hundred, situated about a mile S.S.W. from Bridgnorth. The village is on
a gentle eminence, and contains some respectable family residences, and
is surrounded by scenery of the most picturesque and romantic character.
The parish comprises upwards of 1,400 acres of land, and is bounded on
the east by the River Severn, and intersected by the Bridgnorth, Ludlow,
and Cleobury Mortimer turnpike roads. At the census in 1801 there were
107 inhabitants; 1831, 126; and in 1841, 28 houses, and a population of
142 souls. THE CHURCH is a plain structure, dedicated St. Nicholas,
consisting of nave and chancel, with a tower partly composed of wood.
The interior is neatly pewed, and the nave is separated from the chancel
by a carved oak screen. The Rev. Joseph Woolley, rector of this place 51
years, is remembered on a neat tablet dated 1728. There are also tablets
to members of the families of Dethic, Beech, Hincksman, and others. The
living is a rectory, rated in the king’s book at £5, now returned at
£254, in the patronage of the Lord Chancellor: incumbent, Rev. John
Purton, M.A. There are 16½ acres of glebe land. Sir John E. D. Acton,
Bart. is the principal landowner, and lord of the manor. Mr. Nicholas
Edwards and the Rev. John Purton are also proprietors. The Rectory is a
good residence, situated near the church.
CHARITIES.—_Mrs. Mary Harris_ left by her will £5 for the poor of the
parish. The time of this bequest is not mentioned; but in April, 1770,
it appears that the principal and interest then amounted to £10. No
application of this legacy seems to have been made to the use of the poor
for a period of upwards of fifty years. About thirty years ago the
principal and interest were paid over by Mr. Thomas Farmer, and invested
in the stock; the money so invested produced a sum of £57. 12s. stock in
the three per cent. consols; the dividends of which are yearly
distributed among the poor.
The _Rev. Thomas Littleton_, by his will, dated 17th September, 1792,
gave to the minister and churchwardens or Oldbury the sum of £10, upon
trust, to pay the interest among the poor who frequent the service of the
church. The personal property of Mr. Littleton passed into the hands of
his executor, Richard Green, and eventually into those of his brother,
Jonathan Green, who became embarrassed in his circumstances. The
property had been sold when the Charity Report was published, and it was
expected that this, with other claims, would soon be liquidated.
DIRECTORY.—John Bentley, butcher, Crosshouses; Samuel Bentley, farmer;
Edmund F. Bowen, farmer and beerhouse keeper; Mr. James Brawn; William
Brown, blacksmith; Miss Edwards; Nicholas Edwards, farmer, Westwood; John
Green, farmer and corn miller; Mrs. Sophia Elizabeth James, The Cottage;
Richard Jerrett, farmer and vict., The Hundred House; Margaret Wynne
Jones, gentlewoman, The Lodge; Mrs. Mary Longmore, The Villa; Rev. John
Purton, M.A., The Rectory; Miss Spalding; John Warden, farmer; Edward
Welding, wheelwright; Mary Wheatley, gentlewoman, Oldbury House; Mr.
Wright
QUATFORD,
a small parish and village on the banks of the river Severn, about a mile
and a half south from Bridgnorth, derives its name from _Coed_ and
_Forda_ (British), signifying the Wood at the Ford—originally within the
Forest of Morfe. The parish contains 1,773 acres of land, and includes
the lordships of Hay and Eardington, which are situated on the opposite
side of the river Severn. The parish in 1801 contained 417 inhabitants;
1831, 492; 1841, 553. Rateable value, £3,586, 18s. 3d. The township of
Quatford comprises 514 acres of land, and in 1841 had 44 houses and a
population of 204 souls. The manor belongs to the corporation of
Bridgnorth, and the mayor for the time being is lord of the manor. John
Smalman, Esq., is the principal landowner; George Pritchard, Esq., W. W.
