The Oswestry hundred is bounded on the east by the hundred of Pimhill, on the north and west by Denbighshire, and on the south-west by Montgomeryshire. The river Ceiriog bounds the hundred at the northern extremity, and the Vernieu and the Severn form the southern boundary. The population of this hundred in 1821 was 17,189; and in 1841, 19,858, of whom 3,956 were in the lower division of the hundred, and 15,902 in the upper division. Of the total number of inhabitants at the latter period, 9,805 were males, and 10,054 females.

The lower division of the hundred contains the following parishes and townships, viz., Cotton, Dovaston, Eardiston, Edgerley, Felton West, Haughton, Kinnerley, Knockin, Kynaston, Maesbrook Issa, Maesbrook Ucha, Melverley, Osbaston, Rednal, Ruyton of the Eleven Towns, Sandford, Shelvock, Shotatton, Sutton, Tedsmore, Twyford, Tyricoed, Woolston, and Wykey.

The upper division contains Aston Abertanatt, Berghill, Blodwell, Bryn, Cynynion, Crickheath, Daywell, Ebnall, Fernhill, Frankton, Halston, Henlle, Hindford, Hisland, Ifton Rhyn, Llanvorda, Llanyblodwell, Llanytidman, Llanymyneck, Lynclys, Maesburg, Marton Old, Martin St., Middleton, Morton, Oswestry, Pentregaer, Porkington, Selattyn, Sychtyn, Sweeney, Treprenal, Trefarclawdd, Treflach, Trefonen, Weston Cotton, Weston Rhyn, Whittington, and Wootton.

HALSTON,

an Extra-parochial Liberty, three-quarters of a mile east from Whittington, and three and a quarter miles E.N.E. from Oswestry, contains upwards of 500 acres of land, which is the property of Edmund Wright, Esq., of Halston Hall. This place formerly belonged to the Knights Templars, or Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. It is called in deeds Halystone, or Holystone, and was formerly a sanctuary. Meyrick Lloyd, lord of some part of Uwch Ales, in the reign of Richard I., would not submit to the English government, to which the hundred of Dyffryn Clwydd, and several others, were at that time subject; and having seized some English officers, who came there to execute the laws, put several of them to death. From this fact the lands were forfeited to the king, and Lloyd fled and took sanctuary at Halston, where its possessor, John Fitz Alan, Earl of Arundel, received him under his protection. It was given by this family to the Knights Templars, and in the 26th of Henry VIII. we find the commandary valued at £160. 14s. 10d. a-year. On the abolition of this religious order, King Henry VIII. empowered John Sewster, Esq., to dispose of this manor to Alan Horde, who made an exchange with Edward Mytton, Esq., which alienation was confirmed by Queen Elizabeth. Halston was the birth place of the celebrated General Mytton, who was born in 1608. By his courage and conduct many strongholds in North Wales and Shropshire were subdued, and he greatly distinguished himself in several battles. An ardent love of liberty, it seems, was the motive which governed his conduct; for finding that Cromwell’s views were ambitious, he resigned his command and retired. General Mytton died in London, in 1656: his remains were conveyed to Shrewsbury, and interred in St. Chad’s church. The church or chapel is a small fabric, situated in the park, about five hundred yards from the south front of the hall. The interior is neatly fitted up, and contains an ancient font, of an octagonal shape, rudely carved; an old stone coffin which has been dug up, lies near the tower. The living is a donative, without any other revenue than what the chaplain is allowed by the owner. The Halston estate, after being held by the Myttons from the time of Henry VIII. to the present century was sold in 1817 to Edmund Wright, Esq., the present proprietor. The hall, a spacious and elegant mansion of brick with a stone portico, has been greatly improved by the present owner. It is beautified with pleasure grounds and shrubberies, and opens into a beautiful and finely-timbered park of about 200 acres. Near the front of the hall is a fine sheet of water, and the river Perry, a small stream, takes its course through the park. The kitchen gardens are in a sheltered situation a little west from the hall, and cover upwards of five acres. Pineries and greenhouses are now in course of erection. At the census of 1841, Halston is returned as containing three houses and thirty-four inhabitants.

Directory.—Edmund Wright, Esq., Halston Hall; Charles Galloway, gardener, the Hall; Thomas Ward, farmer, Kinsall.

KINNERLEY

parish contains the townships of Kinnerley and Argoed, Dovaston, Edgerley, Kynaston, Maesbrook Issa, Maesbrook Ucha, Osbaston, and Tyrycoed, which together have an area of 5,891a. 2r. 28p. of land. Rateable value, £7,761. 9s. 9d. Rent charge, £942. 1s., of which £170 is apportioned to the vicar, and £772. 1s. to the impropriators. Population in 1801, 1,110; in 1841, 1,286.

Kinnerley and Argoed, a township and pleasantly situated village, seven miles S.E. from Oswestry, and twelve miles N.W. by W. from Shrewsbury, contains 848a. 0r. 9p. of land, mostly an undulating district, producing good wheat and barley. The principal land owners are Edward Downes, Esq.; John Morris, Esq.; Mr. John Doune; Rev. Thomas Frank; Mr. John Hilton; Mr. William Parkes; Mr. John Lewis; Mr. Thomas Barlow; Mr. Henry Bowman; Mr. Edward Baddow; Mr. John Pugh; Mr. Edward Evans; the vicar of Kinnerley; Mr. Jones; Mr. Griffiths; and others. George Edwards, Esq., is lord of the manor, and holds a court, the jurisdiction of which extends over Kinnerley Argoed and Edgerley. It is stated in ancient records that Kinnerley Castle was plundered and destroyed by Llewellyn, prince of Wales, during the early part of the reign of Henry III. We afterwards find that he was compelled to promise to make satisfaction for the injury he had done; but it appears the restoration of the castle never took place.

The Church, dedicated to St. Mary, is built of red sandstone, and has a square tower, with the date of 1600. The nave and chancel were enlarged and beautified in 1755. There are several beautiful monuments in the church, one of which remembers the Rev. John Bridgeman, D.D., bishop of Chester, who died in 1719. In the tower are three fine-toned bells, which were re-cast at Kinnerley. It is related that a farmer returning from Shrewsbury fair, where he had sold two cows named Dobbin and Golden, passing the furnace, was asked what he would give towards the new bells, when he jocularly replied that he would give Dobbin and Golden, at the same time emptying a large handkerchief of silver coin into the furnace. From this circumstance the bells have ever since been called Dobbin and Golden. The living is a vicarage, valued in the King’s book at £7. 6s. 8d.; now returned at £114; in the patronage of the Lord Chancellor, and incumbency of the Rev. Edmund Wolryche Orlando Bridgeman. The vicarial tithes of this township are commuted for £18. 12s. 2d.; and £103. 4s. 6d. are paid to Mrs. Tayleur, and £2. 16s. 6d. to other impropriators. There are 30a. 1r. of glebe land. The tithes formerly belonged to the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, in whom the patronage of the living was also vested.

