast of the nativity of the Virgin Mary and the day after.

The Church, dedicated to St. Michael, an ancient structure, consists of nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a massive square tower containing six bells, and a clock. The side aisles are separated from the nave by four pointed arches rising from circular pillars; the church is neatly pewed with oak sittings, and the pulpit and reading desk are of carved oak of the most elaborate workmanship. The chancel is lofty and contains several mural monuments, one of which remembers Sarah, the wife of Edward Steedman, and children, dated 1834; another remembers the Rev. Henry Wood, who died in 1795; there are also tablets to Cecil Frederick Juckes, the Rev. Lawrence Gardener, and a full length figure, which exhibits a fine specimen of chiselling, near the north end of the church. In the church yard are many monumental tombs of fine workmanship, to some of the principal families resident in the neighbourhood. The living is a vicarage valued in the king’s book at £17. 6s. 8d., now returned at £290 in the patronage of the Duke of Cleveland; incumbent, Rev. Robert Forester, M.A., who resides at the vicarage, a good brick building a short distance from the church. Near the west end of the church are the ruins of an ancient structure, which was formerly moated. Sir Richard Newport, of High Ercall, Knight, by letters patent, bearing date at Bridgenorth, 14th October, 18th Charles I., was advanced to the dignity of baron of this realm, by the title of Lord Newport, of High Ercall. That gentleman advanced six thousand pounds for the king’s use when at Shrewsbury, by which means the artillery was put in a position to march against the parliamentary forces, upon which followed the battle of Edge hill. The Hall, an ancient residence with projecting gables, was built by Sir Francis Newport, Knight. This house is said to have been garrisoned in the time of the civil wars. In levelling a mound near it, Mr. Steedman’s labourers discovered about a thousand silver coins, the greater part of the reign of Charles I., some of Elizabeth, and others of the reign of Philip and Mary. The hall is now in the occupancy of Edward Blakeway Steedman, Esq. Ercall Park is a handsome structure, the residence of William Holt Midgley, Esq.; it is built in the Elizabethan style of architecture, and beautified with shrubberies and pleasure grounds tastefully laid out; the house is surrounded by large enclosures containing some thriving plantations. Sherlowe, the residence of George Townsend Forester, is a modern structure built within the last three years, with farm premises on a scale of considerable magnitude. The Lodge, another good residence of modern construction, is in the occupancy of Mr. Thomas Jukes. The above houses have all very extensive out premises, and all the modern appliances, with steam engines for carrying out the operations of extensive farms in the most economical manner.

The Free School was founded by Thomas Leeke, one of the Barons of the Court of Exchequer, in 1663. In January, 1816, the Attorney-General, at the relation of Ralph Leeke, filed an information against Rann Dolphin Edwards, and John Douglas, for the purpose of setting aside a lease which had been granted in 1772 for a term of 99 years, at the yearly rent of £30, and for obtaining the directions of the court as to the future application of the rents. The master by his report, made 18th February, 1828, and subsequently confirmed by the court, ordered that the school should be for teaching English, writing, and accounts free, and also Latin and Greek when required; the master to charge a guinea a quarter and a guinea entrance for the latter; that the schoolmaster’s salary should be £50 per annum, with liberty for the trustees to increase it at their discretion; that no boys should be admitted until they are capable of reading the New Testament; that any surplus which should arise from the accumulations of rent during a vacancy, or from the annual income not expended in the master’s salary, or repairs, should be expended in rewards to four or more of the scholars at the examination, or who should be reported by the master to the trustees as deserving thereof, or in providing a library of useful books for the school: that the trustees should have power to displace the master in case of incapacity, immorality, or neglect, and that the trustees should have power to make such orders as they should think necessary for the better government of the school. The master, in a report made June 3rd, 1828, found that the sum of £960 was due for rent up to Lady Day, 1828, out of which Mr. Edwards was entitled to retain costs, leaving £831. 1s. from which £428. 2s. 8d. was paid for the costs of the other parties, leaving £402. 18s. 4d., which was ordered to be divided proportionably between the representatives of the two schoolmasters who had officiated between November, 1815, and December, 1827. The charity estate is situated near Trefnanny, in the parishes of Guilsfield and Myford, in the county of Montgomery, and produces a yearly income of £93. Out of the income of the charity the master receives a salary of £50, and he also receives £6. 13s. 4d. per annum in respect of Stevinton’s gift. The school is conducted according to the scheme established by the Court of Chancery, except that the master makes a charge of 10s. 6d. for the entrance of such boys as are not classical scholars, which appears to be contrary to the directions of the court.

Richard Stevinton, by his will, in 1652, devised an annuity of £6. 13s. 4d., payable out of lands at Arleston, to be applied towards the maintenance of a schoolmaster of High Ercall, who should teach children resident in the said parish without any reward from the parents of the children.

The Hospital consists of seven dwellings, and each inmate has a room above and a room below, and a small garden annexed. The hospital was founded by the Newport family. The building is kept in repair at the expense of the Duke of Cleveland, from whose agent the inmates receive £3 per quarter, with an additional payment of 21s. at Christmas, and 5s. at Midsummer. The selection of these persons is not confined to the parishioners or inhabitants of High Ercall, but are selected from deserving objects residing in the neighbourhood, a preference being given to those who have seen better days, and have been reduced by misfortune to poverty.

Poors’ Land.—There are two closes in the township of Eaton, in the parish of Stoke-upon-Trent, which have for a long period been let from time to time by the churchwardens. The last lease was dated 29th August, 1795, and it was therein recited that the then churchwardens of High Ercall were lawfully seized of the premises, in trust to distribute the rents among the poor of the parish of High Ercall, two shillings every fortnight in bread, and the remainder in money on St. Thomas’s-day. There does not appear any documents in the parish to show from whom this land was devised, or on what trust it is held. The two closes contain together 3a. 3r. 4p. of land, and are let at a yearly rental of £8. The amount is given away on St. Thomas’s-day.

Several sums of money, amounting in the whole to £199, left by eight several donors, for the benefit of the poor of this parish, were for many years placed out at interest on private security, and previous to the year 1814 £40 of the above sum was lost. About that period the remainder was called in, and with £20 advanced from the poor’s rates, was laid out in the purchase of certain premises for a parish workhouse. Since 1814 the sum of £8 has been paid out of the poor’s rates as the interest of this money, and distributed among poor persons in small sums, seldom exceeding one shilling.

Thomas and Edward Thomas, each gave £100 in trust, to invest the same for the benefit of the poor of the parish of High Ercall. These donations were invested by the trustees in 1798 in the purchase of three per cent. consols, which were increased in 1816 by the accumulation of dividends to the sum of £500, when the stock was transferred to John Colley and Edward Steedman. Of the sum of £193. 8s. 2d. received in 1816 for the arrears of dividends, after payment of expenses of recovering the same, and the purchase of the additional stock, there remained in the hands of Mr. Colley the sum of £74. 6s. 1d., out of which he disposed of £38. 15s. to different charitable purposes, and in 1830 when the charity commissioners published their report he had still £35. 11s. 1d. in his hands. The principal part of the dividends is now applied in the purchase of bread, which is distributed among poor persons of the parish, a preference being given to widows, the remainder of the dividends is given among the necessitous poor in money.

Mr. Henry Harris is the registrar of births and deaths for the High Ercall district.

Post Office.—At Mr. Harris’s. Letters arrive daily from Wellington by a foot messenger at 9 45 A.M., and are despatched at 5. P.M.

Bates Richard, shoemaker and gardener

Blakeway William, farmer and victualler, Cleveland Arms.

Clarke Robert, farmer and maltster

Dingle Rev. John, schoolmaster and curate, of Upton

Forester George Townsend, Esq., Sherlowe

Forester Rev. Robert Townsend, M.A., The Vicarage

Harris Henry, grocer, druggist, seed, corn, hop, iron and steel merchant, ironmonger, guano and tillage dealer, cheese factor, and nail maker

Jebb William, thrashing machine man

Juckes Mr. Thomas, The Lodge

Large Thomas, joiner and wheelwright

Midgley Mrs., Park House

Midgley William Holt, Esq., Ercall Park

Pigott Mr. John

Powell Thomas, farmer and corn miller

Steedman Edward Blakeway, Esq., The Hall

Steedman Mary, gentlewoman

Taylor William, blacksmith

Vaughan Elizabeth, tailor

Wilding Ana, gentlewoman

COLD HATTON,

a township and pleasant village four miles N.N. by E. from High Ercall, is situated on a bold eminence, and commands extensive views over a luxuriant country. The township contains 787a. 3r. of land, and at the census of 1841 there were 51 houses and 253 inhabitants; the soil is for the most part a mixture of loam and sand, producing good crops of barley and turnips. There are 16a. 0r. 8p. in roads and waste. Rateable value, £907. 6s. 2d. The tithes are commuted for £90, of which £84 has been apportioned to the vicar of High Ercall, and £6 to the impropriator; the chief part of the large tithes have been purchased by the owners of the soil. The Duke of Sutherland and the Duke of Cleveland are the landowners.

The principal residents in this township are George Colley, tailor; Robert Hick, farmer; Richard Lewis, carpenter; William Morgan, pig dealer and shopkeeper; George Nicklin, boot and shoemaker; John Nicklin, wheelwright; William Pitchford, farmer; George Ridgeway, blacksmith; Joseph Shakes haft, farmer; William Shakeshaft, farmer; John Webb, vict., Seven Stars.

COTWALL AND MOORETOWN,

is a township situated about a mile E. from High Ercall, which contains 925a. 3r. 13p. of land, the whole of which is the property of the Duke of Cleveland, who is also lord of the manor. At the census of 1841 there were nine houses and 65 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,237. 1s. The land in this locality is pleasingly diversified with undulations; the low lands produce a rich herbage, and the arable lands produce fine crops of grain and turnips. The turnpike road from Newport to Wellington intersects the township, and a small stream separates Mooretown from the township of Rowton. The farm houses are well built, provided with convenient and commodious out-premises, and the farms are of considerable extent. The Cotwall farm, the residence of Mr. Richard Juckes, is pleasantly situated on an eminence, and commands a fine view of the country.

The principal residents are Thomas Allan, farmer, Mooretown; Robert Atcherley, farmer, Mooretown, and Richard Juckes, farmer, Cotwall.

CRUDGINGTON

is a township in the parish of Ercall, two and a half miles E. from the parish church, and four miles N. from Wellington. In 1841 here were 43 scattered houses and a population of 96 souls; this township and the adjoining township of Sleap conjointly contain 1,450a. 1r. of land; the soil is various, in some places a strong loam prevails, which produces excellent crops of all kinds of grain, in other parts it is light and sandy. Rateable value, £1,680. 2s. 8d. The Duke of Sutherland is the sole landowner, in this and the adjoining township of Sleap, and is also lord of the manor. Sleap is a small township about the same distance E. from High Ercall as Crudgington, which in 1841 had 17 houses and 85 inhabitants. The rateable value of this township is included in the returns for Crudgington.

The following are the principal residents in Crudgington, viz.:—William Rider, farmer; Thomas Lancelot Steward, farmer, The Leasows; William Humphreys, blacksmith; Charles Madeley, beerhouse keeper, and Mrs. Elizabeth Tudor. The principal farmers in Sleap are John Jenkinson and Mrs. Prudence Davies.

ELLERDINE

is a township with a scattered population, three miles north-east from High Ercall. The air in this locality is salubrious, and the land has a fine undulating surface, the high grounds of which command extensive and interesting views of the surrounding country. The township contains 1,329a. 1r. 27p. of land, the soil of which in some places is a strong clay, in other parts sandy, and some places has a fertile loam. The land has been much improved by draining and superior cultivation. The farmers in general are respectable, and hold considerable breadth of land. At the census in 1841 there were 57 houses and 300 inhabitants. Rateable value of the township, £1,384. 10s. 3½d. The Duke of Cleveland is the principal landowner and lord of the manor. The other freeholders are the Rev. Henry Delves Broughton; Mr. George Adney; John Kilvert, Esq.; John Taylor, Esq.; Mr. John Whitfield; and Mr. Harris. The tithes of this township and that of Rowton are commuted for £376. 12s., of which £165. 12s. has been apportioned to John Kilvert, Esq.; £146 to Jonathan Scarth, Esq.; and £65 to the vicar of High Ercall. Oak House, the residence and property of John Taylor, Esq., is a neat modern structure of brick. The situation is delightful, and the grounds are beautifully laid out. The Wesleyan Methodists and Primitive Methodists have each a small chapel here.

Butterey William, shoemaker and shopkeeper

Cliff Thomas, Heath farm

Cotterall Elizabeth, farmer

Cotterall John, Newhouse farm

Dickin Mrs. Margaret

Dickin Thomas Adney, the Hall farm

Foulkes Wm., vict., the Oak

Green Elizabeth, farmer

Green John, farmer

Hamer William, Windy Oak farm

Jones William, gardener and seedsman

Peplow George, shoemaker

Taylor John, Esq., Oak House

Wellings William, clock and watch maker

HOUGHTON,

a small township four miles south-west from High Ercall, in which parish it is situated, at the census of 1841 contained five houses and twenty-three inhabitants. The township contains 376a. 2r. 8p. of land, of which 5a. 2r. 27p. are in woods and waste. The soil is mostly strong, with a clayey sub-soil, some parts of which have been much improved by draining, and other parts are undergoing the same process. The Duke of Cleveland is the principal landowner and lord of the manor. Mrs. Ann Corbet is also a proprietor in the township. Rateable value, £260. 9s. The tithes of Houghton, and those of the township of Poynton, were commuted in 1841 for £82. 5s.

The resident farmers in Houghton are Thomas Brisbourne and John Leeke.

ISOMBRIDGE,

a township and scattered village in the parish of High Ercall, at the census of 1841 contained 38 houses and 94 inhabitants. The cottagers in general hold a small portion of land, but the cottages in most instances have a mean appearance, and are thatched. The township contains 567a. 1r. 37p. of land. The soil in some places is strong, and in other parts a fertile loam prevails; the meadows produce a rich herbage, and are chiefly used for pasturage. The township is intersected by the Shropshire union canal, the river Tern, and the Wellington turnpike road. There are 11a. 1r. 22p. in roads, water, and waste. The tithes have been commuted, and £90 apportioned to the Duke of Cleveland, and £38 to the vicar of High Ercall. The landowners are John Tayleur, Esq., Mr. John Griffiths, and Mrs. Isabella Ickle. Marsh Green, and part of Long Waste is partly in this township; at the former the Primitive Methodists have a small brick chapel, built in 1841.

Directory.—Richard Bevan, farmer, Mirelake; Jeremiah Bromley, farmer; Richard Edwards, gardener and seedsman, Marsh Green; Harriet Dixon, farmer, the Marsh; Joseph Nevols, beerhouse and shopkeeper, Marsh Green; George Price, farmer; John Tudor, vict., Tayleur’s Arms, Long Green.

OSBASTON, OR ASBASTON

township is situated about a mile north-west from Ercall Magna, and in 1841 contained seven houses and fifty-seven inhabitants. The houses are pleasantly situated on the turnpike road leading to Hodnet; the farm houses are commodious, and provided with extensive and convenient out-premises. The township contains 589a. 3r. 26p. of land, which is the property of the Duke of Cleveland, who is also lord of the manor. Rateable value, £705. 6s. 6d.

The chief residents in Osbaston are Thomas Bates, boot and shoemaker; Sarah Brookes, farmer; Mrs. Sarah Colley, the Hall; and John Colley, farmer.

POYNTON,

another small township in the parish of High Ercall, with a few scattered houses pleasantly situated on the turnpike road leading to Shrewsbury, three miles south-west from the parish church, contains 587a. 3r. 9p. of land, principally a strong soil; some parts of the land have been much improved by draining. Rateable value, £610. 4s. At the census in 1841 there were 20 houses and 95 inhabitants. The tithes of this township and that of Houghton are commuted for the sum of £82. 5s. The Duke of Cleveland and Mrs. Ann Corbet are the landowners: the former is lord of the manor.

Directory.—William Breeze, farmer; Samuel Buttery, boot and shoemaker; Robert Hamer, farmer; Thomas Madeley, farmer; Richard Morgan, farmer; Eleanor Wainwright, farmer.

RODEN,

a township and small village in the parish of High Ercall, pleasantly situated on the banks of the river Roden, two miles S.W. from the parish church; the township contains 1,351a. 2r. of land, of which 26 acres are in woods and plantations, and 14 acres water, roads, and waste; the soil is variable, in some parts a cold clay prevails, and in other parts a mixture of sand and loam. Rateable value, £1,331. 12s. The Duke of Cleveland and Charles Orlando C. Pemberton, Esq., are the landowners, the latter is lord of the manor; John Tayleur, Esq., is the impropriator of the rectoral tithes, which have been commuted. A modus of £3. 3s. is paid to the vicar of High Ercall. The Shrewsbury and Ercall turnpike road passes through this township. At the census in 1841 Roden contained 33 houses and 161 inhabitants.

Directory.—Joseph Beddow, beerhouse keeper and maltster; John Birch, farmer, Rodenhurst; Thomas Bourne, brickmaker; John Evanson, maltster; Edward Jones, farmer; William Light, farmer; Elizabeth Marshall, shopkeeper; William Taylor, farmer; Samuel Woodfin, farmer, New Farm; Robert Yeomans, shopkeeper.

ROWTON,

a township, chapelry, and pleasant village situated on high ground, in a pleasant part of the country, two and a quarter miles N.E. from High Ercall. The township contains 800a. 0r. 33p. of land, and in 1841 there were 26 houses and 181 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,118. 19s. 4d. There are some good farm houses in this township with commodious outbuildings, and the farms are of considerable extent; cattle and sheep are extensively fed in this locality. The Chapel of Ease is a small unpresuming edifice built of red free stone, and ornamented with a wooden turret; the interior is neatly pewed, and there is a small gallery at the west end; the Rev. Mr. Robinson is the officiating minister. The tithes of Rowton and those of the township of Ellerdine are commuted for £376. 12s. The Duke of Cleveland is the principal landowner and lord of the manor; Mr. Adney, Mrs. Dickin, Mr. Thomas Nicklin, and John Whitfield, Esq., are also proprietors.

The celebrated nonconformist divine, Richard Baxter, was born at Rowton, November 12th, 1615. His father was an honest and religious man, in humble circumstances, but a small freeholder; his estate, however, was very inconsiderable. His son is said to have given strong indications of that piety and purity which appeared in his subsequent life and conversation. He passed his infancy at Rowton, under the roof of his grandfather, and in 1625, when about ten years of age, was removed from Rowton to his father’s house at Eaton Constantine. He received the chief portion of his learning at Ludlow, but had not the advantages of an academical education; when at school he had the use of an excellent library, which, by his great application, proved of infinite service to him. His first engagements in life it appears was teaching a free school at Newport, and he was afterwards appointed master of the free school at Dudley, with an usher under him. While he taught the school there he read several practical treatises, by which he was brought to a deep sense of religion, and having an earnest desire to engage in the ministry, he in 1638 addressed himself to Dr. Tharnborough, bishop of Worcester, for holy orders, which, after examination, he received, having at that time no scruples of conscience which hindered him from conforming to the Church of England. He shortly after frequently preached at Dudley, and the neighbouring villages, with great acceptance among his hearers, but when the et cætera oath came to be imposed, Mr. Baxter applied himself diligently to study the case of episcopacy as in other instances, the thing which was intended to fix him to the hierarchy, gave him a dislike to it. In the year 1640 he accepted the invitation of the bailiffs and feoffees of Kidderminster to preach there for an allowance of £60 a year. In the memorable struggles of this period, he sided with the parliament, and recommended the protestation they directed to be taken by the people. This exposed him to some inconveniences which obliged him for a time to retire to Gloucester, but be afterwards returned to Kidderminster and resumed the work of the ministry. He hindered, as far as it was in his power, the taking of the covenant, and preached and spoke publicly against it. When Cromwell assumed the supreme power he was not afraid to express his dissatisfaction at his tyranny, and in a conference which he had with him afterwards, stated his views in terms not to be misunderstood by the Protector. After the restoration he became one of the king’s chaplains in ordinary, had frequent access to his royal person, and was always treated by him with peculiar respect. At the Savoy conference Mr. Baxter assisted as one of the commissioners, and then drew up the reformed liturgy, which all allow to be an excellent performance. He was offered the bishopric of Hereford by the Lord Chancellor Clarendon, which he refused to accept. At this period he would gladly have returned to his beloved town of Kidderminster, and have preached there, but this was refused him. When he found himself thus disappointed, he preached occasionally about the city of London, and afterwards returned to Acton, in Middlesex, where he went to church every Lord’s-day, and spent the rest of the day with his family and a few poor neighbours, in explaining the Scriptures and prayer. His auditors continued to increase, and shortly after, upon a warrant signed by two justices, he was committed for six months to New Prison jail. After the indulgence of 1672 he returned to London, and was one of the Tuesday lecturers at Pinner’s Hall. He had a Friday lecture at Fetter-lane, but only preached occasionally on the Sunday. In 1682 he suffered severely on account of his nonconformity. One day he was suddenly surprised by an officer, who apprehended him upon a warrant to seize his person for coming within five miles of a corporate town; producing, at the same time, five more warrants to distrain for £195 for five sermons. At this time he lay on a sick bed, but he was dragged before five justices, and took his oath that he could not go to prison without danger of death. But the officers executed their warrants on the books and goods in the house, and even sold the bed on which he lay sick. In 1684 he was bound in a penalty of £400 to keep the peace, by the justices of Middlesex, and in the year following he was committed to the King’s Bench prison, by a warrant from the Lord Chief Justice Jefferies, for his paraphrase on the New Testament; the trial took place on the 30th of May, when he was found guilty, and received a severe sentence. In 1686 the king, by the mediation of Lord Powis, granted him a pardon. After this he settled in Charter house yard, contenting himself with the exercise of his ministry, as assistant to Mr. Silvester. He died on the 8th of December, 1691, and was buried in Christ Church. His remains were followed to the grave by a large concourse of people of all ranks and qualities, who prudently paid this last tribute of respect to a great and good man, whose labours deserved much from true Christians of all denominations. Mr. Baxter was in several respects one of the most eminent persons of his time; he preached more sermons, wrote more books, and engaged in more controversies than any other nonconformist of his age. He spoke, disputed, and wrote with ease, and discovered the same intrepidity when he reproved Cromwell, and expostulated with Charles II., as when he preached to a congregation of mechanics. His works are extremely voluminous, and they are still held in high estimation. An eminent divine observes of them, that his practical writings were never mended, his controversial, seldom refuted. The celebrated Doddridge, in a letter to a friend in 1723, says, “Baxter is my particular favourite. It is impossible to tell how much I am charmed with the devotion, good sense, and pathos, which is every where to be found in him. I cannot forbear looking upon him as one of the greatest orators, both with regard to copiousness, acuteness, and energy that our nation hath produced.”

Directory.—Mrs. Elizabeth Adney, The Hall; John Adney, farmer and grazier; William Edwards, shopkeeper; George Fowler, beerhouse keeper; Charles Jukes, maltster and farmer; Samuel Nicklin, boot and shoemaker; Thomas Nicklin, wheelwright; George Vickers, blacksmith and agricultural implement maker; John Whitfield, Esq., The Villa farm, and chairman to the Wellington Poor Law Board of Guardians.

TERN, OR TEARN,

a small township in the parish of High Ercall, with a few houses delightfully situated two miles S.E. from the parish church, contains 487a. 3r. 13p. of land, of which four acres are in roads and waste; the river Tern bounds the township on the S.E. At the census in 1841 there were seven houses and 41 inhabitants. Rateable value, £659. 18s. The Duke of Sutherland is lord of the manor and owner of the land. Tern House, a commodious brick residence, occupied by Thomas Juckes, Esq., is pleasantly situated on a gentle acclivity near the stream of the Tern; the views it commands of the surrounding country are extensive and pleasingly diversified. The farm buildings are of considerable extent, and are provided with all the modern appliances for farming extensively in the most economical manner.

The principal residents are George Jukes, solicitor, and Thomas Juckes, Esq.

WALTON

is a township and parish of High Ercall, situated in a delightful part of the country, about a mile W. by N. from the church; the township contains 855a. 0r. 8p. of land, and in 1841 here were 23 houses and 135 inhabitants; the houses are for the most part scattered on the turnpike road leading from Ercall to Shawbury. The farm houses are good residences, occupied by respectable agriculturists. Rateable value of the township, £969. 12s. The Duke of Cleveland is the proprietor of the whole township and lord of the manor. Walton Hall, a structure of considerable antiquity, composed of timber and brick work, was a place of no mean pretensions in by-gone days, is now occupied as a farm dwelling.

Directory.—John Breeze, boot and shoemaker; George Brookes, farmer; William Hughes, tailor; William Juckes, butcher; William Rogers, shopkeeper; Edward S. Webster, The Hall Farm; Mrs. Jane Webster, The Hall; James Wilding, farmer, New House.

EYTON-UPON-THE-WILD-MOORS,

a parish and small village, is pleasantly situated in a retired locality, two miles and a half north from Wellington. The parish comprises 1,190a. 2r. 37p. of land, and in 1801 had 323 inhabitants; 1831, 350; and in 1841, 389; at the latter period there were 82 houses. Rateable value, £2,187. 10s. The Church is a small brick fabric, dedicated to All Saints. It contains an antique stone font; there is a small gallery at the west end; the east window contains some fragments of stained glass; the other windows are ornamented with armorial bearings of the Eyton family. The living is a rectory united to the vicarage of Wellington. The celebrated Edward Herbert, Lord Chirbury, was born at this place. His lordship stood in the highest rank among the public ministers, historians, and philosophers of the age in which he lived. Lord Herbert was the first and most candid of our English infidels, and his system of deism contains less of acrimonious censure of Christianity than that of any other writer. He was created Knight of the Bath at the accession of James I. He distinguished himself at the siege of Juliers; and, in 1616, was sent ambassador to Louis XIII., but was recalled on account of a dispute between him and the Constable De Luynes. In 1625 he was created a baron of the kingdom of Ireland, and in 1631 was elevated to the English peerage. His lordship left a History of Henry VIII., in folio; a treatise, “De Religione Gentilium um and expedito Buckingami ducis in Ream Insulam,” and an account of his own life. His lordship was born in 1581 and died in 1648. The present noble family of Powis is descended on the female side from Lord Herbert, of Chirbury. Granger, in his “Biographical History of England,” in speaking of his lordship, observes, “It is hard to say whether his person, his understanding, or his courage, was the most extraordinary. But the same man was wise and capricious, redressed wrongs and quarrelled for punctilios; hated bigotry, and was himself a bigot to philosophy; he exposed himself to such danger as other men of courage would have carefully declined; and called in question the fundamentals of a religion which none had the hardiness to dispute besides himself.” Eyton Hall is a handsome stuccoed residence, with a piazza in front supported by twelve pillars; it opens into a neatly laid out garden, beautified with shrubberies; and in front of the hall is a small park, stocked with deer. It is the seat and property of Thomas Eyton, Esq., who is the principal landowner and lord of the manor; the Trustees of Preston Hospital are also proprietors. This parish is intersected by the Shropshire Union Canal. Among the gentlemen who compounded for their estates during the Commonwealth, Sir Thomas Eyton, of Eyton, paid £976.

Directory.—Thomas Eyton, Esq., The Hall; William Anslow, farmer; Samuel Cartwright, farmer; Helena Cooke, farmer; Matthew Davies, farmer and maltster; Richard Edwards, farmer and farm-bailiff to T. Eyton, Esq.; Mary Jenkins, farmer; John Jones, gardener; Stephen Reynolds, corn miller; John Robinson, blacksmith, agricultural implement maker, and parish clerk; Thomas Shuker, saddler.

KINNERSLEY

is a parish and village, in a pleasant situation, three miles and a half N.N.W. from Wellington, which in 1801 contained 210 inhabitants; in 1841 there were 49 houses and a population of 295 souls. The parish comprises 1,789a. 2r. 36p. of land. Gross estimated rental, £2,720. Rateable value, £2,443. 3s. There are 104a. 3r. 14p. of woods and plantations, and 75 acres of glebe land. The Duke of Sutherland is lord of the manor and owner of the land. The village is surrounded by what is called moor-land, which was enclosed about half a century ago. It has, however, lost all the characteristics of a moor, and is now chiefly in large enclosures, and generally good grazing land. About half a mile north-east from the church there is a large mound, which encloses upwards of twenty acres of land, and surrounds the premises of the Wall Farm. This is supposed to have been a British encampment, and to have been raised before the moors became boggy; for there is no trace of any road across the moors by which this vast rampart of sand-rock could be conveyed, which must have been the case, if the moss at those early periods was as boggy as in after ages. The rampart measures 1,900 yards in circumference, and is from sixteen to twenty feet in breadth.

The Church is a small structure, mantled with ivy, and dedicated to St. Chad. It consists of nave and chancel, with a tower at the west end, in which are three bells. There is also a small gallery at the west end; and neat tablets have been erected in memory of the Marriot and Ogle families. The body of the church is very ancient, but the tower was erected in 1726. The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £6. 1s. 8d., now returned at £494. Patron, Duke of Sutherland; incumbent, Rev. Andrew Burn, M.A. The Rectory is an ancient residence, on the west side of the church-yard. The tithes are commuted for £340. There is a Parochial School in the village, which is chiefly supported by the Duke of Sutherland and the Rector.

Directory.—Rev. Andrew Burn, M.A., The Rectory; Thomas Brown, farmer; John and Thomas Davies, shoemakers; John Felton, shoemaker; William Gough, shoemaker; Thomas Hitchin, wheelwright; George Hooper, farmer; William Hooper, farmer and maltster, Margaret Hughes, farmer, Wall Farm; Richard Ogle, farmer, Manor House; John Taylor, farmer; William Weston, farmer; William Weston, blacksmith; Richard Williams, farmer and victualler, Crown Inn.

LEIGHTON

is a parish and delightful little village, situate on the banks of the Severn, and near the foot of the Wrekin hill, nine miles S.E. from Shrewsbury. In 1801 the parish contained 338 inhabitants; 1831, 360; and in 1841, 80 houses and a population of 403 souls. Rateable value, £2,691. Robert Gardner, Esq., and Sir George Harnage, Bart., are the principal landowners. The soil is mostly of a superior quality, and produces good crops of all kinds of grain. The Church, dedicated to St. Mary, is a plain brick structure, situated a short distance from the village, and consists of nave and chancel, with a small tower, in which are three bells. In the chancel are several handsome tablets, chiefly in memory of the Leighton and Kinnersley families, who formerly resided here, and had large possessions in this locality. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king’s book at £7. 12s. 6d., now returned at £224, in the patronage and incumbency of the Rev. Robert Maddocks. The salubrious situation of Leighton and the vicinity is proverbial, and several extraordinary cases of longevity among the inhabitants have occurred. A short time ago, Stephen Davies was living at the advanced age of 97 years. He recollected old Sarah Beech, who lived in this parish, and died about the year 1738 at the age of 106 years, and who had a sister that lived to the age of 103 years. Stephen Davies had then a brother living at Wroxeter of the age of 96 years.

Garmstone is a hamlet, in the parish of Leighton.

Charities—Ann Lacon, by her will, left £15 a-year for ever to the poor of Leighton, Sheinton, and Buildwas, to be given to four poor persons of each parish. This gift is secured on a messuage and lands at Much Wenlock, and the moiety belonging to this parish is divided equally among four of the poor inhabitants, Richard Leighton, Esq., left the sum of £100, the interest to be distributed by the minister and churchwardens for the time being among the poor of the parish on Candlemas-day. This bequest, and several other legacies amounting to £8, were placed out about sixty years ago upon the security of the tolls arising from the turnpike road which passes through Leighton, the interest of which, £5. 8s., is distributed in small sums among the poor on Candlemas-day.

Directory.—John Bagley, tailor; John Barnet, victualler, Barnet’s Grove; Job Basnett, farmer; Rev. Frederick Burd, curate; John Drury, farmer; John Evans, corn-miller; Daniel Everall, farmer; Thomas Everall, farmer; James Farmer, corn-miller; Robert Gardner, Esq., Leighton Hall; Thomas Gervis, farmer, Garmston; Sir George Harnage, Bart.; Harry C. Jeffries, farmer, Garmston; John Machin, farmer, Eye Farm; Thomas Richards, farmer; Isaac Shepherd, farmer, Longwood; Thomas Tart, tailor.

LILLESHALL

is a parish in the Newport division of the South Bradford hundred, which comprises the townships of Lilleshall, Donington, and Muxton, and embraces 6,111a. 3r. 9p. of land. In 1801 the parish had a population of 2,060 souls; 1831, 3,596; and in 1841 there were 708 houses and 3,851 inhabitants. Rateable value, £12,034. 1s. 8d. The Duke of Sutherland is lord of the manor, and owner of the whole parish, except about half a dozen acres, the property of Mr. John Bradborn, in the township of Muxton. The village of Lilleshall is pleasantly situated on the acclivity of a hill, three miles south-west from Newport. The township in 1841 contained 155 houses and 795 inhabitants; the houses are scattered, and the population find employment in the extensive collieries and iron works with which the vicinity abounds. The Church is a venerable structure mantled with ivy, and dedicated to St. Mary; in the tower is a peal of six bells. On the north side of the chancel is an altar tomb, with two full length figures, in memory of dame Catherine Leveson and Sir Richard Leveson: the former died March 31st, 1674, and the latter June 2nd, 1661. The old font, about twenty years ago, was used as a cistern to a pump at Lilleshall old hall; it was removed by the late vicar, and now stands at the west end of the church. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king’s book at £6. 17s. 11d.; now returned at £338; in the patronage of the Duke of Sutherland; incumbent, Rev. Henry George Bunsen; curate, Rev. Thomas Bucknall Lloyd. On Lilleshall Hill, in this parish, a monument was erected in 1839, to the memory of the first Duke of Sutherland; on June 20th, 1839, it was struck with lightning, and sustained considerable damage; but it was shortly after put in a state of complete reparation. On the north side is the following inscription.—

To the memory of
George Granville Leveson Gower, K G
First Duke of Sutherland,
The most just and generous of landlords.
This monument is erected
by the occupiers of his Grace’s Shropshire farms,
as a public testimony that he
went down to the grave with the blessings
of his tenants on his head,
and left behind him upon his estates
the best inheritance which a gentleman of England
can bequeath to his son:
men ready to stand by his house
heart and hand.

On the south side of the monument is the inscription, “Let all the ends thou aimest at be thy country’s, thy God’s, and truth’s.” It is related that at the trial of Queen Caroline, the Lord Chancellor Eldon, in his charge to the peers, told them to “Be just and fear not,” when the Duke of Sutherland immediately rose from his place in the house and declared that he echoed the sentiments of his noble and learned friend on the wool sack, and would copy the immortal bard still farther by saying, “Let all the ends thou aimest at be thy country’s, thy God’s, and truth’s.” This was the occasion of the inscription being placed on the monument. The obelisk was designed by Sir Francis Chantrey.

His Grace, in March, 1803, succeeded to the trust estates and canal of his maternal uncle, the late Duke of Bridgewater, and in October in the same year, by the death of his father, he became Marquis of Stafford, and entered into possession of the paternal estates of the Leveson branch of the family, in Staffordshire and Shropshire, and to the ancient patrimony of the Gowers of Yorkshire. For some time he filled the office of postmaster general, and was ambassador to the court of France at the commencement of the revolution in that country. His titles were George Grenville, Duke of Sutherland, Marquis of the County of Stafford, Earl Gower, Viscount Trentham, Baron Gower of Sittenham, and a baronet. His Grace was also a Knight of the Garter, and a Privy Councillor. Among the near relations of the Duke of Sutherland may be enumerated the distinguished families of Bedford, Rutland, Lansdowne, Marlborough, Dorset, Kingston, Waldegrave, Jersey, Thanet, and Warwick. The Shropshire estates of the Duke of Sutherland are upwards of 20,000 acres.

The National School, a plain brick structure a little south from the church, has an attendance of about eighty boys and sixty girls. It is supported by the Duke of Sutherland and a small charge from each scholar. There are about three roods of garden ground attached to the school, which is divided into twenty allotments, and cultivated by twenty of the senior scholars for their own benefit.

Lilleshall Abbey.—In a solitary and retired situation, about a mile south from the church, may be seen the ruins of Lilleshall Abbey. At the great western entrance is a fine Norman arch, richly recessed with ribs and running foliage. The pillars and arches of the church have been entirely destroyed, but the doors and windows still remain. The south door, by which a communication was formed with the cloister, is doubtless one of the most highly ornamented arches in the kingdom. A semi-circular arch, overspread with ornaments peculiar to the Saxon and early Norman buildings, is supported by clusters of slender shafts, some of which are spiral, and others covered with lozenge work, having the intermediate spaces embellished with mouldings. The east window of the choir has a beautiful pointed arch of the fourteenth century, and the north and south windows are narrow plain, and round headed. The walls of the refectory have been converted into a residence. The church was cruciform, and had probably two towers: one in the centre and the other at the west end; the breadth of the nave is thirty-six feet, and the length two hundred and twenty-eight feet. The boundary wall of the abbey encompassed several acres, and in some parts is still entire. The ruins of the abbey are scattered over a large space, and the walls, which in some parts are mantled with ivy, are of considerable height, and the fragments of superb workmanship still to be seen show it to have been a place of great magnificence and architectural grandeur. The stalls of the choir at the dissolution were removed to the collegiate church of Wolverhampton, where they now remain. Richard de Belmeis, says Bishop Tanner, the last dean of the collegiate church of St. Alkmund, in Shrewsbury, about the year 1145, with the consent of pope Eugenius and King Stephen, surrendered up that church with all the lands and churches belonging to the same to the use of some regular canons of the order of St. Augustine, who came from Dorsetshire and began to build an abbey to the honour of the blessed virgin, upon one of the prebendal estates, here in the wood of Lilleshall, to which his kinsman, Philip de Belmeis was an early and great benefactor. Other authorities state that in the time of the Saxon dynasty a religious house was dedicated here to the use of secular canons or prebendaries, and afterwards became a nunnery, which was reduced to a state of desolation by the predatory incursions of the Welsh tribes, and it so continued until about the year 1145. Among the principal benefactors to this abbey were Alanta Zouche John le Strange, who gave the church of Hulme; and Hillaria de Trussebut, the wife of Robert de Bulders, who gave certain lands, and directed her body to be buried within the precincts of the abbey. In the 34th Henry III. the abbot had leave to grub up twenty-three acres in the woods of Lilleshall, and in the 7th of Edward to make an assart of the wood near Watling street, in the forest of Wombridge. In the 11th of Edward I. the abbot had leave to make a park. The abbey was endowed at subsequent periods by different pious individuals, and the annual income at the general dissolution of religious houses was valued at £229. 3s. per annum. On account of the situation of this monastery, near the Chester road, the abbots were sometimes known to complain that their income was too scanty to entertain the continual influx of visitors that travelled that road.

Charities.—Sir Richard Leveson, by will, dated 5th of November, 1660, gave to the poor people inhabiting the parish of Lilleshall a rent charge of £5 per annum, issuing out of certain lands called Kainton Meadow. The Marquis of Stafford pays this gift yearly, which is distributed on St. Thomas’s-day by the minister and churchwardens. There is a piece of land still called Kainton Meadow, which is no doubt the land charged by the testator.

Lady Catherine Leveson, by her will, in 1670, devised to trustees her manor of Foxley, in Northamptonshire, and directed the yearly proceeds to be put to charitable uses; among others to the payment of £120 a year to the maintenance of twelve poor widows, three of whom were to be inhabitants of the parish of Lilleshall, and she directed that there should be provided by the minister and parish officers, out of the £10 respectively allowed for their maintenance, a gown of grey cloth, upon the breast of which gown the letters of K. L. in blue cloth should be set, which gown should be constantly wore by the widows, and if any one should refuse to wear them she should lose the benefit of the charity. The testator gave a further sum of £100 yearly to be applied in putting forth ten poor boys apprentices, two of whom should be children of the inhabitants of Lilleshall. In respect of this charity £50 a year is received by the churchwardens of Lilleshall, out of which £10 a year are paid to three poor widows, appointed by the minister, churchwardens, and overseers of the poor, a preference being given to such as have fallen into poverty from better circumstances, and have not received parochial relief. The gowns have not been provided for them for many years. Two boys are usually apprenticed every year with premiums of £10 each. Upon inspection of the parish books which commence in 1634, it appears that various small benefactions have been given to the poor, which were placed in the hands of different persons, who paid interest for them. These sums appear to have passed in various proportions to other persons, and the interest thereon to have fluctuated so as to afford no certain information as to the amount or donation of the benefactions. In the year 1718 the poor’s stock appears to have amounted to £40. In 1734 the sum of £56 was put by the churchwardens into the parish chest for the use of the poor. No further entry occurs till 1757, when a sum of £20 appears to have been in the hands of Charles Lawrence, and £15 in the hands of Henry Barber. The £20 subsequently passed into the hands of Robert Garmeson, who in 1786 gave his note of hand for the money, and shortly after died insolvent. The entries of receipt of interest of the £15 cease in 1800, for several years previous to which it appears to have been paid by Mr. James Barber, about which time he died in bad circumstances, so that this sum may also be considered as lost.

Lilleshall House, the magnificent seat of the Marquis of Stafford, is situated on a commanding eminence, from which extensive and beautiful prospects of the surrounding country are seen. The mansion is about a mile from the ruins of Lilleshall Abbey, within the bounds of the parish of Sheriff Hales, and was erected by the late Duke of Sutherland; it is built of beautiful white free stone, and exhibits a fine specimen of the Tudor style of architecture, from designs by Sir John Wyattville. The garden and pleasure grounds are laid out with admirable taste, and cover between forty and fifty acres. The flower garden from its extent and the beautiful order in which it is kept is surpassed by few in the kingdom; the manner of planting the flowers of one particular colour so as to form the greatest contrast with the beds contiguous to it has a most brilliant and dazzling effect. An avenue in the garden, which stretches 300 yards in length, has a very pleasing appearance; the frame work is of wood, to which are trained roses, japonicas, the various sorts of clamitas, and fruit trees, and in the delightful season when the clustering fruits hang in profusion, enriched with the autumnal tints, among the beautiful blossoms of the japonica and rose—the whole has a most enchanting appearance. The terrace commands a fine view of the park, the woody scenery in the vicinity, and a large tract of the country extending over North Shropshire into Staffordshire, Cheshire, and the mountainous district of Wales.

The village and parish of Sheriff Hales is mostly situated in Staffordshire. The residents of a few scattered farms, and at the mansion of Lilleshall House, are included in the following directory.

Those with * affixed are in the parish of Sheriff Hales, and the rest in Lilleshall parish.

* Stafford The Marquis of, Lilleshall House

Adams John, assistant overseer & constable

Adams Thomas, nursery and seedsman

Bates William, parish clerk and bricklayer

Birch Thomas, surveyor

Bunsen Rev. Henry George, vicar, Lilleshall Old Hall

Diggens Emma, schoolmistres

Diggens William, schoolmaster

Duncalfe Rd., farmer, Honnington Grange

Edwards Thomas, vict., Red House

* Elliot Wm., gardener, Lilleshall House

Higgins Mr., farmer, Lubstree Park

Howle Jane and Mary, shopkeepers

Hughes George, cashier

Hunt John, farm bailiff

James Mary, farmer, Cheswall Grange

Jones John, farmer

* Johnson Thomas, farmer, Red Hill

* Leman Tubal Cain, butler, Lilleshall House

Lloyd Rev. Thos. Bucknall, curate, Vicarage

Maddings Thomas, corn miller & maltster

* Pearce John, farmer, Hinks

* Pearce Mary, farmer

Phillips John B., farmer, Brockton Leasows

* Phillips Joseph Taylor, farmer, Manor House

* Smith William, Esq., land agent to the Duke of Sutherland, Little Hales

Spearman Elizabeth, farmer

Timmis John, farmer, Abbey farm

West Francis, farmer, Lilleshall Grange

Wilde Edward, farmer, Lilleshall Hill

DONINGTON, OR DONINGTON WOOD,

is a considerable township with a scattered population, situated about a mile W. from Lilleshall, and four miles S.W. from Newport. At the census in 1811 there were 498 houses and 2,757 inhabitants, who are chiefly employed in the extensive iron works, collieries, and ironstone mines, with which this neighbourhood abounds. The collieries vary from 100 to 300 yards in depth, and there are twelve seams from which coal is got; the mines from which the ironstone is procured are also of very great depths; the country extending south and south west for several miles present one vast field of collieries and iron works, and has a teeming population, all busily employed in these and their subordinate manufactures and employments.

The Church is a neat modern structure, situate at Donington Wood, built about the year 1844, at a cost of £2,000. The seats are all free and unappropriated. The living is a perpetual curacy in the patronage of the vicar of Lilleshall; incumbent, Rev. Thomas O’Regan. The Baptists have a chapel here, which was built about twenty years ago. The National School was built at the expense of the Duke of Sutherland, who is also a munificent contributor towards the support of the institution; Thomas Townsend is the teacher. The Donington Wood Mechanics’ Institution was established in February, 1851, for the object of providing useful and intellectual entertainment for the numerous artisans and other inhabitants of Donington; for this object a library and reading room has been established, which is furnished with the leading London and provincial journals and magazines. Toward the library the Duke of Sutherland has kindly presented a large and valuable collection of books. It is intended to employ lecturers on popular subjects, to which members are admissable. The Lilleshall Company holds the collieries in this locality in lease of the Duke of Sutherland.

Post Office.—At Mr. Samuel Hollis’s. Letters despatched at 7 P.M. to Newport.

Adams John, railway station master

Anslow James, shopkeeper

Bennett James, shoemaker

Bott John, shopkeeper

Bott Sarah, schoolmistress

Boycott William, farmer and corn miller

Bradbury Isaac, blacksmith

Bulger William, ground bailiff

Hollis Samuel, agent to Lilleshall Company and post master

Horton Charles, ground bailiff

Jarrett John, schoolmaster

Jones Edward, mining engineer and manager to Lilleshall Company

Morton William, agricultural implement manufacturer, &c.

O’Regan Rev. Thomas, incumbent

Roystone Thomas, painter, plumber, and glazier

Tipton Thomas, bookkeeper

Townsend Thomas, schoolmaster

Ward Joseph, spade tree maker

Wheeler James, engineer

Wheeler James Henry, engineer

MUXTON

is a township in the parish of Lilleshall, situate near a mile W. from the church, and three and a half miles S.W. from Newport, the acres and value of which are included with the parish. The land is the property of the Duke of Sutherland, with the exception of about six acres, the property of Mr. John Bradborn. At the census in 1841 there were 55 houses and 299 inhabitants. Mrs. Rebecca Walthall by will 1740 bequeathed £10 to the churchwardens of Lilleshall, and directed the interest thereof to be distributed to the poor of Muxton on St. Thomas’s-day. It does not appear that this legacy were paid to the churchwardens of Lilleshall. An annual sum of 5s. was paid to them by the late Isaac H. Browne, Esq., and is still paid by the agent of his widow, which is supposed to be on account of the above benefaction, and to have been charged on an estate derived from Mrs. Walthall by Mr. Browne, which he sold some time ago in various lots. It is more probable however that the money had been left at interest in the hands of the residuary legatees, and that this 5s. was Mr. Browne’s share of such interest. A similar sum was formerly paid by Mr. Walthall, the other residuary legatee and administrator, who resided at Wistaston, in Cheshire, but this payment has been discontinued many years. The 5s. paid by Mrs. Browne is distributed among the poor of this township.

Bradborn John, maltster

Dawes Mary, farmer, Muxton bridge

Gaunt Edward, farmer

Greene John, surgeon

Hawkins Richard, butcher

Hitchin William, shoemaker

Johnson Jane, farmer, Woodhouse

Jones Richard, carpenter and joiner

Pearce George, maltster & vict., Holly Bush

Thursfield Richard, maltster

Tudor Samuel and William, farmers, Street Grange

Webb Richard, shoemaker

LONGDEN-UPON-TERN

is a parish and village in the Wellington Division of the South Bradford Hundred, three miles and a half N.W. by W. from Wellington. The villager is scattered, but pleasantly situated on elevated ground on the southern banks of the river, and commands many interesting views of rural beauty. In 1801 there were 102 inhabitants; 1831, 109; and in 1841, 15 houses and 99 inhabitants. The parish contains 796A. 1R. 32P. of land, and is intersected by the Shropshire Union Canal, and the turnpike road from Wellington to Shrewsbury. The river and its tributary streams are crossed by two bridges—one of metal, the other of stone,—and the canal by a brick structure. The canal is carried over the vale of the river by an aqueduct of sixty-two yards in length. There are 6a. 1r. of land in roads and waste. The soil is various: in some parts it is cold and wet. Gross estimated rental, £1,522. 9s. 2d. Rateable value, £1,358. 8s. The Duke of Sutherland is lord of the manor, and the principal landowner, William Howard, Esq., is also a proprietor.

The Church, a small brick structure dedicated to St. Bartholomew, has a square turret, containing one bell. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Duke of Sutherland, and incumbency of the Rev. Edward Meredith, M.A. The tithes are commuted for £110. The Parsonage is a neat brick residence, embosomed in foliage, and pleasantly situated a short distance from the church. The minister receives a limited number of young gentlemen as boarding scholars. The Hall is a spacious structure, of considerable antiquity, with lofty chimneys; it is built of brick, with stone quoins and finishings, and is the property of William Howard, Esq., and residence of Mr. Henry Stormont. Extensive and conveniently arranged farm-buildings have recently been added to the farms occupied by Mr. Peter Brisbourne and Mr. George Belliss. The School is a brick structure, erected in 1849, at the expense of the Duke of Sutherland, who also gave the site. It is partly supported by subscription, but chiefly from the private resources of the minister, and a small payment from the children that attend for instruction. There are extensive corn mills on the banks of the river in this parish.

Directory.—George Belliss, farmer; Edward Brisbourne, farmer; Mrs. Brisbourne; Peter Brisbourne, farmer; Joseph Cooke, corn miller; Elizabeth Hatton, schoolmistress; John Jones, farmer; Rev. Edward Meredith, boarding-school, and incumbent of the church; Thomas Paddock, farmer and corn miller, Manor House; Henry Stormont, farmer, The Hall.

LONGFORD

is a parish, with a scattered population, situated about a mile and a half west from Newport, which comprises 1,907a. 2r. 13p., and in 1801 had 182 inhabitants; 1831, 206; and in 1841, 209; at the latter period there were 38 houses. The township of Longford contains 1,257a. 3r. 10p. of land, and in 1841 had 24 houses and a population of 125 souls. Gross rental, £2,774. 4s. 7d. Rateable value, £2,529. 14s. Ralph Merrick Leeke, Esq., is lord of the manor, and owner of the whole township. The Church is a small neat structure, dedicated to St. Mary, and consists of nave and chancel, with a tower at the west end, built about forty years ago. The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £6. 2s. 8½d., now returned at £425, in the patronage of Ralph Merrick Leeke, Esq., and incumbency of the Rev. John Kynaston Chorlton. The tithes have been commuted for £144. About twenty yards north from the church is a small structure, which was left standing when the old church was taken down. This was a private chapel, built as an appendage to the old edifice, and was the burial place of a branch of the Talbot family. The Talbots formerly owned the Longford estate, which was subsequently inherited by the Shrewsbury family, from whom it passed by sale; except the site of this small structure, which still remains the freehold property of the Earl of Shrewsbury. On the south side of this chapel is an elegant marble monument in memory of a Lady Talbot, which is richly ornamented with carved work and gilt embellishments. On the north side of the chapel is an alabaster slab, but without date. Longford Hall, the residence and property of Ralph Merrick Leeke, Esq., is a spacious and handsome mansion of free-stone, with a noble portico supported by four massive pillars of the Doric order. The hall is delightfully situated on a gentle eminence, and opens into a finely-timbered park of about a hundred and fifty acres. Not far from the hall is a fine sheet of water, which covers about seven acres.

Brockton is a hamlet, a little more than a mile south from the church, which consists of two good farm residences and the rectory; near to which is a farm called the Brockton Leasowes, but the house is just within the bounds of Lilleshall parish. The Rectory is an ancient residence, mantled with ivy. The soil in this township is highly fertile, and well adapted for the growth of barley and turnips. A little north-west from the church is a corn mill, which was unoccupied when our agent visited Longford.

Directory.—Ralph Merrick Leeke, Esq., Longford Hall; Rev. John Kynaston Chorlton, The Rectory; Clifford Firth, farmer, Brockton; George Veitch, farmer, Longford Mill; James Veitch, farmer, Brockton; Thomas Clues, gardener, The Hall; Robert Stevenson, gamekeeper; James Rowley, blacksmith.

STOCKTON

is a small township, in the parish of Longford, three miles and a half E. by S. from the church, and two miles and a half S.E. from Newport. The township contains 649a. 3r. 3p. of land, and at the census of 1841 had 14 houses and 84 inhabitants. Gross estimated rental, £189. 18s. 7d. Rateable value, £820. 16s. The tithes are commuted for £112. There are eight acres of glebe land. All the land is the property of John Cotes, Esq.

The principal residents are Humphrey James, farmer; and John Meredith, farmer.

NEWPORT

is a parish and market town in the Newport division of the South Bradford Hundred, pleasantly situated in the line of the ancient Watling Street, and near the eastern confines of the county, eleven miles S. from Market Drayton, seventeen E.N.E. from Shrewsbury, and 139 miles N.W. by N. from London. The town principally consists of one spacious, handsome street, stretching for about a mile in length, containing many good inns, private residences, and respectable shops in all the different branches of the retail trade. About the centre of the town, and in the middle of the street, stands the venerable parish church, an ancient market house, and a few dwellings, which are some of the oldest houses in the town of Newport. The parish in 1801 contained 2,307 inhabitants; 1831, 2,745; and in 1841 there were 553 houses and 2,497 inhabitants. The number of acres the parish embraces is 567a. 0r. 25p., the chief owners of which are Sir Thomas H. F. Boughey, Bart.; Thomas Collier, Esq.; John Morris, Esq.; Mr. Wilde; Mr. Silvester; Miss Bennett; and the trustees of Newport Marsh. Rateable value, £6,847. 13s. The inhabitants are supplied with an abundance of excellent water, from large cisterns and wells in various parts of the town, which are filled from a spring, about a mile distant, by means of a water-course and pipes, the expenses of which are paid from the income arising from the common lands. Newport was granted municipal privileges as early as the reign of Henry I., which were confirmed by succeeding sovereigns. The government is vested is a high steward, deputy steward, two bailiffs, and twenty-five burgesses. John Cotes, Esq., is the high steward; Robert Fisher, jun., Esq., deputy steward; and William Washbourne, Esq., and G. H. Duncalfe. Esq., are the bailiffs. Petty sessions for the Newport division of the hundred are held in the town: the presiding magistrates are Sir Thomas Fletcher Fenton Boughey, Bart.; John Charles Burton Borough, Esq.; and John Justice, Esq. The principal features in the trade of Newport are the engineering establishment and brass foundry of Messrs. Massey; the manufacture of agricultural implements by Mr. Underhill; and those belonging to Mr. Thomas Boughey and Mr. Lewis Atkins—ingenious establishments for the manufacture of all descriptions of bendware, wood turnery, together with hair sieves and dairy requisites of the most approved descriptions.

The Church is a venerable structure of red sand-stone, situated nearly in the centre of High-street. It consists of nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a square tower and an illuminated clock; the tower is dated 1,662; but this probably is the date of certain reparations, for the upper and some other parts of the tower appear to have been re-faced. The chancel and side aisles are of red brick, and were rebuilt in the year 1728, previously to which the church exhibited a beautiful specimen of the architecture of the fifteenth century. The interior has a spacious and handsome appearance. The roof is of groined timber, and the nave is separated from the side aisles by five pointed arches on each side. It contains a small organ, and there are some neat mural tablets. The living is a perpetual curacy, valued at £297, in the patronage of the Lord Chancellor; incumbent, Rev. William Sandford, M.A. The Abbot and Convent of St. Peter and St. Paul, at Shrewsbury, were patrons of the church at Newport; from them it was purchased in the twentieth of Henry VI., by Thomas Draper, citizen of London, who made it collegiate, placing in it a warden, who was to be in priests’ orders, and four chaplains or fellows, who were to pray for the King and the Royal Family, and for the soul of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, (the King’s uncle,) and for the fraternity of St. Marie’s Guild in the church of Newport.

The Catholic Church, dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul, is situated at the outskirts of the town, on the site of an ancient residence called Salter’s Hall, which was long the inheritance of the Shrewsbury family, adjoining which was a domestic chapel. The present structure was built about twenty years ago by the Earl of Shrewsbury. The interior of the structure presents a chaste and elegant appearance; the seats or benches are all open and uniform in character, and the altar is richly carved and gilt; on each side of it are beautifully carved figures of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Joseph. The windows on each side of the altar are adorned with representations of St. Peter and St. Paul, the patron saints of the church. The Rev. Michael Trovell is the priest.

The Independent Chapel, situated on the Wellington road, is a neat stuccoed structure, erected in the year 1817, at a cost of £1,300. It is provided with galleries, and is calculated to hold four hundred hearers. There is a flourishing congregation connected with this place of worship, who enjoy the talented ministrations of the Rev. William Berkeley Leach. The Sunday school in connection with the chapel is numerously attended. The old Independent chapel, which stood in Beaumaris lane, has been converted into two cottages.

The Wesleyan Methodist Chapel is a plain brick structure, of small dimensions, situated in the Upper Bar, and was formerly used as a theatre.

The Wesleyan New Connexion Chapel, a small brick fabric, is also situated at the Upper Bar.

The Primitive Methodists have a small chapel on the Stafford road, built in 1830.

The Free Grammar School.—William Adams, of the city of London, devised certain lands for the endowment of a grammar school and other charitable uses, in Newport, in 1656. By an act of parliament passed in the 12th year of the reign of King Charles II., after reciting the erection of the school-houses and alms-houses by William Adams, and his settlement of lands for the maintenance thereof, it was enacted that the master and four wardens of the Company of Haberdashers in London for the time being, and their successors, should be governors of the possessions of the Free Grammar School of Newport; and that they should have a common seal, for the sealing of their affairs, and hold all possessions granted by Mr. Adams for the maintenance of the school and other charitable uses. Among the objects of the trust Mr. Adams directed £20 yearly to be paid to the minister of Newport, for his encouragement in the works of the ministry, and upon the condition that the preacher for the time being should weekly catechise the scholars, children, and servants of the town of Newport, or such of them as for that purpose should repair to the parish church; and if the preacher should wilfully neglect to perform the weekly duty, the governors should apply the said £20 for the benefit of the poor, or in such charitable uses as they should think fit. A yearly sum of £60 was to be paid to the schoolmaster, and £20 to the usher; also £24 per annum to the inmates of the four alms-houses which he caused to be erected, and a like annual sum to be paid in apprentice fees, with various other gifts. The estate which Mr. Adams devised is situated at Knighton, in Staffordshire, and comprises 797a. 2r. 26p. of land. There is also a farm situated at Woodseves, in the parish of Market Drayton, containing 85a. 1r. 38p., which was purchased with the sum of £500, obtained from a sale of timber cut from the Knighton estate. In 1667 the testator demised the premises at Knighton for a term of twenty-one years to Luke Justice, at the annual rent of £175; and in 1714 the governors, on the surrender of the lease, which had become vested in William Justice, re-demised the premises to the said William Justice for another term of seventy years, at the same rent. The provisions of the will in behalf of Luke Justice were evidently intended as matter of favour to that individual; but it is difficult to conceive that two successive terms, embracing a period of 106 years, were in contemplation of the testator, when he authorized the granting of a lease for so long a time. Upon the expiration of the last lease the premises were let in several farms, on leases of twenty-one years and a half, at rents amounting to £476. 14s., which considerably exceeded the amount of the several payments prescribed by the founder; and it became necessary to obtain the directions of a Court of Chancery as to the disposal of the surplus. In the course of the proceedings which were instituted on that occasion, the heir-at-law of William Adams interposed his claim to the surplus rents beyond the sum of £175, the amount of the several charitable uses appointed by the founder; but it was determined by the court that there was no resulting trust in the charity estate for the said heir-at-law. By a decree made November, 1797, and a subsequent decree made December, 1808, on the occasion of a further advance of the rents to the sum of £768. 17s., a scheme for the disbursement of the income was established, which augmented the expenditure to £692 per annum. The leases having expired in 1814, new leases were granted under the direction of the court, and the advanced rents made the yearly income £957. 3s. 6d. From this fund the head master receives £200 per annum, the second master £100, and the third £100. The other principal items of expenditure are a sum of £60 per annum paid to the minister of Newport; to putting out three apprentices yearly, £54; exhibitions to four scholars at the university, £90; to the four alms-people, £78; to twenty-four persons free of the Haberdashers’ Company, £75; an allowance for books, £10; repairs of the school-house and alms-house, £10; to a boy for ringing the school bell, £3; to a boy for sweeping the school, £3; to the clerk of the Haberdashers’ Company, £6; to the two beadles, £3; Woodreave, £2; the receiver, £21; besides which there are several small items for incidental expenses.

The school premises is a spacious building situated a little back from the High street, and is respectively appropriated to the use of the school, and to the residence of the master and usher, as directed by the founder. By the statutes of the school it was intended for the instruction of eighty scholars; but the town of Newport and its neighbourhood, to which a preference was given by the founder, not being able to supply the full number, the scholars are admitted indifferently from other parts; and to facilitate their admission, it has been left to the head master to appoint them on their application to him, without the intervention of visitors, on whom that duty was imposed by the statutes. The course of education was intended to embrace the Hebrew language; but it appears to have been hitherto confined in practice to Greek and Latin, with the addition of writing and arithmetic. In December, 1850, there were 59 scholars on the foundation. Charles Waring Saxon, D.D., is the head master; Rev. William Sandford, M.A., second master; Mr. Richard Crowther, third master. The particulars of the four exhibitions on Careswell’s foundation will be found noticed with Bridgnorth Grammar School. The alms-houses above mentioned are situated near the gates, at the entrance to the Grammar School.

The English School is a neat brick building, erected in 1843, and situated on the Wellington road. This school appears to have had its origin in a certain grammar school, which, by the certificate of the commissioners under the statute of the 1st of Edward VI., now remaining in the augmentation office, was certified to have been always kept by Richard Robins, one of the Fellows of the college of Newport, to whom was paid out of the revenues of that college the annual stipend of £5. In the twenty-third year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, her Majesty granted to Edmund Downing and Peter Ashton, “all that site of the late college of Newport, in the county of Salop, late the possession of the said college, with all rights, members, and appurtenances, rendering to her said Majesty £15 yearly, to be paid for a salary or stipendary curate of Newport, and school-master there—that is to say, to the curate £10, and to the schoolmaster £5.” William Robson, in 1633, deposited £5,000 in the hands of the Salters’ Company for charitable uses, among which he directed £5 per annum to be paid to the master of the free school at Newport, and £10 per annum to a lecturer, and a like sum annually for the benefit of the poor. William Adams gave to the bailiffs and burgesses of Newport, and their successors for ever, all those two closes, situate at Norbroom, upon trust, to apply the rents for the support of the English school. William Barnfield, in 1665, gave “six days’ work of ground in Norbroom, four tenements let for 16s. a year each, and a shop let for 30s. per annum, towards the support of the free school.” The total income, when, the charity commissioners published their report, amounted to £49. 1s., of which £24 arises from Adams’s gift, £15. 11s. from Barnfield’s, £5 from Robson’s benefaction, and £4. 10s. from the receiver-general. The school has long been confined to the instruction of children in reading English, and we find it described by the name of the English school as early as 1660. How long before that period it had ceased to teach grammar we have not been able to discover; but it may reasonably be conjectured to have been about the time when that branch of education became otherwise so largely provided for by the establishment of the Free Grammar School of William Adams. The school is free to the children of the humbler classes of society for instruction in English: fifty-four scholars now attend.

The Infant School, situate on the Wellington road, was built in 1841 at a cost of £250; the room is spacious and lofty, and has an average attendance of 95 scholars. The Sunday school in connection with the Independent Chapel is also situated on the Wellington road, and has an attendance of 150 children.

The Girls’ National School is a neat brick structure, situated in the Workhouse lane; it was built in 1842, and has an average attendance of seventy children.

The Town’s Almshouses. In 1446 the burgesses or commonalty of Newport granted to William Glover a plot of land between the church-yard and the king’s highway, towards the north, between two stiles in the said church-yard, that the said William Glover should build on the land a hospital for the use of the poor. The almshouses are appropriated to the use of four poor old women of the town of Newport, who are appointed from time to time by the trustees, and retain their respective places for life. The rents of lands and dividends of funded property, left by various benefactors, produced a yearly income of £69. 14s. when the charity commissioners published their report. Each inmate has a weekly payment of 4s. 6d. from Lady-day to Michaelmas, and 5s. from Michaelmas to Lady-day. They also receive 10s. each for coals, and a gratuity of 5s. each at Christmas. The present almshouse was built in 1836, and is situate in Workhouse lane.

The Savings’ Bank, held at Mr. Silvester’s, High street, was enlarged in 1818, on November 20th; the capital stock of the bank amounted to £36,221. 12s. 10d., at which period there were 1,450 separate accounts, of which twelve were charitable and seven friendly societies. Of the total number of depositors 963 had respective balances under £20; 268 were above £20 and less than £50; 135 did not exceed £100; 51 did not exceed £150; 31 were above the latter sum and less than £200; and two exceeded £200. Mr. Charles Silvester is the secretary.

The County Court Office, for the recovery of debts, and in all pleas of personal action where the damage does not exceed £50, is situated in High street. The several parishes and places within the jurisdiction of the court in Shropshire are Adney, Brockton, Caynton, Cherrington, Cheswell, Chetwynd. Chetwynd Aston, Chetwynd End, Church Aston, Donington, Donington Wood, Edgmond, Howle, Lilleshall, Longford, Littlehales, Lynn, Muxton, Newport, Pave Lane, Pickstock, Pilston, Sambrook, Stockton, Tibberton, Vauxhall, Woodcote. The places in Staffordshire are Adbaston, Alston, Apeton, Aqualate, Batchacre, Beffcote, Bishops Offley, Bromstead, Coton, Cowley, Flashbrook, Forton, Gnosall, Great Chatwell, High Offley, Knighton, Knightley, Loynton, Meertown, Moreton, Norbury, Oulton, Outwoods, Plardiwick, Shebdon, Sutton, Tunstall, Weston Jones, Wilbrighton, and Woodseaves. Judge: Uvedale Corbett, Esq., Aston Hall. Clerk: William Liddle, Esq., Newport. High Bailiff: George Hill Townsend, Wolverhampton. Appraiser and Auctioneer: Joseph Doody, High street, Newport. Bailiff: Thomas Roberts, Upper Bar, Newport.

The Newport Union House, situated in Workhouse lane, a plain brick structure, will accommodate about sixty inmates; the aged, infirm, and the older children are sent to the union house of Gnosall, in Staffordshire, which is connected with the Newport union, and this house is for the reception of the able-bodied poor and very young children. The several places comprised in the union in the county are Newport, Chetwynd, Chetwynd Aston, Church Aston, Cherrington, and Edgmond. The townships and places in Staffordshire are Adbaston, Forton, Gnosall, High Offley, Norbury, and Weston Jones. Chairman to the Guardians: John Cotes, Esq. Clerk: Henry Heane, Esq. Chaplain: Rev. William Sandford. Surgeons: Mr. William Lindop, Mr. Godley, and Mr. John Green. Relieving Officer: Mr. Benjamin Rees. Master: Samuel Winnell. Matron: Emma Wellings.

The Market Hall is an ancient structure, standing upon pillars, and situate nearly in the centre of High street. The area between the pillars is appropriated to a corn market; and here the farmers assemble on a market day for the sale of corn and other grain, which is sold by sample. The market is held on Saturday, when the town has a busy and animated appearance. Above the corn market is a spacious room, which is used for magisterial purposes. Here the petty sessions are held every alternate Tuesday, and the official business of the county court is also transacted here. An adjoining room is used as a Sunday school. The Market Hall was chiefly erected at the expense of William Adams, the munificent founder of the Grammar School, who “gave £550 towards building a town house.” Near to the Market Hall is a butter market, a covered area, which is of more modern construction. Under this covering is the market cross, a structure of considerable antiquity, consisting of four steps, and a fluted pillar broken at the top, the whole much dilapidated by time.

Fairs.—The chartered fairs at Newport have merged into the fortnightly cattle market, held every alternate Tuesday, except the fair held on May 28th, which is still continued. These markets are well attended by the farmers in the surrounding district, and considerable quantities of fat and other stock are sold. Whether the growing importance of the Shrewsbury cattle market, which is held on the same day, will not tend to diminish the number of buyers at Newport remains to be seen.

The Gas Works, situate in Marsh lane, were established in 1835 by a company of shareholders with a capital stock of £1,800, since which £400 has been added to the capital. There are two gasometers, each of which will hold about 8,000 cubic feet of gas. A charge of 7s. 6d. per 1000 cubic foot is now made to the consumer. The expense of lighting the streets is paid from the income arising from the town lands, and the cost of pitching the streets is also paid from the same source.

The Lock-up, situate on the Stafford road, has been built within the last few years. It is a small structure with two cells, and residence for the constable.

The Railway Station is situated about half a mile S.E. from the church, within the bounds of the township of Field Aston. There are six trains each way daily; an omnibus meets the different trains, and calls at the principal inns in the town. Newport is distant 17½ miles from Shrewsbury and 11½ miles from Stafford by railway.

Newport sustained great damage by a fire which broke out on the 16th May, 1655; it consumed 162 houses, the loss of which with what they contained was estimated at £30,000. It is stated that a festival was formerly kept on the 30th August, in memory of Mr. Adams, the founder of the Grammar School and almshouses. Tradition says that Charles II., being informed what large sums Mr. Adams had expended in charitable uses, expressed a desire to see him when he was on a visit to the city; and Mr. Adams being introduced to his Majesty, the King asked him whether he had not straitened his fortune by his great benefactions. Mr. Adams replied that he had not, and if his Majesty pleased he would present him with £1,000, provided he would procure an act of parliament to exempt his land from taxes, to which the king consented. How far the above may be true we are unable to affirm; it is certain, however, that the estate at Knighton, with which the Grammar School is endowed, is exempt from parliamentary and parochial taxation.

The Marsh Trust.—By an Act of Parliament passed in the 4th of George III., intituled “An act for dividing and inclosing a waste ground called the Marsh, in the township of Newport, in the county of Salop, and for applying the produce thereof to the several purposes therein mentioned;” after reciting that there was within the said township a common waste ground called the Marsh, containing 117 acres, or thereabouts, wherein each householder in the said town had from time immemorial a right of turning a milch cow, which privilege had proved of very little advantage to the town, but rather an inconvenience, by increasing the poor thereof; and that it was apprehended that the enclosing and improving the said Marsh, and applying the profits thereof from time to time, after making satisfaction to the lords of the manor for their respective rights therein, in paving and keeping in repair the streets of the town of Newport, and in keeping in repair the Market Hall and Cross there; and also in establishing and encouraging some manufacture, and in apprenticing the children of the poor parishioners of Newport, would be of great advantage to the town in general, and might be a means of extending a manufactory throughout the neighbourhood; it was enacted, that certain persons therein named, and their heirs and successors respectively should be trustees, for enclosing, improving, and dividing the said Marsh, and for putting the said act into execution: and it was further enacted, that from and immediately after passing that act, all right of common or pasturage in or upon the said Marsh should cease and be extinguished; and the trustees were authorized to set out to the Earl of Shrewsbury such portion of the Marsh as two indifferent persons should appoint, as a recompense and satisfaction for the said earl’s four beast-gates upon the Marsh: and it was further enacted, that the residue of the said Marsh, after the allotment so made, should be vested in the said trustees and their successors, and be freed from all right, title, and interest whatsoever, of the householders of the township.

A survey being made in pursuance of the directions of the act, the Marsh was found to contain 111a. 3r. 31p., of which four acres being allotted to the Earl of Shrewsbury for beast-gates, there remained 107a. 3r. 31p. to be employed for the beneficial objects of the trust. This remainder, the trustees then proceeded to inclose and subdivide; and as an effective mode of providing for the fencing-in and improvement of the different parcels, they granted leases for 99 years, determinable on three lives, binding the lessees by covenants to plant and set the fences, within a limited time, with good hawthorn sets; to make ditches of certain dimensions; and otherwise to improve and properly manage the respective parcels demised to them. The leases originally granted produced a yearly income of £91. 7s.; but a considerable income may reasonably be looked for on the falling of leases, determinable on three lives, the lands being valued at upwards of £3 per acre, which would produce an annual rental of about £350. The income is subject to a charge for land-tax of £6. 2s.; chief rent, £1; and £5. 5s. to the collector of rents. In the application of their annual rents, the trustees were in the first instance called upon to defray the expenses attending the Act of Parliament and the preliminary arrangements in execution of their trust, which amounted to £663. 0s. 8d. These expenses being discharged, the income was next applied, for several years, to the purpose of repairing the streets and public buildings specified in the act; and having appropriated to those uses, from time to time, the sum of £808. 3s. 5½d., the trustees had in hand, on the balancing of their accounts in April, 1785, the sum of £93. 8s. 7½d. In the year 1787 the benefits of the trust were extended to the establishment of a Sunday school, and in 1790 to that of a stocking manufactory. This undertaking being found not to prosper, was superseded in 1796 by the erection of a wind-mill for grinding corn. This measure appears to have been loudly called for by the inhabitants of Newport, as a means of protecting themselves against what were deemed the extortionate demands of the millers of the neighbourhood. The speculation, however, proved exceedingly ruinous, and was finally abandoned in the year 1801; since which time the rents of the premises have been applied, as before, to the repairs of the streets and public buildings, as far as there has remained a surplus, after keeping down the annual interest of the debts which these abortive schemes have entailed upon the trust. It appears that £460 was expended in the attempt to establish the manufacture of stockings, and the corn-mill cost £2,000. The latter, however, was subsequently sold for £900. Previously to the year 1799 debts had been contracted to carry on these schemes, amounting to £2,300. This sum had been reduced to £1,100, when the Charity Commissioners published their report, which had been secured by mortgage of the Marsh, at five per cent. interest; so that there remained an annual charge of £55 in respect of the debts which remained unpaid. In addition to the debts contracted for the purposes above mentioned, £192. 4s. 3d. was borrowed from the treasurer in 1811, for the benefit of the public repairs, for which it was agreed to allow him five per cent. interest until he should reimburse himself from the rents.

The Bridge Trust.—By an indenture, dated 5th May, 1749, purporting to be made between the Earl of Shrewsbury and Earl Gower, lords of the manor of Newport, and Robert Pigot, Esq., steward of the borough of Newport, and the burgesses of the said borough, of the first part, and Robert Barber, Esq., and others, of the second part, it was witnessed that the said earls, steward, and burgesses, granted to the said Robert Barber, and others, all those parcels of lands lying waste, but formerly covered with water, called the Strine, or Newport Pool, and the Flags, with the appurtenances, in trust, that, with the rent, issues, and profits thereof, the Pool Dam, at the lower end of the town, should be repaired and kept in good order; and if any surplus should remain, the same should be appropriated to keeping in good order the pavement of the streets, or in the reparation of the Market House or Town Hall. A subsequent indenture was made, dated 17th October, 1750, granting the waste lands called the Flags, and also a small parcel of land lying near the entrance to the same, rendering the annual rent of 5s. The premises conveyed in these indentures were found by a survey, made in 1804, to contain 2a. 2r. 21p. of land, which produced an annual rental of £18. The rent, after deducting the 5s. reserved to the burgesses, and certain incidental expenses, appears to have hitherto been confined to the repair of the Bridge and Bridge-street; which not having exhausted the whole, the surplus has been deposited, from time to time, in the Newport Bank.

Charities.—The Rev. Thomas Perkes, by will, dated 26th March, 1734, gave (after the death of his wife, Hannah) to the minister and churchwardens of the parish of Newport, and their successors, the sum of £200, to be laid out in lands, and the profits thereof (except the sum of 20s. to be paid to the minister, as a recompense for disposing of the charity) to be expended in purchasing Holy Bibles, Books of Common Prayer, and books intitled The Whole Duty of Man, to be yearly distributed among the poorer sort of inhabitants of Newport; and when such poor people should, in the judgment of the minister, be sufficiently supplied with such books, then the yearly rent should be laid out in clothing old people residing in and being parishioners of the town of Newport. A preference to be given to those that should be of the most religious and orderly life.

Hannah Perkes, wife of the above Mr. Perkes, who appears to have died in 1766, bequeathed £600, to be put upon land or other good security, to the intent that the interest should be duly applied towards the setting out three poor boys, of the parish of Newport, apprentices in some place of manufacture, to be elected annually by the minister, church-wardens, head-schoolmaster, together with five men nominated by the parish yearly,—especial regard being had that the boys so chosen should be able to read the English tongue well. She likewise left £100, to be laid out in land, or some other good security, the interest to be distributed amongst the poorest inhabitants of the parish, upon St. Thomas’s day. These several legacies, amounting together to the sum of £900, were laid out in the purchase of £996. 1s. 9d. three per cent. reduced annuities, producing annual dividends amounting to £29. 17s.; two-ninths of which are annually paid to the minister on account of Mr. Perkes’s charity, and on account of Mrs. Perkes’s charity six-ninths are annually applied on apprentice fees, and one-ninth is expended in bread for the poor.

Mrs. Mary Scott bequeathed £100, and desired the minister and two masters of the free-school, whom she constituted trustees, to dispose of the yearly produce in the relief of poor housekeepers of this parish, except that every fourth year they should lay out the income in Bibles, Common Prayer Books, and The Whole Duty of Man, which should be distributed among poor children whose parents should not be able to provide them. This gift, and a further legacy of £20, the gift of Mrs. Felicia Vyse, was laid out on the 8th of March, 1786, in the purchase of a plot of land, situated at Chetwynd End, called the Four-day Math, and containing 3a. 0r. 36p., which land was conveyed to the then minister and two masters of the grammar school, on trust, to apply five-sixths of the rents to the charitable uses appointed by Mrs. Scott, and to pay the remaining sixth among the poor of the parish. The land produces an annual rental of £13. 17s. The rent is received by the minister, as one of the trustees; but in the application of it the trusts do not appear to have been duly kept in view, the rent having been paid to the churchwardens for general distribution among the poor, without reserving any portion for the purchase of books, as directed by the will of Mrs. Scott.

Dole Charities.—By an indenture, dated the 23rd of March, 1675, certain lands, situated at Little Aston, called the Foxhall lands, were conveyed for the sum of £220 to William Harding, one of the churchwardens of the parish, for charitable uses, subject to a yearly rent of 3s. 6d. to Thomas Talbot, the lord of the manor. It does not appear from what source the consideration money of this purchase was derived, but it is probable that it arose from a stock of £161, recorded in an inquisition as having been given by several donors, and the additional sum might be the subsequent accumulations of interest upon it. The premises consist of a cottage and garden, and three closes; containing in the whole about 13 acres of land. They were let under a lease of 14 years at Lady-day, 1814, at the annual rent of £82. It appears Mr. Leek was induced by particular circumstances to offer the above mentioned rent, though far exceeding the fair value of the premises.

Robert Hawkins, on the 15th December, 1660, charged a certain house in Newport, with the payment of 13s. 4d. per annum, and directed the same to be distributed to the poor.

William Adams; who died in 1690, gave a rent charge of 26s. per annum, payable out of his lands and tenements in Newport, and directed the same to be expended in bread, and given to the aged poor in sixpenny loaves for ever, according to the discretion of the minister, churchwardens, and overseers of the town. This charity is understood to be comprised in a weekly supply of twelve penny loaves which has been for many years made for the use of the poor, by the late Richard Marsh, Esq., as owner of certain lands, at Norbroom. There does not, however, appear any mention of such a charge in the title deeds, nor was Mr. Marsh able to give any information as to the origin of the weekly supply, which, having been made before his time, he had felt it proper to continue. There is no charity to which the residue of this weekly supply might with any likelihood be ascribed, except that of Thomas Sprig, who is recorded on the benefaction table to have left six penny loaves, to be given to the poor every Lord’s-day, and twelve every Sacrament-day.

Richard Haynes, in 1713, left to the poor of this parish six penny loaves to be given every Lord’s-day. This benefaction appears to have been charged upon a parcel of land which became the property of Mrs. Humpherson some time ago, by whom a weekly supply of six penny loaves was duly made. In 1713 Stephen Denston left £100 to the poor; and we also learn from the churchwarden’s book of donations that Richard Fletcher, in 1721, left £30 to the poor, and that Mrs. Moreton by her will bequeathed £20, the interest to be distributed in bread. These several sums, amounting together to £150, were invested on the 2nd April, 1770, on a mortgage of the tolls of the Forton and Lilleshall turnpike, producing at five per cent. interest the annual sum of £7. 10s. It is also stated in the churchwarden’s book that Felicia Vyse, who died in 1747, gave by her will £20, the interest to be given yearly to the poor of the parish. We have already shown that this legacy, in conjunction with Mrs. Mary Scott’s, was applied in the purchase of the Four Math Meadow. The whole rents having been paid over to the churchwardens for the same common purpose, no severance has taken place in the application.

Abraham Hadderton, by will, dated 9th September, 1770, gave to the minister, churchwardens, and overseers of the poor, and their successors, £1,000 in trust, to keep the same at interest, and apply the proceeds thereof for the benefit of the poor. This legacy was invested in the purchase of £1,141. 8s. 6d. three per cent. reduced annuities, producing the annual dividends of £34. 5s. 6d.

William Brown gave a rent charge of 10s. yearly, payable out of a certain house in Newport, which became the property of William Crump in 1820. The Dole charities above specified produce an annual sum of £156. 6s. 2d., and are administered by the churchwardens. £15. 7s. 8d. is expended in bread, and distributed at different periods, and the residue, £140. 12s. 5d., is given in money.

Elizabeth Symonds gave a certain croft, the yearly rent thereof to be applied to the benefit of the poor of Newport for ever. The croft thus given contains about an acre and a quarter, which produces a yearly rental of £7. 10s. The amount is distributed in small sums among the poor not receiving parish relief.

William Hawkins, by will, 1724, gave to the poor of this parish £5 per annum, charged on certain premises, the property of Mr. Collier. The amount is expended in warm clothing, and given to the poor about Christmas.

John Hayley charged a certain house with the payment of 4s. yearly, to be distributed in bread. It appears that Eleanor Richards, in 1758, paid the sum of £4 into the hands of the then minister and certain other persons, trustees for repairing the bridge, in order to exempt the house from the annual payment of the said 4s. It seems reasonable to presume that the sum thus paid to the trustees of the bridge was applied by them to the purposes of their trust, which would create, we apprehend, a liability on their part to pay the annuity of 4s. We do not, however, find any instance of such a payment.

A rent charge of £5 per annum, left by John Staunton, payable out of a tenement in Newport, has not been paid for many years; the premises having passed to several successive owners without any mention of the rent charge in the title deeds. A yearly sum of 6s. 8d., left by Roger Simonds, has long been lost. The gift of £20 by Francis Wells, in 1680; £20 by Mr. Edwards, and £30 by Mrs. Brayne, in 1713, recorded on the table of benefactions, have also been lost.

Post Office.—High street. Miss Maria Justice Sillitoe, postmistress. Letters to London, Birmingham, Stafford, &c., are dispatched at 6 40 A.M., and 10 40 P.M. Letters to Shrewsbury, Wellington, South Wales, &c., are dispatched at 1 50 A.M., and 2 20 P.M.

See also the Directories of Chetwynd, Chetwynd Aston, and Church Aston.

Adams Joseph Harrison, gentleman, High st

Adderley Thomas William, hair dresser, High street

Allen Harry, wine & spirit merchant, High street; residence, Chetwynd End

Allkins Lewis, turnery, bendware, and hair sieve manufacturer, Mill Works

Appleby Cowton, solicitor’s clerk, Beaumaris lane

Aston George, grocer, tea dealer, ironmonger, and chemist and druggist, Lower Bar

Atkinson Frances, boarding school, High st

Baddeley Thomas Bernard, solicitor, St. Mary’s street; residence, High street

Baddeley William Edward, surgeon, High st

Ballard John, cattle dealer, Beaumaris lane

Barber Charles, maltster & butcher, High st

Barber The Misses, High street

Barlow George, maltster and vict., Feathers Inn, High street

Barlow Mary Ann, vict., Bull’s Head, St. Mary’s street

Barlow Mary Ann, infant school teacher, Wellington road

Barlow Samuel, contractor and vict., White Horse Inn, High street

Beeston John, boot & shoemaker, Lower Bar

Bennett William, gentleman, High street

Blest Richard, shoemaker, Workhouse lane

Bolas Wm., boot & shoemaker, St. Mary’s st

Booth Richard, vict., White Lion, High st

Boughey Thomas, turnery, bendware, and hair sieve manufacturer, Mill Works

Bowring Thomas, fishmonger and game dealer, St. Mary’s street

Bradbury Charles, soda water manufacturer, cigar & wine & spirit agent, High street

Bradbury Charles, tailor and draper, High st

Bradbury Helen, school teacher, Upper Bar

Bradbury Samuel, ale, porter, and wine and spirit agent, High street

Breese John, tailor, High street

Breese Thomas, tailor, High street

Brittain Miss, milliner, High street

Brittain William, grocer, tea dealer, and agent to Salop Fire Office, High street

Brookes Ambrose, solicitor, Upper Bar

Brown William, plumber, glazier, & painter, High street

Bryan Robt., inland revenue officer, Upper Bar

Chalmers Henry, chemist & druggist, High st

Chettar John, rope maker, Upper Bar

Clift Roger, hosier, Lower Bar

Cobb Samuel, cabinet maker & upholsterer, High street

Collier Mary Ann, milliner, High street

Cooke Joseph, blacksmith, Salthouse lane

Cooper Mrs. Mary Ann, Old Hall

Crowther Richard, third master, Grammar School, High street

Darley Matthew, vict., Old Star, High street

Davies Mr. David, Brown’s Cottage, Beaumaris lane

Davies Mr. David, St. Mary’s street

Davies Samuel, plumber & glazier, High st

Davies Thomas, brazier & tin plate worker, High street

Davieson Thomas, cabinet maker, High st

Dawes James, blacksmith, Stafford street

Dawson John, basket maker and vict., Plough Inn, High street

Dodd George, saddler and harness maker, Lower Bar

Doody John, solicitor’s clerk, High street

Doody Joseph, auctioneer, maltster, and ale and porter agent, High street

Duncalfe George, surgeon, St. Mary’s street

Duncalfe Thomas, chemist and druggist and veterinary surgeon, St. Mary’s street

Eardley Thomas, saddler & harness maker, High street

Eccleshall John, cooper, Upper Bar

Edwards David, linen and woollen draper, High street

Edwards Joseph, beerhouse keeper, High st

Eldershaw Mrs. Jane, Upper Bar

Evanson Ann, bonnet maker, St. Mary’s st

Felton John, seedsman, St. Mary’s street

Fieldhouse Ann, milliner, High street

Fieldhouse Thomas, auctioneer & maltster, High street

Fieldhouse William, grocer, tea dealer, and tallow chandler, High street

Fisher Robert, jun., Esq., solicitor, and auditor of the Shropshire and Montgomeryshire audit district, High street

Fisher and Washbourne, solicitors, High st

Fishwick Mary Ann and Alice, dressmakers, High street

Fishwick William, saddler and harness maker, High street

Fletcher Mrs. Helen, High street

Ford and Co., woolstaplers, Stafford street

Fowler Alexander, bank manager, High st

Fox William, beerhouse keeper, Upper Bar

Gater Charles, tailor, High street

Glover Alfred, beerhouse keeper, St. Mary’s street

Godby Augustus Hardy, surgeon, High st

Goodall John, vict., Fox & Grapes, St. Mary’s street

Gosnell John, butcher and shopkeeper, Lower Bar

Griffiths John, confectioner, & glass, china, and earthenware dealer, High street

Guy Ann, schoolmistress, High street

Hall George, bookkeeper to Shropshire Union Canal Company, Canal Wharf

Harker Francis, shopkeeper, High street

Harrison Jas., vict., New Inn, Stafford road

Harvey Robert, hair dresser, High street

Haycock Thomas, vict., Bridge Tavern, Lower Bar

Heane Henry, Esq., solicitor, clerk to commissioners of property and assessed taxes, clerk to poor law guardians, and superintendent registrar, High street

Higgins Mr. Robert George, High street

Hickin Miss Catherine, St. Mary’s street

Holland John, auctioneer, St. Mary’s street

Hollins John, shopkeeper, High street

Horton Miss Mary Ann, High street

Hughes Robert, Esq., High street

Humphreys Miss Elizabeth, Stafford street

Hutchinson James, currier and leather cutter, High street

Hutchinson Mary Ann, milliner, High street

Huxley John, grocer, tea dealer, and general provision warehouse, Lower Bar

Icke James Joseph, corn & guano merchant, Vauxhall

Icke and Yates, grocer, tea dealers, and chemists and druggists, High street

James John, cooper, St. Mary’s street

James Lewis and Josiah, linen and woollen drapers, High street

Jenkins William, cabinet maker, St. Mary’s st

Jervis William, tailor, High street

Johnstone Moses, tailor, Lower Bar

Jones Edward, grocer, tea dealer, ironmonger, chemists and druggists, Lower Bar

Jones John, inland revenue officer, High st

Jones and Aston, grocers, tea dealers, ironmongers, chemists and druggists, and iron-hurdle makers, Lower Bar

Keeling John, tailor and draper, High street

Keeling Mrs. Sarah, High street

Keeling William, solicitor, High street

Kyffin Mrs. Margaret, High street

Lamonby George, vict., Swan Inn, High st

Leach George, boot & shoemaker, Upper Bar

Leach Samuel, farrier, Upper Bar

Leach Rev. William Berckeley (Independent), Upper Bar, Aston

Leech Ann and Elizabeth, dressmakers, Upper Bar

Leech and Humphreys, wood turners, Upper Bar

Lees John, schoolmaster, High street

Leigh Mary, vict., Pheasant Inn, High street

Liddle William, Esq., solicitor, and clerk to magistrates and county court, High street

Lindop William, surgeon, St. Mary’s street

Littleton William, winnowing machine maker, Beaumaris lane

Lockley James, grocer, tea dealer, cheese factor, maltster, corn miller, and vict., King’s Arms Inn, High street

Lockley George, vict., Old Bell Inn, High st

Lowe Edwin, painter, High street

Lowe Emma, bonnet maker, High street

Lowe Richard, clothes dealer and agent to Birmingham Fire Office, High street

Macefield John, banker’s clerk, High street

Macklin Frederick, hair dresser, High street

Mansell Thomas, timber merchant and wheelwright, Stafford road

Massey William and George, engineers, millwrights, and iron and brass founders, Lower Bar

May Edward, county police officer, Stafford road

Morgan Miss Elizabeth, High street

Morris John, Esq., High street

Morris Samuel, butcher, Stafford street

National Provincial Bank of England, High street; Alexander Fowler, manager

Northwood James, watch and clock maker, High street

Oastler William, chemist and druggist, and agent to clerical and medical assurance office, High street

Owen Ann, beerhouse keeper, Summer House

Owen William, shoemaker, Watery lane

Parsons Joseph, vict., George and Dragon, High street

Pearse John, supervisor of inland revenue, High street

Pember John, boot and shoemaker, High st

Pickin Peter, vict., Pig Fould Inn, High st

Plant Caroline, dressmaker, St. Mary’s street

Plant Stephen, boot and shoemaker, and leather cutter, St. Mary’s street

Plant Thomas, saddler and harness maker and beerhouse keeper, Lower Bar

Pooler Thos., boot & shoemaker, Upper Bar

Pritchard Edward, law stationer and agent to district fire and industrial and general life offices, High street

Rees Benjamin, relieving officer and registrar of births and deaths for Newport district, High street

Rees John, saddler & harness maker, High st

Rees Philip, butcher, High street

Rees Philip, butcher, Upper Bar

Roberts Thomas, bailiff to county court, Upper Bar

Rogers Elizabeth, tanner, Watery lane

Rogers Stephen, baker, St. Mary’s street

Rowley James, blacksmith, Upper Bar

Rutter Jane, vict., Crown Inn and Posting House, High street

Sandford Rev. William, M.A., Incumbent of Newport, the Grammar School, High st

Saxton Rev. Charles Waring, D.D., head master of Grammar School, High street

Scott Robert, gentleman, High street

Serjeant Elizabeth, shopkeeper, High street

Serjeant John, solicitor’s clerk, Lower Bar

Serjeant Peter, cabinet-maker & upholsterer, High street

Serjeant William, currier and leather-cutter, High street

Shaw Abraham Pierpont, bookseller, printer, stationer, bookbinder, patent medicine vendor, and agent to Times Life and Assurance and Guarantee Co., High street

Shaw John, wheelwright, Workhouse lane

Sherry Richard, omnibus proprietor, and victualler, Anchor Inn, St. Mary’s street

Sherry Thomas, maltster, High street

Shropshire Banking Company, High street, Mr. William Silvester, manager

Sillitoe Maria Justice, postmistress, High st

Sillitoe William, gentleman, Lower Bar

Silvester Henry Price and Charles, booksellers, printers, stationers, bookbinders, musical instrument dealers, patent medicine vendors, stamp-office, and patent machine rulers, High street

Silvester Mr. William, bank-manager, High street

Simpson Charles, town crier, High street

Skitt Mrs. Emma, St. Mary’s street

Slaney Henry, cabinet-maker & upholsterer, St. Mary’s street

Slaney William, grocer & tea dealer, High st

Smallwood Brooke Hector, Esq., solicitor, St. Mary’s st.; residence, Chetwynd End

Smallwood George, shopkeeper, Stafford st

Smart Elizabeth, bonnet-maker, St. Mary’s st

Smart George, patten and clog maker, Upper Bar

Smart Richard, tailor, High street

Smith Mrs. Ann, High street

Smith Mr. Edward, High street

Steed Charles Christopher, boot and shoemaker, leather-cutter, and toy-warehouse, High street

Steed George, boot and shoemaker and leather-cutter, High street

Steeple Thomas, accountant, Upper Bar

Steventon Charles and John, butchers, High street

Steventon Martha, shopkeeper, High street

Stokes Charles, shopkeeper, Upper Bar

Stokes John, surveyor of highways, collector of assessed taxes, and manager of the gas works, Marsh lane

Stokes Thomas, maltster and victualler, Shakspere Inn, Upper Bar

Stokes William, maltster, Wellington road

Sturgess George, painter and shopkeeper, High street

Sturgess Sarah, bonnet-maker, High-street

Taylor Mrs. Frances, High street

Thomas Alexander, hosier, High-street

Thompson John, fishmonger, fruiterer, and game dealer, High street

Thurstan Thomas, Esq., St. Mary’s street

Tipping Richard, gun and pistol maker, Upper Bar

Tomlin Sarah, schoolmistress, Workhouse lane

Tomkinson James, cooper, High street

Tomkinson John, baker and shopkeeper, Stafford street

Tomkinson Job, shopkeeper, High street

Treasure John, land agent, surveyor, and builder, Chetwynd Aston

Trovell Rev. Michael, Catholic priest, Salter’s Hall

Underhill William Scott, grocer, tea dealer, ironmonger, brazier, and tin-plate worker, nail, hurdle, and agricultural implement maker, High street

Ventriss Rev. E. F., curate, High street

Waldron Joseph, victualler, Horse & Jockey, High street

Walker Emma and Elizabeth, milliners, High street

Walker William, victualler, Unicorn Inn, High street

Ward Elizabeth, victualler, Wharf Tavern, Canal wharf

Ward George, maltster and victualler, Barley Mow Inn, High street

Ward George Joseph, timber and tile merchant, Canal wharf; residence, Church Aston

Ward John, maltster and victualler, Raven and Bell Inn, High street

Ward Martha and Elizabeth, milliners, High street

Warner John, linen and woollen draper and silk mercer, High street

Warner & Co., woollen drapers, clothiers, and hatters, High street

Washbourne William, Esq., solicitor, High-street; residence, Chetwynd House

Watkin John, linen and woollen draper, clothier and hatter, High street

Watkin John, ironmonger, brazier, and tin-plate worker, High street

Westbrook Samuel, shoemaker, Wellington road

Whiston Joseph, watch and clock maker, High street

Whiston Thomas, watch and clock maker, Upper Bar

Whittingham Joseph, stone mason, Upper Bar

Wilde Martha, grocer and tallow-chandler, St. Mary’s street

Williams John, bricklayer, High street

Williams John, shopkeeper, Upper Bar

Williams William, joiner, Upper Bar

Woods William Barnett, accountant & paper-hanger, St. Mary’s street

Worrall Joseph, tailor and draper, High st

Wright Joseph, hatter, High street

Yale Elizabeth, dressmaker, High street

Yates John, grocer, tea-dealer, and chemist and druggist, High street

Academies.

Atkinson and Cooke, High st

Bradbury Helen, Wellington road

Catholic School, Mrs. Baldwin

Grammar School, High st., Rev. Chas. Waring Saxton, D.D., head master; Rev. Wm. Sandford, M.A., second master; Mr. Rd. Crowther, third master

Guy Ann, High street

Infants’ School, Mary Ann Barlow, Wellington road

National School, (Girls), Sarah Tomlin, Workhouse lane

Royal Free School, John Lees, Wellington road

Agricultural Implement Maker.

Underhill Wm. Scott, High street

Ale, Porter, & Spirit Agents.

Bradbury Charles, High st

Bradbury Samuel, High st

Doody Joseph, ale & porter, High street

Attorneys.

Baddeley Thomas Bernard, St. Mary’s street

Brookes Ambrose, Upper Bar

Fisher & Washbourne, High street

Heane Henry, High street

Keeling William, High street

Liddle William, and clerk to magistrates, High street

Smallwood Brooke Hector, St. Mary’s street

Auctioneers.

Doody Joseph, High street

Fieldhouse Thomas, High st

Holland John, St. Mary’s st

Bakers.

Griffiths John, High street

Huxley John, Lower Bar

Rogers Stephen, St. Mary’s st

Tomkinson John, Stafford st

Banks.

National Provincial Bank of England, High st., (draws on London Joint Stock Bank); Mr. Alex. Fowler, manager

Savings’ Bank, High, street, open every alternate Saturday from 10 A.M. to 1 P.M.; Mr. Charles Silvester, secretary

Shropshire Banking Co., High street, (draw on Hanbury & Co., London); Mr. William Silvester, manager

Blacksmiths.

Dawes James, Stafford street

Cooke Joseph, Salt house ln

Rowley James, Upper Bar

Booksellers, Printers, Stationers, Bookbinders, and Patent Medicine Vendors.

Shaw Abraham Pierpoint, High street

Silvester Henry Price and Charles, High street

Boot and Shoemakers.

Beeston John, Lower Bar

Blest Richard, Workhouse ln

Bolas William, St. Mary’s st

Leech George, Upper Bar

Owen William, Watery lane

Pember John, High street

Plant Stephen, St. Mary’s st

Pooler Thomas, Upper Bar

Steed Charles Christopher, and toy warehouse, High street

Steed George, High street

Westbrook Samuel, Wellington road

Braziers & Tin-Plate Workers.

Davies Thomas, High street

Underhill Wm. Scott, High street

Watkin John, High street

Bricklayer.

Williams John, High street

Butchers.

Barber Charles, High street

Gosnell John, Lower Bar

Morris Samuel, Stafford st

Rees Philip, High street

Rees Philip, Upper Bar

Steventon Charles and John, High street

Cabinet Makers and Upholsterers.

Cobb Samuel, High street

Davieson Thomas, High st

Jenkins William, St. Mary’s street

Serjeant Peter, High street

Slaney Henry, St. Mary’s st

Chemists & Druggists.

Chalmers Henry, High st

Duncalfe Thos., St. Mary’s st

Icke and Yates, High street

Jones and Aston, Lower Bar

Oastier William, High street

Clothiers.

Lowe Richard, High street

Warner and Co., and general outfitters, High street

Watkin John, High street

Confectioners.

Griffiths John, High street

Serjeant Elizabeth, High st

Sillitoe Fanny, High street

Coopers.

Eccleshall John, Upper Bar

James John, St. Mary’s st

Tomkinson James, High st

Corn Miller.

Lockley James, High street

Curriers & Leather Cutters.

Marked * leather cutter.

Hutchinson James, High st

Serjeant Wm., St. Mary’s st

* Steed George, High street

Engineers, Millwrights, and Brass Founders.

