together contain 614A. 3R. 22P. of land. Rateable value, £1,020. They
are situated near to the Wrekin, and intersected by the Shrewsbury,
Birmingham, and Wellington turnpike roads; by the Street, Lane, and
Watling Street. On this great thoroughfare is a commodious family hotel
and posting house, situate at Hay-gate, in the occupancy of Mr. John
Henry Taylor. The situation is delightful, and being the nearest hotel
to the Wrekin, it is the frequent resort of parties who visit that
far-famed Salopian mountain. The land at Burcott is the property of Mrs.
Cludde; at Clotley, Mrs. Mary and Mr. Henry Stillgoe are the proprietors;
the Leaton estate is the property of John Stanier, Esq., and Miss
Crowther; and at Cluddley, Mrs. Cludde and Thomas Baddeley are the
principal owners. BURCOTT HALL, the residence of Charles Emery, Esq., is
pleasantly situated a short distance from the Wrekin, and surrounded with
park-like grounds, well timbered. The farm premises are very extensive,
and situated a short distance from the hall. LEATON HALL, an ancient
mansion in a salubrious and delightful situation, is the residence and
property of John Stanier, Esq.
DIRECTORIES.—_Burcott_: Charles Emery, Esq., the Hall; Samuel Nicholls.
tailor. _Clotley_: Henry Charles Stillgoe, farmer and corn miller; Mrs.
Mary Stillgoe, Clotley House; Richard Shelton Stillgoe, farmer.
_Cluddley_: Thomas Baddeley, farmer; Richard Bailey, farmer, the Hall
farm; John Edwards, farmer, Wrekin farm; Thomas Nigington, farmer.
_Leaton_: John Clayton, farmer, Wheatfields; John Stanier, Esq., the
Hall; Harriman Willings, farmer.
CHARLTON
is a township and village, in a salubrious situation, two miles S.W. by
S. from Wrockwardine, embracing 714A. 1R. 25P. of land, mostly a fertile
district, producing good crops of barley and other grain. At the census
in 1841 there were 101 inhabitants. The Shrewsbury and Wellington
railway passes through the township, and has a station near to the
village, which also lies contiguous to Shrewsbury, Wellington, and
Shiffnal turnpike road. Rateable value, £1,007. The Duke of Cleveland
is lord of the manor and owner of the whole township. From the few
fragmentary remains of CHARLTON CASTLE, it was no doubt a place of
consequence in by-gone days. The ruins are mantled with ivy, and the
moat which surrounded it may still be traced. Not far from the castle
are several artificial mounds, which may have been raised for military
purposes in past ages. As it is in the line of road of the celebrated
Roman station at Wroxeter it may have had some connection with that
important military station.
The principal residents are William Capsey, butcher; Robert Hawkins,
farmer; Henry Povell, farmer; John Pritchard, farmer.
LONG LANE,
a small township, comprising 379A. 0R. 37P. of land, stretches for two
miles in length, and is situated about three miles north from Wellington.
In 1841 there were 137 inhabitants within the bounds of this township.
The houses are chiefly small cottage residences. The chief landowners
are Thomas Eyton, Esq., William Henry Dickinson, Esq., and Mr. John
Jones. CHESHIRE COPPICE, the residence of William Henry Dickinson, Esq.,
is an ancient structure, situated on a gentle eminence, which commands
some fine views of the distant country.
DIRECTORY.—William Henry Dickinson, Esq., Cheshire House; John Griffiths,
farmer; John Jones, farmer; John Jones, jun., farmer; Susannah Smith,
farmer.