Whitmore, Esq., Henry Vickers, Esq., Mary Jones, Mr. Thomas Hudson, Lord
Sudeley, Mr. William Hughes, Mr. Thursfield, and others, are also
proprietors. In this township stands the castellated residence of John
Smalman, Esq., J.P., called QUATFORD CASTLE. It stands within sight of
the rock where stood the castle erected by Ethelfleda Countess of Mercia
(the wife of Ethelred, the first Earl Palatine of Mercia), prior to the
year 919. Mr. Smalman is descended from an ancient family long seated at
Wilderhope Hall, in the parish of Rushbury. The castle is built on a
prominent hill, surrounded by plantations overlooking the beautiful river
Severn for several miles, and only approached by an artificial road on
its eastern side. This enchanting spot, from its varied views and
pleasurable walks, is the constant attraction of families resident in the
town and neighbourhood of Bridgnorth, who are welcomed by its liberal and
much respected proprietor.
THE CHURCH, a venerable structure, dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene, has a
square tower, surmounted with pinnacles, and contains three bells. The
interior of the church has a handsome appearance; the altar is
elaborately carved, and the floor of the chancel is covered with
encaustic tiles. There are several neat monumental tablets, one of which
remembers Thomas Crump, who died in 1718; another is erected to the
memory of Joseph Corbet, Esq., who died in 1790. The living is a
perpetual curacy, in the patronage of Lord Sudeley, and enjoyed by the
Rev. George Leigh Wasey, M.A. Mr. Cox has the following account of
Quatford:—“The manor of Quatford, belonging to Roger de Montgomery, Earl
of Shrewsbury, he built a church here, upon this occasion: Adaliza, his
wife, coming out of Normandy, there happened so great a storm at sea that
nothing but shipwreck was expected by the mariners; but her chaplain
being wearied with much watching, fell fast asleep, and as he lay at rest
a venerable matron appeared to him, and said: ‘If your lady will make a
vow to build a church to St. Mary Magdalene, in the place where she first
meets the earl, her husband, in England, she shall be preserved from the
danger of this tempest.’ This vision being told his lady, she presently
vowed accordingly, and got safe to shore; from whence, going towards her
husband at Shrewsbury, she met him in this place a hunting, and telling
him the vision, he willingly fulfilled her vow, and built this church at
Quatford, and dedicated it to St. Mary Magdalene, endowed it with ample
possessions, and gave it to his collegiate chapel, in the Castle of
Bridgnorth. Robert de Belesme, his eldest son, coming to his father’s
inheritance in England (by the death of his younger brother, Hugh),
removed from this town of Quatford,—but whither, we find not.”
THE WESLEYAN METHODISTS have a small chapel in the village. There is
also a SCHOOL here, a decorated structure, built in the year 1847, by
subscription; about thirty children attend. A LIBRARY for the use of the
parish is kept in the church vestry.
CHARITIES.—_John Corfield_, in 1718, directed six twopenny loaves to be
distributed the first Sunday in every month in the year. This annuity is
paid out of land in Stottesden. _Arthur Weaver_, _Esq._, in 1709,
bequeathed out of the several tithes of Morville, Aston Eyre, and
Quatford, to the curates of each yearly; the bequest to the curate of
Quatford being £3. 13s. 4d.
It appears that in the years 1767 and 1769, _Arthur Weaver_ granted two
rent charges of £7 each, towards the augmentation of this curacy, and
that the Governors of Queen Ann’s Bounty, in conjunction with the said
Isaac Weaver, agreed to augment the curacy with two several sums of £200
each, having previously agreed to augment the same with a like sum of
£200 by lot. In pursuance of this agreement, in the year 1784, the sum
of £600 was laid out in the purchase of a certain messuage and about
seven acres of land, situated at Eardington, which were conveyed to the
then curate, to hold to him and his successors for ever.
CHURCH LANDS.—The following premises have been appropriated to the
repairs and uses of the church for a long period, but from what source
they were originally derived we have been unable to discover:—A parcel of
land, called Paradise, containing four acres and three-quarters,
producing £10 per annum. A house and garden let for 10s. a-year, also
rendering the service of rowing over the parishioners at all times free
to the parish church on the other side of the river. There are also
several other plots of land, comprising upwards of 14 acres, which, with
the above sums, produce an annual rent of £20. 1s. 11d. In the year
1810, timber was sold from the church land for £100. 12s. 6d., part of
which was laid out for a new boat, and there remained a sum of £70 in the
Bridgnorth Bank.
