Hill Thomas, Market street
Wheelwrights.
Eaton George, May-pole end
Phillips Samuel, Bow street
Watkin John, May-pole end
Wine and Spirit Merchants and Porter Agents.
Ireland Richard, Market st
Onslow Richard, Cripple st
Carriers.
To SHREWSBURY—Thomas Harris and Joseph Owen, Wednesdays & Saturdays.
ASTON
is a scattered village and township one mile E. from Wem, which contains
1,460A. 0R. 25P. of land, the soil of which in some parts is clay, in
other parts a mixture of mould, gravel, and sand prevails; the strong
soils produce excellent wheat. At the census in 1841 there were 47
houses and 212 inhabitants. Rateable value, £2,107. There are 15A. 3R.
37P. in roads and waste. The principal landowners are Viscount Hill,
Major Dickin, John H. Walford, Esq., and Thomas Holly Cooke, Mrs. James,
Mrs. Nickson, the Duke of Cleveland, Sir Andrew Corbet, Bart., Mrs.
Griffiths, Mr. Caleb Powell, and the executors of the late Mr. Gwynn and
Mr. Hassall are also proprietors; Major Dickin is lord of the manor. At
the survey in 1561 there was only one estate that was freehold in the
township, and that was the property of John Astley. The river Roden
intersects the township, and is crossed by bridges to Lee Brockhurst and
Aston. Barker’s Green in this township is noted for clay which makes a
superior kind of bricks. Hill Cop Bank is also in this township. ASTON
HALL, an ancient structure built of timber and plaster, is now occupied
as a farm homestead. At the Domesday survey the Astleys were seated
here, from whom are descended the Astleys, of Ashton; the estate was then
of much larger extent. It was afterwards sold to the Wilkinsons, and
about the year 1680 Lord Chancellor Jeffreys purchased this estate; it is
now the property of Mr. Thomas Holley Cooke. It is stated on the table
of benefactions that Ralph Wilkiss, of Aston, left to the poor
housekeepers of that township four nobles a year, charged on Shaw’s land
in the said township. The yearly sum of £1. 6s. 8d. is paid out of the
said land now vested in the executors of Mr. Hassall, and is distributed
in small sums among the poor.
DIRECTORY.—_Farmers_, Thomas Holly Cooke, The Hall Farm; Thomas Harris,
The Old Hall Farm; Thomas Kempster, Brook Farm; Edward Morgan, Moat
House; Thomas Powell Brookhouse, and John Woodfin; Thomas Abbott,
shopkeeper; William Hewes, maltster and beerhouse keeper; Edward
Williams, blacksmith and agricultural implement maker.
COTTON,
a pleasantly situated village and township three miles N. from Wem, is
variously written in ancient records as Cotton, Coton, and Cooton, being
derived from the Saxon, _cot_, a small house, and _ton_, a town. The
name may import that it was a town consisting chiefly of small houses,
such as were usually built about woods by the poorer sort of people for
the conveniency of fuel. The township contains 1,703A. 3R. 7P. of land,
and is separated by four small brooks from the townships that border on
it; there are 30 acres in roads and waste. At the census in 1841 there
were 95 houses and a population of 439 souls. Rateable value, £2,774.
The soil is a mixture of mould and clay, naturally poor, but of late
years has been much improved by draining and superior cultivation; marl
abounds in the township, which is much used for top dressing the land.
This was one of the 28 lordships which Roger de Montgomery, Earl of
Shrewsbury, gave to William Pantulph. Cotton wood was one of the five
woods within the lordship of Wem. It is about three miles in
circumference, and still retains the name of wood, although there is
scarce a tree left on it. The chief landowners are Viscount Hill, George
Bowen, Esq., Mrs. Cooper, V. Dolphin, Esq., the trustees of Wem school,
Mr. Robert Sandland, Mr. John Rodenhurst, Mr. Thomas Ashley, and Mr.
