half miles N. from Wellington, in the Wellington division of the South
Bradford hundred. The parish contains 732A. 3R. 35P. of land, and in
1801 had 169 inhabitants, 1831, 193, and in 1841, 43 houses and 228
souls. Gross estimated rental, £1,346. 18s.; rateable value, £1,256. 0s.
11d. The principal landowners are Thomas Whitfield, Esq., Miss Ann
Dickin, Mrs. Elizabeth Groucock, Mrs. Rider, Mr. William Boycott, and Mr.
John Williams, besides whom there are several small freeholders. The
village is pleasantly situated on elevated ground, and commands an
extensive view of the surrounding country; on the western verge of the
parish is the river Tern, which separates Upton Waters from the parish of
Ercall.
THE CHURCH is a small unpresuming structure, dedicated to Saint Michael,
consisting of nave and chancel, with a small belfry at the west end; the
interior of the fabric corresponds with its architectural simplicity. A
brass plate in the aisle remembers the Reverend William Jones, formerly
rector of this parish for 62 years, and died in the year 1691, aged 82
years. The living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £3. 17s.
3½d., now returned at £204, in the patronage of the Lord Chancellor, and
incumbency of the Rev. Richard Corfield, a non-resident; curate, Rev.
Sidney Philip Robertson, B.A. The rectory is a good residence a little
west from the church. THE HALL, the residence and property of Miss Ann
Dickin, is a neat brick house a little north-west from the church. About
a quarter of a mile north-west from the church is a large brick
structure, originally built as a workhouse for Ercall Magna parish. It
is now used for the reception of the children belonging the Wellington
Poor-law Union, and will accommodate about one hundred; the average
number is about fifty. The building stands on the banks of the river
Tern, and is just within the bounds of the parish of Ercall, the river
here dividing the two parishes.
Bennett Thomas, shoemaker
Davies John, schoolmaster, Union House
Dickin Miss Ann, the Hall
Edwards Rd., wheelwright
Gregory James, tailor
Groucock Elizabeth, farmer
Icke William, maltster and vict., the Swan
Leighton Robert, farmer
Matthews William, farmer
Morgan John, surgeon
Ridgway James, blacksmith
Roberson Rev. Sidney Philip, curate, the Rectory
Titley John, butcher
Tudor Samuel, bricklayer and shopkeeper
Whitfield Thomas, farmer
WELLINGTON
is a considerable parish and flourishing market town, pleasantly situated
eleven miles E. from Shrewsbury, and 142 N.W. from London, and by railway
11 miles from Shrewsbury, 7½ miles S.W. from Newport, 31 miles from
Birmingham, and seven miles W. by N. from Shiffnal. The parish contains
the townships and hamlets of Arleston, Aston, Apley, Dothill, Hadley,
Horton, Ketley, Lawley, Newdale, Walcott, Wellington, Wapenshall, and Lee
Gomery, and part of Preston and Eyton, together embracing an area of
9,184A. 1R. 7P. of land. Gross estimated rental, £36,120. 19s. 3d.
Rateable value, £32,656. 7s. 7d. The joint railway companies are rated
at £776. 18s. The tithes have been commuted, and £1,484 awarded to St.
John Chiverton Charlton, Esq., the impropriator, and to the vicar, £470.
6s. Population in 1801, 7,531; 1831, 9,671; and in 1841, 11,099. The
township of Wellington contains 727A. 1R. 16P. of land; and in 1841 had a
population of 6,084 souls, of whom 3,104 were males and 2,980 females; at
the same period there were 1,181 inhabited houses, 101 uninhabited, and
18 houses building. Wellington is a well-built town, of considerable
importance, and from its contiguity to the great seat of the iron and
coal works in this county, it has a much frequented market. It is also
the centre of a rich agricultural district, has ample communication by
railway to all parts of the kingdom, and the Shropshire Union Canal, in
its immediate vicinity, opens a water communication with the Severn and
distant parts of the country. The town contains many good houses, with
shops in all the different branches of the retail trade; there are also
several good inns. The malting business is extensively carried on; the
establishment of Mr. James Shepard is on a large scale. There are also
an iron foundry, a tannery, and several establishments for the
manufacture of nails; agricultural implements are also made. Hugh
Burnel, in the reign of Edward I., obtained the grant of a market (to be
held on Thursdays), and of two fairs in the year—the first to be held on
the day after the feast of St. Barnabas, and the second on the eve, the
day, and the day after the decollation of St. John the Baptist. The
market is still held on the Thursday, and the fairs are held March 29th,
June 22nd, September 29th, November 17th, Monday week before Christmas
day, and the last Monday in each of the other months. At these fairs
large quantities of farm and dairy produce, as also horses, horned
cattle, and sheep, are usually sold. The magistrates of the county hold
petty sessions monthly. William and Thomas Turner, Esqrs., are clerks to
the magistrates. A Court of Record was formerly held for debts not
exceeding £20, but this has been superseded by the New County Court Act.