Charities.—John Payne left £6, Edward Payne a yearly sum of 4s., and Richard Payne the sum of 10s. yearly, for the benefit of the poor. These sums are secured upon a piece of land in Lwynygo. Nicholas Thornes bequeathed £10, Roger Thornes a like sum, and Thomas Thornes £5, which gifts are secured upon land in Edgerley township, called Brokist. Mr. Kynaston gave the interest of £10 to the poor; Elizabeth Morgan bequeathed £50. Henry Morgan a rent charge of 10s. per annum. The three last bequests are secured on land in Melverley. A yearly sum of £2 is paid to the churchwardens from land which was formerly the property of the Hanmer family. There are two pieces of land in Edgerley, the rent of which, £2. 17s. 6d. per annum, is received by the churchwardens, but from whom it was derived is not known. The amount of these rents, with the produce of the several charities above mentioned, being £11. 7s. 6d. per annum, are distributed in small sums on Good Friday. Roger Gethin left £40, which was laid out in the purchase of two small crofts in Tyr-y-coed, for the benefit of the poor. The land produces £3. 10s. yearly. John Hickin left a rent charge of 10s. yearly, and the poor have a like sum yearly from the bequest of Margaret Dyos—noticed with Great Ness. Hester Farmer, in 1691, gave the rent of a close every fourth year, to be distributed among the poor of Kinnerley. The field is now let for £23 per annum:—See the charities of St. Chad, Shrewsbury.

Post Office—At Mr. Jonathan Rodgers. Letters arrive from Oswestry at 11.30, and are
despatched at 2 40 P.M.

Barrett Richard, grocer and provision dealer

Bather Thomas, grocer, druggist and seedsman, wholesale and retail

Beddow Thomas, carrier to Oswestry and Shrewsbury

Bevan Edward, thrashing machine and drill man

Bridgeman Rev. Edmund W. O., vicarage

Croft William, farmer

Davies Thomas, blacksmith

Davies William, shoemaker

Downes Edward, Esq., Argoed hall

Glover Timothy, carrier to Oswestry and Shrewsbury

Griffiths Edward, carpenter

Griffiths Joseph, wheelwright

Hanmer John, corn miller

Jones Richard, shoemaker, Argoed

Morgan John, farmer

Morris John, farmer

Morris Richard, shoemaker

Parkes William, grocer and vict., Cross Keys

Pugh John, maltster and farmer

Roberts Edward, cooper

Rodgers Elizabeth, boarding and day school

Rodgers Henry, painter and glazier

Rodgers Henry, farmer

Rodgers Jonathan, vestry and parish clerk and assistant overseer

Rodgers Jonathan, vict., Swan Inn

Thornes Mr. Henry, Argoed farm

DOVASTON

township is pleasantly situated one mile and a half N.E. from Kinnerley, and seven and a half S.E. from Oswestry, and contains 353a. 2r. 10p. of land. In 1841 there were 39 houses and 157 inhabitants. Rateable value, £725. 8s. 6d. The soil is good pasture land, and, being a mixture of peat and loam, produces good barley. The Earl of Bradford is the lord of the manor; and the principal landowners are J. F. M. Dovaston, Esq., Mr. Richard Candlin, Mr. John Frank, Mr. John Hilton, Mr. James Jones, Mr. Joseph Lloyd, Mr. John Mansell, the Vicar of Kinnerley, Millington Hospital, Mrs. Thornes, Mr. Thomas Pugh, and Mr. Henry Whitford. The vicarial tithes are commuted for £6. 17s. 8d., and the rectorial for £36. 3s. 1d.

Bennion John and Edward, carpenters

Bevan John, farmer and carrier

Butler Samuel, farmer

Cambage George, farmer

Davies David, carpenter, The Heath

Davies Thomas, sawyer

Davis William, carrier

Edwards Richard, stone-mason

Griffiths Edward, sawyer, Knuckin Heath

Griffiths Samuel, carpenter

Grindley George, farmer

Jones Thomas, shoemaker

Jones Thomas, farmer

Lloyd John, wheelwright, The Heath

Mansell John, farmer

EDGERLEY,

a scattered village and township in the parish of Kinnerley, three miles and a quarter S. from Kinnerley church, contains 1383a. 0r. 9p. of land, and in 1841 had a population of 265 souls and 64 houses. Rateable value, £1,694, 4s. 8d. The rectorial tithes are commuted for £120. 18s. 4d., and the vicarial for £44. 9s. 9d. The following are the chief landowners:—The Earl of Bradford, Mr. Thomas Bather, Mr. James Candlin, E. H. Dymock, Esq., Mr. John Comberbach, Sir B. Leighton, Bart., Thomas Mansell, Esq., Mr. Owens, Mr. Parker, Messrs. Rogers, Rev. William Thomas, and others. George Edwards, Esq., is lord of the manor. Pentre is a small scattered hamlet, in the township of Edgerley, where is a venerable ash tree of immense girth, remarkable as standing upon a site where the dioceses of Hereford, Lichfield and Coventry, and St. Asaph, all unite. It also marks the division of the parishes of Great Ness and Kinnerley.

Croxen Richard Jones, Esq.

Davies Mrs. Elizabeth, Edgerley Hall

Davies John, farmer

Davies Richard R., butcher

Edwards Richard, tailor

Evans Robert, mason

Heatley E., Brookhouse farm

Higginson Saml., victualler, Royal Hill Inn

Hopkins Richard, gardener

Jones John, farmer and butcher

Jones Thomas, farmer

Jones William, farmer

Lloyd John, wheelwright

Lloyd Samuel, farmer

Newall Thomas, farmer

Owens Robert, farmer

Price Jeremiah, farmer

Pritchard Thomas, horse breaker

Rigley Smith, beerhouse & shopkeeper

Rodgers William, farmer

Roberts William, farmer

Williams John, bricklayer

Williams William, farmer & grazier

KYNASTON

is a small township, mostly an undulating district, with a fertile soil, one mile and a half S.E. by S. from Kinnerley, and nine miles from Oswestry. In 1841 here were 32 houses and 135 inhabitants. The township contains 517a. 1r. 39p. of land, of which 245 acres are arable, 240 meadow, 11 woodland, and the remainder in gardens and homesteads. The landowners are the Earl of Bradford, Mrs. Eleanor Bather, Rev. S. S. Burroughs, Mr. John Candlin, John Hilton, Esq., Mr. William Duckett, Mr. Thomas N. Parker, and Mrs. Thornes. The tithes were commuted in 1836, when £11 was apportioned to the vicar, and £61 to the impropriators. The Independents and the Primitive Methodists have each a small chapel in this township. Directory.—Farmers: John Candlin, John Mansell, William Probert, William Rodgers, and William Rodgers, jun. William Davies, tailor.

