“Thomas Hunt, died February 17th, 1831, aged 69 years. Susanna, widow of the said Thomas Hunt, died August 21st, 1844, aged 82 years.”
“Sacred to the memory of Francis Campbell, Esq., an alderman of the corporation of this borough, who died September 26th, 1841, aged 73. Also, Mary Campbell, relict of the above, who died April 30th, 1845, aged 78.”
“Sacred to the memory of Elizabeth, daughter of the late Thomas Peate, Esq., of Preeshenlle, who died November 6th, 1841, aged 67 years.”
“Sacred to the memory of John Tomley, Gent., late of Middleton, in this parish, who died August 25th, 1808, aged 74 years.”
“Sacred to the memory of Elizabeth, the beloved wife of John Jones, Esq., who departed this life, the 2nd February, 1835, aged 68. Also to the memory of the above-named John Jones, who departed this life the 8th June, 1846, aged 86.”
“Sacred to the memory of Randle Jones, son of John and Elizabeth Jones, who departed this life April 10th, 1821, aged 23 years.”
“Sacred to the memory of Mary, youngest daughter of John and Elizabeth Jones, who departed this life January 27th, 1833, aged 31 years.”
“Sacred to the memory of Emma, the beloved wife of John Jones, jun. Esq., who died June 19th, 1834, aged 37.”
“Sacred to the memory of Eliza, eldest daughter of John and Elizabeth Jones, who departed this life the 24th May, 1854, aged 61 years.”
“Sacred to the memory of Skinner Hancox, Esq., late colonel of the 7th Dragoon Guards, who departed this life January 27th, 1843, aged 55.” “If Thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with Thee, that thou mayest be feared.” Psalm cxxx: 3, 4.
“Sacred to the memory of General John Despard, late colonel of the 5th West India regiment, who died at Swanhill, September 3rd, 1829, in the 85th year of his age, after having honorably served his country for 70 years. Also of Harriet Anne, sister of the late Sir Thomas Dalrymple Hesketh, Bart., of Rufford Hall, Lancashire, and relict of the above General John Despard. She died at Brighton, May 14th, 1848, aged 76 years.”
“In memory of John Croxon, alderman of this town, who died March 21st, 1803, aged 66; and of Alice, his wife, daughter of Richard and Alice Jones. She died July the 19th, 1824, aged 87. Elizabeth, wife of Samuel Tudor, of Shrewsbury, and daughter of the above-named John and Alice Croxon, died January the 24th, 1811, aged 36.”
“Sacred also to the memory of Richard Croxon, of this town, eldest son of the said John and Alice Croxon, who died the 31st July, 1838, aged 70.”
“Here lie the remains of Alexander Kyffin, who died August 10th, 1766, aged 51. Also of Margaret, his wife, who died December 20th, 1815, aged 73,”
“In memory of Sarah, wife of Charles Osburn, who died February 11th, 1851, aged 66. Also of the above-named Charles Osburn, who died February 16th, 1851, aged 66.”
“Sacred to the memory of William Price, who died November 4th, 1847, aged 70 years. Also of Jane, widow of the said William Price, who died April 10th, 1848, aged 68 years.”
“Sacred to the memory of Charles Thomas Jones, late of this Town, Banker, who died 16th October, 1847, aged 70 years.”
“Sacred to the memory of Robert Edwards, late of the Queen’s Head Inn, in this Town, who died February 2nd, 1843, aged 62. And of Sarah, his beloved wife, who died April 7th, 1843, aged 59. Also of Thomas, third son of the above Robert and Sarah Edwards, who died June 20th, 1843, aged 27 years. Life, how short, how uncertain! Look, O! look on this monument, ye gay and careless; attend to these dates, and boast no more of to-morrow.
‘Father, thy chastening hand we own,
And bow submission to Thy rod;
That must be wise which Thou hast done,
It must be kind, for Thou art God.’”“In memory of Robert, second son of Robert and Sarah Edwards, who died December 1st, 1808, aged one year. Also of Robert, their fourth son, who died January 20th, 1818, aged 6 months. Also of Martha, their fourth daughter, who died March 8th, 1823, aged 11 months. Also of Sophia, their fifth daughter, who died May 15th, 1824, aged 4 months. Also of Robert Edwards, grandfather of the above infants, who died May 10th, 1837, aged 84.”
“Sacred to the memory of Joseph, fifth son of Robert and Sarah Edwards, who died May 2nd, 1851, aged 32.”
“In a vault beneath are deposited the remains of William Jones, late Ironmonger, of this town, who died December 28th, 1827, in the 71st year of his age. Also the remains of Elizabeth Jones, relict of the above, who died April 12th, 1843, aged 81.”
“Thomas, youngest son of William and Elizabeth Jones, died June 28th, 1828, in the 27th year of his age. Also of Alice, eldest daughter of William and Elizabeth Jones, who died March 7th, 1844, aged 50.”
“Sacred to the memory of John Jones, late of Plas-fynnon, who departed this life December 10th, 1853, aged 61 years.”
“In memory of Edward Bennion, Surgeon, Cyrn-y-Bwch, who died July 31st, 1844, aged 87. Also Alice Bennion, wife of the above Edward Bennion, who died July 16th, 1838, aged 70.”
