Hunt, Boreatton Park House; John Grant, farm bailiff; George and Henry
Hunt, farmers and corn millers, Platt Mills, Thomas Payne, gamekeeper.
EYTON,
a small township and sequestered village, is situated about two miles
N.E. by E. from Baschurch. At the census of 1841 there were 11 houses
and 56 inhabitants. The township is intersected by the railroad from
Shrewsbury to Chester. Here are several large pools of water, covering
many acres of land, and are well stocked with fish. The land has an
undulating surface, and the soil is a mixture of loam and clay. The
principal landowners are the Duke of Cleveland, and D. F. Atcherley,
Esq.; besides whom there are several smaller proprietors. THE BIRCH
GROVE HOUSE, the residence of John Evans, Esq., is a neat edifice,
stuccoed, and is surrounded with pleasure grounds tastefully laid out.
Near it is a fine sheet of water. _Elizabeth Waring_ bequeathed £20, and
directed the interest to be distributed among the poor of this township
on the Sunday before Christmas day.
The farmers in Eyton are Richard Cutt, Samuel Price, Ann Teece, John
Weston, and Thomas Whittingham. John Mason, blacksmith.
FENNEMERE,
another small township in Baschurch parish, had six houses and 43
inhabitants at the census of 1841. It is situated two miles and a
quarter from Baschurch, and five miles S.W. of Wem. (The acres are
returned with the parish.) The land presents gentle undulations and
inequalities on the surface, and the soil is in general heavy, producing
good crops of wheat and barley. The Duke of Cleveland is the sole
proprietor. In this township there is a fine sheet of water, covering a
considerable extent of land. The farms are extensive, and the houses and
out-buildings are conveniently arranged. The resident farmers are Edward
Kent, Joseph Lee, and Charles Wood.
MEREHOUSE
is a township intersected by the Shrewsbury and Chester railway, situated
about a quarter of a mile from the Baschurch station, and eight miles
N.N.W. from Shrewsbury. The township contained one house and sixteen
persons in 1841. Rateable value, £200. 5s. Rowland Hunt, Esq., is the
lord of the manor, but the land is the property of Richard Wall, Esq.,
who resides on the estate, having erected a pleasantly situated house to
the east of Baschurch station, with commodious and conveniently arranged
farm buildings. In this township is situated the British Fortress,
previously noticed with Baschurch, as the retreat of Cynddylan, a British
Prince, after being driven by the Saxon invader from the city of
Pengwerne (Shrewsbury). It is protected by a pool of water of
considerable extent, called the Berth, and a morass. Richard Wall, Esq.,
of Merehouse Hall, is the only resident.
NESS LITTLE, OR NESS CLIFF,
is a chapelry and village, consisting chiefly of respectable farm houses,
in the parish of Baschurch, pleasantly situated two miles and a half S.W.
from the Baschurch station, and seven miles and a half N.N.W. from
Shrewsbury. In 1801 the population was 202, and at the census of 1841
there were 46 houses and 238 inhabitants. The tithes were commuted in
1847 for £232. 10s. The rectoral tithes of this township are paid to the
Rev. David Birds, except those of the Milford and Adcott Hall estates.
The incumbent of Baschurch receives the small tithes. The township
contains 1,348 acres of land. The soil is generally a stiff sandy loam,
producing good crops of wheat, barley, and beans. About two-thirds of
the land is arable. Rateable value, £1,326. 13s. Earl of Powis is lord
of the manor. The principal landowners are Henry Dickinson, Esq.; George
Edwards, Esq.; R. A. Slaney, Esq., M.P.; Edward Brayne, Esq.; William
Matthews, Esq.; Mrs. Jones; and Samuel Bickerton, Esq. Henry Dickinson,
Esq., has recently purchased an estate from the Earl of Powis, and is now
erecting an extensive and costly range of farm premises on the most
approved principles. THE CHURCH is an ancient structure, paved with
encaustic tiles, and was new pewed in 1835, the expense of which was
defrayed by public subscription. It contains a fine old font, with the
date of 1565. The communion cup, which is of silver, exhibits a curious
piece of handicraft, and has the date 1565 upon it. The living is a
curacy annexed to the vicarage of Baschurch. ADCOTT HALL, the residence
of Thomas Mansell, Esq., is an ancient erection, with extensive farm
premises, conveniently arranged, connected with it. MILFORD HALL, an
ancient timbered residence in good preservation, exhibits a fine specimen
of the domestic architecture of by-gone days.
