The Hall; The Misses Mytton.
Clive Hall, 3½ miles S. of Wem, George Harding, Esq.
Cloverley Hall, 6 miles S.E. of Whitchurch, * John Whitehall Dod, Esq.,
M.P.
Clungunford, 8 miles S.E. of Bishop’s Castle, John Rocke, Esq., The
House.
Copthorne House, 2 miles W. from Shrewsbury, Thomas Brocas, Esq.
Condover, 4¾ miles S. of Shrewsbury, * Edward William Smythe Owen, Esq.,
The Hall; Rev. J. W. Harden, John Loxdale, Esq., The Lyth; Robert
Steward, Esq., Ryton Grove.
Coreley, 4½ miles N.N.E. of Tenbury, Rev. Walter Haliburton, The Rectory.
Coton, 3 miles N. of Wem, * George Bowen, Esq.
Cotsbrook House, near Bridgnorth, Orlando Jack Bridgman, Esq.
Cound, 6 miles S.E. of Shrewsbury, Rev. Henry Thursby, The Hall.
Court of Hill, near Tenbury, * Major Arthur Charles Lowe.
Creamore House, near Wem, John Unsworth, Esq.
Cruck Meole, 4½ miles S.W. of Shrewsbury, * Henry Diggory Warter, Esq.
Cruckton Hall, 4 miles S.W. by W. of Shrewsbury, * Francis Harries, Esq.
Dalicott House, near Claverley, George Mackenzie Kettle, Esq.
Davenport House, near Bridgnorth, * William Sharington Davenport, Esq.
Daywell, near Oswestry, * Joseph Venables Lovett, Esq.
Diddlebury, 8 miles N. of Ludlow, Henry Wood, Esq., The Hall.
Dodington, near Whitchurch, George Brookes, Esq.; William Lee Brookes,
Esq.; George Harper, Esq., Mossfield House; John Faulkner Wood, Esq.
Donington, 5 miles S.E. of Shiffnal, The Rev. Henry John Howard, The
Rectory; George Jones, Esq., Shakerley.
Dorrington, 6½ miles N. of Church Stretton, John Thomas Hope, Esq.,
Netley House.
Drayton in Hales, 18 miles N.E. of Shrewsbury, Rev. John Lee; John Edward
Wilson, Esq., The Grove; Thomas Whitfield, Esq.
Dudleston, 4½ miles N.W. of Ellesmere, George Bennett, Esq., Sodylt Hall;
Edward Morrall, Esq., Plas Warren; Robert Morrall, Esq., Plas Yollen;
Richard Ellerton, Esq., The Erway.
Dudmaston Hall, near Bridgnorth, * William Wolryche Whitmore, Esq.
Eardington, near Bridgnorth, John Henry Cooper, Esq., The Knowle Sands;
Mr. Thomas Austin Jackson, The Forge; Rev. George Leigh Wasey, The Knowle
Sands.
Easthope, 5 miles S.W. of Much Wenlock, Moses George Benson, Esq.,
Lutwyche Hall; Rev. Robert Armitage, The Rectory
Edgeley House, near Whitchurch, John Lowe, Esq.
Edgmond, near Newport, Captain Clement Hill; Rev. John Dryden Pigott.
Edstaston, near Wem, Daniel Boote, Esq., The Hall; Rev. John Stewart, The
Rectory.
Ellerton Hall, 4½ miles N.W. by N. of Newport, Robert Masefield, Esq.
Ellesmere, 16 miles N.N.W. of Shrewsbury, William Aldrick Cotton, Esq.;
Rev. John David Day, The Vicarage.
Elm Lodge, near Ludlow, James Davies, Esq.
Ensden House, 5½ miles N.W. of Shrewsbury, Evan Bowen, Esq.
Ercall High, 8 miles N.E. of Shrewsbury, Rev. Robert Townsend Forester,
The Vicarage; George Townsend Forester, Esq., Sherlowe; William Holt
Midgley, Esq., The Park; Edward Blakeway Steedman, Esq., The Hall.
Eyton on the Wildmoors, near Wellington, Thomas Eyton, Esq., The Hall.
Faintree, 5 miles S.W. of Bridgnorth, Thomas Pardoe Purton, Esq., The
Hall.
Fern Hill, near Whittington, * Thomas Lovett, Esq., The Hall.
