Its only relics now remaining are the ruins of a chapel, built over a
remarkably fine spring of water; to this was formerly attributed the cure
of various diseases, incident both to man and beast; and though its
miracles have long ceased, yet it still bears the name of the saint. The
remains of the castle, supposed to have been built at the time of the
conquest, are now almost too trivial to be noticed. This town was
garrisoned by the king, in the beginning of the civil wars, but captured
in June, 1644, by the Earl of Denbigh and General Mytton.
In passing through the town of Oswestry we noticed the church, as being a
very neat building; but, either from our own neglect, or imagining it not
to be ancient, we did not inspect the interior. Oswestry suffered
greatly by fire in the year 1542, and likewise in 1567.
“The church of St. Oswalde, (says Leland), is a very faire leddid chirch,
with a great tourrid steple, but it standeth without the new gate; so
that no chirch is there withyn the towne. This chirch was sum time a
monasterie, caullid the _White Minster_. After turnid to a paroche
chirch, and the personage impropriate to the abbey of Shreusbyri. The
cloister stoode in hominum memoria ubi monumenta monachorum. The place
and streate wer the chirch standithe is called Stretllan.” From this
place to