WROCKWARDINE WOOD
is a populous township, four miles and a half S.W. from Newport, and four
miles and three quarters N.E. from Wellington. The inhabitants are
chiefly engaged in the collieries and iron works in the immediate
vicinity. The township contains 502A. 0R. 8P. of land, and in 1841 had
342 houses and 1,698 inhabitants. Rateable value, £2,836. 4s. The
collieries are the property of the Duke of Sutherland, and held in lease
by the Lilleshall company. THE CHURCH is a brick structure, dedicated to
the Holy Trinity. It was built in 1833, and contains 610 sittings, of
which 420 are free and unappropriated in consequence of a grant from the
Incorporated Society for Building Churches. It is endowed with the small
tithes of Wrockwardine Wood, and the living has been augmented with
grants from Queen Anne’s Bounty. There is a neat font, which was the
gift of Mr. Thomas Webb, late churchwarden. The living is a perpetual
curacy, in the patronage of the Vicar of Wrockwardine, and incumbency of
the Rev. Reginald Yonge, B.C.L. THE PRIMITIVE METHODISTS have a chapel,
built in 1832, which will hold about 500 persons. The structure and
fittings have cost altogether £498. THE NATIONAL SCHOOL was built in
1830, partly by subscription and partly by the National Society. It
stands a little north from the church, and has an attendance of about
sixty boys and forty girls;
TRENCH LAKE is a straggling district on the Wellington and Newport
turnpike road, three miles from the former place and five miles from the
latter. The houses are chiefly in the township of Wrockwardine Wood, but
also extend into the township of Eyton-on-the-Wild-Moors. THE WESLEYAN
METHODISTS have a chapel here, built in 1823. The Earl of Bradford is
the principal landowner; Mr. Webb is also a proprietor.
WROCKWARDINE WOOD AND TRENCH LAKE DIRECTORIES.
_Marked * are in Wrockwardine Woody and the rest in Trench Lane_.
Barker Richard, tailor
Beech William, shoemaker
Bennett John, Esq., Coal Works (Proprietor)
Bourne Mary, beerhouse
* Bowen Rebecca, schoolmistress
* Bowen William, schoolmaster
* Bullock John, manager to Donington Wood Mill Company
Chilton Thomas, butcher
* Chilton William, blacksmith
Davies George, hat maker
Deakin George, farmer
Downing Mary, milliner and dressmaker
Downing Thomas, saddler
Farmer Henry, beerhouse
* Fenn William, shoemaker
* Getley Henry, butcher
* Getley Elizabeth, shopkeeper
Green James, victualler, Old Shaw Birch
* Grieves Rev. Joseph, Primitive Methodist
Hill Richard, shopkeeper and beerhouse
Jeffs Richard, shopkeeper
Johnson James, farmer
Johnston Thomas, shopkeeper
Jones Edward, farm bailiff
* Jones Thomas, victualler, Queen’s Head
* Kite Jane, shopkeeper & victualler, White Horse
Latham James, farmer
* Leese Mary Ann, milliner and dressmaker
Lockley Samuel, blacksmith
Lowe Thomas, shoemaker and beerhouse
Mainwaring Mary and Son, shopkeepers
Manwaring Richard, victualler, The Crown
* Martin John, victualler, The Lamb, and shopkeeper
* Millward Mary, shopkeeper
Paice William, railway gate keeper
Palmer Thomas, tailor
Parton John, saddler
Pickering James Richard, vict., Dun Cow
Reynolds Evan, shoemaker
* Simpson William, shoemaker, and vict., Bull’s Head
Slaney Henry, confectioner
Taylor William, farmer
Wakely Dorothy, victualler, Duke of York
Webb Catherine, maltster and victualler, King’s Arms
* Yonge Rev. Reginald, B.C.L., incumbent, The Parsonage
WROXETER
is a parish in the Wellington division of the South Bradford Hundred,
situated on the eastern bank of the river Severn, which contains the
townships (for highway purposes) of Donnington, Dryton,
Eyton-upon-Severn, Norton, Rushton, and Wroxeter. The parish comprises
4,212 acres of land, of which 188 acres are in woods and plantations,
roads, and waste. Gross estimated rental, £7,131. Rateable value,
£6,274. 3s. 6d. The Duke of Cleveland is the most considerable
landowner. Lord Berwick and the Vicar of Wroxeter are also owners: the
former is lord of the manor and holds a court leet and baron. There is a
considerable portion of stiff soil in the parish, which is mostly used
for arable purposes. A sandy soil prevails in some places; the meadows
and grazing land on the banks of the Severn have a rich herbage. At the
census of 1801 the parish contained 544 inhabitants; and in 1841 there
were 126 houses and 636 inhabitants. The houses in general are composed
of brick and slated, and have a respectable appearance.
