History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Shropshire [1851]

is a township and village in the parish of Church Stretton, situated about a mile north from the church, which contains 2,192 acres of land, and at the census of 1841 had 88 houses and 454 inhabitants.  Gross estimated rental, £2,268. 15s.  Rateable value, £1,825. 5s.  The principal landowners are the trustees of the late Samuel Wilding, Esq., A. B. Markham, Esq., Panton Corbett, Esq., Edward Medlicott, Esq., Duppa Duppa, Esq.  The village is in a romantic situation, near the mountainous range of the Longmynd, and not far from the Caradoc and Lawley hills.  The occasion of the prefix, “All,” to this Stretton is accounted for by the following tradition:—When James II. was on his journey from Ludlow to Shrewsbury, approaching the first, or Little Stretton, he inquired its name: “Stretton, Sire,” was answered.  Arriving at Church Stretton, he made the same inquiry: “Stretton, Sire,” was again the reply.  Coming to the third, he renewed the question, and received the same answer.  “Upon my word,” said the king, “they are all Strettons in this country.”

LITTLE STRETTON

is a township, about a mile and a half south from Church Stretton, which contains 816 acres, the gross estimated rental of which is £1,054. 15s., and the rateable value £841. 5s.  The landowners are, Thomas Bolton, Esq., Mrs. Davies, John Robinson, Esq., Edward Gibbon, Esq., John Mansell, Esq., and Mrs. Coleman.  The latter is lady of the manor.  The village is pleasant, and the country around is beautifully picturesque.  In 1841 there were 41 houses and 165 inhabitants.

MINTON

township has 803 acres of land, and the village is situated in the wild and romantic district of the Longmynd range of hills, three miles south-west from Church Stretton.  At the census of 1841 there were 30 houses and 125 inhabitants.  Gross estimated rental, £936. 3s.  Rateable value, £752. 10s.  The chief landowners are W. M. Beddows, Esq., Mr. Richard Minton, C. O. C. Pemberton, Esq.  The former is lord of the manor.

ALL STRETTON DIRECTORY.

Belton Mr. John, Innwood

Dolphin Edward, farmer

Donelly Michael, shopkeeper

Edwards Rchd., vict., New Inn

Galliers Rowland, beerseller

Griffiths William, beerseller

Haverkum Mrs. Mary, All Stretton Hall

Heighway Richard, farmer and maltster, Lower Wood

Heighway Thomas, farmer

Hide John, cattle dealer

Hide Wm., vict., Yew Tree

Hince Mr. Cs, Dudgley house

Jones Miss Sarah, Lower Wood

Jones Mr. William

Langford William, farmer, Lower Wood

Lewis John, blacksmith

Lewis William, plumber and glazier

Painter Thos., farmer, Lower Wood

Rawlins Mary, shopkeeper

Smith Timothy, farmer, Dudgley

Taylor Mary, farmer, Hodghurst

Williams Samuel, shoemaker

LITTLE STRETTON DIRECTORY.

Acton Mrs. Mary

Bridgman Francis, farmer

Childe Elizabeth, blacksmith

Corfield William, farmer, The Hall

Davies Mrs., Eleanor The Cottages

Davies George, farmer

Davies John, shopkeeper

Gwynn James, shoemaker

Hammond Thomas, wheelwright

Hammond Richard, wheelwright

Longmore William, farmer

Mansell John, farmer

Miles Thomas, shoemaker

Preen Samuel, butcher

Preen Thomas, tailor

Pritchard John, victualler, Green Dragon

Ray Edward, farmer

Robinson John, maltster

Speake John, farmer

Speake John, victualler, Sun Inn

Simpson William, tanner

Taylor Thomas, tailor

Turner Margaret, victualler, Crown Inn

MINTON DIRECTORY.

Beddows Mrs. Jane, Well House

Beddows William Minton, Esq., Well House

Briscoe Thomas, victualler, New Inn, Marsh Brook

Edwards Francis, miller, Queen Batch Mill

Downes John, farmer, New House

Hotchkiss Thomas, farmer

Jones Pryce, machine maker

Minton Richard, farmer, Manor House

Rogers Edward, farmer

is a township, parish, and large village in the lower division of the Munslow hundred, seven and a half miles N.N.E. from Ludlow, containing 988a. 2r. 36p. of land.  Gross estimated rental, £1,323. 10s.  Rateable value, £889. 4s.  The village is salubriously situated, a little to the west of the Brown Clee hill, and the inhabitants are celebrated for their longevity.  At the census in 1841 there were 71 houses, including the hamlet of Coxheadford, and 269 inhabitants; population in 1801, 294; 1831, 294.  The principal landowners are Mrs. Thursby, Richard Turner, Esq., Thomas Millichap, Esq., Mr. Thomas Turner, Mr. William Heighway, the Earl of Craven, Sir Sidney Herbert, and Mr. Samuel Jones.  Mrs. Thursby is lady of the manor.  The church is a small structure of unpretending appearance, consisting of nave and chancel, with a square tower.  The living is a perpetual curacy, formerly of very little value, but has been increased by royal bounty, parliamentary grant, and private benefactions, to £179 per annum.  The patronage is vested in the lady of the manor.  Incumbent, Rev. J. Corbett.  Coxheadford is a hamlet in the parish of Clee St. Margaret, situated in a sequestered and romantic dingle formed by two lofty elevations of the Brown Clee hills.  Upon that portion of the Clee hill called Norley Bank are traces of an encampment.  There is a small place of worship belonging to the Joanna Southcotts.

