Sadler John, beerhouse, Bark hill
Sadler John, jun., blacksmith, Bark hill
Sandland Stephen, schoolmaster
Sanders Mr. S., High street
Saxton Charles, gentleman
Sharkes Mary, Blackoe farm
Slaney William, plumber, High street
Smith Joseph, beerhouse keeper
Smith Robert, iron founder
Smith William, engineer
Smith William, tailor, New street
Sumner William and Daniel, pump makers
Swinnerton John, surgeon, New street
Tiler Rev. William, Independent minister
Turner The Misses
Watkiss Miss, High street
Wood John Foulkner, Esq., High street
Woollam John, parish clerk
Woolley William, farmer, New street
Wragg Isaac, vict., Bark hill
Wright Elizabeth, vict., Royal Oak, High st
Yond Thomas, dyer, Bark hill
Academies.
Dupre Mrs. Lucy, Ladies’ boarding
National, New street; Charles Frederick Bird, master
British, High street; Mr. & Mrs. Stephen, Sandland
Accountants.
Parker Samuel H., Saving’s bank
Smith William, High street
Architect.
Smith William, High street
Attorneys.
Brookes and Lee Messrs., High street
Harper George, Moss fields
Kirkpatrick Edward Bruce, High street
Auctioneer.
Churton William Parker
Baker & Flour Dealer.
Poole Mary, Watergate street
Blacksmith.
Saddler John, Bark hill
Boot & Shoemaker.
James George, High street
Brewer.
Jones Edward, The brewery
Brick and Tile Merchant.
Roberts John, New wharf
Cabinet Makers.
Burrows Thos., Havannah buildings
Lakin William, New street
Cheese Factors.
Burgess Messrs. Thomas and Ralph; warehouses, The Factory buildings,
canal side, and Prospect row, canal head
Lythgoe Thomas, High gate
Civil Engineer.
Smith William, High street
Coal Agents.
Lowe Thomas, New wharf
Roberts John, New wharf
Wright George, New street
Corn Factors.
Burgess Messrs. T. R. W., Prospect row, and Factory buildings
Farmers.
Boughey Joseph, Blackoe
Chester George, Bark hill
Cureton John, Blackoe
France Wm., Dodington lane
Hassall Thos., Hadley farm
Hinton Thomas, Fields farm
Keay John, Dodington
Lyth Richard, Hadley
Nunnerley Thos., The fields
Podmore John, High street
Roberts John, Dairy farm
Sharkes Mary, Blackoe
Woolley William, New street
Fire and Life-office Agents.
The British Empire Fire & Life, Richard Thomas, Prospect place
The Star and General Insurance Company, Robert Smith, Dodington
Grocer and Draper.
Jarvis Thomas, High street
Inns and Taverns.
Boyes Robert, High street
Bradshaw Richard, High gate
Wragg Isaac, Bark hill
Wright Elizabeth, High st
Beerhouses.
Griffiths Wm., Sherriman’s hl
Maddocks Joseph, Sedge ford
Murray William, Havannah
Sader John, Bark hill
Ironfounders.
Smith Wm. & Son, Dodington
Land & Estate Agents.
Brookes and Lee, High street
Lime & Guano Dealers.
Lowe Thomas, New wharf
Roberts John, New wharf
Machine Makers.
Smith Wm. & Son, High st
Maltsters.
Burgess & Son, New street
Jones Edward, Alkington rd
Lea Edward, Bark hill
Millers.
Jebb Thomas, Old mills
Roberts John, Steam mills
Painters.
Jarvis John, High street
Wragg Isaac, High street
Plumber & Glazier.
Slayney William, Dodington
Professor of Music.
Saxton Charles, High street
Surgeons.
Bromfield John, Dodington
Marsh Thos. Palmer, High st
Swinnerton John, New street
Tailors.
Chidlow Richard, High st
Morray William, High street
Smith William, High street
Timber Merchant.
Garratt Mrs. Sarah, High st
Wharfingers.