The lord of the manor holds a Court Leet annually in November, at which
officers are appointed for the government of the town, and constables for
the different townships within this division of the hundred.
THE CHURCH, dedicated to All Saints, a commodious and elegant structure
of freestone, was erected, M,DCCXC., and consists of nave, side aisles,
and bay, with a square tower crowned with a dome, gilt cross, and vane.
The galleries are supported by cast-iron pillars. At the west end is a
handsome and fine-toned organ, and over the bay is a glory. The roof is
lofty, and the whole has a very beautiful and chaste appearance. At the
east end of the south aisle is an elegant marble memorial, executed by
Hollins, in memory of Martha Elizabeth Oliver, who died June 20th, aged
26 years. Another marble monument remembers Richard Emery, Esq., who
died April 13th, 1839, aged 65 years, and several other members of that
family. The interior of the church was painted, and the gas-fittings
added, in the year 1847, chiefly at the expense of the vicar and St. John
C. Charlton, Esq.; the cost was upwards of £300. In the tower of the
church is a peal of six musical bells. The church is surrounded with a
large burial ground, which, with the site of the church, contains upwards
of three acres. It contains numerous tombs, some of which are of
elaborate workmanship, and have been erected in memory of some of the
principal families of the parish. The church formerly belonged to the
abbey of Shrewsbury. The living is a vicarage annexed to the rectory of
Eyton, valued in the king’s book at £9. 5s., in the patronage of Thomas
Eyton, Esq., and incumbency of the Rev. Benjamin Banning, M.A., who
resides at THE VICARAGE, a spacious and handsome residence, about a
quarter of a mile south from the church. The house commands a fine view
of the Wrekin, and is surrounded with pleasure grounds and shrubberies.
In the 15th of Henry VI. the guild of the Holy Trinity and of the Virgin
Mary in the church of All Saints, in Wellington, obtained a pardon from
the king, for having acquired twenty messuages, ten acres of heath, and
six acres of meadow in Wellington, without license.
THE NEW CHURCH is dedicated to our Saviour, and is pleasantly situated on
elevated ground, at the southern outskirts of the town. It was built by
subscription and grants from the church building societies, at a cost of
£3,600. The structure is of white brick, with a lofty square tower,
ornamented with four crocketted pinnacles. The interior consists of nave
and side aisles, with spacious galleries. Over the side aisles and at
the west end, upon the latter, is a small organ, erected at a cost of
£170. On each side of the church are seven narrow windows, in the lancet
style. The roof is of groined timber, and the pews are painted in
imitation of oak, which gives the whole a neat and light appearance.
There are 1,144 sittings: of which 744 are declared free and
unappropriated for ever. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the
patronage of the Vicar of Wellington: incumbent, Rev. Charles Campe. The
church is surrounded with a spacious cemetery; and on the west side is
the Parsonage House—a neat brick structure, erected shortly after the
Church was built.
THE PARTICULAR BAPTIST CHAPEL, situated in King-street, is a neat brick
structure, which will accommodate about 500 hearers. It was built in
1828, on the site of a former edifice, that had been erected about half a
century. The Rev. William Keay has been the pastor of the congregation
worshipping here for the last 30 years. The Rev. Henry Gabriel Granger
has recently been appointed to assist Mr. Keay in the pastorate. A small
burial ground adjoins the chapel.
THE WESLEYAN METHODIST CHAPEL is a lofty brick fabric, situate in New
street, and was built in 1836. It has galleries on three sides, and is
capable of holding five hundred worshippers. A small organ was added in
1851, at a cost of £80. The Old Methodist Chapel, which stood in Chapel
Lane, has been taken down. THE PRIMITIVE METHODIST CHAPEL, situate near
the Tan Bank, was built in 1837.