MAESBROOK ISSA,

a township situated two miles S.W. by S. from Kinnerley, and seven and a quarter miles from Oswestry, contains 864a. 3r. 28p. of land, and in 1841 had 19 houses and a population of 101 souls. Rateable value, £1,226. 17s. 2d. Of the land, 254a. 1r. 27p. are arable, 584a. 0r. 33p. rich meadow land, and the remainder 24a. 2r. 12p. are in homesteads. The land has an undulating surface, and the soil is a stiff loam, producing good wheat and barley. The land owners are the Earl of Bradford, Mr. Richard Bennett, Mr. R. J. Croxon, Mr. John Edmunds, Mr. John Frank, The Earl of Liverpool, Mr. James Payne, Mr. Richard Savage, Mr. Hugh Skelhorn, the executors of William Shuker, and the Vicar of Kinnerley. The Earl of Bradford is lord of the manor. The vicarial tithes were commuted in 1845 for £25, and the large tithes for £103. 2s. 6d. The freeholders are the impropriators. Pentreheylin Hall, a delightfully situated residence commanding beautiful views of the country, is the property of Richard Jones Croxen, Esq., and residence of Mr. John Edwards. The farm premises are spacious and admirably arranged. The cattle are chiefly stall fed; there are stalls for feeding 90 head of cattle, besides accommodation for upwards of fifty milk cows. The cheese made is of a superior quality.

Bennett Catherine, farmer

Brown Mrs. Elizabeth, Pentre Parva House

Brown Joseph, farmer

Davies John, farmer and corn miller

Edwards John, farmer, Pentreheylin

Edwards John and Sons, cattle dealers

Howells Samuel, wheelwright

Jones Edward, grocer, draper, and general provision dealer

Lloyd John, farmer, The Grove

Pritchard Samuel, farmer

Skelhorn Hugh, farmer

MAESBROOK UCHA

is a pleasant village and township, containing some genteel residences, two miles and a half W. from Kinnerley and seven miles S. from Oswestry. The township contains 1060a. 3r. 36p. of superior land; the meadows producing an abundance of vegetation, on which large flocks of sheep and herds of cattle are grazed. The land stretches to the extreme western verge of the county, and is separated from Montgomeryshire by the river Vernieu. The up-land has a gravelly soil, and produces wheat, barley, and oats. In 1841 here were 49 houses and 264 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,461. 4s. 1d. The land owners are the Earl of Bradford, Richard Croxen, Esq., George Edwards, Esq., the Earl of Liverpool, James Payne, Esq., Mr. Evan Arthur, Mr. William Shuker, William Taylor, Esq., John William Thornes, Esq., Rev. Mr. Thomas, Samuel Ward, Esq., and others are also proprietors. The Earl of Bradford is lord of the manor. The tithes were commuted in 1847, when £37 was apportioned to the Vicar of Kinnerley, £146. 19s. 9d. to Mrs. Tayleure, and £9. 2s. 6d. to Samuel Ward, Esq. Pentra Ucha Hall, the residence of Frederic Alexander Payne, Esq., is a handsome stuccoed mansion, commanding beautiful views of the surrounding country. Dyffryd House is the property and residence of William Taylor, Esq., celebrated as a breeder and feeder of superior stock. The house is pleasantly situated near the banks of the Vernieu, and the farm premises exhibit a pattern of completeness. The turnpike road from Burlton to Llanymyneck crosses the township. The Baptists and the Primitive Methodists have each a place of worship here.

Adams John, painter, plumber, and glazier

Breadley Richard, wheelwright

Davies Edmund, butcher

Davies John, gentleman, Greenfield House

Davies John, farmer

Davies Thomas, farmer

Davies Thomas, farmer and carrier

Dean Thomas, painter, plumber, and glazier

Grindley John, farmer

Hayes George, grocer and vict., Black Horse

Lawrence Samuel, farmer

Lewis John, farmer

Lloyd John, farmer

Payne Frederick Alexander, Esq., Pentra Ucha Hall

Perry Edward, farmer, The Wood

Ridge Mrs., farmer, The Field

Rodgers John, farmer

Taylor William, farmer and grazier, Dyffryd House

Tudor John, blacksmith

Ward Charlotte, farmer

Ward Samuel, gentleman, The Wood

township, two miles N.W. by W. from Kennerley, and 5½ miles S. from Oswestry, contains 558a. 3r. 11p. of land, and in 1841 had 23 houses and 125 inhabitants. Rateable value, £757 18s. 6d., of the land; 259a. are meadows and pasture 267 areable, and 8 acres are in wood and homesteads. The soil is a mixture of marl and sand; the farmhouses are well built and provided with convenient out premises. The principal landowners are the Earl of Bradford; Mr. Thomas Clemson; J. F. M. Doveston, Esq., Mrs. Ann Williams; John Jones, Esq.; Mrs. Jones; Mr. James Knight; Rev. E. H. Dymock; J. J. Thomas, Esq.; and Mr. Samuel Ward. The tithes were commuted in 1848, when £120 was apportioned to John E. Pugh, Esq., the impropriator, and £17 5s. to the vicar of Kennerley.

The following are the principal residents, viz.: Capt. Thomas Evans, R.N., Osbaston Wood; Farmers, Thomas Griffiths, James Knight, Edward Pugh, and George Peacock; George Bate, gardener; John Lloyd, blacksmith; and John Rogers, tailor and clothier.

TIR-Y-COED,

a scattered township 1½ mile S.W. from Kennerley, and 8½ S.S. by W. from Oswestry, in 1841 had 7 houses and 29 inhabitants, and has 305a. 0r. 3p. of land, of which 105 are arable, and the remainder meadow and pasture. The soil is chiefly a strong loam. Rateable value, £363 9s. 6d. The tithes were commuted in 1847, when £9 was appropriated to the vicar and £51. 9s. to the impropriators. The chief landowners are Sir Edward C. Disbrowe Knt., Mr. David Adams, Mr. Richard Downes, Trustees of Millington Hospital, Mr. William Downes, Mr. William Duckett, Rev. E. Dymock, Mr. John Edmunds, Mr. John Jones, Mr. James Payne, Mrs. Thornes, Mr. John Suckley and others. The residents are John Gittins, gentleman; William Richards, farmer, The Field; Joseph Evans, bricklayer; and William Rogers, basket maker.

KNOCKIN,

a parish and pleasant rural village, contains several genteel residences, and is situated six miles S.S.E. from Oswestry, and twelve miles N.W. by W. from Shrewsbury. It has 1389a. 3r. 16p. of land, and had in 1801 210 inhabitants, in 1831 311, and in 1841 54 houses and 271 souls. The soil is a mixture of sand and loam. The returns of 1841 include Heath Farm an extra parochial liberty, having two houses and seven persons. Rateable value, £1,982. 1s. The principal land owners are the Earl of Bradford; Joseph Lloyd, Esq.; Mrs. Sarah Jones; Richard Hilton, Esq.; John Hilton, Esq.; Mrs. Ann Williams; Mr. Thomas Higginson; Mr. William Thomas; Edware Downes, Esq.; Edward Parry, Esq.; and lady Tyrhwitt. There are also several smaller freeholders. The Earl of Bradford is lord of the manor, and holds a court at the Bradford Arms.

