far from Broseley, an extraordinary phenomenon occurred in May, 1775, of
which the following account has been given by the Rev. John Fletcher, of
Madeley. “When I went to the spot,” says Mr. Fletcher, “the first thing
that struck me was the destruction of the little bridge that separated
the parish of Madeley from that of Buildwas, and the total disappearing
of the turnpike road to Buildwas bridge, instead of which nothing
presented itself to my view but a confused heap of bushes, and huge clods
of earth tumbled one over another. The river also wore a different
aspect; it was shallow, turbid, noisy, boisterous, and came down from a
different point. Whether I considered the water or the land the scene
appeared to me entirely new, and as I could not fancy myself in another
part of the country, I concluded that the God of nature had shaken his
providential iron rod over the subverted spot before me. Following the
track made by a great number of spectators, who came already from the
neighbouring parishes, I climbed over the ruins and came to a field well
grown with rye-grass, where the ground was greatly cracked in several
places, and where large turfs, some entirely, others half turned up
exhibited the appearance of straight or crooked furrows, imperfectly
formed by a plough drawn at a venture. Getting from that field over the
hedge, into a part of the road which was yet visible, I found it raised
in one place, sunk in another, concave in a third, hanging on one side in
a fourth, and contracted as if some uncommon force had pressed the two
hedges together. But the higher part of it surprised me most, and
brought directly to my remembrance those places of mount Vesuvius where
the solid stony lava has been strongly worked by repeated earthquakes,
for the hard beaten gravel that formed the surface of the road was broken
every way into huge masses, partly detached from each other, with deep
apertures between them exactly like the shattered lava. This striking
likeness of circumstances made me conclude that the similar effect might
proceed from the same cause, namely, a strong convulsion on the surface
if not in the bowels of the earth. Going a little farther towards
Buildwas I found that the road was again totally lost for a considerable
space, having been overturned, absorbed, or tumbled with the hedges that
bounded it to a considerable distance towards the river; this part of the
desolation appeared then to me inexpressibly dreadful. Between a
shattered field and the river there was that morning a bank on which
besides a great deal of underwood grew twenty fine large oaks, this wood
shot with such violence into the Severn before it that it forced the
water in great columns a considerable height like mighty fountains, and
gave the overflowing river a retrograde motion. This is not the only
accident that happened to the Severn; for near the Grove, the channel
which was chiefly of a soft blue rock burst in ten thousand pieces, and
rose perpendicularly about ten yards, heaving up the immense quantity of
water and the shoals of fishes that were therein. Among the rubbish at
the bottom of the river, which was very deep in that place, there were
one or two huge stones and a large piece of timber, or an oak tree, which
from time immemorial had lain partly buried in the mud I suppose in
consequence of some flood; the stones and tree were thrown up as if they
had been only a pebble and a stick, and are now at some distance from the
river, many feet higher than the surface of it. Ascending from the ruins
of the road I came to those of a barn, which after travelling many yards
towards the river had been absorbed in a chasm where the shattered roof
was yet visible. Next to those remains of the barn, and partly parallel
with the river, was a long edge which had been torn from a part of it yet
adjoining to the garden hedge, and had been removed above forty yards
downward together with some large trees that were in it and the land that
it enclosed. The tossing, tearing, and shifting of so many acres of land
below, was attended with the formation of stupendous chasms above. At
some distance above, near the wood which crowns the desolated spot,
another chasm, or rather a complication of chasms excited my admiration;
it is an assemblage of chasms, one of which that seems to terminate the
desolation to the north-east, runs some hundred yards towards the river
and Madeley wood; it looked like the deep channel of some great
serpentine river dried up, whose little islands, fords, and hollows
appear without a watery veil. This long chasm at the top seems to be
made up of two or three that run into each other, and their conjunction
when it is viewed from a particular point exhibits the appearance of a
ruined fortress whose ramparts have been blown up by mines that have done
dreadful execution, and yet have spared here and there a pyramid of
earth, or a shattered tower by which the spectators can judge of the
nature and solidity of the demolished bulwark. Fortunately there was on
the devoted spot but one house, inhabited by two poor countrymen and
their families; it stands yet, though it has removed about a yard from
its former situation. The morning in which the desolation happened,
Samuel Wilcocks, one of those countrymen, got up about four o’clock, and
opening the window to see if the weather was fair he took notice of a
small crack in the earth about four or five inches wide, and observed the
above mentioned field of corn heaving up and rolling about like the waves
of the sea; the trees by the motion of the ground waved also, as if they
had been blown with the wind, though the air was calm and serene; the
river Severn, which for some days had overflowed its banks, was also very
much agitated and seemed to turn back to its source. The man being
astonished at such a sight, rubbed his eyes, supposing himself not quite
awake, and being soon convinced that destruction stalked about, he
alarmed his wife, and taking children in their arms they went out of the
house as fast as they could, accompanied by the other man and his wife.
