History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Shropshire [1851]

Directory.—John Edwards, Esq., The hall; James Davies, farmer, Llan; Robert Edwards, farmer, Cafn; Thomas Jones, shopkeeper; Charles Jones, gamekeeper; John Jones, farmer, Garth-issa; William Jones, farmer, Gath-ucha; Richard Jones, gamekeeper; William Lloyd, blacksmith and vict., Horse Shoe Inn; Richard Lewis, farmer, Tynycoed; John Morgan, huntsman; William Pritchard, farmer, Cafn; Matthew Roberts, schoolmaster.

BLODWELL

is a pleasant village in a hilly and romantic country, six miles S.S.W. from Oswestry, having 87 houses and 384 inhabitants.  The township contains 1677a. 1r. 18p. of land.  Rateable value, £1777, 1s. 9d.  Gross estimated rental, £1989 18s. 9d.  The principal landowners are the Earl of Powis, Earl of Bradford, Mrs. Aubrey, Rev. John Parker, John Bonner, Esq.; John Edwards, Esq.; and John George Edwards, Esq.; the former is lord of the manor.  The Church, dedicated to St. Michael, is a venerable fabric, the exterior of which is now undergoing a complete reparation at the expense of the present incumbent.  The body of the church is divided into two compartments, and has a pitched roof, supported by columns and arches in the Norman style of architecture.  The chancel is tastefully decorated, and contains a splendid stained glass window; it is fitted up with stalls, and separated from the body of the church by an antique oak screen, richly carved.  The church has had additions and alterations made at several different periods; in 1835 the accommodation of the church was increased by the addition of 47 sittings.  The chancel contains several handsome memorials, one of which remembers the Bridgemans, of Blodwell; another very elegantly designed is commemorative of the late Sir John Bridgeman, Bart.; there are also monuments to the Godolphins, Matthews, and others.  The living is a vicarage valued in the king’s books at £7. 12s. 6d., and now returned at £271 in the patronage of the bishop of St. Asaph, and incumbency of the Rev. John Parker, M.A.  Divine service is performed alternately in the Welsh and English languages.  The vicarage is a modern and commodious erection of brick, in the decorative style, with ornamental chimneys, and is situated a short distance from the church; a considerable portion of the house has been built by the present incumbent.  The bishop of St. Asaph is the impropriator of the large tithes, which are commuted for £211 9s. 6d., and the small tithes payable to the vicar are commuted for £36. 9s. 3d.

Blodwell Hall, a modern stuccoed mansion delightfully situated, is the residence of William Lyons, Esq.  The hills above the hall command a scene of sublimity and beauty, perhaps unsurpassed in any part of Wales.  The summits of innumerable mountains are seen at once, rising in every variety of ridge, the distant in softest azure, and the near clothed in the richest verdure, with hanging woods, fertile meadows, and the bright rivers, Vernieu and Tanat, meandering at the foot of the hills, on their way to join the sunny waters of the magnificent Severn.  Turning towards England, a perfect contrast is presented, in the fertile and expansive plains of Shropshire, richly wooded, and profuse in luxuriant vegetation, terminated on the south by the noble Wrekin, and on the north and east by the faint outline of the distant hills of Cheshire and Stafford.  The river Tanat is crossed by a stone bridge at the point of separation of this township and that of Abertannat; at the Grove about a mile and a half below Blodwell it has its confluence with the river Vernieu, which here separates Shropshire and Denbighshire.

Edward ap Thomas, by his will bearing date 13th October, 1657, gave a rent charge of £2. 12s. yearly to the poor of Llanyblodwell and Llansilin, in equal portions.

Directory.—William Lyons, Esq., The hall; Rev. John Parker, The vicarage; Farmers, John Davies, Sarah Ellis, Richard Hughes, Edward Morris, Thomas Owen, Mary Roberts, and Edward Wall, The hall farm; Matthew Roberts, schoolmaster.

BRYNN,

a small village and township 1¼ mile N.W. from Blodwell, has 1118a. 0r. 35p. of land, 37 houses and 200 inhabitants.  The country around Brynn is bold and mountainous, and the uplands are cold and exposed.  The farms are in general small.  Rateable value, £1063. 15s.  The principal landowners are John Wynn Eyton, Esq.; John Hamor, Esq.; Mrs. Owens; Rev. John Parker; and the Earl of Powis; there are also several other freeholders.  The tithes are commuted for £176. 16s. 10d., of which £85. 8s. 5d. is apportioned to the vicar of Blodwell, £27 7s. 1d. to the Rev. Maurice Jones, and £64. 1s. 4d. to the bishop of St. Asaph.  Glanyrafon House, the seat of John Hamer, Esq., is situated on an eminence, on the line of road leading into North Wales; it is surrounded with park-like grounds finely timbered and studded with thriving plantations, and from the elevated position of the mansion it has an imposing appearance.  It commands views of great diversity and picturesque beauty; the meanderings of the Tanat giving an additional charm to the fairy scene.  Bryntanat Hall, the occasional residence or hunting box of William Henry Perry, Esq., is picturesquely seated on the knoll of a hill, the foot of which is washed by the rippling stream of the Tanat.  Although the hall is situate near to Bryan, it stands within the bounds of the county of Denbigh.

