Wood Rev. John, M.A., the Parsonage
Wood William Embrey, Esq., the Vineyard
HAUGHMOND,
an Extra-parochial Liberty, three and a half miles N.E. from Shrewsbury, contains 1,564a. 0r. 3p. of land, and at the census of 1841 had 27 houses and 169 souls. This place forms a portion of the Sundorne demesne, which comprises 8,634a. 1r. 26p., and is the property of Andrew William Corbet, Esq. The stately pile of Haughmond Abbey is now fallen into almost total decay, but the magnificent ruins have an imposing appearance; they stand on rising ground, backed by woods, and command an extended view the plain of Shrewsbury, its town, and castle, and the fine demesne of Sundorne. From the extent of the ruins it must have been a place of great magnitude. Of the Abbey Church few remains exist: the south door of the nave, which opened into the cloister, exhibits an elegant specimen of Anglo-Norman architecture. The outer walls of the chapter house are in a perfect state of preservation. The entrance is by a finely ornamented round arch, with a window on each side, divided into small lights. Southward of the chapter house are the remains of the refectory, and beyond it the shell of a noble hall, measuring eighty-one feet by thirty-six feet. The windows were formerly filled with Gothic tracery. The ruins of the cloister and abbots’ lodging may also still be traced. The monastery was founded in the year 1110, by William Fitz Alan, for canons of the order of St. Augustine. It was richly endowed with lands by the founder, and other individuals, and had many valuable privileges and immunities granted by the Popes Honorus III., Nicholas III., Boniface IX., and Martin IV. The yearly revenues of the abbey at the dissolution were £269. 13s. 7d., according to Dugdale, and £294. 13s. 9d. according to Speed. Leland says, “There were an hermitage and chapel on this spot before the abbey was built.” William Fitz Alan and other members of the family were buried here.
Sundorne Castle, a spacious and splendid Gothic mansion, adorned with battlements and turrets, is situated on a beautiful lawn, amidst the rich verdure of the adjoining grounds, which are pleasingly diversified with shrubberies and pleasant walks, and ornamented with a fine sheet of water, covering upwards of sixty acres. The interior of the mansion is superbly furnished. The chairs in the drawing room are of ebony, most elaborately carved. It also contains a remarkably fine antique statue of Venus. There are some exquisite paintings by Titian, Salvator Rosa, Rembrandt, Guido, Raphael, Rubens, Wouvermans, and Van Huysum, among which is the original design for the altar-piece at Antwerp, by Rubens, and the Holy Family, exquisitely executed by Raphael. The library contains a valuable and extensive collection of rare books, and the windows are ornamented with stained glass. Amongst a collection of antiquities is the chapter roll of Haughmond Abbey, and the seal of the abbot: the latter was found about thirty years ago, near the ruins of the abbey. A beautiful sequestered carriage drive, of five miles in length, leads through the woods of the Sundorne demesne. The kitchen gardens and vineries are situated at the back of the castle, and cover an extent of about four acres. The Corbets of Lee removed to Albright Hussey in the reign of Charles I., and to Sundorne Castle in the middle of the last century.
Directory.—Andrew William Corbet, Esq., Sundorne Castle and Pimley House; Henry Jarvis, butler; Martin King, gardener; John Metcalf, bailiff. Richard Ford, farmer, Home barns; Elizabeth Latham, farmer; Samuel Whitehouse, farmer, Haughmond hill.
ALBRIGHTON,
a township and chapelry in St. Mary’s parish, pleasantly situated on the Shrewsbury and Whitchurch road, three miles N. from the former place, contains 800 acres of land, of which 90 acres are in woods and plantations; rateable value, £883. In 1801, there were 58 inhabitants; and in 1841, 12 houses and 85 souls. Colonel Studd owns all the land in this township, about two-thirds of which is arable. The soil is various: in some places a rich loam prevails, in other parts it is not so fertile.
The Episcopal Chapel, a neat structure in the Elizabethan style, situated on elevated ground, near the turnpike road, is built of red sand stone, and has a neat porch on the south side, and a small belfry at the west end. The living is a perpetual curacy, returned at £52 per annum. The income arises from a farm in Wales, which, since the return was made, has augmented in value. The Rev. George H. Moller is the incumbent, and the Rev. John D. Letts, B.A., officiating curate. The magistrates hold a petty session for the Albrighton division the second week in every month, at the Fox Inn. The Hall, a spacious brick mansion, formerly the seat of the Ireland family, is now unoccupied. The principal residents in this township are:—Charles Smallman, farmer, Perrill farm; Richard Yates, farmer; Ann Brown, victualler, Fox Inn; and Richard Gough, blacksmith.