is a township situated about a mile E. from High Ercall, which contains 925a. 3r. 13p. of land, the whole of which is the property of the Duke of Cleveland, who is also lord of the manor. At the census of 1841 there were nine houses and 65 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,237. 1s. The land in this locality is pleasingly diversified with undulations; the low lands produce a rich herbage, and the arable lands produce fine crops of grain and turnips. The turnpike road from Newport to Wellington intersects the township, and a small stream separates Mooretown from the township of Rowton. The farm houses are well built, provided with convenient and commodious out-premises, and the farms are of considerable extent. The Cotwall farm, the residence of Mr. Richard Juckes, is pleasantly situated on an eminence, and commands a fine view of the country.
The principal residents are Thomas Allan, farmer, Mooretown; Robert Atcherley, farmer, Mooretown, and Richard Juckes, farmer, Cotwall.
is a township in the parish of Ercall, two and a half miles E. from the parish church, and four miles N. from Wellington. In 1841 here were 43 scattered houses and a population of 96 souls; this township and the adjoining township of Sleap conjointly contain 1,450a. 1r. of land; the soil is various, in some places a strong loam prevails, which produces excellent crops of all kinds of grain, in other parts it is light and sandy. Rateable value, £1,680. 2s. 8d. The Duke of Sutherland is the sole landowner, in this and the adjoining township of Sleap, and is also lord of the manor. Sleap is a small township about the same distance E. from High Ercall as Crudgington, which in 1841 had 17 houses and 85 inhabitants. The rateable value of this township is included in the returns for Crudgington.
The following are the principal residents in Crudgington, viz.:—William Rider, farmer; Thomas Lancelot Steward, farmer, The Leasows; William Humphreys, blacksmith; Charles Madeley, beerhouse keeper, and Mrs. Elizabeth Tudor. The principal farmers in Sleap are John Jenkinson and Mrs. Prudence Davies.
is a township with a scattered population, three miles north-east from High Ercall. The air in this locality is salubrious, and the land has a fine undulating surface, the high grounds of which command extensive and interesting views of the surrounding country. The township contains 1,329a. 1r. 27p. of land, the soil of which in some places is a strong clay, in other parts sandy, and some places has a fertile loam. The land has been much improved by draining and superior cultivation. The farmers in general are respectable, and hold considerable breadth of land. At the census in 1841 there were 57 houses and 300 inhabitants. Rateable value of the township, £1,384. 10s. 3½d. The Duke of Cleveland is the principal landowner and lord of the manor. The other freeholders are the Rev. Henry Delves Broughton; Mr. George Adney; John Kilvert, Esq.; John Taylor, Esq.; Mr. John Whitfield; and Mr. Harris. The tithes of this township and that of Rowton are commuted for £376. 12s., of which £165. 12s. has been apportioned to John Kilvert, Esq.; £146 to Jonathan Scarth, Esq.; and £65 to the vicar of High Ercall. Oak House, the residence and property of John Taylor, Esq., is a neat modern structure of brick. The situation is delightful, and the grounds are beautifully laid out. The Wesleyan Methodists and Primitive Methodists have each a small chapel here.
Butterey William, shoemaker and shopkeeper
Cliff Thomas, Heath farm
Cotterall Elizabeth, farmer
Cotterall John, Newhouse farm
Dickin Mrs. Margaret
Dickin Thomas Adney, the Hall farm
Foulkes Wm., vict., the Oak
Green Elizabeth, farmer
Green John, farmer
Hamer William, Windy Oak farm
Jones William, gardener and seedsman
Peplow George, shoemaker
Taylor John, Esq., Oak House
Wellings William, clock and watch maker
a small township four miles south-west from High Ercall, in which parish it is situated, at the census of 1841 contained five houses and twenty-three inhabitants. The township contains 376a. 2r. 8p. of land, of which 5a. 2r. 27p. are in woods and waste. The soil is mostly strong, with a clayey sub-soil, some parts of which have been much improved by draining, and other parts are undergoing the same process. The Duke of Cleveland is the principal landowner and lord of the manor. Mrs. Ann Corbet is also a proprietor in the township. Rateable value, £260. 9s. The tithes of Houghton, and those of the township of Poynton, were commuted in 1841 for £82. 5s.
The resident farmers in Houghton are Thomas Brisbourne and John Leeke.
a township and scattered village in the parish of High Ercall, at the census of 1841 contained 38 houses and 94 inhabitants. The cottagers in general hold a small portion of land, but the cottages in most instances have a mean appearance, and are thatched. The township contains 567a. 1r. 37p. of land. The soil in some places is strong, and in other parts a fertile loam prevails; the meadows produce a rich herbage, and are chiefly used for pasturage. The township is intersected by the Shropshire union canal, the river Tern, and the Wellington turnpike road. There are 11a. 1r. 22p. in roads, water, and waste. The tithes have been commuted, and £90 apportioned to the Duke of Cleveland, and £38 to the vicar of High Ercall. The landowners are John Tayleur, Esq., Mr. John Griffiths, and Mrs. Isabella Ickle. Marsh Green, and part of Long Waste is partly in this township; at the former the Primitive Methodists have a small brick chapel, built in 1841.
Directory.—Richard Bevan, farmer, Mirelake; Jeremiah Bromley, farmer; Richard Edwards, gardener and seedsman, Marsh Green; Harriet Dixon, farmer, the Marsh; Joseph Nevols, beerhouse and shopkeeper, Marsh Green; George Price, farmer; John Tudor, vict., Tayleur’s Arms, Long Green.
township is situated about a mile north-west from Ercall Magna, and in 1841 contained seven houses and fifty-seven inhabitants. The houses are pleasantly situated on the turnpike road leading to Hodnet; the farm houses are commodious, and provided with extensive and convenient out-premises. The township contains 589a. 3r. 26p. of land, which is the property of the Duke of Cleveland, who is also lord of the manor. Rateable value, £705. 6s. 6d.
The chief residents in Osbaston are Thomas Bates, boot and shoemaker; Sarah Brookes, farmer; Mrs. Sarah Colley, the Hall; and John Colley, farmer.
another small township in the parish of High Ercall, with a few scattered houses pleasantly situated on the turnpike road leading to Shrewsbury, three miles south-west from the parish church, contains 587a. 3r. 9p. of land, principally a strong soil; some parts of the land have been much improved by draining. Rateable value, £610. 4s. At the census in 1841 there were 20 houses and 95 inhabitants. The tithes of this township and that of Houghton are commuted for the sum of £82. 5s. The Duke of Cleveland and Mrs. Ann Corbet are the landowners: the former is lord of the manor.
Directory.—William Breeze, farmer; Samuel Buttery, boot and shoemaker; Robert Hamer, farmer; Thomas Madeley, farmer; Richard Morgan, farmer; Eleanor Wainwright, farmer.
a township and small village in the parish of High Ercall, pleasantly situated on the banks of the river Roden, two miles S.W. from the parish church; the township contains 1,351a. 2r. of land, of which 26 acres are in woods and plantations, and 14 acres water, roads, and waste; the soil is variable, in some parts a cold clay prevails, and in other parts a mixture of sand and loam. Rateable value, £1,331. 12s. The Duke of Cleveland and Charles Orlando C. Pemberton, Esq., are the landowners, the latter is lord of the manor; John Tayleur, Esq., is the impropriator of the rectoral tithes, which have been commuted. A modus of £3. 3s. is paid to the vicar of High Ercall. The Shrewsbury and Ercall turnpike road passes through this township. At the census in 1841 Roden contained 33 houses and 161 inhabitants.