Directory.—John Hamor, Esq., Glanyrafon Hall; William Henry Perry, Bryntanat Hall; Farmers, Walter Davies, Edward Edwards, Richard Edwards, Richard Griffiths, Robert Hughes, Edward Jones, William Jones, Richard Kilner, Richard Phillips, and Richard Richards.

LLYNCLYS,

“Still the villagers near, when the lake is clear,
   Show the towers of the palace below,
And of Croes Willin there, will the traveller hear,
   And the cave called the grim Ogo.

And oft from our boat of a summer’s eve,
   Sweet music is heard to flow,
As we push from the side of the blue lake’s tide,
   Where the long green rushes grow.”

The rushes and reeds which grow on the margin are of extraordinary length; some have been drawn upwards of eighteen feet in length.  The water lily here flourishes with the greatest luxuriance, and throws out a profusion of blossoms upon the surface of the crystal waters.  Porthy-Waen is a populous hamlet in Llynclys township.

Those with * affixed are at Llynclys, and the rest at Porthy-Waen.

Davies Thos., vict., Red Lion

* Evans Thomas, farmer

* Griffiths Ann, farmer, Nut Tree Bank

Griffiths Francis, shopkeeper and baker

Griffiths Mary, farmer

Hughes Thos., toll collector

Hughes John, shopkeeper

Howell John, schoolmaster

Jones Edward, beerhouse

* Jones Mary, farmer

Jones David, shoemaker

* Lawrence Edward, farmer

Lewis Mary Ann, lime works

Lewis John, beerhouse

* Lloyd William, beerhouse keeper and lime works

Martin Maria, beerhouse

Newal Mrs., quarry owner

Pryce William, shopkeeper

Parkes Edward, blacksmith

Probert Edward, assistant overseer and collector

Roberts John, Dolgorth lime works

Savin Mary, lime works

Williams John, lime works

Williams John, jun., lime works

LLANYMYNECH

is a parish which contains the townships of Llanymynech-Llanytidman and Treprenal, partly situated in this county, and partly in the counties of Denbigh and Montgomery, in Wales.  The entire parish in 1801 had 596 inhabitants; in 1831, 887; and in 1841, 954.  Rateable value, £3,987.  The village of Llanymynech is pleasantly situated, six miles south from Oswestry, and ten miles N.W. by S.S. from Shrewsbury.  It has attained its present importance from the extensive quarries of limestone with which the vicinity abounds.  Considerable quantities of the stone are sent to the Staffordshire iron works, for fluxing the metals.  It is also burnt into lime.  The Chester, Ellesmere, and Newtown canal affords facilities for carrying the material to distant parts.  Copper ore was formerly found in considerable quantities, but the mines have not been worked for some time.  There are 1,281 acres of land, the principal owners of which are the Earl of Bradford; Earl Powis; John Lloyd, Esq.; Richard Nightingale Broughton, Esq.; Rev. William Evans; Rev. John Luxmoore; Robert Wall, Esq.; Mr. Parker; Philip Jennings, Esq.; R. W. Kynaston, Esq.; T. W. Thomas, Esq.; Robert Wall, Esq.; Rev. William Thomas; Mrs. Evans; Hon. Francis West; Thomas West, Esq.; and Robert West, Esq.  Earl Powis is lord of the manor.  The soil is various in this parish.  The meadow lands on the banks of the Vernieu are enriched by that river frequently overflowing its banks.  The river is here crossed by a substantial stone bridge of three arches; and about a mile and a half from the village a branch of the Ellesmere canal is conducted over the river by an aqueduct of five arches, near which it is joined by the Montgomeryshire canal.

