is a small township with a scattered population, five miles north-west from Newport, and three miles north-west from Chetwynd. The township contains 765a. 1r. 28p. of land; and at the census in 1841 there were 18 houses and 102 inhabitants. The land here has an undulating surface, and is highly fertile. Arthur Mountford, Esq., is the principal landowner, and farms most of the land. The Wesleyan Methodists have a small chapel in the township.
The chief residents are Arthur Mountford, Esq.; and Messrs. Dawes and Whitfield, corn millers.
a populous parish busily engaged in the extensive iron works and collieries with which the vicinity abounds, is situated four miles S.E. from Wellington. The parish comprises the townships of Dawley Magna, Dawley Parva, and Malinslee. In 1801 there was a population of 3,869 souls; 1831, 6,877, and in 1841 there were 1,716 houses and 8,641 inhabitants, of whom 4,490 were males, and 4,151 females. The township of Dawley Magna contains 997a. 1r. 21p. of land, and in 1841 had 904 houses and 4,485 inhabitants. R. A. Slaney, Esq., is lord of the manor and a considerable landowner; Beriah Botfield, Esq., the Coalbrook Dale Company, Robert Burton, Esq., and the Langley Field Company, are also proprietors. The collieries vary from 150 yards to 200 yards in depth, and the seams of coal from two feet to four feet in thickness; the coal is of a very superior quality, and got in immense quantities. The Coalbrook Dale Company give employment to upwards of 3,500 hands, and the quantity of coal raised by this firm in the parish of Dawley alone amounts to 8,500 tons per month, or 102,000 tons per annum, of ironstone 42,000 tons a year. The same company also make 17,880 tons of pig iron, at the Horse Hay Works in this parish, besides 14,200 tons of finished merchant iron yearly. A very ingenious contrivance is adopted at the Horse Hay Works, by means of which 100 tons of coal per month are saved. Attached to the furnace chimnies where the iron is made are pipes by which the gas is brought down under the immense steam engines which are necessary for raising the coal and ironstone from the mines contiguous to the works. On the gas uniting with the atmospheric air under the engines it immediately ignites, and thus an immense saving and power is acquired which is generally neglected in other establishments. At the time we saw the works there was a surplus supply of gas thrown off, which would have put in motion an engine of 100 horse power. The Horse Hay Works took their name from the circumstance of this place, in former days being the depository for hay, when the minerals were carried on pack horses from Ketley-bank to Coalbrook dale—this was a half-way house where the horses were fed, and hence the name Horse Hay Works. Each of the adult workmen employed at this extensive establishment pays 1s. per month, which forms a fund for educational purposes and funeral expenses.
The Church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, is a handsome structure of free stone, erected in 1845, at a cost of about £3,000, raised by subscriptions and grants from the church building societies. The stone was got from a neighbouring quarry. It consists of nave, chancel and side aisles, with a tower at the west end, in which are six bells. The interior has a chaste appearance: the nave is separated from the side aisles by four lofty arches; on the north side of the chancel is a neat stone pulpit, and there is a gallery at the west end, upon which there is a superior organ erected in 1851 at a cost of £200. The pews are uniform in character, and there are 831 sittings, of which 664 are free and unappropriated. The living is a perpetual curacy in the patronage of the Messrs. Phillips. Incumbent, Rev. William Richards, M.A. The parsonage is about half a mile N.W. from the church. The rectoral tithes are commuted for £82. 10s. Messrs. Phillips are the impropriators. The incumbent receives £1. The parish register dates from the year 1666. The old church stood a little S.E. of the present edifice; it was a small structure of primitive simplicity, and had a short tower at the west end. On the east side of the church yard stands the old parsonage, an antique fabric of wood and plaster with a thatched roof; it is much dilapidated by time, and is expected shortly to be taken down. The Wesleyan Chapel, Dawley Green, is a plain octagonal structure, which will hold about 400 hearers. The Wesleyans have also a spacious chapel at Dawley Bank, built in 1846. The Wesleyan New Connection Chapel is a spacious structure at Dawley Green, which will hold about 1,000 persons. The Particular Baptist Chapel is a small structure situated at Dawley Bank. The Primitive Methodist Chapel is a spacious structure capable of holding about 1,000 persons, situated in Dawley Green-lane. Dawley Green is a most densely populated part of the parish, and is about half a mile from the church; in High street are many good houses and shops in all the different branches of the retail trade. Pool Hill School is a noble pile of buildings, erected at a cost of upwards of £3,500, defrayed by the munificence of different members of the Darby family. The interior is spacious and lofty, and the roof is of groined timber stained in imitation of oak. There is a good library containing upwards of 400 volumes. The school has been built for the education of the children of workmen belonging to the Coalbrook Dale Company, and is partly supported from a fund into which each workman pays 1s. per month for educational purposes and funeral expenses of deceased members; the residue necessary for the support of the school is paid by the Coalbrook Dale Company. The National School is a plain structure, erected in 1841, and situated near the parsonage house. About 100 children attend. It is supported by subscriptions and the pence of the children. Finger Lane is a scattered district to the east of the church.
a township situated near a mile W. of Dawley Magna, comprises 900a. 1r. 38p. of land, and in 1841 had 270 houses and 1,435 inhabitants. The canal and roads occupy 30a. 1r. 8p. The tithes of Dawley Parva have been commuted, and £146 apportioned to Messrs. Phillips, the impropriators, and £6 to the incumbent. The Church is a neat structure, dedicated to St. Luke, and consists of nave and bay, with a belfry at the west end, built of hewn stone of very beautiful workmanship. The roof is of groined timber, and there is a gallery at the west end. The cost of the fabric was about £1,300, which was raised partly by grants from the church building societies and partly by subscriptions. There are 507 sittings, which are all free and unappropriated. The church was built under Sir Robert Peel’s act, and is endowed with £150 per annum. The patronage is vested in the crown and the bishop of Lichfield alternately. The Rev. James Morris is the incumbent. The vestry is used as a Sunday school for girls, and the boys are taught in the church. The parsonage is a neat residence situated near the church. The Wesleyan Methodists have a spacious chapel, built in 1837. Holywell Lane is a populous district, chiefly of cottage residences, which take their name from a well here called Holy Well. At Hinkhay are a number of scattered cottages.