A kind Providence directed their flight, for instead of running eastward
across the fields that were just going to be overthrown, they fled
westward into a wood that had little share in the destruction. When they
were about twenty yards from the house they perceived a great crack run
very quick up the ground from the river; immediately the land behind them
with the trees and hedges moved towards the Severn with great swiftness
and an uncommon noise, which Samuel Wilcocks compared to a large flock of
sheep running swiftly by him. It was then chiefly that desolation
expanded her wings over the devoted spot and the Birches saw a momentary
representation of a partial chaos! then nature seemed to have forgotten
her laws: trees commenced itinerant!—those that were at a distance from
the river advanced towards it, while the submerged oak broke out of its
watery confinements and by rising many feet recovered a place on dry
land; the solid road was swept away as its dust had been on a stormy
day;—then probably the rocky bottom of the Severn emerged, pushing
towards heaven astonished shoals of fishes and hogsheads of water
innumerable;—the wood like an embattled body of vegetable combatants
stormed the bed of the overflowing river, and triumphantly waved its
green colours over its recoiling flood;—fields became moveable,—nay, they
fled when none pursued, and as they fled they rent the green carpets that
covered them in a thousand pieces;—in a word, dry land exhibited the
dreadful appearance of a sea-storm. Solid earth as if it had acquired
the fluidity of water tossed itself into massy waves, which rose or sunk
at the beck of him who raised the tempest; and what is most astonishing,
the stupendous hollow of one of those waves ran for nearly a quarter of a
mile through rooks and a stony soil with as much ease as if dry earth,
stones, and rocks had been a part of the liquid element. Soon after the
river was stopt, Samuel Cookson, a farmer who lives a quarter of a mile
below the Birches, on the same side of the river, was much terrified by a
dust of wind that beat against his windows as if shot had been thrown
against it, but his fright greatly increased when getting up to see if
the flood that was over his ground had abated he perceived that all the
water was from his fields, and that scarce any remained in the Severn.
He called up his family, ran to the river, and finding that it was dammed
up, he made the best of his way to alarm the inhabitants of Buildwas, the
next village above, which he supposed would soon be under water. He was
happily mistaken, providence just prepared a way for their escape; the
Severn, notwithstanding a considerable flood which at that time rendered
it doubly rapid and powerful, having met with two dreadful shocks, the
one from her rising bed and the other from the intruding wood, could do
nothing but foam and turn back with impetuosity. The ascending and
descending streams conflicted about Buildwas bridge; the river sensibly
rose for some miles back, and continued rising till just as it was near
entering into the houses at Buildwas it got a vent through the fields on
the right, and after spreading far and near over them collected all its
might to assault its powerful aggressor, I mean the grove, that had so
unexpectedly turned it out of the bed which it had enjoyed for countless
ages. Sharp was the attack, but the resistance was yet more vigorous,
and the Severn repelled again and again was obliged to seek its old empty
bed, by going the shortest way to the right, and the moment it found it
again it precipitated therein with a dreadful roar, and for a time formed
a considerable cataract with inconceivable fury, as if it wanted to be
revenged on the first thing that came in its way, began to tear and wash
away a fine rich meadow opposite to the grove, and there in a few hours
worked itself a new channel about three hundred yards long, through which
a barge from Shrewsbury ventured three or four day after, all wonder at
the strangement of the overthrow. Some ascribe it to an earthquake,
others to a slip of the ground, and not a few remain neuter, confessing
that providence has conducted this phenomenon in such a manner as to
confound the wisdom of the wise, and force even philosophers to adore in
silence the God of nature whose ways are past finding out, who giveth not
always account of his matters, and who perhaps strikes an ambiguous blow
to convince us that the how of his vengeance has more than one string,
and that, to say nothing of the other elements, our mother earth may
afford us an untimely grave, either by the slipping of her back or the
convulsion of her bowels. My employment and taste leading me more to
search out the mysteries of heaven than to scrutinize the phenomena of
the earth, and to point at the wonders of grace than those of nature; I
leave the decision of the question about the slip and the earthquake to
some abler philosopher.”
