Browne Corbet, jun., farmer
Edwards Rann Dolphin, Esq.
Evans Richard, tailor and shopkeeper
Hiles Bernard, farmer
Honeyman Rev. Thomas, curate
James Edward Topham, farmer
Milward Frederick, saddler
Moore Helen, dressmaker
Pain Thomas, farmer
Richards Edward, wheelwright
Shingler George, wheelwright
Smith William, vict., Hare and Hounds
Topham Benjamin, farmer
Williams John, blacksmith and beerhouse
Williams Robert, shoemaker
Woolstein John Edward Israel, tailor
WOMBRIDGE,
a parish and small village two miles east from Wellington, containing
most of the populous district of Oakengates within its bounds. The
parish contains 790 acres, and in 1801 had 1835 inhabitants, 1831, 1855,
and in 1841 there were 406 houses and a population of 2057 souls.
Rateable value £2,395. The village is situated at the junction of the
Shrewsbury, Shropshire, and Marquis of Stafford’s Canals, and intersected
by the Watling street and the various railways connected with the
extensive coal and iron works in the immediate vicinity. There are some
slight remains in the garden of Mr. Shepherd of a PRIORY that was founded
here by William Fitz-Alan, for canons of the order of St. Austin. It was
endowed by Henry II. with the church of St. Sutton; Hugh, Bishop of
Coventry, confirmed the grant of Sutton, together with the grant of the
chapel at Uppington, the gift of Roger de Mussun, on condition that the
canons should present their chaplains to the bishop and his successors to
receive at his and their hands, institution and induction for that church
and chapel. The canons were to allow their chaplains a competent
maintenance, and the residue of the profits was to be employed in
charitable uses. There were various other benefactors to this priory,
among whom were the lords of Cherrington, who gave the revenues of
certain lands in that township to it. The various possessions of those
canons with divers liberties granted by their several benefactors, were
confirmed by King Edward II. The revenues at the general dissolution of
religious houses were valued at £65. 7s. 4d. The CHURCH is a brick
structure, dedicated to St. Mary and St. Leonard, and consists of nave
and transepts, with a short tower. It was enlarged and galleries added
in 1823, when upwards of 300 sittings were thereby obtained, of which 295
were declared free and unappropriated, and are in addition to 100 free
sittings formerly provided. There is a small organ at the west end.
This church stands on the site of a former structure, which was blown
down by a storm which happened in the spring of the year 1756. The
living is a perpetual curacy, returned at £86. The Rev. John Dawson is
the officiating minister.
OAKENGATES
is a populous district, partly in Wombridge and partly in Ketley, three
miles east from Wellington, and four miles north-west from Shiffnal. The
inhabitants of this populous locality find employment in the extensive
collieries and iron works with which the neighbourhood abounds. The town
consists of one long street which contains many good shops and several
respectable inns. A market was established here in 1826, which is held
on Saturdays, and the after part of the day has a very animated and
business-like appearance. Fairs are also held in March, June, September,
and December, but the specific days have not been finally settled. The
fairs are toll free. To the west of Market street is Ketley or Coalpit
Bank, a scattered district with a considerable population, partly in
Wombridge parish, but chiefly in Wellington parish. The inhabitants have
the advantage of railway communication by the Shropshire Union Railway,
which passes through the town, and has a station within a hundred yards
of Market street. The extensive iron works of the Lilleshall company
will be transferred from Oakengates to Prior’s Lee before the expiration
of the present year, in consequence of that place being nearer the
iron-stone mines, but the extensive collieries will be carried on as
heretofore by that company. The coal got here is of a very superior
quality, and immense quantities are conveyed to distant parts by the
railway and canals in the vicinity. The extensive iron works of Messrs.
S. Horton, Simms and Bull, at Oakengates, are just within the bounds of
the parish of Shiffnal. THE INDEPENDENTS have a commodious chapel at
Oakengates; the congregation is under the pastoral care of the Rev. H.
Ollerenshaw. THE PRIMITIVE METHODISTS have a spacious chapel built in
1847. THE NATIONAL SCHOOL was chiefly built at the expense of James
Oliver, Esq., of Wellington, aided by a grant from the National Society.
Mr. Oliver also purchased the site for the school. It is a neat
structure of brick, erected in 1846, comprising two commodious rooms and
a residence for the teacher. The average number of scholars at the
present time is fifty girls and eighty boys.
POST OFFICE at _Mr. Henry Shepherd’s_, the Lion Inn. Letters arrive at 7
A.M., and are despatched at 6 P.M.
OAKENGATES AND WOMBRIDGE DIRECTORIES.
