divisions, held by Algar, Earl of Menia, and a Saxon, named Godit. In
the reign of the Confessor, one hide and a half of land in this parish
were taxed to the king. After the conquest it extended to four
carucates, when they were in demesne three carucates, thirteen servants,
three villains, and three borderers, with one carucate of plough land.
There was at that time a wood sufficient to fatten one hundred hogs,
which was then in the hands of the king. In the reign of the Confessor
it was valued at 21s., and at the Conquest at 16s., when it was found
wasted, from whence we may learn that the hand of the Saxon destroyer had
been raised in revenge. In a manuscript of Dr. Hardwicke’s, now
preserved at the vicarage, the parish is spoken of as comprising the
lordships of Albrighton and Bishton, the manors and granges of Cosford
and Whiston, and many other places of less note. This lordship being
enjoyed by Norman the Hunter, shortly after the conquest, was undoubtedly
in his possession in 1066, when he and Roger his brother, lord of
Beckbury, attended their superior Lord Roger, the Count Palatine, and
Adelaisa his second countess, at their palace at Quatford, near
Bridgnorth, on the great festal occasion of the dedication of that
church, 22nd July, 1086, which they so amply endowed with lands and
tithes, arising out of several parishes in this county, as these two
lords are particularly noticed as attesting witnesses, with many other
lords of manors, the vassals of the count. In the reign of King Henry I.
(1102) the manor was granted by the king to his favourite Sir Ralph de
Pitchford, in whose family it continued through several generations; as
Camden states that a Sir Ralph de Pitchford, 29th of Edward I., had his
residence within this manor of Albrighton, where he died, leaving three
sons, John, Nicholas, and Hugh, and Margery his relict, who in the 32nd
year of this reign, recovered in the Court of King’s Bench, his service
against Roger Charles and William the Beadle of Brimstree, of eleven
marks rent, with appurtenances in Albrighton. John de Pitchford, the
eldest son, was lord of Albrighton and Pitchford, holding them of the
crown by the service of one knight’s fee each. It afterwards passed to
Sir John de Tregon, Lord Tregon, who, dying without male issue, it came
to his grandson, Sir John la Warre, who held in chief by one knight’s
fee, and in the 31st of Edward I. obtained a charter to hold a market on
a Tuesday, and a fair on the eve of the day, and the day after the
translation of St. Thomas the Martyr; and also to hold courts leet and
view of frankpledge in the manor half yearly. He was summoned to
parliament from 26th August, 1307, to 26th February, 1342, and died in
the 21st of Edward 3rd, 1347. About this period Roger Careless, a
considerable proprietor of lands in Albrighton, gave 60 acres of land
there to found a chantry in the Church at Albrighton, to which he added
lands and 2s. rent within his manor of Ryton adjoining. The charter of
Albrighton was renewed by King Charles II., and the manor given or
confirmed to the Talbots in 1663. The Lady Mary Talbot presented the
borough with a mace. The market has long been obsolete, but fairs are
held for cattle, sheep, swine, and general merchandise on the first
Monday in March, 23rd of May, and the last Saturday in June. A feast is
held on the first Sunday after the 18th of July, and races on the
following Monday. A flourishing society of the Manchester Unity of Odd
Fellows, is held at Mr. Bucknall’s, the Crown Inn. The Shrewsbury and
Birmingham Railway Company have a station here: Mr. James Davies is the
station master. Flys and cars are daily in attendance at the station on
the arrival of each train.
THE CHURCH is a venerable fabric, dedicated to St. Mary, consisting of
nave, chancel, and side aisles, with, a square tower, containing six
bells. The interior is spacious and handsome, and is neatly pewed with
dark oak sittings. Upon the gallery, at the west end, there is a
fine-toned organ. The chancel is divided from the nave by a lofty
pointed arch, and the east window is richly foliated. The church
contains some beautiful tablets and other memorials to the Talbots and
several other distinguished families. An alabaster tomb has two full
length figures in a recumbent posture, with hands joined in the attitude
of prayer; the knight clothed in a surcoat and chain armour, and his feet
resting on a lion. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king’s book
at £5. 10s., now returned at £651, in the patronage of the Haberdashers’
Company and the Governors of Christ’s Hospital, London, alternately. The
Rev. George W. Woodhouse, M.A., is the incumbent. Divine service is
performed twice a-day throughout the year in the church. THE VICARAGE, a
spacious stuccoed residence, a little east from the church, is ornamented
with pleasure grounds tastefully laid out. The tithes have been
commuted, and £626. 7s. 2d. apportioned to the vicar, and £20 to Mr.