_William Nicholls_, in 1846, bequeathed £150 to the minister of Quatford,
upon trust, to dispose of the interest thereof among the most deserving
poor of the parish.
The sum of £20, left by _Thomas Spencer_ in 1722, for the benefit of the
curate of Quatford, and £10, left by _Elizabeth Oldburg_ in 1730, have
long been lost.
DIRECTORY.—John Smalman, Esq., The Castle; John Clayton, Esq., Quatford
House; John Davies, beerseller; Robert Griffiths, timber merchant,
architect, builder, quarry-master, and dealer in tiles, bricks, slates,
&c., Chantrey House; Thomas Hudson, beerseller; Mary Lambert,
school-teacher; William Martin, victualler, Red Lion Inn; Thos. Owen,
shopkeeper, and foreman to Mr. Griffiths; John Thomas Poole, farmer, The
Bank; The Misses Shepherd, The Grove; John Sing, Esq., The Hall; Richard
Turley, parish clerk and ferry-house keeper; Stephen Wolryche, Esq., The
Villa.
EARDINGTON
is a township and pleasantly situated village, in the parish Quatford,
one mile south from Bridgnorth, which contains 1,259A. 0R. 7P. of land,
the rateable value of which is £2,727. 13s. Gross estimated rental,
£2,997. 18s. The principal landowners are Mrs. Mary Oldbury; Mr. William
Baldwin; The Devisees of the late Thomas Duppa, Esq.; Lord Liverpool; and
Lord Sudeley; besides whom there are several other small freeholders. In
Doomsday Book we find this place written _Ardintone_, and though annexed
to the mother church of Quatford (on the opposite side of the river
Severn) in ecclesiastical matters, yet in all other respects is virtually
a parish of itself. About three miles below Bridgnorth, on the western
bank of the Severn, is the EARDINGTON FORGE, a charcoal iron manufactory,
celebrated for making the best charcoal wire, horse nail, and gun iron.
The works are carried on by James Foster, Esq., of Stanton Castle, in
Worcestershire, under the able management of Mr. Thomas Austin Jackson,
and are the largest of the kind in the kingdom. THE NATIONAL SCHOOL is a
neat brick structure, which will accommodate about fifty children. It
was erected in the year 1837. This township in 1801 had a population of
328 souls; 1831, 325; 1841, 349. At the latter period there were 71
inhabited houses.
Angeworth William, farmer, Hay Farm
Baker Thomas, farmer
Cooper John Henry, Esq., banker, The Knowle Sands
Cole George, stock taker, The Forge
Crowder John, corn miller
Duppa Mrs. Georgiana Elizb.
Fryer John, blacksmith
Garbett Francis, shoemaker
Harrison Mr. Samuel
Hudson William, victualler, The Crown
Jackson Mr. Thomas Austin, manager, Eardington Forge
James David, beerhouse
Jarratt James, butcher
Lloyd Thomas, shoemaker
Miles Thos., vict., Red Lion
Minshull John, miller
Noakes Samuel, farmer
Oldbury Mrs. Mary, farmer, Eardington House
Oldbury The Misses Anne and Margaret
Pitt James, engineer
Powell Martha, shopkeeper
Simkiss John, manager of Coal and Buck’s Works
Summers Samuel, farmer
Wasey Rev. Geo. Leigh, M.A. incumbent of Quatford and Morville Knowle
Sands
Weaver William, maltster, and farmer
QUATT,
an extensive parish, anciently within the forest of Morfe, is intersected
by the Bridgnorth and Kidderminster turnpike road, and bounded on the
western side by the river Severn, which is crossed at several places by
ferry boats. The parish comprehends the hamlets of Quatt Malvern, Quatt
Jarvis, Mose, Wooton, and Dudmaston, and contains 2,674A. 1R. 11P. of
land, of which 238A. 0R. 14P. are in woods and plantations, 33A. 3R. 36P.
water, 23A. 1R. 4P. public roads, and 66A. 2R. 26P. in the demesne and
grounds of Dudmaston Hall. The soil is for the most part highly fertile.
