The Church, dedicated to St. Michael, is an ancient structure built of stone, having a square tower, in which are three bells. The interior contains nave, chancel, and south aisle, in which is a monument to the memory of John and Mary Botterel, supposed to have been erected about the year 1585. The side aisle is separated from the body of the church by three pointed arches. The church was enlarged and repaired in the year 1830, when one hundred and eight free sittings were provided, in addition to twenty formerly free. The registers of the parish commenced in the year 1559. The living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £7. 1s. 0½d. The tithes are commuted for the sum of £345. There are seventy acres of glebe land. Patron of the living, His Grace the Duke of Cleveland; rector, Rev. Forbes Smith, B.A.
Directory.—Rev. Forbes Smith, B.A., The Rectory; Thomas Beddoes, farmer, Moor Brook; Richard Bishop, farmer, Norton; William Bryan, tailor; Edward Davies, farmer, Norton; Richard Eddowes, farm bailiff, The Bould; John Hincksman, farmer, Charlcott; Francis Lawley, farmer and vict., The Fox; Mrs. Elizabeth Lowe, farmer, Aston Hall; George Meredith, farmer; William Meredith, farmer; Ann Miles, farmer, Charlcott; Joseph Wellings, blacksmith; Nathan Weatherall, farmer, Haywood.
BILLINGSLEY,
a parish in the Chelmarsh division of the hundred of Stottesden, six miles S. of Bridgnorth, is pleasantly situated on the Bridgnorth and Cleobury Mortimer turnpike road. It contains 1,285 acres of land, the rateable value of which is £900. 10s. In 1841 there were 29 houses and 149 persons; population in 1801, 320; 1831, 161. The Duke of Cleveland is the principal landowner. William Lacon Childe, Esq., and the rector are also proprietors. This place it is said was anciently called Biligesleague, and that an important congress was held here in 1055 between King Harold and Griffin Prince of Wales, in which they engaged to maintain peace and mutual good will. Dr. Thomas Hyde, the great linguist and librarian, was born at this place in 1638. The Church is a small structure containing nave, chancel, and has a turret, in which are two bells. The accommodation of this church was increased in 1836, by which means twenty additional sittings were obtained, and in consequence of a grant from the Incorporated Society fourteen of that number are declared free and unappropriated for ever. The living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £4. 13s. 4d., now £195. The Duke of Cleveland is patron of the living, and the Rev. Thomas Vaughan is rector.
Directory.—John Barker, blacksmith; Margaret Benbow, farmer, The Hall; William Birchley, farmer and vict., The Cape of Good Hope; John Green, shoemaker; Darius Griffin, farmer and carrier to Bridgnorth (every Saturday); Edward Humphries, farmer, The Oak; John Humphries, farmer, The Upper House; Rev. William Lewis Jones, curate; Samuel Jordin, farmer; Mary Lawley, farmer, The Bank; John Parry, farm bailiff, The Hall; Benjamin Reynolds, shoemaker.
BRIDGNORTH
is a populous and well built market town and borough, both corporate and parliamentary, having separate jurisdiction, and locally situated in the Stottesden hundred, 139 miles N.W. from London, twenty miles S.E. from Shrewsbury, thirteen miles S.W. from Wolverhampton, and eight miles S.E. from Much Wenlock. The town is situated on the banks of the Severn which divides it into two portions called the Upper and Lower towns. The Upper town is on the western bank of the river, on the sides and summit of a red sandstone rock which rises to the height of near two hundred feet above the level of the river. The appearance of this part of the town is remarkably picturesque, and the view is very fine, especially from that part where the remains of the castle stand, where a terrace walk has been laid out, overlooking the Lower town, the river, and a widely spreading country. This walk extends 622 yards, and was much admired by King Charles I. who was at Bridgnorth three times during the civil wars, and preferred it to all other terraces, in the kingdom. Persons visiting Bridgnorth universally consider it highly interesting, and are charmed with the beautiful scenery it opens to view. The town contains many good houses and handsome shops in the different branches of the retail trade, there are also some good family mansions and villa residences, which are ornamented with pleasure grounds tastefully laid out. Under the brow of the hill are many rude dwellings cut out of the sandstone rock, with several caves, over which the inhabitants have gardens, which gives the whole a very romantic appearance. The road from the Low town to the High town winds round the rock, but the nearer approaches for foot passengers are by several flights of steps, one of which called the Stoneway-steps formed by pebbles secured by a framing of ironwork, consists of 179 steps. The town comprises the two parishes of St. Mary Magdalene and St. Leonard, and at the census of 1801 had 4,408 inhabitants; 1831, 5,065; and 1841, 5,770. Rateable value of St. Mary’s parish, £7,402. 12s. 8d. Rateable value of St. Leonard’s parish, £7,635. 10s. 11d. The principal trade of Bridgnorth is an extensive establishment for the manufacture of carpets and rugs, malting, worsted spinning, and boat building. The town, however, derives its chief importance from its situation on the river, and is a thriving inland port. A large portion of the labouring class obtains employment in the navigation of the Severn, but the market and retail trade with the neighbourhood afford the principal source of profit to the inhabitants.