George Jones. There are 15A. 2R. 32P. of glebe land. Gilbert Talbot,
bishop of Bertha, in Italy, resided chiefly at Lower Pepperhill, in this
parish, where he erected a brick mansion, with a court before it. The
pope, in consideration of his high birth, family connections, and
enormous wealth, raised him to the see of Bertha. He enjoyed his great
hereditary property nearly twenty-six years in much privacy and
seclusion, engaging himself in acts of charity and devotion, and dying at
Lower Pepperhill, on the 12th of December, 1743, was interred in the
Catholic Cemetery of the White Ladies, near Albrighton. There is a
PAROCHIAL SCHOOL, in which six boys are taught gratuitously, in
consideration of the schoolmaster having the free use of the
school-house.
CHARITIES.—By indenture, dated 18th May, 1682, reciting two bequests to
the inhabitants of Albrighton, one of £20 by one _Southall_, the other of
£10 by _Roger Brooke_, the interest of which was to be yearly disposed of
among poor people, and which two sums, with some accumulation of
interest, had increased to £40; and further reciting a gift by _George
Bromley_ of £100, the yearly profits to be distributed on St. George’s
day and the Feast of All Saints, with the yearly increase thereof then
amounted to £150; it was witnessed that in consideration of the sum of
£210, composed of the above benefactions and a sum of money borrowed for
the use of the parish, to make up the deficiency, certain lands were
conveyed in trust for the benefit of the poor. In the year 1771, William
Whitwich, the only surviving trustee, with the approbation of the
parishioners and inhabitants assembled at a parish meeting, exchanged the
two pieces of land, called the Wooden Croft, and the Six Butts,
containing together four acres, for certain lands, called the Pool Field,
containing two acres and rood, and a sum of £60 in money. The lands held
in trust for the poor, when the charity commissioners published their
report, comprised 14A. 3R. 16P. and a workhouse which had been built upon
the charity land, together producing a yearly rental of £61 16s. 1d. The
sum of £60 paid by Thomas Meeson, in part consideration for the exchange
for lands in 1771, was suffered to remain in his hands at an interest of
£4 per cent. till May, 1779, when it appears to have been paid up and
applied, together with two other sums of £31. 10s., and £20 belonging to
the trust, making in the whole £111. 10s. in the erection of a building
for the reception of paupers, for which the parish paid a rent of £7 from
the year 1780. This application of these several sums is not indeed
expressly stated in the trustees’ books, or in any of the parish books or
other documents that we could procure; but it seems sufficiently to be
inferred from the circumstance that the payment of interest on those sums
appears in the books till the year 1780, when it ceases, and the payment
of rent for the workhouse commences. As this house is kept in repair
from the trust funds, it does not seem to have been a very beneficial
investment of the money. From whence the two sums of money above
mentioned were derived does not appear. In the returns, under the act of
the 26th Geo. III., two legacies to this parish of uncertain date are
mentioned, one of £40 by _William Scot_, and the other of £20 by _T.
Davenhill_. It is possible that a part of the first and the whole of the
second of these legacies may have constituted part of the funds for the
erection of the parish poorhouse. This, however, is mere conjecture, as
we could learn nothing further concerning these charities.
_Thomas Chapman_, in 1655, granted to trustees three several rent
charges, amounting in the whole to 30s., issuing out of a messuage called
Harbour House and certain lands within the manor of Donington, and
directed 13s. 4d. (part thereof) to be distributed among the poor of
Albrighton, 10s. among the poor of Donington, and 6s. 8d. (the residue)
for the relief of the poor inhabitants within the parish of Boningale.
The amount allotted to Albrighton is carried to the general charity fund
of the parish.