Brooks John, Sherriman’s hl
Humstone John, Sherriman’s hill
Lowe Thomas, New wharf
Roberts John, New wharf
Wheelwrights.
Davies William Augustus, Dodington
Smith William, Doddington
EDGELEY,
a small township with 416A. 0R. 24P. of land situated 1½ miles S.E. by S.
from Whitchurch, in 1841 contained seventeen houses and seventy-three
inhabitants, the soil is in general strong, with a portion of sand and
gravel. Rateable value £583. 14s. The tithes are commuted for the sum
of £37. 10s. The freeholders are William Lee Brookes, Esq., Wm.
Worthington, Esq., Samuel Alexander Duff, Esq., John Goodall, Esq., Peter
Soole Taylor, Esq., John Lowe, Esq., Archibald Worthington, Esq., and Mr.
Richard Weaver. The BAPTISTS have a neat chapel with a residence for the
minister and a school attached. It is situated in the lane leading from
Edgeley Moss to Ash, near the verge of the township, and was built and
endowed by Mr. Brown. The school is open for the instruction of the
children residing in the surrounding townships; those that are admitted
free must belong to the children who attend the chapel, and prefer the
Baptist faith. The master has an income of £30 per annum, which is now
paid by Mrs. Brown. The pastor of the congregation also teaches the
school. There is a small plot of ground used as a burial place for
members of the congregation. EDGELEY MOSS, usually called Brown Moss,
contains 77A. 2R. 7P. and is now chiefly covered with water. EDGELEY
HOUSE, the residence of John Lowe, Esq., is a modern erection of brick,
stuccoed. It is delightfully situated, and beautified with shrubberies
and park-like grounds.
The principal residents are John Lowe, Esq., Edgeley House; William Poole
Churlton, farmer; James Harding, farmer; Rev. William Jones, Baptist
minister.
GRINDLEY BROOK is a detached hamlet on the high road from Whitchurch to
Malpas, a mile and a half north-west from the former place. It lies on
the verge of the county, and is separated from Cheshire by the Grindley
brook, a small stream which is here crossed by a stone bridge. The
Whitchurch, Ellesmere, and Chester Canal takes its course near the
village, and near to the wharf are extensive lime works carried on by Mr.
John Roberts. The chief freeholders are the trustees of the late Duke of
Bridgewater, Mr. James Hancock, Mr. Robert Roe, Mr. Joseph Rycroft, Miss
Harper, Mr. Parry Jones, and Mr. George Blanton.
DIRECTORY.—Mr. Joseph Beddoe, toll collector at the canal locks and
tonnage clerk; Mr. Richard B. Briscoe, Brookhouse; Thomas Cliff,
beerhouse and shopkeeper; Philip Hales, farmer, Denston; William Hassall,
Esq., land and estate agent, Bubney House farm, Thomas Peake, boat
builder; John Roberts, lime merchant; George Seaman, victualler, Canal
Inn; James Whittingham, victualler, Horse and Jockey.
HINTON,
a township one and a quarter miles north from Whitchurch, in 1841 had six
houses and forty-one inhabitants: the township contains 498A. 0R. 36P. of
land the soil of which is a mixture of gravel and loam; the principal
land owner is Thomas Boycott, Esq. William H. Poole Esq., and George
Harper, Esq. are also proprietors. The district here has a bold
undulating surface. The tithes payable to the rector of Whitchurch have
been commuted for the sum of £51. 15s.
The residents are Thomas Chester, farmer; Thomas Joyce, farmer, the Hall;
W. H. Poole, Terrick Hall; Joseph Vernon, farmer, the Field.
HOLLYHURST,
a small township with a few scattered houses one mile and three quarters
north-east from Whitchurch, contains 241 acres of land, and in 1841 had
seven houses and thirty-eight souls. The rateable value is included in
the return of the township of Chinnel, and the tithes with those of
Chinnel have been commuted for £22. 9s. 6d., which is paid to the
incumbent of Whitchurch. The land owners are Lord Combermere, John
Nickson, Esq., Mrs. Sarah Sadler, and Domville Poole, Esq.
