The History of Oswestry / Comprising the British, Saxon, Norman, and English eras; the topography of the borough; and its ecclesiastical and civic history; with notices of botany, geology, statistics, angling, and biography: to which are added sketches of the environs

by William Cathrall

	Page
Agricultural Statistics	[205]
Album Monasterium	[3]
Aldermen and Common-Councilmen	[166]
Alfred the Great	[17]
Ancient Customs	[191]
Ancient Houses	[185]
Ancient Relics	[186]
Angling	[209]
Aston Hall	[242]
Attack on the town	[65]
Baptist Chapel	[155]
Banks	[100]
Battle of Oswestry	[6]
Belmont	[285]
Benevolent Institutions	[119]
Bethesda Chapel	[157]
Blanc-Minster	[3]
Bleddyn ab Cynvyn	[14]
Biography	[223]
Botany of the Parish	[213]
Bray, Dr. Thomas	[224]
British Period	[4]
British Schools	[114]
Broom Hall	[289]
Brunswick Dynasty	[88]
Brynkinalt	[243]
Cadwaladr’s reign	[8]
Cae Nef	[6]
Carreg Hofa Castle	[257]
Castle of Oswestry	[15]–172
Overton	[15]
Ceiriog, the	[212]
Civil Wars	[61]
Charitable Donations	[121]
Church or Chapel-Field	[6]
Church Grant	[30]
Charles I., Character of	[62]
Charter, First Royal	[33]
Charter of Charles II.	[78]
Charter the Third	[47]
Chirk	[291]
Chirk Castle	[244]
Clawdd Coch	[259]
Coed Euloe, Battle of	[21]
Cranage’s Daring	[66]
Crogen, Battle of	[23]
Croes-Oswallt (Oswald’s Cross)	[3]
Croes Wylan	[54]
Death of Oswald	[7]
Derivation of Name, &c.	[2]
Derwen	[285]
Dispensary and Baths	[117]
Dissenting Places of Worship	[152]
Dovaston, John Freeman Milward	[224]
Drenewydd	[289]
Ecclesiastical History	[132]
English Period	[21]
Extension Line (Oswestry and Newtown) Railway	[198]
Famine	[57]
Felton West	[274]
Fernhill	[258]
Fitz-Alan, William	[15]
Fletcher, Philip Lloyd	[16]
Fitz-Gwarine	[17]
Free Grammar School	[107]
Friendly Societies	[131]
Gas-works	[104]
Gates	[93]
Genealogical Table	[178]
Geology, &c.	[221]
Glorious Age	[89]
Glyndwr Insurrection	[36]
Reverses	[49]
Death of	[50]
Great Western Railway Company	[195]
Greenfield Lodge	[274]
Griddle Gate	[137]
Grufydd ab Cynan	[15]
Guto (y Glyn)	[226]
Halston	[249]
Hen Dinas	[5]
Hengoed	[272]
Hotels	[107]
House of Industry	[119]
Humphreys, Humphrey, D.D.	[227]
Huntington, Execution of	[35]
Hywel Dda (the Welsh Justinian)	[13]
Independent Methodist Chapel	[157]
Ingratitude of (Common Wealth) Parliament	[73]
Invasion of Wales	[21]
Jones, Thomas	[227]
King Oswald	[5]
Knockin	[253]
Kynaston, Humphrey	[228]
Le Strange, Roger	[17]
Lighting	[96]
Lodge, the	[273]
Llanforda	[260]
Llangollen Vale	[292]
Llanymynech	[254]
Llanyblodwel	[262]
Llansilin	[261]
Lloyd, Colonel	[63]
Lloyd, Bishop	[83]
Llynclys (or Llynclis) Pool	[211]
Lupus, Hugh	[16]
Llwyd, Edward	[230]
Llywarch Hen	[8]
Llywelyn ab Jorwerth	[27]
Madog	[15]
Maelor	[15]
Marrow’s Assault	[69]
Marches Lordships	[17]
Margery Bruce	[180]
Markets and Fairs	[97]
Markets	[102]–3
Maserfield	[7]
Mathrafal	[9]
Maud Verdon	[15]
Maurice, William	[231]
Mayors, List of	[164]
Mayor’s Blunders	[85]
Mediolanum	[259]
Montgomery, Roger de	[16]
Morda, the	[212]
Morlas, the	[212]
Morus, Hugh	[231]
Monuments within the Church	[139]
in the Church-yard	[14]
in the New Church-yard	[147]
Morva Rhuddlan	[113]
Mortimers, the	[31]
Mount Pleasant	[290]
Municipal and Civil Government	[158]
Officers	[163]
Murage, the	[29]
Myddelton, Sir Thomas	[77]
Mytton, Major-General	[75]
Mytton, the late John, Esq.	[251]
National Schools	[112]
Natural History	[205]
Newport, Mr.	[68]
Norfolk, Duke of	[15]
Norman Period	[14]
Notabilia	[235]
Oakhurst	[290]
Offa’s Dyke	[10]
Old Chapel	[152]
Oswald’s Well	[189]
Oswestry Race-course	[10]
Castle, Burning of	[72]
Government of	[72]
As it was	[92]
recent History of	[181]
Castle Hill	[177]
Owain Brogyntyn	[15]
Oswald and Penda	[2]
Parliament, the Great	[32]
Parish Church	[132]
Sunday School	[114]
Park Hall	[263]
Penda, the Mercian King	[8]
Pengwern	[9]
Pentre Pant	[290]
Pentre Poeth	[53]
Penylan	[290]
Perry, the	[212]
Plague, records of	[55]
Plot to remove the markets	[59]
Poor Rate Return—Oswestry town and parish (1855)	[240]
Population	[204]
Porkington	[266]
Post Office	[99]
Powys Vadog	[14]
Preesgwene House	[273]
Primitive Methodist Chapel	[157]
Public Establishments and Institutions	[98]
Quinta, the	[274]
Railway Communication	[194]
Restoration, the	[76]
Review of Ancient History	[7]
Revolution, the	[86]
Reynolds, John	[232]
Richard II., death of	[34]
Rivers	[209]
Rhyd-y-croesau	[290]
Rhyd-y-croesau Church	[150]
Roberts, the Rev. Peter	[232]
Rug	[15]
Sacheverell, Dr.	[86]
Salter, Mr. Robert	[234]
Savings’ Bank	[101]
Saxon Period	[9]
Selattyn	[269]
Shrewsbury, the Battle of	[37]
Siarter Cwtta, the Short Charter	[24]
Site of the town	[91]
Sketches of the Environs of Oswestry	[241]
Social Improvement	[88]
Society for Bettering the Condition of the Poor	[129]
Spot, Dick	[233]
St. Martin’s	[272]
Stamp Office	[101]
Statistics	[201]
Streets	[95]
Sweeney Hall	[291]
Tenants’ Service	[48]
Theatre	[104]
Topographical History	[90]
Town Walls	[184]
Tre’r Cadeiriau	[3]
Tre’r Fesen	[6]
Trefaldwyn	[13]
Trefonen Church	[149]
Tre Meredydd	[14]
Trevor, Sir John	[159]
Trinity Church	[144]
Tyn-y-Rhos	[278]
Visit of Baldwin and Giraldus	[25]
Vicars, List of	[151]
Walter the Stewart	[179]
Watt’s Dyke	[11]–12–13
Welsh Cloth Market	[51]
Wesleyan Methodist Chapel	[156]
Whittington	[275]
William the Conqueror	[10]
Wood Hill Hall	[291]
Wynnstay	[286]
Young Men’s Institute	[115]
Zion Chapel	[152]