Rateable value, £3,514. 4s. 5d. Population in 1801, 300; 1831, 328;
1841, 365; part of the population is included within the limits of the
borough of Bridgnorth. The township of Quatt Malvern at the census of
1841 is returned as containing 29 houses and 141 inhabitants. The tithes
are commuted for £415. 9s. 8d. Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq., M.P., is
the principal landowner and lord of the manor; John Sing, Esq., Thomas
Bowen, and others, are also freeholders. The village of Quatt is
scattered, but pleasantly situated, four miles S.E. from Bridgnorth; it
contains some good residences, and the surrounding country is beautifully
picturesque and romantic. In Leland’s time there were to be seen here
the ruins of the manor house of Robert de Montgomery. About four miles
from Quatt Malvern are the remains of a Roman camp called THE WALLS. The
form of it is nearly quadrangular, and there have been four gates into
it; one in the middle of the north front, another in the middle of the
west, a third in the south-east, and a fourth at the north-east corner.
The odd position of the two last take advantage of declivities in the
rock. Besides these a sloping way is cut through the bank, and down the
rock in the middle of the south face, to the water. The west side has
been doubly fortified with a deep trench cut out of the solid rock
between two ramparts. To the north it has only one bank. It embraces an
area of more than twenty acres, but no coins or antiquities have been
found there. Not far from the Severn an ancient sword was discovered,
differing in form and metal to any hitherto found in Great Britain.
Similar have been found in Ireland.
THE CHURCH is a venerable fabric, dedicated to St. Andrew, partly
composed of free stone, and partly of brick. It consists of nave,
chancel, side chapel, and north aisle, the latter separated from the nave
by three arches resting on octagonal pillars; the tower contains four
bells. The pulpit and reading desk are beautifully carved, and dated
1629. The font is very ancient, and there is a gallery at the west end,
upon which is placed an organ. The altar is of oak, exquisitely carved.
On the floor is a remarkable inscription, with some curious tracery,
dated 1387 and 1495. On a pillar are remembered some of the ancient
family of Wolryches. In the side chapel is a black marble tomb in memory
of Sir Francis Wolryche, who died in 1668, near to which is an elaborate
monumental tomb with figures in black marble, in bold relief set in a
block of alabaster. There is also a fine figure in alabaster,
exquisitely carved, in memory of Dame Marie Wolryche, dated 1628.
Another tomb of fine workmanship has the figures of a knight and his
lady, and remembers Francis Wolryche, Esq., and Margaret, his wife, and
is dated 1614. There are also some neat tablets in the church which our
limits will not allow us to notice in detail. The living is a rectory
valued in the king’s book at £14. 15s., now returned at £415. 4s. 8d., in
the patronage of W. W. Whitmore, Esq., and incumbency of the Rev. Edmund
Carr, M.A. The rectory is a handsome and spacious residence situated
near the church. On rebuilding the church of Quatt in 1763 were found a
number of figures painted on the walls, representing the Seven Charities
and the Day of Judgment; and on a piece of vellum nailed to an oak board
the figure of our Saviour rising from the sepulchre, underneath the
figure were the following lines:—“Saynt Gregory and other popes and
byshops grantes sex and twenty thousand zere of pardonz thirtti dayes to
alle that saies devoutlye knelyng afor yis is ymage fife paternosters,
fife aves, and a cred.”