DIRECTORY.—_Farmers_: Edward Brayne, and maltster; Thomas Brookfield,
Adcott Mills; Andrew Mansell; Thomas Mansell, Adcott Hall; James Payne,
Milford House; Abraham Powell, Milford Mill; Alice Smith, Milford Hall;
Abraham Woolrich; Thomas Gilston, farm bailiff to Henry Dickinson, Esq.
Edward Griffiths, shoemaker; William Hughes, parish clerk; William Jones,
shopkeeper, Vale lane; Edward Pugh, wheelwright.
PRESCOTT
is a township and pleasantly situated village on the Shrewsbury and
Baschurch turnpike road, seven and a half miles N.E. by N. from the
former place, and one mile south from the latter. In 1841 there were 23
houses and 103 inhabitants. The principal landowners are Robert A.
Slaney, Esq., M.P.; John Bromley, Esq.; and Mrs. Barrett; besides whom
there are several other freeholders. The land has an undulating surface,
with a strong loamy soil.
DIRECTORY.—John Bromley, Esq.; Andrew Mellor Needham, Esq.; Thomas
Pearce, blacksmith; John Poole, tailor; Richard Smith, farmer; William
Thomas, grocer and provision dealer; David Vaughan, farmer; Griffith
Windsor, builder.
STANWARDINE-IN-THE-FIELDS
is a township and well-built village, near the line of the Shrewsbury and
Chester railway, one and a half mile N.W. from Baschurch, and nine miles
N.W. by N. from Shrewsbury. The railway is here crossed by a substantial
stone bridge. At the census of 1841 there were 30 houses and 160
inhabitants. The land in this township is generally good, and produces
fine crops of wheat and turnips. The Duke of Cleveland is lord of the
manor; and the trustees of Mrs. Eleanor Harris’s charily, Mrs. Phillips,
Mr. Hilton, Sir John R. Kynaston, Bart., Miss Emma Jones, and the vicar
of Baschurch, are the principal landowners. THE PARK HOUSE, a good
residence of brick, stands about half a mile north-west from the village,
and is the residence of Mr. Richard Hiles. It was built two years ago.
The farm premises are admirably contrived, and replete with every
convenience.
The residents are—_Farmers_: Thomas Atcherley, Edward Corden, Thomas
Davies, the Beith; Richard Hiles, Stanwardine Park; John Pembrey, Thomas
Perry, and James Windsor. Edward Griffiths, blacksmith; Richard Parbutt,
shopkeeper.
STANWARDINE-IN-THE-WOOD
is a small township and secluded village with a scattered population,
four and a quarter miles north from Baschurch, and 12 miles N.N.W. from
Shrewsbury. In 1841 there were 9 houses and 69 inhabitants. Rateable
value, £1,037. 8s. THE HALL is an antique mansion, built about the year
1681, and occupied by Stephen Denston, Esq. It is approached by a flight
of steps and a portico; the sides of the great hall are of panelled oak,
enriched with carved work, and upon one of the scrolls is the date 1588.
The apartments are decorated with some fine paintings and costly prints;
the steps of the staircase are of solid blocks of oak, and the floors are
laid with oaken planks four inches thick. In the front of the hall is a
pedestal of stone, upon which is affixed a sun-dial; on the plate, which
is of silver, is a beautiful engraving and some fine tracery, bearing the
arms of the Corbets and the Wynns, and the date 1560. The ancient hall
of Stanwardine was a moated mansion, and stood a little south from the
present structure. It was in early times the seat of a branch of the
ancient family of Corbet, and subsequently of the Wynns. In the front of
the present hall are the family arms of the Corbets and the Wynne,
exhibiting a beautiful specimen of chiselling. WICHERLRY HALL, an
ancient structure chiefly composed of timber, has recently undergone
considerable reparations, and a new front has been added. It is the
property of C. K. Mainwaring, Esq., and occupied by Mr. George Belliss,
who farms upwards of 200 acres of the land in this township. William
Sparling Esq., is the principal landowner; Charles Kynaston Mainwaring,
Esq., and others, are also proprietors.
