hundred, comprehending the townships of Cold Hatton, Cotwall and
Mooretown, Cruddington, Ellerdine, Ercall Magna, Haughton, Isombridge,
Osbaston, Poynton, Rowton, Sleap, Tern, and Walton, together containing
11,152 acres of land, of which 179A. 3R. 24P. are in woods, roads, and
waste, and there are 39A. 1R. 11P. of glebe. The parish in 1801
contained 1,091 inhabitants; 1831, 2,048, and in 1841 there were 364
houses and a population of 1,999 souls. Rateable value, £14,140. 19s.
6½d. The houses are in general built of brick, and slated; the cottages
are also of brick, and in many instances the occupants have a small
allotment of ground. The ancient residences of the gentry are in most
instances converted into farm dwellings; there are, however, many neat
villa residences in the modern style of architecture, of a respectable
character, surrounded with park like enclosures. The soil is chiefly a
mixture of sand and loam, and the land is mostly used for arable
purposes, in some instances large dairies of cheese are made, and the
district is celebrated for a fine breed of sheep. The land is chiefly
tithe free, the tithes on the rest of the parish were commuted in 1841
for £829. 15s. The village of High Ercall is pleasantly situated eight
miles N.E. from Shrewsbury and five and a half miles N.N.W. from
Wellington. Here are several good shops and respectable residences; the
air is salubrious, and the country around beautifully diversified with
picturesque scenery. The township contains 1,589A. 1R. 18P. of land, and
in 1841 had 42 houses and 213 inhabitants. Rateable value, £2,453. Few
districts possess so good a soil; the farms are extensive, and in most
cases the land has been greatly improved by superior cultivation, and
removing the fences and throwing the land into large enclosures. The
Duke of Cleveland is lord of the manor and owner of the whole township.
The turnpike roads to Newport, Shawbury, Wem, Whitchurch, Wellington, and
Shrewsbury, intersect the township. In the 51st of Henry III., John de
Ercalewe had a grant of a market here on a Monday, and a fair on the eve
and the feast of the nativity of the Virgin Mary and the day after.
THE CHURCH, dedicated to St. Michael, an ancient structure, consists of
nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a massive square tower containing
six bells, and a clock. The side aisles are separated from the nave by
four pointed arches rising from circular pillars; the church is neatly
pewed with oak sittings, and the pulpit and reading desk are of carved
oak of the most elaborate workmanship. The chancel is lofty and contains
several mural monuments, one of which remembers Sarah, the wife of Edward
Steedman, and children, dated 1834; another remembers the Rev. Henry
Wood, who died in 1795; there are also tablets to Cecil Frederick Juckes,
the Rev. Lawrence Gardener, and a full length figure, which exhibits a
fine specimen of chiselling, near the north end of the church. In the
church yard are many monumental tombs of fine workmanship, to some of the
principal families resident in the neighbourhood. The living is a
vicarage valued in the king’s book at £17. 6s. 8d., now returned at £290
in the patronage of the Duke of Cleveland; incumbent, Rev. Robert
Forester, M.A., who resides at the vicarage, a good brick building a
short distance from the church. Near the west end of the church are the
ruins of an ancient structure, which was formerly moated. Sir Richard
Newport, of High Ercall, Knight, by letters patent, bearing date at
Bridgenorth, 14th October, 18th Charles I., was advanced to the dignity
of baron of this realm, by the title of Lord Newport, of High Ercall.
That gentleman advanced six thousand pounds for the king’s use when at
Shrewsbury, by which means the artillery was put in a position to march
against the parliamentary forces, upon which followed the battle of Edge
hill. THE HALL, an ancient residence with projecting gables, was built
by Sir Francis Newport, Knight. This house is said to have been
garrisoned in the time of the civil wars. In levelling a mound near it,
Mr. Steedman’s labourers discovered about a thousand silver coins, the
greater part of the reign of Charles I., some of Elizabeth, and others of
the reign of Philip and Mary. The hall is now in the occupancy of Edward
Blakeway Steedman, Esq. ERCALL PARK is a handsome structure, the
residence of William Holt Midgley, Esq.; it is built in the Elizabethan
style of architecture, and beautified with shrubberies and pleasure
grounds tastefully laid out; the house is surrounded by large enclosures
containing some thriving plantations. SHERLOWE, the residence of George
Townsend Forester, is a modern structure built within the last three
years, with farm premises on a scale of considerable magnitude. THE
LODGE, another good residence of modern construction, is in the occupancy
of Mr. Thomas Jukes. The above houses have all very extensive out
premises, and all the modern appliances, with steam engines for carrying
out the operations of extensive farms in the most economical manner.