“In memory of Edward Bennion (senior), Surgeon, who died February 27th, 1788, aged 69. Also Elizabeth Batten and Elizabeth Roberts, who died in their infancy.”
“Margaret Cartwright, wife of Robert Cartwright, Surgeon, died June 28th, 1807, aged 29 years. Robert Cartwright, died July 17th, 1822, aged 51 years.”
“Sacred to the memory of George Dorset Owen, late of this Town, who departed this life November the 3rd, 1839, aged 52.”
“Sacred to the memory of Edward Powell, late of Preesgwyn, in this County, and of the Excise Office in the City of London, second son of Edward Powell, by Sarah his wife, who departed this life January 6th, 1825, and was interred the 12th of the same month, at St. Dunstan’s Church, Mile End, Old Town, Middlesex, aged 68 years. Underneath rest the mortal remains of John Powell, late of Preesgwyn, youngest son of the above Edward and Sarah Powell, who departed this life November 24th, 1825, aged 63 years.”
“Underneath lie the remains of Margaret Jennings, eldest daughter of Thomas and Margaret Jennings, of Penylan. She died May 12th, 1826, aged 59. Also the remains of Mary, youngest daughter of Thomas and Margaret Jennings, who died 31st of March, 1834, aged 61. Also the remains of Edward, the youngest son of Thomas and Margaret Jennings, who died November 27th, 1835, aged 61. Also the remains of Thomas, eldest son of Thomas and Margaret Jennings, who died July 26th, 1844, aged 74. Underneath are deposited the remains of Thomas Jennings, of Penylan. He died l7th of December, 1805, aged 79. Also the remains of Margaret Jennings, relict of Thomas Jennings, of Penylan. She died the 31st of March, 1811, aged 79. Jane, the wife of John Wolfe, of Penylan, departed this life July 19th, 1695. Sinah, the second wife of John Wolfe, of Penylan, departed this life October 25th, 1736, aged 77. Mary Jennings, of Penylan, (widow), departed this life November 11th, 1756, aged 51. John Wolfe, of Penylan, departed this life July 3rd, 1739, aged 80.”
“Edward Gough, departed this life March 14th, 1803.”
“Also to the memory of Catherine Williams, who departed this life April 28th, 1840, aged 97.”
“Also to the memory of Maria, relict of the above-named Edward Gough, who departed this life February 25th, 1853, aged 82.”
“Sacred to the memory of Thomas Potter Macqueen, late of Ridgemount, Bedfordshire, Lieutenant-Colonel of the Beds. Yeomanry Cavalry, and M.P. for that County, born May 28th, 1792, died March 31st, 1854.”
“In memory of Charlotte Elizabeth Urwick, eldest daughter of Thomas and Frances Penson, and wife of William Urwick, of Ludlow. She died of consumption, at Torquay, on the 26th of November, 1846, aged 30 years. In this dispensation of the Divine will, her parents have to sorrow for a most dear and dutiful daughter, and her husband to bemoan the loss of an affectionate wife. Her remains, with those of her only child, Thomas Penson Urwick, who died on the 27th of May, 1847, aged 13 months, are deposited beneath.”
Near this place are deposited the remains of Hannah Penson, who died an infant, on the 28th of September, 1823. And underneath lie the remains of Sarah Maria Penson, who died on the 25th of April, 1829, aged 8 years. Also the remains of Henry Penson, who died on the 1st of May, 1832, aged 12 years; children of Thomas and Frances Penson.
‘Happy children, early blest,
Rest, in peaceful slumbers rest.’”
“Sacred to the memory of Jane, daughter of Edmund Faunce, Esq., late Lieutenant-Colonel of the 4th or King’s own regiment, and Bridget his wife, who died April the 12th, 1826, aged 16. Also sacred to the memory of the above-named Edward Faunce, Esq., of St. Mary’s Hall, county of Kent, late Lieutenant-Colonel in the 4th or King’s own regiment. He died September 29th, 1838, aged 72.”
“Sacred to the memory of John William Bourke, obiit August 21st, 1823, ætat. suæ 47. Sacred to the memory of Anne, relict of the Rev. John William Bourke, who died October 22nd, 1833, aged 73.”
The great want of accommodation for the poor in the Parish Church led to the building of another church, in the outskirts of the town, in the year 1835. This church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, was consecrated by the Bishop of St. Asaph (Dr. Carey) in 1837, and a district, consisting of the wards of Leg-Street and Beatrice Street, in the town, and of the townships of Middleton, Hisland, Wootton, Aston., and Maesbury, has since been formed for it by the Church Commissioners. The population of the district so assigned was estimated at the time at about 2,300. The church contains accommodation for 700 persons, for about 400 of whom there are free sittings. The ornamental parts of the interior were executed at the expense of the Rev. John Parker, of Sweeney Hall, Vicar of Llanyblodwel. The Viscount Dungannon presented a handsome bible and prayer book, and the communion services, for the use of the church. The communion plate was given by the late Earl of Powis. T. L. Longueville, Esq., has also been a most liberal contributor to the church, both in presenting an organ, and in subscribing largely to the original structure, and to the subsequent improvements. A school-room at Maesbury, with a house for the master, was built some years since in this district, and subsequently licensed for the performance of worship by the Bishop of St. Asaph, and which is served gratuitously by the Incumbent of Trinity Church. It is much to be desired that a chapel-of-ease were erected in this part of the parish. Trinity Church is now altogether separated from the living of Oswestry, the Vicar of Oswestry for the time being appointing the Incumbent. The present Incumbent is the Rev. Frederick Cashel, M.A.