is a township in the parish of Dawley, situated about a mile N. from the parish church, which comprises 736a. 1r. 9p. of land, and in 1841 there were 510 houses and 2,721 inhabitants, Robert H. Cheney, Esq., is the principal landowner; Beriah Botfield, Esq., is also a proprietor. The Shropshire union canal occupies 34a. 1r. 31p., and there is 1a. 2r. 20p. of glebe in the township. Malinslee forms a part of the great Shropshire coal field; ironstone is found in large quantities, and the iron and coal works of Beriah Botfield, Esq., are of considerable extent. The Old Park coal works are celebrated for superior coal. The Church is an octagonal structure, erected in the early part of the present century; it is built of free stone, and will accommodate about 800 persons. The expenses of the erection were defrayed with money left by J. H. Browne, Esq., of Burton-upon-Trent. The patronage is vested in the incumbent of Dawley Magna; the living is a perpetual curacy enjoyed by the Rev. William Harris. Malinslee House is a good brick residence, built about sixty years ago by the late William Botfield, Esq. It is now occupied as offices by the clerks of B. Botfield, Esq. About 150 yards from the house are the ruins of a small religious house called Malinslee Abbey. This may have been subordinate to some of the larger abbeys in the vicinity, but of which we find no record. The ruins consist of a small oblong square with walls at each end about twenty feet high, and on each side from six to nine feet in height, having traces of the Saxon style of architecture.
Charities.—Richard Hodden, by will, dated 19th June, 1684, devised his land of inheritance, situated in Dogpole-street, Shrewsbury, and also his lands lying in Middleton-on-the-Hill, in the county of Hereford, to Richard Hodden and his heirs, on condition that he should (among other things) pay an annuity of £7 to the poor of Dawley Magna. The premises in Dogpole-street, Shrewsbury, mentioned in Hodden’s will, cannot now be identified, but the annuity is paid by Mr. Bird, the occupier, and part owner of the premises of Middleton, which consists of a farm and buildings, and about seventy acres of land. The amount is divided among poor widows, who are relieved according to their necessities.
Rebecca Walthall, who died in 1756, bequeathed to the churchwardens of Dawley £40, and directed the interest to be distributed yearly to the poor of Malinslee. This money was in the hands of the late William Botfield, Esq., who distributed 40s. as the interest thereof among poor widows. When the charity commissioners published their report Mr. Botfield had also a further sum of £50 in his hands, left as he believed by Rebecca Walthall, for which he paid interest to the incumbent of Dawley.
In the year 1738, by deed, dated 14th of April, Richard Styche, in consideration of £20 paid to him by Edward Forsbrook, with the consent of the parishioners, for placing the said money at interest for the benefit of the poor of the parish, assigned a cottage at Madeley Wood, which had been granted to him in 1732, by George Yorke, for securing the repayment of £30 advanced by him to Yorke, and of which £10 had been since paid off. And by a memorandum at the back of the deed the parties agreed that interest at four per cent. should be paid for the £20. On the 7th March, 1857, the said George Yorke, by endorsement on this deed, acknowledged to have borrowed of the parish officers of Dawley the sum of £13, which sum, with interest at the rate of 10s. a year, he agreed should be payable from the said premises, making the whole principal sum £33. We could not ascertain with certainty the origin of this poor’s money, but find that Enoch Cooper, in 1721, left a sum of £20 to the use of the poor of Great Dawley, and this sum probably formed the first amount advanced on this mortgage. In the returns of the commissioners under the act of the 26th of George III., there is mention of a benefaction by another person of the name of Cooper of £13, which agrees with the further sum advanced on the mortgage in 1757, but we have not found any other trace of this donation.
Post Office.—At Mr. Samuel Deakin’s, High street. Letters arrive at 8 A.M., and are despatched at 5 30 P.M. Money orders are granted at this office.
Those names with 1 affixed are in High street; 2 Chapel lane; 3 Dawley Green lane; 4 Dawley Bank, 5 Horse Hay; 6 Finger lane; 7 The Wickets. Those marked * are Dawley Magna; and † in Malinslee.
4 Bailey Edward, farmer
1 Bailey George, grocer, seedsman, and ironmonger
1 Bailey Henry, butcher
2 Bailey John, relieving officer
1 Bailey Michael, shopkeeper
5 Bailey Robert, cashier
2 Bailey William Henry, surveyor of highways, accountant, assistant overseer, and agent to Birmingham District Fire Office
1 Barclay John Brown, shopkeeper
* Barker John, cabinet-maker, registrar of births, deaths, and marriages, and vict., Crown Inn
3 Barnes Richard, inland revenue officer
1 Bason Edward, grocer and tea dealer
1 Baugh John, saddler
1 Belshaw Robert, draper and hatter
† Blakemore Thomas, victualler, Stag Inn
† Bishton William, victualler, Plough Inn
† Bishton Geo., accountant, Malinslee House
† Botfield Beriah, Esq., ironmaster
1 Bradbury Thomas, chemist and druggist, & agent to the Royal Farmers & Medical, Legal, and General Insurance Office
5 Bratton John, accountant
6 Bray and Garbett, timber dealers
6 Bray Moses, shoemaker
6 Bray Thomas, victualler, Queen’s Arms
4 Brown Richard, butcher
4 Broom William, shoemaker
1 Brown William, butcher
1 Burroughs James, watch and clockmaker
1 Carver James, joiner and builder
1 Chilton Joseph, beerhouse
1 Chirm Jane, shopkeeper
3 Clarke John, tailor
4 Clarke William, wheelwright
3 Clemson William, maltster and victualler, King’s Arms
1 Cooke Henry, grocer, maltster, corn-miller, and seedsman
4 Cox Rev. Alfred (Baptist)
5 Dobbs James, boot and shoemaker
1 Davies George, surgeon
Darby and Co. (Colebrook Dale Company), ironmasters, Horse Hay
3 Deakin Catherine, beerhouse
1 Deakin Samuel, plumber, glazier, painter, and postmaster