The Church, dedicated to St. Mary, a small handsome structure in the early English style of architecture, was re-built in 1847 of red sand stone. The interior has a very chaste and elegant appearance, and the fabric exhibits some fine specimens of decorated workmanship. The living is a rectory in the patronage of the Earl of Bradford, enjoyed by the Rev. Robert Ridsdale, a non-resident. The Rev. F. B. Foulkes is the officiating minister. The tithes are commuted for £325.

The National School and residence for the teacher is a neat building, erected by the Earl of Bradford. It is supported by subscriptions and a small charge from each scholar. The income is about £60 per annum.

Knockin Hall, situate on the east side of the village, a spacious mansion of brick, is the seat of the Hon. Captain Charles Orlando Bridgeman. It stands on a gentle eminence commanding delightful views into Wales. The interior is finely adorned with antique carved furniture, and the walls are ornamented with valuable and beautifully executed paintings. The park is small, but pleasingly diversified with graceful undulations, and enriched with fine timber. A beautiful avenue leads to the hall. The Knockin Heath Farm, situated about two miles S.E. from the church, contains 350a., and is the residence of John Cooke, Esq. The Hall Farm, an extensive range of premises a short distance from the village, is the residence of Richard Hilton, Esq.

Knockin is said to have given name to the ancient family of L’Estrange, who built Knockin Castle, and fixed their seat here. Guy L’Estrange had three sons, Guy, Hamon, and John, all of whom held lands in Shropshire by gift of Henry II. The younger, Guy, was sheriff of this county from the 2nd to the 11th of Henry II.; other branches of the family were subsequently appointed knights of the shire. Ralph, son of the above Guy, gave the chapel of Knockin to the canons of Haughmond. John L’Estrange, in the 33rd of Henry III., procured a market for the town on Tuesday, and a fair on the eve, day, and day after the anniversary of the decollation of St. John Baptist. Madoc, who was at the head of an insurrection against the king’s officers of North Wales, marched against Lord L’Estrange and defeated him at Knockin. The male line of the family failing in John L’Estrange in the 17th of Edward IV., who leaving an only daughter Joan, she married George Stanley, who was created Earl of Derby by Henry VIII. The title of Knockin is still kept up, though the family is extinct; the eldest son of the Derby family being styled Lord Strange. The castle was demolished during the civil wars in the time of King John. At present there is scarcely a vestige remaining. Some of the stones were used to build the churchyard walls, and a bridge over the brook, and a large quantity of them were carried away to mend the roads. The fairs and market have long been obsolete.

Bridgeman The Hon. Capt. Charles Orlando, R.N., Knockin Hall

Adams Mr., painter, plumber, and glazier

Barrett Thomas, farmer and vict., Bradford Arms

Barneby Alban M., schoolmaster

Burroughs John, vict., Cross Keys

Cooke John, farmer, Heath house

Davies Edward, farmer

Davies Edward, farmer, Heath Farm

Evans John, butler

Evans Mrs., shopkeeper and baker

Foulkes Rev. F. B., The Wain

Griffiths Alice, farmer

Griffiths Edward, farmer and land agent

Griffiths Edward, builder and contractor

Gwynne George, cooper

Haustin William, tailor

Hilton John, Esq., farmer, Knockin House

Hilton Richard, farmer, Hall Farm

Jones John, joiner and carpenter

Jones John, surveyor and collector

Lloyd Joseph, builder and contractor

Lloyd William, farmer

Maddox John, veterinary surgeon

Maddox William, blacksmith

Maddox William, assistant overseer and collector

Morris John, tailor

Morris Samuel, grazier and butcher

Price William, butcher

Price S. M., shopkeeper

Ratcliffe James, shopkeeper

Ratcliffe Richard, saddler and harness maker

Roberts Thomas, boot and shoemaker

Thomas William, farmer

Llanyblodwell is a parish on the western verge of Shropshire, adjoining the county of Denbigh, comprising the townships of Abertannat, Blodwell, Bryn, and Lynclys, which together, at the census of 1841, contained a population of 961 souls and 200 houses. The parish is bounded on the east by Offa’s-dyke, noticed at the preceding page.

ABERTANNAT,

a village and township one mile S.E. from Blodwell, contains 1073a. 3r. 17p. of land, 19 houses, and 102 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,135. 12s 5d. The land has mostly a strong soil, upon the limestone, considered good for grazing purposes. The proprietors are Lord Godolphin and John Hamor, Esq. Earl Powis is lord of the manor. The tithes have been commuted for £90. 2s. 2d., of which £39. 7s. has been apportioned to the Rev. R. Williams; £13. 9s. 10d. to the Rev. R. M. H. Hughes; and £37. 5s. 4d. to the Rev. John Parker. Abertannat Hall is the pleasantly situated mansion of John Edwards, Esq. The scenery in the vicinity is most beautiful and picturesque. Upon the towering heights of some of the hills are seen prospects of unbounded extent. The lands abound with game, and the rippling stream of the Tanat meanders at the foot of the hills, well stocked with trout and other fish.

Directory.—John Edwards, Esq., The hall; James Davies, farmer, Llan; Robert Edwards, farmer, Cafn; Thomas Jones, shopkeeper; Charles Jones, gamekeeper; John Jones, farmer, Garth-issa; William Jones, farmer, Gath-ucha; Richard Jones, gamekeeper; William Lloyd, blacksmith and vict., Horse Shoe Inn; Richard Lewis, farmer, Tynycoed; John Morgan, huntsman; William Pritchard, farmer, Cafn; Matthew Roberts, schoolmaster.

BLODWELL

is a pleasant village in a hilly and romantic country, six miles S.S.W. from Oswestry, having 87 houses and 384 inhabitants. The township contains 1677a. 1r. 18p. of land. Rateable value, £1777, 1s. 9d. Gross estimated rental, £1989 18s. 9d. The principal landowners are the Earl of Powis, Earl of Bradford, Mrs. Aubrey, Rev. John Parker, John Bonner, Esq.; John Edwards, Esq.; and John George Edwards, Esq.; the former is lord of the manor. The Church, dedicated to St. Michael, is a venerable fabric, the exterior of which is now undergoing a complete reparation at the expense of the present incumbent. The body of the church is divided into two compartments, and has a pitched roof, supported by columns and arches in the Norman style of architecture. The chancel is tastefully decorated, and contains a splendid stained glass window; it is fitted up with stalls, and separated from the body of the church by an antique oak screen, richly carved. The church has had additions and alterations made at several different periods; in 1835 the accommodation of the church was increased by the addition of 47 sittings. The chancel contains several handsome memorials, one of which remembers the Bridgemans, of Blodwell; another very elegantly designed is commemorative of the late Sir John Bridgeman, Bart.; there are also monuments to the Godolphins, Matthews, and others. The living is a vicarage valued in the king’s books at £7. 12s. 6d., and now returned at £271 in the patronage of the bishop of St. Asaph, and incumbency of the Rev. John Parker, M.A. Divine service is performed alternately in the Welsh and English languages. The vicarage is a modern and commodious erection of brick, in the decorative style, with ornamental chimneys, and is situated a short distance from the church; a considerable portion of the house has been built by the present incumbent. The bishop of St. Asaph is the impropriator of the large tithes, which are commuted for £211 9s. 6d., and the small tithes payable to the vicar are commuted for £36. 9s. 3d.