William Ikin. COTTON HALL in the time of Edward IV. belonged to the
Maddox family, and in the reign of Elizabeth we find it possessed by
Richard Ward, who in 1614 obtained license to eat flesh in Lent. The
following is a copy of the indulgence granted by Richard Sankey, rector
of Wem, as found in the parish register:—“For that Richard Ward, of
Cotton, in the parish of Wem, and county of Salop, gentleman, is
notoriously sick, and enforced for the recovery of his health to eat
flesh for the time of his sickness. Therefore I, Richard Sankey, parson
of the said parish, forasmuch as in me lieth by force of authority to me
given by the statute in the fifth year of our late sovereign lady
Elizabeth, do license the said Richard Ward to eat flesh according to the
contents of the said statute, by me, Richard Sankey, rector of Wem.
Registered according to the statute in presence, and with the consent of
the churchwardens for the time being, March 22nd of the same month, by
reason of the continuance of the forementioned sickness.” Cotton Hall is
now a good brick mansion, the residence and property of George Bowen,
Esq., J.P. On the west side of Hill-lane stands the ancient residence of
the Cotons, who took their name from this township, and are branched out
into several families of respectability. Ralph Coton, a draper, and lord
mayor of London in the 1st. of Charles I., was of this family.
Bowen George, Esq., J.P., Cotton Hall
Ashley James, shopkeeper
Ashley Thomas, farmer
Bather Thomas, farmer, Wood End House
Bather Wm., farmer, Rookery
Bather William, farmer and corn miller
Bennett Benjamin, farmer
Boote William, farm bailiff, The Hall
Calcott John, watch & clock maker
Cartwright Joseph, farmer
Cooper Henry, farmer, Bank Farm
Cooper Mrs., farmer, Bank House
Cotton Thomas, farmer
Davies Abraham, bailiff to V. Dolphin, Esq.
Dickin Thomas, farmer, Common
Dickin William, farmer and butcher
Hall Richard, shoemaker
Higgins John, farmer, Common
Rodenhurst John, farmer
Ruscoe George, farmer, shopkeeper, & wharfinger
Ruscoe Messrs., lime works
Sandland Robert, farmer
Sparks John, farmer, The Brook
Tasker Francis, vict., Bull and Dog
Williams Thos., blacksmith
EDSTASTON,
anciently written EDSTANTON, signifying the town of Edstan. This Edstan
may probably have been the founder of the chapel here, and had his seat
on the north side of it, where the site of an ancient building is still
visible. The fine north door of the chapel is opposite it, and was
probably made for the convenience of the family that resided there.
Edstaston is a township, chapelry, and considerable but scattered
village, two miles N.N. by E. from Wem, having in 1841 95 houses and 452
inhabitants; in 1821 there was a population of 397 souls. The township
contains 2,018A. 1R. 2P. of land, of which 28A. 3R. 36P. are in roads and
waste. Rateable value, £3,385. 5s. The soil for the most part is a cold
clay, it has been greatly improved by draining, and there is some good
land for grazing purposes. The tithes are commuted for £298. 9s. 10d.,
payable to the rector of Wem. The township is intersected by the Wem and
Whitchurch turnpike road, and a branch of the Ellesmere and Quino brook
canal. The principal landowners are Daniel Boote, Esq., V. Dolphin,
Esq., E. H. Chamberlain, Esq., Misses Knights, Mr. Edward Holding, Mr.
Edward Groom, Mr. Godfrey Lewin, Mr. Samuel and James Lea, Mr. Walter
Snape, Sir John Williams Bickerton, Knight, Mr. John Walmsley, Henry John
Barker, Esq., Mr. Samuel Calcott, Mr. Phillips, Mr. Nickson, and others;
the Duke of Cleveland is lord of the manor. The new park was formerly
reckoned one of the five woods within the bounds of this township, but it
has been so well cleared of trees that no remains of a wood are left. It
was formerly enclosed with pales and stocked with wild beast of chase.
Chetal wood in 1561 was held by Arthur Mainwaring, at the rate of 6s. per
annum. There were formerly three common fields, the greater part of
which was enclosed upwards of two hundred years ago.
