Roger, and who succeeded him in the Earldom of Shrewsbury, with the Earl
of Chester and Owen, a Welsh Lord, made an unexpected attack upon Wales,
and committed great atrocities upon the inhabitants. Many of the Welsh
fled into Ireland, and left their country to the mercy of the English.
Their flight gave their enemies an opportunity of continuing their march,
and they penetrated into Anglesey, where they destroyed all before them
with fire and sword. While they were thus exercising their cruelties,
Magnus, King of Norway, who had lately made himself master of the Isle of
Man, advanced as far as Anglesey. On the English endeavouring to hinder
him, the Earl of Shrewsbury was slain in the skirmish. His death was
looked upon as a just judgment for the cruelties committed by him in that
isle. The Earl’s death caused some disorder among the English troops,
and constrained them to abandon the shore; when Magnus landed, and
finding the English had left nothing to plunder, he shortly after
re-embarked. Earl Roger, who succeeded his brother Hugh in the Earldom
of Shrewsbury, being of a rash and discontented spirit, was among those
who favoured the claims of Duke Robert, in place of Henry I. On the
accession of Henry I. he rebelled, and fortified his castles in
Shropshire, and at Shrewsbury built and fortified a flank wall from each
side of the castle, across the isthmus, down to the Severn side; hereupon
the king declared him a traitor, and marched with a considerable force
against him. The earl perceiving that he had no forces to withstand the
attack of the king, confessed his treason, and was shortly after banished
to Normandy; but again appearing in arms, he was taken prisoner, and
ended a miserable life in close confinement at Wareham. About this
period the king sent several of his council to Shrewsbury, among whom
were Richard de Belmarsh, bishop of London, warden of the Marches, and
governor of the county of Salop, and others, to meet there Jorweth ap
Blithyn, on pretence of consulting with him about the king’s affairs; but
when he came there, contrary to all equity, he was condemned for treason
and committed to prison. The Marches of Wales are supposed to have been
settled by the Saxons, to prevent the incursions of the Welsh. The Lords
of the Marches claimed to provide silver spears, and support the canopy
of purple silk at the coronation of Queen Eleanor, consort of King Henry
III. The court of the Lord’s Marches was held at Ludlow, and the
jurisdiction extended from Chester to Bristol. All the country between
Offa’s Dyke and England was called the Marches, the Lords of which had
the power of life and death in their respective courts. In every
frontier manor a gallows was erected, and if any Welshmen came over the
boundary they were taken up and hanged; and if any Englishman was caught
on the Welsh side, he suffered the same fate. The houses were frequently
moated round, and palisades set round the edge of the moat, into which
place the inhabitants every night drove their cattle for better security.
If a Welshman got a cow or a horse over the bar he cried out “my own,”
and any person pursuing them further would be at the risk of his life.
After the death of the Earl of Macclesfield, the last lord president, the
court was dissolved. Shropshire being the frontier between England and
Wales, had more castles in it than any other county in England; on the
west side they stood so thick, says Dr. Fuller, “that it might seem
divided from Wales with a wall of continued castles.” Speed tells us,
“that besides several towns strongly walled, there were two and thirty
castles in this shire.”
In the year 1233, Richard, Earl of Pembroke, and several other noblemen,
being disgusted with the conduct of the King, broke out into open
rebellion, and taking advantage of the animosities subsisting between the
English and the Welsh, fled into Wales and joined Llewellyn, Prince of
Wales. Having collected an army, they laid waste all the Marches between
Wales and Shrewsbury, which town they plundered and put the inhabitants
to the sword. The King being then at Gloucester, called a council there,
when it was determined that the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Bishops
of Chester and Rochester, should be sent into Wales with offers of pardon
for all past injuries, and proposals of peace if they would return to
their obedience, which being accepted, peace was restored;
notwithstanding, soon after this the Earl was treacherously drawn away
into Ireland, and there killed, being stabbed in the back with a dagger.
The peace with the Welsh had but a short continuance, for in the year
1241 the King marched with his army from Gloucester to Shrewsbury,
designing from thence to have proceeded into Wales against David ap
Llewellyn, but during his residence here, a submission being made by
David, he stopped his march. In 1267, Henry again appeared in Shrewsbury
at the head of his army, designing to march against Llewellyn, whose
restless temper created new disturbances; but by the mediation of the
Pope’s Legate, and upon Llewellyn’s submission, a peace was concluded.
In the reign of Edward I. we find the disturbances of the Welsh still
continued; upon which account the courts of exchequer and king’s bench
were removed to Shrewsbury, that the Welsh might be awed into submission.