Blodwell Hall, a modern stuccoed mansion delightfully situated, is the residence of William Lyons, Esq. The hills above the hall command a scene of sublimity and beauty, perhaps unsurpassed in any part of Wales. The summits of innumerable mountains are seen at once, rising in every variety of ridge, the distant in softest azure, and the near clothed in the richest verdure, with hanging woods, fertile meadows, and the bright rivers, Vernieu and Tanat, meandering at the foot of the hills, on their way to join the sunny waters of the magnificent Severn. Turning towards England, a perfect contrast is presented, in the fertile and expansive plains of Shropshire, richly wooded, and profuse in luxuriant vegetation, terminated on the south by the noble Wrekin, and on the north and east by the faint outline of the distant hills of Cheshire and Stafford. The river Tanat is crossed by a stone bridge at the point of separation of this township and that of Abertannat; at the Grove about a mile and a half below Blodwell it has its confluence with the river Vernieu, which here separates Shropshire and Denbighshire.The School is endowed with £100 bequeathed by Ursula Bridgeman in 1713; £100 the gift of Sir John Bridgeman in 1739; and £100 given by Judith Bridgeman. In 1825 it was discovered that there was £300 stock in the old south sea annuities standing in the names of trustees, but that no dividends had been received thereon since the 6th April, 1801. In September, 1825, £211. 10s. was received for the arrears of dividends, out of which sum £57. 10s. 6d. was paid for the expense of recovering them, of transferring the stock, and of the new trust deed, and £123. 7s. 2d. was expended in 1826 and 1827 in re-building the school. Out of the dividends amounting to £9 per annum, £7 is paid to the schoolmaster, the residue having hitherto been reserved for repairs. According to the deed of 1753 the master is entitled to three-fourths of the dividends; 50 scholars attend the school, which is partly supported by the vicar.

Edward ap Thomas, by his will bearing date 13th October, 1657, gave a rent charge of £2. 12s. yearly to the poor of Llanyblodwell and Llansilin, in equal portions.

Directory.—William Lyons, Esq., The hall; Rev. John Parker, The vicarage; Farmers, John Davies, Sarah Ellis, Richard Hughes, Edward Morris, Thomas Owen, Mary Roberts, and Edward Wall, The hall farm; Matthew Roberts, schoolmaster.

BRYNN,

a small village and township 1¼ mile N.W. from Blodwell, has 1118a. 0r. 35p. of land, 37 houses and 200 inhabitants. The country around Brynn is bold and mountainous, and the uplands are cold and exposed. The farms are in general small. Rateable value, £1063. 15s. The principal landowners are John Wynn Eyton, Esq.; John Hamor, Esq.; Mrs. Owens; Rev. John Parker; and the Earl of Powis; there are also several other freeholders. The tithes are commuted for £176. 16s. 10d., of which £85. 8s. 5d. is apportioned to the vicar of Blodwell, £27 7s. 1d. to the Rev. Maurice Jones, and £64. 1s. 4d. to the bishop of St. Asaph. Glanyrafon House, the seat of John Hamer, Esq., is situated on an eminence, on the line of road leading into North Wales; it is surrounded with park-like grounds finely timbered and studded with thriving plantations, and from the elevated position of the mansion it has an imposing appearance. It commands views of great diversity and picturesque beauty; the meanderings of the Tanat giving an additional charm to the fairy scene. Bryntanat Hall, the occasional residence or hunting box of William Henry Perry, Esq., is picturesquely seated on the knoll of a hill, the foot of which is washed by the rippling stream of the Tanat. Although the hall is situate near to Bryan, it stands within the bounds of the county of Denbigh.

Directory.—John Hamor, Esq., Glanyrafon Hall; William Henry Perry, Bryntanat Hall; Farmers, Walter Davies, Edward Edwards, Richard Edwards, Richard Griffiths, Robert Hughes, Edward Jones, William Jones, Richard Kilner, Richard Phillips, and Richard Richards.

LLYNCLYS,

a village and small township, four miles S.W. by S. from Oswestry, contains 608a. 0r. 3p. of land; and in 1841 there were 57 houses and 275 inhabitants. Rateable value, £917. 4s. 3d.; gross estimated rental, £1,013. 11s. 10d. The Earl of Bradford; Earl Powis; Rowland Hunt, Esq.; Philip Jennings, Esq.; Hon. Thomas Kenyon; Rev. John Parker; Mr. Humphrey, and others, are land owners. The township is crossed at right angles by the Oswestry and Welshpool and the Knockin and Llansilin turnpike roads. There are extensive lime works in this township: a considerable quantity of that commodity is used by the farmers on the western borders of Shropshire and in Wales for agricultural purposes. Llynck Lys Pool is a small but beautiful lake of great depth, of which strange and superstitious tales prevailed in former times. It is stated that the lake was formerly the site of a royal palace, which in fairy times was sunken below the earth by a fairy spell. The late Mr. Dovaston, of the Nursery, in a ballad entitled “Llynch Lys,” thus beautifully introduces the tradition:—

“Still the villagers near, when the lake is clear,
Show the towers of the palace below,
And of Croes Willin there, will the traveller hear,
And the cave called the grim Ogo.

And oft from our boat of a summer’s eve,
Sweet music is heard to flow,
As we push from the side of the blue lake’s tide,
Where the long green rushes grow.”

The rushes and reeds which grow on the margin are of extraordinary length; some have been drawn upwards of eighteen feet in length. The water lily here flourishes with the greatest luxuriance, and throws out a profusion of blossoms upon the surface of the crystal waters. Porthy-Waen is a populous hamlet in Llynclys township.

Those with * affixed are at Llynclys, and the rest at Porthy-Waen.