On Llanymynech hill is an artificial cave of considerable length, called Ogo (from the Welsh word Ogof, signifying a cave), supposed to have been worked by the Romans as a copper mine.  It contains many sinuosities, and is generally about three yards wide, having many turnings and passages connected with each other.  Some years ago, all the passages of this subterraneous labyrinth were explored by J. F. M. Dovaston, Esq., when none of the paths were found to extend more than two hundred yards from the entrance.  The passages are cut through the rock, which is of limestone, whereon frequently appear the marks of chisels, and the various ramifications have no doubt been made in quest of the rich veins of ore.  Subsequent to the Romans, it probably became either a place of refuge after battle, or a depository for the dead, for human skeletons, culinary vessels, hatchets, and Roman coins have been found in this cavern.  A finger-bone was picked up with a ring on it.  One of the skeletons had a curious battle-axe beneath his arm, and not far from it were the bones of a man, woman, a child, a dog, and a cat.  Some time ago several Roman coins, mostly of Constantine, were found in the earth which was washed down the side of the hill.  The water which drops in some parts of the cave is of a petrifying quality, and forms stalactites; the drops of water hanging on the points of each, catch the light of the candle, and give the surrounding space a glittering illumination extremely beautiful.  It is probable that a battle has been fought here in disputing for this mine, or that the large entrenchments, that run parallel with the Clawdd Offa eastwardly, were made to defend it.  Not far from this cave is a Cromlech, called the Giant’s Grave.  At the north-east end are four large stones, which formerly supported a fifth flat stone on their points, in form of a Brandart, called in Welsh Trwbad; but these are now thrown down.  Towards the south-west proceed two rows of flat stones, six feet asunder, and thirty-six in length.  On digging here a Druid’s celt was found, and several other things, with human bones, the teeth very perfect.

There is a sum of £26 in the hands of the churchwardens, the origin of which is not known.  It was received from the executors of the late incumbent, who died in 1829.  The interest is distributed among poor women of the parish at Christmas.

LLANYTIDMAN

is a township with a scattered population, five and a half miles south from Oswestry, having in 1841, 113 houses and 545 inhabitants.  Here are extensive stone quarries and lime works, and the township is intersected by the Ellesmere and Llanymynech canal, and the Oswestry and Llanymynech turnpike road.

TREPRENAL

is a small township in Llanymynech parish, comprising three houses and 21 inhabitants.  Here is Llwynygroes Hall, the residence of R. N. Broughton, Esq., delightfully situated, commanding fine views of the surrounding country.

Post Office.—At Mr. John Lloyd’s.  Letters arrive by gig mail from Oswestry at 9.30 A.M., and are despatched 4 P.M.

2 Asterley Thomas, farmer

Asterley William Lloyd, Esq.

Batterbee Charles, brazier, plumber, painter, and beerhouse keeper

Baugh Margaret, vict., Cross Keys

1 Bothell Mary, farmer

Bower William, wool agent

2 Broughton Richard Nightingale, woolstapler and maltster, Llwynygroes hall

Broughton and Asterley, grocers, drapers, and general dealers

Davies Mrs., gentlewoman

1 Davies John, farmer and miller

Dovaston Edward Milward, surgeon

1 Dyke Isaac, farmer

Ellis Letia, tailor and draper

1 Evans John, farmer, gardener, and rate collector

Griffiths Richard, blacksmith

Griffiths Richard, draper and grocer

1 Griffiths Jn., quarry master

Gwynne George, cooper

Gwynne George, shoemaker

Hackett John, tallow chander

1 Harris Geo., quarry master

1 Harrison John, farmer

Hughes Edward, shoemaker

1 Humphreys James, vict., Cross Guns

Jeffreys John, weaver

Jones Edward., saddler and harness maker

1 Jones Thomas, farmer

Leak Francis, toll collector

Lloyd John, farmer, timber merchant, builder, and vict., Lion Inn

Lloyd Richard, vict., Dolphin

Luxmoore Rev. John, the Rectory

Morgan Edward, saddler and dealer

Morris John, shoemaker

Parkins Charles, shoemaker

Poole Mrs., gentlewoman

1 Price Elizabeth, farmer

Price Hugh, seedsman

1 Pryce William, gentleman, Holly Bush

Pugh Henry, seedsman and druggist

Pugh James Owen, grocer and draper

Ratcliffe Samuel, farmer

Richards Richard, farmer, maltster, and vict., Bradford Arms

1 Roberts William, gentleman, Prospect cottage

Rodgers Edward, farmer

1 Savage Elizabeth, farmer

2 Sheldon Wm., gentleman

Thomas Thomas, farmer

Thomas Robert, schoolmaster and parish clerk

Watson Miss, post office

Whitticose Mary, gentlewoman

Williams Sarah, schoolmistress

Carrier.—Hugh Price, to Oswestry on Wednesdays and on Mondays, Saturdays, and Welshpool on Mondays.