THE CATHOLIC CHAPEL, a plain brick structure, has been built about
fifteen years. It has a gallery at the end, and will hold about 400
persons. A painting of our Saviour is placed over the altar. There is
no resident priest in Wellington at the present time, but the Rev.
William Molloy, of Madeley, officiates at stated periods.
THE INDEPENDENT CHAPEL is a good brick structure, situate on the Tan
Bank. The congregation worshipping here have no settled minister at the
present time.
THE NATIONAL SCHOOL is a spacious brick building on the north side of the
churchyard. It is supported by voluntary subscriptions, charity sermons,
and a small weekly charge from each scholar. One hundred and sixty-eight
boys, and one hundred and twenty girls attend. The teacher receives £4.
0s. 10d. from the receiver of the Crown rents.
THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL, situate at the back of the catholic chapel, on Mill
Bank, is also supported by subscriptions and a small charge from each
scholar. THE SAVINGS’ BANK, situate in Walker street, was established in
1818. On November 20th, 1850, the capital stock of the bank amounted to
£27,623, at which period there were 692 depositors. Mr. Thomas Turner is
the actuary.
THE COUNTY COURT OFFICE is situate near the Market Hall. All pleas of
personal action, where the debt or damage claimed is not more than £50,
may be heard and determined by the County Court. The jurisdiction of the
Wellington Court embraces the parishes of Bolas Magna, Ercall Magna,
Eyton, Kinnersley, Longdon, Preston, Rodington, Waters Upton, Wellington,
Wombridge, and Wrockwardine. _Judge_: Uvedale Corbett, Esq., Aston Hall,
near Shiffnal. _Clerk_: Frederick Buckle, Esq., New street, Wellington.
THE MARKET HALL is a brick building, stuccoed, and situated a little back
from the Market-square. A spacious room, measuring sixty feet by twenty
feet, is used for magisterial purposes, public meetings, assemblies,
musical concerts, &c. Under it is an open area, provided with benches,
where the butter market is held. The hall was built by a company of
shareholders, established in 1842, with a capital stock of £5,000, of
which £2,000 was raised by the shareholders, and the rest was borrowed on
a mortgage of the premises. The company have purchased the tolls of the
market for the sum of £700 from the lord of the manor; and they are now
held on lease by Mr. John Sandals, at a yearly rental of £140.
THE UNION HOUSE, a plain brick building, situate in Walker street, is
capable of holding one hundred and sixty inmates. From the report for
the half year, ending March 25, 1850, we learn that the total expenditure
was £4,028. 19s. 1½d: the number of out-paupers for that period was
2,033, and of in-door paupers 184: the average weekly cost per head of
the latter was 2s. 11d. The Union embraces the parishes of Bolas Magna,
Ercall Magna, Eyton-on-the-Wild Moors, Kinnersley, Longdon-upon-Tern,
Preston-on-the Wild Moors, Rodington, Waters Upton, Wellington,
Wombridge, and Wrockwardine, for which nineteen guardians are chosen, to
whom John Whitfield, Esq. is chairman. The medical officers are, Charles
Harwood Greene, Robert Plowden Weston, and John Francis Steedman.
_Relieving Officers_: Edward Vickers, Ketley; and George Marcy, Watling
street. _Master and Matron_: Mr. and Mrs. Lewis. The Old Workhouse is
situated about a mile and a half south-west from the town, and is now
converted into cottages.
THE WELLINGTON MECHANICS’ INSTITUTE, situated in New street, has been
established with the object of affording tradesmen, mechanics, and
others, opportunities of acquiring, at their leisure hours, the
principles of science and the arts, and for the cultivation of
literature. Persons subscribing ten shillings per annum are entitled to
all the privileges of the institution; and persons under eighteen years
of age subscribing five shillings a-year, are deemed students of the
society. There is a good library of about eight hundred volumes, which
have been chiefly contributed by a few gentlemen. A news-room has been
established, which is furnished with some of the most popular
periodicals, and the principal London and provincial journals; lectures
are also occasionally given on interesting and useful scientific
subjects. There are now about seventy members. The institution has the
patronage and support of the principal gentry and clergy in the
neighbourhood. Mr. John Haynes and Mr. William M. Taylor are the
honorary secretaries.
THE NEWS-ROOM.—The news-room was established in 1846, by a number of
gentlemen and tradesmen of the town. It is held at Mr. Edwards’s, in the
Market square, and is supported by annual subscriptions of 21s. There is
also a billiard-room for the use of the subscribers. There are
forty-five members.