THE FREE SCHOOL was founded by Thomas Leeke, one of the Barons of the
Court of Exchequer, in 1663. In January, 1816, the Attorney-General, at
the relation of Ralph Leeke, filed an information against Rann Dolphin
Edwards, and John Douglas, for the purpose of setting aside a lease which
had been granted in 1772 for a term of 99 years, at the yearly rent of
£30, and for obtaining the directions of the court as to the future
application of the rents. The master by his report, made 18th February,
1828, and subsequently confirmed by the court, ordered that the school
should be for teaching English, writing, and accounts free, and also
Latin and Greek when required; the master to charge a guinea a quarter
and a guinea entrance for the latter; that the schoolmaster’s salary
should be £50 per annum, with liberty for the trustees to increase it at
their discretion; that no boys should be admitted until they are capable
of reading the New Testament; that any surplus which should arise from
the accumulations of rent during a vacancy, or from the annual income not
expended in the master’s salary, or repairs, should be expended in
rewards to four or more of the scholars at the examination, or who should
be reported by the master to the trustees as deserving thereof, or in
providing a library of useful books for the school: that the trustees
should have power to displace the master in case of incapacity,
immorality, or neglect, and that the trustees should have power to make
such orders as they should think necessary for the better government of
the school. The master, in a report made June 3rd, 1828, found that the
sum of £960 was due for rent up to Lady Day, 1828, out of which Mr.
Edwards was entitled to retain costs, leaving £831. 1s. from which £428.
2s. 8d. was paid for the costs of the other parties, leaving £402. 18s.
4d., which was ordered to be divided proportionably between the
representatives of the two schoolmasters who had officiated between
November, 1815, and December, 1827. The charity estate is situated near
Trefnanny, in the parishes of Guilsfield and Myford, in the county of
Montgomery, and produces a yearly income of £93. Out of the income of
the charity the master receives a salary of £50, and he also receives £6.
13s. 4d. per annum in respect of Stevinton’s gift. The school is
conducted according to the scheme established by the Court of Chancery,
except that the master makes a charge of 10s. 6d. for the entrance of
such boys as are not classical scholars, which appears to be contrary to
the directions of the court.
_Richard Stevinton_, by his will, in 1652, devised an annuity of £6. 13s.
4d., payable out of lands at Arleston, to be applied towards the
maintenance of a schoolmaster of High Ercall, who should teach children
resident in the said parish without any reward from the parents of the
children.
_The Hospital_ consists of seven dwellings, and each inmate has a room
above and a room below, and a small garden annexed. The hospital was
founded by the Newport family. The building is kept in repair at the
expense of the Duke of Cleveland, from whose agent the inmates receive £3
per quarter, with an additional payment of 21s. at Christmas, and 5s. at
Midsummer. The selection of these persons is not confined to the
parishioners or inhabitants of High Ercall, but are selected from
deserving objects residing in the neighbourhood, a preference being given
to those who have seen better days, and have been reduced by misfortune
to poverty.
_Poors’ Land_.—There are two closes in the township of Eaton, in the
parish of Stoke-upon-Trent, which have for a long period been let from
time to time by the churchwardens. The last lease was dated 29th August,
1795, and it was therein recited that the then churchwardens of High
Ercall were lawfully seized of the premises, in trust to distribute the
rents among the poor of the parish of High Ercall, two shillings every
fortnight in bread, and the remainder in money on St. Thomas’s-day.
There does not appear any documents in the parish to show from whom this
land was devised, or on what trust it is held. The two closes contain
together 3A. 3R. 4P. of land, and are let at a yearly rental of £8. The
amount is given away on St. Thomas’s-day.
Several sums of money, amounting in the whole to £199, left by eight
several donors, for the benefit of the poor of this parish, were for many
years placed out at interest on private security, and previous to the
year 1814 £40 of the above sum was lost. About that period the remainder
was called in, and with £20 advanced from the poor’s rates, was laid out
in the purchase of certain premises for a parish workhouse. Since 1814
the sum of £8 has been paid out of the poor’s rates as the interest of
this money, and distributed among poor persons in small sums, seldom
exceeding one shilling.