ST. MARTIN

is a parish, and small but pleasantly situated village, five miles N.E. from Oswestry, and about the same distance W. from Ellesmere.  The parish comprises the townships of Bronygarth, Ifton Rhyn, and Weston Rhyn, containing together 5,314a. 2r. 25p. of land, and had in 1801, 1,476 inhabitants; in 1831, 2,099; and in 1841, 2,200.  The village of St. Martin is included in Ifton Rhyn township, which contains 2,813a. 2r. 33p. of land; and at the census of 1841 had 217 houses and 1,620 souls.  Rateable value, £4,570.  The principal land owners are the Right Hon. Arthur Trevor Viscount Dungannon, of Bryn-Kinalt Castle, the Hon. W. M. B. Nugent, Dean and Chapter of Winchester, R. G. Jebb, Esq., J. Haslam, Esq., Joshua Jones, Esq., Mrs. Fallows, and Edward H. Dymock, Esq.  This township lies on the N.W. confines of the county, and has some fine grazing land.  It is separated from Denbighshire by the Ceiriog river.  The Morlass brook here turns several corn mills, and has its confluence with the Ceiriog about a mile from the Erewescob corn mill.

Charities.—Bryngwyla School, situated about a mile W.W. by S. from the church, was founded in 1705 by Edward Phillips, for the instruction of twelve poor boys of the parish of St. Martin to read and write.  Mr. Phillips also endowed the school with the sum of £100, and directed £3. 12s. yearly to be paid to the schoolmaster, who was to occupy the school-house rent free, on condition of his keeping the premises in repair.  The donor also directed 4d. to be given to each boy every Ascension day for his encouragement; and 5s. to be expended by the vicar, trustees, and schoolmaster, in remembrance of the benefactor.  The master now receives £4. 13s. 6d. per annum, from which 5s. is paid to the trustees, but nothing is paid to the children.  The master receives 25s. yearly in respect of John Price’s charity hereafter mentioned.

Almshouses.—The almshouses are situated near the west side of the churchyard.  They consist of six tenements, mantled with ivy, and are supported by Lord Dungannon.  The inmates are clothed, receive 15s. a quarter, a loaf of bread on Fridays, and two tons of coal yearly.  There is also a school, where twelve children are clothed and educated.

Arthur Trevor, of Kay Mark, left £2 a-year; one half to be given to the poor on St. Thomas’s day, and the other half on Good Friday.  The amount is paid by the agent of Lord Dungannon.

Thomas Abellis left 21s. per annum, payable out of a piece of land called Cae-Rhoes.  In 1812, Edward Birch, a mortgagee, and Edward Jones, in consideration of £220. 10s., conveyed to the Ellesmere Canal Company a parcel of land called Cae Rhoes, and the said Edward Jones covenanted that he would indemnify the said company from a rent-charge of 20s., payable out of the said premises.  The property is still in the possession of the Ellesmere Canal Company, but nothing had been paid thereout to the poor for a period of twelve years when the Charity Commissioners published their report.  Application had been made to Mr. Price, of Felton Butler, who married the heiress of Mr. Jones, and he promised to continue the payment of this rent-charge.

Edward Phillips charged a piece of land with the payment of 4s. yearly for the benefit of the poor.

John Price bequeathed £100, and directed the interest of £25 to be applied in the education of youth, and the interest of £75 to be bestowed in clothing for some of the poorest parishioners.  The amount is secured on a piece of land in Weston Rhynn, from which £5 are paid yearly.

Hugh Lloyd left a rent-charge of 16s. per annum, issuing out of certain lands, called Cae Dickin, in Weston Rhynn, and directed the amount to be expended in sixteen dozen of bread, to be distributed on St. Thomas’s day.  It is stated on the table of benefactions, that “Richard Berkley, for Hugh Lloyd, pays for ten dozen of bread on St. Thomas’s day for ever.”  The gift of Edward Edwards, of 20s. per annum to the poor of St. Martin’s, is void under the statute of 9 George II.  It is stated in the parliamentary returns of 1786, that David Hughes left £10 for the benefit of the poor; and among the parish documents there is a bond, dated in 1746, from Thomas Phillips, of Trehowell, for the payment of this money.  Nothing, however, has been paid on this account for many years.

Post Office—At Esther Edwards.  Letters despatched at 2.30 P.M.