THE GAS WORKS.—The Gas Works are situated upon the Tanbank, and were
established in 1823, by Mr. William Edwards. In consequence of some
dispute with reference to lighting the streets, an Act of Parliament has
been obtained during the present year (1851) for the establishment of a
joint stock company, to be called “_The Wellington Coal and Gas-light
Company_.” The company will have a capital of £3,000, raised in three
hundred shares of £10 each. The site chosen for the erection of the
necessary works is the garden-ground lying between the top of Tanbank and
the Wrekin road. Estimated cost of the works, £2,000. R. D. Newell,
Esq., is the solicitor and secretary.
THE WATER WORKS.—The Wellington Water Works were provisionally registered
in 1851, under 7 and 8 Vic. c. 110. The imperfect supply of water, both
as respects quantity and quality, has long been felt in the town of
Wellington; and it is to remedy this defect in the condition of the town,
as well as to afford other supplies which local interest may require,
that the company has been established. It is a well ascertained fact
that many of the houses, particularly those where water is most needed,
are so ill supplied, that the occupants are obliged, throughout the year,
to procure it from a distance, at a considerable cost in both time and
money; or, in many instances, especially among the poor, to be content
with a supply totally inadequate to the ordinary necessaries of life. It
is proposed to raise the requisite supplies from the Ercall Pools, which
afford every natural facility for conveying water to any part of the
town, without materially interfering with private interests. The water
is free from deleterious matter, and considered excellent for culinary
and household purposes. It is proposed to have a capital stock of
£3,000, to be raised in three hundred ten pound shares. F. Buckle, Esq.,
is the solicitor to the company.
THE COUNTY CONSTABULARY OFFICE is situated in Walker street, Mr. John
M’Michael is the superintendent, under whose directions are twelve police
constables. There is a small lock-up on the north-west side of the
church-yard.
THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY was established in 1850, and is supported by
the principal gentlemen in the town and neighbourhood. The exhibitions
are held in the Market Hall.
THE OLD HALL, an ancient structure mantled with ivy, situated on the
Watling street road, is the property of Lord Forester, the lord of the
manor. One of the rooms is wainscotted with oak, which remains in good
preservation. The hall is now converted into a boarding-school
establishment, conducted by Joseph Edward Cranage. A road which runs
past the Old Hall leads to a few scattered cottages and some extensive
lime-works, called Steeraway, which is about a mile and a half south from
the town.
It was in Wellington and the vicinity that Charles I. mustered his
forces, and, after issuing orders for the maintenance of strict
discipline, made a solemn protestation that he would defend the
established religion, govern by law, and preserve the liberty of his
subjects, and that if he conquered he would uphold the privileges of
parliament. It is to be lamented that he should have found it necessary
to make a protestation of his adherence to the duties of an English
monarch; had he earlier practised them, he would have avoided the
contentions between himself and his parliament. The celebrated Dr.
Withering, author of the “Botanical Arrangements of British Plants,” was
born at Wellington, in the year 1741. His father was a physician, and
the family had resided during many generations on a small patrimony in
this county. Dr. Withering in his early years seems to have received a
good classical education; and in the autumn of 1762 he was matriculated
at the University of Edinburgh, where he distinguished himself by
pursuing his studies with the greatest diligence and attention. Whilst
he was unwearied in the pursuit of academic learning, as well as in all
those branches of knowledge which belong more immediately to the medical
profession for which he was intended, he did not neglect the cultivation
of the lighter and more elegant accomplishments. In the year 1766, Dr.
Withering finished his academical studies with great credit to himself,
and obtained the degree of Doctor of Physic. He first settled at
Stafford, and here he attended the accomplished lady who became the
partner of his future life; and it is not improbable that this attachment
produced that botanical turn which has since rendered his name so
conspicuous in this department of science. She drew beautifully; and he
appears to have gathered wild plants as subjects for her pencil. This
soon became a favourite pursuit; and possessing at this time a good deal
of leisure, he collected specimens for that herbarium which he afterwards
rendered so complete. Dr. Withering removed to Birmingham in the year
1775, and notwithstanding the time he continued to devote to chemistry
and botany, he soon realised £1,000 per annum by his professional
labours. During the following summer he presented the public with the
first edition of his English Botany, a work which claims the attention of
every botanical student; and is, perhaps, exceeded by none for the
facility it offers to the inquirer, and for the copiousness and
correctness of its selection. His philosophical attention extended to
chemistry, mineralogy, and every branch of natural philosophy connected
with his profession occupied him in succession. In the year 1791, in the
month of July, he and his family suffered much alarm and some injury in
the riot at Birmingham. He died in 1799. Before his death, he directed
no ostentatious display to be made at his funeral, and ordered his body
to be carried to church by six honest peasants. Dr. Withering, besides
his Botanical Arrangement of British Plants, gave to the world several
medical works.