The principal residents in Clee St. Margaret are Edward Burton, vict., Shoulder of Mutton; Thomas Hall, farmer, Burnt House; John Hanson, farmer, New House; Samuel Heighway, farmer, The Marsh; Isaac Howell, vict., The Boot Inn; Rev. Morgan Jones, The Marsh; Richard Lawrence, corn miller; Thomas Millichap, farmer; Thomas Wall, farmer, Church House; Thomas Wheelwright, farmer, Brook House; Thomas Turner, farmer and cider dealer, Coxheadford; Samuel Hall, weaver and shopkeeper, Coxheadford.

Scirmage, an Extra Parochial Liberty situated about a mile from Clee Town, where the three parishes of Stoke St. Milborough, Cold Weston, and Stoke St. Margaret converge, contains about half an acre of land, and one small house, which is the property of Mr. Thomas Wheelwright, and occupied by Elizabeth Burton.

COLD WESTON

is a small township and parish in the lower division of the Munslow hundred, seven and a half miles N.N. by E. from Ludlow, which contains 415 acres of land, three cottages, and a farm house.  At the census in 1841 there were 27 inhabitants, and in 1841 31.  Gross estimated rental, £362. 10s.  Rateable value, £258.  Mrs. Cornewall is the proprietor of the whole township.  The church is a very humble structure, the living of which is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £2. 8s. 4d., now returned at £100 in the patronage of Mrs. Cornewall.  Incumbent, Rev. Henry Cowdell; the Rev. Lancelot Dixon is the curate.  There was formerly a woollen mill in this parish.  The land in this locality has mostly a poor soil.  Thomas Keysell is the only resident farmer.

CULMINGTON

The principal residents are Alexander Anslow, beerhouse keeper; Samuel Anslow, blacksmith; Thomas James, wheelwright; John Morris, farmer; Richard Pearce, shoemaker; Edward Taylor, farmer; James Williams, farmer.

Bach and Norton, a township and small rural village six miles N.W. from Ludlow, in 1841 had 19 houses and 87 inhabitants.  The land in this locality is highly fertile.  The chief owners in the township are the Earl of Craven, the Marquis of Crosemere, and George Wood, Esq.; the latter is lord of the manor.  The principal residents are Richard Bach, farmer, Norton; Edward Bassett, farmer, Bach; William Bromley, farmer, Norton; William Tarte, farmer, Bach.

Burley is a small township situated about a mile N.W. from Culmington, returned in 1841 as containing 28 houses and 140 inhabitants.  The Earl of Craven is the landowner.  John Onions is the principal farmer.

Siefton, a small village and township in the parish of Culmington, situated about a mile from the parish church, in 1841 had 41 houses and 223 inhabitants.  There is a national school in the village, which is supported by the lord of the manor; upwards of seventy scholars attend.  The rectory of Culmington, a handsome residence, is situated in this township.  The Earl of Craven and George Wood, Esq., are the landowners.  The principal residents are Rev. William Johnstone, rector; William Bach, farmer, New House; Richard Bach, farmer, Madeley Park; Henry Instone, farmer; Thomas Lucas, schoolmaster.

DIDDLEBURY

Charities.—The parish officers are in possession of a house which was purchased in 1720 for £150, of which, £128 was money belonging to the parishioners of Diddlebury; the residue £22 was borrowed of Philip Luttley.  After paying of interest for the said £22, it was agreed to appropriate the rent in equal moieties to the support of a school, and to the benefit of the poor.  At a meeting of the parishioners, held May 13th, 1830, it was resolved that the clear rents (then £8 per annum) should in future be applied to the support of a Sunday school.  There was a sum of £21 in the hands of Mr. Beddoes when the charity commissioners published their report, for which he paid £4 a year as the interest; but it is not known from whose gift this charity was derived.  This money has been improperly, as it seems to us, carried to the poor’s rate; but at the parish meeting above mentioned it has been determined to apply the interest also for the benefit of the school.

Mary Valentine, by her will, bearing date 23rd May, 1822, bequeathed to the minister, churchwardens, and overseers of the poor of the parish of Diddlebury, £1,000 four per cent. consols, to be transferred into their names as trustees, the dividends to be laid out in bread, and distributed every Sunday to poor housekeepers of this parish not receiving parochial relief.  The dividends, amounting to £35 per annum, are received through a bank at London.  The income is applied in a weekly distribution of bread amongst all the poor belonging the parish, and not receiving parochial relief; some who are not resident in the parish being included.  For the purpose of regulating the distribution, the parish is divided into three districts; and about twenty-six persons from each district in rotation receive a sixpenny loaf each every third Sunday.

The principal residents are John Child, farmer; Mrs. Mary Downes, Melford Lodge; Henry Wood, Esq., Delbury hall; John Morris, farmer; Frederick North, schoolmaster.

CORFTON

The principal residents in Corfton are Richard Bowen, farmer, Hill house; Edward Bowen, farmer, Lower house; James Beddoes, farmer, Sparchford; Mary Dyer, vict., Sun Inn; Edward Pearce, farmer; William Hince, butcher; Rev. Thomas Underwood, vicar of Diddlebury.