* Deakin Thomas, grocer and draper
1 Deakin Wm., painter, glazier, & beerhouse
* Dixon Thomas, farmer
4 Done James, grocer and draper
1 Egerton Joseph, butcher, and beerhouse
1 Egerton Samuel, victualler, Angel Inn
1 Evans Thomas, victualler, Crown Inn
2 Faulkner Richard, beerhouse
Finley Jane, schoolmistress, Pool-hill school
* Fletcher George, farmer
3 Franklin Francis, shoemaker
3 Garbett and Bray, timber dealers
1 Garbett John, draper
2 Garbett Matthew and Benjamin, charter masters
* Garbett Michael, clerk of St. Luke’s
5 Garbett William, victualler, Peacock
1 Gill Robert, brazier
3 Green Charles H., surgeon, The Terrace
* Greenhalgh Robert, grocer
1 Greenhalgh William, grocer, draper, and hop and corn dealer
3 Gregory Mary, bonnet maker
1 Gun Robert, shoemaker
4 Guy Mary, grocer and victualler, Queen’s Head
1 Guy Thomas, pork butcher
6 Harris James, blacksmith and chainmaker
† Harris Rev. William, curate, Parsonage
3 Hayward George, shoemaker & beerhouse
1 Heaford Jonathan, tailor and draper
3 Hewlett Jane, shopkeeper and beerhouse
† Hudson William, accountant, Dark-lane House
1 Hudson William, timber dealer & builder
Hughes Andrew, butcher, and victualler, Red Lion
James Joseph, police constable
1 Jones Benjamin, ironmonger
4 Jones George, blacksmith
3 Jones John, charter master
3 Jones Phillip, beerhouse
1 Jones Thomas, confectioner
2 Jones William, charter master
1 Kirby Samuel, tailor
Langley Field Coal Company
1 Lane Rosannah, beerhouse
* Leigh Randle, beerhouse
1 Lewis George, butcher
3 Lewis James, butcher and grocer
2 Lord Mrs. Mary Ann
1 Lloyd Robert, shoemaker
* Mancell Thomas, shoemaker
3 Mason Thomas, shoemaker
† Mason William, tailor, Church lane
5 Maun James, victualler, Labour in Vain
6 Merrington Charles, blacksmith, iron-fence and chain maker
1 Millington John, beerhouse
1 Millman Richard, wheelwright
1 Mogg William, earthenware dealer
7 Morgan Thomas, blacksmith
3 Morgan Jeremiah, grocer and victualler, The Lamb
* Morris Rev. James, The Parsonage
3 Onions Enoch, shopkeeper and beerhouse
5 Owen Mary, victualler, Craven Arms
* Nightingale Saml., farmer & vic., Unicorn Inn
3 Parish Joseph, spade maker
7 Parsons John, vict., Wickets Inn
1 Pearce Richard Reynolds, leather dealer
3 Pickin James, hair dresser
4 Pierson John, hair dresser
† Poole James, boiler, chain, and nail maker, and vict., New Wickets Inn
1 Poole and Son, hair dressers
† Poole Robert, ground bailiff
1 Poole Sarah, dress maker
3 Poole William, tailor
4 Poole William, charter master
* Powell Matthew, farmer
4 Powis George, shoemaker
3 Pritchard Charles, shoemaker
6 Pritchard George, vict., Peter’s Finger
4 Pursell Lancelot, butcher
Richards Rev. William, M.A., Parsonage
5 Roden Benjamin, rolling mill manager
1 Roum Alice, beerhouse
1 Roum Maria Louisa, bonnet maker
1 Russell Joseph, draper and hatter
6 Sandlands John, saddler
Sides John James, schoolmaster (National)
1 Simms John, tailor
6 Smallman William, beerhouse and grocer
1 Slater Joseph, stationer, and at Ironbridge
5 Stanley William, grocer and draper
Stewart Elizabeth, beerhouse
Smart Rev. John, Wesleyan
Summers Thomas, maltster, farmer, and vict., Hinkshey
Taylor John Joseph, maltster and vict., Dun Cow
1 Taylor Richard, grocer, maltster, and draper
* Taylor William, farmer
4 Teece James, tailor and draper
4 Tipton Henry, charter master and vict., Red Lion
† Tipton Mark, manager to B. Botfield, Esq.; residence, Mossy Green
1 Tranter Sarah, maltster & vict., Elephant and Castle
1 Tranter William, vict., Lord Hill
* Trigger Elizabeth, farmer
3 Vaughan Thomas, charter master
3 Walford John, tailor
3 Walford Mary, dressmaker
3 Walkis Miles, joiner
1 Webb Mathew, surgeon
5 Wilkes Thomas, mine agent
5 Wilkes Mark, furnace and forge manager
5 William Edward, vict., Pudlers’ Arms
* Wright Peter, farmer
is a parish and delightfully situated village, near the Wrekin Hill, seven miles S.E. from Shrewsbury, and five miles S.W. from Wellington. The parish comprises 874a. 0r. 10p. of land, the principal owners of which are the Duke of Cleveland and Mrs. Maun, besides whom Mrs. Langley, Mr. Samuel Dalloe, Mr. George Davies, and Mr. William Langley, are also proprietors. The Duke of Cleveland is lord of the manor. In 1801 Eaton parish contained 204 inhabitants; 1831, 244, and in 1841 59 houses and 294 souls. The Church, a neat stone edifice dedicated to St. Mary, exhibits the gothic style of architecture, and was almost wholly rebuilt during the years 1847–8, at a cost of £775. Of this sum £490 was raised by subscriptions, £125 was granted by the Diocesan Society, £60 by the Incorporated Society for Enlarging and Building Churches, and £100 was raised by a parish rate on the parishioners. It is considered a free chapel or rectory, in the patronage of the Duke of Cleveland; incumbent, Rev. Henry Beckwith. The tithes are commuted for £176, of which £46 is paid to the vicar of Leighton, and the residue is paid to the incumbent of Eaton Constantine. There are 25 acres of glebe land. The National School is a modern structure erected at the cost of £190, and situated near the church. The Privy Council on Education granted £40 towards the erection, the Diocesan Society £20, the National Society £15, and the residue was raised by public subscriptions. The average attendance of children is about sixty.
There is belonging to the poor of this parish the sum of £20, the origin of which is not known. It is secured on the Atcham House of Industry, and the interest, amounting to 18s. per annum, is distributed among four of the poorest parishioners. William Warham, in 1806, bequeathed after the decease of his wife the interest of £100, and directed the same to be distributed among five of the poorest parishioners of the parish. The testator’s widow died in 1826, and £90 (£10 having been deducted for the legacy duty), was laid out in the purchase of £114. 2s. 1d. three per cent. consols. The dividends, amounting to £3. 8s. 4d. per annum, are divided on Candlemas-day among five poor men residing in the parish.