Davies Thos., vict., Red Lion

* Evans Thomas, farmer

* Griffiths Ann, farmer, Nut Tree Bank

Griffiths Francis, shopkeeper and baker

Griffiths Mary, farmer

Hughes Thos., toll collector

Hughes John, shopkeeper

Howell John, schoolmaster

Jones Edward, beerhouse

* Jones Mary, farmer

Jones David, shoemaker

* Lawrence Edward, farmer

Lewis Mary Ann, lime works

Lewis John, beerhouse

* Lloyd William, beerhouse keeper and lime works

Martin Maria, beerhouse

Newal Mrs., quarry owner

Pryce William, shopkeeper

Parkes Edward, blacksmith

Probert Edward, assistant overseer and collector

Roberts John, Dolgorth lime works

Savin Mary, lime works

Williams John, lime works

Williams John, jun., lime works

LLANYMYNECH

is a parish which contains the townships of Llanymynech-Llanytidman and Treprenal, partly situated in this county, and partly in the counties of Denbigh and Montgomery, in Wales. The entire parish in 1801 had 596 inhabitants; in 1831, 887; and in 1841, 954. Rateable value, £3,987. The village of Llanymynech is pleasantly situated, six miles south from Oswestry, and ten miles N.W. by S.S. from Shrewsbury. It has attained its present importance from the extensive quarries of limestone with which the vicinity abounds. Considerable quantities of the stone are sent to the Staffordshire iron works, for fluxing the metals. It is also burnt into lime. The Chester, Ellesmere, and Newtown canal affords facilities for carrying the material to distant parts. Copper ore was formerly found in considerable quantities, but the mines have not been worked for some time. There are 1,281 acres of land, the principal owners of which are the Earl of Bradford; Earl Powis; John Lloyd, Esq.; Richard Nightingale Broughton, Esq.; Rev. William Evans; Rev. John Luxmoore; Robert Wall, Esq.; Mr. Parker; Philip Jennings, Esq.; R. W. Kynaston, Esq.; T. W. Thomas, Esq.; Robert Wall, Esq.; Rev. William Thomas; Mrs. Evans; Hon. Francis West; Thomas West, Esq.; and Robert West, Esq. Earl Powis is lord of the manor. The soil is various in this parish. The meadow lands on the banks of the Vernieu are enriched by that river frequently overflowing its banks. The river is here crossed by a substantial stone bridge of three arches; and about a mile and a half from the village a branch of the Ellesmere canal is conducted over the river by an aqueduct of five arches, near which it is joined by the Montgomeryshire canal.

The Church, dedicated to St. Agatha, consists of nave, chancel, side aisles, and a square tower with one bell. It was rebuilt in 1845, in the decorative style of English architecture, and exhibits some fine chiselling and ornamental workmanship. The interior is neatly pewed, and has a very chaste appearance. The living is a rectory, valued in the King’s book at £12. 13s. 4d., now returned at £394, in the patronage of the Bishop of St. Asaph, and enjoyed by the Rev. John Luxmore, M.A. The rectory, a neat stuccoed residence a short distance from the church, has been much improved by the present incumbent. The tithes are commuted for £380. The National School stands near the churchyard, and is supported by subscriptions and a small charge from the scholars: about sixty children are educated. There is a school for girls in the village. Fairs are held on April 1st, May 29th, and September 23rd, and are generally well attended. A coach leaves the Red Lion Inn for Shrewsbury and Welshpool daily.

On Llanymynech hill is an artificial cave of considerable length, called Ogo (from the Welsh word Ogof, signifying a cave), supposed to have been worked by the Romans as a copper mine. It contains many sinuosities, and is generally about three yards wide, having many turnings and passages connected with each other. Some years ago, all the passages of this subterraneous labyrinth were explored by J. F. M. Dovaston, Esq., when none of the paths were found to extend more than two hundred yards from the entrance. The passages are cut through the rock, which is of limestone, whereon frequently appear the marks of chisels, and the various ramifications have no doubt been made in quest of the rich veins of ore. Subsequent to the Romans, it probably became either a place of refuge after battle, or a depository for the dead, for human skeletons, culinary vessels, hatchets, and Roman coins have been found in this cavern. A finger-bone was picked up with a ring on it. One of the skeletons had a curious battle-axe beneath his arm, and not far from it were the bones of a man, woman, a child, a dog, and a cat. Some time ago several Roman coins, mostly of Constantine, were found in the earth which was washed down the side of the hill. The water which drops in some parts of the cave is of a petrifying quality, and forms stalactites; the drops of water hanging on the points of each, catch the light of the candle, and give the surrounding space a glittering illumination extremely beautiful. It is probable that a battle has been fought here in disputing for this mine, or that the large entrenchments, that run parallel with the Clawdd Offa eastwardly, were made to defend it. Not far from this cave is a Cromlech, called the Giant’s Grave. At the north-east end are four large stones, which formerly supported a fifth flat stone on their points, in form of a Brandart, called in Welsh Trwbad; but these are now thrown down. Towards the south-west proceed two rows of flat stones, six feet asunder, and thirty-six in length. On digging here a Druid’s celt was found, and several other things, with human bones, the teeth very perfect.

There is a sum of £26 in the hands of the churchwardens, the origin of which is not known. It was received from the executors of the late incumbent, who died in 1829. The interest is distributed among poor women of the parish at Christmas.

LLANYTIDMAN

is a township with a scattered population, five and a half miles south from Oswestry, having in 1841, 113 houses and 545 inhabitants. Here are extensive stone quarries and lime works, and the township is intersected by the Ellesmere and Llanymynech canal, and the Oswestry and Llanymynech turnpike road.

TREPRENAL

is a small township in Llanymynech parish, comprising three houses and 21 inhabitants. Here is Llwynygroes Hall, the residence of R. N. Broughton, Esq., delightfully situated, commanding fine views of the surrounding country.

Post Office.—At Mr. John Lloyd’s. Letters arrive by gig mail from Oswestry at 9.30 A.M., and are despatched 4 P.M.Those marked 1 reside at Llanytidman, 2 at Treprenal.

2 Asterley Thomas, farmer

Asterley William Lloyd, Esq.

Batterbee Charles, brazier, plumber, painter, and beerhouse keeper

Baugh Margaret, vict., Cross Keys

1 Bothell Mary, farmer

Bower William, wool agent

2 Broughton Richard Nightingale, woolstapler and maltster, Llwynygroes hall

Broughton and Asterley, grocers, drapers, and general dealers

Davies Mrs., gentlewoman

1 Davies John, farmer and miller

Dovaston Edward Milward, surgeon

1 Dyke Isaac, farmer

Ellis Letia, tailor and draper

1 Evans John, farmer, gardener, and rate collector

Griffiths Richard, blacksmith

Griffiths Richard, draper and grocer

1 Griffiths Jn., quarry master

Gwynne George, cooper

Gwynne George, shoemaker

Hackett John, tallow chander

1 Harris Geo., quarry master

1 Harrison John, farmer

Hughes Edward, shoemaker

1 Humphreys James, vict., Cross Guns

Jeffreys John, weaver

Jones Edward., saddler and harness maker

1 Jones Thomas, farmer

Leak Francis, toll collector

Lloyd John, farmer, timber merchant, builder, and vict., Lion Inn

Lloyd Richard, vict., Dolphin

Luxmoore Rev. John, the Rectory

Morgan Edward, saddler and dealer

Morris John, shoemaker

Parkins Charles, shoemaker

Poole Mrs., gentlewoman

1 Price Elizabeth, farmer

Price Hugh, seedsman

1 Pryce William, gentleman, Holly Bush

Pugh Henry, seedsman and druggist

Pugh James Owen, grocer and draper

Ratcliffe Samuel, farmer

Richards Richard, farmer, maltster, and vict., Bradford Arms

1 Roberts William, gentleman, Prospect cottage

Rodgers Edward, farmer

1 Savage Elizabeth, farmer

2 Sheldon Wm., gentleman

Thomas Thomas, farmer

Thomas Robert, schoolmaster and parish clerk

Watson Miss, post office

Whitticose Mary, gentlewoman

Williams Sarah, schoolmistress

Carrier.—Hugh Price, to Oswestry on Wednesdays and on Mondays, Saturdays, and Welshpool on Mondays.