_Mrs. Mary Waltho_, in 1783, gave the sum of £20, in trust, to place out
the same, with the approbation of the minister and churchwardens of the
parish, the interest to be disposed of among poor widows. An annual sum
of 16s., which is understood to be the interest of this legacy, was paid
by Mr. Meeson. Mr. Meeson stated to the Charity Commissioners that his
father had been accustomed to make the payment to poor widows, from
whence he concluded that he had received the £20 left by Mrs. Waltho. It
does not appear that any security is given for it; nor do the minister
and churchwardens interfere with the distribution of the interest.
In 1848, a portion of the charity land was required for making the
railway, for which the Charity Trustees received the sum of £712. 3s.
3d., which has been invested in government securities; the dividends of
which and the rent of lands amount at the present time to about £74 per
annum, which is distributed on Holy Thursday and St. Thomas’s day among
widows and the indigent poor not receiving parochial relief.
POST OFFICE—_At Maria Jones’s_. Letters arrive at 9 A.M., and are
despatched at 5.30 P.M.
Bedwell Orson, Esq.
Bishton Rev. Henry, M.A.
Crump Henry, Esq.
Dale Miss
Davies James, station master
Dickens Richard, gentleman
Dodd Rev. George, M.A., curate, Donington
Edwards Mrs.
Holyoake Captain Thomas
Johnson Mrs. Catherine Grecina
Jones Mrs. Maria, Post office
Law Richard, gentleman
Letts James, fly proprietor
Mitchell Mr. James
Parry The Misses, Albrighton Hall
Pitt Frances, gentlewoman
Presland Thomas Plowden, Esq., Cosford Hall
Savage Mrs. Lydia
Stubbs William, gentleman, Bowling-green House
Taylor George, Esq., Boningale Park
Thomason Henry, gentleman
Thorneycroft Mrs.
Totty Mr. John, registrar and vestry clerk
Wood Richard, surgeon and farmer
Woodhouse Rev. George W., M.A., The Vicarage
Yates John, gentleman, Shaw lane
Academy.
Hammersley Thomas, and bookseller and stationer
Baker and Flour Dealer.
Austin George
Boot and Shoemakers.
Fletcher Thomas
Stanley Edward
Taylor John
Taylor Thomas
Wedge Daniel
Brick and Tile Maker.
James Thomas
Bricklayers.
Nickolds George
Stockton Joseph
Totty George
Butchers.
Austin Frederick
Bailey George, Lea Hall
Darley Joseph, Woodhouses
Cabinet Makers.
Perry William, & carpenter
Thomas Thos., & carpenter
Chemist and Druggist.
Whatmore Thomas
Coal Dealers and Carters.
Moore Thomas
Powell John Thomas
Coal and Lime Agent.
Davies James
Corn Millers.
Shenton Benjamin, Cosford mills
Shepherd James
Farmers.
Bailey George and Thomas, Lea Hall Farm
Bate William, Over Pepper hill
Bayley John, Park side
Boulton John
Bradshaw Thomas, Lea
Earp William, Cosford
Fletcher George, Dead Woman’s Grave Farm
Gibbs Henry, Lower Pepper hill
Head Charles, Birches
Husselby William, bailiff to Earl of Dartmouth
Oatley John, Bishton Hall
Oatley Joseph, The Hall Farm
Oatley William, The Hall Farm
Roberts John, Harriotshay
Shenton Benjamin, Cosford
Stanford Joseph, and horse dealer, Harriotshay
Stubbs Walter, Bowling Green
Thomas Rd., farm steward to Earl of Shrewsbury
Yates John, Elms Farm
Grocers and Tea Dealers.
_Marked * are Provision Dealers_.
Brown Jane
Ewart John
* Molineux George
* Tomkins James and John
Hotels, Inns, and Taverns.
Boulton Thomas, victualler, Talbot
Bucknall William, vict., The Crown Hotel, Commercial and Boarding-house
Jones Henry, vict., Whiston Cross
Letts James, vict., Harp Inn, and Posting-house
Steele Benjamin, vict., The Bush
Beerhouse.
Fletcher Thomas
Linen & Woollen Drapers.
Delf John, and clothes dealer
Hammersley Susannah
Maltsters.
Austin George
Bailey George and Thomas
Bucknall George
Milliners and Dress Makers.
Delf Mrs. John, and straw bonnet maker
Hammersley Susannah
Swann Mary Ann
Plumbers, Glaziers, & Painters.
Harris Henry
Meredith Joseph
Saddler and Harness Maker.