To meet the wants of the Welsh population of the parish, a church was built in the township of Trefonen, and consecrated in the year 1821; and in 1842 a district was assigned to it, by an Order in Council bearing date August 27th, consisting of the three townships of Trefonen, Treflach, and Treferclawdd. In 1851 this district contained 319 houses, and 1233 inhabitants—viz., 589 males and 644 females.
Trefonen Church, which is capable of containing about 500 persons, was built on a piece of land given for that purpose by the late Sir W. W. Wynn, father of the present Baronet. It was originally intended that the service of this church should be wholly in Welsh; but, owing to the increase and prevalence of the English language, that intention was not persevered in, and the service has for some years past been performed in Welsh and English alternately. A substantial school-room, with a house for the Master, was erected in the year 1825, upon a portion of the glebe given for that purpose, with the sanction of the Bishop, by the late Incumbent, the Rev. Edward Jones, and which has been of great advantage to the district. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Earl of Powis. The present Incumbent is the Rev. D. Lloyd.
Trefonen abounds in mineral wealth. Coal was raised in considerable abundance some years since in the adjoining township of Treferclawdd, but the pits there are now exhausted. It is still worked, however, in the township of Treflach, where there are also valuable and extensive quarries of lime. A mine was opened some years since in the Moelydd, which produces lead and calamine.
In addition to the above means of providing church accommodation to the inhabitants of the parish, an additional advantage has been gained by annexing the two Welsh townships of Pentregaer and Cynynion to the new church at Rhydycroesau. This church is situated on the high road to Llansilin, about three and a half miles from the town of Oswestry. It owes its foundation to the Rev. G. N. K. Lloyd, late Rector of Selattyn, who contributed liberally himself, and, with the co-operation of the first and present Incumbent, the Rev. Robert Williams, M.A., raised a sufficient fund, by voluntary contributions, to complete the church and erect a glebe-house. The church was consecrated August 2nd, 1838, by the Bishop of St. Asaph, and the glebe-house was built in 1840. It is a Consolidated District Church, licensed for all parochial purposes; and has a legally-assigned district, consisting of the townships of Cynynion and Pentregaer, in the parish of Oswestry; a detached portion of the parish of Llanyblodwel, called Cefnymaes; with portions of the parishes of Llansilin and Selattyn. A very neat Gothic building has also been erected by the present Incumbent, aided by voluntary contributions, and opened as a National School in January, 1850. The sites for the school and playground, as well as for the church and church-yard, are the munificent gifts of Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, Bart. The portion of the population of the parish of Oswestry thus transferred to the district of Rhydycroesau is about 200.
Nothing is now needed to make the ecclesiastical arrangements of the parish of Oswestry complete but the building of a chapel-of-ease at Maesbury, and the annexing a district to Morton Chapel; the latter of which objects will no doubt be effected whenever a new Incumbent shall be appointed to it.
Oswestry is a discharged Vicarage, in the gift of the Earl of Powis. The present Incumbent is the Rev. Thomas Salwey, B.D.
David Owain Rector of Whittington 1532, and Prebendary of Myfod 1534 |
instituted 1534 |
Peter Brereton |
1537 |
John Price, L.L.B. He became Prebendary of Myfod 1558, and Chancellor 1559. |
1552 |
William Owen |
1583 |
William Horton |
1587 |
Thomas Somerfield |
1588 |
John Bagshaw Rector of Whittington 1588. |
1591 |
William Morgan Vicar of Pool 1575. |
1599 |
Richard Pagot |
1602 |
Nathaniel Tattersall (deprived) |
1603 |
Richard Muckleston |
1612 |
1625 |
|
Humphrey Wynne |
1639 |
Rowland Nevet, A.M. Ejected by the Act of Uniformity. |
— |
Richard Edwards |
1664 |
Richard Jones |
1680 |
Samuel Wilson, A.M. |
1690 |
Archibald Guild |
1694 |
Thomas Jones |
1697 |
Thomas Owen |
1707 |
Edward Parry |
1713 |
Thomas Trevor, A.M., Bodynfol |
1736 |
Turner Edwards, L.L.B., Talgarth Vicar of Llansilin. |
1784 |
Daniel Griffiths |
1803 |
J. W. Bourke, A.M. Vicar of St. Martins 1803. |
1807 |
Thomas Salwey, B.D. |
December, 1823 |
The present esteemed Vicar of Oswestry, suffering much from illness, has long been unable to attend personally to the duties of his office. When however occasion has offered to promote, by his counsel and aid, any measure of benevolence in the Parish, he has been active in the good work. There are two Curates at present attached to the Parish Church—the Rev. Llewelyn Wynne Jones, and the Rev. George Cuthbert, both of whom are zealous and faithful in their ministerial labours, and have acquired the regard and affection of the numerous congregations to whom they dispense the Bread of Life.