POST OFFICE—_At Mr. Jeremiah Ashwood’s_. Letters arrive at 8 A.M., and
are despatched 5.35 P.M.
_Marked_ 1 _are in Cape or King street_; 2 _Church street_; 3 _High
street_; 4 _Queen street_; 5 _Barratt’s hill_; 6 _Broseley Wood_; 7
_Jackfield and neighbourhood_; 8 _Barber’s row_; _and_ 9 _Duke street_.
2 Amphlet Susannah, vict., The Dog
3 Ashwood Jeremiah, corn miller, maltster, and postmaster
3 Bartlam Edward Glover, Esq., surgeon, and coroner for borough of
Wenlock
5 Bathurst Henry Martyn, schoolmaster (national)
5 Baker Mrs. Frances
3 Baker The Misses, drapers and mercers
2 Baugh George, Esq.
2 Bayliss Miss Helen, ladies’ boarding school
7 Beard Thomas, victualler, Werps Inn
3 Beddoes John, shoemaker
6 Beddow Thomas, grocer
6 Bill Jeremiah, butcher, shopkeeper and beerhouse
3 Birch Thomas, coalmaster
7 Boden Susannah, shopkpr.
3 Booth Henry, farmer and butcher
6 Bradley Richard, tobacco pipe maker
3 Bourne Wm., blacksmith and beerhouse-keeper
2 Boycott Richard, baker and confectioner
2 Broadhurst Thos., timber merchant & wheelwright
2 Brodie Mrs.
7 Brown Edwd., blacksmith, and vict., Summer House
3 Burnet Henry, hosier and haberdasher
3 Burnet Isaac, boot and shoemaker
3 Burnet John, grocer and dealer in hops
7 Burn Rev. Andrew, B.A., curate, Rock House
7 Burton Edward, brick and tile manufr. & barge owner
7 Burroughs John, rope manufacturer
3 Cartwright Chas., butcher
6 Cartwright James, butcher
3 Charlton Humphrey, wine and spirit and hop and seed merchant
4 Colley Bernard Wilkinson, maltster
8 Collins Thos., locksmith
2 Cooke Joseph, victualler, Old Crown
3 Corfield Thomas, butcher
3 Cowley Jas., grocer, ironmonger, and seedsman
3 Cox Robert, saddler
3 Crowder Leonard, painter, plumber, and glazier
3 Crump William, butcher
7 Crumpton William, ferryman and barge owner
7 Cullis William, victualler, Tumbling Sailors
7 Davies Ann, brick and tile maker
7 Davies James, sen., brick and tile maker, The Rock
7 Davies James, jun., brick and tile maker, The Rock
3 Davies John, farmer
6 Davies Samuel, butcher and maltster
7 Davies Thos., shopkeeper, and brick and tile maker
Davies Thomas, tailor, The Delph
6 Dean James, thatcher and beerhouse-keeper
1 Davies Thomas, victualler, Duke of Cumberland
7 Dillon Joseph, bargeowner, Salt house
7 Dodd Andrew, bargeowner, Salt-house
7 Doughty Geo., bargeowner, Salthouse
7 Doughty Robert, bargeowner, Salthouse
7 Doughty Theophilus, brick & tile maker, Lloyd Head
6 Easthope Mrs. Ann
2 Edwards Ann, victualler, Foresters’ Arms
3 Evans Edwin R. auctioneer, accountant, house & estate agent, valuer &
appraiser, agent to the Sun Fire office, and superintendent registrar
3 Evans Mrs. Maria, draper and mercer
9 Evans Richard, registrar of births and deaths
6 Evans John, shopkeeper and poulterer
Evans Robert, Esq., J.P., The Dunge
8 Evans Susan, confectioner
3 Evans Thos., confectioner
8 Everall Robert, butcher and vict., The Plough
1 Everall Thomas, baker and grocer
3 Fawkes Arthur, victualler, Cape of Good Hope
8 Fenton John, brazier and tinman