Beckitt Godfrey, butcher

Beckitt John, victualler, Cross Keys

Beckitt Roger, farmer, and land and timber valuer, Cadwagans Palace

Boodle William, shopkeeper

Dodd Richard, farmer, Pennybank

Dodd William, farmer and corn miller

Edwards David, tailor

Edwards Esther, farmer and shopkeeper

Edwards Mary, farmer, Peny-bryn

Edwards William, farmer

Griffiths Richard, schoolmaster

Harrison Francis, tailor

Hughes, Mrs. Jane

Hughes John, farmer, Erewescob

Hughes Robert, shopkeeper

Hughes Sarah, farmer and corn miller, Erewescob Mill

Hurst Rev. William, M.A., vicar

Isaac Jane, farmer, Rhosyllan

Jones Edward, wheelwright

Jones Elizabeth, farmer

Jones George, shoemaker

Jones Jane, shopkeeper

Jones Joshua, Esq., Wigginton Hall

Jones Richard, bricklayer, Glynmorlass

Jones Thomas, farmer, Wigginton

Jones William, provision dealer, St. Martin’s Moor

Jones William, shoemaker

Kynaston William, farmer, Wigginton

Lee Richard, farmer, Ifton Hall

Lee William, parish clerk

Lewis Thomas, grazier, Brook House

Matthews George, schoolmaster

Newnes Peter, shoemaker

Owen Richard, farmer, Glanywern

Parry Joseph, cooper

Powell Frances, schoolmistress

Powell Thomas, wheelwright

Powell William, wheelwright

Poynton John, farmer, Glenrid

Price John, farmer

Prynallt William, farmer

Randles Elizabeth, farmer

Roberts Edward, farmer, Wigginton

Roberts Joseph, tailor

Roberts Mary, farmer

Roberts Samuel, victualler, Crown Inn

Rogers Jane, schoolmistress

Rogers John, farmer and maltster, Ifton

Rogers Joseph, registrar & assistant overseer

Rogers Richard, shoemaker

Rogers Robert, stonemason

Rowland Elizabeth, farmer

Williams Daniel, farmer

Williams Jane, farmer

Williams John, farmer, Wigginton

Woodvill Thomas, farmer and maltster, Pine Bryn

Woollam Charles, farmer

Woollam John, farmer

is a township and scattered village from two to three miles W. from St. Martin’s Church, containing 1850a. 2r. 4p. of land, and in 1841 here were 195 houses and 856 inhabitants.  Rateable value, £4,053.  The principal land owners are Frederick Richard West, Esq.; Rev. John C. Phillips; John Richard Powell, Esq.; Mr. James Edwards; E. H. Dymoch, Esq.; T. E. Ward, Esq.; Mr. John Pritchard, and Mrs. Dickin, Mr. Edward Heys, and others are also proprietors.  A neat and ornamental school, in the early English style of architecture, was built in the year 1850 at the Lodge.  The structure is of stone got from the neighbouring quarries, with the Cafn hewn stone for the windows and ornamental portions of the building; it measures 20 feet by 40 feet, and has a pitched roof with a neat belfry.  The cost of the structure was £700, of which £40 was given by the National Society and £130 by the Privy Council on Education, the rest was raised by voluntary subscriptions.  A residence for the teacher adjoins the school.  The Calvinistic Methodists have a chapel at the lodge, built in 1811, the services of which are conducted in the Welsh language.  Coal of a good quality is found upon the estate of John R. Powell, Esq.; a steam engine is now in course of erection to clear the mines of water.  The Quinta, a handsome castellated residence built of lime stone, stands on a gentle acclivity, and commands some pleasing views to the south.  It is surrounded with shrubberies and park-like grounds, and is the residence of Rowland Jones Venables, Esq., and the property of F. R. West, Esq.  On the knoll of a hill a short distance from the hall, the owner of the estate about ten years ago caused immense blocks of stone to be reared up in the exact form of the celebrated Druidical Temple at Stonehenge.  From this eminence a most beautiful panoramic view of the surrounding country is seen.  Prees-gwene House, the residence and property of John Richard Powell, Esq., stands in a sheltered situation embosomed in foliage.  The Shrewsbury and Chester railway intersects this township, and has a station at Preesgwene, 1½ mile from Gabowen, and 22 miles from Chester.  The large tithes of Weston Rhyn are commuted for £270.

