History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Shropshire [1851]

Wadlow Henry, race horse trainer, Stanton

Wild Samuel, farmer, Upton

Wilkes Samuel, Brewar’s Oak farm

STOCKTON

is a parish and village on the turnpike road from Bridgnorth to Shiffnal, five miles N.N.E. from the former town and five miles S.E. from the latter. At the census in 1801 there were 409 inhabitants; 1831, 459; 1841, 422, and in 1851 88 houses and 479 inhabitants, of whom 237 were males and 242 females. The parish embraces the hamlets of Apley, Higford, Norton, and part of Cheswardine-lane, and contains 3,162a. 0r. 21p. of land, of which 1,065a. 1r. 37p. are in Apley; the park and pleasure grounds contain 484 acres, and there are 79a. 3r. 19p. in the red deer park. Rateable value, £4,262. 17s. The soil is various, in some parts a light loam upon a red sand prevails, in other parts the soil is strong, and in some places there is a mixture of gravel. The strong soil yields fine crops of barley and wheat, the meadow lands on the banks of the Severn produce a fine herbage, and is highly fertile. Considerable flocks of sheep are kept in this parish. Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq., M.P., is lord of the manor, and owner of the whole parish. The vicinity of Stockton is pleasingly diversified with hill and dale, and beautified with romantic scenery; the high grounds command some fine views of the distant country, and the woody scenery in the immediate neighbourhood. Within the last few years several handsome residences have been erected, and some of the older houses have been modernized and beautified. The farms in this parish are of considerable extent, and by a judicious outlay of capital and superior management have been brought to a state of high productiveness. A court leet and court baron is held every five years at the Hundred House Inn, Norton.

The Church, dedicated to St. Chad, is a venerable structure of free stone, (some portions of which have been rough cast,) consisting of nave and chancel, with a square tower, in which are five bells and a clock; the ceiling is of panelled oak, with projecting rests, on which are carved figures of the twelve apostles; the ceiling of the chancel is also of beautiful dark oak, and the pulpit and reading desk are elaborately carved. The living is a rectory, with the curacy of Boningale annexed, valued in the king’s book at £13. 11s. 3d., in the patronage of Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq., and incumbency of the Rev. Charles Blaney Cavendish Whitmore, M.A.; the Rev. Stutville Isaacson, M.A., is the officiating minister. The tithes are commuted for £635. 15s., and there are 184a. 2r. 26p. of glebe land. The rectory is a commodious brick structure pleasantly situated a short distance from the church. There is a commodious school and residence for the teachers at Norton, which is supported by the munificence of T. C. Whitmore, Esq. At the present time there are about one hundred children instructed in this school.

Apley Park is the magnificent seat of Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq., M.P. for the borough of Bridgnorth. The mansion is an elegant structure of the Grinshill free stone, in the castellated style of architecture, with polygonal turrets at the angles, and a porch of three arches at the entrance of the eastern front. A lofty square tower ornaments the centre of the southern front, and on the north is a domestic chapel. It stands on a gentle eminence, and exhibits a noble specimen of architectural skill and superb workmanship, and may justly be considered one of the most costly and splendid mansions in the county of Shropshire. The terrace is one of the most extensive and delightful in the kingdom, and commands fine views over a park richly adorned with sylvan beauty and stocked with red deer; the windings of the Severn, whose silvery waters are seen through the rich foliage, forming an interesting object in the views. The gardens, pleasure grounds, greenhouses, and vineries are extensive, and stocked with a profusion of the choicest flowers and rare plants, which exhibit a luxuriance and beauty that show them to be under the management of a skilled gardener. This manor before the reign of Henry III. belonged to the family of Huggeford, from whom it passed in marriage to Sir Thomas Lucy. Its proprietor, Sir Thomas Lucy, disposed of the manors of Stockton, Apley, and Huggeford, and the estates within the parish, with the advowson of the church of Stockton, in 1551, to William Whitmore, Esq., of Oxton, near London,—a gentleman whose ancestors had long been resident at Whitmore, in the parish of Claverley. The above William Whitmore was a merchant who had acquired an immense fortune by trading with Spain in fine cloth, being a freeman of the Haberdashers’ Company, London. The abundant wealth of this great merchant laid the foundation of the future prospects of this respectable family, who soon after increased their possessions around their ancient patrimony, as well as in many other counties in the kingdom. Sir George Whitmore, Knight, the second son of the above William, was Lord Mayor of London in 1632. Sir William Whitmore, Knight, of Apley, was sheriff in this county in 1620, in which year he was elected member of parliament for Bridgnorth, of which borough his successors, the Whitmores, of Apley, have almost uniformly been representatives. The Whitmores were distinguished for their loyalty and sufferings in the troublous times of the great rebellion; and among the gentlemen of this county who compounded for the estates during the commonwealth, we find Sir Thomas Apley, of Whitmore, paid £5,000. Apley House was besieged by the parliamentary forces under Sir John Price, when Sir W. Whitmore and his son, Sir Francis Oateley, Mr. Owen, Mr. Fowler, Mr. Griffiths, and about sixty soldiers were taken prisoners.

The South Lodge at Norton is the residence of William H. Austin, Esq., a neat and pleasantly situated mansion, beautified with tasteful pleasure grounds.

Charities.—Mr. Thomas Talbot, in 1678, bequeathed £34 for the use of the poor of the parish of Stockton, the interest to be expended in bread. John Gough gave £30, and directed the yearly produce to be expended in bread, and given among six poor people. This legacy, as well as Talbots, was placed on private security in the hands of Mr. Thomason, who gave his note of hand for the same. Mrs. Eleanor Church, in 1798, gave to the churchwardens of Stockton £20, the interest to be given to the poor of the parish in bread on the first Sunday after the 26th of May. This money was also lent to Mr. Thomason. The interest of these three legacies now forms one fund for the distribution of bread, amounting to £4. 4s. a year. The annual cost of the loaves distributed when the charity commissioners published their report was £3. 9s. 4d. It did not appear why the whole of the interest had not been yearly expended, but the party holding the money agreed to pay up the principal, which it was intended to deposit in the Bridgnorth Savings’ Bank.

An omnibus leaves the Hundred House Inn twice a day, for the conveyance of passengers to and from the station at Shiffnal, and to Bridgnorth.

