a township and village situated S.W. from Ellesmere, contains 1,625a. 2r. 13p. of land, the principal owners of which are the trustees of the late Earl of Bridgewater; Mr. Menlove and Mrs. Jones are also owners. At the census of 1841 there were 31 houses and 157 inhabitants. Higher Ridge is situated about three miles from Ellesmere, on elevated ground, which commands a most extensive and delightful view of the country. Lower Ridge, about a mile further from Ellesmere, consists of two good farms. The principal residents are Thomas Brayne, farmer, Higher Ridge; Edward Jones, farmer, Lower Ridge; John Matthews, farmer, Lower Ridge; Edward Price, farmer, Higher Ridge, and John Urion, farmer, Ridge.
STOCKS AND COPTIVINEY,
a small township two miles N.E. from Ellesmere, comprising 455a. 2r. 7p. of land, in 1841 is returned as having five houses and 48 inhabitants. The whole of the land is the property of Charles Kynaston Mainwaring, Esq. The principal residents are Ambrose Nixon, farmer, Stocks; George Rodenhurst, farmer, Stocks, and Thomas Whitfield, farmer, Coptiveney.
TETCHILL
is a township and village situated three miles S. from Ellesmere, which contains 1,735a. 0r. 20p. of land, the whole of which is the property of the trustees of the late Earl of Bridgewater, except one farm, the property of Sir John Roger Kynaston, Bart. In 1841 there were 63 houses and 333 inhabitants—the houses are for the most part scattered. George Salter, Esq., resides at a neat residence called Prynallt, near the western verge of the township; the house stands on high ground, and commands a fine view of the country. “This village is celebrated as the birth place of William Fromston, the Shropshire giant; he died at Tetchill, in 1795, aged 77 years; he is said to have been remarkably active for his age and surprising height; his coffin measured eight feet two inches inside.” The principal residents are Ann Boodle, farmer, Winstone; Edward Boylin, farmer; William Carsley, blacksmith; William Cooke, farmer, Tetchill Moor; William Cox, shoemaker; Elizabeth Davies, farmer; John Davies, maltster and tailor; Thomas Davies, maltster; Thomas Foulkes, farmer, Tetchill Moor; Thomas Harrison, wheelwright and shopkeeper; Samuel Higginson, tailor; Joseph Jones, farmer; Thomas Jones, tailor; Richard Lee, farmer, Onston; Henry Legh, farmer, The Buildings; Elizabeth Mathers, farmer, Tetchill Moor; William Morgan, shopkeeper and boot and shoe maker; William Price, farmer, The Wood; George Salter, Esq., solicitor, Prynallt; Wm. Sheraton, farmer, Broom Farm; Henry Townsend, farmer, Tetchill Moor.
TRENCH,
a township on the northern verge of the county, situated about two miles N.N. by W. from Ellesmere, contains 854a. 0r. 6p. of land, the principal owners of which are the trustees of the late Earl of Bridgewater; Charles Kynaston Mainwaring, Esq.; and Rev. John Phillips, are also proprietors. In 1841 the township contained 28 houses and a population of 65 souls. The resident farmers are Thomas Cross, John Evans, John Groom, William Higginson, William Nunnerley, William Paddock, and Thomas Pearce.
GREAT NESS
is a considerable parish and pleasantly situated village in the lower division of the Pimhill hundred, four miles S.W. from Baschurch, ten S.E. by S. from Oswestry, and seven and a half miles N.W. by N. from Shrewsbury. The parish embraces the townships of Alderton, Felton Butler, Great Ness, Hopton, Kinton, Nesscliffe, and Wilcott, which together contain 3,865a. 3r. 30p. of land, and in 1801 had 732 inhabitants, 1831, 850, and in 1841, 143 houses and a population of 876 souls. Rateable value, £4,431. 5s. 4d. The village of Great Ness contains several good houses, and is surrounded with an undulating district, which commands some fine views of great diversity and picturesque beauty. The township contains 856a. 3r. 37p. of land, and in 1841 there were 16 houses and 84 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,198. 1s. 5½d. The principal landowners are the Earl of Bradford; George Edwards, Esq.; Henry Calveley Cotton; and Thomas Justice Bather, Esq. The former is lord of the manor. The soil is a mixture of sand and loam, producing good wheat and barley. The Church, dedicated to St. Andrew, is an ancient structure, consisting of nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a square tower, in which are three bells. It contains several neat tablets to the families of Perry, Prosser, Payne, and Gittins. The living is a vicarage, valued in the King’s book at £9, now returned at £345, in the patronage of the Lord Chancellor; incumbent, Rev. Henry Calveley Cotton. The vicarage is a neat residence a little west from the church. The vicarial tithes of Great Ness are commuted for £47. 10s. The Hall, the residence of George Edwards, Esq., is a handsome house of brick, in the Tudor style of architecture, rendered conspicuous by a tier of rooms with semi-octagonal projections. The grounds are tastefully laid out, and the park, though not extensive, is densely wooded. North-west from the hall are the lofty heights and plantations of Nesscliffe hills. This township is intersected by the Holyhead turnpike road.
Charities.—By indenture, dated 8th September, 1753, John Edwards, Esq. conveyed a plot of land called the Chapel Yard, at Nesscliffe, to the Rev. William Parry, then vicar of Great Ness, for the erection of a school and residence for the teacher. The following benefactions are stated to have been given towards the support of the school, viz., Sir Orlando Bridgeman, £20; Sir John Langham, £10; Mrs. Pridie, £20; the Rev. William Parry, £25; and Mrs. Parry, £25. This sum, amounting to £100, was in the hands of John Edwards, Esq., when the charity commissioners published their report, and he paid interest for it at the rate of five per cent. The master resides in a house built on the land, containing about an acre in the whole, and in consideration of the above emoluments is required to teach six poor children in reading, writing, and accounts, without any charge.