Directory.—Joseph Beddow, beerhouse keeper and maltster; John Birch, farmer, Rodenhurst; Thomas Bourne, brickmaker; John Evanson, maltster; Edward Jones, farmer; William Light, farmer; Elizabeth Marshall, shopkeeper; William Taylor, farmer; Samuel Woodfin, farmer, New Farm; Robert Yeomans, shopkeeper.
a township, chapelry, and pleasant village situated on high ground, in a pleasant part of the country, two and a quarter miles N.E. from High Ercall. The township contains 800a. 0r. 33p. of land, and in 1841 there were 26 houses and 181 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,118. 19s. 4d. There are some good farm houses in this township with commodious outbuildings, and the farms are of considerable extent; cattle and sheep are extensively fed in this locality. The Chapel of Ease is a small unpresuming edifice built of red free stone, and ornamented with a wooden turret; the interior is neatly pewed, and there is a small gallery at the west end; the Rev. Mr. Robinson is the officiating minister. The tithes of Rowton and those of the township of Ellerdine are commuted for £376. 12s. The Duke of Cleveland is the principal landowner and lord of the manor; Mr. Adney, Mrs. Dickin, Mr. Thomas Nicklin, and John Whitfield, Esq., are also proprietors.
The celebrated nonconformist divine, Richard Baxter, was born at Rowton, November 12th, 1615. His father was an honest and religious man, in humble circumstances, but a small freeholder; his estate, however, was very inconsiderable. His son is said to have given strong indications of that piety and purity which appeared in his subsequent life and conversation. He passed his infancy at Rowton, under the roof of his grandfather, and in 1625, when about ten years of age, was removed from Rowton to his father’s house at Eaton Constantine. He received the chief portion of his learning at Ludlow, but had not the advantages of an academical education; when at school he had the use of an excellent library, which, by his great application, proved of infinite service to him. His first engagements in life it appears was teaching a free school at Newport, and he was afterwards appointed master of the free school at Dudley, with an usher under him. While he taught the school there he read several practical treatises, by which he was brought to a deep sense of religion, and having an earnest desire to engage in the ministry, he in 1638 addressed himself to Dr. Tharnborough, bishop of Worcester, for holy orders, which, after examination, he received, having at that time no scruples of conscience which hindered him from conforming to the Church of England. He shortly after frequently preached at Dudley, and the neighbouring villages, with great acceptance among his hearers, but when the et cætera oath came to be imposed, Mr. Baxter applied himself diligently to study the case of episcopacy as in other instances, the thing which was intended to fix him to the hierarchy, gave him a dislike to it. In the year 1640 he accepted the invitation of the bailiffs and feoffees of Kidderminster to preach there for an allowance of £60 a year. In the memorable struggles of this period, he sided with the parliament, and recommended the protestation they directed to be taken by the people. This exposed him to some inconveniences which obliged him for a time to retire to Gloucester, but be afterwards returned to Kidderminster and resumed the work of the ministry. He hindered, as far as it was in his power, the taking of the covenant, and preached and spoke publicly against it. When Cromwell assumed the supreme power he was not afraid to express his dissatisfaction at his tyranny, and in a conference which he had with him afterwards, stated his views in terms not to be misunderstood by the Protector. After the restoration he became one of the king’s chaplains in ordinary, had frequent access to his royal person, and was always treated by him with peculiar respect. At the Savoy conference Mr. Baxter assisted as one of the commissioners, and then drew up the reformed liturgy, which all allow to be an excellent performance. He was offered the bishopric of Hereford by the Lord Chancellor Clarendon, which he refused to accept. At this period he would gladly have returned to his beloved town of Kidderminster, and have preached there, but this was refused him. When he found himself thus disappointed, he preached occasionally about the city of London, and afterwards returned to Acton, in Middlesex, where he went to church every Lord’s-day, and spent the rest of the day with his family and a few poor neighbours, in explaining the Scriptures and prayer. His auditors continued to increase, and shortly after, upon a warrant signed by two justices, he was committed for six months to New Prison jail. After the indulgence of 1672 he returned to London, and was one of the Tuesday lecturers at Pinner’s Hall. He had a Friday lecture at Fetter-lane, but only preached occasionally on the Sunday. In 1682 he suffered severely on account of his nonconformity. One day he was suddenly surprised by an officer, who apprehended him upon a warrant to seize his person for coming within five miles of a corporate town; producing, at the same time, five more warrants to distrain for £195 for five sermons. At this time he lay on a sick bed, but he was dragged before five justices, and took his oath that he could not go to prison without danger of death. But the officers executed their warrants on the books and goods in the house, and even sold the bed on which he lay sick. In 1684 he was bound in a penalty of £400 to keep the peace, by the justices of Middlesex, and in the year following he was committed to the King’s Bench prison, by a warrant from the Lord Chief Justice Jefferies, for his paraphrase on the New Testament; the trial took place on the 30th of May, when he was found guilty, and received a severe sentence. In 1686 the king, by the mediation of Lord Powis, granted him a pardon. After this he settled in Charter house yard, contenting himself with the exercise of his ministry, as assistant to Mr. Silvester. He died on the 8th of December, 1691, and was buried in Christ Church. His remains were followed to the grave by a large concourse of people of all ranks and qualities, who prudently paid this last tribute of respect to a great and good man, whose labours deserved much from true Christians of all denominations. Mr. Baxter was in several respects one of the most eminent persons of his time; he preached more sermons, wrote more books, and engaged in more controversies than any other nonconformist of his age. He spoke, disputed, and wrote with ease, and discovered the same intrepidity when he reproved Cromwell, and expostulated with Charles II., as when he preached to a congregation of mechanics. His works are extremely voluminous, and they are still held in high estimation. An eminent divine observes of them, that his practical writings were never mended, his controversial, seldom refuted. The celebrated Doddridge, in a letter to a friend in 1723, says, “Baxter is my particular favourite. It is impossible to tell how much I am charmed with the devotion, good sense, and pathos, which is every where to be found in him. I cannot forbear looking upon him as one of the greatest orators, both with regard to copiousness, acuteness, and energy that our nation hath produced.”
Directory.—Mrs. Elizabeth Adney, The Hall; John Adney, farmer and grazier; William Edwards, shopkeeper; George Fowler, beerhouse keeper; Charles Jukes, maltster and farmer; Samuel Nicklin, boot and shoemaker; Thomas Nicklin, wheelwright; George Vickers, blacksmith and agricultural implement maker; John Whitfield, Esq., The Villa farm, and chairman to the Wellington Poor Law Board of Guardians.
a small township in the parish of High Ercall, with a few houses delightfully situated two miles S.E. from the parish church, contains 487a. 3r. 13p. of land, of which four acres are in roads and waste; the river Tern bounds the township on the S.E. At the census in 1841 there were seven houses and 41 inhabitants. Rateable value, £659. 18s. The Duke of Sutherland is lord of the manor and owner of the land. Tern House, a commodious brick residence, occupied by Thomas Juckes, Esq., is pleasantly situated on a gentle acclivity near the stream of the Tern; the views it commands of the surrounding country are extensive and pleasingly diversified. The farm buildings are of considerable extent, and are provided with all the modern appliances for farming extensively in the most economical manner.