THE CHAPEL, which is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, in ancient writings is
usually called our Lady’s chapel of Edstaston. The festival of the
nativity of the blessed Virgin being on the 8th of September, is the day
appointed for holding the feast or wake, if that day happen on Sunday; if
not, on the Sunday following. Mr. Garbet is of opinion that this was a
free chapel built by Edstan, for the health and welfare of his own soul,
as it lost its endowment at the time of the general suppression of
religious houses in the reign of Henry VIII. In the times of popery mass
was sung here every day for the advantage of the deceased, and on Sunday
the usual church service was performed for the living. It was not only
independent of the rector of Wem, but also free from the visitation of
the bishop of Lichfield and Coventry, who neither instituted nor inducted
the incumbent, so that in this respect it was much on the same footing as
a donative. The structure has a very ancient appearance, and is 23 feet
wide and 82 feet in length. It is entered by a spacious porch of
elaborate workmanship, built in 1710, exhibiting the Norman style of
architecture. It is neatly pewed with oak sittings, and there is a
gallery at the west end, erected by private subscriptions and a grant
from the Diocesan Society amounting to £84. 4s., in consequence of which
the sittings are free and unappropriated for ever. There are some relics
in the chancel of the superstition of popish times; on each side of the
altar are stands cut in stone, to bear the tapers that usually burn
there; on the east wall is a stone jutting out, on which stood the image
of the blessed Virgin, the patroness of the chapel; near the altar is a
recess probably used for the preservation of the consecrated host, and in
each of the side walls is a stone basin to hold holy water. On the north
side of the altar there formerly stood a sacristy, or vestry where the
sacred utensils and priestly vestments are kept. In 1723 a part of the
west end wall of the chapel fell down, and the roof was so much decayed
that it was found necessary to take the greatest part of it down. To
lessen the charge, a license was obtained from the bishop, to make the
chapel ten or eleven feet shorter than it had been. On the south side is
a window beautifully foliated and ornamented with the family arms in
stained glass, in memory of Admiral George Bowen and his wife, of Cotton
Hall. In the chancel is an ancient mural tablet in memory of Richard
Goldisborough; another to John Knight, Esq., and one to Thomas Payne,
gentleman, with the date of 1760; a brass memorial remembers Richard
Chambre, Esq. The living is a curacy annexed to the rectory of Wem. The
Rev. John Stewart is the incumbent, and resides at EDSTASTON HOUSE, a
handsome mansion of brick, delightfully situated, and beautified with
pleasure grounds and shrubberries.
CREAMORE HOUSE is a good residence, occupied by John Unsworth, Esq. In
Saxon times it belonged to a person of consideration, whose mansion house
stood at some distance from the present dwelling, the site of which is
overgrown with brushwood; but the broad and deep moat that surrounded it
may still be traced. EDSTASTON HALL, a residence of considerable
antiquity, formerly the seat and property of the Mainwarings, is now the
residence of Daniel Boote, Esq. There are several other respectable
houses, which our limits will not allow us to notice. THE INDEPENDENTS
have a chapel at Quino Brook, and at QUINO BROOK WHARF there are
extensive lime works, and a coal depôt.
Boote Daniel, Esq., the Hall
Brown John, coal merchant, Park Bridge wharf
Chamberlain, E. H., Esq., the Park
Cliff Thomas, vict., Canal Tavern, Quino Brook
Cowley John, farm bailiff to Sir John Bickerton, Knight, Foxholes Farm
Davies Abraham, farm bailiff to Vernon Dolphin, Esq.