Massey William and George, Lower Bar

Fire & Life Office Agents.

Birmingham, Richard Lowe, High street

District, Edward Pritchard, High street

Industrial and General, Ed. Pritchard, High street

Law, William Washbourne, High street

Medical and Clerical, Wm. Oastler, High street

Norwich Union, Jas. Joseph Icke, High street

Palladium, Alexander Fowler, High street

Phœnix, Alexander Fowler, High street

Salop, Henry Chalmers, High street

Shropshire & North Wales, Thomas Fieldhouse, High street

Times Life and Assurance and Guarantee, Abraham P. Shaw, High street

Glass & China Dealers.

Griffiths John, High street

Underhill William Scott, (glass), High street

Fish and Game Dealers and Fruiterers.

Bowring Thos., St. Mary’s st

Thompson John, High street

Grocers & Tea Dealers.

Brittain William, High st

Fieldhouse William, High st

Huxley John, Lower Bar

Icke and Yates, High street

Jones and Aston, Lower Bar

Lockley James, High street

Slaney William, High street

Underhill Wm. Scott, High street

Wild Martha, St. Mary’s st

Gun & Pistol Maker.

Tipping Richard, Upper Bar

Hair Dressers.

Adderley Thomas William, High street

Harvey Robert, High street

Macklin Frederick, High st

Hatters.

Keeling John, High street

Warner & Co., High street

Watkin John, High street

Worrall Joseph, High street

Wright Joseph, High street

Hosiers and Haberdashers.

Clift Roger, Lower Bar

Lowe Richard Goolden, High street

Thomas Alexander, High st

Hotels, Inns, & Taverns.

Anchor, Richard Sherry, St. Mary’s street

Barley Mow, George Ward, High street

Bridge Tavern, Thomas Haycock, Lower Bar

Bull’s Head, Mary Ann Barlow, St. Mary’s street

Crown Inn (posting house), Jane Rutter, High street

Feathers, George Barlow, High street

Fox & Grapes, John Goodall, St. Mary’s street

George and Dragon, Joseph Parsons, St. Mary’s st

Horse and Jockey, Joseph Waldron, St. Mary’s st

King’s Arms, James Lockley, High street

New Inn, James Harrison, Stafford road

Old Bell, James Lockley, High street

Old Crow, Benjamin Parton, High street

Old Star, Matthew Darley, High street

Pheasant, Mary Leigh, High street

Pig Fold, Peter Pickin, High street

Plough, John Dawson, High street

Raven and Bell, John Ward, High street

Royal Victoria Hotel (posting house), St. Mary’s street

Shakspere, Thomas Stokes, Upper Bar

Swan, George Lamonby, High street

Unicorn, William Walker, High street

Wharf Tavern, Elizabeth Ward, Canal wharf

White Horse, Samuel Barlow, High street

White Lion, Richard Booth, High street

Beerhouses.

Edwards Joseph, High street

Fox William, Upper Bar

Glover Alfred, St. Mary’s st.

Owen Ann, Summer House

Plant Thomas, Lower Bar

Ironmongers.

Jones and Aston, Lower Bar

Underhill William Scott

Joiners and Builders.

Treasure John Chetwynd, Aston

Williams William, Upper Bar

Linen and Woollen Drapers and Silk Mercers.

Edwards David, High street

James Lewis and Isaiah, High street

Warner John, High street

Watkin John, High street

Maltsters.

Barber Charles, High street

Barlow George, High street

Doody George, High street

Fieldhouse Thos., High st.

Lockley James, High street

Parton Benjamin, High st.

Stokes William, Wellington road

Ward George, High street

Ward John, High street

Milliners and Dress Makers.

Brittain Miss, High street

Collier Mary Ann, High st.

Fieldhouse Ann, High street

Fishwick Mary Ann and Alice, High street

Hutchinson Mary Ann, High street

Leach Ann and Elizabeth, Upper Bar

Plant Caroline, Upper Bar

Walker Emma and Eliza, High street

Ward Martha and Elizabeth, High street

Yale Elizabeth, High street

Patten and Clog Maker.

Smart George, Upper Bar

Plumbers, Glaziers, and Painters.

Marked * Painter and Glazier only.

Brown William, High street

Davies Samuel, High street

* Lowe Edwin, High street

Sturgess George, High street

Sturgess George, High street

Rope and Twine Maker.

Chettar John, Upper Bar

Saddlers & Harness Makers.

Dodd George, Lower Bar

Eardley Thos., High street

Fishwick William, High st.

Plant Thomas, Lower Bar

Rees John, High street

Shopkeepers, Dealers in Sundries, and Groceries.

Gosnell John, Lower Bar

Harker Francis, High street

Hollins John, High street

Steventon Martha, High st.

Stokes Charles, Upper Bar

Sturgess George, High street

Swallow George, Stafford st.

Tomkinson John, Stafford street

Tomkinson Job, High street

Williams John, Upper Bar

Soda Water Manufacturer.

Bradbury Charles, High st.

Stone Mason.

Whittingham Joseph, Upper Bar

Straw Bonnet Makers.

Evanson Ann, St. Mary’s st.

Lowe Emma, High street

Smart Eliza, St. Mary’s st.

Sturgess Sarah, High street

Surgeons.

Baddeley William Edward, High street

Duncalfe George, St. Mary’s street

Godby Augustus H., High st.

Lindop William, St. Mary’s street

Surveyor and Builder.

Treasure John Chetwynd, Aston

Tailors.

Those with * affixed are Woollen Drapers.

* Bradbury Charles, High st.

Breese John, High street

Breese Thomas, St. Mary’s street

Gater Charles, High street

Jervis William, High street

Johnstone Moses, Lower Bar

* Keeling John, High street

Smart Richard, High street

* Watkin John, High street

* Worrall Joseph, High street

Tallow Chandlers.

Brittain William, High street

Fieldhouse William, High st.

Wilde Martha, St. Mary’s st.

Tanner.

Rogers Elizabeth, Watery lane

Timber Merchants.

Ward George Joseph, Canal wharf

Mansell Thomas, Stafford road

Turnery, Bendware, and Hair Sieve Manufacturers, & General Wood Turners.

Atkins Lewis, Mill Works

Baughey Thos., Mill Works

Veterinary Surgeon.

Duncalfe Thomas, St. Mary’s street

Watch & Clock Makers.

Northwood James, High st

Whiston Joseph, High street

Whiston Thomas, Upper Bar

Wheelwrights.

Mansell Thomas, Stafford st

Shaw John, Workhouse Lane

Wine & Spirit Merchants.

Allan Harry, High street

Liddle William, High street

Wood Turners.

Leech and Humphreys, Upper Bar

Wool Staplers.

Ford and Co., Stafford street

General Carriers.

The Shropshire Union Railway and Canal Company, George Hall, clerk

PRESTON-UPON-THE-WILD-MOORS

is a parish and small rural village, three miles N.E. of Wellington, comprising 1,153a. 4r. 30p. of land, and in 1801 had 170 inhabitants; 1831, 218; and in 1841 there were 80 houses and a population of 389 souls. Rateable value, £1,422. 1s. 10d. The village is retired, but pleasantly situated, and contains some good farm residences. St. John Chiverton Charlton, Esq., and the Trustees of Preston Hospital are the landowners. The Church is a small brick structure, consisting of nave and chancel, with a tower, in which are two bells. The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £3, now returned £198, in the patronage of the Trustees of Preston Hospital and St. John Chiverton Charlton, Esq., alternately; incumbent, Rev. William Taylor Bird, M.A. The tithes are commuted for £119, and there are 23 acres of glebe land.

Preston Hospital.—Lady Catherine Herbert, widow of Henry Lord Herbert, by her will, bearing date 11th April, 1716, gave the sum of £6,000, in trust, to be laid out in the purchase of lands, in the county of Salop, and building an almshouse thereon, for the reception of 12 poor women and 12 poor girls; the patronage to be vested in the Earl and Countess of Bradford. Thomas Lord Torrington, by will, 1718, devised his real estate in Preston-upon-the-Wild-Moors, subject to certain annuities, in trust, to apply the rents and profits to the same use as Lady Herbert’s gift; and directed the almshouse to be built upon such part of the estate at Preston as his trustees should think proper; and he gave £1,000, then due to him from his nephew, the Earl of Bradford, to the trustees, to be laid out in building a hall in the middle of the hospital. The property belonging the hospital, when the Charity Commissioners published their report in the year 1828, consisted of the sum of £9,621. 4s. 6d., three per cent. consols; certain lands, chiefly situated in the parish of Preston, comprising 1,077a. 0r. 31p. of land, let at a yearly rental of £1,301. 5s. 6d.; and the dividends of £5,539. 12s. three per cent. consols, producing £166. 3s. 4d. per annum. The latter stock is in respect of a legacy of £4,000, bequeathed in 1802 by Charles Henry Coote, Earl of Montrath, to be applied by the trustees in the augmentation of the poor widows’ stipends.

The hospital is a spacious and elegant brick structure, with stone finishings, and was originally built so as to form three sides of a square, with a large hall in the centre, used both as a chapel and as a school. The old buildings contain apartments for 20 widows, and sufficient accommodation for 20 girls and the matron who superintends the school, together with a kitchen and other offices. There are also apartments for the receiver, who has occasion frequently to attend on business connected with the trust. Under an order of the Court of Chancery, made 27th March, 1827, new buildings have been erected as wings at each end. These comprise eight apartments, for an additional number of widows. Each of the widows has for her own use a small garden. There are also three meadows and a large garden, which are kept in hand, and stocked for the general use of’ the hospital. Since the erection of the wings, the number of widows have been increased from 20 to 27. The widows are selected by the trustees, without any restriction as to the place of birth or residence. Twenty inmates receive £26 per annum, and seven have £18 a-year; in addition they have two tons of coal each, and are provided with beds, bedding, and other necessary articles of furniture. They were formerly supplied with medicine and medical attendance from the funds of the charity; but some years ago this expense was found to be so great that it was thought expedient that every almswoman that should be appointed after that time should deposit a sum of £10 in a savings’ bank, for the purpose of providing herself with such medical assistance as she might require during her residence in the hospital. When a widow dies, £5 is allowed for the expense of her funeral. The twenty widows who have the largest income receive the additional allowance under the bequest of the Earl of Montrath. Upon this establishment there are also 20 girls appointed by the trustees. They are provided with board and lodging, and are clothed and fed without any expense whatever to their parents; and at 16 years of age, when they leave the hospital, they receive £5 to supply them with clothing. The matron who instructs the girls, and has the management of this branch of the establishment, as well as the superintendence of the widows, receives a salary of £30 a-year in addition to her board and lodgings.

Bird Rev. William Taylor, M.A., rector

Brown Henry, farmer

Chilton Thomas, farmer

Colley Ann, shopkeeper and beerhouse

Getley Edward, farmer, The Wich Farm

Hartley John, farmer

Hawkins Richard, farmer, Preston Farm

Hawkins Richard, farmer, Preston Hall

Higgins Mrs. Jane, Preston Cottage

Higgins Thomas, farmer

Hughes Jas., carpenter, joiner, & shopkeeper

Kirkham Mary Ann, farmer

M’Lean Mrs. Ann, governess of Preston Hospital

Pritchard Elizabeth, shopkeeper

Wood George, parish clerk

RODINGTON, OR RODDINGTON,

a parish and scattered village, which derives its name from its situation on the river Roden, is pleasantly situated five miles N.N. by W. from Wellington. The parish also includes the township of Sugdon, which together contain 1,615a. 0r. 8p. of land. In 1801 the parish contained 372 inhabitants; 1831, 423; and in 1841 there were 106 houses and 466 inhabitants. Rateable value, £2,717. 4s. 2d. The landowners are the Duke of Cleveland, John Tayleur, Esq., Mr. S. Pain, and Mr. S. Smith. The township of Roddington, at the census in 1841, contained 88 houses and 365 inhabitants. It is intersected by the river Roden and the Shrewsbury Canal. There are some good farms here, the farm-houses are respectable, and there is a good inn in the village. The Church, dedicated St. George, is a brick structure, consisting of nave and chancel, and a tower in which are two small bells. There is a small gallery at the west end. A memorial, with the date of 1737, remembers John Tayleur, Esq., formerly a resident in Roddington. The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £6. 13s. 4d., in the patronage of the Lord Chancellor, and enjoyed by the Rev. Henry Thomas Whateley, The tithes have been commuted for £296, and there are thirty acres of glebe land. The Wesleyan Methodists have a small chapel built in 1834. The National School, a neat brick structure, is situated a little south from the church; fifty-six children now attend.

Sugdon is a small township in Roddington parish, situated about a mile from the church, which at the census in 1801 contained 18 houses and 101 inhabitants. The land is all the property of the Duke of Cleveland. Longwaist is a hamlet in Sugdon township.

Poors Land.—In the parliamentary returns of 1786 it is stated that Walter Davies, by will, gave to the poor of this parish £50 in the year 1674, and that William Tayleur, Esq., in 1722, left £30 for the like purposes, and that those legacies were then laid out in land. The premises referred to consist of two enclosures containing 4a. 2r. 25p. of land. There is also an allotment of 3a. 8p. set out thereto on an enclosure about the year 1805. The land was let for £17. 17s. per annum when the charity commissioners published their report. The amount is distributed to the poor in December and Easter, in sums varying from 2s. to 10s.

Post Office.—At Mr. John Prices’s, Bull’s Head. Letters arrive at 9 A.M., and are despatched at 5 P.M.

Rodington Directory.—Robert Allen, boot and shoemaker; Thomas Belcher, wharfinger; John Hodges, farmer; George Hulse, butcher and farmer; Thomas Jukes, farmer, Rodington Hall; Samuel Pain, farmer; John Price, farmer and vict., Bull’s Head.; Mrs. Elizabeth Ralphs, The Grove; Edward Rogers, parish clerk; George Shinglar, farmer, Somerwood; Hugh Shinglar, farmer; Samuel Smith, farmer, Rodington Villa; Edward and Arabella Wainwright, teachers; Rev. Henry Thomas Whately, The Rectory.

The residents in Sugdon are Wm. Thomas Davies, farmer; James Powis, bricklayer; Longwaist Hamlet, John Bourne, brick and tile agent for the Duke of Cleveland; Jane Dunn, schoolmistress; James Dyke, coal agent; William Lockley, blacksmith; James Reeves, shopkeeper; Thomas Tudor, coal agent, The Wharf.

STIRCHLEY

is a small parish and village five miles S. E. from Wellington, and three miles W. from Shiffnal, which in 1801 contained 189 inhabitants; 1831, 271, and in 1841, 301; at the latter period there were 61 houses, which are mostly scattered; there are a number of cottages in the immediate vicinity of the church, which are small, ill ventilated, and most miserable hovels; this, however, is not the character of cottages generally in this locality, or indeed in the county, for on the whole we conceive them to be far superior to cottage residences in most other counties. The parish contains 833a. 0r. 36p. of land, the principal owner of which is R. H. Cheney, Esq.; the Duke of Cleveland, Robert Burton, Esq., and Beriah Botfield, Esq., are also proprietors. A considerable part of land is held in lease by Beriah Botfield, Esq., who has extensive collieries and ironworks in the parish. The Church is a small fabric dedicated to St. Mary, and consists of nave, chancel, and north transept, with a gallery over it built by the Botfield family, for the use of their own workmen. There are ten pews in the body of the church, and two in the chancel,—the whole has a very primitive appearance. The church was formerly lighted with small pointed windows, but these have all been made up, and a large window void of taste and of unmeaning character has been added to the east end to supply their place. The chancel is divided from the nave by a Saxon arch of exquisite workmanship, which modern renovators have attempted to improve by adding sundry coats of lime wash. A neat marble tablet has been erected in memory of Thomas Botfield, Esq., who died in 1801, and of his wife, Margaret, who died in 1803. The living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £6. 5s. 10d., now returned at £274, in the patronage of the Phillips family, and enjoyed by the Rev. Hugo Moreton Phillips, M.A., who resides at the rectory, situated near the church, and has 45a. 3r. 38p. of glebe. There is a parochial school which is chiefly supported by B. Botfield, Esq., and the rector. There is a Wesleyan Chapel on the Dawley road, which is just within the bounds of Dawley Magna township. The Shropshire union canal intersects this parish. Gross estimated rental of the parish, £2,500. 15s. 6d.; rateable value, £2,364. 8s. 6d. Stirchley Hall is a good residence a little west from the church.

Thomas Clowes, in 1748, gave to the poor of this parish the sum of £20 per annum, to be disposed at the discretion of the churchwarden and overseer. This annuity has long been paid by the tenant of Stirchley Hall estate, formerly the property of Mr. Clowes, and which he charged with the payment of the same.

Richard Cookes, in 1799, demised certain premises in Stirchley for the term of 1,000 years, at the yearly rent of 17s., payable to the lessor, his heirs and assigns. This rent has for a great many years been paid to the overseers of this parish for the use of the poor, and it is supposed to have been assigned for their benefit by Richard Cookes, the lessor, but at what time or under what circumstances they first became entitled to it there is no evidence to show. The term is at present invested in Mr. Darral, who has improved the premises by building to the annual value of £13.

Botfield Beriah, Esq., iron master and colliery proprietor

Barnard Richard, vict., Rose and Crown

Blakemore Thomas, farmer

Blocksidge John, schoolmaster and parish clerk

Hayward Sarah, shopkeeper

Onions Thomas, agent to B. Botfield, Esq.

Phillips Rev. Hugo Moreton, The Rectory

Smith George, farmer, The Hall

Smith William, farmer

Tipton Mark, agent to B. Botfield, Esq.; residence, Mossy Green

Trigger Robert, farmer

UPPINGTON

is a parish and township in the Wellington division of the South Bradford hundred, four miles S.W. by S. from Wellington, which contains 747a. 0r. 36p. of land. In 1801 there were 107 inhabitants, 1831, 117, and in 1841 18 houses and 96 inhabitants. Rateable value, £937. 10s. The Duke of Cleveland is lord of the manor and proprietor of the whole parish. The village is delightfully situated in a salubrious country, pleasingly beautified with rural scenery, and commands a fine view of the majestic Wrekin. An avenue of trees extends nearly through the length of the village, which gives it an air of quiet retirement. There are several good houses, with pleasure grounds neatly laid out, and tastefully planted with shrubs. The Church has a venerable appearance, it is built of brick and rough cast, and dated 1678; it consists of nave and chancel, with a turret containing two bells. The interior underwent a complete reparation in 1844, at a cost of about £120, raised by subscriptions and a grant from the Diocesan and Incorporated Societies,—the whole has now a tasteful and orderly appearance. A brass plate which remembers John Stanier and family is dated 1691. A neat marble tablet dated 1793 has been erected to the memory of Rich aid Boycott, Esq. A tablet very chastely designed, of coloured marble, and dated 1789, records the death of Charles Stainer and several members of that family. An altar tomb to Silvanus Boycott is dated 1686. There is also a beautiful marble scroll, exquisitely executed, in memory of John Middleton Ashdown, Esq., agent to the Duke of Cleveland, which was put up at the expense of the Duke’s Shropshire tenantry. The living is a perpetual curacy in the patronage of the Duke of Cleveland, and enjoyed by the Rev. John Meredith, M.A. In the church-yard are two yew trees of immense girth, one of which is completely hollow, and will admit of twelve persons standing within the trunk at the same time; although nothing remains of the trunk at the bottom but a shell, yet the tree shows vigorous signs of life, and the branches cover a large surface of ground. The tithes have been commuted for £155. 2s., when £115. 2s. was apportioned to the Duke of Cleveland, and £40 to the incumbent of the parish.

The Grammar School at Donnington, in the parish of Wroxeter, appears to have been founded for the benefit of the parish of Uppington, as well as that of Wroxeter. An account of the foundation will be found noticed with Wroxeter.

Post Office.—At Mary Wood’s. Letters arrive from Wellington by foot post at 8 A.M. and are despatched at 6 P.M.

Directory.—William Allen, farmer; Samuel Harding Ashdown, Esq., land and estate agent; John Bagley, shopkeeper; John Boore, gentleman; Richard Boore, farmer; Charles Durnell, parish clerk, agricultural implement maker, and blacksmith; Richard Jones, wheelwright; Charles Stanier, Esq.; Mary Wood, post office.

UPTON MAGNA

is a parish and village, pleasantly situated five miles east from Shrewsbury and seven west from Wellington, having the facilities of railway communication to both places, by the Shrewsbury and Birmingham railway, which intersects the parish. At the census of 1801 there were 482 inhabitants; 1831, 512; and in 1841, 99 houses and 494 souls. The parish comprises the townships of Upton Magna, Downton, Haughton, Hunkington, and Preston Boats, which together have an area of 3,260a. 3r. 25p. of land. Rateable value, £4,171. 2s. 6d. The principal landowners are Andrew William Corbet, Esq.; the Duke of Cleveland; and Robert Burton, Esq.; besides whom there are a few small freeholders.

The Church, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, is an antique structure, consisting of nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a tower, in which are four bells; the body of the church is built of red sand stone, and the tower of a white stone, which it is said was brought from an ancient moated mansion at Hunkington; the seats and pulpit are of oak, over the latter is the date of 1591; there is a gallery at the west end, and an ancient stone font. The church has been greatly beautified within the last ten years by the munificence of Miss Arabella Pigott, who has added a new organ and altar-piece, adorned the windows with stained glass, and made other additions. There is a book chained to a desk near the pulpit entitled, “An answer to a certeine booke lately set forth by Mr. Harding, entitled a confutation of the apology of the Church of England.” An altar tomb in the chancel, with full length figures in chain armour, remembers Waiter Barker, Esq., who died in 1644. There is also a handsome marble memorial to the memory of Mary Elizabeth Pigott, who died in 1837, and of Frances Pigott, who died in 1829, daughters of the Rev. William Pigott, rector of Edgmond and Chetwynd. The living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £12, now returned at £546, in the patronage of Andrew William Corbett, Esq., and incumbency of the Rev. Corbet Brown. The School is situated in the church-yard; forty-three children attend, eight of which are educated free; the school has the liberal support and assiduous attention of Miss Pigott. Upton Magna Cottage was built about forty years ago, and is the delightful residence of Miss Arabella Pigott; it is tastefully furnished, the walls are decorated with some choice paintings, and there is a good library containing many valuable standard works. The pleasure grounds are very beautifully laid out, and command fine views of the surrounding country, and of the majestic Wrekin.

Downton is a small township in Upton Magna parish, situated about a mile W. from the church. Of the townships in this parish there were no separate returns made of the population and acres at the census of 1841, they are therefore included with Upton Magna. Andrew William Corbet, Esq., is the landowner.

Haughton, another small township, is situated about three miles N. from Upton Magna. The Duke of Cleveland and A. W. Corbet, Esq., are the landowners.

Hunkington is situated about a mile N.E. from the church, and is the property of Andrew William Corbet, Esq. There was formerly a moated mansion here, but of which we possess no historical record; not a vestige of the building now remains, but the moat may still be traced.

Preston Boats is a village and township two miles S.W. from Upton, on the banks of the river Severn, over which there is a ferry for passengers. The land is the property of Robert Burton, Esq.

Charities.—Thomas Blakeway, in 1767, bequeathed £300 upon trust to apply one-third part of the yearly proceeds thereof in relieving the necessities of poor housekeepers, and the residue for the instruction of children belonging to poor parishioners. He also bequeathed £20 to be laid out in the repairs of the school. As the produce of this bequest there is now £322 stock, three and half per cents., the dividends of which amount to £11. 5s. 4d., two thirds of which are applied in the education of youth, and one-third is distributed among the poor. The Rev. Richard Andrews, in 1726, left £10 to the use of the poor. Mrs. Ann Peploe, in 1728, gave £16 to buy a garment for the poor. Ann Barker gave £20, and Thomas Jewkes £20 for the benefit of the poor. These several sums, amounting in the whole to £71, were laid out in building a parish work-house, which was subsequently sold, and the charity money was laid out in 1813, in the purchase of £80. 0s. 7d. stock in the navy five per cents., and there is now in respect of the charity money £84. 0s. 7d. standing in the names of certain trustees in the new four per cents. Out of the dividends 5s. is given away in bread, 16s. laid out in the purchase of two garments for poor persons, and the residue is distributed in small sums on St. Stephen’s-day.

Upton Magna, Downton, Hunkington, Haughton, & Preston Boats Directories.

Pigott Miss Arabella, The Cottage, Upton Magna

Allen Thomas, station master

Allen William, farmer, Hunkington

Barber Richard, farmer, The Sales, Upton Magna

Bladon John, wheelwright, Upton Magna

Brisbourne Thomas, farmer, Haughton

Bowen Wm., farmer, Somer Wood, Upton Magna

Brown Edmund, farmer, Upton Magna

Burroughs Daniel, tailor, Upton Magna

Clarke Mrs. Mary, Upton Magna

Davies James, farmer, Downton

Davies Robert, farmer, Preston Boats, Ferry

Davies John, shoemaker, Upton Magna

Elkes John, shoemaker, Haughton

Elsmere Colley, farmer, Upton Magna

Gregory Mary Ann, farmer, Preston Boats

Humphries Mary, schoolmistress, Upton Magna

Humphries Nathaniel, schoolmaster, Upton Magna

Humphries Richard, farmer, Rae House, Upton Magna

Humphry John, farmer and vict., Corbet Arms, Upton Magna

Jervis Robert, farmer, Upton Magna

Jones Hannah, farmer, Preston Boats

Jones John, farmer, Preston Boats

Jones Richard, farmer, Downton

Keay Henry, parish clerk, Upton Magna

Keay Walter, basket maker, Upton Magna

Leeke John, farmer, Haughton

Lockley Henry, blacksmith, Upton Magna

Matthews William, farmer, Preston Boats

Pickin Helen, shopkeeper, Upton Magna

Ralphs Henry, wheelwright, Upton Magna

Rogers Joseph, tailor, Upton Magna

Tart Thos. Sharratt, farmer, Upton Magna

UPTON WATERS, OR PARVA,

is a small parish, township, and pleasantly situated village, five and a half miles N. from Wellington, in the Wellington division of the South Bradford hundred. The parish contains 732a. 3r. 35p. of land, and in 1801 had 169 inhabitants, 1831, 193, and in 1841, 43 houses and 228 souls. Gross estimated rental, £1,346. 18s.; rateable value, £1,256. 0s. 11d. The principal landowners are Thomas Whitfield, Esq., Miss Ann Dickin, Mrs. Elizabeth Groucock, Mrs. Rider, Mr. William Boycott, and Mr. John Williams, besides whom there are several small freeholders. The village is pleasantly situated on elevated ground, and commands an extensive view of the surrounding country; on the western verge of the parish is the river Tern, which separates Upton Waters from the parish of Ercall.

The Church is a small unpresuming structure, dedicated to Saint Michael, consisting of nave and chancel, with a small belfry at the west end; the interior of the fabric corresponds with its architectural simplicity. A brass plate in the aisle remembers the Reverend William Jones, formerly rector of this parish for 62 years, and died in the year 1691, aged 82 years. The living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £3. 17s. 3½d., now returned at £204, in the patronage of the Lord Chancellor, and incumbency of the Rev. Richard Corfield, a non-resident; curate, Rev. Sidney Philip Robertson, B.A. The rectory is a good residence a little west from the church. The Hall, the residence and property of Miss Ann Dickin, is a neat brick house a little north-west from the church. About a quarter of a mile north-west from the church is a large brick structure, originally built as a workhouse for Ercall Magna parish. It is now used for the reception of the children belonging the Wellington Poor-law Union, and will accommodate about one hundred; the average number is about fifty. The building stands on the banks of the river Tern, and is just within the bounds of the parish of Ercall, the river here dividing the two parishes.

Bennett Thomas, shoemaker

Davies John, schoolmaster, Union House

Dickin Miss Ann, the Hall

Edwards Rd., wheelwright

Gregory James, tailor

Groucock Elizabeth, farmer

Icke William, maltster and vict., the Swan

Leighton Robert, farmer

Matthews William, farmer

Morgan John, surgeon

Ridgway James, blacksmith

Roberson Rev. Sidney Philip, curate, the Rectory

Titley John, butcher

Tudor Samuel, bricklayer and shopkeeper

Whitfield Thomas, farmer

WELLINGTON

is a considerable parish and flourishing market town, pleasantly situated eleven miles E. from Shrewsbury, and 142 N.W. from London, and by railway 11 miles from Shrewsbury, 7½ miles S.W. from Newport, 31 miles from Birmingham, and seven miles W. by N. from Shiffnal. The parish contains the townships and hamlets of Arleston, Aston, Apley, Dothill, Hadley, Horton, Ketley, Lawley, Newdale, Walcott, Wellington, Wapenshall, and Lee Gomery, and part of Preston and Eyton, together embracing an area of 9,184a. 1r. 7p. of land. Gross estimated rental, £36,120. 19s. 3d. Rateable value, £32,656. 7s. 7d. The joint railway companies are rated at £776. 18s. The tithes have been commuted, and £1,484 awarded to St. John Chiverton Charlton, Esq., the impropriator, and to the vicar, £470. 6s. Population in 1801, 7,531; 1831, 9,671; and in 1841, 11,099. The township of Wellington contains 727a. 1r. 16p. of land; and in 1841 had a population of 6,084 souls, of whom 3,104 were males and 2,980 females; at the same period there were 1,181 inhabited houses, 101 uninhabited, and 18 houses building. Wellington is a well-built town, of considerable importance, and from its contiguity to the great seat of the iron and coal works in this county, it has a much frequented market. It is also the centre of a rich agricultural district, has ample communication by railway to all parts of the kingdom, and the Shropshire Union Canal, in its immediate vicinity, opens a water communication with the Severn and distant parts of the country. The town contains many good houses, with shops in all the different branches of the retail trade; there are also several good inns. The malting business is extensively carried on; the establishment of Mr. James Shepard is on a large scale. There are also an iron foundry, a tannery, and several establishments for the manufacture of nails; agricultural implements are also made. Hugh Burnel, in the reign of Edward I., obtained the grant of a market (to be held on Thursdays), and of two fairs in the year—the first to be held on the day after the feast of St. Barnabas, and the second on the eve, the day, and the day after the decollation of St. John the Baptist. The market is still held on the Thursday, and the fairs are held March 29th, June 22nd, September 29th, November 17th, Monday week before Christmas day, and the last Monday in each of the other months. At these fairs large quantities of farm and dairy produce, as also horses, horned cattle, and sheep, are usually sold. The magistrates of the county hold petty sessions monthly. William and Thomas Turner, Esqrs., are clerks to the magistrates. A Court of Record was formerly held for debts not exceeding £20, but this has been superseded by the New County Court Act. The lord of the manor holds a Court Leet annually in November, at which officers are appointed for the government of the town, and constables for the different townships within this division of the hundred.

The Church, dedicated to All Saints, a commodious and elegant structure of freestone, was erected, M,DCCXC., and consists of nave, side aisles, and bay, with a square tower crowned with a dome, gilt cross, and vane. The galleries are supported by cast-iron pillars. At the west end is a handsome and fine-toned organ, and over the bay is a glory. The roof is lofty, and the whole has a very beautiful and chaste appearance. At the east end of the south aisle is an elegant marble memorial, executed by Hollins, in memory of Martha Elizabeth Oliver, who died June 20th, aged 26 years. Another marble monument remembers Richard Emery, Esq., who died April 13th, 1839, aged 65 years, and several other members of that family. The interior of the church was painted, and the gas-fittings added, in the year 1847, chiefly at the expense of the vicar and St. John C. Charlton, Esq.; the cost was upwards of £300. In the tower of the church is a peal of six musical bells. The church is surrounded with a large burial ground, which, with the site of the church, contains upwards of three acres. It contains numerous tombs, some of which are of elaborate workmanship, and have been erected in memory of some of the principal families of the parish. The church formerly belonged to the abbey of Shrewsbury. The living is a vicarage annexed to the rectory of Eyton, valued in the king’s book at £9. 5s., in the patronage of Thomas Eyton, Esq., and incumbency of the Rev. Benjamin Banning, M.A., who resides at The Vicarage, a spacious and handsome residence, about a quarter of a mile south from the church. The house commands a fine view of the Wrekin, and is surrounded with pleasure grounds and shrubberies. In the 15th of Henry VI. the guild of the Holy Trinity and of the Virgin Mary in the church of All Saints, in Wellington, obtained a pardon from the king, for having acquired twenty messuages, ten acres of heath, and six acres of meadow in Wellington, without license.

The New Church is dedicated to our Saviour, and is pleasantly situated on elevated ground, at the southern outskirts of the town. It was built by subscription and grants from the church building societies, at a cost of £3,600. The structure is of white brick, with a lofty square tower, ornamented with four crocketted pinnacles. The interior consists of nave and side aisles, with spacious galleries. Over the side aisles and at the west end, upon the latter, is a small organ, erected at a cost of £170. On each side of the church are seven narrow windows, in the lancet style. The roof is of groined timber, and the pews are painted in imitation of oak, which gives the whole a neat and light appearance. There are 1,144 sittings: of which 744 are declared free and unappropriated for ever. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Vicar of Wellington: incumbent, Rev. Charles Campe. The church is surrounded with a spacious cemetery; and on the west side is the Parsonage House—a neat brick structure, erected shortly after the Church was built.

The Particular Baptist Chapel, situated in King-street, is a neat brick structure, which will accommodate about 500 hearers. It was built in 1828, on the site of a former edifice, that had been erected about half a century. The Rev. William Keay has been the pastor of the congregation worshipping here for the last 30 years. The Rev. Henry Gabriel Granger has recently been appointed to assist Mr. Keay in the pastorate. A small burial ground adjoins the chapel.

The Wesleyan Methodist Chapel is a lofty brick fabric, situate in New street, and was built in 1836. It has galleries on three sides, and is capable of holding five hundred worshippers. A small organ was added in 1851, at a cost of £80. The Old Methodist Chapel, which stood in Chapel Lane, has been taken down. The Primitive Methodist Chapel, situate near the Tan Bank, was built in 1837.

The Catholic Chapel, a plain brick structure, has been built about fifteen years. It has a gallery at the end, and will hold about 400 persons. A painting of our Saviour is placed over the altar. There is no resident priest in Wellington at the present time, but the Rev. William Molloy, of Madeley, officiates at stated periods.

The Independent Chapel is a good brick structure, situate on the Tan Bank. The congregation worshipping here have no settled minister at the present time.

The National School is a spacious brick building on the north side of the churchyard. It is supported by voluntary subscriptions, charity sermons, and a small weekly charge from each scholar. One hundred and sixty-eight boys, and one hundred and twenty girls attend. The teacher receives £4. 0s. 10d. from the receiver of the Crown rents.

The Catholic School, situate at the back of the catholic chapel, on Mill Bank, is also supported by subscriptions and a small charge from each scholar. The Savings’ Bank, situate in Walker street, was established in 1818. On November 20th, 1850, the capital stock of the bank amounted to £27,623, at which period there were 692 depositors. Mr. Thomas Turner is the actuary.

The County Court Office is situate near the Market Hall. All pleas of personal action, where the debt or damage claimed is not more than £50, may be heard and determined by the County Court. The jurisdiction of the Wellington Court embraces the parishes of Bolas Magna, Ercall Magna, Eyton, Kinnersley, Longdon, Preston, Rodington, Waters Upton, Wellington, Wombridge, and Wrockwardine. Judge: Uvedale Corbett, Esq., Aston Hall, near Shiffnal. Clerk: Frederick Buckle, Esq., New street, Wellington.

The Market Hall is a brick building, stuccoed, and situated a little back from the Market-square. A spacious room, measuring sixty feet by twenty feet, is used for magisterial purposes, public meetings, assemblies, musical concerts, &c. Under it is an open area, provided with benches, where the butter market is held. The hall was built by a company of shareholders, established in 1842, with a capital stock of £5,000, of which £2,000 was raised by the shareholders, and the rest was borrowed on a mortgage of the premises. The company have purchased the tolls of the market for the sum of £700 from the lord of the manor; and they are now held on lease by Mr. John Sandals, at a yearly rental of £140.

The Union House, a plain brick building, situate in Walker street, is capable of holding one hundred and sixty inmates. From the report for the half year, ending March 25, 1850, we learn that the total expenditure was £4,028. 19s. 1½d: the number of out-paupers for that period was 2,033, and of in-door paupers 184: the average weekly cost per head of the latter was 2s. 11d. The Union embraces the parishes of Bolas Magna, Ercall Magna, Eyton-on-the-Wild Moors, Kinnersley, Longdon-upon-Tern, Preston-on-the Wild Moors, Rodington, Waters Upton, Wellington, Wombridge, and Wrockwardine, for which nineteen guardians are chosen, to whom John Whitfield, Esq. is chairman. The medical officers are, Charles Harwood Greene, Robert Plowden Weston, and John Francis Steedman. Relieving Officers: Edward Vickers, Ketley; and George Marcy, Watling street. Master and Matron: Mr. and Mrs. Lewis. The Old Workhouse is situated about a mile and a half south-west from the town, and is now converted into cottages.

The Wellington Mechanics’ Institute, situated in New street, has been established with the object of affording tradesmen, mechanics, and others, opportunities of acquiring, at their leisure hours, the principles of science and the arts, and for the cultivation of literature. Persons subscribing ten shillings per annum are entitled to all the privileges of the institution; and persons under eighteen years of age subscribing five shillings a-year, are deemed students of the society. There is a good library of about eight hundred volumes, which have been chiefly contributed by a few gentlemen. A news-room has been established, which is furnished with some of the most popular periodicals, and the principal London and provincial journals; lectures are also occasionally given on interesting and useful scientific subjects. There are now about seventy members. The institution has the patronage and support of the principal gentry and clergy in the neighbourhood. Mr. John Haynes and Mr. William M. Taylor are the honorary secretaries.

The News-room.—The news-room was established in 1846, by a number of gentlemen and tradesmen of the town. It is held at Mr. Edwards’s, in the Market square, and is supported by annual subscriptions of 21s. There is also a billiard-room for the use of the subscribers. There are forty-five members.

The Gas Works.—The Gas Works are situated upon the Tanbank, and were established in 1823, by Mr. William Edwards. In consequence of some dispute with reference to lighting the streets, an Act of Parliament has been obtained during the present year (1851) for the establishment of a joint stock company, to be called “The Wellington Coal and Gas-light Company.” The company will have a capital of £3,000, raised in three hundred shares of £10 each. The site chosen for the erection of the necessary works is the garden-ground lying between the top of Tanbank and the Wrekin road. Estimated cost of the works, £2,000. R. D. Newell, Esq., is the solicitor and secretary.

The Water Works.—The Wellington Water Works were provisionally registered in 1851, under 7 and 8 Vic. c. 110. The imperfect supply of water, both as respects quantity and quality, has long been felt in the town of Wellington; and it is to remedy this defect in the condition of the town, as well as to afford other supplies which local interest may require, that the company has been established. It is a well ascertained fact that many of the houses, particularly those where water is most needed, are so ill supplied, that the occupants are obliged, throughout the year, to procure it from a distance, at a considerable cost in both time and money; or, in many instances, especially among the poor, to be content with a supply totally inadequate to the ordinary necessaries of life. It is proposed to raise the requisite supplies from the Ercall Pools, which afford every natural facility for conveying water to any part of the town, without materially interfering with private interests. The water is free from deleterious matter, and considered excellent for culinary and household purposes. It is proposed to have a capital stock of £3,000, to be raised in three hundred ten pound shares. F. Buckle, Esq., is the solicitor to the company.

The County Constabulary Office is situated in Walker street, Mr. John M’Michael is the superintendent, under whose directions are twelve police constables. There is a small lock-up on the north-west side of the church-yard.

The Horticultural Society was established in 1850, and is supported by the principal gentlemen in the town and neighbourhood. The exhibitions are held in the Market Hall.

The Old Hall, an ancient structure mantled with ivy, situated on the Watling street road, is the property of Lord Forester, the lord of the manor. One of the rooms is wainscotted with oak, which remains in good preservation. The hall is now converted into a boarding-school establishment, conducted by Joseph Edward Cranage. A road which runs past the Old Hall leads to a few scattered cottages and some extensive lime-works, called Steeraway, which is about a mile and a half south from the town.

It was in Wellington and the vicinity that Charles I. mustered his forces, and, after issuing orders for the maintenance of strict discipline, made a solemn protestation that he would defend the established religion, govern by law, and preserve the liberty of his subjects, and that if he conquered he would uphold the privileges of parliament. It is to be lamented that he should have found it necessary to make a protestation of his adherence to the duties of an English monarch; had he earlier practised them, he would have avoided the contentions between himself and his parliament. The celebrated Dr. Withering, author of the “Botanical Arrangements of British Plants,” was born at Wellington, in the year 1741. His father was a physician, and the family had resided during many generations on a small patrimony in this county. Dr. Withering in his early years seems to have received a good classical education; and in the autumn of 1762 he was matriculated at the University of Edinburgh, where he distinguished himself by pursuing his studies with the greatest diligence and attention. Whilst he was unwearied in the pursuit of academic learning, as well as in all those branches of knowledge which belong more immediately to the medical profession for which he was intended, he did not neglect the cultivation of the lighter and more elegant accomplishments. In the year 1766, Dr. Withering finished his academical studies with great credit to himself, and obtained the degree of Doctor of Physic. He first settled at Stafford, and here he attended the accomplished lady who became the partner of his future life; and it is not improbable that this attachment produced that botanical turn which has since rendered his name so conspicuous in this department of science. She drew beautifully; and he appears to have gathered wild plants as subjects for her pencil. This soon became a favourite pursuit; and possessing at this time a good deal of leisure, he collected specimens for that herbarium which he afterwards rendered so complete. Dr. Withering removed to Birmingham in the year 1775, and notwithstanding the time he continued to devote to chemistry and botany, he soon realised £1,000 per annum by his professional labours. During the following summer he presented the public with the first edition of his English Botany, a work which claims the attention of every botanical student; and is, perhaps, exceeded by none for the facility it offers to the inquirer, and for the copiousness and correctness of its selection. His philosophical attention extended to chemistry, mineralogy, and every branch of natural philosophy connected with his profession occupied him in succession. In the year 1791, in the month of July, he and his family suffered much alarm and some injury in the riot at Birmingham. He died in 1799. Before his death, he directed no ostentatious display to be made at his funeral, and ordered his body to be carried to church by six honest peasants. Dr. Withering, besides his Botanical Arrangement of British Plants, gave to the world several medical works.

The Wrekin, situated about two miles S. from Wellington, is said to be the highest hill in Europe for the circumference of its base. This proud monarch of the plain rises to the altitude of 1,320 feet, and being in the heart of Shropshire forms a conspicuous feature in the landscape from all parts of the surrounding country. The distance is about a mile from the London road to the summit of the hill; about half way up the ascent is a neat cottage, where numerous parties, after luxuriating in the enjoyment of prospects of unparalleled magnificence, assemble for social repast. This huge mountain is covered with thriving plantations, but the trees as they gradually ascend towards the summit appear of more stunted growth. From the cottage a broad pathway covered with rich verdure leads to the summit, from which seventeen counties can be seen; in every direction the most extensive, varied, and magnificent prospects open to view. The Wrekin is regarded by the residents in Shropshire as the centre towards which the best wishes and affections of the heart converge in that well known convivial sentiment, unchanged by time and never out of place, “All Friends Round the Wrekin.” The Rev. Richard Corfield thus beautifully describes the scenery around the lofty mount:—

“The summit gained, the weary toil’s repaid,
By prospects varied—mountain, wood, and glade;
O’er Salop’s plains with beauteous verdure drest,
The Cambrian mountains stretch along the west.
Turn to the north and Hawkstone’s hill you see,
With Cheshire prospects reaching to the Dee;
When to the east you lend th’ admiring gaze,
The barren Peak your startled thoughts amaze;
More eastward still you ken in distant view
Edge Hill, where Charles his faithful followers drew.
This fairy circle let us onward trace
O’er Brecon’s beacons, Radnor’s forest chase,
And as the outline may be further known,
So past its limits may our love be shown—
Love to our country and to all held dear
By ties of kindred, friendship’s off’ring bear—
Love to our country, and to all friends round
The Wrekin’s circle may our love resound—
Such wishes these all Shropshire hearts inspire,
In social converse round the winter’s fire.”

Watling Street is a populous hamlet forming the eastern suburb to the town of Wellington, from which it is distant about half a mile. It is called Watling street from being situated on the great Prœtorian highway of the Romans, which enters this county at Boningale, and terminates in the county of Cardigan. It is now the Shrewsbury and Birmingham highway, and before the establishment of railways was a road of immense traffic. There are several respectable houses and a good inn and posting house. The names of the principal residents will be found incorporated in the Wellington directory. At the census of 1841 there were 66 houses and 299 inhabitants. Acres, 1,096a. 0r. 31p. of land. Rateable value, 2,194. 4s. The rectoral tithes are commuted for £125. 3s., and the vicarial for £29. 5s.

Charities.—Almshouses.—There are on the north side of the church-yard six small tenements erected at the expense of the parish about the year 1790, in lieu of some almshouses in the old church-yard which were then pulled down. The old almshouses appear to have had no endowment, and were occupied by parish paupers, and the present are occupied in the same manner, the inmates being selected by the vicar and church-wardens. Three of the inmates have 1s. 6d. per week, and the other three receive 2s. weekly. There are also four or five small tenements called almshouses opposite the pound, supposed to have been built about a century ago by a person of the name of Ick, or some person related to that family. There is no endowment to them, and the persons residing in them when the charity commissioners published their report claimed them as their own.

Richard Stevington, by will, bearing date 23rd March, 1658, devised a rent charge of £10 per annum to certain trustees for the use of the poor of the parish of Wellington, to be paid out of certain land called the Bury Yards. These lands are situate near the town of Wellington, and consist of two fields, one of which was sold by Lord Forester about thirty years ago. The other is still held by his lordship, and his agent pays the sum of £10 annually, which is laid out in cloth coats for poor men, and warm gowns for poor women.

Paviour’s Charity.—The yearly sum of £4 is paid by the agent of the Marquis of Cleveland, the owner of lands in Garmson, in the parish of Leighton; and in the churchwardens book there is entered a copy of a receipt, given 29th March, 1772, to John Newport, Esq., for the like sum as one year’s annuity, due at Lady-day then last, to the honest poor of the parish of Wellington. This is paid yearly to the churchwardens, and distributed on Easter Monday in sixpences among the aged poor of the parish. We have not been able to obtain any account of the origin of this charity.

Phillip’s Charity.—The only account of the origin of this charity we have met with is a statement in the charity book of the parish of Great Ness, from which it appears that William Phillips gave 20s. yearly to this parish, payable out of the same estate as was charged with the payment of 5s. yearly to the poor of Great Ness. The payment is charged upon a copyhold estate in the parish of Wem, belonging to Mr. Nunnerley and others. The amount is distributed in small sums on Good Friday.

Post Office—At Mr. Benjamin Smith’s, New street. Letters arrive from London and the south at 2.30 A.M. and 3 P.M., and from Shrewsbury and the north at 6.25 A.M. and 10.25 P.M.; and are despatched at 6.25 A.M. and 10.25 P.M. to all parts of the kingdom.

LIST OF STREETS, ROADS, LANES, &c., IN WELLINGTON.

Butcher’s lane, Market square

Chapel lane, New street

Chapel house, Church street

Charlton place, Church st

Church street, Market square

Dun Cow lane, Market sqre

Field Cottages, Wrekin road

Foundry lane, Tan bank

Fountain place, New street

Jarrat’s lane, Tan bank

King street, Park street

Mill bank, New street

Nailor’s row, New street

Park street, Church street

Park terrace, Park street

Parville, Vineyard road

Pump street, New street

Rose hill, King street

St. John street, New street

Street lane, Wrekin road

Summer row, King street

Swine market, Crown street

The Mount, Wrekin road

Tan bank, Swine market

Vineyard road, Church street

Walker street, Market street

Wrekin road, Walker street

ALPHABETICAL DIRECTORY OF NAMES, PROFESSIONS, TRADES, AND RESIDENCES, IN WELLINGTON.

Adney George and Edward, tanners, The Grove, Park street

Agnew David, travelling draper, St. John st

Allinson John, tea dealer, Watling street

Alltree Thomas, tailor and draper, Crown st

Allwood William, linen draper, Church street

Anslow Mrs. Mary Ann, Vineyard road

Anslow Edward, farmer, King street

Archer Wm. John, schoolmaster, (Catholic) Mill bank

Atkins Elizabeth, bonnet-maker, Church st

Austin Wm., baker & confectioner, New st

Aston Mr. John, Vineyard road

Baddeley Thomas, ironmonger, iron and steel merchant, and nail and agricultural implement manufacturer, Market square

Bagshaw Joseph, provision dealer and seedsman, Crown street

Banning Rev. Benjamin, vicar, The Vicarage

Barber John, auctioneer and land and engineering surveyor, Church street, residence Mill Bank

Barnes John, shoemaker, King street

Becall Andrew, farmer, Watling street

Beeston John, surgeon, New street

Beeston Miss Tabitha, Rose Hill

Beetlestone Misses, academy, New street

Bellingham Wm., smallware dealer, New st

Bennett Samuel, tailor, New street

Benson John Esq., bank manager, Church st

Berks Mary Ann, New street

Betton Mr. William Howard, Mill Bank

Binns and Smith, milliners and dressmakers, Church street

Birch John, tailor, New street

Birch William, vict., The Wicketts, Street Lane

Bird Francis, provision dealer, Crown street

Botwood William, coach builder, Tan Bank

Bowring Robert, fishmonger, New street

Bradbury Charles, chemist, druggist, and grocer, New street

Brannan Michael, umbrella maker, Walker st

Bratton Thomas Benjamin, draper and silk mercer, Market square

Brookes George, provision dealer, and boot and shoemaker, New street

Brookes John, clerk, New street

Brookes Wm., brazier, New street

Burton Mr. John, Watling street

Butler Joseph, smallware dealer, New street

Butterey John, provision and salt dealer, New street

Brown John, shopkeeper, Park street

Brown John, vict., Dun Cow, Dun Cow Lane

Brown Thomas, shoemaker, New Town

Buckle Fredk., solicitor and clerk to County Court, New street

Campe Rev. Charles, incumbent of Christ Church, The Parsonage

Capsey Thomas, vict., White Lion, Crown st

Carrane John, old clothes dealer, New st

Cartwright Edw. senr., provision dealer, New street

Cartwright Edward, junr., provision dealer, New street

Cartwright Thomas, beerhouse, Street Lane

Cartwright William, butcher, New street

Chalmers Alex. W., draper, Church street

Chapman Martin, basket maker, New street

Childs John, maltster, Church street

Clay Thomas, butcher, Newtown

Clayton Richard, hair dresser, Newtown

Collier Mrs., Vineyard row

Cooke Henry, corn miller, Wind Mill road, Dawley Green

Corbett John, beerhouse, Wrekin road

Corbett John, tailor and beerhouse keeper, New street

Corbett Samuel, blacksmith, King street

Corbett Thomas, wheelwright and beerhouse, King street

Corbett Thomas, shoemaker, Watling street

Cotterill William, grocer and tea dealer, Church street

Cotton Robert, blacksmith, Walker street

Cranage Joseph Edward, boarding school, The Old Hall

Crowder John, timber merchant, and vict., Britannia, King street

Dabbs Moses, beerhouse, Park street

Dale Wm., station master to joint committees of Shrewsbury and Birmingham & Shropshire Union Railways, The Station

Danby John, grocer and tea dealer, Stamp Office, and agent to Salop Fire Office, Walker street

Davies Charles, tailor and draper, New street

Davies David, hatter, New street

Davies Evan, beerhouse, New street

Davies Henry, beerhouse, New street

Davies James, butcher, New street

Davies John, plumber and glazier, New st

Davies John, hair dresser, New street and Crown street

Davies John, painter, plumber, and vict., Market Tavern, Crown street

Davies William, cooper, New street

Dax John, linen draper, and vict., Bell Inn, New street

Delvecchio and Dotti, jewellers, and furniture brokers, New street

Dickin Mrs. Elizabeth, Vineyard road

Dolphin Joseph, butcher, Butcher’s row

Dolphin William, beerhouse, Watling street

Downing Mary, wine & spirit vaults, Church it

Downes John, bricklayer & builder, Church st

Downes Vincent, stone mason, Church st

Edward Jane, shoemaker, New street

Edwards Thomas, agent, King street

Edwards Thomas, cooper, New street

Edwards Thomas, shoemaker, New street

Edwards Wm., chemist and druggist, and hop merchant, Market square

Edwards Wm. and Son, brass and iron founders, Tan Bank

Ellis Gertrude, dress maker, Church street

Espley George, pork butcher, New street

Espley John, malster, nurseryman and vict., King’s Head, New street

Evans Hannah, bonnet maker, New street

Evans Jane, hosier, New street

Evans Thomas, beerhouse, Pump street

Evans Thomas, tea dealer, New street

Evett Mrs. Ann, Chapel House

Eyton Thomas Campbell, Esq., The Vineyard

Farmer Edward, beerhouse keeper, New street

Farmer James Bayley, solicitor, New street, office, Crown street

Farries Alexander, tea dealer, Watling street

Fieldhouse John, shopkeeper, New street

Foulkes James, agent to Mr. Taylor, brick and tile maker, Gerrard’s lane

Fox Mary, schoolmistress (National) Church yard side

France William, beerhouse, Jarrat’s lane

Gawthrop Rev. Thomas, M.A., curate, Prospect House, Park street

Gibson John, seedsman, Park street

Gill Robert, brazier, New street

Goodman John, vict., Bull’s Head, New street

Goodall Peter, gentleman, Parville

Gough James, shoemaker, Crown street

Grant Alex., travelling draper, Mill Bank

Grant Wm., travelling draper, Mill Bank

Grainger Rev. Henry Gabriel, (Baptist) Fountain Place

Grainger Edward, vict., Red Lion, Street lane

Greatwood Robert, solicitor, Parville

Green Miles, tailor, woollen draper & hatter, Church street

Griffiths Charles, shoemaker, Mill Bank

Griffiths John, beerhouse and shopkeeper, Mill Bank

Griffiths John, blacksmith, Swine Market

Griffiths Mr. James, Vineyard road

Griffiths William, saddler, Walker street

Groom & Sons, timber merchants, New street

Groom Isaac, baker, Walker street

Groom John, joiner and cabinet maker, New street

Groom William, painter, glazier, paper hanger, and provision dealer, New street

Hall Catherine, dress maker, Park street

Hall Michael, tailor, Park street

Hampton Rebecca, vict., Crown Inn, Crown street

Hamlet Richard, vict., Odd Fellows’ Arms, New street

Harper William, saddler, New street

Hartley Henry, beerhouse, New street

Harris George, shoemaker, Church street

Harris George, shoemaker, New street

Hayes Henry, surgeon, Vineyard road

Hayley Sedgley, gentleman, Park street

Haynes John, currier and leather cutter, New street

Haynes John, scripture reader, Church st

Hayward Thomas, professor of music, Church street

Heaford Mary, beerhouse, New street

Heighway Thomas, hair dresser, New street

Heywood Charles, rope and twine maker, New street

Hobson Robert, printer, stationer, bookseller, and bookbinder, and publisher of the Wellington Advertiser (monthly), and honorary secretary of the London Art Union, Market square

Hodgkiss Anne, vict., Cock Inn, Watling street

Holland Ann, confectioner, Church street

Houlston Edward, beerhouse, Watling street

Houlston John, auctioneer, office over the County Court Office, Market square, residence Oaken Gates

Howlet William, surgeon, Park street

Hughes Robert, beerhouse, New street

Hughes William, shopkeeper, New street

Hutchinson John, surveyor of highways, New street

Hussey John, schoolmaster, Church street

Irwin Robert, vict., Sun Inn, Walker street

Ison John, chemist, druggist, and grocer, New street

Ison John, beerhouse, Watling street

Jackson William, beerhouse, New street

Jacobs Maurice, clothier, Crown street

Jonathan William, agent to London bone and guano company, Wrekin road

Jones Charles, maltster and porter merchant, Vineyard road

Jones John, butcher, New street

Jones John, farmer, maltster, hop, seed, and porter merchant, Park street

Jones John, tailor & beerhouse, Church st

Jones John, umbrella maker, New street

Jones Joseph, shopkeeper, Watling street

Jones Samuel Haden, surgeon, New street

Jones Thomas, carpenter, Vineyard road

Jones Thomas, wine & spirit vaults, New st

Jones Thomas William, high bailiff to county court, King street

Juckes Charles, linen draper, New street

Keay Charlotte, shoemaker, Market square

Keay James, printer, bookseller, & stationer, New street

Keay Rev. William, (Baptist), Spring field house, King street

Kimberley Mrs. Mary, Vineyard road

Knowles Isaac, solicitor, Church street

Lane John, veterinary surgeon, Swine market

Large John, joiner, Church street

Lawley Joseph, watch maker, Swine market

Lawrence Richard, tailor, draper, and pawnbroker, New street

Lawson Charles, shoemaker, New street

Leah Edward, seedsman, Park street

Leake Thomas, bookseller, printer, bookbinder, and stationer, New street

Lewis Charles, gentleman, Park villa

Lewis James, plumber, glazier, and painter, Watling street

Lewis John, linen and woollen draper and hatter, High street

Liggatt John, shoemaker, New street

Lloyd Emma, milliner, New street

Lloyd Joseph, shopkeeper, New street

Lloyd Richard, blacksmith, Wrekin road

Lloyd Thos., brazier & tin plate worker, New st

Lloyd William, shoemaker, Field cottages

Lockett John, draper & silk mercer, New st

Lockley Richard, blacksmith, Jarrat’s lane

Luckcock Richard, nail maker, New street

Lunn Mrs. Helen, Mill Bank

Mc.Michael John, superintendent of police, Walker street; residence, Park street

Mansell William, beerhouse, New street

Mansell William, ironfounder, Foundery ln

Marcy George, Esq., solicitor, clerk to Wellington union, & superintendent registrar; Watling street

Matthews Edward, veterinary surgeon, Walker street

Matthews Mary Ann, bonnet maker, Park st

Mawdsley George, patten and clog maker, New street

M’Cabe Thomas, fruiterer, New street

M’Crea James, travelling draper, Mill Bank

Milward Cornelius, beerhouse, New street

Moore James, earthenware dealer, New st

Moore Samuel, ironmonger, grocer, and tallow chandler, Market square

Moreton Joseph, inland revenue officer, Park terrace

Morgan Francis, shopkeeper, New street

Morgan Henry, druggist and grocer, New st

Morgan John, maltster & vict., Nelson Inn, New street

Morgan John, shoemaker, New street

Morris George, pawnbroker, New street

Morris Henry, saddler, Church street

Morris John, hair dresser, Church street

Morris John, goods manager for Shropshire union railway, Fountain place

Morris John, tailor, draper, & hatter, New st

Newill Robert Daniel, Esq., solicitor, and coroner for the Bradford district, New st

Nickless Samuel, vict., Red Lion, New street

Nock William, Esq., solicitor, and agent to Guardian Insurance Office, New street

Oliver James, Esq., Spring hill

Onions Robert, assistant overseer, Church st

Padmore Thomas, vict., Fox and Hounds, Crown street

Page Francis, cabinet maker and builder, New street

Parker James, beerhouse, New street

Parker John, inland revenue officer, Fields cottage

Park George, beerhouse, New street

Parton Thomas, maltster, Church street

Parton William, cabinet maker, New street

Paterson Edward, timber merchant, Mill bank

Peake Richard, corn, seed, and hay dealer, King street

Peplow Richard, woollen draper, tailor, hatter, and agent to Anchor Insurance Office, Charlton place, Church street

Peplow Wm., watch & clock maker, New st

Peplow William, tailor & draper, Watling st

Perry Samuel, beerhouse, King street

Phillips Elizabeth, dressmaker, Walker st

Phillips Jane, dressmaker, St. John’s street

Piggott Rev. Wm., (Wesleyan) St. John’s st

Pinches Wm., maltster, (Taylor & Pinches), St. John’s street

Plant Robert, shoemaker, King street

Poble John, blacksmith, Watling street

Pointon Henry, painter, plumber, and provision dealer, Crown street

Poole William, butcher, Dun Cow lane

Pooler William, tailor and draper, New st

Price Jane, shopkeeper, Church street

Price Edward, schoolmaster (National), Churchyard side

Price Richard, beerhouse, Park street

Price Robert, wheelwright, timber merchant, and vict., Queen’s Head, Walker street

Pritchard Mrs. Ann, Mill Bank

Randles Richard, beerhouse, Park street

Robinson James, shopkeeper, Watling street

Robinson John, tea dealer, Watling street

Roe Richard, cab maker, Swine market

Rogers Mary, shopkeeper, New street

Roper George, carpenter, Wrekin road

Ridding Mrs. Lettice, the Mount

Richards Richard, butcher, St. John’s street

Rimmer Henry, manager of goods department at Shrewsbury and Birmingham railway, St. John street

Russell John, sexton, Church street

Ryder John, surgeon, Crescent house, Park street

Sagah Mrs. Sarah, Park street

Sambrook William, beerhouse, Park street

Sandels John, maltster, porter merchant, and vict., Groom and Horses, Walker st.

Shakeshaft Benjamin, plumber, glazier, and painter, and beerhouse, Church street

Shakeshaft Helen and Ann, braziers and victs., Fox and Grapes, Market street

Shaw Benjamin, bricklayer, Newtown

Shaw John, vict., Charlton Arms, Church st.

Shelton Annette, vict., Duke of Wellington, New street

Shelton Edward, vict., Raven Inn, Walker street

Shelton Robert, farmer and saddler, Watling street

Shepard James, maltster, Park street

Sheppard John Henry, tailor and draper, New street

Shepherd Abraham, vict., Queen’s Head, New street

Shepherd Isaac, beerhouse, King street

Shepperd Robert, chair maker, New street

Shropshire Banking Company, John Benson, Esq., manager, Church street

Simpson Charles, smallware dealer, New street

Slaney John, wine and spirit merchant, Church street

Smith John, shopkeeper, Park street

Smith Benjamin, postmaster, bookseller, printer, stationer, and bookbinder, New street

Smith Henry, hairdresser, New street

Smith Peter, travelling draper, Mill Bank

Smith William, travelling draper, Mill Bank

Snook George, maltster and road surveyor, Tan bank

Stamper John, supervisor of inland revenue, Spring street

Stean Jane, dressmaker, Park street

Steedman John Francis, surgeon, Park street

Steel James, farmer, Buckatree hall

Stephens Richard, shoemaker, Dun Cow lane

Stokes James, vict., Holly Bush, Street lane

Stones Francis, furniture broker, New street

Summers Richard Dickson, currier and vict., Duke’s Head, New street

Swift Martha, schoolmistress, Church street

Tarbitt David K., tea dealer (travelling), Watling street

Taylor William Muchall, solicitor, and agent to general life office, and law fire office, Church street

Thompson Emanuel, shoemaker, Summer row

Thompson Thomas, shoemaker, Dun Cow ln

Titley Joseph, butcher, Pump street

Turner John, joiner, Foundry lane

Turner James, saddler, Dun Cow lane

Turner Thomas, Esq., clerk to magistrates and actuary at Saving’s Bank, Walker st

Turner Thomas, cabinet maker and butcher, New street

Turner Thomas, grocer & bricklayer, New st

Turner William, Esq., solicitor, Walker st.; residence, Field House

Vaughan James, hair dresser and toy dealer, New street

Vaughan Thomas, hair dresser & toy dealer, New street

Venables Charles, draper and silk mercer, Church street

Vickers Richard, cooper, New street

Vickers Thomas, beerhouse, Pump street

Warren Robert, beerhouse, New street

Wase John, solicitor, and agent to law fire office, Church street

Webb Charles, confectioner, New street

Webb Henry, confectioner, New street

Webb James, draper & silk mercer, Market square

Webb Thomas, ironmonger, Crown street

Webb William and Co., grocers, chandlers, and hop, seed, and guano merchants, Market square

Welsh Robert, travelling tea dealer, Hope Cottage

West Marshall, beerhouse, New street

West Thomas, butcher, Market street

Weston Emma, boarding school, Watling st

Weston Robert, surgeon, St. John street

Whittall Thomas, beerhouse, King street

Whittall William, maltster, King street

Whitfield John, grocer, tea dealer, and ironmonger, Market square

Williams Thomas, shopkeeper, Watling st

Winnall Richard, shopkeeper, New street

Winter Simon, watch & clock maker, New st

Wood Richard, tailor, Mill Bank

Wood William, wheelwright, Summer row

York James, baker, New street

York William Henry, plumber, glazier, and vict., George and Dragon, New street

CLASSIFICATION OF THE PROFESSIONS, MANUFACTURES, AND TRADES IN THE TOWN OF WELLINGTON.

Academies.

Beetlestone Misses, New st

Binnell Jane, Rose hill

Catholic, William Thomas Arthur, Mill Bank

Cranage Joseph Edward, (boarding), The Old Hall

Hussey John, Church street

National, Edward Price and Mary Fox, Church yard side

Swift Martha, Church street

Weston Emma, (boarding), Watling street

Agricultural Implement Makers.

Baddeley Thos., Market sq

Price Robert, Walker street

Attornies.

Buckle Frederick, New street

Greatwood Robert, Parville

Farmer Jas. Bayley, New st

Newill Robert Daniel, New st

Knowles Isaac, Church st

Marcy George, and clerk to poor law union, and superintendent registrar, Watling street

Nock William, Church st

Palin Richard, Church st., and Shrewsbury

Taylor William Muchall, Church street

Turner William, Walker st

Wase John, Church street

Auctioneers.

Barber John, Church street

Houlston John, office over county court

Bakers.

Austin William, New street

Berks Mary Ann, New street

Broom Isaac, Walker street

York James, Church street

Banks.

Shropshire Banking Co., John Benson, Esq., manager, (draw on Hanburg, Tailor, Lloyd, & Company.)

Basket Maker.

Chapman Martin, New street

Blacksmiths.

Baddeley Thos., Market sq

Corbett Samuel, and whitesmith, King street

Cotton Robert, Walker street

Lockley Richard, Jarrat’s ln

Lloyd Richard, Wrekin road

Griffiths John, Swine market

Poble John, Watling street

Booksellers, &c.

Hobson Robert, Market sq

Keay James, New street

Leake Thomas, New street

Smith Benjamin, New street

Boot and Shoemakers.

Barnes John, King street

Brookes George, New street

Brown Thomas, New town

Corbett Thomas, Watling st

Edwards Jane, New street

Edwards Thomas, New st

Gough James, Crown street

Griffiths Charles, Mill Bank

Harris George, New street

Harris George, Church st

Holland Ann, Church street

Keay Charlotte, Market sq

Lawson Charles, New st

Liggatt John, New street

Lloyd Wm., Fields cottages

Lloyd William, New street

Morgan John, New street

Plant Robert, King street

Stephens Rd., Dun Cow ln

Thompson Emanuel, Summer row

Thompson Thos., Dun Cow lane

Braziers.

Baddeley Thomas, Market sq

Brookes William, New street

Gill Robert, New street

Lloyd Thomas, New street

Shakeshaft Helen and Ann, Market street

Bricklayer.

Shaw Benjamin, New town

Brick makers.

Corbett John, Wrekin road

Turner Thomas, Market sq

Builder.

Downes John, Church street

Butchers.

Clay Thomas, New town

Cartwright William, New st

Davies James, New street

Dolphin Joseph, Butchers row

Espley George, (pork), New street

Poole William, Dun Cow ln

Richards Rd., St. John street

Titley Joseph, Pump street

West Thomas, Market street

Cabinet Makers & Furniture Brokers.

Delveccio and Dotti, New st

Groom John, New street

Page Francis, New street

Parton William, New street

Roe Richard, Swine market

Stones Francis, New street

Turner Thomas, New street

Chair Maker.

Shepperd Robert, New street

Chemists & Druggists.

Bradbury Charles, New st

Edwards William, Market sq

Ison John, New street

Moore Samuel, Market sq

Morgan Henry, New street

Clog and Patten Maker.

Mawdsley George, New st

Clothiers.

Jacobs Maurice, Crown st

Morris George, New street

Morris John, New street

Pooler William, New street

Coach Builder.

Botwood William, Tan bank

Confectioners.

Austin William, New street

Holland Ann, Church street

Webb Charles, New street

Webb Henry, New street

Coopers.

Davies William, New street

Edwards Thomas, New st

Vickers Richard, New street

Corn Millers.

Cooke Henry, Wind mill

Reynolds Stephen, King st

Corn, Seed, and Hay Dealer.

Peake Richard, King street

Curriers & Leather Cutters.

Haynes John, New street

Summers Richard Dixon, New street

Fire and Life Offices.

Anchor, Richard Peplow, Charlton place, Church st

Guardian Assurance Office, William Nock, Church st

Law Fire Office, William M. Taylor, Church street

Law Fire Office, John Wase, Church street

Minerva, John Barber, Church street

Phœnix, John Barber, Church street

Royal Exchange, William Edwards, Market square

Salop, John Danby, Walker street

Shropshire and North Wales, Richard Lawrence, New st

Solicitors’ and General Life, Wm. M. Taylor, Church st

Star Life Office, Benjamin Smith, New street

Fishmonger.

Bowring Robert, New street

Fruiterer.

Mc.Cabe Peter, New street

Green Grocer.

Brown John, Park street

Grocers and Tea Dealers.

Cotterill Wm., Church st

Danby John, Walker street

Edwards William, Market sq

Ison John, New street

Moore Samuel, Market sq

Morgan Henry, New street

Turner Thomas, Market sq

Webb Wm. & Co., Market sq

Whitfield John, Church st

Hair Dressers.

Clayton Richard, New street

Davies John, New street & Crown street

Heighway Thomas, New st

Morris John, Church street

Smith Henry, New street

Vaughan James, New street

Vaughan Thomas, New st

Hatters.

Davies David, New street

Green Miles, Church street

Lewis John, Market square

Morris John, New street

Peplow Richard, Charlton pl

Hop, Seed, and Guano Merchants.

Jones John, Park street

Webb William & Company, Market square

Hosiers.

Evans Jane, New street

Butler Joseph, and rag and bone dealer, New street

Hotels, Inns, and Taverns.

Bell Inn, John Dax, New st

Brittannia, John Crowder, King street

Bull’s Head, John Goodman, New street

Charlton Arms, John Shaw, Church street

Cock Inn, Anne Hodkiss, Watling street

Crown Inn, Rebecca Hampton, Crown street

Duke’s Head, Richard Dixon Summers, New street

Duke of Wellington, Annette Shelton, New street

Dun Cow, John Brown, Dun Cow lane

Fox and Grapes, Helen and Ann Shakeshaft, Market st

Fox and Hounds, Thomas Padmore, Crown street

George and Dragon, Wm. Henry York, New street

Groom and Horses, John Sandells, Walker street

Holly Bush, James Stokes, Street lane

King’s Head, John Espley, New street

Odd Fellows’ Arms, Richard Hamlett, New street

Market Tavern, John Davies, Crown street

Nelson Inn, John Morgan, New street

Queen’s Head, Robert Price, Walker street

Queen’s Head, Abraham Shepherd, New street

Raven Inn, Edward Shelton, Walker street

Red Lion, Samuel Nickless, Park street

Red Lion, Edward Grainger, Street lane

Shakespere, Thomas Jones, New street

Sun Inn, Robert Irwin, Walker street

White Lion, Thomas Capsey, Crown street

Wickett William Birch, Street lane

Beerhouses.

Cartwright Thomas, Street ln

Corbett John, New street

Corbett Thomas, King st

Dabbs Moses, Park street

Davies Evan, New street

Davies Henry, New street

Dolphin William, Watling st

Evans Thomas, Pump street

Farmer Edward, New street

France Robert, Gerrard’s ln

Griffiths John, Mill Bank

Hartley Henry, New street

Heaford Mary, New street

Houlston John, Watling st

Hughes Robert, New street

Ison John, Watling street

Jackson William, New st

Jones Richard, Church st

Mansell William, New st

Milward Cornelius, New st

Park George, New street

Parker James, New street

Perry Samuel, King street

Randles Richard, Park street

Sambrook William Jones, Park street

Shakeshaft Benjamin, Church street

Shepperd Isaac, King street

Vickers Thomas, Pump st

Warren Robert, New street

West Marshall, New street

Whittall Thomas, King st

Ironmongers.

Baddeley Thomas, Market sq

Moore Samuel, Market sq

Webb Thomas, Crown street

Whitfield John, Church st

Iron and Brass Founders.

Edwards William and Son, Tan Bank

Mansell William, Foundry ln

Joiners and Builders.

Groom John, New street

Jones Thomas, Vineyard yd

Large John, Church street

Roper George, Wrekin road

Turner John, Foundry lane

Linen and Woollen Drapers.

Allwood William, Church st

Bratton Thomas Benjamin, Market square

Danby John, Church street

Dax John, New street

Juckes Charles, New street

Lewis John, Church street

Lockitt John, New street

Venables Charles, Church st

Webb, James Market square

Maltsters.

Child John, Church street

Espley John, New street

Jones John, Park street

Jones Charles, Vineyard rd

Morgan John, New street

Parton Thomas, Church st

Pinches William, (Taylor & Pinches) New street

Snook George, Tan Bank

Sandells John, Walker street

Shepard James, Park street

Summers Richard D., New st

Whittall William, King st

Milliners and Dress Makers.

Binns and Smith, Church st

Hall Catherine, Park terrace

Lloyd Emma, New street

Phillips Elizabeth, Walker st

Phillips Ann, St. John street

Pugh Margaret, Springhill

Roden Eliza, Rose hill

Stean Jane, Park terrace

Nail Makers.

Baddeley Thomas, Market sq

Griffiths John, Mill Bank

Luckcock Richard, New st

Webb Thomas, Crown street

Nurseryman.

Espley John, New street

Pawnbrokers.

Laurence Richard, New st

Morris George, New street

Porter Merchants.

Jones John, Park street

Jones Thomas, New street

Jones Charles, Vineyard road

Sandells John, Walker st

Plumbers, Glaziers, & Painters.

Davies John, Crown street

Davies John, Walker street

Groom William, New street

Lewis James, Watling street

Poynton Henry, Crown street

Shakeshaft Benj., Church st

Rope and Twine Maker.

Heywood Charles, New st

Saddlers.

Griffiths William, Walker st

Harper William, New street

Morris Henry, Church street

Shelton Robert, Watling st

Turner James, Dun Cow ln

Seedsmen.

Barnes John, King street

Gibson John, Park street

Leah Edward, Park street

Shopkeepers.

Austin William, New street

Bagshaw Joseph, Crown st.

Bird Francis, Crown street

Buttery John, salt dealer, New street

Cartwright Edward, sen., New street

Cartwright Edward, jun., New street

Fieldhouse John, New street

Hughes William, New street

Jones Joseph, Watling street

Lloyd Joseph, New street

Morgan Francis, New street

Poynton Henry, Crown street

Price Jane, Church street

Robinson James, Watling st

Rogers Mary, New street

Smith John, Park street

Williams Thos., Watling st.

Winnall Richard, New street

Smallware and General Dealers.

Bellingham Wm., New street

Butler Joseph, New street

Simpson Charles, New street

Vaughan James, New street

Vaughan Thos., New street

Stone Masons.

Downes Vincent, Church st.

Snook George, Tan Bank

Straw Bonnet Makers.

Atkins Elizabeth, Church st.

Evans Hannah, New street

Matthews Mary Ann, Park terrace

Surgeons.

Beeston John, New street

Howlett William, Park street

Hayes Henry, Vineyard road

Jones Samuel Haden, New street

Ryder John, Crescent house, Park street

Steedman John Francis, Park street

Weston Robert P., St. John’s street

Surveyors.

Barber John, Church street

Hutchinson John, Park st.

Tailors.

Marked * are woollen drapers.

* Alltree Thomas, Crown st.

Bennett Samuel, New street

Birch John, New street

* Corbet John, New street

* Davies Charles, New street

* Green Miles, Church street

Hall Michael, Park street

Jones Richard, Church street

Jacobs Maurice, New street

* Lawrence Richard, New street

* Morris John, New street

* Peplow Richard, Charlton Place

* Peplow William, Watling street

* Pooler William, New street

Sheppard John Henry, King street

Sheppard Joseph, New street

Swift Joseph, Wrekin road

Wood Richard, Mill Bank

Tallow Chandlers.

Moore Samuel, Market square

Webb William and Co., Market square

Tanners.

Adney George and Edward, the Grove

Tea Dealers and Drapers (Travelling).

Allinson John, Watling st.

Farries Alexander, Watling street

Dod Agnew, St. John street

Grant Alexander, Mill Bank

Grant William, Mill Bank

M’Crea James, Mill Bank

Robinson John, Watling st.

Smith Peter, Mill Bank

Smith William, Mill Bank

Tarbitt David K., Watling street

Welsh Robert, Hope Cottage

Wilson William, Jarrat’s lane

Timber merchants.

Crowder John, King street

Groom and Sons, New street

Paterson Peter, Mill Bank

Price Robert, Walker street

Umbrella Makers.

Brannan Michael, Walker st.

Jones John, New street

Veterinary Surgeons.

Lane John, Swine market

Matthew Edward, Walker st.

Watch and Clock Makers.

Delvecchio and Dotti, New street

Lawley Joseph, Swine market

Lawrence Richard, New st.

Peplow William, New street

Winter Simon, New street

Wheelwrights.

Corbett Thomas, King street

Wood William, Summer row

Price Robert, Walker street

Wine and Spirit Merchants.

Downing Mary, Church st.

Jones Thomas (retail only), New street

Slaney John, Church street

Conveyance by Railway.

To all parts of the kingdom by the Shrewsbury and Birmingham and the Shropshire Union Railways, from the Railway Station, near the Market square

Omnibus.

An omnibus leaves the Bull’s Head Hotel for Ironbridge, at 2 P.M., and 8 P.M., and arrives from thence at 9 A.M. and 5 P.M.

ARLESTONE

is a email township in the parish of Wellington, which comprises 612a. 3r. 3p. of land, and in 1841 had 33 houses and 181 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,525. 10s. This township is the property of Lord Forester, and situated about a mile and a half south-east from Wellington; the houses are scattered; a commodious house in the village, composed of brick and timber, is the residence of Mr. John Poole, farmer. Newdale is a hamlet about two miles from Wellington, returned as having 37 houses and 196 inhabitants, at the census of 1841. The population of this hamlet is chiefly employed in the collieries in the immediate vicinity.

Directory.—Richard Brown, tailor; John Garbitt, beerhouse keeper; Francis Groome, farmer; Edmund Oliver, joiner and cabinet maker; John Poole, farmer; Enoch Upton, farmer; Edward Williams, farmer and shopkeeper, Newdale.

APLEY

is a township a mile and a quarter north from Wellington, embracing 382 acres of land, which is the property of St. John Chiverton Charlton, Esq. Rateable value, £790. 2s. Apley Castle is a handsome mansion embosomed in foliage, the seat of St. John Chiverton Charlton, Esq., and situated in a park of considerable extent. The principal front of the mansion is ornamented with a noble portico, and not far from the entrance is a fine sheet of water. On the south-west side of the house is the conservatory and flower garden, tastefully laid out, and kept in the most beautiful order. About a hundred and fifty yards from the mansion are the remains of the ancient castle, which was in early times the manor house of the Charltons, Lords of Powis, of which family the first we find mentioned is John de Charlton, who, in the first year of Edward II., obtained a charter of free warren in all his demesne lands; and in the tenth year of the same reign procured a licence to make a castle of his manor house here. The old castle was moated, part of which still remains; some small fragmentary portions of the walls are also still to be seen. The site is now occupied by a range of stables. The rectoral tithes of Apley Dothill are commuted for £49. 4s.

The residents are St. John Chiverton Charlton, Esq., Apley Castle; John Mitchell, gardener; and Joseph Walker, farm bailiff.

ASTON

is a township in the parish of Wellington, with a scattered population, three miles south-west by south from the parish church, comprising 1,389a. 3r. 22p. of land, which is the property of the Duke of Cleveland and Mrs. Cludde. In 1841 here were 15 houses and 84 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,420. 10s. The tithes have been commuted, and £178. 10s. apportioned to St. John Chiverton Charlton, Esq., and £48. 8s. to the vicar of Wellington.

The principal residents are Robert Dickin, farmer; George Dodsworth, builder; John Edwards, farmer, Wrekin farm; John Keay, farmer, Wrekin; Miss Abigail Rider, farmer, the Hall; Joseph Steele, farmer.

DOTHILL

is a small township in the parish of Wellington, comprising 323a. 3r. 14p. of land, which is the property of Lord Forester. Rateable value, £710. 18s. Dothill Park, a good house pleasantly situated about a mile north from Wellington, is the only residence in the township, and is occupied by William Wyley, Esq.

HADLEY

is a township and populous village in the parish of Wellington, on the Newport and Wellington turnpike road, about a mile and a quarter north-east from the latter place. The township contains 1,199a. 1r. 18p. of land, and in 1841 there were 246 houses, and 1,280 inhabitants. Rateable value, £5,217. 18s. The rectoral tithes, commuted for £272. 11s., are paid to St. John Chiverton Charlton, Esq., and the vicarial tithes for £87. 8s. The labouring population find employment in the extensive iron works and collieries in the immediate vicinity, and trade is facilitated by the Shropshire union railway, which intersects the township, and also by the Shropshire union canal, which crosses Hadley Park a short distance from the hall. The opposition between the Shrewsbury and Birmingham and the Shropshire Union railways, has caused a greater reduction in the fares for the last twelve months, in this locality, perhaps than in any other part of the kingdom; the charge being but one penny for third-class passengers to Shrewsbury, a distance of about a dozen miles; and threepence for second-class passengers. The Hadley station is situated a short distance from the Hall. The Baptists and Primitive Methodists have each a place of worship here. Hadley Hall is a commodious brick structure, pleasantly situated in park-like grounds, the occasional residence of George Benjamin Thorneycroft, Esq., who is lord of the manor and a considerable landowner. The other chief landowners are Mr. Phillips, Mr. Boycott, Mrs. Cartwright, Rev. T. Stoneham, and Mr. Poyner. The Manor House is an ancient timbered residence, in the occupancy of Mr. Thomas Jones, farmer.

Thorneycroft George Benjamin, Esq., the Hall

Bennoin Charles, farmer and maltster, Hadley Park

Brown Joseph, farmer, maltster, and vict., King’s Head

Brown Robert, shoemaker

Brown William Henry, maltster and shopkeeper

Bullock Thomas, maltster and beerhouse

Clayton John, maltster and farmer

Collier George, Esq.

Davies Joseph, shopkeeper

Draycott Elizabeth, dressmaker and shopkeeper

Dunn William, farmer

Evans Thomas, tailor

Getley William, crown, sheet, and plate glass merchant

Ireland Philip Henry, vict., Bush Inn

Jones Benjamin, agent to Wombridge coal works

Jones George, schoolmaster

Jones Henry Windsor, station master

Jones John, farmer, Hadley lodge

Jones Richard, farmer and shopkeeper

Jones Thomas, bricklayer

Jones Thomas, farmer, the Manor House

Jones Thomas, vict., Cross Keys

Jones Whitmore, butcher

Lawrence Elizabeth, beerhouse

Lloyd William, shoemaker

Lover John, sergeant-major in yeomanry cavalry

Medlington Benjamin, blacksmith

Nickleys Thomas, farmer and beerhouse

Palin John, farmer

Pearce John, corn miller, Hadley mill

Pooley Thomas, Esq., iron master

Poyner Henry, Esq.

Siddens Mrs. Emma

Shuker William, shopkeeper

Thomas Robert, cattle dealer

Tomlinson John, corn miller, Leegomery

Turner Samuel, shopkeeper

Ward James, joiner, builder, and cabinet maker

Webb Matthew, Esq. surgeon, Haybridge

Whittingham Samuel, Esq., Haybridge

Worrall Timothy, shopkeeper and shoemaker

HORTON,

a small township and scattered village in the parish of Wellington, comprises 354a. 1r. 15p. of land, which is principally the property of Mrs. Icke. The village is situated about three miles north from Wellington, and in 1841 there were 27 houses and 117 inhabitants. Rateable value, £706. 6s. St. John Chiverton Charlton, Esq., is the impropriator of the large tithes, which are commuted for £81. 18s.; the vicarial tithes are commuted for £15. 2s.

The chief residents in Horton are James Barge, maltster; Thomas Barker, black smith and vict., Horse Shoe Inn; Thomas Blest, boot and shoemaker; Thomas Chilton, bricklayer; John Doody, tailor; John France, farmer; Richard Griffiths, carpenter and joiner; Elizabeth Icke, farmer; Samuel Middleton, shopkeeper

KETLEY

is a township and populous district in the parish of Wellington, situated in the great Prœtorian road of the Romans called the Watling Street, two miles east from Wellington. The township contains 774a. 3r. 2p. of land, which is chiefly the property of the Duke of Sutherland; the Rev. Thompson Stoneham, and others, are also proprietors. At the census of 1841, there were 498 houses, and 2,642 inhabitants, most of whom are employed in the extensive iron works, collieries, and ironstone mines, situated in this and the adjoining townships. Rateable value, £3,033, 4s. St. John Chiverton Charlton, Esq., is the impropriator of the large tithes, which are commuted for £92; the vicarial tithes are commuted for £31. 10s. The commercial intercourse of Ketley is facilitated by the Shropshire union canal, and the railway in the immediate vicinity, by which the valuable mineral productions with which this locality abounds are conveyed to distant parts. The Ketley Company (Messrs. Lawley, Ogle, Williams, Hombersley, Cope and Cope) have an extensive establishment for the manufacture of pig and bar iron, and are also the proprietors of extensive collieries, which are held in lease under the Duke of Sutherland. The Church, dedicated to St. Mary, a neat cruciform structure, exhibiting the lancet style of architecture, was built and endowed in 1838, by his grace George Granville, Duke of Sutherland. Upon the organ is an inscription, from which we learn that the inhabitants of Ketley and the neighbourhood, “under a deep sense of gratitude, have caused the organ to be erected as a thank offering to Almighty God, for having thus disposed the heart of his servant.” The situation of the church is judiciously chosen, elevated and central, and the churchyard commands most extensive views of the surrounding counties. The home views embrace a fine extent of the fertile plains of Shropshire, the celebrated Wrekin, and the far-famed iron works of the neighbourhood. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the diocese of Lichfield, and patronage of the Duke of Sutherland; incumbent, Rev. Thompson Stoneham, M.A., who resides at the Parsonage, a good and commodious residence, also the gift of his grace. The Parochial Schools, situated near the church, were built by his grace the Duke of Sutherland, by whose liberality they are also chiefly supported. There is an average attendance of about one hundred and fifty scholars. The Wesleyan Methodists have a small chapel, built in 1823; there is also a commodious Wesleyan Chapel at Ketley Bank, built in 1823. Ketley Bank is a scattered but populous district, partly in this township and partly in the parish of Wombridge. The Wesleyan chapel above mentioned is in the latter parish. Many interesting varieties of fossils and petrifactions are found in this neighbourhood.

Post Office.—At Mrs. Ann Williams’. Letters arrive at 7 A.M., and are dispatched at 6 P.M.

Marked 1 are in Ketley Bank, 2 in Ketley Sands, and the rest in the village of Ketley.

Adams Geo., cabinet maker

1 Allen George, schoolmaster (parochial)

1 Blakemore Thomas, tailor

Bourne Maria, maltster and shopkeeper

Bourne William James, grocer, tea dealer, and draper

Bradbury George, Esq., Spring grove

1 Chunn Enoch, shoemaker

Conniff Robert, hair dresser

Cooke Joseph, maltster, residence Shrewsbury

Dickson Mr., Bank house

2 Dorset William, beerhouse

Dunning Roger, vict., Lord Hill

Gallier Charles, butcher

Gallier William, vict., Stars Inn

1 Gittins John, blacksmith

1 Guy Roland, shopkeeper

1 Hazledine John, shopkeepr

Hughes John, cashier to Ketley Iron Works

Jeffs Henry, tailor

1 Jones James and Jeffry, farmers

1 Jones James, farmer and shopkeeper

1 Jones James, farmer

1 Keay Elizabeth, shopkeepr

1 Keay Richard, shoemaker

1 Light Robert, joiner

Lloyd John, shoemaker

1 Lloyd Sarah, beerhouse

Mackay John, agent to the Duke of Sutherland

Macknight George, surgeon, Mossy Green Cottage

Macknight James, farmer, Mossy Green Cottage

1 Morley Thomas, grocer and draper

1 Maddocks John, blacksmth

Millington John, maltster, timber merchant, & brick maker

Moore William, beerhouse

Morris John, vict., Horse Shoes

1 Ollerenshaw Rev. H., (Independent)

1 Onions William, shoemaker

Onions William, vict., Red Lion

2 Palin Richard, boot and shoemaker

Pearce Mr. Thomas

Perry William, vic., Stafford Arms

Picken Richard, beerhouse

Pinches John, shoemaker

1 Pocock Robert, schoolmast

Price Aaron, grocer and tea dealer

Price Thomas, beerhouse

Ravenscroft William, tailor

1 Shepherd William, vict., Sun Inn

Stoneham Rev. Thompson, M.A., incumbent, The Parsonage

1 Teague John, shopkeeper and beerhouse

Tipton Mark, agent to Beriah Botfield, Esq., and vict., Wheat Sheaf, Mossy Green

Turner Elizabeth, beerhouse

Vickers Edward, relieving officer

Williams Ann, postmistress

Williams Ann, schoolmistrss

Williams Emanuel, shoemkr

Williams John, Esq., iron master, Ketley Hill

Woodall Peter, shoemaker

LAWLEY

is a township in the parish of Wellington, with a scattered population chiefly engaged in the extensive collieries and iron works in the immediate vicinity. The village is situated three miles south-east from Wellington, and five miles west by north from Shiffnal. The township contains 708a. 0r. 1p. of land, and at the census of 1841 there were 33 houses and 173 inhabitants. Rateable value £3,033. 4s. The rectoral tithes are commuted for £78. St. John Chiverton Charlton, Esq. is the impropriator. The vicarial tithes are commuted for £25. 4s. The Wesleyan New Connexion have a commodious chapel, situate at Lawley Bank, erected in the year 1838.

The following are the principal residents:—Those with * affixed are at Lawley Bank. Robert Bailey, cashier, Spring cottage; * William Dunning, vict., Bull’s Head; * Mary Ann Garbitt, farmer; Richard Garbitt, farmer and land agent; * Elizabeth Hart, vict., King’s Head; Susannah Hewlett, farmer; William Ison, manager to Coalbrook Dale company; * James Jones, farmer and shopkeeper; * Thomas Jones, farmer, shopkeeper, and maltster; * Robert Lloyd, boot and shoemaker; * Enoch Morgan, shopkeeper; Mr. Edward Rowlands; * George Shepherd, grocer and draper; John Williams, farmer; Joseph Williams, farmer, butcher, and vict., White Horse.

WALCOT, OR WALCOTT,

a small township in the parish of Wellington, comprising 408a. 3r. 27p. of land, at the census in 1841 had nine scattered houses and forty-three inhabitants, chiefly engaged in agricultural pursuits. The township is situated four miles south-west by south from Wellington. The landowners are Lord Berwick, Miss Cludde, Mr. George Walmsley, and Mrs. Ann Walmsley. The soil in this locality is a mixture of sand loam, with a portion of gravel. The river Tern bounds the township, and is crossed by a stone bridge of three arches, built by subscription in 1782; and the Shrewsbury and Wellington line of railway intersects the township, and has a station here.

The chief residents are Susannah Cotterill, farmer; William Cotterill, farmer and corn miller; Thomas Plant, farmer, the Grove; Ann Walmsley, farmer; John Walmsley, the Cottage.

WAPPENSHALL AND LEEGOMERY

is a township in the parish of Wellington, embracing 834a. 0r. 15p. of land, but of which there was no separate return of the population at the census of 1841. Wappenshall is situated about two and a half miles N.E. from Wellington, where there is a respectable inn, a wharf and warehouses on the banks of the Shropshire union canal, which here branches off to Wolverhampton; there is also a branch of the extensive iron works and collieries in the immediate vicinity, which from thence passes on to Coalport. The land here is the property of the Duke of Sutherland. Leegomery House, a good residence pleasantly situated a mile and a quarter N.E. from Wellington, is occupied by William Shakeshaft Lawley, Esq. A short distance from Leegomery is a corn mill, also in this township. The rectoral tithes are commuted for £194. 14s. St. John Chiverton Charlton, Esq., is the impropriator. The vicarial tithes are commuted for £70. 12s. The principal residents are Harriet Balliss, farmer, Wappenshall; William Shakeshaft Lawley, Esq., Leegomery House; John Tomlinson, corn miller; John Tranter, wharfinger and vict., Sutherland Arms.

WITHINGTON

is a parish and small rural village in a retired part of the county, six miles W. from Wellington; which comprises 1,135a. 0r. 13p. of land, the principal owners of which are Andrew William Corbet, Esq., R. D. Edwards, Esq., Rev. Thomas Husband, and Mr. Bernard Hiles. At the census in 1801 the parish had a population of 170 souls; 1831, 193, and in 1841 there were 44 houses and 219 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,694. 12s. The Church is a plain structure, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, consisting of nave and chancel, with a tower in which are two bells. The chancel, which is the most ancient part of the building, is of stone, and the body of the church of brick. The interior has a neglected appearance. Upon a stone in the nave, there is a brass plate, with the figure of a person in priestly habiliments, with the following inscription in old English characters:—“Here lieth buried Mr. Adam Graffton, the most worshipful priest living in his days, sometime chaplain to the famous princes, King Edward V. and Prince Arthur; Archdeacon of Stafford, Warden of the Battlefield, Dean of St. Mary’s College, in Salop, and parson of this church: deceased the 20th of June, A.D. one thousand five hundred and thirty, whose soul God keep.” Another brass plate, with the figure of a man and a woman and seven children, remembers John de Onley and family, and is dated 1500. There are neat marble tablets to the memory of Peter Blakeway, who died in 1808; to Elizabeth Browne, who died in 1788; and to the Rev. Corbet Browne, rector of this parish and Upton Magna, who died in the year 1807, aged 80 years. The living is a perpetual curacy, subordinate to the rectory of Upton Magna. The Rev. Corbet Browne is the incumbent: Rev. Thomas Honeyman, curate. This township is intersected by the Shrewsbury Canal. A sum of £16 mentioned in the charity returns of 1786, as given by Andrew Peplow in 1728, appears to have been lost many years ago, by the insolvency of the person in whose hands it was placed.

Browne Rev. Corbet, rector, The Rectory

Browne Corbet, jun., farmer

Edwards Rann Dolphin, Esq.

Evans Richard, tailor and shopkeeper

Hiles Bernard, farmer

Honeyman Rev. Thomas, curate

James Edward Topham, farmer

Milward Frederick, saddler

Moore Helen, dressmaker

Pain Thomas, farmer

Richards Edward, wheelwright

Shingler George, wheelwright

Smith William, vict., Hare and Hounds

Topham Benjamin, farmer

Williams John, blacksmith and beerhouse

Williams Robert, shoemaker

Woolstein John Edward Israel, tailor

WOMBRIDGE,

a parish and small village two miles east from Wellington, containing most of the populous district of Oakengates within its bounds. The parish contains 790 acres, and in 1801 had 1835 inhabitants, 1831, 1855, and in 1841 there were 406 houses and a population of 2057 souls. Rateable value £2,395. The village is situated at the junction of the Shrewsbury, Shropshire, and Marquis of Stafford’s Canals, and intersected by the Watling street and the various railways connected with the extensive coal and iron works in the immediate vicinity. There are some slight remains in the garden of Mr. Shepherd of a Priory that was founded here by William Fitz-Alan, for canons of the order of St. Austin. It was endowed by Henry II. with the church of St. Sutton; Hugh, Bishop of Coventry, confirmed the grant of Sutton, together with the grant of the chapel at Uppington, the gift of Roger de Mussun, on condition that the canons should present their chaplains to the bishop and his successors to receive at his and their hands, institution and induction for that church and chapel. The canons were to allow their chaplains a competent maintenance, and the residue of the profits was to be employed in charitable uses. There were various other benefactors to this priory, among whom were the lords of Cherrington, who gave the revenues of certain lands in that township to it. The various possessions of those canons with divers liberties granted by their several benefactors, were confirmed by King Edward II. The revenues at the general dissolution of religious houses were valued at £65. 7s. 4d. The Church is a brick structure, dedicated to St. Mary and St. Leonard, and consists of nave and transepts, with a short tower. It was enlarged and galleries added in 1823, when upwards of 300 sittings were thereby obtained, of which 295 were declared free and unappropriated, and are in addition to 100 free sittings formerly provided. There is a small organ at the west end. This church stands on the site of a former structure, which was blown down by a storm which happened in the spring of the year 1756. The living is a perpetual curacy, returned at £86. The Rev. John Dawson is the officiating minister.

OAKENGATES

is a populous district, partly in Wombridge and partly in Ketley, three miles east from Wellington, and four miles north-west from Shiffnal. The inhabitants of this populous locality find employment in the extensive collieries and iron works with which the neighbourhood abounds. The town consists of one long street which contains many good shops and several respectable inns. A market was established here in 1826, which is held on Saturdays, and the after part of the day has a very animated and business-like appearance. Fairs are also held in March, June, September, and December, but the specific days have not been finally settled. The fairs are toll free. To the west of Market street is Ketley or Coalpit Bank, a scattered district with a considerable population, partly in Wombridge parish, but chiefly in Wellington parish. The inhabitants have the advantage of railway communication by the Shropshire Union Railway, which passes through the town, and has a station within a hundred yards of Market street. The extensive iron works of the Lilleshall company will be transferred from Oakengates to Prior’s Lee before the expiration of the present year, in consequence of that place being nearer the iron-stone mines, but the extensive collieries will be carried on as heretofore by that company. The coal got here is of a very superior quality, and immense quantities are conveyed to distant parts by the railway and canals in the vicinity. The extensive iron works of Messrs. S. Horton, Simms and Bull, at Oakengates, are just within the bounds of the parish of Shiffnal. The Independents have a commodious chapel at Oakengates; the congregation is under the pastoral care of the Rev. H. Ollerenshaw. The Primitive Methodists have a spacious chapel built in 1847. The National School was chiefly built at the expense of James Oliver, Esq., of Wellington, aided by a grant from the National Society. Mr. Oliver also purchased the site for the school. It is a neat structure of brick, erected in 1846, comprising two commodious rooms and a residence for the teacher. The average number of scholars at the present time is fifty girls and eighty boys.

Post Office at Mr. Henry Shepherd’s, the Lion Inn. Letters arrive at 7 A.M., and are despatched at 6 P.M.

Oakengates and Wombridge Directories.

Those with * affixed are at Wombridge, and the rest at Oakengates, or where specified.

Bell Frederick, butcher

Bennett and Co., colliery proprietors

Cludde Moses, brazier

Davies George and Thos., colliery proprietors

* Dawson Rev. John, the parsonage

Eardley Mr. Robert, Hollins Wood

* Groom Thomas, farmer and maltster

Hanes John, tailor

Harper George, seedsman

Hill Enoch, builder

Horton, Simms and Bull, iron masters

Houlston John, auctioneer, and Wellington

Jones Arthur, accountant, Snedshill

Jones Alfred Charles, furnace manager to Lilleshall Company

Jones Charles Crawford, agent, Snedshill

Knox John, station master

Lilleshall Company, colliery proprietors and iron masters

Littlehales Thomas, schoolmaster (national)

Mansell William, currier

Ollerenshaw Rev. H., independent, Ketley Bank

Peplow Andrew, brick maker, Hollingswood

Robinson James, ironmonger

* Shepherd John Pike, farmer and maltster

Snead John, brickmaker, Snedshill

Turner Thomas, solicitor

Beerhouses.

Arkinstall George

Baugh Joseph

Bell Frederick

Brown John

Clarke William

Corbett Thomas

Peplow Andrew

Perry George

Scarrot Emanuel

Boot & Shoe Makers.

Cooper William

Jones Samuel

Grey Thomas

Light Francis

Hair Dressers.

Capsey Samuel

Hill James

Grocers & Provision Dealers.

Arkinstall George

Blackband Gerrard

Chapman Joseph

Corbett Thomas

Cotterill Joseph

Day Sarah

Hayes Henry

Jones Richard, and chemist and druggist

Matthews Thomas

Parkes John

Picker Mary

Pugh William

Robinson Alexander

Wright Sarah

Inns & Taverns.