The principal residents are George Jukes, solicitor, and Thomas Juckes, Esq.
is a township and parish of High Ercall, situated in a delightful part of the country, about a mile W. by N. from the church; the township contains 855a. 0r. 8p. of land, and in 1841 here were 23 houses and 135 inhabitants; the houses are for the most part scattered on the turnpike road leading from Ercall to Shawbury. The farm houses are good residences, occupied by respectable agriculturists. Rateable value of the township, £969. 12s. The Duke of Cleveland is the proprietor of the whole township and lord of the manor. Walton Hall, a structure of considerable antiquity, composed of timber and brick work, was a place of no mean pretensions in by-gone days, is now occupied as a farm dwelling.
Directory.—John Breeze, boot and shoemaker; George Brookes, farmer; William Hughes, tailor; William Juckes, butcher; William Rogers, shopkeeper; Edward S. Webster, The Hall Farm; Mrs. Jane Webster, The Hall; James Wilding, farmer, New House.
a parish and small village, is pleasantly situated in a retired locality, two miles and a half north from Wellington. The parish comprises 1,190a. 2r. 37p. of land, and in 1801 had 323 inhabitants; 1831, 350; and in 1841, 389; at the latter period there were 82 houses. Rateable value, £2,187. 10s. The Church is a small brick fabric, dedicated to All Saints. It contains an antique stone font; there is a small gallery at the west end; the east window contains some fragments of stained glass; the other windows are ornamented with armorial bearings of the Eyton family. The living is a rectory united to the vicarage of Wellington. The celebrated Edward Herbert, Lord Chirbury, was born at this place. His lordship stood in the highest rank among the public ministers, historians, and philosophers of the age in which he lived. Lord Herbert was the first and most candid of our English infidels, and his system of deism contains less of acrimonious censure of Christianity than that of any other writer. He was created Knight of the Bath at the accession of James I. He distinguished himself at the siege of Juliers; and, in 1616, was sent ambassador to Louis XIII., but was recalled on account of a dispute between him and the Constable De Luynes. In 1625 he was created a baron of the kingdom of Ireland, and in 1631 was elevated to the English peerage. His lordship left a History of Henry VIII., in folio; a treatise, “De Religione Gentilium um and expedito Buckingami ducis in Ream Insulam,” and an account of his own life. His lordship was born in 1581 and died in 1648. The present noble family of Powis is descended on the female side from Lord Herbert, of Chirbury. Granger, in his “Biographical History of England,” in speaking of his lordship, observes, “It is hard to say whether his person, his understanding, or his courage, was the most extraordinary. But the same man was wise and capricious, redressed wrongs and quarrelled for punctilios; hated bigotry, and was himself a bigot to philosophy; he exposed himself to such danger as other men of courage would have carefully declined; and called in question the fundamentals of a religion which none had the hardiness to dispute besides himself.” Eyton Hall is a handsome stuccoed residence, with a piazza in front supported by twelve pillars; it opens into a neatly laid out garden, beautified with shrubberies; and in front of the hall is a small park, stocked with deer. It is the seat and property of Thomas Eyton, Esq., who is the principal landowner and lord of the manor; the Trustees of Preston Hospital are also proprietors. This parish is intersected by the Shropshire Union Canal. Among the gentlemen who compounded for their estates during the Commonwealth, Sir Thomas Eyton, of Eyton, paid £976.
Directory.—Thomas Eyton, Esq., The Hall; William Anslow, farmer; Samuel Cartwright, farmer; Helena Cooke, farmer; Matthew Davies, farmer and maltster; Richard Edwards, farmer and farm-bailiff to T. Eyton, Esq.; Mary Jenkins, farmer; John Jones, gardener; Stephen Reynolds, corn miller; John Robinson, blacksmith, agricultural implement maker, and parish clerk; Thomas Shuker, saddler.
is a parish and village, in a pleasant situation, three miles and a half N.N.W. from Wellington, which in 1801 contained 210 inhabitants; in 1841 there were 49 houses and a population of 295 souls. The parish comprises 1,789a. 2r. 36p. of land. Gross estimated rental, £2,720. Rateable value, £2,443. 3s. There are 104a. 3r. 14p. of woods and plantations, and 75 acres of glebe land. The Duke of Sutherland is lord of the manor and owner of the land. The village is surrounded by what is called moor-land, which was enclosed about half a century ago. It has, however, lost all the characteristics of a moor, and is now chiefly in large enclosures, and generally good grazing land. About half a mile north-east from the church there is a large mound, which encloses upwards of twenty acres of land, and surrounds the premises of the Wall Farm. This is supposed to have been a British encampment, and to have been raised before the moors became boggy; for there is no trace of any road across the moors by which this vast rampart of sand-rock could be conveyed, which must have been the case, if the moss at those early periods was as boggy as in after ages. The rampart measures 1,900 yards in circumference, and is from sixteen to twenty feet in breadth.
The Church is a small structure, mantled with ivy, and dedicated to St. Chad. It consists of nave and chancel, with a tower at the west end, in which are three bells. There is also a small gallery at the west end; and neat tablets have been erected in memory of the Marriot and Ogle families. The body of the church is very ancient, but the tower was erected in 1726. The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £6. 1s. 8d., now returned at £494. Patron, Duke of Sutherland; incumbent, Rev. Andrew Burn, M.A. The Rectory is an ancient residence, on the west side of the church-yard. The tithes are commuted for £340. There is a Parochial School in the village, which is chiefly supported by the Duke of Sutherland and the Rector.
Directory.—Rev. Andrew Burn, M.A., The Rectory; Thomas Brown, farmer; John and Thomas Davies, shoemakers; John Felton, shoemaker; William Gough, shoemaker; Thomas Hitchin, wheelwright; George Hooper, farmer; William Hooper, farmer and maltster, Margaret Hughes, farmer, Wall Farm; Richard Ogle, farmer, Manor House; John Taylor, farmer; William Weston, farmer; William Weston, blacksmith; Richard Williams, farmer and victualler, Crown Inn.
is a parish and delightful little village, situate on the banks of the Severn, and near the foot of the Wrekin hill, nine miles S.E. from Shrewsbury. In 1801 the parish contained 338 inhabitants; 1831, 360; and in 1841, 80 houses and a population of 403 souls. Rateable value, £2,691. Robert Gardner, Esq., and Sir George Harnage, Bart., are the principal landowners. The soil is mostly of a superior quality, and produces good crops of all kinds of grain. The Church, dedicated to St. Mary, is a plain brick structure, situated a short distance from the village, and consists of nave and chancel, with a small tower, in which are three bells. In the chancel are several handsome tablets, chiefly in memory of the Leighton and Kinnersley families, who formerly resided here, and had large possessions in this locality. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king’s book at £7. 12s. 6d., now returned at £224, in the patronage and incumbency of the Rev. Robert Maddocks. The salubrious situation of Leighton and the vicinity is proverbial, and several extraordinary cases of longevity among the inhabitants have occurred. A short time ago, Stephen Davies was living at the advanced age of 97 years. He recollected old Sarah Beech, who lived in this parish, and died about the year 1738 at the age of 106 years, and who had a sister that lived to the age of 103 years. Stephen Davies had then a brother living at Wroxeter of the age of 96 years.