DIRECTORY.—_Farmers_, George Belliss, Wicherley Hall; John Williams,
Stanwardine Hall; Mary Jones, Andrew Jones, and John Young.
WALFORD,
a small township with a scattered population, is situated two and a half
miles S.E. from Baschurch, and six miles and a half N.W. by N. from
Shrewsbury. In 1841 there were 74 inhabitants. The Duke of Cleveland is
lord of the manor; Robert A. Slaney, Esq., M.P., is a considerable land
owner. The land has generally a fertile soil. The turnpike road from
Shrewsbury to Baschurch intersects the township. WALFORD MANOR is a
handsome mansion of modern erection, the seat and property of Robert
Aglionby Slaney, Esq., M.P. for Shrewsbury; Mr. Slaney has been a member
of parliament for thirty years, devoting himself to the advancement of
the people, labouring to disclose and have removed the causes injurious
to the public health, and to increase the means of instruction and
healthful recreation of the working classes. Free trade and political
reforms have had his constant support. He has also published several
works, on subjects identical with those which have busied him in public
life—an “Essay on the employment of the poor,” (to this was awarded a
silver medal from the Board of Agriculture); an “Essay on the beneficial
direction of rural expenditure;” a “Plea to power and parliament for the
working classes,” &c. The old Manor House is an ancient dilapidated
structure, now occupied as a farm dwelling.
Slaney Robert Aglionby, Esq., M.P., Walford Manor
Burroughs Joshua, farmer, The Heath
Davies John, blacksmith
Griffiths Richard, shoemaker
Jennings Thomas, beerhouse
Jones Isaac, wheelwright
Jones John, farmer
Jones Mary, farmer
Jones William, gamekeeper
Lee Wm. farmer, The Heath
Price Thos. farmer, Leasows
Price Thomas, jun., butcher
Shore Thomas, farmer and maltster
Smith Richard, farmer, bailiff, The Manor
Speake Samuel, joiner and carpenter
Williams William, tailor
Wycherley John., farmer, The Hayes
WESTON LULLINGFIELD
is a township and straggling village two and a half miles north from
Baschurch, and ten and a half miles N.N.W. from Shrewsbury. There are
several good farm houses here, with commodious and conveniently arranged
out premises. The chief landowners are the trustees of Mrs. Harris’s
charity, Mrs. Bowman, William Birch, Esq.; the Earl of Bradford, the
Vicar of Baschurch, Thomas Tisdale, Esq.; William Sparling, Esq.; D. F.
Atcherley, Esq.; C. K. Mainwaring; Esq.; Sir John R. Kynaston, Bart.;
Mrs. Mary Parton, and Mr. Hilton. The Primitive Methodists have a neat
stone chapel here. The Free School for the junior children of the parish
is a branch in connection with the school at Newtown, under the
management of the trustees of Mrs. Eleanor Harris’s charity. The master
receives a progressive payment according to the number of children
instructed. This place is returned at the census of 1841 as having a
population of 213 souls, at which time there were 46 houses. A branch of
the Chester and Ellesmere canal runs into this township.
Adams John, farmer
Adams William, farmer
Birch William, farmer
Boliver Edward, cooper
Boliver Richard, shopkeeper
Boliver William, tailor
Cotton Thomas, farmer
Griffiths Wm., wheelwright
Haycocks John, blacksmith
Higgins John, farmer
Jones Thomas, farmer
Jones Thomas, wheelwright
Lee George, tailor
Lee John, shoemaker
Lee John, farmer
Parton Thomas, shoemaker
Price Richard, shopkeeper & vict., Boat Inn
Trevor William, farmer and tailor
Williams Edward, agent to Richards & Co., Ruabon, coal and lime
merchants, Canal Wharf.
YEATON
is a village and township two and a half miles S.E. from Baschurch, and
six and a half miles N.N.W. from Shrewsbury, returned in 1841 as having
37 houses and 195 inhabitants. The principal landowners are Robert A.
Slaney, Esq., M.P.; J. A. Lloyd, Esq.; Captain James Parry, Mr. Richard
Williams, and John Smith, Esq.; the former is lord of the manor and
impropriator. The hall, a handsome stuccoed residence occupied by George
Wade, Esq., is pleasantly situated near the turnpike road from Shrewsbury
to Baschurch. There are also several neat villas of modern erection.