THE VILLAGE OF WROXETER is delightfully situated on elevated ground, near
the eastern banks of the Severn, five miles and three-quarters S.E. from
Shrewsbury, commanding fine views over a rich and beautiful country of
the Wrekin, and of the hilly country in the Condover Hundred. The
turnpike road from Shrewsbury to Wellington, Ironbridge, and Bridgnorth,
intersects the township, and a little north from the village the river
Tern has its confluence with the Severn. Wroxeter is generally supposed
by our antiquaries to be the _Uriconium_, one of the cities of the
Cornavii, the ancient inhabitants of Britain. This city was also called
Wreckencester, which is manifestly retained in the name of the adjacent
hill, The Wrekin, to this day; from which the word Uriconium itself may
proceed. Whether the town was built by the Romans or the Britons is
uncertain; but that the former fortified it is most likely, since the
river Severn hereabouts has more fords than in any other place. The
foundation of a bridge is sometimes discernible at low water, which was
at first discovered by some workmen erecting a wear upon the river. The
circumference of the wall which surrounded the city was about three
miles, and was built upon a gravel full of pebble stones. The wall was
three yards broad, with a deep trench on the outside, which may be traced
in several places to this day. The remains of the walls are called by
the inhabitants the Old Works at Wroxeter; being about twenty feet high
and a hundred feet in length, made of hewn stone, distinguished with
seven rows of British bricks at equal distances, and arched within, after
the manner of the Britons. Where these remains appear, it is thought the
citadel stood, and what favours the opinion is the evenness of the
ground, and the rubbish of walls that lie in great heaps thereabouts. It
is supposed by some that the blackness of the soil in certain places
proceeds from the fire that burnt the town, but it can hardly be
conjectured that the footsteps of such a casualty should remain so long,
especially since the ground has been so often ploughed up and exposed to
the weather. The Roman coins found here are a proof of the antiquity of
the place. The lords of the manor, from time to time, have obliged all
their lease tenants, under certain penalties, to bring all the old coins
they meet with to them. The coins found are generally so rusty and
decayed that the inscription is scarcely legible or the image to be
distinguished. None of the Saxon coins have ever been found here, which
is a proof that the place was destroyed before the Danish times. It is
impossible to look upon the fields, teeming in rich luxuriance, and
remembering that there flourished a Roman city, not a vestige of which
remains but the fragments of a wall, without sensibly feeling the
instability of human greatness, and exclaiming with Cowper:—
“We turn to dust, and all our mightiest works
Die too. The deep foundations that we lay,
Time ploughs them up, and not a trace remains.
We build with what we call eternal rock;
A distant age asks where the fabric stood?
And in the dust, sifted and search’d in vain,
The undiscoverable secret sleeps,”
The graves that have been met with here are deep and wide, the corpse
enclosed in red clay, both under and over, and to prevent the mixture of
other mould with that clay, the graves were faced on the sides with
slates, and then covered with stones, sometimes five or six upon one
grave; bones have been found that were interred after this manner, which
contributed to their preservation several hundred years. Teeth have been
taken out of the jaw-bones of men near three inches long, and many thigh
bones have been found of full a yard in length. Several urns have been
discovered within the memory of man, after digging four or five feet deep
in the earth, and it is to be noted that as the dead bodies are here
buried in red clay, so urns are found deposited in red sand. About half
a century ago were discovered three large urns composed of a beautiful
transparent green glass, each having one handle elegantly ribbed, and
severally containing burnt bones, and a glass lachrymatory. Several
earthen urns, an earthen lamp, and a few Roman coins were also found at
the same place, the whole being covered with large flat stones.
Tesselated pavements, sepulchral stones with inscriptions, moulds for
coining money; seals, an Apolla elegantly cast in lead; copper, gold, and
silver coins, and many interesting remains of Roman manufacture, have
from time to time been found whilst excavating on this site. A stone
altar found near the vicarage in the year 1824, is thus inscribed:—
“BONO REI PVBLICAE NATVS.”
The precise epoch of the first establishment of this Roman station at
Wroxeter has been hitherto held as uncertain by all historians, but a
recent event has thrown some light on this historical point. In 1844 a
large brass coin of the Emperor Trajan, in a fine state of preservation,
was found imbedded in the mortar of the Roman wall (usually called the
old works) still remaining at Wroxeter, which warrants a conclusion that
although the erection of this station might have been posterior to the
reign of Trajan, it would seem clear that this station could not have
been raised at an earlier period. Marcus Ulpius Trajanus Crinitus, or
Marcus Ulpius Nerva Trajanus, was born A.D. 53. He was governor of
Germania under the Emperors Domitian and Nerva, and in the year 97 was
associated with the latter in the government of the empire, and invested
with the titles of Cæsar and Imperator. He succeeded Nerva, and took the
title of Augustus in A.D. 98, and died in the year 117. It may therefore
reasonably be supposed, from the perfect state and freshness of the above
mentioned coin, that the station of Uriconium was built either at the
latter end of the first or early in the second century.