Earnestry Park is a township in the parish of Diddlebury, situated at the foot of the Brown Clee Hill, which contains 1,017a. 1r. 33p. of land, a great part of which is shaded from the sun a considerable portion of the day by that lofty eminence.  The Misses Mytton, of Cleobury North, are the proprietors of the whole township.  The summit of the Brown Clee Hill is 1,805 feet above the level of the sea, and commands a most extensive and magnificent prospect of the surrounding country.  At the census in 1841 there were six houses and thirty-eight inhabitants.  The vicarial tithes have been commuted for £20, and the rectoral for £33.  The chief residents are Thomas Bradley, farmer; John Evans, farmer; John Hanson, farmer; and Thomas Hanson, farmer.

Lawton and Little Sutton, a township in Diddlebury parish, five and a half miles north from Ludlow, in 1841 had fifteen houses and eighty five souls.  Lawton contains 460 acres, the tithes of which are commuted for £51.  Sutton portion of the township comprises 331 acres, and the tithes are commuted for £33. 11s.  The principal landowners are Herbert Cornewall, Esq., and Charles Powell, Esq.; the former is lord of the manor.  Sutton Court is a handsome house of modern erection, and is the residence of Charles Powell, Esq., J.P., who, with William Cocks, farmer, Lawton, and Francis Keysell, farmer, Sutton, are the principal residents in the township.

Lower Park and Broncroft, a small township in the parish of Diddlebury, comprising 795 acres of land, is situated eight and a quarter miles north-east from Ludlow.  At the census of 1841 there were five houses and twenty-six inhabitants.  Rateable value, £627. 13s. 4d.  The small tithes are commuted for £27, and the large tithes for £47; the dean and chapter of Hereford are the appropriators.  George Johnstone, Esq., is the principal landowner.  The chief residents are George Johnstone, Esq., Broncroft castle; and John Price, farmer, the Lodge farm.

Middlehope, a township in the parish of Diddlebury, contains 1,091 acres of land, which is mostly the property of John Francis Wright, Esq.  At the census of 1841 there were sixteen houses and 100 inhabitants.

The tithes have been commuted for £60, of which £20 has been apportioned to the vicar and £14 to the dean and chapter of Hereford.  The principal residents are Thomas Jones, farmer, Berwood; Thomas Jones, farmer; Thomas Webster, farmer; William Yapp, farmer; and John Yapp, farmer.

Poston, a township in the parish of Diddlebury comprises 394 acres of land, two houses, and thirteen inhabitants, and is situated six and a half miles north from Ludlow; Archdeacon Vicers is the landowner.  The small tithes are commuted for £8. 10s., and the large tithes for £13. 7s.  John Chatham is the resident farmer.

Peaton, a small township and village in the parish of Diddlebury, with 22 houses and 103 souls, contains 1,022 acres of land, which is the property of Lady Louisa Clinton; the tithes have been commuted for £106, of which £30 has been apportioned to the vicar, and £76 to the dean and chapter of Hereford.

Directory.—William Dyer, shopkeeper; John Gwilt, farmer, New House; Thomas Passey, farmer; Samuel Price, farmer.

Westhope, a township in the parish of Diddlebury, nine miles north-west from Ludlow, has 1186 acres of land, the rateable value of which is £668.  In 1841 there were 17 houses and 103 inhabitants.  There is a Chapel of Ease here, a small unpretending structure, the living of which is a curacy subordinate to the vicarage of Diddlebury; the small tithes are commuted for £25, and the large tithes for £82. 4s.

Directory.—John Banks, farmer, Westhope House; Thomas Banks, farmer, Lower Westhope; William Price, farmer, Chapel farm; Richard Smout, farmer; John Smout, farmer, The Hall End.

EASTHOPE

is a parish and small rural village, situated in Hopedale, in the lower division of the Munslow hundred, five miles south-west from the ancient town of Much Wenlock, eight miles east from Church Stretton, and ten miles west from Bridgnorth.  The parish contains 815 acres of land, the rateable value of which is £803.  At the census in 1801 there were 85 inhabitants; 1831, 103; and in 1841, 21 houses and a population of 103 souls.  In the 34th Edward I. John de Easthope died seized of the manor of Easthope, 18th of Edward II. a fine was levied between Thomas de Easthope and John de Hopton defendant, of the manor and of the advowson of the church, to the use of Thomas and Joanna his wife in fee tail.  The 21st of Richard II. Richard Earl of Arundel was found to have a knight’s fee in Easthope, holden then by Thomas de Hynkeley.  In the 12th of Henry VII. a fine was levied between Henry Warley and Nicholas Warley complainants, John Haltman and his wife defendants, of both the manor and advowson of the church et de terris in Easthope, Presthope, Astwale, Louthwyche, Willey, Bratton, Henley, and Bould.  Moses George Benson, Esq. is the principal landowner and lord of the manor; the soil is mostly upon the limestone, and there is a good deal of limestone rock in the parish and neighbourhood.  The water is very good and some of the springs are accounted efficacious in scorbutic complaints, and are also of a petrifying quality.  The scenery is beautifully diversified and romantic, and some of the high grounds command fine views of the celebrated Wrekin, the Clee hill, and Caradoc, so named after Caractacus, who had a camp on the summit.  The Wenlock edge is a great feature in this part of the country; it is a steep wooded acclivity which runs nearly through the centre of the parish, and is of an interesting nature to the geologist.