The principal residents are Miss Beech, The Hall; Captain James Parry,
The Grove; George Wade, Esq., The Hall. _Farmers_, Richard Cotton,
William Cotterhill, Upper Corn Mills; Samuel Onions, Medley Farm; James
Perry, The Grove Farm; William Turner, and corn miller, and Richard
Williams, The Flour Mills.
ELLESMERE
is a respectable market town and extensive parish, partly in the hundred
of Maylor, in the county of Flint, but chiefly in the Ellesmere division
of the Pimhill hundred, in the county of Salop, sixteen miles N.N.W. from
Shrewsbury, and eight miles N.N.E. from Oswestry. The parish contains
the following townships in this county, viz.:—Birch and Lythe, Cockshutt
and Crosmere, Crickett, Dudleston, Eastwick, Ellesmere, Elson and
Greenhill, Frankton, Hampton’s Wood, Hardwick, Kenwick Stockett and
Whattall, Kenwick’s Park, Kenwicks Wood, Lee, Lineal, New Marton,
Northwood, Oteley Newton and Spoonhill, Stocks and Coptiviney, Tetchill,
and Trench, which together contain 25,676A. 0R. 20P. of land. Rateable
value, £42,341. In 1801 there were 5,909 inhabitants; 1831, 7,057, and
in 1841, 7,080. The rectoral tithes have been commuted for £2,351, when
£1,576 were apportioned to the trustees of the Earl of Bridgewater, £515
to C. K. Mainwaring, Esq., £174 to J. Dickin, Esq., £46 to Richard Wynn,
Esq., and £15 to Mr. Benyon. The vicarial tithes were commuted for £430.
Ellesmere, formerly written Aelsmere, is a place of considerable
antiquity, and derives it name from a fine sheet of water or mere on the
east side of the town, which covers one hundred and sixteen acres.
Leland describes the town in his day as having four streets, while Camden
speaks of it, “as a small tract of rich fertile ground, together with a
small castle, which King John settled on Llewellyn, Prince of North
Wales, when he made up the match between him and Joan, his natural
daughter.” The town now contains several respectable inns, and many good
houses and shops, in all the different branches of the retail trade. The
malting business is extensively carried on. Mr. John Frumston’s is one
of the largest establishments in the county. The cultivation of barley
being particularly attended to in the neighbouring country, causes the
farmers usually to attend the market here, which is held on Tuesday.
Fairs are held on the first Tuesday after February 2nd, third Tuesday in
April, Whit Tuesday, first Tuesday in July, last Tuesday in August, and
the third Tuesday in October and November for horses, cattle, sheep, and
pigs. The castle of Ellesmere stood on an artificial mount, near to the
church. At the present time there are no vestiges of it to be seen, the
top of the mount being formed into a bowling green, which is kept in
admirable order, and supported by the gentry and tradesmen of the town.
From this eminence a most extensive and delightful panoramic view of the
fertile plains of Shropshire is seen; the fine mere and the beautiful
residence of C. K. Mainwaring, Esq., are charming objects in the
vicinity. History is silent as to the time and by whom the castle was
built. In the 6th of King John, the king gave the castle and manor of
Ellesmere in marriage with his daughter Joan to Llewellyn, Prince of
North Wales; in the 10th of that reign Bartholomew Turve, the governor,
he having turned his arms against the English, was commanded upon his
allegiance to put the place into the possession of William, Earl of
Shrewsbury, the king’s natural brother, and Thomas de Edginton. In the
4th of Henry III., Roger L’Estrange held this castle, and it continued to
his successors for a long period. In the 25th of Henry III., David, son
of Llewellyn, late Prince of Wales, by his charter, surrendered up
Ellesmere and Englefend to the crown of England, and after that we hear
no more of its being in the hands of the Welsh. This being a frontier
town and of some importance to the marches, and consequently not to be
left in the power of the Prince of Wales. The continued skirmishes
between the English and the Welsh, made the tenure of the latter very
uncertain; and though King Henry II. and King John, being embroiled in
foreign wars, gave the town and castle in dower, the first with his
sister and the latter with his daughter, in order to conciliate the
ancient animosities of both people; yet upon the least appearance of a
rupture those kings might and did resume at pleasure, or gave what
recompense they thought fit upon the seizure, and such as the Prince of
Wales holding upon their good behaviour were glad to receive. On the
12th of Edward II., Roger L. Estrange, with the king’s approbation,
granted several parcels of land, part of the demesnes of the manor, to
several persons in fee, at which time the wastes and the commons of the