_Thomas and Edward Thomas_, each gave £100 in trust, to invest the same
for the benefit of the poor of the parish of High Ercall. These
donations were invested by the trustees in 1798 in the purchase of three
per cent. consols, which were increased in 1816 by the accumulation of
dividends to the sum of £500, when the stock was transferred to John
Colley and Edward Steedman. Of the sum of £193. 8s. 2d. received in 1816
for the arrears of dividends, after payment of expenses of recovering the
same, and the purchase of the additional stock, there remained in the
hands of Mr. Colley the sum of £74. 6s. 1d., out of which he disposed of
£38. 15s. to different charitable purposes, and in 1830 when the charity
commissioners published their report he had still £35. 11s. 1d. in his
hands. The principal part of the dividends is now applied in the
purchase of bread, which is distributed among poor persons of the parish,
a preference being given to widows, the remainder of the dividends is
given among the necessitous poor in money.
Mr. Henry Harris is the registrar of births and deaths for the High
Ercall district.
POST OFFICE.—_At Mr. Harris’s_. Letters arrive daily from Wellington by
a foot messenger at 9 45 A.M., and are despatched at 5. P.M.
Bates Richard, shoemaker and gardener
Blakeway William, farmer and victualler, Cleveland Arms.
Clarke Robert, farmer and maltster
Dingle Rev. John, schoolmaster and curate, of Upton
Forester George Townsend, Esq., Sherlowe
Forester Rev. Robert Townsend, M.A., The Vicarage
Harris Henry, grocer, druggist, seed, corn, hop, iron and steel merchant,
ironmonger, guano and tillage dealer, cheese factor, and nail maker
Jebb William, thrashing machine man
Juckes Mr. Thomas, The Lodge
Large Thomas, joiner and wheelwright
Midgley Mrs., Park House
Midgley William Holt, Esq., Ercall Park
Pigott Mr. John
Powell Thomas, farmer and corn miller
Steedman Edward Blakeway, Esq., The Hall
Steedman Mary, gentlewoman
Taylor William, blacksmith
Vaughan Elizabeth, tailor
Wilding Ana, gentlewoman
COLD HATTON,
a township and pleasant village four miles N.N. by E. from High Ercall,
is situated on a bold eminence, and commands extensive views over a
luxuriant country. The township contains 787A. 3R. of land, and at the
census of 1841 there were 51 houses and 253 inhabitants; the soil is for
the most part a mixture of loam and sand, producing good crops of barley
and turnips. There are 16A. 0R. 8P. in roads and waste. Rateable value,
£907. 6s. 2d. The tithes are commuted for £90, of which £84 has been
apportioned to the vicar of High Ercall, and £6 to the impropriator; the
chief part of the large tithes have been purchased by the owners of the
soil. The Duke of Sutherland and the Duke of Cleveland are the
landowners.
The principal residents in this township are George Colley, tailor;
Robert Hick, farmer; Richard Lewis, carpenter; William Morgan, pig dealer
and shopkeeper; George Nicklin, boot and shoemaker; John Nicklin,
wheelwright; William Pitchford, farmer; George Ridgeway, blacksmith;
Joseph Shakes haft, farmer; William Shakeshaft, farmer; John Webb, vict.,
Seven Stars.
COTWALL AND MOORETOWN,
is a township situated about a mile E. from High Ercall, which contains
925A. 3R. 13P. of land, the whole of which is the property of the Duke of
Cleveland, who is also lord of the manor. At the census of 1841 there
were nine houses and 65 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,237. 1s. The
land in this locality is pleasingly diversified with undulations; the low
lands produce a rich herbage, and the arable lands produce fine crops of
grain and turnips. The turnpike road from Newport to Wellington
intersects the township, and a small stream separates Mooretown from the
township of Rowton. The farm houses are well built, provided with
convenient and commodious out-premises, and the farms are of considerable
extent. The Cotwall farm, the residence of Mr. Richard Juckes, is
pleasantly situated on an eminence, and commands a fine view of the
country.
The principal residents are Thomas Allan, farmer, Mooretown; Robert
Atcherley, farmer, Mooretown, and Richard Juckes, farmer, Cotwall.