The Church is a small structure unpretending in its architecture, and dedicated to St. Peter.  It has a short tower, and there is a well-proportioned window in the east end in the early English style: the font is very ancient.  On the north side of the church, between two venerable yews, are two tombs without date or inscription but simply a cross upon each.  It is supposed that two monks are interred there, who might be connected with the Abbey of Wenlock.  The stones have given rise to some curious legends among the people.  The living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £3. 3s. 1½d., now returned at £133, in the patronage of M. G. Benson, Esq.; incumbent, Rev. Robert Armitage.  The rectory is a neat structure in a sheltered situation, and there are thirty-six acres of glebe land.

The principal gentleman’s seat in this parish is Lutwyche Hall, built by Judge Lutwyche, in the time of Queen Elizabeth; a full length portrait of the judge adorns an apartment inside the mansion.  It is supposed that there has been a mansion at Lutwyche from the time of, or probably earlier than the Conquest.  It was sold in 1786 by the last of the Lutwyches, and after passing through several intermediate owners was purchased in 1806 by Moses Benson, Esq., whose grandson Moses George Benson, Esq. now resides there.  The derivation of the word Lutwyche is said to be from lut, the gathering of an army, and wyche, a cleft or valley.

The chief residents in Easthope are Moses George Benson, Esq., Lutwyche Hall; The Rev. Robert Armitage, The Rectory; Edward Evans, shoemaker; Samuel Evans, farmer; Edward Preece, wheelwright; Francis Ray, farmer; Easthope Cottage; Margaret Wadlow, farmer and corn miller.

EATON-UNDER-HEYWOOD

is a parish, in the upper division of the Munslow Hundred, which comprises the townships of Eaton, Hatton, part of Longville-Lushcott-East Wall, part of Hungerford, Millichope Upper, and Ticklerton.  Population in 1801, 513; 1831, 539; 1841, 579.  The village of Eaton is pleasantly situated nine miles south-west from Much Wenlock, and the township contains 1,639 acres of land, the rateable value of which is £1,026. 3s.  At the census in 1841 there were 12 houses and 77 inhabitants.  Among the landowners are Miss Eatons, Mrs. Stackhouse, Mr. Powell, and Mr. Nugent; besides whom are several other proprietors.  The Church is a neat structure, with nave, chancel, and a tower, in which are three bells.  The living is a vicarage, valued in the king’s book at £5.  Gross income, £300.  Patron and incumbent, Rev. Richard Sandford.  The tithes are commuted for £178. 10s., and there are 148 acres of glebe land.  The principal residents are Benjamin Beddows, farmer; Richard Cleeton, farmer; Thomas Farmer, farmer; Thomas Hince, farmer, New Hall; William Harris, corn miller, New Hall Mill; John Medlicott, farmer; Rev. Richard Sandford, rector.

Hungerford is a township partly in Eaton parish and partly in that of Munslow.  In the former, at the census of 1841 were eight houses and 55 inhabitants, and in the latter one house and nine persons.  It comprises 1,002 acres of land.  Rateable value, £703. 1s.  C. O. C. Pemberton, Esq., is the principal landowner.  The residents are Robert Craig, farmer, miller, and tanner; Edward Rowley, victualler, Buck’s Head.

Longville Lushcott and East Wall township will be found in Rushbury parish.

Millichope is a small township, in the parish of Eaton, returned at the census of 1841 as having 15 houses and 94 inhabitants.  John Francis Wright, Esq., is the principal landowner.  The resident farmers are William Downs and John Preece.

Ticklerton township has 1,384 acres of land, and is also in the parish of Eaton, and situated about a mile south-west from the church.  The village is pleasantly situated, and in 1841 had 40 houses and 211 inhabitants.  Rateable value, £1,008. 10s.  The Rev. Robert Joseph Buddicom is the principal landowner.  The chief residents are the Rev. Robert Joseph Buddicom; William Downes, farmer; John Edwards, farmer; Thos. Galliers, farmer; Benjamin Pursland, beerhouse-keeper; Francis Wall, blacksmith.

HALFORD,

a chapelry and small village, formerly united to the parish of Bromfield, contains, with the hamlet of Dinchope, 1,320 acres of land, and in 1841 had 26 houses and 124 inhabitants.  Rateable value, £1,328. 19s.  The whole of the land in this parish belongs to the Hon. R. H. Clive, except about fifty acres, which is the property of James Baxter, Esq.  The former is lord of the manor.  The soil is mostly upon the limestone, and produces tolerable crops of grain, but a considerable portion of the land is used for grazing purposes.  The Chapel is a small structure, and the living a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Hon. R. H. Clive, Esq., who is also lord of the manor.  The Rev. William E. Lumb is the incumbent.

Directory.—John Dalloway, corn miller, Halford Mill; John Davies, farmer, Halford; Richard Jukes, farmer, Dinchope; Sarah Lambe, blacksmith, Newington; Richard Marston, farmer, Halford; Henry Ratcliffe, clerk; Joseph Swift, farmer, Dinchope.

HOLDGATE

Bouldon is a small township, with a few scattered houses, in the parish of Holdgate, which comprises 325 acres of land, the rateable value of which is £274. 10s.  At the census of 1841 there were 13 houses and 61 inhabitants.  There is a quarry in this township where stone is got in considerable quantities for building and other purposes.

Brookhampton is another township in Holdgate parish, with 549 acres of land, and in 1841 had fifteen houses and eighty-five souls; rateable value, £390. 15s.  Mrs. Thursby and the Corporation of Ludlow are the landowners; the former is lady of the manor.