THE CHURCH is an ancient structure, dedicated to St. Andrew, consisting
of nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a massive square tower,
ornamented with a clock, and the heads of rude figures of a grotesque
character. The interior is neatly pewed. The living is a vicarage
valued in the king’s book at £11. 18s., now returned at £330, in the
patronage of the Duke of Cleveland, and enjoyed by the Rev. Edward
Egremont, M.A., who resides at the vicarage, a good residence a short
distance from the church. The Duke of Cleveland, Lord Berwick, and Mrs.
Jenkins, are the impropriators of the rectoral tithes, which were
commuted in 1840 for £606. 6s. The vicarial tithes have been commuted
for £248. 14s.
CHARITIES.—Thomas Alcock, who died in 1627, gave twenty marks yearly
towards the support of a free grammar school for the instruction of youth
of the parishes of Wroxeter and Uppington. An addition was made to this
endowment by the will of Richard Stevinton in 1652, whereby he gave a
rent charge of £13. 6s. 8d., issuing out of his lands in Arleston, in the
parish of Wellington. There is a school and schoolhouse situate at
Donnington, and six acres of land adjoining thereto, but it is not known
from whom this property was derived. The school premises have been
greatly improved at the expense of the master, and are worth about £12 a
year. The school has been considered as free for classical instruction
only to forty children of the inhabitants of Wroxeter and Uppington, but
there is no document showing that the number of free scholars is thus
limited; and it is to be observed that the benefaction of Richard
Stevinton was for the use of a master who should teach English as well as
Latin. Scholars educated in this school are entitled to the benefit of
two of the exhibitions founded by Edward Careswell, an account of which
has already been noticed with the Royal Free Grammar School at
Shrewsbury.
From an entry made in the churchwarden’s book in 1765, it appears that
the sum of £61 belonging to the poor of Wroxeter, and which had formerly
been placed out at interest, was called in, and laid out in building and
repairing the church, and that £2 was to be paid yearly as the interest
thereof. This has been regularly paid from the churchwarden’s account,
but it appears to have been an inadequate sum to be allowed as the
interest of £61.
In the same book there is an entry also made in the year 1765, stating
that £20 given by _Edward Wellings_, to buy Bibles for poor children of
Wroxeter, at the discretion of the minister was laid out for the same
purpose. In respect of this gift 10s. is paid annually, and laid out in
the purchase of Bibles.
_The Rev. Roger Clayton_, in 1327, invested £100 in the purchase of £113.
10s. stock, three per cent. consols, in compliance with the wish of his
late brother William Clayton, in trust, to apply the interest for the
benefit of the poor of Wroxeter. A memorandum was drawn up and placed in
the parish chest, dated 16th October, 1827, and signed by Roger Clayton
and Richard and Edward Stanier, acknowledging the stock to have been
purchased for the aforesaid object.
DONNINGTON is a township and pleasant village situated a mile and a half
E. from Wroxeter; the Duke of Cleveland is the landowner and lord of the
manor. The population of the several townships in this parish are
included in the returns for Wroxeter. The Charlton Hill corn mill is
situated in this township; it was erected by the farmers in the
surrounding neighbourhood to grind their own corn. The grammar school
noticed with the charities of the parish is situated at Donnington.
DRYTON, a small township near the banks of the river Severn, is also the
property of the Duke of Cleveland, and is situated two miles and a
quarter S.S. by E. from Wroxeter.
EYTON-ON-THE-SEVERN, a township two miles S. from Wroxeter, takes its
name from its situation near the Severn. The land here is highly
fertile, and the meadow lands have a rich herbage. It is also the
property of the Duke of Cleveland.
NORTON, a small township, has a few scattered houses on the Shrewsbury
and Wellington turnpike road, about a mile N.E. from Wroxeter. The land
is mostly arable, producing good wheat and barley. Lord Berwick is the
sole proprietor of this township.
RUSHTON township is situated three miles E. from Wroxeter, near the
western verge of the Wrekin. The land here has an undulating surface,
with a stiff soil. The Duke of Cleveland is the landowner. The acres,
rateable value, tithes, and population of the above townships are
included in the returns for Wroxeter.
POST OFFICE.—_At Mr. Andrew Weatherby’s_. Letters arrive from Shrewsbury
at 8 A.M., and are despatched at 5 P.M.
WROXETER DIRECTORY.