Garmstone is a hamlet, in the parish of Leighton.
Charities—Ann Lacon, by her will, left £15 a-year for ever to the poor of Leighton, Sheinton, and Buildwas, to be given to four poor persons of each parish. This gift is secured on a messuage and lands at Much Wenlock, and the moiety belonging to this parish is divided equally among four of the poor inhabitants, Richard Leighton, Esq., left the sum of £100, the interest to be distributed by the minister and churchwardens for the time being among the poor of the parish on Candlemas-day. This bequest, and several other legacies amounting to £8, were placed out about sixty years ago upon the security of the tolls arising from the turnpike road which passes through Leighton, the interest of which, £5. 8s., is distributed in small sums among the poor on Candlemas-day.
Directory.—John Bagley, tailor; John Barnet, victualler, Barnet’s Grove; Job Basnett, farmer; Rev. Frederick Burd, curate; John Drury, farmer; John Evans, corn-miller; Daniel Everall, farmer; Thomas Everall, farmer; James Farmer, corn-miller; Robert Gardner, Esq., Leighton Hall; Thomas Gervis, farmer, Garmston; Sir George Harnage, Bart.; Harry C. Jeffries, farmer, Garmston; John Machin, farmer, Eye Farm; Thomas Richards, farmer; Isaac Shepherd, farmer, Longwood; Thomas Tart, tailor.
is a parish in the Newport division of the South Bradford hundred, which comprises the townships of Lilleshall, Donington, and Muxton, and embraces 6,111a. 3r. 9p. of land. In 1801 the parish had a population of 2,060 souls; 1831, 3,596; and in 1841 there were 708 houses and 3,851 inhabitants. Rateable value, £12,034. 1s. 8d. The Duke of Sutherland is lord of the manor, and owner of the whole parish, except about half a dozen acres, the property of Mr. John Bradborn, in the township of Muxton. The village of Lilleshall is pleasantly situated on the acclivity of a hill, three miles south-west from Newport. The township in 1841 contained 155 houses and 795 inhabitants; the houses are scattered, and the population find employment in the extensive collieries and iron works with which the vicinity abounds. The Church is a venerable structure mantled with ivy, and dedicated to St. Mary; in the tower is a peal of six bells. On the north side of the chancel is an altar tomb, with two full length figures, in memory of dame Catherine Leveson and Sir Richard Leveson: the former died March 31st, 1674, and the latter June 2nd, 1661. The old font, about twenty years ago, was used as a cistern to a pump at Lilleshall old hall; it was removed by the late vicar, and now stands at the west end of the church. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king’s book at £6. 17s. 11d.; now returned at £338; in the patronage of the Duke of Sutherland; incumbent, Rev. Henry George Bunsen; curate, Rev. Thomas Bucknall Lloyd. On Lilleshall Hill, in this parish, a monument was erected in 1839, to the memory of the first Duke of Sutherland; on June 20th, 1839, it was struck with lightning, and sustained considerable damage; but it was shortly after put in a state of complete reparation. On the north side is the following inscription.—
To the memory of
George Granville Leveson Gower, K G
First Duke of Sutherland,
The most just and generous of landlords.
This monument is erected
by the occupiers of his Grace’s Shropshire farms,
as a public testimony that he
went down to the grave with the blessings
of his tenants on his head,
and left behind him upon his estates
the best inheritance which a gentleman of England
can bequeath to his son:
men ready to stand by his house
heart and hand.
On the south side of the monument is the inscription, “Let all the ends thou aimest at be thy country’s, thy God’s, and truth’s.” It is related that at the trial of Queen Caroline, the Lord Chancellor Eldon, in his charge to the peers, told them to “Be just and fear not,” when the Duke of Sutherland immediately rose from his place in the house and declared that he echoed the sentiments of his noble and learned friend on the wool sack, and would copy the immortal bard still farther by saying, “Let all the ends thou aimest at be thy country’s, thy God’s, and truth’s.” This was the occasion of the inscription being placed on the monument. The obelisk was designed by Sir Francis Chantrey.
His Grace, in March, 1803, succeeded to the trust estates and canal of his maternal uncle, the late Duke of Bridgewater, and in October in the same year, by the death of his father, he became Marquis of Stafford, and entered into possession of the paternal estates of the Leveson branch of the family, in Staffordshire and Shropshire, and to the ancient patrimony of the Gowers of Yorkshire. For some time he filled the office of postmaster general, and was ambassador to the court of France at the commencement of the revolution in that country. His titles were George Grenville, Duke of Sutherland, Marquis of the County of Stafford, Earl Gower, Viscount Trentham, Baron Gower of Sittenham, and a baronet. His Grace was also a Knight of the Garter, and a Privy Councillor. Among the near relations of the Duke of Sutherland may be enumerated the distinguished families of Bedford, Rutland, Lansdowne, Marlborough, Dorset, Kingston, Waldegrave, Jersey, Thanet, and Warwick. The Shropshire estates of the Duke of Sutherland are upwards of 20,000 acres.
The National School, a plain brick structure a little south from the church, has an attendance of about eighty boys and sixty girls. It is supported by the Duke of Sutherland and a small charge from each scholar. There are about three roods of garden ground attached to the school, which is divided into twenty allotments, and cultivated by twenty of the senior scholars for their own benefit.
Lilleshall Abbey.—In a solitary and retired situation, about a mile south from the church, may be seen the ruins of Lilleshall Abbey. At the great western entrance is a fine Norman arch, richly recessed with ribs and running foliage. The pillars and arches of the church have been entirely destroyed, but the doors and windows still remain. The south door, by which a communication was formed with the cloister, is doubtless one of the most highly ornamented arches in the kingdom. A semi-circular arch, overspread with ornaments peculiar to the Saxon and early Norman buildings, is supported by clusters of slender shafts, some of which are spiral, and others covered with lozenge work, having the intermediate spaces embellished with mouldings. The east window of the choir has a beautiful pointed arch of the fourteenth century, and the north and south windows are narrow plain, and round headed. The walls of the refectory have been converted into a residence. The church was cruciform, and had probably two towers: one in the centre and the other at the west end; the breadth of the nave is thirty-six feet, and the length two hundred and twenty-eight feet. The boundary wall of the abbey encompassed several acres, and in some parts is still entire. The ruins of the abbey are scattered over a large space, and the walls, which in some parts are mantled with ivy, are of considerable height, and the fragments of superb workmanship still to be seen show it to have been a place of great magnificence and architectural grandeur. The stalls of the choir at the dissolution were removed to the collegiate church of Wolverhampton, where they now remain. Richard de Belmeis, says Bishop Tanner, the last dean of the collegiate church of St. Alkmund, in Shrewsbury, about the year 1145, with the consent of pope Eugenius and King Stephen, surrendered up that church with all the lands and churches belonging to the same to the use of some regular canons of the order of St. Augustine, who came from Dorsetshire and began to build an abbey to the honour of the blessed virgin, upon one of the prebendal estates, here in the wood of Lilleshall, to which his kinsman, Philip de Belmeis was an early and great benefactor. Other authorities state that in the time of the Saxon dynasty a religious house was dedicated here to the use of secular canons or prebendaries, and afterwards became a nunnery, which was reduced to a state of desolation by the predatory incursions of the Welsh tribes, and it so continued until about the year 1145. Among the principal benefactors to this abbey were Alanta Zouche John le Strange, who gave the church of Hulme; and Hillaria de Trussebut, the wife of Robert de Bulders, who gave certain lands, and directed her body to be buried within the precincts of the abbey. In the 34th Henry III. the abbot had leave to grub up twenty-three acres in the woods of Lilleshall, and in the 7th of Edward to make an assart of the wood near Watling street, in the forest of Wombridge. In the 11th of Edward I. the abbot had leave to make a park. The abbey was endowed at subsequent periods by different pious individuals, and the annual income at the general dissolution of religious houses was valued at £229. 3s. per annum. On account of the situation of this monastery, near the Chester road, the abbots were sometimes known to complain that their income was too scanty to entertain the continual influx of visitors that travelled that road.