Calcott William, corn miller

Davies William, butcher

Duckett Mary, corn miller, New mill

Duckett Mrs. Tamar, Weston villa

Edwards Moses, maltster & vict., The Lodge Inn

Evans David, boot and shoe maker, The Lodge

Evans William, farmer, Berllan-deg

Griffiths Francis, wheelwrigt

Griffiths Thomas, colliery owner and shopkeeper

Hayes Mr. Ed., The Lodge

Hughes Hugh, farmer

Hughes John, inland revenue officer, The Lodge

Hughes John, carpenter

Hughes William, carpenter

Jackson Richard, butcher, The Lodge

Johnson William, maltster and vict., New Inn

Jones John, blacksmith

Jones Peter, saddler and shopkeeper

Jones Thomas, paper manufacturer, Morda

Jones Thomas, farmer

Lewis Richard, farmer

Lloyd Elizabeth, blacksmith

Peate Martha, farmer and maltster, Moreton hall

Phillips Rev. John Croxon, Tryn-y-rhos

Powell John Richard, Esq., Prees-gwene house

Poynton Thomas, farmer, Weston hall

Richards Thomas Anderson, station master, Prys-gwane

Roberts Daniel, provision dealer, The Lodge

Roberts Hugh, farmer

Roberts Thomas, farrier

Rogers John, farmer

Rogers Walter, farmer

Scudamore Mr. John, Moreton hall

Smith Frederick William, Esq., Green field lodge

Thomas David, farmer, The Vron

Turner Joseph, beerhouse & shopkeeper, The Lodge

Usher John, butcher

Vaughan William, tailor

Venables Rowland Jones, Esq., The Quinta

Williams Ann, farmer

Williams Edward, farmer

Williams John, farmer

Williams John, shoemaker and shopkeeper

Williams John, carpenter

Williams Thos., corn miller

a small township in St. Martin’s parish, with 645a. 1r. 28p. of land, lies on the verge of the county, and is separated from Denbighshire by the Ceireog river.  It lies about four miles W.W. by N. from the parish church, and in 1841 had 71 houses and 164 inhabitants.  Frederick Richard West, Esq., and the Rev. John Croxon Phillips, are the land owners and impropriators; to the former was apportioned £36, and to the latter £56, when the tithes were commuted.  The rateable value of the township is £1168.  Tyn-y-rhos is a good house pleasantly situated, the residence and property of the Rev. John C. Phillips.  The scenery in this township is bold and romantic, and some of the land is cold and exposed.  Lime works have been established on the northern confines of the township, bordering on Wales; lime is extensively used by the farmers as a fertilizer, particularly in the north-west parts of the county.

Directory.—Rev. John Croxon Phillips, Tyn-y-rhos; Moses Edwards, lime burner; John Hughes, carpenter; John Jones, blacksmith; William Lloyd, blacksmith; William Mason, shoemaker; Richard Orford, vict., Britannia, John Owen, farmer; Thomas Owen, farmer; Robert Roberts, butcher; Jane Williams, shopkeeper.

MELVERLEY,

a parish and township with a scattered population, 12 miles W.W. by N. from Shrewsbury, and 9 miles S.S. by E. from Oswestry, is situated on the western verge of the county, and is separated from Montgomeryshire by the river Vernieu and the Severn; the former having its confluence with the Severn at the Cymmeran Ferry.  The parish contains 1,445a. 2r. 22p. of land, which from its low situation is frequently inundated by the overflowing of the Severn, thus enriching the meadows and producing the greatest luxuriance; large herds of cattle are usually fed upon the meadows.  In 1801 here was a population of 218 souls; in 1831, 216; and in 1841, 229.  Rateable value, £2,317 5s.  The manor in the time of the confessor was held by one Edric, in whose family it continued till the 9th of Elizabeth, when Henry Earl of Arundle sold it to Young, from whom it subsequently passed to the Willastons.  Lord Craven was afterwards lord of the manor, and it is now vested in George Edwards, Esq.  The freeholders are Colonel Desbrow, Hon. Thomas Kenyon, Mrs. E. Bather, Mr. Henry Adams, Mr. William Parkes, Mr. Edward Williams, Rev. Mr. Maddocks, Mr. A. D. Benyon, Mr. James Jones, Mr. Stephen Matthews, Mr. William Cooper, Mr. Thomas Bromley, Mr. James Payn, Rev. Mr. Dimmock, Mr. William Downes, Mr. Oswell, Mr. Betta, Mr. John Edmunds, Thomas Justice Bather, Esq., Mr. Owen Owens, Mr. Jones, Mr. Manford, Mr. Duckett, and others.

The Church, dedicated to St. Peter, a large fabric of very primitive appearance, built of wood, stands on an elevated piece of ground near the banks of the Vernieu; part of it was swept away subsequent to the year 1478.  Although the workmanship is of the rudest description, yet the magnitude of the building and the fine old porch, give it an attractive and venerable appearance.  The windows are small and admit of very little light.  It contains several ancient memorials, and was fitted up with oak pews in 1718, previous to which it was provided with massive benches.  The living is a rectory annexed to Llandrinio, in the patronage of the bishop of St. Asaph, and enjoyed by the Rev. Henry Rogers.  The tithes were commuted in 1841 for £177. 11s., and there are five acres of glebe.  The parsonage is a neat residence of brick in the Elizabethan style of architecture, built during the years 1846–7.  The Independents have a small chapel with a residence annexed, built in the year 1842.