Directory.—Jeremiah Cox, farmer and maltster, Holdgate; William Wall, farmer, Holdgate; Edward Esq., farmer, Stanton Holdgate; William Cox, vict., Tally-Ho Inn, Bouldon; William Page, farmer, Bouldon; William Penn, corn miller, Bouldon; Richard Turner, farmer, Bouldon; Thomas Clark, farmer, Brookhampton; Thomas Edwards, farmer, Brookhampton; Ann Harper, shopkeeper, Brookhampton

HOPE BOWDLER

Charities.—The charity commissioners state, “We are informed by the Rev. George Walkin Marsh, the rector of Hope Bowdler, that for about four years after he came to the benefice he received from his predecessor 12s. yearly, to be distributed in bread, 6s. to be given in money on St. Thomas’s day; that, upon the death of his predecessor about twenty-four years ago, he applied to his representatives for the principal, and ultimately received from them £18.  This sum Mr. Marsh states he now has in his hands, that he has added thereto £4, so as to make up £22, and has signed a memorandum to that effect in one of the parish books.  He pays 22s. yearly as the interest thereof, and with the churchwardens distributes to the poor of the parish 12s. yearly in bread and 10s. in money on St. Thomas’s day.”

Chelmick is a township and village in the parish of Hope Bowdler, in a romantic district near the Ragdon and Hope Bowdler hills, about a mile south from the parish church.  The township contains 305 acres of land, and in 1841 had thirteen houses and fifty nine souls.  Rateable value, £281. 13s. 7d.  The Corporation of Ludlow are the landowners.

Ragdon township in Hope Bowdler parish has 339 acres of land, two houses, and thirteen inhabitants.  Rateable value, £309. 5s. 6d.  The landowners are J. Stanier, Esq., and Thomas Dunn, Esq.

Directory.—Hope Bowdler: William Adams, farmer, The Hall; Richard Cartwright, farmer; John Craxton, farmer and blacksmith, Francis George, farmer, The Coombs; John Griffiths, shopkeeper; George Hills, farmer, The Coombs; John Jones, wheelwright; Rev. George W. Marsh, rector.  Chelmick: John Rodgers, farmer.  Ragdon: Martha Heynes, farmer; and Thomas, Wilding, farmer.

HOPTON-IN-THE-HOLE, OR HOPTON CANGEFORD,

is a small parish in the lower division of the Munslow hundred, four miles N.E. from Ludlow, containing 320 acres of land.  At the census in 1801 there were 35 inhabitants, and in 1841 six houses and a population of thirty souls.  The church is a small unpretending structure of brick, and the living a perpetual curacy returned in the king’s book at £5. 13s. 8d., now returned at £51 in the patronage of Sir W. R. Broughton.  There is no resident clergyman in the parish.  The resident farmers are Thomas Green and William Roberts.

is a parish and village situated about a mile from Ludlow, and separated from that town by the river Teme, which is here crossed by a stone bridge.  This parish is partly in the county of Hereford and partly in Salop.  The entire parish at the census of 1801 had 34 inhabitants; 1831, 528, and in 1841 there were 46 houses and 294 inhabitants within the bounds of this county.  Acres, 2,920.  Rateable value, £3,290. 10s.  Ludford House, the seat and property of Francis Lechmere Charlton, Esq., is a fine old mansion, situated on a gentle eminence contiguous to the village.  Though greatly modernized, its interior quadrangle and the massive style of masonry, are indications of great antiquity.  The proprietor has in his possession a deed in which mention is made of a house here as early as the eleventh century.  This manor in the time of William the Conqueror was possessed by Osborne, Lord of Richards Castle.  It was afterwards enjoyed by the Jordens, from whom it passed by an heiress to Howel Vaughan.  The hospital of St. John being seized by the crown at the time of the dissolution of religious houses, this manor, as appertaining to that foundation, was also conveyed to King Henry VIII.  In the time of Edward VI. it was granted to John Earl of Warwick, from whom it passed by sale to William Foxe, and in the year 1607 came into the possession of the Charlton family.  This family enjoyed extensive possessions in this county, and were seated at Apleby Castle, near Wellington.  To the south of the house are tasteful gardens and pleasure grounds, and on the western side is the park, well stocked with deer, and remarkable for its fine sylvan beauty and luxuriant woody scenery.  Leland, who visited Ludford between the years 1500 and 1550, observes, “The suburbs over Teme bridge by south is called Ludford, and in it is a little parish church.  There be three fayre arches in this bridge over Teme, and a pretty chapel upon it of St. Catherine.  It is about 100 years since this stone bridge was erected.  Men passed along by a ford a little below the bridge.”  The Church, an ancient structure, is situated in the county of Hereford, contiguous to Ludford house, and consists of nave and chancel, with a square tower.  The altar and basons for holy water indicate that Catholicism had not declined at the time of its erection.  The chancel is evidently a modern appendage to the church, and was built by William Foxe, who formerly resided at Ludford house.  It is the place of sepulchre for several members of the Foxe family, and also of the Charltons.  In a recess is the figure of Sir Job Charlton, reclining in his magisterial habiliments.  The living is a perpetual curacy, returned at £105 in the patronage of F. L. Charlton, Esq.  Ludford Hospital was founded by Sir Job Charlton in the year 1672 for six poor and impotent persons, one of whom was to be warden; the incorporation to be denominated, “The warden and poor of the hospital of Ludford,” The said warden and poor in their corporate capacity to have power to purchase and hold lands, and to sue and be sued, and to have a common seal.  The name and distinction of warden as head of the corporation has long ceased to exist.  The latest instance of the use of the common seal is on a lease of Saunder’s meadow in 1618.  The subsequent lease bears the seal of Sir Francis Charlton.  The income is about £63 per annum.  The “pretty chapel of St. Catherine,” noticed by Leland, has long been forgotten.  The celebrated well, however, of St. Julian, under the garden wall of the hospital, is still remembered by the inhabitants of the village; but the wonderful cures believed to have been miraculously performed ceased with the superstition of the times.