The principal residents are John Sadler, farmer; Sarah Sadler, farmer;
and Thomas Venables, farmer.
TILSTOCK
is a chapelry and populous village delightfully situated one and a half
miles south from Whitchurch; the township contains 2,549A. 2R. 20P. of
land, and at the census of 1841 there were 136 houses and 637
inhabitants; the soil is a mixture of sand and loam, with a portion of
gravel, considered good turnip land; the country around is pleasingly
diversified with rural scenery, and there are some extensive farms, with
good farm houses occupied by intelligent and respectable
agriculturalists. The township is intersected by the Ellesmere and
Chester Canal, and the Wem and Whitchurch turnpike road. The principal
land owners are the trustees of the late Earl of Bridgewater, George
Corser, Esq., John Goodall Esq., Rev. Geo. Richard Downward, Francis Jas.
Hughes, Esq., Daniel Kempster, Esq., Rev. William Renton, Mr. John
Whitfield, and Mrs. Wood. There are also several other freeholders.
THE CHURCH, dedicated to our Saviour, is a neat erection of brick, with a
small square tower ornamented with stone finishings. It was built in
1835, not far from the site of a former edifice which was dedicated to
St. Giles; the cost of the structure was about £2,000, which was defrayed
by the munificence of the late Countess of Bridgewater. It consists of
nave, chancel, and side aisles; the body of the church will accommodate
303 hearers, and there is a gallery which will hold 100 persons; the
whole has a neat and tasteful appearance. The living is a perpetual
curacy endowed with a grant from Queen Anne’s bounty, and funds given by
the Bridgewater family which were laid out in the purchase of land
situated in Wales. The value of the living is returned at £120. The
rector of Whitchurch is the patron; the Rev. William Renton, M.A. is the
incumbent. Tilstock was formed into a district parish for ecclesiastical
purposes in 1844. The church, the parsonage, and the national school,
have all been erected during the incumbency of the present minister.
There is a vestry attached to the church in which are kept two volumes of
Jones’s Book of Martyrs. The Parsonage House, a neat and commodious
residence near the church yard, was built at a cost of £1,000 given by
the munificent family who also built the church. The tithes have been
commuted for the sum of £244. 11s. which is paid to the rector of the
parish. The WESLEYAN METHODISTS have a neat place of worship, which was
built in the year 1837, adjoining which is a small burial ground.
THE NATIONAL SCHOOL, a modern erection of brick, with a residence for the
teacher, stands on the site of the old church, and was built by
subscription and a grant of £60 from the National Society. Among the
most liberal donors towards its erection were the Countess of
Bridgewater, who gave £60, the Rev. Charles M. Long, rector of
Whitchurch, £60, and Lord Farnborough £20. About 100 children attend the
school, which is chiefly supported by the incumbent of the church and a
few benevolent individuals. The minister and his lady assiduously
superintend the school.
_Samuel Austin_ bequeathed £10, and directed the interest to be
distributed to the poor every St. Thomas’s day. Ten shillings per annum
is now paid from a farm in the township of Tilstock, which belongs to G.
S. Corser, Esq. The amount is given among the poor by the officiating
minister with the sacrament-money at Christmas. The poor also
participate in a bread charity, noticed with Whitchurch.