Dickin Edward, farmer, the Park
Groome Edward, farmer and shopkeeper
Hayward John, coal agent
Holding Daniel, tailor
Holding Thomas, shopkeeper, Quino Brook
Hope Thomas, wheelwright
Jebb William Thomas, Creamore cottage
Jebb and Son, farmers and corn millers
Kynaston John, Bank house
Lea James, farmer, High field
Lea Joseph, farmer, High field
Lea Samuel, farmer, High field
Matthews John, farmer, Rye bank
Nicholas Edward, shopkeeper
Richards Thomas, vict., Duke of Wellington, and agent and canal clerk for
the Shropshire Union Railway and Canal Company
Rogers Edward, blacksmith and vict., the Harp
Ruscoe George and Abraham, dealers in coal, slate, tile, brick, lime, and
general tillage merchants’ warehouse, Quino Brook
Stewart Rev. John, curate
Taylor William, farmer, Pepper street
Unsworth John, Esq., Creamore house
Unsworth William, Esq., Creamore farm
Walmsley John, farmer and maltster, Creamore bank
Walmsley Thomas, Rye bank farm
Wallace William, farm bailiff to E. H. Chamberlain, Esq.
Wilkinson William, farmer, Pepper street
Withington George, Foxholes farm
HORTON,
a small township one and a half mile north-west from Wem, contains 496A.
1R. 20P. of land, of which 8A. 3R. 34P. are in roads and waste. Rateable
value, £725. 5s. In 1841 there were 20 houses and 86 inhabitants. The
principal landowners are Thomas Dickin, Esq.; Mrs. Lawrence; Mrs. Young;
and the devisees of the late Mr. Nickson; and Mr. Ireland. The Duke of
Cleveland is lord of the manor. The tithes are commuted for £88. 13s.
2d. About the middle of the sixteenth century the Husseys were the
largest landowners here; the Moodies were the next considerable family;
the Chettoes, Allens, and Tylers, were also families of consequence. The
Ellesmere and Wem turnpike road crosses this township.
DIRECTORY.—_Farmers_: Ann Kynaston, John Onslow, Caleb Powell, and Philip
Ratcliff.
LACON,
a small township one and a half mile north-east from Wem, in 1841 had 12
houses and 84 inhabitants. It contains 398A. 3R. 5P. of land, of which
5A. 0R. 36P. are in roads and waste. The soil is various; in some places
sandy, in other parts clayey; with portions of moss land prevailing in
other places. From the latter large quantities of oak and fir timber
have been raised, from a depth of from sixteen to twenty feet below the
surface. The Wem and Market Drayton turnpike road intersects this
township. The Duke of Cleveland is lord of the manor and sole owner.
Rateable value, £1,017. 15s. The tithes are commuted for the sum of
£122. 5s. Ralph Bannister was lord of the manor of Lacon in the reigns
of Edward IV. and Richard III. He had been brought up by Humphrey
Stafford, the great Duke of Buckingham, and put in places of trust above
all his servants. To his house the duke retreated when he was deserted
by his army in 1483. He was proclaimed a traitor by the king, and lands
of the value of one hundred pounds a year; and a thousand pounds in ready
money were offered for his discovery. This no doubt tempted the cupidity
of Bannister to betray his master, and John Mytton, Esq., sheriff of the
county, coming suddenly with a strong body of armed men, apprehended the
duke, disguised in the garb of a peasant. Tradition says that the duke,
falling on his knees, cursed Bannister to the tenth generation. Sir
Thomas Moore, in his history of these times, takes notice of the
vengeance of heaven which soon after fell on this family, and observes,
“Bannister’s son and heir lost his senses, and died mad in a hog-stye;
his eldest daughter, of excellent beauty, was suddenly stricken with foul
leprosy; his second son became a deformed cripple; a younger son was
drowned in a small puddle; he himself, in his old age, was arraigned and
found guilty of murder, and saved only by his clergy.” Joseph Bannister,
Esq., was the last of the family that resided here, or was possessed of
this lordship, which he sold to Sir Richard Newport, from whom it has
descended, with other estates, to the present proprietor, the Duke of
Cleveland.
The resident farmers are William Cooke, William Holding, Abraham Ruscoe,
and Thomas Woodfin, Lacon Hall.