Post Office.—Receiving house at Mrs. Margaret Summer’s.

Whitmore Thomas Charlton, Esq., M.P., Apley Park

Whitmore Rev. Charles Blaney Cavendish, M.A., The Rectory

Arkinstall Abraham, blacksmith

Austin Wm. Hazledine, Esq., South Lodge

Bate John William, Asthall Farm

Branson Thomas, Esq., land & estate agent, Echoeshill

Brewster Henry, Higford Corn Mills

Bridgeman Mrs., Higford House

Bridgeman Orlando Jack, Esq., Cotsbrook House

Cherrington William, farmer

Darby Richard Sorton, Esq., Crowgreaves

Edgerley Thomas, carpenter and joiner

Edgerley John, butcher

Ferguson Alexander, farmer, Higford

Fletcher Mary, school teacher

Isaacson Rev. Stuteville, M.A., curate

Lee George, tailor

Lee John, tailor

Medcalf Charles, schoolmaster and organist

Nock Mrs. Mary Ann, farmer, Greaves

Nock Thomas, farmer, Leavenhall

Payne James, butler & farm bailiff, Rectory

Pearman Richard, farmer

Robinson Walter, shopkeeper

Rushton Edward, farmer

Summers Margaret, grocer, farmer, & vict., The Hundred House Inn

Yates Bartholomew, farmer, Old Park

SUTTON MADDOCK

parish is situated in the Shiffnal division of the Brimstree hundred, and comprises 3,240 acres of land, the rateable value of which is £4,042. The arable lands are highly fertile, and the grazing lands produce a fine herbage. The village is pleasantly situated on the Bridgnorth and Shiffnal turnpike road, six miles north from the former, and five miles south-west from the latter. At the census in 1801 there were 400 inhabitants; 1831, 384; and in 1841, 79 houses and a population of 352 souls. The principal landowners are Richard Phillips, Esq., Brockton Hall; T. C. Whitmore, Esq.; Richard Phillips, gentleman; Mr. William Wilkinson; Mr. William Braidley; and the Rev. John Brooke; there are also several other smaller proprietors. The Church is a freestone structure, dedicated to St. Mary, and consists of nave and chancel, with a tower, in which are five bells. The tower appears much older than the body of the church, which has in all probability been re-built, but of which we find no historical record. There is a small organ placed upon the gallery. A neat memorial remembers Elizabeth Farmer, of this place, who died on the 16th December, 1827, aged thirty years; there is also a neat tablet in memory of William Jones, late of Harrington, in this parish, who died in 1823, and various others. This church was given to the priory of Wombridge by King Henry II. The living is a discharged vicarage, annexed to the rectory of Kemberton. The Rev. George Whitmore, M.A., is the incumbent. In the 15th of Henry III., Madoc, the son of Griffin, held Sutton by knights’ service. From this person it acquired the name of Sutton Madoc, now corrupted to Sutton Maddock. Brockton is a hamlet in this parish, pleasantly situated on the turnpike road from Shiffnal to Bridgnorth, about a mile north from the parish church. It contains several good family mansions. The noble family of Sutton de Dudley are said to be descended from the Suttons of Sutton Maddock.

Directory.—William Braidley, gentleman; John Broughall, farmer, Sutton Hall; Mrs. Mary Broughall, the Villa, Brockton; William H. Davies, farmer, Harrington; William Jones, Esq., Brockton; Thomas Nock, farmer, Sutton farm; Richard Phillips, Esq., Brockton hall; Richard Phillips, Esq., the Grange, Brockton; Francis Ray, parish clerk; Mr. George Roden; William Rose, Esq., porcelain manufacturer, Rock house; Henry Smith, farmer, New house; John C. Titterton, blacksmith; Rev. George Whitmore, M.A., vicar, residence Kemberton; William Wilkinson, maltster and farmer.

TONG, OR TONGE,

is a parish in the Shiffnal division of the Brimstree hundred, comprising 3,464a. 3r. 37p. of land, mostly a strong loamy soil. The woodlands cover one hundred and twenty acres. At the census in 1801 there were 404 inhabitants; 1831, 510; and in 1841, 115 houses and a population of 566 souls. Rateable value of the parish, £4,505. 1s. The village of Tong is of considerable antiquity, and is delightfully situated in a fertile district richly beautified with picturesque scenery, three and a half miles east by south from Shiffnal, and ten miles south-east from Wolverhampton, George Charles Selwyn Durant, Esq., is the principal landowner and lord of the manor. The Earl of Bradford, Mrs. Celeste Durant, and Mr. Jones, are also proprietors. Tong Castle is stated to have been in ancient times the seat of Hengist the Saxon, whom Vortigern the British king called in to his assistance; and having been successful in his warlike engagements, he afterwards begged of Vortigern as much land as an ox-hide would inclose. On his request being granted, he cut the ox-hide into small thongs, and had as much land as it encompassed, whereon he built a castle. The present castle is a magnificent structure, erected in the last century by George Durant, Esq., on the site of the old castle, which he purchased in 1764, and demolished. The architecture is a fantastic mixture of Gothic and Moorish, and though bad in detail, the effect produced is strikingly grand, arising from the numerous turrets and pinnacles, the rich colour of the stone, the wide extent, and stately crown given to the whole by two lofty and magnificent Turkish domes. It is beautifully situated in a fine champaign country, watered by a serpentine river which flows through the grounds, and passes close to the castle. The park comprises 319a. 3r. 19p. of land, and is finely wooded with venerable timber. The castle is now occupied by two female servants, the owner, G. C. S. Durant, Esq., being abroad.