manor were enclosed, and converted into freeholds. Two years after
Oliver de Ingeham, who adhered so firmly to the king, upon the
insurrection of the Earl of Lancaster and other lords, was governor of
this castle. In the following reign a writ was issued, to inquire
concerning the encroachments made by the tenants of the neighbouring
manors, and to settle the boundaries, which being performed, the king
gave the castle and manor of Ellesmere to Eubule L. Estrange, a younger
son of the baron of Knockin. In the reign of Elizabeth we find Thomas
Egerton, an ancient lawyer, created Baron Ellesmere; in the 23rd of
Elizabeth he was made Solicitor-General, and afterwards Attorney-General,
from which advancement he was soon after promoted to the Mastership of
the Rolls and the office of Keeper of the Great Seal, which he held till
that queen’s death. The Duke of Bridgewater is deserving of notice in
this place, as having been possessed of large estates in Ellesmere and
its neighbourhood, and as being distinguished for his public spirit, and
for the vast plans he formed and executed for the improvement of his
estates. He died in 1803, and the dukedom became extinct. On the death
of the late Countess of Bridgewater the estates became vested in Viscount
Alford, and he dying in the autumn of the year 1850, they are now vested
in trustees.
THE CHURCH, dedicated to St. Mary, stands on a considerable elevation,
overlooking the Mere, and presents a fine specimen of ecclesiastical
architecture, for the most part in the decorative style. It is a
spacious cruciform structure, comprising nave, chancel, side aisles,
transepts, two side chapels, and a handsome square tower, adorned with
pinnacles. The sacred edifice underwent a thorough restoration during
the year 1849, when an entirely new nave and side aisles were built, at a
cost of upwards of £8,000, from a design of George G. Scott, Esq.,
architect. The original nave bore marks of being the most ancient part
of the building, and presented traces of the old Norman style. One of
the pillars which stands near the pulpit on the north side of the western
arch of the tower is the only part of the old nave remaining. On
entering the church at either of the transept doors the spectator cannot
fail to admire the bold span of the central arches on which the tower
rests. The exterior of the eastern end remains as it was, the work of
enlargement being confined to the western side. The roof is of open
timber work of very high pitch, and the curve of the beams according so
exactly with the form of the central arches, renders the vista of the
church singularly fine. The same character of roof is extended over the
side aisles. This part of the building receives the bulk of the
congregation, and is neatly fitted up with open seats of oak, uniform in
their character, with their facings relieved by tracery of various
patterns, and affording about 900 appropriated sittings. The transepts
have been provided with benches, thereby affording room for more than 300
sittings. On the north side of the western arch of the tower stands the
pulpit, which is of stone, and richly carved. On the opposite side is
the desk for reading prayers; and under the central part of the tower is
placed the lectern, from which the lessons are read. The chancel has
been thoroughly restored and altered, and the old screens which separated
it from the side chapels renovated, and decorated with highly-finished
tracery. On each side are stalls with carved finials, and otherwise
ornamented, containing seats for the clergy and the choir. The paving is
composed of encaustic tiles, in patterns which increase in richness as
they approach the east. The altar stands on an elevation of five steps
from the level of the entrance of the chancel, and is backed by a reredos
of encaustic tiles. The three sedilia on the south side, which were in
good preservation, have been restored to their original use. By means of
a separate subscription a new organ, which cost 300 guineas, built by
Holditch, of London, has been placed in the south chapel: the instrument
is of great power and sweetness, and finely contributes to the musical
part of the services. A new octagonal font of carved stone—an exact
representation of the old one—has been placed in the south aisle. The
south chapel, commonly called the Otely chapel, is distinguished by a
curious oak roof, with carved panels, and though it cannot lay claim to a
date earlier than the 16th century, yet it forms one of the most
beautiful features in the old part of the church. This chapel contains a
fine altar tomb, elaborately ornamented, on which are recumbent figures
cut in marble, to the memory of Francis Kynaston and his wife, with the
date 1790.