Directory.—The Rev. Henry Beckwith, The Parsonage; John Bullock, carpenter; Samuel Dalloe, carpenter; John James, carpenter, Longwood; Maria Langley, beerhouse keeper; John Morris, blacksmith; Henry Smith, grocer; Zechariah Smith, farmer; Robert Thomas, farmer; Thomas Ward, carpenter.
is a considerable parish, comprising the townships of Adeney, Butterey, Calvington, Caynton, Cherrington, Chetwynd Aston, Church Aston, Stanford, Tibberton, and part of Pickstock. The parish contains 5,026a. 0r. 31p. of land; gross estimated rental, £9,227. 16s. 1½d.; rateable value, £7,854. 8s. 11½d. Population in 1801, 1,699; 1831, 2,300, and in 1841, 2,471. The village of Edgmond is pleasantly situated on elevated ground, about a mile W. from Newport; it contains several good residences, and commands some pleasing prospects of the surrounding country. The township contains 1,933a. 2r. 27p. of land, and in 1841 there were 174 houses and 792 inhabitants. Rateable value, £3,741. 4s. 9¼d. The lands are intersected by the Shropshire union canal, which covers 20a. 0r. 32p. of land. The principal landowners are Thomas Bayley, Esq., Mr. John Cooke Hill, Rev. John D. Pigott, Rev. William Dalton, Mr. John Moore, Mr. John Alcock, Mr. Thomas Harper Adams, and Mrs. Dewson; J. C. H. Borough, Esq., is lord of the manor.
The Church is a fine old castellated structure, dedicated to St. Peter, consisting of nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a square tower in which are six bells; four pointed arches rising from octagonal pillars divide the nave from the side aisles. The chancel is spacious and covered with tesselated pavement. Above the altar is a beautiful stained glass window, added a few years ago at the expense of the present rector; it contains figures, chastely executed, representative of St. Peter, St. James, and St. John, the other compartments being richly ornamented with gothic tracery. The west window has also been beautified with stained glass by the liberality of the parishioners. In the centre aisle is a brass with two full length figures, the armorial bearings of the family, and figures of thirteen children, in memory of the Young’s, a family of consequence in this locality in former days. A neat tablet in the south aisle remembers William Briscoe, Esq., of Caynton, who died in 1828; near to it is another tablet to the memory of John Bayley, Esq., who died in 1833. The font has been re-hewn, but the original characters have been preserved. An alabaster slab, recently removed from the chancel to the west end of the church, remembers Nicholas Peckell, supposed to have been the last Roman Catholic rector of this place. The church was anciently appropriated to the abbey of Shrewsbury. In the 10th of Henry VII., the advowson was given to the Carthusian priory at Shortly, near Coventry. The patronage is now vested in the Rev. John Dryden Pigott, B.A., who is also the incumbent. The tithes have been commuted for £2,400, and there are 62a. 2r. 25p. of glebe land. The rectory is a very ancient building on the south side of the church yard; it was no doubt built for the reception of some of the religious orders in Catholic times. A low doorway and some other small fragments are all that remain of the ancient fabric. Edgmond Hall, a handsome brick residence pleasantly situated a little south from the church, is the property of Mr. John C. Hill, but unoccupied when our agent visited Edgmond. The National School, situated a little west from the church, has an attendance of 54 boys and 46 girls. The Primitive Methodists have a small chapel built in 1835.
Charities.—In 1699 certain lands were purchased with the sum of £70, which is supposed to have been derived from some of the numerous benefactions which are recorded on a tablet in the church, and for the greater number of which, amounting to £211, no permanent mode of application is there designed. In the purchase deeds it is directed that six penny loaves should be distributed in the parish every Sunday, from which it is inferred that John Moreton’s gift of £26 formed part of the purchase money, the interest of which at five per cent. would exactly suffice for the weekly distribution of six penny loaves. These lands, with an allotment of about three-fourths of an acre made in respect of them some years ago, contain in the whole 13a. 0r. 22p., and now produces a yearly rental of £12. There are also about twelve acres of land situate in the parish of Edgmond, and belonging to the poor of the parish, which are supposed to have been purchased with other of the benefactions recorded upon the tablet in the church, but there are no deeds or documents now extant indicating the source from which the property was derived, or the trusts on which it is held. There are four pieces of land which together are let for £26. 12s. per annum; from this fund, and £4. 10s. added from the rents of the Hinstock estate, 7s. worth of bread is distributed every week among the poor of Edgmond, and 14s. worth is sent every Easter to Tibberton. £1. 19s. is distributed among the poor of Edgmond on St. David’s-day in sums of 6d. each, as the gift of David Oliver. The residue of the fund amounting to £10. 5s. is expended in warm clothing for the poor during the winter season.
The Rev. Dryden Pigott, in 1734, bequeathed £200, and directed the interest thereof to be employed in clothing and schooling, and for books for such poor boys inhabiting the village of Edgmond as his executor and the rector of Edgmond, their heirs and successors, should judge to be a sufficient number for the purpose; the said boys to be clothed and kept at school so long as the said trustees should think fit. This legacy in 1806 was invested in the purchase of £258. 8s. 3d. four per cent. stock, and the dividends, which amount to £10. 4s. 8d., are employed in the clothing and education of seven or eight boys.
John Smith left £100, the interest to be given upon St. John’s-day to the poor of Edgmond. Robert Pigott, in 1746, left £50, the interest to be given to the poor of Edgmond and Adeney. An annual sum of £7. 10s. is paid by the Rev. John D. Pigott as the interest of these two benefactions. The amount is given away in half-crowns to the poor of Adeney and Edgmond on St. John’s-day.
Adams Thomas Harper, farmer, Anceller House
Alcock John, gentleman
Bayley Thomas, gentleman
Blakemore John, farmer
Bolas Benjamin, shoemaker
Bolas John, shoemaker
Bratton Thomas, tailor
Buckley Thomas, tailor
Casewell William, farmer
Davies William, wheelwright
Dewson Mrs. Catherine, Hill House
Evans Edward, shoemaker
Harper John, tailor and vict., Lion Inn
Hill Capt. Clement, Summer Hill
Hill John Cooke, farmer
Hollins Mr. John
Icke Mrs. Elizabeth Glover, Edgmond Grove
James John, shopkeeper
Large John, shopkeeper and carpenter
Lewin George, schoolmaster
Littleton Ben., blacksmith
Mansell Thomas, blacksmith
Moore John, farmer
Morris William, tailor
Patrick James, shoemaker
Phillips John, wheelwright
Pigott David, shoemaker
Pigott Rev. John Dryden, B.A., The Rectory
Pigott William, wheelwright
Pinson William, shoemaker
Pooler Richard, butcher
Sillitoe John, farmer
Sillitoe Thomas, farmer
Tomlins Rev. Richard, M.A.