Bather Mrs. Eleanor, Cross lane house

Bill Edward, farmer

Brown Edward, farmer

Davies William, farmer, Melverley hall

Gittings Benjamin, farmer

Jones David, farmer

Jones Ed., grocer & beerhse

Jones Richard, blacksmith

Jones William, farmer

Lewis John, shoemaker and parish clerk

Lewis Thomas, farmer

Lloyd William, farmer

Manford Thomas, farmer, The green

Morgan William, farmer & cattle dealer

Morris Edward, farmer, Cross lane

Owens John, farmer

Pugh John, shopkeeper & beerhouse

Richards John, grocer and cattle salesman

Rodgers Rev. Henry, The parsonage

Rodgers John, assistant overseer and rate collector

Vaughan Richard, farmer

Vaughan Thomas, saddler

Wild John, butcher

Wild John, farmer

Wild Richard, vict., New Inn

Williams Edward, farmer, The green house

OSWESTRY

is a parish, borough, and considerable market town, locally situated in the hundred to which it gives name, seventeen miles and a half N.W. from Shrewsbury, and 179 miles N.W. from London.  The name of Oswestry is connected with some of our earliest historical recollections.  On this spot, on August 5th, 652, was fought the battle between the Christian Oswald, king of the Northumbrians, and the Pagan Penda, king of the Mercians.  Oswald was defeated, and lost his life.  The battle began about four hundred yards west of the church.  The assailant appears to have driven Penda’s forces to a field near the town, called Cae Nef, where Oswald fell, and Penda, with a savage barbarity, caused the breathless body to be cut to pieces, and stuck on poles as so many trophies of his victory.  Oswald’s strict virtue, and zeal for the religion he had embraced, gained him the esteem of his subjects, and his character was so much revered by the monks, that a short time after his death he was canonized.  The importance of the situation, which rendered it one of the keys to the principality of Wales, soon attracted the attention of the political monarch, whose prowess annexed that territory to his dominion.  This place was called by the ancient Britons Tre’r-cadeirian, literally the town of chairs or seats commanding an extensive view.  Notwithstanding the place was Welsh, and continued so above a century after the death of King Oswald, yet it has since gone under his name, and for some time was famed for the miracles wrought there through his intercession.  An ancient poet in noticing Oswald and the fate of Penda says:

“Three gibbets raised, at Penda’s dire commands,
Bore Oswald’s royal head and mangled hands;
The tenor of the fact, and Oswald’s fate,
Were things of moment to the Mercian state.
Vain policy! for what the victor got
Proved to the vanquished king the happier lot;
For now the martyred saint in glory views,
How Oswy with success the war renews;
And Penda scarcely can maintain his own,
Whilst Oswald wears a never fading crown.”

The town of Oswestry had various immunities and privileges granted by different monarchs.  In the 12th of Henry III. John Fitzalan obtained the grant of a fair at his manor of Blancminster, upon the eve, the day, and the day after the feast of St. Andrew, and for two days following.  Edward I. surrounded Oswestry with walls, that it might be less liable to plundering excursions, and as a key to his intended conquest of Wales.  A murage or toll was imposed upon the whole county (except the burgesses of Shrewsbury) for the building of the same for a period of six years.  The walls were about a mile in circumference, with an entrenchment on the outside, which could be filled with water from the numerous springs in the vicinity.  The remains of this fortification may still be traced.  There were also four gates, the only inlets into the town.  These gates, in process of time, became exceedingly inconvenient for the passage of carriages and merchandise, and the Blackgate was taken down in 1766, by the consent of Earl Powis, the lord of the manor.  In 1782, the corporation entered into an agreement for the demolition of the three remaining gates, and appropriating the materials to the erecting of a prison.  This was carried into effect, and pillars substituted in their stead.  The New Gate was built in the reign of Edward II.  It was used as a prison and guard-room for the soldiers.  Beatrice Gate is said to have been named in compliment to Beatrice, wife of Henry IV., and was probably erected in that king’s reign.  Willow Gate or Wallia Gate took its name from being the thoroughfare into Wales.

The governing charter, previous to the date of the municipal act, was one of 25th Charles II., styling the corporation the “Mayor, Aldermen, Common Council, and Burgesses, of the Borough of Oswestry, in the County of Salop,” and appointing a mayor, fifteen aldermen, fifteen common councilmen, a steward of the lord of the manor, recorder, coroner, or old mayor, town clerk, &c.  The mayor, steward, coroner, and recorder, were appointed to act as justices of peace for the borough.  A court of quarter sessions for the criminal jurisdiction within the borough was appointed to be held by the mayor, as president, and one to three of the magistrates.  The boundaries were from the beginning restricted to a certain district within the parish, and in the maps of the municipal boundary commissioners they are still further restricted to the more immediate vicinity of the town.  Under the new municipal act, the borough is divided into two wards, and appointed to be governed by six aldermen and eighteen councillors, under the usual corporate style.  It is included in schedule A among the boroughs to have a commission of the peace, which has accordingly been granted.  The following is a list of persons who have served the office of mayor since the new municipal act came into operation:—1835, John Croxon, Esq.; 1836, Francis Campbell, Esq.; 1837, Charles Thomas Jones, Esq.; 1838, George Dorsett Owen, Esq.; 1839, Griffith Evans, Esq.; 1840, Thomas Penson, Esq.; 1841, John Hayward, Esq.; 1842–3, William Williams, Esq.; 1844, William Price, Esq.; 1845, Thomas Rogers, Esq.; 1846, John Miles Hales, Esq.; 1847, Thomas Hill, Esq.; 1848, John Jones, Esq.; 1849–50, Edward Morris, Esq.  The magistrates who act in the Oswestry district are Joseph V. Lovett, Esq., Thomas Lovett, Esq., Richard H. Kinchant, Esq., W. W. E. Wynne, Esq., the Hon. Thomas Kenyon, and Viscount Dungannon.