CRUDGINGTON
is a township in the parish of Ercall, two and a half miles E. from the
parish church, and four miles N. from Wellington. In 1841 here were 43
scattered houses and a population of 96 souls; this township and the
adjoining township of Sleap conjointly contain 1,450A. 1R. of land; the
soil is various, in some places a strong loam prevails, which produces
excellent crops of all kinds of grain, in other parts it is light and
sandy. Rateable value, £1,680. 2s. 8d. The Duke of Sutherland is the
sole landowner, in this and the adjoining township of Sleap, and is also
lord of the manor. SLEAP is a small township about the same distance E.
from High Ercall as Crudgington, which in 1841 had 17 houses and 85
inhabitants. The rateable value of this township is included in the
returns for Crudgington.
The following are the principal residents in Crudgington, viz.:—William
Rider, farmer; Thomas Lancelot Steward, farmer, The Leasows; William
Humphreys, blacksmith; Charles Madeley, beerhouse keeper, and Mrs.
Elizabeth Tudor. The principal farmers in Sleap are John Jenkinson and
Mrs. Prudence Davies.
ELLERDINE
is a township with a scattered population, three miles north-east from
High Ercall. The air in this locality is salubrious, and the land has a
fine undulating surface, the high grounds of which command extensive and
interesting views of the surrounding country. The township contains
1,329A. 1R. 27P. of land, the soil of which in some places is a strong
clay, in other parts sandy, and some places has a fertile loam. The land
has been much improved by draining and superior cultivation. The farmers
in general are respectable, and hold considerable breadth of land. At
the census in 1841 there were 57 houses and 300 inhabitants. Rateable
value of the township, £1,384. 10s. 3½d. The Duke of Cleveland is the
principal landowner and lord of the manor. The other freeholders are the
Rev. Henry Delves Broughton; Mr. George Adney; John Kilvert, Esq.; John
Taylor, Esq.; Mr. John Whitfield; and Mr. Harris. The tithes of this
township and that of Rowton are commuted for £376. 12s., of which £165.
12s. has been apportioned to John Kilvert, Esq.; £146 to Jonathan Scarth,
Esq.; and £65 to the vicar of High Ercall. OAK HOUSE, the residence and
property of John Taylor, Esq., is a neat modern structure of brick. The
situation is delightful, and the grounds are beautifully laid out. The
Wesleyan Methodists and Primitive Methodists have each a small chapel
here.
Butterey William, shoemaker and shopkeeper
Cliff Thomas, Heath farm
Cotterall Elizabeth, farmer
Cotterall John, Newhouse farm
Dickin Mrs. Margaret
Dickin Thomas Adney, the Hall farm
Foulkes Wm., vict., the Oak
Green Elizabeth, farmer
Green John, farmer
Hamer William, Windy Oak farm
Jones William, gardener and seedsman
Peplow George, shoemaker
Taylor John, Esq., Oak House
Wellings William, clock and watch maker
HOUGHTON,
a small township four miles south-west from High Ercall, in which parish
it is situated, at the census of 1841 contained five houses and
twenty-three inhabitants. The township contains 376A. 2R. 8P. of land,
of which 5A. 2R. 27P. are in woods and waste. The soil is mostly strong,
with a clayey sub-soil, some parts of which have been much improved by
draining, and other parts are undergoing the same process. The Duke of
Cleveland is the principal landowner and lord of the manor. Mrs. Ann
Corbet is also a proprietor in the township. Rateable value, £260. 9s.
The tithes of Houghton, and those of the township of Poynton, were
commuted in 1841 for £82. 5s.
The resident farmers in Houghton are Thomas Brisbourne and John Leeke.
ISOMBRIDGE,
a township and scattered village in the parish of High Ercall, at the
census of 1841 contained 38 houses and 94 inhabitants. The cottagers in
general hold a small portion of land, but the cottages in most instances
have a mean appearance, and are thatched. The township contains 567A.
1R. 37P. of land. The soil in some places is strong, and in other parts
a fertile loam prevails; the meadows produce a rich herbage, and are
chiefly used for pasturage. The township is intersected by the
Shropshire union canal, the river Tern, and the Wellington turnpike road.