Bull’s Head, Henry Onions

Black Horse, Rd. Holmes

Caledonian, Benj. Marrion

Charlton Arms, John Bourne

Compasses, William Pugh

Duke of York, Henry Hayes

Fighting Cocks, Wm. Light

Grey Hound, Thos. Marrison

Hand & Hammer, Sampson Pitchford

Leopard, Rebecca Rigby

Lion, Henry Shepherd

Red Lion, George Ellis, and watch maker

Talbot, William Hooper

Linen & Woollen Drapers & Hatters.

Davies John

Hayes Henry

Hopkins George, & clothier

Parkes John

Tarbett John

Maltsters.

Davies Thomas

Parkes John

WOODCOTE

is a township and chapelry in the parish of Sheriff Hales, three miles south-east by south from Newport, which in 1801 contained 130 inhabitants; 1831, 195; and in 1841 there were 29 houses and a population of 140 souls. The township contains upwards of 1,000 acres of land; rateable value, £1,003. 10s. Woodcote Hall is a spacious and handsome mansion, of free stone, delightfully situated on a gentle acclivity, and surrounded with park-like grounds finely timbered and richly diversified with sylvan beauty. A little west from the hall are extensive gardens. The Hall is the seat of John Cotes, Esq., who is owner of the whole township. The Chapel, situated near to the hall, is a plain structure of free-stone of considerable antiquity. On the south side is a door which exhibits the Saxon style of architecture. It contains several neat tablets in memory of the Cotes family, the last of which is in memory of John Cotes, Esq., M.P. for the county of Shropshire, who died in 1821, aged 72 years, leaving two sons and six daughters. A large marble slab, reared up against the pews near the altar rails, appears to have been the top of an altar tomb. It is curiously ornamented with two full length figures, and has a mutilated inscription round the edge. We did not observe any date upon it, but it is very ancient and worthy of inspection. A little west from the hall is an eminence called Heath Hill, which commands an extended view over this and the adjacent county of Stafford, and also of the towering heights of the Welsh mountains. On the eastern side of the township a small stream called Moreton Brook divides this county from that of Staffordshire; on the banks of which is a dilapidated corn-mill. The rest of the parish of Sheriff Hales, except Lilleshall House and a few scattered farms, are within the bounds of the county of Stafford, and may at a future period be included in a similar volume for that county. The village of Sheriff Hales is pleasantly situated three miles north from Shiffnal and five miles south from Newport. The parish contains 5,317a. 2a. 37p. of land, and at the census of 1841 there were 32 houses and 191 inhabitants returned as in the county of Shropshire, the names of the principal residents of which have been given in the Lilleshall directory.

The following are the principal residents in Woodcote township, viz.:—John Cotes, Esq., Woodcote Hall; George Alsop, farmer, Lynn; John Bedford, farm bailiff; John Downes, gamekeeper; James Lockley, farmer, Pave lane; Richard Lascombe, butler, The Hall; John Morris, farmer, Lynn; Cornelius Whitehouse, gardener, The Hall.

WROCKWARDINE

is a considerable parish in the Wellington division of the South Bradford hundred, which comprises the several townships (for highway purposes) of Admaston, Allscott, Bratton, Burcott, Charlton, Clotley, Long Lane, Wrockwardine, and Wrockwardine Wood. The parish contains 4,630a. 3r. 12p. of land, of which 469a. 0r. 28p. are woods, plantations, roads, and waste. The soil is various, the arable lands produce good crops of grain, and the grazing lands an abundance of grass. Gross estimated rental, £11,727, 7s. 4d.; rateable value, £10,554. 15s. In 1801 there were 1,913 inhabitants; 1831, 2,528, and in 1841, 541 houses and 2,741 inhabitants. A court leet and baron is held for the manor. Mrs. Mary Cludde, of Orleton, is lady of the manor, but Miss Anne Maria Cludde, daughter of the late Mr. Cludde, took the estate as heiress on September 9th, 1851. Wrockwardine township is pleasantly situated in a rich country pleasingly diversified with undulations, and contains 1,094a. 1r. 20p. of land, and in 1841 had 258 inhabitants. Rateable value, £2,464. 14s. The village stands on elevated ground, and commands some fine views of open landscape scenery, of the hilly country in the Condover hundred, and of the Wrekin. The Church is an ancient structure of red sand stone, dedicated to St. Peter, with a tower rising from the centre, in which are six musical bells; the tower is supported by four pointed arches rising from fluted pillars. It is neatly pewed, and the pulpit and reading desk are of beautiful carved oak. The organ was erected in 1846, at a cost of about £200 raised by subscriptions. The east window is beautified with stained glass, and contains a representation of our Saviour, very chastely executed. In the chancel are several handsome monumental tablets, one of which remembers Edward Pemberton and his wife, dated 1800, and is very beautifully executed in the Grinshill free stone. Another of the same stone has been erected to the memory of Edward Cludde, Esq., and is dated 1785. There are also very beautiful tablets to other members of this family, and to the Cockburns, Phillips, Roe, and others. The living is a vicarage valued in the king’s book at £7. 8s. 6d., now returned at £427 in the patronage of the Lord Chancellor, and incumbency of the Rev. George L. Yate, M.A. The vicarage is a good residence a short distance from the church. The vicarial tithes are commuted for £353. 19s., and the rectoral for £225. It appears from the parish register that the Houlston family have held the office of parish clerk for a period of 257 years, and is still held by the same family.

Wrockwardine Hall is a commodious mansion of brick stuccoed, beautified with pleasure grounds and shrubberries, and is the seat of Miss Anne Maria Cludde. Orleton Hall, a delightfully situated mansion, the seat of the ancient and highly respected family of Cludde, is now the residence of Mrs. Cludde; the hall is stuccoed, and the gardens and pleasure grounds are very extensive, and kept in the most admirable order. It commands a fine view of the Wrekin, and is surrounded by a park of 160 acres, beautifully wooded. The Boys’ School, a substantial brick building, was built at the cost of Mrs. Cludde, who is also a munificent contributor towards its support; 75 children attend. The Girls’ School has an attendance of sixty children, and is supported by Miss Cludde. Two Almshouses were erected in 1841, “and endowed for the maintenance of two poor women in their declining years; they are dedicated to the memory of Edward Cludde, Esq., late of Orleton, in this parish, by his tenants and neighbours, in testimony of their respect for a man who was an eminent example of pure and undefiled religion, visiting the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and keeping himself unspotted from the world.”

Charities.—Edward Pemberton, in 1680, devised a rent charge of £3 per annum for putting forth an apprentice every other year, fatherless or motherless children to be always preferred. The amount is charged upon an estate now the property of Mrs. Cludde. A yearly sum of 10s. is paid as charged upon the Burcot estate, and a like sum as charged upon the Leaton property; in respect of 10s. payable by Mrs. Cludde, two bushels of wheat flour are given away by her agent to the poor. The other sum is laid out in the purchase of bread. It is supposed these charities were left by one of the Langley family.

Several sums of money given for charitable uses, amounting in the whole to £60, were laid out in the purchase of a piece of land called Tidicross Furlong, which was improved in 1670 by Edward Pemberton, who built a house and barn thereon. About the year 1801 a parish workhouse was built on these premises, and the old house and barn was pulled down. Up to the year 1829 the sum of £4. 10s. per annum (which was the amount of the rent when the workhouse was built) was paid out of the poor’s rate, and given away on Good Friday. In consequence of a suggestion of the charity commissioners that the rent ought to be raised, it was resolved at a vestry meeting of the parish, held 5th May, 1830, that the sum of £8 should in future be paid by the parish annually for the lands above mentioned.

Thomas Ore, in 1798, gave a yearly sum of 40s., payable out of his freehold estate in the township of Walcott, in the parish of Wellington, the same to be given among the poor every St. Thomas’s-day, in his seat of the south aisle of the church, at Wrockwardine, after morning prayer. The Rev. Joshua Gilpin, who died in 1828, bequeathed £50 to the vicar of Wrockwardine, in trust, to divide the interest in equal portions among eight of the poorest families residing in Wrockwardine, on the day before Christmas day.

Cludde Mrs., Orleton Hall

Cludde Miss Anne Maria, Wrockwardine Hall

Bullock Benjamin, carpenter

Burrell John, gamekeeper

Clayton John, farmer

Clayton Samuel, farmer, David’s bank

Cooper Thomas, farmer, Austins

Davies John, farmer, The bank

Edwards William, wood steward

Gilpin Mrs. Jane, The villa

Houlston Charles, blacksmith, and agricultural implement maker

Houlston John, shoemaker

Houlston Josiah, farmer

Houlston Joshua, assistant overseer and vestry clerk

Houlston Thomas, farmer, parish clerk, and assessed tax collector

Jones Sarah, maltster

Pickin Eliza, farmer, Sydney house

Poole William, butler and coachman

Speake Richard, shopkeeper

Taylor Henry William, vict., The Talbot, and posting house, Hay gate

Trumper William, farm bailiff

Turner Charles, nursery and seedsman

Vaughan, and Mary Ann, school teachers

Webb William, butler

ADMASTON

is a township and delightfully situated village in the parish of Wrockwardine, one and a half mile north-west by north from Wellington. The township contains 509a. 2r. 19p. of land, and in 1841 here were 188 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,164. 13s. The principal landowners are Mr. Jones; Mrs. Webb; Mr. William Taylor; James Oliver, Esq.; Mr. John Haynes; Mrs. Elizabeth Mansell; William Wyley, Esq.; Mrs. Austin; Mr. Waring; Mr. Richard Tew; Mr. John Burgiss; and Mrs. Mary Williams. The village of Admaston is pleasantly situated near the station on the line of the Shrewsbury and Wellington railway, and is crossed by beautiful drives and fine open roads, commanding most delightful views over a luxuriant country, finely timbered, and studded with beautiful residences. It is also within a few miles of the far-famed Salopian mountain, the Wrekin, which commands views of unparalleled extent and sublimity. The Admaston Spa lies in a sheltered situation, near the verge of the village, the waters of which have long been celebrated for their medicinal purposes, and are highly recommended by eminent physicians. There are two wells, one of which is sulphurous, and the other chalybeate; the upper well contains a large portion of muriate of soda, or common salt, and a portion of muriate of lime, and is found exceedingly beneficial in giving a salutary stimulus to the stomach, correcting dyspepsia, and highly efficacious in scrofulous affections. The lower spring contains a large quantity of chloride sodium, and in its analysis approaches nearer to the Harrogate waters, so justly celebrated and efficacious in cutaneous disorders.

The solid contents of an imperial wine pint weigh seventy-seven grains of the chalybeate saline water, and the proportion in which the several ingredients exist may be stated as follows:—

	Grains.
Chloride sodium (common salt)	54.5
Chloride calcium (muriate lime)	14.3
Chloride magnesium	5.2
Carbonate iron and lime, and alumina and silica	1.5
Loss	1.5
Bromine, a trace	0.0
	77.0

The solid contents of a wine pint from the sulphur spring weigh 79 grains, the component parts of which, according to an analysis by Messrs. Blunt, in 1847, may be thus stated:—

	Grains.
Chloride sodium	65.0
Chloride calcium	10.5
Chloride magnesium	2.0
Carbonate lime	1.0
Carbonate iron, slightest trace	0.0
Bicarbonate soda, a trace	0.0
	78.5

The Hotel and Boarding House in connection with the baths is a handsome pile of buildings, greatly admired for its architectural beauty, erected at an expense of £6,000. The house is elegantly furnished, and replete with every convenience and comfort for the accommodation of the numerous parties who frequent the spa during the summer season. The baths are admirably arranged, and no expense has been spared to combine elegance, comfort, and utility. The walks and pleasure grounds are tastefully laid out, and are surrounded by a salubrious country, richly variegated and picturesque. Mr. John Purcell is the proprietor of the hotel.

Admaston Hall, a beautiful modern mansion, delightfully situated, is the residence of the Hon. Charles Nowell Hill. The pleasure grounds and shrubberies are very beautifully laid out. The Boarding School, conducted by Mr. J. W. Smart, is a commodious building in a pleasant situation, where a limited number of young gentlemen receive the advantages of a classical and commercial education. This locality is noted for its annual steeple chase meetings, its field sports, and for fishing.

Beech John, superintendent of the Shropshire union railway

Bennett John, engineer

Buchannan Philip, Esq.

Bullock Elizabeth, dress maker

Bullock John, wheelwright

Bullock Richard, joiner, &c.

Burgiss John, surgeon

Burton Robert, farmer

Davies Thomas, beerhouse

Haynes John, farmer

Hicks Thos., station master

Hill the Honble. Charles Nowell, the Hall

Houlston William, farmer

John Johnson, horse breaker and steeple chase trainer

Mansell Elizabeth, gentlewoman

Marsh James, blacksmith

Newns John, butcher

Purcell John, hotel and boarding house, Admaston Spa

Proctor Dr., physician

Robinson Richard, farmer and maltster

Smart Joseph Wm., boarding school proprietor

Tew Richard, farmer, maltster, and vict., the Pheasants

Titley Joseph, farmer

Williams Mary, gentlewoman

Wyley William, Esq., land and estate agent, surveyor, and conveyancer

ALLSCOTT,

a township with a scattered population, about a mile north from Wrockwardine, at the census of 1841 had 98 inhabitants. The township contains 357a. 0r. 17p. of land. Rateable value, £796. 16s. The principal landowners are W. S. Lawley, Esq.; Miss Cludde; Henry Povall, Esq.; Mr. Samuel Nevett; Messrs. Juckes and Dixon; Mr. William Franks; and Sarah and Robert Clarke. The river Tern bounds the township for a short distance; it is also watered by two small streams, and intersected by the Shropshire union railway. The hamlets of Cross Green, Rushmore, and Broomfield House are within the bounds of this township. Broomfield House is a handsome brick residence, pleasantly situated, the residence of Mr. Thomas Edwards.

Directory.—Marked * are at Cross Green, † Rushmore, and the rest at Allscott.—Robert Clarke, farmer and maltster; Sarah Clarke, farmer and maltster; Francis Delves, butcher and farmer; Edward Ditcher, farmer, the Hall; Thomas Edwards, farmer, Broomfield; * William Edwards, blacksmith; † William Edwards, shoemaker; William Franks, farmer; Roger Hawkins, farmer and corn miller; * John Hollis, shoemaker and beerhouse keeper; Thomas Lees, farmer and gardener; George Milnes, farmer; † Francis Phipps, gardener; * Ambrose Robinson, beerhouse; † William Smith, shoemaker; Charles Tew, farmer and maltster; † James Ambrose, machine maker.

BRATTON,

a small township comprising 459a. 0r. 19p. of land, is pleasantly situated two miles and a quarter north-west by west from Wellington. At the census of 1841 here were 66 inhabitants. Rateable value, £755. The soil is mostly a strong loam, with some portions of clay. The chief landowners are Miss Cludde, Thomas Eyton, Esq., and the trustees of the Shrewsbury Free Grammar School.

The principal residents are Thomas Basnett, farmer; William Blackmore, shopkeeper; John Felton, farmer and butcher; Thomas Plant, farmer; Joseph Read, gamekeeper; Joshua Sankey, farmer; Samuel Tudor, vict., the Gate; George West, vict., Buck’s Head, Long lane; James Winnall, farmer, Rushmore.

BURCOTT, LEATON, CLOTLEY, AND CLUDDLEY,

are separate townships, but returned as one division of the parish, and together contain 614a. 3r. 22p. of land. Rateable value, £1,020. They are situated near to the Wrekin, and intersected by the Shrewsbury, Birmingham, and Wellington turnpike roads; by the Street, Lane, and Watling Street. On this great thoroughfare is a commodious family hotel and posting house, situate at Hay-gate, in the occupancy of Mr. John Henry Taylor. The situation is delightful, and being the nearest hotel to the Wrekin, it is the frequent resort of parties who visit that far-famed Salopian mountain. The land at Burcott is the property of Mrs. Cludde; at Clotley, Mrs. Mary and Mr. Henry Stillgoe are the proprietors; the Leaton estate is the property of John Stanier, Esq., and Miss Crowther; and at Cluddley, Mrs. Cludde and Thomas Baddeley are the principal owners. Burcott Hall, the residence of Charles Emery, Esq., is pleasantly situated a short distance from the Wrekin, and surrounded with park-like grounds, well timbered. The farm premises are very extensive, and situated a short distance from the hall. Leaton Hall, an ancient mansion in a salubrious and delightful situation, is the residence and property of John Stanier, Esq.

Directories.—Burcott: Charles Emery, Esq., the Hall; Samuel Nicholls. tailor. Clotley: Henry Charles Stillgoe, farmer and corn miller; Mrs. Mary Stillgoe, Clotley House; Richard Shelton Stillgoe, farmer. Cluddley: Thomas Baddeley, farmer; Richard Bailey, farmer, the Hall farm; John Edwards, farmer, Wrekin farm; Thomas Nigington, farmer. Leaton: John Clayton, farmer, Wheatfields; John Stanier, Esq., the Hall; Harriman Willings, farmer.

CHARLTON

is a township and village, in a salubrious situation, two miles S.W. by S. from Wrockwardine, embracing 714a. 1r. 25p. of land, mostly a fertile district, producing good crops of barley and other grain. At the census in 1841 there were 101 inhabitants. The Shrewsbury and Wellington railway passes through the township, and has a station near to the village, which also lies contiguous to Shrewsbury, Wellington, and Shiffnal turnpike road. Rateable value, £1,007. The Duke of Cleveland is lord of the manor and owner of the whole township. From the few fragmentary remains of Charlton Castle, it was no doubt a place of consequence in by-gone days. The ruins are mantled with ivy, and the moat which surrounded it may still be traced. Not far from the castle are several artificial mounds, which may have been raised for military purposes in past ages. As it is in the line of road of the celebrated Roman station at Wroxeter it may have had some connection with that important military station.

The principal residents are William Capsey, butcher; Robert Hawkins, farmer; Henry Povell, farmer; John Pritchard, farmer.

LONG LANE,

a small township, comprising 379a. 0r. 37p. of land, stretches for two miles in length, and is situated about three miles north from Wellington. In 1841 there were 137 inhabitants within the bounds of this township. The houses are chiefly small cottage residences. The chief landowners are Thomas Eyton, Esq., William Henry Dickinson, Esq., and Mr. John Jones. Cheshire Coppice, the residence of William Henry Dickinson, Esq., is an ancient structure, situated on a gentle eminence, which commands some fine views of the distant country.

Directory.—William Henry Dickinson, Esq., Cheshire House; John Griffiths, farmer; John Jones, farmer; John Jones, jun., farmer; Susannah Smith, farmer.

WROCKWARDINE WOOD

is a populous township, four miles and a half S.W. from Newport, and four miles and three quarters N.E. from Wellington. The inhabitants are chiefly engaged in the collieries and iron works in the immediate vicinity. The township contains 502a. 0r. 8p. of land, and in 1841 had 342 houses and 1,698 inhabitants. Rateable value, £2,836. 4s. The collieries are the property of the Duke of Sutherland, and held in lease by the Lilleshall company. The Church is a brick structure, dedicated to the Holy Trinity. It was built in 1833, and contains 610 sittings, of which 420 are free and unappropriated in consequence of a grant from the Incorporated Society for Building Churches. It is endowed with the small tithes of Wrockwardine Wood, and the living has been augmented with grants from Queen Anne’s Bounty. There is a neat font, which was the gift of Mr. Thomas Webb, late churchwarden. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Vicar of Wrockwardine, and incumbency of the Rev. Reginald Yonge, B.C.L. The Primitive Methodists have a chapel, built in 1832, which will hold about 500 persons. The structure and fittings have cost altogether £498. The National School was built in 1830, partly by subscription and partly by the National Society. It stands a little north from the church, and has an attendance of about sixty boys and forty girls;

Trench Lake is a straggling district on the Wellington and Newport turnpike road, three miles from the former place and five miles from the latter. The houses are chiefly in the township of Wrockwardine Wood, but also extend into the township of Eyton-on-the-Wild-Moors. The Wesleyan Methodists have a chapel here, built in 1823. The Earl of Bradford is the principal landowner; Mr. Webb is also a proprietor.

Wrockwardine Wood and Trench Lake Directories.

Marked * are in Wrockwardine Woody and the rest in Trench Lane.

Barker Richard, tailor

Beech William, shoemaker

Bennett John, Esq., Coal Works (Proprietor)

Bourne Mary, beerhouse

* Bowen Rebecca, schoolmistress

* Bowen William, schoolmaster

* Bullock John, manager to Donington Wood Mill Company

Chilton Thomas, butcher

* Chilton William, blacksmith

Davies George, hat maker

Deakin George, farmer

Downing Mary, milliner and dressmaker

Downing Thomas, saddler

Farmer Henry, beerhouse

* Fenn William, shoemaker

* Getley Henry, butcher

* Getley Elizabeth, shopkeeper

Green James, victualler, Old Shaw Birch

* Grieves Rev. Joseph, Primitive Methodist

Hill Richard, shopkeeper and beerhouse

Jeffs Richard, shopkeeper

Johnson James, farmer

Johnston Thomas, shopkeeper

Jones Edward, farm bailiff

* Jones Thomas, victualler, Queen’s Head

* Kite Jane, shopkeeper & victualler, White Horse

Latham James, farmer

* Leese Mary Ann, milliner and dressmaker

Lockley Samuel, blacksmith

Lowe Thomas, shoemaker and beerhouse

Mainwaring Mary and Son, shopkeepers

Manwaring Richard, victualler, The Crown

* Martin John, victualler, The Lamb, and shopkeeper

* Millward Mary, shopkeeper

Paice William, railway gate keeper

Palmer Thomas, tailor

Parton John, saddler

Pickering James Richard, vict., Dun Cow

Reynolds Evan, shoemaker

* Simpson William, shoemaker, and vict., Bull’s Head

Slaney Henry, confectioner

Taylor William, farmer

Wakely Dorothy, victualler, Duke of York

Webb Catherine, maltster and victualler, King’s Arms

* Yonge Rev. Reginald, B.C.L., incumbent, The Parsonage

WROXETER

is a parish in the Wellington division of the South Bradford Hundred, situated on the eastern bank of the river Severn, which contains the townships (for highway purposes) of Donnington, Dryton, Eyton-upon-Severn, Norton, Rushton, and Wroxeter. The parish comprises 4,212 acres of land, of which 188 acres are in woods and plantations, roads, and waste. Gross estimated rental, £7,131. Rateable value, £6,274. 3s. 6d. The Duke of Cleveland is the most considerable landowner. Lord Berwick and the Vicar of Wroxeter are also owners: the former is lord of the manor and holds a court leet and baron. There is a considerable portion of stiff soil in the parish, which is mostly used for arable purposes. A sandy soil prevails in some places; the meadows and grazing land on the banks of the Severn have a rich herbage. At the census of 1801 the parish contained 544 inhabitants; and in 1841 there were 126 houses and 636 inhabitants. The houses in general are composed of brick and slated, and have a respectable appearance.

The Village of Wroxeter is delightfully situated on elevated ground, near the eastern banks of the Severn, five miles and three-quarters S.E. from Shrewsbury, commanding fine views over a rich and beautiful country of the Wrekin, and of the hilly country in the Condover Hundred. The turnpike road from Shrewsbury to Wellington, Ironbridge, and Bridgnorth, intersects the township, and a little north from the village the river Tern has its confluence with the Severn. Wroxeter is generally supposed by our antiquaries to be the Uriconium, one of the cities of the Cornavii, the ancient inhabitants of Britain. This city was also called Wreckencester, which is manifestly retained in the name of the adjacent hill, The Wrekin, to this day; from which the word Uriconium itself may proceed. Whether the town was built by the Romans or the Britons is uncertain; but that the former fortified it is most likely, since the river Severn hereabouts has more fords than in any other place. The foundation of a bridge is sometimes discernible at low water, which was at first discovered by some workmen erecting a wear upon the river. The circumference of the wall which surrounded the city was about three miles, and was built upon a gravel full of pebble stones. The wall was three yards broad, with a deep trench on the outside, which may be traced in several places to this day. The remains of the walls are called by the inhabitants the Old Works at Wroxeter; being about twenty feet high and a hundred feet in length, made of hewn stone, distinguished with seven rows of British bricks at equal distances, and arched within, after the manner of the Britons. Where these remains appear, it is thought the citadel stood, and what favours the opinion is the evenness of the ground, and the rubbish of walls that lie in great heaps thereabouts. It is supposed by some that the blackness of the soil in certain places proceeds from the fire that burnt the town, but it can hardly be conjectured that the footsteps of such a casualty should remain so long, especially since the ground has been so often ploughed up and exposed to the weather. The Roman coins found here are a proof of the antiquity of the place. The lords of the manor, from time to time, have obliged all their lease tenants, under certain penalties, to bring all the old coins they meet with to them. The coins found are generally so rusty and decayed that the inscription is scarcely legible or the image to be distinguished. None of the Saxon coins have ever been found here, which is a proof that the place was destroyed before the Danish times. It is impossible to look upon the fields, teeming in rich luxuriance, and remembering that there flourished a Roman city, not a vestige of which remains but the fragments of a wall, without sensibly feeling the instability of human greatness, and exclaiming with Cowper:—

“We turn to dust, and all our mightiest works
Die too. The deep foundations that we lay,
Time ploughs them up, and not a trace remains.
We build with what we call eternal rock;
A distant age asks where the fabric stood?
And in the dust, sifted and search’d in vain,
The undiscoverable secret sleeps,”

The graves that have been met with here are deep and wide, the corpse enclosed in red clay, both under and over, and to prevent the mixture of other mould with that clay, the graves were faced on the sides with slates, and then covered with stones, sometimes five or six upon one grave; bones have been found that were interred after this manner, which contributed to their preservation several hundred years. Teeth have been taken out of the jaw-bones of men near three inches long, and many thigh bones have been found of full a yard in length. Several urns have been discovered within the memory of man, after digging four or five feet deep in the earth, and it is to be noted that as the dead bodies are here buried in red clay, so urns are found deposited in red sand. About half a century ago were discovered three large urns composed of a beautiful transparent green glass, each having one handle elegantly ribbed, and severally containing burnt bones, and a glass lachrymatory. Several earthen urns, an earthen lamp, and a few Roman coins were also found at the same place, the whole being covered with large flat stones. Tesselated pavements, sepulchral stones with inscriptions, moulds for coining money; seals, an Apolla elegantly cast in lead; copper, gold, and silver coins, and many interesting remains of Roman manufacture, have from time to time been found whilst excavating on this site. A stone altar found near the vicarage in the year 1824, is thus inscribed:—

“BONO REI PVBLICAE NATVS.”

The precise epoch of the first establishment of this Roman station at Wroxeter has been hitherto held as uncertain by all historians, but a recent event has thrown some light on this historical point. In 1844 a large brass coin of the Emperor Trajan, in a fine state of preservation, was found imbedded in the mortar of the Roman wall (usually called the old works) still remaining at Wroxeter, which warrants a conclusion that although the erection of this station might have been posterior to the reign of Trajan, it would seem clear that this station could not have been raised at an earlier period. Marcus Ulpius Trajanus Crinitus, or Marcus Ulpius Nerva Trajanus, was born A.D. 53. He was governor of Germania under the Emperors Domitian and Nerva, and in the year 97 was associated with the latter in the government of the empire, and invested with the titles of Cæsar and Imperator. He succeeded Nerva, and took the title of Augustus in A.D. 98, and died in the year 117. It may therefore reasonably be supposed, from the perfect state and freshness of the above mentioned coin, that the station of Uriconium was built either at the latter end of the first or early in the second century.

The Church is an ancient structure, dedicated to St. Andrew, consisting of nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a massive square tower, ornamented with a clock, and the heads of rude figures of a grotesque character. The interior is neatly pewed. The living is a vicarage valued in the king’s book at £11. 18s., now returned at £330, in the patronage of the Duke of Cleveland, and enjoyed by the Rev. Edward Egremont, M.A., who resides at the vicarage, a good residence a short distance from the church. The Duke of Cleveland, Lord Berwick, and Mrs. Jenkins, are the impropriators of the rectoral tithes, which were commuted in 1840 for £606. 6s. The vicarial tithes have been commuted for £248. 14s.

Charities.—Thomas Alcock, who died in 1627, gave twenty marks yearly towards the support of a free grammar school for the instruction of youth of the parishes of Wroxeter and Uppington. An addition was made to this endowment by the will of Richard Stevinton in 1652, whereby he gave a rent charge of £13. 6s. 8d., issuing out of his lands in Arleston, in the parish of Wellington. There is a school and schoolhouse situate at Donnington, and six acres of land adjoining thereto, but it is not known from whom this property was derived. The school premises have been greatly improved at the expense of the master, and are worth about £12 a year. The school has been considered as free for classical instruction only to forty children of the inhabitants of Wroxeter and Uppington, but there is no document showing that the number of free scholars is thus limited; and it is to be observed that the benefaction of Richard Stevinton was for the use of a master who should teach English as well as Latin. Scholars educated in this school are entitled to the benefit of two of the exhibitions founded by Edward Careswell, an account of which has already been noticed with the Royal Free Grammar School at Shrewsbury.

From an entry made in the churchwarden’s book in 1765, it appears that the sum of £61 belonging to the poor of Wroxeter, and which had formerly been placed out at interest, was called in, and laid out in building and repairing the church, and that £2 was to be paid yearly as the interest thereof. This has been regularly paid from the churchwarden’s account, but it appears to have been an inadequate sum to be allowed as the interest of £61.

In the same book there is an entry also made in the year 1765, stating that £20 given by Edward Wellings, to buy Bibles for poor children of Wroxeter, at the discretion of the minister was laid out for the same purpose. In respect of this gift 10s. is paid annually, and laid out in the purchase of Bibles.

The Rev. Roger Clayton, in 1327, invested £100 in the purchase of £113. 10s. stock, three per cent. consols, in compliance with the wish of his late brother William Clayton, in trust, to apply the interest for the benefit of the poor of Wroxeter. A memorandum was drawn up and placed in the parish chest, dated 16th October, 1827, and signed by Roger Clayton and Richard and Edward Stanier, acknowledging the stock to have been purchased for the aforesaid object.

Donnington is a township and pleasant village situated a mile and a half E. from Wroxeter; the Duke of Cleveland is the landowner and lord of the manor. The population of the several townships in this parish are included in the returns for Wroxeter. The Charlton Hill corn mill is situated in this township; it was erected by the farmers in the surrounding neighbourhood to grind their own corn. The grammar school noticed with the charities of the parish is situated at Donnington.

Dryton, a small township near the banks of the river Severn, is also the property of the Duke of Cleveland, and is situated two miles and a quarter S.S. by E. from Wroxeter.

Eyton-on-the-Severn, a township two miles S. from Wroxeter, takes its name from its situation near the Severn. The land here is highly fertile, and the meadow lands have a rich herbage. It is also the property of the Duke of Cleveland.

Norton, a small township, has a few scattered houses on the Shrewsbury and Wellington turnpike road, about a mile N.E. from Wroxeter. The land is mostly arable, producing good wheat and barley. Lord Berwick is the sole proprietor of this township.

Rushton township is situated three miles E. from Wroxeter, near the western verge of the Wrekin. The land here has an undulating surface, with a stiff soil. The Duke of Cleveland is the landowner. The acres, rateable value, tithes, and population of the above townships are included in the returns for Wroxeter.

Post Office.—At Mr. Andrew Weatherby’s. Letters arrive from Shrewsbury at 8 A.M., and are despatched at 5 P.M.

Wroxeter Directory.

Clarke Maria, farmer

Egremont Rev. Edward, The Vicarage

Ford William, butler

Hoggins Edward, farmer, Smithcott

Oatley William Henry, Esq., The Villa

Stanier Edward, Esq., The Hall

Weatherby Andrew, shopkr.

Wood Thos., farmer, Beslow

Donnington Directory.

Bennett Richard, farmer

Jebb Thos., manager, Corn mill

Jenkins Elizabeth, farmer, Charlton hill

Mainwaring William, shoemaker

Meredith Rev. John, M.A., Grammar School

Parton Benj., shoemaker

Dryton Directory.

Clayton Henry, farmer

Farmer James, farmer

Eyton Directory.

Careswell Benjamin, farmer

Davies Sarah, farmer

Mansell William, blacksmith

Miner John, shepherd

Scott Mary, farmer

Norton Directory.

Bayley Robert, farmer

Powell John, shopkeeper

Upton Elizabeth

Rushton Directory.

Brisbourne Peter, farmer

Jarvis Richard, farmer

Jarvis Robert, farmer

Jarvis Thomas, farmer, Wrekin farm

Pathan Thomas, farmer

BRIMSTREE HUNDRED.

The Hundred of Brimstree is divided into the Bridgnorth and the Shiffnal divisions. Hales Owen, formerly a third division of this hundred, being a detached part of the county surrounded by Worcestershire, has recently, by act of parliament, been annexed to the county of Worcester. This hundred is bounded on the north by the county of Stafford and the South Bradford Hundred, on the west by the Wenlock Franchise and South Bradford Hundred, on the east by Staffordshire, and on the south by the Stottesden Hundred. Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq., M.P., is lord of the hundred, and holds a court on the 24th April; Mr. George Pritchard, steward; and Mr. John Cullwick, bailiff. The population in 1801 was 18,817; in 1841 there were 2,577 houses and 12,458 inhabitants. The annexing of the populous district of Halesowen to the county of Worcester is the cause of the returns at the census of 1821 being greater than those of 1841.

The Bridgnorth division contains the following townships and places, viz., Aston, Beobridge, Bobbington (part of), Broughton, Claverley, Dallicott, Farmcott, Gatacre, Heathton, Hopstone, Ludstone, Shipley, Sutton, Woundale, and Worfield.

The Shiffnal divisions contains Albrighton, Badger, Beckbury, Boningale, Boscobal, Donnington, Kemberton, Ryton, Shiffnal, Hatton, Priors’ Lee, Woodside, Stockton, Sutton, Maddock, and Tong.

ALBRIGHTON

is a parish and populous village in the Shiffnal division of the Brimstree Hundred, situated five miles south east by east from Shiffnal, and twenty-three south-east from Shrewsbury. The parish lies in the eastern verge of the county, and contains 3,365 acres of land, of which 59 acres are in roads and plantations. In 1801 there were 901 inhabitants; 1831, 1,054; in 1841, 1,058, and 236 houses; and in 1851, 242 houses and 1,141 souls. Rateable value, £7,089, 16s. 11d. This pleasant rural village is delightfully situated in a salubrious part of the county, intersected by good roads, and contiguous to the Shrewsbury and Birmingham railroad. Within the last few years it has attracted much attention, and several handsome villa residences have been built, which are chiefly occupied by respectable families and tradespeople from Wolverhampton and the neighbourhood. There are many good shops in the different branches of the retail trade, and the inns and boarding houses afford every accommodation to the numerous visitors who annually attend the celebrated Albrighton Hunt. The land in this locality has a bold undulating surface, and the views are varied and beautiful. The farms are extensive, and by unremitting industry, and an outlay of capital, have been brought to a state of productiveness far superior to what has been hitherto known in this district. The farm houses are in general well built, and provided with commodious out-premises. The Earl of Shrewsbury is the principal landowner and lord of the manor. The other chief owners are Thomas Plowden Presland, Esq.; Launcelot Shadwell, Esq.; William Oatley, Esq.; the Earl of Dartmouth; Mr. John Oatley; John Yates, Esq.; George Jones, Esq.; the representatives of the late John Meeson; Richard Wood, Esq.; and the trustees of the poor of Tong, Albrighton, and Tattenhall; besides whom there are several smaller owners.

In the time of Edward the Confessor Albrighton was in two manorial, divisions, held by Algar, Earl of Menia, and a Saxon, named Godit. In the reign of the Confessor, one hide and a half of land in this parish were taxed to the king. After the conquest it extended to four carucates, when they were in demesne three carucates, thirteen servants, three villains, and three borderers, with one carucate of plough land. There was at that time a wood sufficient to fatten one hundred hogs, which was then in the hands of the king. In the reign of the Confessor it was valued at 21s., and at the Conquest at 16s., when it was found wasted, from whence we may learn that the hand of the Saxon destroyer had been raised in revenge. In a manuscript of Dr. Hardwicke’s, now preserved at the vicarage, the parish is spoken of as comprising the lordships of Albrighton and Bishton, the manors and granges of Cosford and Whiston, and many other places of less note. This lordship being enjoyed by Norman the Hunter, shortly after the conquest, was undoubtedly in his possession in 1066, when he and Roger his brother, lord of Beckbury, attended their superior Lord Roger, the Count Palatine, and Adelaisa his second countess, at their palace at Quatford, near Bridgnorth, on the great festal occasion of the dedication of that church, 22nd July, 1086, which they so amply endowed with lands and tithes, arising out of several parishes in this county, as these two lords are particularly noticed as attesting witnesses, with many other lords of manors, the vassals of the count. In the reign of King Henry I. (1102) the manor was granted by the king to his favourite Sir Ralph de Pitchford, in whose family it continued through several generations; as Camden states that a Sir Ralph de Pitchford, 29th of Edward I., had his residence within this manor of Albrighton, where he died, leaving three sons, John, Nicholas, and Hugh, and Margery his relict, who in the 32nd year of this reign, recovered in the Court of King’s Bench, his service against Roger Charles and William the Beadle of Brimstree, of eleven marks rent, with appurtenances in Albrighton. John de Pitchford, the eldest son, was lord of Albrighton and Pitchford, holding them of the crown by the service of one knight’s fee each. It afterwards passed to Sir John de Tregon, Lord Tregon, who, dying without male issue, it came to his grandson, Sir John la Warre, who held in chief by one knight’s fee, and in the 31st of Edward I. obtained a charter to hold a market on a Tuesday, and a fair on the eve of the day, and the day after the translation of St. Thomas the Martyr; and also to hold courts leet and view of frankpledge in the manor half yearly. He was summoned to parliament from 26th August, 1307, to 26th February, 1342, and died in the 21st of Edward 3rd, 1347. About this period Roger Careless, a considerable proprietor of lands in Albrighton, gave 60 acres of land there to found a chantry in the Church at Albrighton, to which he added lands and 2s. rent within his manor of Ryton adjoining. The charter of Albrighton was renewed by King Charles II., and the manor given or confirmed to the Talbots in 1663. The Lady Mary Talbot presented the borough with a mace. The market has long been obsolete, but fairs are held for cattle, sheep, swine, and general merchandise on the first Monday in March, 23rd of May, and the last Saturday in June. A feast is held on the first Sunday after the 18th of July, and races on the following Monday. A flourishing society of the Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows, is held at Mr. Bucknall’s, the Crown Inn. The Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway Company have a station here: Mr. James Davies is the station master. Flys and cars are daily in attendance at the station on the arrival of each train.

The Church is a venerable fabric, dedicated to St. Mary, consisting of nave, chancel, and side aisles, with, a square tower, containing six bells. The interior is spacious and handsome, and is neatly pewed with dark oak sittings. Upon the gallery, at the west end, there is a fine-toned organ. The chancel is divided from the nave by a lofty pointed arch, and the east window is richly foliated. The church contains some beautiful tablets and other memorials to the Talbots and several other distinguished families. An alabaster tomb has two full length figures in a recumbent posture, with hands joined in the attitude of prayer; the knight clothed in a surcoat and chain armour, and his feet resting on a lion. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king’s book at £5. 10s., now returned at £651, in the patronage of the Haberdashers’ Company and the Governors of Christ’s Hospital, London, alternately. The Rev. George W. Woodhouse, M.A., is the incumbent. Divine service is performed twice a-day throughout the year in the church. The Vicarage, a spacious stuccoed residence, a little east from the church, is ornamented with pleasure grounds tastefully laid out. The tithes have been commuted, and £626. 7s. 2d. apportioned to the vicar, and £20 to Mr. George Jones. There are 15a. 2r. 32p. of glebe land. Gilbert Talbot, bishop of Bertha, in Italy, resided chiefly at Lower Pepperhill, in this parish, where he erected a brick mansion, with a court before it. The pope, in consideration of his high birth, family connections, and enormous wealth, raised him to the see of Bertha. He enjoyed his great hereditary property nearly twenty-six years in much privacy and seclusion, engaging himself in acts of charity and devotion, and dying at Lower Pepperhill, on the 12th of December, 1743, was interred in the Catholic Cemetery of the White Ladies, near Albrighton. There is a Parochial School, in which six boys are taught gratuitously, in consideration of the schoolmaster having the free use of the school-house.

Charities.—By indenture, dated 18th May, 1682, reciting two bequests to the inhabitants of Albrighton, one of £20 by one Southall, the other of £10 by Roger Brooke, the interest of which was to be yearly disposed of among poor people, and which two sums, with some accumulation of interest, had increased to £40; and further reciting a gift by George Bromley of £100, the yearly profits to be distributed on St. George’s day and the Feast of All Saints, with the yearly increase thereof then amounted to £150; it was witnessed that in consideration of the sum of £210, composed of the above benefactions and a sum of money borrowed for the use of the parish, to make up the deficiency, certain lands were conveyed in trust for the benefit of the poor. In the year 1771, William Whitwich, the only surviving trustee, with the approbation of the parishioners and inhabitants assembled at a parish meeting, exchanged the two pieces of land, called the Wooden Croft, and the Six Butts, containing together four acres, for certain lands, called the Pool Field, containing two acres and rood, and a sum of £60 in money. The lands held in trust for the poor, when the charity commissioners published their report, comprised 14a. 3r. 16p. and a workhouse which had been built upon the charity land, together producing a yearly rental of £61 16s. 1d. The sum of £60 paid by Thomas Meeson, in part consideration for the exchange for lands in 1771, was suffered to remain in his hands at an interest of £4 per cent. till May, 1779, when it appears to have been paid up and applied, together with two other sums of £31. 10s., and £20 belonging to the trust, making in the whole £111. 10s. in the erection of a building for the reception of paupers, for which the parish paid a rent of £7 from the year 1780. This application of these several sums is not indeed expressly stated in the trustees’ books, or in any of the parish books or other documents that we could procure; but it seems sufficiently to be inferred from the circumstance that the payment of interest on those sums appears in the books till the year 1780, when it ceases, and the payment of rent for the workhouse commences. As this house is kept in repair from the trust funds, it does not seem to have been a very beneficial investment of the money. From whence the two sums of money above mentioned were derived does not appear. In the returns, under the act of the 26th Geo. III., two legacies to this parish of uncertain date are mentioned, one of £40 by William Scot, and the other of £20 by T. Davenhill. It is possible that a part of the first and the whole of the second of these legacies may have constituted part of the funds for the erection of the parish poorhouse. This, however, is mere conjecture, as we could learn nothing further concerning these charities.

Thomas Chapman, in 1655, granted to trustees three several rent charges, amounting in the whole to 30s., issuing out of a messuage called Harbour House and certain lands within the manor of Donington, and directed 13s. 4d. (part thereof) to be distributed among the poor of Albrighton, 10s. among the poor of Donington, and 6s. 8d. (the residue) for the relief of the poor inhabitants within the parish of Boningale. The amount allotted to Albrighton is carried to the general charity fund of the parish.

Mrs. Mary Waltho, in 1783, gave the sum of £20, in trust, to place out the same, with the approbation of the minister and churchwardens of the parish, the interest to be disposed of among poor widows. An annual sum of 16s., which is understood to be the interest of this legacy, was paid by Mr. Meeson. Mr. Meeson stated to the Charity Commissioners that his father had been accustomed to make the payment to poor widows, from whence he concluded that he had received the £20 left by Mrs. Waltho. It does not appear that any security is given for it; nor do the minister and churchwardens interfere with the distribution of the interest.

In 1848, a portion of the charity land was required for making the railway, for which the Charity Trustees received the sum of £712. 3s. 3d., which has been invested in government securities; the dividends of which and the rent of lands amount at the present time to about £74 per annum, which is distributed on Holy Thursday and St. Thomas’s day among widows and the indigent poor not receiving parochial relief.

Post Office—At Maria Jones’s. Letters arrive at 9 A.M., and are despatched at 5.30 P.M.

Bedwell Orson, Esq.

Bishton Rev. Henry, M.A.

Crump Henry, Esq.

Dale Miss

Davies James, station master

Dickens Richard, gentleman

Dodd Rev. George, M.A., curate, Donington

Edwards Mrs.

Holyoake Captain Thomas

Johnson Mrs. Catherine Grecina

Jones Mrs. Maria, Post office

Law Richard, gentleman

Letts James, fly proprietor

Mitchell Mr. James

Parry The Misses, Albrighton Hall

Pitt Frances, gentlewoman

Presland Thomas Plowden, Esq., Cosford Hall

Savage Mrs. Lydia

Stubbs William, gentleman, Bowling-green House

Taylor George, Esq., Boningale Park

Thomason Henry, gentleman

Thorneycroft Mrs.

Totty Mr. John, registrar and vestry clerk

Wood Richard, surgeon and farmer

Woodhouse Rev. George W., M.A., The Vicarage

Yates John, gentleman, Shaw lane

Academy.

Hammersley Thomas, and bookseller and stationer

Baker and Flour Dealer.

Austin George

Boot and Shoemakers.

Fletcher Thomas

Stanley Edward

Taylor John

Taylor Thomas

Wedge Daniel

Brick and Tile Maker.

James Thomas

Bricklayers.

Nickolds George

Stockton Joseph

Totty George

Butchers.

Austin Frederick

Bailey George, Lea Hall

Darley Joseph, Woodhouses

Cabinet Makers.

Perry William, & carpenter

Thomas Thos., & carpenter

Chemist and Druggist.

Whatmore Thomas

Coal Dealers and Carters.

Moore Thomas

Powell John Thomas

Coal and Lime Agent.

Davies James

Corn Millers.

Shenton Benjamin, Cosford mills

Shepherd James

Farmers.

Bailey George and Thomas, Lea Hall Farm

Bate William, Over Pepper hill

Bayley John, Park side

Boulton John

Bradshaw Thomas, Lea

Earp William, Cosford

Fletcher George, Dead Woman’s Grave Farm

Gibbs Henry, Lower Pepper hill

Head Charles, Birches

Husselby William, bailiff to Earl of Dartmouth

Oatley John, Bishton Hall

Oatley Joseph, The Hall Farm

Oatley William, The Hall Farm

Roberts John, Harriotshay

Shenton Benjamin, Cosford

Stanford Joseph, and horse dealer, Harriotshay

Stubbs Walter, Bowling Green

Thomas Rd., farm steward to Earl of Shrewsbury

Yates John, Elms Farm

Grocers and Tea Dealers.

Marked * are Provision Dealers.

Brown Jane

Ewart John

* Molineux George

* Tomkins James and John

Hotels, Inns, and Taverns.

Boulton Thomas, victualler, Talbot

Bucknall William, vict., The Crown Hotel, Commercial and Boarding-house

Jones Henry, vict., Whiston Cross

Letts James, vict., Harp Inn, and Posting-house

Steele Benjamin, vict., The Bush

Beerhouse.

Fletcher Thomas

Linen & Woollen Drapers.

Delf John, and clothes dealer

Hammersley Susannah

Maltsters.

Austin George

Bailey George and Thomas

Bucknall George

Milliners and Dress Makers.

Delf Mrs. John, and straw bonnet maker

Hammersley Susannah

Swann Mary Ann

Plumbers, Glaziers, & Painters.

Harris Henry

Meredith Joseph

Saddler and Harness Maker.

Eardley William

Sawyer and Wood Dealer.

Gough George

Shopkeeper.

Moore Paul, and huxter

Smiths.

Howell Thomas

Ward John

Stone Masons and Builders.

Burns and Collins

Thomas Henry

Surgeons.

Bedwell and Son

Crump Henry

Tailor and Woollen Draper.

Totty William

Veterinary Surgeons.

Howell John, Beamish Hall Farm

Watch and Clock Makers.

Morris Thomas

Nickolds Thomas

Wheelwrights.

Parker William

Sutton William

Carrier

To Wolverhampton, Bessy Wheeler, on Monday, Wednesday, & Saturday

BADGER

is a parish in the Shiffnal division of the Brimstree hundred, six miles N.N.E. from Bridgnorth and five and a half miles S. from Shiffnal, comprising 980 acres of land, of which upwards of 100 acres are covered with woods and thriving plantations. The soil is various, the meadows and pastures produce a rich herbage, and the arable lands are highly productive. Rateable value £768. The parish in 1801 contained 88 inhabitants: 1831, 142: 1841, 137: and in 1851 there were 38 houses and a population of 101 souls, of whom 79 were males and 92 females. The village of Badger is delightfully situated in a district pleasingly diversified with bold undulations and rural scenery; the low lands are watered by the meanderings of the Cosford brook, and the small stream of the Worf. A romantic glen called the Dingle stretches for upwards of a mile in length, and the banks of the stream have been planted with shrubs and evergreens with great taste; in several places the waters are precipitated over the shelving rocks into the dingle below, which gives an additional charm to the picturesque scenery. This locality is the frequent resort of pleasure parties from Birmingham and the surrounding country during the summer months. Robert Henry Cheney, Esq., of Badger Hall, is the principal landowner, and lord of the manor; Mr. John Green is also a landowner.

The Church, dedicated to St. Giles, is a small but neat structure of free stone, having a square tower ornamented with crocketted pinnacles; the tower is beautified with a clock, sun-dial, and contains three bells; the interior of the church has a tasteful and elegant appearance, and the side compartments are neatly pewed with oak sittings. The east window is beautifully decorated with stained glass illustrative of scripture history; the appendages of tracery are of the most exquisite workmanship. The altar exhibits a fine specimen of elaborate carving. The parishioners of Worfield, who reside near Badger, in consideration of being accommodated with sittings in this church, presented a new organ in the year 1844. In the chancel is an elegant memorial in memory of Isaac Hawkins Brown, Esq., of this parish, D.C.L., and F.R.S., who died in 1818. A full length figure of the purest statuary marble, (one of Chantrey’s masterly productions) is represented as seated and perusing a book, on the side of which are several large quarto volumes in marble. Underneath the monument is an inscription in memory of his wife Elizabeth Brown. There is also a tablet beautifully designed, with the figure of a female in bass-relief to Jane Brown, and other members of the family, dated 1783. The Rev. William Smith, late rector of Badger, is remembered on a neat memorial dated 1837. There are others to Joseph Green and his wife, and to Elizabeth Kinnersley, the latter is dated 1619. In the church yard are several ancient tombs which have been erected in memory of deceased members of some of the principal families in the parish. The living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £4. 13s. 4d., now returned at £280, in the patronage of Robert Henry Cheney, Esq.: incumbent, Rev. Thomas Freeman Boddington, M.A. In the churchyard is a yew tree of immense growth, and near it a lofty mutilated column.

Badger Hall is an elegant and spacious mansion, the seat of Robert Henry Cheney, Esq., J.P. The structure is of brick with stone finishings, and situated on elevated ground, commanding delightful views over a luxuriant country. The vicinity of the mansion is finely timbered, and the extensive enclosures of park-like grounds are pleasingly diversified with sylvan beauty. The pleasure grounds and shrubberies are of considerable extent, and display the taste and superior management of the head gardener, Mr. George Cooke. Robert Henry Cheney, Esq., was appointed high sheriff of the County of Shropshire, for the year 1851. The Rectory is a good residence a little west of the church; it is pleasantly situated, and the gardens and pleasure grounds are neatly laid out. There is a school in the village which is supported by Mr. Cheney, where about fifty children are instructed. The Rev. T. C. Hartshorn gave £10 to the poor in 1752, and the Rev. Thos. Hartshorn gave a like sum which was laid out in the purchase of a rent charge of 20s. per annum, issuing out of a messuage and garden in Badger; the amount is expended in bread for the poor.

Directory.—Robert Henry Cheney, Esq., J.P., Badger Hall; William Bate, gentleman; William Bate and Sons, farmers; Rev. Thomas F. Boddington, M.A., the Rectory; William Braithwaite, corn miller; Henry Brewster, farmer and corn miller, Higford; George Cooke, gardener; John Green, gentleman, The Heath; John Mole, butler; Matthew Taylor, coachman; Richard Worrall, farmer.

BECKBURY

is a parish and village in the Shiffnal Division of the Brimstree Hundred, comprising 1321a. 0r. 10p. of land, and situated six miles and a half N.E. from Bridgnorth, and four miles S. from Shiffnal. In 1801 there were 231 inhabitants; 1831, 307; and in 1841, 61 houses and 312 souls. Rateable value, £1,942. 9s. 8d. The principal landowners are C. H. Slaney, Esq., Walter Stubbs, Esq., Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq., Dr. Windham, Dr. Fowler, and Mrs. Frances Horton.

The Church, dedicated to St. Milburgh, is built of red free-stone, and consists of nave and chancel, with a square tower, in which are three bells. In the chancel are several memorials, one of which remembers W. J. Yonge, Esq., of Caynton House, who died in 1825, aged 71 years; also of Captain William Horton, who died in 1844. There are also several memorials to various members of the Stubbs family and others, one of which (a slab of limestone) has the outlines of the figures of a male and a female, with smaller figures of ten children. The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £5. 3s. 4d., in the patronage of the Lord Chancellor; incumbent, Rev. Henry Ralph Smythe. The tithes are commuted for £333, and the rector has 31a. 0r. 18p. of glebe land. Beckbury Hall is a commodious family mansion, of brick, the residence and property of Walter Stubbs, Esq., a considerable landowner in this parish.

Post Office—At Thomas Page’s. Letters arrive at 8 A.M., and are despatched at 4.45 P.M.

Directory.—Benjamin Adams, shoemaker; Thos. Baugh, beerhouse-keeper; Isaac Bradburn, draper and shopkeeper; Samuel Brown, farmer; Benjamin Corfield, farmer; George Hand, butcher; John Hand, carpenter; Thomas Hand, parish clerk and builder; William Hand, joiner; William Hampton, blacksmith; Thomas Page, shopkeeper and postmaster; William Poyner, butcher; John Richards, maltster and farmer; Rev. Walter Ralph Smythe, rector, The Rectory; Thomas Southall, beerhouse keeper; Samuel Thurstaus, farmer and maltster, Heath House; Walter Stubbs, Esq., Beckbury Hall; John Ward, Esq., R.N., Lower Hall; Richard Williams, shopkeeper; John Warren, tailor and draper; Benjamin Worrall, farmer, Snowdon Pool.

BOBBINGTON

is a small parish, partly in the Bridgnorth Division of the Brimstree Hundred, but chiefly in the county of Stafford, situated eight miles and a half S.W. from Wolverhampton, and eight miles E. from Bridgnorth. That portion of the parish in the county of Salop at the census of 1841 contained six houses and 22 inhabitants. This county is here divided from Staffordshire by a small stream; the Bridgnorth and Stourbridge turnpike road bounds the parish on the south-east side. The Church is a small ancient structure of free-stone, with a tower, in which are four bells. The interior is small, and fitted up with primitive simplicity. The living is enjoyed by the Vicar of Claverly; officiating curate, Rev. Henry Pennant Cooke, M.A. William Moseley, Esq., is the owner of the land in that part of the parish, in the county of Salop.

Directory.—Richard Barrimore, wheelwright and machine-maker; Samuel Brimsford, maltster and victualler, Six Ashes Inn; Sarah Bytheway, shopkeeper and victualler, Lion Inn; Rev. Henry Pennant Cooke, MA.; Edward Fenn, blacksmith, Six Ashes; John Knowles, farmer; Philip Pearman, farmer, Whatmore Hall; Mrs. Sarah Pearman.

BONINGHALL, OR BONINGALE,

is a small parish and village, in the Shiffnal Division of the Brimstree Hundred, five miles S.E. by S. from Shiffnal, and seven miles S.W. by S. from Wolverhampton, which in 1841 contained 184 inhabitants; and at the census in 1851 had 36 houses and 195 souls; of whom 99 were males and 96 females. The turnpike road from Shiffnal to Wolverhampton intersects the parish, which contains 986a. 0r. 18p. of land. The soil is a mixture of loam and gravel, and produces good wheat, turnips, and barley. There is also some fine grazing land. Rateable value, £1,948. 14s. George Taylor, Esq., is lord of the manor, and the most considerable landowner. The Executors of the late William Wood, Mr. John Oatley, Mr. Richard Wood, Mr. James William Weaver, Mr. James Riddle, and the Incumbent of King Swinford, are also proprietors. The village is situated in a salubrious district, commanding pleasing and diversified views of the surrounding country. The Kennels for the fox-hounds of the celebrated Albrighton hunt are at the Summer House in this parish. The Church, a plain antique structure, in a sequestered situation, is built of free-stone, and, as an ornamental appendage, has a tower of wood, in which are three bells. It contains a small gallery, and the sittings are of oak. The ceiling is supported by a framework of wood, and empanelled with dark oak, varnished. There is a tablet in memory of Mrs. Elizabeth Robinson, and another to William Tindal, who died in 1830. The living is a perpetual curacy annexed to the rectory of Stockton. The Rev. Charles Blaney Cavendish Whitmore, M.A., is the incumbent. The tithes have been commuted, and £236 apportioned to the incumbent; the minister has also 11a. 0r. 29p. of glebe land. There is no parsonage house in this parish. Boninghall Park, the seat and property of George Taylor, Esq., is a spacious erection, pleasantly situated in the midst of park-like grounds, well-timbered, and commanding some five views of the distant country. The pleasure-grounds are planted with choice shrubs and beautiful flowers.

Charities.—John Littleford, by his will, dated the 27th of February, 1712, gave the sum of £4, to be laid out for the use of the poor of Boningale, “with £10, which Mr. Green had promised should be paid.” It is probable that both these sums were duly received, and that they compose a sum of £14, which the parish has long enjoyed, and which was designated as the gift of an unknown benefactor for the use of the poor of the parish. An additional benefaction of £16 was subsequently received from Miss Jane Skeinton. These sums appear to have remained at interest in the hands of the parish officers, upon their personal security, until the year 1812, when they were laid out in the purchase of a messuage and a garden, which it was thought advisable to purchase for the use of the parish. The premises were accordingly charged with the repayment of the sum of £30, so borrowed, to the churchwardens and overseers of the said parish for the time being, with interest for the same at five per cent. per annum, such interest to be paid on the 25th of March yearly, and to be distributed annually on Easter Sunday, by the minister, churchwardens, overseers, and the inhabitant freeholders of the parish for the time being, among poor industrious parishioners.

A rent charge of 6s. 8d., derived from the bequest of John Chapman, is usually allowed to remain for two years, and 13s. 4d. is then distributed among the poor of the parish with the above charity.

Directory.—George Bayley, butcher, Lea Hall; Benjamin Cox, shopkeeper; Joseph Darley, farmer, Woodhouses; Joseph Lowe, victualler, Summer House and Commercial Inn; Edmund Nicklin, shopkeeper; John Oatley, farmer, Woodhouses; Benjamin Southall, farmer, Boningale Farm; Mr. William Staples, huntsman, Summer House; George Taylor, Esq., Boningale Park; Thos. Taylor, farmer; James Thomas, victualler, The Horns Inn; Richard Wood, farmer, Whiston.

BOSCOBEL

an Extra Parochial Liberty in the Shiffnal division of the Brimstree hundred, is remarkable in history as a place in which King Charles II. concealed himself from his pursuers, after the unfortunate battle of Worcester. The liberty comprises two houses and 691a. 2r. 17p. of land, of which eighty acres are in woods, and is situated on the eastern verge of the county, adjoining Staffordshire, seven miles east from Shiffnal. The bold eminence upon which Boscobel is situated is most delightful, and is one of the finest tracts of table land in England; the scenery is most extensive, beautiful, and varied. Boscobel manor house is a spacious and ancient timbered mansion exhibiting a fine specimen of the domestic architecture of bygone days; part of it has been recently modernized and stuccoed, which gives it a light and handsome appearance. The house stands partly in Shropshire and partly in Staffordshire, and the southern portion now forms the summer residence of the Misses Evans, of Darley, near Derby. The dining room is spacious, and the walls are wainscotted with oak, exhibiting some fine carving; on the right of the entrance is shown the secret recess through which King Charles II. made his escape from the house to the oak tree when pursued by the infuriated rebels. There is a fine painting in this room of the youthful monarch, and in a side room is a beautifully executed painting of Oliver Cromwell. Although the interior of the mansion has been much improved and beautified from time to time, yet whatever relates to the concealment of the unfortunate Charles has been preserved with the greatest care. On ascending the staircase is seen the bed room and the secret recess where he took shelter from his pursuers, and which communicates with the garden by a trap-door. In the upper room is what is denominated the “sacred hole” from the circumstance of his majesty occasionally concealing himself there, the trap-door and step-ladder remain in their original state.

The following circumstances relating to this remarkable and interesting event are taken from various authorities:—His majesty, as soon as he perceived which way the victory at the disastrous battle of Worcester inclined, was not unmindful to provide for his own safety. He had during the battle performed all the offices both of a valiant man and a good commander, riding about incessantly to encourage his soldiers, and when he saw they began to fail he was heard to utter this pathetic expression, “Rather shoot me than let me live to see the sad consequences of this fatal day.” Many parties of horse were sent out through all the country after the flying troops. Few of the infantry escaped from the field alive, and but about three thousand horse, of whom one thousand were taken near Bewdley by Colonel Barton, and more by others in different places. In this fatal engagement the number of the slain was supposed to be three thousand, among whom were many of the nobility and gentlemen, and principal officers who supported the royal cause. The king lost a hundred and fifty-eight stand of colours, his standard bearer, his collar of S.S., his coach and horses, and other things of great value. His majesty after the battle was very narrowly searched for, and it was on his account that the greater diligence was employed in following and intercepting the routed Scots; but notwithstanding all the search and inquiry no news could be heard, nor could any one certainly tell what was become of him. When the enemy had forced the gate, all possible care was taken to secure his majesty, and for this purpose the Earl of Cleveland, Sir James Hamilton, and others, kept the enemy engaged in Sudbury street, while the king unpursued took his way with a body of horse through St. Martin’s gate about six o’clock in the evening. When he arrived at Brabon’s bridge, about half a mile from the town, he halted in order to advise with a few noblemen and gentlemen that were with him, and as there was not the slightest probability of being able to rally again, it was determined with all speed to make their way to Scotland. Having proceeded about half way to Presteign, the king was informed that a detachment of troops was in pursuit of him, on which he immediately changed his route to Shropshire, the Earl of Derby recommending Boscobel house as a place of temporary sanctuary. Mr. Giffard and Mr. Yates having been chosen as guides, they arrived at break of day, at a house called White Ladies, about half a mile from Boscobel. This house was formerly a monastery of Cistercian nuns, who from their habit were denominated the White Ladies, and this name, notwithstanding the abolition of the order, adhered to the house.

Here his majesty was committed to the care of the Pendrills, and for his better disguise, put on the green Kendal breeches and leathern doublet of Richard Pendrill. Lord Wilmot who performed the office of barber, cut the hair of the King in a most rustic manner, and caused his hands and face to be discoloured with the intention of giving him the appearance of a country labourer. His majesty thus transformed, with a wood bill in his hand assumed the character of a wood cutter, and was taken by a back road into a wood called Spring Coppice belonging to Boscobel House, by Richard Pendrill, who attended the King while the three other brothers of Richard were set to watch and give intelligence of any threatened danger. A short time after the King had left the house a party of horse came to search it; it was therefore thought the safest course for his majesty to remain in the wood all that day, although the rain fell in torrents. The King being in urgent want of refreshment, made his wishes known to Richard Pendrill, who accordingly applied to the wife of Francis Yates to provide some provision for a person in want and to carry it to an appointed place in Boscobel wood. She accordingly provided a dish of such fare as her cottage afforded, and taking a blanket with her, proceeded therewith to the wood. On her approaching the spot fixed upon she perceived the King, who being much surprised at the appearance of a woman, became apprehensive that she might possibly divulge the secret of his retreat, till demanding of the good woman if she could be faithful to a distressed cavalier, she answered “Yes Sire, I would rather die than discover you.” At night his majesty resolved to proceed into Wales, and take Richard Pendrill with him as his guide; they began their journey that night to Madeley, where lived a zealous royalist named Wolfe. The night was very dark and as they passed by Evelyn bridge, Richard permitting a gate to clap too loudly, brought out a miller at that place, and on his bidding them stand Richard ran through the water and the King followed by the sound of his calfskin breeches. The miller imagining that these persons were on the search was not less alarmed than they were, having then under his protection in the mill several fugitive loyalists who had escaped from the bloody field of Worcester. On their arrival at Madeley they proceeded to Wolfe’s house, but there being so many soldiers in the neighbourhood it was considered unsafe for them to remain in the house, and they found refuge in a hay-loft which was their bed till Friday night. It had been his majesty’s intention to pass the Severn and so proceed into Wales, but learning that all the passages over the river were strictly guarded and that all the ferry boats were stopped, they returned somewhat late on Friday night towards Boscobel. Colonel Carles, who when his majesty left Worcester was bravely combating the enemy in Sudbury street to favour the King’s escape, was now come to that place for refuge and relief. The Colonel who was well acquainted with the house and its inhabitants, having been born and educated not far off, was no sooner informed that the King was in the wood than he hastened with joy to present himself to his majesty. After mutual congratulations they proceeded to the house to refresh themselves, and then immediately retiring into the wood and finding a large oak whose branches afforded them a safe retreat, they ascended the tree, and with the help of cushions made a tolerable abode there till night. At night they betook themselves again to the house where his majesty thought proper for the future to trust himself while he remained in that part of the country, being much pleased with a secret corner which William Pendrill shewed him, where the Earl of Derby concealed himself after the misfortune of his defeat at Wigan. Being now in hopeful security he permitted William Pendrill to shave him and cut his hair short at the top, but leaving it long about the ears, as was the country mode in those days.

On Humphrey Pendrill going to Shiffnal to pay his share of the monthly tax, he was accosted at the house of Captain Broadway, by a colonel who had come hither to enquire after the search of the White Ladies. The colonel understanding that Humphrey lived near the place, put him to a strict examination, and after he had tried the effect of menaces to induce a confession, began to tempt him by the reward of the thousand pounds which was offered to the person that discovered his majesty; Humphrey’s discreet answers, however, rendered his dissembled ignorance the more unsuspected. On this being told to his majesty he was determined to leave Boscobel, and it was arranged that he should ride upon Humphrey Pendrill’s mill horse, for Humphrey was miller at the White Ladies Mill. The king mounted his steed on Monday evening and was attended by four of the Pendrills and their brother-in-law Francis Yates, who guarded him on the road with bills and pike staves. Humphrey led the horse by the bridle, and on his majesty complaining that it was the dullest jade he ever rode on, Humphrey made a witty apology for his steed by telling his majesty that it was no wonder he went so slow since he carried the weight of three kingdoms on his back. The King at this time was dressed in a leathern doublet and an old greasy hat, his hands and face being coloured with soot and walnut leaves. In this way they journeyed to Moseley in Staffordshire, and there found a place of safety in the house of Mr. Whitgrave, who had formerly been engaged in the king’s service, and being a suspected person his house was searched while the king was there, but the readiness of Mr. Whitgrave to let the soldiers enter, and his open deportment, gave the men so much satisfaction that they went away with little more than a bare enquiry. The White Ladies was also searched the same day, on the information of an ensign, and the proprietor strictly questioned about the king with a musket presented at his breast. He acknowledged that a large party had been there who had almost eaten him out of house and home, but the king he did not know from any other man, and no such person being there to be found, the searchers at last went away, storming that they had troubled themselves so much in vain, and the ensign was paid for his diligence with blows and contempt. The King on one occasion being concealed in a house belonging to Mrs. Jane Lane, his pursuers having some idea of his being there, came in a body to examine it, but on Mrs. Lane observing their approach she immediately clad the king in a rustic dress and put a slouched hat on his head, and on the entering of the soldiers Charles looked around, which the good old dame observing seized a basting ladle, and giving the king a sharp blow on the back exclaimed in apparent anger “And what do you stare at, you dog you; why don’t you mind what you’re about.” This reprimand furnished the King with a pretext for keeping his eyes towards the spit, by which means he escaped discovery.

His majesty having gratefully acknowledged the kindness of Mr. Whitgrave, went with Lord Wilmot to Colonel Lane’s, at Bentley, where shortly after he had an opportunity of being conveyed to Bristol, in order to embark for France. Miss Jane Lane procured a pass for herself and servant, to visit a pretended sister of hers who resided near to Bristol, and in the journey his majesty assumed the character of Miss Lane’s servant; Colonel Lascelles, Miss Lane’s relation, with his wife behind him, accompanied them; and Lord Wilmot, with a hawk in his hand, as if he had met them accidentally, and had occasion to travel that way. In passing through Broomsgrove they were obliged to employ a smith to shoe one of the horses; the conversation of the bystanders was of the battle of Worcester and the king’s escape. His majesty, amidst many conjectures, gave it as his decided opinion that the king had fled to Scotland, and lay concealed there. “I rather think,” replied the smith, “that he remains somewhere concealed in England, and how glad should I be if I knew where.” On the third day they arrived at the house of Mr. George Norton, of Leigh, about two miles from Bristol, where the king was introduced as the son of one of her father’s tenants, and on pretence of suddenly being attacked with fever, kept his bed, and was attended by Dr. George, who asked the sick man many questions about the king’s escape, and being told by his majesty that he did not wish to be troubled with such questions, declared that he could not help thinking that his patient was a sider with the roundheads. His majesty had not been long here before he was discovered by the butler, who had formerly been in the service of his royal father. This man, on the promise of close secrecy and loyalty, was entrusted by his majesty in several important services. From this place he proceeded amidst great dangers, experiencing unchanging fidelity, to Brighthelmston, in Sussex, when on the 15th of October, 1659, he took sail in a small coasting vessel, employed in the colliery trade, and being favoured with a prosperous gale they arrived in a short time at Feccam, a small sea port in Normandy, his majesty assisting himself to steer the vessel. From Feccam his majesty proceeded to Roan, and on the 30th October was met on his journey to Paris by his mother, the Queen Dowager of Great Britain, his brother the Duke of York, the Duke of Orleans, and other nobles of France, with a great retinue of English and French gentlemen.

On the restoration of King Charles, the family of the Pendrills, who consisted of five brothers, attended upon his majesty on the 13th of June, 1660, at Whitehall, when the king was pleased to remark that the simple rustic who serves his sovereign in the time of need to the extent of his ability, is as deserving of our commendation as the victorious leader of thousands. “Friend Richard,” rejoined the king, “thou wert my preserver and conductor—the bright star that shewed me my way to Bethlehem, for which kindness I will engrave thy memory in the tablet of a grateful heart;” and having requested Richard to state to the lords in attendance what passed when he quitted the oak at Boscobel, “Your majesty,” replied Richard, “must well remember that when brother Humphrey brought his old mill horse from White Ladies, not accoutered with knightly gear, but with a pitiful old saddle and bridle; not attended with royal guards, but only by half a dozen raw and undisciplined rustics, who had but little else but good will to defend your majesty; it was when your majesty mounted, and as we journeyed your majesty did most heartily complain of the jade you rode on, and said it was the dullest creature you ever met with, whereupon Humphrey remarked, ‘My liege, can you blame the horse to go heavily when he had the weight of three kingdoms on his back?’”

The royal oak before mentioned stood about 200 yards from the house, and was a flourishing tree, the branches of which were so richly covered with ivy that the soldiers who were in pursuit of the king, and who suspected him to be there, could not discover him. In the course of time the original oak was so mutilated by visitors that to preserve its remains the Fitzherberts erected a brick wall around it. The tree, however, has long been destroyed, and there is now standing on the site a flourishing oak, produced from an acorn of the old tree, for the preservation of which a lofty iron palisading surrounds it. The following inscription on a brass plate is affixed to the bole of the tree:—

“Felicissimam Arborem,
Quam in Asylum Potentissimi Regis Caroli II.,
Deus optimus maximus per quem Regis regnant
Hic crescere voluit
Tam in perpetuam rei tantæ memoriam,
Quam in specimen firmæ in Regis fidei.
Muro cinctum posteris commendant
Basilius et Jana Fitzherbert.
Quod Pietatis monumentum vestustate collapsum,
Paternarum vertutum Hieredes,
Et evitæ in Principes fidei amulatores.
In integrum restituerunt
Basilius et Eliza Fitzherbert,
iiii Cal Junii, A.H.S., MDCCLLXXXII.
Qua ex arbore Quercum hanc uti fertur ortam,
Ferreis his quæ hodie sunt repagulis.
Circummunivit
Ejusdam hujusce agri possesor,
Evdemque erga Regis animo prædita.”

The Convent of White Ladies.—Near half a mile south from Boscobel, in a sequestered and romantic spot, are the ruins of the Nunnery of White Ladies, an establishment of nuns of the Cistercian order, designated the White Ladies by reason of the conventical habit which they adopted being of that colour, as also to distinguish it from another establishment in its immediate vicinity, denominated the Black Ladies, situated at Bishop’s Wood, in the county of Stafford. The ruins of this venerable structure are mantled with ivy, and the walls of the church are of immense thickness, with a recessed circular doorway. It is dedicated to St. Leonard, and the foundation is supposed to have been as ancient as the time of King Richard I., or King John. The two seals that have been met with relating to this establishment represent the virgin and child, one of which bears the legend, “Sigillum commune nigrarum monalium D’Bre,” and the other “S. Convent. S. Marie Nigras d’narum,” and seem to have been used as the common seal of the White Ladies and Black Ladies conjointly, these two houses having been considered as comprising the convent of Brewood. The ruins and grounds of this religious house are walled in, and the interior, which is spacious, is nearly covered with gravestones. It is still used as a place of sepulchre by members of the catholic religion. There are several tablets on the walls, and some remarkable epitaphs. On a gravestone is the following inscription: “Here lies Winifred White, late of Wolverhampton, who was instantaneously cured of hemiphegia by bathing in St. Winifred’s well, Flintshire, June 11th, 1805. She died of consumption, January 13th, 1824, aged 45 years. May she rest in peace.” The White Ladies Nunnery became celebrated in history from the circumstance of its having afforded a temporary shelter and a place of successful concealment to his Majesty King Charles II., immediately on his flight from the disastrous and fatal battle of Worcester. At the dissolution of religious houses, this nunnery, then styled the Convent of Brewood, consisted of six religious. The total revenue was stated to amount annually to £31. 1s. 4d. In the reign of Henry VIII. the site was granted to William Whorwood; it is now possessed by the Catholic community. The Misses Evans are the principal freeholders in Boscobel, and have been instrumental in building a church at Bishop’s Wood, which has just been completed. The ladies also liberally contribute towards the education of the children, and in supplying the necessities of the poor in this vicinity.

The principal residents are Miss Elizabeth Evans, Boscobel House; Miss Fanny Evans, Boscobel House; Mrs. Walker; Thomas Wilson, farmer, White Ladies; Thomas Wilson, jun., farmer, Boscobel Farm.

CLAVERLEY

is an extensive parish in the Bridgnorth division of the Brimstree hundred, comprising the townships of Aston, Beobridge, Broughton, Claverley, Dallicott, Farmcott, Gatacre, Heathton, Hopstone, Ludstone, Shipley, Sutton, and Woundale, and embraces 8,145a. 0r. 39p. of land. In 1801 there were 1,328 inhabitants; 1831, 1,521; 1841, 1,669; and in 1851, 1,612, of whom 825 were males, and 787 females. The last census shows a decrease of 57 persons in ten years. Gross estimated rental of the parish, £17,796. 8s. 2d. Rateable value, £15,766. 10s. The tithes have been commuted for £2,060. 13s. 6d. The principal landowners are Edward Lloyd Gatacre, Esq.; George Mackenzie Kettle, Esq.; Edward Farrer Acton, Esq.; Farmer Taylor, Esq.; Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq., M.P.; William Wilson, Esq.; John Wilson, Esq.; Thomas Wilson, Esq.; Thomas H. Windle, Esq.; Thomas Boycott, Esq.; and Mrs. Emma Fox; besides whom there are several smaller freeholders. The village of Claverley is well built and pleasantly situated, six miles east from Bridgnorth, and ten miles south-west from Wolverhampton. At the census in 1841, the township contained 90 houses and 404 inhabitants. This was the birth-place of Sir Robert Brooke, who was educated at Oxford, from whence he removed to the Middle Temple. In 1553 he became chief justice of the common pleas, in which office he conducted himself with inflexible integrity, and died in 1558. He published several works, among which are, “An Abridgment of the Year Books,” in folio; “Certain Cases Adjudged;” and “Reading on the Statutes of Limitations.” Richard Dovey, the founder of the Free School, bequeathed eight shillings per annum to a poor man of this parish who should undertake to awaken sleepers and whip out dogs from the church of Claverley during divine service. King Charles II. granted the inhabitants a charter to exempt them from paying tolls.

The Church, dedicated to All Saints, is an antique structure, exhibiting various styles of architecture, and consists of nave, chancel, side chapels, and side aisles, with a square tower, in which are six bells. The body of the church is neatly pewed, and will accommodate about eight hundred persons. There is a gallery at the west end, upon which is an organ, erected in the year 1840 at a cost of £180. The pulpit is of oak, and has been beautifully carved at the expense of the present incumbent. The side chapels are the property of the ancient family of Gatacre. In the south chapel is an altar tomb, dated 1558, on which are three full length figures, in a recumbent position, in memory of Lord Chief Justice Brooke and his two wives. On the sides of the tomb, in basso-relief, are small figures of his eighteen children. A beautiful memorial window of stained glass, exquisitely executed, remembers Colonel Gatacre, who died in the year 1849. Another has been erected to the memory of Arabella, wife of the late Colonel Gatacre. One of the windows has recently been beautified with stained glass by Edward Lloyd Gatacre, Esq. The church contains several neat mural tablets to deceased members of some of the principal families of the parish. The font, which is of free-stone, has been painted in imitation of marble. The living is a perpetual curacy, returned at £267, in the patronage of Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq., M.P.; incumbent, Rev. George Hilder Betterton Gabert, M.A. The parish register dates from the year 1568. The ancient stone cross, now standing in the church-yard, was removed from the central part of the village some years ago, in consequence of its obstructing the traffic of the road. This is called The Processional Cross of Claverley, and was erected, it is presumed, in the 33rd of Edward III., to commemorate the dreadful plague which devastated this neighbourhood, and carried the horrors of death into every dwelling. When the tithes were commuted £1,599. 8s. were apportioned to T. C. Whitmore, Esq., £448. 5s. 6d. to other lay impropriators, and £12 to the Incumbent of Claverley. The Parsonage House is a neat brick structure, pleasantly situated near the church. The National School, situated on the east side of the church-yard, was built in the year 1790; about 60 children attend. There is also a Girls’ School in the village, supported by voluntary subscriptions, which has an attendance of about thirty children.

Charities.—John Dovey, of Farmcote, by deed of feoffment, dated 23rd of August, 1659, granted to John Sanders and others a stone house, with a garden and plot of land adjoining, situated at Hawe’s Acre; and also certain cottages adjoining the parish church of Claverley, and a messuage and farm known by the name of Lindridge farm, in trust; the stone house and garden to remain as a free-school, to be called The Free School of Richard Dovey, at Claverley; and as to the messuage, farm, and cottages before mentioned, the trustees were directed, with the yearly profits thereof, to keep in repair the school premises, and to pay the schoolmaster yearly, at Michaelmas and Lady-day, £8, in equal portions, towards his maintenance; to pay to the best scholar to be elected by the feoffees, the minister, and the schoolmaster, the sum of 20s. to be an under-teacher in the said school; and also to place in some room of the cottages adjoining the church-yard, a poor man, and allow him a stipend of eight shillings yearly to whip out dogs and awaken sleepers during divine service in the church; and 12s. to the trustees for their pains. It appears that the cottages, having become untenable about the year 1784, were taken down; and a new building convenient for a school having been erected upon the site, the school was removed to it, and has since continued to be kept there. Upon the removal of the school, the old premises were exchanged for a parcel of land more convenient in situation to the new school-room. It appears, however, that a substitution has since taken place of another parcel of land, in lieu of that which was first given in exchange to the charity, and that upon the parcel so substituted timber has been cut, and other acts of ownership exercised from time to time by the agents of the Glynne family; while on the other hand no acknowledgment of ownership has been made to the charity. The premises at Lindridge, to which an allotment of about two acres was added about ten years ago, under the powers of an enclosure act, consist of about 42 acres of land, producing a yearly rental of £26. 53. Richard Bennett, Esq., by will, 22nd March, 1794, gave the sum of £100, to be paid at the expiration of six months after his decease, and directed the same to be placed out at interest, and the yearly proceeds applied for the benefit of the free-school of Claverley. This legacy remained in the hands of the Glynne family, as the personal representatives of the testator, at an annual interest of five per cent. when the Charity Commissioners published their report. This interest being added to the rent of the farm makes an annual income of £31. 5s.; from which the following disbursements are made:—To the schoolmaster, £21; coals for the school, 10s.; annuity for awaking sleepers, 10s. 6d.; chief rent, 1s. 4d.; average of school repairs, £2. 12s. The twenty shillings which were allowed by the founder for one of the boys to act as usher, do not appear to have ever been paid, nor do we find that the trustees have taken advantage of the 12s. per annum allowed for their pains. The expenditure left a surplus of £6. 11s. 2d. per annum, which, with a sum of £14 produced from a sale of timber from the school estate in 1819, had increased to £195. 2s. 9½d., and was then in the hands of Edward Gatacre, Esq., one of the trustees. John Dovey, in 1695, gave a rent charge of 10s. per annum, and directed the amount to be given to one of the poor scholars. John Sanders, in 1702, devised certain lands, subject to the payment of £5 per annum, to be laid out in clothing poor boys in the free school. The property thus charged with the payment is now possessed by the Glynne family, whose agent supplies clothing to an amount much exceeding the annuity charged upon the lands. The scholars are appointed by the trustees of the school from among poor children of the parish, and are taught reading, writing, and arithmetic, and are also each provided with a coat, waistcoat, and breeches (of blue cloth), and a hat.

William Perry, of Broughton, by will dated 9th December, 1674, after reciting that his father had given the sum of 3s. 4d. to be yearly distributed at Christmas and Easter among the poor of the parish in wheaten or mun corn bread, gave a like sum of 3s. 4d. to be distributed in bread at Whitsuntide and All Saints for ever. And for the maintenance of the dole, (and of bread to the amount of 6s. 8d. also to the poor of Worfield), he granted a rent charge of 13s. 4d. yearly, issuing out of certain lands in Claverley and Worfield. It is recorded on one of the benefaction tables in the church at Claverley that William Perry of Broughton, by will left 14s. a year for ever to be distributed in bread amongst the poor of the parish at four times in the year. There is reason to believe that William Perry here referred to was a descendant of the former, but we are unable to discover whether this was an original grant of his own, or whether it included the 6s. 8d. which had before been granted by his ancestors in the same manner as the first William Perry had by his will embraced the previous donation of his father Roger. The sum of 14s. is however all that is now paid, or that we can find any trace of having ever been received. It is paid out of the rents of lands in Broughton, formerly the property of the Perrys.

Thomas Whitmore, of Ludstone, in 1679 gave to the poor of the parish of Claverley £5 per annum, payable out of a tenement in Claverley, and he appointed the same to be received by the inhabitants for the time being of his then dwelling house in Ludstone, and to be by them distributed among the necessitous poor. The amount is usually distributed among fifty poor persons.

Margaret Fregleton, of Powk Hall, by will left 10s. yearly to be given amongst ten poor widows not chargeable to the parish. There is reason to believe this legacy to be the same which is referred to and secured by the will of Mrs. Margaret Hill, dated 7th January, 1728, when she charges all her lands in Claverley with the payment of 10s. yearly to ten poor widows of Claverley, as directed by her mother’s will, and also paying thereout £2. 10s. per annum, on St. Thomas’s day, to be distributed among fit objects of charity, by the minister and churchwardens. The premises charged with the payment came into the possession of the Glynne family, by whose agent the rent charge is paid.

Thomas Acton in 1734 gave the sum of £100 to be laid out in the purchase of lands, and the rents and profits to be yearly paid by the churchwardens for the time being, to five decayed labourers, and five poor widows belonging this parish. This legacy was laid out in 1741 in the purchase of about seven acres of meadow land in the parish of Hopton Wafers, which at the time of the purchase produced a rent of £3. 8s., but are now let for £15 per annum. There was timber on the land at the period the charity commissioners published their report, to the value of £100, which it was intended soon to dispose of.

John Fenton, by his will bequeathed £30, and directed that with the interest thereof bread should be purchased, and on every Sunday a distribution made to six poor widows belonging the parish of Claverley. In 1777 this bequest was expended in the erection of three small tenements at the back of the workhouse, fronting the Holloway, for the use of the parish as habitations for the poor, and the overseer of the poor covenanted to distribute six penny loaves every Sunday according to the intentions of the donor.

Mrs. Mary Hodgkiss in 1774, by will gave £100, and directed the interest thereof to be on the 19th of March in every year distributed by the churchwardens among twenty poor widows of this parish.

Thomas Farmer Thornes in 1779 bequeathed £30 to the churchwardens of Claverley, the interest thereof to be distributed in bread annually to poor housekeepers. This sum and an accumulation of interest making in the whole £47. 18s. 1d. was subsequently laid out in building a parish workhouse, the parish officers agreeing to provide out of the poor’s rates the interest of that sum.

Mrs. Sarah Taylor left a legacy of £50 many years ago to the poor of this parish, to be under the management of the trustees of the Free school. This gift was placed in the hands of Mr. Farmer Taylor, he being one of the trustees of the School. The interest was distributed with a private charity of Mr. Taylor’s.

Edward Barker, by will in 1702, charged a piece of land situate at Aston with the payment of 10s. yearly; 5s. thereof to be given to the minister of Claverley, for a sermon on New Year’s day, and 5s. to buy bibles for poor children.

Richard Dovey, the founder of the free school, in 1660 left certain lands lying in Broughton, for the better maintenance of the parson of Claverley. The lands which are supposed to have been left consist of 6a. 0r. 21p. at Broughton, and now produce a rental of about £10 per annum, which is received by the minister for his own use.

William Whitmore, Esq., of Apley, in 1724 gave the sum of £200 to be laid out for the perpetual augmentation of the curacy of the parish church of Claverley, which with the further sum of £200 advanced by the governors of Queen Anne’s bounty, was applied to the purchase of about forty-four acres of land in the parish of Higley, for the benefit of the incumbent. The premises produce £49 per annum, which the minister of Claverley receives.

It appears that the rent of a piece of land called the School House bank, containing about two acres, has been for many years appropriated to the repair of the church, but we have been unable to discover the source from which it was derived. It was sold in 1818 by the parishioners to Sir Stephen Glynne for the sum of £120, and the amount was applied in building the workhouse before mentioned, and interest at the rate of five per cent, amounting to £6 per annum is now paid by the overseers to the churchwardens, by whom it is applied to the repairs of the church. The rent of a small cottage which produces one pound per annum, the origin of which is involved in similar obscurity, is also applied to the same use.

Aston, a small township in the parish of Claverley, is pleasantly situated about a mile east from the parish church. At the census in 1841 there were 22 scattered houses and a population of 126 souls. Aston Hall, a good brick house built in 1842, is the residence of John Wilson, Esq. The old hall was formerly a seat of the Brindleys, and their descendants the Skinners, men of high consequence in the city of London.

Beobridge, a township in the parish of Claverley, is situated about a mile south from the parish church, and in 1841 had eleven houses and sixty one inhabitants. William Wilson, Esq., and Thomas H. Windle, Esq., are the land owners. The acres and the tithes of the several townships are included in the returns for the parish of Claverley. The directories of the several townships will be found alphabetically arranged after the township of Claverley.

Broughton township and small village is situated about a mile and a half south from Claverley, and at the census of 1841 had twelve houses and eighty inhabitants. There was a chapel here prior to the reformation subject to the church of Claverley.

Dalicott, a township in the parish of Claverley, delightfully situated in a salubrious district richly beautified with pastoral scenery, is about a mile and a half north-west from the parish church. The land is the property of George M. Kettle, Esq. At the census in 1841 there were three houses and twenty inhabitants. Dalicott House is a pleasantly situated mansion, commanding extensive views over a luxuriant country of great diversity and beauty; it is a handsome brick structure, the residence of George Mackenzie Kettle, Esq.

Farmcott township and small rural village is situated about a mile south from Claverley, and in 1841 had 39 houses and 191 inhabitants. The land is the property of Thomas Wilson, Esq.

Gatacre, a pleasantly situated village and township in the parish of Claverley, in 1841 contained 23 houses and 125 inhabitants. The landowners are Edward Lloyd Gatacre, Esq., and Edward Farrer Acton, Esq. Gatacre Hall, a well built and commodious brick mansion delightfully situated, is the residence of Edward Lloyd Gatacre, Esq., whose ancestors were seated here, and in possession of the manor, in the reign of Edward the Confessor. The ancient mansion, which was remarkable for the peculiarity of its construction, has been taken down some time. Camden, in speaking of this house, observes, “It was built of dark grey free stone coated with a green vitrified substance about the thickness of a crown piece. The hall was nearly exactly square, and most remarkably constructed at each corner; in the middle of each side and in the centre were immense oak trees hewn nearly square and without branches, set with their heads on large stones laid about a foot deep in the ground, and with their roots uppermost, which roots with a few rafters formed a complete arched roof. The floor was of oak boards three inches thick, not sawed but plain chipped.” Gatacre Park, a handsome mansion, the seat and property of Edward Farrer Acton, Esq., J.P., and deputy lieutenant of the county of Shropshire, is a brick structure pleasantly situated, beautified with tasteful pleasure grounds, and was erected during the year 1850. It stands on the site of an ancient Elizabethan structure, which was rased to the ground in 1849; it was in this house that the Earl of Derby took shelter immediately after the battle of Worcester, and shortly before he was brought to the scaffold in his way to Newport. Several swords were found on taking down the house, one of which is in a state of good preservation.

Heathton, a township and village in the parish of Claverley, is situated about a mile and a half S.E. by E. from the parish church. On the eastern verge of the county is Long Common, which here divides Salop and Staffordshire. Some remains of a military encampment may still be traced upon this common, supposed to have been a Danish fortification; about thirty years ago several skeletons were discovered, and weapons of war have from time to time been found. The township contains 840a. 2r. 32p. of land, and at the census of 1841 had 52 houses and 208 inhabitants.

Hopstone, a township and village in the parish of Claverley, is situated about a mile N. from the parish church. At the census in 1841 there were 43 houses and 188 inhabitants. G. M. Kettle, Esq., is the landowner. Hopstone was long the inheritance of the Ridley family.

Ludstone, a township in the parish of Claverley, situated about a mile N.E. from the parish church, at the census in 1841 had 13 houses and a population of 95 souls. Ludstone was in early times part of the possessions of the deans of Bridgnorth, but after the reformation was purchased by the Leveson family, and now belongs to Thomas C. Whitmore, Esq., and Mrs. Emma Fox. The manor house, now Ludstone Hall, a curious and interesting structure of the domestic architecture of by-gone days, was built in the early part of the reign of Charles I., by the Whitmore family. It is surrounded by a moat, and partly by a brick wall of about eight feet in height. This was long the seat of a branch of the Whitmore family; it is now occupied as a farm house by Mr. William Stokes. In this township was born Sir Francis Jones, Knight, whose family had an estate here till within the last sixty years. Sir Francis Jones was of the haberdasher’s company, and lord mayor of London in 1620. Ludstone also gave birth to Richard Yate, an ingenious poet, and almost self-taught scholar of great talents, which he very frequently displayed in the Gentleman’s Magazine from the year 1734 to 1767, and generally on the most abstruse subjects. He was the instructor of the Right Rev. Dr. Percy, late bishop of Dromore. He died at Roughton in June, 1680, at the advanced age of 82. On the south-east extremity of this manor lies the Danesford Brook, so called from the marauding Danes, who were in the habit of crossing this brook when they commenced their summer incursions to the banks of the Severn, and passed over carrying extermination and plunder into every part of the county.

Shipley is a township in the parish of Claverley, two miles and a half N.E. from the parish church, comprising 500a. 1r. 18p. of land, and at the census of 1841 had six houses and forty inhabitants. Thomas Boycott, Esq., is the landowner. This place is pleasantly situated on the Wolverhampton and Bridgnorth turnpike road.

Sutton township is situated about half a mile N.E. from Claverley, and at the census of 1841 contained three houses and 17 inhabitants.

Woundale, a township and village in Claverley parish, a little more than a mile from the church, at the census in 1841 had 24 houses and 114 inhabitants; the land is the property of Farmer Taylor, Esq., who resides at a pleasantly situated mansion of brick, stuccoed. The acres and rateable value of the several townships in this parish will be found included in the returns of Claverley.

Post Office.—At Mr. Thomas H. Perry’s. Letters arrive at 8 A.M., and are despatched at 7.25 P.M.

Claverley Directory.

Acton Edward Farrer, Esq., Gatacre park

Gabert Christopher, Esq., Rose Cottage

Gabert Rev. George Hilder Betterton, M.A., vicar, the Vicarage

Gatacre Edward Lloyd, Esq., Gatacre hall

Haslehust Thomas, Esq., surgeon, Powk hall

Kettle George Mackenzie, Esq., Dalicott house

Lea Mrs. Wolryche, Ludstone house

Stokes Mr. William, Ludstone hall

Taylor Farmer, Esq., Chykenell

Widdell Thos., Esq., Wood Field

Wilson John, Esq., Aston hall

Wilson William, Esq., Beobridge cottage

Ash Wm., miller and farmer

Austin Joseph, carpenter and joiner

Bate Daniel, millwright

Beasley Charles, schoolmaster (National)

Bishton George, shoemaker

Brazier Helen, schoolmistress

Brown Charles, shoemaker

Chapman James, accountant

Corns Mrs. Elizabeth

Crowder John, butcher and farmer

Crowder Joseph, painter, plumber, and glazier

Crowder Miss Ann

Davenport John, tailor

Evans Mr. William, Digbeth cottage

Evason Benjamin, tailor, draper, and tea dealer

Evers Henry, beerhouse

Evers William, shoemaker

Halfman Dinah and Mary, dressmakers

Halfman George, inland revenue officer

Harles Job, vict., the Crown

Jackson Richard, shoemaker

Page John, miller, Ashford mill

Parbut Mary, shopkeeper

Perry Helen, schoolmistress

Perry James, blacksmith

Perry Joseph, farmer and maltster

Perry Mrs. Elizabeth

Perry John, saddler and harness maker

Perry Thos. H., postmaster

Pickrill John, shoemaker

Preece Francis, shoemaker

Pritchard John, beerhouse

Rushton Francis, carpenter, joiner, builder, and vict., Glynne Arms

Weaver William, registrar of births and deaths, and vict., King’s Arms

Weston John, tailor

Whythse Elizabeth, grocer

Williams Benjamin, butcher

Wilson Thomas, saddler and harness maker

Aston Directory.

Bryan Mr. Joseph

Farrington John, farmer

Griffiths Thomas, wheelwright

Hill Wm. Thomas, farmer

Perry John, farmer and timber merchant

Wilson John, farmer, maltster, house and estate agent, and appraiser Aston hall

Beobridge Directory.

Brinsford Samuel, farmer and corn miller, Lower Beobridge

Brown Edward, wheelwright, Lower Beobridge

Cox Joseph, farmer, Upper Beobridge

Rea Benjamin, blacksmith, Broad Oak

Thomas Thomas, farmer, Lower Beobridge

Wilson William, Esq., Beobridge cottage

Wilson William, farmer, Upper Beobridge

Windle Thomas H., Esq., Lower Beobridge

Broughton Directory.

Edmonds Joseph, farmer, the Bank

Harley Edward, beerhouse keeper

Webster Thomas, farmer

Dalicott Directory.

Kettle George Mackenzie, Esq., Dalicott House

Malpass Joseph, farm bailiff

Farmcott Directory.

Darley Richard, farmer, Sytch house

Edwards Mr. Vincent

Head John, shoemaker

Lees William, corn miller, Sytch house mill

Preece William, farmer

Thomas John, farmer, timber merchant, and wheelwright

Wilson Thomas, farmer

Gatacre Directory.

Acton Edward Farrer, Esq., J.P., and deputy lieutenant for Shropshire

Gatacre Edward Lloyd, Esq., Gatacre hall

Griffiths William, farmer, Gatacre park

Woolrich Henry, farmer, the Valley

Heathton Directory.

Booth William, tailor

Brandford Samuel, painter, plumber and glazier

Crowder Martha, asylum keeper

Davenport James, tailor

Heynes Benjamin, farmer

Lloyd Charles, vic., Swan Inn

Munday William, shoemaker

Plimley John, vict., Old Gate

Hopstone Directory.

Brazier Richard, Wheelwrigt

Broughall George, farmer, corn miller, and maltster

Felton William, shoemaker and beerhouse keeper

Pound Thomas, blacksmith

Ridley Samuel and Edward, corn millers, residence Bridgnorth

Ludstone Directory.

Lea Mrs. Wolryche, Ludstone House

Morris Francis, farmer

Smith William, farmer, Upper Ludstone

Stokes William, farmer, Ludstone Hall

Shipley Directory.

Bott Samuel, farmer

Farmer Alexander, farmer

Francis Robert, farmer

Lakin Charles, vict., Talbot Inn

Miles Matthew, cattle dealer and shopkeeper

Stokes Mary, farmer

Whatelan Benjamin, beerhouse keeper

Sutton Directory.

Jackson Joseph, farmer, Sutton Mill

Smith James, farmer

Woundale Directory.

Davies Edward, farmer

Penzer John, boot and shoe maker

Preece Thomas, vict., Red Lion

Taylor Farmer, Esq., Chykenell

DONINGTON

is a parish in the Shiffnal division of the Brimstree hundred, comprising 2,655 acres of land, and in 1801 had 289 inhabitants; 1831, 318; 1841, 380, and in 1851 81 houses and 352 inhabitants, of whom 197 were males and 195 females. Rateable value, £3,977. The chief landowners are George Jones, Esq., Francis Yates, Esq., and the Rev. Henry Edward John Howard, D.D., dean of Lichfield. Donington is situated about four and a half miles S.E. from Shiffnal, and has a scattered population; the houses are in general of brick, well built, and commodious, and the cottages have a neat appearance. At the Doomsday survey Earl Roger held Donitone, and there was then a mill that rendered five horse load of corn, a wood a mile and a half long, and half a mile broad, and in the Wyke there were five salinæ that paid 20s. This Church is a venerable structure, supposed to have been built early in the fourteenth century; it consists of nave and chancel, with a square tower, in which are two bells. The interior has a neat appearance, and the pews are of oak. The chancel is separated from the nave by a pointed arch, and the windows are beautified with stained glass. The chancel contains several memorials, among which is one to Edmund Waring, Esq., who died on the 30th January, 1682–3, aged 63 years. A brass plate remembers John Chapman, formerly rector of Donington, who died in 1607. The living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £5. 6s. 5½d., now returned at £721, enjoyed by the Rev. Henry Edward John Howard, D.D., dean of Lichfield, who resides at the rectory, a spacious and handsome mansion of modern construction, situated near the church. Shakerley House, a good brick house situated about half a mile north from the church, is the residence and property of George Jones, Esq., iron master, who is also a considerable landowner in this parish. The mansion is delightfully situated, and the pleasure grounds are tastefully laid out.

Charities.—Sarah Manning charged her real estate in Shakerley with the payment of 10s. annually to the poor of the parish of Donington. From a deed in the possession of the owner of the Shakerley estate, dated 3rd April, 1729, it appears that this annuity was charged on a butt or section of land called Green Furlong, adjoining to the Kilsale Green, and which was by the provisions of that deed to be conveyed by Thomas Jellicorse and Jonathan Ruston, the trustees therein named, after the death of Sarah Manning, to William Bishton. What is the particular piece of land subjected to this payment cannot now be ascertained, but the amount is paid as a charge on the Shakerley estate.

The poor have also an annuity of 10s., as a portion of a rent charge of 30s. per annum, given by Mr. Chapman, to be divided between the poor of the parishes of Albrighton, Donington, and Boningale, as stated in the account of the charities of Albrighton. The owner of the Shakerley estate is not aware in what manner the payment of that rent charge was apportioned, so as to subject him to this share of it, but he considers it as a general charge on the Shakerley estate, and pays it accordingly. These two sums are distributed among the most necessitous poor of the parish.