Vigers Peter, carpenter
Wainwright Abrm., road surv.
Wiggin Thomas, farmer and vict., Old Lamb
Williams John, farmer
Yeomans John, maltster, butcher, and vict., New Inn
is a small township in the parish of Edgmond, situated about a mile W. from the parish church; the township contains 618a. 2r. 22p. of land, the soil of which in some places is light and sandy, and in other parts a strong fertile loam. The Shropshire union canal intersects the township, and occupies 15a. 0r. 2p. of land; Lady Tyrwhitt is the owner of the land, the gross rental of which is £1,175. 13s. 3d. Rateable value, £982. 2s. 7½d. At the census in 1841 there were ten houses and a population of 71 souls.
The principal residents are Richard Asterley, farmer; George Hammond, farmer and surveyor; and John Pooler, farmer, and brick, tile, and draining pipe manufacturer.
is a township with only one house, partly situated in the parish of Edgmond and partly in that of Lilleshall; in the former are 239a. 3r. 38p. of land, and in the latter about 30 acres. The rateable value of the land in Edgmond is £354. 16s. 5d. The Shropshire union railway crosses the township and occupies 5a. 2r. 6p. There is a considerable extent of low marsh land, which is used for grazing purposes. The Duke of Sutherland is the proprietor. Mrs. Sarah Masefield, farmer, occupies the land, and resides at a good residence near the banks of the canal, about two miles S.W. from Edgmond.
a township two miles N.W. from Edgmond, has 670a. 0r. 17p. of land, which is the property of George Briscoe, Esq. Rateable value, £995. 12s. 6d. At the census of 1841 there were 14 houses and 51 inhabitants. Caynton House is a handsome brick residence pleasantly situated, in the occupancy of Mr. Thomas Paddock, farmer. There is a corn mill here situated on a small stream, which has its confluence with the river Tern in the parish of Ercall Magna. Calvington, returned as in the township of Caynton at the census of 1841, is held as a separate township by the parish officers. It contains 339a. 2r. 18p. of land, which is the property of Mr. Charles Morris. Rateable value, £464. 0s. 1½d. Stanford, a good farm two miles N. from Edgmond, has 221a. 0r. 23p. of land, which is the property of the Rev. William Dalton. Rateable value, £228. 17s. 1d.
Directory.—Thomas and William Paddock, farmers, maltsters, and corn millers, Caynton; Thomas Paddock, farmer, Caynton House; Sarah Pooler, farmer, Calvington; Edward Banton, farmer, Stanford Hall.
is a township in the parish of Edgmond, three miles and a quarter from the parish church, comprising 1,035a. 1r. 12p. of land, mostly a light fertile loam, about equal portions arable and in pasture lands. The Duke of Sutherland is lord of the manor and owner of the whole township, except 29a. 1r. 20p. of land, which is the property of Mr. Joseph Ogle. In 1801 there were 173 inhabitants; 1831, 192; and in 1841, 39 houses and 189 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,522. 12s. 4d. The farms here are of considerable extent, and the land has been much improved by superior cultivation.
John White gave the sum of £20 to the poor of Cherrington, and directed the interest to be distributed by the minister, churchwardens, and overseers of the parish, among the most deserving objects of charity. This gift is now in the savings’ bank, and the interest is usually distributed among old men or widows of Cherrington. There are traces of the distribution of this charity for more than a century back; and an entry in the churchwardens’ book for the year 1788, describes it as money left by the late Captain White.
The principal residents are Thomas Browne, farmer; Henry Green, farmer, Day House; Sarah Palin, farmer, Cherrington Manor; William Podmore, farmer; William Fletcher, joiner and builder; William Harper, shoemaker; Richard Hobson, shoemaker; Thomas Jones, shoemaker; Richard Middleton, rope maker; Benjamin Rea, corn miller; and John Williams, shopkeeper and vict., Four Crosses.
is a township in the parish of Edgmond, situated near the eastern verge of the county, about a mile south from Newport. The township is intersected by the railway, and the Newport station is within the bounds of this township, situated about half a mile from the church. The township contains 1,244a. 0r. 8p. of land. Gross estimated rental, £3,051. 11s. 3d. Rateable value, £2,670. 7s. The principal landowners are the Duke of Sutherland; John Cotes, Esq.; John Tayleur, Esq.; Miss Elizabeth Slaney; Lilleshall Company; Mr. Phillips; and Mr. Stoneley. The population of this township in 1801 was 268; 1831, 246; and 1841, 385; at the latter period there were 82 houses, which are for the most part straggling, and form in part the southern suburb to the town of Newport, and stretch on the turnpike road as far as Pave Lane, upwards of a mile and a half.
Pave Lane is a hamlet on the turnpike road, where the Lilleshall company have a depôt for coal, which is brought by canal from the extensive collieries of the Duke of Sutherland, which are leased by the Lilleshall company. The town of Newport is almost wholly supplied by the coal brought hither, which is of very superior quality, and varies in price from 6s. 3d. to 10s. 10d. per ton.