The Congregational Church of Protestant Dissenters now assembling in the Old Chapel, Arthur-Street, was formed in the township of Sweeney, in the year 1662, and the Rev. Rowland Nevet, A, M., ejected from the vicarage of Oswestry by the Act of Uniformity, was its first pastor. Mr. Nevet laboured in the ministry for thirty years; seventeen as a clergyman of the established church, and thirteen as a dissenting preacher. Calamy, in his “Nonconformists’ Memorial,” mentions to his honour, that when the Plague prevailed at Oswestry, he still continued with his people, extending to them both temporal and spiritual aid. He died December 8th, 1675, and was succeeded by the Rev. James Owen, a distinguished minister, who bore part, as we have already mentioned, in a theological controversy which took place in the Oswestry Guildhall, in the year 1681, in the presence of Bishop Lloyd. He was appointed pastor at Sweeney in November, 1676, the duties of which office he faithfully discharged, as well as those of chaplain to Mrs. Baker, a pious lady residing on her own estate at Sweeney Hall. Vestiges of the ancient burial-ground of the first Nonconformists are yet to be seen near the site of the old mansion at Sweeney, enclosed within iron railings by the late T. N. Parker, Esq. The following inscriptions are still legible:—
“Here lieth Mrs. Abigail Chetwood, daughter to Sir Richard Chetwood, who died the 1st May, 1658.”
“Thomas Baker, Esq., deceased March 19, aged 68, A.D. 1675.”
The above Thomas Baker served the office of High Sheriff of the county, in 1649, the first year of Cromwell’s Protectorate; and in the parliament of 1653 he was summoned by Cromwell, with John Brown, of Little Ness, as a knight of the shire. In 1692 the place of worship was removed, for convenience, from Sweeney into the town of Oswestry. The room fitted up for religious worship was part of a house in Willow-Street, now known as the Butchers’ Arms. Here Mr. Owen laboured for eight years, and then removed to Shrewsbury, where he was soon placed at the head of the dissenting theological seminary. He was succeeded by the Rev. Jenkyn Evans, who died in 1709, and his funeral sermon was preached by the celebrated Mathew Henry. The Rev. Joseph Venables was the next minister appointed; and after Mr. Venables came the Rev. Thomas Morgan. During his ministry the site on which the present chapel and chapel-house stand was purchased, with an old maltkiln upon it, for £38. The sum of £200 having been given for the purpose by Mrs. Sarah Lloyd, a chapel was erected, and opened for public worship in July, 1750. The immediate successors of Mr. Morgan were Mr. Davies and Mr. Dewhurst; the latter became Socinian or Arian in his doctrines, and soon left. In September, 1777, the Rev. Dr. Edward Williams removed from Ross to Oswestry. In 1783 he enlarged the chapel; and the Collegiate Institution at Abergavenny having been removed to Oswestry, Dr. Williams became its Tutor, and for the accommodation of the students he enlarged the chapel-house also. In 1791 he removed to Carr’s-Lane, Birmingham; afterwards to Rotherham College, of which he was appointed Principal, and there he died. The Rev. John Whitridge, who had been minister of the Congregational Church at Newcastle-under-Lyme for nine years, succeeded Dr. Williams, and he remained the kind and benevolent pastor of his congregation, which greatly increased under his ministry, till the period of his death, October 11th, 1826. On the west side of the chapel, and over the spot where the pulpit then stood, in which for thirty-five years he had dealt out the bread of life to his congregation, a plain marble tablet was erected, bearing the following inscription:—
“In Memory of the Rev. John Whitridge, this Tablet is affectionately inscribed by the Church over whom for 35 years he was the devoted Pastor. An example—in word—in conversation—in charity—in spirit—in faith—in purity. ‘Whose praise is in the Gospel throughout all the Churches.’ He was born 23rd March, 1760. Died 11th October, 1826. His body reposes in a tomb beneath, waiting the spirit’s union at the resurrection of the just.”
Dr. Jenkyn, of Wem, succeeded to the pastoral office, and afterwards the Rev. W. Reeve. The Rev. J. Davies was followed by the present able pastor, the Rev. James Matheson (son of the Rev. Dr. Matheson, the indefatigable Secretary of the Home Missionary Society), who entered upon his ministerial labours in September, 1851, and who, by his distinguished talents, great urbanity, and ardent zeal for the spiritual prosperity of his people, has succeeded in greatly increasing the number of his hearers, and in commending himself to the good opinion of all classes of his fellow-townsmen.
The present Chapel (of which we give a sketch) was built during the ministry of the Rev. Dr. Jenkyn. The old Chapel having become too small for the increased number of hearers, it was pulled down, with the exception of part of one wall, and the present one was erected. It is a substantial and commodious place of worship, and capable of containing, when closely seated, about eight hundred persons.