The Church, dedicated to St. Bartholomew, stands within the fine demesne of Tong Castle, and is a spacious and beautiful structure in the pointed style of the fourteenth century, consisting of nave, side aisles, choir, chancel, and side chapel. From the centre rises a handsome but singular tower. Immediately above the roof it is square; on it rests an octagonal bell-story, which is lengthened in a chastely-executed and lofty spire, about half-way up adorned with pinnacles, springing as it were out of the shaft. The nave is divided from the side aisles by three handsome pointed arches, with clustered pillars on each side. The tower contains a peal of eight musical bells, besides the great bell of Tong, and is ornamented with a clock and sun-dial. It is supported by four lofty pointed arches, rising from clustered pillars enriched with Gothic tracery. The ceiling is of dark oak, and the pews and reading desk are of the same material, the latter exhibiting some fine carving. The rood loft or screen is nearly perfect, and embellished with much carving; the choir is small, and contains eight stalls on each side, of beautiful workmanship. The east window is beautifully foliated, and a portion of it ornamented with stained glass, and underneath is the communion table, which is of alabaster; a remarkable old font exhibits some fine chiselling. Adjoining the south aisle is a beautiful chantry chapel, erected by Sir Henry Vernon, in 1515; the roof is of groined freestone, having a profusion of delicate ribs and centre pendants. The windows are richly adorned with stained glass. The tomb of Sir Henry Vernon, Knight, is in the wall which separates the chapel from the church. It has the figure of a knight and his lady in a recumbent posture. Over this is a fine open screen, rising about ten feet; on the divisions are four rich tabernacles, with the original painting and gilding, but bereaved of their statues. Within the area of the tower are four superb monuments, with recumbent figures on altar tombs, all of alabaster, highly adorned with elaborate workmanship, in memory of the Pembruges and Vernons. It appears the former family possessed the castle and estates of Tong as early as the year 1280. In the south aisle is a magnificent tomb, with the full length figure of a knight and his lady, in memory of the Hon. Thomas Stanley, second son of the Earl of Derby, and Margaret his wife, dated 1576, and has the following inscription:—

“Ask who lies here, but do not weep;
Hee is not dead, he do but sleep,
This stonie register is for his bones,
His fame is more perpetual than these stones;
And his own goodness with himself being gone,
Shall live when earthlie monument is none.

Not monumental stone preserves our fame,
Nor skie-aspiring pyramids our name;
The memory of him for whom this stands,
Shall outlive marble and defacer’s hands.
When all to time’s consumption shall be given,
Stanley, for whom this stands, shall stand in heaven.”

In a canopied niche is a carved figure, beautifully executed in basso-relievo, in memory of Mrs. Wylde, one of the co-heiresses of Sir Thomas Harris, Bart., the owner of Tong Castle and domain, which he purchased from the Stanley family about the year 1610. Near to the pulpit is an alabaster tomb, of superb workmanship, with two figures representing a knight and his lady with hands joined in the attitude of prayer, remembering Richard Yernon, of Nether Haddon, and his wife Margaret. The former died in 1557, and the latter in the year 1500. On the opposite side is a large monumental tomb of grey marble, the top of which is inlaid with brass figures, and dated 1460. This also remembers a branch of the Vernon family. A neat tablet of white marble has been erected over the vestry door to the memory of Elizabeth Pierpoint, only daughter of Gervaise Pierpoint, Esq., the grandson of Robert Pierpoint, Earl of Kingston, a gallant soldier who fell a victim to loyalty in defending his prince, King Charles I. He was descended from Robert de Pierpoint, a companion-in-arms of William the Conqueror, whose family is still extant in Normandy. On the north side of the altar is a sumptuous pyramidal monument of white marble on a black ground, in memory of George Durant, Esq., and several other members of that family. A splendid marble monument also remembers George Durant, Esq., who died November 29th, 1844, aged 69 years. On the left of the altar is a grey marble monument to the memory of William Skeffington, Esq., of the White Ladies, who died in 1550. From the crest and armorial bearings, he would appear to have descended from the ancient family of Massarene. Gervaise Lord Pierpoint is interred in a family vault under the communion table. He died May 22nd, 1715, aged 66 years. Thomas Stanley, Esq., and his wife lie in the same vault. There are many other interesting tablets and memorials, which our limits will not allow us to notice. The great bell in this church was given by Sir Henry Vernon, Knt., in 1518. It was broken by the Parliamentary forces in the troublesome times of King Charles I., and recast at the expense of the parish in 1720. The bell remained entire till the first Wednesday in Lent, 1849, when it cracked while tolling for divine service. It is stated that nine persons may comfortably stand under this bell at the same time.

King Henry IV., in 1411, in consideration of £40 granted to Isabel, relict of Sir Fulke de Pembrugge, Knt., the liberty of purchasing of the abbot and convent of Shrewsbury, the advowson and patronage of the church of St. Bartholomew, at Tong, then holden of the king in capite, paying an annual pension of 6s. 8d. to the monastery of Salop; and further, that the said church should be erected into a college, consisting of five chaplains, one whereof to be custos or warden of the college. The duty of the warden and fellows was to pray for the souls of the king and of his brother, Thomas de Beaufort, and for the soul of the said Isabel. The endowments, besides the provision for the warden and fellows, were to be applied for the maintenance and support of thirteen decrepid old men. The priory of Lapley, anciently a cell of the convent of Rheimes, seized by King Edward III. as an alien priory, was annexed to this foundation. The statutes and ordinances of the college, confirmed by the Bishop of Coventry, were to this effect:—That none of the fellows should be capable of any other ecclesiastical preferment, except the master; that the master was to have a man and a pair of horses kept at the expense of the college, to travel about the business of the fraternity—but, if occasion required it, he might keep more horses; that the warden was excusable from constant residence, but with the restriction not to be absent more than two months in the year, and if longer his salary was to be applied to the use of the college; that whoever of the fellows were absent from mass should forfeit one penny. Every Sunday the mass of the Holy Ghost was to be celebrated for the founders and benefactors; on Mondays the mass of the Holy Ghost; on Tuesdays, Salus Populi, or the mass for the salvation of all men; on Wednesdays, the angels’ mass; on Thursdays, the mass de Corpore Christi; on Fridays, the mass of the Holy Ghost; and on Saturdays, the mass of rest. That whoever was guilty of adultery, incest, perjury, sacrilege, robbery, after penance done for the first offence, he was to take an oath not to commit the like crime again, and if convicted the second time, to be expelled the house. The church living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of G. C. S. Durant, Esq.; incumbent, Rev. George Shipton Harding, M.A. The rectoral tithes have been commuted, and £391. 1s. 10d. apportioned to the impropriators. The incumbent receives £80 per annum, with parsonage, and 2a. 0r. 37p. of glebe land.