Charities.—Sir Richard Leveson, by will, dated 5th of November, 1660, gave to the poor people inhabiting the parish of Lilleshall a rent charge of £5 per annum, issuing out of certain lands called Kainton Meadow. The Marquis of Stafford pays this gift yearly, which is distributed on St. Thomas’s-day by the minister and churchwardens. There is a piece of land still called Kainton Meadow, which is no doubt the land charged by the testator.
Lady Catherine Leveson, by her will, in 1670, devised to trustees her manor of Foxley, in Northamptonshire, and directed the yearly proceeds to be put to charitable uses; among others to the payment of £120 a year to the maintenance of twelve poor widows, three of whom were to be inhabitants of the parish of Lilleshall, and she directed that there should be provided by the minister and parish officers, out of the £10 respectively allowed for their maintenance, a gown of grey cloth, upon the breast of which gown the letters of K. L. in blue cloth should be set, which gown should be constantly wore by the widows, and if any one should refuse to wear them she should lose the benefit of the charity. The testator gave a further sum of £100 yearly to be applied in putting forth ten poor boys apprentices, two of whom should be children of the inhabitants of Lilleshall. In respect of this charity £50 a year is received by the churchwardens of Lilleshall, out of which £10 a year are paid to three poor widows, appointed by the minister, churchwardens, and overseers of the poor, a preference being given to such as have fallen into poverty from better circumstances, and have not received parochial relief. The gowns have not been provided for them for many years. Two boys are usually apprenticed every year with premiums of £10 each. Upon inspection of the parish books which commence in 1634, it appears that various small benefactions have been given to the poor, which were placed in the hands of different persons, who paid interest for them. These sums appear to have passed in various proportions to other persons, and the interest thereon to have fluctuated so as to afford no certain information as to the amount or donation of the benefactions. In the year 1718 the poor’s stock appears to have amounted to £40. In 1734 the sum of £56 was put by the churchwardens into the parish chest for the use of the poor. No further entry occurs till 1757, when a sum of £20 appears to have been in the hands of Charles Lawrence, and £15 in the hands of Henry Barber. The £20 subsequently passed into the hands of Robert Garmeson, who in 1786 gave his note of hand for the money, and shortly after died insolvent. The entries of receipt of interest of the £15 cease in 1800, for several years previous to which it appears to have been paid by Mr. James Barber, about which time he died in bad circumstances, so that this sum may also be considered as lost.
Lilleshall House, the magnificent seat of the Marquis of Stafford, is situated on a commanding eminence, from which extensive and beautiful prospects of the surrounding country are seen. The mansion is about a mile from the ruins of Lilleshall Abbey, within the bounds of the parish of Sheriff Hales, and was erected by the late Duke of Sutherland; it is built of beautiful white free stone, and exhibits a fine specimen of the Tudor style of architecture, from designs by Sir John Wyattville. The garden and pleasure grounds are laid out with admirable taste, and cover between forty and fifty acres. The flower garden from its extent and the beautiful order in which it is kept is surpassed by few in the kingdom; the manner of planting the flowers of one particular colour so as to form the greatest contrast with the beds contiguous to it has a most brilliant and dazzling effect. An avenue in the garden, which stretches 300 yards in length, has a very pleasing appearance; the frame work is of wood, to which are trained roses, japonicas, the various sorts of clamitas, and fruit trees, and in the delightful season when the clustering fruits hang in profusion, enriched with the autumnal tints, among the beautiful blossoms of the japonica and rose—the whole has a most enchanting appearance. The terrace commands a fine view of the park, the woody scenery in the vicinity, and a large tract of the country extending over North Shropshire into Staffordshire, Cheshire, and the mountainous district of Wales.
The village and parish of Sheriff Hales is mostly situated in Staffordshire. The residents of a few scattered farms, and at the mansion of Lilleshall House, are included in the following directory.
Those with * affixed are in the parish of Sheriff Hales, and the rest in Lilleshall parish.
* Stafford The Marquis of, Lilleshall House
Adams John, assistant overseer & constable
Adams Thomas, nursery and seedsman
Bates William, parish clerk and bricklayer
Birch Thomas, surveyor
Bunsen Rev. Henry George, vicar, Lilleshall Old Hall
Diggens Emma, schoolmistres
Diggens William, schoolmaster
Duncalfe Rd., farmer, Honnington Grange
Edwards Thomas, vict., Red House
* Elliot Wm., gardener, Lilleshall House
Higgins Mr., farmer, Lubstree Park
Howle Jane and Mary, shopkeepers
Hughes George, cashier
Hunt John, farm bailiff
James Mary, farmer, Cheswall Grange
Jones John, farmer
* Johnson Thomas, farmer, Red Hill
* Leman Tubal Cain, butler, Lilleshall House
Lloyd Rev. Thos. Bucknall, curate, Vicarage
Maddings Thomas, corn miller & maltster
* Pearce John, farmer, Hinks
* Pearce Mary, farmer
Phillips John B., farmer, Brockton Leasows
* Phillips Joseph Taylor, farmer, Manor House
* Smith William, Esq., land agent to the Duke of Sutherland, Little Hales
Spearman Elizabeth, farmer
Timmis John, farmer, Abbey farm
West Francis, farmer, Lilleshall Grange
Wilde Edward, farmer, Lilleshall Hill
is a considerable township with a scattered population, situated about a mile W. from Lilleshall, and four miles S.W. from Newport. At the census in 1811 there were 498 houses and 2,757 inhabitants, who are chiefly employed in the extensive iron works, collieries, and ironstone mines, with which this neighbourhood abounds. The collieries vary from 100 to 300 yards in depth, and there are twelve seams from which coal is got; the mines from which the ironstone is procured are also of very great depths; the country extending south and south west for several miles present one vast field of collieries and iron works, and has a teeming population, all busily employed in these and their subordinate manufactures and employments.
The Church is a neat modern structure, situate at Donington Wood, built about the year 1844, at a cost of £2,000. The seats are all free and unappropriated. The living is a perpetual curacy in the patronage of the vicar of Lilleshall; incumbent, Rev. Thomas O’Regan. The Baptists have a chapel here, which was built about twenty years ago. The National School was built at the expense of the Duke of Sutherland, who is also a munificent contributor towards the support of the institution; Thomas Townsend is the teacher. The Donington Wood Mechanics’ Institution was established in February, 1851, for the object of providing useful and intellectual entertainment for the numerous artisans and other inhabitants of Donington; for this object a library and reading room has been established, which is furnished with the leading London and provincial journals and magazines. Toward the library the Duke of Sutherland has kindly presented a large and valuable collection of books. It is intended to employ lecturers on popular subjects, to which members are admissable. The Lilleshall Company holds the collieries in this locality in lease of the Duke of Sutherland.