Bridgnorth is a place of great antiquity; it was originally called Brugia, or Bruges, and derived its name from a bridge erected over the Severn here. The first memorable transaction that we find of this town was in King Alfred’s days, A.D. 894, when the Danes being driven from Norfolk, were forced to leave their ships and spend the winter at Brug upon Severn, on the borders of Wales, where they built a strong fort. Whether the fort was destroyed by the chance of war we are unable to discover, but it is stated that Elfled, daughter of King Alfred, repaired both the town and castle, then fallen to decay. It subsequently underwent the common vicissitudes of the country, being harassed both by the Saxons and the Danes, till Roger de Montgomery having obtained a grant of the earldom of Salop, built a new castle here. Robert de Belesme, eldest son of the said Roger, in the time of Henry I. declared for Robert Curthose, and fortified his castle against the king, but after a siege of three weeks it was surrendered, and with the rest of his possessions annexed to the crown. In the 16th of Edward III. the out-liberties of the castle which anciently were held of the Norman earls of Shrewsbury by the annual service of ten marks, were incorporated with the town. The fee of the keeper of this castle in the time of Elizabeth was £9. 2s. 6d. The castle having not been a sufficient defence of the town without walls about it, therefore in the 11th of Henry III. an aid was granted for two years for the walling of the town, and six years after another aid was granted for the same purpose. The first charter of which any knowledge exists is of the 16th of King John, which grants to the burgesses of Bruges and their heirs, certain liberties and free customs, and freedom from toll throughout the kingdom, except within the liberties of London. The burgesses maintained a suit at law against the Salopians, who hindered them from bringing raw hides and flannel cloth in their market, both towns depending on the validity of their charters which were fully enquired into. In the 10th of Henry III. the grant of a fair was obtained to be held on St. Luke’s day, which subsequently became remarkable for the sale of hops, cheese, and walnuts. The burgesses had liberty in this reign of holding pleas in personal actions, and of erecting fraternities or guilds of tradesmen. In the 33rd of Edward III. the inhabitants obtained the grant of a fair to be held at the feast of the Translation of St. Leonard, and for the three days following. Fairs are now held on the third Thursday in February, third Tuesday in March, 1st May, third Tuesday in June, first Tuesday in August, third Tuesday in September, 20th October, and the first Tuesday after Shrewsbury December fair. The market is held on Saturday, and well supplied with butchers’ meat, butter, poultry, and other provisions of excellent quality. The corn market is numerously attended, and business to a considerable extent is usually transacted.
The old corporation consisted of two bailiffs, a recorder, a deputy recorder, twenty-four aldermen, forty-eight common councilmen, two chamberlains, and two bridge masters, with a town clerk, sergeants at mace, and other officers. The bailiffs were justices of the peace, and justices of the court of record; the senior acted as coroner for the borough. The recorder held his office for life; his deputy whom he appointed was always a barrister, and the legal adviser of the corporation. The bailiffs were chosen every year on St. Matthew’s day, out of the twenty-four aldermen, in the following remarkable manner:—The court being met, the names of twelve aldermen, seniors of those then present, being separately written upon small bits of paper, all of them of the same size and rolled up close by the town clerk, were thrown into a large purse, which after being well tossed by the chamberlains was held betwixt them before the bailiffs, when each bailiff according to seniority took out a scroll; by these scrolls the callers were fixed, who immediately mounting the chequer, alternately called the jury out of such persons as are burgesses, and then presented them to the court to the number of fourteen; these being all sworn, (neither to eat nor drink till they, or twelve of them, had made choice of two fit persons, who have not been bailiffs before for three years), were locked up until they were agreed, a regulation which has sometimes occasioned long fasting. At the election in 1793, the jury fasted no less than seventy-four hours. By the new municipal act, Bridgnorth is governed by a bailiff, or mayor, four aldermen, and twelve councillors. A commission of the peace has been granted, and a court of quarter sessions and recorder appointed. The following is a list of the members of parliament, borough magistrates, and corporate body, for the year 1851:—
Members of Parliament: Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq., and Sir Thomas Pigot, Bart.