Charities.—Gervaise Lord Pierpoint, by indenture of the 23rd of October, 1697, granted to trustees all the tithes (except the tithes of corn and grain) yearly growing within the parish of Tong, and also six several annuities or yearly rents of £30, £14, £6, £12, £12, and £10, making together £84 per annum, to be issuing out of the manor of Tong, on trust, as to the said tithes and the several annuities of £30, £14, and £6, to permit the minister or curate to enjoy the same; one of the annuities of £12 to be distributed among the six poor widows in the almshouses; and the other £12 to be expended in purchasing Stafford shalloon, and setting to work the poor people of Tong in manufacturing the same into cloth, part thereof to be made into six gowns for the said poor widows, and the remainder to be applied in clothing the necessitous poor; the residue £10 to be disposed of in buying hemp and flax and setting the poor at work in manufacturing it into cloth, and after selling the same, to apply the proceeds in putting forth poor children apprentices. Lord Pierpoint granted a further annuity of £30, to be also issuing out of the manor of Tong, on trust, to permit the minister to receive and enjoy the same from such time as he could not (without covin or neglect on his part) have and enjoy the said tithes; but the minister was not to enjoy the tithes and last mentioned annuity at the same time. The minister had also the privilege of holding a certain chamber in the castle of Tong, as the same was then furnished with books and presses, together with the free use of the said books; and also stabling for one horse, and the privilege of depasturing it for a certain time in Tong Park. And for the better assuring the performances of the several grants, Lord Pierpoint granted to the trustees three other annuities of £5. 40s., and 40s. to be for ever issuing out of the manor, castle, and premises, and to be respectively forfeited, and to continue payable so long as the minister should not enjoy the said chamber, stabling, and pasture, respectively.

By an indenture of the 11th of August, 1725, in which it is recited, that the premises charged had descended to Evelyn Duke of Kingston, upon the death of Lord Pierpoint; and that the Castle of Tong had been a long time uninhabited and Tong Park disparked and inclosed, and that the said duke, at his own charge, built with brick a strong handsome and convenient house in Tong, with a room for a library, and stable and hayloft, and other conveniences, for the habitation of the minister, and had delivered the books to him and his successors; so that the covenants made by Lord Pierpoint in respect of the room and library in Tong Castle, and the stabling and depasturing, were become unnecessary, and the several annuities granted for enforcing the specific performance thereof should therefore be repealed; and that the common fields in Tong having been inclosed and converted into pasture, the revenue of tithes granted to the minister had been reduced to £12 per annum, but that the duke was willing, on condition that the said small tithes should be invested in him and his heirs, to be discharged from the trust; that the said annuity of £30 should be absolutely and indefeasibly settled and assured to the said minister and his successors for ever; which, together with the several annuities of £30, £14, and £6, make £80 per annum. And after reciting that the said duke and the late Lord Pierpoint had for a long time paid £4 a year for maintaining a schoolmaster, the said duke for perpetuating the charily, conveyed a messuage, situated near the west end of the church, then used as a school-house, in trust, to permit the same to be occupied as a school for teaching ten poor boys within the parish of Tong to read, and granted a rent charge of £4 per annum, issuing out of the manor of Tong, to be paid to the schoolmaster. The library above mentioned, which is understood to have been augmented by Mr. Peitier, was removed several years ago to the vestry room.

It appears that shortly after the late Mr. Durant came into the possession of the estate, the old almshouse and school-house were taken down, and new ones built by that gentleman on other sites. It is stated that the old buildings had become too dilapidated to admit of any effectual repairs, and that Mr. Durant having, under these circumstances, conceived the idea of erecting new buildings, was induced to select new situations as better suited for the purpose; and the charity has derived much advantage from the change. But it is to be observed that no regular transfer of the new premises was ever made to the trustees, an omission it appears desirable to supply. In the year 1802, the almshouse having grown much in need of repair, the sum of £102, from the funds of a charity to be presently adverted to, was applied to that purpose; since which time the repairs have been kept up at the expense of the parish, aided by the voluntary contributions of Mr. Durant. The inmates of the almshouses each receive £3 quarterly, and occasionally other benefactions. The ruins of the old hospital are still to be seen.

By an indenture dated 31st May, 1734, it is recited that the sum of £100 was given by the late Lady Harris, for the use of the poor of the parish; the sum of £200 was likewise bequeathed by Lady Pierpoint, and a sum of £100 was given by Lewis Peitier, minister of Tong, and party to the said indenture, making in the whole the sum of £400, which was laid out in the purchase of certain premises in Albrighton, called the New Lands and the Hawklees, containing 30a. 3r. 2p., now producing £45 per annum. In 1781 a sale of timber from this farm produced the sum of £100, which in 1802 was applied to the repairs of the almshouse granted by the Duke of Kingston. In the year 1814 £100 was laid out in the purchase of a cottage and 1a. 3r. 2p. of land in Horsebrook, which is now let for £10 10s. per annum; the rent of the last mentioned premises is apportioned to the schoolmaster, who has also £10 from the farm at Albrighton, and £4 from the manor of Tong, making altogether the sum of £24. 10s., with the additional benefit of a house and garden from the charity of the Duke of Kingston, in consideration of which the children are taught reading, writing, and arithmetic, and they are furnished with the necessary books and clothing from the charity. The master has also £5 per annum for teaching a Sunday school. The portion of income which is allotted for general distribution is laid out in the purchase of warm clothing, which is given to the poor during the winter season.

A feast is held at Tong on the Sunday before St. Matthew’s-day. Mr. Durant’s agent at the present time is holder of four of the largest farms in the parish, viz., Tong Park farm, Hubbal farm, Holt farm, and the Mees farm.

