SMETHCOTT
township, situated a mile and a half W. by N. from Hadnal, in 1841 had a population of seventy souls. The houses are scattered, and the land is well timbered, which gives the whole a pleasing and rural appearance. The township contains 588a. 0r. 28p. of land, the owners of which are Mrs. Sarah Bayley and the two Mr. Edward Groomes. Rent charge, £92. 3s. 6d. Rateable value, £767. 9s. 1d. The Black Birches is a handsome and pleasantly situated house, the property and residence of Mrs. Sarah Bayley; besides whom, Mr. Francis Lloyd Bayley, Mr. Edward Groome, farmer, and Mr. Edward Groome, farmer, are residents in this township.
PRESTON GUBBALS OR GOBALDS
is a parish township, and small village 4½ miles N. from Shrewsbury, on the turnpike road from that town to Chester. The township contains 1350a. 3r. 5p. of land, the principal owner of which is Lady Tyrwhitt; R. R. Slaney, Esq., M.P., is a small proprietor, and there are also a few small freeholders. The former is lady of the manor and impropriatoress. Population in 1801, 313, and in 1841, 388. Rateable value, £1,386. This place is said to have derived its name from one Godebalte, a clerk to Roger de Montgomery, and was anciently called the priests town of Godebalte, which eventually became corrupted to Preston Gubbals. The Church, dedicated to St. Martin, is a small fabric of primitive simplicity, with a porch on the south side, composed of massive oak timber; the living is a perpetual curacy, annexed to the vicarage of Prees, and is endowed with a farm at Criggion, in Montgomeryshire, of 58a. 3r., with a sheep walk of about 28 acres; the Rev. William Stephens Burd, M.A., is the incumbent, and resides at a neat residence near the church, which has been built with the intention of attaching it to the living. There is a small library, of standard divinity, in the vestry of the church, which was given by Charles Mather, Esq., for the use of the officiating clergyman. The tithes are commuted for £170. This township includes a portion of Bomere Heath, where there are a number of small cottages, and a Wesleyan New Connexion chapel within the bounds of it. In the parliamentary returns of 1786 it is stated that Richard Brethens in 1777 bequeathed £100 for the benefit of the poor of Preston Gobalds; the interest is usually laid out in coals, and distributed among the most deserving poor of the parish. Besides the farmers given in the directory, John B. Minor, Esq., holds the Lea Hall farm in the township. There are 220 acres of wood land in the parish.
Directory.—Rev. William Stevens Burd, M.A.; Farmers, Edward Acton, Robert Hales, and Richard Poole; William Littlehales, wheelwright; William Thompson, wood bailiff to Lady Tyrwhitt.
MERRINGTON
township, 1¼ miles N.W. from Preston Gobalds, and 5½ N.N.W. from Shrewsbury, contains 898a. 1r. 26p. of land, which is the property of Lady Tyrwhitt, except one farm held by R. R. Slaney, Esq., M.P. The population in 1841 was returned at 188 souls, at which time there were 46 houses. Rateable value, £1073 5s. 6d. This township comprises a considerable portion of Bomere Heath, which was enclosed upwards of forty years ago; it is now the most densely populated part of the township, and consists chiefly of small detached cottages, with a few acres of land or a garden plot attached to each cottage. Here is an Independent chapel, a Wesleyan chapel, and a Wesleyan New Connexion chapel, not far from each other, the two former are in this township, and the latter in Preston Gobalds township. There is also a free school for all the children in the parish, which is supported by R. R. Slaney. About two-thirds of the land in Merrington is arable, a deep loamy soil prevails in some places, and in other parts a cold clay.
Directory.—Farmers, John Jones, Joseph Kent, William Kent, John Shore, and William Shore; William Dodd, blacksmith; the rest are at Bomere Heath, Richard Ellis, shoemaker; James Holmes, contractor; Martha Owen, butcher; John Price shopkeeper; and John Wright, schoolmaster.
UFFINGTON
is a parish and small village delightfully situated on the banks of the Severn, three miles E.N.E. from Shrewsbury. The parish contains 1309a. 3r. 9p. of land, and forms a part of the Sundorne domain, which is the property of Andrew William Corbett, Esq. At the census of 1801 the population was returned at 120 souls and in 1841 there were 32 houses and 163 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1804. 19s. The picturesque beauty of the village, surrounded by a lovely and fertile country, and its contiguity to Haughmond Hill, which commands a most delightful view of the surrounding district, causes this to be a place of much attraction in the summer season for pleasure parties from Shrewsbury and other places. There is a good inn, with a spacious bowling green, which is kept in admirable order, where parties may recreate themselves and have every attention and comfort at a moderate charge, from the worthy host of the “Corbet Arms.” A spacious room which opens upon the bowling green will accommodate nearly a hundred persons.