Allen Joseph, inland revenue officer
Allmark Joseph, victualler (Horse Shoe) and wheelwright
Batho Richard, rope maker
Batho Stephen, farmer, rope maker, and shopkeeper
Bayley John, farmer
Bayley Thomas, farmer
Beckett William, maltster, farmer, and beerhouse-keeper
Bennett John, blacksmith
Bennon Randle, farmer
Bolton John, castrator
Broomhall John, maltster, farmer, and victualler, Black Lion
Catterall William, tailor
Cliff Ann, dressmaker
Cliff Joseph, blacksmith, The Heath
Darlington Abraham, shopkeeper and shoemaker
Dudleston Ann, farmer, The Park
Dudleston Richard, farmer, The Park
Dutton Ann, schoolmistress
Eaton Thomas, farmer, Wood-lane Farm
Edwards George, schoolmaster
Edwards John, shoemaker
Fenna William, grocer and ironmonger
Groome Joseph, wheelwright & parish clerk
Hinton James, farmer
Hinton Thomas, butcher and grazier, and victualler, Red Lion
Jones Daniel, shoemaker
Jones Samuel, shopkeeper
Kempster Mr. Daniel, Ivy House
Kempster Miss Mary
Massey Samuel, Tilstock-park Farm
Morris John, tailor
Parbutt John, shopkeeper
Parry John, farmer, The Hollins
Reece John, farmer
Renton Rev. William, M.A., The Parsonage
Roberts John, lime-master, maltster, and farmer, Brick-walls
Watling John, drill-machineman
Wenlock William, farmer
Whitfield John, farmer, Tilstock Park
WOODHOUSES (NEW),
a pleasant but scattered village and township, two miles and a half S.E.
from Whitchurch, containing 714A. 3R. 11P. of land, had in 1841, 27
houses and 115 inhabitants. The chief landowners are the Trustees of the
late Earl of Bridgewater, Mr. Richard Bellington, Mrs. Gretton, Samuel
Yate Benyon, Esq., Mrs. Beckett, Mr. John Cookson, Viscount Combermere,
W. L. Brookes, Esq., Mr. John Moore, and Mr. Edward Nickson; besides whom
there are several other freeholders. This township has a bold undulating
surface, and the soil is strong and clayey.
DIRECTORY.—James Goulbourn Etches, Esq., Oak Villa; William Bather,
farmer; Martha Beckett, farmer; Prudent Blundell, beerhouse and
shopkeeper; Mrs. Mary Boulton; Richard Boulton, farmer; John Leeveley,
farmer; John Lewis, farmer; John Moore, farmer; George Robinson, farmer,
Old Wood; Thomas Stringer, farmer; Thomas Unett, farmer; Daniel
Warrington, farmer, Fir Tree House; James Weston, farmer; Joseph Wright,
farmer.
WOODHOUSES (OLD),
a small village and township, three miles N.E. from Whitchurch, contains
391A. 2R. 37P. of land, and at the census of 1841 had 13 houses and a
population of 62 souls. The soil in some places is a strong loam, in
other places it is sandy. Viscount Combermere is owner of the whole
township. There is a fine sheet of water near here, which covers a
considerable surface, called Comber-mere.
The principal residents are John Ellis, farmer; William Evans, boot and
shoemaker; Richard Hassall, carpenter and joiner; James Reddrop, farmer,
The Grove.
WIRSWALL, OR WIRSHALL,
is a township and village in Whitchurch parish, situated in the county of
Cheshire, two miles north from Whitchurch. In 1841 there were 17 houses
and 91 inhabitants. The principal landowners are John Goodall, Esq.,
George Harper, Esq., Rev. C. W. Ethelstone, Charles Robert Cotton, Esq.,
and the Representatives of the late John Parsons, Esq. The tithes are
commuted for £70. The Earl of Shrewsbury had land here from the time of
Henry VI. to the reign of Philip and Mary; and the manorial rights are
divided between this family and Viscount Combermere. BELVIDERE is a
handsome house, the property and residence of John Goodall, Esq. The
situation is delightful, and the prospect most extensive and diversified.
DIRECTORY.—Joseph Cliffe, blacksmith; Samuel Davies, cattle dealer; James
Goodall, farmer, The Grange; John Goodall, Esq., Belvidere; Robert
Goodall, farmer, Dairy-house; Mr. William Hale; Mrs. Mary Harrison, Wood
Cottage; John Nunnerley, farmer; Miss Reddrop; John Smith, farmer; John
Wood, farmer; Wm. Woodward, farmer.
THE SOUTH BRADFORD HUNDRED.