Andrews George, carpenter

Archer Henry, Little White Oak farm

Bennion Owen, Tong farm

Bennion Owen, The Hill farm

Bennion Owen, jun., White Oak farm

Boden John, shoemaker and shopkeeper

Bucknal Richard, farmer and beerhouse

Chipps Mrs. Mary

Cherrington William, wheelwright

Earp William, Lizard Grange farm

Georges The Misses

Harding Rev. George Shipton, M.A., The Rectory

Hempenstall George, Esq., land steward

Higgs William, Offoxey farm

Holder Charles, shoemaker

Hounsom Abraham, farmer, Norton, and deputy land agent

Hufferdine Charles, wheelwright

Humpage Samuel, shoemaker

Icke Thomas, grazier, Vauxhall

Jaundrell John, tailor

Jones William, vict., The Bush Inn, grocer and provision dealer and farmer

Langford William, nursery and seedsman

Longstaff John, schoolmaster & parish clerk

Milner Thomas, maltster

Page John, vict. and farmer, The Bell

Quantrell Walter, Ruckley Wood

Savage Gilbert Cole, The Knowle farm

Thornycroft Mrs., Tong Lodge

Wilks Samuel, Lizard Grange, corn miller

Worrall William, New Buildings farm, and maltster

WORFIELD

is an extensive parish in a delightful and salubrious part of the county, watered by the meandering stream of the Worf. The land exhibits inequalities of surface, and bold swells, which in some instances rise to a considerable height, from whence most beautiful and varied prospects over a luxuriant country are seen. The soil is variable, the arable lands produce good wheat, turnips, and barley, and the meadows and grazing lands are highly fertile. The farms in most instances are large, and the houses in general are good residences, with conveniently arranged out premises. Several ancient dwellings have been taken down, and handsome villa residences erected in their place. The cottages are for the most part well built, and in most instances have small allotments of garden ground. The parish comprises 10,314 acres of land, and at the census in 1801 had 1,354 inhabitants; 1831, 1,676, and in 1841 there were 357 houses and 1,643 souls. Rateable value, £16,145. 19s. 9d. Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq., M.P., of Apley Park, and William S. Davenport, Esq., are the principal landowners; the two former, with Mrs. Bache, are joint lords of the manor. The parish contains the following hamlets or townships for highway purposes, viz., Ackleton, Allscott, Barnsley, Bentley, Bromley, Bradney, Burcote, Chesterton, Cranmere, Catstree, Ewdness, Fenngate, Hilton, Hoccom, Hallon, Hartleberry, Kingslow, Little Gane, Oldington, Newton, Roughton, Ringleford, Rowley, Stanmore, Stableford, Swancote, Worfield, Wheel Green, Winscote, and Wyken, which places are divided into four districts or collections, called north-east quarter, south-east quarter, north-west quarter, and south-west quarter.

The small and sequestered village of Worfield is pleasantly situated at the foot of an immense rock of red sand stone, except on the northern verge where the houses stand on the side of a precipitous acclivity, and is three and a half miles N.E. from Bridgnorth, eight miles S. from Shiffnal, and eleven miles S.W. by S. from Wolverhampton. From the summit of the rock, which is crowned with timber, a most delightful panoramic view of the surrounding country is seen, the romantic situation of the village, and the circuitous windings of the Worf adding much to the picturesque beauty of the scenery. The river Worf is noted for its fine trout. The land between this place and Claverley stretching as far as Bridgnorth was the celebrated Morffe Forest, where the inhabitants of Worfield had common pasture; the king, however, appointed stewards and rangers to take care of the woods and deer. In the reign of Henry VIII. the Earl of Shrewsbury was steward or ranger for life with a fee of 4d. per day. The forest has long been enclosed, and is now covered with luxuriance and fertility. On the south east side of the Morffe in early times was an important military station, which may still be traced; the ground is elevated, and the moat still visible, circumscribing a large area. The Church, dedicated to St. Peter, is an ancient structure of red sand stone, which has been enlarged and beautified from time to time. The tower is ornamented with pinnacles, and surmounted with a lofty spire; it is beautified with a clock, and contains a peal of six musical bells. The interior has a chaste and beautiful appearance, the side aisles are separated from the nave by pointed arches rising from octagonal pillars, the pews are of oak, and upon the gallery at the west end is a fine toned organ. The pulpit and reading desk are elaborately carved. Several of the windows are richly adorned with stained glass, and the altar is of dark oak, exquisitely carved. The chancel is spacious, and contains memorials to deceased members of some of the principal families in this locality. A side chapel, separated by a richly carved oak screen, contains an altar tomb, with two figures in a recumbent posture, in memory of Sir George Bromley and his lady, dated 1688. Under a canopy of beautiful workmanship are two figures in a recumbent position, which remembers Sir Edward Bromley, Knight, chancellor of England, and his wife, dated 1626. There are also many elegant mural monuments of beautiful design and admirable workmanship, in memory of the Davenports, Broughtons, Vickers, Marindins, Fletchers, Masons, Johnsons, and others. In the church-yard are several family vaults cut in the solid rock. Archdeacon Vickers was entombed in one of these vaults with much solemnity in May, 1851. The southern entrance to the church is by an ancient porch, and through a door of remarkable and curious workmanship. Over the centre of this door are located a swarm of bees, which tradition states have been there for ages. The living is a vicarage valued in the king’s book at £16. 15s., in the patronage of William S. Davenport, Esq., and incumbency of the Rev. Cornelius Francis Broadbent, M.A. The Rev. Henry Cunliffe, M.A., is the officiating minister. The vicarial tithes have been commuted for £288. 10s. Mr. Davenport, the impropriator of the rectoral tithes, receives £1,745. The vicarage is an ancient erection a short distance from the church. “The annals of the church of Worcester assert that King Edward I. gave the church of Worfield to their prior and convent for the sustenance of three monks, and for maintaining two wax candles to be kept continually burning at the feast of St. Wulstan, and for eight days after, and to be daily lighted at the saying of high mass both at matins and vespers. This was done in accomplishment of a vow made to St. Wulstan.” There is an endowed Grammar School, which will be found noticed with the charities, and a National School for boys and girls—a spacious structure of modern erection, with residences for the teachers; about sixty boys and fifty girls attend. It is partly supported by endowment and partly by subscriptions. Davenport House is a handsome and spacious mansion of brick, with stone finishings, the seat of William Sharington Davenport, Esq., J.P. The situation is delightful, and the extensive park grounds are richly studded with fine timber, the drives and pleasure grounds are kept in the most beautiful order, and several of the eminences in the park are ornamented with sculptured figures.