Situated on the English Walls (opposite the Cattle Market), was erected by voluntary contributions, in the year 1805, and enlarged in 1818. It contains two galleries, and will accommodate between 300 and 400 persons. The Baptist Church in Oswestry was formed September 6th, 1806, and then consisted of a few members dismissed from the Baptist Church, at Shrewsbury, at that time under the pastoral care of the late Rev. John Palmer, who, with other Baptist Ministers, preached the Gospel in Oswestry and its neighbourhood some time prior to the erection of the Chapel. The Rev. William Pain was the first Pastor, and was succeeded by the Rev. Thomas Cooke, in the year 1817, who, for twenty years, honourably sustained the office to which he had been chosen. In 1838 the Rev. Robert Clarke (late of Bridgnorth) became the Pastor; and his successor was the late Rev. H. G. Grainger, who settled in Oswestry, in the year 1846. The present Pastor, the Rev. David Crumpton, took the oversight of the Church in the year 1852. There is a Sabbath-School connected with this congregation. The Chapel is free from debt, as is also the Baptist Chapel at Sweeney, erected by this Church and congregation in the year 1831.
Is a plain brick building, situated in the Coney Green, and was erected in the year 1813. The interior is without galleries, but will accommodate on the ground floor about 500 persons. The Wesleyan body in Oswestry is included in the Wrexham Circuit, the present Superintendent being the Rev. Samuel Atkinson.
Throughout the Principality the Calvinistic Methodists are the most numerous body of dissenters, and their annual meetings, or associations, are seasons of much interest and excitement. In 1814 a small chapel was erected on the Welsh Walls for the accommodation of persons of this persuasion resident in Oswestry, and this was occupied as a place of religious worship until 1836, when the great increase of the congregation rendered the erection of a larger chapel necessary. Accordingly the present building was commenced in Gatacre Place, and opened for public worship on the 6th of July, 1836.
It is a substantial stone structure, of rather imposing appearance, and affords accommodation for upwards of 500 persons.
The first chapel erected by this body was on the site of the Bath in Upper Willow Street, and was opened in 1825. So rapid has been the increase of the members of this denomination, that from the summer of 1825, when their first travelling preacher visited Oswestry, to the present time, they have built in this circuit no fewer than sixteen chapels; and the number of preachers on their quarterly plan amounts to 120. Their place of worship in Willow Street having become incapable of accommodating their increasing numbers, the present chapel and chapel-house were erected in 1840, in Castle Street. It is a neat and convenient building, and will seat about 450 persons. The Superintendent is the Rev. Thomas Parr.
Is a small neat building in Castle Street, erected in the year 1844, for the use of the Welsh Congregationalists, or Independents. The Rev. Robert Thomas is the present Minister.
Stands below the Horse-Market, and was built in 1848 by a body of seceders from the Primitive Methodists. It is a plain brick building, and capable of seating about 300 persons.
Besides the above, there is a small but highly-respectable body of Christians who hold their meetings in the Assembly Room at Osburn’s Hotel, under the ministry of the Rev. J, Stewart; and also a congregation of Welsh Wesleyan-Methodists, who assemble in a school-room at Black Gate.
The Corporation of Oswestry is of great antiquity. Its civic honours, primitively, flowed from its Barons or Lords, who, exercising themselves the power of petty sovereigns, appointed Bailiff’s and other officers to superintend the civic affairs of the borough. Its first assumption of civic dignities appears to have been in the reign of Henry II., when William, Earl of Arundel, granted to the town a short charter (called by the Welsh “Siarter Cwtta”), denominated also a Charter of Protection. A clause in this ancient document sets forth that “I (the Earl of Arundel) have received in Protection my Burgesses of Blanc-Minster” (Oswestry). Richard de Chambre was Constable at this period. Here was subsidiary power given to the inhabitants of Oswestry, for the government of the town; but in the reign of Richard II., August 14th, 1399, that monarch granted to Oswestry its first royal charter, incorporating the Burgesses by the name and title of “The Bailiffs and Burgesses of Oswestry, infra Palatinatum Cestriæ, in marchia inter Angliam et Walliam.” In 1407, as heretofore noticed, Thomas, Earl of Arundel, granted a comprehensive and valuable charter, showing that still the exercise of power, in his lordship or barony, for the good government of the burgesses, &c., was fully recognized by the crown.