The South Bradford Hundred is bounded on the north by North Bradford
Hundred, on the east by the county of Stafford, on the south by the
Brimstree and Condover Hundreds and the Wenlock Franchise, and on the
west by Albrighton Division and the Shrewsbury Liberty. The hundred is
divided into the Newport and Wellington Divisions. The Newport Division,
in 1841, contained 2,111 inhabited houses, 61 uninhabited, and five
building. At the same period there were 10,929 inhabitants; of whom
5,446 were males and 5,483 females. The Wellington Division at the same
period contained 5,959 inhabited houses, 211 uninhabited, and 43
building; and 30,938 inhabitants; of whom 15,856 were males and 15,082
females. The hundred of Bradford at the Domesday survey was divided into
the hundreds of Odenet and Recordin, and are now distinguished by North
and South Bradford. These names in early times had a certain meaning,
and were given either by reason of the importance or situation of a
place, or in respect of some remarkable circumstance—as the name before
us, _Bradan Forde_ (that is, Broad Ford), is said to have its name from a
ville named Bradford, situate on the river Tern, near Ercall, and long
since destroyed.
_The South Division_ contains the several parishes of Bolas Magna,
Chetwynd, Edgmond, Kinnersley, Lilleshall, Longford, Newport,
Preston-upon-the-Wild-Moors, and Woodcote Chapelry.
_The Wellington Division_ contains the parishes of Atcham, Buildwas,
Dawley Magna, Eaton Constantine, Ercall Magna, Eyton-upon-the-Wild-Moors,
Leighton, Longdon-upon-Tern, Roddington, Stirchley, Uppington, Upton
Magna, Upton Parva, Wellington, Withington, Wombridge, Wrockwardine, and
Wroxeter.
ATCHAM, OR ATTINGHAM,
is a parish in the Wellington Division of the South Bradford Hundred,
comprising 3,491 acres of land, mostly a fertile undulating district,
richly timbered, and watered by the rivers Severn and the Tern. The soil
in some parts is a strong fertile loam, producing good wheat and barley;
in other parts it is of a lighter nature, and the meadow lands are very
fertile. Rateable value, £6,126. In 1801 there were 430 inhabitants;
1831, 463; and in 1841, 95 houses and a population of 513 souls. The
parish comprises the townships (for highway purposes) of Chilton,
Cronkhill, and Emstrey, on the south-west bank of the Severn, and of
Berwick, Atcham, and Uckington, on the north-east side of that river.
The village and township of Atcham is delightfully situated in a
salubrious district richly adorned with sylvan beauty, and contains
Attingham Hall, the princely seat of the Right Honourable Richard Noel
Hill (Lord Berwick), and several handsome villa residences. THE HOTEL is
a noble pile of buildings, and affords every accommodation to the
numerous visitors who resort here in the summer season to enjoy the
fishing as well as the beautiful views of this interesting locality. The
river Severn is crossed near to the hotel by a magnificent stone bridge
of seven arches, and is about one hundred and thirty-four yards long.
The river Tern has a bridge across it of beautiful workmanship, which is
forty-four yards across. It is ornamented with an open balustrade of
fine chiselling, upon which is engraved, “This bridge was erected at the
expense of the county, in 1780, and decorated at the expense of Noel
Hill, Esq.” The great Holyhead and London turnpike road which intersects
the township is in an admirable state of repair. The village is three
miles and six furlongs south-east from Shrewsbury. The Right Hon. Lord
Berwick is lord of the manor and the principal landowner. Robert Burton,
Esq. and others are also proprietors. A branch of the Shrewsbury,
Birmingham, Chester, and Shropshire Union Canal passes through Atcham
parish, where there is a tunnel of about a mile in length.
THE CHURCH, dedicated to St. Hyatia, and situated in a sequestered spot
near the banks of the Severn, is built of free stone, and consists of
nave and chancel, with a square tower. It was built in 1665, and has
recently undergone a complete reparation. The sittings are of oak, and
the pews of Lord Berwick and those of the Burton family are elaborately
adorned with carved work. The interior has a very chaste appearance,
which is much heightened by the subdued light admitted through the richly
stained glass windows. The altar is of the most elaborate workmanship.