The situation of the inhabitants of Shropshire at this period was
peculiarly distressing: they were continually subject to the depredations
and incursions of the Welsh, their hostile and unmerciful neighbours; and
the wolves inhabiting the desolate mountains of that country, frequently
came down in herds, and ravaged whole districts. A commission was given
to Peter Corbet to destroy all he could find; and by offering a sum of
money to those who killed a certain number, and brought their heads to
Shrewsbury, they were in a short time considerably reduced.
Bishop Burnell was Chancellor in the year 1283, and the Lords and Commons
assembled at his seat at Acton Burnell, the Lords sitting in the castle,
and the Commons in a barn belonging to the monastery of Shrewsbury. On
this occasion, the famous statute of Acton Burnell was made, called the
statute merchant, by which act debtors in London, York, and Bristol were
obliged to appear before the different mayors, and agree upon a certain
day for payment, otherwise an execution was issued against their goods,
for imprisonment for debt did not take place till some hundred years
after this time. The Parliament was again summoned to meet at
Shrewsbury, on the morrow after Michaelmas day, to consult what course
should be taken with David, Prince of Wales, whom the King declares he
had received in his banishment, had nursed while an orphan, and enriched
out of his possessions. David, having fled from his brother Llewellyn,
Prince of Wales, who had imprisoned his two brothers, Owen and Roderick,
the King received him into his service, created him Earl of Denbigh, and
gave him land to the yearly value of a thousand marks, in lieu of those
possessions he ought to have had in Anglesey, and, to attach him to the
interests of England, gave him to wife a rich English heiress; David,
however, never ceased to excite his brother Llewellyn, to free himself
from the English yoke, because, as his brother had no children, he was
his presumptive successor. Llewellyn took up arms, and penetrated into
the territories of the English, where he defeated two of their armies.
Edward, in hopes of being more fortunate, marched, at the head of a
numerous army, when Llewellyn retired to Snowdon Hill, where he could not
be attacked, but at length, regardless of the inequalities of his forces,
he descended into the plain, to fight the English. The English proved
victorious, Llewellyn was slain on the spot, and his army entirely
routed, and David, his brother, after some time roving about the country,
was taken by the English, and, with his wife, two sons, and seven
daughters, sent to Rhyddlan Castle, where the King then was. As he was
the last of the race of the Welsh Princes, Edward was inclined to secure
his late conquest by his death; accordingly, after having been for some
time kept prisoner, he was brought to Shrewsbury, where he was tried by
the Parliament, and, by their advice, on the 30th September, 1283, he was
condemned to die. Thus the last of the ancient British princes was
ignominously drawn at a horse’s tail about the town, then hanged,
afterwards beheaded, his body quartered, and his bowels burnt; his head
was fixed near that of his brother, on the tower of London, and his four
quarters were sent to York, Bristol, Northampton, and Winchester. This
barbarous execution is said to have been the first of the kind, and it
was afterwards usually inflicted upon traitors. An account of the Great
Parliament, held in Shrewsbury, in the time of Richard II., and of the
famous battle of Shrewsbury, will be found noticed at a subsequent page.
RIVERS.—The Severn is the principal river in the county. This
magnificent stream ranks next to the Thames in point of celebrity, for
the extent of its course, the distance for which it is navigable, and the
commerce it sustains. It has its rise on the mountain of Plynlimmon, on
the verge of Montgomeryshire, and enters Shropshire, near Melverley, and
at Cymmeran Ferry receives the waters of the river Vernieu. Between
Montford Bridge and Fitz, the river Perry falls into the Severn, which
here makes a great bend, and encloses a fine estate, of five miles in
circuit, called the Isle, the property of the Rev. H. Sandford. It then
passes Berwick House, and speedily arrives at Shrewsbury, from whence it
takes a circuitous route to the rural village of Uffington, and passes by
Longnor Hall, to Atcham, where it is crossed by a noble stone bridge, not
far from which it receives the waters of the Tern. Winding its devious
way, the Severn skirts the village of Cound, and near the ruins of
Buildwas Abbey, is crossed by a neat iron bridge. It shortly after
passes by Coalbrook dale, near to which it is crossed by a second iron
bridge, which gives name to the populous district surrounding it. Two
miles below is Coalport, celebrated for the extensive porcelain
manufactures. The river, having passed here, proceeds to Apley Castle,
and shortly after reaches the town of Bridgnorth, and is here crossed by
a magnificent stone bridge. Thence proceeding to the south-east, it
passes by Quatt, and leaves this county by the parish of Alveley, passing
through a narrow slip of the county of Stafford, it arrives at Bewdley,
in Worcestershire. From its source in Plynlimmon Hill to the sea, the
Severn runs about 220 miles. It is navigable to Shrewsbury, but few
vessels, however, proceed further than Ironbridge, the navigation being
interrupted by shallows, and the great irregularities of the water. By
means of numerous canals the navigation is extended into every part of
the kingdom, being united with the Thames on the east, and with the
Trent, the Humber, and the Mersey, towards the north; thus forming the
grand outlet and channel for the commerce of the kingdom on the south
east. The river takes its name from _Sabi_ and _Sabrin_, sandy; in Latin
_Sabrina_; in Welsh, _Haurian_, signifying the queen or chief of rivers.