Boulton John, farmer, Humphreston

Boulton William, farm bailiff, Sidnall

Cartwright William, farmer, Wood Farm

Dodd Rev. George, curate

Duncalfe William, farmer and surveyor, Chapel House

Holyoake George, Esq., banker, Nachley

Howard Rev. Henry Edward John, D.D., rector and dean of Lichfield, The Rectory

Howell Joseph, shopkeeper

Jones George, Esq., iron master, Shakerley House

Jones John, Esq., ironmaster, White House

Lander Richard, jun., farmer

Miller William, farmer

Moore William, miller, Shakerley Mill

Radford Henry, blacksmith, Shakerley

Reynolds Richard, shopkeeper & shoemaker, Shakerley

Russell John, tailor, Sidnall lane

Sherratt John, farmer, Low Wood Farm

Ward Matthew, Esq., Blue House

Wilkes Samuel, farmer and corn miller, Shakerley

KEMBERTON,

a parish and small rural village, pleasantly situated two miles and a half S.W. by S. from Shiffnal, at the census in 1801 contained 289 inhabitants; 1831, 318; and in 1841, 79 houses and a population of 380 souls. The parish comprises 1,385a. 2r. 16p. of land, of which twenty-three acres are in woods and plantations. Rateable value, £1,930. The Shiffnal, Madeley, Bridgnorth, and Ironbridge turnpike roads intersect the parish. The principal landowners are Robert Aglionby Slaney, Esq., M.P., Mr. John Bradburne, Lord Sudeley, Mr. Henry Thomason, and Mr. T. L. Beddows; besides whom Mr. Thomas Harper, Mr. Ward, Mr. S. Broughall, Mr. John Cherrington, Mr. William Harper, and others, are also proprietors. The soil is variable; in some parts a light loam prevails, in other parts the soil is strong, and there is a portion of clay. This locality is noted for the salubrity of the air. The land is broken into bold swells, from the high grounds of which some fine views of the surrounding country and of the distant county of Stafford are seen.

The Church, dedicated to St. Andrew, is a small fabric, with a square tower ornamented with pinnacles. The interior consists of nave and chancel, and is neatly pewed with oak sittings; the tower contains four bells. A neat marble tablet has been erected, at the expense of the parishioners, in memory of the Rev. John Williams. The living is a rectory, with the vicarage of Sutton Maddock annexed; valued in the king’s book at £5. 6s. 5½d., in the patronage of Robert Aglionby Slaney, Esq., M.P.; incumbent, Rev. George Whitmore, M.A. The tithes are commuted for £580. The Rectory is a handsome stuccoed residence adjoining the church-yard, beautified with pleasure grounds, tastefully laid out. There is a Parochial School in the village, which is chiefly supported by the rector.

Directory.—George Adlington, wheelwright; Samuel Barker, shoemaker; William Bowdler, farmer; John Cherrington, gentleman; James Clulow, farmer; Wm. Downes, shoemaker; Charles Gough, shopkeeper and wheelwright; Thomas Harper, victualler, Masons’ Arms; Wm. Harper, bricklayer and parish clerk; Benjamin Heyward, gardener; William Richard Jackson, farmer; William Lumley, farmer; John Onions, maltster; Peter Reynolds, farmer; Elizabeth Rogers, school-teacher; Thomas Spenser, gentleman, Langley Cottage; Thomas Stonely, corn-miller; Mrs. Eliza Lloyd Thomas, farmer; Mary Ann Tomkins, shopkeeper; James Vaughan, blacksmith; Rev. George Whitmore, M.A., The Rectory; William Williams, tailor.

RYTON

is a parish, in the Shiffnal Division of the Brimstree Hundred, which embraces 1,390 acres of fertile land, yielding fine crops of wheat, barley, and turnips. The village is pleasantly situated, three miles S. from Shiffnal, and the same distance W. of Albrighton. The river Worf, which is celebrated for the excellency and abundance of its trout, intersects the parish. At the census in 1801 there were 160 inhabitants; 1831, 154; and in 1841, 41 houses and 195 souls. Rateable value of the parish, £2,507. The principal landowners are William Angeworth, Esq., Charles Head, Esq., Rev. Robert William Eyton, M.A., and R. A. Slaney, Esq.; there are also several smaller proprietors. The Church is a neat structure of free-stone, erected in the year 1710, to which additions have from time to time been made. It consists of nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a square tower, in which are three bells and a clock; the interior has a neat and orderly appearance: the pews are of oak, and the east window is beautifully ornamented with stained glass, with figures illustrative of Scripture history. There are some neat tablets and memorials to the Hardings, Heads, Sansoms, and others. The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £5. 12s. 1d., now returned at £508, in the patronage and incumbency of the Rev. Robert William Eyton, M.A.; curate, Rev. Richard Seddon, B.A. The tithes for Royton parish are commuted for £445. The Rectory is a handsome modern residence, pleasantly situated a little south from the church, and was built on the site of the old rectory. The National School, a neat Elizabethan brick structure, situated a little east from the church, was built in the year 1850. The average attendance of children is about forty. Not far from the National School the stream of the Worf is crossed by a small stone bridge.

Directory.—Robert Bradley, farmer; John Candlin, farmer; Edward Corbett, blacksmith; Elizabeth Corbett, schoolmistress; Samuel Dalloe, schoolmaster; Rev. Robert William Eyton, M.A., The Rectory; Charles Head, farmer, Atchley House; Thomas Hodgkiss, shoemaker; William Holloway, shoe and patten maker; John Knight, wheelwright; William Miles, farmer and beerhouse-keeper, Grindle; George Powell, farmer, Grindle; John Roberts, butler; Rev. Richard Seddon, B.A., curate, Ryton Bank; Thomas Wheeler, farmer, Atchley; John Yates, farmer, Grindle.

SHIFFNAL,

anciently called Idesall, or Idsal, is a parish and market town the head of a division of the Brimstree hundred, eight miles south from Newport, ten miles north from Bridgnorth, and eighteen miles east by south from Shrewsbury. The town chiefly consists of one street upwards of a mile in length, with several minor streets diverging from it. The houses are irregularly built, and many of the cottage residences have a mean appearance; there are however several good inns and private houses, and a number of respectable shops in most of the branches of the retail trade. Though the situation of the town is low, it is built on a dry sandy soil, and by no means unpleasant. According to tradition Idesall was a place of more considerable note in former times, and the principal portion of the town stood westward of the church; foundations and traces of buildings have frequently been discovered which would seem to confirm this supposition. In the 9th of Edward II. Bartholomew de Badlesmere obtained for him and his heirs a market on Monday and Friday, and two fairs in the year, one on the eve of the day, and the day after the feast of the Holy Trinity, and the other on the eve, the day, and the morrow after Michaelmas, as also the liberty of free warren in his demesnes in Ideshall, Adderley, Sponley, Calverhall, and Shavington. He was one of those mutinous lords who took part in the battle of Boroughbridge, March 16th, 1322, where he was taken prisoner and afterwards executed at Canterbury. The possessions of Bartholomew Badlesmere were granted in the 15th of Edward II. to Edmund Earl of Arundel and the heirs male of his body, but that noble lord was in like manner attainted about four years after, and so we find Giles de Badlesmere, son of the said Bartholomew, restored to the inheritance of his family. In the 11th of Edward IV., John Earl of Shrewsbury had a grant of a market and two fairs at the Ville of Suffenhall. The market is still held on Tuesday, but is not of much consideration; formerly corn was sold to a considerable extent. Fairs are held on the first Monday in April, August 5th, and November 22nd. The great London and Holyhead road passes through the town, upon which there were formerly seventeen coaches passing and repassing daily, which, with other traffic, added much to the commercial importance and advantage of Shiffnal. Although the inhabitants have the facilities of railway communication and a station in a central part of the town, this has rather had a tendency to diminish the importance of Shiffnal, by diverting the attention of parties who formerly frequented the market here to places of more consideration at no great distance.

The parish contains 11,433 acres of land, of which 1,090 acres are in woods and plantations, 74a. 3r. 28p. in roads and waste, and there are 60 acres of glebe. Rateable value, £24,561. 16s. Population in 1801, 3,632; 1831, 4,779; 1841, 5,244; 1851, 5,616; of whom 2,820 were males, and 2,796 females; at the latter period there were 1,050 houses. The Marquis of Stafford is lord of the manor and a very considerable landowner. The parish comprises four divisions, viz.: that of Shiffnal, embracing the town and its suburbs; Hatton district, comprising the hamlets of Idsal, Hem, Wyke, Evelith, and Hinnington; Priors Lee, those of Snedshill, Haughton, and Woodhouse; and the division of Woodside, containing the hamlets of Crackley bank, Decker hill, the Lizzard, Aston, Stanton, Upton, and Coppice green. The parish is intersected by the London and Holyhead, Shiffnal and Bridgnorth, and the Albrighton and Newport turnpike roads, and is watered by the small streams of the Sal, Worfe, Cosford, and the Lizzard. The township of Shiffnal contains 188a. 2r. 10p. of land, and in 1841 had 412 houses and 1,872 inhabitants. Rateable value, £4,153. 4s. The principal freeholders are the Marquis of Stafford, W. H. Slaney, Esq., William Cope, Esq., Mr. Edward Cherrington, and Mr. Thomas Eaton Lander, besides whom there are between forty and fifty small freeholders. The tithes were commuted in 1839, when the rectoral tithes were apportioned as follows, viz: £923 to the Rev. John Brooke; £580 to Henry Sidney Herbert, Esq.; £105 to the Duke of Cleveland; and £26 to Messrs. John and George Pritchards. The vicarial tithes are commuted for £307. A considerable extent of land, the property of the Duke of Cleveland, Lord Forester, R. A. Slaney, Esq., Rev. John Brooke, and others, is tithe free, and other portions of the parish pay a small modus.

The Church, dedicated to St. Andrew, is a large interesting cruciform structure, exhibiting various styles of architecture, with a handsome square tower rising from the centre and supported by four pointed arches resting on massive pillars with ornamented capitals. The side aisles are separated from the nave by four semi circular arches, and terminated by side chapels. The chancel is spacious, and was re-roofed a few years ago at the expense of the late vicar, the Rev. John Brooke. The ceiling is of oak, and varnished, which gives the venerable structure a very interesting appearance. On the gallery at the west end is a fine toned organ; a noble old window at the east end is beautifully foliated. The altar is remarkably fine. Among the numerous memorials is a magnificent altar tomb, having a full length figure in a recumbent position, with the hands joined and uplifted in prayer, in memory of Oliver Briggs, who died 20th November, 1596. Another alabaster tomb of beautiful workmanship, with the figure of a knight and his lady, remembers Humphrey Briggs, Esq., and Ann, his wife, dated 1622. In a niche in the wall is a full length figure of Thomas Forester, some time prior of Wombridge, warden of Tong, and vicar of Idesall, dated 1526. A splendid white tablet has been erected to the memory of Dame Magdalene Briggs, who died September 15th, 1698. There are also handsome tablets to the Slaneys, Corbets, Pitts, Jackson, Charltons, and Brookes. The memorial to George Brooke, Esq., of Haughton, who died in 1776, is beautifully executed in free stone. A neat marble tablet has been erected to the memory of Mary Bagott, daughter of Ralph Clayton, of Sheffield, in the county of Yorkshire; she died July 27th, 1748, aged 88 years. From the inscription on the tablet to William Wakley, we learn that he was baptised at Idsal, May 1st, 1590, and was buried November 28th, 1714, aged 124 years. He lived in the reigns of eight kings and queens, viz., Elizabeth, James I., Charles I., Charles II., James II., William and Mary, Anne, and George I. Mary, wife of Joseph Yates, who died August 7th, 1776, aged 127 years; she is stated to have married a third husband at the age of 92, and to have been hearty and strong when 120 years old. Besides which are recorded in the church yard many instances of extreme longevity, for which this parish is peculiarly eminent. The advowson of the church in early times was granted to the abbey of Shrewsbury; in the 24th of Henry VI. the impropriation was annexed to the college of Battlefield, near Salop. The living is now a vicarage, valued in the king’s book at £15. 6s. 8d.; now returned at £492.; in the patronage of the Rev. John Brooke, of Haughton Hall; incumbent, Rev. Townshend Brooke, M.A. The Vicarage is a handsome residence pleasantly situated a short distance from the church.

The Baptists have a neat chapel situated on the Salop road, built in 1843, and another chapel in Aston street. The Wesleyan Methodist Chapel is situate in the Back lane. The National Schools are situated in the Innage. Seventy-five boys and about seventy girls attend. It is supported by endowments and annual subscriptions, together producing about £40 per annum. The endowments of the schools will be found noticed with the charities. The Christian Knowledge Society have a branch depository for the circulation and sale of religious books, situated in High street; Mr. Cornelius Bennet is the librarian.

The Mechanics’ Institution was established in 1849, and is under the management of a president, vice-president, and committee of proprietary members. The general object of the institution is for the establishment of classes for the study of most of the branches of a liberal education, the formation of a library, and affording the members facilities for hearing lectures on literary and scientific subjects. A Reading-Room has been established, which is furnished with many of the leading newspapers, and some of the most popular periodicals of the day. President: Rev. J. Brooke, Haughton Hall. Vice-President: W. Cope, Esq. Secretary and Librarian: Mr. B. L. Beddow. The Town Hall, situated in High street, was built in the year 1840. The Petty Sessions are held here on the first Friday in each month. The officiating magistrates are Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq., M.P., Uvedale Corbet, Esq., Robert Henry Cheney, Esq., and George Holyoake, Esq. Mr. Peter Osborne is clerk to the magistrates. In 1850, a Lock-up and residence for the constable was erected adjoining the Town Hall. The Stamp Office is at Mrs. Ann Edmunds, Market-place. The Excise Office is at the Bell Inn.

The Savings Bank was established in 1819, and is situated in New-street Terrace. The capital stock of the bank on November, 20th, 1850, amounted to £15,198. 3s. 2d., at which period there were 469 separate accounts; of which nine were charitable societies, and three friendly societies. Of the respective balances, 260 did not exceed £20, 108 were above £20 and not exceeding £50, 46 did not exceed £100, 30 were above £100 and not exceeding £150, and the deposits of 13 were above the latter amount and under £200. The amount received from depositors from November 20th, 1849, to November 20th, 1850, was £2,204. 14s. 8d. The payments during the same period were £2,275. 4s. 7d. Mr. Thomas Eaton Lander, Treasurer; and Mr. Peter Osborne, Secretary. The bank is open every alternate Tuesday from ten till one o’clock.

The Shiffnal Union House, a brick structure, situated a short distance from the town, was partly built in 1817, at the expense of the ratepayers. In the year 1840, additional buildings were erected by the guardians of the union, at a cost of about £800, which will accommodate about one hundred and fifty inmates. The interior arrangements are well contrived for the comfort, convenience, and cleanliness of the inmates, the number of whom is usually about sixty. The union comprises an area of sixty-seven square miles, and embraces the parishes of Albrighton, Badger, Beckbury, Boninghall, Donington, Kemberton, Ryton, Shiffnal, Stockton, Sutton Maddock, and Tong, in the county of Salop; and the parishes of Blymhill, Pateshull, Sheriff Hales, and Weston-under-Lizard, in the county of Stafford. There are twenty guardians appointed for the several parishes, who meet at the board-room every alternate Monday. The Rev. John Brooke is the chairman; Mr. Peter Osborne, clerk and superintendent registrar; John Fielding, deputy-registrar; Mr. William Roden, of Haughton, registrar of births and deaths for the Shiffnal district; Mr. John Totty, registrar for the Albrighton district; surgeons, Mr. Thomas Eaton Lander and Messrs. Bennett and Orwin; relieving officer, Mr. Richard Venables; master, Mr. George Bailey; matron, Mrs. Bailey; schoolmistress, Hannah Maria Thomason.

The Gas Works, situated in High street, were established by a company of shareholders, with a capital stock of £2,300. The premises are conveniently adapted for the purposes intended, and there is a gasometer for the reception of the luminous vapour, which will hold 10,000 cubic feet. A charge of 7s. 6d. per 1,000 feet is made to the consumer.

The Railway Station, situate in the Market place, near the centre of the town, presents a beautiful pile of buildings, in the Italian style, and is approached by a flight of fifty-seven steps. The railway is carried over the town, and crosses the Birmingham, Shrewsbury, Wolverhampton, and Newport turnpike roads, at an elevation of sixty feet above the level of the ground. This noble viaduct comprises twenty brick arches, of thirty-seven feet span each; and at the turnpike roads, which are eighty feet wide, are six semi-circular metal arches, resting on brick abutments, with stone capitals. The embankment extends for several miles. The metal viaduct and its battlements were cast at the Horseley Iron Works, Tipton, in the year 1848, and the railway was opened on the 12th of November, 1849. Twelve trains leave the station daily for Shrewsbury and Birmingham. Mr. George Augustus Frederick Hill is station-master and resident manager. Mr. Charles Lloyd, station-clerk. Omnibuses leave the railway station daily for Bridgnorth and Ironbridge.

Shiffnal was the birth-place of Dr. Thomas Beddoes, a physician of considerable eminence and a talented author, whose works are characterized by much acuteness of observation. He died in 1808. In a field contiguous to Shiffnal is a military station; the mound was circumscribed by a ditch, which may still be traced.

Aston Hall, a handsome mansion, the property of Major Moultrie, is the residence of Uvedale Corbet, Esq., J.P., and Judge of the County Court. The house is delightfully situated about half a mile east from Shiffnal. Crackley Bank is a hamlet, about two miles north from Shiffnal. Here the Wesleyan Methodists have a small chapel. Deckerhill Hall, a spacious stuccoed mansion, delightfully situated, is the residence of Mrs. Botfield. The pleasure grounds and shrubberies are of considerable extent, and laid out with great taste. Coppice Green and Lizard are hamlets north east of Shiffnal. Burlington, three miles north of Shiffnal. Stanton, a hamlet, a mile and a half east from the parish church, is noted as the residence of Mr. Henry Wadlow, a celebrated race-horse trainer. Stanton Farm, the residence of John Eyke, Esq., land-agent to Lord Stafford, comprises upwards of one thousand acres. Mr. Eyke is noted for having extensive flocks of superior bred sheep.

Hatton is an extensive district, in the parish of Shiffnal, comprising 3,982a. 0r. 3p. of land, the soil of which in many parts is a strong fertile loam, producing good crops of barley, wheat, and turnips. Rateable value, £5,761. 12s. The township of Hatton, situated two miles and a half south from Shiffnal, at the census of 1841 was returned as containing 108 houses and 542 inhabitants. The principal landowners are Robert Aglionby Slaney, Esq., M.P., Lord Forester, Michael Goodall, Esq., The Duke of Cleveland, Thomas Eaton Lander, Esq., Rev. George Burder, Mrs. Ann Turner, and the Rev. Townshend Brooke; besides whom there are several smaller proprietors. This is a pleasantly situated district, with a fine undulating surface, containing many good family mansions and farm residences; the houses are mostly built of brick, and the farms are of considerable extent. Hutton Grange, a handsome brick mansion, the residence of William Henry Slaney, Esq., barrister-at-law, is delightfully situated in a sequestered part of the country, three miles south-east from Shiffnal. The park grounds are beautifully studded with timber, and the gardens and pleasure grounds are of considerable extent, and laid out with great taste. Evelith Manor, a beautiful modern mansion, situated a mile and a half south from Shiffnal, is the residence of Michael Goodall, Esq. Hem is a hamlet, a mile and a half south-west from Shiffnal. Idsal contains several rural villas, and forms a southern suburb to the town of Shiffnal. Hinnington, a hamlet south of Shiffnal; and Wyke is situated about a mile to the south-west.

PRIORS LEE

is a chapelry, township, and populous district, situated three miles N.W. from Shiffnal, and four and a half miles N.E. from Wellington, intersected by the Shrewsbury and Birmingham railway, and the Shiffnal and Wellington turnpike road. This is a flourishing district, the inhabitants of which are busily engaged in the coal and iron-stone mines, and the extensive iron works, with which this part of the county abounds. The houses are irregularly built, and chiefly occupied by a labouring population; the cottage property in this township is scattered over an area of 86 acres. At the census of 1801 there were 1,589 inhabitants; 1831, 2,130, and in 1841 there were 480 houses and a population of 2,470 souls. This portion of the parish comprises 3,077 acres of land, the rateable value of which is £9,045. On the eastern side is an extensive farming district, the land of which is broken into bold undulations. The Marquis of Stafford, the Rev. John Brooke, W. H. Slaney, Esq., and others, are landowners. The Lilleshall company are also considerable holders of leasehold property. At Oakengates, adjoining Priors Lee, there is a railway station. The Episcopal Chapel is a brick structure in the decorative style, with a square tower containing one bell. It was rebuilt in 1836, when it was enlarged; the interior consists of nave, chancel, and side aisles, and contains 415 sittings, 210 of which are free and unappropriated, in consequence of a grant from the Incorporated Society for building and enlarging churches. The living is a perpetual curacy endowed with £600 private benefaction, £600 royal bounty, and £1,400 parliamentary grant, in the patronage of the vicar of Shiffnal; incumbent, Rev. James Thomas Matthews, B.D.; clerk, James Astbury. The Wesleyans have a chapel which will hold about 300 hearers. The National School has an attendance of seventy boys and fifty girls. Priors Lee Hall, the residence of John Horton, Esq., is pleasant situated a short distance from the village. The offices of the Lilleshall company are at the hall. There are several good residences in the village.

Haughton is a pleasantly situated village in a secluded vale about a mile W. from Shiffnal, watered by the small stream of the Sal, and crossed by the Newport and Priors Lee turnpike road. There are several neat villa residences here, beautified with tasteful gardens. Haughton Hall, a spacious and elegant mansion, is the residence of the Rev. John Brooke. The edifice is of brick, and stuccoed, and being situated on a gentle eminence commands some fine views of the surrounding country. The gardens and pleasure grounds are beautifully laid out, and the park is richly wooded with fine timber.

Snedshill is a populous district in the parish of Shiffnal, adjoining Oakengates, noted for the extensive iron works of Messrs. Horton, Simms, and Bull, and the iron works and collieries of the Lilleshall company. Woodhouse is situated three miles N.W. from Shiffnal. Woodside, a township three miles N.E. from Shiffnal, at the census of 1841 had 72 houses and 360 inhabitants. This is an extensive farming district, which comprises 4,086 acres of land, of which 324a. 2r. 26p. are in woods and plantations. Rateable value, £5,592. The Marquis of Stafford, Mrs. Botfield, Major Moultrie, Rev. John Brooke, Rev. Townshend Brooke, and Mr. Thomas Langley, and others, are landowners.

Charities.—Shiffnal Free School. The earliest mention that we find of this school is contained in the will of John Aron, dated 5th July, 1595, in which subject to certain contingencies he gives the sum of £20 towards erecting a school house in Shiffnal. From the will of Gordian Strowbridge, dated 22nd November, 1626, it appears that a school house was there “erected and set up” in the town, in which eight poor scholars were instructed to read and write under the auspices of the testator; and for the continuance of which number therein, after his death, he provides by a legacy of £50. But contemplating the possibility of a cessation of the school in the house which had been so erected, he in that event appoints the interest of the legacy to other uses, one moiety to be given to any schoolmaster who should teach a school either in the town or parish. An uncertain or temporary interest in the building which had been there erected would sufficiently explain the grounds of the testator’s apprehension that the school might cease to be kept in it; and we are led to believe that such was the nature of the interest which the charity at that time possessed, from the testimony which we find subsequently recorded on the benefaction table, that “John Careswell, in 1652, gave the sum of £10, with which he purchased the school house for the use of the inhabitants of the town and parish of Shiffnal.” It is probable, therefore, from this recorded purchase, that we are to derive the title to the school house which the town and parish now enjoy; although a later date seems to be assigned to the present building or some part of it, by an inscription in the year 1682, which appears upon one of its walls. Of the legacy given by Gordian Strowbridge we do not find any further mention, but it is supposed to have formed a part of the consolidated charities hereafter mentioned.

Sir Humphrey Briggs, Bart., by deed dated 9th November, 1652, granted to certain trustees all the tithes of corn, grain, and hay, coming within the titheable places of the township of Hem, on trust for the security of the payment, among other things, of the sum of £1. 13s. 4d. out of the profit of the premises to the schoolmaster of Shiffnal.

Eliazer Careswell, by will, 1675, gave to certain trustees an annuity or rent charge of 48s., to be for ever issuing out of a tenement and lands within the manor of Shiffnal, and directed the same to be paid half yearly to some schoolmaster or schoolmistress for the education of six poor boys. The sum of £2. 4s. is all that is at present paid in respect of this annuity, nor do we find that more has been received for a considerable period. It seems probable that the 4s. were deducted under the provisions of the land tax act.

Consolidated Charities.—Robert Sidney, in 1677, in consideration of the sum of £200, which money had been given by ten several donors for charitable uses, granted a rent charge of £10 per annum, to be issuing out of his manor of Grindle, as to 10s. of it for the payment of the Tenstree rent, the residue thereof to be applied in apprentice fees, and other charitable uses. On the 15th August, 1761, at a general meeting held in the parish church, the vicar, churchwardens, overseers, and others, signed a written declaration in the parish book, testifying that they thereby assigned the annuity so charged for the use of the schoolmaster in consideration of his teaching six additional children to read and write. In consequence of this proceeding the master has since continued to receive this annuity, which, with the respective annuities of £1. 13s. 4d. and £2. 4s., constituted the whole of his income down to the year 1816, in which year it was resolved to adopt the national system of education, and with the interest of a legacy amounting to £4. 10s., and funds raised by subscriptions, the annual income now amounts to about £40.

Careswell’s Exhibitions.—The particulars of this endowment will be found noticed with the account of the free grammar school at Bridgnorth, where it will be seen that three scholars of the free school at Shiffnal are eligible to exhibitions at Christ College, Oxford. It does not appear that the free school, properly so called, has ever participated in the benefit of these exhibitions, not having at any time included classical instruction in its course of education. But it seems that the practice has been to elect the exhibitioners from a private classical school kept in the town of Shiffnal—a practice probably grounded upon the provision which extended the benefit of the endowment to scholars not free of the school. We conceive (observe the charity commissioners) that the true meaning of that provision was to include the private scholars of the master of the free school, and not the scholars of any other school, having no connection or communication with the free school. Such, however, as far as we can trace it, appears to have been the character of the classical school to which we have alluded, into which if any scholars were ever admitted from the free school, it was not as free scholars, but on payment of the same price, and subject to the same conditions that were required from the other scholars. It appears indeed that the master of this school received a formal appointment as classical tutor of the free school from the minister, trustees, and principal inhabitants of Shiffnal; but he was at the same time exempted from affording any tuition or discharging any duties towards the free school, other than preparing for Christ Church such exhibitioners as came forward as candidates agreeably to the provisions made for them in Mr. Careswell’s will. The duty, therefore, which he thus engaged to perform, appears to have been simply to receive and instruct such of the free scholars of the free school as should be able to pay that price, and comply with these conditions. We cannot but think that a more important benefit to the free school was contemplated by the founder of these exhibitions, who in extending the benefit to scholars not free of the school, probably intended to provide for a classical master such a source of remuneration from private scholars as should entitle the free scholars gratuitously to participate in the advantages of his instruction.

Richard Bennet, in 1794, bequeathed £100 upon trust, and directed the interest or proceeds thereof to be paid to the master of the free school. The interest, £4. 10s., is now paid to the master of the national school.

Beatrice Jobber, in 1716, bequeathed £200, and directed the interest to be applied in clothing and instructing six poor children, daughters of widows or other poor persons belonging to the parish of Shiffnal.

Dole Charities.—It is recorded in an old book belonging to the trustees of the poor’s stock, and purporting to contain an account of the charities of this parish, that in 1506, Sir John Leigh, a priest who had long served in the church of Wolverhampton, gave £12. 13s. 4d. to purchase a mark a year, to be given to the poor of Shiffnal. An annuity of 13s. 4d., which has long been received for the use of the poor, appears to be charged upon certain premises in Pipers-row, Wolverhampton.

Sir Humphrey Briggs, in 1652, left a rent charge of 40s. per annum, to be distributed by the churchwardens and overseers among the poor of the parish.

Arthur Mainwaring, in 1690, gave four butts of ground lying in Churchfield and Wykefield, within the parish of Shiffnal, to Mary, his wife, and Ann, his daughter, and their heirs for ever, on trust, to pay 20s. yearly on the feast of St. Andrew, to forty poor old people belonging the parish.

Vincent Latham gave £20 for the use of the poor. In respect of this gift there is now a rent charge of 20s. per annum, issuing out of a certain tenement in High-street, which is divided among the poor on the feast of St. Andrew.

William Smith, in 1713, gave £10 to the poor of Shiffnal, and directed the interest to be distributed among poor widows who do not receive parochial relief.

Edward Revell, by deed, 1693, assigned to certain trustees a bond which had been made to him for the payment of £200, with lawful interest, in trust, for the benefit of the poor. The bond which was thus assigned appears to have been discharged in 1698, and £100 of the money, after passing successively through several hands at interest, was in 1847 given to Humphrey Pitt, Esq. John Revell, in 1723, gave £100 for charitable uses; this, it appears, eventually also came into the hands of Mr. Pitt, and at his death in 1769 it was found necessary to institute a suit against his representatives for the recovery of the money due from his estate. An arrangement afterwards took place, by which it was agreed that the sum of £312 should be paid to the trustees, in full of all principal and interest then due, of which £12 was immediately distributed among the poor, and the remaining £300 was placed out at interest. The other £100 left by Edward Revell, above mentioned, after being held by the Phillip’s family, came into the possession of George Appleby, Esq., in whose hands the above £300 was also placed, and who paid interest at the rate of five per cent. for the same till the year 1804, when the principal was transferred to George Brooke, Esq., who gave a promissory note for the security of the same, and pays interest at the rate of five per cent. This money, with other charities previously noticed, produces a yearly income of £25. 3s. 4d., which, with other monies furnished by voluntary contributions, is distributed at Christmas in small sums among the poor.

Reginal Piper, in 1659, granted to the churchwardens of Shiffnal a rent charge of 10s. issuing out of his messuage in the Sheep market, and directed the same to be disposed of among twenty poor old people.

Henry Green, in 1702, granted to trustees a rent charge of 20s. per annum, to be disposed of on Good Fridays and Christmas-days among poor widows.

Frances Moreton, in 1781, devised to her nephew, John Brooke, a piece of land, called Aston Croft, in trust, to permit the vicar of the parish to dispose of the rents and profits among poor housekeepers. By indenture, dated 5th of May, 1788, reciting the abovementioned will, and that the said Frances Moreton had no power to devise the said land, the same descending to Sarah Atkis, as heir-at-law of Robert Moreton, deceased; the said Sarah Atkis conveyed to trustees the plot of land called Aston Croft, to permit the vicar to take the rents thereof, and during the life of Mary Stockwell, to apply a part, and after her decease, the whole of the profits amongst decayed housekeepers. The land, about the year 1806, was exchanged for 3a. 3r. 12p. situate at Aston, in the parish of Shiffnal, which now produces a rent of £12 per annum. The amount is distributed at Christmas eve among poor widows or other indigent persons, in sums varying from 4s. to 10s. each, according to their several necessities.

Sir Humphrey Briggs, by a deed, dated 9th of November, 1652, charged the tithes of Shiffnal with the payment of £1. 6s. 8d. to the clerk or deacon of the parish. Francis Mallard and Elizabeth, his wife, in 1587, left an annuity of 16s. for the benefit of the poor. This gift has long been lost to the poor.

Post Office—At Miss Frances Adams’s, New street. Letters arrive at 5.30 A.M., and are despatched at 7.30 P.M.

Adams Miss Frances, New street

Allen William, Esq., Bank House

Bailey Mr. George, Union House

Barnfield Mrs., The Cottage

Bennett Cornelius, organist, High street

Bennett Mr. Samuel, The Grove

Bidlake Roger, gentleman, Old road

Bothfield Mrs. Lucy, Decker-hill Hall

Bradburn William, Old road

Brooke Rev. John, Haughton Hall

Brooke Rev. Townshend, Idsal Vicarage

Cannon Chas., inland revenue officer, Innage

Cherrington Mr. Edward, Church street

Cope William, Esq., barrister, Park House

Corbet Uvedale, Esq., Aston Hall

Cuxson Mrs. Eleanor, New street

Evett Mr. James, Horse fair

Eyke John, Esq., Stanton House

Fletcher Mr. John, Park Villa

Gas Company (office) High street

Gilbert Mr. Thomas, Old road

Glover William Cheshire, Esq., High street

Goodall Michael, Esq., Evelith

Gray Mrs., New street

Hills Mr. George A. F., High street

Horton John, Esq., Priors Lee Hall

Hudson Mr. Job, Old road

Jones Miss Martha, Innage

Jones The Misses, Uplands

Lander Edward, Market street

Lander Mr. Thomas Eaton, Beech House

Lander Mr. Thomas Eaton, Innage

Leake James, solicitors’ clerk, High street

Lello Mrs. Mary, High street

Lloyd Charles, railway clerk, High street

Masefield Mrs. Alice, Woodhouse

Masefield Mrs. Ann, Aston street

Masefield Mr. Thomas, Woodhouse

Orwin Mr. James, High street

Osborne Mr. Peter, New street terrace

Perrin Dudley Josiah, New street

Phillips Mr. Andrew, Market street

Pidgeon Robt., Esq., land agent, Russell place

Roden Mrs. Charlotte, Church street

Roden William, registrar, Haughton

Shirley Mr. William, trainer, Church street

Smyth Amelia, Rock terrace

Spedding Rev. Francis, M.A., New street

Thomas Evan, inland revenue officer, High st

Venables Richard, relieving officer, Church st

Wadlow Henry, horse trainer, Stanton

Academies.

Beetlestone John, Old road

Beetlestone Mrs., Aston st

Gentlemen’s Boarding, High street; Rev. James Thos. Matthews, principal

Gilbert Mary, Church street

Ladies’ Boarding, Rock terrace; Miss Smyth

National (Boys), Innage; David Whittle

National (Girls), Innage; Jemima Owen

Accountant.

Gilbert Thomas, Old road

Attorneys.

Glover William, Cheshire High street

Perrin Dudley Josiah, New street

Phillips Andrew, office back of Market place

Auctioneers.

Houlston John, office Mr. Fraser’s, Market place

Weare Wm., office Market pl

Bakers and Flour Dealers.

Lowe Mary, Horse fair

Randle Catherine, Market pl

Bankers.

Shropshire Banking Company, Horse fair; Wm. Allen, manager

Savings Bank, New street; Peter Osborne, secretary

Blacksmiths.

Clarke Thomas, High street

Evans Richard, Church st

Ferney John, Aston street

Smout John, Aston street

Tozer William (and whitesmith), High street

Booksellers, Printers, Stationers, & Bookbinders.

Beddow Barnabas Leman, New street

Edmunds Ann, Market place

Boot and Shoemakers.

Bullock Thomas, High street

Fenn William, High street

Harper John, Aston street

Jones Joseph, Church street

Norton George, High street

Norton Thomas, High street

Owen John, Church street

Warrender Jas. (and dealer), High street

Westbrooke John, Market place

Williams Thos., High street

Braziers and Tin-plate Workers.

Bullock John, High street

Tomlinson Wm., Market pl

Bricklayers and Masons.

Beetlestone Benjamin, Aston street

Beetlestone John, High street

Ingram William, Aston street

Yates Richard, High street

Yates Thomas, High street

Butchers.

Hall Mary, Market street

Hall Robert, High street

Hall William, High street

Haywood Thomas, Market pl

Parkes Francis, High street

Poyner William, High street

Ward George, Market place

Cabinet Makers & Upholsterers.

Blud Thomas, Back street

King Charles (and dealer in British wines), Back st

Linall William, High street

Pointon William, High st

Cheese, Butter, and Bacon Factors.

Dagleish William, High st

Pointon Thomas, Market pl

Randle Catherine, Market pl

Chemists and Druggists.

Bate Wm. Stokes, Market pl

Langman Frederick, Market place

Pace William Cherrington, Back street

Coal Agents.

Fellows Aaron, Railway statn.

Hills and Phillips (and lime and salt), Railway station

Coal Merchants.

Botfield Beriah, Old Park Colliery

Horton & Company, Priors Lee Works

Lilleshall Co., Priors Lee

Confectioners.

Bartley John, Market place

Lowe Mary, Marketplace

Coopers.

Wakelain Joseph (and dealer in turn and bend ware), High street

Williams Charles, High st

Williams Robert, High street

Corn Factor.

Fellows Aaron, Aston street

Curriers & Leather Cutters.

Cherrington Roger, High st

Lello George, High street

Farmers.

Masefield Thos., Woodhouse

Norton Alfred, New street

Powell John, Church street

Roden John, High street

Fellmongers.

Fenn Samuel, High street

Hodgkinson John, High st

Fire and Life Office Agents.

Accidental Death; Mr. Beddow, New street

Birmingham Fire and Life; Charles King, Back street

Great Britain Life; Mr. Osborne, New street

Salop Fire, Mr. Beddow, New street

Shropshire & North Wales; Lander & Sons, Market pl

Fishmonger.

Harris John, Market street

Grocers and Tea Dealers.

Bate William Stokes, Market place

Bryant John, Market place

Bullock John, High street

Dagleish William, High st

Pace William Cherrington, Back street

Hair Dresser.

Morris James, Market place

Hatters and Dealers.

Hardy Charles, High street

Higgins William, Church st

Reynolds Peter and George, High street

Hotels, Inns, and Taverns.

Bell Hotel, John Podmore, Church street

Crown, Robt. Williams, High street

Eight Bells, Richd. Morgan, Market place

Jerningham Arms Hotel, Commercial, and Posting House, Miss Anne Masefield, Church street and Horse fair

Lion, Donald Fraser, New street

Nag’s Head, John Lowe, Market place

Plough, Thomas Williams, High street

Queen’s Head, Chas. Leake, High street

Railway Tavern, Thomas Latham, Aston street

Star Hotel, Elizabeth Wild, Market place

Talbot, Richard Pointon, High street

Union Inn and Coaching House, Edward Nickless, New road

Unicorn, James Medlicott, Horse fair

Victoria Hotel, Family, Commercial, & Posting House, John Wood, Market pl

Wheat Sheaf, Thos. Dunn, High street

White Hart, Elizabeth Simpson, High street

White Horse, Emma Smallman, Market place

Wonder, Thomas Lowe, Horse fair

Beerhouses.

Evans Thomas, High street

Fenn Samuel, High street

Ward Sarah, Aston street

Yates Richard, High street

Yates Thomas, High street

Ironfounders.

Botfield Beriah, Old Park Works

Horton & Simms, Priors Lee

Lilleshall Company, Snedshill Iron Works

Ironmongers.

Bate William Stokes, Market place

Bullock John (and nail-manufacturer), High st

Joiners and Builders.

Cherrington Edward (and timber merchant), Salop road

Power Michael, New street

Linen and Woollen Drapers and Silk Mercers.

Hardy Charles, High street

Higgins William, Church st

Lander & Sons, Market pl

Reynolds Peter and George, High street

Livery Stable Keepers.

Masefield Anna, Horse fair

Roberts John, Horse fair

Wild Elizabeth, Market pl

Wood John, Market place

Maltsters.

Fellows Aaron, Aston street

Forrest William, High street

Lello John, Aston street

Masefield Thomas, Aston st

Morgan Richard, Market st

Podmore John, Church st

Roden George, Old street

Roden William, High street

Thomason Samuel, (and dealer in British wines), High street

Wakelam Samuel, High st

Milliners and Dressmakers.

Biss Eliza, New street

Fenn The Misses, Old road

Jones Elizabeth, Aston st

Nicholas Rebecca, High st

Peake Jane (bonnet maker), New street

Plumbers, Painters, and Glaziers.

Heyward George, High street

Lawson William, New street

Phillips Samuel, Horse fair

Yates James, Horse fair

Rope, Oil Cloth, and Tarpauling Makers.

Heywood Thomas, High st.

Heywood William, High st.

Saddlers and Harness Makers.

Hitchcock Thomas, High st.

Lowe Thomas, Market place

Smith Moses, Horse fair

Tillage Dealers and Farm Seedsmen.

Longman Frederick, Market place

Lander & Sons, Back street, Richard Owen, agent

Shopkeepers and Dealers in Sundries and Groceries.

Cullwick John, High street

Evans Thomas, High street

Fenn Samuel, High street

Mole Allen, High street

Morgan William, High street

Ralphs Mary, Market place

Rudge Joseph, Aston street

Yeardley Andrew, High street

Smallware Dealer.

Morris James, High street

Spirit Vaults and Wine and Spirit Merchant.

Cherrington Edward, Church street

Surgeons.

Bennett Samuel, Aston street

Evett James, Horse fair

Lander Thomas Eaton, Innage

Orwin James, High street

Tailors.

Bennett William, Horse fair

Clemson John, Church street

Hitchcock Thomas, High st.

Pugh Henry, Innage

Roberts Thomas, Aston st.

Tallow Chandler.

Rayworth Wm., High street

Veterinary Surgeons.

Harris Thomas, Church st.

Poole George, cow leech, High street

Robinson Sampson, New st.

Rexham George, High street

Watch and Clock Maker.

Davies John, Back street

Wheelwrights.

Pointon John, Aston street

Pointon Richard. Back street

Hatton District Directory.

Ashdown Wm., Hem farm

Badger and Hewitt, Grange farm

Barker Thomas, Spring Bower farm

Bill John, corn miller, Hinnington

Booth Henry, Naird and Shaw farms

Bradbury Messrs., bone mills and merchants

Burgess George, Evelith corn mills

Crawley John Leatham, farmer and maltster, Rookery

Durant Rev. Francis Osian, Old hall, Evelith

Goodall Michael, Esq., Evelith manor

Hoole Richard, Common farm

Lander Thomas Eaton, surgeon, Innage

Lander Thomas Eaton, gent., Beech house

Langley Thomas, maltster, Upton farm

Lawrence John, gardener, Hatton grange

Mellor James, farmer, Wyke

Miller Martha, farmer, Wyke

Morgan George, the Elms farm

Morgan Thos., farmer, Wyke

Morris John, Manor farm and miller

Pepper Sander, the Hill farm

Powell John, farmer, Shaw lane

Power Michael, contractor

Slaney Miss, the Grange

Slaney William Henry, Esq., Hatton grange

Smith John, farmer, Wyke

Smith the Misses, Rock terrace

Smith Robert, Hem farm, and miller

Smith William, Homer farm

Smith William, butler, Hatton grange

Summers Charles, coachman, Hatton grange

Swain Thomas, farmer, Hinnington

Taylor Robert, farmer, Evelith

Wright Herbert Hancox, Grange farm

Haughton Directory.

Baddeley William, farmer

Brooke Rev. John, the Hall

Coulston Joseph, farmer

Old Park and Stirchley Iron Works, Beriah Botfield, Esq., proprietor; George Bishton, secretary and cashier; William Hudson, accountant; William Summers, bookkeeper; Mark Tipton, manager

Phillips David, corn miller

Roden William, farmer

Sharratt Thomas, road surveyor

Ward James, gentleman

Priors Lee Directory.

Astbury James, parish clerk

Booth Edwin, maltster and farmer

Booth Thomas, Castle farm

Booth William, farmer

Bulger Christopher, mine bailiff

Colebank Rev. Robert, M.A.

Dawes Wm., schoolmaster

Franks William Henry, shopkeeper

Garbett John, tailor

Horton John, Esq., the Hall

Horton Samuel, Esq., ironmaster

Horton, Simms and Bull, ironmasters and forgers, Snedshill works

Hughes John, vict., the Lion, and accountant

Hughes Thomas, vict., the Pigeon Box

Jones William, Wood green, farm

Langley Richard, farmer

Langley Samuel, Blythbury farm

Latham Roger, Woodhouse, farm

Lilleshall Company, ironmasters and coal proprietors

Llewyllyn Mary, shopkeeper

Masefield Alice, Woodhouse

Sargent Elizabeth, schoolteacher

Smart Ellen, boarding school proprietor

Smart John, farmer

Tipton Edward, accountant

Tipton Luke, secretary, Lilleshall company

Tipton William, bookkeeper

Tipton William, mine manager

Woodside District Directory.

Abercrombie James, farmer and vict., Hare and Hounds, Crackley bank

Botfield Mrs., gentlewoman, Decker hill hall

Butterton Enoch, farmer, Lizzard

Butterton Mary Ann, farmer, Burlington

Butterton Miss Hannah, Burlington

Corbet Uvedale, Esq., Aston hall

Dunn George, farmer

Embrey Stephen, butler, Aston hall

Eyke John, Esq., land agent to Lord Stafford, Stanton house

Hadin Joseph, farmer, Lizzard

Inscoe Daniel, farmer, Lizzard

Kendrick Mrs. Ann, Burlington

Kendrick Thomas and Wm., farmers, Burlington

Langley Thomas, gentleman, Coppice green hall

Lawrence Charles, farmer, Drayton lodge

Norton Alfred, farmer, Aston

Pickin Widow, Coppice green farm

Revitt John, shoemaker, Crackley bank

Revitt Thomas, shoemaker Crackley bank

Richards Wm., beerhouse, & blacksmith, Crackley bank

Rudge Henry, coachman, Aston hall

Smith John, farmer, Woodside

Wadlow Henry, race horse trainer, Stanton

Wild Samuel, farmer, Upton

Wilkes Samuel, Brewar’s Oak farm

STOCKTON

is a parish and village on the turnpike road from Bridgnorth to Shiffnal, five miles N.N.E. from the former town and five miles S.E. from the latter. At the census in 1801 there were 409 inhabitants; 1831, 459; 1841, 422, and in 1851 88 houses and 479 inhabitants, of whom 237 were males and 242 females. The parish embraces the hamlets of Apley, Higford, Norton, and part of Cheswardine-lane, and contains 3,162a. 0r. 21p. of land, of which 1,065a. 1r. 37p. are in Apley; the park and pleasure grounds contain 484 acres, and there are 79a. 3r. 19p. in the red deer park. Rateable value, £4,262. 17s. The soil is various, in some parts a light loam upon a red sand prevails, in other parts the soil is strong, and in some places there is a mixture of gravel. The strong soil yields fine crops of barley and wheat, the meadow lands on the banks of the Severn produce a fine herbage, and is highly fertile. Considerable flocks of sheep are kept in this parish. Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq., M.P., is lord of the manor, and owner of the whole parish. The vicinity of Stockton is pleasingly diversified with hill and dale, and beautified with romantic scenery; the high grounds command some fine views of the distant country, and the woody scenery in the immediate neighbourhood. Within the last few years several handsome residences have been erected, and some of the older houses have been modernized and beautified. The farms in this parish are of considerable extent, and by a judicious outlay of capital and superior management have been brought to a state of high productiveness. A court leet and court baron is held every five years at the Hundred House Inn, Norton.

The Church, dedicated to St. Chad, is a venerable structure of free stone, (some portions of which have been rough cast,) consisting of nave and chancel, with a square tower, in which are five bells and a clock; the ceiling is of panelled oak, with projecting rests, on which are carved figures of the twelve apostles; the ceiling of the chancel is also of beautiful dark oak, and the pulpit and reading desk are elaborately carved. The living is a rectory, with the curacy of Boningale annexed, valued in the king’s book at £13. 11s. 3d., in the patronage of Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq., and incumbency of the Rev. Charles Blaney Cavendish Whitmore, M.A.; the Rev. Stutville Isaacson, M.A., is the officiating minister. The tithes are commuted for £635. 15s., and there are 184a. 2r. 26p. of glebe land. The rectory is a commodious brick structure pleasantly situated a short distance from the church. There is a commodious school and residence for the teachers at Norton, which is supported by the munificence of T. C. Whitmore, Esq. At the present time there are about one hundred children instructed in this school.

Apley Park is the magnificent seat of Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq., M.P. for the borough of Bridgnorth. The mansion is an elegant structure of the Grinshill free stone, in the castellated style of architecture, with polygonal turrets at the angles, and a porch of three arches at the entrance of the eastern front. A lofty square tower ornaments the centre of the southern front, and on the north is a domestic chapel. It stands on a gentle eminence, and exhibits a noble specimen of architectural skill and superb workmanship, and may justly be considered one of the most costly and splendid mansions in the county of Shropshire. The terrace is one of the most extensive and delightful in the kingdom, and commands fine views over a park richly adorned with sylvan beauty and stocked with red deer; the windings of the Severn, whose silvery waters are seen through the rich foliage, forming an interesting object in the views. The gardens, pleasure grounds, greenhouses, and vineries are extensive, and stocked with a profusion of the choicest flowers and rare plants, which exhibit a luxuriance and beauty that show them to be under the management of a skilled gardener. This manor before the reign of Henry III. belonged to the family of Huggeford, from whom it passed in marriage to Sir Thomas Lucy. Its proprietor, Sir Thomas Lucy, disposed of the manors of Stockton, Apley, and Huggeford, and the estates within the parish, with the advowson of the church of Stockton, in 1551, to William Whitmore, Esq., of Oxton, near London,—a gentleman whose ancestors had long been resident at Whitmore, in the parish of Claverley. The above William Whitmore was a merchant who had acquired an immense fortune by trading with Spain in fine cloth, being a freeman of the Haberdashers’ Company, London. The abundant wealth of this great merchant laid the foundation of the future prospects of this respectable family, who soon after increased their possessions around their ancient patrimony, as well as in many other counties in the kingdom. Sir George Whitmore, Knight, the second son of the above William, was Lord Mayor of London in 1632. Sir William Whitmore, Knight, of Apley, was sheriff in this county in 1620, in which year he was elected member of parliament for Bridgnorth, of which borough his successors, the Whitmores, of Apley, have almost uniformly been representatives. The Whitmores were distinguished for their loyalty and sufferings in the troublous times of the great rebellion; and among the gentlemen of this county who compounded for the estates during the commonwealth, we find Sir Thomas Apley, of Whitmore, paid £5,000. Apley House was besieged by the parliamentary forces under Sir John Price, when Sir W. Whitmore and his son, Sir Francis Oateley, Mr. Owen, Mr. Fowler, Mr. Griffiths, and about sixty soldiers were taken prisoners.

The South Lodge at Norton is the residence of William H. Austin, Esq., a neat and pleasantly situated mansion, beautified with tasteful pleasure grounds.

Charities.—Mr. Thomas Talbot, in 1678, bequeathed £34 for the use of the poor of the parish of Stockton, the interest to be expended in bread. John Gough gave £30, and directed the yearly produce to be expended in bread, and given among six poor people. This legacy, as well as Talbots, was placed on private security in the hands of Mr. Thomason, who gave his note of hand for the same. Mrs. Eleanor Church, in 1798, gave to the churchwardens of Stockton £20, the interest to be given to the poor of the parish in bread on the first Sunday after the 26th of May. This money was also lent to Mr. Thomason. The interest of these three legacies now forms one fund for the distribution of bread, amounting to £4. 4s. a year. The annual cost of the loaves distributed when the charity commissioners published their report was £3. 9s. 4d. It did not appear why the whole of the interest had not been yearly expended, but the party holding the money agreed to pay up the principal, which it was intended to deposit in the Bridgnorth Savings’ Bank.

An omnibus leaves the Hundred House Inn twice a day, for the conveyance of passengers to and from the station at Shiffnal, and to Bridgnorth.

Post Office.—Receiving house at Mrs. Margaret Summer’s.

Whitmore Thomas Charlton, Esq., M.P., Apley Park

Whitmore Rev. Charles Blaney Cavendish, M.A., The Rectory

Arkinstall Abraham, blacksmith

Austin Wm. Hazledine, Esq., South Lodge

Bate John William, Asthall Farm

Branson Thomas, Esq., land & estate agent, Echoeshill

Brewster Henry, Higford Corn Mills

Bridgeman Mrs., Higford House

Bridgeman Orlando Jack, Esq., Cotsbrook House

Cherrington William, farmer

Darby Richard Sorton, Esq., Crowgreaves

Edgerley Thomas, carpenter and joiner

Edgerley John, butcher

Ferguson Alexander, farmer, Higford

Fletcher Mary, school teacher

Isaacson Rev. Stuteville, M.A., curate

Lee George, tailor

Lee John, tailor

Medcalf Charles, schoolmaster and organist

Nock Mrs. Mary Ann, farmer, Greaves

Nock Thomas, farmer, Leavenhall

Payne James, butler & farm bailiff, Rectory

Pearman Richard, farmer

Robinson Walter, shopkeeper

Rushton Edward, farmer

Summers Margaret, grocer, farmer, & vict., The Hundred House Inn

Yates Bartholomew, farmer, Old Park

SUTTON MADDOCK

parish is situated in the Shiffnal division of the Brimstree hundred, and comprises 3,240 acres of land, the rateable value of which is £4,042. The arable lands are highly fertile, and the grazing lands produce a fine herbage. The village is pleasantly situated on the Bridgnorth and Shiffnal turnpike road, six miles north from the former, and five miles south-west from the latter. At the census in 1801 there were 400 inhabitants; 1831, 384; and in 1841, 79 houses and a population of 352 souls. The principal landowners are Richard Phillips, Esq., Brockton Hall; T. C. Whitmore, Esq.; Richard Phillips, gentleman; Mr. William Wilkinson; Mr. William Braidley; and the Rev. John Brooke; there are also several other smaller proprietors. The Church is a freestone structure, dedicated to St. Mary, and consists of nave and chancel, with a tower, in which are five bells. The tower appears much older than the body of the church, which has in all probability been re-built, but of which we find no historical record. There is a small organ placed upon the gallery. A neat memorial remembers Elizabeth Farmer, of this place, who died on the 16th December, 1827, aged thirty years; there is also a neat tablet in memory of William Jones, late of Harrington, in this parish, who died in 1823, and various others. This church was given to the priory of Wombridge by King Henry II. The living is a discharged vicarage, annexed to the rectory of Kemberton. The Rev. George Whitmore, M.A., is the incumbent. In the 15th of Henry III., Madoc, the son of Griffin, held Sutton by knights’ service. From this person it acquired the name of Sutton Madoc, now corrupted to Sutton Maddock. Brockton is a hamlet in this parish, pleasantly situated on the turnpike road from Shiffnal to Bridgnorth, about a mile north from the parish church. It contains several good family mansions. The noble family of Sutton de Dudley are said to be descended from the Suttons of Sutton Maddock.

Directory.—William Braidley, gentleman; John Broughall, farmer, Sutton Hall; Mrs. Mary Broughall, the Villa, Brockton; William H. Davies, farmer, Harrington; William Jones, Esq., Brockton; Thomas Nock, farmer, Sutton farm; Richard Phillips, Esq., Brockton hall; Richard Phillips, Esq., the Grange, Brockton; Francis Ray, parish clerk; Mr. George Roden; William Rose, Esq., porcelain manufacturer, Rock house; Henry Smith, farmer, New house; John C. Titterton, blacksmith; Rev. George Whitmore, M.A., vicar, residence Kemberton; William Wilkinson, maltster and farmer.

TONG, OR TONGE,

is a parish in the Shiffnal division of the Brimstree hundred, comprising 3,464a. 3r. 37p. of land, mostly a strong loamy soil. The woodlands cover one hundred and twenty acres. At the census in 1801 there were 404 inhabitants; 1831, 510; and in 1841, 115 houses and a population of 566 souls. Rateable value of the parish, £4,505. 1s. The village of Tong is of considerable antiquity, and is delightfully situated in a fertile district richly beautified with picturesque scenery, three and a half miles east by south from Shiffnal, and ten miles south-east from Wolverhampton, George Charles Selwyn Durant, Esq., is the principal landowner and lord of the manor. The Earl of Bradford, Mrs. Celeste Durant, and Mr. Jones, are also proprietors. Tong Castle is stated to have been in ancient times the seat of Hengist the Saxon, whom Vortigern the British king called in to his assistance; and having been successful in his warlike engagements, he afterwards begged of Vortigern as much land as an ox-hide would inclose. On his request being granted, he cut the ox-hide into small thongs, and had as much land as it encompassed, whereon he built a castle. The present castle is a magnificent structure, erected in the last century by George Durant, Esq., on the site of the old castle, which he purchased in 1764, and demolished. The architecture is a fantastic mixture of Gothic and Moorish, and though bad in detail, the effect produced is strikingly grand, arising from the numerous turrets and pinnacles, the rich colour of the stone, the wide extent, and stately crown given to the whole by two lofty and magnificent Turkish domes. It is beautifully situated in a fine champaign country, watered by a serpentine river which flows through the grounds, and passes close to the castle. The park comprises 319a. 3r. 19p. of land, and is finely wooded with venerable timber. The castle is now occupied by two female servants, the owner, G. C. S. Durant, Esq., being abroad.

The Church, dedicated to St. Bartholomew, stands within the fine demesne of Tong Castle, and is a spacious and beautiful structure in the pointed style of the fourteenth century, consisting of nave, side aisles, choir, chancel, and side chapel. From the centre rises a handsome but singular tower. Immediately above the roof it is square; on it rests an octagonal bell-story, which is lengthened in a chastely-executed and lofty spire, about half-way up adorned with pinnacles, springing as it were out of the shaft. The nave is divided from the side aisles by three handsome pointed arches, with clustered pillars on each side. The tower contains a peal of eight musical bells, besides the great bell of Tong, and is ornamented with a clock and sun-dial. It is supported by four lofty pointed arches, rising from clustered pillars enriched with Gothic tracery. The ceiling is of dark oak, and the pews and reading desk are of the same material, the latter exhibiting some fine carving. The rood loft or screen is nearly perfect, and embellished with much carving; the choir is small, and contains eight stalls on each side, of beautiful workmanship. The east window is beautifully foliated, and a portion of it ornamented with stained glass, and underneath is the communion table, which is of alabaster; a remarkable old font exhibits some fine chiselling. Adjoining the south aisle is a beautiful chantry chapel, erected by Sir Henry Vernon, in 1515; the roof is of groined freestone, having a profusion of delicate ribs and centre pendants. The windows are richly adorned with stained glass. The tomb of Sir Henry Vernon, Knight, is in the wall which separates the chapel from the church. It has the figure of a knight and his lady in a recumbent posture. Over this is a fine open screen, rising about ten feet; on the divisions are four rich tabernacles, with the original painting and gilding, but bereaved of their statues. Within the area of the tower are four superb monuments, with recumbent figures on altar tombs, all of alabaster, highly adorned with elaborate workmanship, in memory of the Pembruges and Vernons. It appears the former family possessed the castle and estates of Tong as early as the year 1280. In the south aisle is a magnificent tomb, with the full length figure of a knight and his lady, in memory of the Hon. Thomas Stanley, second son of the Earl of Derby, and Margaret his wife, dated 1576, and has the following inscription:—

“Ask who lies here, but do not weep;
Hee is not dead, he do but sleep,
This stonie register is for his bones,
His fame is more perpetual than these stones;
And his own goodness with himself being gone,
Shall live when earthlie monument is none.

Not monumental stone preserves our fame,
Nor skie-aspiring pyramids our name;
The memory of him for whom this stands,
Shall outlive marble and defacer’s hands.
When all to time’s consumption shall be given,
Stanley, for whom this stands, shall stand in heaven.”

In a canopied niche is a carved figure, beautifully executed in basso-relievo, in memory of Mrs. Wylde, one of the co-heiresses of Sir Thomas Harris, Bart., the owner of Tong Castle and domain, which he purchased from the Stanley family about the year 1610. Near to the pulpit is an alabaster tomb, of superb workmanship, with two figures representing a knight and his lady with hands joined in the attitude of prayer, remembering Richard Yernon, of Nether Haddon, and his wife Margaret. The former died in 1557, and the latter in the year 1500. On the opposite side is a large monumental tomb of grey marble, the top of which is inlaid with brass figures, and dated 1460. This also remembers a branch of the Vernon family. A neat tablet of white marble has been erected over the vestry door to the memory of Elizabeth Pierpoint, only daughter of Gervaise Pierpoint, Esq., the grandson of Robert Pierpoint, Earl of Kingston, a gallant soldier who fell a victim to loyalty in defending his prince, King Charles I. He was descended from Robert de Pierpoint, a companion-in-arms of William the Conqueror, whose family is still extant in Normandy. On the north side of the altar is a sumptuous pyramidal monument of white marble on a black ground, in memory of George Durant, Esq., and several other members of that family. A splendid marble monument also remembers George Durant, Esq., who died November 29th, 1844, aged 69 years. On the left of the altar is a grey marble monument to the memory of William Skeffington, Esq., of the White Ladies, who died in 1550. From the crest and armorial bearings, he would appear to have descended from the ancient family of Massarene. Gervaise Lord Pierpoint is interred in a family vault under the communion table. He died May 22nd, 1715, aged 66 years. Thomas Stanley, Esq., and his wife lie in the same vault. There are many other interesting tablets and memorials, which our limits will not allow us to notice. The great bell in this church was given by Sir Henry Vernon, Knt., in 1518. It was broken by the Parliamentary forces in the troublesome times of King Charles I., and recast at the expense of the parish in 1720. The bell remained entire till the first Wednesday in Lent, 1849, when it cracked while tolling for divine service. It is stated that nine persons may comfortably stand under this bell at the same time.

King Henry IV., in 1411, in consideration of £40 granted to Isabel, relict of Sir Fulke de Pembrugge, Knt., the liberty of purchasing of the abbot and convent of Shrewsbury, the advowson and patronage of the church of St. Bartholomew, at Tong, then holden of the king in capite, paying an annual pension of 6s. 8d. to the monastery of Salop; and further, that the said church should be erected into a college, consisting of five chaplains, one whereof to be custos or warden of the college. The duty of the warden and fellows was to pray for the souls of the king and of his brother, Thomas de Beaufort, and for the soul of the said Isabel. The endowments, besides the provision for the warden and fellows, were to be applied for the maintenance and support of thirteen decrepid old men. The priory of Lapley, anciently a cell of the convent of Rheimes, seized by King Edward III. as an alien priory, was annexed to this foundation. The statutes and ordinances of the college, confirmed by the Bishop of Coventry, were to this effect:—That none of the fellows should be capable of any other ecclesiastical preferment, except the master; that the master was to have a man and a pair of horses kept at the expense of the college, to travel about the business of the fraternity—but, if occasion required it, he might keep more horses; that the warden was excusable from constant residence, but with the restriction not to be absent more than two months in the year, and if longer his salary was to be applied to the use of the college; that whoever of the fellows were absent from mass should forfeit one penny. Every Sunday the mass of the Holy Ghost was to be celebrated for the founders and benefactors; on Mondays the mass of the Holy Ghost; on Tuesdays, Salus Populi, or the mass for the salvation of all men; on Wednesdays, the angels’ mass; on Thursdays, the mass de Corpore Christi; on Fridays, the mass of the Holy Ghost; and on Saturdays, the mass of rest. That whoever was guilty of adultery, incest, perjury, sacrilege, robbery, after penance done for the first offence, he was to take an oath not to commit the like crime again, and if convicted the second time, to be expelled the house. The church living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of G. C. S. Durant, Esq.; incumbent, Rev. George Shipton Harding, M.A. The rectoral tithes have been commuted, and £391. 1s. 10d. apportioned to the impropriators. The incumbent receives £80 per annum, with parsonage, and 2a. 0r. 37p. of glebe land.

Charities.—Gervaise Lord Pierpoint, by indenture of the 23rd of October, 1697, granted to trustees all the tithes (except the tithes of corn and grain) yearly growing within the parish of Tong, and also six several annuities or yearly rents of £30, £14, £6, £12, £12, and £10, making together £84 per annum, to be issuing out of the manor of Tong, on trust, as to the said tithes and the several annuities of £30, £14, and £6, to permit the minister or curate to enjoy the same; one of the annuities of £12 to be distributed among the six poor widows in the almshouses; and the other £12 to be expended in purchasing Stafford shalloon, and setting to work the poor people of Tong in manufacturing the same into cloth, part thereof to be made into six gowns for the said poor widows, and the remainder to be applied in clothing the necessitous poor; the residue £10 to be disposed of in buying hemp and flax and setting the poor at work in manufacturing it into cloth, and after selling the same, to apply the proceeds in putting forth poor children apprentices. Lord Pierpoint granted a further annuity of £30, to be also issuing out of the manor of Tong, on trust, to permit the minister to receive and enjoy the same from such time as he could not (without covin or neglect on his part) have and enjoy the said tithes; but the minister was not to enjoy the tithes and last mentioned annuity at the same time. The minister had also the privilege of holding a certain chamber in the castle of Tong, as the same was then furnished with books and presses, together with the free use of the said books; and also stabling for one horse, and the privilege of depasturing it for a certain time in Tong Park. And for the better assuring the performances of the several grants, Lord Pierpoint granted to the trustees three other annuities of £5. 40s., and 40s. to be for ever issuing out of the manor, castle, and premises, and to be respectively forfeited, and to continue payable so long as the minister should not enjoy the said chamber, stabling, and pasture, respectively.

By an indenture of the 11th of August, 1725, in which it is recited, that the premises charged had descended to Evelyn Duke of Kingston, upon the death of Lord Pierpoint; and that the Castle of Tong had been a long time uninhabited and Tong Park disparked and inclosed, and that the said duke, at his own charge, built with brick a strong handsome and convenient house in Tong, with a room for a library, and stable and hayloft, and other conveniences, for the habitation of the minister, and had delivered the books to him and his successors; so that the covenants made by Lord Pierpoint in respect of the room and library in Tong Castle, and the stabling and depasturing, were become unnecessary, and the several annuities granted for enforcing the specific performance thereof should therefore be repealed; and that the common fields in Tong having been inclosed and converted into pasture, the revenue of tithes granted to the minister had been reduced to £12 per annum, but that the duke was willing, on condition that the said small tithes should be invested in him and his heirs, to be discharged from the trust; that the said annuity of £30 should be absolutely and indefeasibly settled and assured to the said minister and his successors for ever; which, together with the several annuities of £30, £14, and £6, make £80 per annum. And after reciting that the said duke and the late Lord Pierpoint had for a long time paid £4 a year for maintaining a schoolmaster, the said duke for perpetuating the charily, conveyed a messuage, situated near the west end of the church, then used as a school-house, in trust, to permit the same to be occupied as a school for teaching ten poor boys within the parish of Tong to read, and granted a rent charge of £4 per annum, issuing out of the manor of Tong, to be paid to the schoolmaster. The library above mentioned, which is understood to have been augmented by Mr. Peitier, was removed several years ago to the vestry room.

It appears that shortly after the late Mr. Durant came into the possession of the estate, the old almshouse and school-house were taken down, and new ones built by that gentleman on other sites. It is stated that the old buildings had become too dilapidated to admit of any effectual repairs, and that Mr. Durant having, under these circumstances, conceived the idea of erecting new buildings, was induced to select new situations as better suited for the purpose; and the charity has derived much advantage from the change. But it is to be observed that no regular transfer of the new premises was ever made to the trustees, an omission it appears desirable to supply. In the year 1802, the almshouse having grown much in need of repair, the sum of £102, from the funds of a charity to be presently adverted to, was applied to that purpose; since which time the repairs have been kept up at the expense of the parish, aided by the voluntary contributions of Mr. Durant. The inmates of the almshouses each receive £3 quarterly, and occasionally other benefactions. The ruins of the old hospital are still to be seen.

By an indenture dated 31st May, 1734, it is recited that the sum of £100 was given by the late Lady Harris, for the use of the poor of the parish; the sum of £200 was likewise bequeathed by Lady Pierpoint, and a sum of £100 was given by Lewis Peitier, minister of Tong, and party to the said indenture, making in the whole the sum of £400, which was laid out in the purchase of certain premises in Albrighton, called the New Lands and the Hawklees, containing 30a. 3r. 2p., now producing £45 per annum. In 1781 a sale of timber from this farm produced the sum of £100, which in 1802 was applied to the repairs of the almshouse granted by the Duke of Kingston. In the year 1814 £100 was laid out in the purchase of a cottage and 1a. 3r. 2p. of land in Horsebrook, which is now let for £10 10s. per annum; the rent of the last mentioned premises is apportioned to the schoolmaster, who has also £10 from the farm at Albrighton, and £4 from the manor of Tong, making altogether the sum of £24. 10s., with the additional benefit of a house and garden from the charity of the Duke of Kingston, in consideration of which the children are taught reading, writing, and arithmetic, and they are furnished with the necessary books and clothing from the charity. The master has also £5 per annum for teaching a Sunday school. The portion of income which is allotted for general distribution is laid out in the purchase of warm clothing, which is given to the poor during the winter season.

A feast is held at Tong on the Sunday before St. Matthew’s-day. Mr. Durant’s agent at the present time is holder of four of the largest farms in the parish, viz., Tong Park farm, Hubbal farm, Holt farm, and the Mees farm.

Andrews George, carpenter

Archer Henry, Little White Oak farm

Bennion Owen, Tong farm

Bennion Owen, The Hill farm

Bennion Owen, jun., White Oak farm

Boden John, shoemaker and shopkeeper

Bucknal Richard, farmer and beerhouse

Chipps Mrs. Mary

Cherrington William, wheelwright

Earp William, Lizard Grange farm

Georges The Misses

Harding Rev. George Shipton, M.A., The Rectory

Hempenstall George, Esq., land steward

Higgs William, Offoxey farm

Holder Charles, shoemaker

Hounsom Abraham, farmer, Norton, and deputy land agent

Hufferdine Charles, wheelwright

Humpage Samuel, shoemaker

Icke Thomas, grazier, Vauxhall

Jaundrell John, tailor

Jones William, vict., The Bush Inn, grocer and provision dealer and farmer

Langford William, nursery and seedsman

Longstaff John, schoolmaster & parish clerk

Milner Thomas, maltster

Page John, vict. and farmer, The Bell

Quantrell Walter, Ruckley Wood

Savage Gilbert Cole, The Knowle farm

Thornycroft Mrs., Tong Lodge

Wilks Samuel, Lizard Grange, corn miller

Worrall William, New Buildings farm, and maltster

WORFIELD

is an extensive parish in a delightful and salubrious part of the county, watered by the meandering stream of the Worf. The land exhibits inequalities of surface, and bold swells, which in some instances rise to a considerable height, from whence most beautiful and varied prospects over a luxuriant country are seen. The soil is variable, the arable lands produce good wheat, turnips, and barley, and the meadows and grazing lands are highly fertile. The farms in most instances are large, and the houses in general are good residences, with conveniently arranged out premises. Several ancient dwellings have been taken down, and handsome villa residences erected in their place. The cottages are for the most part well built, and in most instances have small allotments of garden ground. The parish comprises 10,314 acres of land, and at the census in 1801 had 1,354 inhabitants; 1831, 1,676, and in 1841 there were 357 houses and 1,643 souls. Rateable value, £16,145. 19s. 9d. Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq., M.P., of Apley Park, and William S. Davenport, Esq., are the principal landowners; the two former, with Mrs. Bache, are joint lords of the manor. The parish contains the following hamlets or townships for highway purposes, viz., Ackleton, Allscott, Barnsley, Bentley, Bromley, Bradney, Burcote, Chesterton, Cranmere, Catstree, Ewdness, Fenngate, Hilton, Hoccom, Hallon, Hartleberry, Kingslow, Little Gane, Oldington, Newton, Roughton, Ringleford, Rowley, Stanmore, Stableford, Swancote, Worfield, Wheel Green, Winscote, and Wyken, which places are divided into four districts or collections, called north-east quarter, south-east quarter, north-west quarter, and south-west quarter.

The small and sequestered village of Worfield is pleasantly situated at the foot of an immense rock of red sand stone, except on the northern verge where the houses stand on the side of a precipitous acclivity, and is three and a half miles N.E. from Bridgnorth, eight miles S. from Shiffnal, and eleven miles S.W. by S. from Wolverhampton. From the summit of the rock, which is crowned with timber, a most delightful panoramic view of the surrounding country is seen, the romantic situation of the village, and the circuitous windings of the Worf adding much to the picturesque beauty of the scenery. The river Worf is noted for its fine trout. The land between this place and Claverley stretching as far as Bridgnorth was the celebrated Morffe Forest, where the inhabitants of Worfield had common pasture; the king, however, appointed stewards and rangers to take care of the woods and deer. In the reign of Henry VIII. the Earl of Shrewsbury was steward or ranger for life with a fee of 4d. per day. The forest has long been enclosed, and is now covered with luxuriance and fertility. On the south east side of the Morffe in early times was an important military station, which may still be traced; the ground is elevated, and the moat still visible, circumscribing a large area. The Church, dedicated to St. Peter, is an ancient structure of red sand stone, which has been enlarged and beautified from time to time. The tower is ornamented with pinnacles, and surmounted with a lofty spire; it is beautified with a clock, and contains a peal of six musical bells. The interior has a chaste and beautiful appearance, the side aisles are separated from the nave by pointed arches rising from octagonal pillars, the pews are of oak, and upon the gallery at the west end is a fine toned organ. The pulpit and reading desk are elaborately carved. Several of the windows are richly adorned with stained glass, and the altar is of dark oak, exquisitely carved. The chancel is spacious, and contains memorials to deceased members of some of the principal families in this locality. A side chapel, separated by a richly carved oak screen, contains an altar tomb, with two figures in a recumbent posture, in memory of Sir George Bromley and his lady, dated 1688. Under a canopy of beautiful workmanship are two figures in a recumbent position, which remembers Sir Edward Bromley, Knight, chancellor of England, and his wife, dated 1626. There are also many elegant mural monuments of beautiful design and admirable workmanship, in memory of the Davenports, Broughtons, Vickers, Marindins, Fletchers, Masons, Johnsons, and others. In the church-yard are several family vaults cut in the solid rock. Archdeacon Vickers was entombed in one of these vaults with much solemnity in May, 1851. The southern entrance to the church is by an ancient porch, and through a door of remarkable and curious workmanship. Over the centre of this door are located a swarm of bees, which tradition states have been there for ages. The living is a vicarage valued in the king’s book at £16. 15s., in the patronage of William S. Davenport, Esq., and incumbency of the Rev. Cornelius Francis Broadbent, M.A. The Rev. Henry Cunliffe, M.A., is the officiating minister. The vicarial tithes have been commuted for £288. 10s. Mr. Davenport, the impropriator of the rectoral tithes, receives £1,745. The vicarage is an ancient erection a short distance from the church. “The annals of the church of Worcester assert that King Edward I. gave the church of Worfield to their prior and convent for the sustenance of three monks, and for maintaining two wax candles to be kept continually burning at the feast of St. Wulstan, and for eight days after, and to be daily lighted at the saying of high mass both at matins and vespers. This was done in accomplishment of a vow made to St. Wulstan.” There is an endowed Grammar School, which will be found noticed with the charities, and a National School for boys and girls—a spacious structure of modern erection, with residences for the teachers; about sixty boys and fifty girls attend. It is partly supported by endowment and partly by subscriptions. Davenport House is a handsome and spacious mansion of brick, with stone finishings, the seat of William Sharington Davenport, Esq., J.P. The situation is delightful, and the extensive park grounds are richly studded with fine timber, the drives and pleasure grounds are kept in the most beautiful order, and several of the eminences in the park are ornamented with sculptured figures.

Charities.—King James I., by his letters patent, dated 1st of May, in the 10th of his reign, in consideration of £5. 4s. paid by Thomas Beech and Thomas Bradburne, granted to William Lloyd and Thomas Parker, and their heirs, certain premises in Worfield, Bridgnorth, and Quatford, in trust, that the yearly proceeds thereof should be employed by the parishioners towards the maintenance of a school for the instruction of youth in reading and writing English, and in the accidence and principles of grammar and the Latin tongue. This is usually called Lloyd and Parker’s charity, after the names of the original grantees of the crown, but they appear to have been in fact only the channel through which these premises were conveyed to the real purchasers, who were Beech and Bradburne. Besides the rent an annual sum of £9 was received from Mr. Smythe when the charity commissioners published their report, as interest at 4½ per cent. on a joint bond from his father and himself for £200, dated December 13th, 1796, being an accumulation of funds which he held in his hands as receiver of the rents of this charity. The total income was £46. 1s., which was applied in a distribution of money to the poor, in the reparation of the trust premises and schoolhouse, and in paying a small salary to a schoolmaster. Thomas Smith left a rent charge of 16s. a year, for the instruction of two poor boys to read English. William Lewis, who died about fifty years ago, left £60, the interest to be applied for educating three boys in Worfield school.

Thomas Woolley, in 1609, gave £100 for purchasing lands for the use of the poor of Worfield, which was laid out in lands at Brierley. Other premises in Brierley were afterwards purchased by the parish for the sum of £202. 4s., made up of six different benefactions. Soon after the last purchase, these properties were combined into one estate. The premises consist of 17a. 2r. 5p., and produce a yearly rental of £40. In the course of certain proceedings in chancery respecting this charity in the year 1808, it appears to have been stated in a valuation on oath before the master, that the mines lying under these lands were worth £300 per acre. Of the income, £1. 16s. is paid to the vicar, for preaching sermons according to the intentions of the donors; £6 to the treasurer of Lloyd and Parker’s charity; and the rest is distributed to the poor, according to a list made out by the trustees.

Thomas Beech, in 1645, surrendered to the use of his nephew, William Beech, certain lands in Hilton and Halton, in trust. After the death of Dorothy, wife of the said Thomas Beech, to pay 12s. 4d. at the feast of St. Michael, for engrossing the court rolls, and placing them in the church chest at Worfield; and after the expiration of ninety-nine years, beginning at the death of the said Dorothy, to pay yearly at the feast of the Ascension, to the vicar of Worfield 3s., and to the poor of Worfield 10s. The charity commissioners state the land to be vested in Mr. Smythe and Mr. Hardwick, but there was no evidence to show that these annuities have ever been paid; and it would appear that forty-two years’ arrears were then due to the vicar and the poor, as the payment ought to have commenced in the year 1777.

William Perry charged a loft and half yard of land and a cottage in Wykem with the payment of 6s. 8d. yearly, on four specified days, to buy bread for twenty poor people of the parish of Worfield. The premises afterwards became possessed by Thomas Smith and John Bache, the former agreeing to pay 2s. 3d. of the said rent-charge, and the other 4s. 5d.

Dr. William Congreve, of Broadney, by his will dated 20th October, 1775, reciting that £10 had been left in his hands by his father and grandfather, the interest to be paid every Good Friday to persons who had lived servants at Bradney, and that Robert Littleford, his late servant, had left in his hands £10, the interest to be given yearly, the Sunday after Midsummer-day, to eight servants who had lived at the least one year at Bradney. Dr. Congreve charged his lands with the payment of 10s. and 8s., as the interest of these two sums, which is distributed according to the donor’s intentions.

Robert Crudgington, in 1714, surrendered to the lord of the manor of Worfield half a yard of land and three parts of a nook of land, in Newton, on condition that the persons in possession should pay out of the rents 20s. per annum, to be distributed among poor widows or other necessitous persons inhabiting in the parish of Worfield.

Mr. Bache, of Chesterton, left £5, the interest to be paid on New-year’s day to ten poor widows nominated by the heirs of the family. Mr. Thomas Bache gave £10, and directed the interest to be applied in the same manner. The interest of these two sums is now distributed by the representatives of Mr. Bache. There is no document respecting these benefactions, but they are considered as charged generally on the family estate.

Thomas Devey, in 1725, surrendered a croft to the use of his heirs, subject to the payment of 10s. yearly, which he directed to be distributed among poor widows of this parish. This seems to be the gift mentioned on the benefaction table, as a legacy of Mrs. Elizabeth Devey.

Thomas Smith, in 1726, charged two pieces of land called Uphill and Downhill, and the Fen lands with the payment of 30s. per annum, 16s. thereof to be paid to the schoolmaster of Worfield, and 14s. to be divided among seven poor persons, to be nominated by the possessors of the land.

Mrs. Mary Dolman left by will £40, the interest of £20 thereof to be given among the poor of Worfield, and the proceeds from the other £20 to be applied in buying bibles; one of her executors secured the payment of 40s. per annum on his estate at Ackleton.

Mrs. Arabella Davenport, in 1763, bequeathed £200 to the vicar and churchwardens, in trust, to be laid out in lands, and the rents to be distributed among poor widows and maidens of this parish. No purchase of lands has been made with this money, but it is placed in the hands of Mr. Smythe, and secured on bond dated 9th September, 1809, with lawful interest at four and a half per cent.

Mrs. Sarah Mason, in 1809, gave to the churchwardens of Worfield for the time being, an annuity of £5, to be divided among poor widows residing in this parish. The payment is charged upon the freehold and copyhold estates of the donor, to be paid on the 24th of June and 25th December, by equal portions.

It is stated on the table of benefactions that George Bromley, Esq., gave £120 to charitable uses, £30 of which had been laid out in a purchase of land at Brexley, and £90 remained in the hands of the trustees, which was laid out in 1730 in building a workhouse for the use of the parish.

The following benefactions appear on the tablet in the church, of which nothing further is now known. £50 given by William Rowley for a distribution of bread, £5, the gift of John Beech, and a legacy of £20 bequeathed by John Bradburne.

Ackleton is a small well-built village, and township in the parish of Worfield, two and a quarter miles north-east from the parish church. The acres and population of the several townships in Worfield are included in the general returns of the parish. The principal freeholders are the executors of the late Mr. Eykyn, Mr. Green, Mrs. Clarke, Mrs. Patrick, Mr. Thomas Priest, and Mr. John Richards. Ackleton House is a good residence occupied by Mrs. Eykyn. Allscott is pleasantly situated about a mile and a quarter north-west from Worfield; the land is the property of Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq. Barnsley township is situated two miles south-east from Worfield, and the freeholders are Mr. John Hoccom, Mr. William Hoccom, and Miss Hoccom. Bentley lies about two miles to the south-west of Worfield, and is the property of George Pritchard, Esq. Bentley House is a good brick residence beautified with tasteful pleasure grounds, and occupied by Mr. William Sing. The farm premises which are commodious are situate a short distance from the house. Bromley township is chiefly the property of Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq.; the village is situated about a mile to the south-west of Worfield. Bradney, or Bradley, a pleasantly situated township, half a mile east from Worfield, is intersected by the Wolverhampton turnpike road. Bradney House, the residence of Captain Brazier, is a beautiful modern erection with pleasure grounds tastefully laid out. Warner House, an ancient residence, is now occupied as a farm dwelling. Capt. James Brazier is the land owner. Burncote, or Burcot, is a small rural village and township situated on a gentle eminence; the principal freeholders are Mr. John Bell Hardwick, Mr. Richard Hardwick, Mr. Parkes, and Mrs. Bache; the township is bounded by the river Worf and the Shiffnal and Wolverhampton turnpike road. In 1809, a large semi-circular cave was discovered at Burcot, in which were found human bones, sculls, and the bones of several animals. The ancient name of Bourncote, which in the Saxon language means the cote or dwelling near to the river, of which this cave is within a few paces serves to show the probability of this having been the cote or dwelling, which may have given rise to the word Burcot, the present name of the township. It is presumed the bones found in this cave may have been those of persons who made this cave the place of their occasional residence, and that it was destroyed by a sudden convulsion of the rock, and downfall of the soil above it. Chesterton village is delightfully situated on a gentle eminence, commanding fine views over a country teeming with luxuriance. The residence of John Bache, Esq., is a handsome mansion, with pleasure grounds most beautifully laid out. The residence of Mrs. Marindin is also spacious and elegant. The landowners are John Bache, Esq., Mrs. Marindin, Mr. Thomas Wilson, and Mr. Samuel Marindin. Near to the village, which is about two miles N.E. from Worfield, are the remains of a Roman encampment, which is said to have covered an area of more than twenty acres. A small structure in this township prior to the reformation was used as a chapel, but since that period has been occupied as an humble dwelling; it was dedicated to St. John the Baptist. Cranmere, or Cranmere Heath, is situated about a mile and a half to the N.W. of Worfield. The land is the property of William S. Davenport, Esq., and Valentine Vickers, Esq. Catstree, another small township, anciently formed part of the demesnes of the Saxon lords of the manor of Worfield. The family of Catstree resided here till the year 1819. Thomas C. Whitmore, Esq., and W. S. Davenport, Esq., are the landowners. Ewdness, a pleasantly situated township on the Bridgnorth and Shiffnal turnpike road, two miles north from Worfield, contains 441 acres of land, which is the property of Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq. Rateable value, £490. 4s. 10d. The tithes have been commuted, and £74 apportioned to the impropriator, and £22 to the vicar of Worfield. Ewdness House is a commodious Elizabethan structure, with bay windows; the interior contains some fine specimens of antique oak carving. The house is occupied by Mr. Richard M. Barker. Fenn Gate, a hamlet two miles from Worfield, has only one farm. The land is the property of T. C. Whitmore, Esq. Hilton is a pleasantly situated village and township on the turnpike road from Bridgnorth to Wolverhampton, four and a half miles N.E. from the former place. A small stream here called Hilton Brook is crossed by a stone bridge erected in 1814, with funds raised by subscriptions, and from the Bridgnorth turnpike trust. The principal landowners are Mr. Samuel Ridley, Mr. Kettle, Mr. Thomas Smythe, Mrs. Hammond, and Mrs. Smythe, besides whom are several other proprietors. Hilton House, the residence of George Smith Dorset, Esq., is a handsome residence with grounds tastefully laid out, besides which there are several other good houses in the village. Hoccom, or Hockham, is a small hamlet about two miles N.E. from Bridgnorth; the landowners are Mr. John Meredith and Mr. William Sing. Hallon is a hamlet adjoining Worfield, situated on a bold eminence. Hallon House, a beautiful modern erection of considerable extent, is the residence of James Farmer, gentleman. The freeholders are William S. Davenport, Esq., and Valentine Vickers, Esq. Hartleberry is situated N.W. from Worfield, about a mile and a quarter from the church. Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq., is the landowner. Kingslow is a small hamlet delightfully situated, three miles N.E. from Worfield. The freeholders are Lord Lewisham and Mrs. Devey. Kingslow House is a good residence occupied by John Farmer, gentleman. Stanlow House is occupied as a farm residence by Mr. Thomas Wilson. The hamlet of Little Gane lies about three miles from Worfield; the freeholders and residents are Samuel and Edward Ridley, gentlemen. Oldington township is situated two miles N.W. from Worfield, and is the property of Thomas C. Whitmore, Esq. Newton, situated near to Oldington, is also the property of the same gentleman. Roughton is a well built and respectable village on the Bridgnorth and Wolverhampton turnpike road, two and a half miles from the former place; there are several genteel residences embosomed in foliage, and beautified with tasteful pleasure grounds. The landowners are John and George Pritchard, Esq., Mrs. Fletcher and Mrs. Stokes. Riddleford, or Rhuddleford, is of British derivation, and signifies the Red Ford. It is a small township about two miles E. of Bridgnorth, which formerly belonged to the family of the Walkers, a branch of the Walkers, of Burncote and Roughton, who disposed of it to the Colley family, and they to the late William Hardwicke, Esq., of Burncote, who married Miss Mary Purton, by whom he had two children, John Role Hardwicke, Esq., deceased, and William Hardwicke, Esq., of Bridgnorth, an eminent antiquary and genealogist, whose widow is the present proprietor. Rowley is another small hamlet nearly a mile from Worfield, where William S. Davenport and Mrs. Martha Johnson are the landowners. Stanmore is a village and township on the Stourbridge road, two miles E. from Bridgnorth. John and George Pritchard, Esqrs., W. S. Davenport, Esq., and T. C. Whitmore, Esq., are the landowners. Stanmore Grove, the residence of R. Pigott, Esq., is a good house, pleasantly situated. Stableford, or Stapleford, is a small hamlet two miles N. from Worfield, not far from which runs the Cosford Brook. The freeholders are Mr. Jasper, and the executors of the late Richard Taylor. Swancote is situated about a mile and a half to the N.E. of Bridgnorth. George Pritchard, Esq., is the proprietor of the land. Swancote House, a commodious residence pleasantly situated on a gentle eminence, and ornamented with pleasure grounds neatly laid out, is occupied by William Sing, Esq. Wheel Green is a hamlet on the Bridgnorth and Northampton turnpike road, three and a half miles N.E. from the former place, and near to the river Worf. Winscote is situated two miles from Worfield, and the land is the property of T. C. Charlton, Esq. Wyken, derived from Wycke, (Saxon, “Place and Residence,” and Hen, British, “Old, or the Old Place”), is a small township and manor within the parish and manor of Worfield, situated about three miles N.E. of Bridgnorth. This manor was granted, together with the church of Worfield, and chapel of Chesterton, in the same parish, by King Edward II., in the 11th year of his reign, to the dean of Lichfield, in exchange for the manor of Greenford, in Middlesex. In the 2nd Edward VI., Richard William, then dean of Lichfield, with the chapter conveyed this manor with the advowson of the vicarage of the parish church of Worfield, and most of the great tithes of that parish, to Sir John Talbot, Knight, of Albrighton, which manor and tithes are now vested in William Sharrington Davenport, Esq., of Davenport House, in Worfield parish. The chief landowner in this township is Joseph Parkes, Esq., (in right of his wife Anna, the only child of the late John Bache, Esq.,) who resides at Wyken House, situated on the Streetford Brook, which has its confluence with the Worf below; Mr. Nicholas and Mr. J. Mollineux are also proprietors in this township.

Worfield.

Bennett William, shopkeeper

Brown John, mill manager

Broadbent Rev. Cornelius Francis, M.A., The Rectory

Broughall Geo., corn miller

Clutton George, butcher

Clutton Mary, beer retailer

Crookshanks Alex., gardener

Crow Emily and Caroline, dressmakers

Cunliffe Rev. Henry, M.A., curate

Davenport Elizabeth, gentlewoman

Davenport Wm. Sharrington, Esq., and county magistrate, Davenport House

Hall John, vict., Grey Hound Inn

Humphreys Hugh, National School master

James Samuel, principal of Endowed Grammar School

Mead William, butler

Piper Mary, dressmaker

Piper Thomas, wheelwright

Powell Mr. Edwd., The Low

Price Richard, tailor

Pritchards Theophilus, game keeper

Rogers Thomas, shoemaker, and parish clerk

Sherry William, tailor

ACKLETON.

Eykyn Mrs., The Hall

Gibbons James, farmer

Holden Francis, blacksmith

Painter Thomas, shopkeeper

Poole Francis, beer-retailer and farmer

Priest Thomas, farmer

Richards John, maltster and farmer

Richards Sarah, farmer

Wilson Richard, maltster and farmer

ALLSCOT.

Reynolds Wm., shoemaker

Wray Richard, farmer

BARNSLEY.

Haccom Miss, farmer

Haccom John, farmer

Haccom William, farmer

BENTLEY.

Sing William, farmer

BROMLEY.

Iddins Thomas, farmer

Jones John, wheelwright

Smith Thomas, gentleman

Worrall Richard, farmer

BRADNEY.

Brasier Captain James

Gibbons James, farmer

BURCOTE.

Cartwright John, farmer

Hardwicke John Bell, maltster and farmer

Hardwicke Richard, farmer and corn miller, The Villa

Rowley Richard, machineman (lets)

Sharpe Mrs.

Turner Thomas, manager, Mill

CHESTERTON.

Bache John, Esquire

Holding Francis, blacksmith

Hunt John, farmer & miller

Johnson John, farmer

Marindin Ellen, gentlewoman

Smith Edward, farmer

CRANMERE.

Braidley Thomas, shoemaker

Humphreys John, farmer

CATSTREE.

Nicholls Sarah, farmer

Price John, farmer

EWDNESS.

Barker Richard M., farmer

FENN GATE.

Whitehouse Cornelius, farmer

HILTON.

Darley Thomas, farmer

Davies Edward Harrison, builder and maltster

Dorset George Smith, Esq., Hilton House

Gibbons James, Blue Barn farm

Lane James, beer retailer

Poole Mr. William

Pope William, wheelwright

Ridley Samuel, gentleman

Roles Benjamin, shopkeeper

Tolly John, blacksmith

White John, wheelwright and machine maker

Wilcox Richard, gentleman

HOCCOM.

Meredith George, farmer

Meredith John, farmer

Sing William, farmer

HALLON.

Barney Theophilus, blacksmith

Farmer James, gentleman, Hallon House

Tarrant Isaac, builder and joiner

Turner John, blacksmith

HARTLEBERRY.

Dudley Samuel, wheelwright

Littleford Thomas, senior, farmer

Wood Eleanor, shopkeeper and farmer

Wood Thomas, brick & tile maker, and farmer

KING SLOW.

Farmer John, gentleman, Kingslow farm

Wilson Thomas, Esquire, Stanlow

LITTLE GANE.

Ridley Samuel and Edward, farmers

OLDINGTON.

Worrall Arthur, farmer

Worrall Thomas, farmer

NEWTON.

Sing William, jun., farmer

ROUGHTON.

Meredith John, farmer

Pratt Edward Richard, farmer, miller, & corn factor, Brook Cottage; Corn Mills at Smestow and Union Steam Mills, Tipton

Smith John, gentleman

Smith William, gentleman, The Hall

Smithyman Mrs Jane

Smithyman William, farmer

Stokes Martha Corser, gentlewoman

RINGLEFORD.

Ridley Samuel and Edward, corn factors, millers, maltsters, farmers, seedsmen, and guano and tillage dealers

Wellings Benjamin, blacksmith

ROWLEY.

Johnson Martha, farmer

STANMORE.

Beeston Richard, farmer, carrier, and van proprietor

Pigot Richard, Esq., The Grove

Ridley Samuel and Edward, Grove farm

Tedstall Thos., beer-retailer

Warder James, farmer

STABLEFORD.

Hill Henry, farmer

Humphrey George, wheelwright

Jasper John, Esq., The Hall

Smith Thomas, farmer

SWANCOTE.

Sing William, Esq., Swancote House

WHEEL GREEN.

Hammond Jane, farmer and victualler, The Wheel, and Post Office

WINSCOTE.

Sing William, jun., farmer

WYKEN.

Adams Thomas, plumber, glazier, and painter

Bache Ann, gentlewoman

Lloyd James, shoemaker

Lloyd James, blacksmith

Mantle John, shopkeeper, market gardener, nurseryman and seedsman

Mollineux James, gentleman

Mollineux James, butcher and farmer

Mollineux Michael, farmer

Painter John, blacksmith

Parkes Joseph, Esq., The Hall

Piper Moses, shopkeeper

Powell William, bricklayer

THE CONDOVER HUNDRED.

The Condover hundred is bounded on the north by the liberties of Shrewsbury, on the east by the South Bradford hundred and the Wenlock franchise, on the west by the Ford hundred, and on the south by the hundred of Munslow. The land presents a considerable inequality of surface; the soil is various; in some places there is a good deal of gravelly loam and sand, and in other places a clayey soil prevails, lying upon the red sand stone. The Lyth hill stands within the bounds of this hundred, and the lofty heights of the Caradoc, Lawley, and Longmynd connect it on the south and west with the hundreds of Munslow and Purslow. The population of this hundred in 1801 was 5,818, and in 1841, 7,349, of whom 3,701 were males and 3,648 females. At the latter period there were 1445 inhabited houses and 73 houses building. This hundred comprehends the Condover and the Cound divisions. The Condover division contains the following townships and places, viz: Bayston, Betchcott, Betton and Alkmere, Castle Pulverbatch, Chatford, Church Pulverbatch, Churton, Condover, Cothercott, Dorrington, Frodesley, Lee Botwood, Longnor, Meole Brace, Newton and Edgbold, Nobold, Picklescott, Pulley, Smethcott, Stapleton, Sutton, Walkmills, Wilderley, Woolstaston, and Wrentnall.

The Cound division contains Acton Burnell, Berrington, Church Preen, Cound, Cressage, Harley, Kenley, Pitchford, and Ruckley and Langley.

ACTON BURNELL

is a parish and pleasant well-built village, seven miles S.S.E. from Shrewsbury, comprising 2,650 acres of land, and in 1801 had 272 inhabitants; in 1841 there were 54 houses and a population of 311 souls. Sir Edward Joseph Smythe, bart., is the land owner and lord of the manor, and resides at the Hall, an elegant mansion of white free stone, approached by a beautiful portico of the Ionic order; the pleasure grounds are tastefully laid out, and the park commands a beautiful prospect of the surrounding country. Near to the Hall are the ruins of Acton Burnell Castle, which is memorable in history for a parliament held here in the year 1283, by King Edward I., on which occasion the lords sat in the castle and the commons in a barn. It was in this parliament that the statute known by the name of the statute of Acton Burnell was made for the purpose of enforcing the statutuno de mercatoribus. It appoints the mode in which a statute merchant is to be made, and by whom; fixes the manner of seizing and valuing goods for the payment of debts; in what case the debtor shall be imprisoned, and how maintained in prison; when sureties shall be compelled to pay the debts of their principals, and when they are to be exempted, &c. Sir Robert Burnell, who lived in the reign of William the Conqueror, had his seat here, and his posterity flourished in this vicinity for a long period. Philip Burnell, in the 54th Henry III., had the grant of a market on Tuesday, and two fairs in the year, the one on the eve, the day, and the day after the annunciation of the blessed Virgin, and the other on the eve, the day, and the morrow of St. Michael the Archangel. Robert Burnell, bishop of Bath and Wells, is said to have repaired or built the castle here in the reign of Edward I. The walls of the castle are of immense thickness, and adorned with battlements and rows of curiously carved windows. A short distance from the castle stood the barn, where the commons are stated to have assembled when the parliament was held here, it is now a complete ruin, and the gables only remain. The Church is a venerable fabric dedicated to St. Mary; the living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £6. 10s., now returned at £350, in the patronage of Sir E. J. Smythe and incumbency of the Rev. Edward Arthur Wainwright. Adjoining the hall is a very beautiful Catholic Chapel, which has recently been considerably enlarged and improved at the cost of Sir E. J. Smythe. The family at the hall and a great portion of the tenantry usually attend divine worship here.

Acton Pigott is a hamlet with one farm and a few cottages, one mile north-east from Acton Burnell.

Charities.—Several sums of money left to the poor by different donors amounting in the whole to £20, were applied in repairing the workhouse, and the inhabitants agreed to pay 20s. yearly out of the rent of the said house, as the interest thereof, to be distributed in bread. Edward Bayley, in 1789, left a rent charge of 10s. yearly for a distribution of bread. Thomas Smyth, in 1673, left 5s. per annum for a distribution of bread, to be paid “out of his estate to the world’s end, if his estate should so long continue sufficient to make it good.” It does not appear that anything has been paid in respect of this charity for a long period.

Directory.—Sir Edward Joseph Smythe, bart., the Hall; John William Benbow, farmer; Edward Everall, shopkeeper; Eli Charles Moore, bailiff to Sir E. J. Smythe; Thomas Morris, farmer; Peter Perry, farmer and maltster, Acton Pigott; Thomas Reynolds, butcher; William Southall, vict., Nag’s head; Rev. Edward Arthur Wainwright, rector.

RUCKLEY AND LANGLEY

is a small village and chapelry in the parish of Acton Burnell, about one mile east from that place, and five and a half miles west from Much Wenlock. At the census in 1801 there were eighty-two inhabitants; in 1841, fifteen houses and a population of eighty-three souls. The chapelry contains 952 acres of land, which is the property of Sir Edward Joseph Smythe, bart., who is also lord of the manor. The chapel is an inconsiderable structure where divine service is performed only twice during the year. The living is a curacy subordinate to the rectory of Acton Burnell. Langley Hall, an ancient mansion of considerable extent, is now occupied as a farm house, and although much dilapidated it has an imposing aspect, and shows many traces of its former grandeur. King Charles during his troubles was for a short period concealed here; a fine old oak table, elaborately carved, is said to have been in the hall since the time of King Charles, and was used by that monarch as a dining table.

The Farmers are George Carter, Langley; Ellen Evans, Causway wood; Richard Farr, Mere Oak; John Grainger, Langley Hall; James Hartwright, Ruckley; Richard Stedman, Park gate; and Edward Sumner, Ruckley.

Betton and Alkmere is a small township in the parish of St. Chad, in the Condover hundred. The parish of St. Chad is partly returned in the Albrighton division and partly in the Ford division of the Ford Hundred, but is chiefly situated within the limits of the borough of Shrewsbury. The village of Little Betton, or Betton Strange, is pleasantly situated two and a half miles south from Shrewsbury, and was returned at the census of 1841 as having ten houses and forty-eight inhabitants. The land owners are Lord Berwick, and George Jonathan Scott, Esq., the latter gentleman resides at a good house embosomed in foliage usually called Betton Strange.

The principal residents are Joseph Cross, farmer; Thomas Elsmere, farmer; and John Scott, Esq., Betton Strange.