Charities.—King James I., by his letters patent, dated 1st of May, in the 10th of his reign, in consideration of £5. 4s. paid by Thomas Beech and Thomas Bradburne, granted to William Lloyd and Thomas Parker, and their heirs, certain premises in Worfield, Bridgnorth, and Quatford, in trust, that the yearly proceeds thereof should be employed by the parishioners towards the maintenance of a school for the instruction of youth in reading and writing English, and in the accidence and principles of grammar and the Latin tongue. This is usually called Lloyd and Parker’s charity, after the names of the original grantees of the crown, but they appear to have been in fact only the channel through which these premises were conveyed to the real purchasers, who were Beech and Bradburne. Besides the rent an annual sum of £9 was received from Mr. Smythe when the charity commissioners published their report, as interest at 4½ per cent. on a joint bond from his father and himself for £200, dated December 13th, 1796, being an accumulation of funds which he held in his hands as receiver of the rents of this charity. The total income was £46. 1s., which was applied in a distribution of money to the poor, in the reparation of the trust premises and schoolhouse, and in paying a small salary to a schoolmaster. Thomas Smith left a rent charge of 16s. a year, for the instruction of two poor boys to read English. William Lewis, who died about fifty years ago, left £60, the interest to be applied for educating three boys in Worfield school.

Thomas Woolley, in 1609, gave £100 for purchasing lands for the use of the poor of Worfield, which was laid out in lands at Brierley. Other premises in Brierley were afterwards purchased by the parish for the sum of £202. 4s., made up of six different benefactions. Soon after the last purchase, these properties were combined into one estate. The premises consist of 17a. 2r. 5p., and produce a yearly rental of £40. In the course of certain proceedings in chancery respecting this charity in the year 1808, it appears to have been stated in a valuation on oath before the master, that the mines lying under these lands were worth £300 per acre. Of the income, £1. 16s. is paid to the vicar, for preaching sermons according to the intentions of the donors; £6 to the treasurer of Lloyd and Parker’s charity; and the rest is distributed to the poor, according to a list made out by the trustees.

Thomas Beech, in 1645, surrendered to the use of his nephew, William Beech, certain lands in Hilton and Halton, in trust. After the death of Dorothy, wife of the said Thomas Beech, to pay 12s. 4d. at the feast of St. Michael, for engrossing the court rolls, and placing them in the church chest at Worfield; and after the expiration of ninety-nine years, beginning at the death of the said Dorothy, to pay yearly at the feast of the Ascension, to the vicar of Worfield 3s., and to the poor of Worfield 10s. The charity commissioners state the land to be vested in Mr. Smythe and Mr. Hardwick, but there was no evidence to show that these annuities have ever been paid; and it would appear that forty-two years’ arrears were then due to the vicar and the poor, as the payment ought to have commenced in the year 1777.

William Perry charged a loft and half yard of land and a cottage in Wykem with the payment of 6s. 8d. yearly, on four specified days, to buy bread for twenty poor people of the parish of Worfield. The premises afterwards became possessed by Thomas Smith and John Bache, the former agreeing to pay 2s. 3d. of the said rent-charge, and the other 4s. 5d.

Dr. William Congreve, of Broadney, by his will dated 20th October, 1775, reciting that £10 had been left in his hands by his father and grandfather, the interest to be paid every Good Friday to persons who had lived servants at Bradney, and that Robert Littleford, his late servant, had left in his hands £10, the interest to be given yearly, the Sunday after Midsummer-day, to eight servants who had lived at the least one year at Bradney. Dr. Congreve charged his lands with the payment of 10s. and 8s., as the interest of these two sums, which is distributed according to the donor’s intentions.

Robert Crudgington, in 1714, surrendered to the lord of the manor of Worfield half a yard of land and three parts of a nook of land, in Newton, on condition that the persons in possession should pay out of the rents 20s. per annum, to be distributed among poor widows or other necessitous persons inhabiting in the parish of Worfield.

Mr. Bache, of Chesterton, left £5, the interest to be paid on New-year’s day to ten poor widows nominated by the heirs of the family. Mr. Thomas Bache gave £10, and directed the interest to be applied in the same manner. The interest of these two sums is now distributed by the representatives of Mr. Bache. There is no document respecting these benefactions, but they are considered as charged generally on the family estate.

Thomas Devey, in 1725, surrendered a croft to the use of his heirs, subject to the payment of 10s. yearly, which he directed to be distributed among poor widows of this parish. This seems to be the gift mentioned on the benefaction table, as a legacy of Mrs. Elizabeth Devey.

Thomas Smith, in 1726, charged two pieces of land called Uphill and Downhill, and the Fen lands with the payment of 30s. per annum, 16s. thereof to be paid to the schoolmaster of Worfield, and 14s. to be divided among seven poor persons, to be nominated by the possessors of the land.

Mrs. Mary Dolman left by will £40, the interest of £20 thereof to be given among the poor of Worfield, and the proceeds from the other £20 to be applied in buying bibles; one of her executors secured the payment of 40s. per annum on his estate at Ackleton.

Mrs. Arabella Davenport, in 1763, bequeathed £200 to the vicar and churchwardens, in trust, to be laid out in lands, and the rents to be distributed among poor widows and maidens of this parish. No purchase of lands has been made with this money, but it is placed in the hands of Mr. Smythe, and secured on bond dated 9th September, 1809, with lawful interest at four and a half per cent.

Mrs. Sarah Mason, in 1809, gave to the churchwardens of Worfield for the time being, an annuity of £5, to be divided among poor widows residing in this parish. The payment is charged upon the freehold and copyhold estates of the donor, to be paid on the 24th of June and 25th December, by equal portions.

It is stated on the table of benefactions that George Bromley, Esq., gave £120 to charitable uses, £30 of which had been laid out in a purchase of land at Brexley, and £90 remained in the hands of the trustees, which was laid out in 1730 in building a workhouse for the use of the parish.

The following benefactions appear on the tablet in the church, of which nothing further is now known. £50 given by William Rowley for a distribution of bread, £5, the gift of John Beech, and a legacy of £20 bequeathed by John Bradburne.