_Those with * affixed are at Wombridge_, _and the rest at Oakengates_,
_or where specified_.
Bell Frederick, butcher
Bennett and Co., colliery proprietors
Cludde Moses, brazier
Davies George and Thos., colliery proprietors
* Dawson Rev. John, the parsonage
Eardley Mr. Robert, Hollins Wood
* Groom Thomas, farmer and maltster
Hanes John, tailor
Harper George, seedsman
Hill Enoch, builder
Horton, Simms and Bull, iron masters
Houlston John, auctioneer, and Wellington
Jones Arthur, accountant, Snedshill
Jones Alfred Charles, furnace manager to Lilleshall Company
Jones Charles Crawford, agent, Snedshill
Knox John, station master
Lilleshall Company, colliery proprietors and iron masters
Littlehales Thomas, schoolmaster (national)
Mansell William, currier
Ollerenshaw Rev. H., independent, Ketley Bank
Peplow Andrew, brick maker, Hollingswood
Robinson James, ironmonger
* Shepherd John Pike, farmer and maltster
Snead John, brickmaker, Snedshill
Turner Thomas, solicitor
Beerhouses.
Arkinstall George
Baugh Joseph
Bell Frederick
Brown John
Clarke William
Corbett Thomas
Peplow Andrew
Perry George
Scarrot Emanuel
Boot & Shoe Makers.
Cooper William
Jones Samuel
Grey Thomas
Light Francis
Hair Dressers.
Capsey Samuel
Hill James
Grocers & Provision Dealers.
Arkinstall George
Blackband Gerrard
Chapman Joseph
Corbett Thomas
Cotterill Joseph
Day Sarah
Hayes Henry
Jones Richard, and chemist and druggist
Matthews Thomas
Parkes John
Picker Mary
Pugh William
Robinson Alexander
Wright Sarah
Inns & Taverns.
Bull’s Head, Henry Onions
Black Horse, Rd. Holmes
Caledonian, Benj. Marrion
Charlton Arms, John Bourne
Compasses, William Pugh
Duke of York, Henry Hayes
Fighting Cocks, Wm. Light
Grey Hound, Thos. Marrison
Hand & Hammer, Sampson Pitchford
Leopard, Rebecca Rigby
Lion, Henry Shepherd
Red Lion, George Ellis, and watch maker
Talbot, William Hooper
Linen & Woollen Drapers & Hatters.
Davies John
Hayes Henry
Hopkins George, & clothier
Parkes John
Tarbett John
Maltsters.
Davies Thomas
Parkes John
WOODCOTE
is a township and chapelry in the parish of Sheriff Hales, three miles
south-east by south from Newport, which in 1801 contained 130
inhabitants; 1831, 195; and in 1841 there were 29 houses and a population
of 140 souls. The township contains upwards of 1,000 acres of land;
rateable value, £1,003. 10s. WOODCOTE HALL is a spacious and handsome
mansion, of free stone, delightfully situated on a gentle acclivity, and
surrounded with park-like grounds finely timbered and richly diversified
with sylvan beauty. A little west from the hall are extensive gardens.
THE HALL is the seat of John Cotes, Esq., who is owner of the whole
township. THE CHAPEL, situated near to the hall, is a plain structure of
free-stone of considerable antiquity. On the south side is a door which
exhibits the Saxon style of architecture. It contains several neat
tablets in memory of the Cotes family, the last of which is in memory of
John Cotes, Esq., M.P. for the county of Shropshire, who died in 1821,
aged 72 years, leaving two sons and six daughters. A large marble slab,
reared up against the pews near the altar rails, appears to have been the
top of an altar tomb. It is curiously ornamented with two full length
figures, and has a mutilated inscription round the edge. We did not
observe any date upon it, but it is very ancient and worthy of
inspection. A little west from the hall is an eminence called Heath
Hill, which commands an extended view over this and the adjacent county
of Stafford, and also of the towering heights of the Welsh mountains. On
the eastern side of the township a small stream called Moreton Brook
divides this county from that of Staffordshire; on the banks of which is
a dilapidated corn-mill. The rest of the parish of Sheriff Hales, except
Lilleshall House and a few scattered farms, are within the bounds of the
county of Stafford, and may at a future period be included in a similar
volume for that county. The village of Sheriff Hales is pleasantly
situated three miles north from Shiffnal and five miles south from
Newport. The parish contains 5,317A. 2A. 37P. of land, and at the census
of 1841 there were 32 houses and 191 inhabitants returned as in the
county of Shropshire, the names of the principal residents of which have
been given in the Lilleshall directory.