Allman John, shoemaker and blacksmith
Baddeley Charles, farmer, Aston cottage
Baleson Rev. John, curate of Church Aston
Birks Thomas, beerhouse
Bridgwood Mr. William
Brittain Richard, farmer
Brittain Thomas, farmer and corn miller
Collier Joseph, commercial academy
Cheadle James, agent to Lilleshall company, Pave Lane
Goodwin Joseph, wheelwright
James John, farmer, Pave Lane
Hall John, station master
Humphreys Joseph, farmer and butcher
Lawley Thomas, shoemaker
Lilleshall Company, coal & lime merchants
Mancell Walter, maltster and vict., Fox and Duck, Pave lane
Mancell William, vict., Horse and Jockey, Pave Lane
Nevett John, toll-gate contractor
Paddock James, farmer
Slaney Miss Elizabeth, Holly grove
Slaney Elizabeth, farmer
Stoneley James, brick maker and farmer
Tomkinson Joseph, tailor
Treasure John, land agent, surveyor, and builder, Aston villa
is a chapelry and small village, with some genteel residences, pleasantly situated about a mile south from Newport, and a mile and a half east by south from Edgmond. The township contains 720a. 2r. 37p. of land. Ralph M. Leeke, Esq., is the principal landowner and lord of the manor. William Underhill, Esq.; John Treasure, Esq.; Miss Elizabeth Slaney; and Charles B. Brown, Esq., are also proprietors. Gross estimated rental, £2,769. 9s. 6d. Rateable value, £2,459. 11s. 1d. In 1801 there was a population of 451 souls; 1831, 451; and 1841, 512, at which period there were 110 houses. The Chapel is a neat brick structure, consisting of nave, bay, and transepts, with an octagonal tower surmounted by a vane. The chapel was enlarged in 1823, by which means 200 additional sittings have been obtained; and in consequence of a grant from the Society for Promoting the Enlargement and Building of Churches and Chapels, 150 of that number are free and unappropriated for ever, in addition to 50 sittings formerly added; it is provided with galleries, has a small organ, a neat font, and the east window is beautified with stained glass. The living is a perpetual curacy in the patronage of the rector of Edgmond; the Rev. John Baleson is the officiating minister. Aston Hall is a handsome stuccoed mansion, embosomed in foliage, and has been built about twenty years; it is the property of R. M. Leeke, Esq., and seat of Ralph Ormsby Gore, Esq. Mr. Underhill has recently built a neat villa residence on elevated ground a short distance from the village, which commands a pleasing view of the country. The township is crossed by the Newport and Wellington turnpike road, by the Shropshire Union railway, and the canal formed by the Lilleshall company, for the conveyance of coal and lime; of the latter large quantities are made in this township; it is extensively used for agricultural purposes. There is a large reservoir in this township of excellent water, which partly supplies the town of Newport. The National School is a brick structure, where about eighty children are educated.
Charities.—Mrs. Mary Broughton, by will, 1728, gave to Robert Pigott and Henry Jervis the sum of £650 in trust, and directed the rents or profits thereof to be applied to the following uses, viz., 20s. to be laid out in bread and distributed among the poor of the village on the 28th July; 20s. to be laid out yearly, and distributed in like manner on the day of the month on which she should happen to die, and the residue of the yearly profits to be applied by the trustees in educational purposes, and in apprenticing poor children of this township. By a decree of the Court of Chancery, made the 7th of May, 1752, in a cause in which the Attorney-general, at the relation of Adam Jervis and Richard Jervis plaintiffs, and Robert Pigott defendant, it was decreed that £650 should be laid out in the purchase of stock, which was accordingly invested in the purchase of £611. 15s. 4d south sea annuities. The costs of the suit were paid out of a sum of £136. 5s. 8d., which had accumulated as interest before the stock was purchased. The trusts of this charity had been very inefficiently carried out when the charity commissioners published their report. The amount expended up to the year 1819 was for bread, £103. 15s.; schooling and books, £115. 5s. 10d.; apprenticing, £120; extra charges on the charity estate, £59. 14s., making a total of £398. 14s. 10d., whilst the dividends to October 1820 amounted to £688. 2s. 4d.
A sum of £20, supposed to have been the gift of Francis and Elizabeth Watson, is placed in the Newport Savings’ Bank. The interest is distributed among the poor, with other sums collected for the same purpose from the parishioners, at Christmas. An annual sum of 5s. is expended in bread for the poor on Good Friday.
Brown Charles Baldwin, Esq.
Bullock Elizabeth, vict., The Last
Crump Mr. Thomas
Doody Mrs. Elizabeth, Aston grove
Felton Joseph, farmer
Gore Ralph Ormsby, Esq., Aston hall
Icke James Joseph, farmer, and corn and guano merchant, Vanx hall
Jackson William, farmer
Kittridge William Smith, schoolmaster
Lowe William, shopkeeper, winnowing and thrashing machine and general agricultural implement manufacturer
Norris Mrs. Martha
Underhill William, Esq.
Vaughton Thomas, Esq., Ashton villa
Ward George Joseph, timber merchant
Williams Mrs. Sarah
is a township and small village in the parish of Edgmond, situated on an acclivity near the eastern verge of the county adjoining Staffordshire, about three miles north-east from the parish church. It is a detached part of the parish separated from the rest of Edgmond by the parish of Chetwynd intervening. The township contains 1003a. 0r. 14p. of land, the principal owners of which are Robert Gardener, Esq., William Justice, Esq., Rev. William Dalton, Mr. Pooler, and Mr. Joseph Smith. Gross estimated rental, £1,298. 13s. 0½d. Rateable value, £1,087. 15s. 5d. At the census in 1841 there were 29 houses and 157 inhabitants, of which three houses and fifteen persons were returned as in Chetwynd parish.
Directory.—William Bevan, farmer and corn miller: John Firmstone, farmer; Richard Hazledine, farmer; John Rudge, farmer; John Stokes, farmer and butcher; Mary Maria Stokes, farmer; Richard Wright farmer; Theodore Wright, farmer.
is a chapelry, township, and small village three miles W.W. by N. from Edgemond, which contains 1418a. 1a. 22p. of land, the soil of which is chiefly a cold clay, in some parts it is of a light loamy nature, and highly fertile, having been much improved by superior cultivation. The farms here are of considerable extent, the land held by fourteen different tenants within memory of man, is now held by three farmers; nearly the whole of the land is the property of the Duke of Sutherland, there are, however, three small freeholders, viz., the Rev. J. D. Pigott, Mr. J. Brittain, and Mr. J. Fletcher. Rateable value of the township, £2,410. 5s. 5d. At the census in 1801 there were 289 inhabitants; 1831, 351, and in 1841 72 houses and 329 souls. The Chapel is a small structure of free stone, and consists of nave and chancel, with a square tower. It stands near the site of a former edifice which had become dilapidated. The Rev. George Pigott is the officiating minister. There are several handsome monumental tombs in memory of members of some of the principal families in the neighbourhood in the cemetery which surrounds the chapel. A National School has been built in the village; about sixty scholars attend. The Primitive Methodists have a small chapel here, built in the year 1842. The paper mill of Mr. J. Brittain is situated near the church. The Spray Hill is an eminence planted with a clump of Scotch pine trees, which is a conspicuous object for many miles round. The poor of this township receive 14s. worth of bread out of the rents of the poor’s lands at Edgmond. In the returns of charitable donations made to parliament under the act 26th George III. there is mentioned a legacy of £40 by one Mr. Matthews, to poor housekeepers at Tibberton, which is stated to be then in the hands of William Fletcher, rendering an annual interest of £1. 12s. There is no evidence to show what become of the ultimate destination of this gift, but its benefits have long been lost to the poor.