The rights and privileges granted by Richard II. seem to have been strictly guarded and maintained by the inhabitants down to the reign of Elizabeth, when they were confirmed by that sovereign. It would appear, however, that subsequently “divers doubts and ambiguities” arose concerning the ancient liberties, franchises, &c., of the borough, and in the reign of James I., 1616, the king granted a charter to the town, extending its liberties and privileges, and confirming the Bailiffs, Burgesses, &c., as a body corporate, by the name of “The Bailiff and Burgesses of Oswestry, in the countie of Salop.” The charter of Charles II., granted January 13th, 1673, to “the ancient borough and corporation of Oswestry, alias Oswaldstrey, in the county of Salop,” enacted “That they be incorporated by the name of the Mayor, Aldermen, Common-Councilmen and Burgesses of Oswestry.” This charter, it will be seen, was the instrument which first called into existence the offices of Mayor, Aldermen, Common-Councilmen, and Recorder. That charter was immediately acted upon, and Mr. Richard Pope was elected the first Mayor of Oswestry. Sir John Trevor, Knight (afterwards speaker of the House of Commons, and Master of the Rolls), Morgan Wynne, Esq., Edward Owen, Richard Edwards, Richard Lloyd, the before-mentioned Richard Pope, gentleman; Gabriel Edwards, woollen-draper; Hugh Price, woollen-draper; John Jones, mercer; Richard Jones, John Blodwell, gentlemen; and John Lloyd, mercer, were chosen as the first Aldermen. Richard Price, brewer, Richard Jones, mercer, John Glover, tanner, Richard Jones, glover, Edward Evans, apothecary, John Jones, glover, John Muckleston, shoemaker, Thomas Edwards, gentleman, Thomas Edwards, baker, Nathaniel Jones, brewer, Hugh Edwards, shoemaker, Timothy George, mercer, Thomas Vaughan, chandler, William Price, butcher, and Thomas Felton, brazier, were the first Common-Councilmen. Morgan Wynne, Esq., was the first Recorder of the town, and John Worral, Esq., first Common Clerk of the Borough, and Clerk of the Court. It may be mentioned as a fact worth knowing, that Sir John Trevor was the second Mayor of Oswestry, under the charter of Charles II. Sir John was an eminent man, and his history, connected as he was with the borough of Oswestry, is worthy of brief record in these pages. He was the second son of John Trevor, Esq., of Brynkinalt, in the county of Denbigh, by an aunt of Sir George Jeffreys. He was born about the year 1637, and it is supposed never received educational advantages beyond those furnished by a village school. He was sent to London to his uncle, Arthur Trevor, a leading barrister, who employed him as his clerk in his chambers in the Inner Temple. The Rev. Robert Williams, in his careful and elaborate “Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Welshmen,” says of him, that—
“On his first arrival he displayed very lively parts, although his manners were rather uncouth, and he could not speak a sentence of correct English. His diligence, however, was so great, that being entered a student of the Inner Temple, he rendered himself well versed in all branches of his profession, and soon acquired extensive practice. Through the interest of his cousin, Sir George Jeffreys, he was made a king’s counsel, in 1678, and he obtained a seat in the House of Commons. Here he acquired considerable influence among the members, and such was his reputation as a high prerogative lawyer, that at the meeting of James II’s. parliament in May, 1685, he was elected Speaker. In October of the same year he was appointed Master of the Rolls, and in July, 1688, he was sworn a Privy Councillor. On the accession of William and Mary, Sir John Trevor was dismissed from the office of Master of the Rolls. In the Convention Parliament he sat for Beraldstone, and opposed by every means in his power the measures of the Government. In the next Parliament, called in 1690, he made his peace with the Court, and was unanimously elected Speaker. In May, 1691, he was made first Lord Commissioner of the Great Seal, which office he held until May 2nd, 1693, and in January, 1693 he was restored to his office of Master of the Rolls. Such was his talent for managing party, and of recommending himself to the Government by his bold and dexterous measures, that had it not been for his great indiscretion, he would probably have reached the great object of his ambition, which was to become Lord Chancellor, and to be created a peer. In 1695 a violent outcry was raised against bribery, and a committee was appointed by the House of Commons, to inquire into the charges, which were made against members, and it reported that Sir John Trevor had received a bribe of a thousand guineas for furthering a bill called the ‘Orphan’s Bill,’ promoted by the City of London. Accordingly, March 12th, 1695, he was subjected to the unparalleled humiliation of putting the resolution from the chair, and declaring himself guilty. He then resigned the chair, and was expelled from the House. Receiving money for voting in parliament was in those days so common, that his offence was not regarded in a very serious light, and he was permitted to retain his high judicial office of Master of the Rolls, for the long period of twenty-two years after his expulsion from the House of Commons. By the death of his elder brother he succeeded to the paternal estates of Brynkinalt, which, with large possessions of his own acquisition, have descended through his only daughter Anne to the present Viscount Dungannon. Sir John Trevor died May 20th, 1717, being nearly eighty years of age, at his house in Chancery Lane, and was buried in the Rolls Chapel.”
Yorke, in his “Royal Tribes of Wales,” relates a droll anecdote of Sir’ John, which is worthy of transplantation.
“Among his other virtues,” says Yorke, “Trevor was an economist. He had dined by himself one day at the Rolls, and was drinking his wine quietly, when his cousin Roderic Lloyd was unexpectedly introduced to him from a side door. ‘You rascal,’ said Trevor to his servant, ‘and you have brought my cousin Roderic Lloyd, Esquire, Prothonotary of North Wales, Marshal to Baron Price, and so forth, and so forth, up my back stairs. Take my cousin Roderic Lloyd, Esquire, Prothonotary of North Wales, Marshal to Baron Price, and so forth, and so forth; take him instantly back, down my back stairs, and bring him up my front stairs.’ Roderic in vain remonstrated, and whilst he was conveyed down one, and up the other stairs, his Honor removed the bottle and glasses.”
Trevor had an obliquity of vision, or, in plainer words, he squinted abominably! When he was expelled from the House of Commons for bribery, pasquinades were issued against him, in one of which it was wittily said, that “Justice was blind, but Bribery only squinted.”