The following are the principal residents in Woodcote township,
viz.:—John Cotes, Esq., Woodcote Hall; George Alsop, farmer, Lynn; John
Bedford, farm bailiff; John Downes, gamekeeper; James Lockley, farmer,
Pave lane; Richard Lascombe, butler, The Hall; John Morris, farmer, Lynn;
Cornelius Whitehouse, gardener, The Hall.
WROCKWARDINE
is a considerable parish in the Wellington division of the South Bradford
hundred, which comprises the several townships (for highway purposes) of
Admaston, Allscott, Bratton, Burcott, Charlton, Clotley, Long Lane,
Wrockwardine, and Wrockwardine Wood. The parish contains 4,630A. 3R.
12P. of land, of which 469A. 0R. 28P. are woods, plantations, roads, and
waste. The soil is various, the arable lands produce good crops of
grain, and the grazing lands an abundance of grass. Gross estimated
rental, £11,727, 7s. 4d.; rateable value, £10,554. 15s. In 1801 there
were 1,913 inhabitants; 1831, 2,528, and in 1841, 541 houses and 2,741
inhabitants. A court leet and baron is held for the manor. Mrs. Mary
Cludde, of Orleton, is lady of the manor, but Miss Anne Maria Cludde,
daughter of the late Mr. Cludde, took the estate as heiress on September
9th, 1851. Wrockwardine township is pleasantly situated in a rich
country pleasingly diversified with undulations, and contains 1,094A. 1R.
20P. of land, and in 1841 had 258 inhabitants. Rateable value, £2,464.
14s. The village stands on elevated ground, and commands some fine views
of open landscape scenery, of the hilly country in the Condover hundred,
and of the Wrekin. THE CHURCH is an ancient structure of red sand stone,
dedicated to St. Peter, with a tower rising from the centre, in which are
six musical bells; the tower is supported by four pointed arches rising
from fluted pillars. It is neatly pewed, and the pulpit and reading desk
are of beautiful carved oak. The organ was erected in 1846, at a cost of
about £200 raised by subscriptions. The east window is beautified with
stained glass, and contains a representation of our Saviour, very
chastely executed. In the chancel are several handsome monumental
tablets, one of which remembers Edward Pemberton and his wife, dated
1800, and is very beautifully executed in the Grinshill free stone.
Another of the same stone has been erected to the memory of Edward
Cludde, Esq., and is dated 1785. There are also very beautiful tablets
to other members of this family, and to the Cockburns, Phillips, Roe, and
others. The living is a vicarage valued in the king’s book at £7. 8s.
6d., now returned at £427 in the patronage of the Lord Chancellor, and
incumbency of the Rev. George L. Yate, M.A. The vicarage is a good
residence a short distance from the church. The vicarial tithes are
commuted for £353. 19s., and the rectoral for £225. It appears from the
parish register that the Houlston family have held the office of parish
clerk for a period of 257 years, and is still held by the same family.
WROCKWARDINE HALL is a commodious mansion of brick stuccoed, beautified
with pleasure grounds and shrubberries, and is the seat of Miss Anne
Maria Cludde. ORLETON HALL, a delightfully situated mansion, the seat of
the ancient and highly respected family of Cludde, is now the residence
of Mrs. Cludde; the hall is stuccoed, and the gardens and pleasure
grounds are very extensive, and kept in the most admirable order. It
commands a fine view of the Wrekin, and is surrounded by a park of 160
acres, beautifully wooded. THE BOYS’ SCHOOL, a substantial brick
building, was built at the cost of Mrs. Cludde, who is also a munificent
contributor towards its support; 75 children attend. THE GIRLS’ SCHOOL
has an attendance of sixty children, and is supported by Miss Cludde.
TWO ALMSHOUSES were erected in 1841, “and endowed for the maintenance of
two poor women in their declining years; they are dedicated to the memory
of Edward Cludde, Esq., late of Orleton, in this parish, by his tenants
and neighbours, in testimony of their respect for a man who was an
eminent example of pure and undefiled religion, visiting the fatherless
and widows in their affliction, and keeping himself unspotted from the
world.”
CHARITIES.—_Edward Pemberton_, in 1680, devised a rent charge of £3 per
annum for putting forth an apprentice every other year, fatherless or
motherless children to be always preferred. The amount is charged upon
an estate now the property of Mrs. Cludde. A yearly sum of 10s. is paid
as charged upon the Burcot estate, and a like sum as charged upon the
Leaton property; in respect of 10s. payable by Mrs. Cludde, two bushels
of wheat flour are given away by her agent to the poor. The other sum is
laid out in the purchase of bread. It is supposed these charities were
left by one of the Langley family.