Directory.—The farmers are Thomas Green, Day House; Thomas Jones and William Taylor, Tibberton Grange; the other principal residents are Robert Bates, wheelwright; John Booth, butcher; John Brittain, paper manufacturer; Henry Cotton, blacksmith; John Crawford, shoemaker; Theophilus Fletcher, shoemaker and beerhouse keeper; William Howle, tailor; William Lawley, schoolmaster; Mary Morgan, beerhouse keeper; Elizabeth Podmore, schoolmistress; Robert Simpson, wheelwright.
is a considerable parish in the Wellington division of the South Bradford hundred, comprehending the townships of Cold Hatton, Cotwall and Mooretown, Cruddington, Ellerdine, Ercall Magna, Haughton, Isombridge, Osbaston, Poynton, Rowton, Sleap, Tern, and Walton, together containing 11,152 acres of land, of which 179a. 3r. 24p. are in woods, roads, and waste, and there are 39a. 1r. 11p. of glebe. The parish in 1801 contained 1,091 inhabitants; 1831, 2,048, and in 1841 there were 364 houses and a population of 1,999 souls. Rateable value, £14,140. 19s. 6½d. The houses are in general built of brick, and slated; the cottages are also of brick, and in many instances the occupants have a small allotment of ground. The ancient residences of the gentry are in most instances converted into farm dwellings; there are, however, many neat villa residences in the modern style of architecture, of a respectable character, surrounded with park like enclosures. The soil is chiefly a mixture of sand and loam, and the land is mostly used for arable purposes, in some instances large dairies of cheese are made, and the district is celebrated for a fine breed of sheep. The land is chiefly tithe free, the tithes on the rest of the parish were commuted in 1841 for £829. 15s. The village of High Ercall is pleasantly situated eight miles N.E. from Shrewsbury and five and a half miles N.N.W. from Wellington. Here are several good shops and respectable residences; the air is salubrious, and the country around beautifully diversified with picturesque scenery. The township contains 1,589a. 1r. 18p. of land, and in 1841 had 42 houses and 213 inhabitants. Rateable value, £2,453. Few districts possess so good a soil; the farms are extensive, and in most cases the land has been greatly improved by superior cultivation, and removing the fences and throwing the land into large enclosures. The Duke of Cleveland is lord of the manor and owner of the whole township. The turnpike roads to Newport, Shawbury, Wem, Whitchurch, Wellington, and Shrewsbury, intersect the township. In the 51st of Henry III., John de Ercalewe had a grant of a market here on a Monday, and a fair on the eve and the feast of the nativity of the Virgin Mary and the day after.
The Church, dedicated to St. Michael, an ancient structure, consists of nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a massive square tower containing six bells, and a clock. The side aisles are separated from the nave by four pointed arches rising from circular pillars; the church is neatly pewed with oak sittings, and the pulpit and reading desk are of carved oak of the most elaborate workmanship. The chancel is lofty and contains several mural monuments, one of which remembers Sarah, the wife of Edward Steedman, and children, dated 1834; another remembers the Rev. Henry Wood, who died in 1795; there are also tablets to Cecil Frederick Juckes, the Rev. Lawrence Gardener, and a full length figure, which exhibits a fine specimen of chiselling, near the north end of the church. In the church yard are many monumental tombs of fine workmanship, to some of the principal families resident in the neighbourhood. The living is a vicarage valued in the king’s book at £17. 6s. 8d., now returned at £290 in the patronage of the Duke of Cleveland; incumbent, Rev. Robert Forester, M.A., who resides at the vicarage, a good brick building a short distance from the church. Near the west end of the church are the ruins of an ancient structure, which was formerly moated. Sir Richard Newport, of High Ercall, Knight, by letters patent, bearing date at Bridgenorth, 14th October, 18th Charles I., was advanced to the dignity of baron of this realm, by the title of Lord Newport, of High Ercall. That gentleman advanced six thousand pounds for the king’s use when at Shrewsbury, by which means the artillery was put in a position to march against the parliamentary forces, upon which followed the battle of Edge hill. The Hall, an ancient residence with projecting gables, was built by Sir Francis Newport, Knight. This house is said to have been garrisoned in the time of the civil wars. In levelling a mound near it, Mr. Steedman’s labourers discovered about a thousand silver coins, the greater part of the reign of Charles I., some of Elizabeth, and others of the reign of Philip and Mary. The hall is now in the occupancy of Edward Blakeway Steedman, Esq. Ercall Park is a handsome structure, the residence of William Holt Midgley, Esq.; it is built in the Elizabethan style of architecture, and beautified with shrubberies and pleasure grounds tastefully laid out; the house is surrounded by large enclosures containing some thriving plantations. Sherlowe, the residence of George Townsend Forester, is a modern structure built within the last three years, with farm premises on a scale of considerable magnitude. The Lodge, another good residence of modern construction, is in the occupancy of Mr. Thomas Jukes. The above houses have all very extensive out premises, and all the modern appliances, with steam engines for carrying out the operations of extensive farms in the most economical manner.