ST. MARTIN

is a parish, and small but pleasantly situated village, five miles N.E. from Oswestry, and about the same distance W. from Ellesmere. The parish comprises the townships of Bronygarth, Ifton Rhyn, and Weston Rhyn, containing together 5,314a. 2r. 25p. of land, and had in 1801, 1,476 inhabitants; in 1831, 2,099; and in 1841, 2,200. The village of St. Martin is included in Ifton Rhyn township, which contains 2,813a. 2r. 33p. of land; and at the census of 1841 had 217 houses and 1,620 souls. Rateable value, £4,570. The principal land owners are the Right Hon. Arthur Trevor Viscount Dungannon, of Bryn-Kinalt Castle, the Hon. W. M. B. Nugent, Dean and Chapter of Winchester, R. G. Jebb, Esq., J. Haslam, Esq., Joshua Jones, Esq., Mrs. Fallows, and Edward H. Dymock, Esq. This township lies on the N.W. confines of the county, and has some fine grazing land. It is separated from Denbighshire by the Ceiriog river. The Morlass brook here turns several corn mills, and has its confluence with the Ceiriog about a mile from the Erewescob corn mill.

The Church, dedicated to St. Martin, stands on an eminence, and is a conspicuous object for many miles around. It consists of nave, north aisle, chancel, and a massive square tower at the west end. The side aisle is separated from the nave by five pointed arches rising from octagonal pillars. The east end of the church and the east window have recently been rebuilt; the lower part of the window is divided into three compartments, and the upper part is foliated, and ornamented with stained glass. The windows on the south side of the church are also richly adorned with stained glass. The one near the pulpit has beautiful representations of St. Peter and St. Paul; another has the armorial bearings of the bishop of the diocese, the rural dean, and the vicar. There are also the armorial bearings of Viscount Dungannon, by whose munificence the church has been renovated; and these beautiful decorations have been added within these last twenty years. The old font, which is of stone, has been re-hewn and modernized. A beautiful mural marble monument remembers Richard Phillips, Esq., of Thyn-y-rhos, who died in 1824, and his second son, Richard, ensign of the 17th regiment of the Hon. East India Company’s service, who died at sea, off the Cape of Good Hope, on his return from India in 1832. There are also several other neat tablets in the church. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king’s book at £5. 2s. 3½d., now returned at £320, in the patronage of the Bishop of St. Asaph, and enjoyed by the Rev. William Hurst, M.A. The Vicarage is a neat residence, a little W. by S. from the church. The vicarial tithes have been commuted for £261, and the rectorial for £862. On the west side of the churchyard is a lofty and finely proportioned elm tree, which is seen at a great distance; and about a quarter of a mile west from the church, near the toll-gate, stands a magnificent oak tree of considerable magnitude. Ifton Heath is a scattered district, chiefly of detached cottages, half a mile N.W. from the church. Here the Primitive Methodists and the Wesleyan Association have each a small chapel. The Primitive Methodists have also a chapel on St. Martin’s Moor, a scattered district of houses near a mile, W. by S. from the church.

Charities.—Bryngwyla School, situated about a mile W.W. by S. from the church, was founded in 1705 by Edward Phillips, for the instruction of twelve poor boys of the parish of St. Martin to read and write. Mr. Phillips also endowed the school with the sum of £100, and directed £3. 12s. yearly to be paid to the schoolmaster, who was to occupy the school-house rent free, on condition of his keeping the premises in repair. The donor also directed 4d. to be given to each boy every Ascension day for his encouragement; and 5s. to be expended by the vicar, trustees, and schoolmaster, in remembrance of the benefactor. The master now receives £4. 13s. 6d. per annum, from which 5s. is paid to the trustees, but nothing is paid to the children. The master receives 25s. yearly in respect of John Price’s charity hereafter mentioned.

Almshouses.—The almshouses are situated near the west side of the churchyard. They consist of six tenements, mantled with ivy, and are supported by Lord Dungannon. The inmates are clothed, receive 15s. a quarter, a loaf of bread on Fridays, and two tons of coal yearly. There is also a school, where twelve children are clothed and educated.

Arthur Trevor, of Kay Mark, left £2 a-year; one half to be given to the poor on St. Thomas’s day, and the other half on Good Friday. The amount is paid by the agent of Lord Dungannon.

Thomas Abellis left 21s. per annum, payable out of a piece of land called Cae-Rhoes. In 1812, Edward Birch, a mortgagee, and Edward Jones, in consideration of £220. 10s., conveyed to the Ellesmere Canal Company a parcel of land called Cae Rhoes, and the said Edward Jones covenanted that he would indemnify the said company from a rent-charge of 20s., payable out of the said premises. The property is still in the possession of the Ellesmere Canal Company, but nothing had been paid thereout to the poor for a period of twelve years when the Charity Commissioners published their report. Application had been made to Mr. Price, of Felton Butler, who married the heiress of Mr. Jones, and he promised to continue the payment of this rent-charge.

Edward Phillips charged a piece of land with the payment of 4s. yearly for the benefit of the poor.

John Price bequeathed £100, and directed the interest of £25 to be applied in the education of youth, and the interest of £75 to be bestowed in clothing for some of the poorest parishioners. The amount is secured on a piece of land in Weston Rhynn, from which £5 are paid yearly.There are two cottages in the township of Soutley, in the parish of March Weil, Denbighshire, adjoining premises purchased by the governors of Queen Ann’s Bounty, for the augmentation of the vicarage of St. Martin’s. These cottages have for a length of time been let for the benefit of the poor; but it is not known when or how the rents became thus appropriated. They were repaired some time ago at an expense of £30, which was borrowed for this purpose, and they are now let for £6 a-year. Of the rent, £3 is applied in paying off the debt, and the remaining £3 is given among the poor on St. Thomas’s day.

Hugh Lloyd left a rent-charge of 16s. per annum, issuing out of certain lands, called Cae Dickin, in Weston Rhynn, and directed the amount to be expended in sixteen dozen of bread, to be distributed on St. Thomas’s day. It is stated on the table of benefactions, that “Richard Berkley, for Hugh Lloyd, pays for ten dozen of bread on St. Thomas’s day for ever.” The gift of Edward Edwards, of 20s. per annum to the poor of St. Martin’s, is void under the statute of 9 George II. It is stated in the parliamentary returns of 1786, that David Hughes left £10 for the benefit of the poor; and among the parish documents there is a bond, dated in 1746, from Thomas Phillips, of Trehowell, for the payment of this money. Nothing, however, has been paid on this account for many years.

Post Office—At Esther Edwards. Letters despatched at 2.30 P.M.