Eardley William
Sawyer and Wood Dealer.
Gough George
Shopkeeper.
Moore Paul, and huxter
Smiths.
Howell Thomas
Ward John
Stone Masons and Builders.
Burns and Collins
Thomas Henry
Surgeons.
Bedwell and Son
Crump Henry
Tailor and Woollen Draper.
Totty William
Veterinary Surgeons.
Howell John, Beamish Hall Farm
Watch and Clock Makers.
Morris Thomas
Nickolds Thomas
Wheelwrights.
Parker William
Sutton William
Carrier
To WOLVERHAMPTON, Bessy Wheeler, on Monday, Wednesday, & Saturday
BADGER
is a parish in the Shiffnal division of the Brimstree hundred, six miles
N.N.E. from Bridgnorth and five and a half miles S. from Shiffnal,
comprising 980 acres of land, of which upwards of 100 acres are covered
with woods and thriving plantations. The soil is various, the meadows
and pastures produce a rich herbage, and the arable lands are highly
productive. Rateable value £768. The parish in 1801 contained 88
inhabitants: 1831, 142: 1841, 137: and in 1851 there were 38 houses and a
population of 101 souls, of whom 79 were males and 92 females. The
village of Badger is delightfully situated in a district pleasingly
diversified with bold undulations and rural scenery; the low lands are
watered by the meanderings of the Cosford brook, and the small stream of
the Worf. A romantic glen called the Dingle stretches for upwards of a
mile in length, and the banks of the stream have been planted with shrubs
and evergreens with great taste; in several places the waters are
precipitated over the shelving rocks into the dingle below, which gives
an additional charm to the picturesque scenery. This locality is the
frequent resort of pleasure parties from Birmingham and the surrounding
country during the summer months. Robert Henry Cheney, Esq., of Badger
Hall, is the principal landowner, and lord of the manor; Mr. John Green
is also a landowner.
THE CHURCH, dedicated to St. Giles, is a small but neat structure of free
stone, having a square tower ornamented with crocketted pinnacles; the
tower is beautified with a clock, sun-dial, and contains three bells; the
interior of the church has a tasteful and elegant appearance, and the
side compartments are neatly pewed with oak sittings. The east window is
beautifully decorated with stained glass illustrative of scripture
history; the appendages of tracery are of the most exquisite workmanship.
The altar exhibits a fine specimen of elaborate carving. The
parishioners of Worfield, who reside near Badger, in consideration of
being accommodated with sittings in this church, presented a new organ in
the year 1844. In the chancel is an elegant memorial in memory of Isaac
Hawkins Brown, Esq., of this parish, D.C.L., and F.R.S., who died in
1818. A full length figure of the purest statuary marble, (one of
Chantrey’s masterly productions) is represented as seated and perusing a
book, on the side of which are several large quarto volumes in marble.
Underneath the monument is an inscription in memory of his wife Elizabeth
Brown. There is also a tablet beautifully designed, with the figure of a
female in bass-relief to Jane Brown, and other members of the family,
dated 1783. The Rev. William Smith, late rector of Badger, is remembered
on a neat memorial dated 1837. There are others to Joseph Green and his
wife, and to Elizabeth Kinnersley, the latter is dated 1619. In the
church yard are several ancient tombs which have been erected in memory
of deceased members of some of the principal families in the parish. The
living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £4. 13s. 4d., now
returned at £280, in the patronage of Robert Henry Cheney, Esq.:
incumbent, Rev. Thomas Freeman Boddington, M.A. In the churchyard is a
yew tree of immense growth, and near it a lofty mutilated column.
BADGER HALL is an elegant and spacious mansion, the seat of Robert Henry
Cheney, Esq., J.P. The structure is of brick with stone finishings, and
situated on elevated ground, commanding delightful views over a luxuriant
country. The vicinity of the mansion is finely timbered, and the
extensive enclosures of park-like grounds are pleasingly diversified with
sylvan beauty. The pleasure grounds and shrubberies are of considerable
extent, and display the taste and superior management of the head
gardener, Mr. George Cooke. Robert Henry Cheney, Esq., was appointed
high sheriff of the County of Shropshire, for the year 1851. THE RECTORY
is a good residence a little west of the church; it is pleasantly
situated, and the gardens and pleasure grounds are neatly laid out.