The Free School was founded by Thomas Leeke, one of the Barons of the Court of Exchequer, in 1663. In January, 1816, the Attorney-General, at the relation of Ralph Leeke, filed an information against Rann Dolphin Edwards, and John Douglas, for the purpose of setting aside a lease which had been granted in 1772 for a term of 99 years, at the yearly rent of £30, and for obtaining the directions of the court as to the future application of the rents. The master by his report, made 18th February, 1828, and subsequently confirmed by the court, ordered that the school should be for teaching English, writing, and accounts free, and also Latin and Greek when required; the master to charge a guinea a quarter and a guinea entrance for the latter; that the schoolmaster’s salary should be £50 per annum, with liberty for the trustees to increase it at their discretion; that no boys should be admitted until they are capable of reading the New Testament; that any surplus which should arise from the accumulations of rent during a vacancy, or from the annual income not expended in the master’s salary, or repairs, should be expended in rewards to four or more of the scholars at the examination, or who should be reported by the master to the trustees as deserving thereof, or in providing a library of useful books for the school: that the trustees should have power to displace the master in case of incapacity, immorality, or neglect, and that the trustees should have power to make such orders as they should think necessary for the better government of the school. The master, in a report made June 3rd, 1828, found that the sum of £960 was due for rent up to Lady Day, 1828, out of which Mr. Edwards was entitled to retain costs, leaving £831. 1s. from which £428. 2s. 8d. was paid for the costs of the other parties, leaving £402. 18s. 4d., which was ordered to be divided proportionably between the representatives of the two schoolmasters who had officiated between November, 1815, and December, 1827. The charity estate is situated near Trefnanny, in the parishes of Guilsfield and Myford, in the county of Montgomery, and produces a yearly income of £93. Out of the income of the charity the master receives a salary of £50, and he also receives £6. 13s. 4d. per annum in respect of Stevinton’s gift. The school is conducted according to the scheme established by the Court of Chancery, except that the master makes a charge of 10s. 6d. for the entrance of such boys as are not classical scholars, which appears to be contrary to the directions of the court.
Richard Stevinton, by his will, in 1652, devised an annuity of £6. 13s. 4d., payable out of lands at Arleston, to be applied towards the maintenance of a schoolmaster of High Ercall, who should teach children resident in the said parish without any reward from the parents of the children.
The Hospital consists of seven dwellings, and each inmate has a room above and a room below, and a small garden annexed. The hospital was founded by the Newport family. The building is kept in repair at the expense of the Duke of Cleveland, from whose agent the inmates receive £3 per quarter, with an additional payment of 21s. at Christmas, and 5s. at Midsummer. The selection of these persons is not confined to the parishioners or inhabitants of High Ercall, but are selected from deserving objects residing in the neighbourhood, a preference being given to those who have seen better days, and have been reduced by misfortune to poverty.
Poors’ Land.—There are two closes in the township of Eaton, in the parish of Stoke-upon-Trent, which have for a long period been let from time to time by the churchwardens. The last lease was dated 29th August, 1795, and it was therein recited that the then churchwardens of High Ercall were lawfully seized of the premises, in trust to distribute the rents among the poor of the parish of High Ercall, two shillings every fortnight in bread, and the remainder in money on St. Thomas’s-day. There does not appear any documents in the parish to show from whom this land was devised, or on what trust it is held. The two closes contain together 3a. 3r. 4p. of land, and are let at a yearly rental of £8. The amount is given away on St. Thomas’s-day.
Several sums of money, amounting in the whole to £199, left by eight several donors, for the benefit of the poor of this parish, were for many years placed out at interest on private security, and previous to the year 1814 £40 of the above sum was lost. About that period the remainder was called in, and with £20 advanced from the poor’s rates, was laid out in the purchase of certain premises for a parish workhouse. Since 1814 the sum of £8 has been paid out of the poor’s rates as the interest of this money, and distributed among poor persons in small sums, seldom exceeding one shilling.
Thomas and Edward Thomas, each gave £100 in trust, to invest the same for the benefit of the poor of the parish of High Ercall. These donations were invested by the trustees in 1798 in the purchase of three per cent. consols, which were increased in 1816 by the accumulation of dividends to the sum of £500, when the stock was transferred to John Colley and Edward Steedman. Of the sum of £193. 8s. 2d. received in 1816 for the arrears of dividends, after payment of expenses of recovering the same, and the purchase of the additional stock, there remained in the hands of Mr. Colley the sum of £74. 6s. 1d., out of which he disposed of £38. 15s. to different charitable purposes, and in 1830 when the charity commissioners published their report he had still £35. 11s. 1d. in his hands. The principal part of the dividends is now applied in the purchase of bread, which is distributed among poor persons of the parish, a preference being given to widows, the remainder of the dividends is given among the necessitous poor in money.
Mr. Henry Harris is the registrar of births and deaths for the High Ercall district.
Post Office.—At Mr. Harris’s. Letters arrive daily from Wellington by a foot messenger at 9 45 A.M., and are despatched at 5. P.M.
Bates Richard, shoemaker and gardener
Blakeway William, farmer and victualler, Cleveland Arms.
Clarke Robert, farmer and maltster
Dingle Rev. John, schoolmaster and curate, of Upton
Forester George Townsend, Esq., Sherlowe
Forester Rev. Robert Townsend, M.A., The Vicarage
Harris Henry, grocer, druggist, seed, corn, hop, iron and steel merchant, ironmonger, guano and tillage dealer, cheese factor, and nail maker
Jebb William, thrashing machine man
Juckes Mr. Thomas, The Lodge
Large Thomas, joiner and wheelwright
Midgley Mrs., Park House
Midgley William Holt, Esq., Ercall Park
Pigott Mr. John
Powell Thomas, farmer and corn miller
Steedman Edward Blakeway, Esq., The Hall
Steedman Mary, gentlewoman
Taylor William, blacksmith
Vaughan Elizabeth, tailor
Wilding Ana, gentlewoman
a township and pleasant village four miles N.N. by E. from High Ercall, is situated on a bold eminence, and commands extensive views over a luxuriant country. The township contains 787a. 3r. of land, and at the census of 1841 there were 51 houses and 253 inhabitants; the soil is for the most part a mixture of loam and sand, producing good crops of barley and turnips. There are 16a. 0r. 8p. in roads and waste. Rateable value, £907. 6s. 2d. The tithes are commuted for £90, of which £84 has been apportioned to the vicar of High Ercall, and £6 to the impropriator; the chief part of the large tithes have been purchased by the owners of the soil. The Duke of Sutherland and the Duke of Cleveland are the landowners.
The principal residents in this township are George Colley, tailor; Robert Hick, farmer; Richard Lewis, carpenter; William Morgan, pig dealer and shopkeeper; George Nicklin, boot and shoemaker; John Nicklin, wheelwright; William Pitchford, farmer; George Ridgeway, blacksmith; Joseph Shakes haft, farmer; William Shakeshaft, farmer; John Webb, vict., Seven Stars.