Fitz, 5¾ miles N.W. of Shrewsbury, R. Middleton, Esq., The Hall; * Rev.
Daniel Nihill.
Frodsley, 9 miles S. of Shrewsbury, Rev. Peter Downward, Longnor Green;
Rev. T. L. Gleadow, The Rectory.
Gatacre Hall, 5 miles S.E. of Bridgnorth, * Edward Lloyd Gatacre, Esq.
Gatacre Park, 5½ miles S.E. from Bridgnorth, * Edward Farrer Acton, Esq.
Grafton Lodge, 5½ miles N.W. of Shrewsbury, John Henry Denston, Esq.
Great Ness, near Baschurch, George Edwards, Esq., The Hall; Rev. Mr.
Kenyon, The Vicarage; Thomas Justice Bather, Esq.
Gredington Park, near Whitchurch, * The Right Hon. Lord Kenyon.
Greet, 5 miles S.E. of Ludlow, Rev. Joseph C. Bradney, The Rectory.
Grinshill, 7 miles N. of Shrewsbury, Rev. John Wood, The Rectory; William
Embrey Wood, Esq., The Vineyard.
Hadley, near Wellington, Mrs. Thorneycroft, The Hall; Matthew Webb, Esq.
Halston, near Whittington, Edmund Wright, Esq., The Hall.
Hardwick Grange, 6 miles N. of Shrewsbury, The Misses Hill.
Hardwick Hall, 2 miles W. of Ellesmere, * Sir John Roger Kynaston, Bart.
Hawkstone, 4 miles N.E. of Wem, * The Right Honourable Viscount Lord
Hill.
Highley, 7 miles S.S.E. of Bridgnorth, William Jordin, Esq.; Rev. Samuel
Dupre.
Hinstock, 5 miles S.E. by S. of Market Drayton, * Henry Justice, Esq.
Hodnet, 6 miles E. of Wem, * Algernon Charles Heber Percy, The Hall; Rev.
Samuel Herrick Macauley, The Rectory.
Hopesay, 6 miles S. by E. of Bishop’s Castle, Rev. Philip B. Adams, The
Rectory.
Hopton Wafers, nr Cleobury Mortimer, Mrs. Lucy Botfield, The Court; Rev.
S. Woodward
Hopton Castle, 9 miles S. of Bishop’s Castle, Rev. George D. Pardoe.
Hurst, near Ludlow, * Philip Morris, Esq.
Ightfield, 4 miles S.E. of Whitchurch, Rev. John Justice.
Isle The, near Shrewsbury, Rev. Humphrey Sandford.
Kemberton, 2 miles S.W. by S. of Shiffnal, Rev. George Whitmore, The
Rectory.
Ketley, 2 miles E. of Wellington, Rev. Thompson Stoneham; John Williams,
Esq.; George Bradbury, Esq., The Grove.
Kilhendre, near Dudleston, Captain Johnson.
Kingsland, near Shrewsbury, * Richard Frederick Hill, Esq.
Kinlet Hall, 5 miles N.E. of Cleobury Mortimer, * William Lacon Childe,
Esq.
Kinnerley, 7 miles S.E. of Oswestry, Rev. Edmund W. O. Bridgman.
Kinnerley, 4 miles N.E. by N. of Wellington, Rev. Andrew Burn.
Knockin Hall, 6½ miles S.S.E. of Oswestry, The Hon. Captain Charles
Orlando Bridgman.
Leaton Knolls, 4½ miles W.W. by N. of Shrewsbury, * Jonathan Arthur
Lloyd, Esq.
Leegomery House, near Wellington, William Shakeshaft Lawley, Esq.
Leighton Park, 3½ miles N. of Much Wenlock, Sir George Harnage, Bart
Leighton, 1½ mile S.E. by S. of Welshpool, John Naylor, Esq.
Leighton, 9 miles S.E. of Shrewsbury, * Robert Gardner, Esq., The Hall.
Lilleshall House, 4 miles S.W. of Newport, * The Marquis of Stafford.
Lilleshall, 3 miles S.W. of Newport, Rev. Henry George Bunsen, vicar, The
Old Hall.
Linley Hall, 5 miles N. of Bishop’s Castle, R. B. More, Esq.
Llwyny-groes Hall, 6¼ miles S. of Oswestry, R. N. Broughton, Esq.