THE SOUTH EASTERN SHROPSHIRE DISTRICT SCHOOL has been established for the
reception of children belonging to the several unions of Bridgnorth,
Cleobury Mortimer, Madeley, and Seisdon. The object of the institution
is not only to give a sound healthy education, but so to improve both the
physical and mental powers as shall break the thread of pauperism, and
enable this hitherto unhappy class to establish themselves in after life
as independent labourers. The experiment has proved most satisfactory,
and even more successful than was expected, not only in giving a good
healthy education combined with labour to the children, but yielding such
a return in money as altogether prevented any additional cost to the
ratepayers, and even paid a portion of the former expenses. The actual
profits of the four acres of land cultivated having amounted to between
£60 and £70 per annum. The question of profit, though of importance, is
trifling when compared with the benefits derived by the children, who are
here removed from scenes of inferiority and degradation and brought up in
habits of industry, and a knowledge of gardening combined with the
inculcation of honest principles and religious knowledge, are blessings
of incalculable amount. The house is capable of accommodating 170
children, and the boys are employed in the cultivation of the land, in
the management of cows, pigs, and a pony; the girls are employed in the
house and dairy work. Henry Garland is the governor, and Mrs. Garland
matron.
DUDMASTON HALL, the seat and property of W. W. Whitmore, Esq., J.P., is a
handsome brick mansion, situated near the Bewdley and Bridgnorth turnpike
road. It stands in an extensive and richly wooded park, and is
beautified with tasteful pleasure grounds and choice shrubs. Dudmaston
is a manor within the manor of Quatt, and was in early times the
residence of Dudmastons, from whom it passed in marriage to the
Wolryches, and they devised it to their maternal relation, William
Whitmore, Esq., whose descendant now inherits the estate and mansion.
CHARITIES.—By an indenture, dated September 17th, 1687, the churchwardens
and two parishioners of this parish devised, for a term of 99 years, to
Richard Gough, a piece of land in St. Leonard’s parish, in consideration
that the said Richard Gough should, within five years, erect thereon a
bay of building with brick and stone; and also should pay, during the
term, the annual rent of five shillings, for the benefit of the poor of
Quatt. It does not appear to what source the parish was indebted for
this land, but in an old corporation book belonging to the corporation of
Bridgnorth, there is an entry, purporting to be an extract from the will
of _Thomas Dovey_, dated 13th of February, 1601, whereby he gave to the
parish of Quatt £5 for the use of the poor for ever. In 1788, the former
lease having expired, a new lease of the premises was granted for the
like term, and at the same rent; the sum of £12 being paid as a fine for
renewal.
This parish appears also to have enjoyed for many years the property of a
house and land, in the parish of Worfield, of the origin of which we have
not been able to discover any trace. The earliest notice that we find of
it is in the year 1759, when it appears in the occupation of a tenant at
the rent of £2. 10s. per annum. In 1802 the premises were sold for £110,
and the amount was placed in the bank of Bates and Jones, at Bridgnorth,
which subsequently failed. A dividend of 4s. in the pound was afterwards
paid, and this sum, amounting to £22. 13s. 2d. was placed in the
Stourbridge bank. The interest is carried to the poor rates.
DIRECTORY.—William Wolryche Whitmore, Esq., Dudmaston Park; Miss
Elizabeth and Ellen Bowen; Thomas Bowen, farmer, Wooton; Rev. Edmund
Carr, M.A.; Thomas Clare, farmer, Mose; William Clare, maltster and
farmer; Wm. Coupar, farmer, Hoult; John Craig, farmer, Wooton; Henry
Garland, governor of Union School; William L. Loundes, Esq., The Lodge;
Samuel Minor, farmer, Mose; George Pool, farmer, Morfe; John Sayce,
farmer, Lye Hall; Robert Sayce, farmer, The Hall Farm and Harles Farm;
William Spence, agent to W. W. Whitmore, Esq.; John Warder, farmer,
Morfe.
RUDGE
is a sequestered village and township in the parish of Pattingham,
situated seven miles east of Wolverhampton, and eight miles south by west
of Bridgnorth, bordering on the county of Staffordshire, from which it is
separated by a small stream of water. This township has no connexion
with the mother parish except for church assessments, all other parochial
rates being raised by a collection from the resident holders of property.
In 1841 there were 19 houses and 101 persons. There are 1,567 acres of
land here, of which 40 acres are woodlands, 10A. 2R. 18P. roads, 166A.