Post Office.—At Mr. Samuel Hollis’s. Letters despatched at 7 P.M. to Newport.
Adams John, railway station master
Anslow James, shopkeeper
Bennett James, shoemaker
Bott John, shopkeeper
Bott Sarah, schoolmistress
Boycott William, farmer and corn miller
Bradbury Isaac, blacksmith
Bulger William, ground bailiff
Hollis Samuel, agent to Lilleshall Company and post master
Horton Charles, ground bailiff
Jarrett John, schoolmaster
Jones Edward, mining engineer and manager to Lilleshall Company
Morton William, agricultural implement manufacturer, &c.
O’Regan Rev. Thomas, incumbent
Roystone Thomas, painter, plumber, and glazier
Tipton Thomas, bookkeeper
Townsend Thomas, schoolmaster
Ward Joseph, spade tree maker
Wheeler James, engineer
Wheeler James Henry, engineer
is a township in the parish of Lilleshall, situate near a mile W. from the church, and three and a half miles S.W. from Newport, the acres and value of which are included with the parish. The land is the property of the Duke of Sutherland, with the exception of about six acres, the property of Mr. John Bradborn. At the census in 1841 there were 55 houses and 299 inhabitants. Mrs. Rebecca Walthall by will 1740 bequeathed £10 to the churchwardens of Lilleshall, and directed the interest thereof to be distributed to the poor of Muxton on St. Thomas’s-day. It does not appear that this legacy were paid to the churchwardens of Lilleshall. An annual sum of 5s. was paid to them by the late Isaac H. Browne, Esq., and is still paid by the agent of his widow, which is supposed to be on account of the above benefaction, and to have been charged on an estate derived from Mrs. Walthall by Mr. Browne, which he sold some time ago in various lots. It is more probable however that the money had been left at interest in the hands of the residuary legatees, and that this 5s. was Mr. Browne’s share of such interest. A similar sum was formerly paid by Mr. Walthall, the other residuary legatee and administrator, who resided at Wistaston, in Cheshire, but this payment has been discontinued many years. The 5s. paid by Mrs. Browne is distributed among the poor of this township.
Bradborn John, maltster
Dawes Mary, farmer, Muxton bridge
Gaunt Edward, farmer
Greene John, surgeon
Hawkins Richard, butcher
Hitchin William, shoemaker
Johnson Jane, farmer, Woodhouse
Jones Richard, carpenter and joiner
Pearce George, maltster & vict., Holly Bush
Thursfield Richard, maltster
Tudor Samuel and William, farmers, Street Grange
Webb Richard, shoemaker
is a parish and village in the Wellington Division of the South Bradford Hundred, three miles and a half N.W. by W. from Wellington. The villager is scattered, but pleasantly situated on elevated ground on the southern banks of the river, and commands many interesting views of rural beauty. In 1801 there were 102 inhabitants; 1831, 109; and in 1841, 15 houses and 99 inhabitants. The parish contains 796A. 1R. 32P. of land, and is intersected by the Shropshire Union Canal, and the turnpike road from Wellington to Shrewsbury. The river and its tributary streams are crossed by two bridges—one of metal, the other of stone,—and the canal by a brick structure. The canal is carried over the vale of the river by an aqueduct of sixty-two yards in length. There are 6a. 1r. of land in roads and waste. The soil is various: in some parts it is cold and wet. Gross estimated rental, £1,522. 9s. 2d. Rateable value, £1,358. 8s. The Duke of Sutherland is lord of the manor, and the principal landowner, William Howard, Esq., is also a proprietor.
The Church, a small brick structure dedicated to St. Bartholomew, has a square turret, containing one bell. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Duke of Sutherland, and incumbency of the Rev. Edward Meredith, M.A. The tithes are commuted for £110. The Parsonage is a neat brick residence, embosomed in foliage, and pleasantly situated a short distance from the church. The minister receives a limited number of young gentlemen as boarding scholars. The Hall is a spacious structure, of considerable antiquity, with lofty chimneys; it is built of brick, with stone quoins and finishings, and is the property of William Howard, Esq., and residence of Mr. Henry Stormont. Extensive and conveniently arranged farm-buildings have recently been added to the farms occupied by Mr. Peter Brisbourne and Mr. George Belliss. The School is a brick structure, erected in 1849, at the expense of the Duke of Sutherland, who also gave the site. It is partly supported by subscription, but chiefly from the private resources of the minister, and a small payment from the children that attend for instruction. There are extensive corn mills on the banks of the river in this parish.
Directory.—George Belliss, farmer; Edward Brisbourne, farmer; Mrs. Brisbourne; Peter Brisbourne, farmer; Joseph Cooke, corn miller; Elizabeth Hatton, schoolmistress; John Jones, farmer; Rev. Edward Meredith, boarding-school, and incumbent of the church; Thomas Paddock, farmer and corn miller, Manor House; Henry Stormont, farmer, The Hall.
is a parish, with a scattered population, situated about a mile and a half west from Newport, which comprises 1,907a. 2r. 13p., and in 1801 had 182 inhabitants; 1831, 206; and in 1841, 209; at the latter period there were 38 houses. The township of Longford contains 1,257a. 3r. 10p. of land, and in 1841 had 24 houses and a population of 125 souls. Gross rental, £2,774. 4s. 7d. Rateable value, £2,529. 14s. Ralph Merrick Leeke, Esq., is lord of the manor, and owner of the whole township. The Church is a small neat structure, dedicated to St. Mary, and consists of nave and chancel, with a tower at the west end, built about forty years ago. The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £6. 2s. 8½d., now returned at £425, in the patronage of Ralph Merrick Leeke, Esq., and incumbency of the Rev. John Kynaston Chorlton. The tithes have been commuted for £144. About twenty yards north from the church is a small structure, which was left standing when the old church was taken down. This was a private chapel, built as an appendage to the old edifice, and was the burial place of a branch of the Talbot family. The Talbots formerly owned the Longford estate, which was subsequently inherited by the Shrewsbury family, from whom it passed by sale; except the site of this small structure, which still remains the freehold property of the Earl of Shrewsbury. On the south side of this chapel is an elegant marble monument in memory of a Lady Talbot, which is richly ornamented with carved work and gilt embellishments. On the north side of the chapel is an alabaster slab, but without date. Longford Hall, the residence and property of Ralph Merrick Leeke, Esq., is a spacious and handsome mansion of free-stone, with a noble portico supported by four massive pillars of the Doric order. The hall is delightfully situated on a gentle eminence, and opens into a finely-timbered park of about a hundred and fifty acres. Not far from the hall is a fine sheet of water, which covers about seven acres.
Brockton is a hamlet, a little more than a mile south from the church, which consists of two good farm residences and the rectory; near to which is a farm called the Brockton Leasowes, but the house is just within the bounds of Lilleshall parish. The Rectory is an ancient residence, mantled with ivy. The soil in this township is highly fertile, and well adapted for the growth of barley and turnips. A little north-west from the church is a corn mill, which was unoccupied when our agent visited Longford.