There is a school in the village which is supported by Mr. Cheney, where
about fifty children are instructed. The Rev. T. C. Hartshorn gave £10
to the poor in 1752, and the Rev. Thos. Hartshorn gave a like sum which
was laid out in the purchase of a rent charge of 20s. per annum, issuing
out of a messuage and garden in Badger; the amount is expended in bread
for the poor.
DIRECTORY.—Robert Henry Cheney, Esq., J.P., Badger Hall; William Bate,
gentleman; William Bate and Sons, farmers; Rev. Thomas F. Boddington,
M.A., the Rectory; William Braithwaite, corn miller; Henry Brewster,
farmer and corn miller, Higford; George Cooke, gardener; John Green,
gentleman, The Heath; John Mole, butler; Matthew Taylor, coachman;
Richard Worrall, farmer.
BECKBURY
is a parish and village in the Shiffnal Division of the Brimstree
Hundred, comprising 1321A. 0R. 10P. of land, and situated six miles and a
half N.E. from Bridgnorth, and four miles S. from Shiffnal. In 1801
there were 231 inhabitants; 1831, 307; and in 1841, 61 houses and 312
souls. Rateable value, £1,942. 9s. 8d. The principal landowners are C.
H. Slaney, Esq., Walter Stubbs, Esq., Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq., Dr.
Windham, Dr. Fowler, and Mrs. Frances Horton.
THE CHURCH, dedicated to St. Milburgh, is built of red free-stone, and
consists of nave and chancel, with a square tower, in which are three
bells. In the chancel are several memorials, one of which remembers W.
J. Yonge, Esq., of Caynton House, who died in 1825, aged 71 years; also
of Captain William Horton, who died in 1844. There are also several
memorials to various members of the Stubbs family and others, one of
which (a slab of limestone) has the outlines of the figures of a male and
a female, with smaller figures of ten children. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king’s book at £5. 3s. 4d., in the patronage of the Lord
Chancellor; incumbent, Rev. Henry Ralph Smythe. The tithes are commuted
for £333, and the rector has 31A. 0R. 18P. of glebe land. BECKBURY HALL
is a commodious family mansion, of brick, the residence and property of
Walter Stubbs, Esq., a considerable landowner in this parish.
POST OFFICE—_At Thomas Page’s_. Letters arrive at 8 A.M., and are
despatched at 4.45 P.M.
DIRECTORY.—Benjamin Adams, shoemaker; Thos. Baugh, beerhouse-keeper;
Isaac Bradburn, draper and shopkeeper; Samuel Brown, farmer; Benjamin
Corfield, farmer; George Hand, butcher; John Hand, carpenter; Thomas
Hand, parish clerk and builder; William Hand, joiner; William Hampton,
blacksmith; Thomas Page, shopkeeper and postmaster; William Poyner,
butcher; John Richards, maltster and farmer; Rev. Walter Ralph Smythe,
rector, The Rectory; Thomas Southall, beerhouse keeper; Samuel Thurstaus,
farmer and maltster, Heath House; Walter Stubbs, Esq., Beckbury Hall;
John Ward, Esq., R.N., Lower Hall; Richard Williams, shopkeeper; John
Warren, tailor and draper; Benjamin Worrall, farmer, Snowdon Pool.
BOBBINGTON
is a small parish, partly in the Bridgnorth Division of the Brimstree
Hundred, but chiefly in the county of Stafford, situated eight miles and
a half S.W. from Wolverhampton, and eight miles E. from Bridgnorth. That
portion of the parish in the county of Salop at the census of 1841
contained six houses and 22 inhabitants. This county is here divided
from Staffordshire by a small stream; the Bridgnorth and Stourbridge
turnpike road bounds the parish on the south-east side. THE CHURCH is a
small ancient structure of free-stone, with a tower, in which are four
bells. The interior is small, and fitted up with primitive simplicity.
The living is enjoyed by the Vicar of Claverly; officiating curate, Rev.
Henry Pennant Cooke, M.A. William Moseley, Esq., is the owner of the
land in that part of the parish, in the county of Salop.