Ackleton is a small well-built village, and township in the parish of Worfield, two and a quarter miles north-east from the parish church. The acres and population of the several townships in Worfield are included in the general returns of the parish. The principal freeholders are the executors of the late Mr. Eykyn, Mr. Green, Mrs. Clarke, Mrs. Patrick, Mr. Thomas Priest, and Mr. John Richards. Ackleton House is a good residence occupied by Mrs. Eykyn. Allscott is pleasantly situated about a mile and a quarter north-west from Worfield; the land is the property of Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq. Barnsley township is situated two miles south-east from Worfield, and the freeholders are Mr. John Hoccom, Mr. William Hoccom, and Miss Hoccom. Bentley lies about two miles to the south-west of Worfield, and is the property of George Pritchard, Esq. Bentley House is a good brick residence beautified with tasteful pleasure grounds, and occupied by Mr. William Sing. The farm premises which are commodious are situate a short distance from the house. Bromley township is chiefly the property of Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq.; the village is situated about a mile to the south-west of Worfield. Bradney, or Bradley, a pleasantly situated township, half a mile east from Worfield, is intersected by the Wolverhampton turnpike road. Bradney House, the residence of Captain Brazier, is a beautiful modern erection with pleasure grounds tastefully laid out. Warner House, an ancient residence, is now occupied as a farm dwelling. Capt. James Brazier is the land owner. Burncote, or Burcot, is a small rural village and township situated on a gentle eminence; the principal freeholders are Mr. John Bell Hardwick, Mr. Richard Hardwick, Mr. Parkes, and Mrs. Bache; the township is bounded by the river Worf and the Shiffnal and Wolverhampton turnpike road. In 1809, a large semi-circular cave was discovered at Burcot, in which were found human bones, sculls, and the bones of several animals. The ancient name of Bourncote, which in the Saxon language means the cote or dwelling near to the river, of which this cave is within a few paces serves to show the probability of this having been the cote or dwelling, which may have given rise to the word Burcot, the present name of the township. It is presumed the bones found in this cave may have been those of persons who made this cave the place of their occasional residence, and that it was destroyed by a sudden convulsion of the rock, and downfall of the soil above it. Chesterton village is delightfully situated on a gentle eminence, commanding fine views over a country teeming with luxuriance. The residence of John Bache, Esq., is a handsome mansion, with pleasure grounds most beautifully laid out. The residence of Mrs. Marindin is also spacious and elegant. The landowners are John Bache, Esq., Mrs. Marindin, Mr. Thomas Wilson, and Mr. Samuel Marindin. Near to the village, which is about two miles N.E. from Worfield, are the remains of a Roman encampment, which is said to have covered an area of more than twenty acres. A small structure in this township prior to the reformation was used as a chapel, but since that period has been occupied as an humble dwelling; it was dedicated to St. John the Baptist. Cranmere, or Cranmere Heath, is situated about a mile and a half to the N.W. of Worfield. The land is the property of William S. Davenport, Esq., and Valentine Vickers, Esq. Catstree, another small township, anciently formed part of the demesnes of the Saxon lords of the manor of Worfield. The family of Catstree resided here till the year 1819. Thomas C. Whitmore, Esq., and W. S. Davenport, Esq., are the landowners. Ewdness, a pleasantly situated township on the Bridgnorth and Shiffnal turnpike road, two miles north from Worfield, contains 441 acres of land, which is the property of Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq. Rateable value, £490. 4s. 10d. The tithes have been commuted, and £74 apportioned to the impropriator, and £22 to the vicar of Worfield. Ewdness House is a commodious Elizabethan structure, with bay windows; the interior contains some fine specimens of antique oak carving. The house is occupied by Mr. Richard M. Barker. Fenn Gate, a hamlet two miles from Worfield, has only one farm. The land is the property of T. C. Whitmore, Esq. Hilton is a pleasantly situated village and township on the turnpike road from Bridgnorth to Wolverhampton, four and a half miles N.E. from the former place. A small stream here called Hilton Brook is crossed by a stone bridge erected in 1814, with funds raised by subscriptions, and from the Bridgnorth turnpike trust. The principal landowners are Mr. Samuel Ridley, Mr. Kettle, Mr. Thomas Smythe, Mrs. Hammond, and Mrs. Smythe, besides whom are several other proprietors. Hilton House, the residence of George Smith Dorset, Esq., is a handsome residence with grounds tastefully laid out, besides which there are several other good houses in the village. Hoccom, or Hockham, is a small hamlet about two miles N.E. from Bridgnorth; the landowners are Mr. John Meredith and Mr. William Sing. Hallon is a hamlet adjoining Worfield, situated on a bold eminence. Hallon House, a beautiful modern erection of considerable extent, is the residence of James Farmer, gentleman. The freeholders are William S. Davenport, Esq., and Valentine Vickers, Esq. Hartleberry is situated N.W. from Worfield, about a mile and a quarter from the church. Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq., is the landowner. Kingslow is a small hamlet delightfully situated, three miles N.E. from Worfield. The freeholders are Lord Lewisham and Mrs. Devey. Kingslow House is a good residence occupied by John Farmer, gentleman. Stanlow House is occupied as a farm residence by Mr. Thomas Wilson. The hamlet of Little Gane lies about three miles from Worfield; the freeholders and residents are Samuel and Edward Ridley, gentlemen. Oldington township is situated two miles N.W. from Worfield, and is the property of Thomas C. Whitmore, Esq. Newton, situated near to Oldington, is also the property of the same gentleman. Roughton is a well built and respectable village on the Bridgnorth and Wolverhampton turnpike road, two and a half miles from the former place; there are several genteel residences embosomed in foliage, and beautified with tasteful pleasure grounds. The landowners are John and George Pritchard, Esq., Mrs. Fletcher and Mrs. Stokes. Riddleford, or Rhuddleford, is of British derivation, and signifies the Red Ford. It is a small township about two miles E. of Bridgnorth, which formerly belonged to the family of the Walkers, a branch of the Walkers, of Burncote and Roughton, who disposed of it to the Colley family, and they to the late William Hardwicke, Esq., of Burncote, who married Miss Mary Purton, by whom he had two children, John Role Hardwicke, Esq., deceased, and William Hardwicke, Esq., of Bridgnorth, an eminent antiquary and genealogist, whose widow is the present proprietor. Rowley is another small hamlet nearly a mile from Worfield, where William S. Davenport and Mrs. Martha Johnson are the landowners. Stanmore is a village and township on the Stourbridge road, two miles E. from Bridgnorth. John and George Pritchard, Esqrs., W. S. Davenport, Esq., and T. C. Whitmore, Esq., are the landowners. Stanmore Grove, the residence of R. Pigott, Esq., is a good house, pleasantly situated. Stableford, or Stapleford, is a small hamlet two miles N. from Worfield, not far from which runs the Cosford Brook. The freeholders are Mr. Jasper, and the executors of the late Richard Taylor. Swancote is situated about a mile and a half to the N.E. of Bridgnorth. George Pritchard, Esq., is the proprietor of the land. Swancote House, a commodious residence pleasantly situated on a gentle eminence, and ornamented with pleasure grounds neatly laid out, is occupied by William Sing, Esq. Wheel Green is a hamlet on the Bridgnorth and Northampton turnpike road, three and a half miles N.E. from the former place, and near to the river Worf. Winscote is situated two miles from Worfield, and the land is the property of T. C. Charlton, Esq. Wyken, derived from Wycke, (Saxon, “Place and Residence,” and Hen, British, “Old, or the Old Place”), is a small township and manor within the parish and manor of Worfield, situated about three miles N.E. of Bridgnorth. This manor was granted, together with the church of Worfield, and chapel of Chesterton, in the same parish, by King Edward II., in the 11th year of his reign, to the dean of Lichfield, in exchange for the manor of Greenford, in Middlesex. In the 2nd Edward VI., Richard William, then dean of Lichfield, with the chapter conveyed this manor with the advowson of the vicarage of the parish church of Worfield, and most of the great tithes of that parish, to Sir John Talbot, Knight, of Albrighton, which manor and tithes are now vested in William Sharrington Davenport, Esq., of Davenport House, in Worfield parish. The chief landowner in this township is Joseph Parkes, Esq., (in right of his wife Anna, the only child of the late John Bache, Esq.,) who resides at Wyken House, situated on the Streetford Brook, which has its confluence with the Worf below; Mr. Nicholas and Mr. J. Mollineux are also proprietors in this township.