2 Forester The Honourable and Rev. Orlando Watkin Weld, M.A., The Rectory
5 Firfield Mrs.
5 Francis Robert, tailor
8 Glover Edwd., hairdresser
6 Gough Mrs. Martha
2 Griffiths Edward, shopkeeper, Salt-house
2 Griffiths John, timber merchant and wheelwright
Griffiths Miss, milliner
3 Gwynn Geo., basket-maker
5 Gwynn Martha, basket-maker
7 Harris Richard, tailor, Salt-house
3 Hartshorne Edward, boot and shoemaker
2 Hartshone Frederick H., Esq., surgeon
3 Hartshorne George, auctioneer, appraiser, cabinet-maker, builder, and
upholsterer
1 Harvey John, grocer, draper, accountant, agent to the Birmingham fire
office, and medical, clerical, and general life office
9 Hayman John, glass dealer and victualler, The Fox
1 Holmes Wm., coalmaster
8 Hill Benjamin, joiner and builder
5 Hill Hiram, grocer and coal master
8 Hiskett Thomas, tin-plate worker
7 Holt Thomas, victualler, Woodbridge Inn
3 Humphries John, grocer, chandler, and hop dealer
2 Instone Samuel, grocer
2 Jones Adam, surveyor and victualler, The Pheasant Commercial Inn
Jackson Rev. Wm. (Baptist), Broseley Cottage
8 Johnson John, tailor and habit maker
7 Jones Isaac, blacksmith
7 Jones John, vict., Duke of Wellington, The Werps
6 Jones Samuel, baker
3 Jones Stephen, tailor and habit maker
Jones Rev. Wm. (Baptist), Chapel Hill
3 Jones Richard, painter, plumber, glazier, & paper hanger
7 Jones Thos., fishmonger, and beerhouse-keeper, The Rock
2 Knight Henry, Esq., professor of music
3 Leadbetter Enoch, agent to Crown Life Assurance office
9 Legge Mrs. Margaret
3 Lister Edward, victualler, The Elephant
6 Lister Thomas, Esq.
7 Lloyd Henry, waterman and vict., The Oak
6 Lloyd William, beerhouse-keeper
3 Mason James, shoemaker, and licensed to let post-horses
7 Mapp Thomas, cement manufacturer
6 Mason Henry, hatter and marine-store dealer
6 Mason John, grocer and tea dealer
7 Miles Francis, shopkeeper, Salt-house
3 Miles Thomas, victualler, The Albion
3 Molineux Thomas, boot and shoemaker
6 Morris John Cox, Esq.
Morgan Mrs., Rock House
Mortimer Mrs. Favell Lee, Broseley Hall
3 Nevitt Enoch, stationer
3 Nevitt Samuel, shopkeeper
Nicholas William, Esq., Field House
3 Oakley Jesse, druggist and grocer
3 Oare Charles, Esq.
2 Onions John, Esq., iron-founder, and brick & tile maker, White Hall
7 Oswell George, beerhouse-keeper and ferryman
Page Thomas, maltster
7 Parker Benj., bargeowner & vict., Lloyd’s Head Inn
7 Parker Charles, victualler, Black Swan
3 Parsons Wm., blacksmith
3 Perrin William, draper, mercer, and hatter
9 Peters Moses and Richard, nail makers & ironmongers
3 Potts Geo., Esq., solicitor, clerk to borough of Wenlock & to Madeley
County Court, The Green
3 Potts & Nicholls, solicitors
2 Pountney Edwin, baker
3 Pountney Samuel, grocer
9 Pountney Samuel, tailor
6 Powell Richd., shopkeeper
7 Price Robert, mine agent, Calcott
3 Pritchard’s Boycott and Nicholas, bankers; draw on Barnett, Hoares, and
Company, London
2 Pritchard George, Esq.
3 Pritchard John, Esq.
2 Pritchard Miss
7 Proudman Geo., earthenware manufacturer, Ivanhoe Pottery
3 Pugh Helen, milliner and dressmaker