DIRECTORY.—Richard Barrimore, wheelwright and machine-maker; Samuel
Brimsford, maltster and victualler, Six Ashes Inn; Sarah Bytheway,
shopkeeper and victualler, Lion Inn; Rev. Henry Pennant Cooke, MA.;
Edward Fenn, blacksmith, Six Ashes; John Knowles, farmer; Philip Pearman,
farmer, Whatmore Hall; Mrs. Sarah Pearman.
BONINGHALL, OR BONINGALE,
is a small parish and village, in the Shiffnal Division of the Brimstree
Hundred, five miles S.E. by S. from Shiffnal, and seven miles S.W. by S.
from Wolverhampton, which in 1841 contained 184 inhabitants; and at the
census in 1851 had 36 houses and 195 souls; of whom 99 were males and 96
females. The turnpike road from Shiffnal to Wolverhampton intersects the
parish, which contains 986A. 0R. 18P. of land. The soil is a mixture of
loam and gravel, and produces good wheat, turnips, and barley. There is
also some fine grazing land. Rateable value, £1,948. 14s. George
Taylor, Esq., is lord of the manor, and the most considerable landowner.
The Executors of the late William Wood, Mr. John Oatley, Mr. Richard
Wood, Mr. James William Weaver, Mr. James Riddle, and the Incumbent of
King Swinford, are also proprietors. The village is situated in a
salubrious district, commanding pleasing and diversified views of the
surrounding country. The Kennels for the fox-hounds of the celebrated
Albrighton hunt are at the Summer House in this parish. THE CHURCH, a
plain antique structure, in a sequestered situation, is built of
free-stone, and, as an ornamental appendage, has a tower of wood, in
which are three bells. It contains a small gallery, and the sittings are
of oak. The ceiling is supported by a framework of wood, and empanelled
with dark oak, varnished. There is a tablet in memory of Mrs. Elizabeth
Robinson, and another to William Tindal, who died in 1830. The living is
a perpetual curacy annexed to the rectory of Stockton. The Rev. Charles
Blaney Cavendish Whitmore, M.A., is the incumbent. The tithes have been
commuted, and £236 apportioned to the incumbent; the minister has also
11A. 0R. 29P. of glebe land. There is no parsonage house in this parish.
BONINGHALL PARK, the seat and property of George Taylor, Esq., is a
spacious erection, pleasantly situated in the midst of park-like grounds,
well-timbered, and commanding some five views of the distant country.
The pleasure-grounds are planted with choice shrubs and beautiful
flowers.
CHARITIES.—_John Littleford_, by his will, dated the 27th of February,
1712, gave the sum of £4, to be laid out for the use of the poor of
Boningale, “with £10, which Mr. Green had promised should be paid.” It
is probable that both these sums were duly received, and that they
compose a sum of £14, which the parish has long enjoyed, and which was
designated as the gift of an unknown benefactor for the use of the poor
of the parish. An additional benefaction of £16 was subsequently
received from _Miss Jane Skeinton_. These sums appear to have remained
at interest in the hands of the parish officers, upon their personal
security, until the year 1812, when they were laid out in the purchase of
a messuage and a garden, which it was thought advisable to purchase for
the use of the parish. The premises were accordingly charged with the
repayment of the sum of £30, so borrowed, to the churchwardens and
overseers of the said parish for the time being, with interest for the
same at five per cent. per annum, such interest to be paid on the 25th of
March yearly, and to be distributed annually on Easter Sunday, by the
minister, churchwardens, overseers, and the inhabitant freeholders of the
parish for the time being, among poor industrious parishioners.
A rent charge of 6s. 8d., derived from the bequest of _John Chapman_, is
usually allowed to remain for two years, and 13s. 4d. is then distributed
among the poor of the parish with the above charity.
DIRECTORY.—George Bayley, butcher, Lea Hall; Benjamin Cox, shopkeeper;
Joseph Darley, farmer, Woodhouses; Joseph Lowe, victualler, Summer House
and Commercial Inn; Edmund Nicklin, shopkeeper; John Oatley, farmer,
Woodhouses; Benjamin Southall, farmer, Boningale Farm; Mr. William
Staples, huntsman, Summer House; George Taylor, Esq., Boningale Park;
Thos. Taylor, farmer; James Thomas, victualler, The Horns Inn; Richard
Wood, farmer, Whiston.
BOSCOBEL