Directory.—Ralph Merrick Leeke, Esq., Longford Hall; Rev. John Kynaston Chorlton, The Rectory; Clifford Firth, farmer, Brockton; George Veitch, farmer, Longford Mill; James Veitch, farmer, Brockton; Thomas Clues, gardener, The Hall; Robert Stevenson, gamekeeper; James Rowley, blacksmith.
is a small township, in the parish of Longford, three miles and a half E. by S. from the church, and two miles and a half S.E. from Newport. The township contains 649a. 3r. 3p. of land, and at the census of 1841 had 14 houses and 84 inhabitants. Gross estimated rental, £189. 18s. 7d. Rateable value, £820. 16s. The tithes are commuted for £112. There are eight acres of glebe land. All the land is the property of John Cotes, Esq.
The principal residents are Humphrey James, farmer; and John Meredith, farmer.
is a parish and market town in the Newport division of the South Bradford Hundred, pleasantly situated in the line of the ancient Watling Street, and near the eastern confines of the county, eleven miles S. from Market Drayton, seventeen E.N.E. from Shrewsbury, and 139 miles N.W. by N. from London. The town principally consists of one spacious, handsome street, stretching for about a mile in length, containing many good inns, private residences, and respectable shops in all the different branches of the retail trade. About the centre of the town, and in the middle of the street, stands the venerable parish church, an ancient market house, and a few dwellings, which are some of the oldest houses in the town of Newport. The parish in 1801 contained 2,307 inhabitants; 1831, 2,745; and in 1841 there were 553 houses and 2,497 inhabitants. The number of acres the parish embraces is 567a. 0r. 25p., the chief owners of which are Sir Thomas H. F. Boughey, Bart.; Thomas Collier, Esq.; John Morris, Esq.; Mr. Wilde; Mr. Silvester; Miss Bennett; and the trustees of Newport Marsh. Rateable value, £6,847. 13s. The inhabitants are supplied with an abundance of excellent water, from large cisterns and wells in various parts of the town, which are filled from a spring, about a mile distant, by means of a water-course and pipes, the expenses of which are paid from the income arising from the common lands. Newport was granted municipal privileges as early as the reign of Henry I., which were confirmed by succeeding sovereigns. The government is vested is a high steward, deputy steward, two bailiffs, and twenty-five burgesses. John Cotes, Esq., is the high steward; Robert Fisher, jun., Esq., deputy steward; and William Washbourne, Esq., and G. H. Duncalfe. Esq., are the bailiffs. Petty sessions for the Newport division of the hundred are held in the town: the presiding magistrates are Sir Thomas Fletcher Fenton Boughey, Bart.; John Charles Burton Borough, Esq.; and John Justice, Esq. The principal features in the trade of Newport are the engineering establishment and brass foundry of Messrs. Massey; the manufacture of agricultural implements by Mr. Underhill; and those belonging to Mr. Thomas Boughey and Mr. Lewis Atkins—ingenious establishments for the manufacture of all descriptions of bendware, wood turnery, together with hair sieves and dairy requisites of the most approved descriptions.
The Church is a venerable structure of red sand-stone, situated nearly in the centre of High-street. It consists of nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a square tower and an illuminated clock; the tower is dated 1,662; but this probably is the date of certain reparations, for the upper and some other parts of the tower appear to have been re-faced. The chancel and side aisles are of red brick, and were rebuilt in the year 1728, previously to which the church exhibited a beautiful specimen of the architecture of the fifteenth century. The interior has a spacious and handsome appearance. The roof is of groined timber, and the nave is separated from the side aisles by five pointed arches on each side. It contains a small organ, and there are some neat mural tablets. The living is a perpetual curacy, valued at £297, in the patronage of the Lord Chancellor; incumbent, Rev. William Sandford, M.A. The Abbot and Convent of St. Peter and St. Paul, at Shrewsbury, were patrons of the church at Newport; from them it was purchased in the twentieth of Henry VI., by Thomas Draper, citizen of London, who made it collegiate, placing in it a warden, who was to be in priests’ orders, and four chaplains or fellows, who were to pray for the King and the Royal Family, and for the soul of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, (the King’s uncle,) and for the fraternity of St. Marie’s Guild in the church of Newport.
The Catholic Church, dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul, is situated at the outskirts of the town, on the site of an ancient residence called Salter’s Hall, which was long the inheritance of the Shrewsbury family, adjoining which was a domestic chapel. The present structure was built about twenty years ago by the Earl of Shrewsbury. The interior of the structure presents a chaste and elegant appearance; the seats or benches are all open and uniform in character, and the altar is richly carved and gilt; on each side of it are beautifully carved figures of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Joseph. The windows on each side of the altar are adorned with representations of St. Peter and St. Paul, the patron saints of the church. The Rev. Michael Trovell is the priest.
The Independent Chapel, situated on the Wellington road, is a neat stuccoed structure, erected in the year 1817, at a cost of £1,300. It is provided with galleries, and is calculated to hold four hundred hearers. There is a flourishing congregation connected with this place of worship, who enjoy the talented ministrations of the Rev. William Berkeley Leach. The Sunday school in connection with the chapel is numerously attended. The old Independent chapel, which stood in Beaumaris lane, has been converted into two cottages.
The Wesleyan Methodist Chapel is a plain brick structure, of small dimensions, situated in the Upper Bar, and was formerly used as a theatre.
The Wesleyan New Connexion Chapel, a small brick fabric, is also situated at the Upper Bar.
The Primitive Methodists have a small chapel on the Stafford road, built in 1830.
The Free Grammar School.—William Adams, of the city of London, devised certain lands for the endowment of a grammar school and other charitable uses, in Newport, in 1656. By an act of parliament passed in the 12th year of the reign of King Charles II., after reciting the erection of the school-houses and alms-houses by William Adams, and his settlement of lands for the maintenance thereof, it was enacted that the master and four wardens of the Company of Haberdashers in London for the time being, and their successors, should be governors of the possessions of the Free Grammar School of Newport; and that they should have a common seal, for the sealing of their affairs, and hold all possessions granted by Mr. Adams for the maintenance of the school and other charitable uses. Among the objects of the trust Mr. Adams directed £20 yearly to be paid to the minister of Newport, for his encouragement in the works of the ministry, and upon the condition that the preacher for the time being should weekly catechise the scholars, children, and servants of the town of Newport, or such of them as for that purpose should repair to the parish church; and if the preacher should wilfully neglect to perform the weekly duty, the governors should apply the said £20 for the benefit of the poor, or in such charitable uses as they should think fit. A yearly sum of £60 was to be paid to the schoolmaster, and £20 to the usher; also £24 per annum to the inmates of the four alms-houses which he caused to be erected, and a like annual sum to be paid in apprentice fees, with various other gifts. The estate which Mr. Adams devised is situated at Knighton, in Staffordshire, and comprises 797a. 2r. 26p. of land. There is also a farm situated at Woodseves, in the parish of Market Drayton, containing 85a. 1r. 38p., which was purchased with the sum of £500, obtained from a sale of timber cut from the Knighton estate. In 1667 the testator demised the premises at Knighton for a term of twenty-one years to Luke Justice, at the annual rent of £175; and in 1714 the governors, on the surrender of the lease, which had become vested in William Justice, re-demised the premises to the said William Justice for another term of seventy years, at the same rent. The provisions of the will in behalf of Luke Justice were evidently intended as matter of favour to that individual; but it is difficult to conceive that two successive terms, embracing a period of 106 years, were in contemplation of the testator, when he authorized the granting of a lease for so long a time. Upon the expiration of the last lease the premises were let in several farms, on leases of twenty-one years and a half, at rents amounting to £476. 14s., which considerably exceeded the amount of the several payments prescribed by the founder; and it became necessary to obtain the directions of a Court of Chancery as to the disposal of the surplus. In the course of the proceedings which were instituted on that occasion, the heir-at-law of William Adams interposed his claim to the surplus rents beyond the sum of £175, the amount of the several charitable uses appointed by the founder; but it was determined by the court that there was no resulting trust in the charity estate for the said heir-at-law. By a decree made November, 1797, and a subsequent decree made December, 1808, on the occasion of a further advance of the rents to the sum of £768. 17s., a scheme for the disbursement of the income was established, which augmented the expenditure to £692 per annum. The leases having expired in 1814, new leases were granted under the direction of the court, and the advanced rents made the yearly income £957. 3s. 6d. From this fund the head master receives £200 per annum, the second master £100, and the third £100. The other principal items of expenditure are a sum of £60 per annum paid to the minister of Newport; to putting out three apprentices yearly, £54; exhibitions to four scholars at the university, £90; to the four alms-people, £78; to twenty-four persons free of the Haberdashers’ Company, £75; an allowance for books, £10; repairs of the school-house and alms-house, £10; to a boy for ringing the school bell, £3; to a boy for sweeping the school, £3; to the clerk of the Haberdashers’ Company, £6; to the two beadles, £3; Woodreave, £2; the receiver, £21; besides which there are several small items for incidental expenses.