BERRINGTON

is a small rural village pleasantly situated four and a half miles S.E. by S. from Shrewsbury. The parish contains the several townships of Berrington, Brompton, Betton, Cantlop, and Eaton Mascot, which together in 1801 had a population of 603 souls; 1831, 684, and in 1841 there were 97 houses and 651 inhabitants. There was no separate return of the respective townships at the census of 1841. The township of Berrington contains 880 acres of land, with a fertile soil highly productive. Lord Berwick and Sir Edward Smythe, Bart., are the principal landowners, the latter is lord of the manor. The church is an ancient structure, dedicated to All Saints; the living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £10. 12s. 1d., now returned at £400 in the patronage of Lord Berwick, and incumbency of the Hon. and Rev. T. H. N. Hill. There is a national school in the village, where 45 children are educated. Betton is a small township with 564 acres, which is the property of Lord Berwick. Rateable value, £759. Brompton township has 864 acres, which is also the property of Lord Berwick. Within the bounds of this township at Cross Houses is situated the Atcham Union House, a spacious brick pile, calculated to accommodate 350 inmates. It consists of a centre and wings; the receiving wards and infirmary are now in course of erection at the back part of the premises, the estimated cost of which is £1,510; the old infirmary was taken down in consequence of its being too small for the accommodation of the patients. The average number of inmates in the union house is usually about 200. The average annual expenditure on the poor of the district for three years preceding the formation of the union was £9,768. Total expenditure of the union for the year ending March, 1850, £4,101. 5s., being 4s. 4¾d. per head on the population comprised within the union. Total number of admissions during the year, 586. Total number relieved during the year, exclusive of vagrants, 703. The union comprehends the following 43 parishes, viz.:—Acton Burnel, Alberbury, Albrighton, Astley, Atcham, Battlefield, Bauseley, Berrington, Cardiston, Church Preen, Church Pulverbatch, Condover, Cound, Cressage, Criggion, Eaton Constantine, Fitz, Ford, Frodesley, Habberley, Hanwood, Harley, Highley, Kenley, Leighton, Melverley, Minsterley, Montford, Pitchford, Pontesbury, Preston Gubbals, Ruckley, Shineton, Shrawardine, Stapleton, Sutton, Uffington, Uppington, Upton Magna, Westbury, Withington, Woolaston, and Wroxeter. The guardians meet three times during the month. Chairman: Sir B. Leighton. Vice-Chairman: Rev. H. Burton. Clerk: Mr. Thos. Everest. House Surgeon: Mr. F. Whitfell. Relieving Officers: Mr. George Jackson and James Hampton. Governor: Mr. Robert Rowlandson. Matron: Mrs. Rowlandson. The New Connexion Methodists have a small chapel in Brompton, which was built in 1836. Cantlop, a small township lying to the S.W. of Berrington, contains 681 acres of land, the rateable value of which is £839. The Earl of Liverpool and E. W. S. Owen, Esq., are the principal landowners. Eaton Mascot township contains 495 acres of land, which is the property of Mrs. Williams. The rateable value of this township is £690.

Charities.—John Churm, in 1629, gave £13, which was laid out in the purchase of a rent charge of 20s. per annum, issuing out of a piece of land called Leeberries. It is the practice to receive the payment once in three or four years, and distribute it with other money to the poor, in sums varying from 2s. to 5s. In 1723, Richard Wellings gave £20 for the good of the poor of Berrington. This money is now in the Savings’ Bank at Shrewsbury. Margaret Thompson bequeathed £6 to buy Bibles for poor children. This money is also in the Savings’ Bank. The interest on this and the preceding legacy amounts to 21s. yearly, and in respect of Thompson’s charity a Bible or prayer book is purchased for the use of the Sunday school, or given to some poor person of the parish, and the remainder is distributed among the poor.

Berrington, Betton, Brompton, Cantlop, and Eaton Mascot Directories.

Bromley John, farmer, Betton

Bromley William, wheelwright, Berrington

Cadwallader Mr. Richard, Brompton

Calcott Charles, farmer, Betton

Calcott Mr. Richard, Brompton

Caswell James, shopkeeper, Brompton

Clark William, farmer, Cantlop

Dilcher Edward, farmer, Brompton

Dixon Joseph, farmer, Betton

Elsmere Thomas, farmer, Berrington

Hill Hon. and Rev. T. H. Noel, Berrington

James Rev. William J., curate, Cantlop

Jones Christiana, blacksmith, Berrington

Lateward John, wheelwright, Berrington

Lawrence William, farmer, Cantlop

Lee Richard, farmer, Brompton

Massie Richard, vict., Bell Inn, Berrington

Miere Joseph, farmer, Berrington

Millward Miss, school teacher, Berrington

Newell Edward and Son, tailors and drapers, Berrington

Onions Henry, butcher, Cross Houses

Parker Thomas, farmer, Cotons

Poole Thomas, farmer, Berrington

Rogers James, vict., Golden Cross, Cross Houses

Rowlandson Robert, governor of Atcham union house

Sides Thomas, shoemaker, Cantlop

Vickerstaff Thomas, beerseller, Cantlop

Wigley John, schoolmaster, Berrington

Whitfield Thomas, corn miller, Cantlop

William Charles Arthur, Esq., Eaton Mascot

Williams Mrs. Sarah H. H., Eaton Mascot

CONDOVER

is a considerable parish, embracing 7,422a. 3r. 21p. of land, of which 6,632 are titheable, and the remainder tithe free. In 1801 there was a population of 1,451 souls; 1831, 1,455; and at the census in 1851 there were 1,550 inhabitants. The parish embraces the townships and hamlets of Condover, Dorrington, Bayston, Chatford, Boreton, Lyth, Ryton, Westley, and Wheatall. The rectoral tithes have been commuted for £1,303. 5s. E. W. S. Owen, Esq., is the impropriator. The vicarial tithes are commuted for £211. 5s. The village of Condover is pleasantly situated in a fertile vale, five miles south from Shrewsbury, on the road leading towards Church Stretton and Ludlow. It is a place of considerable antiquity, and retains the same name as entered in the Doomsday book. William the Conqueror gave Condover to Roger de Montgomery, who gave the church thereof to the abbey of Shrewsbury. Upon the attainder of the last Earl of Shrewsbury of that family, it was seized by King Henry I., and continued in the hands of the crown until the 11th of Henry III., when that king granted it to his sister, the Princess of Wales. It was subsequently granted to the Hastings, in whose family it continued till the time of Edward I., when Robert Burnell, bishop of Bath and Wells, became possessed of it by purchase. From the Burnells it passed to the Lovells, and Lord Viscount Lovell forfeited it to the crown. King Henry VIII. granted it to Richard Cornwell for the term of his life, and afterwards to Henry Knyvett and his heirs male. George and John Isam, who had the fee of this manor, sold it to Thomas Owen, Esq., whose representative, Edward William Smythe Owen, Esq., a considerable landowner in this neighbourhood, is now the proprietor, and resides at The Hall, an elegant mansion in the Elizabethan style of architecture, built in the year 1598. It is surrounded by a park of considerable extent, beautifully diversified with picturesque scenery. The Owen family suffered much for their adherence to the royal cause during the civil wars.

The Church, which was appropriated to the abbey of Shrewsbury, is dedicated to St. Andrew. The living is a discharged vicarage, to which belong all vicarial tithes and a rent charge of £69, payable out of the Moot Hall estate. It is valued in the king’s book at £4. 14s. Edward W. S. Owen, Esq., is the patron; incumbent, Rev. J. W. Harden.

Bayston Hill is a pleasantly situated village on the road from Shrewsbury to Ludlow, partly in the parish of Condover and partly in St. Julien’s parish. A small District Church was built here about eight years ago, the necessary funds for which were raised by voluntary subscriptions. The structure consists of nave and chancel, and a square tower. The living is a perpetual curacy, enjoyed by the Rev. John Breese. Bayston township, at the census of 1841, is returned as having 148 houses and 1,193 inhabitants; Chatford township, five houses and 29 inhabitants; and Dorrington, 66 houses and 328 inhabitants. The above townships comprise the whole parish.

Charities.—Thomas Owen, justice of the Common Pleas, in 1598 charged certain lands, at Great Ryton, with the payment of 53s. yearly, and directed a distribution of bread to be made every Sunday after divine service. Henry Brickdale, in 1700, bequeathed £44, to be laid out in land, and the proceeds expended in bread, and distributed to six poor housekeepers every Sunday. This bequest, and certain gifts in the hands of the parish officers of Condover and Pulverbatch, amounting in the whole to £65. 17s. 6d. was laid out in 1709, in the purchase of a rent charge of £2. 11s. 8d., of which £1. 5s. 10d. is applied in a distribution of bread in Condover; 6s. 8d. is carried to the church rate, and the remaining part of the rent charge, 20s., is given in bread among the poor in Pulverbatch. William Haynes gave £1. 6s. per annum, which is charged on lands in Berrington. It is stated, in the Parliamentary returns of 1786, that Mr. Owen left land for bread to the poor, then vested in the Rev. Mr. White, and producing £2. 12s. per annum. Mr. White was the vicar of this parish, and he and his successors have always paid this sum, which, with the above, is added to the bread charity. Henry Haynes, in 1659, left a rent charge of 26s. per annum, issuing out of land at Netley, for the benefit of the poor. The owner of this property, Mr. Hope, in the year 1800, sold it to Mr. Edwards; but the charge was accidentally omitted to be mentioned in the conveyance, and Mr. Hope continues to pay the rent charge. Richard Plumer in 1811, bequeathed £50, in trust, the interest to be distributed on Christmas day yearly. This money is placed in the Salop bank, and the proceeds expended in bread for the poor. Benjamin Price, in 1797, gave the poor of the parish of Condover £50, to be given in bread; one-half exclusively to such poor as should reside in Dorrington, without regard to what parish they should belong. He also gave to the churchwardens and overseers of Condover, £500 stock three per cent. consols, in trust, to receive the interest, and purchase bread therewith for the most distressed poor, one-third of which interest, or £5 per annum, he directed should be yearly laid out exclusively for poor persons residing in Dorrington; and the remaining two-thirds in like manner for the poor residing in the remaining part of the parish. The sum of £50 above mentioned, was given away soon after the testator’s death. The dividends of the £500 stock ore applied in the purchase of bread, and given away on two different days in the year. Joseph Pryce, in 1824, directed his executors to invest £200, free of legacy duty, in public stock, and to apply the dividends thereof, as the same should from time to time be received, in providing a competent person to superintend the education of poor children residing at Dorrington. This sum of £200 was laid out together with the like sum belonging to the chapelry, in purchasing £453. 16s. 3d. stock, in the three per cent. consols, immediately after the testator’s death. The share of the dividends applicable to this charity, amounting to £6. 16s. 1d. annually, is paid to a person who keeps a school at Dorrington, who in respect thereof, teaches six or eight children without any charge. It is stated on the table of benefactions that Edward Owen left 12d. weekly to the poor. The churchwardens used to receive this charity at Condover Hall, but it does not appear that anything has been paid in respect of this charity since the year 1804. Benjamin Hodges gave £10 for the benefit of the poor, this sum was in the hands of the churchwardens, who paid 8s. yearly previous to the year 1805, since which nothing has been paid in respect of this charity. John Reynolds left £50, the interest to be given by the churchwardens among the poor. In 1786 this sum was vested in the overseers, who paid £2 per annum as the interest. The same interest was paid by the overseers to the churchwardens up to the year 1829. In that year the church was broken open and the communion plate stolen; and it was agreed, at a vestry, that the sum of £50 owing by the overseers to the churchwardens should be called in and laid out in the purchase of plate, which was accordingly done. The parishioners contend that this was money lent by the churchwardens to the overseers, out of the rents of the church lands, but as there is no entry in the churchwardens accounts to justify such a notion, it appears to us more likely to have been the produce of Reynolds’ charity, which was in the hands of the overseers in 1786, and which is not otherwise accounted for.

There are two parcels of land in the parish of Condover, which forms what is called the Church Estate, one parcel containing 6a. 3r. 23p. is situate in the township of Dorrington, and the other containing 8a. 2r. 29p. is situate at Mount Sion, in the same parish. These lands were originally given for the reparations of the church, and other things thereto appertaining. The land at Dorrington is let for £22 per annum, and the land at Mount Sion at the yearly rent of £9. The amount is applied by the churchwardens to the general purpose of a church rate.

Condover, Bayston, Boreton, Chatford, Lyth, Ryton, Westley, and Wheathall Directories.

Bowen John, shoemaker, Wheathall

Boyer Thomas, maltster, Condover

Bromley John, farmer, Bomere

Bromley William, farmer, Boreton

Brwyne Richard, wheelwright, Ryton

Carter John, rope maker, Lyth

Cloud John, maltster, Ryton

Crowe Mr. Henry, The Syche, Ryton

Davies John, wheelwright and beerseller, Bayston

Deakin Benjamin, grocer, Condover

Downes Edward, farmer, Weathall

Edmonds Edward, farmer, Lyth

Edmonds Thomas, farmer, Chatford

Edmonds Thomas, farmer, Lyth

Everall Miss Martha, Condover

Ferriday William, farmer, Condover

Frank Thomas, farmer, The Grange

Gittings Thomas, shopkeeper, Bayston

Goff Harriett, farmer, Chatford

Goff John, farmer, Westley

Gough Thomas, shoemaker, Condover

Hampton George, farmer, The Grove, Condover

Hampton Thomas, farmer, Condover

Hancocks Richard, bricklayer, Condover

Harden Rev. J. W., vicar, Condover

Hartshorn John, tin plate worker, Bayston

Heighway Mr. William, Ryton

Hickman Thomas, farmer, Ryton

Hotchkiss John, farmer, Condover

Hotchkiss Richard, farmer, Condover

Holden William, farmer, Bayston

Howells John, blacksmith, Bayston

Hughes Thomas, farmer, Ryton

Humphreys Mrs. Elizabeth, Condover

Hussey Richard, tailor, Condover

Jones George, maltster and shoemaker, Bayston

Jones Richard, farmer, Lyth

Jones William W., farmer, Wheathall

Jones William, schoolmaster, Condover

Loxdale John, Esq., solicitor, Lyth

Lucas John, farm bailiff, Ryton

Mansell Elizabeth, vict., Three Fishes, Condover

Meire Joseph, farmer, Norton

Millington Richard, surgeon, Ryton Fields

Millman Thomas, blacksmith, Condover

Morgan Thomas, farmer, Westley

Owen Edward William Smythe, Esq., Condover Hall

Olliver John, farmer, Bayston

Pincher Richard, wheelwright, Bayston

Probert Samuel, grocer, Wheathall

Roberts Thomas, farmer, Condover

Rogers Richard, butcher, Condover

Russell Mr. William, Ryton

Stewart Robert, Esq., Ryton Grove

Thomas Mrs. Ann, Condover

Thomas John, farmer, Ryton

Thomas William, saddler, Condover

Watters Miss Jane, Condover

Wilcox Philip, gentleman, Condover

Williams John, parish clerk, Condover

Wood Benjamin, vict., Condover Arms

Wood Richard, farmer, Pigeon Door

Wycherley George, painter & glazier, Bayston

DORRINGTON

is a township and improving village in the parish of Condover, six and a half miles N. from Church Stretton, and seven miles S. from Shrewsbury, having in 1841 66 houses and 328 inhabitants. It is expected a railway station will be formed at Dorrington, on the Shrewsbury and Hereford line of railway, now in course of formation, which will no doubt add greatly to the importance of the place. A new District Church has been erected at Dorrington; it exhibits the early English style of architecture, and contains about 300 sittings, the greater part of which are free. Its simple and unassuming exterior harmonises well with the retired and pastoral character of the surrounding country, and forms a very picturesque object from every point of view. It is built of free stone, and consists of nave, chancel, and transepts, with a tower surmounted with pinnacles. The interior decorations are neat and appropriate, and it has a groined roof; a vestry has since been added. The church was built by John Thomas Hope, Esq., at an expense of £3,000, and endowed with the sum of £3,800 by the same individual. An elegant and spacious parsonage house, commanding a beautiful and extensive view of the Lawley, Caradoc, and Longmynd hills, has since been erected by the munificence of the same respected gentleman, at a cost of £1,800. The living is a perpetual curacy enjoyed by the Rev. George Masters, M.A. The district embraces 545 acres. Convenient schools have also been erected in the village. Edward W. Smythe Owen, Esq., is lord of the manor. John Thomas Hope, Esq., and Mr. George Heyward, are the principal landowners. The Independents have a small chapel in the village; the congregation is under the pastoral care of the Rev. J. Beynon.

Beynon Rev. J. (Independent)

Bromley Thomas, farmer

Cavill John, nurseryman and seedsman

Clayton Francis, maltster

Cloud Samuel, schoolmaster

Crumpton Jonathan, brazier and tin plate worker

Evans Eleanor, agricultural implement maker

Evason Thomas, butcher

Farmer Thomas, maltster and vict., Grey Hound Inn

Farr James, cooper

Heighway Philip, saddler & harness maker

Heighway Thomas, vict., Cock Inn

Heyward George, farmer, Walford House

Hope John Thomas, Esq., Netley Hall

Hughes Thomas, plumber and glazier

Jones John, tailor

Jones Mr. Thomas

Jones Mrs. Mary

Maddox John, farmer

Masters Rev. George, M.A., Parsonage

Morgan John, draper and grocer

Pugh Thomas, blacksmith

Shakeshaft Mr. Edward

Snaxton Edward, maltster

Taylor Thomas, beerhouse keeper

Tedstone Richard, boot and shoemaker

Turner Edward, vict., Horse Shoe Inn

COUND

is a parish and small village delightfully situated six miles S.S.E. from Shrewsbury, and six miles N.W. from Much Wenlock. The township contains 1,406 acres of land, and in 1841 had 107 houses and 511 inhabitants. Rateable value, £2,006. Mrs. Thursby is the principal landowner and lady of the manor. The church is an ancient structure, consisting of nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a tower, in which is a peal of bells. It contains several monuments, one of which remembers Edward Cressett, D.D., bishop of Llandaff, who died February 13th, 1755. The pulpit exhibits an elaborate specimen of oak carving. The living is a rectory with the chapelry of Cressage annexed, valued in the king’s book at £33, now returned at £906. The patronage is vested in Mrs. Thursby; incumbent, Rev. Henry Thursby, M.A.

Harnage is a scattered village containing some respectable residences, one and a half miles S.E. from Cound: the township contains 1,642 acres of land, the principal owner of which is John Thomas Smytheman Edwards, Esq.; the population returns are included in Cound. Rateable value, £1,854. 6s.

Golding is an estate of 385 acres, the property of the Earl of Liverpool. It is rated as a separate township in the parish books at £441. There was however no distinct return of it as a separate township at the census of 1841.

Charities.—Thomas Langley, in 1694, left a rent charge of £2. 10s. per annum for a distribution of bread every Sunday in the year except two, “for which two Sundays better provision was made.” Thomas Bishop, in 1768, bequeathed to the minister and churchwardens of Cound £20, the interest to be given in penny loaves to the churchwardens on Sunday mornings. A further sum of £60, supposed to have been left by a person of the name of Sicke, for the benefit of the poor of the parish, with the above £20, was laid out in the purchase of £102. 4s. 9d. stock, three per cent consols. Mr. Dodd, in 1774, left £20, the interest to be distributed in bread to the poor. There is a sum of £100, three per cent consols, standing in the name of John Dodson Esq., which was purchased with £50, a legacy left by Richard Dutton, to poor housekeepers, and £10. 2s. 6d. added by John Dodson Esq.; of the dividends 30s. are distributed in Cressage and an equal amount among the poor of Cound. Richard Cheese, in 1808, bequeathed £50 in trust, and directed the interest to be distributed in bread to the poor on Christmas day. This bequest was subsequently invested in the purchase of £65. 18s., three per cent consols.

Marked 1 reside at Cound, 2 Harnage.

1 Thursby Mrs. Frances, The Hall

1 Thursby Rev. Henry, M.A., rector

1 Bowen Edward, schoolmst

2 Brazener Miss Ann

1 Burd Rev. George

2 Clayton Martha, farmer

2 Clayton William, farmer

2 Corbett Rev. Robert, curate

2 Cuckson John, vict., Fox Inn

1 Farmer Mr. Joseph

2 Granger Edward, farmer

Hill Richard, farmer, Golding Hall

2 Horton Thomas, farmer

1 Linell, George, farmer

1 Meire Thomas L., farmer

2 Norris John, farmer, Mosterley

1 Price John, farmer

1 Price Richard, farmer

1 Richards John, farmer

2 Woodcock Richard, farmer

CRESSAGE

is a chapelry in the parish of Cound, four miles N.W. from Much Wenlock, and eight miles S.E. from Shrewsbury. The village is delightfully situated near the Severn, in a fertile district, beautifully diversified with picturesque scenery. The township contains 1,900 acres of land, the gross estimated rental of which is £2,393. 12s. 3d. Rateable value, £1,995. 19s. 4d. At the census in 1841 here were 63 houses and 297 inhabitants. The principal landowners are the Duke of Cleveland, Sir George Harnage, Bart., and William Morris, Esq. Cressage is supposed to have derived its name from a venerable oak of gigantic proportions which stands near the village. Some time ago a fire was kindled in the hollow of the tree, by which it was greatly injured and nearly destroyed; it is supported by iron cramps, and there is now flourishing in the midst of the tree a young oak, raised from an acorn of the old tree. It was formerly called Christ’s Ache, Ache being the Saxon word for oak, and eventually became corrupted to Cressage. The shade of spreading trees we often find were chosen by the early missionaries as preaching places for the propagation of the Christian faith. Hence we have Bishop’s Oak, Postle’s Oak, and at Cressage, Christ’s Oak. The Chapel of Ease is a small unadorned structure, subordinate to the church of Cound. It was built in 1841 at a cost of £1,400, and contains 260 sittings. The funds were raised by voluntary subscriptions and grants from the government and diocesan church building societies. The original structure was situated in a meadow a short distance from the village, and from its dampness and dilapidated condition was totally unfit for divine worship. The Rev. George Burd is the curate.

This village is celebrated as the birth place of Thomas Lodge, who settled in London as a grocer, accumulated great wealth, and rose to the civic honour of Lord Mayor of London in the year 1562. Balswardyne Hall is a handsome mansion, the seat and property of Sir George Harnage, Bart.; the estate comprises 750 acres, and is partly in this chapelry, and also extends into the liberties of Wenlock, Leighton, and Harley. It was purchased by the ancestor of the present proprietor in the year 1541. By indenture bearing date January 13th, 1672, it was agreed on the part of the churchwardens and overseers of the parish of Cound, that 20s. yearly should be paid to the churchwardens and overseers of Cressage, as their proportion of the yearly produce of a legacy therein stated to have been left for the benefit of the poor, by the will of Dame Ann Eldred in the year 1671. Nothing appears to be known of this charity either in the parish of Cound, or in the chapelry of Cressage.

Harnage Sir George, Bart., Balswardyne

Brazier William, shopkeeper

Brookes Andrew G., surgeon

Carrington Margaret, vict., Crown Inn

Cross Decima, farmer

Dodson George, farmer

Dorricutt William, tailor, and post office

Edwards John, farmer, The Buildings

Hudson Edward, farmer

James William, joiner and shopkeeper

Langley Mr. Samuel

Lewis William, farmer

Mullard Edward, blacksmith

Mullard Michael, blacksmith and shopkeeper

Pinkey Joseph, farmer

Rogers Thomas, shoemaker

Studley Edward, Esq.

Tudor Joseph, butcher

Wild Sarah, vict., Eagle Inn

Williams Robert, saddler and harness maker

CHURCH PREEN,

sometimes called Preen Church, is a parish and small rural village five miles W. by S. from Much Wenlock. The parish contains 1,026 acres of land, the principal owners of which are F. T. Webster, Esq., and the Rev. Samuel Minton. In the year 1801 here were 84 inhabitants; 1831, 75, and in 1841, 17 houses and 101 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,026. 18s. 6d. Here was formerly a small cell of cluniac monks, subordinate to the priory of Wenlock. “In the 29th of Edward I., the cell of Preene was holden of the lords of Holgod, and that on a vacancy the lords of that castle had the custody of the same, and the prior of Wenlock in such a vacancy presented the custodes to the lords of Holgod, who being so presented received the temporalities.” The Church is remarkable for its length, and the chancel, which belongs to the lay impropriators, occupies more than half the space. It is situated close to the hall, and indeed the walls are so incorporated as to form a part of the mansion. The living is a perpetual curacy in the patronage of F. T. Webster, Esq., and enjoyed by the Rev. Robert Armitage. No tithe or rent charge is paid to the perpetual curate, but a small modus is due from the landowners, and the living is also endowed with £800 royal bounty, and £200 parliamentary grant. The Manor House or Hall, an ancient mansion, originally formed part of the cell above noticed, is now the residence and property of Frederick T. Webster, Esq. The main portion of the land in this parish lies upon a sunny slope, the high grounds of which command some extensive and beautiful prospects. It is generally thought that coal abounds beneath the soil in this parish.

Directory.—Frederick T. Webster, Esq., The Hall. Farmers, John Aslop, John Dixon, John Everall Newhouse, and Edward Madeley.

CHURCH PULVERBATCH,

usually called Churton, is a parish and small rural village 7½ miles S.S.W. from Shrewsbury, and about half a mile from the turnpike road leading from Bishop’s Castle to the former town. The village is delightfully situated, and commands a most extensive and beautiful prospect over thousand of acres of land, with a fine undulating surface teeming with fruitfulness; the majestic Wrekin, Caradoc, and the Lawley are seen in the distance, and give an additional charm to the scene. The parish contains the townships of Church Pulverbatch or Churton, Castle Pulverbatch, Cothercott, Wilderley, and Wrentnall. In 1801 here were 439 inhabitants; 1831, 557, and in 1841, 543. Acres, 3,583. Pulverbatch was formerly a place of some consequence, and had a weekly market. We find Philip Marmyn in the 38th of Henry III. obtained a charter for a market to be held on a Monday, and a fair on the eve, the day, and the morrow of St. Edith. An annual fair is still held on September 27th, but the market has long been obsolete. A short distance south from the village formerly stood a castle, the site of which may still be traced. In the 6th of King John, William de Cantilupe was governor of this castle. It was afterwards the seat of the Botelers, and was a place of great strength. The escheat roll of the 6th of Henry VI., makes mention of a free chapel belonging to the castle, in the patronage of Edward le Botiler. The Church is an ancient structure dedicated to St. Edith. The living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £10. 13s. 4d., now returned at £566 in the patronage of Lord Kenyon; incumbent, Rev. George C. Guise. The township of Churton or Church Pulverbatch at the census in 1841 contained twenty houses and ninety inhabitants. The Hon. H. W. Powis is the principal landowner and lord of the manor.

Charities.—The poor of this parish have 20s. yearly from Henry Brickdale’s charity, noticed with Condover. It appears the poor of this parish are entitled to receive 6s. more in respect of this charity, the division at present made between this parish and Condover not being according to the directions of the donor. Ann Jaundrell, in 1777, left by will £20, the interest to be expended in bread for the poor. This gift was subsequently laid out in pewing the church, and a yearly sum of 20s. is paid by the parish as the interest thereof. The bread is distributed on St. Thomas’s-day. James Perkins, by his will, bearing date 11th July, 1790, charged his tenement and farm at Marton, in the parish of Chirbury, with the payment of £1. 6s. per annum to the minister for the time being of Church Pulverbatch, in trust, to lay out the same in the purchase of bread to be distributed every Sunday to six decayed widows, who should attend divine service at the church. There is a distribution of bread every alternate Sunday, with this gift and Brickdale’s charity, among the most necessitous poor. Richard Perkins, who died in 1798, left £1. 6s., charged upon his estate at Church Pulverbatch, to be distributed to the poor on New Year’s-day. The 26s. is annually expended in bread and given on the above day among the most deserving poor.

Bowen George, schoolmaster

Bradley John, shoemaker

Gittins Abraham, saddler

Gittins Richard, farmer

Guise Rev. George Clifford, The Rectory

Madewell Rev. Mr.

Oakley John, farmer

Rowson Orlando, butcher

Tibbey Richard, farmer

Woodcock Samuel, farmer and maltster

CASTLE PULVERBATCH

is a small village and township in the parish of Church Pulverbatch, pleasantly situated on the high road from Shrewsbury to Bishop’s Castle, nine miles S.S.W. from the former place, and eleven miles N.E. from the latter. The township contains 994 acres of land, and in 1841 here were 36 houses and 154 inhabitants. Rateable value, £912. 12s. 10d.

Directory.—Thomas Bromley, farmer; John Brunt, farmer and vict., White Horse Inn; John Clare, vict., Woodcock Inn; The Misses Gilpin; Thomas Jordan, shoemaker; Humphrey Roberts, blacksmith; John Savage, maltster.

COTHERCUTT

is a township with a few scattered houses, delightfully situated in a hilly district, commanding pleasing views of the surrounding country; the air is peculiarly dry and salubrious, and the situation is one of a retired and pastoral character. Not far from here is Stiperstone Hill, which rises an immense height, and is seen at a considerable distance. Upon this hill are several great heaps of stones, close together, called by the Britons Carneddan tewion. It is uncertain whether these were some of those alluded to by Giraldus Cambrensis in these words, “The last Harold on foot with a company of foot soldiers lightly armed, and furnished with such provisions as the country produced for them, went over all Wales, and made his way through it in so brave a manner that he left very few alive. In token and perpetual memory of this victory, you will find in Wales many heaps of stones, according to the ancient custom of the places where he gained an advantage, with these letters inscribed on them:—‘Hic fuit victor Haraldus; Here Harold was victorious.’” Cothercutt is situated eleven miles S.W. from Shrewsbury, and the township contains 560 acres of land. In 1841 here were six houses and 33 inhabitants.

The resident farmers are David Clayton, John Smith, and William Woodcock.

WILDERLEY

township lies about a mile from Church Pulverbatch, and ten miles S.W. from Shrewsbury. It contains 671 acres of land, the rateable value of which is £659. 1s. 4d. In 1841 here were 11 houses and 71 inhabitants.

The principal residents are the following farmers, viz., James Ambler, Richard Dovaston, Joshua Roderick, and Thomas Jarratt.

WRENTNALL,

a township with 927 acres of land, is situated about a mile N.W. from Church Pulverbatch; the scenery around is beautifully picturesque, and the situation one of quiet retirement. In 1841 here were 38 houses and 195 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,195. 8s. The Baptists have a small place of worship in the village. James Freme, Esq., is the principal landowner in this township, and resides at an elegant mansion most delightfully situated on elevated ground, commanding views of great diversity and beauty.

The principal residents are James Freme, Esq.; John Breese, farmer; and Benjamin Burgwin, farmer.

FRODESLEY

is a parish and village, eight miles south-east from Shrewsbury, containing 2,188 acres of land, and in 1841 had 39 houses and 214 inhabitants: population in 1801, 158; in 1831, 186. Rateable value, £2,322. 7s. 6d. This parish is bounded on the south by one of the Frodesley hills, which form a connecting link between the Caradoc, Lawley, and the Wrekin. Though it possesses little to recommend it to the notice of the antiquarian, it is a parish of ancient date, being mentioned in the Doomsday Survey as held by one Siward, a freeman; the manor is subsequently inserted among the fees of Philip Burnel. The principal landowners are Sir E. J. Smythe, Bart., and Panton Corbet, Esq. The Roman Watling street runs for about two miles through this parish, in a line with the present turnpike road from Atcham to Church Stretton. The Hall is an ancient structure in the Elizabethan style, of rough stone, with dressed quoins and mullions. It was formerly the residence of Colonel Scriven, a staunch adherent to King Charles I. The Lodge is of a later date, partaking somewhat of the same style as the hall, and was formerly surrounded by a well-wooded and picturesque park. About the year 1780 it was inhabited by Godolphin Edwardes, Esq., then the possessor of the greater part of Frodesley. The Church dedicated to St. Mark, a plain structure, was rebuilt in 1809. The interior is neat, and the chancel was recently entirely refitted and decorated with much taste by the present incumbent. The living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £4. 14s., now returned at £392, in the patronage of the Rev. T. L. Gleadowe, M.A., the present rector. The rectory is a commodious house delightfully situated and surrounded with shrubberies and pleasure grounds tastefully laid out. Major Herbert Edwardes, C.B., was born at the rectory, whose father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were severally rectors of Frodesley. A few years ago a coal mine was worked for a short period, but the bed of coal being very thin and of an inferior quality it was closed.

Charities.—There is in the parish of Frodesley a slip of land containing about one acre, formerly a part of the waste which is supposed to have been given for the use of the poor by Godolphen Edwardes, Esq., who was lord of the manor. Thomas Scriven left £5 for the benefit of the poor. This sum was expended in the reparations of the church some time ago, and the churchwardens pay 5s. yearly as the interest. The Rev. Francis Edwardes, rector of Frodesley, who died in the year 1767, left £20 for the benefit of the poor. These gifts are distributed by the rector among the most necessitous parishioners.

Directory.—Rev. Peter Downward, Longnor Green; Rev. Thomas L. Gleadowe, M.A., The Rectory. Farmers: Thomas Brereton, Frodesley Park; Richard Deakin, Edward Francis, Richard Hotchkiss, William Ison, and brick, tile, and draining pipe maker; William Jones, William Keight, The Lodge; Edmund Meredith, Frodesley Farm; and John Morgan.

HARLEY

is a parish and village, two miles north-west from Much Wenlock, and ten miles south-east from Shrewsbury, containing 1,955 acres of fertile land, the most considerable owner of which is the Duke of Cleveland, who is also lord of the manor. Sir W. W. Wynne, Bart., Samuel Meire, Esq., and Francis Oakes, Esq., are also proprietors. The soil is various, and wheat is grown here to a large extent. There are several plots of land of different dimensions in the vicinity of Harley that are in the parish of Wenlock, although surrounded by land in the parish of Harley. The parish in 1801 contained 221 inhabitants; 1831, 257; and in 1841, 219; at which time there were 47 houses. Rateable value, £1,828. 8s. 4d.; gross estimated rental, £2,070. 8s. The Church, dedicated to St. Mary, has a handsome tower in the perpendicular style of architecture, the nave and chancel were rebuilt in 1846 by subscriptions, the greater part of which was contributed by the Duke of Cleveland, and the present incumbent. The interior has a neat and chaste appearance, and the east and west windows are beautified with stained glass, the gift of the late Rev. R. Scott, B.D. The living is a rectory in the patronage of the Duke of Cleveland, valued in the king’s book at £5. 12s. 1d., now returned at £290.; incumbent, Rev. John Gibbons, M.A. The pious and celebrated Benjamin Jenks held the rectory of Harley for 56 years; he was author of “Prayers and Devotions for Families,” a work at one time very popular. A neat monument has been erected to his memory in the chancel, he died in 1734, aged seventy-eight years. There is a monumental stone slab with brass ornaments and an inscription in the old English characters in the vestry, which was formerly placed over a vault in the church. The Rectory is a commodious residence pleasantly situated near the church, which from the east commands a picturesque view of Wenlock Edge, the beauty of which is much increased by an elegant pyramidal monument in the church yard. There are 46 acres of glebe land, 36 acres of which are situated contiguous to the rectory. Harley was the birth place of Silas Domville, one of the parliamentary committee in the time of the great rebellion. He was a lover of antiquities, and had some curious manuscripts.

Richard Corfield, by will 1715, gave to the poor of the parish of Harley the sum of £20, the interest to be distributed on St. Andrew’s day. This legacy when the charity commissioners published their report, was in the hands of Richard Woofe, who paid interest at the rate of four per cent.

Adney G., farmer & maltster

Bailey Adam, maltster

Bailey Thomas, farmer

Cartwright Mary, farmer

Cartwright Richard, farmer

Casewell William, shoemakr

Davies Richard, farmer and corn miller

Gibbons Rev. John, M.A., The Rectory

Gwinn William, wheelwright

Langford Richard, victualler, Unicorn Inn

Macham William, corn miller

Maddox John, farmer

Meire Samuel, farmer, Castle hill

Partridge Mr. Thomas, Harley Tower

Roberts Robert, blacksmith

Runners Thomas, farmer, Blakeway

Worrall Wm., farmer, Cressage

KENLEY

is a small parish and village with a scattered population four miles W. from Much Wenlock, which in 1801 contained 300 inhabitants; 1831, 281, and in 1841 there were 62 houses and a population of 294 souls. The parish comprises 1,794 acres of land, some of it tolerably good and others of an indifferent quality. Gross estimated rental, £1,305. 4s. Rateable value, £992. 1s. The Duke of Cleveland is lord of the manor, and owner of the whole parish. The tithes are commuted for the sum of £170. The church is an ancient structure, much dilapidated. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Coventry and Lichfield, and deanery of Salop, returned at £131 in the patronage of the Duke of Cleveland, and incumbency of the Rev. H. R. Slade.

Directory.—Farmers, Ann Bailey, Thomas Bailey, Richard Bishop, Elizabeth Blakeway, Thomas Bryan, Richard Crowther, Thomas Evans, Thomas Hall, Henry Hamlet, Thomas Jarvis, and Edward Pattin; John Jarratt, blacksmith

LEEBOTWOOD,

a small parish and village on the road from Church Stretton to Shrewsbury, four miles N.N.E. from the former place, contains 1,294 acres of land, and in 1801 had 81 inhabitants; 1831, 223, and in 1841, 39 houses and 214 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,574. 18s. Panton Corbett, Esq., and W. Whitmore, Esq., are the landowners. The industrious poor of this locality find employment in the coal works, and the manufacture of bricks, which is carried forward in this parish. The church is an unadorned structure of considerable antiquity, dedicated to St. Mary, and consists of nave and chancel, with a small tower. The view from the church-yard is beautiful and extensive, including the celebrated Caer Caradoc hill. The living is a perpetual curacy, with the chapel of Longnor annexed, endowed with £200 private benefaction, and £600 royal bounty. The living is valued in the king’s book at £8. 1s., now returned at £135 in the patronage of Panton Corbett, Esq.; incumbent, Rev. Waties Corbett, M.A. The tithes were commuted in 1839 for £104. 9s. 8d. The poor of this parish are entitled to participate the benefits of the charities of Sir Richard Corbett, which will be found noticed with Longnor parish.

Directory.—John Dickins, blacksmith; William Dodd, vict., The Pound Inn; Thomas Everall, farmer, The Park; William Heighway, farmer; Mary Lee, farmer; Richard Preen, shopkeeper; James Smith, coal master, and brick, tile, and draining pipe manufacturer; Thomas Wigley, carpenter.

LONGNOR

is a parish and small rural village in a well wooded and fertile country, the prospects of which are enlivened by rich pastoral landscape, rendered more delightful by its contrast with the majestic Carodoc and other hills. The village lies on the road from Shrewsbury to Ludlow, eight miles S. from the former place, and five miles N.N.E. from Church Stretton. The parish contains 790 acres of land, which is chiefly the property of Panton Corbett, Esq., who is also lord of the manor, and resides at Longnor Hall, a handsome brick mansion, built in the year 1670, by Sir Richard Corbett; the situation commands several fine views, and the pleasure grounds are tastefully laid out. The population of Longnor in 1801 was 177; in 1831, 244, and in 1841 there were 53 houses and 243 inhabitants. The church is a small structure situated in the park, with lancet windows, exhibiting the style of architecture prevalent during the 12th century. It was formerly a free chapel belonging to the abbey of Haughmond. The living is a perpetual curacy in the patronage of Panton Corbett, Esq., and enjoyed by the Rev. Waties Corbett, chancellor of Hereford.

Sir Richard Corbett, by his will, dated 19th of November, 1764, devised for a term of 900 years, all his lands and tenements, on trust, among other things by sale or mortgage, to raise £100, and lay out the same on government or other security, and dispose of the interest yearly among the necessitous poor of Longnor. And upon further trust to raise in the same manner £700, and to apply of the interest yearly on the 24th of April £12 yearly among three industrious young or decayed tradesmen, actual housekeepers and shopkeepers, carrying on business and residing in the county of Salop, in equal shares, such persons to be appointed by the owner of the testator’s capital mansion at Longnor, and the residue to be disposed of yearly in clothing six poor boys and six poor girls of Longnor, Cardington, Leebotwood, and Frodesley. The testator also gave the further sum of £200, the interest to be disposed of in the instruction of poor children in the township of Longnor; and also such poor children of the tenants as should he thought proper objects in the parishes of Leebotwood, Cardington, and Frodesley. All the above legacies remain charged upon the estates of the testator, now in the possession of Panton Corbett, Esq., who pays the yearly interest, for the objects specified in the testator’s will.

George Corbett, by will, dated 5th of December, 1664, bequeathed £50, and directed the interest to be applied in clothing two poor persons. In a memorandum containing an account of the legacies and public money belonging to Longnor, the above legacy and the following gifts are noticed, viz.:—£2 given by a maiden relation of William Longford; Humphrey Corbett £3; Francis Walker £5; Mrs. Anne Corbett £20; Miss Elizabeth Corbett £10. It is understood that these sums are in the hands of the owner of the estate at Longnor, and that instead of paying interest yearly in respect thereof, four or five poor persons of the parish are permitted to occupy certain cottages rent free. The five cottages now occupied in this manner are valued at £13. 10s. per annum. The poor have also a yearly sum of 10s., bequeathed by Edward Bayley.

Corbett Panton, Esq., Longnor Hall

Corbett Rev. Waties, Longnor Bank

Carter Thomas, builder

Dayus Samuel, farmer, maltster, & veterinary surgeon

Edwards John, shoemaker

Everall Charles, shopkeeper

Everall Richard, farmer

Heighway Thomas, farmer

Hamilton Mrs.

Pugh Thomas, blacksmith

Scott Richard, farmer

Thomas Edward, corn miller

Wigley Richard, butcher

Wigley William, wheelwright

Wilcox Thomas, farmer

MEOLE BRACE

is a populous and delightful village situated about a mile S. from Shrewsbury, and indeed may be considered a suburb to that town, as there is a continuation of pleasing villas and good residences, occupied by gentlemen and tradesmen, who have by the exertions of honest industry acquired a tolerable share of the conveniences and comforts of this life, scattered on the road from Shrewsbury to the church at Meole. The best situation for viewing this pleasing village is perhaps on the bank, just on crossing the bridge. In the front is the little bridge thrown over the Rea brook, which meanders through the rich meadows, covered with fruitfulness and studded with plantations. The quiet requirement of Meole, with the church embosomed in foliage, and a distant prospect of Shrewsbury, with its turrets, spires, and a pleasing variety of objects, adds much to the picturesque beauty of the scene. The parish of Meole embraces the townships of Newton and Edgbold, Nobold, part of Pulley, and also extends into the borough of Shrewsbury, and in 1801 comprised 1,253 inhabitants; 1831, 1207, and in 1841 there were 209 houses and 1,195 inhabitants. There are 2,487a. 1r. 34p. of land in the parish. Rateable value, £7,375. 15s. The landowners in Meole are Mrs. Bather, Hon. Henry Wentworth Powis, James Loxdale, Esq., George Jeffreys, Esq., and others; the former is lady of the manor. The Church, dedicated to All Saints, is a neat brick cruciform structure, with a short tower at the west end. It stands on the site of an ancient edifice taken down in the year 1799. The living is a vicarage valued in the king’s book at £5, now returned at £389 in the patronage and incumbency of the Rev. Edward Bather. There is a National School in the village, which was built by the late Ven. Archdeacon Bather. It is supported by voluntary subscriptions and a small charge from each scholar; 120 boys and girls are educated in the school. John Davies is the teacher. The rectoral tithes, not purchased by the landowners, are commuted for £24. 1s. 6d., and the vicarial for £196. 19s. 1d. A neat almshouse has recently been erected upon an elevated plot of land near the turnpike road. It is a brick structure with stone finishings, and was built with funds bequeathed by the late Mr. Evans, who also bequeathed certain funds for the endowment. There are nine poor widows inmates; each poor person has a convenient low room and a bed room, with a small plot of garden ground, and an allowance of eight pound per annum. There is a respectable inn and Bowling Green kept by Mrs. Vicars, which is frequented by the tradesmen from Shrewsbury, who here spend a pleasant evening’s relaxation from business. There are collieries at Nobold and some other places, but no coal has been got at Meole for the last four years. The House of Industry noticed with the account of Shrewsbury stands within the bounds of this parish. There was formerly a castle at Meole, which in early times was the residence of the Mackworths; there are no vestiges of the structure left.

Andrews Thomas, farmer

Andrews William, farmer

Badger Joseph, beerseller

Badger Thomas J., Esq., solicitor, Kingsland House

Bather Rev. Edwd., vicarage

Bather Mrs. Mary

Blunt Mr. Henry

Bromley Robert, beerseller

Bullock Thomas, tailor

Burr George, lead merchant, Kingsland

Burr Thomas William, lead merchant, Kingsland

Craig Mrs. Elizabeth, Severn hill

Davies John, schoolmaster and assistant overseer

Darlington Thomas, shoe maker and parish clerk

Edwardes Lady

Edwards Mrs.

Evans Mr. John

Evans Mrs. Martha

Ford Mrs. Ann

Griffiths Thomas, butcher

Hale Miss Elizabeth

Hayward George, tailor

Hiles Timothy, corn miller

Hilditch Mrs.

Holbrook John, shoemaker

Homer Wm., land surveyor

Howells Charles, blacksmith

Hughes John, farmer and maltster

Hughes Wm., corn miller

Humphreys Rev. Henry

Jobson Thomas, farmer, Bank House

Kinaston Miss Eliza

Large Mrs. Elizabeth

Leake Mr. John, Port hill

Mancell Rev. Spencer Percival

Nevett Francis, farmer

Rowlands Benj., beerhouse

Rowlands Elizth., shopkr.

Rowlands Rd., wheelwright

Rowlands Simon, wheelwrt.

Smith John, Esq., Radbrook villa

Stephenson Mrs. Elizabeth

Vaughan Peter Fdk., farmer

Vicars Ann, vict., Bowling Green Inn

Ward Mr. Thos., Kingsland

Woodward Mr. John, Asylum

NEWTON AND EDGBOLD

is a small township in the parish of Brace Meole, about three and a half miles W.W. by S. from the parish church. In 1841 here were ten houses and fifty-six inhabitants; the rectoral tithes have been purchased by the land owners; the small tithes are commuted for £69 16s. 2d. The landowners are the Rev. Edward Bather, and George Jonathan Scott, Esq.

The residents are John Bather, Esq.; Jacob Brown, farmer and butcher; Richard Jones, farmer; and Thomas Morris, farmer.

NOBOLD,

another township, situated west by south of Meole, and three miles from Shrewsbury, in 1841 contained 44 houses and 187 inhabitants, the acres of which are included with Meole; the land owners here are Robert Parr, Esq., Mr. Berrington, William Henry Slaney, Esq., Mr. Richard Juson, the latter is also proprietor of the Corn Mill.

Directory.—Hartshorn Barney, shoemaker; Thomas Beacall, farmer; George Farmer, cattle dealer and farmer; Samuel Gammon, blacksmith; Elizabeth Griffiths, farmer; John Harris, wheelwright; Edward Heath, farmer; William Juson, farmer and corn miller, Red hill Mill; Thomas Ramsell, vict., Cock Inn; Thomas Ramsell, shopkeeper; Thomas Ramsell, beerhouse keeper.

PULLEY

is a township partly in Meole Brace parish, and partly in that of St. Julian’s, in the former in 1841 there were 77 houses and 295 inhabitants; and in the latter, three houses and 13 inhabitants. Mr. Timothy Hiles and the Hon. Henry Wentworth Powis are the principal landowners. The vicarial tithes are commuted for £64. 7s. 2d., and the rectoral for £63.

The principal residents are Miss Mary Flavell; James France, farmer; Thomas Griffiths, butcher; Samuel Hiles, farmer; James Hughes, maltster and farmer; John Mitchell, beerhouse-keeper; John Norris, farmer; Mrs. Woolaston, farmer.

PITCHFORD

is a pleasant village, containing some genteel residences, seven miles south from Shrewsbury. The parish contains 1,617 acres of fertile land; and in 1801 here were 220 inhabitants; 1831, 197; and in 1841, 35 houses and 186 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,868. 9s. Gross estimated rental, £1,998. 5s. The Earl of Liverpool is the landowner in this township. The name of the place arises from a spring, upon which a scum of a bituminous nature flows. Camden compares the scum of this well with the matter that is found in the lake Asphalites, in Palestine, and says there is a spring of the same kind in Samasota. This place was formerly the seat and inheritance of a family of the same name. In the 5th of Edward I. we find John de Pycheford held the manor by the service of one knight’s fee. The last of this family of whom we read is Ralph de Pycheford, who, in the time of Edward I., levied a fine to Walter de Langton, bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, and to his heirs of the advowson of the church and of lands in Albrighton “et de maner de Pycheford”. In the 15th of Edward II. that bishop was found to be seised of this manor at his death. The Church is a venerable fabric, dedicated to St. Michael, and contains a curious oaken figure in memory of a Baron de Pycheford, a crusader, in chain armour, who was buried here. There are also four handsome alabaster monuments to the ancient family of Ottley. The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £6. 5s. 4d., now returned at £228, in the patronage of the Earl of Liverpool, and enjoyed by the Rev. Charles Powell Peters. Pitchford Hall, situated a short distance from the church, the seat of the Earl of Liverpool, is a fine and rare specimen of the old English mansion. The house is framed with timber springing into a variety of forms for its support, the interstices being filled with plaster and painted black and white. It is exceedingly picturesque in appearance, and the grounds are beautifully diversified and richly wooded. It was formerly the residence of the Ottley family. William Ottley was sheriff of this county in 1499, and again in 1513. The mansion, from its style of architecture, was probably built about that period.

Charities.—In the parliamentary returns of 1786 it is stated that Lucy Ottley, by will, in 1687, gave £20, and Sir Adam Ottley, by will, in 1693, £50 to the poor of Pitchford, and that there was a parish stock of £20 then vested in Thomas Ottley, Esq., in respect of which sums £5 was paid yearly. This payment continued up to the year 1806, when Thomas Ottley, Esq., died, and his estates became the property of the Hon. C. C. Jenkinson, afterwards Lord Liverpool. In the year 1807 there is an entry in the parish book of £5, received from him, “to exempt him from serving offices,” and that the same sum was paid annually up to the year 1815 inclusive, and from that time the payment was no longer made. In a letter written by Lord Liverpool to the rector, dated 10th March, 1830, in answer to an application upon the subject, his lordship states that he took no personal property from the Ottleys, and that the payment of £5 made by him for a few years after he succeeded to the estate was to exempt him from serving the parish offices, and that when he took the office of overseer in 1815, the payment of course ceased.

Directory.—The Right Hon. the Earl of Liverpool, Pitchford Hall; John Durnell, surgeon; Maria Hancock, shopkeeper; George Haughton, farmer; John Lindop, farmer, Stockbatch; Richard Lloyd, tailor; Rev. Charles Powell Peters, The Rectory; Elizabeth Snaxton, farmer; John Turnbull, agent to the Earl of Liverpool.

SMETHCOTT, OR SMETHCOTE,

is a parish and village pleasantly situated in a hilly country, eight and a half miles south-west by south from Shrewsbury. The tops of the hills have a bleak and barren aspect, but the lowlands are clothed with rich verdure, and finely timbered, which gives the scenery a very beautiful and picturesque appearance. A waterfall a little south from the parsonage and the scenery in its vicinity are peculiarly attractive, and the frequent resort of pleasure parties. The parish contains the townships of Smethcott, Picklescott, and the hamlet of Walk Mills. In 1801 there was a population of 338 souls; 1831, 366; and in 1841, 371. The township of Smethcott contains 1,049 acres of land, and at the census of 1841 had 27 houses and 129 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,218. 5s. At the Doomsday survey, Edmund held of Earl Roger Smerecote in Conodoure hundred. In the 1st of Edward I. it was reputed among the fees belonging to the barony of Montgomery, then in the tenure of George de Cantilupe. In the 9th of Edward II., Edward Burnele was seized of the third of the ville of Smethcott, with the liberty of common in the woods there, and had 48s. 3d. issuing out of lands in that manor. Upon the attainder of Lord Lovell, 1st of Henry VIII., Smethcott was given to the Duke of Bedford in tail, who, dying without issue, 5th of Henry VIII., it was granted to the Duke of Norfolk. The principal landowners now are W. W. Whitmore, Esq., and Richard Bromley, Esq. The Church, dedicated to St. Michael, exhibits the early English style of architecture, and was almost re-built a few years ago. It has a neat and chaste appearance. The expenses were defrayed by the liberality of the parishioners and the present incumbent. The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £4. 9s.; now returned at £276; in the patronage of the trustees of Hulme’s charity; incumbent, Rev. R. J. Buddicom, M.A.

Charities.—By indentures of lease and release, dated 30th September, 1741, Henry Powis, lord of the manor of Wilderley, conveyed to the overseers of Smethcott a cottage and land on Smethcott Common, in trust, for the sole benefit and advantage of the poor of the said parish. There are now four cottages, with a little garden to each, and three closes, containing about an acre and a half of ground altogether. Two of the cottages were occupied by paupers, rent free, and the other two for three pounds per annum each. The land is let at £4. 10s. per annum, and the whole of the rents received are carried to the poor’s rate. All these cottages and premises, about twenty years ago, were in the occupation of persons who, having been long in possession, refused to pay rent, or give them up. By the interference of the magistrates, they were obliged to pay an acknowledgement, and afterwards a full rent was paid. It appears from the terms in which these cottages were given, that they were intended for the benefit of the poor, and therefore any rates received from the premises ought to be given away in charity, and not carried to the poor’s rate.

An entry in the parish book, dated 24th May, 1810, states, that the Rev. Henry Fletcher, rector of Smethcott, had that day transferred £200 navy five per cents, in the name of the rector, the Rev. William C. Curtis, curate, and Mr. Prestland, his attorney, in trust for the poor of this parish, for educating six poor children, and for relieving six of the most necessitous poor widows. Mr. Fletcher died on the 17th of February, 1830, and the sum of £10 was paid on account of this charity by his agent shortly after. Of the £10 received, £6 are applied in relieving the distressed poor, and £4 in educating poor children.

Betchcott is a small township in this parish, a short distance from the village of Smethcott, having 625 acres of land, 3 houses, and 32 inhabitants. Rateable value, £357. The Hon. Henry Wentworth Powis is the landowner.

Picklescott, another small township in the parish of Smethcott, has 531 acres of land, and in 1841 had 33 houses and 143 inhabitants. Rateable value, £435. 5s. There are a few scattered houses in the parish of Smethcott, usually called The Hamlets, which contain 427 acres, and in 1841 are returned as having 15 houses and 67 inhabitants. Rateable value, £270. 5s. 1d. The Hon. Henry Wentworth Powis is the landowner.

Those marked 1 reside at Smethcott; 2 Betchcott; 3 Picklescott; 4 The Hamlets.

3 Bromley Richard, farmer

4 Bromley Richard, farmer

1 Bromley William, farmer, New Hall

4 Bromley William, farmer, Underhill

3 Broxton William, farmer

1 Buddicom Rev. Robert Joseph, The Rectory

1 Davies Thomas, farmer

3 Gamble Edw., blacksmith

1 Gittins Robert, farmer

1 Groves William, farmer

4 Gwilliam Edward, farmer

4 Hill William, farmer

1 Hill William, joiner

3 Howell Richard, farmer

2 Massie Charles, farmer

1 Meredith John, farmer, New House

2 Parry John, farmer

1 Rogers Richard, farmer

1 Rogers Robert, farmer

3 Rogers Thomas, farmer and vict., Bottle & Glasses Inn

2 Rogers William, farmer

4 Savage Jn., farmer, Coppice

3 Thomas David, blacksmith

3 Thomas Samuel, farmer

1 Vaughan Thomas, shop-keeper and post office

3 Willings John, farmer

STAPLETON

is a parish and village, five and a half miles S.S.W. from Shrewsbury, comprising 870 acres of land, and in 1801 had 228 inhabitants; 1831, 235; and in 1841, 46 houses and 257 inhabitants. A short distance from Stapleton are the remains of an ancient barrow, which on being opened some years ago was found to contain a large funeral urn placed near the centre, the ashes it contained were no doubt the remains of a person of distinction in former days. The Hon. H. W. Powis, and John T. Hope, Esq., are the principal landowners. In the 18th of Edward I., Robert de Stapleton had a grant of free warren in Stapleton; two years after the king’s attorney brought a writ of right against the said Robert de Stapleton, for the manor of his name as being seizen of King Henry II., the king’s ancestor, but without effect, for the said Robert died seized of the manor, in the 49th of Edward III. The Church is a venerable fabric dedicated to St. Julian. The living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £6. 7s. 6d., now returned at £624, in the patronage of the Hon. Henry Wentworth Powis, and incumbency of the Hon. and Rev. E. R. B. Fielding. An ancient residence, now partly surrounded by a moat, exhibits a fine specimen of the domestic architecture of by-gone days; the walls are of great thickness, and the house contains some beautiful specimens in antique oak carving, which are in a good state of preservation. The moat, now partly filled up, is about 200 yards in circumference, and the width 36 feet. Netley is a small hamlet in this township. Netley Hall is a good house, the residence of John Thomas Hope, Esq.; a little west from it is the site of a British camp, some parts of which have recently been levelled for agricultural purposes, so that now only a part of it can be traced. In a field not far from here were found four peculiarly hard stones, with a sharp axe-like edge all round; they are known by the name of celts, and were used by the priests to slay the victims of their sacrifices.

Bayley Wickliffe, blacksmith

Allen John, farmer

Allen Mary, farmer

Bromley Jeremiah, farmer, The Moat

Bromley William, farmer

Cassels Robert, farmer, Netley

Clayton John, farmer, Shady Moor

Cook Robert, farmer, Shady Moor

Dickin Edward, farmer, Netley

Evans Thomas, cow keeper

Fielding Hon. and Rev. E. R. B., The Rectory

Gittings William, farmer, Netley

Hope John Thomas, Esq., Netley Hall

Jones William, joiner

Philips Thomas, farmer, Shady Moor

Richards John, farmer, Vinnels

Sankey Edward, farmer, Netley Old Hall

Sankey Humphrey, farmer, The Moat

Woodfin John, farmer

SUTTON,

a small parish and pleasant little village one and a quarter mile S.E. by S. from Shrewsbury, is watered by the Reabrook stream, upon the banks of which two corn mills have been erected. This parish was formerly an appendage to Wenlock priory, and extra parochial. At the general dissolution of religious houses in the reign of Henry VIII., it fell to the crown, at which time there was an hermitage here. The parish contains upwards of 703 acres of land, and at the census of 1841 there were 16 houses and 67 inhabitants. In 1801 there was a population of 45 souls here. The parish church is a very humble structure of primitive simplicity, dedicated to St. John; it stands on a gentle eminence, and commands some pleasing views of rural scenery. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Hereford and archdeaconry of Salop, valued in the king’s book at £3, now returned at £17 in the patronage of Lord Berwick and incumbency of the Rev. Henry Hill. Divine service is performed once a month. A short distance from the church is the celebrated Sutton Spa. “The spring issues from a rocky stratum of ash-coloured clay or argillaceous schistus, containing (as appears by its effervesence with nitrous acid) a small portion of lime. Fresh from the spring the Sutton water is clear and colourless, and exhales a slightly sulphureous smell, which is most perceptible in rainy weather. It sparkles little when poured into a glass, having no uncombined carbonic acid in its composition. When first drawn its strong salt taste is evidently mixed with a chalybeate flavour; but the latter is wholly lost on exposure for a few hours, bubbles of air repeating slowly, and a reddish sediment lining the sides and bottom of the vessel. The Sutton water has by many been compared with that of Cheltenham, and supposed to contain nearly the same ingredients. It bears, however, a much closer resemblance to sea water, and has accordingly been found most beneficial in those cases for which sea water is usually recommended. In the case of scrophula, the superior merits of sea water have been universally acknowledged. A similarity of ingredients would naturally lead us to expect similar effects from the Sutton water; and I am happy to bear testimony, says Dr. Evans, that a twenty years attendance at the Salop Infirmary, as well as in private practice, has furnished me with abundant proofs of its success in the treatment of scorphulous affections; and in addition to the properties possessed by the Sutton spring in common with sea water, it enjoys an evident advantage in containing iron.” It is to be lamented that there are not any accommodations for the residence of invalids. The air is pure and salubrious, and as a site for building purposes the immediate vicinity is peculiarly romantic and interesting. There is a cottage at the Spa, where parties sometimes take tea, and a bath has been erected, which is open to the public on reasonable terms. All parties visiting the spring are allowed to partake of the water without any charge. The land in this parish is the property of Lord Berwick.

Directory.—John Bemand, farmer; Joseph Clay, farmer; George Davies, farmer; Thomas Pugh, corn miller; Edward Thornton, farmer.

WOOLSTASTON

is a village and parish five miles N. from Church Stretton, which contains 834 acres of land. In 1801 there were 101 inhabitants; 1831, 89, and in 1841 17 houses and a population of 84 souls. In the 9th of Edward I. Robert Burnel, bishop of Bath and Wells, had a grant of free warren in Wolfestantone. In the 34th of the same reign we find John de Sibeton had the privilege of free warren here, with the grant of a free market to be held on a Wednesday, and a fair to continue for three days. Upon the attainder of Lord Lovell in the time of Henry VII. this manor was given to Jasper Duke of Bedford, but he dying without issue, Thomas Duke of Norfolk had a grant of it in the 5th of Henry VIII. W. W. Whitmore is now chief landowner in this parish. The Church is a small structure, with nave, chancel, and tower. The living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £5, now returned at £162 in the patronage of W. W. Whitmore, Esq., and incumbency of the Rev. E. Carr. Richard Lucas, who died about twenty years ago, was parish clerk for 74 years; he died at the age of 95 years, and rung the church bell almost to the day of his death. In the latter part of his life he would frequently observe he had seen the end of all his parishioners three times over, and had been the clerk to two rectors and six curates. The Hall, now occupied by Mr. Everall as a farm dwelling, was formerly a place of consequence, and the residence of families of consideration. One of the apartments exhibits some line specimens of carved oak; the floor, ceiling, and sides are all of highly polished oak. A piece of land containing about four acres, supposed to have been given by a person of the name of Pope, for keeping the church in repair, is in the possession of the churchwardens, and is let at the yearly rent of £1. 14s., which is carried to the account of the church rates. There does not appear to be any document in the parish relating to this land.

Directory.—Meole Rev. Henry, curate. Farmers, Richard Everall, The Hall; Robert Heighway, and John Wigley. Mary Bowen, shoemaker.

THE MUNSLOW HUNDRED.

The hundred of Munslow comprehends the Upper and Lower divisions, and is bounded on the north by the hundred of Condover, on the east by the Wenlock Franchise, the Stottesden hundred, and a detached part of the hundred of Overs; on the west are the hundreds of Clun and Purslow, and on the south the county of Hereford. In the hundred of Munslow there is much clay, with considerable quantities of a stony soil of a great variety lying upon the lime stone. The upper surface of the rocks is frequently broken up by the plough and becomes with the soil a rocky loam, which produces good crops of grain. The population in 1821 was 10,478, exclusive of the borough of Ludlow; the number of houses 1,888. In 1841 there were 12,043 inhabitants, of whom 8,126 were in the Upper division, and 3,917 in the Lower division. At the same period there were 1,576 inhabited houses, 49 uninhabited in the Upper division, and 747 inhabited, and 36 uninhabited in the Lower division. The Lower division comprises the following parishes, viz.: Abdon, Ashford Bowdler, Ashford Carbonell, Bromfield, Clee, St. Margaret, Diddlebury, Easthope, Holdgate, Hopton in the Hole, Halford Chapelry, Ludford, Munslow, Onibury, Richards Castle, Skirmage Extra Parochial, Staneton Lacy, Stanton Long, Stoke St. Milborough, Stokesay, Tugford, and Weston Cold.

The Upper division contains the parishes of Acton Scott, Cardington, Eaton, Hope Bowdler, Rushbury, Shipton, and Church Stretton.

ABDON

is a small parish and village in the Lower division of the Munslow hundred, ten miles south-east from Much Wenlock, which contains 710 acres of land, the rateable value of which is £609. At the census in 1801 the parish had a population of 134 souls; 1831, 170; and in 1841 there were 36 houses and 155 inhabitants. Sir Sidney Herbert is the principal landowner and lord of the manor. The Church is a small structure dedicated to St. Margaret, and consists of nave and chancel. The living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £3. 6s. 8d., now returned at £147; patron, Sir Sidney Herbert; incumbent, Rev. John Sheppard. A commodious school, with a residence for the teacher, has recently been built by the lord of the manor, at a cost of upwards of one thousand pounds; it is also munificently supported by the founder. About thirty children attend.

Directory.—George Bradley, farmer; Thomas Bradley, farmer; Cheswick Cooper, farmer; Rev. John Sheppard, rector; Robert Williams, schoolmaster.

ACTON SCOTT, OR ACTON-ON-THE-HILL,

a parish in the upper division of the Munslow Hundred, three miles and a half S.S.E. from Church Stretton, is bounded on the western side by the Shrewsbury and Ludlow turnpike road, and that from Wenlock to Bishop’s Castle passes through it. It is divided into the townships of Acton Scott and Alcaston, and contains 1,889 acres of hilly land, moderately fertile, resting on sand-stone, in some places rich in fossil shells, and watered by the Quenny and Marbrook streams. At the census of 1801, the parish contained 164 souls; 1841, 34 houses and 204 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,727. On an eminence, above the Shrewsbury road, called the Castle Hill, it is supposed a fortification once existed; and in a field, adjoining the church-yard, some remains of a tower were standing in the memory of some of the old inhabitants, but all traces of it are now gone. In the year 1817, in straightening a road, some remains of a Roman ville were discovered, consisting of hypocausts, tiles, &c. Several eastern coins were also found, which is remarkable as being the only instance in which these coins have been found in Roman stations in England. On some of the tiles were impressions of the sandals of the Roman soldiers, made before the clay had been burned; there were also the foot-marks of dogs and other animals. These remains were found within a mile of the Roman road which runs from Wroxeter, by Church Stretton, to Shenchester. The name of Acton is derived from Ac (the Saxon for oak) and ton (a town), and that of Scott from a family who were very early settled here, and about the 12th century ceased to use their original name and adopted this of their residence only. At the time of the Doomsday survey the manor belonged to Rainald, the Sheriff, and it afterwards passed to the Fitzalans. In the year 1290, an inquest was held to determine the boundaries of the royal forests in Shropshire, when Acton Scott, Henly, and Alcaston, were declared to be without the limits, though Shetton, Minton, and Rushbury, were found to be within them, and subject to all the grievances of forest laws. The present lord of the manor is Edward William Wynne Pendarves, Esq., of Pendarves, in Cornwall, one of the representatives in parliament for that county, who succeeded to the property in 1835, on the death of his brother, who inherited this and other estates in right of his mother, the only daughter of Edward Acton, Esq., of Acton Scott, the last male representative of the elder branch of the family, who died in 1775, Sir John d’Albery Acton, Bart., being descended from a younger branch. The mansion house of Acton Scott is of the Elizabethan period, with projecting gables and bay windows, and stands in a commanding situation near to the church. It is at present occupied by Mrs. Stackhouse Acton. The whole of the township of Acton Scott is the property of E. W. W. Pendarves, Esq.

The Church, dedicated to St. Margaret, though devoid of architectural beauty, is remarkably neat, and contains a few monuments, chiefly to the Acton family, and a brass tablet, of the date of 1579, to the memory of Elizabeth Mytton. The tower is of much older date than the body of the church, and was probably an appendage to the church to which the bishop of Hereford inducted Hugh de Pentone (by lapse of time) in 1276. In the tower are three bells, on two of which are inscribed in old letters:—“Ave Maria in gratia plena dominus tecum,” and on the other, “Marie eternis et bonis resonet campana.” The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £5. 10s.; patron, the lord of the manor; incumbent, Rev. Walter Corbett, chancellor of the diocese; curate, Rev. George Magee. The Rectory is a neat residence, pleasantly situated, and there are 40 acres of glebe land. The tithes are commuted for £230.

Charities.—John Monsell devised four parcels of land, containing, by estimation, 60 acres, in the parish of Mainstone, upon trust, to pay thereout the following sums on the 1st March, viz.:—20s. to the parish of Morvill; 10s. to the poor of Wistanstow; 10s. to buy Bibles for poor children of Bishop’s Castle; and 5s. to the poor of Acton Scott. The above sums had all been regularly paid when the Charity Commissioners published their report, except the yearly sum of 5s. to Acton Scott, which the owner of the estate agreed for the future to pay. In the parliamentary returns of 1786 three donations are mentioned as given for the benefit of poor housekeepers of this parish. To the two first, amounting to £36, no names are given as the donors thereof; the third, being £20, is attributed to Edward Acton. Interest on the sum of £56 is now paid, which is laid out in fuel by the resident curate, which he distributes to the poor.

Alcaston, a small village and township in the parish of Acton Scott, comprises 527 acres of land, and is situated about a mile south from the parish church. Rateable value, £381. 14s. Alcaston was at an early period taken out of the manor of Acton Scott; it consists of three farms, belonging respectively to Thomas Dunne, Esq., G. M. Benson, Esq., and the Rev. Mr. Hill; the latter gentleman being of the same family as the Hills of Hawkestone. This branch was settled here in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and occupied a curious old timber mansion, a great part of which was taken down about ten years ago. Mr. Benson’s farm house also bears marks of antiquity; it is of brick, and has been moated, but it has lost much of its ancient character by modern repairs. A portion of the long line stone ridge, known as Wenlock Edge, stretches into this township.

Directory.—The residents in Acton Scott are Mrs. Stackhouse Acton, The Hall; Rev. George Magee, curate; John Monsell, farmer, Henley; Robert Morgan, farmer, Church Farm; Joseph Hotchkiss, blacksmith; Mary Keep, farmer; Thomas Parker, farmer. The residents of Alcaston are Benjamin Martin, farmer; Richard Edwards, farmer; Thomas Lewis, farmer.

ASHFORD BOWDLER

is a parish and village delightfully situated on the south west bank of the River Terne, on the southern verge of the county, adjoining Herefordshire, and about three miles south from Ludlow. The parish comprises upwards of 600 acres of land, the principal owners of which are Mrs. Walker and General Russell. Rateable value of the parish, £884. 3s. At the census in 1801, there were 79 inhabitants; 1831, 99; and in 1841, 17 houses and 96 inhabitants. The village contains several handsome family residences, and a small but elegant church, consisting of nave and chancel, with a tower surmounted with a spire. The living is a perpetual curacy, valued at £55 per annum, in the patronage of the Walker family. Mrs. Mary Green, of this parish, by will dated October 16th, 1832, bequeathed to the minister and churchwardens for the time being, the sum of £55, to be invested in the funds in trust, to pay the interest thereof annually among such of the poor inhabitants as they should consider most in need of aid. “Between the village of Ashford Bowdler and Ludlow is Huck’s Barn, said to have been the residence of George Barnwell, the hero of the popular tragedy named after him. Barnwell’s Green, near it, was so called from his waiting there to rob his uncle as he returned from Leominster fair: adjoining the green is the wood in which he perpetrated the murder of his relative.”

The principal residents are Mr. William P. Bale, Grove Cottage; Isaac Froggatt, farmer, Feather Knowl; Thomas Harper, farmer, Ashford Grove; Thomas G. Powis, farmer; General Lechmere Russell, Ashford Hall; Robert Thomas, Esq., Church House.

ASHFORD CARBONELL

is a parish and village delightfully situated in the lower division of the Munslow hundred, three miles south-east from Ludlow. The parish contains 1335 acres of land, the rateable value of which is £1,890. 5s. 11d. The principal landowners are J. F. Downes, Esq.; Mr. Walker; John Carter, Esq.; and William Eaton, Esq.; besides whom there are a few smaller proprietors. At the census in 1801, the parish contained 227 inhabitants; 1831, 289; and in 1841, 58 houses, and a population of 226 souls. The church is a small unpretending structure, the living of which is a perpetual curacy, endowed with £800 royal bounty: the living is annexed to the rectory of Little Hereford, and the patronage is vested in the Chancellor of Hereford Cathedral. The Rev. William Tomkin is the officiating minister. Ashford Hall is an elegant modern mansion, on rising ground, commanding extensive prospects, and embellished with tasteful pleasure grounds. Ashford Court, the residence of Mrs. Walker, is also a handsome residence.

Directory—Mr. William A. Bate; John Bloom, boot and shoe maker; Mary Eaton, farmer; William Eaton, farmer; Mr. Thomas Evans; Edward Evans, maltster; James Davies, carpenter; Joseph Davies, carpenter; John F. Downes, Esq., Ashford Hall; Thomas Cantrill, corn miller and vict., The Bridge Inn; John Carter, farmer, Brook House; Henry George, farmer, Huntingdon; John Jones, wheelwright; Mrs. Mary Lowe; John Mason, wheelwright; James Powell, farmer; William Roberts, farmer, Huntingdon; John Thompson, blacksmith; Mrs. Bridgett Walker, Ashford Court; Richard Whiteman, farmer.

BROMFIELD

is a parish and pleasant rural village, two miles north-west from Ludlow, formerly distinguished for its priory which was situated near or adjoining to the present church. The parish comprises 5,592a. 2r. of land, the principal owner of which is the Hon. R. H. Clive; the trustees of Ludlow charities are also proprietors. At the census in 1801, this parish contained 540 inhabitants; 1831, 517; and in 1841, 114 houses, and 531 souls. Rateable value, £7,308. 17s. 7d. The few remains of the ancient priory are situated near to the church. The establishment in the time of Henry I. consisted of a small college of prebendaries or secular canons. Osbertus Prior, of Bromfield, is witness to a deed before the year 1148. This priory was greatly enriched by Henry II., who granted to it his church in Bromfield, which was dedicated to the blessed St. Mary, with his royal licence and protection of their extensive possessions of the towns and lands of Haverford, Dinchope, Efford, Felton, Burghey and Lethewick; three prebends in Bromfield, and three in Halton. In the second of Henry II. the prior and brothers of Bromfield subjected themselves, by authority of Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury, to the Benedictine Monastery of St. Peter’s, near Gloucester, called Lanthony Secunda, and became Benedictines, and continued so to the time of the general dissolution of religious houses. At the assizes of Salop, 20th Edward I., the prior of Bromfield claimed free warren in the manor of Bromfield by charter of Henry II., which was allowed. The said charter also comprised a grant of Infangthef; and a jury found one Henry de la Chapele guilty of theft, who was tried and condemned by the prior, and hanged at Bromfield. The yearly revenues of the priory were valued at the dissolution at £78. 19s. 4d. In the 4th of Philip and Mary it was granted to Charles Fox. He was the founder of four families, most of which were in opulence for four generations; but his estate at Bromfield, including what is now called Oakley Park, passed by marriage to Matthew Herbert, whose descendant George, late Earl of Powis, devised it to his nephew, the Hon. Henry Clive, whose representative of the same name now inherits the estate, and resides at Oakley Park, an elegant mansion, mostly of modern construction, delightfully situated on the banks of the Terne. The surrounding grounds are extremely romantic and beautiful, and the pleasure grounds and gardens are tastefully laid out. It commands many fine views in different directions; the meanderings of the river adding much to the effect. The park, which formerly contained nine hundred acres, and included within its circuit the priory to which it belonged, is yet of considerable extent. It is finely adorned with groves and clumps of stately oaks. The lordship of Bromfield is co-extensive with the parish, and the chapelry of Walford and Dinchope, and the township of Ledwich. The manor abounds with game, and is watered by the river Terne, esteemed one of the finest fishing streams in the kingdom.

The Church is picturesquely situated, and consists of nave, chancel, transept and tower: it exhibits some fine specimens of elaborate workmanship, and is said to have formed a part of the structure belonging to the benedictine priory. The interior has a chaste and elegant appearance; the roof is beautifully painted, and the windows are adorned with stained glass. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king’s book at £6, now returned at £350; the patronage is vested in the Hon. R. H. Clive; incumbent, Rev. Thomas J. Longworth. The Court of Augmentation decreed the vicar of Bromfield a yearly pension from the dissolved monastery at Gloucester; and there are, in vellum hooks in the king’s remembrancer office, accounts of several decrees relating to the possessions of the priory and the rights of the vicar of this place.

Directory.—The Hon. Robert Henry Clive, Oakley Park; Samuel Bluck, farmer, Bromfield house; the Misses Davies, ladies’ academy; Peter Davis, farmer, King’s head farm; Henry Fletcher, farmer; George Jacks, cow-leech; Rev. Thomas I. Longworth, vicar; Henry Lippitt, farmer, Priors Walton; Thomas Payter, shoe maker; John Preece, vict., The Clive Arms; William Swift, farmer, Hill Halton; Herbert Titley, farmer, Cookridge; Richard White, agent to the Hon. R. H. Clive; Henry Vaughan, farmer, The Butts.

CARDINGTON

is a considerable parish, in the upper division of the Munslow Hundred, comprising upwards of 6,000 acres of land, and containing the several townships of Cardington, Broome, Chatwall, Comley, Enchmarsh, part of Gretton, Holt-Preen, Lydley Heys, Plaish, and Willstone. At the census of 1801 the parish had a population of 623 souls; 1831, 718; and in 1841 there were 138 houses and 691 inhabitants. The village of Cardington is situated is a secluded and romantic country, three miles and a half E.E. by N. from Church Stretton, having the lofty heights of the Caradoc and Lawley to the east, and the Hope Bowdler hills on the south-west. The township contains 995 acres of land, the rateable value of which is £815. 15s. Panton Corbett, Esq., is the principal landowner; there are also a few small freeholders. The Church is a plain unpretending structure, consisting of nave and chancel, with a tower, in which is a peal of bells. The handsome altar tomb, erected in memory of Sir William Leighton, of Plaish, who died December 20th, 1607, is now much dilapidated. He was chief justice of North Wales, and one of the council of the Marches of Wales, which offices he held with integrity and honour for more than forty years. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king’s book at £6. 2s. 6d., now returned at £294, in the patronage of Rowland Hunt, Esq.: incumbent, Rev. William J. Hughes. The court leet and court baron, with view of frank-pledge, held for the manor of Lydley and Cardington, as a court of record, is of the highest antiquity, and accounted a king’s court, of which Panton Corbett, Esq., is the present lord. The jurisdiction existed long before the conquest, and the first formation of it is attributed by several law authorities to King Alfred. “The term leet is not discoverable in Anglo-Saxon jurisprudence, but is understood to be derived out of the Sheriffs’ tourn, whose power therein was suspended, if not superseded.” The nature and extent of the court leet jurisdiction, in its first formation, may probably be best illustrated by a brief view of the different ranks of people and the mode of administering justice in the Anglo-Saxon era. The lowest order of the people were complete slaves, either by birth or by forfeiture of their freedom, by crimes or breach of faith, and were incapable of any office of trust or honour. But the spread of Christianity led to the frequent manumissions, and established a class of people called Frilazin; and persons so made free were considered to be in a middle state only, between slaves and freemen. Those who were freemen from birth were called Ceorls, and constituted a middle class between the nobility and such labourers and mechanics as were slaves, and being generally devoted to agriculture, a Ceorl was the usual appellation of a husbandman; but the acquisition of 500 acres of land, the attainment of holy orders, or by the owner of a ship or cargo making three voyages beyond sea, advanced a Ceorl to the dignity of a Thane of the lower order; and the higher class of this order, which were styled King’s Thanes were of three different degrees. The Thanes were the only nobility among the Anglo-Saxons; but all members of royal families were of superior rank. The kings were chief judges in their respective territories, and frequently administered justice in person. King Alfred employed both day and night in hearing appeals, with the aid of learned assessors; thus forming a supreme court of justice, until the establishment of monarchy, when it was found necessary to appoint a chief justicary to preside in the king’s court; and the first institution of such office is supposed to have been at the time of the incursion of the Danes. In 1622, Sir John Hayward obtained from the crown a licence to alienate the manor of Lydley and Cardington to Edward Corbett, Esq., for the sum of £3,200.

Charities.—The School.—William Hall, by his will, dated 6th April, 1720, bequeathed £400 to the parsons of the parishes of Cardington, Hope Bowdler, and Longnor, in trust, for the building a schoolhouse at Cardington, and the maintenance of a schoolmaster. A school was subsequently built with part of the above mentioned legacy, and the residue was laid out in the purchase of copyhold lands, held of the manor of Lydley and Cardington. In 1827, an order was made in the Court of Chancery, on the petition of Richard Butcher and others, overseers and inhabitants of the parish of Cardington, whereby it was referred to the master to take an account of the charity estate, and of the value thereof, and to approve of a scheme for the future management of the charity. The master, by his report made April 1st, 1828, directed £10 a-year to be reserved out of the rents, to put the schoolhouse and the premises on the school estate in good repair, and afterwards such less sum as the directors should see fit, but not less than £5; and that the surplus rents should be paid to the schoolmaster and his assistant. The school estate consists of 27a. 3r. 32p., and an allotment containing 5a. 1r. 10p. on Cardington Moor, allotted to the trustees of the school under an enclosure act, passed 41st Geo. III. The estate now produces £34. 3s. 1d. per annum. The school is open to all the children of the parish (boy and girls) without any charge, except 1s. for entrance and 1s. yearly for fuel. They are taught reading, writing, and accounts.

Roger Maunsell, by will, 1651, devised a piece of ground, called Bowneford, in the parish of Long Stanton, to the churchwardens of the parish of Cardington, and their successors, and to Thomas Powell and his heirs, and ordered that the said churchwardens, at the feast of St. Michael, should receive the sum of 26s. 8d. yearly for ever. He directed the first three years after his decease, the said sum of 26s. 8d. should be expended in a weekly distribution of bread, to be divided among six poor men one week, and among six poor women the following week; and that for the next three years it should be laid out in buying sacramental bread and wine; and the seventh year in adorning or buying any ornament to be used in the church at Cardington; and so from seven years to seven years.

Anne Tipton gave a rent charge of £1. 10s. per annum, issuing out of the Day House, and directed six penny loaves to be given to six poor men and six poor women of this parish, alternately every Sunday in the year; but on Easter Sunday, Whit Sunday, the last Sunday in the old and first Sunday in the new year six threepenny loaves each day.

The sum of £1. 6s. is paid every alternate year to the churchwardens of Cardington, as a gift of Dinah Roberts. This and the like payment made to the parish of St. Julian, in Shrewsbury, are charged upon a farm in Wilstone, which was purchased by Archdeacon Corbett about fifty years ago. The amount is applied in a distribution of six penny loaves every Sunday in the year in which it is received.

Francis Southern, by will, dated May 9th, 1773, bequeathed to the minister and churchwardens of the parish of Cardington and their successors £42. 10s., upon trust, that the interest of £32. 10s., part thereof, should he laid out in bread and given away every Lord’s day to three poor widows or old men of this parish, who should attend divine service; and the interest of the other £10 he left to the minister of Cardington for preaching a sermon every New Year’s-day. Of this money we are informed £32. 10. was laid out in 1814 in the purchase of a cottage at the east end of the town, called the Butt, which was formerly occupied by poor persons placed there by the parish. £1. 6s. is paid from the church-warden’s account for providing bread for the poor. The remaining £10 was paid to the churchwarden’s account in 1819, and the churchwardens pay the interest thereof to the minister.

In the parliamentary returns of 1786 it is stated the poor’s stock amounted to £45, for which interest was paid for many years. It is understood that £5 of this money was lost, and that in 1799 £40 having been borrowed of Joseph Powell by the parish for building a poor house, the poor’s stock was applied in paying off the debt. Nothing has been paid in charity in respect of the above sum for a long period. The poor, we conceive, are entitled to the interest of the money which was left for charitable uses, and not for the ease of the ratepayers.

John Russell, by will, 1813, gave to the minister of Cardington for the time being £1 yearly for preaching a sermon annually on the day preceding the day of his interment. He also gave to the poor of Cardington thirty threepenny loaves on each of the following days—Christmas-day, Easter-day, Whit Sunday, and the Wakes Sunday; and to six of the poorest widows of the parish a blue woollen gown every Christmas-day, and the same to six of the poorest girls of the said parish on the same day, and also to a schoolmistress £10 a year to teach twelve poor girls of the said parish to read, knit, and sew. He also gave £5 a year towards a Sunday school, and he bequeathed to certain trustees £570, on trust, to place out the same in public funds, and out of the dividends pay the annuities before mentioned, and also an annuity to the Rev. John Witts for his life. In respect of this charity there is now £628. 12s. 4d. new four per cents. standing in the names of the trustees, producing annual dividends of £25. 2s. 10d. The trustees, after carrying out the specific intentions of the donor, apply the surplus in the purchase of coal, which is distributed among the most necessitous poor.

There were in this parish certain lands called the Church Estate, consisting of several detached parcels; but on the enclosure of the lands in the manor of Lydley and Cardington, in 1817, exchanges were effected, whereby between fifteen and sixteen acres lying together were set out by the churchwardens. There are also nine cottages, chiefly occupied by poor persons. The rents of these premises were formerly paid half to the churchwardens, to be applied in the repairs of the church, or in aid of the church rate, and the other moiety to the overseers of the poor, by whom the amount was given away in charity. But for many years the rent, now amounting to £14, has been carried to the overseers’ account, and applied to the general purposes of the poor’s rate. Coals to the amount of £5 or £6 are, however, annually given away by the overseers. It appears questionable, from the usage which formerly prevailed, whether the rent of this estate ought not to be applied, one moiety thereof in the repairs of the church, and the other to such poor persons as appear fit objects of charity.

Directory.—William Aincham, carpenter and wheelwright; John Brazier, maltster and beerhouse keeper; John Corfield, farmer; Joseph Dayus, farmer; Samuel Evans, vict., Royal Oak; Mr. John R. Durnell; William Eaton, butcher; Samuel Edwards, farmer; Edward Haynes, shopkeeper; Rev. William Jones Hughes, vicar; John Parker, schoolmaster; George Onslow, farmer; William Preen, farmer and beerhouse keeper; Thomas Price, wheelwright; Francis Smout, farmer; Francis Waters, gentleman; Ann Woof, farmer.

CARDINGTON TOWNSHIPS

Broome is a small township in the parish of Cardington, having 177 acres of land, the rateable value of which is £178. 10s. At the census of 1841 there were three houses and thirteen inhabitants. Mr. John Evans is the only resident farmer.

Chatwall township in 1841 had six houses and thirty inhabitants, and contains 763 acres of land, the principal owners of which are Panton Corbett, Esq., John Norris, Esq., Richard Butcher, Esq., Mrs. Bourne. The land is mostly poor and cold. Rateable value, £575. 15s. The chief residents are Samuel Jones, farmer and beerhouse keeper; John L. Mitton, farmer; Richard Wall, farmer, and Thomas Woodcock, farmer, Lower Chatwall.

Comley and Botvylle is a township in the parish of Cardington, containing 464 acres of land, which is chiefly the property of Panton Corbett, Esq. Rateable value, £330 10s. At the census of 1841 there were 17 houses and 57 souls. The principal residents are Edward Evans wheelwright; Philip Hayward, farmer; William Higgins, farmer, The Shoe Trough; John H. Smith, farmer; William Tomlinson, farmer.

Enchmarsh is a township and village two miles N. from Cardington, comprising 400 acres of land, and in 1841 contained eighteen houses and a population of 94 souls. Rateable value, £392. 5s. Panton Corbett, Esq., is the chief landowner. The principal residents are Richard Evason, farmer; William Haynes, blacksmith; William Norris, farmer.

Holt Preen is a township in the parish of Cardington, situated about a mile from Church Preen, and four miles N.E. from Cardington. It contains 793 acres of land, and in 1841 had sixteen houses and 111 inhabitants. Rowland Hunt, Esq., is the landowner and lord of the manor. The principal resident is Mr. Thomas Norris, Holt Hall.

Lydley Heys, a township in Cardington parish, has 790 acres of land, and in 1841 had eight houses and 52 inhabitants. Panton Corbett, Esq., is the sole proprietor in this township. Rateable value, £580. 5s. The chief residents are Richard Everall, farmer, Day House; Henry Matthews, farmer, Lawley Farm; John Russell, farmer, Court House; Richard Shuker, farmer, Pankridge Hall.

Plaish township in Cardington parish is situated about three miles from the parish church, and at the census of 1841 had six houses and 37 inhabitants. The township contains 908 acres of land, the rateable value of which is £611. 10s. Rowland Hunt, Esq., is sole proprietor and lord of the manor. The Hall is a venerable old structure, partly in ruins, and partly occupied as workshops and granaries. It was formerly the seat of Sir William Leighton, chief justice of North Wales, and one of the council of the Marches. He died in 1607, and was buried under a sumptuous monument in Cardington church. The Hall contains some fine specimens of oak carving, and although decayed and ruinous bears traces of its former splendour. The principal residents in Plaish are Samuel Eaton, farmer, Plaish Hall, and Thomas Lewis, farmer, The Sheaves.

Willstone, a township in Cardington parish, containing 711 acres of land, at the census of 1841 had four houses and 34 inhabitants. Rateable value of the parish, £469. 10s. Panton Corbett, Esq., and Thomas Bolton, Esq., are the landowners; the former is lord of the manor. The resident farmers in Willstone are Isaiah Lindop, and William Minton.

CHURCH STRETTON

is a market town and parish in the Upper division of the Munslow hundred, thirteen miles S.S.W. from Shrewsbury, fourteen miles N.N.W. from Ludlow, and 153 miles from London. The parish comprises the townships of Church Stretton, All Stretton, Little Stretton, and Minton, and contains 5,717 acres of titheable land, and 5,000 of common, making a total of 10,717 acres in the parish, the gross estimated rental of which is £7,592. Rateable value £6,133. At the census of 1801 there were 924 inhabitants; 1831, 1,302; 1841, 1,604. At the latter period there were 346 houses, of which 183 houses and 860 persons were in the township of Church Stretton. This place is supposed to have derived the name of Stretton (formerly Street Town), from its contiguity to the Watling Street, the Roman road that led from Uriconium (now Wroxeter), the principal city of the Cornavii, to Kinchester, near Hereford. This ancient road runs nearly parallel with the turnpike road from Shrewsbury to Hereford. The town is small, and chiefly consists of one street, in the widest part of which is the market hall. It is a polling place for the southern division of the county, and is situated in a picturesque vale, from which rise gradually wooded eminences of great beauty, backed by lofty ranges of hills. On the eastern side are the Lawley and the far-famed Caer Caradoc, one of the military entrenchments of Caractacus in his long and arduous struggle with the Romans; on the western side is the lofty range of the Longmynds, extending eight or nine miles, and on the summit of one called Boddbury was a Roman station or camp of observation. A pole has been erected on the highest point of the Longmynds, from which spot there is a most delightful and commanding view of a wide extent of country. The prospect includes on the west the Stipperstones, the mountainous district of Wales, including the Sugarloaf near Abergavenny, the Table mountain, Cader Idris, and the intervening range from that mountain to Snowdon; on the east and north-east are seen the Edgwood, the Clee, and Malvern hills, and the majestic Wrekin; to the south-west are the hills of Radnorshire, and on the north-west the Denbighshire hills, besides which there is a fine view of the fertile plains of Shropshire, with many other objects of deep interest. The secluded and romantic situation of Church Stretton, the grand and majestic character of the surrounding scenery—its proximity to scenes of great historical interest—the mildness and salubrity of the air, which is at the same time peculiarly bracing,—its general exemption from contagious and epidemic disease, and the excellence of the water, all conduce to render it peculiarly attractive to parties in pursuit of health and pleasure. During the summer months it is a very favourite resort of visitors from the neighbouring towns, the great variety of the scenery rendering it almost impossible to weary the most fastidious taste. When it has become more easy of access by railway it will no doubt become a favourite retreat for persons from all parts of the kingdom. The Shrewsbury and Hereford railway now in course of construction will pass within three hundred yards of the town.

Camden, who wrote in the time of Elizabeth observes, “Near Stretton, in a valley are yet to be seen the rubbish of an old castle called Brocard’s Castle and the same set amiddest greene meadowes that before time were fish ponds.” In the 17th of King John, Hugh de Mortimer received command from the Barons to deliver up the castle of Stretton Dale to Hugh de Neville, but standing firm to the king he was rewarded the next year by receiving a grant of the castle of Holdgate from John. The Caer Caradoc probably acquired that name from having been one of the military stations of Caractacus, and it was once considered the place where he fought his last battle until a strict comparison of its situation, with the description given by Tacitus, caused the opinion to be abandoned. Formerly a society of gentlemen used to meet annually on this hill to celebrate the fame of the British chief in compositions of prose and verse. A very spirited poetical effusion was on occasion delivered almost extempore by the Rev. Sneyd Davies. Almost every dingle and narrow valley of this locality has its peculiar brook or rivulet, which in several instances form beautiful cascades over their rocky channel; they all produce excellent trout. At the foot of the Caradoc, near All Stretton, is a farm house called Botvylle which a family of that name at an early period held under the Knights Templars of Jerusalem. One of this family was a lawyer, and was called John of the Inns, which was corrupted into John Thynne, and from him there is a tradition that the family of the Marquis of Bath is descended, who possessed the manor till the year 1808, when it was sold to Thomas Coleman, Esq. In the 10th of Edward III. the king bestowed Stretton on Richard, Earl of Arundel, and the year following he obtained the grant of a market on Thursday, and a fair on the eve, the day, and the day after the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The market is still held on Thursday, and is well attended with provisions. Fairs are held on the Monday before Shrewsbury first March fair; 14th May, 3rd of July, for wool, 25th of September, and the last Thursday in November. The Market Hall is a neat and spacious building in the Elizabethan style, consisting of a good room where public meetings are held, and an area underneath for the market. It was erected in the year 1839, at a cost of about £1000, and was conveyed to the following trustees, some of whom were the principal subscribers to the funds for its erection, namely: the Earl of Powis, Lord Darlington, Lord Clive, Hon. R. H. Clive, Rev. N. R. Pemberton, E. W. Smythe Owen, Esq., G. R. Benson, Esq., Panton Corbett, Esq., Thomas S. Acton, Esq., E. B. Coleman, Esq., William Pinches, Esq., Mr. John Broome, and Mr. John Robinson. The old market hall, an antique structure much admired for its primitive appearance, was chiefly composed of timber and plaister, and was built in the year 1617; it was fast falling to decay when it was taken down; the inhabitants purchased the site and the tolls for £200, which was raised by subscriptions, so that the market is now toll free. In a deep valley about a quarter of a mile from the town is a flourishing flannel manufactory, the machinery being turned by a mountain stream; the inhabitants are however chiefly engaged in agricultural pursuits; large flocks of sheep are pastured on the neighbouring hills. The principal landowners are Moses George Benson, Esq., Charles Orlando Childe Pemberton, Esq., and Mrs. Coleman; the latter is lady of the manor.

The Church, an ancient cruciform structure with a central tower, chiefly in the early English style of architecture, is dedicated to St. Lawrence, having an image of that saint in the eastern angle of the tower. The tower exhibits some elaborate workmanship, and contains a very melodious peal of bells and an excellent clock. On the north and south sides of the edifice are doorways of Norman character. The tower is supported by four clustered pillars and pointed arches, which divide the nave, chancel, and transepts. The chancel is beautifully ornamented with richly carved oak in antique devices, collected at a considerable cost by the late rector, the Rev. Robert N. Pemberton, who bestowed great care and expense in the embellishment of the sacred edifice. In the centre compartment of the altar is an elegant and well carved representation of Christ after the crucifixion. The windows, principally in the decorated style, with rich and flowing tracery, are beautified with stained glass. The eastern one is peculiarly chaste and elegant, and being immediately over the altar gives the interior a very chastened and effective appearance. The centre division contains a fine figure of our Saviour, and on one side is a representation of St. Peter, and on the other of St. John. This window was the gift of the late rector, the Rev. R. N. Pemberton. The living is a rectory, rated in the king’s book at £15. 10s., in the patronage of C. O. C. Pemberton, Esq.; incumbent, Rev. Hugh Owen Wilson. The tithes are commuted for £505, and there is a glebe land attached to the rectory, of the annual value of £60. The parish is in the diocese of Hereford, and the triennial visitation is held here by the bishop. The visitation in the intermediate years is held by the archdeacon. Roger Mainwaring, D.D., vicar of St. Giles in the Fields, and chaplain to King Charles I., was born in this town. His two sermons, entitled “Religion and Allegiance,” were censured in parliament, and he was afterwards imprisoned and suspended for three years. In 1633 the king presented him to the rich rectory of Stanford Rivers, in Essex, made him dean of Worcester, and in 1635 he was consecrated bishop of St. David’s, which see he held till the bishopric was abolished. He was cruelly dealt with by the prevailing powers in the time of anarchy and confusion, and died in 1653, leaving behind him the character of a person of great learning and true piety.

There is a Branch Savings Bank at Church Stretton, which commenced in the year 1821, the business of which is conducted at the school house every Friday. About 300 depositors have their names in the books, and a sum of about £9,000 standing to their credit. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows of the Manchester Unity have a lodge here, with their funds in a prosperous condition. There is also a clothing club for the benefit of poor families, and one for the supply of coals during the winter season. A police station has been erected at the expense of the county, near to the union house, in connexion with which are cells for the temporary confinement of offenders, and a residence for the superintendent constable.

The Church Stretton Union Workhouse is situated nearly a quarter of a mile from the town, on the Shrewsbury and Ludlow turnpike road, and in the immediate vicinity of the Longmynd hills. The situation is remarkably dry and salubrious, and the building is admirably contrived for the convenience and comfort of the inmates. The building is in the form of a cross, which, with the outer wall, forms four quadrangles, and these are used as airing yards. It was built in 1838, of the rough stone got from the neighbouring quarries, with quoins and cornices of hewn free stone. The cost of the structure was £2,000, and the sum of £200 was paid for the site and land attached, which covers an area of about two acres. The money necessary for the erection was borrowed, and it was agreed to pay back the principal by instalments of £100 per annum: there remains unpaid at the present time £600. The parishes comprised within the union are, Acton Scott, Church Stretton, Cardington, Easthope, Eaton, Hope Bowdler, Leebotwood, Longnor, Rushbury, Shipton, Sibdon, Carwood, Smethcott, Wistanston, and Woolstaston. The house is capable of accommodating 110 inmates, and the guardians meet at the board room every fortnight for the transaction of the business connected with the union. The expenditure for the half year ending Lady day, 1850, was £1,266. 16s., and the average weekly cost per head of the in-door paupers was 2s. 1½d., of which 3d. was for clothing. The number of in-door paupers at the same period was 55. John Belton, Clerk to the Guardians. Thomas Heighway, Relieving Officer. Medical Officers: Richard Wilding, for the house and first district; Thomas R. C. Downes, second district; Robert Jones, third district; Charles Mott, fourth district. Rev. P. Nunn, Chaplain. Henry Evans, Governor. Mary Ditcher, Matron. Sarah Atkinson, Schoolmistress.

Charities.—There is a school and schoolhouse in the town of Church Stretton, built in 1779 on the site of an old school, supposed to have been erected on the waste land by subscription, and another room has since been added thereto. By an act of parliament, passed 28th George III., for enclosing the commons and waste lands in the manor of Church Stretton, it was enacted that all encroachments which had heretofore been made on the said commons and waste lands, for the use of the school and schoolmaster at Church Stretton, should be confirmed by the commissioners to the rector of the parish for the time being, together with nine other persons therein named, and their successors to be appointed as therein directed, on trust to receive the rents and apply the same to the use of the schoolmaster as an augmentation of his salary, and to permit such master to occupy the buildings for the uses for which they were intended. In pursuance of this act the commissioners allotted a parcel of land containing 27a. 0r. 29p., (including a road containing about one acre), which was let, when the charity commissioners published their report, for the yearly sum of £27.

The following legacies have at different periods been left for the benefit of the school, viz:—Sir Rowland Hayward, Knt. £1. 13s. 4d. yearly, payable out of certain lands in the parish. In respect of the charity of Thomas Bridgman, 40s. yearly is paid to the schoolmaster for teaching four poor children. From Lloyd’s Charity the trustees receive the sum of £2. 5s., and £3. 3s. yearly for the support of a Sunday school. The trustees also receive £4. 10s. yearly from Mainwaring’s Charity, and £2. 1s. annually from the churchwardens. The whole annual income derived from these sources amounts to £42. 12s. 4d. The schoolmaster is appointed by the trustees, and receives a salary of £40 a year, and resides in a house free of expense, and for these emoluments he also teaches a Sunday school. The school is conducted on the national system: about 60 boys and 60 girls attend.