THE WREKIN, situated about two miles S. from Wellington, is said to be
the highest hill in Europe for the circumference of its base. This proud
monarch of the plain rises to the altitude of 1,320 feet, and being in
the heart of Shropshire forms a conspicuous feature in the landscape from
all parts of the surrounding country. The distance is about a mile from
the London road to the summit of the hill; about half way up the ascent
is a neat cottage, where numerous parties, after luxuriating in the
enjoyment of prospects of unparalleled magnificence, assemble for social
repast. This huge mountain is covered with thriving plantations, but the
trees as they gradually ascend towards the summit appear of more stunted
growth. From the cottage a broad pathway covered with rich verdure leads
to the summit, from which seventeen counties can be seen; in every
direction the most extensive, varied, and magnificent prospects open to
view. The Wrekin is regarded by the residents in Shropshire as the
centre towards which the best wishes and affections of the heart converge
in that well known convivial sentiment, unchanged by time and never out
of place, “_All Friends Round the Wrekin_.” The Rev. Richard Corfield
thus beautifully describes the scenery around the lofty mount:—
“The summit gained, the weary toil’s repaid,
By prospects varied—mountain, wood, and glade;
O’er Salop’s plains with beauteous verdure drest,
The Cambrian mountains stretch along the west.
Turn to the north and Hawkstone’s hill you see,
With Cheshire prospects reaching to the Dee;
When to the east you lend th’ admiring gaze,
The barren Peak your startled thoughts amaze;
More eastward still you ken in distant view
Edge Hill, where Charles his faithful followers drew.
This fairy circle let us onward trace
O’er Brecon’s beacons, Radnor’s forest chase,
And as the outline may be further known,
So past its limits may our love be shown—
Love to our country and to all held dear
By ties of kindred, friendship’s off’ring bear—
Love to our country, and _to all friends round_
_The Wrekin’s_ circle may our love resound—
Such wishes these all Shropshire hearts inspire,
In social converse round the winter’s fire.”
WATLING STREET is a populous hamlet forming the eastern suburb to the
town of Wellington, from which it is distant about half a mile. It is
called Watling street from being situated on the great Prœtorian highway
of the Romans, which enters this county at Boningale, and terminates in
the county of Cardigan. It is now the Shrewsbury and Birmingham highway,
and before the establishment of railways was a road of immense traffic.
There are several respectable houses and a good inn and posting house.
The names of the principal residents will be found incorporated in the
Wellington directory. At the census of 1841 there were 66 houses and 299
inhabitants. Acres, 1,096A. 0R. 31P. of land. Rateable value, 2,194.
4s. The rectoral tithes are commuted for £125. 3s., and the vicarial for
£29. 5s.
CHARITIES.—ALMSHOUSES.—There are on the north side of the church-yard six
small tenements erected at the expense of the parish about the year 1790,
in lieu of some almshouses in the old church-yard which were then pulled
down. The old almshouses appear to have had no endowment, and were
occupied by parish paupers, and the present are occupied in the same
manner, the inmates being selected by the vicar and church-wardens.
Three of the inmates have 1s. 6d. per week, and the other three receive
2s. weekly. There are also four or five small tenements called
almshouses opposite the pound, supposed to have been built about a
century ago by a person of the name of Ick, or some person related to
that family. There is no endowment to them, and the persons residing in
them when the charity commissioners published their report claimed them
as their own.
_Richard Stevington_, by will, bearing date 23rd March, 1658, devised a
rent charge of £10 per annum to certain trustees for the use of the poor
of the parish of Wellington, to be paid out of certain land called the
Bury Yards. These lands are situate near the town of Wellington, and
consist of two fields, one of which was sold by Lord Forester about
thirty years ago. The other is still held by his lordship, and his agent
pays the sum of £10 annually, which is laid out in cloth coats for poor
men, and warm gowns for poor women.