Longford, near Newport, * Ralph Merrick Leeke, Esq., The Hall; Rev. John
K. Charlton.
Longford Hall, near Shrewsbury, Rev. Waties Corbet.
Longnor Hall, 3½ miles E. of Shrewsbury, * Robert Burton, Esq.
Longnor Hall, 5 miles N. of Church Stretton, * Panton Corbet, Esq.
Longnor Hall, near Shrewsbury, * Edward Corbett, Esq.
Loppington House, 3 miles W. of Wem, * Thomas Dickin, Esq.
Loton Park, 8 miles W. of Shrewsbury, * Sir Baldwin Leighton, Bart.
Ludford House, near Ludlow, Francis Lechmere Charlton, Esq.
Ludlow, * Rev. George Dansey Pardoe; * Richard Betton, Esq., Overton
House; James Baxter, Esq., (see also Directory, page 605.)
Lydham, 2 miles N.E. of Bishop’s Castle, Rev. Arthur Oakeley, The
Rectory.
Marnwood, near Ironbridge, Rev. John Bartlett.
Marsh Hall, near Shrewsbury, John Wood, Esq.
Marton, near Middle, David Francis Atcherley, Esq., The Hall.
Mawley Hall, near Cleobury Mortimer, Sir Edward Blount, Bart.
Melverley, 9 miles S.E. by S. of Oswestry, Rev. Henry Rogers, The
Rectory.
Middle, 7 miles N.W. by N. of Shrewsbury, Rev. George Henry Egerton, The
Rectory; Sir John Majorbanks, Bart.
Middleton Scriven, 5 miles S.W. of Bridgnorth, Rev. Thomas Rowley, D.D.,
The Rectory.
Millichope Park, near Munslow, Charles Orlando Childe Pemberton, Esq.
Milson, 3 miles S.W. of Cleobury Mortimer, Rev. Thomas Hardwicke, D.D.,
The Rectory.
Moreton Corbet, 4½ miles S.E. of Wem, Rev. Robert F. Wood, The Rectory.
Moreton Say, 3 miles N.W. by W. of Drayton, Rev. Robert Upton.
Munslow, 6 miles S. of Church Stretton, Rev. Thomas C. Powell; John
Downes, Esq.
Nash Court, 6 miles S.E. of Ludlow, * George Pardoe, Esq.
Neachley, near Donington, * George Holyoake, Esq.
Neen Savage, near Cleobury Mortimer, * Rev. Charles R. Somers Cocks.
Netley Hall, 6½ miles S.W. by W. of Shrewsbury, * John Thomas Hope Esq.
Newport, 18 miles N.E. of Shrewsbury, (see Directory, page 409.)
Norbury, 4 miles N.E. of Ludlow, * Rev. William Henry Cynric Lloyd.
Norton-in-Hales, 3½ miles N.E. by N. of Drayton, Rev. Frederick Silver,
The Rectory.
Nursery The, 4½ miles S. of Oswestry, John F. M. Dovaston, Esq.
Oakley House, two miles E. of Bishop’s Castle, William Oakeley, Esq.
Oakley Park, 2 miles N.W. of Ludlow, * The Right Hon. Robert Henry Clive,
M.P.
Oldbury, 1 mile S.S.W. of Bridgnorth, Mrs. Margaret Wynne Jones, The
Lodge.
Onslow Hall, 4 miles W. from Shrewsbury, Colonel Wingfield.
Osbaston House, 5½ miles S. of Oswestry, Captain Thomas Evans, R.N.
Oswestry, 17½ miles N.W. from Shrewsbury, Richard Jones Croxon, Esq.;
Rev. Thomas Salway, The Vicarage; Thomas Longueville Longueville, Esq.
Oteley Park, near Ellesmere, * Charles Kynaston Mainwaring, Esq.
Oxon, near Shrewsbury, * Edward Morris, Esq.
Park Hall, near Oswestry, * Richard Henry Kinchant, Esq.
Peatswood, near Market Drayton, * Thomas Twemlow, Esq.
Pell Wall, near Market Drayton, * Purney Sillitoe, Esq.
Pentra Ucha Hall, 2½ miles W. of Kinnerley, Frederick Alexander Payne,
Esq.