LOWE AND DITCHES,
a township one mile north-west from Wem, contains 668A. 2R. 38P. of land,
of which 10A. 0R. 36P. are in roads and waste. In 1841 there were 16
houses and 98 inhabitants. Rateable value £992. 15s. This place takes
its name from its situation on rising ground; _low_, in Saxon, signifying
a little hill; hence the tumuli, or mounds which the Danes raised over
the dead bodies of their famous men were called “lowes.” The name of
“Ditches” may have arisen from some remarkable fosses or ditches, of
which there are no remains or certain tradition. The soil is a reddish
clay or marl, with a mixture of mould. The principal landowners are
Lewin Jeffreys, Esq.; Mr. James Lea; Mr. George Craig; Mr. John Richards;
Mrs. Langford; Mrs. Nickson; Mr. Forgham; Rev. Mr. Parkes; and the
devisees of the late Mr. Watson. The Duke of Cleveland is lord of the
manor. THE DITCHES HALL, an antique erection chiefly composed of wood,
was the seat of the Twyfords, a family of consequence upwards of two
centuries ago. It is a commodious, lofty structure, now in the occupancy
of Mr. Edward Elkes, farmer. THE LOWE HALL, formerly a place of
consideration, was the residence of the Baron family. The coat of arms,
still in good preservation, has the date of 1489. In the 5th of Henry
VII., William Baron of the Lowe was of the _Homage extra barram_, or
country jury. THE PYM FARM takes its name from the circumstance of one
Pym, at the beginning of the civil war, having been murdered in a field a
little below the house, which was then covered with brushwood. He was
the tenant of this farm, which will probably bear his name when all the
ancient landlords are forgotten. This township is crossed by the Wem,
Ellesmere, and Loppington turnpike road.
DIRECTORY.—_Farmers_: Edward Elkes, Ditches Hall; Thomas Elkes, Lowe
Hall; George Greaves, Pym Farm; Thomas Hamlet; James Lea; Ann Kynaston;
John Richards, Lowe farm.
NEWTOWN
is a chapelry and small village, four miles N.W. from Wem, which in 1841
contained 16 houses and 79 inhabitants. The township contains 639A. 0R.
26P. of land, of which 12A. 1R. 20P. are in roads and waste. Rateable
value, £844. 15s. The Rector of Wem receives the tithes, which are
commuted for £87. 14s. 6d. The chief landowners are Mrs. Maddocks, Henry
John Barker, Esq., Thomas Dickin, Esq., and Arthur Dickin, Esq.; besides
whom are several smaller proprietors. The Duke of Cleveland claims the
manorial rights. The roads to Whixall, Northwood, Edstaston, and Wem,
intersect the township. About two centuries ago, the inhabitants of
Newtown, Wolverley, and Northwood, being at a great distance from the
parish church, agreed to have a CHAPEL OF EASE, and for this purpose
purchased a private house, which was fitted up for divine worship, and
procured a minister, to whom the Rector of Wem gave a liberal stipend.
The register of Wem mentions the baptism of a child in Newtown chapel,
April 17th, 1659. In 1665 the owners of land consented to settle £10 per
annum on a minister, and charged that sum on their lands for ever. The
Governors of Queen Anne’s Bounty, in 1754, made a grant of £200 to this
chapel, which was subsequently laid out in the purchase of freehold
lands. It is remarkable, that Andrew Barton, who was the last person
born here when it was a private house, was the first person that was
buried here when it became a consecrated chapel. He died, November 10th,
1666. In the year 1836, the ancient structure was taken down, and a neat
edifice of brick erected on the site, at a cost of £417. 12s. raised by
subscriptions, which sum includes the expense of fittings. It consists
of nave, transepts, and square tower, in which is one bell. The
patronage is vested in the inhabitants of the above townships which form
the chapelry. The living is returned at £50 per annum, and is enjoyed by
the Rev. William Dixon, of Wem.
CHARITIES.—There is an estate at Newtown, charged with the payment of £2.