Recorder: John Robert Kenyon, Esq.  Coroner: John Miles Hayes, Esq.  Town Clerk and Clerk to Magistrates: Richard Jones Croxon, Esq.  Clerk of the Peace: Robert Simon, Esq.  Surveyor: Mr. Thomas Hughes.  Treasurer: Mr. George Cooper.  Superintendent of Police and Clerk and Inspector of Markets: Mr. Jacob Smith.  The police force consists of a superintendent and six constables.  The income of the borough for the year ending September, 1st, 1850, was £706. 8s. 5d.  The principal items of expenditure were for salaries, £180; police constables and watchmen, £143; prosecutions, £65; gaol expenses, £144; conveyance of prisoners, £29; and miscellaneous expenses, £152.

That dreadful scourge the plague raged in Oswestry in 1559, and continued throughout the principal part of the year, during which time upwards of five hundred persons were swept away.  About half a mile from the town, on the Welshpool road, is Croes wylan, where a cross formerly stood, the base of which still remains.  During the time of the plague, the market is said to have been held at this cross, lest the country people by coming into the town should be infected.  The plague again appeared in Oswestry in 1585, which the parish register states began in March, and continued until July, when three score and four persons died.  The market for the sale of the flannel webs was held at Knockin until the calamity abated.  In 1542 there was a fire in the town, by which two long streets, with extensive property, were consumed.  In 1567 a fire again broke out and burnt two hundred houses.  The houses were then principally built of timber.  Leland, who passed through Oswestry in the time of Henry VIII., says, “There be within the town X notable streates: the iii. most notable streates be the Cross streate, the Bayly streate, and Newgate streate. with barns for corn and hay to the number VII. score several barns.  There is a castelle set on a mont, be likelihood made by hand, and ditched by south west, betwixt Beatrice streate and Willow gate, to which the wall commith.  The towne standeth most by sale of cloth made in Wales.  There goeth thro’ the towne by the Crosse a broke, comming from a place caullid Simon’s well, a bow-shot without the waulle by N.W.  This broke commith in by the waulle betwixt Willow gate and New-gate, and so renning through the towne, goith out under the Black-gate.  There be no towers on the waulles beside the gates.  The towne is dicked about, and brokettes ren ynto it.  The chirch of St. Oswalde is a very fair leddid church, with a great tourrid steple, and it standeth without the New-gate; so that no church is there within the towne.”

About half a mile N.W. from the town of Oswestry is an insulated eminence of an oblong form, surrounded by two ramparts and fosses of great height and depth, which in former days was known by the name of Caer Ogyrfan and Hen Dinas, but now recognized by the title of Old Oswestry.  This elevation bears the strongest marks of having been at some time a place of defence; the top is an extensive area containing 15a. 3r. 0p., and the fortifications which encompass it cannot be less than forty or fifty acres.  A gentleman who visited this spot in 1797 says that a well and pavement had been discovered here.  Some pieces of iron supposed to be armour had been dug up.  The original entrance to this fortification appears to have been on the opposite side of the hill from the great Holyhead road.  There is strong ground for the belief that this eminence was the original site of the town, which afterwards took and now bears the name of Oswestry, and that it was planted there by the ancient Britons at a very remote period.  That it was known to the Britons will appear evident from the fact of both the names we have mentioned as having been applied to it being British or Welsh, Caer Ogyrfan signifying “The Field of Ogyrfan,” who was contemporary with King Arthur, and Hen Dinas signifying “The Old City.”  It is evident that this magnificent work was not a sudden operation like that of a camp, but that it was a work of immense labour and ample security.  The character of the elevation answers to the description given of the position of ancient British towns.  They are said almost always to have been placed on a hill, and Speed tells us that the Britons “gave the name of townes to certain combersome woods which they had fortified with ramparts and ditches, whither they resort and retreat, to eschue the invasion of their enemies, which stand them in good stead, for when they have by felling trees mounted and fenced therewith a spacious plot of ground, there they build for themselves houses and cottages.”  In 1767 as much timber was cut down from the ramparts as sold for £17,000.