Peplow, 7½ miles N.W. of Newport, * George Staveley Hill, Esq.; Captain
George Hill, The Hall.
Petton Hall, 6 miles S.E. of Ellesmere, * William Sparling, Esq.
Pitchford, 7 miles S. of Shrewsbury, * The Right Hon. Earl of Liverpool;
Rev. Charles Powell Peters, The Rectory.
Pontesbury, 7½ miles S.W. of Shrewsbury, * Rev. Charles Drury; Rev.
William Harrison; Rev. William Vaughan; Frederick Jones, Esq., The Hall.
Porkington, near Oswestry, William Ormsby Gore, Esq., M.P.
Powis Castle, near Welshpool, * The Right Hon. Earl Powis.
Pradoe, 5 miles S.E. of Oswestry, * The Hon. Thomas Kenyon.
Prees, 5 miles S. of Whitchurch, * Sir Robert Chambre Hill, K.C.B., The
Hall; The Ven. Archdeacon Allen, The Vicarage.
Prees Gwene House, 2½ miles from St. Martins, Richard Powell, Esq.
Preston Gubbals, 4½ miles N. of Shrewsbury, Rev. William Stevens.
Preston Montford, 4 miles N.W. of Shrewsbury, Miss Wingfield, The
Cottage; Mrs. Wingfield, The Hall.
Priors Lee Hall, near Shiffnal, John Horton, Esq.
Quatt, 4½ miles S.E. of Bridgnorth, * Rev. Edmund Carr, The Rectory.
Quatford, 1½ mile S. of Bridgnorth, John Smalman, Esq., The Castle; John
Clayton, Esq., The House; John Sing, Esq., The Hall; Stephen Wolryche,
Esq., The Villa.
Quarry Place, near Shrewsbury, * John Thomas Smitheman Edwards, Esq.
Quinta, 3 miles W. of Saint Martins, Rowland Jones Venables, Esq.
Rednal, near West Felton, William Mostyn Owen, Esq.
Reilth, near Mainstone, Richard Sankey, Esq.
Rossal, 3 miles N.W. of Shrewsbury, Dowager Countess Fielding.
Rowton Castle, 7 miles W. of Shrewsbury, Henry Lyster, Esq.
Rudge Hall, 8 miles S.W. by S. of Bridgnorth, Thomas Boycott, Esq., The
Hall; Rev. W. G. Greenstreet, The Vicarage.
Ruyton, 10 miles N.W. of Shrewsbury, Rev. George Evans; Rev. Leonard
Slater.
Ryton, 3½ miles S.E. by S. of Shiffnal, Rev. Robert William Eyton, The
Rectory.
Saint Martins, 5 miles N.E. of Oswestry, Rev. William Hurst, The
Vicarage.
Sandford, 5½ miles N.E. of Wem, * Thomas Hugh Sandford, Esq.
Sansaw Hall, 4 miles S.E. of Wem, Captain Martin.
Selattyn, 3 miles N.N.W. of Oswestry, Rev. Gerald Carew, Pentre Pant
Hall; Rev. Albany Rosendale Lloyd, The Rectory; William Williams Edward
Wynne, Esq., Sion House.
Shavington Hall, 4 miles N.W. of Drayton, The Right Hon. Earl of
Kilmorey.
Shawbury, 6 miles S.S.E. of Wem, Rev. W. S. Marvin, The Vicarage.
Shineton, 2¾ miles N.N.W. of Much Wenlock, Rev. Henry Bagnall, The
Rectory.
Shipton Hall, 7 miles S.W. of Much Wenlock, * Thomas Mytton, Esq.
Sibdon Castle, 8 miles S.S.E. of Bishop’s Castle, James Baxter, Esq.
Sion, near Oswestry, William Williams Edward Wynne, Esq.
Shiffnal, 7½ miles S. of Newport, Mrs. Botfield, Decker Hill Hall; Rev.
John Brooke, Haughton Hall; Rev. Townshend Brooke, Idsal Vicarage;
William Cope, Esq., Park House; John Eyke Esq., Stanton House; Michael
Goodall, Esq., Evileth; Rev. T. O. Durant, Evileth Hall; William Henry
Slaney, Esq., Hatton Grange.
Smethcott, 5½ miles N. of Shrewsbury, Rev. Robert Joseph Buddicom, The
Rectory.