By the statute of 23rd of Henry VIII., it is enacted, that no person
shall ask or demand any toll for going on the path, by the side of the
said river, upon pain to forfeit forty shillings. These statutes were to
supersede all patents and commissions granted to particular persons by
the prerogative of the Crown. Excellent fish are caught in this river,
particularly salmon, trout, pike, shad, flounders, and carp.
Among the waters which contribute to swell the current of the Severn, in
addition to the Vernieu and Perry, already noticed, is the Meole-brook, a
considerable stream, which enters the river at Coleham. The Meole is
increased by the Rea, before it joins the Meole, the former receiving
upwards of a dozen smaller streams, before it has its confluence with the
Meole. The Tern has its rise from a large pool in Staffordshire. At
Willow Bridge, it first takes the name of Tern, and, from this place to
within a short distance of Drayton, divides the counties of Salop and
Stafford. A little below Ternhill, it crosses the turnpike road, where
there is a stone bridge, called Tern Bridge; it then proceeds by Stoke,
Bolas, Upton Waters, and has its junction with the Severn a little below
Atcham Bridge. This river has a course of about thirty miles, and
receives the Cherrington brook, the Strine, the Roden, and several other
nameless streams, on its route. Between Cound and Bridgnorth the Severn
receives five or six small brooks, which flow from the western part of
the county, and two small streams join it from the east. Below
Bridgnorth the river Worfe and several small brooks, add their influence
to swell the current of the majestic Severn.
The streams that irrigate Shropshire, north of the Severn, and do not
fall into it, are the Morles, which rises in Sellatyn, and runs into the
Ceiriog, which joins the Dee near Chirk. Shel-brook runs into the Dee
from near Welsh Hampton. Elf-brook, near Whitchurch, and the Weever,
with three contributary streams, become a considerable river through
Cheshire. South of the Severn, and not far from the course of the
Camlet, we meet with the Clun, which joins the Teme, near Leintwardine,
in Herefordshire. Kemp brook, and four others, fall into the Clun. The
Ony joins the Teme near Oakley Park. This river, for some distance, runs
parallel with the Camlet, which, in its course, has a fall of about 300
feet. Stadbrook, and another small stream, having joined the Ony, have
their confluence with the Teme, and at Ludlow the Teme is augmented by
the Corve, which flows for many miles through a valley, to which it gives
name. The Corve is augmented by two brooks, one of which is a junction
of three small streams. Ledwick brook, with three contributary streams,
and the Rea, with five, joins the Teme, which, having formed the boundary
of the county, finally leaves it near Tenbury, in Worcestershire, and
falls into the Severn below the capital of that county. The Rodon is
formed by the confluence of three streams, which, in very dry summers,
lose their currents. The first of these rises on Whixall Moss; the
second, on Bettesfield Heath, in Flintshire; and the third proceeds from
the White Meer, in the township of Lee. The three rivulets meet on
Wolverly meadows, and passing by Loppington, runs on to Wem, and thence
by Shawbury, to Roddington, and has its confluence with the Tern not far
from Withington.