Thomas Hawkes, by will dated 19th August, 1703, left £30 to the use of the poor of the parish of Church Stretton, to be laid out in land; the yearly produce thereof to be distributed in bread as follows; viz: eight penny loaves every Sunday, and sixteen penny loaves every first Sunday in the year, Easter Sunday, and Whit-Sunday, to such poor persons as should frequent the church. The aforesaid sum of £30 was laid out in 1708 in the purchase of a copyhold tenement situated in Church Stretton, called Walter’s House, formerly used as a poor-house, in respect of which 30s. is paid yearly as Hawke’s Legacy out of the poor’s rates, and applied with the produce of other charities hereafter noticed.

By Indenture, bearing date 3rd May, 1684, John Garratt and Henry Richards conveyed a meadow, containing by estimation two acres, in the township of Little Stretton to Thomas Hawkes and others, and their heirs on trust, that they should succour and relieve (with the yearly rents and profits) such poor of the said parish as they thought most needy. The meadow called Little Stretton Pools, containing 1a. 1r. 2p. of land, is let at a yearly rent of £5, which is distributed amongst the poor with the other charities.

On the table of benefactions, it is stated that Randolph Jones, in 1710, left £10, the interest to be distributed in bread. This money is supposed to have been laid out in building the poor-house, and the interest thereof, 10s., is paid yearly from the poor’s rates, and forms part of the funds distributed in bread at Easter and Christmas.

Thomas Bridgman, by will dated 28th May, 1718, devised to the school at Church Stretton 40s. yearly, to be paid at Michaelmas and Lady-day to the schoolmaster, on condition that he should teach four poor children till they could perfectly read in the Bible, and then to receive four more, to be nominated from the parish by his executors and trustees, and the minister of the parish. He also gave to the poor housekeepers of Church Stretton 20s., to be given on St. Thomas’s day; and also 10s. more to be distributed in twenty sixpenny loaves to housekeepers of the said parish, not receiving parochial relief.

Edward Phillips, by indenture bearing date 19th May, 1735, left land to the amount of 2a. 3r. 10p. called the Street Meadow, in trust to apply the annual rent of the same for the benefit of the poor. This land was let in 1830 at a rent of £7, which forms part of the general distribution on St. Thomas’s day and Easter.

Edward Lloyd, who died in 1790, bequeathed £100, to be placed out at interest, half the produce to be paid to the schoolmaster, as an augmentation to his salary, and the other half to be applied towards raising a sum to apprentice two boys of the age of 14 scholars of the said school. He also gave £21, on trust, to place out the same to pay the interest to sixteen poor parishioners of Church Stretton, on St. Thomas’s day, to be nominated by the minister and churchwardens. The testator also charged his estate, called The Bank, in Church Stretton, with the payment of £3. 3s. yearly to the trustees of Church Stretton school, for the aid and support of a Sunday school there. The sum of £100 is placed out on a bond, given out under the provisions of an act of parliament, passed for rebuilding St. Chad’s church, Shrewsbury, bearing interest at 4½ per cent. One moiety is paid to the trustees of the school, as before stated; and the other is carried to a separate account, called the apprentice fund, from which children are placed out as apprentices, with a premium of £4 each.

John Bridgman, by will, dated 5th October, 1796, bequeathed £100, in trust, to the minister and churchwardens of Church Stretton, to be by them placed out at interest, on such security as they should think proper, and distributed by them on the 28th of March to poor housekeepers.

Edward Phillips, jun., by will, dated 22nd of September, 1781, gave to the parish of Church Stretton the sum of £30, to be laid out in land, and the produce thereof to be given in bread to poor housekeepers. The yearly sum of £1. 10s. has been considered as a charge upon land in Church Stretton, belonging to the Rev. Robert Norgrave Pemberton, which was formerly the property of the family of Phillips.

The Rev. John Mainwaring, by will, dated 12th of May, 1800, and by a codicil, dated 5th October, 1805, directed that the sum of £100 should be invested in the purchase of stock in the public funds, the interest whereof to be applied to the relief of poor industrious persons residing in the parish as should be thought most deserving; and also £100, the interest whereof to be paid to the master of the Church Stretton school, in augmentation of his salary; and he also directed that £21 should he laid out in the purchase of stock, the interest to be paid to such person as should have the keeping of the churchyard in order, on condition that the parishioners of Church Stretton should continue the yearly payment of 8s. or 10s. hitherto allowed for that purpose. Interest is paid on these sums at 4½ per cent.

The preceding charities, amounting to £27. 1s., are carried to one general fund, of which £4 are disposed of in bread—20s. worth every St. Thomas’s day, the like sum every Easter Tuesday, and 40s. towards a distribution of eighteen pennyworth of bread three Sundays in every month, the residue being paid from the parish rates. The remainder, £23. 1s., with the money collected at the sacrament, and some voluntary additions thereto, are distributed to the poor at Easter and on St. Thomas’s day, in nearly equal proportions.

William Minton, in 1701, left £6, the interest to be distributed in bread every Christmas day. The amount of 6s. is given away in twopenny and threepenny loaves before evening service on the aforesaid day. It is stated, on the table of benefactions, that Thomas Harrison, in 1794, left £10, the interest to be given to the poor on St. Thomas’s day. Widow Owen left £1 yearly, payable from certain houses in Mardol, in Shrewsbury, to repair the west window of Stretton church. At the time the Charity Commissioners published their report, there was a surplus of upwards of £9 ready to be applied to the repair of the aforesaid window.

Andrews Thomas, saddler & harness maker

Beetlestone George, victualler, Crown Inn

Bridgman Mr. John

Bellingham Robert, hair dresser

Broome Mrs. Margaret, Post Office

Corfield The Misses, ladies’ seminary

Childe Thomas, tin plate worker and brazier

Davies Eliza, milliner and dressmaker

Duppa, Banks, & Co., woollen manufacturers

Firm—Duppa Duppa, Esq., and William Banks, Esq., Kington

Evans David, victualler, The Raven

Everall Richard, beerseller

Faulkner John, butcher

Faulkner John, wheelwright

Glover Edward, saddler and harness maker

George William, victualler, The Talbot

Groves Thomas, farmer, Ashbrook

Gwilliam Edward, shoemaker

Howells Mr., farmer

Heighway James, grocer & provision dealer, and agent to the Shropshire and North Wales Fire Office

Heighway Richard, maltster and farmer, Lower Wood

Heighway Thomas, farmer, Pensylvania

Home Richard, grocer and seedsman, and registrar of births and deaths for Church Stretton district

Hopwood Mr. Robert, The Priory

Jones Miss Sarah, Lower Wood

Langford William, farmer, Lower Wood

Lewis John, painter and maltster

Lewis John, blacksmith and victualler, The Queen’s Head Inn

Lewis William, plumber and glazier

Lloyd John, shoemaker

Lloyd Charles, victualler, The Buck’s Head

Lucas John, tailor

Lucas Mary, shopkeeper

Mills Jonathan, victualler, The Red Lion

Mills Thomas, farmer

Mott Charles, surgeon

Morris John, leather dealer

M’Cartney Mr., travelling tea dealer

Meredith Lewis & Co., grocers and drapers

Marston William, tailor

Nunn, Rev. Preston, curate

Pearson George, tailor

Phillips Mrs. Maria, Ashbrook

Phipps George, victualler, The Plough

Painter Thomas, farmer, Lower Wood

Robinson John, ironmonger

Robinson James H., draper

Robinson John, shoemaker

Rogers Thomas, butcher

Steadman John S., farmer and maltster

Teague William, victualler, King’s Arms

Wilding Richard, surgeon

Wilson Rev. Hugh Owen, rector

ALL STRETTON

is a township and village in the parish of Church Stretton, situated about a mile north from the church, which contains 2,192 acres of land, and at the census of 1841 had 88 houses and 454 inhabitants. Gross estimated rental, £2,268. 15s. Rateable value, £1,825. 5s. The principal landowners are the trustees of the late Samuel Wilding, Esq., A. B. Markham, Esq., Panton Corbett, Esq., Edward Medlicott, Esq., Duppa Duppa, Esq. The village is in a romantic situation, near the mountainous range of the Longmynd, and not far from the Caradoc and Lawley hills. The occasion of the prefix, “All,” to this Stretton is accounted for by the following tradition:—When James II. was on his journey from Ludlow to Shrewsbury, approaching the first, or Little Stretton, he inquired its name: “Stretton, Sire,” was answered. Arriving at Church Stretton, he made the same inquiry: “Stretton, Sire,” was again the reply. Coming to the third, he renewed the question, and received the same answer. “Upon my word,” said the king, “they are all Strettons in this country.”

LITTLE STRETTON

is a township, about a mile and a half south from Church Stretton, which contains 816 acres, the gross estimated rental of which is £1,054. 15s., and the rateable value £841. 5s. The landowners are, Thomas Bolton, Esq., Mrs. Davies, John Robinson, Esq., Edward Gibbon, Esq., John Mansell, Esq., and Mrs. Coleman. The latter is lady of the manor. The village is pleasant, and the country around is beautifully picturesque. In 1841 there were 41 houses and 165 inhabitants.

MINTON

township has 803 acres of land, and the village is situated in the wild and romantic district of the Longmynd range of hills, three miles south-west from Church Stretton. At the census of 1841 there were 30 houses and 125 inhabitants. Gross estimated rental, £936. 3s. Rateable value, £752. 10s. The chief landowners are W. M. Beddows, Esq., Mr. Richard Minton, C. O. C. Pemberton, Esq. The former is lord of the manor.

ALL STRETTON DIRECTORY.

Belton Mr. John, Innwood

Dolphin Edward, farmer

Donelly Michael, shopkeeper

Edwards Rchd., vict., New Inn

Galliers Rowland, beerseller

Griffiths William, beerseller

Haverkum Mrs. Mary, All Stretton Hall

Heighway Richard, farmer and maltster, Lower Wood

Heighway Thomas, farmer

Hide John, cattle dealer

Hide Wm., vict., Yew Tree

Hince Mr. Cs, Dudgley house

Jones Miss Sarah, Lower Wood

Jones Mr. William

Langford William, farmer, Lower Wood

Lewis John, blacksmith

Lewis William, plumber and glazier

Painter Thos., farmer, Lower Wood

Rawlins Mary, shopkeeper

Smith Timothy, farmer, Dudgley

Taylor Mary, farmer, Hodghurst

Williams Samuel, shoemaker

LITTLE STRETTON DIRECTORY.

Acton Mrs. Mary

Bridgman Francis, farmer

Childe Elizabeth, blacksmith

Corfield William, farmer, The Hall

Davies Mrs., Eleanor The Cottages

Davies George, farmer

Davies John, shopkeeper

Gwynn James, shoemaker

Hammond Thomas, wheelwright

Hammond Richard, wheelwright

Longmore William, farmer

Mansell John, farmer

Miles Thomas, shoemaker

Preen Samuel, butcher

Preen Thomas, tailor

Pritchard John, victualler, Green Dragon

Ray Edward, farmer

Robinson John, maltster

Speake John, farmer

Speake John, victualler, Sun Inn

Simpson William, tanner

Taylor Thomas, tailor

Turner Margaret, victualler, Crown Inn

MINTON DIRECTORY.

Beddows Mrs. Jane, Well House

Beddows William Minton, Esq., Well House

Briscoe Thomas, victualler, New Inn, Marsh Brook

Edwards Francis, miller, Queen Batch Mill

Downes John, farmer, New House

Hotchkiss Thomas, farmer

Jones Pryce, machine maker

Minton Richard, farmer, Manor House

Rogers Edward, farmer

CLEE ST. MARGARET, OR CLEE TOWN,

is a township, parish, and large village in the lower division of the Munslow hundred, seven and a half miles N.N.E. from Ludlow, containing 988a. 2r. 36p. of land. Gross estimated rental, £1,323. 10s. Rateable value, £889. 4s. The village is salubriously situated, a little to the west of the Brown Clee hill, and the inhabitants are celebrated for their longevity. At the census in 1841 there were 71 houses, including the hamlet of Coxheadford, and 269 inhabitants; population in 1801, 294; 1831, 294. The principal landowners are Mrs. Thursby, Richard Turner, Esq., Thomas Millichap, Esq., Mr. Thomas Turner, Mr. William Heighway, the Earl of Craven, Sir Sidney Herbert, and Mr. Samuel Jones. Mrs. Thursby is lady of the manor. The church is a small structure of unpretending appearance, consisting of nave and chancel, with a square tower. The living is a perpetual curacy, formerly of very little value, but has been increased by royal bounty, parliamentary grant, and private benefactions, to £179 per annum. The patronage is vested in the lady of the manor. Incumbent, Rev. J. Corbett. Coxheadford is a hamlet in the parish of Clee St. Margaret, situated in a sequestered and romantic dingle formed by two lofty elevations of the Brown Clee hills. Upon that portion of the Clee hill called Norley Bank are traces of an encampment. There is a small place of worship belonging to the Joanna Southcotts.

The principal residents in Clee St. Margaret are Edward Burton, vict., Shoulder of Mutton; Thomas Hall, farmer, Burnt House; John Hanson, farmer, New House; Samuel Heighway, farmer, The Marsh; Isaac Howell, vict., The Boot Inn; Rev. Morgan Jones, The Marsh; Richard Lawrence, corn miller; Thomas Millichap, farmer; Thomas Wall, farmer, Church House; Thomas Wheelwright, farmer, Brook House; Thomas Turner, farmer and cider dealer, Coxheadford; Samuel Hall, weaver and shopkeeper, Coxheadford.

Scirmage, an Extra Parochial Liberty situated about a mile from Clee Town, where the three parishes of Stoke St. Milborough, Cold Weston, and Stoke St. Margaret converge, contains about half an acre of land, and one small house, which is the property of Mr. Thomas Wheelwright, and occupied by Elizabeth Burton.

COLD WESTON

is a small township and parish in the lower division of the Munslow hundred, seven and a half miles N.N. by E. from Ludlow, which contains 415 acres of land, three cottages, and a farm house. At the census in 1841 there were 27 inhabitants, and in 1841 31. Gross estimated rental, £362. 10s. Rateable value, £258. Mrs. Cornewall is the proprietor of the whole township. The church is a very humble structure, the living of which is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £2. 8s. 4d., now returned at £100 in the patronage of Mrs. Cornewall. Incumbent, Rev. Henry Cowdell; the Rev. Lancelot Dixon is the curate. There was formerly a woollen mill in this parish. The land in this locality has mostly a poor soil. Thomas Keysell is the only resident farmer.

CULMINGTON

is a considerable parish in the lower division of the Munslow hundred, comprising the townships of Bache and Norton, Burley, Culmington, and Siefton, and embracing 3,460a. 3r. 0p. of land. Gross estimated rental, £4,874. 10s. 6d. Rateable value, £3,249. The principal landowners are the Earl of Craven, George Wood, Esq., and James Beddows, Esq. In 1801 there was a population of 419 souls; 1831, 515, and in 1841 there were 109 houses and 541 inhabitants. At the Doomsday survey Earl Roger held Comintine, which Edric held before the conquest. It was for some time held by the same lord, and included in the same tenure as the castle of Corfham. King Henry II. gave Culmington to Walter de Clifford, and it was afterwards carried in marriage to William Longspe, who, being overthrown in a tournament, is stated to have died of grief in the flower of his age. His widow married Sir John Giffard, who procured a charter of free warren for his lands here, and died possessed of them in the 27th of Edward I. It afterwards passed to the L’Estranges, and then to the Talbots, Earls of Shrewsbury. The village of Culmington is delightfully situated in the beautiful and fertile vale of the Corve dale, five miles N.W. from Culmington. The church is dedicated to All Saints, and consists of nave and chancel, with an octagonal tower surmounted by a spire; the tower contains three bells. The interior is neat, and contains several tablets, chiefly to the family of the present rector. The living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £18. 9s. 2d., in the patronage and incumbency of the Rev. William Johnstone. The tithes have been commuted for £762. 10s., and the glebe land is of the annual value of £79. 10s. A tower has been built on a plot of land where the estates of the four principal landowners of this locality converge; the owners are the Earl of Craven, Hon. Robert Henry Clive, Francis Marston, Esq., and George Wood, Esq. The monument is built on a lofty eminence, and commands a prospect of great extent and diversity.

The principal residents are Alexander Anslow, beerhouse keeper; Samuel Anslow, blacksmith; Thomas James, wheelwright; John Morris, farmer; Richard Pearce, shoemaker; Edward Taylor, farmer; James Williams, farmer.

Bach and Norton, a township and small rural village six miles N.W. from Ludlow, in 1841 had 19 houses and 87 inhabitants. The land in this locality is highly fertile. The chief owners in the township are the Earl of Craven, the Marquis of Crosemere, and George Wood, Esq.; the latter is lord of the manor. The principal residents are Richard Bach, farmer, Norton; Edward Bassett, farmer, Bach; William Bromley, farmer, Norton; William Tarte, farmer, Bach.

Burley is a small township situated about a mile N.W. from Culmington, returned in 1841 as containing 28 houses and 140 inhabitants. The Earl of Craven is the landowner. John Onions is the principal farmer.

Siefton, a small village and township in the parish of Culmington, situated about a mile from the parish church, in 1841 had 41 houses and 223 inhabitants. There is a national school in the village, which is supported by the lord of the manor; upwards of seventy scholars attend. The rectory of Culmington, a handsome residence, is situated in this township. The Earl of Craven and George Wood, Esq., are the landowners. The principal residents are Rev. William Johnstone, rector; William Bach, farmer, New House; Richard Bach, farmer, Madeley Park; Henry Instone, farmer; Thomas Lucas, schoolmaster.

DIDDLEBURY

is an extensive parish in the lower division of the Munslow hundred, which comprises the townships of Corfton, Diddlebury, Earnstrey Park, Lawton and Little Sutton, Lower Parks and Broncroft, Middlehope Paston, Peaton, Sutton Great and Westhope, together containing 9,043 acres of land: population in 1801, 837; 1831, 920; 1841, 896; at the latter period there were 190 houses. The village of Diddlebury is pleasantly situated seven miles and a half north from Ludlow, and in 1841 had 25 houses and 132 inhabitants. The township contains 1,149 acres of Land; rateable value, £1,191. 16s. 8d. The principal landowners are the Cornewall family, James Davies, Esq., Mr. E. Lodge, William A. Roberts, Esq., and George Wood, Esq. There was formerly an alien priory at Diddlebury, which was subordinate to the convent of Seez, in Normandy, and was afterwards appropriated to the abbey of Shrewsbury. The church, dedicated to St. Peter, consists of nave and chancel, and has a square tower, in which are five bells: there are several memorials, chiefly to the family of Cornewall. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king’s book at £12. 1s. 3d.; now returned at £384; in the patronage of the dean and chapter of Hereford; incumbent, Rev. Thomas Underwood. There is a National school in the village, attended by about forty scholars. The tithes of this township have been commuted, and £35 apportioned to the vicar, and £45. 10s. to the dean and chapter of Hereford. Delbury Hall, in this township, the property of Herbert Cornewall, Esq., and residence of Henry Wood, Esq., is said to have formerly belonged to the monks of Wenlock Abbey, from whom it passed to the family of Baldwin, whose monuments are in the chancel of Diddlebury church. It was purchased by Captain Cornewall, father of the late bishop of Worcester, and grandfather of the present proprietor. There has existed a school at Diddlebury every since the year 1595. Lord Herbert, of Chirbury, was partly educated at this school in his youth.

Charities.—The parish officers are in possession of a house which was purchased in 1720 for £150, of which, £128 was money belonging to the parishioners of Diddlebury; the residue £22 was borrowed of Philip Luttley. After paying of interest for the said £22, it was agreed to appropriate the rent in equal moieties to the support of a school, and to the benefit of the poor. At a meeting of the parishioners, held May 13th, 1830, it was resolved that the clear rents (then £8 per annum) should in future be applied to the support of a Sunday school. There was a sum of £21 in the hands of Mr. Beddoes when the charity commissioners published their report, for which he paid £4 a year as the interest; but it is not known from whose gift this charity was derived. This money has been improperly, as it seems to us, carried to the poor’s rate; but at the parish meeting above mentioned it has been determined to apply the interest also for the benefit of the school.

Mary Valentine, by her will, bearing date 23rd May, 1822, bequeathed to the minister, churchwardens, and overseers of the poor of the parish of Diddlebury, £1,000 four per cent. consols, to be transferred into their names as trustees, the dividends to be laid out in bread, and distributed every Sunday to poor housekeepers of this parish not receiving parochial relief. The dividends, amounting to £35 per annum, are received through a bank at London. The income is applied in a weekly distribution of bread amongst all the poor belonging the parish, and not receiving parochial relief; some who are not resident in the parish being included. For the purpose of regulating the distribution, the parish is divided into three districts; and about twenty-six persons from each district in rotation receive a sixpenny loaf each every third Sunday.

The principal residents are John Child, farmer; Mrs. Mary Downes, Melford Lodge; Henry Wood, Esq., Delbury hall; John Morris, farmer; Frederick North, schoolmaster.

CORFTON

is a township and village in the parish of Diddlebury, containing 1,205 acres of land, and in 1841 had 48 houses and 232 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,453. 3s. 4d. The tithes of Corfton and Sparchford are commuted for £116. 17s. The church of Culmington, with the manors of Corfeham, Culmington, Erneston, and Les Clyves, were held by Walter de Clifford of King Henry II., by the service of one knight’s fee, paying £31 rent. “This Walter was the father of Fair Rosamond, the mistress of Henry II., and mother of the noted William, Earl of Salisbury, whom she bore to the king. Walter de Clifford, grandson of the first Walter, espousing the cause of Richard Mareschal, Earl of Pembroke, then in rebellion, was outlawed 17th of Henry III., and his castle and manor of Corfeham seized by the sheriff of Shropshire for the king’s use; but restored to him shortly after upon his submission. He married the daughter of Lewelin, Prince of Wales, relict of John de Braose, and left issue by her one daughter, first married to William Longspe, Earl of Sarum, who had with her in frank marriage Culmington, in the county of Salop, valued at £28. 8s. 2d. per annum, with this proviso, that in case it did not yield the sum aforesaid, the deficiency was to be made up out of the manor of Corfeham: the whole estate given to her in frank marriage being £200 per annum. After the decease of the Earl of Sarum, her second husband was John Giffard, of Brimsfield, Knt., of whom she complained to the king, that he had taken her by force out of her own castle and carried her to his at Brimsfield, where she was kept in duress. To this accusation Sir John Gifford made answer that he had the free consent of the countess, as the sequel would prove, and so tendered the king a fine of three hundred marks for marrying the lady without licence, which was accepted in satisfaction of the contempt, if the countess made no further application upon that score.” It would appear, therefore, that the ancient owners of the manor were the daughters of the Fair Rosamond.

The principal residents in Corfton are Richard Bowen, farmer, Hill house; Edward Bowen, farmer, Lower house; James Beddoes, farmer, Sparchford; Mary Dyer, vict., Sun Inn; Edward Pearce, farmer; William Hince, butcher; Rev. Thomas Underwood, vicar of Diddlebury.

Earnestry Park is a township in the parish of Diddlebury, situated at the foot of the Brown Clee Hill, which contains 1,017a. 1r. 33p. of land, a great part of which is shaded from the sun a considerable portion of the day by that lofty eminence. The Misses Mytton, of Cleobury North, are the proprietors of the whole township. The summit of the Brown Clee Hill is 1,805 feet above the level of the sea, and commands a most extensive and magnificent prospect of the surrounding country. At the census in 1841 there were six houses and thirty-eight inhabitants. The vicarial tithes have been commuted for £20, and the rectoral for £33. The chief residents are Thomas Bradley, farmer; John Evans, farmer; John Hanson, farmer; and Thomas Hanson, farmer.

Lawton and Little Sutton, a township in Diddlebury parish, five and a half miles north from Ludlow, in 1841 had fifteen houses and eighty five souls. Lawton contains 460 acres, the tithes of which are commuted for £51. Sutton portion of the township comprises 331 acres, and the tithes are commuted for £33. 11s. The principal landowners are Herbert Cornewall, Esq., and Charles Powell, Esq.; the former is lord of the manor. Sutton Court is a handsome house of modern erection, and is the residence of Charles Powell, Esq., J.P., who, with William Cocks, farmer, Lawton, and Francis Keysell, farmer, Sutton, are the principal residents in the township.

Lower Park and Broncroft, a small township in the parish of Diddlebury, comprising 795 acres of land, is situated eight and a quarter miles north-east from Ludlow. At the census of 1841 there were five houses and twenty-six inhabitants. Rateable value, £627. 13s. 4d. The small tithes are commuted for £27, and the large tithes for £47; the dean and chapter of Hereford are the appropriators. George Johnstone, Esq., is the principal landowner. The chief residents are George Johnstone, Esq., Broncroft castle; and John Price, farmer, the Lodge farm.

Middlehope, a township in the parish of Diddlebury, contains 1,091 acres of land, which is mostly the property of John Francis Wright, Esq. At the census of 1841 there were sixteen houses and 100 inhabitants.

The tithes have been commuted for £60, of which £20 has been apportioned to the vicar and £14 to the dean and chapter of Hereford. The principal residents are Thomas Jones, farmer, Berwood; Thomas Jones, farmer; Thomas Webster, farmer; William Yapp, farmer; and John Yapp, farmer.

Poston, a township in the parish of Diddlebury comprises 394 acres of land, two houses, and thirteen inhabitants, and is situated six and a half miles north from Ludlow; Archdeacon Vicers is the landowner. The small tithes are commuted for £8. 10s., and the large tithes for £13. 7s. John Chatham is the resident farmer.

Peaton, a small township and village in the parish of Diddlebury, with 22 houses and 103 souls, contains 1,022 acres of land, which is the property of Lady Louisa Clinton; the tithes have been commuted for £106, of which £30 has been apportioned to the vicar, and £76 to the dean and chapter of Hereford.

Directory.—William Dyer, shopkeeper; John Gwilt, farmer, New House; Thomas Passey, farmer; Samuel Price, farmer.

Sutton Great, a township with a scattered population, in the parish of Diddlebury, six miles north-east from Ludlow, contains 734 acres of land, principally the property of Herbert Cornewall, Esq.; the vicarial tithes are commuted for £26, and the rectoral for £35. 14s. At the census of 1841 there were thirteen houses and a population of sixty-four souls. The chief residents in Sutton are Benjamin Pitt, farmer, and John Yates, farmer.

Westhope, a township in the parish of Diddlebury, nine miles north-west from Ludlow, has 1186 acres of land, the rateable value of which is £668. In 1841 there were 17 houses and 103 inhabitants. There is a Chapel of Ease here, a small unpretending structure, the living of which is a curacy subordinate to the vicarage of Diddlebury; the small tithes are commuted for £25, and the large tithes for £82. 4s.

Directory.—John Banks, farmer, Westhope House; Thomas Banks, farmer, Lower Westhope; William Price, farmer, Chapel farm; Richard Smout, farmer; John Smout, farmer, The Hall End.

EASTHOPE

is a parish and small rural village, situated in Hopedale, in the lower division of the Munslow hundred, five miles south-west from the ancient town of Much Wenlock, eight miles east from Church Stretton, and ten miles west from Bridgnorth. The parish contains 815 acres of land, the rateable value of which is £803. At the census in 1801 there were 85 inhabitants; 1831, 103; and in 1841, 21 houses and a population of 103 souls. In the 34th Edward I. John de Easthope died seized of the manor of Easthope, 18th of Edward II. a fine was levied between Thomas de Easthope and John de Hopton defendant, of the manor and of the advowson of the church, to the use of Thomas and Joanna his wife in fee tail. The 21st of Richard II. Richard Earl of Arundel was found to have a knight’s fee in Easthope, holden then by Thomas de Hynkeley. In the 12th of Henry VII. a fine was levied between Henry Warley and Nicholas Warley complainants, John Haltman and his wife defendants, of both the manor and advowson of the church et de terris in Easthope, Presthope, Astwale, Louthwyche, Willey, Bratton, Henley, and Bould. Moses George Benson, Esq. is the principal landowner and lord of the manor; the soil is mostly upon the limestone, and there is a good deal of limestone rock in the parish and neighbourhood. The water is very good and some of the springs are accounted efficacious in scorbutic complaints, and are also of a petrifying quality. The scenery is beautifully diversified and romantic, and some of the high grounds command fine views of the celebrated Wrekin, the Clee hill, and Caradoc, so named after Caractacus, who had a camp on the summit. The Wenlock edge is a great feature in this part of the country; it is a steep wooded acclivity which runs nearly through the centre of the parish, and is of an interesting nature to the geologist.

The Church is a small structure unpretending in its architecture, and dedicated to St. Peter. It has a short tower, and there is a well-proportioned window in the east end in the early English style: the font is very ancient. On the north side of the church, between two venerable yews, are two tombs without date or inscription but simply a cross upon each. It is supposed that two monks are interred there, who might be connected with the Abbey of Wenlock. The stones have given rise to some curious legends among the people. The living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £3. 3s. 1½d., now returned at £133, in the patronage of M. G. Benson, Esq.; incumbent, Rev. Robert Armitage. The rectory is a neat structure in a sheltered situation, and there are thirty-six acres of glebe land.

On some rising ground situated about a mile west of the turnpike road leading from Wenlock to Ludlow, and about half way between Larden Hall and Lutwyche Hall, is a celebrated British encampment. It encloses about eight acres, and the form is nearly a circle, surrounded by inner and outer fosses; the inner wall falls on the side due east twelve feet, externally twenty-five feet, across the crest of the parapet, six feet. The relief of the second vallum rises ten feet from the foss, and is at present twelve feet wide across its parapet; externally it falls eight feet. It is however partially obliterated, either in consequence of the mounds and ditches being planted over, or through their being injured by natural causes. These ditches have formerly been a post of some importance, for they supply a necessary link in the chain of British entrenchments which stretch throughout the country. The present position is in the immediate view of Nordy Bank, and within observation of both the Caers Bury ditches and the Wrekin. The entrance appears to have been on the north-east side. Were there no other reason for the assumption, the fact of a British urn having been found here would sanction the idea that these were the works of the ancient Britons. A little to the north-west is the semblance of a tumulus, which a few years ago was more prominent than at present; on a recent occasion after making a cut from west to east, the workmen came to a black deposit which led to the supposition that the interment had been simple, and by cremation. On a previous occasion by mere accident an earthen vessel was found by making a drain about three hundred yards south-east from the encampment. It was formed of a sort of red clay so slightly baked on the outside that it washed away when a brush and water were applied to it. The inside was black and somewhat harder as though it had been baked by making the fire within. “Before I saw it,” says Mr. Mytton, “the workmen had broken the lower part which was next the surface of the ground, but by putting the pieces together the form could be made out. It was found with the mouth downwards, and contained fragments of bones. At seems most likely that Astorius made a diversion of part of his forces against Caer Caradoc and the ditches, and after having driven out the Britons from those elevated posts he left garrisons in the country.” The Mogg, or Mock Forest, in which the camp is situated, is reckoned among the ancient forests of this county.

The principal gentleman’s seat in this parish is Lutwyche Hall, built by Judge Lutwyche, in the time of Queen Elizabeth; a full length portrait of the judge adorns an apartment inside the mansion. It is supposed that there has been a mansion at Lutwyche from the time of, or probably earlier than the Conquest. It was sold in 1786 by the last of the Lutwyches, and after passing through several intermediate owners was purchased in 1806 by Moses Benson, Esq., whose grandson Moses George Benson, Esq. now resides there. The derivation of the word Lutwyche is said to be from lut, the gathering of an army, and wyche, a cleft or valley.

The chief residents in Easthope are Moses George Benson, Esq., Lutwyche Hall; The Rev. Robert Armitage, The Rectory; Edward Evans, shoemaker; Samuel Evans, farmer; Edward Preece, wheelwright; Francis Ray, farmer; Easthope Cottage; Margaret Wadlow, farmer and corn miller.

EATON-UNDER-HEYWOOD

is a parish, in the upper division of the Munslow Hundred, which comprises the townships of Eaton, Hatton, part of Longville-Lushcott-East Wall, part of Hungerford, Millichope Upper, and Ticklerton. Population in 1801, 513; 1831, 539; 1841, 579. The village of Eaton is pleasantly situated nine miles south-west from Much Wenlock, and the township contains 1,639 acres of land, the rateable value of which is £1,026. 3s. At the census in 1841 there were 12 houses and 77 inhabitants. Among the landowners are Miss Eatons, Mrs. Stackhouse, Mr. Powell, and Mr. Nugent; besides whom are several other proprietors. The Church is a neat structure, with nave, chancel, and a tower, in which are three bells. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king’s book at £5. Gross income, £300. Patron and incumbent, Rev. Richard Sandford. The tithes are commuted for £178. 10s., and there are 148 acres of glebe land. The principal residents are Benjamin Beddows, farmer; Richard Cleeton, farmer; Thomas Farmer, farmer; Thomas Hince, farmer, New Hall; William Harris, corn miller, New Hall Mill; John Medlicott, farmer; Rev. Richard Sandford, rector.

Hatton is a township in the parish of Eaton, twelve miles south-west from Much Wenlock, with 644 acres of land, the rateable value of which is £407. 5s. In 1841 there were nine houses and 54 inhabitants. The principal landowners are Edwin W. W. Pendarvies, Esq., Rev. Thomas C. Powell, and Mr. Downward. The chief residents are Alice Benbow, victualler, The Bell; Susannah Evans, farmer; Edward Jones, farmer; Joice Rawlins, farmer; William Wall, farmer.

Hungerford is a township partly in Eaton parish and partly in that of Munslow. In the former, at the census of 1841 were eight houses and 55 inhabitants, and in the latter one house and nine persons. It comprises 1,002 acres of land. Rateable value, £703. 1s. C. O. C. Pemberton, Esq., is the principal landowner. The residents are Robert Craig, farmer, miller, and tanner; Edward Rowley, victualler, Buck’s Head.

Longville Lushcott and East Wall township will be found in Rushbury parish.

Millichope is a small township, in the parish of Eaton, returned at the census of 1841 as having 15 houses and 94 inhabitants. John Francis Wright, Esq., is the principal landowner. The resident farmers are William Downs and John Preece.

Ticklerton township has 1,384 acres of land, and is also in the parish of Eaton, and situated about a mile south-west from the church. The village is pleasantly situated, and in 1841 had 40 houses and 211 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,008. 10s. The Rev. Robert Joseph Buddicom is the principal landowner. The chief residents are the Rev. Robert Joseph Buddicom; William Downes, farmer; John Edwards, farmer; Thos. Galliers, farmer; Benjamin Pursland, beerhouse-keeper; Francis Wall, blacksmith.

HALFORD,

a chapelry and small village, formerly united to the parish of Bromfield, contains, with the hamlet of Dinchope, 1,320 acres of land, and in 1841 had 26 houses and 124 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,328. 19s. The whole of the land in this parish belongs to the Hon. R. H. Clive, except about fifty acres, which is the property of James Baxter, Esq. The former is lord of the manor. The soil is mostly upon the limestone, and produces tolerable crops of grain, but a considerable portion of the land is used for grazing purposes. The Chapel is a small structure, and the living a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Hon. R. H. Clive, Esq., who is also lord of the manor. The Rev. William E. Lumb is the incumbent.

Directory.—John Dalloway, corn miller, Halford Mill; John Davies, farmer, Halford; Richard Jukes, farmer, Dinchope; Sarah Lambe, blacksmith, Newington; Richard Marston, farmer, Halford; Henry Ratcliffe, clerk; Joseph Swift, farmer, Dinchope.

HOLDGATE

is a parish in the lower division of the Munslow Hundred, which embraces the townships of Holdgate, Bouldon, and Brookhampton, and contains 1,623 acres of land. Population in 1801, 197; in 1831, 188; 1841, 224. At the latter period there were forty houses. The village of Holdgate seems once to have been a place of some note, and stands on rising ground, eleven miles north from Ludlow. The township comprises 649 acres of land, the rateable value of which is £854. At the census of 1841 there were 12 houses and 79 inhabitants. The principal landowners are Mrs. Thursby, Rev. Joseph Corbett, and George Phillips, Esq. The former is lady of the manor. There was anciently a castle here. Thomas Maudit being in arms with the rebellious barons, his castle was seized by the king and given to Hugh de Mortimer, but returning to his allegiance he had restitution of his castle at Holgot. In the 7th of Henry III., he obtained the charter for a market there every week upon a Thursday. After him William Maudit had a confirmation of the grant of the market. In the 19th of Edward I. Robert Burnel, bishop of Bath and Wells, procured a charter for changing the market day to Tuesday, and to keep a fair on the eve, the day, and on the day after the feast of the Holy Trinity. In the 15th of Richard II., Hugh Burnel, Knt., held the castle and manor of Holdgate at the yearly rent of £2. 13s. 3¼d., which was assessed upon several tenants at Clee St. Margaret. The service for the manor was to find two horsemen at Montgomery for forty days. The heiress of Burnel married Lord Lovell in the time of Edward II., in which family the inheritance rested till Jasper, of Hatfield, Earl of Pembroke, obtained a grant hereof in special trial, who, after the battle of Bosworth, was created duke of Bedford; but dying without issue, in the 24th of Henry VIII. the king gave the manor to Thomas, duke of Norfolk, and his heirs, to be held by the fourth part of a knight’s fee. The Church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, is evidently of Norman architecture, having the massive and lofty embattled tower peculiar to that style, adorned with rude figures, which may go far to prove the antiquity of the edifice. The principal entrance is through a fine stone doorway, with a cluster of slender pillars on each side, supporting a beautifully carved arch, the effect of which is considerably lessened by several coats of whitewash. The font is of primitive simplicity and curiously sculptured, seems coeval with the building itself, but is seen under similar disadvantage. The back of a large pew is ornamented with the coat of arms, handsomely carved in wood, of the family of Minton, who formerly resided at the Coates, in this parish. Near to the church-yard is an artificial mound called “The Mount.” It was probably thrown up to its present height for the purpose of erecting a watch-tower, or post, during the civil wars, or in the unsettled times when the warlike barons of the feudal system were perpetually invading each other’s territories. The situation is admirably adapted for this purpose, commanding, as it does, an extensive and important tract of country. The living of the church is a rectory with that of Tugford annexed, valued in the king’s book at £13. 9s. 9½d., now returned at £500, in the patronage of the Bishop of Hereford; incumbent, Rev. Joseph Corbett. In the 12th of King John it appears that the abbot of Salop had the third part of the advowson of the church at Castle Holdgate. Thomas Maudit released to him the right of patronage in two parts of the church; yet he reserved the third part to himself, for which he presented to the bishop his clerk. There is a daily school in the village. The poor of this parish enjoy a rent charge of 10s. per annum, under the will of Robert Ellis, in 1652.

Bouldon is a small township, with a few scattered houses, in the parish of Holdgate, which comprises 325 acres of land, the rateable value of which is £274. 10s. At the census of 1841 there were 13 houses and 61 inhabitants. There is a quarry in this township where stone is got in considerable quantities for building and other purposes.

Brookhampton is another township in Holdgate parish, with 549 acres of land, and in 1841 had fifteen houses and eighty-five souls; rateable value, £390. 15s. Mrs. Thursby and the Corporation of Ludlow are the landowners; the former is lady of the manor.

Directory.—Jeremiah Cox, farmer and maltster, Holdgate; William Wall, farmer, Holdgate; Edward Esq., farmer, Stanton Holdgate; William Cox, vict., Tally-Ho Inn, Bouldon; William Page, farmer, Bouldon; William Penn, corn miller, Bouldon; Richard Turner, farmer, Bouldon; Thomas Clark, farmer, Brookhampton; Thomas Edwards, farmer, Brookhampton; Ann Harper, shopkeeper, Brookhampton

HOPE BOWDLER

is a parish in the upper division of the Munslow hundred, which comprises the townships of Hope Bowdler, Chelmick, and Ragdon, and contains 1,385 acres of land. In 1801 the parish had a population of 130 souls; 1831, 202; 1841, 184; at the latter period there were thirty-four houses. The village of Hope Bowdler is pleasantly situated two and a half miles south-west from Church Stretton, and at the census of 1841 had 19 houses and 112 inhabitants: the township contains 741 acres of land, the rateable value of which is £672. 3s. 6d. Moses George Benson, Esq., is the principal landowner and lord of the manor. In the 1st of King Edward I., George de Cantilupe held Hope Bowdler by knight’s service under the barony of Montgomery. Philip Burnel, at the assizes in the 20th of King Edward I., upon a quo warranto against him, was adjudged to have free warren in this manor, with the liberty of a fair and market both granted by the king. The manor was afterwards carried in marriage by an heiress of the Burnels to John, Lord Lovel, in whose family it continued till the attainder of Francis Lord Viscount Lovel, who was slain on the 16th of June, 3rd of Henry VII., at the battle of Stoke, near Newark-upon-Trent. The Church consists of nave and chancel, with a tower in which are three bells. In the 40th of Henry III. the parson of Hope Bullers impleaded the prior of Wenlock for estovers in the prior’s wood of Sutley and Eastwood, and for the common of pasture in the said woods lying in Eaton, as appendant to the church of Hope Bullers. The Prior pleaded that Stephen de Hope, patron of the church about twenty-five years past, dissiezed the prior of the said woods, and a verdict was accordingly granted to the prior. The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £6. 13s. 4d., now £228, in the patronage of certain trustees: incumbent, Rev. George W. Marsh.

Charities.—The charity commissioners state, “We are informed by the Rev. George Walkin Marsh, the rector of Hope Bowdler, that for about four years after he came to the benefice he received from his predecessor 12s. yearly, to be distributed in bread, 6s. to be given in money on St. Thomas’s day; that, upon the death of his predecessor about twenty-four years ago, he applied to his representatives for the principal, and ultimately received from them £18. This sum Mr. Marsh states he now has in his hands, that he has added thereto £4, so as to make up £22, and has signed a memorandum to that effect in one of the parish books. He pays 22s. yearly as the interest thereof, and with the churchwardens distributes to the poor of the parish 12s. yearly in bread and 10s. in money on St. Thomas’s day.”

Chelmick is a township and village in the parish of Hope Bowdler, in a romantic district near the Ragdon and Hope Bowdler hills, about a mile south from the parish church. The township contains 305 acres of land, and in 1841 had thirteen houses and fifty nine souls. Rateable value, £281. 13s. 7d. The Corporation of Ludlow are the landowners.

Ragdon township in Hope Bowdler parish has 339 acres of land, two houses, and thirteen inhabitants. Rateable value, £309. 5s. 6d. The landowners are J. Stanier, Esq., and Thomas Dunn, Esq.

Directory.—Hope Bowdler: William Adams, farmer, The Hall; Richard Cartwright, farmer; John Craxton, farmer and blacksmith, Francis George, farmer, The Coombs; John Griffiths, shopkeeper; George Hills, farmer, The Coombs; John Jones, wheelwright; Rev. George W. Marsh, rector. Chelmick: John Rodgers, farmer. Ragdon: Martha Heynes, farmer; and Thomas, Wilding, farmer.

HOPTON-IN-THE-HOLE, OR HOPTON CANGEFORD,

is a small parish in the lower division of the Munslow hundred, four miles N.E. from Ludlow, containing 320 acres of land. At the census in 1801 there were 35 inhabitants, and in 1841 six houses and a population of thirty souls. The church is a small unpretending structure of brick, and the living a perpetual curacy returned in the king’s book at £5. 13s. 8d., now returned at £51 in the patronage of Sir W. R. Broughton. There is no resident clergyman in the parish. The resident farmers are Thomas Green and William Roberts.

LUDFORD

is a parish and village situated about a mile from Ludlow, and separated from that town by the river Teme, which is here crossed by a stone bridge. This parish is partly in the county of Hereford and partly in Salop. The entire parish at the census of 1801 had 34 inhabitants; 1831, 528, and in 1841 there were 46 houses and 294 inhabitants within the bounds of this county. Acres, 2,920. Rateable value, £3,290. 10s. Ludford House, the seat and property of Francis Lechmere Charlton, Esq., is a fine old mansion, situated on a gentle eminence contiguous to the village. Though greatly modernized, its interior quadrangle and the massive style of masonry, are indications of great antiquity. The proprietor has in his possession a deed in which mention is made of a house here as early as the eleventh century. This manor in the time of William the Conqueror was possessed by Osborne, Lord of Richards Castle. It was afterwards enjoyed by the Jordens, from whom it passed by an heiress to Howel Vaughan. The hospital of St. John being seized by the crown at the time of the dissolution of religious houses, this manor, as appertaining to that foundation, was also conveyed to King Henry VIII. In the time of Edward VI. it was granted to John Earl of Warwick, from whom it passed by sale to William Foxe, and in the year 1607 came into the possession of the Charlton family. This family enjoyed extensive possessions in this county, and were seated at Apleby Castle, near Wellington. To the south of the house are tasteful gardens and pleasure grounds, and on the western side is the park, well stocked with deer, and remarkable for its fine sylvan beauty and luxuriant woody scenery. Leland, who visited Ludford between the years 1500 and 1550, observes, “The suburbs over Teme bridge by south is called Ludford, and in it is a little parish church. There be three fayre arches in this bridge over Teme, and a pretty chapel upon it of St. Catherine. It is about 100 years since this stone bridge was erected. Men passed along by a ford a little below the bridge.” The Church, an ancient structure, is situated in the county of Hereford, contiguous to Ludford house, and consists of nave and chancel, with a square tower. The altar and basons for holy water indicate that Catholicism had not declined at the time of its erection. The chancel is evidently a modern appendage to the church, and was built by William Foxe, who formerly resided at Ludford house. It is the place of sepulchre for several members of the Foxe family, and also of the Charltons. In a recess is the figure of Sir Job Charlton, reclining in his magisterial habiliments. The living is a perpetual curacy, returned at £105 in the patronage of F. L. Charlton, Esq. Ludford Hospital was founded by Sir Job Charlton in the year 1672 for six poor and impotent persons, one of whom was to be warden; the incorporation to be denominated, “The warden and poor of the hospital of Ludford,” The said warden and poor in their corporate capacity to have power to purchase and hold lands, and to sue and be sued, and to have a common seal. The name and distinction of warden as head of the corporation has long ceased to exist. The latest instance of the use of the common seal is on a lease of Saunder’s meadow in 1618. The subsequent lease bears the seal of Sir Francis Charlton. The income is about £63 per annum. The “pretty chapel of St. Catherine,” noticed by Leland, has long been forgotten. The celebrated well, however, of St. Julian, under the garden wall of the hospital, is still remembered by the inhabitants of the village; but the wonderful cures believed to have been miraculously performed ceased with the superstition of the times.

Directory.—Francis Lechmere Charlton, Esq., Ludford House; Thomas Lowe, farmer, Hucks Barn; George Penny, machine maker and brass founder; John Wade, paper manufacturer, Ludlow Paper Mills; Margaret Worley, vict., Ludford Arms.

Sheet, a township and village situated about a mile from the parish church, in 1841 contained seven houses and 29 inhabitants. The principal landowners are the Hon. R. H. Clive, F. L. Charlton, Esq., and the corporation of Ludlow. The chief residents are Thomas Callon, farmer, Saltmoor; Mary Lawrence, farmer, Saltmoor; Mary and Betsy Longmore, farmers, Steventon; James Wild, farmer, Steventon; Frederick Wood, Esq., The Sheet.

MUNSLOW

is a parish and small village in the lower division of the Munslow hundred, which was of sufficient importance in early times to give name to the division of the county in which it is locally situated. The parish contains 4,110 acres of land, and embraces the townships of Aston, Bach, or Beach Mill, Broadstone, Holloway, part of Hungerford, Millichope, Munslow, Poston, Lower Thonglands, and Topley-vill: population in 1801, 610; 1818, 770. Rateable value, £3,779. 12s. 9d. The village of Munslow is pleasantly situated in a romantic district nine miles north from Ludlow: this township at the census of 1841 had 29 houses and 160 inhabitants. C. O. C. Pemberton, Esq., is the chief landowner. Sir Edward Littleton, son and heir of Sir Edward Littleton, of Henley, in the county of Salop, was made Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, in the 15th Charles I.; and the year following Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, and Lord Littleton, Baron Munslow.

The Church is a fine old structure dedicated to St. Michael, and consists of nave, chancel, and north aisle, the latter divided from the nave by pointed arches, and a broad obtuse arch; the chancel is divided from the body of the church by a handsome oak screen. The ceiling is carved, resting on strong oak brackets. The font is very ancient, and there are various monuments. Several of the windows are adorned with stained glass of antique workmanship, one of which was added at the expense of Richard Sheppard and Joanna his wife, in the time of Henry VII.; the beautiful decorations of the east window are of more modern date. The living is a rectory with the curacy of Broadstone annexed valued in the king’s book at £21. 15s. 2½d., now returned at £730, in the patronage and incumbency of the Rev. T. C. Powell. In the church-yard there is a singular building the uses of which are unknown. It consists of a roof supported by four oak pillars and arches of the same material; as it now stands it is raised little more three feet from the ground. There is a National School in the village which is supported by subscriptions and a small charge from each scholar.

Charities.—In the year 1795, the sum of £300, five per cent stock, was purchased with a legacy of £100 left to the poor of the parish of Munslow in 1762, by Major John More, and a legacy of £200 left by his sister Catharine More in 1792, the interest of which sum it was directed should be distributed annually to poor housekeepers within the said parish, at the discretion of the minister and churchwardens. When this stock was paid off, £328 stock was purchased in the new four per cents, which is now standing in the name of the rector. The dividends amounting to £13. 2s. 6d. per annum, are distributed to poor housekeepers in the parish by the rector.

Directory.—Arthur Bach, saddler and harness maker; William Bowley, butcher and shopkeeper; Thomas R. C. Downes, surgeon; Edward Edwards, farmer; Edward Evans, tailor; Edward Hughes, farmer; Edwin Keysell, maltster, corn dealer, and seedsman; Charles Pothecary, surgeon; William Power, surgeon; Rev. Thomas C. Powel, rector; David Pugh, builder; Obadiah Newnham, schoolmaster; John Roberts, farmer.

Aston, a small township in the parish of Munslow, at the census in 1841 had 31 houses and 164 inhabitants: the acres and rateable value of the several townships in this parish are returned with the parish of Munslow. John Francis Wright, Esq., is the principal landowner. The principal residents in the township of Aston are John Downes, Esq., Aston Hall; John Hince, plumber and glazier; Edward Mullard, blacksmith; Miss Ann Pearce, The White House; Samuel Preece, farmer; William Shirley, farmer; Benjamin Wall, wheelwright; William Wigmore, vict., The Hundred House.

Bach or Beach Mill, a hamlet in the parish of Munslow, at the census in 1841 had twelve houses and a population of forty eight souls. The landowner in the township is Herbert Cornewall, Esq. The principal residents are James Dyer, carpenter; Samuel Handcocks, blacksmith; Joseph Sankey, tailor and shopkeeper; Richard Sankey, tailor, and post office; John Stubbs, shopkeeper.

Broadstone, a township and tolerable village in Munslow parish, is pleasantly situated near the turnpike road from Munslow to Much Wenlock. There is a small Chapel of Ease at Broadstone, where divine service is performed once a month. In 1841 this township contained 42 houses and a population of 120 souls. The chief residents are William Bishop, cooper; John Blockley, farmer and maltster; Joseph Childe, wheelwright; Thomas Cocks, vict., Seven Stars; John Jones, shoemaker; Samuel Lewis, farmer; Thomas Lewis, bricklayer. Holloway Ville, situated in the parish of Munslow, consists of only one farm house, which is occupied by Walter Watkins.

Millichope, a township in the parish of Munslow, at the census of 1841 had fourteen houses and fifty-seven inhabitants. The land is chiefly the property of Charles Orlando Childe Pemberton, Esq., of Millichope Park, an elegant mansion in the Grecian style of architecture, beautified with tasteful pleasure grounds and surrounded with woody scenery. The house is a modern structure, built near the site of an antique mansion which was chiefly composed of timber and plaster, bearing the characteristics of the reign of Elizabeth, and was taken down about eight years ago. On the top of a rock facing the hall, a beautiful Cenotaph has been built in the Grecian style, in memory of two brothers of the name of More, one of whom was an officer in the 79th regiment, and the other in the British navy. It has been erected about seventy-five years. The small but very ancient manor house of Upper Millichope formerly belonged to the Prior of Wenlock; it consists of only one room on a floor. The walls are seven feet in thickness, and lighted by narrow slips of windows; the entrance is by an ornamented circular-headed doorway, to the right of which are some steps of an old stone staircase carried up in the solid wall to the upper chamber, the entrance to which is guarded by three doors, the centre one being secured by a massive wooden bar which passed through the wall of the room into the outer wall on the opposite side of the staircase. The structure now forms part of a farm residence. It is supposed by antiquaries that the lower compartment in the warlike times of former ages was used for the purpose of securing the cattle in times of danger, while the upper story formed the habitation of the family. The principal residents in Millichope are Charles Orlando Childe Pemberton, Esq., Millichope Park; Mr. William Cadwallader, Thomas Clifton, mason; Thomas Wall, blacksmith.

Thonglands is a township and small village in the parish of Munslow, which in 1841 contained fifteen houses and eighty-three inhabitants. C. O. C. Pemberton, Esq., of Millichope Park, and the Rev. Frederick Lakin, are the landowners. The chief residents are Joseph Edwards, beerhouse keeper; William Lello, farmer; and Thomas Wall, farmer. Topley Ville, comprising two houses and twelve persons, is in the parish of Munslow. Mr. John Price is the only resident farmer.

Poston Lower is a township in the parish of Munslow, situated six miles north from Ludlow, which comprises three houses and twenty-three inhabitants at the census of 1841. The land is the property of Archdeacon Corbet. John Kelly, blacksmith, and Richard Wellings, farmer, are the residents.

ONIBURY

is a parish in the lower division of the Munslow hundred, which embraces the townships of Onibury and Walton, and contains 1,900 acres of land, the principal owner of which is Earl Craven; the other part is the property of the Hon. R. H. Clive. At the census in 1801 there were 359 inhabitants; 1831, 438; 1841, 368: at the latter period there were 73 houses. Rateable value £2,311. 17s. The village of Onibury is pleasantly situated on the east bank of the river Oney, and on the turnpike road leading from Shrewsbury to Ludlow: 24 miles S. from the former, and five miles N.W. from the latter. The Shrewsbury and Hereford line of railway, now in course of formation, will intersect the parish, and cross the turnpike on a level with the road. A portion of the village south east of the river is in the respective parishes of Stanton Lacy and Stokesay. A saw mill has been erected by Lord Craven on the river Oney. In the time of Edward the Confessor, Oniberie was in the possession of the bishop of Hereford, and after the conquest Roger de Lacy held it of him. The manor and patronage of the church was long possessed by the Burnels, and eventually passed, in marriage, to the Lovels, in whose family it remained till the attainder of Lord Lovel, in the time of Henry VII. It was subsequently held by the Mainwarings and Barkers, and about the year 1620 came into the hands of Lord Craven, the ancestor of the present proprietor, by purchase. There was formerly a park at Onibury, which is now divided into farms. Wootton, an ancient mansion of considerable extent, in the Elizabethan style of architecture, and moated, has recently been taken down. It was formerly the seat of distinguished families, and the park above mentioned was in all probability connected with this mansion. The Church is rather a plain structure of the early English style, with a tower at the west end containing four bells. The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £8. 17s. 8½d.; in the patronage of Earl Craven, and enjoyed by the Rev. J. J. Hodges. The tithes have been commuted for £330. There is a good rectory house, and ninety acres of glebe land. The Parochial School is a small structure built by subscriptions in the year 1836, and situated at the south-east corner of the church-yard. The school is free to the children of the parish, and those resident in the immediate neighbourhood, and is supported by subscriptions and a rent-charge of £6. 13s. 4d., left for educational purposes by William Norton, in 1593. The township and small village of Walton, situated about a mile from Onibury, in 1841 had fifteen houses and ninety-five inhabitants; it comprises 625 acres of land, which are the property of Earl Craven.

Directory.—Samuel Amies, farmer, the Park; Philip Bach, farmer; Herbert Blakeway, farmer, Wootton; William Bright, schoolmaster; William Coston, farmer; Ann Jones, vict., the Griffin; Rev. John J. Hodges, the Rectory; Benjamin Pugh, farmer; Thomas Matthews, wheelwright; William Watkins, blacksmith; Mr. Thomas Wells, Onibury cottage; Thomas Wells, agent to Earl Craven. The residents at Walton are William Blakeway, farmer; Samuel Botfield, shoemaker; Thomas Hotchkiss, farmer.

RICHARDS CASTLE,

a parish in the lower division of the Munslow hundred, comprises the townships of Moore and Batchcott, Overton, and Woofferton, and is partly in this county, and partly in Herefordshire. The parish contains 4,512 acres of land; and at the census of 1801, 509 inhabitants; 1831, 586; 1841, 656. The village of Richards Castle is delightfully situated about three miles from Ludlow, in the county of Hereford. It was anciently called Gayton, and was a place of considerable importance until the reign of Henry III. “Richards Castle,” says Leland, “standeth upon the top of a very rocky hill, well wooded, and at the west end of the parish then. The keep, the walls, and towers of it stand, but going to ruin. There is a poor house of timber in the castle garth for a farmer. It belongeth now to the king; it belonged of late to the Lord Vaux; after to Pope. There is a park impaled.” Robert de Mortimer, in the reign of King John, had the grant of a fair and market at this place, both of which have long been obsolete. The castle was built before the conquest. At the doomsday survey it was held by Osborn Fitz-Richard, whose granddaughter married Robert de Mortimer, from whose family it passed in like manner by an heiress to the Talbots, who possessed it till the reign of Richard II. King Edward VI. granted the manor to the Bishop of Worcester. In the fifteenth century T. Bradshaw obtained it of the bishop on a long lease, and his grandson sold the lease to Richard Salwey, Esq., in whose representatives it is now vested. Some parts of the keep and walls of the castle are still remaining, but are so embosomed in foliage as scarcely to be discovered until they are nearly approached. Camden says, “Beneath this castle nature, which nowhere disporteth itself more in showing wonders than in waters, hath wrought forth a pretty well, which is always full of little fish-bones, or, as some think, of small frog-bones, although they be from time to time drawn quite out of it, whence it is called Bone Well.” This curious phenomenon is still in existence, and is the frequent resort of the curious, particularly in the spring and autumn, when the bones are found in great abundance. On the declivity of a hill near the castle, the Royalists, amounting to nearly 2,000, were defeated by an inferior number of Parliamentary troops, under the command of Colonel Birch.

The following is a grant to the burgesses made by Lord Mortimer, in the 29th of the reign of King Edward:—“Know all men present and to come, that I, Hugh, the son of Robert Lord Mortimer, lord of Richards Castle, I have given, granted, and by this my present writing conferred, to all my burgesses of Richards Castle, and to all my tenants of the townships of Moor Batchcott and Whitbrook, and to all my tenants of the township of Overton, for their good services done to me in the time of the Welsh war, and for twenty pounds sterling to me in hand paid common of pasture for all manner of their cattle and beasts in my fields at Bury Hynton, at all times after the grain is carried thence, and in all my meadow called Shule Meadow, after the feast of St. John the Baptist, and also common of pasture for all their beasts in all my woods within the said lordship of Richards Castle, as well within the county of Hereford as within the county of Salop, at all times in the year (except my park called Morbeck, and my Heys, lying between the ditch called Farthings Lawnde, and one hedge called the Royard, which are inclosed, and parted in at all times of the year). I have also given and granted to my said burgesses and tenants sufficient house-boot, hay-boot, and fire-boot, with all other necessaries that belong to husbandries, to be yearly taken at all times of necessaries in the said woods, by the order and delivery of my bailiff or constable there for the time being; to have and to hold all the aforesaid common of meadow, pasture, and wood ground as aforesaid, to my said burgesses and tenants of the aforesaid village of Richards Castle, Moor Batchcott, Whitbrook, and Overton, of me and my heirs, the sum of twelve shillings at the feast of St. Michael the Archangel, viz., the burgesses of Richards Castle four shillings, the tenants of Moor Batchcott and Whitbrook four shillings, and the tenants of the township of Overton four shillings, for all manner of service, exaction, and demand; and if it shall happen that this my grant gains aid, withheld, or retained by me, my heirs, or by any person claiming under us at any time for the future, then I will and grant that all my said burgesses and tenants thereby, their own proper wills shall take and hold the aforesaid common in all the said meadows, pasture, and wood grounds aforegranted, and in all places thereby strength and virtue of the said deed: and I, the aforesaid Hugh, and my heirs, all the aforesaid common, together with house-boot, hay-boot, and fireboot, as aforesaid, (except as before excepted,) to the aforesaid burgesses of Richard Castle, and my tenants of Moor Batchcott, Whitbrook, and Overton, their heirs and assigns, for the consideration and rent aforesaid, against all nations whatsoever, will warrant and for ever defend; and that this my grant may be for ever ratified and established, I have hereunto set my seal.”

The Church is a fine structure, dedicated to St. Bartholomew, and stands contiguous to the castle; the tower stands a few feet from the body of the church, and had formerly a spire, which was burnt down. The windows contain some beautiful stained glass. The living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £15. 1s. 3d. Patron, the Bishop of Worcester; incumbent, Rev. George Landon. The tithes have been commuted for £650, and there are 110 acres of glebe land of the annual value of £270. There are 2,324 acres of land in the township of Richards Castle, the rateable value of which is £1,652. 8s. Gross estimated rental, £1,862. 8s. 6d. The principal landowners are the representatives of J. Salway, Esq., Walter Stubbs, Esq., and William Moreton, Esq.

Moore and Batchcott is a township and pleasantly situated village two and a half miles from Ludlow, embracing 928 acres of land, the principal proprietors of which are Richard Betton, Esq., and the trustees of the Rev. J. Salway. Rateable value, £1,244. 12s. At the census in 4841 there were 37 houses and 206 inhabitants.

Overton and Woofferton is a delightfully situated township and village in the parish of Richard’s Castle, about two miles south from Ludlow, on the borders of Herefordshire. The township contains 1,260 acres of land, the chief owners of which are Francis L. Charlton, Esq., Richard Betton, Esq., and the representatives of the late E. Salwey, Esq. Rateable value, £1,677. 8s. At the census of 1841 Overton contained 18 houses and Woofferton nine houses, and together had a population of 137 souls.

Directories.—Richard’s Castle.—Edmund S. Davenport, Esq.; Samuel Davies, shoemaker; Miss Ann Child, Westbrook Cottage; John Hammond, vict., The Salwey Arms; Charles Mapp, farmer, Church House; Richard Mason, farmer, The Green; George Mason, farmer, The Rock; Henry Oseland, farmer and horse trainer, The Wood House; Richard Parker, farmer; Benjamin Ridley, farmer; Mary Taylor, vict., The Castle Inn; Mrs. Martha Taylor; Thomas Wheeler, farmer, The Merefield.

Moore and Batchott.—William B. Cooke, farmer; Thomas Froggat, farmer, The Leys; Rev. George Landon, rector of Richard’s Castle; William Parker, farmer; John Salwey, Esq., Moor Park; Thomas Summers, farmer; John Williams, blacksmith; William Wood, boot and shoemaker; Richard Woodhouse, wheelwright

Overton and Woofferton.—Richard Betton, Esq., Overton House; Thomas C. Bridges, Esq., The Lodge; John Burnett, farmer, Overton; Thomas Bywater, farmer; William B. Cooke, farmer; Richard Green, corn miller, Barratt’s Mill; John Lancet, farmer; Thomas Lowe, farmer, Hucks Barn; Richard Hardman, vict., Salwey Arms; William Heywood, farmer; Thomas Nottingham, farmer; Edward Stubbs, farmer.

RUSHBURY

is a considerable parish in the upper division of the Munslow hundred, comprising the townships of Rushbury, Stone Acton, Wall-under-Haywood, and Wilderhope and Stanway, and part of the townships of East Wall and Getton. The parish comprises upwards of 5,600 acres of land, and at the census of 1801 had 356 inhabitants; 1831, 507, and in 1841 had 109 houses and a population of 502 souls. The village of Rushbury is situated about nine miles S.W. from Much Wenlock, and the township contained 26 houses and 115 inhabitants. The principal landowners are Mrs. Lutwyche, Barnard Dickinson, Esq., and Mrs. Thursby; the latter is also lady of the manor. Some authors conjecture this place to be the Roman station Bravinium, between Magnum and Uriconum; the distance agreeing better with the Roman itinerary than Bridgnorth. At the Doomsday survey Roger de Lacy held of Earl Roger Riseberie, and Odo of him, at which time there was an eyrie of hawks. In the 11th of Edward I. Hugh Burnel had a charter for a market on a Thursday, and a fair on the eve, the day, and the day after the feast of St. Margaret the virgin, which upon a quo warranto brought against Sir Philip Burnel in the 20th of Edward I. was ratified and confirmed by the king’s council. In the time of Edward I. Richard de Harley had free warren here. John de Handelo levied a fine on the manor of Rushbury in the 14th of Edward III. Among the fees of Roger Earl of March, Nicholas Burnel held one knight’s fee. In the 3rd of Edward VI. the king gave Rushbury in exchange to Nicholas Bishop of Worcester and his successors for lands in Warwickshire. The Church is a small structure, dedicated to St. Peter, consisting of nave and chancel, with a tower in which are five bells. The living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £19. 7s. 8½d., now returned at £449 in the gift of the Bishop of Worcester. Incumbent, Rev. Matthew Y. Starkey. The endowed school, where twelve children are educated, and the almshouses, will be further noticed with the various gifts to charitable uses. The tithes are commuted for £384.

Charities.—Benjamin Wainwright, M.D., by his will, bearing date 1st December, 1817, directed certain trustees to raise out of his personal estate the sum of £1,200, and appropriate £400 in building a school-room and a small dwelling house for a schoolmaster, and also two almshouses, all to be erected in the little church-yard near the Pound, in Rushbury, if the rector would allow it. And he directed that the following words should be cut upon the stone in the front part of the dwelling house:—“This school and almshouse were built and endowed by Benjamin, the seventh son of the late Richard and Mary Wainwright, of Stanway.” The residue of the said sum of £1,200 he directed to be invested in the funds, and 50s. of the yearly dividends thereof to be given to each of the poor widows resident in the said almshouses; the trustees to provide coals for the almshouses, and also to pay £5 yearly to a schoolmaster for teaching poor children of Rushbury, Eaton, and the adjacent parishes every Sunday; £5 to be laid out in warm clothing on the 1st of December for the poor of Rushbury; £5 per annum to be paid to a schoolmistress for teaching children to knit and sew, and to pay the remainder of the dividends to a schoolmaster to instruct nine poor children of Rushbury and three of Eaton in reading, writing, and common arithmetic. The sum of £400 above mentioned was reduced by the payment of the legacy duty to £360, and a school was erected at a cost of upwards of £500, part of the surplus having been advanced by such of the trustees as were of the testator’s family. The remainder of the sum of £1,200 was invested in the purchase of stock, and there is now standing £737 new four per cent. stock, producing dividends amounting to £429. 10s. per annum, of which £20 is paid to a schoolmaster for teaching a Sunday as well as a week day school. Two poor women are appointed by the trustees to reside in the almshouses, each of whom receives £2 annually, including an allowance of coals.

There is a parcel of land in the parish called the Poor’s Land, containing about six acres, and four small tenements with gardens, and also an allotment set out in respect of the above mentioned premises containing about an acre and three quarters, altogether producing a rental of £12 per annum. The four tenements were long used for the reception of paupers. A portion of the poor’s land was given to the rector in exchange for a part of the glebe near the church-yard, on which the school was built. The sum of £2. 2s. is paid to the rector as his portion of the rent, and the residue is chiefly expended in coals and distributed to the poor.

Edward Lutwyche, in 1601, granted a rent charge of 40s. per annum out of his lands in Wall-under-Haywood and East Wall, and directed six penny worth of bread to be distributed every Sunday to six poor parishioners, each of the said poor people to receive 2s. 4d. in money every Good Friday. And he directed that every poor person appointed should receive the charity for life. The yearly sum of 30s. is payable out of Day-house farm in the township of Holt Preen, as the bequest of Anne Tipton. The amount is distributed in bread to six poor men and six poor women, alternately, according to the intentions of the donor. Martha Baker, who died about fifty years ago, is stated to have left £20 to the poor of Rushbury, the interest to be given in bread. This money was applied soon after the death of the testatrix in repairing a house on the poor’s land used as a poor house, and in respect thereof £1 is paid annually from the poor’s rates, which is expended in bread for the poor.

East Wall is a township and village seven miles S.W. from Much Wenlock, partly in the parish of Rushbury and partly in that of Eaton, and is usually called Longville, Lushcott, and East Wall township. The portion in Rushbury parish at the census of 1841 contained five houses and 27 inhabitants. Thomas Gibbon, Esq., and Mrs. Lutwyche are the principal landowners.

Gretton township is partly in Rushbury and partly in Cardington, and is situated about a mile N.E. from the latter place. In 1841 thirteen houses and 73 inhabitants were returned as in Rushbury, and one house and eleven persons in Cardington parish. Lady Tyrwhitt is the principal landowner.

Stone Acton, a township in Rushbury parish about a mile S.W. from the church, at the census of 1841 had four houses and 24 inhabitants. The land is the property of Mr. William Jones and Mr. Daniel Mytton. Mr. William Jones is the resident farmer.

Wilderhope and Stanway, a township in Rushbury parish, is situated about five miles S.W. from Much Wenlock, and at the census of 1841 had thirteen houses and 76 inhabitants. Moses George Benson, Esq., and Richard Wainwright, Esq., are the landowners.

Wall-under-Haywood, a township and village in the parish of Rushbury, with 43 houses and 166 inhabitants, is situated about a mile west of Rushbury. The principal landowners are Mrs. Cleeton and John Baker, Esq.

Directories.—Rushbury.—Edward Cleeton, farmer; Thomas Corfield, farmer; Richard Cox, saddler and harness maker; Mary Fewtrell, schoolmistress; Julian Fewtrell, registrar of births, deaths, and marriages; William Fewtrell, farmer; Rev. Matthew Y. Starkey, rector.

East Wall.—Richard Butcher, farmer, Longville; Thomas Gippins, farmer; Thomas Haynes, blacksmith and shopkeeper; Charlotte Hotchkiss, farmer; Thomas Hughson, bailiff; Morris Jones, bailiff, Lushcott; Sarah Makin, farmer; Edward Onslow, farmer; Thomas Preen, stone mason; Thomas Roberts, farmer.

Gretton.—Edward Esp, farmer; Richard Haynes, bailiff; Timothy Smout, blacksmith; Edward Humphrey, farmer.—Stone Acton.—William Jones, farmer.

Wall-under-Haywood.—Mrs. Margaret Cleeton; Richard Cleeton, farmer; Thomas Corfield, farmer; Richard Cox, saddler; William Downes, farmer and maltster; John Evason, shoemaker; William Gough, farmer, Cotes; Thomas Hammond, blacksmith; John Moore, vict., Lutwyche Arms; George Morgan, vict., The Plough; John Pritchard, farmer; Thomas Smout, wheelwright; Richard Smout, wheelwright; Mrs. Mary Woof.

Wilderhope and Stanway.—John Norris, farmer, Upper Stanway; John Webster, farmer, Lower Stanway; Mary Webster, farmer, Wilderhope.

SHIPTON

is a parish and village in the upper division of the Munslow hundred, pleasantly situated on the road from Much Wenlock to Ludlow, six and a quarter miles S.W. from the former and fifteen miles N.W. from the latter. The parish contains 1,570 acres of land. Rateable value, £2,220. Population in 1801, 119; 1831, 154; 1841, 153, at the latter period there were 24 inhabited houses. The principal landowners are Thomas Mytton, Esq., Rev. Robert H. G. More, Moses G. Benson, Esq., and John Corser, Esq.; the former is lord of the manor. The Church is an ancient structure, dedicated to St. James, and consists of nave and chancel, with a square tower. The interior contains several handsome memorials, chiefly to the Mytton family. From a brass plate we learn that the chancel was re-edified from the foundation and glazed, at the charge of John Lutwyche, of Lutwyche, in the 31st of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, 1589. The living is a donative curacy in the patronage of Thomas Mytton Esq. Incumbent, Rev. Robert H. G. More. Shipton Hall, a handsome mansion, the residence and property of Thomas Mytton, Esq., exhibits a beautiful specimen of the Elizabethan style of architecture. Thomas Mytton, Esq., is in possession of the original letter, of which the following is a copy, addressed by a needy monarch to the ancestor of Mr. Mytton, then resident at Shipton Hall, and dated February 14th, 1643:—

“Trusty and Well-beloved, we greet you well. Whereas, all our subjects of the kingdom of England and dominion of Wales, are both by their allegiance and the act of pacification bound to resist and suppresse such of our subjects of Scotland as have in a hostile manner already entered, or shall hereafter enter into this kingdome. And by law your personal service, attended in a warlike manner for the resistance of, may be required by us, which we desire to spare, chusing rather to invite your assistance for the maintenance of our army in a free and voluntary expression of your affections to our service, and the safety of this kingdom. And whereas the members of both houses of parliament assembled at Oxford, have taken into their consideration the necessity of supporting our army for the defence of us and our people against this invasion, and for the preservation of the religious lawes and liberties of this kingdome, and thereupon have agreed upon the speedy raising of the summe of one hundred thousand pounds by loane from particular persons, towards the which themselves have advanced a very considerable portion, and by their example hope that our well affected subjects throughout the kingdome will in a short time make up the remainder, whereby we shall not only be enabled to pay and recruite our army, but likewise be enabled to put our armies in such a condition as our subjects shall not suffer by free quarter or the unruliness of our soldiers, which is now in present agitation, and will (we doubt not, by the advice of the members of both houses assembled) be spedily effected. We doe towards so good a work, by the approbation and advice of the members of both houses assembled, desire you forthwith to lend us the sum of thirty pounds, or the value thereof in plate, toucht plate at five shillings, and untoucht plate at four shillings per ounce, and to pay or deliver the same within seven daies after the receipt thereof to the hands of our high sheriffe of that our own county, or to such whome he shall appoint to receive the same, upon his acquittances for the receipt thereof to the hands of our high sherriffe of that our county, who is forthwith to returne and pay the same at Corpus Cristi Colledge in Oxford, to the hands of the Earle of Bath, the Lord Seymour, Mr. John Ashburnham, and Mr. John Fettiplace, or any of them who appointed treasurers for the receiving and issuing thereof by the said members, (by whose order only the said money is to be disposed), and to give receipts for the same, the which we promise to repay as soon as God shall enable us. This sum to be advanced with speed. We are necessitated to apply ourselves to such persons as yourself, of whose ability and affection we have confidence, giving you this assurance—that in such further charges that the necessity of our just defence shall inforce us to require of our good subjects, your forwardnesse and disbursements shall be considered to your best advantage. And so presuming you will not fail to expresse your affection herein, we bid you farewell. Given at our court at Oxford, the 14th day of February, in the nineteenth yeare of our raigne, 1643.”

Directory.—Timothy Bluck, farmer, Newhouse; John Corser, farmer, More House; Mrs. Frances Danzey, Larden Hall; Richard Esp, farmer, Larden Grange; John Fortune, wheelwright; Richard Jones, farmer; Thomas Mytton, Esq., Shipton Hall; William Partridge, vict., Bull’s Head; John Price, blacksmith.

STANTON LACY

is a considerable parish in the lower division of the Munslow hundred, comprising the townships of Downton, Hayton Lower, Hayton Upper, part of Henley, part of Hopton, Rock, Stanton Lacy, and Wooton, and the hamlets of East and West. In 1801 there were 905 inhabitants; 1831, 1,467; 1841, 1,540. Acres, 7,765; rateable value, £11,008. 5s. The township of Stanton Lacy has 2,393 acres of land; at the census of 1841 it contained 141 houses and 724 inhabitants, of which 146 persons are returned as in the Ludlow Union Workhouse. The village is pleasantly situated three and a half miles N.N.W. from Ludlow, near the eastern bank of the Corve. The Earl of Craven is the principal landowner and lord of the manor. In the 20th of Edward I., a quo warranto was brought against the Prior of Lantone Prune, in Wales, for claiming pleas of the crown and wayffe, and for holding a fair and a market in the manor of Stanton Lacy, and in Rokele. The Prior pleads that he is not lord of the manor, but is only patron of the church, and holds Rokele that lies in the parish. Hugh de Lowther replies that the bishop cannot prove any of his predecessors to have come in with the Conqueror, and to have acquired those privileges by conquest, because being men in holy orders they come to their freeholds by the grants of others, and therefore he ought to produce some special grant from the crown to support his claim. This place was part of the royal demesnes when the house of York recovered their right to the crown. In the time of Henry VIII., Sir William Thomas, Knt., held the manor of Stanton Lacy and a pasture known by the name of Stanton Fryth, for the term of twenty-one years, at the rent of £7. 10s. The Church is a fine old structure, some portions of which are unquestionably of great antiquity; it has recently been beautified, and the interior has undergone a complete renovation at a cost of about £1000. The chancel is very beautiful; the altar exhibits some very elaborate workmanship, and the floor is covered with tesselated pavement. The living is a vicarage, rated in the king’s book at £16, now returned at £518, in the patronage of the Earl of Craven; incumbent, Rev. Joseph Bowles, D.D. There is a national school in the village, towards the support of which the Earl of Craven is a liberal contributor. Richard Nash, in the year 1814, bequeathed £100 for the benefit of the poor of this parish.

Downton, a township in the parish of Stanton Lacy, situated four miles from Ludlow, contains 765 acres of land, and in 1841 had 17 houses and 90 inhabitants. Sir W. E. R. Boughton, Bart., is the principal landowner and lord of the manor, and resides at Downton Hall, an elegant mansion of modern erection commanding most beautiful and varied prospects over a luxuriant country richly clothed with woody scenery. The pleasure grounds are tastefully laid out and beautifully ornamented with choice shrubs and flowers.

Hayton Lower, a small township and village four miles N.N.W. from Ludlow, contains 535 acres of land, and at the census of 1841 had 24 houses and 104 inhabitants. The Earl of Craven is the principal proprietor of the land.

Hayton Upper, a village and township in the parish of Stanton Lacy, comprises 935 acres of land, and is situated four and a half miles N.N.W. from Ludlow. At the census of 1841 there were 53 houses and 256 inhabitants. The Earl of Craven is the landowner and lord of the manor. In this township is the hamlet of Hayton’s Bent, where the Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have each a small chapel. A small rivulet which flows from the hilly ground in this township becomes on its passage through rocks strongly impregnated with carbonate of lime, and is found to possess the property of forming petrifactions of such articles as are placed in it. The township of Henley, partly in this parish and partly in that of Bitterley, is noticed in the latter parish. The township of Hopton also partly in this parish, is noticed with Hopton parish.

Rock, a small rural village and township in the parish of Stanton Lacy, contains 735 acres of land, and runs into the borough of Ludlow. At the census of 1841 there were 32 houses and 134 inhabitants.

Wootton, another small township in the parish of Stanton Lacy, contains 544 acres of land, and in 1841 had 9 houses and 65 inhabitants. Wootton Hall, a fine specimen of the domestic architecture of by-gone days, has been taken down during the present year and a farm house erected near the site. The Earl of Craven is owner of the land in this township.

East Hamlet, in the parish of Stanton Lacy, contains 734 acres of land, the principal owner of which is Frederick Nash, Esq.; William Pattrick is the farmer. In 1841 there were four houses and twenty-four inhabitants.

West Hamlet contains 650 acres of land, and in 1841 had nine houses and sixty-five inhabitants. The chief landowners are the Earl of Craven, Hon. R. H. Clive, Mrs. Wakefield, and J. B. Cummings, Esq.

Directories.—Stanton Lacy: Herbert Blakeway, farmer, Stanton Cottage; Rev. Joseph Bowles, D.D.; John Davies, blacksmith; John S. Edwards, farmer; Richard Edwards, farmer, Manor House; Henry Evans, vict., Craven Arms; Richard Fletcher, butcher and shopkeeper; Edward Farmer, farmer and shopkeeper; John Hotchkiss, farmer, Woodlands; Ann Oseley, Proprietary School. Downton: Sir William Edward Rouse Boughton, Bart., Downton Hall; Thomas Hotchkiss, farmer. Hayton Lower: Richard Coston, farmer; Sarah Coston, farmer; Samuel Weaver, farmer; and Samuel Weaver, beerhouse keeper. Hayton Upper: Edward M. Burgess, farmer; Rev. Lancelot Dixon; William Price, farmer; and Thomas Smout, farmer. Rock: Mr. Wm. Gardener; James Harding, vict., The Raven; James Hince, timber merchant; John Price, manager at Gas Works; Elias Rollings, coach and jobbing smith; William Russell, governor of Union House; William Thompson, vict., Greyhound; James Watkins, stone and marble mason. Wootton: William Blakeway, farmer, The White House; Josiah Meredith, corn miller. East Hamlet: William Patrick, farmer. West Hamlet: Thomas Lloyd, farmer, Langley; John Mellings, farmer, The Pools; Deborah Sanders, farmer, Ruckley; John Sanders, farmer; and William Small, farmer, Aintree.

STANTON LONG

is a parish and small rural village in the lower division of the Munslow hundred, seven miles S.S.W. from Much Wenlock, and ten west from Bridgnorth. At the census of 1801 there was a population of 206 souls; 1831, 278; and in 1841, fifty-three houses and 327 inhabitants. Acres, 1,710a. 1r. 10p. Rateable value, £2,636. 4s. 6d. The parish extends about four miles in length and one in breadth, and is adjacent to the parishes of Holdgate, Shipton, Monk Hopton, and Ditton Priors. The soil on the north side of the river Corve is well adapted for the growth of turnips and barley; on the south side it is of a stiffer nature, and better suited for wheat. The principal landowners are the Duke of Cleveland; Rev. R. H. G. More; J. Deighton, Esq.; and J. Corser, Esq.; there are also several other proprietors. Mrs. Thursby is lady of the manor. Brockton and Patton are two small townships for highway purposes in this parish, the former containing 376 acres, and the latter 697 acres. The Church, situated at the south-western extremity of the parish, is a neat edifice dedicated to St. Michael; the interior, however, contains little of interest, except a handsomely-carved oak pulpit, and there are some fine Gothic windows. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king’s book at £7, in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Hereford. The vicarial tithes are commuted for £95. 6s. 10d.; and there is a good vicarage house and 66a. 3r. 3p. of glebe land attached, commanding a pleasing prospect of the Corve Dale. The rectoral tithes are commuted for £133. 17s. 5d., of which £7. 12s. 7d. is paid to the rector of Holdgate. The Rev. Thomas P. Williams is the curate. There is a National School at Brockton, capable of containing 120 children. The interest of a sum of £20, left by an unknown donor, is expended in bread and given to the poor.

The principal residents are Charles Acton, farmer, Brockton; Thomas Bywater, farmer, Brockton; Thomas Chatham, farmer, Stanton Long; Edward Corks, farmer and maltster, Stanton Long; William Crudington, shoemaker, Brockton; Isaac Day, blacksmith, Stanton Long; Evan Davies, farmer, Patton; Thomas Downes, farmer, Patton; James Edwards, wheelwright, Stanton Long; Edward Esp, farmer, Stanton Long; Edward Instone, farmer, Brockton house; Thomas Mancell, blacksmith, Brockton; Edward Philpot, vict., Feathers; John Pope, carpenter, Stanton Long; Rev. Thomas P. Williams, curate.

STOKE ST. MILBOROUGH

is a parish in the lower division of the Munslow hundred, comprising 4,400 acres of land, and is divided for highway purposes into the townships of Clee Downton, Clee Stanton, and Stoke, and the chapelry of Heath. At the census of 1841 there were 110 houses and 553 inhabitants exclusive of the chapelry of Heath, which contained ten houses and a population of sixty-three souls. Rateable value, £4,454. 8s. The village of Stoke is delightfully situated in a romantic district, near the southern side of the Brown Clee Hill, six miles and a half N.N.E. from Ludlow. From the summit of the Brown Clee Hill, which is chiefly situated in this parish, a most beautiful panoramic view is seen of the country, which for extent and diversity is not surpassed in England. To the north and south are seen the fruitful plains of Shropshire, pleasingly varied with woody hills, and lovely vales dotted with the humble cottage of the labourer and the mansion of the opulent, whilst the Cambrian hills, which rear their lofty heights in wild grandeur towards the west, give an additional charm to the enchanting scene. According to the description given of the manor of Stoke St. Milborough at the Doomsday survey, it would seem then to have consisted of seven hides of land, and a large wood. Earl Roger gave it to the chaplains of the church of St. Milborough. The principal landowners are the Hon. Sidney Herbert; Dr. Cavendish Wall; E. H. Owen, Esq.; and Mr. John Patrick; there are also several other proprietors. The Hon. Sidney Herbert, lord of the manor, regularly pays a fee farm rent of £29. 10s. 3d. to the Duke of Cleveland, as the representative of the grantee of it from the crown; and the Hon. S. Herbert collects from various freeholders of the manor several rents amounting in the aggregate to the said sum. The Church is a venerable structure, dedicated to the saint from whom the name of the parish is derived. The interior is commodious, and contains an antique font, and several ancient monuments to the Lee family. It has a handsome tower and four bells. The living is a vicarage, with the curacy of Heath annexed, returned at £474, in the patronage and incumbency of the Rev. George Morgan, M.A. The Vicarage is a good residence, and pleasantly situated. The Methodists and Primitive Methodists have each a small chapel here; and there is a National School. “In the afternoon of Monday, July 25, 1768, there happened an extraordinary gust of wind, a few miles to the north-west of Cleobury, in Shropshire. Its effects were most remarkable in the parish of Stoke St. Milborough, where it unroofed the dwelling house, barns, stables, and every other building belonging to a farmer of the name of Bishop; one of which buildings was entirely levelled with the ground. In his orchard it destroyed upwards of sixty apple and pear trees, which were either broken off in the butt, or forced up by the roots. Several large elms and poplar trees were likewise blown down. He computed the damage he had sustained at £300. His son, a youth sixteen years of age, being in the fold, was lifted four or five yards above the surface of the ground, and carried to the distance of eighty yards, part of the space being over a fish-pond, a hedge, and a stone wall; but at last, falling gradually in a field of hay, he received but little hurt.” A donation of £400 has been invested by the present incumbent in the three per cent. consols, in the names of certain trustees, the dividends of which are laid out in bread, and distributed among such poor as are most regular in their attendance at church.

Directory.—Richard Andrews, shoemaker; James Blakemore, farmer; John T. Bright, farmer and corn miller, Court house; Thomas Colton, vict., Red Lion; John Humphries, shopkeeper; Thomas Humphries, wheelwright; John Jones, blacksmith; Samuel Jones, shoemaker; E. H. Owen, Esq., St. Milborough lodge; John Patrick, farmer; Henry Speak, farmer; John Wall, farmer.

Clee Downton, a small scattered village in the parish of Stoke St. Milborough, consists of a few scattered houses about a mile from the church. E. H. Owen, Esq., is the landowner. The chief residents are Edward Powell, farmer; Edward Poyner, farmer; Richard Sambrook, farmer; William Summers, farmer; and Richard and Thomas Whiteman, farmers.

Clee Stanton is a village with a few straggling houses, at the foot of Titterstone Hill, two miles east from Stoke St. Milborough. Sir William R. Boughton, and Robert Head, Esq., are the landowners. The principal residents are Henry Ainsworth, farmer; Edward Millichamp, farmer; John Poter, farmer.

Heath, a chapelry in the parish of Stoke St. Milborough, contains 386 acres of land, and is situated two miles north by west from the church. Gross estimated rental, £492. 10s. The landowners are the Earl of Craven; Edward Turner, Esq.; and Thomas and Edward Millichamp. At the census of 1841 there were ten houses and sixty-eight inhabitants. The tithes are commuted for £28, and there are 28 acres of glebe land. The Chapel is a small but interesting structure, the interior of which is admired for its beautiful carved oak. Its architecture displays traces of the Norman style. Service is performed only once during the month.

The principal residents at Heath are Benjamin Cocks, farmer; Edward Millichamp, farmer, New house; Edward Powis, bailiff to E. Turner, Esq.; Mr. Edward Price, Heath cottage.

STOKESAY

is a parish and village in the lower division of the Munslow hundred, containing 3,609 acres of land, and comprising the townships of Aldon, Stoke and Newton, Wettleton, and parts of Broom and Rowton; the latter however is chiefly in the Hopesay parish, where it will be found noticed. At the census of 1801, there were 512 inhabitants: 1831, 529: 1841, 556; at the latter period there were 108 inhabited houses. Rateable value, £3,939 15s. The township of Stoke and Newton contains 1,222 acres of land, and in 1841 had 38 houses and 188 inhabitants. The Craven Arms is a handsome and commodious hotel, not surpassed by any in the county: in the front of which is a conical column, on which is inscribed the distance of this place from all the principal towns in England, Scotland, and Wales. At the Doomsday survey, Roger de Lacy held Stoches of the King, at which period there were eight plough lands, twenty villains, belonging to the manor, and a mill. The Lacy family continued in possession of it till the year 1207, when it was carried by an heiress to John de Vernon. Soon after 1240 the manor was sold to William de Ludlowe, whose son Lawrence de Ludlowe lived at the castle. In 1497 it passed to Thomas Vernon, and afterwards to Sir George Mainwaring, and he sold it about the year 1620 to Lord Craven, whose representative the Earl of Craven is the principal landowner and lord of the manor. Stoke Castle, formerly the seat of the Baldwin family, is a curious specimen of the castellated mansion of former days. A gate house constructed of wooden framework, with curious carvings, leads to a quadrangular court, on one side of which are the remains of the rampart, and on the other sides the house, offices, and tower. The hall and tower is opposite the gate house, in the latter is a winding staircase. The hall is very spacious, but there is no vestige of a fire-place, the ancient mode of warming apartments of this description being by a reredoss, or brazier, filled with burning charcoal, and placed in the centre; at one end is the gallery for the minstrelsy on days of festivity; the wainscot is of oak, and the chimney piece is elaborately carved. The tower which is lofty and in the form of an irregular polygon, rises from the south-west corner of the court, and is crowned with an embattled parapet; the ground floor is a gloomy apartment lighted by four small pointed windows, and the upper stories are divided into very small rooms. This stately mansion has suffered a degradation not uncommon to places of ancient note, part of it having been used as an out-house to an adjoining farm, and the rest suffered to fall to decay.

The Church is a venerable structure situated near the castle, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, and consists of nave and chancel, with a tower in which are six bells. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king’s book at £4. 13s. 4d., now returned at £340.; incumbent, Rev. William Williams. The Parochial school was formerly held in the church belfry, it is now taught in a private house, but a new school is expected shortly to be built. Roger Powell who died in 1616, left to this parish £10. a year, and directed one shilling a week to be distributed to the poor, and the residue towards the maintenance of a schoolmaster. Of this annuity, which is paid out of a farm in Church Stoke and Lydham, £2. 12s; is given away with the sacrament money on St. Thomas’s day, and the remainder is paid to the schoolmaster. Mary Pearce, in 1769, bequeathed £5 to the poor of this parish, and it was then agreed that the said sum should be laid out in the purchase of a bier cloth, the cost of which was £4. 5s. 7½d., and the rest in books for the poor children of the parish; it was further agreed that in lieu of the interest of the said £5, a bible should be given yearly on Easter Monday to such poor child as the parishioners should appoint.

Directory.—Richard Coston, farmer, Newton; William Jones, wheelwright, Newton; Enoch Morris, farmer, Stoke Castle; Richard Owen, vict., Craven Arms Hotel; Francis Owen, vict., Red Lion, Newton; Joseph Speakes, schoolmaster; Rev. William Williams, vicar, Stokesay.

Aldon, a township and village in the parish of Stokesay, in 1841 contained 45 houses and 236 inhabitants. The chief landowners are Henry Lester, Esq., Hon. R. H. Clive, and Mr. William Hotchkiss, there are also a few small proprietors. Limestone is found in abundance in this township; in getting the stone, bones have frequently been found of animals that are now extinct,—not long ago some very large antlers of the deer were found. The principal residents are John Bishop, farmer; William Hotchkiss, farmer and lime burner; Edward Medlicott, farmer, Aldon Court; Benjamin Pugh, farmer, Steperside; Lady Mary Ann Syer, Stone House.

Broom and Rowton is a township partly in the Munslow hundred and partly in the Purslow hundred, situated about a mile and a half east from Clungunford. At the census of 1841 two houses and eighteen inhabitants were returned as in Stokesay parish, and two houses and fifteen inhabitants as in the parish of Clungunford. The principal residents are Francis Bach, farmer, Rowton; George Beddows, farmer, Rowton; Timothy Bishop, farmer, Rowton; John and Richard Marston, farmers, The Weo.

Wettleton, a township and small village, is situated about half a mile N.E. from Stoke, and in 1841 had 25 houses and 114 inhabitants. The land is the property of the Earl of Craven, and the resident farmers are Jeremiah Sheppard and William Sheppard.

TUGFORD

is a parish in the upper division of the Munslow hundred, nine miles N.N.E. from Ludlow, which contains 1,990 acres of land, the rateable value of which is £1,609. 5s. The soil is well adapted for the growth of turnips and barley. Population in 1801, 165; 1831, 188; 1841, 145; at the latter period there were 31 houses. The village of Tugford is on a good road leading to Ludlow, the situation is low, but dry, pleasant, and warm, being sheltered from the east by a tall plantation rising at the back of it. A small stream called Tugford Brook turns a corn mill in the village, and shortly after has its confluence with the river Corfe. In the time of Henry III. the abbot and convent of Shrewsbury held the ville of Tugford, which was computed to consist of two hides and a half of land. At the assizes, in the 20th of Edward I., the abbot of Salop claimed the liberty of free warren here, of which his successors had a confirmation in the time of Richard II. The principal landowners are the Earl of Craven and C. O. Childe Pemberton, Esq. The parish church, dedicated to St. Catherine, is a small but handsome structure, probably erected about the middle of the 16th century. The living is a rectory annexed to that of Holdgate, in the patronage of the Bishop of Hereford. Incumbent, Rev. Joseph Corbett. The rectory house is a good residence adjoining the church-yard. Thomas Clinton, in 1815, gave £100, the interest to be given among ten poor widows of this parish. In 1652, Robert Ellis bequeathed 10s. each to the several parishes of Tugford, Abdow, Holdgate, Tregnon, and Llanwithilaw. The tithes were commuted in 1839; aggregate amount, £178. 18s. 10d.

The principal residents in Tugford are the Rev. Joseph Corbett, The Rectory; John Blakeway, shopkeeper; John Blockley, farmer; Edward Downes, farmer; John Page, farmer and corn miller; Edward Parsons, farmer; Richard Shirley, farmer; Fanny Wall, blacksmith.

THE WENLOCK FRANCHISE.

The Wenlock Franchise is bounded on the east by the Brimstree Hundred, on the south by the Stottesden Hundred, on the west by the Condover and Munslow Hundreds, and on the north by that of South Bradford. The borough and franchise of Wenlock were formerly co-extensive with the Hundred of Patintern, mentioned in Doomsday Book, which comprised the following parishes, viz.:—Much Wenlock, Little Wenlock, Broseley, Madeley, Benthall, Barrow, Tinley, Badger, Beckbury, Priors Ditton, Stoke St. Milborough, Eaton-under-Heywood, Hughley, Shipton, Monk Hopton, Willey, Deuxhill, and the Extra Parochial Liberty of Posenhall. By an order of quarter sessions, held at Shrewsbury, April 4th, 1836, the parishes of Badger, Deuxhill, and Beckbury, were added to the Brimstree Hundred; and the parishes of Eaton, Shipton, and Stoke St. Milborough, should thenceforward be considered as part of the Munslow Hundred. Ironstone, coal, limestone, and a superior clay, are found in this division of the county, which is celebrated for extensive iron-works, the manufacture of porcelain earthenware, tobacco pipes, bricks, tiles, and draining pipes. The manufacturing district is chiefly confined to the north and north-east verge of the franchise. It is intersected by the river Severn at the northern extremity, and the river afterwards forms the boundary of the franchise for some distance. At the census of 1841 this division of the county contained 3,703 inhabited houses, 155 uninhabited, and 29 building; and a population of 18,016 souls; of whom 8,936 were males and 9,080 females. Of the total population 16,518 persons were born in the county, and 1,498 elsewhere.

BARROW

is a small but pleasantly situated village and parish, in the Wenlock Franchise, two miles east from Much Wenlock, and two miles south-west from Broseley. The parish contains 2,989a. 0r. 39p. of land, the rateable value of which is £3,086. 6s. 1d. At the census in 1801 there were 479 inhabitants; 1831, 351; and in 1841 there were 85 houses and a population of 383 souls. Lord Forester and Sir Richard Acton, Bart., are the landowners. Willey Hall, a handsome mansion, is the occasional seat of Lord Forester. The lands in this parish abound with game, which is rigidly preserved. The Church is a venerable structure, dedicated to St. Giles, and consists of nave and chancel, with a turret, in which are two bells. The walls display many tabular monuments, and there is an antique font, with a capacious basin. On the south side of the church-yard is buried Tom Moody, the celebrated whipper-in to George Forester, Esq. The grave-stone is simply inscribed “Tom Moody, died 19th November, 1796.” The church was formerly an appendage to the Priory of Wenlock. The living is a perpetual curacy annexed to the rectory of Willey. The Rev. Henry Bridgeman is the incumbent.

The School and Almshouse.—John Slaney, merchant tailor of London, having, in his life-time, built in the parish of Barrow an almshouse for six poor aged men or women that had been ancient dwellers thereabout, and appointed six acres of ground to be laid out for their better relief and to the support of a school. He also directed an allowance of 1s. 4d. weekly to be made to each inmate, and every alternate year a good frieze gown to be given to each person, worth 13s. 4d., and hose and shoes to the value of 6s. 8d. Mr. Slaney also erected a school for the free teaching of twenty children, and ordained that a great part of the six acres of land above mentioned should be for the maintenance of the school; and he gave towards the maintenance of the schoolmaster £10 a-year for ever. For the performance of the said allowance he gave a rent charge of £30 per annum issuing out of his manor of Willey. And for the residue of his gift to make up the pensions of the said schoolhouse and almshouse, he charged his cousin, John Slaney, that he and his heirs and assignees should for ever pay the same as a rent charge out of his lands called the Hem, which lands he gave to his said cousin on his continuing the charities according to the conditions of his will. In this will Mr. Slaney is directed to keep the school and almshouse in continual repair, and to provide fuel. The premises thus conditionally devised became the property of John Stephens, Esq., who, in 1816, exchanged the lands with Cecil Weld Forester, Esq., lord of the manor of Willey, for lands situated near Barrow church. The almshouse having become much dilapidated, the said Cecil W. Forester, Esq., agreed to be at the expense of taking down and rebuilding the school and almshouse (at his own expense), and keeping the same in repair during the term of his natural life, and to find garments and coals, pursuant to the will of the founder. In pursuance of this arrangement, the almshouse was taken down, and a new one and a schoolhouse built on the lands which he had given in exchange. The yearly expenditure when the Charity Commissioners published their report was £33. 16s., of which the rent charge on the manor of Willey provides for £30; so that there remained for the annual charge upon the lands of Mr. Stephens £3. 16s., but which was then paid by Mr. Forester, besides the cost of twelve tons of coals. With respect to the terms of this exchange, it cannot escape observation that the £3. 16s. and the twelve tons of coals which are furnished by Mr. Forester, in pursuance of his agreement, and the expense that he may be at in repairs, are a part of the consideration that he was to give for the old schoolhouse and almshouse, and the land belonging to them; and not the annual supply which Mr. Stephens’s estates were charged by the will of Mr. Slaney to furnish. When the charity has received Mr. Forester’s supply, it has received nothing more than the stipulated equivalent for the old schoolhouse and almshouse premises. But before the exchange it was entitled to something more, namely, to the supply charged on Mr. Stephens’s estates. It must, therefore, continue still entitled to that supply since the exchange; unless the effect of the exchange has been to exonerate the estates of Mr. Stephens during the life of Mr. Forester at the expense of the charity. We think that such has not been the effect, but that Mr. Stephens’s estates are liable to make good to the charity the annual supply of £3. 16s. and twelve tons of coals yearly, and to continue that supply in future. The school teacher, in addition to the £10 prescribed by the will of Mr. Slaney, has the use of a schoolhouse, and about five acres of land attached to it, with the privilege of taking private scholars.

It appears from the parish books, that a sum of £9 poors’ stock, which had for many years been in the hands of successive parish officers, was applied in the year 1788 to the repairs of the church, as interest of which the sum of 10s. is distributed by the churchwardens at Christmas in fourpenny loaves among the poor of the parish.