Clarke Maria, farmer
Egremont Rev. Edward, The Vicarage
Ford William, butler
Hoggins Edward, farmer, Smithcott
Oatley William Henry, Esq., The Villa
Stanier Edward, Esq., The Hall
Weatherby Andrew, shopkr.
Wood Thos., farmer, Beslow
DONNINGTON DIRECTORY.
Bennett Richard, farmer
Jebb Thos., manager, Corn mill
Jenkins Elizabeth, farmer, Charlton hill
Mainwaring William, shoemaker
Meredith Rev. John, M.A., Grammar School
Parton Benj., shoemaker
DRYTON DIRECTORY.
Clayton Henry, farmer
Farmer James, farmer
EYTON DIRECTORY.
Careswell Benjamin, farmer
Davies Sarah, farmer
Mansell William, blacksmith
Miner John, shepherd
Scott Mary, farmer
NORTON DIRECTORY.
Bayley Robert, farmer
Powell John, shopkeeper
Upton Elizabeth
RUSHTON DIRECTORY.
Brisbourne Peter, farmer
Jarvis Richard, farmer
Jarvis Robert, farmer
Jarvis Thomas, farmer, Wrekin farm
Pathan Thomas, farmer
BRIMSTREE HUNDRED.
The Hundred of Brimstree is divided into the Bridgnorth and the Shiffnal
divisions. Hales Owen, formerly a third division of this hundred, being
a detached part of the county surrounded by Worcestershire, has recently,
by act of parliament, been annexed to the county of Worcester. This
hundred is bounded on the north by the county of Stafford and the South
Bradford Hundred, on the west by the Wenlock Franchise and South Bradford
Hundred, on the east by Staffordshire, and on the south by the Stottesden
Hundred. Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq., M.P., is lord of the hundred,
and holds a court on the 24th April; Mr. George Pritchard, steward; and
Mr. John Cullwick, bailiff. The population in 1801 was 18,817; in 1841
there were 2,577 houses and 12,458 inhabitants. The annexing of the
populous district of Halesowen to the county of Worcester is the cause of
the returns at the census of 1821 being greater than those of 1841.
The Bridgnorth division contains the following townships and places,
viz., Aston, Beobridge, Bobbington (part of), Broughton, Claverley,
Dallicott, Farmcott, Gatacre, Heathton, Hopstone, Ludstone, Shipley,
Sutton, Woundale, and Worfield.
The Shiffnal divisions contains Albrighton, Badger, Beckbury, Boningale,
Boscobal, Donnington, Kemberton, Ryton, Shiffnal, Hatton, Priors’ Lee,
Woodside, Stockton, Sutton, Maddock, and Tong.
ALBRIGHTON
is a parish and populous village in the Shiffnal division of the
Brimstree Hundred, situated five miles south east by east from Shiffnal,
and twenty-three south-east from Shrewsbury. The parish lies in the
eastern verge of the county, and contains 3,365 acres of land, of which
59 acres are in roads and plantations. In 1801 there were 901
inhabitants; 1831, 1,054; in 1841, 1,058, and 236 houses; and in 1851,
242 houses and 1,141 souls. Rateable value, £7,089, 16s. 11d. This
pleasant rural village is delightfully situated in a salubrious part of
the county, intersected by good roads, and contiguous to the Shrewsbury
and Birmingham railroad. Within the last few years it has attracted much
attention, and several handsome villa residences have been built, which
are chiefly occupied by respectable families and tradespeople from
Wolverhampton and the neighbourhood. There are many good shops in the
different branches of the retail trade, and the inns and boarding houses
afford every accommodation to the numerous visitors who annually attend
the celebrated Albrighton Hunt. The land in this locality has a bold
undulating surface, and the views are varied and beautiful. The farms
are extensive, and by unremitting industry, and an outlay of capital,
have been brought to a state of productiveness far superior to what has
been hitherto known in this district. The farm houses are in general
well built, and provided with commodious out-premises. The Earl of
Shrewsbury is the principal landowner and lord of the manor. The other
chief owners are Thomas Plowden Presland, Esq.; Launcelot Shadwell, Esq.;
William Oatley, Esq.; the Earl of Dartmouth; Mr. John Oatley; John Yates,
Esq.; George Jones, Esq.; the representatives of the late John Meeson;
Richard Wood, Esq.; and the trustees of the poor of Tong, Albrighton, and
Tattenhall; besides whom there are several smaller owners.