The school premises is a spacious building situated a little back from the High street, and is respectively appropriated to the use of the school, and to the residence of the master and usher, as directed by the founder. By the statutes of the school it was intended for the instruction of eighty scholars; but the town of Newport and its neighbourhood, to which a preference was given by the founder, not being able to supply the full number, the scholars are admitted indifferently from other parts; and to facilitate their admission, it has been left to the head master to appoint them on their application to him, without the intervention of visitors, on whom that duty was imposed by the statutes. The course of education was intended to embrace the Hebrew language; but it appears to have been hitherto confined in practice to Greek and Latin, with the addition of writing and arithmetic. In December, 1850, there were 59 scholars on the foundation. Charles Waring Saxon, D.D., is the head master; Rev. William Sandford, M.A., second master; Mr. Richard Crowther, third master. The particulars of the four exhibitions on Careswell’s foundation will be found noticed with Bridgnorth Grammar School. The alms-houses above mentioned are situated near the gates, at the entrance to the Grammar School.
The English School is a neat brick building, erected in 1843, and situated on the Wellington road. This school appears to have had its origin in a certain grammar school, which, by the certificate of the commissioners under the statute of the 1st of Edward VI., now remaining in the augmentation office, was certified to have been always kept by Richard Robins, one of the Fellows of the college of Newport, to whom was paid out of the revenues of that college the annual stipend of £5. In the twenty-third year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, her Majesty granted to Edmund Downing and Peter Ashton, “all that site of the late college of Newport, in the county of Salop, late the possession of the said college, with all rights, members, and appurtenances, rendering to her said Majesty £15 yearly, to be paid for a salary or stipendary curate of Newport, and school-master there—that is to say, to the curate £10, and to the schoolmaster £5.” William Robson, in 1633, deposited £5,000 in the hands of the Salters’ Company for charitable uses, among which he directed £5 per annum to be paid to the master of the free school at Newport, and £10 per annum to a lecturer, and a like sum annually for the benefit of the poor. William Adams gave to the bailiffs and burgesses of Newport, and their successors for ever, all those two closes, situate at Norbroom, upon trust, to apply the rents for the support of the English school. William Barnfield, in 1665, gave “six days’ work of ground in Norbroom, four tenements let for 16s. a year each, and a shop let for 30s. per annum, towards the support of the free school.” The total income, when, the charity commissioners published their report, amounted to £49. 1s., of which £24 arises from Adams’s gift, £15. 11s. from Barnfield’s, £5 from Robson’s benefaction, and £4. 10s. from the receiver-general. The school has long been confined to the instruction of children in reading English, and we find it described by the name of the English school as early as 1660. How long before that period it had ceased to teach grammar we have not been able to discover; but it may reasonably be conjectured to have been about the time when that branch of education became otherwise so largely provided for by the establishment of the Free Grammar School of William Adams. The school is free to the children of the humbler classes of society for instruction in English: fifty-four scholars now attend.
The Infant School, situate on the Wellington road, was built in 1841 at a cost of £250; the room is spacious and lofty, and has an average attendance of 95 scholars. The Sunday school in connection with the Independent Chapel is also situated on the Wellington road, and has an attendance of 150 children.
The Girls’ National School is a neat brick structure, situated in the Workhouse lane; it was built in 1842, and has an average attendance of seventy children.
The Town’s Almshouses. In 1446 the burgesses or commonalty of Newport granted to William Glover a plot of land between the church-yard and the king’s highway, towards the north, between two stiles in the said church-yard, that the said William Glover should build on the land a hospital for the use of the poor. The almshouses are appropriated to the use of four poor old women of the town of Newport, who are appointed from time to time by the trustees, and retain their respective places for life. The rents of lands and dividends of funded property, left by various benefactors, produced a yearly income of £69. 14s. when the charity commissioners published their report. Each inmate has a weekly payment of 4s. 6d. from Lady-day to Michaelmas, and 5s. from Michaelmas to Lady-day. They also receive 10s. each for coals, and a gratuity of 5s. each at Christmas. The present almshouse was built in 1836, and is situate in Workhouse lane.
The Savings’ Bank, held at Mr. Silvester’s, High street, was enlarged in 1818, on November 20th; the capital stock of the bank amounted to £36,221. 12s. 10d., at which period there were 1,450 separate accounts, of which twelve were charitable and seven friendly societies. Of the total number of depositors 963 had respective balances under £20; 268 were above £20 and less than £50; 135 did not exceed £100; 51 did not exceed £150; 31 were above the latter sum and less than £200; and two exceeded £200. Mr. Charles Silvester is the secretary.
The County Court Office, for the recovery of debts, and in all pleas of personal action where the damage does not exceed £50, is situated in High street. The several parishes and places within the jurisdiction of the court in Shropshire are Adney, Brockton, Caynton, Cherrington, Cheswell, Chetwynd. Chetwynd Aston, Chetwynd End, Church Aston, Donington, Donington Wood, Edgmond, Howle, Lilleshall, Longford, Littlehales, Lynn, Muxton, Newport, Pave Lane, Pickstock, Pilston, Sambrook, Stockton, Tibberton, Vauxhall, Woodcote. The places in Staffordshire are Adbaston, Alston, Apeton, Aqualate, Batchacre, Beffcote, Bishops Offley, Bromstead, Coton, Cowley, Flashbrook, Forton, Gnosall, Great Chatwell, High Offley, Knighton, Knightley, Loynton, Meertown, Moreton, Norbury, Oulton, Outwoods, Plardiwick, Shebdon, Sutton, Tunstall, Weston Jones, Wilbrighton, and Woodseaves. Judge: Uvedale Corbett, Esq., Aston Hall. Clerk: William Liddle, Esq., Newport. High Bailiff: George Hill Townsend, Wolverhampton. Appraiser and Auctioneer: Joseph Doody, High street, Newport. Bailiff: Thomas Roberts, Upper Bar, Newport.