The charter of the 25 Charles II. (which was the governing charter previous to the passing of the Municipal Reform Act,) granted to the Borough of Oswestry a general Court of Quarter Sessions, to be held before the Mayor, the Steward, and the Recorder, or any two of them, of whom the Mayor was to be one. On the passing of that Act the Government refused to renew the grant of a separate Quarter Sessions, although strong and unanimous petitions from the town were presented in favour of this privilege. In 1842, however, when the Ministry of Sir Robert Peel was in office, Sir James Graham being Secretary of State for the Home Department, the application was renewed, and was ultimately complied with. The grant is dated the 27th May, 1842, and under it John Robert Kenyon, Esq., was appointed Recorder. The first Quarter Sessions, under this grant, were held on July 8th in the same year. Mr. Kenyon has ably and impartially discharged the duties of Recorder since that period; and to his legal acumen and zealous interest for the borough the inhabitants are indebted for many advantages.
The Corporation are chosen from the respectable and enterprising classes of the borough, so that all men who by perseverance and success in trade or commerce, in the learned profession of the law, or medical science, or who move in the quieter and more elevated ranks of life, where the otium cum dignitate is to be seen in perfection,—if to be seen anywhere,—are in the legitimate path to Magisterial authority and Aldermanic greatness.
The Municipal Act came into operation in Oswestry in January, 1836. James Edwards, Esq., was elected Mayor of the borough in 1834, and held office, pursuant to the new Act, until January 1st, 1836, on which day John Croxon, Esq., was elected the first Mayor under the Municipal Reform Act, and continued in office till November 9th, 1836, when Francis Campbell, Esq., was elected as the second Mayor of the borough under the same Act.
The Hon. Thomas Kenyon (second son of the celebrated Lord Kenyon, and father of the present Recorder of Oswestry) was appointed High Steward of the Borough in the year 1823. Mr. Richard Jones Croxon (who had succeeded Mr. Lewis Jones to the Town-Clerkship in 1834) was appointed Town-Clerk under the Municipal Act, and has continued to perform the duties of that office to the present time, with great credit to himself and satisfaction to the town.
Under the New Corporation Act the borough was divided into two Wards, viz., the East Ward, comprising 148 burgesses, and the West Ward, numbering 166 burgesses.
The Corporation of Oswestry, for the year 1854–5, consists of the following gentlemen:—
G. H. WILLIAMS, Mayor.
Aldermen:
Thomas Longueville Longueville, Peploe Cartwright, Thomas Hill, |
Thomas Rogers, Edward Morris, Thomas Minshall. |
Councillors:
William Hodges, William Edwards, Edward Wynne Thomas, David Lloyd, George Morrall Bickerton, William Hayward, Francis Roberts, George James Saunders, |
Thomas Edwards, James Thomas Jones, William Isaac Bull, William Morris, Richard Kyrke Penson, John Lacon, John Minshall, John Phillips, John Roberts. |
Town-Clerk:—R. J. Croxon.
Clerk of the Peace:—Robert Simon.
Coroner:—John Miles Hales.
Treasurer:—George Cooper,
We subjoin a full List of the Mayors of Oswestry, from the earliest period, with the names also of the entire body of other Corporate Officers, Aldermen, and Common-Councilmen, elected under the Municipal Reform Act:—
1673 |
Richard Pope, first Mayor |
1674 |
Sir John Trevor, Master of the Rolls |
1675 |
Richard Edwards |
1676 |
Richard Lloyd, Ford |
1677 |
John Blodwell |
1678 |
John Lloyd Dying in his mayoralty, succeeded by Edward Owen |
1679 |
Richard Price |
1680 |
John Glover |
1681 |
Peter Griffiths |
1682 |
Humphrey Foulks |
1683 |
William Price Appointed instead of Thomas Edwards, who died before he was sworn |
1684 |
Hugh Jones |
1685 |
Phillip Ellis |
1686 |
Sir Robert Owen, Porkington |
1687 |
Roger Edwards |
1688 |
Morgan Powell |
1689 |
Thomas Jones |
1690 |
Thomas Powell, Park |
1691 |
Thomas Pritchard |
1692 |
John Muckleston |
1693 |
John Price |
1694 |
David Lloyd |
1695 |
Richard Jones |
1696 |
Sir Robert Owen (second time) |
1697 |
John Skye |
1698 |
Nathaniel Edwards |
1699 |
Peter Jones, Llanfyllin |
1700 |
Francis Tomkies |
1701 |
William Jones |
1702 |
Humphrey Davenport, Hayes-Gate |
1703 |
Roger Green |
1704 |