Several sums of money given for charitable uses, amounting in the whole
to £60, were laid out in the purchase of a piece of land called Tidicross
Furlong, which was improved in 1670 by Edward Pemberton, who built a
house and barn thereon. About the year 1801 a parish workhouse was built
on these premises, and the old house and barn was pulled down. Up to the
year 1829 the sum of £4. 10s. per annum (which was the amount of the rent
when the workhouse was built) was paid out of the poor’s rate, and given
away on Good Friday. In consequence of a suggestion of the charity
commissioners that the rent ought to be raised, it was resolved at a
vestry meeting of the parish, held 5th May, 1830, that the sum of £8
should in future be paid by the parish annually for the lands above
mentioned.
_Thomas Ore_, in 1798, gave a yearly sum of 40s., payable out of his
freehold estate in the township of Walcott, in the parish of Wellington,
the same to be given among the poor every St. Thomas’s-day, in his seat
of the south aisle of the church, at Wrockwardine, after morning prayer.
_The Rev. Joshua Gilpin_, who died in 1828, bequeathed £50 to the vicar
of Wrockwardine, in trust, to divide the interest in equal portions among
eight of the poorest families residing in Wrockwardine, on the day before
Christmas day.
Cludde Mrs., Orleton Hall
Cludde Miss Anne Maria, Wrockwardine Hall
Bullock Benjamin, carpenter
Burrell John, gamekeeper
Clayton John, farmer
Clayton Samuel, farmer, David’s bank
Cooper Thomas, farmer, Austins
Davies John, farmer, The bank
Edwards William, wood steward
Gilpin Mrs. Jane, The villa
Houlston Charles, blacksmith, and agricultural implement maker
Houlston John, shoemaker
Houlston Josiah, farmer
Houlston Joshua, assistant overseer and vestry clerk
Houlston Thomas, farmer, parish clerk, and assessed tax collector
Jones Sarah, maltster
Pickin Eliza, farmer, Sydney house
Poole William, butler and coachman
Speake Richard, shopkeeper
Taylor Henry William, vict., The Talbot, and posting house, Hay gate
Trumper William, farm bailiff
Turner Charles, nursery and seedsman
Vaughan, and Mary Ann, school teachers
Webb William, butler
ADMASTON
is a township and delightfully situated village in the parish of
Wrockwardine, one and a half mile north-west by north from Wellington.
The township contains 509A. 2R. 19P. of land, and in 1841 here were 188
inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,164. 13s. The principal landowners are
Mr. Jones; Mrs. Webb; Mr. William Taylor; James Oliver, Esq.; Mr. John
Haynes; Mrs. Elizabeth Mansell; William Wyley, Esq.; Mrs. Austin; Mr.
Waring; Mr. Richard Tew; Mr. John Burgiss; and Mrs. Mary Williams. The
village of Admaston is pleasantly situated near the station on the line
of the Shrewsbury and Wellington railway, and is crossed by beautiful
drives and fine open roads, commanding most delightful views over a
luxuriant country, finely timbered, and studded with beautiful
residences. It is also within a few miles of the far-famed Salopian
mountain, the Wrekin, which commands views of unparalleled extent and
sublimity. THE ADMASTON SPA lies in a sheltered situation, near the
verge of the village, the waters of which have long been celebrated for
their medicinal purposes, and are highly recommended by eminent
physicians. There are two wells, one of which is sulphurous, and the
other chalybeate; the upper well contains a large portion of muriate of
soda, or common salt, and a portion of muriate of lime, and is found
exceedingly beneficial in giving a salutary stimulus to the stomach,
correcting dyspepsia, and highly efficacious in scrofulous affections.
The lower spring contains a large quantity of chloride sodium, and in its
analysis approaches nearer to the Harrogate waters, so justly celebrated
and efficacious in cutaneous disorders.
The solid contents of an imperial wine pint weigh seventy-seven grains of
the chalybeate saline water, and the proportion in which the several
ingredients exist may be stated as follows:—
Grains.
Chloride sodium (common salt) 54.5
Chloride calcium (muriate lime) 14.3
Chloride magnesium 5.2
Carbonate iron and lime, and alumina and silica 1.5
Loss 1.5
Bromine, a trace 0.0
77.0
The solid contents of a wine pint from the sulphur spring weigh 79
grains, the component parts of which, according to an analysis by Messrs.
Blunt, in 1847, may be thus stated:—
Grains.