CANALS.—The first canal in Shropshire was formed by William Reynolds,
Esq., in 1788, for the purpose of conveying ironstone and coal from the
Oaken Gates to Ketley. Shortly after an act of parliament was obtained
for the SHROPSHIRE CANAL, which was finished in 1792. It commences at
Donington Wood, and proceeds about one hundred yards on a level; it then
descends one hundred and twenty feet, by an inclined plane of three
hundred and twenty yards from the top of this inclined plane, which is
the highest level of the canal; it proceeds by Wrockwardine and
Snedshill, and near to Oaken Gates, where it is joined by the Ketley
canal. From this junction it is continued to Southall Bank, where a
branch strikes off to the right, and terminates at Brierly Hill. The
main line, turning to the Southall Bank, goes on to the Windmill farm,
and passes to the east of Madeley, until it reaches the banks of the
Severn; here it descends 207 feet by an inclined plane, which is 350
yards in length, from whence it proceeds parallel with the river to
Coalport, where it terminates. Immediately after the completion of this,
the SHROPSHIRE CANAL was projected. The Company, having purchased about
a mile of the north end of the canal cut by Mr. Reynolds, erected an
inclined plane of 233 yards in length, and 75 feet of fall. From the
termination of this plane the canal passes on by Eyton Mill, to Long
lane, where it traverses a valley of considerable length, and crosses the
river Tern, 16 feet above the surface of the Meadow, by means of an
aqueduct and an embankment. Near this place it crosses the turnpike road
from Shrewsbury to Wellington, then passing on to Rodington, and over the
river Roden, through Wellington, to Atcham, it enters a tunnel of 970
yards in length. Thence it passes at the base of Haughmond Hill, and
along the banks of the Severn, it terminates in a large basin, near the
Castle Foregate, at Shrewsbury.
The Ellesmere navigation, or the Shropshire Union railway and canal
company may be called a system of canals extending through the large and
fertile tract of country which lies between the banks of the Severn and
those of the Mersey, and between the confines of North Wales on the west
and the borders of Staffordshire on the east—a space of fifty miles in
length, and more than twenty in breadth, exclusive of the valleys which
open into North Wales. Its grand object is to unite the Severn, the Dee,
and the Mersey, and by that means to open a communication from the above
mentioned districts to the ports of Liverpool and Bristol. There is a
short canal formed by the Marquis of Stafford, which commences at
Donington Wood and proceeds to Pave-lane, near Newport, a distance of
nearly seven miles, with a branch to his lordship’s lime works at
Lilleshall, This canal was made for conveying coal to the latter place
from the works at Donington, now held on lease by the Lilleshall company.
The Montgomeryshire canal, a branch of Ellesmere, also passes through a
portion of this county.
LAKES OF SHROPSHIRE.—The lakes of this county are neither numerous nor
extensive. At Marton, near Baschurch, is the Marton and Fennymere pool,
covering 96A. 2R. 15P. At Marton, near Chirbury, is a pool covering 40A.
2R. 37P., from which issue three streams running in different directions.
At Ellesmere is a magnificent sheet of water covering 116 acres; Colemere
87 acres; Crosemere 44 acres; Whitemere 62 acres; Blackmere and
Newtonmere are in the same neighbourhood. A fine sheet of water at
Shrawardine covers 40 acres. South of the Severn are a few small lakes,
but not of any considerable extent. Thus the part of the country which
abounds most in running water has the fewest pools. At Walcot and
Hawkstone are lakes of considerable extent, the latter stretches two
miles in length. Sundorne, Halston, and Tong, have embellishments of the
same kind.
ROADS AND RAILWAYS.—The principal line of road crossing this county is
the London and Holyhead parliamentary mail road, which between
Wolverhampton and Shiffnal, runs through Shrewsbury and enters
Denbighshire, near Chirk. The traffic on this road has been much
diminished since the opening of the railways between London and
Liverpool. The Chester, Shrewsbury, and Bristol road enters near
Whitchurch, and runs southward by Shrewsbury, Church Stretton, and
Ludlow, into Herefordshire. A branch leads from Ludlow to Bishop’s
Castle and Montgomery. Mail and other roads run between Shrewsbury and
Bridgnorth, Ludlow, and Birmingham, across the Clee Hills, Ludlow,
Wenlock, and Coalbrook-dale, and Ludlow and Bridgnorth. There are also
various other communications between Newport, Drayton, and Wellington,
&c. The principal railroads are the Shrewsbury and Chester, the
Shrewsbury and Birmingham, and the Shropshire Union. The former on
leaving the station at Shrewsbury crosses the Castle Foregate by a cast
iron bridge, and proceeding by Leaton Heath, Baschurch, and Whittington,
passes on to Gabowen, where there is a short branch to Oswestry, having
ten trains running daily. The trunk line then proceeds to Preesgwene,
where there is a station, and shortly after passes into the county of
Denbigh, and on to Chester. The Shrewsbury and Birmingham and the
Stafford branch of the Shropshire union railways have a line formed by
the joint companies, extending from Shrewsbury to a little beyond
Wellington, where one branches off to Shiffnal and Wolverhampton, and the
other to Newport, and from thence to Stafford. An act of parliament has
been obtained for a railway from Shrewsbury to Hereford, which will open
a communication with the southern parts of the county of Shropshire. The
works between Shrewsbury and Ludlow are in a rapid state of progress, and
the line to the latter place is expected to be open for traffic in
December, 1851. The length of this railway will be fifty miles, and the
estimated cost £354,822. The line from Ludlow to Hereford is expected to
be completed in 1852. It is to Shropshire, and some of its intelligent
and enterprising natives that the all absorbing system of railways, which
now intersect Great Britain, and cover its surface like net-work, owes
its discovery and establishment. It was adopted in the year 1767, by
that celebrated firm of iron masters, the Coalbrook-dale Company, who hit
upon the expedient of laying the pig iron upon the wood rails throughout
their extensive works, bearing in mind that in the event of a rise in the
price of iron, the rails could easily be taken up and vended as pig iron.