Thomas Powell, Park (second time) |
1705 |
Robert Lloyd, Aston |
1706 |
John Davies |
1707 |
Edward Lloyd, Trenewydd |
1708 |
Thomas Tomkies |
1709 |
Thos. Kynaston, Maesbury |
1710 |
John Price (second time) |
1711 |
Richard Jones |
1712 |
John Skye (second time) |
1713 |
Roger Green (second time) |
1714 |
John Davies (second time) |
1715 |
Thomas Warter |
1716 |
George Edwards |
1717 |
Robert Lloyd, Aston (second time) |
1718 |
Owen Hughes |
1719 |
Thomas Edwards |
1720 |
John Evans |
1721 |
Richard Payne |
1722 |
Richard Maurice |
1723 |
Nathaniel Price |
1724 |
Peter Povall Dying in his mayoralty, succeeded by Owen Hughes |
1725 |
John Kyffin |
1726 |
Richard Thomas |
1727 |
Edward Lloyd, Llwynymaen |
1728 |
Watkin Williams Wynn |
1729 |
Charles Lloyd, Trenewydd |
1730 |
William Owen, Porkington |
1731 |
John Huxley |
1732 |
John Mytton, Halston |
1733 |
Nathaniel Kynaston |
1734 |
Richard Powell |
1735 |
Robert Williams |
Robert Barkley |
|
1737 |
Thomas Jones |
1738 |
John Burgess |
1739 |
Corbett Kynaston Dying in his mayoralty, succeeded by Thomas Tomkies |
1740 |
William Price |
1741 |
John Jones |
1742 |
John Hughes |
1743 |
John Mort |
1744 |
Peter Williams |
1745 |
David Morris |
1746 |
Richard Lloyd |
1747 |
Richd. Williams, Penbedw |
1748 |
Vincent Phipps |
1749 |
Nathaniel Jones |
1750 |
John Griffiths |
1751 |
John Williams |
1752 |
John Griffiths |
1753 |
Edward Price |
1754 |
Thomas Jones |
1755 |
John Jones |
1756 |
Thomas Rathbone |
1757 |
Edward Evans |
1758 |
John Basnett |
1759 |
Nathaniel Price |
1760 |
Edward Evans |
1761 |
Robert Lloyd |
1762 |
Richard Price |
1763 |
John Edwards |
1764 |
Richard Jones |
1765 |
John Gregory |
1766 |
William Griffiths |
1767 |
Richard Morrice |
1768 |
John Evans |
1769 |
John Lloyd |
1770 |
Watkin Williams, Penbedw |
1771 |
John Mytton, Halston |
1772 |
Robert Godolphin Owen, Porkington |
1773 |
E. Thornes |
1774 |
Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, Bart., Wynnstay |
1775 |
William Griffiths |
1776 |
Francis Chambre |
1777 |
Joseph Richardson |
1778 |
John Croxon |
1779 |
Noel Hill, Shrewsbury |
1780 |
Edward Brown Dying in his mayoralty, succeeded by Nathaniel Price |
1781 |
Thomas Vernon |
1782 |
Edward Wynn Evans |
1783 |
John Kynaston, Hardwick |
1784 |
Richard Bickerton |
1785 |
Thomas Howell |
1786 |
Richard Salisbury |
1787 |
Wm. Mostyn Owen, Woodhouse |
1788 |
Lewis Jones |
1789 |
John Gibbons |
1790 |
John Lovett |
1791 |
John Probert |
1792 |
John Mytton, Halston |
1793 |
Rev. Turner Edwards |
1794 |
Arthur Davies |
1795 |
Rev. John Robert Lloyd |
1796 |
Owen Ormsby |
1797 |
Thomas Lovett |
1798 |
Robert Lloyd |
1799 |
John Jones |
1800 |
Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart. |
1801 |
Richard Croxon |
1802 |
Lawton Parry |
1803 |
Richard Jebb |
1804 |
Thomas Skye |
1805 |
Rev. James Donne |
1806 |
Robert Cartwright |
1807 |
Thomas Longueville Jones |
1808 |
William Lloyd |
1809 |
Robert Roberts |
1810 |
John Sheppard Dying in his mayoralty, succeeded by Thomas Hilditch |
1811 |
Edward Edmunds |
1812 |
John Croxon |
Rev. Charles Arthur Albany Lloyd |
|
1814 |
Hon. Thomas Kenyon |
1815 |
Thomas Morris |
1816 |
S. Leach (R. Salisbury, Deputy) |
1817 |
Rev. George Lloyd, Selattyn (Mr. Cartwright, Deputy) |
1818 |
Thomas Netherton Parker |
1819 |
H. W. W. Wynn (Mr. Salisbury, Deputy) |
1820 |
W. Lovett (J. V. Jones, Deputy) |
1821 |
John Bonnor, Brynygwalia (Robert Roberts, Deputy) |
1822 |
Henry Pinson Tozer Aubrey |
1823 |
W. Ormsby Gore |
1824 |
John Mytton (Thomas Hilditch, Deputy) |
1825 |
John Jones (second time) |
1827 |
Rev. Turner Edwards |
1827 |
Roger Mercy Cockerill |
1828 |
Robert Morrall |
1829 |
Peploe Cartwright |
1830 |
Thomas Lovett |
1831 |
Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart. (second time) (Dr. Donne, Deputy) |
1832 |
Thomas Longueville Longueville |
1833 |
John Jones, jun. |
1834 |
James Edwards |
1835 |
John Croxon |
1836 |
Francis Campbell |
1837 |
Charles Thomas Jones |
1838 |
G. Dorset Owen |
1839 |
Griffith Evans |
1840 |
Thomas Penson |
1841 |
John Hayward |
1842 |
W. Williams |
1843 |
W. Williams (re-elected) |
1844 |
W. Price |
1845 |
Thomas Rogers |
1846 |
John Miles Hales |
1847 |
Thomas Hill |
1848 |
John Jones |
1849 |
Edward Morris |
1850 |
Edward Morris (re-elected) |
1851 |
Thomas Minshall |
1852 |
William Hodges |
1853 |
Thomas Edwards |
1854 |
George Harvey Williams |