Directory.—Francis Lechmere Charlton, Esq., Ludford House; Thomas Lowe, farmer, Hucks Barn; George Penny, machine maker and brass founder; John Wade, paper manufacturer, Ludlow Paper Mills; Margaret Worley, vict., Ludford Arms.

Sheet, a township and village situated about a mile from the parish church, in 1841 contained seven houses and 29 inhabitants.  The principal landowners are the Hon. R. H. Clive, F. L. Charlton, Esq., and the corporation of Ludlow.  The chief residents are Thomas Callon, farmer, Saltmoor; Mary Lawrence, farmer, Saltmoor; Mary and Betsy Longmore, farmers, Steventon; James Wild, farmer, Steventon; Frederick Wood, Esq., The Sheet.

is a parish and small village in the lower division of the Munslow hundred, which was of sufficient importance in early times to give name to the division of the county in which it is locally situated.  The parish contains 4,110 acres of land, and embraces the townships of Aston, Bach, or Beach Mill, Broadstone, Holloway, part of Hungerford, Millichope, Munslow, Poston, Lower Thonglands, and Topley-vill: population in 1801, 610; 1818, 770.  Rateable value, £3,779. 12s. 9d.  The village of Munslow is pleasantly situated in a romantic district nine miles north from Ludlow: this township at the census of 1841 had 29 houses and 160 inhabitants.  C. O. C. Pemberton, Esq., is the chief landowner.  Sir Edward Littleton, son and heir of Sir Edward Littleton, of Henley, in the county of Salop, was made Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, in the 15th Charles I.; and the year following Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, and Lord Littleton, Baron Munslow.

The Church is a fine old structure dedicated to St. Michael, and consists of nave, chancel, and north aisle, the latter divided from the nave by pointed arches, and a broad obtuse arch; the chancel is divided from the body of the church by a handsome oak screen.  The ceiling is carved, resting on strong oak brackets.  The font is very ancient, and there are various monuments.  Several of the windows are adorned with stained glass of antique workmanship, one of which was added at the expense of Richard Sheppard and Joanna his wife, in the time of Henry VII.; the beautiful decorations of the east window are of more modern date.  The living is a rectory with the curacy of Broadstone annexed valued in the king’s book at £21. 15s. 2½d., now returned at £730, in the patronage and incumbency of the Rev. T. C. Powell.  In the church-yard there is a singular building the uses of which are unknown.  It consists of a roof supported by four oak pillars and arches of the same material; as it now stands it is raised little more three feet from the ground.  There is a National School in the village which is supported by subscriptions and a small charge from each scholar.

Charities.—In the year 1795, the sum of £300, five per cent stock, was purchased with a legacy of £100 left to the poor of the parish of Munslow in 1762, by Major John More, and a legacy of £200 left by his sister Catharine More in 1792, the interest of which sum it was directed should be distributed annually to poor housekeepers within the said parish, at the discretion of the minister and churchwardens.  When this stock was paid off, £328 stock was purchased in the new four per cents, which is now standing in the name of the rector.  The dividends amounting to £13. 2s. 6d. per annum, are distributed to poor housekeepers in the parish by the rector.

Directory.—Arthur Bach, saddler and harness maker; William Bowley, butcher and shopkeeper; Thomas R. C. Downes, surgeon; Edward Edwards, farmer; Edward Evans, tailor; Edward Hughes, farmer; Edwin Keysell, maltster, corn dealer, and seedsman; Charles Pothecary, surgeon; William Power, surgeon; Rev. Thomas C. Powel, rector; David Pugh, builder; Obadiah Newnham, schoolmaster; John Roberts, farmer.

Aston, a small township in the parish of Munslow, at the census in 1841 had 31 houses and 164 inhabitants: the acres and rateable value of the several townships in this parish are returned with the parish of Munslow.  John Francis Wright, Esq., is the principal landowner.  The principal residents in the township of Aston are John Downes, Esq., Aston Hall; John Hince, plumber and glazier; Edward Mullard, blacksmith; Miss Ann Pearce, The White House; Samuel Preece, farmer; William Shirley, farmer; Benjamin Wall, wheelwright; William Wigmore, vict., The Hundred House.

Bach or Beach Mill, a hamlet in the parish of Munslow, at the census in 1841 had twelve houses and a population of forty eight souls.  The landowner in the township is Herbert Cornewall, Esq.  The principal residents are James Dyer, carpenter; Samuel Handcocks, blacksmith; Joseph Sankey, tailor and shopkeeper; Richard Sankey, tailor, and post office; John Stubbs, shopkeeper.