Chloride sodium 65.0
Chloride calcium 10.5
Chloride magnesium 2.0
Carbonate lime 1.0
Carbonate iron, slightest trace 0.0
Bicarbonate soda, a trace 0.0
78.5
The Hotel and Boarding House in connection with the baths is a handsome
pile of buildings, greatly admired for its architectural beauty, erected
at an expense of £6,000. The house is elegantly furnished, and replete
with every convenience and comfort for the accommodation of the numerous
parties who frequent the spa during the summer season. The baths are
admirably arranged, and no expense has been spared to combine elegance,
comfort, and utility. The walks and pleasure grounds are tastefully laid
out, and are surrounded by a salubrious country, richly variegated and
picturesque. Mr. John Purcell is the proprietor of the hotel.
ADMASTON HALL, a beautiful modern mansion, delightfully situated, is the
residence of the Hon. Charles Nowell Hill. The pleasure grounds and
shrubberies are very beautifully laid out. THE BOARDING SCHOOL,
conducted by Mr. J. W. Smart, is a commodious building in a pleasant
situation, where a limited number of young gentlemen receive the
advantages of a classical and commercial education. This locality is
noted for its annual steeple chase meetings, its field sports, and for
fishing.
Beech John, superintendent of the Shropshire union railway
Bennett John, engineer
Buchannan Philip, Esq.
Bullock Elizabeth, dress maker
Bullock John, wheelwright
Bullock Richard, joiner, &c.
Burgiss John, surgeon
Burton Robert, farmer
Davies Thomas, beerhouse
Haynes John, farmer
Hicks Thos., station master
Hill the Honble. Charles Nowell, the Hall
Houlston William, farmer
John Johnson, horse breaker and steeple chase trainer
Mansell Elizabeth, gentlewoman
Marsh James, blacksmith
Newns John, butcher
Purcell John, hotel and boarding house, Admaston Spa
Proctor Dr., physician
Robinson Richard, farmer and maltster
Smart Joseph Wm., boarding school proprietor
Tew Richard, farmer, maltster, and vict., the Pheasants
Titley Joseph, farmer
Williams Mary, gentlewoman
Wyley William, Esq., land and estate agent, surveyor, and conveyancer
ALLSCOTT,
a township with a scattered population, about a mile north from
Wrockwardine, at the census of 1841 had 98 inhabitants. The township
contains 357A. 0R. 17P. of land. Rateable value, £796. 16s. The
principal landowners are W. S. Lawley, Esq.; Miss Cludde; Henry Povall,
Esq.; Mr. Samuel Nevett; Messrs. Juckes and Dixon; Mr. William Franks;
and Sarah and Robert Clarke. The river Tern bounds the township for a
short distance; it is also watered by two small streams, and intersected
by the Shropshire union railway. The hamlets of CROSS GREEN, RUSHMORE,
and BROOMFIELD HOUSE are within the bounds of this township. BROOMFIELD
HOUSE is a handsome brick residence, pleasantly situated, the residence
of Mr. Thomas Edwards.
DIRECTORY.—Marked * are at Cross Green, † Rushmore, and the rest at
Allscott.—Robert Clarke, farmer and maltster; Sarah Clarke, farmer and
maltster; Francis Delves, butcher and farmer; Edward Ditcher, farmer, the
Hall; Thomas Edwards, farmer, Broomfield; * William Edwards, blacksmith;
† William Edwards, shoemaker; William Franks, farmer; Roger Hawkins,
farmer and corn miller; * John Hollis, shoemaker and beerhouse keeper;
Thomas Lees, farmer and gardener; George Milnes, farmer; † Francis
Phipps, gardener; * Ambrose Robinson, beerhouse; † William Smith,
shoemaker; Charles Tew, farmer and maltster; † James Ambrose, machine
maker.
BRATTON,
a small township comprising 459A. 0R. 19P. of land, is pleasantly
situated two miles and a quarter north-west by west from Wellington. At
the census of 1841 here were 66 inhabitants. Rateable value, £755. The
soil is mostly a strong loam, with some portions of clay. The chief
landowners are Miss Cludde, Thomas Eyton, Esq., and the trustees of the
Shrewsbury Free Grammar School.
The principal residents are Thomas Basnett, farmer; William Blackmore,
shopkeeper; John Felton, farmer and butcher; Thomas Plant, farmer; Joseph
Read, gamekeeper; Joshua Sankey, farmer; Samuel Tudor, vict., the Gate;
George West, vict., Buck’s Head, Long lane; James Winnall, farmer,
Rushmore.
BURCOTT, LEATON, CLOTLEY, AND CLUDDLEY,