WHITTINGTON.
At this place was fought the battle between Oswald, the Christian King of the Northumbrians, and Pènda, the Pagan King of the Mercians, in which the former lost his life. An easy walk soon brought us to
OSWESTRY.
Its only relicks now remaining are the ruins of a chapel, built over a remarkably fine spring of water; to this was formerly attributed the cure of various diseases, incident both to man and beast; and though its miracles have long ceased, yet it still bears the name of the saint. The remains of the castle, supposed to have been built at the time of the conquest, are now almost too trivial to be noticed. This town was garrisoned by the King, in the beginning of the civil wars, but captured in June, 1644, by the Earl of Denbigh and General Mytton.
In passing through the town of Oswestry, we noticed the church, as being a very neat building; but either from our own neglect, or imagining it not to be ancient, we did not inspect the interior. Oswestry suffered greatly by fire, in the year 1542, and likewise in 1567.
“The chirk of St. Oswalde (says Leland) is a very faire leddid chirch with a great tourrid steple, but it standith without the New Gate; so that no chirch is there within the towne. This chirch was some time a monasterie, caullid the White Minster. After turnid to a paroche chirch, and the personage impropriate to the abbey of Shreusbyri. The cloister stoode in hominum memoria ubi monumenta monachorum. The place and streate wer the chirch standithe is caullid Stretllan.”
From this place to
LLANYMYNACH,
a continuation of the rich enclosed country, shewing to advantage the agriculture of these parts, attended us, till we reached the foot of the hill of Llanymynach. From the summit of this we enjoyed a most beautiful and boundless prospect, commanding the whole dome of the sky: all individual dignity was overpowered by the immensity of the whole view, which consisted more particularly of the rivers Virnwy and Tannad, joining their waters with the Severn; the lofty water-fall of Pistyll Rhaiadr—the Breddin hills—and the Ferwyn mountains. The geological observations on Llanymynach hill, by Mr. Aikin, are so accurate, that to attempt any further description would be deemed highly presumptuous in me; I shall therefore avail myself of an account, so ably delineated:
“The hill of Llanymynach, is not only remarkable for the fine prospect from its top, it is still more worthy notice, as containing by far the most extensive lime-works of any in this part of the country. The lime of Llanymynach rock is in high request as a manure, and is sent by land carriage as far as Montgomery, New-town, and even Llanidloes: it sells at the kilns for seven-pence a bushel, and from thirty to thirty-six bushels, are reckoned a waggon-load; the coal with which it is burnt, is brought partly from the neighbourhood of Oswestry, and partly from Sir Watkin Williams Wynne’s pits, near Ruaben. The lime lies in strata, parallel to the horizon, varying in thickness from three inches to five feet; it is of an extraordinary hardness, with but little calcarious spar, and few shells, or other marine exuvial; its colour reddish brown, burning to almost white. Between the strata of lime, we found a very tenacious smooth clay, orange coloured ochre, and green plumose carbonate of copper, or malachite. It was in search of this copper, that the Romans carried on here such extensive works, of which the remains are still very visible: they consist of a range of from twenty to thirty shallow pits, the heaps of rubbish from the mouths of which, abound with small pieces of copper ore, and a cave of considerable dimensions, terminating in an irregular winding passage, of unknown length, connected with which, are two air shafts still remaining open, and the appearances of several others, now filled up: in some of these caverns are found, large and beautiful specimens of stalactite. One of the levels was explored some years ago, and in it was discovered a skeleton, with mining tools, and some Roman copper coins. The whole mass of the hill, seems more or less impregnated with copper: whenever the surface is uncovered, there are evident marks of the presence of this metal, and the stones composing the rampart of Offa’s Dyke, which encompasses two sides of the hill, are in many parts quite covered with cupreous efflorenscences. Between the village and the rock, passes a branch of the Ellesmere canal, which, when navigable, will add much to the value of these works, by rendering them more accessible to the surrounding country, and may induce some spirited adventurer, to recommence a search after copper, which, it is evident, was formerly prosecuted with considerable success.”