Stanage Park, near Ludlow, * Edward Rogers, Esq.
Stanton-upon-Hine-Heath, 5 miles S.E. of Wem, Rev. James Thomas Holloway,
D.D., The Vicarage; Thomas Faulkner Wood, Esq., The Woodlands.
Stapleton, 5½ miles S.W. by S. of Shrewsbury, The Hon. and Rev. E. R. B.
Fielding.
Stirchley, 5 miles S.E. of Wellington, Rev. Hugo Moreton Phillips, The
Rectory.
Stockton, 4½ miles N. of Bridgnorth, Rev. Charles Blaney Cavendish
Whitmore; Wm. Hazledine Austin, Esq., South Lodge; Richard S. Darby,
Esq., Crow Greaves.
Stoke Hall, 4 miles N.W. of Burford, Philip Henry Williams, Esq.
Stoke-upon-Tern, 4½ miles S.W. of Drayton, Rev. John Gladstone, The
Rectory.
Stottesden, 8 miles S.W. by S. of Bridgnorth, Rev. Charles John Maddison,
The Vicarage.
Styche, 2½ miles N.W. of Market Drayton, Henry B. Clive, Esq., M.P., The
Hall.
Sundorne Castle, 3 miles N.E. of Shrewsbury, * Andrew William Corbet,
Esq.
Sutton Hall, 4½ miles S.E. of Oswestry, Geo. Dawes Brittain, Esq.; Jas.
Hargreaves, Esq.
Sutton, 5 miles N.E. by N. of Ludlow, Charles Powell, Esq.
Sweeney Hall, 2 miles S. of Oswestry, * Rev. John Parker; Mrs. Parker.
Tedsmere Hall, near West Felton, Thomas B. B. Owen, Esq.
Tern House, 2 miles S.E. of High Ercall, Thomas Jukes, Esq.
Terrick Hall, near Whitchurch, William Halstead Poole, Esq.
Tilstock, 2½ miles S. of Whitchurch, Rev. Wm. Renton, Rectory; Danl.
Kempster, Ivy House.
Tong Castle, 3 miles E. of Shiffnal, G. C. S. Durant, Esq., Rev. G. S.
Harding, The Rectory.
Trefarclawdd House, 2½ miles S.W. by S. of Oswestry, John Croxon, Esq.
Trefonen, 4 miles S.W. of Oswestry, Rev. Daniel Lloyd.
Tunstall Hall, near Market Drayton, * Peter Broughton, Esq.
Tyn-y-Rhos, 4 miles W.W. by N. of St. Martin’s, Rev. John Crozon
Phillips.
Uffington, 3 miles N.E. by E. of Shrewsbury, * Rev. John Oliver Hopkins.
Uppington, 7 miles S.E. by E. of Shrewsbury, S. H. Ashdown, Esq.; Chas.
Stanier, Esq.
Upton Magna, 4 miles E. of Shrewsbury, Miss Arabella Pigott, The Cottage.
Vineyard The, near Wellington, Thomas Campbell Eyton, Esq.
Walcott Hall, 4 miles S. of Bishop’s Castle, The Right Honourable Earl of
Powis.
Walford Manor, 6½ miles N.W. of Shrewsbury, * Robert Aglionby Slaney,
Esq.
Wallop Hall, near Westbury, * John Michael Severne, Esq.
Westbury, 9 miles S.W. by S. of Shrewsbury, Joseph Dickinson, Esq.; Rev.
Wm. Cureton.
Welsh Hampton, 2¾ miles N.E. by E. of Ellesmere, Rev. George S. Master,
The Rectory.
Wellington, 8 miles S.W. of Newport, Rev. Benjamin Banning, The Vicarage;
Rev. Charles Campe; William Wyley, Esq., Dothill Park. (See also
directory).
Wem, 11 miles N. of Shrewsbury. John Henry Barker, Esq.; Thomas Dickin
Brown, Esq.; Roger Spencer Dickin, Esq.; Rev. J. W. D. Merest, The
Rectory; Sir John Beckerton Williams, Knt., The Hall; Charles Oldham,
Esq.; J. H. Walford, Esq.
West Felton, 13 miles N.W. of Shrewsbury, Rev. Thomas Hunt; Rev. Peter
Geo. Bentley.