Thus, to this somewhat accidental appropriation of iron, and the
facilities it rendered to the easy and safe carriage of heavy materials,
coupled with the important discovery of steam power, and the general
improvement in engineering incident to railroad travelling, this
important discovery and attainment of modern times may justly be
ascribed.
MINES AND MANUFACTURES.—The minerals of this county are of great
importance. Its rich coal formations, and the limestone and ironstone
associated with them, afford employment to thousands. There are coal
pits in many parts of the county, but more particularly in the east, at
the several places of Lilleshall, Stirchley, Dawley, and the
neighbourhood. An immense quantity of the coal is consumed in the iron
furnaces, the principal of which are at Coalbrook-dale, Horse-hay,
Old-park, Ketley, Snedshill, and Oakengates. About seven per cent. of
the iron manufactured in the whole kingdom is raised from the mines in
this district. Lead is got in considerable quantities on the western
verge of the county, but is chiefly confined to the hundred of Ford. The
Snailbeach, Gravels, and Bathole mines, are the most productive; the lead
ore got is usually of very superior quality. Calamine is also met with,
and the rock at Pimhill is strongly tinctured with copper. Symptoms of
both copper and lead appear in the Cardington hills, and at Pitchford a
mineral pitch exudes from the red sandstone. Freestone, slate, and
pipe-clay are found. At Ashford, on the banks of the Tern below Ludlow,
is the Salt-moor Spring, where salt was made at the period of the Norman
Conquest.
China, of great excellence and exquisite workmanship, is made at
Coalport; earthenware is also manufactured, particularly Wedgewood-ware,
at Coalport and Broseley. Carpets are extensively made at Bridgnorth,
and there are three establishments for the manufacture of hair seating at
Market Drayton. There is an extensive factory at Shrewsbury where linen
thread is made, and woollens of a coarse texture are made at Church
Stretton. Nails are made in several places. At the Coalbrook-dale
Company all kinds of castings and almost every article in which iron is
used is there manufactured. Paper is made at two or three places in the
county. The chief manufacture of the county is that of iron. The
beautiful art of glass staining has been brought to great perfection by
Mr. David Evans, of Shrewsbury.
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE.—The whole country is in general well cultivated,
yielding good crops of all kinds of grain, turnips, peas, and potatoes.
There are many fine orchards scattered throughout the county,
particularly in the southern division, and hops are cultivated on a small
scale on the southern border. The meadows near the Severn are extremely
fertile, being frequently enriched by the overflowing of that river; but
the grass land receives less attention from the farmer than the arable.
The northern part of the county is remarkable for its dairy produce, the
cheese being equal to the most celebrated dairies of the adjoining county
of Chester. The sizes of the farms are various, but large farms of from
400 to 800 acres are much more numerous than in the adjoining counties.
In many parts of the county five or six small holdings have been taken
from the humbler class of farmers and let to one tenant. In one township
visited by our agent the land held by fourteen different tenants, within
memory of man, is now held by three farmers. Barley and wheat in many
parts are grown to a considerable extent. The arable and pasture lands
are found in about equal proportions. The cattle are mostly of a fine
breed, many of the farmers being noted for the superiority of their
stock, but there does not appear any peculiar breed which can be affirmed
as exclusively belonging to this county. In the northern division of the
county and on the western borders large flocks of sheep are kept, in some
parts the old Shropshire breed may frequently be observed; they are
distinguished by their black mottled faces and legs, and are in size
nearly as large as the south-down. About half a century ago a breed of
neat cattle prevailed very much, resembling the Lancashire long-horns.
The old Shropshire ox was remarkable for a large dewlap. This county was
formerly famous for a breed of pigs which is now almost extinct.