3 Pugh Thos., china painter
5 Raspass Elizbeth, shopkpr.
7 Reynolds John, bargeowner
3 Rhodes Charles, vict., The Lion Commercial Inn
7 Richards Geo., beerhouse, The Salt-house
7 Richards Robert, victualler, Severn Trow
3 Richards Thomas, saddler
7 Robinson Jas., blacksmith
7 Roden Samuel, brick and tile manufacturer; house, Ironbridge
7 Roden Thomas, joiner, Salt-house
6 Rowe Chas., wheelwright
6 Rufus Hannah, victualler, King’s Head
2 Rushton Henry, joiner and builder
3 Rushton Richard, grocer
2 Shaw William P., agent to legal and general life assurance office, and
to Salop fire office
6 Smith Moses, hosier
4 Salmon John, hosier
6 Southorn Ann, beerhouse
6 Southorn Joseph, tobacco-pipe manufacturer
6 Southorn Wm. & Co., tobacco-pipe manufacturers
4 Speak Thos., shopkeeper
5 Squires Richard, builder
2 Stable Mrs. Mary, The Deanery
2 Stables Miss Jane, The Deanery
3 Stephan Caroline, milliner and dressmaker
4 Taylor William, butcher
7 Taylor William, coal and brick master, The Tuckies
2 Thorn John, Esq., White Hall
4 Thursfield Richard, Esq., surgeon, and high bailiff to Madeley County
Court
5 Tonkiss Richard, tobacco-pipe maker
5 Trupp Thomas, inland revenue officer
7 Transom Jas., bargeowner
9 Watkin Richd., shoemaker
Watkins Wm., victualler, Duke of York
6 Weaver Mary, shopkeeper
9 Weeks John, shoemaker
6 Weeks Thos., shoemaker
9 Weeks Richard, boot and shoemaker, & beerhouse
8 Willings Benjamin, boot and shoemaker
9 Westover John, attorney’s clerk
7 Wiggins John, schoolmaster (national)
7 Wild John, bargeowner
2 Wilkinson John, blacksmith
5 Wilkinson Mrs. Lucia
3 Williams Ann, shopkeeper and poulterer
7 Williams Edward, shopkeeper, and brick and tile maker, The Werps
7 Williams Edwd., jun., vict., Dog & Duck, Lloyd Head
7 Williams Mr. Silvanus, Salt-house
9 Whooton Herbert, butcher and farmer
Wyke Richard, surgeon, Salt-house
5 Yates Elizabeth, victualler, The Crown
7 Yates Robt., vict., Ash Tree
HUGHLEY
is a parish and village delightfully situated in a lovely vale four and a
half miles S.W. from Much Wenlock; the Wenlock Edge bounds the parish on
the eastern side, and on the west is a small mountain stream. The parish
contains 1,111A. 3R. 38P. of land, the soil of which for the most part is
of an inferior description, but produces tolerable crops of oats, and
wheat is also grown. Rateable value £817. The land in this parish is
the property of the Earl of Bradford, except about three roods and a
small cottage. A bridge has recently been built over the stream here,
which is a great advantage and convenience to the inhabitants, as the
waters occasionally rush with great impetuosity from the hilly district,
and render the fording of the stream dangerous. The bridge was built by
subscriptions, under the superintendence and aid of the late rector. In
former times the extensive woods with which Hughley was surrounded were
long the retreat of robbers; a commission was issued in the reign of
Richard II. to inquire into the best means of securing the banditti, and
protecting travellers from their lawless depredations.