2R. 25P. of meadow or pasture, 894 acres arable, and 455A. 3R. 14P.
common and waste, which is now being enclosed by Thomas Boycott, Esq.,
who gives employment to a number of the labouring population. The
Wolverhampton and Bridgnorth turnpike road crosses Rudge Heath. Rateable
value of the township, £1,792. 1s. The tithes were commuted in 1839 for
£199. 10s. 10d. to the impropriator, and £75. 15s. to the vicar of the
parish. Thomas Boycott, Esq. is lord of the manor, and the principal
landowner. RUDGE HALL, the seat and property of Thomas Boycott, Esq., is
pleasantly situated on a gentle eminence, commanding most beautiful
prospects of the surrounding country. It is built of brick, and
stuccoed. The park grounds are of considerable extent, and richly
wooded.
DIRECTORY.—Thomas Boycott, Esq., Rudge Hall; Rev. William George
Greenstreet, M.A., The Vicarage; James Bentley, machine maker; John
Bentley, carriage builder and smith; Thomas Edwards, farmer; Robert
Francis, farmer; James Herbert, shopkeeper; Benjamin Hithcock, gardener;
George Jones, jun., farmer; George Jones, farmer; Sarah Jones,
dressmaker; William Jones, farmer; Richard Keysell, coachman; Charles
Lakin, farmer and vict., New Inn; William Lyndon, farmer; Alexander Mac
Donald, gardener; Richard Morris, butler; William Nash, farmer; Thomas
Pound, blacksmith, Hobston; James Tomkiss, grocer and provision dealer;
Robert Turnbull, farm bailiff; Benjamin Waklam, beerhouse keeper.
SHEINTON, OR SHINETON,
a parish and small rural village in the Chelmarsh division of the
Stottesden hundred, picturesquely situated in a romantic district, 2¾
miles N.N.W. from Much Wenlock, contains 967A. 3R. 4P. of land, bounded
on the north by the river Severn. Gross estimated rental, £1,428. 14s.
Rateable value, £1,352. 17s. Population in 1801, 163; 1831, 133; 1841,
154; at the latter period there were 36 houses. The principal landowners
are the Duke of Cleveland, Sir George Harnage, Francis Benthall, Esq.,
and the devisees of the late Walter Moseley, Esq. The family of Sheynton
were seated here at a very early period. William de Sheynton held one
knight’s fee in this manor in the 22nd of Richard II. Hugh de Sheynton
had the grant of free warren here in the time of Edward II. The land is
for the most part fertile in this parish, and produces good turnips and
barley: the low lands have been improved by draining. THE CHURCH
consists of nave and chancel, with a tower, in which are three bells. It
is dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul, and has an ancient appearance.
There are no memorials worthy of notice. Some of the curious carving in
oak is of great antiquity. The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s
book at £6. 9s. 2d., now returned at £360; in the patronage and
incumbency of the Rev. H. Bagnall. _Ann Lacon_ bequeathed a rent charge
of £5 per annum for the benefit of the poor. The amount is received by
the overseers, who distribute it in equal shares of 25s. each, among four
poor widows of the parish. They are appointed by the minister and
churchwardens, and continue to enjoy the charity during their respective
lives.
The principal residents are the Rev. Henry Bagnall, rector; Charlotte
Adney, farmer; Andrew Dodson, farmer; John Young, vict., The Rising Buck.
SIDBURY
is a parish and small village, six miles S.W. by S. from Bridgnorth, in
the Chelmarsh division of the hundred. It is situated on a slight
eminence in a bold undulating district, and contains 1248 acres of land,
the rateable value of which is £966. 14s. 6d. In 1841 the parish had 14
houses and 94 souls; population in 1801, 92; in 1831, 103. The parish of
Sidbury formerly belonged to the family of the Cresswells, whose ancestor
was Richard the faithful servant of Charles I., who was in attendance on
the king when he took the fatal step of escaping from the University of
Oxford. This was one of those villes that Edmund de Mortimer separated
from the hundred of Stottesden in the time of Edward I. The landowners
in this parish are William Henry Cresswell, Esq., Thomas Crump, Esq. and
Mr. Barnard Acres.