Whitchurch, 20 miles N. of Shrewsbury, Thomas Burgess, Esq.; Rev. William
Henry Egerton, The Rectory; Sir John Hanmer, Bart., Bettisfield Hall;
Richard Parry Jones, Esq.; Robert Darwin Vaughan, Esq.
Whittington, 2½ miles N.E. by E. of Oswestry, Rev. Charles Arthur Albany
Lloyd, The Rectory; Richard Henry Kinchant, Esq., Park Hall.
Whitton, 9½ miles S.W. by W. of Shrewsbury, * Rev. Charles Leicester.
Whixall, 4 miles N. of Wem, Rev. John Evans, The Rectory.
Willey Park, 3 miles E. of Much Wenlock, the Right Honourable Lord
Forester.
Winsley Hall, near Westbury, John Phillips, Esq.
Withington, 5½ miles E. of Shrewsbury, Rev. Corbet Browne, The Rectory;
Rann Dolphin Edwards, Esq.
Woodcote, 3 miles S.E. by S. of Newport, * John Cotes, Esq.
Wood Hill, 4 miles S.W. by W. of Shrewsbury, Lazarus Jones Venables, Esq.
Woodhouses, 2½ miles S.E. of Whitchurch, James Goulbourn Etches, Esq.
Woodlands, 3 miles S.S.W. of Bridgnorth, Thomas Whitmore Wylde Browne,
Esq.
Worfield, 3½ miles N.E. by E. of Bridgnorth, Rev. Cornelius Broadbent,
The Rectory; Captain Brazier, Bradney; John Bach, Esq., Chesterton;
George Smith Dorset, Esq., Hilton House; Thomas Wilson, Esq., Stanlow;
Joseph Parkes, Esq., Wyken.
Worthen, 9 miles N.E. of Montgomery, * Rev. Charles Awdry.
Wrockwardine, 2½ miles W. of Wellington, Miss Anne Maria Cludde, The
Hall; Mrs. Cludde, Orleton Hall; Rev. George L. Yate, The Vicarage.
Wroxeter, 5¾ miles S.E. by S. of Shrewsbury, Rev. Edward Egremont, The
Vicarage; Wm. Henry Oatley, Esq.; Edward Stanier, Esq., The Hall.
Yockleton, 2 miles N.E. of Westbury, Thomas Nicholls, Esq., The Hall.
Yorton Villa, near Broughton, Rev. William Jeudwine.
ERRATA. {32}
Page 145, fourth line from top, for R. R. Slaney, Esq., M.P., read R. A.
Slaney, Esq., M.P.
Page 172, sixteen lines from bottom, for two trains read ten trains.
Page 251, eleventh line from top, for Maxton read Marton.
Page 329, seventeenth line from top, for excelent read excellent.
Page 337, sixth line from top, for in the year 1804 read 1404.
Page 346, tenth line from top, for Breveton read Brereton.
Page 365, twenty-ninth line from top, for Buxton read Burton.
Page 372, fourth line from top, for exort read extort.
Page 445, fifth line from bottom, for Nowell read Noel.
Page 491, twenty-fourth line from top, for Kingleford read Ringleford.
Page 500, sixteenth line from top, for Burner read Burnel.
HISTORY OF SHREWSBURY.
SHREWSBURY is a market town, and borough corporate and parliamentary,
situate 153 miles N.W. of London, 40 miles S. from Chester, 40 miles W.
from Lichfield, 44 miles W.N.W. from Birmingham, 53 miles N. from
Hereford, 58 miles S. from Liverpool, 109 miles N. from Bristol, and 108
miles S.E. from Holyhead. The town stands nearly in the centre of the
county of which it is the capital, and occupies two hills of gentle
ascent, which gradually rise from the bed of the river Severn, whose
stream gracefully bends its course around three sides of the town; thus
forming a peninsula, having a narrow isthmus, not more than three hundred
yards across, to the north east. Shrewsbury covers nearly the whole
peninsula, excepting a narrow margin of meadow and garden grounds, which
runs between the walls and the river. It has gradually extended beyond
the boundaries of the river, forming the populous suburbs of Abbey
Foregate and Coleham on the east, Frankwell on the west, and Castle
Foregate, beyond the neck of the isthmus, stretching towards the north.