There are 11A. 1R. 22P. in roads, water, and waste. The tithes have been
commuted, and £90 apportioned to the Duke of Cleveland, and £38 to the
vicar of High Ercall. The landowners are John Tayleur, Esq., Mr. John
Griffiths, and Mrs. Isabella Ickle. MARSH GREEN, and part of LONG WASTE
is partly in this township; at the former the PRIMITIVE METHODISTS have a
small brick chapel, built in 1841.
DIRECTORY.—Richard Bevan, farmer, Mirelake; Jeremiah Bromley, farmer;
Richard Edwards, gardener and seedsman, Marsh Green; Harriet Dixon,
farmer, the Marsh; Joseph Nevols, beerhouse and shopkeeper, Marsh Green;
George Price, farmer; John Tudor, vict., Tayleur’s Arms, Long Green.
OSBASTON, OR ASBASTON
township is situated about a mile north-west from Ercall Magna, and in
1841 contained seven houses and fifty-seven inhabitants. The houses are
pleasantly situated on the turnpike road leading to Hodnet; the farm
houses are commodious, and provided with extensive and convenient
out-premises. The township contains 589A. 3R. 26P. of land, which is the
property of the Duke of Cleveland, who is also lord of the manor.
Rateable value, £705. 6s. 6d.
The chief residents in Osbaston are Thomas Bates, boot and shoemaker;
Sarah Brookes, farmer; Mrs. Sarah Colley, the Hall; and John Colley,
farmer.
POYNTON,
another small township in the parish of High Ercall, with a few scattered
houses pleasantly situated on the turnpike road leading to Shrewsbury,
three miles south-west from the parish church, contains 587A. 3R. 9P. of
land, principally a strong soil; some parts of the land have been much
improved by draining. Rateable value, £610. 4s. At the census in 1841
there were 20 houses and 95 inhabitants. The tithes of this township and
that of Houghton are commuted for the sum of £82. 5s. The Duke of
Cleveland and Mrs. Ann Corbet are the landowners: the former is lord of
the manor.
DIRECTORY.—William Breeze, farmer; Samuel Buttery, boot and shoemaker;
Robert Hamer, farmer; Thomas Madeley, farmer; Richard Morgan, farmer;
Eleanor Wainwright, farmer.
RODEN,
a township and small village in the parish of High Ercall, pleasantly
situated on the banks of the river Roden, two miles S.W. from the parish
church; the township contains 1,351A. 2R. of land, of which 26 acres are
in woods and plantations, and 14 acres water, roads, and waste; the soil
is variable, in some parts a cold clay prevails, and in other parts a
mixture of sand and loam. Rateable value, £1,331. 12s. The Duke of
Cleveland and Charles Orlando C. Pemberton, Esq., are the landowners, the
latter is lord of the manor; John Tayleur, Esq., is the impropriator of
the rectoral tithes, which have been commuted. A modus of £3. 3s. is
paid to the vicar of High Ercall. The Shrewsbury and Ercall turnpike
road passes through this township. At the census in 1841 Roden contained
33 houses and 161 inhabitants.
DIRECTORY.—Joseph Beddow, beerhouse keeper and maltster; John Birch,
farmer, Rodenhurst; Thomas Bourne, brickmaker; John Evanson, maltster;
Edward Jones, farmer; William Light, farmer; Elizabeth Marshall,
shopkeeper; William Taylor, farmer; Samuel Woodfin, farmer, New Farm;
Robert Yeomans, shopkeeper.
ROWTON,
a township, chapelry, and pleasant village situated on high ground, in a
pleasant part of the country, two and a quarter miles N.E. from High
Ercall. The township contains 800A. 0R. 33P. of land, and in 1841 there
were 26 houses and 181 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,118. 19s. 4d.
There are some good farm houses in this township with commodious
outbuildings, and the farms are of considerable extent; cattle and sheep
are extensively fed in this locality. THE CHAPEL OF EASE is a small
unpresuming edifice built of red free stone, and ornamented with a wooden
turret; the interior is neatly pewed, and there is a small gallery at the
west end; the Rev. Mr. Robinson is the officiating minister. The tithes
of Rowton and those of the township of Ellerdine are commuted for £376.
12s. The Duke of Cleveland is the principal landowner and lord of the
manor; Mr. Adney, Mrs. Dickin, Mr. Thomas Nicklin, and John Whitfield,
Esq., are also proprietors.