THE CHURCH, a small but interesting specimen of the gothic style of
architecture, is dedicated to St. John the Baptist; it is very ancient,
and consists of nave and chancel, the latter divided from the nave by a
beautifully rood loft elaborately carved; on the roof also is some
beautifully carved work. A recess in the wall containing a number of
human bones is conjectured to have been a shrine; the bones are probably
the remains of some reputed saint, and were formerly secured by a door,
but this has long been destroyed. There is a piscina on a pedestal,
whereon in former times would very probably stand the patron saint of the
church. The living is a rectory valued in the King’s book at £4. 11s.
3d., now returned at £160, in the patronage of the Earl of Bradford, and
enjoyed by the Rev. John Wakefield, M.A. The parish of Hughley, at the
census of 1801, contained 83 inhabitants; 1831, 115; and in 1841 there
were twenty houses and 127 souls. Job Littleford, in 1772, gave to the
parish of Hughley 6s. yearly to maintain a poor child at school; 4s. to
be distributed among the poor by the rector; and 2s. 6d. to the parish
clerk yearly. The premises charged with this payment are situate at Holt
Praed, and are the property of Mrs. Thursby.
DIRECTORY.—Richard Bullock, blacksmith; Edward Corfield, miller;
Elizabeth Owen, farmer; Thomas Madeley, farmer; Rev. John Wakefield,
M.A., rector; Andrew Walker, farmer, Upper Hill farm; Richard Walleter,
farmer, Lower Hill farm.
LINLEY
is a small parish in the Wenlock franchise, situated about three and a
half miles south-east from Much Wenlock. The parish comprises 636 acres
of land, the principal owners of which are Lord Forester and John
Stephens, Esq. At the census in 1801 there were 108 inhabitants; 1831,
111; and in 1851, 105; of whom 42 were males, and 63 females. At the
same period there were 19 inhabited houses, and one uninhabited. Gross
estimated rental of the parish, £809. 2s. Rateable value, £729. 18s.
Lord Forester is lord of the manor and impropriator. THE CHURCH, a
plain, unpresuming structure, has the appearance of great antiquity: the
windows are small and square headed, and there is a short tower. The
church is situated in a field, and near it stands a venerable yew tree,
but there is no inclosed burial ground. The living is a rectory, annexed
to that of Broseley. The Hon. and Rev. Orlando Forester is the
incumbent. Divine service is only performed once a month. LINLEY HALL
was formerly the seat of the ancient family of Lacon, who possessed the
greater part of the parish. It is a plain brick structure, now occupied
by Miss Martha Onions.
DIRECTORY.—George Carpenter, vict., Duke of Wellington Inn; Robert
Harrison, farmer; Joseph Langmore, wheelwright and blacksmith; Ann
Newton, vict., Britannia Inn; Miss Martha Onions, Linley Hall; Edward
Owen, proprietor of Owen’s pills and drops, Linley Villa; Josiah
Wellings, bailiff to Mr. Hembry.
LITTLE WENLOCK
is a parish and small rural village, styled in ancient records “Wenlock
under the Wrekin,” and is situated three miles south from Wellington,
thee miles north-west from Ironbridge, five miles N.N.E. from Much
Wenlock, and eleven miles south-east from Shrewsbury. The village is
pleasantly situated on a bold acclivity, near the eastern side of the
Wrekin, commanding some fine views over a picturesque and delightful
district. The Wrekin stands partly in this parish, and also extends into
the parishes of Wellington, Wroxeter, and Uppington. The Willow Moor or
Wrekin farm is situated in a sequestered vale near to the Wrekin. This
valley is supposed to have been the scene of a battle at some remote
period. As a labourer was cutting a drain in the year 1835, about a
hundred yards from the turnpike from Little Wenlock to Wellington, he
suddenly came upon a heap of broken spears, which had been thrown
together, and which it is stated numbered between two and three hundred.