Worfield.

Bennett William, shopkeeper

Brown John, mill manager

Broadbent Rev. Cornelius Francis, M.A., The Rectory

Broughall Geo., corn miller

Clutton George, butcher

Clutton Mary, beer retailer

Crookshanks Alex., gardener

Crow Emily and Caroline, dressmakers

Cunliffe Rev. Henry, M.A., curate

Davenport Elizabeth, gentlewoman

Davenport Wm. Sharrington, Esq., and county magistrate, Davenport House

Hall John, vict., Grey Hound Inn

Humphreys Hugh, National School master

James Samuel, principal of Endowed Grammar School

Mead William, butler

Piper Mary, dressmaker

Piper Thomas, wheelwright

Powell Mr. Edwd., The Low

Price Richard, tailor

Pritchards Theophilus, game keeper

Rogers Thomas, shoemaker, and parish clerk

Sherry William, tailor

ACKLETON.

Eykyn Mrs., The Hall

Gibbons James, farmer

Holden Francis, blacksmith

Painter Thomas, shopkeeper

Poole Francis, beer-retailer and farmer

Priest Thomas, farmer

Richards John, maltster and farmer

Richards Sarah, farmer

Wilson Richard, maltster and farmer

ALLSCOT.

Reynolds Wm., shoemaker

Wray Richard, farmer

BARNSLEY.

Haccom Miss, farmer

Haccom John, farmer

Haccom William, farmer

BENTLEY.

Sing William, farmer

BROMLEY.

Iddins Thomas, farmer

Jones John, wheelwright

Smith Thomas, gentleman

Worrall Richard, farmer

BRADNEY.

Brasier Captain James

Gibbons James, farmer

BURCOTE.

Cartwright John, farmer

Hardwicke John Bell, maltster and farmer

Hardwicke Richard, farmer and corn miller, The Villa

Rowley Richard, machineman (lets)

Sharpe Mrs.

Turner Thomas, manager, Mill

CHESTERTON.

Bache John, Esquire

Holding Francis, blacksmith

Hunt John, farmer & miller

Johnson John, farmer

Marindin Ellen, gentlewoman

Smith Edward, farmer

CRANMERE.

Braidley Thomas, shoemaker

Humphreys John, farmer

CATSTREE.

Nicholls Sarah, farmer

Price John, farmer

EWDNESS.

Barker Richard M., farmer

FENN GATE.

Whitehouse Cornelius, farmer

HILTON.

Darley Thomas, farmer

Davies Edward Harrison, builder and maltster

Dorset George Smith, Esq., Hilton House

Gibbons James, Blue Barn farm

Lane James, beer retailer

Poole Mr. William

Pope William, wheelwright

Ridley Samuel, gentleman

Roles Benjamin, shopkeeper

Tolly John, blacksmith

White John, wheelwright and machine maker

Wilcox Richard, gentleman

HOCCOM.

Meredith George, farmer

Meredith John, farmer

Sing William, farmer

HALLON.

Barney Theophilus, blacksmith

Farmer James, gentleman, Hallon House

Tarrant Isaac, builder and joiner

Turner John, blacksmith

HARTLEBERRY.

Dudley Samuel, wheelwright

Littleford Thomas, senior, farmer

Wood Eleanor, shopkeeper and farmer

Wood Thomas, brick & tile maker, and farmer

KING SLOW.

Farmer John, gentleman, Kingslow farm

Wilson Thomas, Esquire, Stanlow

LITTLE GANE.

Ridley Samuel and Edward, farmers

OLDINGTON.

Worrall Arthur, farmer

Worrall Thomas, farmer

NEWTON.

Sing William, jun., farmer

ROUGHTON.

Meredith John, farmer

Pratt Edward Richard, farmer, miller, & corn factor, Brook Cottage; Corn Mills at Smestow and Union Steam Mills, Tipton

Smith John, gentleman

Smith William, gentleman, The Hall

Smithyman Mrs Jane

Smithyman William, farmer

Stokes Martha Corser, gentlewoman

RINGLEFORD.

Ridley Samuel and Edward, corn factors, millers, maltsters, farmers, seedsmen, and guano and tillage dealers

Wellings Benjamin, blacksmith

ROWLEY.

Johnson Martha, farmer

STANMORE.

Beeston Richard, farmer, carrier, and van proprietor

Pigot Richard, Esq., The Grove

Ridley Samuel and Edward, Grove farm

Tedstall Thos., beer-retailer

Warder James, farmer

STABLEFORD.

Hill Henry, farmer

Humphrey George, wheelwright

Jasper John, Esq., The Hall

Smith Thomas, farmer

SWANCOTE.

Sing William, Esq., Swancote House

WHEEL GREEN.

Hammond Jane, farmer and victualler, The Wheel, and Post Office

WINSCOTE.