Directory.—John Michael Howell, farmer, The Marsh; Thomas Instone, farmer, Swinney; Augusta Jones, schoolmistress; Robert Peake, farmer; William Thursfield, Esq., farmer and land agent to Lord Forester.

BENTHALL

is a small parish with a scattered population, three miles and a half from Much Wenlock, which comprises 1,195a. 3r. 1p. of land, the whole of which is the property of Lord Forester, who is also lord of the manor. The land has a bold swelling surface, and abounds in limestone. There are lime works in this parish, which give employment to a number of the inhabitants. There is also a tobacco pipe manufactory, and an establishment for the manufacture of earthenware, carried on by Mr. Edward Bathurst. At the census of 1801, the parish contained 636 inhabitants; 1831, 525; and in 1841 there were 131 inhabited houses, and 587 souls. The Church, dedicated to St. Bartholomew, consists of nave and chancel, and has a small turret, in which is one bell: it was rebuilt in 1667, and stands on a gentle eminence: it is neatly pewed with oak sittings, and has a gallery at the west end. On the north wall of the chancel there is a tablet to the memory of Ralph Brown, Esq. and Catherine, his wife; the former died in 1707: he was lord of the manor of Benthall. On the south wall is a neat memorial to Edward Brown, gentleman, of Broseley, who died January 29th, 1849, aged 74 years. In the nave of the church is buried Philip Benthall, Esq., who died July 26th, 1713, aged 81 years. The living is a perpetual curacy, annexed to the vicarage of Much Wenlock; incumbent, Rev. W. H. Wayne; curate, Rev. Thomas H. Edwards. Benthall Hall is a stone mansion situated near the church, some portions of which were erected in the year 1535. It is the property of Lord Forester, but is now unoccupied. In the time of the civil wars it was garrisoned by the royalists, at which period tradition states the old church was destroyed.

Mrs. Ann Brown, by her will dated 30th May, 1764, directed that the dividends of £200 stock, consolidated three per cents, belonging to her, should be yearly, at Christmas, distributed by her brother, Francis Turner Blithe, and his heirs, and the minister of Benthall, as they should think fit. The dividends are received under the power of attorney, and are paid to the minister, who regularly distributes them about Christmas in small sums among the poor.

Edward Brown, Esq., of Broseley, bequeathed £200 to the minister and churchwardens for the time being of Bethnall in the county of Salop, on trust to invest the same in funds, or government or real securities, and to apply the interest in repairing and maintaining the vault and tombstone of his late brother in-law, Sir Humphrey Charlton, situated in the church yard at Benthall, and to apply the surplus to the relief of poor persons from time to time resident in the parish.

Posenhall is an extra parochial liberty, contiguous to Benthall, which at the census of 1841 is returned as containing five houses and twenty-two inhabitants. There is only one farm here, which is in the occupancy of Mr. Thomas Pitt; there is also an earthenware manufactory: the names will be found included in the Benthall directory.

Directory.—Edwin Bathurst, earthenware manufacturer, Benthall Pottery; John and Edward Burton, farmers and brick makers; Joseph Currier, shopkeeper; John Duckett, timber merchant; Rev. Thomas H. Edwards, B.A., curate, Benthall House; Mary Gother, vict., Britannia Inn; John Gother, joiner; Hiram Hill, lime burner, residence, Broseley; Joshua Instone, blacksmith; John Jones, vict., Leopard Inn; Warren Taylor Jones, earthenware manufacturer, Posenhall Pottery; John Patten, lime burner and barge owner; Ann Pitt, farmer; Thomas Pitt, farmer, Posenhall; Edward Roden, farmer and corn miller; Mary Roden, farmer; Noah Roden, tobacco pipe manufacturer; James Shepard, maltster.

BROSELEY,

anciently written Burwardsley, is a parish and considerable market town in the Wenlock franchise, four miles east from Much Wenlock, 13 miles south-east from Shrewsbury, and 146 miles north-west from London. The town is seated on an eminence above the Severn, and consists principally of one long irregular built street, with minor streets branching off in different directions. The houses are mostly of brick, some of them of respectable appearance, interspersed with others of a more humble description, inhabited chiefly by miners and the operatives employed in the brick and iron works. It stands in the middle of an extensive mining district, in which coal and ironstone are obtained; and there is an extensive iron foundry here, with others in the immediate vicinity. The town and neighbourhood are also famous for the manufacture of fire bricks and tobacco pipes, which are exported to all parts of the kingdom. Broseley is the only place in England where the celebrated glazed tobacco pipes are manufactured, and it is supposed this was the first place where the manufacture of this article commenced; upwards of two centuries ago they were made from clay procured in this locality, now the clay got here is used for the manufacture of bricks, tiles and earthenware, and the pipeclay is procured from Devonshire and Cornwall. Messrs. William Southron and Co. have an extensive establishment for the manufacture of the glazed pipes, employing upwards of forty operatives, and using forty tons of the Devonshire pipeclay annually. The bricks and tiles made at Broseley are not surpassed by any in the kingdom; there are several extensive establishments conducted by the Messrs. Davies and others. The parish contains 1,970a. 3r. 24p. of land, the principal owners of which are Lord Forester: Francis Harrison, Esq.; John Onions, Esq.; John Davenport, Esq.; and William Taylor, Esq. There are also a number of other freeholders. At the census in 1801, this parish had a population of 4,832 souls; 1831, 4,299; 1841, 4,829, and in 1851 there were 4,738 inhabitants, of whom 2,229 were males, and 2,509 females: at the latter period there were 1,005 inhabited houses, 43 uninhabited, and two building; rateable value of the parish, £7,891. 8s. 6d. The market held on a Wednesday is not very numerously attended. Fairs are held on the last Tuesday in April, and October 28th. The Market Hall is a brick structure, situated in High street, built about the year 1779. The Court Room, over the market hall, contains a fine oak chair beautifully carved, and dated 1626; in this room the petty sessions are held every six weeks. Here also was formerly held the court of requests, which had jurisdiction in eight of the neighbouring parishes; this, however, has been superseded by the new County Court Act.

The Church, dedicated to All Saints, is a free-stone structure, consisting of nave, chancel and side aisles, with a square tower in which are six bells; the nave is separated from the side aisles by five pointed arches on each side; over the side aisles and at the west end are galleries; upon the latter is placed an organ. The church was rebuilt in 1845, and in consequence of a grant of £400 from the Incorporated Society, 694 of the sittings are free and unappropriated for ever; there is now accommodation for 1,200 hearers; it is neatly fitted up with oak sittings, and the roof is of groined timber. The old church was a brick structure, with a low tower of free stone, and had sittings for 782 persons. The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £7. 18s. 6d., in the patronage of Lord Forester: incumbent, the Hon. and Rev. Orlando Watkin Weld Forester, M.A.; curate, Rev. Andrew Burn, B.A. The tithes are commuted for £453. The Baptists have small chapels in Duke street and on Harris’s Green. The Independents have a chapel in Duke street. The Wesleyan Methodists have a chapel at Duke street and one at Coalford. The Primitive Methodists have a chapel at Broseley Wood. The National School is held in a spacious room over the Market Hall, which measures sixty-one feet long and twenty-one feet broad. The average attendance of scholars at the present time is one hundred and ninety-five.

Jackfield is a populous hamlet, in the parish of Broseley, stretching along the banks of the Severn, and situated near a mile north of the parish church. Here the inhabitants are busily engaged in extensive works for the manufacture of bricks and tiles. At this place is also situated the Ivanhoe Pottery, an establishment conducted by Mr. George Proudman, where all kinds of earthenware are manufactured. The clay used in the manufacture is got from mines on the premises, and is found in regular layers above the coal and limestone; some of the mines extend to the depth of one hundred yards. The Church (or Chapel of Ease) at Jackfield is a handsome brick structure, with stone finishings, consisting of nave and chancel, with a square tower. It is situated on an eminence overlooking Ironbridge and a part of Coalbrook Dale. It is dedicated to St. Mary, and was built in 1759, by Francis Turner Blythe, Esq. The interior has a neat appearance, and on the south side there is a neat marble tablet to the memory of Alexander Brodie, Esq., ironmaster, of Calcutt, who died June 5th, 1830. Another neat tablet remembers the founder of the church, Francis T. Blythe, Esq., who died September 22nd, 1770, aged 61 years. There is also a tablet to Thomas Carter Phillips, Esq., who died in 1783. The National School is a commodious brick structure, erected in the year 1844. The school-room is used as a place of worship on Sunday and Wednesday evenings. The rector and curate of Broseley officiate alternately.

Not far from Jackfield formerly stood the ancient mansion of the Tuckies. About sixty years ago this house was repaired for Lord Dundonald, father of Lord Cochrane, who resided here a considerable time, making chemical experiments, among the principal of which was that of extracting tar from coals. For this purpose many kilns or ovens were erected on the banks of the Severn, and the process was conducted in the following manner:—“A range of stoves was supplied with coal kept burning at the bottom; the smoke was conveyed by horizontal tunnels into a capacious funnel built of brick, supported by arches, and covered on the top by a shallow pond of water. The smoke, condensed by the chill of the water, fell on the bottom of the funnel in the form of tar, and was conveyed by pipes into a receiver, whence it was pumped into a large boiler, and boiled to a proper consistence, or otherwise inspissated into pitch; the volatile parts which arose during this inspissation were again condensed into oil used for varnish.” Great quantities of this useful article were sent for the use of the navy, and much of it was used in japanning. Lord Dundonald expended large sums of money in these undertakings, which were unsuccessful as to profitable remuneration. On the site of these operations was afterwards erected the great iron foundry where so many cannon were cast by Mr. Brodie during the late war.

A most melancholy accident occurred near Broseley on October 23rd, 1799. The passage boat in crossing the Severn, which at this place is very rapid, was overturned. There were forty-one persons in the boat who were employed in the china works of Messrs. Rose and Co., of these thirteen only escaped, the remaining twenty-eight were all drowned. Tradition states that a large house in Broseley was formerly in possession of some Dutchmen, who had a mint for coining money secreted in cellars under the house. They lived in a very expensive style, and kept race horses. There is a curious fossil found here in the stratum of coal resembling a fish with the head and tail cut off. It is covered with scales, and measures about eight inches long. Its solidity is much greater than the substance in which it is infolded, and when broken appears like limestone; if thrown into the fire it explodes with considerable violence.

In the year 1711 a very remarkable inflammable spring was discovered at Broseley, of which the Rev. Mr. Mason, professor at Cambridge, gives the following account:—“The well for four or five feet deep is six or seven feet wide, within that is another hole of like depth, dug in clay; in the bottom whereof is placed a cylindric earthern vessel, of about four or five inches diameter at the mouth, having the bottom taken off, and the sides well fixed in, the clay rammed close about it. Within the pot is a brown water as thick as puddle continually forced up with a violent motion, beyond that of boiling water, and a rumbling hollow noise rising and falling by fits; but there was no appearance of any vapour arising, which perhaps might have been visible had not the sun shone so bright. Upon putting the candle down at the end of a stick, at a quarter of a yard distance, it took fire, darting and flashing after a very violent manner, for about half a yard high, much in the manner of spirits in a lamp, but with great agitation. It was said that a tea kettle had been made to boil in about nine minutes time, and that it had been left burning for forty-eight hours without any sensible diminution. It was extinguished by putting a wet mop upon it, which it was necessary to keep there for a considerable time, otherwise it would not go out. Upon the removal of the mop there arises a sulphurous smoke, lasting about a minute, and yet the water is cold to the touch. The cause of this inflammable property is most probably the mixture of the waters with petroleum, which is one of the most inflammable substances in nature, and has the property of burning on the surface of water.” In the year 1755 this well entirely disappeared by the sinking of a coal pit in its neighbourhood.

Charities.—John Barrett, Esq., of the Madeiras, bequeathed the sum of £200 to the poor of Broseley. Frances Morgan left £50, the interest to be divided among twelve poor widows on Christmas-day annually. Richard Edwards, of Rowton, left £110 to be laid out in land, and the profits thereof to be distributed on Christmas-day and Easter-day, in equal proportions, among such poor widows of the parish as his heirs and the minister of the parish should judge proper objects of charity. Esther Hollyman left £20 to be added to the poor’s stock in 1730. It appears from entries in a modern parish book and from a memorandum in the handwriting of a late curate of the parish, that the several legacies above specified, amounting together to the sum of £380, were lent to the parish about the year 1777, and employed (with other monies borrowed and raised by subscriptions) in building a market house and shops, from the rents of which it was agreed that a sum not exceeding £18 should be annually distributed among the poor. By a more recent resolution, which purports to have been made at a parish meeting held on the 31st May, 1802, it was resolved—“That there should be paid to the poor, from the revenues of the market hall, in half yearly payments, the annual sum of £18 until the £3 above £15 should liquidate a debt which appeared due to the said poor of £43; and that then £15 per annum should be paid only as the permanent interest of £380 borrowed of the trustees of the said poor, and for the purpose of building the said market hall.” How the debt of £43 originated we are not able to state, the old parish books, which would probably have thrown some light upon the subject, having been lost. It appears to us, however, not improbable that this sum may be the remains of the poor’s stock arising from the benefactions which are recorded on the tables in the church, left by ten several donors, and amounting to £51. 10s. If the debt of £43, stated to be due from the parish to the poor, was part of the stock arising from the above benefactions, the resolution by which it was determined to distribute it by instalments among the poor seems to be at variance with the intentions of the respective donors, whose object clearly was the establishment of a fund that should continue permanently productive. It may be necessary to observe that although by the payment of £3 per annum, according to the terms of the resolution above mentioned, the debt of £43 would be wholly liquidated in the year 1816, yet the annual payment of £18 has been since continued without any abatement. This sum is distributed by the minister in equal moieties at Christmas and Easter, among the poor inhabitants of Broseley, in sums proportioned to their necessities.

William Lewis, by indenture, dated January 2nd, 1740, granted a yearly rent charge of 20s., issuing out of a messuage and two acres of land, situate near the church, in Broseley, with the penalty of 6s. for every day that the payment should be in arrear, and directed the same to be distributed among twenty poor widows. It further appears from the benefaction table that Andrew Langley, of the Woodhouse, left 12s. yearly to be distributed by the minister and churchwardens on St. Andrew’s-day yearly, and to be paid for ever by the owner of the Woodhouse estate.

Mary Cotton, who died in 1838, bequeathed to the minister and churchwardens for the time being of this parish the sum of £300, three per cent consolidated bank annuities, upon trust, to receive the interest and divide it among forty poor widows of this parish on the 29th of December, yearly. Fanny Pritchard left £100 in trust to the same parties, to be invested in government securities, and directed the interest to be divided among ten poor widows on St. Thomas’s day.

At a place called the Birches, between Buildwas and Ironbridge, and not far from Broseley, an extraordinary phenomenon occurred in May, 1775, of which the following account has been given by the Rev. John Fletcher, of Madeley. “When I went to the spot,” says Mr. Fletcher, “the first thing that struck me was the destruction of the little bridge that separated the parish of Madeley from that of Buildwas, and the total disappearing of the turnpike road to Buildwas bridge, instead of which nothing presented itself to my view but a confused heap of bushes, and huge clods of earth tumbled one over another. The river also wore a different aspect; it was shallow, turbid, noisy, boisterous, and came down from a different point. Whether I considered the water or the land the scene appeared to me entirely new, and as I could not fancy myself in another part of the country, I concluded that the God of nature had shaken his providential iron rod over the subverted spot before me. Following the track made by a great number of spectators, who came already from the neighbouring parishes, I climbed over the ruins and came to a field well grown with rye-grass, where the ground was greatly cracked in several places, and where large turfs, some entirely, others half turned up exhibited the appearance of straight or crooked furrows, imperfectly formed by a plough drawn at a venture. Getting from that field over the hedge, into a part of the road which was yet visible, I found it raised in one place, sunk in another, concave in a third, hanging on one side in a fourth, and contracted as if some uncommon force had pressed the two hedges together. But the higher part of it surprised me most, and brought directly to my remembrance those places of mount Vesuvius where the solid stony lava has been strongly worked by repeated earthquakes, for the hard beaten gravel that formed the surface of the road was broken every way into huge masses, partly detached from each other, with deep apertures between them exactly like the shattered lava. This striking likeness of circumstances made me conclude that the similar effect might proceed from the same cause, namely, a strong convulsion on the surface if not in the bowels of the earth. Going a little farther towards Buildwas I found that the road was again totally lost for a considerable space, having been overturned, absorbed, or tumbled with the hedges that bounded it to a considerable distance towards the river; this part of the desolation appeared then to me inexpressibly dreadful. Between a shattered field and the river there was that morning a bank on which besides a great deal of underwood grew twenty fine large oaks, this wood shot with such violence into the Severn before it that it forced the water in great columns a considerable height like mighty fountains, and gave the overflowing river a retrograde motion. This is not the only accident that happened to the Severn; for near the Grove, the channel which was chiefly of a soft blue rock burst in ten thousand pieces, and rose perpendicularly about ten yards, heaving up the immense quantity of water and the shoals of fishes that were therein. Among the rubbish at the bottom of the river, which was very deep in that place, there were one or two huge stones and a large piece of timber, or an oak tree, which from time immemorial had lain partly buried in the mud I suppose in consequence of some flood; the stones and tree were thrown up as if they had been only a pebble and a stick, and are now at some distance from the river, many feet higher than the surface of it. Ascending from the ruins of the road I came to those of a barn, which after travelling many yards towards the river had been absorbed in a chasm where the shattered roof was yet visible. Next to those remains of the barn, and partly parallel with the river, was a long edge which had been torn from a part of it yet adjoining to the garden hedge, and had been removed above forty yards downward together with some large trees that were in it and the land that it enclosed. The tossing, tearing, and shifting of so many acres of land below, was attended with the formation of stupendous chasms above. At some distance above, near the wood which crowns the desolated spot, another chasm, or rather a complication of chasms excited my admiration; it is an assemblage of chasms, one of which that seems to terminate the desolation to the north-east, runs some hundred yards towards the river and Madeley wood; it looked like the deep channel of some great serpentine river dried up, whose little islands, fords, and hollows appear without a watery veil. This long chasm at the top seems to be made up of two or three that run into each other, and their conjunction when it is viewed from a particular point exhibits the appearance of a ruined fortress whose ramparts have been blown up by mines that have done dreadful execution, and yet have spared here and there a pyramid of earth, or a shattered tower by which the spectators can judge of the nature and solidity of the demolished bulwark. Fortunately there was on the devoted spot but one house, inhabited by two poor countrymen and their families; it stands yet, though it has removed about a yard from its former situation. The morning in which the desolation happened, Samuel Wilcocks, one of those countrymen, got up about four o’clock, and opening the window to see if the weather was fair he took notice of a small crack in the earth about four or five inches wide, and observed the above mentioned field of corn heaving up and rolling about like the waves of the sea; the trees by the motion of the ground waved also, as if they had been blown with the wind, though the air was calm and serene; the river Severn, which for some days had overflowed its banks, was also very much agitated and seemed to turn back to its source. The man being astonished at such a sight, rubbed his eyes, supposing himself not quite awake, and being soon convinced that destruction stalked about, he alarmed his wife, and taking children in their arms they went out of the house as fast as they could, accompanied by the other man and his wife. A kind Providence directed their flight, for instead of running eastward across the fields that were just going to be overthrown, they fled westward into a wood that had little share in the destruction. When they were about twenty yards from the house they perceived a great crack run very quick up the ground from the river; immediately the land behind them with the trees and hedges moved towards the Severn with great swiftness and an uncommon noise, which Samuel Wilcocks compared to a large flock of sheep running swiftly by him. It was then chiefly that desolation expanded her wings over the devoted spot and the Birches saw a momentary representation of a partial chaos! then nature seemed to have forgotten her laws: trees commenced itinerant!—those that were at a distance from the river advanced towards it, while the submerged oak broke out of its watery confinements and by rising many feet recovered a place on dry land; the solid road was swept away as its dust had been on a stormy day;—then probably the rocky bottom of the Severn emerged, pushing towards heaven astonished shoals of fishes and hogsheads of water innumerable;—the wood like an embattled body of vegetable combatants stormed the bed of the overflowing river, and triumphantly waved its green colours over its recoiling flood;—fields became moveable,—nay, they fled when none pursued, and as they fled they rent the green carpets that covered them in a thousand pieces;—in a word, dry land exhibited the dreadful appearance of a sea-storm. Solid earth as if it had acquired the fluidity of water tossed itself into massy waves, which rose or sunk at the beck of him who raised the tempest; and what is most astonishing, the stupendous hollow of one of those waves ran for nearly a quarter of a mile through rooks and a stony soil with as much ease as if dry earth, stones, and rocks had been a part of the liquid element. Soon after the river was stopt, Samuel Cookson, a farmer who lives a quarter of a mile below the Birches, on the same side of the river, was much terrified by a dust of wind that beat against his windows as if shot had been thrown against it, but his fright greatly increased when getting up to see if the flood that was over his ground had abated he perceived that all the water was from his fields, and that scarce any remained in the Severn. He called up his family, ran to the river, and finding that it was dammed up, he made the best of his way to alarm the inhabitants of Buildwas, the next village above, which he supposed would soon be under water. He was happily mistaken, providence just prepared a way for their escape; the Severn, notwithstanding a considerable flood which at that time rendered it doubly rapid and powerful, having met with two dreadful shocks, the one from her rising bed and the other from the intruding wood, could do nothing but foam and turn back with impetuosity. The ascending and descending streams conflicted about Buildwas bridge; the river sensibly rose for some miles back, and continued rising till just as it was near entering into the houses at Buildwas it got a vent through the fields on the right, and after spreading far and near over them collected all its might to assault its powerful aggressor, I mean the grove, that had so unexpectedly turned it out of the bed which it had enjoyed for countless ages. Sharp was the attack, but the resistance was yet more vigorous, and the Severn repelled again and again was obliged to seek its old empty bed, by going the shortest way to the right, and the moment it found it again it precipitated therein with a dreadful roar, and for a time formed a considerable cataract with inconceivable fury, as if it wanted to be revenged on the first thing that came in its way, began to tear and wash away a fine rich meadow opposite to the grove, and there in a few hours worked itself a new channel about three hundred yards long, through which a barge from Shrewsbury ventured three or four day after, all wonder at the strangement of the overthrow. Some ascribe it to an earthquake, others to a slip of the ground, and not a few remain neuter, confessing that providence has conducted this phenomenon in such a manner as to confound the wisdom of the wise, and force even philosophers to adore in silence the God of nature whose ways are past finding out, who giveth not always account of his matters, and who perhaps strikes an ambiguous blow to convince us that the how of his vengeance has more than one string, and that, to say nothing of the other elements, our mother earth may afford us an untimely grave, either by the slipping of her back or the convulsion of her bowels. My employment and taste leading me more to search out the mysteries of heaven than to scrutinize the phenomena of the earth, and to point at the wonders of grace than those of nature; I leave the decision of the question about the slip and the earthquake to some abler philosopher.”

Post Office—At Mr. Jeremiah Ashwood’s. Letters arrive at 8 A.M., and are despatched 5.35 P.M.

Marked 1 are in Cape or King street; 2 Church street; 3 High street; 4 Queen street; 5 Barratt’s hill; 6 Broseley Wood; 7 Jackfield and neighbourhood; 8 Barber’s row; and 9 Duke street.

2 Amphlet Susannah, vict., The Dog

3 Ashwood Jeremiah, corn miller, maltster, and postmaster

3 Bartlam Edward Glover, Esq., surgeon, and coroner for borough of Wenlock

5 Bathurst Henry Martyn, schoolmaster (national)

5 Baker Mrs. Frances

3 Baker The Misses, drapers and mercers

2 Baugh George, Esq.

2 Bayliss Miss Helen, ladies’ boarding school

7 Beard Thomas, victualler, Werps Inn

3 Beddoes John, shoemaker

6 Beddow Thomas, grocer

6 Bill Jeremiah, butcher, shopkeeper and beerhouse

3 Birch Thomas, coalmaster

7 Boden Susannah, shopkpr.

3 Booth Henry, farmer and butcher

6 Bradley Richard, tobacco pipe maker

3 Bourne Wm., blacksmith and beerhouse-keeper

2 Boycott Richard, baker and confectioner

2 Broadhurst Thos., timber merchant & wheelwright

2 Brodie Mrs.

7 Brown Edwd., blacksmith, and vict., Summer House

3 Burnet Henry, hosier and haberdasher

3 Burnet Isaac, boot and shoemaker

3 Burnet John, grocer and dealer in hops

7 Burn Rev. Andrew, B.A., curate, Rock House

7 Burton Edward, brick and tile manufr. & barge owner

7 Burroughs John, rope manufacturer

3 Cartwright Chas., butcher

6 Cartwright James, butcher

3 Charlton Humphrey, wine and spirit and hop and seed merchant

4 Colley Bernard Wilkinson, maltster

8 Collins Thos., locksmith

2 Cooke Joseph, victualler, Old Crown

3 Corfield Thomas, butcher

3 Cowley Jas., grocer, ironmonger, and seedsman

3 Cox Robert, saddler

3 Crowder Leonard, painter, plumber, and glazier

3 Crump William, butcher

7 Crumpton William, ferryman and barge owner

7 Cullis William, victualler, Tumbling Sailors

7 Davies Ann, brick and tile maker

7 Davies James, sen., brick and tile maker, The Rock

7 Davies James, jun., brick and tile maker, The Rock

3 Davies John, farmer

6 Davies Samuel, butcher and maltster

7 Davies Thos., shopkeeper, and brick and tile maker

Davies Thomas, tailor, The Delph

6 Dean James, thatcher and beerhouse-keeper

1 Davies Thomas, victualler, Duke of Cumberland

7 Dillon Joseph, bargeowner, Salt house

7 Dodd Andrew, bargeowner, Salt-house

7 Doughty Geo., bargeowner, Salthouse

7 Doughty Robert, bargeowner, Salthouse

7 Doughty Theophilus, brick & tile maker, Lloyd Head

6 Easthope Mrs. Ann

2 Edwards Ann, victualler, Foresters’ Arms

3 Evans Edwin R. auctioneer, accountant, house & estate agent, valuer & appraiser, agent to the Sun Fire office, and superintendent registrar

3 Evans Mrs. Maria, draper and mercer

9 Evans Richard, registrar of births and deaths

6 Evans John, shopkeeper and poulterer

Evans Robert, Esq., J.P., The Dunge

8 Evans Susan, confectioner

3 Evans Thos., confectioner

8 Everall Robert, butcher and vict., The Plough

1 Everall Thomas, baker and grocer

3 Fawkes Arthur, victualler, Cape of Good Hope

8 Fenton John, brazier and tinman

2 Forester The Honourable and Rev. Orlando Watkin Weld, M.A., The Rectory

5 Firfield Mrs.

5 Francis Robert, tailor

8 Glover Edwd., hairdresser

6 Gough Mrs. Martha

2 Griffiths Edward, shopkeeper, Salt-house

2 Griffiths John, timber merchant and wheelwright

Griffiths Miss, milliner

3 Gwynn Geo., basket-maker

5 Gwynn Martha, basket-maker

7 Harris Richard, tailor, Salt-house

3 Hartshorne Edward, boot and shoemaker

2 Hartshone Frederick H., Esq., surgeon

3 Hartshorne George, auctioneer, appraiser, cabinet-maker, builder, and upholsterer

1 Harvey John, grocer, draper, accountant, agent to the Birmingham fire office, and medical, clerical, and general life office

9 Hayman John, glass dealer and victualler, The Fox

1 Holmes Wm., coalmaster

8 Hill Benjamin, joiner and builder

5 Hill Hiram, grocer and coal master

8 Hiskett Thomas, tin-plate worker

7 Holt Thomas, victualler, Woodbridge Inn

3 Humphries John, grocer, chandler, and hop dealer

2 Instone Samuel, grocer

2 Jones Adam, surveyor and victualler, The Pheasant Commercial Inn

Jackson Rev. Wm. (Baptist), Broseley Cottage

8 Johnson John, tailor and habit maker

7 Jones Isaac, blacksmith

7 Jones John, vict., Duke of Wellington, The Werps

6 Jones Samuel, baker

3 Jones Stephen, tailor and habit maker

Jones Rev. Wm. (Baptist), Chapel Hill

3 Jones Richard, painter, plumber, glazier, & paper hanger

7 Jones Thos., fishmonger, and beerhouse-keeper, The Rock

2 Knight Henry, Esq., professor of music

3 Leadbetter Enoch, agent to Crown Life Assurance office

9 Legge Mrs. Margaret

3 Lister Edward, victualler, The Elephant

6 Lister Thomas, Esq.

7 Lloyd Henry, waterman and vict., The Oak

6 Lloyd William, beerhouse-keeper

3 Mason James, shoemaker, and licensed to let post-horses

7 Mapp Thomas, cement manufacturer

6 Mason Henry, hatter and marine-store dealer

6 Mason John, grocer and tea dealer

7 Miles Francis, shopkeeper, Salt-house

3 Miles Thomas, victualler, The Albion

3 Molineux Thomas, boot and shoemaker

6 Morris John Cox, Esq.

Morgan Mrs., Rock House

Mortimer Mrs. Favell Lee, Broseley Hall

3 Nevitt Enoch, stationer

3 Nevitt Samuel, shopkeeper

Nicholas William, Esq., Field House

3 Oakley Jesse, druggist and grocer

3 Oare Charles, Esq.

2 Onions John, Esq., iron-founder, and brick & tile maker, White Hall

7 Oswell George, beerhouse-keeper and ferryman

Page Thomas, maltster

7 Parker Benj., bargeowner & vict., Lloyd’s Head Inn

7 Parker Charles, victualler, Black Swan

3 Parsons Wm., blacksmith

3 Perrin William, draper, mercer, and hatter

9 Peters Moses and Richard, nail makers & ironmongers

3 Potts Geo., Esq., solicitor, clerk to borough of Wenlock & to Madeley County Court, The Green

3 Potts & Nicholls, solicitors

2 Pountney Edwin, baker

3 Pountney Samuel, grocer

9 Pountney Samuel, tailor

6 Powell Richd., shopkeeper

7 Price Robert, mine agent, Calcott

3 Pritchard’s Boycott and Nicholas, bankers; draw on Barnett, Hoares, and Company, London

2 Pritchard George, Esq.

3 Pritchard John, Esq.

2 Pritchard Miss

7 Proudman Geo., earthenware manufacturer, Ivanhoe Pottery

3 Pugh Helen, milliner and dressmaker

3 Pugh Thos., china painter

5 Raspass Elizbeth, shopkpr.

7 Reynolds John, bargeowner

3 Rhodes Charles, vict., The Lion Commercial Inn

7 Richards Geo., beerhouse, The Salt-house

7 Richards Robert, victualler, Severn Trow

3 Richards Thomas, saddler

7 Robinson Jas., blacksmith

7 Roden Samuel, brick and tile manufacturer; house, Ironbridge

7 Roden Thomas, joiner, Salt-house

6 Rowe Chas., wheelwright

6 Rufus Hannah, victualler, King’s Head

2 Rushton Henry, joiner and builder

3 Rushton Richard, grocer

2 Shaw William P., agent to legal and general life assurance office, and to Salop fire office

6 Smith Moses, hosier

4 Salmon John, hosier

6 Southorn Ann, beerhouse

6 Southorn Joseph, tobacco-pipe manufacturer

6 Southorn Wm. & Co., tobacco-pipe manufacturers

4 Speak Thos., shopkeeper

5 Squires Richard, builder

2 Stable Mrs. Mary, The Deanery

2 Stables Miss Jane, The Deanery

3 Stephan Caroline, milliner and dressmaker

4 Taylor William, butcher

7 Taylor William, coal and brick master, The Tuckies

2 Thorn John, Esq., White Hall

4 Thursfield Richard, Esq., surgeon, and high bailiff to Madeley County Court

5 Tonkiss Richard, tobacco-pipe maker

5 Trupp Thomas, inland revenue officer

7 Transom Jas., bargeowner

9 Watkin Richd., shoemaker

Watkins Wm., victualler, Duke of York

6 Weaver Mary, shopkeeper

9 Weeks John, shoemaker

6 Weeks Thos., shoemaker

9 Weeks Richard, boot and shoemaker, & beerhouse

8 Willings Benjamin, boot and shoemaker

9 Westover John, attorney’s clerk

7 Wiggins John, schoolmaster (national)

7 Wild John, bargeowner

2 Wilkinson John, blacksmith

5 Wilkinson Mrs. Lucia

3 Williams Ann, shopkeeper and poulterer

7 Williams Edward, shopkeeper, and brick and tile maker, The Werps

7 Williams Edwd., jun., vict., Dog & Duck, Lloyd Head

7 Williams Mr. Silvanus, Salt-house

9 Whooton Herbert, butcher and farmer

Wyke Richard, surgeon, Salt-house

5 Yates Elizabeth, victualler, The Crown

7 Yates Robt., vict., Ash Tree

HUGHLEY

is a parish and village delightfully situated in a lovely vale four and a half miles S.W. from Much Wenlock; the Wenlock Edge bounds the parish on the eastern side, and on the west is a small mountain stream. The parish contains 1,111a. 3r. 38p. of land, the soil of which for the most part is of an inferior description, but produces tolerable crops of oats, and wheat is also grown. Rateable value £817. The land in this parish is the property of the Earl of Bradford, except about three roods and a small cottage. A bridge has recently been built over the stream here, which is a great advantage and convenience to the inhabitants, as the waters occasionally rush with great impetuosity from the hilly district, and render the fording of the stream dangerous. The bridge was built by subscriptions, under the superintendence and aid of the late rector. In former times the extensive woods with which Hughley was surrounded were long the retreat of robbers; a commission was issued in the reign of Richard II. to inquire into the best means of securing the banditti, and protecting travellers from their lawless depredations.

The Church, a small but interesting specimen of the gothic style of architecture, is dedicated to St. John the Baptist; it is very ancient, and consists of nave and chancel, the latter divided from the nave by a beautifully rood loft elaborately carved; on the roof also is some beautifully carved work. A recess in the wall containing a number of human bones is conjectured to have been a shrine; the bones are probably the remains of some reputed saint, and were formerly secured by a door, but this has long been destroyed. There is a piscina on a pedestal, whereon in former times would very probably stand the patron saint of the church. The living is a rectory valued in the King’s book at £4. 11s. 3d., now returned at £160, in the patronage of the Earl of Bradford, and enjoyed by the Rev. John Wakefield, M.A. The parish of Hughley, at the census of 1801, contained 83 inhabitants; 1831, 115; and in 1841 there were twenty houses and 127 souls. Job Littleford, in 1772, gave to the parish of Hughley 6s. yearly to maintain a poor child at school; 4s. to be distributed among the poor by the rector; and 2s. 6d. to the parish clerk yearly. The premises charged with this payment are situate at Holt Praed, and are the property of Mrs. Thursby.

Directory.—Richard Bullock, blacksmith; Edward Corfield, miller; Elizabeth Owen, farmer; Thomas Madeley, farmer; Rev. John Wakefield, M.A., rector; Andrew Walker, farmer, Upper Hill farm; Richard Walleter, farmer, Lower Hill farm.

LINLEY

is a small parish in the Wenlock franchise, situated about three and a half miles south-east from Much Wenlock. The parish comprises 636 acres of land, the principal owners of which are Lord Forester and John Stephens, Esq. At the census in 1801 there were 108 inhabitants; 1831, 111; and in 1851, 105; of whom 42 were males, and 63 females. At the same period there were 19 inhabited houses, and one uninhabited. Gross estimated rental of the parish, £809. 2s. Rateable value, £729. 18s. Lord Forester is lord of the manor and impropriator. The Church, a plain, unpresuming structure, has the appearance of great antiquity: the windows are small and square headed, and there is a short tower. The church is situated in a field, and near it stands a venerable yew tree, but there is no inclosed burial ground. The living is a rectory, annexed to that of Broseley. The Hon. and Rev. Orlando Forester is the incumbent. Divine service is only performed once a month. Linley Hall was formerly the seat of the ancient family of Lacon, who possessed the greater part of the parish. It is a plain brick structure, now occupied by Miss Martha Onions.

Directory.—George Carpenter, vict., Duke of Wellington Inn; Robert Harrison, farmer; Joseph Langmore, wheelwright and blacksmith; Ann Newton, vict., Britannia Inn; Miss Martha Onions, Linley Hall; Edward Owen, proprietor of Owen’s pills and drops, Linley Villa; Josiah Wellings, bailiff to Mr. Hembry.

LITTLE WENLOCK

is a parish and small rural village, styled in ancient records “Wenlock under the Wrekin,” and is situated three miles south from Wellington, thee miles north-west from Ironbridge, five miles N.N.E. from Much Wenlock, and eleven miles south-east from Shrewsbury. The village is pleasantly situated on a bold acclivity, near the eastern side of the Wrekin, commanding some fine views over a picturesque and delightful district. The Wrekin stands partly in this parish, and also extends into the parishes of Wellington, Wroxeter, and Uppington. The Willow Moor or Wrekin farm is situated in a sequestered vale near to the Wrekin. This valley is supposed to have been the scene of a battle at some remote period. As a labourer was cutting a drain in the year 1835, about a hundred yards from the turnpike from Little Wenlock to Wellington, he suddenly came upon a heap of broken spears, which had been thrown together, and which it is stated numbered between two and three hundred. In the immediate vicinity are five barrows, which were opened about sixteen years ago, but nothing was discovered in them. The parish comprises 2,460 acres of land, the soil of which is a mixture of clay and gravel, producing tolerable crops of wheat, barley, and turnips. The minerals are ironstone, coal, and limestone, but none of these valuable minerals are got except on the northern verge of the parish, probably in consequence of their abundance in the adjacent parishes, where extensive iron works and collieries have long been established. Lord Forester is the owner of the land, and lord of the manor. At the census in 1801 the parish contained a population of 980 souls; 1831, 1,057; and in 1841 there were 202 houses, and 1,091 inhabitants, of whom 578 were males, and 513 females; in 1851 there were 1,034 inhabitants, and 199 houses. Gross estimated rental of the parish, £3,760. 10s. Rateable value, £4,351. 8s.

The Church is a very ancient structure, dedicated to St. Lawrence. The body of the church appears of older date than the tower, which was built in 1667. The fabric was enlarged in 1822 by adding a south transept of brick; the rest of the structure is of free stone. The tower contains five bells. The pulpit is of carved oak, very ancient. There is accommodation for upwards of 600 persons: 520 of the seats are free and unappropriated. A neat marble font is placed at the west end. The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £11. 13s. 4d., in the patronage of Lord Forester: incumbent, Rev. George Edmonds, M.A. The tithes have been commuted for £584. 3s. 4d., and there are nine acres of glebe land. The parish register dates from the year 1689. In the church-yard are several venerable yew trees. The Rectory is a commodious brick residence, a short distance from the church, from which are seen some pleasing and picturesque views of the country. The house stands 600 feet above the level of the Severn, whose silvery waters flow in the vale beneath. Wenlock Hall is now divided into cottage tenements. Huntington is a hamlet about a mile north from the church. Coalmoor a hamlet a mile south from the church.

Charities.—Maurice Haywood, who died in 1760, bequeathed the sum of £10, the interest thereof to be distributed in bread to the poor of the parish on St. Thomas’s day, yearly. This legacy was paid to the churchwarden, and the parish has ever since made a distribution of bread to the amount of the interest at five per cent. Mrs. Alice Green gave an annuity of 11s. 6d. to the poor of this parish, payable out of an estate called the Dairy House Farm, at Brierley, in the parish of Sedgley, in Staffordshire, of which 10s. was to be given to the poor, and 1s. 6d. to the person who fetched it for his trouble. The estate on which this annuity is charged is the property of Mrs. Foley. Much irregularity has taken place in the payment of this little annuity, in consequence apparently of the distance from which it was to be procured.

Mrs. Mary Tipton, in the year 1844, bequeathed £50, and directed so much of the interest as should be necessary to be applied in painting and keeping in repair her monument in the church-yard, and the residue to be annually distributed among the poor. Mrs. Hannah Shepherd bequeathed the sum of £100, the interest to be applied in the purchase of suitable clothing for the benefit of the poor.

Marked 1 are at Coalmoor, 2 Huntingdon, and the rest in Little Wenlock or where specified.

Boore Edward, maltster

Boore George, grocer

Boore John, farmer

1 Boycott Richard, charter master

1 Boycott William, draper, grocer and farmer

Chant Thomas, shoemaker

Davis Richard, farmer

Davis Thomas, farmer and maltster

2 Dawes Benjamin, maltster

Edmonds Rev. George, A.M. rector, The Rectory

Edmonds William, Esq.

1 Garbitt Wm., vict., Peacock

Harper Daniel, farmer, Wrekin farm

Harris Edwin, vict., Spread Eagle

Hulse John, beerhouse keeper

2 Jervis Francis, farmer, maltster, and collector of taxes

Jones Martha, beerhouse keeper

1 Milner William, farmer and maltster

1 Maun James, vict., Labour in Vain

Poole Mrs. Charlotte

Poole Henry, blacksmith and shopkeeper

1 Ralphs John, sawyer and beerhouse

1 Shepherd, Richard, farmer

Steele William, farmer and vict., Five Bells

Walker Edward, farmer, Willow Moor

Wellings, Walter, farmer

Williams Mrs. Emma

Wilson John, farmer

2 Yates Catherine, farmer

MADELEY

is a considerable parish and market town in the Wenlock Franchise, four and a half miles S.W. from Shiffnal, nine miles N.N. by W. from Bridgnorth, and fifteen miles S.E. from Shrewsbury. This parish is celebrated for its valuable mines of coal and ironstone, its extensive and flourishing ironworks, the Coalport china manufactory, and the manufacture of superior bricks. The parish comprises 2,810 acres of land; at the census of 1801 there were 4,758 inhabitants; 1831, 5,822; 1841, 7367; and in 1851, 8,524; of whom 4,163 were males and 4,361 females; at the latter period there were 1,711 inhabited houses, 47 uninhabited, and four houses building. Rateable value, £19,900. The principal landowners are Joseph Reynolds, Esq., James Foster, Esq., Abraham Darby, Esq., Rev. John Bartlet, Francis and John Yates, Esqrs., and the representatives of the late Francis Darby, Esq. Joseph Reynolds, Esq., is lord of the manor. The town of Madeley so far as regards that portion in the vicinity of the church is irregularly built, and consists chiefly of detached ranges of cottages rather than streets; in the immediate vicinity are a number of handsome villa residences and neat cottages. The Prior and convent of Wenlock in the 53rd of Henry III. had the grant of a market on Tuesday, to be held at Madeley, and a fair on the eve, the day, and the morrow of St. Matthew the apostle and evangelist. This market subsequently became obsolete, but was revived in 1763, when a new market house was built in the Dale at Ironbridge; here a flourishing market is held on Friday, and fairs are held on January 26th, May 29th. and October 12th. The extensive establishment of Abraham Darby and Company, ironmasters, and the porcelain manufactory of Messrs. Rose and Co., give employment to a great number of the labouring population. The Madeley Wood Company’s iron works employ about eight hundred operatives, and in the establishment of James Foster and Company are employed upwards of five hundred hands, chiefly in making pig iron. A house and barn not far from the church at Madeley, afforded shelter to the unfortunate Charles II., after his defeat at the battle of Worcester. Madeley Court House, an antique old mansion in the Elizabethan style of architecture, was formerly the residence of Sir Basil Brooke, fourth in descent from Sir Basil Brooke, a zealous royalist in the time of Charles I. It is now the residence of Mr. George Jones; in the grounds is a curious old sun-dial. The Madeley County Court, for the recovery of debts, embraces the following parishes and places, viz.: Albrighton, Badger, Barrow, Beckbury, Benthall, Blymhill, Bonninghall, Broseley, Buildwas, Dawley, Donnington, Kemberton, Linley, Little Wenlock, Madeley, Much Wenlock, Patshull, Posenhall, Ryton, Sheriff Hales, Shiffnal, Stirchley, Stockton, Sutton Maddock, Tong, Weston-under-Lizard, and Willey. Judge, Uvedule Corbet, Esq.: Clerk, George Potts, Esq.: Assistant Clerk, Mr. William Bailey: High Bailiff, Mr. Richard Thursfield.

The Madeley Poor Law Union comprehends twelve parishes, embracing an area of forty-three square miles, with a population returned at the census of 1831 of 22,164 souls: in 1841 the inhabitants had increased to 26,172, and at the last census in 1851 there were 27,626 inhabitants, of whom 13,668 were males and 13,958 females. The Union House is a plain brick structure which will accommodate 140 inmates; the average number of paupers is about 70. The parishes embraced within the Union are Madeley, Little Wenlock, Buildwas, Dawley, Stirchley, Broseley, Benthall, Posenhall, Barrow, Linley, Willey, and Much Wenlock. Clerk to Guardians, William Reynolds Anstice, Esq.: Superintendent Registrar; Mr. Edwin R. Evans: Chaplain, Rev. James H. Gwyther: Governor, William Wildblood.

The Church is a handsome and spacious octagonal structure, with a finely-proportioned square tower in which is a peal of bells. This fabric was built in 1795, and subsequently enlarged; it is partly fitted up and provided with commodious galleries, having accommodation for upwards of a thousand worshippers; the organ is a handsome fine-toned instrument. The old church which was taken down on the erection of the present building exhibited the Norman style of architecture; a chantry was erected in the ancient structure and dedicated to the Virgin Mary, in the 11th of Richard II. Several of the ancient monuments were removed from the old church when it was taken down and are now placed in the new one. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king’s book at £4. 17s. 10d., now returned at £305; incumbent, Rev. James H. Gwyther, who is also chaplain to the Madeley Union, and the Right Hon. Lord Milford. The tithes have been commuted, and £226 apportioned to the vicar, and £115. 10s. to Sir Joseph Hawley, Bart., the impropriator. The vicarage, situated near the church, is a good residence mantled with ivy, and is an object of attraction to strangers, as being the residence of the celebrated pious Fletcher, formerly vicar of Madeley, a short account of whose life will be found on the following page. The Catholic Chapel, a neat structure, was built about the year 1760, and will hold 300 persons. The interior has a chaste appearance, and the altar is beautified with some fine workmanship. The Rev. William Molloy, the priest, resides in a house adjoining the chapel. The Wesleyan Methodists have a neat chapel built in 1841, capable of holding about 600 hearers. The National School is a handsome structure of brick with stone finishings, built in the year 1845, exhibiting the Elizabethan style of architecture. The cost of the building was £859. 1s. 4d., towards which the sum of £629. 1s. 4d. was raised by local subscriptions, and a grant of £230 was obtained from the Committee of Council on Education. One hundred and thirty boys and one hundred and twenty-five girls attend the school; it is conducted by Mr. and Mrs. Johnson and three pupil teachers.

Ironbridge, a populous and interesting portion of the parish of Madeley, takes its name from an iron bridge which has been erected across the Severn at this place. Here are many handsome residences, good inns, and shops in all the different branches of the retail trade. A flourishing market is held on Friday. A market hall has been built, gas introduced, and the whole has a thriving and prosperous appearance, and may be considered the focus of commercial pursuits in the parish. The iron bridge which spans the Severn is a magnificent structure, and was cast at the Coalbrook Dale Works, in 1799. The span of the arch is one hundred feet six inches, height forty feet, and the road way twenty four feet broad. It was the first iron bridge erected in England. The total weight of the iron in the bridge is three hundred and seventy-eight tons, and the whole was erected in the space of three months. The abutments of the bridge are of stone, covered with plates of iron, with mortices, in which stand two upright pillars of the same. Against the foot of the inner pillar, the bottom of the main rib bears on the base plate. This rib consists of two pieces connected by a dove-tail point, in an iron key, and secured by screws. The cross stays, braces circle in the spandrils, and the brackets connect the larger pieces, so as to keep the bridge perfectly steady; while a diagonal and cross stays, and top plates, connect the pillars and ribs together in opposite directions. The bridge is covered with iron top plates, projecting over the ribs on each side, and on this projection stands the balustrade of cast iron. The bridge being private property a small charge is made to pass over. Large quantities of iron, all kinds of castings, coal, and lime are shipped at the wharf to distant parts of the country. Near to the Lodge Farm are several beds of fine sand, which is much used by the Coalbrook Dale Company in their beautiful castings.

The Church, a handsome structure of brick, dedicated to St. Luke, is situated on elevated ground, and approached by a flight of steps one hundred and nineteen in number. It was built in the year 1836, and consists of nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a tower, in which is one bell. The east window is richly beautified with stained glass, and has full length figures of St. Peter, St. James, and St. John, executed by the celebrated Evans, of Shrewsbury. The church is provided with galleries, and has a small organ. There are a thousand and sixty-two sittings, of which six hundred and sixty-two are free and unappropriated. The living is a perpetual curacy in the gift of the vicar of Madeley. Incumbent, Rev. John Andrew Jetter. The Wesleyan Methodists have a chapel at Madeley Wood, built in the year 1837, which will hold about seven hundred persons. They have also a place of worship near to the wharf, and a spacious Sunday school at Madeley Wood, where four hundred children are instructed. The Wesleyan New Connection have a chapel situated at Foxholes. The Dispensary and Savings’ Bank are at Mrs. Rogers’s, Bridge-street; Mr. William Smith is the secretary of the latter. The Parochial School, situate on the Madeley road, is numerously attended, and there is a Ragged School situated in Milner’s-lane. The Mechanics’ Institution was established in the year 1840. The objects of the institution are to afford to mechanics and others opportunities of acquiring at their leisure hours the principles of science and the arts, and for the cultivation of literature. The Gas Works, situated near the Madeley Wood brick works, were established in 1839, and the streets in Ironbridge were first lighted with gas on November 5th, 1839; Mr. Charles W. Smith is the manager and secretary. An extraordinary phenomenon occurred at the Birches not far from the iron bridge in 1775, a particular account of which has been given with Broseley.

Coalbrook Dale, a winding glen two miles from Madeley, hemmed in by lofty hills and hanging woods, is celebrated for the most considerable iron works in England; the forges, mills, and steam engines, with all their vast machinery,—the flaming furnaces, and smoking chimneys, with handsome residences nestling under the cliffs of the hills, have altogether a most romantic and singular appearance, and perhaps in no part of the globe are features of so diversified and wonderful a character brought together within so limited a compass,—here art has triumphed over nature, and the barren wilderness has been converted into one of the most animating abodes of commerce, and being studded with residences of taste and elegance, it gives the whole a very interesting appearance. Coalbrook Dale is chiefly the property of the Darby family, who carry on the extensive iron works here and in the adjoining parish of Dawley, where they have been already noticed. The Coalbrook Dale Company is one of the largest establishments in England, justly celebrated for the superiority of their castings, and for the manufacture of every description of iron goods. The Friends’ Meeting House, a neat brick structure, was built in 1789, and has a small burial ground attached. It stands near the site of a former meeting house. The Wesleyan Chapel, a plain brick structure, was occasionally the scene of the labours of the eminent Fletcher, the vicar of Madeley. A spacious school room has been built at the expense of the Coalbrook Dale Company, where about eighty boys are instructed. It is chiefly supported by the liberality of the same company. The room above the school is used as an episcopal place of worship, and here the curate of Madeley usually officiates twice on the Sabbath. A commodious school for girls has been built near the works, which is supported by Mrs. Abraham Darby; here about one hundred girls and an equal number of infants are now receiving instruction. Sunny-side House, a good brick residence on the heights above the dale, was unoccupied when our agent visited Coalbrook Dale. The residences of Abraham Darby, Esq., Richard Darby, Esq., and the Mrs. Darby, are handsome mansions, situated near the works in the dale. East Field is a good residence at the bottom of the dale, the seat of Barnard Dickinson, Esq., near to which is Severn House, the residence of Henry Dickinson, Esq., besides which there are several other handsome residences.

Coalport, celebrated for its rich and extensive china works, is situated about two miles from Ironbridge. The eminent firm of Rose and Company has been established here upwards of half a century; and the articles produced at this manufactory, for superior taste and elegant workmanship, are nowhere excelled. The establishment is known as the Coalbrook Dale China Manufactory, and is the most extensive in the kingdom. The firm employs 537 operatives.

Charities.—By an Indenture dated 29th May, 1706, we find that Basil Brook, by his will bequeathed to the poor of the parish of Madeley the sum of £40, which the churchwardens and parishioners desired might be laid out in the purchase of lands and tenements for the use of the poor of the parish. It was witnessed that Comerford Brook, in consideration of the said £40, and also of a further sum of £30 paid to him by Audley Bowdler and eight others, parties to the said indenture, granted to Audley Bowdler and others three cottages with gardens thereto, on trust, to employ the rents and profits thereof for the use of the poor. By another indenture, dated 26th December, 1713, William Johnson, in consideration of £30, conveyed a tenement in Madeley Wood to the trustees mentioned in the former deed, upon similar trusts. No further account can be obtained of the source from whence the two sums of £30 consideration money were derived. In course of time, the cottages having become out of repair, and there being no fund for repairing them, it was thought advisable to sell them for long terms at nominal rents, and apply the money received for the leases towards the building of a house of industry. Accordingly, on the 2nd January, 1797, the vicar, parish officers, and trustees granted six leases of the trust property for terms of 999 years, in consideration of a sum of £235. 15s. and a nominal rent of 4s. 6d. per annum. The sum thus received was added to a subscription raised in the parish to the further amount of £806. 13s. 6d., making together £1,042. 8s. 6d., and applied in the erection on a part of the charity land of a house of industry, the cost of which was £1,086. 14s. 7½d.; and a lease of that piece of land, with the house so erected upon it, containing 3r. 12p., was granted to certain trustees for the use of the parish for a term of 999 years, at the yearly rent of £18. The income of these premises, amounting to £18. 14s. 6d., together with 5s. a year derived from another fund, has been for many years applied in providing clothing for the poor.

The annuity of 5s. above mentioned was formerly paid out of premises belonging to Mr. Beddoes, but by whom given is not known. In the returns made under the Act of the 26th George III., it is attributed to a person of the name of Johnson, and there was formerly such a person who had property in this parish. A person of the name of Bowdler, who held the premises after Beddoes, became bankrupt, when the premises were sold, and there being no means of establishing a claim to this annuity against the purchase, it was agreed that the trustees of the other charity should receive from the assignees the sum of £5, in lieu and in discharge of this annuity. This sum, and 20s. for four years arrears, was accordingly paid to the trustees, and by them placed in the savings bank. Mr. William Yate, in 1810, bequeathed four kneelings in his pew in the gallery of the church for the benefit of the Sunday school.

The following biographical sketch of the Rev. John Fletcher, formerly vicar of Madeley, is taken from the account of that celebrated individual published by the Rev. Robert Cox, curate of St. Leonard’s, Bridgnorth, and other authorities:—“John Guillaume de la Flechere, or as he was generally designated in this his adopted country, John William Fletcher, was born in Switzerland, at Nijon, in the Pays de Vaud. His father, in the early part of his life, had been an officer in the French service, but on his marriage retired from the army, and afterwards became a colonel in the militia of his own country. Young Fletcher having passed the early part of his boyhood at Nion, was sent to the University of Geneva, where he was soon distinguished by the superiority of his talents, and the intensity of his application. About this period Fletcher met with a providential escape, which he never afterwards mentioned without the strongest expressions of gratitude. He lived for some time at a place very near the Rhine, where he frequently bathed, being careful to keep near the shore that the stream might not carry him away. Once, however, being less careful than usual, he was drawn into mid-channel, where the course of the water was very swift. He endeavoured to swim against it, but in vain, till he was hurried a distance of five miles from home. At last, despairing of life, he was cheered by the sight of a fine smooth creek, into which he was swiftly carried by a violent stream. A powder mill stood directly across it, and the last thing he could remember was the striking of his breast against one of the piles on which it stood. He then lost his senses, and knew nothing more till he rose on the other side of the mill, in a calm safe place, perfectly well. Many persons gladly welcomed him on shore; and one gentleman in particular said, ‘I looked when you went under the mill, and again when you rose on the other side. The time of your being immerged among the piles was exactly twenty minutes.’”

After Fletcher had gone through the usual course of study at the university, he was sent to Leutzbourg, a small town in the Swiss cantons, when, in addition to his other literary pursuits, he studied Hebrew and German. Hitherto it had been the intention of Fletcher to enter into the church; but, contrary to all expectation, before he had arrived at the age of twenty, he manifested views of a very different nature. Disgusted by the necessity of subscribing to the high Calvinism of the Geneva articles, and disinclined to enter upon so sacred an office from any secular motives, he yielded to the desire of some of his friends, and entered the army. Soon after he obtained a commission in the Portuguese service, and was ordered to hold himself in readiness to sail to Brazil; but an accident, occasioned by a servant overturning a kettle of boiling water on his leg, confined him to his bed until the ship had sailed. Being disappointed in a subsequent attempt to enter into the Dutch service, he resolved to visit England, partly from a desire for further improvement, and partly from a hope of obtaining some situation for his future support.

After the arrival of Mr. Fletcher in this country, he resided about eighteen months in the house of a Mr. Burchell, in Herefordshire, under whose directions he studied the English and various branches of polite literature. At length he was engaged as a tutor in the family of Mr. Hill, M.P. for Shrewsbury, who resided at Tern Hall, in this county. Mr. Fletcher generally accompanied the family to London, when Mr. Hill went to attend his parliamentary duties; and on one of these journeys he accidentally met with a poor woman who, he said, talked to him so delightfully of Jesus Christ, that he knew not how the time passed away. This little circumstance was attended with the most important results; and although at first he felt somewhat indignant at the idea of not being perfectly acquainted with the nature of religion, yet at length he obtained that lively faith which, through the grace of God, will incite men to do all they can do, whilst it teaches them to rely upon nothing which they have done.

Not long after this period, Mr. Fletcher’s attention was again directed to the work of the ministry; but being diffident of his qualifications for so weighty an office, two years elapsed before his ordination. “Before,” said he, “I was afraid; but now I tremble to meddle with holy things.” At length his reluctance being overcome, he solemnly determined to offer himself as a candidate for holy orders in the English Church, and was accordingly ordained deacon at the Chapel Royal of St. James’s, on the 6th of March, 1757, and preached on the following day. After having preached to some French refugees in his own language, and also in several chapels belonging to Mr. Wesley, with whom he was now acquainted, he determined to return to the charge of his pupils at Tern Hall. The churches of Atcham, Wroxeter, St. Alkmunds, and the Abbey Church in Shrewsbury, were now the occasional scenes of his gratuitous services. In the summer of 1779 he was frequently engaged in performing the duty of Madeley, and during the following year was presented to the vicarage of that place. This living he accepted in preference to another of above double the value, which was offered to him about the same time; his affection for the people to whom he had ministered would not allow him to be separated from them. The circumstance of his appointment to Madeley is worthy of notice. One day, Mr. Hill informed him that the living of Dunham, in Cheshire, then vacant, was at his service: “The parish,” he continued, “is small, the duty light, the income good (£400 per annum), and it is situated in a fine healthy sporting country.” After thanking Mr. Hill most cordially for his kindness, Mr. Fletcher added, “Alas, sir! Dunham will not suit me; there is too much money, and too little labour.” “Few clergymen make such objections,” said Mr. Hill, “it is a pity to decline such a living, as I do not know that I can find you another: What shall we do? Would you like to go to Madeley?” “That, sir, would be the very place for me.” “My object, Mr. Fletcher, is to make you comfortable in your own way; if you prefer Madeley, I shall find no difficulty in persuading Chambray, the present vicar, to exchange it for Dunham, which is worth more than twice as much!” In this way he became vicar of Madeley, with which he was so perfectly satisfied that he never after sought any other honour or preferment. The inhabitants of Madeley, at this period, were notorious for ignorance and impiety; and in this benighted village Fletcher stood forth as a preacher of righteousness for the space of twenty-five years.

There was an energy in his preaching, observes Mr. Gilpin, that was irresistible; his subjects, his language, his gestures, the tone of his voice, and the turn of his countenance, all conspired to fix the attention and affect the heart. Without aiming at sublimity, he was truly sublime, and uncommonly eloquent without affecting the orator. He was wonderously skilled in adapting himself to the different capacities and conditions of his hearers. He could stoop to the illiterate and rise with the learned; he had incontrovertible arguments for the sceptic, and powerful persuasions for the listless believer; he had sharp remonstrance for the obstinate, and strong consolation for the mourner. Mr. Wesley describes him as superior to Whitfield in his qualifications as a public preacher. Instead of being confined, says he, to a country village, he ought to have shone in every corner of our land. He was full as much called to sound an alarm through all the nation as Mr. Whitfield himself; nay, abundantly more so, seeing he was much better qualified for that important work. He had a more striking person, an equally winning address, together with a richer flow of fancy, a stronger understanding, a far greater treasure of learning, both in languages, philosophy, philology, and divinity; and above all, which I can speak with full assurance, a more deep and constant communion with the Father and with the Son Jesus Christ. It is not to be supposed that so zealous a minister of the gospel would meet with no opposition. The drunken colliers and self-interested publicans were his special enemies. The voluptuary detested his temperance; the licentious were offended at his gravity and strictness; and the formal were roused to indignation by that spirit of zeal and devotion which influenced his whole conduct. And to these opponents must be added some of the neighbouring clergy and magistrates, who objected to his well-intended but unauthorised interference in their parishes. In spite, however, of these oppositions, his piety and benevolence won upon the people, and the church, which at first was so thinly attended that he was discouraged by the smallness of the congregation, began to overflow, and he saw an effectual change take place in many of his flock. Madeley abounded with persons in extreme indigence, and over this destitute part of his flock Mr. Fletcher watched with peculiar concern. The whole rents of his small patrimonial estate were set apart for charitable uses, and he drew so liberally from his other funds as at times almost to deprive himself of the necessaries of life. In order to feed the hungry, he led a life of self-denial and abstinence; and to cover the naked he clothed himself in the most homely attire.

The incessant labours of Mr. Fletcher, both in public and in private, with intense application to his studies, at length impaired his health, and in 1777 he was induced to visit Switzerland for the benefit of his native air. He continued at Nijon, the place of his nativity, and its vicinity for nearly three years; during which period, though his health was gradually improving, he was still too weak to undertake much public duty, but he employed his time in writing, giving private exhortations, and in instructing the children who assembled, in the first principles of religion. The fearless intrepidity of Mr. Fletcher’s Christian character was strikingly exemplified in his conduct towards one of his nephews during his residence in Switzerland. This young man had been in the Sardinian service, where his profligate ungentlemanly conduct had given such general offence to his brother officers that they were determined to compel him to leave their corps or fight them all in succession. After engaging in several duels he was obliged to quit the service, and return to his native country. As a desperate man he resorted to desperate measures. He waited on his uncle, General de Gons; and having obtained a private audience, he presented a pistol, and said, “Uncle de Gons, if you do not give me a draft on your banker for five hundred crowns, I will shoot you.” The general, though a brave man, yet seeing himself in the hands of a desperado capable of any mischief, promised to give him the draft if he withdrew the pistol. “But there is another thing, uncle, you must do; you must promise me, on your honour as a gentleman and a soldier, to use no means to recover the draft or bring me to justice.” The general pledged his honour, gave him the draft for the money, and at the same time expostulated freely with him on his infamous conduct. In the evening, passing the door of his uncle, Fletcher, the fancy took him to call and pay a visit. As soon as he was introduced he began to tell him, with exultation, that he had just called upon his uncle, General de Gons, who had treated him with unexpected kindness, and generously given him five hundred crowns. “I shall have some difficulty,” said Mr. Fletcher, “to believe the last part of your intelligence.” “If you will not believe me, see the proof under his own hand,” holding out the draft. “Let me see,” said Mr. Fletcher, taking the draft and looking at it with astonishment; “It is indeed my brother’s writing, and it astonishes me to see it, because he is not in affluent circumstances; and I am the more astonished because I know how much and how justly he disapproves your conduct, and you are last of his family to whom he would make such a present.” Then folding the draft, and putting it into his pocket: “It strikes me, young man, that you have possessed yourself of this note by some indirect method, and in honesty I cannot return it, but with my brother’s knowledge and approbation.” The pistol was immediately at his breast; and he was told as he valued life instantly to return the draft. ‘My life,’ replied Mr. Fletcher, ‘is secure in the protection of Almighty power who guards it, nor will he suffer it to be the forfeit of my integrity and your rashness.’ This firmness drew from the other the observation that his Uncle de Gons, though an old soldier, was more afraid of death than he was. ‘Afraid of death,’ rejoined Mr. Fletcher, ‘do you think that I have been twenty-five years the minister of the Lord of life to be afraid of death now? No, sir; thanks be to God who giveth me the victory! It is for you to fear death who have reason to fear it. You are a gamester—a cheat. You call yourself a gentleman. You are a duellist, and your hand is red with your brother’s blood; and for this you style yourself a man of honour. Look there, sir; look there. See, the broad eye of heaven is fixed upon us. Tremble in the presence of your Maker, who can in a moment kill your body, and for ever punish your soul in hell!’ By this time the unhappy man was pale: he trembled alternately with fear and passion: he threatened, he argued, he entreated. Sometimes he withdrew the pistol, and fixing his back against the door, stood as a sentinel to prevent all egress; and at other times he closed on his uncle, threatening instant death. Under these perilous circumstances Mr. Fletcher gave no alarm to the family, sought for no weapon, and attempted neither escape nor manual opposition. He conversed with him calmly; and at length perceiving that the young man was affected, addressed him in language truly paternal until he had fairly disarmed and subdued him. ‘I cannot,’ said he, ‘return my brother’s draft; yet I feel for the distress in which you have so thoughtlessly involved yourself, and will endeavour to relieve it. My brother de Gons, at my request will, I am sure, voluntarily give you a hundred crowns. I will do the same. Perhaps my brother Henry will do as much. And I hope your other family will make out the sum among them. He then prayed with him and for him. By Mr. Fletcher’s mediation, the family made up the sum he had promised; and with much good advice on one side, and fair promises on the other, they parted.

In March, 1781, Mr. Fletcher took a final leave of Switzerland and returned to England, and in the autumn of the same year was married to Miss Bosanquet, a lady of respectable family and eminent piety. From the time of his marriage Mr. Fletcher experienced no return of his consumptive symptoms, and his general health materially improved. In compliance with the solicitation of Mr. Wesley, Mr. Fletcher was sometimes present at the annual conference, when his sermons and pious conversation became the theme of every tongue. No employment of Mr. Fletcher’s seemed more pleasing to him than that of being engaged in preparing food or medicines for the poor. On Sundays he provided for numbers of poor people who came to the church from a distance. Indeed he scarcely seemed to enjoy his meals unless he knew that some sick or indigent neighbours should partake of them. But with all his generosity he was still careful to live within his income. If he overtook a poor person on the road with a burden too heavy for him, he did not fail to offer his assistance to bear part of it; and under such circumstances he would not easily take a denial. As he approached the end of his course the graces he had kept in continual exercise for so long a season became more illustrious and powerful, his faith was more assured, his hope more lively, his charity more abundant, his humility more profound, and his resignation more complete. After lingering some time under the pressure of an exhausted constitution, but supported by the hopes and consolations of Christianity, Mr. Fletcher calmly expired on the 14th August, 1785, in the fifty-sixth year of his age.

As a clergyman he was never exceeded in zeal, disinterestedness, affection for his flock, or anxiety for their spiritual welfare. As a writer Mr. Fletcher was considerably above mediocrity, and had he been a candidate for literary distinction he had talents to have occupied no inconsiderable rank. His deportment and manners were of the most engaging and courteous kind, presenting such a combination of gravity, condescension, and gentleness as few have ever witnessed. Of his appearance in the pulpit the liveliest fancy could not frame from any of the ancient saints an aspect more venerable or more apostolic. The abundant current of his charity flowed in affection towards all, and his liberal heart rejoiced in the spiritual welfare of other denominations.

In the church-yard is a plain and simple tomb to his endeared memory, covered with a cast iron plate, on which in raised letters is the following memorial:—

“He lies the body of
The Rev. John William De La Flechere,
vicar of Madeley.
He was born in Nijon, in Switzerland,
September 12th, MDCCXXIX,
and finished his course in this village,
August 14th, MDCCLXXXV,
where his unexampled labours will be long remembered.
He exercised his ministry for the space of
twenty-five years in this parish,
with uncommon zeal and ability.
Many believed his report and became his joy
and crown of rejoicing,
while others constrained him to take up the
lamentation of the prophet:—
‘All day long I have stretched out my hands
unto a disobedient and gainsaying people,
yet surely my judgment is with the Lord
and my works with my God.’
‘He being dead yet speaketh.’”

The following is a copy of the entry in the parish register:—“John Fletcher, clerk, died on Sunday evening, August 14th, 1785. He was one of the most apostolic men of the age in which he lived. His abilities were extraordinary, and his labours unparalleled. He was a burning and shining light, and as his life had been a common blessing to the inhabitants of this parish, so the death of this great man was lamented by them as a common and irreparable loss. This little testimony was inserted by one who sincerely loved and honoured him. Joshua Gilpin, vicar of Wrockwardine.”

MADELEY DIRECTORY.

Albert William, plumber, glazier, & painter

Alker Thomas, plumber, glazier, & painter

Bailey John, builder

Bailey John, chartermaster

Bailey Joseph, chartermaster

Bailey William, assistant clerk, county court

Barker John, boot and shoemaker

Bartley Thomas, grocer and draper

Bartlett Rev. John, M.A., Marnwood

Beddell Thomas, beerseller

Blanthorne Isabella, beerseller

Bowdler Henry, farmer, Cuckoo Oak

Brewer Francis, grocer

Brickhill Mr. Solomon

Bryan Arnold F., draper

Cartwright George, butcher

Caswell John, boot and shoemaker

Chalmers Rev. John, curate

Currier Thomas, cabinet maker

Dainty William, chartermaster

Davies John, brick, tile, & draining pipe mkr

Dawes William, organ builder

Dyas Charles, vict., Royal Oak

Dyas William, butcher, farmer, maltster, and grocer

Eastwick Miss Mary

Edwards Mr. Edward

Farmer Miss Ann

Farr James, wheelwright

Farr John, beerseller

Fenton Samuel, brazier and tin plate worker

Ferriday Charles James, Esq.

Ferriday Miss Jane

Fisher Jesse, manufacturing chemist

Ford John C., draper

Foster & Co., iron & coal masters; Francis Pearce, agent

Garner Joseph, stone mason

Glaze George, beerseller

Glover Thomas, hair dresser

Green Henry, beerseller

Griffiths Philip, tailor and clothier

Groom Richard, tailor

Guy Benjamin, beerseller

Gwyther Rev. James H., vicar, surrogate for granting marriage licenses, and chaplain to Madeley union

Harper Ann, draper and grocer

Harper William, farmer

Harris William, chartermaster

Harvey Richard and Randall John, grocers and ironmongers

Harvey Thomas J., vict., Horse Shoes

Headley James, chemist and druggist

Heaford William, tailor and woollen draper

Holmes John, chartermaster

Hopley Peter, farmer and chartermaster

Hopley William, chartermaster

Jacks John, chartermaster

Jacks Joseph, painter and glazier

Johnson William, schoolmaster

Jones George, mine agent to James Foster, Esq., Madeley Court

Jones Jonas, chartermaster

Kearsley James, chartermaster

Kearsley Sarah, milliner

Keay John, beerseller and grocer

Keay John, chartermaster

Keay Peter, beerseller

Lane John, wheelwright

Lavender Samuel, draper and milliner

Lissiter William, beerseller

Madeley Wood Company ironmasters; Mr. Anstice, agent

Millard Thomas, gardener and seedsman

Mollineaux Thomas, grocer

Molloy Rev. William

Morgan Mr. Joseph, Gothic Villa

Morris Richard, blacksmith

Munday Thomas, bookseller and stationer

Onions James, confectioner

Owen Thomas, saddler and harness maker

Page William, butcher

Patrick Miss Mary Ann

Pearce Francis, agent to James Foster, Esq., Park Cottage

Peirce Richard, surgeon

Penn Thomas, furnace manager to James Foster, Esq.

Powell William, beerseller

Rayner Mr. Charles, Holley House

Roberts Charles, boot and shoemaker

Rodgers William M., grocer

Rose Mrs. Appilona

Rushton Jane, milliner

Rushton Samuel, blacksmith

Rushton William, grocer

Smith Edward, ale and porter merchant, and maltster and limeburner

Smith Samuel and Co., brick, tile, and drainage pipe manufacturers

Smith Thos., architect, builder, & surveyor

Street Elizabeth, earthenware dealer

Thompson Matthew, chartermaster

Trevor Thomas, grocer and chandler

Walker John, beerseller

Wall William, shopkeeper

Ward Mrs. Alice

Ward George, mine agent to Madeley Wood Company

Ward William, chartermaster

Watson Andrew, tailor

Webb Matthew, surgeon

Wilkins James, grocer and ironmonger

Willcox Mr. Thomas

Williams Mrs. Elizabeth

Williams James, beerseller

Williams Joseph, wheelwright

Williams Richard, farmer, and furnace manager to Madeley Wood Company

Williams Richard, farmer, The Cottage

Williams Susannah, beerseller

Wones John, beerseller and shopkeeper

Yate Joseph, Esq., Madeley Hall

Post Office at Mr. Henry P. Baldwin’s, Bridge street. Letters arrive at 7 45 A.M., and are despatched at 5 50 P.M.

Ironbridge and Madeley Wood Directories.

Anstice John, Esq., manager to Madeley Wood Company, The Lloyds

Anstice Wm. Reynolds, solicitor and clerk to Madeley Board of Guardians, Church street

Bartlett Rev. John, M.A., Marnwood

Ball William, supervisor, Church street

Bayliss William, engineer to Madeley Wood Company, The Lloyds

Cartwright Mrs., Hodge Bower

Clarke William, tea and whiskey dealer, Severn Terrace

Cock Miss Ann, Brockholes

Cooke Emanuel, locksmith, Lincoln’s Hill

Davies Mrs., The Orchard

Evans William, secretary to Mechanics’ Institution, house, Broseley

Fisher, John, Esq., Madeley Wood

Ford John, parish clerk, Church street

Gordon, Wm. Pierson, Esq., solicitor & clerk to magistrates, residence, Linley

Haywood John, wire worker, Bridge street

Jetter Rev. John Andrew, incumbent, The Parsonage

Jones Thomas, nail maker, Madeley Wood

Kelsall Rev. Henry, curate, Brockholes

Lewis John Bennett, inland revenue officer, Severn Terrace

Lewis Edward, manager to Joseph Reynolds, Esq., Coalport

Madeley Wood Company, ironmasters, and brick and tile manufacturers, John Anstice, Esq., manager, The Lloyds

Nicholas Joseph, patten maker, Lincoln Hill

Nickless Enoch, ale, porter and cider merchant, Lincoln Terrace

Pugh Charles, agent to Lilleshall Company and Beriah Botfield, Esq., Coalport

Pugh William, Esq., porcelain manufacturer, Coalport

Reeves William, chartermaster, Lincoln Hill

Riddiough William, patten and clog maker, Madeley Wood

Rose John & Co., porcelain manufacturers

Rose William, Esq., porcelain manufacturer, Coalport

Stokes William Smith, gent., Old Parsonage

Wase John, farmer, The Hay

Whiteley Mr. James, agent to Jno. Rose & Co. porcelain manufacturers, Coalport

Wildblood Wm., governor of Union House, Brockholes

Woodruff James, gent., Lincoln Terrace

Wright Henry, ale & porter dealer, Lincoln’s Hill

Yates Adam, gent, Madeley Wood

Weare William, auctioneer, house and estate agent, accountant, agent to Shropshire and North Wales Fire Office, and British Empire Life Office, Madeley Wood

Academies.

Brassington & Southern, the Misses, (Ragged School), Severn Side

Evans Wm., Waterloo street, house, Broseley

Johnston John, (Boarding) Brockholes

Lusmore Miss, (Parochial) Severn Side

Timmis Mrs and the Misses, (Ladies Brdng) Dale Coppy

White Miss, (Ladies Boarding) Church street

Attornies.

Anstice Wm. Reynolds, and clerk to Madeley Board of Guardians, Church street

Gordon Wm. Pierson, & clerk to magistrates for borough of Wenlock, house, Linley

Bakers and Flour Dealers.

See also Shopkeepers.

Broadbridge Chas., Bridge st

Milner George, Bridge street

Bankers.

Savings Bank, Church street, William Smith, manager, residence, Bridgnorth

Shropshire Banking Compy., Hy. C. T. Dickenson, Esq., manager, The Elms

Barge Owners.

Bailey James, The Lloyds

Burton J. & Edw., The Wharf

Goodwin George, The Wharf

Owen Benjamin, The Wharf

Owen Thomas, The Wharf

Owen Edward, The Wharf

Yates Francis and John, The Wharf

Blacksmiths.

Bisall John, Madeley Wood

Edwards Jno., Madeley Wood

Walton John, Church street

Booksellers, Binders, Printers and Stationers.

Slater John, Bridge street

Smith Geo. Mortimer, Market square

Smith Saml. C. Bridge street

Boot & Shoe Makers.

Blocksidge John, Coalport

Crowder John, The Lloyds

Dodd Richd., Church street

Hughes Chas., Bridge street

Lloyd Benj., Madeley Wood

Price Thos., Madeley Wood

Roberts Thos., The Wharfage

Wood Thos., The Wharfage

Braziers & Tin-plate Workers.

Bartham Chas., Bridge street

Fenton Thomas, & constable, Waterloo street

Brick & Tile Manufacturers.

Bayliss John and George, Madeley Wood

Burton John and Edward, The Wharfage

Davis John, Madeley Green

Madeley Wood Company, Waterloo street

Roden Saml., Hodge Bower

Butchers.

Barnett Thos., Bridge street

Barnett Wm., Bridge street

Delves Joseph, Bridge street

Dyas William, Bridge street

Page John, Bridge street

Poole Charles, The Lloyds

Wilcox John, Madeley Wood

Wilcox William, Brockholes

Cabinet Makers and Upholsterers.

Davies George, High street

Jones William, The Wharfage

Chemists & Druggists.

Baldwin Henry P., and post master, Bridge street

Hartshorne Wm., Market sqre

Clothiers.

Cohen Luke, Bridge street

Gotthimer Aaron, Waterloo st

Confectioners.

Barclay William, & dealer in British Wines, Bridge st

Milner George, Bridge street

Rogers Mary, Bridge street

Cooper.

Roberts Richd., Church street

Curriers.

Cock John and James, Madeley Wood

Stirrop Robert J., and leather cutter, Bridge street

Drapers & Silk Mercers.

Brown Samuel, and laceman, Bridge street

Bowyer Thomas, and woollen draper, Market square

Charlton Henry, Bridge st

Evans Thos., Madeley Wood

Goodwin Wm., The Wharfage

Greenhalgh Brothers, Bridge street

Pardoe Edward, Bridge street

Farmers.

Barnett Thos., Bridge street

Dyas William, Bridge street

Thompson Isaac, Lodge Farm

Wase John, Hay Farm

Yates Francis and John, Castle Green

Fire & Life Office Agents.

British Empire Life, William Weare, Madeley Wood

Clerical, Medical & General Life, George M. Smith, Market square

Medical, Legal and General Mutual Life, George M. Smith, Market square

Shropshire and North Wales Fire, Wm. Weare, Madeley Wood

Furniture Brokers.

Davies George, High street

Franks William, High street

Jones Wm., The Wharfage

Grocers & Tea Dealers.

Dax William, Madeley Wood

Evans Wm., Madeley Wood

Franks Benj., Madeley Wood

Greenhalgh Brothers, Bridge street

Hammond Thos., Brockholes

Latham John, & glass dealer, Madeley Wood

Milner Betsey, Bridge street

Price Chas. L., (firm, Smith and Price) Bridge street

Smith & Price, Bridge street

Smith Charles W., Bridge st

Smith Henry, (firm, Smith and Price) Bridge street

Wilcox Thos., Madeley Wood

Hair Dressers.

Baugh George, Bridge street

Poole Thomas, Bridge street

Reynolds Rd., The Wharfage

Hat Manufacturers.

Shingler John, The Lloyds

Shingler John, Bridge street

Hosiers and Haberdashers.

Brown John, Madeley Wood

Crowther The Misses, The Wharfage

Owen Miss Sarah, Bridge st

Hotels, Inns, and Taverns.

Bird in Hand, John Shingler, The Lloyds

Blockhouse, John Heighway, The Lloyds

Golden Ball, John Wilcox, Madeley Wood

Half Moon, Joseph Pugh, Madeley Wood

Horse, Joseph Edwards, Lincolns Hill

Lake Head, William Yates, The Lloyds

Retreat, William Shingler, Bridge street

Robin Hood, James Bailey, The Lloyds

Rodney, Susannah Lloyd, The Wharfage

Royal Oak, Thomas Nivitt, Church street

Swan Inn, John Barrow, The Wharfage

Swan, Wm. Fowler, Lincolns Hill

Talbot, George Boycott, The Wharfage

Three Tuns, Thos. Corfield, and licensed to let post horses, Bridge street

Tontine Hotel, and commercial and posting house, Elizabeth Jones, Bridge st

Unicorn, Samuel Harvey, Madeley Wood

White Hart, commercial and posting house, William Shingler, The wharfage

Beerhouses.

Broadbridge Chas., Bridge st

Davies Jas., Madeley Wood

Franks Benj., Madeley Wood

Harper Joseph, Brockholes

Jones Ann, The Wharfage

Lloyd Samuel, Waterloo st

Morrall Rd., Madeley Wood

Hoole Fred. W., Bath lane

Pugh Thos., Madeley Wood

Taylor Catherine, The Loyds

Thompson Isaac, Madeley Wood

Wood Thos., The Wharfage

York Mary, Madeley Wood

Ironmongers.

Davies Richard, and patten maker, Wharfage

Smith Chas. W., Bridge st

Joiners and Builders.

Marked * Builders only.

Bailey Wm., senr., Madeley Wood

Bailey Wm., jun., Madeley Wood

* Barclay John, Bridge street

Davies George, High street

* Jenks Thomas, High st

Nevitt & Co., Madeley Wood

Nickless Enoch, Lincoln ter.

Maltsters.

Barrow John, The Wharfage

Lloyd Benj., Severn Terrace

Smith Edward, Park lane

Yates Francis and John, The Wharfage

Milliners & Dressmakers.

Armstrong Miss Maria, Market street

Crowther Miss Sarah, The Wharfage

Ferrington The Misses, Church street

Owen The Misses, Bridge st

Stodd Miss Emma, Bridge st

Painters, Plumbers, & Glaziers.

Crowther Leonard, The Wharfage

Hinsley John, The Loyds

Williams Abr., The Wharfage

Saddlers & Harness Makers.

Poole George Hy., Bridge st

Woof Edwd., The Wharfage

Spirit Vaults.

Charlton Humpy., Bridge st

Stirrop Robert, Bridge street

Straw Bonnet Makers.

Acton Mrs., Market square

Hartshorne Mrs., Bridge st

Surgeons.

Proctor Richd., Esq., Severn Terrace

Rowlands Jas., Esq., Church street

Tailors.

Bates Edwin, Madeley Wood

Gwynne Thomas, & woollen draper, Market square

Heaford Hiram, & woollen draper, The Wharfage

Shotton John, Madeley Wood

Timber Merchant.

Chune Joseph Fred., Lincolns Hill

Watch & Clock Makers.

Hinkley Wm., Bridge street

Peplow Fran., The Wharfage

Omnibuses.

To Shiffnal at 7-30 A.M. from the Tontine Hotel, returning at 6-45 P.M.

To Wellington at 8 A.M. and 4-30 P.M. from the Tontine Hotel, returning at 2-45 P.M. and 9 P.M.

Coalbrook Dale Directory.

Marked 1 reside at the bottom of the dale.

Bailey Benj., boot & shoekr.

Bailey John, beerhouse kpr.

Bailey William, grocer

Biddiough William, grocer

Boycott Thomas, accountant

Branford Thomas, painter, plumber and glazier

1 Chune George and Joseph, timber merchants

Chune John H., miller and corn factor, Coalbrook Dale Mill

1 Clarke William, grocer and seedsman

Coalbrook Dale Company, ironmasters

Cookson Samuel, engineer

Crookes Mr. Chas., manager of the foundry, Paradise House

Darby Abraham, Esq., The Chesnuts

Darby Mrs. Hannah, White House

Darby Mrs. Lucy, Dale House

Darby Richard, Esq.

Delves Joseph, butcher

1 Dickenson Henry C. T., bank manager, The Elms

1 Dickinson Barnard, Esq., East Field

1 Dickinson Henry, Esq., Severn House

Dorsett Joseph, shopkeeper and blacksmith

1 Dunbar Sarah, hosier

Edwards Edward, surgeon

Fox John, accountant

Gething George, tailor

Graham Mr. Thos., Woodside Cottage

Harbridge John, accountant

Hughes John, draughtsman

Lane Julia, schoolmistress

1 Lloyd Aaron, grocer

1 Lowe Geo., tailor & draper

Morgan The Misses Priscilla and Rebecca

Norris William, cashier

1 Oliver William, shopkeeper

Onions Isaac, schoolmaster

1 Owen Benj., barge owner

1 Owen Edwd., barge owner

1 Owen Mr. Thomas

1 Phillips John, tailor

Ramsell Edward, shoemaker

Robinson Mr. John

Roberts William, clerk

Rose Mrs. Ann

Buckley Mrs Sarah, Hawkeshead Cottage

Sankey Mrs. Hannah

Smith and Price, grocers

1 Turton George, inland revenue officer

Timmis Mrs., boarding schl.

Weston Phillip, accountant

Wilbraham Charles, draper, (travelling)

Wright Benjamin, registrar of births, deaths, and marriages, & Commercial Inn and posting house

Wright Peter, farmer, and agent to the Royal Exchange Fire & Life Office

Coalport Directory.

Anstice John Esq., agent to Madeley Wood Company

Blocksidge John, grocer & shoemaker

Doughty Daniel, butcher

Fennell Susannah, shopkr.

Hargreave Rebecca, beerhse

Harper John, butcher

Harper Joseph, beerhouse

John Rose and Co., porcelain manufacturer

Lewis Edward, manager to Joseph Reynolds, Esq.

Musgrave Wm., beerhouse

Oakes George, shopkeeper

Pugh Chas., agent to Lilleshall Company and Beriah Botfield, Esq.

Pugh Wm., Esq., porcelain manufacturer

Rose William, Esq., porcelain manufacturer, Rock House

Wase John John Holland, farmer, Hay Farm

Wheeler Thomas, beerhouse

Whiteley James, Esq., agent to porcelain manufactory

MONK HOPTON

is a parish and small rural village pleasantly situated six miles W. from Bridgnorth, and four and a half miles S. from Much Wenlock, contains 2,240a. 0r. 37p. of land, chiefly the property of Lord Wenlock, who is also lord of the manor. The farm houses and cottage residences are mostly neat structures, having been in many instances rebuilt by the late proprietor Sir Francis Lawley. Rateable value, £1,814. 13s. 9d. At the census in 1801 this parish had a population of 212 souls; 1831, 208, and in 1841 there were thirty-five houses and 189 inhabitants.

The Church, a small structure, has been beautified and repaired within the last few years. The living is a perpetual curacy in the gift of the lord of the manor, and incumbency of the Rev. Robert W. Dayrell. There is a school in the village, which is chiefly supported by Lord Wenlock and the minister; about forty children attend. Weston is a hamlet in the parish of Monk Hopton, about two miles from the church; the Duke of Cleveland and Mrs. Susannah Butcher are the landowners.

The principal residents are Edward Bradley, farmer; Rev. Robert W. Dayrell; William Dixon, farmer and corn miller; Mary Evans, schoolmistress; Elizabeth Evans, blacksmith; Edward Marston, farmer, Monk Hall; Richard Nichols, vict., Wenlock Arms; William Shiston, bailiff; Richard Wall, wheelwright. The residents in Weston are Susannah Butcher, farmer; Richard Lewis, farmer; and Thomas Reynolds, farmer.

MUCH WENLOCK

is a parish, market town, and borough, having separate and independent jurisdiction, twelve miles south east from Shrewsbury, and 148 miles from London. The town consists principally of two streets, at right angles to one another. The houses in general have an ancient appearance, and are ill built; there are, however, several houses and shops of modern appearance of a more respectable character. The parish contains 8,821 acres of land; and at the census of 1841 had 2,487 inhabitants. In 1851 there were 2,398 souls, of whom 1,179 were males, and 1,219 females; and at the same period there were 487 inhabited houses and 17 uninhabited. Rateable value, £14,006. 11s. The townships comprised in this parish are Much Wenlock, Atterley, Bourton, Callaughton, Farley, Wyke, and Bradley, Harley Wigwig and Homer, Presthope, and Walton. The township of Much Wenlock contains 2,492 acres of land, the principal owners of which are W. W. Wynne, Esq., and Lord Forester. At the census of 1841 there were 373 houses and 1,627 inhabitants in the township. Gross, estimated rental, £7,440. 6s. 2d. Rateable value, £6,549. 5s. The tithes have been commuted, and £341 apportioned to the vicar, and £387. 14s. to the impropriators. Monday is market day, for which the town is indebted to the Prior and other religious brethren. Fairs are held second Tuesday in March, May 12th, October 17th, and December 4th. The fair held on July 5th has been discontinued within the last few years.

A charter of incorporation was granted to Wenlock in the 8th of Edward IV. The second and last charter, which is a confirmation and extension of the former, was granted in the 7th of the reign of Charles I. Under this charter the government was invested in a bailiff, a recorder, bailiff’s peers, a treasurer, a coroner, a town clerk, a serjeant-at-mace, and other officers. The bailiff, recorder, and bailiff’s peers, were justices of the peace; the recorder held his office for life, and the others were elected annually on Michaelmas day by a jury of the burgesses. The jurisdiction of these magistrates was co-extensive with the borough. By the charter they were allowed a court of common pleas every second Tuesday, and also an assize court for the trial of criminals, not even excepting those suspected of capital crimes; and from the early registers of the parish of Wenlock many executions seem to have taken place. A court of record was also held by the mayor every alternate Tuesday, and considerable business was done in this court. Under the municipal reform act the government of the borough is vested in a mayor, six aldermen, and eighteen councillors. Quarter sessions are held before the recorder. The mayor is elected annually on the 9th of November by the council. His duties are to preside at all meetings of the council, and to sign notices thereof, and with the assessors to revise the burgess list. He is a justice of the peace ex-officio for the year of his mayoralty and the year following, and has precedence within the borough, and is returning officer at elections for members of parliament. In the absence of the recorder he is empowered to open and adjourn the court of quarter sessions. Any councillor elected mayor, but refusing to serve, is liable to a fine not exceeding £100. The aldermen are one-third of the number of councillors, and are elected triennially by the council on the 9th of November. Half of their number go out of office every three years, but are eligible to be re-elected. An alderman is to preside at elections in case of death or inability of the mayor, and refusing office is to pay a fine not exceeding £50. The councillors are chosen in the different wards on the 1st of November, by persons whose names are on the burgess roll; one-third of the councillors go out of office annually, but are capable of re-election. All such elections are held before an alderman, and two assessors appointed for each ward. The recorder is appointed by the crown, has precedence after the mayor, and is sole judge at quarter sessions and in the court of record, and ex-officio justice of the peace. He must be a barrister of at least five years standing. He cannot be a member of parliament, alderman, or councillor, of the borough. The town-clerk is appointed by the council, and must be an attorney. The freemen’s roll is made out by him. He receives from the overseers, on the 5th of September, the list of burgesses, which he has to get printed, and expose copies on the Town Hall door. He receives claims of persons omitted in the burgess list and of persons objected to. He issues instructions to overseers to make out lists of electors, and publishes the same when revised; attends and takes minutes of all proceedings at council meetings, and makes out warrants for borough-rates, and has charge of all borough registers and other documents. The clerk of the peace is appointed by the council. His duties are to give ten days’ notice of time and place of holding quarter sessions; to summon, at least seven days before, a sufficient number of jurors, and to make out a list of names and descriptions of jurors summoned. The fees paid to this officer are fixed by the town council, and confirmed by the secretary of state. The coroner is appointed by the council, and makes an annual return of the inquests held by him to the secretary of state, as well as a quarterly return to the council. The following is a list of the members of Parliament, the corporate body, and the municipal officers of the borough and franchise of Wenlock for the year 1851:—

Members of Parliament:—The Hon. George Cecil Weld Forester, Esq., and James M. Gaskell, Esq.

Justices of the Peace:—Moses George Benson, Esq.; George Pritchard, Esq.; John Pritchard, Esq.; Thomas Mytton, Esq.; William Pugh, Esq.; Henry George Harnage, Esq.; John Anstice, Esq.; John Stephens, Esq.; W. P. Brookes, Esq.; and Richard Thursfield, Esq.

Corporation.—Mayor: Charles Belsher, Esq.

Aldermen: Richard Thursfield, Esq.; William Nicholas, Esq.; J. W. Rowlands, Esq.; John Anstice, Esq.; Charles Belsher, Esq.; and John Parry, Esq.

Councillors of Wenlock Ward: George Adney; Joseph Amphlitt; William Canlin; Robert Horton; William Newill; and William Jeffrey.

Broseley Ward: George Pritchard; Thomas Lister; John Onions; William Thursfield; Thomas Pitt; Robert Evans.

Madeley Ward: Henry Charlton; George Chune; William Cooke; Edward Edwards; Henry Davies; Henry Dickinson.

Recorder: Uvedale Corbet, Esq. Clerk of the Peace: George Potts, Esq. Town Clerk: Roger Charles Blakeway, Esq. Clerk to Justices: William P. Gordon, Esq. Treasurer: Mr. Joseph Roden. High Constable: Mr. Richard Patten.

Wenlock is remarkable as being the first borough that acquired the right of representation by charter in parliament. The boundary of the present parliamentary borough is the same as prior to the passing of the Reform and Corporation Act, but the municipal boundary is not so extensive. The revising barristers divided Wenlock into the three wards of Wenlock, Broseley, and Madeley; Wenlock ward to consist of the several parishes of Much Wenlock, Ditton Priors, Hughley, Monk Hopton, and such part of the parish of Shipton as lies on the left side of the streams called Brockton brook and the river Cowe in descending the same. The Madeley ward to consist of the parishes of Madeley and Little Wenlock; and Brosley Ward to consist of the parishes of Broseley, Barrow, Benthall, Linley, and Willey, and the Extra Parochial Liberty of Posenhall. And having regard as well to the number of persons rated to the relief of the poor in each ward, as to the aggregate amount of the sums at which all the said persons are so rated, they apportioned and assigned six councillors and two aldermen to each of the said wards. The town returned one member to parliament in 1478. It afterwards acquired the privilege of sending two, who were elected by the burgesses (in number about five hundred), the writ being returned by the bailiff. The greatest number of electors polled previous to the Reform Act was 258. The freedom was acquired by inheritance, and occasionally by election from a common hall. The whole precinct now called the franchise appears to have been included in the original charter. The number of electors is now upwards of nine hundred. The lord of the manor holds annual courts at Michaelmas and Easter, at the former of which constables are appointed.

The town of Wenlock gives name to a deanery, and the Borough and Franchise were formerly co-extensive with the hundred of Patintern, mentioned in Doomsday book, which comprised the following parishes—viz., Much Wenlock, Little Wenlock, Broseley, Madeley, Benthall, Barrow, Linley, Badger, Beckbury, Priors Ditton, Stoke St. Milborough, Eaton-under-Heywood, Hughley, Shipton, Monk Hopton, Willey, Deuxhill, and the Extra Parochial Liberty of Posenhall. By an order of Quarter Sessions, held at Shrewsbury, April 4, 1836, the parishes of Beckbury and Badger, were henceforward to be taken as part of the Shiffnal division of the hundred of Brimstree; and the parish of Deuxhill was henceforward to be taken as part of the Bridgnorth division of the hundred of Brimstree: the parishes of Eaton and Shipton were henceforward to be taken as part of the upper division of the hundred of Munslow; and that the parishes of Culmington and Stoke St. Milborough shall henceforward be taken to be part of the lower division of the hundred of Munslow; and it was further ordered that the day from which this should take effect, should be the 11th day of April, 1836.

The Parish Church, which stands near the ruins of the priory, is a venerable structure, consisting of nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a square tower, surmounted by a neat spire of timber, covered with lead. The structure bears many evidences of great antiquity, and the architecture of the Saxon and Norman ages is discoverable. The interior, during the present year, has been restored and re-pewed at a cost of £1,350. The arches, which separate the nave from the side aisles, rise from clustered pillars, and are very beautiful, having been cleared of the plaster and mortar which had accumulated for ages. A lofty round arch separates the nave from the chancel, which contains the remains of a very elegant sedilia, together with a piscina and aumbrey, and several old brass memorials. The Church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity; and from the parish register, it appears that service was first celebrated in the English tongue in this church on the 26th of June, 1559. The church-yard has just been enlarged by the addition of three quarters of an acre, and contains several tombs, but none of them sufficiently remarkable as to deserve special notice. The living is a vicarage, rated at £12. 9s. 6d., in the patronage of Sir W. W. Wynn: incumbent, Rev. William Henry Wayne. The Methodists have a small chapel in the town. The National School was built in 1847, at a cost of about £1,000, of which £500 was obtained of the National Society and the Committee of Council on Education. 150 children attend.

The Town Hall or Guild Hall is an antique structure, chiefly composed of timber and plaster, resting on piazzas. It is evidently of great antiquity, but there is no record to show the date of its erection. In the parish register of Wenlock, however, which seems to have been also a chronicle of remarkable events of the parish, it is stated that the house over the prisons, which is clearly an addition to the original building, was put up in 1577. The interior consists of two commodious rooms, the first is the sessions room, and over the Recorder’s seat are the arms of Charles II. The inner room is the Municipal Court House, which has recently been panelled and furnished with carved oak of the most elaborate and costly workmanship, principally at the expense of W. P. Brookes, Esq., one of the borough magistrates. The chairs (two of which were presented to the corporation by the Rev. R. H. G. More), as well as the table, chimney piece, and seats, are remarkably handsome, the cost is stated to have been not far short of £1000.

The Savings Bank is a plain brick building situated near the church. The total number of depositors on November 20th, 1850, were 1,909, including thirty-six charitable societies and thirty-four friendly societies. The capital stock of the bank at the same period amounted to £62,650. 12s.; of the total number of depositors there were 1,061 whose respective balances did not exceed £20., 451 were above £20 and not exceeding £50., 210 not exceeding £100., 66 above £100 and not exceeding £150., 42 not exceeding £200., and nine were above the latter sum. The deposits of the charitable societies at the same period amounted to £2,608. 11s. 8d., and of the friendly societies to £3,248. 17s. 6d. Treasurer, George Pritchard, Esq.: Secretary, Mr. William Smith.

The Public Library is situated near the ruins of the abbey, and contains about 1,500 volumes, mostly valuable works, chiefly presented by gentlemen in the neighbourhood, and the Duke of Wellington, the Marquis of Anglesey, and Major Herbert Edwards. Wenlock Edge is a precipitous ridge about two miles from Wenlock, formerly densely covered with wood. King Henry I. on his March to Shrewsbury to besiege that town was under the necessity of employing detachments from his numerous army to cut down the wood and make a road ere he could proceed.

Wenlock Monastery, Bishop Tanner says, that a nunnery was erected at Wenlock about the year 680, by Milburga, daughter to King Merwald, and niece to Walphere king of Mercia, of which she became abbess; she was renowned for sanctity, and it is recorded by William of Malmesbury, who wrote early in the 12th century, that for some “time after the arrival of the Normans, through ignorance of the place of her burial she was neglected; lately however, while a new church was erecting, a boy running violently along the pavement, brake into the hollow of a vault and discovered the body of the virgin, when a balsamic odour pervading the whole church she was taken up, and performed so many miracles, that the people flocked thither in great multitudes; large spreading plains could hardly contain the troops of pilgrims, a common faith impelling all, nor did the saint deceive their expectations, for no one departed without either a perfect cure or a considerable abatement of his malady, and some were even cured of the king’s evil where medical advice had been unavailing.” Traditions of miracles worked by Milburga are still preserved in the neighbourhood, and her shrine is said at length to have been burnt in the market place. The blind devotion which led crowds of people of all ranks with their hands filled with rich oblations to offer at this shrine produced a large income to the monastery, and for some time kept in the shade the wondrous doings of canonized saints of the rival establishments in this neighbourhood. The canonization of saints was for centuries a source of great wealth to the Roman Catholic Church, and much of their success no doubt depended on a wily priesthood trumpeting forth their miraculous powers among the ignorant multitude. To show the craftiness of the priesthood in this respect we may observe that St. Dunstan after his death in 988 was canonized, and his relics were held in such esteem that they shortly after produced an immense revenue to the cathedral of Canterbury. About the time of Henry VII. however, the monks of Glastonbury anxious to bring a portion of grist to their own mill, began to boast of having the relics of St. Dunstan in their possession, which soon turned the tide of affairs and caused the rich offerings and oblations to flow to Glastonbury. This sorely troubled the archbishop of Canterbury, who had the tomb of Dunstan opened, when the body was found in a lead coffin in his pontifical habit; the archbishop therefore immediately issued his mandate charging the monks of Glastonbury to desist from all further boasting of their possession of St. Dunstan’s relics. Notwithstanding the objectionable mode the priesthood had of obtaining riches, it is but justice to observe that their revenues and gains were all expended either in alms or hospitality, or in building and adorning their magnificent churches and abbeys; and although learning was then at a low ebb, it being generally styled the dark or illiterate age, yet what learning there was then was mostly to be found in the cloister of the monks, where some attained to great reputation for their proficiency in knowledge.