In the immediate vicinity are five barrows, which were opened about
sixteen years ago, but nothing was discovered in them. The parish
comprises 2,460 acres of land, the soil of which is a mixture of clay and
gravel, producing tolerable crops of wheat, barley, and turnips. The
minerals are ironstone, coal, and limestone, but none of these valuable
minerals are got except on the northern verge of the parish, probably in
consequence of their abundance in the adjacent parishes, where extensive
iron works and collieries have long been established. Lord Forester is
the owner of the land, and lord of the manor. At the census in 1801 the
parish contained a population of 980 souls; 1831, 1,057; and in 1841
there were 202 houses, and 1,091 inhabitants, of whom 578 were males, and
513 females; in 1851 there were 1,034 inhabitants, and 199 houses. Gross
estimated rental of the parish, £3,760. 10s. Rateable value, £4,351. 8s.
THE CHURCH is a very ancient structure, dedicated to St. Lawrence. The
body of the church appears of older date than the tower, which was built
in 1667. The fabric was enlarged in 1822 by adding a south transept of
brick; the rest of the structure is of free stone. The tower contains
five bells. The pulpit is of carved oak, very ancient. There is
accommodation for upwards of 600 persons: 520 of the seats are free and
unappropriated. A neat marble font is placed at the west end. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £11. 13s. 4d., in the
patronage of Lord Forester: incumbent, Rev. George Edmonds, M.A. The
tithes have been commuted for £584. 3s. 4d., and there are nine acres of
glebe land. The parish register dates from the year 1689. In the
church-yard are several venerable yew trees. THE RECTORY is a commodious
brick residence, a short distance from the church, from which are seen
some pleasing and picturesque views of the country. The house stands 600
feet above the level of the Severn, whose silvery waters flow in the vale
beneath. WENLOCK HALL is now divided into cottage tenements. HUNTINGTON
is a hamlet about a mile north from the church. COALMOOR a hamlet a mile
south from the church.
CHARITIES.—_Maurice Haywood_, who died in 1760, bequeathed the sum of
£10, the interest thereof to be distributed in bread to the poor of the
parish on St. Thomas’s day, yearly. This legacy was paid to the
churchwarden, and the parish has ever since made a distribution of bread
to the amount of the interest at five per cent. _Mrs. Alice Green_ gave
an annuity of 11s. 6d. to the poor of this parish, payable out of an
estate called the Dairy House Farm, at Brierley, in the parish of
Sedgley, in Staffordshire, of which 10s. was to be given to the poor, and
1s. 6d. to the person who fetched it for his trouble. The estate on
which this annuity is charged is the property of Mrs. Foley. Much
irregularity has taken place in the payment of this little annuity, in
consequence apparently of the distance from which it was to be procured.
_Mrs. Mary Tipton_, in the year 1844, bequeathed £50, and directed so
much of the interest as should be necessary to be applied in painting and
keeping in repair her monument in the church-yard, and the residue to be
annually distributed among the poor. _Mrs. Hannah Shepherd_ bequeathed
the sum of £100, the interest to be applied in the purchase of suitable
clothing for the benefit of the poor.
_Marked_ 1 _are at Coalmoor_, 2 _Huntingdon_, _and the rest in Little
Wenlock or where specified_.
Boore Edward, maltster
Boore George, grocer
Boore John, farmer
1 Boycott Richard, charter master
1 Boycott William, draper, grocer and farmer
Chant Thomas, shoemaker
Davis Richard, farmer
Davis Thomas, farmer and maltster
2 Dawes Benjamin, maltster
Edmonds Rev. George, A.M. rector, The Rectory
Edmonds William, Esq.