The bold situation of the town, rising amidst a vast plain, backed with
mountains—the frowning castle—the elegant towers and tapering spires of
the churches—the noble bridges, and picturesque buildings, produce,
altogether, a scene of singular beauty and grandeur. The delightful
prospects from every side of the town, over a rich and finely wooded
country, adorned by the meanderings of the Severn, are surpassed by none,
and equalled but by few other towns of our island.
The streets, in common with those of almost all our old towns, are
irregularly disposed, some of them steep and narrow, and indifferently
paved. In this respect, however, considerable improvements have been
made in some of the principal thoroughfares. Many of the houses have the
characteristics of high antiquity impressed upon them; and the domestic
architecture of former days, with projecting gables, is often intermixed
with that of modern erection, and of elegant appearance. The close
wooden-built alley, called a “shutt” in the provincial dialect of the
place, is everywhere seen connecting the principal streets with each
other. Although the gravelly banks on which the town stands afford a
fall in every direction, by which it might easily be kept from filth and
damp, yet the peculiarly pleasant situation was for a long period but
little regarded. Many important alterations have, however, been made
under the provisions of an Act of Parliament obtained in 1821, for
removing obstructions, watching, lighting, and the general improvement of
the town; the powers of which are vested in trustees, who must be persons
occupying property rated at £50 per annum, or worth £2,000. The streets
are now lighted with gas, and the town is supplied with an abundance of
excellent water. Its elevated situation, the natural dryness of the
soil, and its pure water, contribute, doubtless, to the salubrity for
which it is so remarkable. Speed quaintly observes:—“Wholsom is the
aire, delectable and goode, yeelding the springe, and the autumne, seed
time and harveste, in a temperate condition, and affoordeth health to the
inhabitants in all seasons of the yeere.” The ancient Britons gave the
place the name of _Pengwern_, the Saxons, _Scrobbes-byrig_; both of which
imply a fenced eminence planted with shrubs. The poet and antiquary,
Leland, thus beautifully accounts for its name:—
Built on a hill, fair Salop greets the eye,
While Severn forms a crescent gliding by;
Two bridges cross the navigable stream,
And British alders gave the town a name.
At the census in 1801, the borough of Shrewsbury contained a population
of 14,739 souls. In 1841 there were 18,285 souls; of whom 8,444 were
males, and 9,841 females. Of the former, 3,589, and of the latter, 3,803
were under the age of twenty years. Of the entire population, 14,341
persons were born in this county, and 3,944 elsewhere. At the same
period, there were 3,727 inhabited houses, 342 uninhabited, and 23
building.
Shrewsbury is supposed to have been built by the Britons, between the
years 520 and 594, as a refuge from the Saxons, who levelled their
ancient fortress of Wroxeter with the ground, and forced them to retreat
beyond the Severn; which river then became the boundary of the kingdom of
Mercia, the most considerable of all the kingdoms of the Heptarchy. On
this subject, the celebrated historians of Shrewsbury, Messrs. Owen and
Blakeway, observe: We conceive that our town was built after the Saxon
invasion; but that it owed its foundation to the Britons. We cannot
claim any pretensions to the dignity of a Roman station. No vestige of
that imperial people has ever been discovered within its circuit. But a
few miles lower down the river, at the present village of Wroxeter, was
the flourishing town of _Uriconium_; and here, doubtless, after the
Romans had finally withdrawn their forces from the island, the Britons
continued to occupy the seats deserted by their ancient masters, until
they were driven from them by superior force, to the time of which we may
approximate within no very wide range of years. We are in possession of
the valuable poems of Llywarc Hên,—valuable, notwithstanding their great
obscurity, for the few rays of light which they scatter over the darkest
period of our history. He was a prince of the Cambrian Britons; who,
pressed by the Northumbrian Saxon, retired towards the end of the sixth
century to his countrymen in Powis, among whom he is said to have
protracted his life to the unusual extent of 145 years, deriving thence
the epithet of _hen_ or the _old_. His writings contain several proofs
of his acquaintance with the district now called Shropshire. Its
streams, Severn, and Morlas, and Tern; its mountains, Digoll, Nescliff,
and Digon; its towns, Baschurch, Ercall, Hodnet, all appear in his poems.
And when he speaks also of _Pengwern_, and when it is known that this was
the Welsh name for Shrewsbury, we need not doubt that he designed by that
to mark our town, and consequently that it had then arisen.