The house founded by Milburga was destroyed by the Danes, but was restored by Leofric Earl of Chester, at the request of his wife, the lady Godiva. Before the Norman conquest it had again fallen into decay, and in the 14th of William the Conqueror was rebuilt and endowed by Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Arundel, Chichester, and Shrewsbury, a person of vast possessions in these parts, who placed therein a prior and convent of monks of the Cluniac order, and made it a cell to the house of De Charitate, in France; this house suffered the same fate with other alien priories till it was naturalized in the 16th year of Richard II. It was dedicated to St. Milburga, and according to Dugdale, in the 26th of Henry VIII. had revenues to the yearly value of £431. 1s. 2d.

In the Monastican is the patent of King Edward III. reciting and confirming the charter of Isabel de Say, lady of Clun, whereby she granted to these monks the church of St. George, at Clun, with seven chapels depending on it, namely, the chapel of St. Thomas, in Clun, of St. Mary’s, at Waterdune, of St. Swithin, at Clumbierie, St. Mary, at Cluntune, St. Mary, at Appitune, with those of Eggedune, and Subbledune. There is likewise an inquisition taken the 29th of Edward I. determining the right of presentation to the cell of Ferne to be in the monks of Wenlock. In “Stevens’ Supplement,” seven deeds are translated into English from the Latin originals in the hands of Francis Canning, Esq., of Foxcote, in the county of Warwick, viz., the deed of Geoffrey de Say, for the manor of Dointon; a confirmation of that deed by Henry II.; another deed by the same king, granting that these monks might always enjoy the said manor, unless he and his heirs gave them eleven pounds per annum in churches and other things in lieu of it; the charter of Henry III. to them for the same manor; the deeds of William Mitleton and Adam Fitzwilliam about a yard of land in Mitleton; a composition between Simon, Dean of Brug, and the prior and convent of Wenlock, about the chapel at Duddington. The prior of Wenlock, John Cressage, on surrendering the monastery to King Henry VIII. had a pension of £80 per annum assigned him, together with the manor house of Madeley; twelve monks had also pensions assigned to them amounting in the aggregate to £100 per annum. Besides the churches already mentioned, the following advowsons belonged to the monastery at the time it was surrendered, viz., Wenlock Magna, Wenlock Parva, Clun, Burton, Shipton, and Eaton. It had also at an earlier period Sutton, near Shrewsbury, Stoke St. Milborough, and Church Preen. During the wars between Henry III. and his barons he was often called into the Marches of Wales, and several documents were signed at Wenlock by the king, which would lead to the supposition that he was frequently lodged and entertained by the Prior. The monastery is situated near the east end of the churchyard, and the entrance from the town was through a massive gateway; very considerable remains of this magnificent and spacious fabric are still to be seen, and fragments are scattered to a great distance from the site. The great centre tower has long since disappeared, but the four massive piers the bases of which are still in existence, show that it must have been built on a scale of no ordinary splendour, and the size must have been equal to many of our cathedrals. The Chapter House is probably a part of the building erected by Roger de Montgomery, and is a singularly beautiful example of interesting Norman arches, supported on columns of which the capitals are all of different designs. It was entered from the cloisters by three richly ornamented circular porches. Of the Priory church only the south transept and a part of the south aisle of the nave remain, they present an elegant example of the early English style of architecture, but no record has been discovered of the date of their erection. The fragments of the south side of the nave consist of pointed arches which have never been open, but within them there are inserted lower arches of a similar form rising from octagonal pillars. Over the higher arches are the remains of a beautiful gallery which ran along the whole of the second story of the church, and consisted of a series of pointed arches, divided by slender clustered pillars; above these are single lancet windows forming a clerestory; between every arch runs a slender clustered pilaster, and where they break off at the top are remains of the ramifications of a groined ceiling. The room adjoining the dormitory was probably occupied by those monks whose task it was to perform the midnight office of the choir. From the bases of the columns which are all that remain of the choir it appears to have been in the same style of architecture as the Chapter house. The Lady Chapel was east of the choir and may still be traced by its foundations. The length of this stately structure from east to west was 401 feet, the nave being 156 feet, space under the middle tower 39 feet, choir 156 feet, Lady Chapel 48 by 40, and the breadth of the nave and aisles 66 feet.

Adjoining the south side of the nave was the great cloister, which was encompassed by the refectory, dormitory and chapter house. Two arched doors which open in the cloisters still remain, but not a fragment of the cloister itself. The chapter house is an oblong square, 66 feet by 31 feet. It communicates by a small door with the house of the Prior, the exterior of which, and some of the apartments, retain their original character. The whole of the eastern side of the building has a singular cloister or ambulatory, consisting of upper and lower story, each of which is formed by a continued line of arches, that have originally been glazed. Opening into the upper gallery are two apartments, one of which is supposed to have been the dining hall, which was lighted by a line of windows somewhat resembling those of the ambulatory, but having in the angles curious little pedestals, of the height of a table. In some parts of these apartments are traces of fresco painting. A narrow stone staircase in one corner communicates with the kitchen underneath. In another part is the private chapel, now divided into several rooms, in one of which is the stone altar, and a beautifully carved dish was dug up some years ago. The architecture of the Prior’s house would lead to the conclusion that it had not been built long at the time of the dissolution of the priory. Fragments of this opulent monastery are scattered to a great distance, and the precinct included full thirty acres. About a century ago a considerable part of the ruins was taken down by an agent of the manor to rebuild some houses which he had on lease, but Sir W. Wynne put a stop to any further demolition.

The site of this monastery and manor was granted soon after the dissolution to Augustine de Augustine, and was sold in 1545 to Thomas Lawley, Esq., who made it his residence, and it continued in the Lawley family till it was sold by Robert Bertie (who was the son of Ursula, the great granddaughter of the said Thomas Lawley,) to the family of Gage. Viscount Gage sold it about the year 1632 to Sir John Wynne, of Wynnstay, in whose family it continues in the person of Sir W. W. Wynne, whose father was happily called (by George IV., when Regent) “the real prince of Wales.”

The most memorable prior was one Joybert, a Norman, who held the monasteries of Coventry, Daventry, Wenlock and Bermondsey, all at the same time. The annals of Worcester state that a confederacy was entered into in the year 1253, between that house and this, for the mutual support of both; and the same annals take notice of one William, a monk of Wenlock, who put himself at the head of a gang of robbers, but was afterwards taken and executed. John Cressage, who surrendered this monastery January 26th, 1539, had a pension assigned him of £80 per annum.

Charities.—The Rev. Francis Southern by his will, proved on the 19th December, 1778, left to the minister and churchwardens of Great Wenlock, and their successors, the sum of £300, to be disposed of as follows. The interest of £200 to be paid to a school-master for teaching ten poor boys to read and write, to be continued till they can read the Bible and write a plain legible hand, and repeat the catechism with Lewis’s expositions readily and distinctly, and understand the first five rules of arithmetic. The interest of £65 to be laid out in bread, to be given every Lord’s day to six poor widows, or old men, who should attend divine service. The interest of £25 to buy Bibles, Testaments and Expositions, to be distributed on New Year’s day among the poor schoolboys. And lastly, the interest of the remaining £10 he gave to the minister for preaching an annual sermon on New Year’s day. This legacy of £300 was invested in the purchase of £640. 2s. 3d. three per cent consols, the dividends of which amount to £19. 4s. per annum, and are disbursed in the following manner. £14. 5s. 10d. paid to a schoolmaster; £1. 5s. expended in books; 12s. 6d. to the minister for a sermon; and £3. 0s. 8d. is distributed in bread. There have been always ten free boys in the school, and generally twelve. A charge is made to each of 2s. 6d. a year for fire money, which is the only expense incurred by them.

The following benefactions to the poor of this parish are noticed on a table in the church, the donors of which directed the interest of the several sums affixed to their names to be distributed in bread:—Ralph Pendlebury and Dorothy his wife, £20; William Churchman, £5; Thomas Lokier, £4; Henry Sprott, £5; Edmund King, £5; Joan Patten, £8; William Parsons, £111; Richard Cleveley, £10; John Clark, £5; Richard Littlehales, £10; Edmund Hancocks, £10; Joseph Read, £10; Mrs. Jane Litllehales, £5; and Thomas Patten, £10. Of these specific benefactions, the total amount of which is £213, no further trace remains in any parish book or document; but there is a sum of £240. 19s. 4d. stock, in the three per cent. consols, now standing in the name of trustees, supposed to have resulted from a part of these benefactions. The money with which a part of this stock was purchased was £150, which had formerly been placed on the security of the Wenlock turnpike trust. With the dividends of this stock, amounting to £7. 4s. per annum, 420 fourpenny loaves are annually distributed to the poor.

John Murrall, dyer, by will, dated in 1796, bequeathed to such poor people as frequent divine service in the parish church of Much Wenlock, the yearly sum of £7. 4s. to be distributed in bread; twelve twopenny loaves on every Sunday in the year, and ten twelvepenny loaves on each of the following days, namely, St. Thomas’s day, Old Christmas day, Good Friday, and Easter day. Mr. Murrall died in 1769, and his will having been contested, his executors were not able to establish any fund for securing the payment of this charity till 1781, when a sum of £250 stock in the three per cent. consols was purchased for that purpose. The dividends, amounting to £7. 10s. a year, are now received by Dr. Rowley and Geo. Pritchard, Esq., and a distribution of bread takes place on St. Thomas’s day and Good Friday.

John Skett, by will, dated 13th March, 1727, left 10s. per annum to be given to the poor of this parish in bread, chargeable on a certain house in Shineton street, the property of Mr. France.

John Littlehales, by will, 1760, devised to Richard Woof a messuage in Shineton street, in Much Wenlock, in trust, that he and his heirs should pay yearly out of the profits thereof, to the minister and churchwardens, the sum of 30s., on the 25th of December, to be given in wheaten bread, as follows:—Twelve twopenny loaves to be placed near a tombstone erected by him, before the service begins, on the first Sunday of every month, and to be given when the communion is ended by his heirs, the vicar and churchwardens, to twelve ancient people of the parish, regard being had to those who frequent the church service; and so to continue the first Sunday of each calendar month, Christmas day, Good Friday, and Easter day, yearly.

Mrs. Mary Smyth, by will, dated 23rd November, 1773, gave the interest of ten guineas to be distributed yearly in sixpenny loaves on the feast of St. Thomas, amongst poor widows and housekeepers of the parish of Wenlock.

Almshouses.—Mrs. Ann Sprott bequeathed £10, the interest to be applied in the repairs of the almshouses. In the parliamentary reports of 1786 it is stated that a person of the name of Price left, for clothing the poor in the almshouse, land then vested in Harry Yate, and producing £4 a-year. With respect of the first mentioned sum of £10, it is conjectured that it formed part of a sum of £150 poor’s stock, previously noticed, as an entry found in the churchwardens’ book, in 1773, states that 10s. was then received, to be laid out in the repairs of the almshouse, being part of the money due to the poor of the parish from the turnpike security; but nothing has been paid for this purpose from the produce of the poors’ stock for many years. With respect to Price’s benefaction, it appears that clothing was formerly provided for the poor in the almshouse by Harry Yate, formerly a draper at Ludlow, in respect of a small estate in Herefordshire, but this was discontinued upwards of seventy years ago by the above mentioned Harry Yate, on the ground that the gift was void under the statute of George II., c. 36.

At the time the Charity Commissioners published their report, William Moseley, Esq., the representative of the Sprott family, appointed the almspeople, and stated that when he succeeded to the estate he found the almshouses consisting of four tenements, in miserable condition, and was requested to repair them; and that he rebuilt three brick tenements, with tiled roofs, adjoining another tenement in a different part of the town, with the approbation of the inhabitants. This he did chiefly from charitable considerations; but he was unable to give any information respecting the almshouses from any documents in his possession. He always understood that they were for the benefit of decayed widows of the parish of Wenlock, to be nominated by or with the approbation of the representative of the Sprott family. After referring to the legacy as stated to have been left by Mrs. Ann Sprott, he stated he should decline paying anything in future for the repairs of the almshouses, unless the interest of that money was brought in aid; but that if the churchwardens were willing to advance any money for this purpose he should always be ready to join them.

Mrs. Ann Minshull left £20, the interest to be applied in teaching poor children to read. Nothing has been paid in respect of this legacy for upwards of fifty years. A legacy of £10, left by the Rev. George Carver, and £5 left by the Rev. Mr. Baker, noticed on a tablet in the church, have long been lost.

Post Office.—At Mr. Thomas Lawley’s, Wilmore street. Letters arrive at 7-30 A.M. and are despatched at 5 P.M.

Those Marked 1 reside in Barrow street; 2 The Bank; 3 Bull Ring; 4 High street; 5 Shienton street; 6 Spittal street; and 7 Wilmore street

1 Adney Miss Elizabeth

5 Adney George, tanner

5 Ainsworth Thomas, farmer

4 Amphlett Joseph, currier

6 Aston Jeremiah, victualler, Bull’s Head

2 Aston Jonathan, beerseller

1 Barnett Joseph, butcher

1 Beavan Thos., vict., Black Lion

7 Belcher Charles, grocer

6 Binnell Henry H., tailor and woollen draper

Blakeway Roger C., Esq., solicitor

Boughton Chas., Esq., The Abbey

6 Bowyer Mrs. Fanny

6 Boycott Rd., confectioner

7 Brookes Wm. P., surgeon

Canlin William, maltster, Burton road

7 Castle Wm., provis. dealer

1 Clayton William, boot & shoemaker

1 Christopher James, joiner

4 Coley James, brazier and tin plate worker

1 Cooper & Purton, bankers, (draw on Williams & Co., London), open on Monday and Thursday

2 Cooper Jermh., limeburner

4 Cooper John, vict., The Fox

4 Cooper Lettice, milliner

7 Cooper Thomas & Samuel, graziers

1 Crowther George, boarding school, and registrar for Wenlock district

2 Crowther Edward, farmer

Davies Mrs. Eliz., Burton rd

4 Devey John, shoemaker

3 Divers James, schoolmastr.

4 Edwards Thos., wheelwrt.

2 Felteaus John, vict., Robin Hood

6 Fox William, joiner

4 Franks Richard, builder

1 Griffiths William, agent to Salop fire office and legal and commercial fire and life offices

1 Hartland Rt., vict., Raven

6 Haynes Thos., blacksmith

3 Heighway Mary, librarian

4 Hopton Henry, grocer

Hollis Mary, schoolmistress

1 Horton Ann, vict., The Plough

6 Horton Robert, chemist & druggist

Hinton Edward, land agent to Sir W. W. Wynne

1 Hughes Edwd., shoemaker

5 James James, farrier

5 James John, farrier

4 James Wm. A., surgeon

Jeffreys William, farmer and miller, The Downes

1 Jeffreys Elizabeth, draper

1 Jenks Sarah, vict., Royal Oak

1 Johnson Thomas, tailor

1 Johnson John, tailor

6 Jones Ann, milliner

1 Jones John, skinner

1 Jones Jno., vict., Britannia

6 Jones Sarah, butcher

6 Jones William, skinner

4 Keysell Edwin, maltster, seedsman, and corn dealer

7 Lawley Thomas, stationer and printer

6 Mansell Thos., ironmongr.

4 Martin Mary, vict., The Harp

3 Mason Edwd., vict., Punch Bowl

4 Mason Wm., shoemaker

4 Massey Thomas, boot and shoemaker

6 Miles Thomas, maltster

Minton Rev. Samuel, St. Mary’s lane

4 Minshall Josiah, saddler

7 Moreton George, vict., The Pheasant

6 Moreton George, vict., Talbot

6 Moreton Francis, hat manufacturer

5 Newell William, farmer & maltster

1 Nicholson Martha, tea dealer

5 Palmer Thomas, nailmkr.

1 Parton Benjamin, vict., The Swan

1 Patten Mr. Richard

1 Pearce Chas., wheelwright

1 Phillips Mr. Thomas

1 Phillips Henry & Samuel, curriers

4 Phillips Andrew, solicitor

5 Power Elizabeth, schoolmistress

1 Poyner Wm., confectioner

4 Rhoden Joseph, vict., Wynnstay Arms, hotel and posting house

6 Rowe John, vict., Crown

1 Share Thomas, painter, plumber and glazier

Shepherd George, farmer & limeburner, Westwood Cottage

6 Smith William, grocer & druggist

1 Summers Thomas, draper

1 Thomas Henry, beerseller

5 Silley William, tailor

7 Trevor Edward, provision dealer and baker

6 Trevor Henry, grocer, chandler, & stamp office

5 Vaughan Miss Sarah

4 Wayne Rev. Wm. H., vicar

Wayne William H., Esq., The Grange

6 Webb Feild, saddler

4 Wheeler John, watchmkr.

4 Wheeler George, vict., The Falcon

6 Williams Thomas, grocer

4 Wilkinson Francis, shopkr

4 Woofe William, saddler

4 Yardley Edwin, cooper

6 Yates Mary, vict., The George

6 Yates Thomas, hairdresser

2 Yates Wm., blacksmith

MUCH WENLOCK TOWNSHIPS.

Atterley is a small township in the parish of Much Wenlock, two miles S.E. from the parish church, and at the census of 1841 contained eight houses and 52 inhabitants. This township and that of Walton conjointly contain 903a. 3r. 11p. of land, the principal owner of which is Sir John Acton. Watton is situate about a mile S.E. from Much Wenlock, and in 1841 had four houses and a population of 23 souls. Gross estimated rental, £1,115. 15s. 4d. Rateable value, £1,016. 18s. The tithes of both townships are commuted for £54. 13s.

The principal residents in Atterley and Walton are Thomas Bayer, farmer, Atterley; Ann Howells, farmer, Walton; John Howells, farmer, Walton; Frank Pardoe, farmer, Atterley.

Burton, or Borton, and Calloughton are two townships in the parish of Much Wenlock, containing together 3,163a. 2r. 39p. of land. Gross estimated rental, £3,501. 7s. 1d. Rateable value, £3,160. 8s. Burton is situated two and a half miles S.W. from Much Wenlock, and at the census in 1841 is returned as having 33 houses and 181 inhabitants; Calloughton at the same period had 23 houses and 149 inhabitants. Lord Wenlock, the principal landowner, occasionally resides at Burton Cottage—an elegant and ornamental structure of only one story in height, the interior of which is very beautifully furnished. The farm houses have most of them been rebuilt by the late proprietor, Sir Francis Lawley, Bart. They are good residences, with commodious and convenient out premises. The church is a small but interesting structure in the gothic style of architecture, consisting of nave, chancel, and side aisle, the latter added at the expense of Lady Lawley; it has a tower containing four bells. The living is a perpetual curacy in the gift of the vicar of Much Wenlock, and enjoyed by the Rev. Samuel Minton. The income of the living is derived from a farm in Radnorshire of the annual value of £50, and a sum of £200 given by Sir Robert Lawley to augment the living. The village of Calloughton is situated about a mile and a half south from Much Wenlock, and is chiefly composed of cottage residences. The farms are scattered and mostly modern erections; there is also a corn mill which can either be worked by steam or water power, in the occupancy of Mr. W. B. Childs. The tithes of Burton and Calloughton are commuted for £74. 18s.

Directory.—Those marked 1 are at Burton, and 2 are at Calloughton. 2 Benjamin Ainsworth, farmer, Beggarley Brook; 2 Samuel Ainsworth, farmer, Spoonbill; 1 Thomas Blunt, agent to John Onions, Esq.; 1 John Brooks, farmer; 2 William Baldwin Childs, corn miller; Francis Dickinson, farmer; 1 Joel Evason, shopkeeper; 2 Thomas Instone, farmer; 1 Thomas Instone, farmer; 1 Edward Kinsey, gentleman; 1 Thomas Lewis, blacksmith; John Massie, farmer, Bradeley; 2 Thomas Trow, farmer, Spoonhill; 1 John Woof, painter and vict., Talbot.

Farley Wyke and Bradley, a township in the parish of Much Wenlock, situated three miles N.E. from the parish church, comprises 960a. 0r. 8p. of land. Gross estimated rental, £1,948. 5s. 3d. Rateable value, £1,787. 8s. The principal landowners are Sir W. W. Wynn, Abraham Darby, Esq., and Lord Forester. At the census in 1841 this township had 34 houses and 166 inhabitants. Farley is situated in a romantic dale, watered by a small brook. In the dingle there is a corn mill in the occupation of Mr. Thomas Harper and Son, which is worked both by steam and water power. The tithes are commuted for £18. 19s. 5d.

The principal residents in this township are Ann Cadwallader, beerhouse keeper; Thomas Chidley, wheelwright and beerhouse keeper; Thomas Harper, corn miller; Caleb Harper, corn miller; Edward Hill, wheelwright; William W. Hull, Esq., Tickwood; John Perry, farmer, Wyke; Joseph Lloyd, farmer and stone dealer.

Harley-Wigwig and Homer, a small township in the parish of Much Wenlock, containing 552a. 1r. 20p. of land, at the census of 1841 had 47 scattered houses and a population of 218 souls. Gross estimated rental, £861. 11s. 6d.; rateable value, £765. 6s. The principle landowners are the Duke of Cleveland, Lord Forester, Samuel Meire, Esq., Sir George Harnage, and the Rev. Samuel Minton. The land is chiefly farmed by the owners except at Harley. The residents in this township are chiefly cottagers, and the houses are for the most part scattered. The tithes are commuted for £48. 15s.

Presthope is a township with a few scattered houses in the parish of Much Wenlock, situated on the Wenlock Edge, upwards of three miles from the parish church; at the census of 1841 there were fourteen houses and 71 inhabitants in the township, which comprises 742a. 2r. 8p. of land, the principal owners of which are Lord Bradford, and M. G. Benson, Esq. Gross estimated rental, £807. 6s. 8d.; rateable value, £727. 6s. Wenlock Edge is a precipitous ridge running about eleven miles in a south-westerly direction. King Henry I. after the capture of Bridgnorth commanded his army to pass through Hunel Hege and lay siege to Shrewsbury. “Hunel hedge is the English name for a passage through a wood; in Latin it may be called malus callis or vicus; for it was a hollow way of a mile in length, full of great sharp stones, and so narrow as scarcely to admit two horsemen abreast. It was overshadowed on each side by a dark wood wherein were stationed archers in ambuscade who greatly annoyed the army with arrows and other missile weapons; but as the king had more than 60,000 men in his army he detached large parties to cut down the wood and make a wide road which should endure for the use of posterity.” From this period we may probably date the existence of a road over this steep ridge which has since been rendered more commodious. Many of the passes however down this rugged steep retain much of their wild and romantic character. The tithes are commuted for £80. 6s.

The chief residents at Presthope are Richard Child Milner, farmer; Rev. Robert H. G. More, and John Shirley, farmer.

PRIORS DITTON,

or Ditton Priors is a parish and village pleasantly situated on the northern verge of the Brown Clee Hill, eight miles south-west from Bridgnorth. The parish contains the townships of Priors Ditton, Ashfield and Ruthall, and Middleton Priors, and has 5,284 acres of land, mostly of an inferior quality, the rateable value of which is £3,451. 4s. 8d. At the census of 1801 the parish had a population of 620 souls; 1831, 620; and in 1841 there were 137 houses and 660 inhabitants. The township of Priors Ditton contains 2,154a. 0r. 34p. of land, and in 1841 had 81 houses and 359 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,597. 1s. 8d. The principal landowners in this township are Philip Henry Howard, Esq., William Millward, Esq., and Mrs. Ann Howells; the former is lord of the manor, and impropriator. The Church dedicated to St. John the Baptist, is an ancient structure consisting of nave, chancel, and south aisle, with a short tower upon which was erected a spire in the year 1831, at a cost of £231; the roof is of groined timber finely wrought, which gives the interior a very beautiful appearance. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king’s book at £5. 15s. 8d., now returned at £147, in the patronage of Philip Henry Howard, Esq.; incumbent, Rev. Edward Ridsdale. This church was formerly an appendage to the abbey of Wenlock. In the reign of Henry VIII., Humphrey Pakington, citizen and mercer of London, purchased of the king the farm of the manor of Dutton, alias Dytton, in Shropshire, with the rectory there, late the property of the Priory of Wenlock, The Methodists have small chapel built in 1816.

Charities.—Mrs. Catherine Barker, by her will dated the 24th of January, 1699, devised to trustees certain freehold estates in Priors Ditton, on trust, (after certain other purposes specified by her) that they should out of the residue assure to the use of the poor of the said parish the yearly sum of £5, to continue for ever, and to be paid to the parson and churchwardens at the feast of Christmas and St. John the Baptist in equal portions. This annuity is paid by Francis Canning, Esq., of Foxcote, in the county of Warwick, who is the proprietor of the premises charged. The amount is distributed in small sums among the poor. Mrs. Dorothy Holland, by her will dated November 15th, 1723, bequeathed to the churchwardens and overseers of the poor of the parish, the sum of £20 in trust, to be invested in lands, and the rents of such lands she directed to be laid out in bread and distributed by the minister and churchwardens among twelve poor people of the parish, one half on Easter-day and the other half on Christmas-day. We do not find any account of the disposal of the money prior to the 2nd June, 1783, when it appears to have been placed in the hands of Francis Canning, Esq., at five per cent interest, upon the security of his bond. The interest is distributed by the churchwardens in the same manner as Barker’s charity, a course of distribution which is somewhat at variance with the directions of the donor.

Ashfield and Ruthall is a small township in the parish of Priors Ditton, on the north-west side of the parish, and within the bounds of the Munslow hundred, the rest of the parish being in the Wenlock Franchise. The township contains 697a. 3r. of land, and at the census of 1841 had nine scattered houses and fifty-five inhabitants. Rateable value, £373. 6s. Lady Boyne is the proprietor of the land at Ashfield. The landowners in Ruthall are Thomas Roberts, Esq., Richard Onslow, Esq., and John Adney, Esq.; the former is lord of the manor. The lord of the manor claims a heriot (usually the best beast) on the death of every owner in his lordship.

Middleton Priors is a township in the parish of Priors Ditton which comprises 2,450a. 0r. 34p. of land, mostly an inferior soil. The land as chiefly the property of Philip Henry Howard, Esq., who is also lord of the manor. At the census in 1841 there were 47 houses and 109 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,479. 19s. 6d. Middleton Hall is a spacious modern house which stands on a considerable elevation and is a conspicuous object many miles around. It was formerly the residence of the Howard family, when the top story of the hall was converted into a private oratory; it is adorned with some fine paintings, and over the altar is a beautifully executed representation of the crucifixion; adjoining is a room for robing and unrobing the priests, and another room is used as the confessional. A commodious and airy school room has been built by the lord of the manor, who also pays for the gratuitous education of the children; about sixty attend. A dwelling house for the teacher has also been built.

Priors Ditton, Ashfield and Ruthall, and Middleton Priors Directories.

Adney John, farmer, Ruthall

Amies John, wheelwright, Priors Ditton

Andrew William, vict., Plough, Priors Ditton

Barnbrooke, Timothy, farmer, Middleton

Bradley Thomas, farmer, Priors Ditton

Chidley Edward, farmer, Priors Ditton

Cubby William, schoolmaster, Middleton

Davis Edward, surgeon, Priors Ditton

Darrell Thomas, farmer, Middleton

Downes John, farmer, Manor house, Ruthall

Easthope Thomas, farmer, Middleton

Evans John, farmer, Priors Ditton

Evans William, wheelwright, Priors Ditton

Goode Thomas, farmer, Priors Ditton

Green Henry, farmer, Priors Ditton

Green Mary, farmer & corn miller, Middleton

Hicks William, blacksmith, Priors Ditton

Jones George, farmer, Priors Ditton

Jones Thomas, farmer, Middleton

Millward William, farmer, Priors Ditton

Power Michael, maltster, miller, and steward to P. H. Howard, Esq., Middleton

Prentice Mrs. Martha, Priors Ditton

Reynolds Francis, farmer, Priors Ditton

Reynolds Richard, farmer, Middleton

Reynolds Richard, farmer, Priors Ditton

Ridsdale Rev. Edward, vicar, Priors Ditton

Smallman Richard, blacksmith, Priors Ditton

Southern Henry, vict., Cannings Arms, Priors Ditton

Thomas Edward, farmer, Middleton

Thomas John, cattle dealer, Priors Ditton

Wainwright Mary, farmer, Ashfield

WILLEY

is a small parish comprising 1353a. 2r. 6p. of land, situated in a pleasant part of the county, four miles east from Much Wenlock, and four and a half miles north-west from Bridgnorth. At the census in 1801 there were 163 inhabitants; 1831, 159; and in 1851, 144; of whom 75 were males, and 69 females. Inhabited houses, 30. Rateable value, £1,888. 8s. 5d. Lord Forester is the principal landowner, and lord of the manor. Henry Cartwright, Esq., is also a proprietor. Willey Park, the magnificent seat of Lord Forester, is a spacious and elegant mansion of freestone, delightfully situated in an extensive and richly wooded park. The principal front, with the offices, extends upwards of three hundred feet, and is approached by a portico of the Corinthian order, greatly admired for superb workmanship and architectural effect. The interior of the mansion is splendidly furnished, and contains many fine paintings, many of which are the exquisite productions of some of the most celebrated masters. The library is extensive, and contains a valuable and choice collection of standard works. The gardens and pleasure grounds are laid out with great taste, and the park is beautifully adorned with sylvan beauty, a fine lake adding much to the interest of the scene. The family of Weld had anciently a seat at Willey. “William Weld was sheriff of London in 1352: his descendant, Sir John Weld, purchased Willey from Sir Thomas Lacon, of Kinlet, between 1612 and 1623. His descendant in the fourth degree, Elizabeth Weld, married Brooke Forester, of Dothill Park, near Wellington; whose son George, dying unmarried, bequeathed Willey and his other great estates, with an injunction to adopt the name of Weld, to his cousin, Cecil Weld Forester, created Lord Forester, of Willey Park, in 1821.” Mr. Moule, author of a work on Heraldry, says, “Lord Forester is lineally descended from John Forester, Esq., of Watling street, who held a singularly curious grant from King Henry VIII. to wear his hat in the royal presence; which identical document is preserved in the family.”

The Church is a small venerable fabric, consisting of nave and chancel, with a short tower, which contains three bells. There are several memorials to the various members of the ancient family of Weld. The living is a rectory, with the perpetual curacy of Barrow annexed, valued in the king’s book at £5. 6s. 3d., now returned at £329, in the patronage of Lord Forester: incumbent, the Hon. and Rev. George O. Bridgeman. The tithes of Willey have been commuted for £233. 18s.

Charities.—Robert Evans, of the Dean, bequeathed 10s. per annum to be expended in bread for the poor. The payment of this gift commenced in 1709, and the legacy is now considered to be secured by a bond in the possession of the parish, given by the late Mr. John Perry, of Willey, whose executors pay the money to the parish officers.

The Rev. Francis Wheeler, rector of Willey, bequeathed 10s. yearly, to be paid at Christmas by the ministers of the two churches in Bridgnorth; 5s. each to be given to the poor of Willey in money or bread. This gift is distributed at Christmas, together with the sacrament money and Evan’s gift.

The following benefactions, also given to the poor of Willey, are involved in much obscurity. Elizabeth Weld in 1688 gave £10. Dorothy Weld in 1674 gave £10, the interest to be distributed on St. Thomas’s day. Mrs. Mary Saltalston £20, to be added to the poor’s stock, and the interest of £10 to be distributed to the poor yearly. Mary Ogden gave 40s. to the poor in 1680. Judith Corbett £5 in 1691. Mary Evans £5 in 1729. Mrs. Catherine Strange £20. From the parish books it appears that £10 of Mrs. Saltalston’s benefaction, and £10 of Mrs. Weld’s, were applied in 1712 towards building a new tower to the church. It further appears that at a vestry meeting held 7th October, 1777, it was agreed that £40, part of a stock of £60, left for the benefit of the poor of Willey, and then in the hands of Mr. Thomas Perry, of the Dean, should be laid out in the necessary repairs of the church, and that the parish should pay reasonable interest for the same, to be distributed one half on St. Thomas’s day, and the other half on Good Friday. Another agreement, not entered in the parish books, dated 15th August, 1802, and signed by Morgan Jones, minister, and two respectable farmers of the parish, stating that the interest of the £40 mentioned in the former agreement, which had never been paid, then amounted to £50, and agreeing to consolidate the principal and interest, making together £90, and to pay interest on the whole. From the entries in the parish books above stated, it clearly appears that £60 of these benefactions were applied to the repairs of the church, but what became of the rest we have in vain endeavoured to discover. No interest appears to have been paid by the parish, but there has been for many years an annual distribution of corn made by the farmers to the poor on St. Thomas’s day, to the value of £5 and upwards.

The principal residents in Willey are the Right Hon. Lord Forester, Willey Park; the Hon. and Rev. George O. Bridgeman; Henry Cartwright, Esq., The Dean; George Goodfellow, bailiff to George Pritchard, Esq.; Edmund Raby, farmer; and John Stobbs, farmer.

LUDLOW

is a borough and market town, on the southern border of the county, 143 miles N.W. by W. from London, and twenty-five south from Shrewsbury, situated on an eminence, at the junction of the Corve with the Teme, and surrounded by a country varied with delightful prospects in every direction. This ancient and populous town is upwards of a mile in length and half a mile in breadth, having a number of regular and wide well paved streets, lying in diverging and inclined directions from the highest and most central part of the town; a circumstance which greatly promotes its cleanliness and salubrity. The houses in general are neat, well built, and better arranged than those of most inland towns of the same antiquity. The town is skirted by the rivers Corve and Teme, and abundantly supplied with water by pipes from springs in the vicinity to the public pumps, as well as from the river Corve by machinery and pipes to the different houses. The glove trade formerly employed upwards of one thousand hands here, but owing, it is thought, to the introduction of French gloves, and the establishment of marts for articles of a cheaper fabrication in Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, the trade declined some years ago, and has now become almost extinct. Malt is made to a considerable extent, and there is a paper mill, and an establishment for the manufacture of blankets and a coarse kind of woollen cloth chiefly used for horse collars. The town has, however, been kept in a flourishing state by the numerous respectable residents which the extreme beauty of its situation has attracted to it. There is a market here on a Monday for grain, provisions, and poultry, which is usually well attended. Markets are also held on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, for provisions. Fairs for horned cattle, horses, pigs, and general merchandise, are held on the Monday before February 13th, Tuesday before Easter, May 1st (for hiring servants), Wednesday in Whitsun-week, August 21st, September 28th, and the first Mondays in November and December. Population in 1801, 3,897; 1831, 5,253. In 1841 the parish of St. Lawrence contained 1,086 houses and 5,064 inhabitants; of whom 3,041 were males and 3,157 females. Rateable value of the borough, £12,812. 4s. 9d. An act of parliament was obtained in 1794 for lighting and paving the town. The annual races are held in July, and continue for two days.

Ludlow was no doubt a town of note in the time of the Britons from the British name it bears (Dinan), though we have no historical record left of it. How it came to be called Dinan, a word of no affinity with Ludlow, we have not found. After the conquest, a noble knight assumed the name of Dinan in honour of the place. It may be observed that Dinas and Dinan are words of frequent occurrence in the account of British antiquities; and upon a careful investigation, it will generally appear that places so denominated have been formerly occupied by some chief or prince of the country. Ludlow seems to have been incorporated from time immemorial. The earliest charter extant is one of confirmation from Richard Duke of York, father of Edward IV. This charter, styling the corporation as “the bailiff’s, burgesses, and commonality, of the town and borough of Ludlow,” and conferring important privileges, has ever since, till the date of the recent municipal act, been deemed, in effect, the governing charter of the borough, though numerous charters were hereafter granted by succeeding sovereigns. The following corporate officers were appointed by charter, viz.:—Two bailiffs, two capital masters and justices, a recorder, twelve aldermen, twenty five common-council, a town clerk, coroner, three serjeants-at-mace, four beadles, and a town crier. No small display of civic pomp and splendour has been here exhibited in the annual election of the corporate officers. The high bailiff was appointed by charter to be elected by the aldermen, and the low bailiff from among the common councilmen; indeed the system of self-election was strictly established, and so were its usual consequences. The bailiffs, and recorder, or steward and capital masters, were all appointed to act as justices of the peace, ex-officio, within the liberties. General sessions of the peace were appointed by Charles I. to be held quarterly, in the same week as the county sessions. Capital convictions, it is said, with executions on the Gallows-hill, anciently took place. Prisoners on higher offences were latterly, however, sent to Shrewsbury gaol for trial at the assizes. The privilege of burgess-ship was inherited by the sons of burgesses; and those who marry their daughters were entitled also to be admitted into this body; for which purpose they were required to petition, according to a prescribed form given in a by-law made in the year 1663. A court of record was instituted by Edward IV. for the trial of debts of 1s. and upwards, and the trial of issues in all personal actions within the municipality. Ludlow first returned members to parliament in the 12th of Edward IV. The boundaries of the borough were little more than co-extensive with those of the old municipal borough; but they have been much extended. Previous to the passing of the Reform Act the borough returned two members, as it still does, and is one of the polling places for the southern division of the county.

Under the Municipal Reform Act, a commission of the peace has been granted anew, and the court of quarter sessions re-appointed. Petty sessions are held weekly, and a court leet annually for swearing in constables. The borough is now governed by four aldermen and twelve councillors, under the usual corporate style. The persons qualified to vote for the town council, after the passing of the act, amounted to 307 in the parish of St. Lawrence, and seven in the township of Ludford, of which latter district the boundary commissioners proposed the exclusion, it being practically beyond the corporate limits. In other respects, the boundaries laid down in their report are extended on the west and east; particularly the latter, which stretches into the parishes of Stanton Lacy, on building ground as far as the parliamentary borough. The following is a list of the members of parliament, borough magistrates, and corporate officers for the year 1851:—

Members of Parliament: Colonel Salwey and Henry B. Clive, Esq.

Magistrates: Francis Massey, Esq.; Humphrey Smith, Esq.; John Thomas, Esq.; Robert Thomas, Esq.; and Benjamin Urwick, Esq.

Mayor: Richard Marston, Esquire. Aldermen: Francis Massey; Benjamin Urwick; Samuel Valentine, and Henry Whittall. Councillors: Francis Boulton, Joshua Cooper, George Griffiths, Ambrose Grounds, James Hand, Charles Harper, James Jones, Horatio Russell, Edward B. Smith, Richard Valentine, Philip Wayn. Town Clerk and Coroner: John Williams, jun. Treasurer: Thomas Childe. Assessors: George Cocking and Richard Jones. Auditors: Thomas Jones and Samuel Oliver. The corporate property chiefly consists of that anciently belonging to Palmer’s Guild, which in 1833 produced a yearly income of £2,120. 8s. 8½d. In 1840 it was reduced to £968. 13s. This great reduction was caused by the corporation having to pay several expensive law suits.

It is well known that the aboriginal inhabitants of this island made a last and determined stand against their invading enemies in that district which had its boundary in what in later times was called the Marches of Wales, in which Ludlow seems to have been anciently included. This tract, however, might be extended from time to time, one way or the other, as either party occasionally gained ground; it is certainly known that Ludlow was early occupied as a military station to withstand the incursions of the Britons, who manfully disputed every inch of ground as they slowly retreated before their powerful enemies. The Romans are said to have been engaged nearly two hundred years in subduing Britain, and of the active operations of the contending parties interesting traces yet remain. Upon the remarkable hill called Caer Caradoc, historical accounts agree in stating it to have been occupied by the brave Caractacus, and many fierce battles to have been fought in its vicinity. An ancient writer describes this place as “exceedingly well fortified, both by nature and art, upon the toppe of an high hill, environed with a tripple ditche of greate depth. There were iij gates, and on three sides steepe headlong places, and compassed on the lifte hande with the river Colun, on the right with Themis.” Different situations have been ascribed to the scene of the last decisive action between Ostorius and Caractacus, but none rest upon such strong grounds of probability as the stations of Brandon Camp and Coxwall Knoll. The first of these is situated a little west of the Roman road leading from Magna to Ariconium or Wroxeter. The second is within sight, and distant from the Roman Camp about three miles, near the village of Brampton Brian. It crowns the summit of a lofty hill, and is of irregular shape, strong by nature, but made stronger by art. A survey of these two camps by the antiquarian must be peculiarly interesting, when he recollects that an Ostorius stood on one camp and a Caractacus on the other; and that their heroic deeds were recorded by the pen of a Tacitus. Each particular related by the historian concerning their respective situations coincides with the natural position of the river Teme and the camps of Brandon and Coxwall hills. From the departure of the Romans to the Norman conquest history supplies no certain information concerning Ludlow; yet it is probable that there existed here a town or fortress previous to the recorded erection of the castle.

Ludlow Castle. It is recorded in old chronicles that “Roger de Montgomery erected the greatest part of the castle, and fortified the town with walls,” from which it may be inferred, that in the times and place alluded to a town and fortress must have been co-incident with each other. This Roger came over with the conqueror, to whom he was related, and led the centre division of his army in the memorable battle which secured the conquest of England, and was afterwards advanced to the Earldoms of Arundel and Shrewsbury. He was the liberal founder of several rich monasteries and churches, particularly the monastery of Wenlock, and the abbey of Shrewsbury. Having completed his favourite structure, “Ludlow Castle,” he enjoyed it until his death in 1094. It was forfeited to the crown by the attainder of his son Robert, who being banished the realm, King Henry I. gave Dinan or Ludlow, with the territory of Corvedale, to a Norman Knight, known by the name of Fulke Fitzwarine, surnamed de Dinan; between whom and Walter de Lacy, Lord of Ewias by right of conquest, there arose several contests, whether out of emulation, or about fixing the boundaries of their royalties, is not known. In one of these skirmishes the said Sir Walter de Lacy, and his trusty knight, Sir Ernauld de Lis, were taken prisoners of war and carried to Dinan, where being in custody, by intriguing with a fair damsel they found a way to make their escape. Gervas Pagnel, governor of the castle, having betrayed his trust in joining the Empress Matilda, King Stephen besieged it, and in conducting the operations of the siege the king gave a signal proof of his courage and humanity. The young Prince Henry, son of King David, who was actively engaged in this enterprise, having approached too near the walls of the castle, was caught from his horse by means of an iron hook fastened to the end of a rope. Stephen, observing the perilous situation of the young prince, boldly advanced and rescued him at the risk of his own life. What right or title the several governors had in the reign of Henry II. is uncertain; though it is most probable that they were only governors, without any fixed interest, till the 16th of King John, when Walter de Lacy had a grant of Ludlow, from whom the title of the place is clearly derived to the house of York, whereby it became vested in the crown. Between the governors of this castle and Hugh de Mortimer terrible dissensions arose. At length it happened that Mortimer was surprised and seized. He was conveyed to Ludlow Castle, and confined in one of the towers, which to this day bears his name.

In the 47th of Henry III., Roger Mortimer, James de Alditheley, and Hamo L’Estrange had a general rendezvous with the barons of the Marches at Ludlow, to concert proper measures for suppressing the insolence of Simon de Montford, Earl of Leicester, and the other barons who had taken up arms against the king. The Earl of Leicester, to oppose the powers of the Marches, made a league with Leoline Prince of Wales, who with united forces attacked the castles of Hay and Ludlow, which were both burnt and demolished. Roger Mortimer, governor of the castle in the time of Edward II., was committed to the tower for a riot that he promoted on account of his dissatisfaction with the ministry of the Spencers: being jealous of a design against his life, he made an entertainment for Sir Stephen de Segrave, the constable of the tower, and in the midst of their cups and jollity, he privately gave him a soporiferous medicine, which, with the contrivance of his keeper, gave him an opportunity of sliding down a rope, and so flying into France. Upon his return, out of a grateful acknowledgment of divine providence for his deliverance out of the tower, he built a chapel in Ludlow castle, dedicated it to St. Peter, and appointed a priest to celebrate divine service for ever. In the second of Edward III. he was made chief justice of Wales, and created Earl of March; and the same year he celebrated with great magnificence the feast of the round table at Bedford. Soon after, the king making a progress into Wales, he was entertained at Ludlow. The promotion of this lord to exalted stations made him excessively proud, and he eventually fell into disgrace at court. He was apprehended at Nottingham, and carried under arrest to London; all his land being seized, and his chattles secured at the same time to the king’s use. The two main articles against him were, his having a hand in conspiring the murder of King Edward II., and his lewd familiarity with the queen, for which he was executed near Smithfield, where his corpse hung two days, and was exposed to greater indignities than usual. The castle, on his insurrection, having come into the possession of Richard Duke of York, was subjected to a siege by the forces of Henry VI. As he advanced towards Ludlow, the army of the Yorkists was drawn out into an intrenched camp in the fields of Ludford. Sir Andrew Trollop, who had been made marshal of the Yorkist army, deserted to the royalists, carrying with him the veteran troops under his particular command, and betrayed all their councils to the king. Dismayed by this defection, the Yorkists broke up their camp and fled, and the Lancasterians entered Ludlow, and wreaked their vengeance on the town and castle, which are said by old historians to have been plundered to “the bare walls.” The Duchess of York, with her two sons, were taken and placed in safe ward, and many of the rich partisans of the duke were executed, and their estates confiscated.

Edward Earl of March was on the Welch border when he received the first intelligence of the disastrous battle of Wakefield, and of the death of his father. He had collected an army in the north and was already marching against the Queen when he was called to oppose a large force of Welsh and Irish, which, under the Earl of Pembroke were advancing in the hope of making themselves master of his person. The two armies met at Mortimer’s Cross, near Ludlow, and it is said that before the battle commenced three suns appeared in the sky over the field, which approached each other till they joined in one, and that Edward taking this as a favourable omen subsequently adopted a sun as his badge in remembrance of this circumstance. The Yorkists obtained a decisive victory and nearly four thousand of the enemy were slain. All the persons of rank were beheaded at Hereford in retaliation for the Queen’s cruelties at the battle of Wakefield. Edward immediately proceeded to London and was proclaimed king under the title of Edward IV. Among the towns which had supported the house of York, none had been more staunch than that of Ludlow. On the 7th of December, in the first year of his reign, he rewarded the townsmen with a charter which extended the privileges of the inhabitants. He created his eldest son Edward, then a mere infant, Prince of Wales, and sent him and his younger brother to the Castle of Ludlow. Hall, in his Chronicles, tells us that he was sent to Ludlow “for justice to be doen in the Marches of Wales, to the end that by the authoritie of hys presence the wild Welshemenne, and evill-disposed personnes should repair from their accustomed murthers and outrages.” On the King’s death, in 1483, the two princes were immediately recalled to London, and perished there within a few weeks, amid the mysterious events which attended the accession of Richard III. to the throne. In 1631, Sir John Egerton was appointed Lord President of Wales and the Marches. At this period Charles I. visited Ludlow, and was welcomed with much ceremony and rejoicing, at which time the exquisite effusion, the “Mask of Comas,” was performed before his Majesty. It is said to have been founded on an incident which occurred in the Lord President’s own family, and which is thus related by Nightingale:—“When the Earl had entered on his official residence he was visited by a large assembly of the neighbouring nobility and gentry. His sons, the Lord Brackley and Sir Thomas Egerton, and his daughter, the Lady Alice, being on their journey, were benighted in Haywood Forest, in Herefordshire, and the lady, for a short time, was lost. Their adventure being related to their father on their arrival at the Castle, Milton, at the request of his friend Henry Lawes, wrote the Mask. Lawes set it to music, and it was acted on Michaelmas night, the two brothers, the young lady, and Lawes himself, each bearing a part in the representation.” The poem, familiar to every English reader, has been allowed by the most competent judges to be one of the finest compositions in the English language, and will ever be held in peculiar estimation, as exhibiting the fair dawn of that genius which burst forth in full splendour in the poem of Paradise Lost.

In the civil wars between Charles I. and the Parliament, Ludlow was occupied by the royal party. In the summer of 1645, a force of nearly two thousand horse and foot, drawn together out of the garrisons of Ludlow, Hereford, and Worcester, were, by a less number of the Parliamentary forces, defeated at Stokesay, near Ludlow. It was not, however, till the following year that Ludlow Castle fell into the hands of General Sir Wm. Brereton, to whom it was given up by Sir Michael Woodhouse. The Earl of Bridgwater, governor of the castle, died in 1648, and was succeeded by Richard Lord Vaughen, Earl Carbery. Samuel Butler, the satirical author of “Hudibras,” was appointed his secretary and steward. A tower is still shown as the place where Butler wrote a part of his incomparable work, the first part of which was published in 1663. This poem was universally admired; the King quoted, the courtiers studied, and the royalists applauded it, but the author was the dupe of promises which were never fulfilled. In the midst of disappointment and neglect he published the third part in an unfinished state, and in 1080 he died in indigence.

The ruins of this ancient baronial fortress are strikingly fine; the sullen stillness that now reigns throughout these forlorn and deserted towers, once the scene of royal splendour and feudal revelry, present a spectacle of the fallen magnificence of past ages, rarely to be equalled. The structure stands at the extremity of a bold headland, and its foundations are laid upon a bare grey rock. The part towards the north consists of square towers, with high connecting walls which are embattled; the old foss and part of the rock have been formed into walks and planted with beech, elm, and lime trees. These trees having now arrived at maturity, form an agreeable shade, and add much to the picturesque ruins of the castle. The principal entrance is by a gateway under a low pointed arch, on the height of which are the ruins of the barracks, which were in constant use when the castle was the residence of the lords presidents of the Marches of Wales. A portion of the barracks has lately been converted into a dwelling house. Further on is a square tower, the embattled rampart pierced with loops here and there, remain in picturesque masses. On the left is a range of stone buildings supposed to have been the stables; contiguous are the ruins of the court house, and beyond it rises a lofty tower called Mortimer’s Tower. The lowest apartment of this tower appears to have been a prison, the original entrance being through a circular aperture in the ponderous keystone of its vaulted roof. On the north and west sides a deep foss cut in the solid rock guarded the body of the castle. The place of the ancient draw-bridge is supplied by a stone bridge of two arches. The portal was built during the presidency of Sir Henry Sidney; over it are the arms of England and France, and the following inscription:—

“Anno Domini Millessimo Quinquitesimo Octagesimo completo, Anno regni illustrissimæ ac serenissimæ regina Elizabethæ vicesima iertio currente, 1581.”

The court is an irregular square, and not very spacious, but the lofty embattled walls by which it is enclosed, though in ruins, still preserve their original outlines, and the frowning towers and bold masses, luxuriously mantled with ivy, present a rare specimen of the fallen magnificence of the feudal ages. The keep is a large square embattled tower, divided into four stories, and rises to the height of 110 feet. It is probably the only part of the castle which dates from the time of Roger de Montgomery. Most of the windows and doorways are distinguished by their round Norman arches. The ground floor is the dungeon half under ground. The arched roof is twenty feet in height. In the arch are three square apertures, which communicating with the chamber above, served for the purpose of admitting and inspecting the prisoners, and were probably intended also for raising supplies of ammunition and provisions, during a time of siege. On the second floor is a room measuring 30 feet by 18, with a fire place. The room communicates on the left with a square arched chamber, and on the right with a narrow oblong room. This tower measures 46 feet by 34, and the walls are from 9 to 12 feet thick. Facing the gate is the hall, measuring 60 feet by 30, and was originally approached by a flight of steps. There remains now neither roof nor floor to this once elegant apartment where the splendid scene of Comus was first exhibited, and where hospitality and magnificence blazed for ages in succession without diminution or decay. Two pointed arches lead to a spacious tower attached to the west end of the hall, in which are several apartments, one of which is still called Prince Arthur’s room. On the opposite end of the hall is another square tower, one of the rooms of which is pointed out as the banqueting hall. A spacious chamber above has been adorned with an unusual degree of rude magnificence.

The chapel was built in the reign of Henry I. by Joce de Dinan; all that now remains of it is the nave—a circular building, one of the earliest of this description in England. The approach is by a remarkably elegant Norman doorway, richly adorned with ornaments peculiar to the style of the period in which it was built. In the interior rising from the floor are fourteen recesses in the wall formed by small pillars, with indented capitals supporting round arches, which have alternately plain and zigzag mouldings. A filleted ornament runs round the exterior of the wall. A covered way led from the state apartments to the chapel. In the time of Queen Elizabeth the interior was covered with panels exhibiting the armorial bearings which church-yard describes as “armes in colours sitch as few can shewe.”

From an inventory of goods found in Ludlow Castle bearing date 1708, the eleventh year of the reign of Queen Anne, we learn that about forty rooms were found entire at that period. Among these were the hall, council chamber, lord president’s and my lady’s, with drawing rooms, the steward’s room, great dining room, chief justice’s room, second judge’s room, Prince Arthur’s room, captains’ apartments, kitchen, &c.; and as in this inventory a table and altar are stated to have been found in the chapel, we may presume the choir was at that time remaining. In the account prefixed to Buck’s antiquity published in 1774, it is observed that many of the apartments were then entire, and that the sword of state and the velvet hangings were preserved. Dr. Todd in his learned edition of Comus says, “A gentleman who visited the castle in 1768 has acquainted me that the floor of the great council chamber was then pretty entire, as was the staircase. The covered steps leading to the chapel were remaining, but the covering of the chapel was fallen, yet the arms of the lord presidents were visible. In the great council chamber was inscribed on a wall a sentence from I. Samuel, chapter 12, verse 3; all which are now wholly gone. On the accession of George I. an order is said to have come down for unroofing the buildings, and stripping them of their lead. The decay of this magnificent structure soon ensued. Many of the panels bearing the arms of the lord presidents were converted into wainscotting for a public house in the town, a former owner of which enriched himself by materials clandestinely taken away. The Earl of Powis, who previously held the castle by virtue of a long lease, acquired the reversion in fee by purchase from the crown in the year 1811.”

The Church, which stands in the highest part of the town, is a very beautiful cruciform edifice in the decorated gothic style of the latter part of the fifteenth century, forming undoubtedly the finest ecclesiastical fabric in the county, and perhaps the most stately parochial church in England. The structure is dedicated to St. Lawrence, and has a lofty and noble appearance; it consists of nave, chancel, choir, side aisles, transepts, and two chantry chapels, with a handsome tower rising from the centre, having at each angle an octangular turret, surmounted by a pinnacle. The tower contains eight musical bells, and a set of chimes was put up at the expense of the parish in the year 1795. The principal entrance is by a large hexagonal porch. The nave is divided from the aisles by six lofty pointed arches on each side, springing from light clustered pillars. Above them is a clerestory with a range of heavy windows. The four great arches under the tower are remarkably bold, beneath the eastern arch is the choral rood loft, embellished with open carved work, but upon it is erected a modern gallery, above which stands a powerful and fine toned organ, the gift of Henry Arthur Earl of Powis, in the year 1764; it cost £1,000. The choir is lighted by five lofty pointed windows on each side, and one of much larger dimensions at the west end. This window is richly adorned with stained glass, chiefly representing the legend of St. Lawrence, the patron saint of the church. The other windows in this venerable edifice bear evidence of having once been enriched with a profusion of stained glass of the most exquisite workmanship. The large eastern window containing the legendary history of St. Lawrence having been so defaced and wantonly broken that the various subjects could with difficulty be traced. It remained in this state till the year 1828, when the corporation of Ludlow directed Mr. David Evans, of Shrewsbury, to restore the window according to its original design. It was completed in a masterly manner in 1832, and the skill displayed by the artist in overcoming the difficulties he had to encounter has excited the admiration of every one who has seen it. The window is justly considered the most magnificent specimen of the art of glass staining in the county, and for general effect is surpassed by few in England. The window is divided into sixty-five compartments, and contains five hundred and forty feet of glass. The whole of the subjects depicted in the window are under elegant canopies of delicate tabernacle work, differing in design; and the costume of the figures throughout the various scenes are particularly curious, and well deserve attention, as the richness of colour and general effect is not inferior to some of the finest specimens of the ancient stained glass. The window is supposed originally to have been setup during the episcopacy of Thomas Spoford, who was promoted to the see of Hereford in 1421. The three large windows on the south side of the chancel display full length figures of bishops, apostles, and Romish saints, the apex of each containing twelve small curious figures. The glass in the windows on the north side has been greatly mutilated, but sufficient remains to show the splendour and magnificence of the colouring.

The north and south chapels of the choir are separated from the transepts by remarkably handsome carved screens; in the windows are paintings representing the history of the apostles, and also very splendid remnants of stained glass, portraying the story of the ring presented by some pilgrims to Edward the Confessor, who, as “The Chronicles” relate, “was warned of his death certain days before he died by a ring that was brought him by certain pilgrims, which ring he had secretly given to a poor man that asked his charity in the name of God and St. John the Evangelist. These pilgrims, as the legend recites, were men of Ludlow.” The ceiling is of oak resting on corbels, which spring from highly decorated figures of angels bearing shields. The extreme length from east to west is 203 feet, and the breadth across the transepts measures 130 feet. The tower rises 131 feet in height, forming a prominent object, and gives considerable beauty to many prospects from the neighbouring country. In the church there are two highly finished effigies of Judge Bridgeman and his lady, but much mutilated. The head of the tomb was opened in 1805 (on sinking a grave for the body of Mrs. Turner) when the hair of both Sir John and his lady was found perfectly entire; the coffins mouldered on exposure to the air. In the high chancel is a large Grecian monument displaying an elegant sculptured cherub and emblems of time and eternity, in memory of Theophilus Salwey, Esq., who died in 1760. A handsome altar tomb of white marble has recumbent effigies of chief Justice Waiter and his lady; and on the front are figures representing their issue. Judge Walter died in 1592. Within the communion rails is a tomb in memory of Sir Robert Townsend and his lady, with two full length figures, and surrounding the base stand their children. Dame Mary Evre, who died in 1612, has a tomb erected to her memory, at the back of which are the armorial bearings of the family. Upon the tomb is a recumbent figure resting on a cushion, habited in the dress of the times and the head covered with a hood. In various parts of the building will be found several interesting tablets and mural monuments. Though not collegiate the church of St. Lawrence anciently possessed a chantry of ten priests, maintained by the rich guild of St. John, who gave to its choral services the splendour of a cathedral. The living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £19. 12s. 6d., now returned at £160 in the patronage of the lord chancellor. The tithes have been commuted for £23. 13s. 6d. Ecclesiastical courts are held here for granting probates of wills and letters of administration.

The Independent Chapel, situated in Old street, is a neat structure capable of accommodating upwards of three hundred persons, and was erected in 1830. The congregation formerly assembled for divine worship in a chapel still standing, situate on the banks of the river, near the bottom of Corve street. Before the erection of this fabric, in which they continued to meet for nearly a century, the dissenters conducted their religious services in a licensed dwelling house, where, in the early part of 1731, they were furiously assailed by a mob. This vain attempt to crush them led to the erection of the first dissenting house in the borough. The Rev. Theophilus Davies is the pastor of the congregation.

The Methodist Chapel, a plain structure situated in Lower Broad street, was enlarged in 1835, and is now capable of holding about five hundred hearers. The Primitive Methodist Chapel, situated in Old street, is a substantial building erected in 1836, and has accommodation for upwards of three hundred worshippers.

The Boys’ National School is held in a spacious room over the Market Cross; and the Girls’ School is held in a house in Brand lane. They are supported by voluntary subscriptions and charitable benefactions: the latter will be found noticed with the general charities of the borough. The gross income for the year 1850 was £155. 16s. 3d.

The Savings’ Bank, held in the public buildings, Castle street, was established in 1816. On November 20th, 1850, the total number of accounts was 1,939, of which twenty-three were charitable societies and eighteen friendly societies. The capital stock of the bank at the same period amounted to £70,958. 18s. 4d. The respective balances of 961 depositors did not exceed £20; 543 were above that sum and not exceeding £50; 231 not exceeding £100; 96 not exceeding £150; 62 not exceeding £200; and five accounts exceeded the latter sum. Mr. John Williams, actuary.

The Ludlow County Court, for law proceedings in actions and claims not exceeding £50, embraces the following places, viz., Abdon, Ashford Bowdler, Ashford Carbonell, Aston, Acton Scott, Bitterley, Bromfield, Burrington, Cainham, Clee St. Margaret, Cold Weston, Culmington, Diddlebury, Downton, Elton, Halford, Heath, Holdgate, Hope Baggot, Hopton Cangeford, Leinthall Starkes, Leintwardine, Ludford, Munslow, Onibury, Richards Castle, St. Lawrence Ludlow, Sibdon Carwood, Stanton Lacy, Stoke St. Milborough, Stoke Say, Tugford, Wigmore and Wistanston. Judge, Uvedale Corbett, Esq.; Clerk, John Williams, Esq.; High Bailiff, William Davies.

The Ludlow Library, and Mechanics’ Institution, established in 1841, is held in one of the rooms of the market hall, the use of which has been granted by the corporation. The institution has an interesting library of nearly 300 volumes. Mr. George Cocking is the secretary.

The Public Rooms, situated in Castle street, were erected in 1840 by a company of shareholders. One portion is set apart for the Ludlow Natural History Society, where there is deposited a choice and valuable collection of fossils, British and foreign birds and animals, &c. This institution was established in 1834. There is also a spacious and elegant Assembly Room, and another for magisterial purposes, besides a Reading Room well supplied with the principal London and provincial journals. The Market Cross is a neat edifice, with a cupola, where butter and other productions are sold on the market days. The Market House is a plain brick building in Castle street, containing large and convenient rooms for the meetings of the corporation.

The Dispensary is supported by voluntary subscriptions, a collection made in Ludlow church every alternate year, and the dividends of certain charitable bequests. The number of patients cured or relieved during the year 1851 was 279. Mr. H. Hodges, consulting surgeon; and Mr. Harley, dispenser. The Lying-in Institution was established in 1810, since which 3,561 persons have been relieved and visited, under the direction of the managing directors.

The Gas Works. The Union Gas Works were established in 1840 by a company of shareholders with a capital stock of £3,050. The old gas works are situated on the road to the Clee Hill.

The Water Works are the property of the corporation. The water is forced by an engine from the river to a reservoir at the top of the Market-hall, and thence conveyed in pipes to different parts of the town. There are also conduits supplied by pipes with excellent water from the neighbouring hills.

Ludlow Poor-law Union Workhouse is a spacious stone edifice, situated in the parish of Stanton Lacy. The union comprehends an area of 125 miles, and embraces the following parishes, viz.:—Abdon, Ashford Bowdler, Ashford Carbonel, Bitterley, Bromfield, Caynham, Clee St. Margaret, Cold Weston, Culmington, Diddlebury, Halford, Heath, Holdgate, Hope Baggott, Hopton Cangeford, Munslow, Onibury, Richard’s Castle, St. Lawrence Ludlow, Stanton Lacy, Stoke, St. Milborough, Stokesay, and Tugford, all in the county of Salop; Aston Burrington, Downton, Elton, Leinthall Starkes, Richard’s Castle, and Wigmore, in Herefordshire; the parishes of Leintwardine and Ludford are situated in both counties. Expenditure for the year ending 28th September, 1850, £3,533. 15s. 10½d. Clerk: Robert Thomas. Medical Officers: Henry Meymott, John Southern, Charles Pothecary, Daniel Gingell, Robert Jones. Relieving Officers: William Russell, James Jones, John Harding, Edward Millichap. Chaplain: Robert Meyricke. Master and Matron: William and Mrs. Russell.

Gaolford Tower, a small structure, situated in Tower street, has four cells for the confinement of prisoners, and a day room and airing yard. It was built by the corporation in the 4th of George III.

Dinham House, an elegant and spacious mansion, situated near the Castle (now the residence of John Thomas, Esq.), towards the close of the late war was occupied by Lucien Bonaparte, being then detained a prisoner in England. He left Ludlow on Sunday, June 30th, 1811.

Among the customs peculiar to this town that of rope pulling is not the least extraordinary. On Shrove-Tuesday the corporation provides a rope, three inches in thickness and thirty-six yards in length, which is given out at one of the windows of the Market House, when a large body of the inhabitants, divided into two parties (one contending for Castle street and Broad street wards, and the other for Old street and Corve street wards), commence an arduous struggle; and as soon as either party has gained a victory, by pulling the rope beyond the prescribed limits, the pulling ceases. The rope is usually purchased from the victorious party, and then given out again. Ludlow preserves the custom of walking over the limits of the township once a-year. This procession takes place on the Wednesday before Holy Thursday, on which occasion the boys of the different schools, attended by one of the clergy, proceed from the church to a place near Corve Bridge, where a cross formerly stood. Here the Epistle for the preceding Sunday is read; from whence passing to Weeping Cross, the boys again kneel down, and the Gospel for the same day is read by the clergyman.

The Broad Gate, the only one now remaining entire, receives its name from an ancient religious foundation called Barnaby House, famous in past ages as the temporary resting place of the numerous devotees passing through Ludlow on their way to the Holy Well of St. Winefrede, in North Wales. Adjoining formerly stood a chapel, dedicated to St. Mary of the Vale. The Gateway of Millgate is at the end of Barnaby lane. In Lower Millgate traces of the town wall are still to be seen. In 1786 Dinham gate remained entire, adjoining which anciently stood a chapel, approached by a flight of steps. The land leading from the bottom of Mill street to Dinham bears the name of Camp, from the frequent encampment of soldiers there. Old Gate stood at the bottom of Old street.

A religious house of White Friars was founded at Ludlow, in 1349, by Sir Laurence de Ludlowe, Knt., which we are informed by Leland “was a fayre and costlie thinge, and stoode without Corve Gate by north, almost at the end of that suburb.” Stukeley, who wrote about the year 1720, says, “There was a rich priory out of the town, on the north side. Little remains now to be seen, excepting a small adjoining church once belonging to it. About the same place an arched gateway went across the street, but now demolished.” The church above mentioned was the chapel of St. Leonard, founded in 1590, and intended for a charitable and religious establishment, the almshouse having survived its chapel, and, according to the will of the founder, contributes to the maintenance of four poor persons. Near to Friars’ lane was situated the establishment of Augustine Friars, to which Edmund de Pontibus was a benefactor. There was an Hospital, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, situated near the bridge, founded by Peter Undergod, and endowed with certain lands for the maintenance of certain religious brethren, and sustentation of poor and infirm people. The annual value at the dissolution was £17. 13s. 3d.

Thomas Johnes, Esq., was born at Ludlow, in the year 1783. He received his early education at Shrewsbury school, and took his degree of M.A. at Oxford. In 1783 Mr. Johnes erected an elegant mansion at Hafod, which in 1807 was consumed by a destructive fire, with much of its valuable contents, the loss amounting to £70,000. Notwithstanding this disaster, he rebuilt and adorned his mansion anew. Here he indulged his taste for literature, employed a printing press on his own premises, and produced some elegant historical works. He died in 1814, and was buried in the church which he had built at Hafod.

Richard P. Knight, Esq., an elegant scholar and distinguished in the literary circles of Europe, represented Ludlow in parliament for many years. Mr. Knight bequeathed his fine collection of medals, drawings, and bronzes (worth at least £30,000), to the British Museum. They include a single volume of drawings by the inimitable Claude, which was purchased for £1,600 from a private individual, who a short time previously had given £3 for the same volume.

Charities.—The Grammar School.—It appears that all the premises specified in a certain grant, and constituting the possessions of the Guild or Fraternity of Palmers, had been unconditionally surrendered by them to King Edward VI. by deed under their common seal, dated 1st June, in the fifth of his reign. The property thus unconditionally surrendered to the king was granted by him to the corporation for the relief and better sustaining of the town and borough of Ludlow, and for the corporation, “at their own costs and charges,” to maintain a free grammar school, and other charitable institutions mentioned in the charter. It appears the legal import of the charter was not to grant the property upon trust to employ the whole of the rents and profits to the maintenance of the charities, but to make a beneficial grant of it to the corporation, coupled with a condition that they should, out of the income they thus acquired, sufficiently maintain the charitable institutions therein specified. The school premises comprise two houses, in which the master resides. About fifty years ago, the premises were nearly rebuilt, at a cost of £700. The school is open to the whole town, without any limitation of number, on payment of £3 annually. Four of the boys, nominated by the bailiffs, receive a benefaction of £2. 13s. 4d. per annum, under the will of Dr. Langford. The school is also entitled to two exhibitions of £45 to Baliol College, Oxford, for 11 years, founded by the Rev. Richard Greaves in the year 1704. There are also three exhibitions of £50 for three years to any college in Oxford, Cambridge, or Durham. It is stated in the particular of the Guild estate, that “there is an almshouse to the Guild appertaining, with thirty-three chambers therein inhabited by poor people, according to the foundation and ordinance of John Hoyser, to every of which poor people is weekly allowed 4d.” The Palmers Guild was a religious fraternity, established about the year 1248, for the relief of the poor, and for the administration of charitable bequests. Before the period of the Reformation, their funds had increased so considerably that they formed a college, with a warden for three priests, and maintained the above almshouse for thirty-three poor people, and the grammar school. On the passing of the Municipal Act, in 1835, it became necessary to separate the charity from the municipal property; and, after much litigation, lands yielding a clear rental of £1,800 a-year were secured to the charity for the purpose of maintaining the above-named objects. The preacher, now called the lecturer (and who, as well as the assistant, is appointed by the corporation), received from them a salary of £26. 13s. 4d. per annum, when the Charity Commissioners published their report. It appears that the Palmers Guild had been used to pay yearly to a schoolmaster, for keeping a free grammar school, £10; to one priest, £6; and to two others, £5. 6s. 8d. each. The particular duties of these priests are not specified; but it seems probable that the usher, preacher, and assistant, were intended to be substituted by the charter in their stead.

From an old book belonging to the corporation, containing copies of wills and other documents relating to the charities of the town, it appears that James Walters, Esq., in 1624, devised an annuity of £20 to be paid out of his lands in Stanton Lacy and Richards Castle; £10 thereof to be distributed among the inmates of the almshouse, and £10 to be bestowed on the preacher. It appears that a fee farm rent of £24. 13s. 4d., reserved by a charter of King Edward IV., out of certain lands granted to the corporation of Ludlow, and also the rent of £8. 13s. 4d., reserved by charter of King Edward VI., eventually became vested in the corporation; and £20 is now paid to the treasurer of the national school, and the remainder, £13. 6s. 8d., is considered as forming a part of the weekly payments to the almspeople.

Thomas Candland, by will dated 1617, gave a house and shop in Ludlow to William Bevan and Alice his wife, and their heirs, in trust, that they should pay annually the sum of 20s. out of the profits thereof to the bailiffs of the town, to be disposed of by them; to every chamber in the almshouse, 4d.; and the residue of the said 20s. to such other poor of Ludlow as they should think fit. William Archer, by deed dated 1677, charged his close, called Sutton’s close, with a yearly rent of 20s., to be divided among the poor in the almshouse near the parish of St. Lawrence. Susan Gay, by indenture dated 1724, conveyed to Richard Plummer and his heirs, a piece of land called Old Hill, in Kingsland parish, in Herefordshire, in trust, that after her death the bailiffs, rector, lecturer and reader of Ludlow for the time being, should receive from the rents and profits thereof an annuity of £7 for ever; £6 thereof to be yearly distributed among the poor of the almshouses in the upper room and in Corve street, and 20s. to the person who received the rent and looked after the estate. An annual sum of 13s. 4d, from one of the Earl of Powis’s stewards, which is distributed among the 33 almspeople in the upper almshouse. The origin of this payment is not known. Mary Beetenson, who died about the year 1806, bequeathed to the bailiffs of the town of Ludlow, and their successors, the sum of £100, to be placed out at interest, and distributed to the poor people inhabiting the almshouse opposite the church of St. Lawrence. Ann Smith in 1809 gave £50 to the corporation of Ludlow, in trust, to be placed out at interest, and distributed in coals to the poor inhabiting the upper almshouse. Susannah Smith, by will in 1801, gave to the rector of the parish of St. Lawrence, in Ludlow, the sum of £100 to be placed out at interest, and distributed among the inhabitants of the almshouses near the church. These small payments amount annually to the sum of 12s. 5¾d, for each of the almspeople.

Charles Foxe, by his will dated 1590, after reciting that he had lately purchased the chapel of St. Leonard, in Corve street, Ludlow, and a parcel of ground near thereto, whereon he had begun to erect four almshouses, for four poor and impotent persons, gave and bequeathed to certain trustees, in trust, four messuages, and all lands, tenements and hereditaments, with their appurtenances, situated in the city of Worcester, of the annual value of £8; to be by them so settled that out of the rents £4 should be paid to the four poor persons in the almshouse, and divided amongst them quarterly. To the curate of Ludford, or some other sufficient minister, for reading divine service to the poor there, the sum of 40s. yearly. To some learned preacher for a sermon in the said chapel at Christmas, 6s. 8d.; and the like sum for a sermon there in Lent. And the residue of the rents (being £1. 6s. 8d.) he directed to be employed for the necessary repairing the said almshouses and chapel, and other necessary charges. He gave two bells to be hung up in the steeple of the chapel. About the year 1751 the chapel had gone greatly to decay, and the houses in Worcester become so ruinous and incapable of repair, that in 1758 the ground on which the tenements stood was let on building leases, at an annual rent of £11. 9s. 6d., for 99 years. James Foxe the trustee, by deed in 1769, conveyed to the bailiffs, burgesses and commonalty of Ludlow, the aforesaid premises, in trust, for the support of the almshouse, in consequence of his residing so remote from Ludlow. The present income of the charity is £14. 13s. 10d. The almshouse consists of four dwellings, with a garden to each, and is inhabited by two poor persons from the parish of Bromfield, and two from Ludlow; who also receive from the corporation 1s. 6d. per week each, and 3s. 2d. yearly from Mrs. Susan Gay’s benefaction.

Thomas Lane, by will in 1674, after giving certain legacies, bequeathed all the rest of his estate to Sir Job Charlton and two others, to be disposed of by them as he should appoint; and in default of such appointment, to some charitable use according to their best discretion. From the will of Sir Job Charlton, bearing date 1691, it appears that the money derived from this bequest had been employed in repairing and furnishing an old house which had been granted to the trustees by the town of Ludlow, and in purchasing certain lands in Middleton of the annual value of £30. Under the residuary clause of Thomas Lane’s will, a reversion passed to the use of this charity of a dwelling house, a garden, and two meadows, containing 5a. 1r. 9p. of land, which had been granted to his wife by a codicil to his will. These lands, comprising an area of 74a. 2r. 9p. of land, and let at an annual rent of £44 per annum, were exchanged in 1790 with C. W. B. Rouse, Esq. for meadow and pasture lands, situated in Stanton Lacy, containing 41a. 3r. 7p. of land, let for £56 per annum. At the time the charity commissioners published their report, the income of the charity amounted to £120, (exclusive of the interest of £216. 8s. 3d., the amount of a balance due in 1816, arising from savings of income,) which was applied in paying to the governor of the workhouse a salary of £20; in disbursements for taxes and repairs of the building and furniture; and in providing flax, hemp and yarn for making stockings, and leather for shoes, for the poor people in the house to work up.

Thomas Lane, by a second codicil to his will, in 1676, devised his closes of meadow and pasture land, lying near the east side of Broad street, in Ludlow, to be conveyed to feoffees in trust, that the rents and profits should be weekly disposed of in bread and money to twelve poor widows of the town of Ludlow. The land contains 1a. 3r. 34p., which produces an annual income of £23. 10s.

From an entry in an old book belonging to the corporation, it appears that Evan Phillips gave £22 to remain a stock for ever for the poor of the town of Ludlow; and directed certain trustees to dispose of the same in the purchase of lands, or otherwise, as they should think fit; the profits of the £20 to be given to twelve poor persons, and the remaining 40s. to be spent by the trustees, for their recreation, at their meetings on the business of the charity. It appears from the same book that he also gave a judgment debt of £10, due to him, for the use of six more poor persons of Ludlow. There is now a piece of land in Lynney appropriated to this charity, called the Poor’s Close, containing 3r. 26p., which is let at an annual rent of £13; of which £12. 6s. 8d. is distributed among eighteen poor persons by the bailiffs of the town.

Richard Davies, by will dated 1699, bequeathed £100 to be laid out in lands, in trust, to distribute the rents and profits among eight poor widows of Ludlow, not partakers of any other charity in the town. In respect of this sum the corporation make an annual payment of £6, which is distributed as the donor directed. Eleanor Handford left £25, the interest thereof to be given to ten poor persons in Castle street ward on Good Friday, yearly. John Long, by will, gave to the poor of the parish of St. Lawrence, in Ludlow, the sum of £20, the interest thereof to be distributed among the poor. There is also found copied into the charity book a statement that Mrs. Robinson left £100 to the poor of Ludlow, the interest to be applied as follows; viz.: 50s. to the Charity school, and 50s. to twenty poor housekeepers, to be named by the bailiffs and rector on St. John the Evangelist’s day.

Thomas Meyricke, by will, dated 1724, bequeathed to the bailiffs, burgesses, and commonalty £40, in trust, to lend it from time to time to four poor tradesmen, not being ale sellers for three years, without interest, in sums of £10 each, upon sufficient security. Sir Timothy Tourueur, Knight, also gave £100, to be lent for a like time to four young tradesmen upon good security. Thomas Meyricke also bequeathed £40, the interest to be paid to the charity schools at Ludlow.

Richard Gwilliams, by will, dated 1629, gave to the parson of Ludlow and vicar of Leominster, and the vicar of Kings Capel £3 a year, issuing out of all his messuages, lands, tenements, and hereditaments in the county of Hereford, to the intent that they should distribute 20s. thereof yearly to the poor impotent people of each of those places.

Charles Sonnibank, D.D., by deed dated 10th of October, 10th Charles I., after reciting a grant made by him to Margaret Postern and her heirs of a messuage and lands containing about 155 acres, situated at Brome, in the parish of Hopesay, in Shropshire, reserving to him and his heirs a rent of £13. 6s. 8d., granted the said rent to trustees, in trust, to distribute it among ten poor widows inhabiting Ludlow, in weekly payments of 6d. each, and the parson to retain 6s. 8d. for his care in receiving it.

Robert Horne, by will, dated 1640, gave to the rector and rectors of the parish church of St. Lawrence, in Ludlow, for the time being for ever, a rent charge of £10 per annum issuing out of lands in the parish of Kingsland, in the county of Hereford.

Jane Higginson, by will, dated 1707–8, gave £5 per annum to five decayed tradesmen’s widows in Ludlow, for keeping clean the chancel of the church, to be paid on the 28th day of February. She likewise gave an annuity of £5 to the rector of Ludlow and his successors for ever.

The Rev. Richard Morgan, in 1766, left £140, in trust, the interest therefrom to be expended in teaching poor children. The present fund derived from this bequest is £120, three per cent. consols, the dividends of which are £3. 12s. per annum, which is now paid to the national school. There was an ancient charity school in Ludlow called the Blue Coat School, which has formed the basis of a national school now established there. It has been seen in the report of Tonlyne’s charity that in the year 1716 it was ordered by the corporation that £20 should be secured to the trustees of this charity school out of the tolls of the market, as forming part of Mr. Tonlyne’s charity. From an entry in the corporation ledger in 1782 it appears that this sum of £20 was paid by the chamberlain to the treasurer of the charity school till the 28th of October, 1761, from which time it had been in arrear; and that this arrear, together with the interest of the several sums of £100, £50, and £40 due to the charity school on several bonds from the corporation, then amounted to the sum of £629, which sum was afterwards invested in the purchase of £1,000, three per cent. consols. It appears from the ledger that on the 29th of October, 1806, a further arrear of the annuity and of the interest on the bonds had occurred, which left a balance due from the corporation of £458. This balance it was resolved to apply in the purchase of a schoolhouse, which was effected in 1815. The purchase money of this house, with the charges of repairing and fitting up, amounted to £600. 13s., exceeding the amount of the arrears by £142. 13s., which was paid out of the corporation funds. From the year 1806 the annuity of £20 was paid by the charity school till its combination with the national school. The house is now used for the female department of the national school. The children of the Blue Coat School were clothed, and accordingly clothing to the amount of £27 a year is now given to children in the national school, chosen by the subscribers in rotation. These children are also put out apprentice with a premium of £3 each.

Thomas Hollingworth, by will, dated 1809, gave £50 four per cent. bank annuities, to be transferred to the rector and churchwardens of St. Lawrence, Ludlow, the dividends to be laid out in bread and distributed at Christmas to poor widows, inhabitants of the said parish. Richard Nash, by will, dated 1814, gave to the ministers and churchwardens of the parish of St. Lawrence, Ludlow, £100, the interest thereof to be distributed among the poor of the parish. Lost Charities: Among the books of the corporation are mentioned charities left by six several donors, amounting in the whole to £200, which have long been lost to the poor.

Letters arrive from London and Shrewsbury at 8 A.M., Birmingham and London 8.45 P.M., Hereford, &c., 9.58 A.M., and Worcester at 11.58 A.M., and are despatched to London and Shrewsbury at 4.50 P.M., Birmingham 8.45 A.M., Hereford, 2.47 P.M., and Worcester at 1.30 P.M.—Eleanor Sankey, post-mistress.

Acton Capt. Edward, Gravel Hill

Barnes Thomas, wool agent, Castle street

Baxter Mrs. Elizabeth, Broad street

Breakwell Mr. Thomas, Friars Cottage

Brittle Mrs. Penelope, Broad street

Bryce Dr. Charles, Broad street

Burlton Miss Ann, Mill street

Butler Miss Sarah, Mill street

Calvert Mrs. Hannah, Old street

Childe Mr. Thomas, Corve street

Crocker Joseph, inland revenue officer, Corve street

Davenport Mrs. Mary, Bull Ring

Davies Mrs. Ann, Mill street

Davies Miss Mary, Mill street

Davies Rev. Theophilus, (Independent), Brand lane

Dean Rev. Wm., (Prim. Meth.), Old street

Gardner Mr. William, Upper Gaolford

Greenhouse Mrs., Old street

Griffiths Mrs. Ella, Dinham

Hammond Richard, town crier, Old street

Hodges Mrs. Elizabeth, Broad street

Hodges Miss Ann, Cave street

Hodson Mr. William, Castle street

Hookey George, gentleman, Corve street

Hutchings Hubert, Esq., Broad street

Jefferson Mrs. Mary, Mill street

Jenson Mary, poulterer, Harp lane

Jones Robert, superintendent of police

Jones Miss Selina, Brand lane

Lambe Mr. William, Corve street

Lambe Mrs. Sarah, Mill street

Leake Mr. John Linney

Ledderdale Miss Margaret, Corve street

Leech Mr. Edward, Corve street

Locke Rev. John, (Wesleyan), Old street

Mallett Mrs. Mary, Corve street

Maund Mrs. Sarah, Mill street

Middleton Rev. Joseph (Prim. Meth.), Old st

Owen Mr. John, Corve street

Pardoe Miss Isabella, Broad street

Page Mrs. Martha

Parry James, pump maker, Brand lane

Parsons Mrs. Hannah, Brand lane

Penny Mr. John Dingham

Penwarne John, Esq., Mill street

Phillips Rev. John, Broad street

Pillinger Maria and Charlotte, Italian warehouse, Bull Ring

Price John, manager of gas works, Upper Gaolford

Pritchard Mrs. Ann, Corve street

Ree Adam, organist, Mill street

Robinson John, parish clerk, Dinham

Rocke, Eytons, Campbell, and Co., bankers, Broad street

Russell Miss Ann, Mill street

Russell Mr. Benjamin, The College

Salwey Mrs. Isabella, Broad street

Sargeant Richard, supervisor, Corve street

Smith Mr. Jacob, Dinham

Smith The Misses, Broad street

Stott Rev. Ralph, (Wesleyan), Lower Broad st

Swainson Rev. Edward C., Broad street

Taylor Mrs. Elizabeth, Dinham

Thomas John, Esq., Dinham House

Thomas Mrs. Jane, Old street

Thomas Edward, warden, Almshouses, The College

Vaughan Mr. Brettle, Castle street

Warman George, horse trainer, Raven lane

Wayn Mary, stamp office, Corve street

Weems Mrs. Mary, Corve street

Wellings Capt. George, Brand lane

Williams John, town clerk, Mill street

Woodyatt Mary, fancy repository, High st

Academies.

Marked * take Boarders.

Copner Maria, Linney

* Evans Caroline, Castle st

* Evans Thomas, Old street

* Harley Elizabeth, Linney

* Lewis Misses, Corve street

Legge John, College

National, John Robinson and Charlotte Baker

* Powill E. & C., Castle st

* Russell Horatio, Mill street

Williams John, Mill street

Willis Rev. Arthur, (Free Grammar School), Mill st

Whitwell Thomas, Old street

Accountants.

Oliver Samuel, Old street

Whitwell Thomas, Old street

Agricultural Implement Maker.

Hodges Chaplin, Dinham

Artists.

Gill George, Mill street

Gwynn William, Corve street

Attorneys.

Anderson George & Rodney, Mill street

Clark Lutrell, Mill street

Dansey George, Castle street

Lloyd John, Brand street

Russell Charles, College

Salwey Humphrey, Guildhall

Southern Francis, Mill street

Urwick & Marston, Castle st

Weyman Thomas, Corve st

Williams J. & Son, Guildhall

Auctioneers and Valuers.

Bach James, Broad street

Crosse John, High street

Davies William, Guildhall

Griffiths Thomas, Bull ring

Bakers and Flour Dealers.

Christmas William, Corve st

Collings George, Bell lane

Crundell James, Tower st

Davies John, Lower Broad st

Gatehouse Richard, Corve st

Harris William, Harp lane

Holloway Charles, Old street

Jacob Joseph, Old Gate Fee

Leary Edward, Tower street

Lewis Thomas, Bull ring

Whatmore John, Broad st

Bankers.

Shrewsbury and Ludlow Old Bank, Broad st. Rocke, Eytons, Campbell, & Co.; draw on Robarts and Co., London

Ludlow & Tenbury Banking Company; draw on Barnett and Co., London. H. Whittall, manager

Basket Makers.

Price Edward, Corve street

Price Joseph, Lower Gaolford

Blacksmiths.

Lowe Joseph, Corve street

Pillinger Sarah, Bull ring

Pound John, Raven lane

Pugh Richard, Raven lane

Rudd Thos., Lower Gaolford

Booksellers, Binders, Printers and Stationers.

Evans John, Castle street

Felton William, Narrows

Griffiths Thomas, Bull ring

Griffiths Thos. jun., Narrows

Humphries George, Bull ring

Jones Richard, Broad street

Partridge Edward, Broad st

Woodyatt William, High st

Boot & Shoe Makers.

Ashcroft Edward, Bull ring

Baker John, High street

Barker Thos., (and Grindery dealer), Brand lane

Byrne Hugh R., Brand lane

Evans John, Bull ring

George James, Raven lane

King Henry, Bull ring

Morris Thomas, Old street

Needham John, High street

Pearce Alex., Lower Broad st

Pugh William, Bell lane

Robinson John, High street

Venables Charles, Broad st

Watkeys Mary, High street

Wilkes Ricd., Lower Gaolford

Brazier & Tin-plate Worker.

See also Ironmongers.

Cobbin Jph., Upper Gaolford

Builders.

Atkins Robert, Corve street

Griffiths Jno. Lower Gaolford

Grosvenor John, Bell lane

Smith Blakeway, Corve street

Stead Edward, St. John’s

Brick & Tile Manufacturer.

Sheffield T. Upper Gaolford

Butchers.

Chipp S., Tower st. & Bell ln

Coleman Thomas, Broad st

Dayus Samuel, Bull ring

Griffiths John, Old street

Nash John, Bull ring

Pitt Benjamin, High street

Preen Thomas, Old street

Price John, High street

Price Richard, Bull ring

Towers, John Harrows

Williams Charles H., Harp ln

Cabinet Makers.

Marked * are Upholsterers.

* Bowen Thomas, Bull ring

* Davies William, Bull ring

Harper Joseph, Broad street

Price Edward, Castle street

Carvers and Gilders.

Bowen Richard, Old street

Gwynn William, Old street

Chemists & Druggists.

Cocking George, Bull ring

Foster Edward, Castle street

Grounds Ambrose, King st

Grieves John E., Old street

Marston Richard, Broad st

Coach Makers.

Griffiths James, Raven lane

Hunt Thomas, Raven lane

Rollings Elias, Upper Gaolford

Confectioners.

Crane Thomas, Bull ring

Crundell James, Tower street

Lewis Thomas, Bull ring

Powell George, Narrows

Taylor William, Broad street

Coopers.

Bayliss Thomas, Bull ring

Cooke James, Bull ring

Green Geo., Lower Gaolford

Price Edward, Corve street

Sankey Jeremiah, Broad st

Sankey Mry, Lower Gaolford

Curriers and Leather Cutters.

Griffiths Margaret, Narrows

Lello Thomas, Bull ring

Mantell Fred., Lower Gaolford

Cutlery Dealer.

Bursnell Francis, Tower st

Farmers.

Ball Richard, Broad street

Griffiths George, Bull ring

Hand James, Corve street

Fellmonger.

Weaver Joseph, Tower street

Fire & Life Offices.

County.—E. Foster, Castle st

Merchants’ and Tradesman’s.—Geo. Cocking, Bull ring

North Wales.—Philip Wayn, Corve street

Norwich.—William Felton, King street

Phœnix.—Thos. Laurence, Broad street

Salop.—Richard Marston, Broad street

Sun.—T. Griffiths, Bull ring

Fishmongers.

Messer James, Bull ring

Russell Mr., Old street

Williams William, High st

Fruiterer.

Humphries George, Bull ring

Furniture Broker.

Williams William, High st

Glass and China Dealers.

Brown Elizabeth, Bull ring

Crump Ann, Broad street

Milner Benjamin, Harp lane

Jolley Sarah, Broad street

Jones Edward, Broad street

Glover.

Bottomley Mary, Bull ring

Grocers, Tea Dealers, and Cheesemongers.

Bowen John, Narrows

Brown Charles, Tower street

Harding William, Narrows

Hawkins Joseph, Broad st

Mason Charles, King street

Morris Benjamin, Tower st

Morris Thomas, Castle street

Patrick William, Old street

Penny William, Bull ring

Pugh George, Harp lane

Reynolds John, Bull ring

Stokes Mary, High street

Valentine Samuel, Broad st

Gun Makers.

Holland Titus, Old street

Lonorgan Timothy, Old st

Hair Dressers and Perfumers.

Anthony John, Bull ring

Crundell George, Broad st

Griffiths Catharine, Broad st

Pearce Benjamin, King st

Hat Manufacturers.

Ashworth John, Broad street

Jones Blanch, High street

Hop Merchants.

Lloyd Henry, Old street

Rawlins William, Corve st

Hosiers.

Jones Mary Ann, Broad st

Powell Edward, High street

Hotels, Inns, and Taverns.

Angel, Eliz. Cooke, Commercial Inn & Posting House, Broad street

Barley Mow, Eliz. Juckes, Broad street

Bear and White Lion, Mary Ann Harrington, Bull ring

Bell, Ths. Js., Upper Gaolford

Bell, Jas. Pillinger, Lower Broad street

Black Boy, Thomas Jenkins, Tower street

Blue Boar, J. Davies, Mill st

Bricklayers’ Arms, Andrew Fielding, Upper Gaolford

Bull Inn, William Whiteman, Commercial Inn & Posting House, Bull ring

Coach and Horses, Henry Oliver, Bell lane

Compasses, J. Pearce, Corve st

Crown and Horse Shoe, G. Davies, Lower Broad st

Dolphin, Thomas Cooper, Upper Gaolford

Eagle, Jno. Mantell, Corve st

Elephant & Castle, Matthew Evans, Bull ring

Feathers Hotel, T. Prothero, Commercial Inn & Posting House, Bull ring

Fox, Esther Davies, Upper Gaolford

Friars, John Hancock, Old st

George Inn, Margaret Bach, Castle st

Globe, William Coates, Hand and Bell lane

Golden Lion, Wm. Morris, Old street

Green Dragon, Ed. Edwards, Corve street

Green Dragon, Tho. Hodges, Old street

Greyhound, Wm. Thompson, Upper Gaolford

Half Moon, John Davies, Lower Gaolford

Hand and Bell, Jas. White, Hand and Bell lane

Harp, James Dye, Harp lane

Hop Pole, Jno. Wems, Mill st

Horse and Jockey, Wm. Key, Old Gate Fee

Horse Shoes, William Lugg, Upper Gaolford

Mitre, Robert Allum, Corve st

Lowe Frederick, beerhouse, New road

King’s Arms, Ann Owen, Bull ring

Knight John, beerhouse, Lower Broad street

Nag’s Head, James Evans, Corve street

Old Red Lion, Timothy Price, Hand and Bell lane

Ozyer John, beerhouse, Old Gate Fee

Paul Pry, Richard Powis, Lower Broad Street

Pheasant, Henry Hardwick, Tower street

Plough, Thomas Whatmore, Raven lane

Plumbers’ Arms, Jas. Collier, Raven lane

Portcullis Arms, Ed. Painter, Gaolford

Prince of Wales, Wm. Pea, Raven lane

Queen’s Arms, Richard Bird, Corve street

Queen’s Head, Tho. Sheldon, Lower Gaolford

Railway Arms, Hy. Thomas, Old Gate Fee

Ram, John Evans, Corve st

Raven, Jas. Harding, Upper Gaolford

Raven, Rd. Pugh, Raven lane

Rose and Crown, Thomas Amies, Bull ring

Royal Oak, William Pearce, Lower street

Spread Eagle, Ann Ellis, Corve street

Star and Garter, Thomas Coston, Corve street

Sun Inn, William Shepherd, Castle street

Talbot, Jph. Weaver, Tower st

Three Tuns, Thomas Dunn, Mill street

Trotting Horse, Richard Coleman, Corve street

Unicorn, Hny. Oliver, Corve street

Wheat Sheaf, Thomas Humphries, Lower Broad st

White Hart, Thos. Berrington, Old street

Wright John, beerhouse, Lower Broad street

Ironmongers.

Cooper & Bluck, Castle st

Egginton Edward, Bull ring

Hodges Chaplin, Dinham

Penny Thomas, Bull ring

Smith John C., King street

Joiners.

Davies Samuel, Raven lane

Evans John, Mill street

Smith Rd., Lower Broad st

Land, Estate, & House Agents.

Baines Thomas (wool agent), Castle street

Harrison John (wool agent), Linney

Linen and Woollen Drapers and Silk Mercers.

Boulton Francis, Corve street

Evans James, The Cross

Gardener Robt. G., Bull ring

Harding Jas. & Ewd., High st

Harper Charles, High street

Jones Wm. & Harley, High st

Leake James, Castle street

Shepperd John, Broad street

Steward Mr., Narrows

Maltsters.

Acton William, Corve street

Atkins Robert, Corve street

Corfield John, Corve street

Davies Richard, Corve street

Harding Henry, Corve street

Hand James, Corve street

Hockey James, Old street

Jones James, Bull ring

Jones John, Corve street

Lloyd Henry, Old street

Rawlins Wm., Corve street

Smith John, Corve street

Millers and Corn Dealers.

Harding William, Mill street

Hockey James, Old street

Williams Joseph, Dinham

Whatmore John, Broad street

Milliners & Dress makers.

Cartwright Martha, Corve st

Daniel Decime & Catherine, Corve street

Glaye Matilda, Broad street

Hotchkiss Elizabeth, King st

Heighington Harriet, Brown street

Jones Ann M., Broad street

Lello Mary, Bull ring

Montgomery Margaret

Pearce Sarah, King street

Price Sarah, Castle street

Poole Mary, Harp lane

White Mary, Corve street

Millwright.

Hodges Chaplin, Dinham

Nursery and Seedsmen.

Marked * are Nurserymen only.

Bowen Ann, Broad street

Cooke Ann, Raven lane

* Cox Elizabeth, Old street

Hand James, Corve street

* Pillar Thomas, Old gate fee

* Rooke Owen, Corve street

* Tyler William, Old street

Painters.

Bowen John, Broad street

Cooke Thomas, Old street

Gwynn William, Old street

Osborn John, Old street

Powell Edward, Castle street

Powell Samuel, Raven lane

Ward James, Raven lane

Wayn Philip, Corve street

Pawnbroker.

Collins Francis, Corve street

Paper Manufacturer.

Wade John, Paper mills

Physician.

Bryce Charles, Broad street

Plumbers and Glaziers.

Collins Samuel, Old street

Cooke Thos. (and gas fitter), Old street

Powell Edward, Castle street

Powell Samuel, Raven lane

Round Jas., Lower Gaolford

Ward James, Raven lane

Wayn Philip, Corve street

Williams Richard, Brand lane

Poulterers.

Evans Sarah, The Narrows

Jenson Mary, Harp lane

Professor and Teacher.

Price John (dancing and fencing) Corve street

Saddlers & Harness Makers.

Amies Samuel, Bull ring

Gough John, Castle street

Hotchkiss Thos., King street

Jones James, Bull ring

Roberts Edward, High street

Sharebroker.

Bach James, Broad street

Shopkeepers.

Bradley Thos. Lower Gaolford

Dukes Richd. Lower Gaolford

Frances Rosetta, Corve street

Griffith Martha

Hodnett Martha, Lower Broad street

Jones David, Tower street

Leary Edward, Tower street

Pelly Thomas, Old gate fee

Small Wm., Lower Broad st

Spade Tree Makers.

Harper John, Linney

Sankey Jeremiah, Broad st

Stone & Marble Masons.

Greenhouse John, Broad st

Hammond Andrew, Corve st

Russell Edward, Old street

Russell John, Mill street

Stead Samuel, Castle street

Watkins Jas. Upper Gaolford

Straw Hat Makers.

Baker Maria, High street

Gray Hannah, Bull ring

Powell Jane, Old street

Wall Ann, High street

Surgeons.

Hodges George, Broad street

Hodges Henry, Broad street

Meymott Henry, Broad street

Southern John, Broad street

Valentine Richard, College

Walker Henry, Broad street

Surveyors.

Brettle Cornelius (land and mine), Broad street

Clark Edwin F., Corve street

Evans Herb. (land), Castle st

Smith E. Blakeway, Corve st

Tench John & Richard (and land agents), Church-yard

Tailors.

Marked * are Woollen Drapers also.

* Carter John, Narrows

Crosse Samuel, Mill street

Crundell Daniel, High street

Downes Edward, Tower street

* Jones Isaac & Son, High st

Morgan Edwin, Bell lane

Pearce Samuel, Bell lane

* Wall Henry, High street

Wall Richard, Brand lane

Williams Henry, Harp lane

Tanner.

Unwick Benjamin, Corve st

Timber Merchants.

Harper John, Linney

Hind James, Upper Gaolford

Sankey Jeremiah, Broad st

Toy and Fancy Repositories.

Crosse Elizabeth, High street

Crundell George, High street

Woodyett Mary, High street

Trunk Maker.

Powell John, Harp lane

Turner in Wood.

Bennett Wm., Lower Gaolfrd

Veterinary Surgeons.

Cresswell Charles, Broad st

Jones James, Corve street

Watch and Clock Makers.

Ashby John, Raven lane

Edwards Robert, Raven lane

Farmer Joseph, Old street

Payne George, Bull ring

Phillips William, Castle street

Wood Samuel, Bell lane

Whitesmiths.

Day George, Lower Broad st

Halford Thomas, Bell lane

Wells Henry, Old street

Wine & Spirit Merchants.

Evans Edward, The Cross

Massey Francis, Bull ring

Parry Jas., Hand & Bell lane

Powell Edward, Castle street

Sankey Eleanor, Broad street

Woollen Manufacturer.

Evans Wm., Lower Broad st

Carriers.

To Shrewsbury—Dodd Daniel, Corve street

To Worcester—Webb Hry. and James, Upper Gaolford street