Rodenhurst John, farmer
Tudor Thomas, farmer
Williams John, farmer
West Felton
parish includes the townships of West Felton, Haughton, Rednall, Sandford, Sutton, Tedsmore, Twyford, and Woolston, together comprising 5,989a. 2r. 9p. of land, the soil of which is a mixture of sand and loam. The meadows produce a fine herbage, and being intersected by the river Perry, which, frequently overflowing its banks, and covering hundreds of acres, produces the greatest fertility and luxuriance. In 1801 the parish contained 926 inhabitants; in 1831, 1,093; and in 1841, 1,087. Rateable value, £8,314. 14s. George Edwards, Esq., is lord of the manor. The tithes were commuted in 1838 for the sum of £1,008.
WEST FELTON
is a well built village and township, intersected by the Holyhead and London turnpike road, five miles S.E. from Oswestry and thirteen N.W. from Shrewsbury. In the village are some good houses, and the immediate vicinity is a rich farming district, in which are scattered several neat villa residences. The township contains 800a. 3r. 15p. of productive arable and pasture land, having a loamy soil with a mixture of sand. In 1841 here were 43 houses and 214 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,285. 10s. The principal landowners are John Freeman Dovaston, Esq.; Rev. Peter George Bentley; Edward Frank, Esq.; Thomas Frank, Esq.; Rev. Thomas Hunt; executors of the late R. L. Murray, Esq.; Mrs. Duckett; Mr. Richard Fardoe; Mr. John Brookfield; George Withers Edwards, Esq.; Mr. John Hopkin; Mr. Edward Rodgers; and Messrs. Sides.
The Church, dedicated to St. Michael, a handsome structure in the decorative style of English architecture, consists of nave, chancel, and side aisle, the latter being separated from the nave by lofty Norman arches, rising from circular pillars; the floor of the nave and chancel are ornamented with encaustic tiles of beautiful design, and the communion table and two chairs are of oak, elaborately carved. In 1842 the structure was enlarged and renovated at a cost of upwards of £600, which was raised by subscriptions and grants from the diocesan and incorporated societies, in consequence of which 202 additional sittings were added, and 58 were declared free and unappropriated for ever. The east end of the sacred building is beautified by two stained glass windows, one the gift of the Hon. Thomas Kenyon, and the other the gift of the Hon. Mrs. Kenyon and the junior members of the family. They exhibit a masterly display of workmanship, and were executed by Evans, of Shrewsbury. The stone work was the gift of the Rev. Mr. Hunt. The window on the north side, over the entrance door, has fine representations of Moses and Aaron, and was the gift of Viscount Dungannon. The roof of the church is of dark oak, beautifully designed; and the whole has a chaste and elegant appearance. It is ornamented with a square tower, in which are three bells. The living is a rectory, valued in the King’s book at £20. 12s. 6d., now returned at £1,032. The patronage is vested in the Earl of Craven. The Rev. Thomas Hunt, M.A., is the incumbent. The tithes of this township are commuted for £127. 5s. 3d. The Rectory, a commodious brick edifice near the east end of the church, beautified with pleasure grounds and shrubberies, has been much improved by the present incumbent. There is a free school near the church.
West Felton House, the residence of the Rev. P. G. Bentley, M.A., is a delightful mansion, pleasantly situated and ornamented with pleasure grounds tastefully laid out. The Manor House is a commodious mansion of great antiquity, the property and residence of Mr. Thomas Frank. Near the house is a mound, surrounded by a deep moat; tradition says a building formerly stood on the summit. The Shropshire union canal intersects the township, and there is a railway station at Rednal, about two miles from West Felton. The county constabulary have a station here: Mr. Robert Jones is the superintendent, and there are eight constables stationed in the adjacent district.
Charities.—George Iveson, in 1616, bequeathed a rent charge of 40s. per annum for the use of the poor. John Edwards gave 20s. per annum for the same object in 1686. These two gifts are paid from land at Osbaston, belonging to Mr. Price. Joseph Withers, in 1731, directed a yearly sum of £2 to be paid out of the rent of his tenement in Moreton, to the poor of this parish. A sum of £125, derived from different benefactors, is secured upon the tolls of the Holyhead road, by an instrument bearing date 18th January, 1762. The interest, £6. 5s. per annum, with 5s. yearly paid by a farmer at Llan Rhaiadyr for an encroachment, are carried to one account with the produce of the preceding charities, making in the whole £11. 7s. 10d. The amount is given one year to the poor residing in the township, and the next year to the poor residing out of it. Mary Jones, in 1758, charged certain lands in Tedsmere with the payment of £5 per annum for the benefit of the poor, and a further sum of 10s. 6d. yearly to the minister, provided he preach a sermon in the parish church of Felton on the 12th of September. Sarah Owen, by will 1764, gave to the minister and churchwardens £200 in trust, to distribute the interest (with the approbation of the owner of Woodhouse for the time being) among poor and indigent persons. This legacy is secured on the Oswestry house of industry.