Millichope, a township in the parish of Munslow, at the census of 1841 had fourteen houses and fifty-seven inhabitants.  The land is chiefly the property of Charles Orlando Childe Pemberton, Esq., of Millichope Park, an elegant mansion in the Grecian style of architecture, beautified with tasteful pleasure grounds and surrounded with woody scenery.  The house is a modern structure, built near the site of an antique mansion which was chiefly composed of timber and plaster, bearing the characteristics of the reign of Elizabeth, and was taken down about eight years ago.  On the top of a rock facing the hall, a beautiful Cenotaph has been built in the Grecian style, in memory of two brothers of the name of More, one of whom was an officer in the 79th regiment, and the other in the British navy.  It has been erected about seventy-five years.  The small but very ancient manor house of Upper Millichope formerly belonged to the Prior of Wenlock; it consists of only one room on a floor.  The walls are seven feet in thickness, and lighted by narrow slips of windows; the entrance is by an ornamented circular-headed doorway, to the right of which are some steps of an old stone staircase carried up in the solid wall to the upper chamber, the entrance to which is guarded by three doors, the centre one being secured by a massive wooden bar which passed through the wall of the room into the outer wall on the opposite side of the staircase.  The structure now forms part of a farm residence.  It is supposed by antiquaries that the lower compartment in the warlike times of former ages was used for the purpose of securing the cattle in times of danger, while the upper story formed the habitation of the family.  The principal residents in Millichope are Charles Orlando Childe Pemberton, Esq., Millichope Park; Mr. William Cadwallader, Thomas Clifton, mason; Thomas Wall, blacksmith.

Thonglands is a township and small village in the parish of Munslow, which in 1841 contained fifteen houses and eighty-three inhabitants.  C. O. C. Pemberton, Esq., of Millichope Park, and the Rev. Frederick Lakin, are the landowners.  The chief residents are Joseph Edwards, beerhouse keeper; William Lello, farmer; and Thomas Wall, farmer.  Topley Ville, comprising two houses and twelve persons, is in the parish of Munslow.  Mr. John Price is the only resident farmer.

Poston Lower is a township in the parish of Munslow, situated six miles north from Ludlow, which comprises three houses and twenty-three inhabitants at the census of 1841.  The land is the property of Archdeacon Corbet.  John Kelly, blacksmith, and Richard Wellings, farmer, are the residents.

ONIBURY

Directory.—Samuel Amies, farmer, the Park; Philip Bach, farmer; Herbert Blakeway, farmer, Wootton; William Bright, schoolmaster; William Coston, farmer; Ann Jones, vict., the Griffin; Rev. John J. Hodges, the Rectory; Benjamin Pugh, farmer; Thomas Matthews, wheelwright; William Watkins, blacksmith; Mr. Thomas Wells, Onibury cottage; Thomas Wells, agent to Earl Craven.  The residents at Walton are William Blakeway, farmer; Samuel Botfield, shoemaker; Thomas Hotchkiss, farmer.

RICHARDS CASTLE,

The following is a grant to the burgesses made by Lord Mortimer, in the 29th of the reign of King Edward:—“Know all men present and to come, that I, Hugh, the son of Robert Lord Mortimer, lord of Richards Castle, I have given, granted, and by this my present writing conferred, to all my burgesses of Richards Castle, and to all my tenants of the townships of Moor Batchcott and Whitbrook, and to all my tenants of the township of Overton, for their good services done to me in the time of the Welsh war, and for twenty pounds sterling to me in hand paid common of pasture for all manner of their cattle and beasts in my fields at Bury Hynton, at all times after the grain is carried thence, and in all my meadow called Shule Meadow, after the feast of St. John the Baptist, and also common of pasture for all their beasts in all my woods within the said lordship of Richards Castle, as well within the county of Hereford as within the county of Salop, at all times in the year (except my park called Morbeck, and my Heys, lying between the ditch called Farthings Lawnde, and one hedge called the Royard, which are inclosed, and parted in at all times of the year).  I have also given and granted to my said burgesses and tenants sufficient house-boot, hay-boot, and fire-boot, with all other necessaries that belong to husbandries, to be yearly taken at all times of necessaries in the said woods, by the order and delivery of my bailiff or constable there for the time being; to have and to hold all the aforesaid common of meadow, pasture, and wood ground as aforesaid, to my said burgesses and tenants of the aforesaid village of Richards Castle, Moor Batchcott, Whitbrook, and Overton, of me and my heirs, the sum of twelve shillings at the feast of St. Michael the Archangel, viz., the burgesses of Richards Castle four shillings, the tenants of Moor Batchcott and Whitbrook four shillings, and the tenants of the township of Overton four shillings, for all manner of service, exaction, and demand; and if it shall happen that this my grant gains aid, withheld, or retained by me, my heirs, or by any person claiming under us at any time for the future, then I will and grant that all my said burgesses and tenants thereby, their own proper wills shall take and hold the aforesaid common in all the said meadows, pasture, and wood grounds aforegranted, and in all places thereby strength and virtue of the said deed: and I, the aforesaid Hugh, and my heirs, all the aforesaid common, together with house-boot, hay-boot, and fireboot, as aforesaid, (except as before excepted,) to the aforesaid burgesses of Richard Castle, and my tenants of Moor Batchcott, Whitbrook, and Overton, their heirs and assigns, for the consideration and rent aforesaid, against all nations whatsoever, will warrant and for ever defend; and that this my grant may be for ever ratified and established, I have hereunto set my seal.”

The Church is a fine structure, dedicated to St. Bartholomew, and stands contiguous to the castle; the tower stands a few feet from the body of the church, and had formerly a spire, which was burnt down.  The windows contain some beautiful stained glass.  The living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £15. 1s. 3d.  Patron, the Bishop of Worcester; incumbent, Rev. George Landon.  The tithes have been commuted for £650, and there are 110 acres of glebe land of the annual value of £270.  There are 2,324 acres of land in the township of Richards Castle, the rateable value of which is £1,652. 8s.  Gross estimated rental, £1,862. 8s. 6d.  The principal landowners are the representatives of J. Salway, Esq., Walter Stubbs, Esq., and William Moreton, Esq.