Illustrations.

THE TOWN.

	Page
Beatrice Gate	[94]
Church Gate and Avenue	[136]
Cross Market and Street Views	(facing the Title-page)
Dispensary and Public Baths	[118]
Free Grammar School	(facing) [107]
Griddle Gate	[137]
New Gate	[93]
National Schools	[113]
Oswestry Castle (from an ancient drawing belonging to an inhabitant of Dudleston)	(facing) [172]
The Old Chapel	[155]
Parish Church	(facing) [132]
Powis Market, Guildhall, and Bailey Head	(facing) [103]
St. Oswald’s Well	[190]
Trinity Church	[148]

THE ENVIRONS.

Brynkinalt	(facing) [243]
Chirk Castle	(facing) [244]
Halston	(facing) [249]
Llanymynech Church	[255]
Park Hall	(facing) [263]
Porkington	(facing) [266]
Selattyn Church	[271]
Whittington Castle	(facing) [281]
Wynnstay	(facing) [287]

History of Oswestry.

A celebrated writer has said, that “History is philosophy teaching by example.” Local History was doubtless included in the reflection of the distinguished essayist, when he penned the memorable sentence, which has for years past been adopted as a national maxim. In Local History we have handed down to us facts and fiction, both grave and gay; traditions and customs illustrative of popular habits and manners; records of national edicts and social laws; municipal mandates, and parochial practice; doleful notes of superstition and ignorance, with gratifying statistics of the progress of truth and enlightenment; pleasing reports of the advancement of science and art, mechanical ingenuity, and industrial pursuits; and, speaking comprehensively, with a keen glance at the past, we descry enough, in the chequered examples of byegone times, to help us on in wisdom’s ways.

With these preliminaries, let us now lead our readers pleasantly onward through the devious paths and labyrinths of Oswestry’s varied history, beguiling them, perchance, by the way, with all that is agreeable pertaining to the Ancient and Loyal Borough, which, from its antiquity, its scenes of martial daring and prowess, the tranquil beauty of its surrounding landscapes, and its primitive, as well as modern relation to some of the sweetest spots of Cambria, has commanded the admiration and homage of historians, painters, and poets.

Derivation of Name, &c.