1 Garbitt Wm., vict., Peacock
Harper Daniel, farmer, Wrekin farm
Harris Edwin, vict., Spread Eagle
Hulse John, beerhouse keeper
2 Jervis Francis, farmer, maltster, and collector of taxes
Jones Martha, beerhouse keeper
1 Milner William, farmer and maltster
1 Maun James, vict., Labour in Vain
Poole Mrs. Charlotte
Poole Henry, blacksmith and shopkeeper
1 Ralphs John, sawyer and beerhouse
1 Shepherd, Richard, farmer
Steele William, farmer and vict., Five Bells
Walker Edward, farmer, Willow Moor
Wellings, Walter, farmer
Williams Mrs. Emma
Wilson John, farmer
2 Yates Catherine, farmer
MADELEY
is a considerable parish and market town in the Wenlock Franchise, four
and a half miles S.W. from Shiffnal, nine miles N.N. by W. from
Bridgnorth, and fifteen miles S.E. from Shrewsbury. This parish is
celebrated for its valuable mines of coal and ironstone, its extensive
and flourishing ironworks, the Coalport china manufactory, and the
manufacture of superior bricks. The parish comprises 2,810 acres of
land; at the census of 1801 there were 4,758 inhabitants; 1831, 5,822;
1841, 7367; and in 1851, 8,524; of whom 4,163 were males and 4,361
females; at the latter period there were 1,711 inhabited houses, 47
uninhabited, and four houses building. Rateable value, £19,900. The
principal landowners are Joseph Reynolds, Esq., James Foster, Esq.,
Abraham Darby, Esq., Rev. John Bartlet, Francis and John Yates, Esqrs.,
and the representatives of the late Francis Darby, Esq. Joseph Reynolds,
Esq., is lord of the manor. The town of Madeley so far as regards that
portion in the vicinity of the church is irregularly built, and consists
chiefly of detached ranges of cottages rather than streets; in the
immediate vicinity are a number of handsome villa residences and neat
cottages. The Prior and convent of Wenlock in the 53rd of Henry III. had
the grant of a market on Tuesday, to be held at Madeley, and a fair on
the eve, the day, and the morrow of St. Matthew the apostle and
evangelist. This market subsequently became obsolete, but was revived in
1763, when a new market house was built in the Dale at IRONBRIDGE; here a
flourishing market is held on Friday, and fairs are held on January 26th,
May 29th. and October 12th. The extensive establishment of Abraham Darby
and Company, ironmasters, and the porcelain manufactory of Messrs. Rose
and Co., give employment to a great number of the labouring population.
The Madeley Wood Company’s iron works employ about eight hundred
operatives, and in the establishment of James Foster and Company are
employed upwards of five hundred hands, chiefly in making pig iron. A
house and barn not far from the church at Madeley, afforded shelter to
the unfortunate Charles II., after his defeat at the battle of Worcester.
Madeley Court House, an antique old mansion in the Elizabethan style of
architecture, was formerly the residence of Sir Basil Brooke, fourth in
descent from Sir Basil Brooke, a zealous royalist in the time of Charles
I. It is now the residence of Mr. George Jones; in the grounds is a
curious old sun-dial. The MADELEY COUNTY COURT, for the recovery of
debts, embraces the following parishes and places, viz.: Albrighton,
Badger, Barrow, Beckbury, Benthall, Blymhill, Bonninghall, Broseley,
Buildwas, Dawley, Donnington, Kemberton, Linley, Little Wenlock, Madeley,
Much Wenlock, Patshull, Posenhall, Ryton, Sheriff Hales, Shiffnal,
Stirchley, Stockton, Sutton Maddock, Tong, Weston-under-Lizard, and
Willey. _Judge_, Uvedule Corbet, Esq.: _Clerk_, George Potts, Esq.:
_Assistant Clerk_, Mr. William Bailey: _High Bailiff_, Mr. Richard
Thursfield.
THE MADELEY POOR LAW UNION comprehends twelve parishes, embracing an area
of forty-three square miles, with a population returned at the census of
1831 of 22,164 souls: in 1841 the inhabitants had increased to 26,172,
and at the last census in 1851 there were 27,626 inhabitants, of whom
13,668 were males and 13,958 females. The Union House is a plain brick
structure which will accommodate 140 inmates; the average number of
paupers is about 70. The parishes embraced within the Union are Madeley,
Little Wenlock, Buildwas, Dawley, Stirchley, Broseley, Benthall,
Posenhall, Barrow, Linley, Willey, and Much Wenlock. _Clerk to
Guardians_, William Reynolds Anstice, Esq.: _Superintendent Registrar_;
Mr. Edwin R. Evans: _Chaplain_, Rev. James H. Gwyther: _Governor_,
William Wildblood.