Overton and Woofferton is a delightfully situated township and village in the parish of Richard’s Castle, about two miles south from Ludlow, on the borders of Herefordshire.  The township contains 1,260 acres of land, the chief owners of which are Francis L. Charlton, Esq., Richard Betton, Esq., and the representatives of the late E. Salwey, Esq.  Rateable value, £1,677. 8s.  At the census of 1841 Overton contained 18 houses and Woofferton nine houses, and together had a population of 137 souls.

Directories.—Richard’s Castle.—Edmund S. Davenport, Esq.; Samuel Davies, shoemaker; Miss Ann Child, Westbrook Cottage; John Hammond, vict., The Salwey Arms; Charles Mapp, farmer, Church House; Richard Mason, farmer, The Green; George Mason, farmer, The Rock; Henry Oseland, farmer and horse trainer, The Wood House; Richard Parker, farmer; Benjamin Ridley, farmer; Mary Taylor, vict., The Castle Inn; Mrs. Martha Taylor; Thomas Wheeler, farmer, The Merefield.

Moore and Batchott.—William B. Cooke, farmer; Thomas Froggat, farmer, The Leys; Rev. George Landon, rector of Richard’s Castle; William Parker, farmer; John Salwey, Esq., Moor Park; Thomas Summers, farmer; John Williams, blacksmith; William Wood, boot and shoemaker; Richard Woodhouse, wheelwright

Overton and Woofferton.—Richard Betton, Esq., Overton House; Thomas C. Bridges, Esq., The Lodge; John Burnett, farmer, Overton; Thomas Bywater, farmer; William B. Cooke, farmer; Richard Green, corn miller, Barratt’s Mill; John Lancet, farmer; Thomas Lowe, farmer, Hucks Barn; Richard Hardman, vict., Salwey Arms; William Heywood, farmer; Thomas Nottingham, farmer; Edward Stubbs, farmer.

RUSHBURY

is a considerable parish in the upper division of the Munslow hundred, comprising the townships of Rushbury, Stone Acton, Wall-under-Haywood, and Wilderhope and Stanway, and part of the townships of East Wall and Getton.  The parish comprises upwards of 5,600 acres of land, and at the census of 1801 had 356 inhabitants; 1831, 507, and in 1841 had 109 houses and a population of 502 souls.  The village of Rushbury is situated about nine miles S.W. from Much Wenlock, and the township contained 26 houses and 115 inhabitants.  The principal landowners are Mrs. Lutwyche, Barnard Dickinson, Esq., and Mrs. Thursby; the latter is also lady of the manor.  Some authors conjecture this place to be the Roman station Bravinium, between Magnum and Uriconum; the distance agreeing better with the Roman itinerary than Bridgnorth.  At the Doomsday survey Roger de Lacy held of Earl Roger Riseberie, and Odo of him, at which time there was an eyrie of hawks.  In the 11th of Edward I. Hugh Burnel had a charter for a market on a Thursday, and a fair on the eve, the day, and the day after the feast of St. Margaret the virgin, which upon a quo warranto brought against Sir Philip Burnel in the 20th of Edward I. was ratified and confirmed by the king’s council.  In the time of Edward I. Richard de Harley had free warren here.  John de Handelo levied a fine on the manor of Rushbury in the 14th of Edward III.  Among the fees of Roger Earl of March, Nicholas Burnel held one knight’s fee.  In the 3rd of Edward VI. the king gave Rushbury in exchange to Nicholas Bishop of Worcester and his successors for lands in Warwickshire.  The Church is a small structure, dedicated to St. Peter, consisting of nave and chancel, with a tower in which are five bells.  The living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £19. 7s. 8½d., now returned at £449 in the gift of the Bishop of Worcester.  Incumbent, Rev. Matthew Y. Starkey.  The endowed school, where twelve children are educated, and the almshouses, will be further noticed with the various gifts to charitable uses.  The tithes are commuted for £384.

There is a parcel of land in the parish called the Poor’s Land, containing about six acres, and four small tenements with gardens, and also an allotment set out in respect of the above mentioned premises containing about an acre and three quarters, altogether producing a rental of £12 per annum.  The four tenements were long used for the reception of paupers.  A portion of the poor’s land was given to the rector in exchange for a part of the glebe near the church-yard, on which the school was built.  The sum of £2. 2s. is paid to the rector as his portion of the rent, and the residue is chiefly expended in coals and distributed to the poor.

Edward Lutwyche, in 1601, granted a rent charge of 40s. per annum out of his lands in Wall-under-Haywood and East Wall, and directed six penny worth of bread to be distributed every Sunday to six poor parishioners, each of the said poor people to receive 2s. 4d. in money every Good Friday.  And he directed that every poor person appointed should receive the charity for life.  The yearly sum of 30s. is payable out of Day-house farm in the township of Holt Preen, as the bequest of Anne Tipton.  The amount is distributed in bread to six poor men and six poor women, alternately, according to the intentions of the donor.  Martha Baker, who died about fifty years ago, is stated to have left £20 to the poor of Rushbury, the interest to be given in bread.  This money was applied soon after the death of the testatrix in repairing a house on the poor’s land used as a poor house, and in respect thereof £1 is paid annually from the poor’s rates, which is expended in bread for the poor.