10s. yearly, to be given in bread to the poor attending divine service at
the chapel there. The donor of this gift is unknown. _Arthur Harper_,
in 1787, bequeathed £90, upon trust, to place the same out at interest,
and apply the produce of £50 thereof in the relief of industrious
housekeepers of the townships of Newtown, Wolverley, and Northwood; and
the produce of £40, the residue thereof to be distributed by the
churchwardens and overseers of the parish of Prees, in the township of
Darliston, on St. Thomas’s day. This legacy had never been invested as
directed by the testator, but was in the hands of William Matthews, the
surviving executor, when the charity commissioners published their
report. Mr. Matthews pays interest for it at the rate of 4½ per cent.
DIRECTORY.—Francis Burd, gentleman; _Farmers_: John Hales; Mrs. Matthews,
The Hall; John Matthews; Thomas Parks; John Tagg; and Samuel Wollan.
NORTHWOOD
is a small rural village, on the borders of Flintshire, four miles N.W.
from Wem, which takes its name from the large wood that was formerly here
and its situation in respect of Lineal Wood, which was south of it. The
township contains 1,409A. 1R. 16P. of land, and in 1841 had 47 houses and
233 inhabitants. There are 21A. 1R. 14P. of land in roads and waste.
Rateable value, £1,824. The tithes are commuted for £181. 15s. The soil
in some places is sandy, with a mixture of gravel; in other places a clay
soil prevails, and there is a small portion of moss. In 1561 the
township contained six small tenements and four cottages. The great wood
was cut down during the reigns of Henry VIII. and Elizabeth, so that
nothing remains of it now but the name. The principal landowners are
Lord Kenyon, George Bowen, Esq., Mr. James Rodenhurst, Mrs. Wilkinson,
Mr. Bickerton, Mr. Lewis, Mr. Groome, John Barker, Esq., the Devisees of
the late Mr. Watson, the Trustees of Wem School, Mrs. Maddocks, Mrs.
Hassel, Mr. Edward Dickin, Mr. Edward Phillips, Mr. Thomas Windsor, and
Mr. Walter Hales; others are also proprietors. The Duke of Cleveland is
lord of the manor. This township lies contiguous to the Betchfield and
Whixall mosses, where many of the labouring population are employed in
cutting the moss and raising the submerged timber, which they carry to
the surrounding towns for fuel; immense quantities of oak and fir trees
are constantly got up. This and the neighbouring townships are noted for
producing fine dairies of cheese, and the farms are occupied by practical
and intelligent agriculturists. Considerable flocks of sheep are kept on
the borders of Flintshire. The Redfellis brook has its rise on the fens
of Whixall moss, passes through Northwood, and enters Newtown with a
considerable stream, which, after heavy rains, overflows its banks, and
covers the adjacent meadows. The Blackford brook divides Northwood from
Flintshire. NORTHWOOD LAWNS, the residence of Mrs. Wilkinson, is a
pleasantly situated house, surrounded with tasteful pleasure grounds.
THE HALL is occupied as a farm residence.
POST OFFICE—_At Mr. Joseph Davies’s_. Letters arrive from Ellesmere by
gig mail at 7.30 A.M., and are despatched at 6.45 P.M.
Bowen George, farmer, The Pinfold
Brown Mr. John
Clay George, farmer
Darlington Thomas, farmer
Davies Elizabeth, grocer and shopkeeper
Davies John, farmer
Davies Joseph, victualler, Horse and Jockey Inn, and postmaster
Davies J. and Son, boot and shoemakers
Davies Thomas, blacksmith
Dobel John, cheesefactor and farmer
Dobel Thomas, cheesefactor
Ebrey John, farmer
Groom Edward, shopkeeper
Haycocks Richard, gamekeeper
Heighway John, farmer
Kynaston Arthur, butcher
Law Robert, The Border Farm
Madeley Wm., butcher and farmer
Madeley Wm., sen., farmer
Phillips Edward, Esq., agent to Lord Kenyon
Stocks James, farmer
Stocks John, wheelwright
Windsor Edwd., shopkeeper
Wilkinson Mrs., Northwood lawn
Wilkinson Mr. John
Wilkinson Rchd., gentleman
Williams John, Pinfold house
SLEAP,