The central window on the south side is a stained glass memorial of
superb workmanship, in memory of Blanch, daughter of Henry Milnes Parry,
Esq., who held the appointment of “chief gentlewoman of Queen Elizabeth’s
privy chamber,” whom she served from the birth of her majesty, and died
at court on the 18th of February, 1589, aged 82. There are also two
beautiful windows of stained glass, embodying the arms of the Burton
family. On an altar tomb, with two full length figures in memory of
deceased members of this family, is a brass plate, on which is
engraven—“This monument was removed from a pew belonging to the estate of
Longnor, in the parish church of St. Chad, Shrewsbury, on the fall of
that church, July, 9th, 1788.” There are also several beautiful mural
tablets in memory of the Burtons and others. The living is a vicarage
valued in the king’s book at £11. 6s. 8d., now returned at £300 in the
patronage of Robert Burton, Esq. Incumbent, Rev. Henry Burton, M.A. The
vicarage is situated near to the church.
The manor, vicarage, and lands in Attingham, otherwise Atcham, together
with other property of great extent, were given to the monastery of the
blessed Virgin Mary, of Lilleshall, by persons of the name of Blemies, in
honour of God and the Virgin Mary. This was subsequently confirmed by
King John. In the reign of Henry III., the abbot of Lilleshall was
questioned as to his right in taking toll at the bridge of the Severn of
passengers that travelled that way. In the 53rd of the same reign the
abbot had a grant of a fair to be kept at Attingham on St. Giles’s day,
and two days after. In the 4th of Edward I. the said abbot had a grant
of another fair in the month of May, to be held on the feast of St.
Augustine, and the two following days. On the dissolution of religious
houses the manor and tithes of Attingham were granted by the crown to
Thomas Palmer, Knight, but Sir Thomas subsequently became convicted of
treason, and his lordship and estate was forfeited to the crown, and was
soon after granted to Sir John Gage, Knight. In 1693 it was possessed by
the Gowers, and the lordship is described as containing twenty messuages,
three water mills, twenty gardens, 200 acres of land, forty acres of
meadow, 200 acres of pasture, ten acres of wood, twenty acres of furze,
and the fishery of the Severn. In the 1st year of Queen Anne, William
Gower obtained an act for the sale of the manor, when it was conveyed to
Rowland Hill, Esq., for the sum of £3,413. His descendant, the Hon.
Richard Hill, in consideration of his affection and regard for his
sister, Margaret Harwood, wife of Thomas Harwood, Esq., conveyed the
manor of Attingham to the use of his sister Margaret for her life, with
remainder to Thomas Harwood, the younger, who afterwards took the name of
Hill, on whose decease this property descended to his son, Noel Hill, who
was created a baron by the title of Baron Berwick, of Attingham, in the
year 1784, on whose decease it came to his eldest son, Thomas Noel Lord
Berwick, who dying in 1833 without issue the manor and domain of
Attingham descended to his brother, William Noel Hill Lord Berwick, and
is now held by the Right Hon. Richard Noel Hill Lord Berwick, whose
princely seat is ATTINGHAM HALL, one of the most extensive and elegant
mansions in the county. It was built from a design by Stewart, and
consists of a centre adorned with a magnificent portico of the composite
order, supported by four circular pillars upwards of forty feet in
height, and two wings connected with the main building by corridors. The
situation of the mansion is peculiarly fine, and the extensive park by
which it is surrounded is beautifully enriched with wooded scenery; the
waters of the majestic Severn and the river Tern adding much to the
picturesque beauty of the whole. The interior of the mansion is
magnificently furnished, and contains a fine gallery of pictures, chiefly
by the early Italian masters, also a fine collection of Etruscan vases
and other antiquities from Herculaneum. In the picture gallery is a
curious model of Mount Vesuvius, upon a large scale, made of the
materials of the mountain by the late traveller Dr. Clarke. The park is
stocked with deer. Attingham hall has not been occupied for several
years, the present noble lord having chiefly resided at Cronkhill, on the
opposite side of the Severn.