Beckitt Godfrey, butcher

Beckitt John, victualler, Cross Keys

Beckitt Roger, farmer, and land and timber valuer, Cadwagans Palace

Boodle William, shopkeeper

Dodd Richard, farmer, Pennybank

Dodd William, farmer and corn miller

Edwards David, tailor

Edwards Esther, farmer and shopkeeper

Edwards Mary, farmer, Peny-bryn

Edwards William, farmer

Griffiths Richard, schoolmaster

Harrison Francis, tailor

Hughes, Mrs. Jane

Hughes John, farmer, Erewescob

Hughes Robert, shopkeeper

Hughes Sarah, farmer and corn miller, Erewescob Mill

Hurst Rev. William, M.A., vicar

Isaac Jane, farmer, Rhosyllan

Jones Edward, wheelwright

Jones Elizabeth, farmer

Jones George, shoemaker

Jones Jane, shopkeeper

Jones Joshua, Esq., Wigginton Hall

Jones Richard, bricklayer, Glynmorlass

Jones Thomas, farmer, Wigginton

Jones William, provision dealer, St. Martin’s Moor

Jones William, shoemaker

Kynaston William, farmer, Wigginton

Lee Richard, farmer, Ifton Hall

Lee William, parish clerk

Lewis Thomas, grazier, Brook House

Matthews George, schoolmaster

Newnes Peter, shoemaker

Owen Richard, farmer, Glanywern

Parry Joseph, cooper

Powell Frances, schoolmistress

Powell Thomas, wheelwright

Powell William, wheelwright

Poynton John, farmer, Glenrid

Price John, farmer

Prynallt William, farmer

Randles Elizabeth, farmer

Roberts Edward, farmer, Wigginton

Roberts Joseph, tailor

Roberts Mary, farmer

Roberts Samuel, victualler, Crown Inn

Rogers Jane, schoolmistress

Rogers John, farmer and maltster, Ifton

Rogers Joseph, registrar & assistant overseer

Rogers Richard, shoemaker

Rogers Robert, stonemason

Rowland Elizabeth, farmer

Williams Daniel, farmer

Williams Jane, farmer

Williams John, farmer, Wigginton

Woodvill Thomas, farmer and maltster, Pine Bryn

Woollam Charles, farmer

Woollam John, farmer

WESTON RHYN

is a township and scattered village from two to three miles W. from St. Martin’s Church, containing 1850a. 2r. 4p. of land, and in 1841 here were 195 houses and 856 inhabitants. Rateable value, £4,053. The principal land owners are Frederick Richard West, Esq.; Rev. John C. Phillips; John Richard Powell, Esq.; Mr. James Edwards; E. H. Dymoch, Esq.; T. E. Ward, Esq.; Mr. John Pritchard, and Mrs. Dickin, Mr. Edward Heys, and others are also proprietors. A neat and ornamental school, in the early English style of architecture, was built in the year 1850 at the Lodge. The structure is of stone got from the neighbouring quarries, with the Cafn hewn stone for the windows and ornamental portions of the building; it measures 20 feet by 40 feet, and has a pitched roof with a neat belfry. The cost of the structure was £700, of which £40 was given by the National Society and £130 by the Privy Council on Education, the rest was raised by voluntary subscriptions. A residence for the teacher adjoins the school. The Calvinistic Methodists have a chapel at the lodge, built in 1811, the services of which are conducted in the Welsh language. Coal of a good quality is found upon the estate of John R. Powell, Esq.; a steam engine is now in course of erection to clear the mines of water. The Quinta, a handsome castellated residence built of lime stone, stands on a gentle acclivity, and commands some pleasing views to the south. It is surrounded with shrubberies and park-like grounds, and is the residence of Rowland Jones Venables, Esq., and the property of F. R. West, Esq. On the knoll of a hill a short distance from the hall, the owner of the estate about ten years ago caused immense blocks of stone to be reared up in the exact form of the celebrated Druidical Temple at Stonehenge. From this eminence a most beautiful panoramic view of the surrounding country is seen. Prees-gwene House, the residence and property of John Richard Powell, Esq., stands in a sheltered situation embosomed in foliage. The Shrewsbury and Chester railway intersects this township, and has a station at Preesgwene, 1½ mile from Gabowen, and 22 miles from Chester. The large tithes of Weston Rhyn are commuted for £270.

Calcott William, corn miller

Davies William, butcher

Duckett Mary, corn miller, New mill

Duckett Mrs. Tamar, Weston villa

Edwards Moses, maltster & vict., The Lodge Inn

Evans David, boot and shoe maker, The Lodge

Evans William, farmer, Berllan-deg

Griffiths Francis, wheelwrigt

Griffiths Thomas, colliery owner and shopkeeper

Hayes Mr. Ed., The Lodge

Hughes Hugh, farmer

Hughes John, inland revenue officer, The Lodge

Hughes John, carpenter

Hughes William, carpenter

Jackson Richard, butcher, The Lodge

Johnson William, maltster and vict., New Inn

Jones John, blacksmith

Jones Peter, saddler and shopkeeper

Jones Thomas, paper manufacturer, Morda

Jones Thomas, farmer

Lewis Richard, farmer

Lloyd Elizabeth, blacksmith

Peate Martha, farmer and maltster, Moreton hall

Phillips Rev. John Croxon, Tryn-y-rhos

Powell John Richard, Esq., Prees-gwene house

Poynton Thomas, farmer, Weston hall

Richards Thomas Anderson, station master, Prys-gwane

Roberts Daniel, provision dealer, The Lodge

Roberts Hugh, farmer

Roberts Thomas, farrier

Rogers John, farmer

Rogers Walter, farmer

Scudamore Mr. John, Moreton hall

Smith Frederick William, Esq., Green field lodge

Thomas David, farmer, The Vron

Turner Joseph, beerhouse & shopkeeper, The Lodge

Usher John, butcher

Vaughan William, tailor

Venables Rowland Jones, Esq., The Quinta

Williams Ann, farmer

Williams Edward, farmer

Williams John, farmer

Williams John, shoemaker and shopkeeper

Williams John, carpenter

Williams Thos., corn miller

BRONYGARTH,

a small township in St. Martin’s parish, with 645a. 1r. 28p. of land, lies on the verge of the county, and is separated from Denbighshire by the Ceireog river. It lies about four miles W.W. by N. from the parish church, and in 1841 had 71 houses and 164 inhabitants. Frederick Richard West, Esq., and the Rev. John Croxon Phillips, are the land owners and impropriators; to the former was apportioned £36, and to the latter £56, when the tithes were commuted. The rateable value of the township is £1168. Tyn-y-rhos is a good house pleasantly situated, the residence and property of the Rev. John C. Phillips. The scenery in this township is bold and romantic, and some of the land is cold and exposed. Lime works have been established on the northern confines of the township, bordering on Wales; lime is extensively used by the farmers as a fertilizer, particularly in the north-west parts of the county.

Directory.—Rev. John Croxon Phillips, Tyn-y-rhos; Moses Edwards, lime burner; John Hughes, carpenter; John Jones, blacksmith; William Lloyd, blacksmith; William Mason, shoemaker; Richard Orford, vict., Britannia, John Owen, farmer; Thomas Owen, farmer; Robert Roberts, butcher; Jane Williams, shopkeeper.

MELVERLEY,

a parish and township with a scattered population, 12 miles W.W. by N. from Shrewsbury, and 9 miles S.S. by E. from Oswestry, is situated on the western verge of the county, and is separated from Montgomeryshire by the river Vernieu and the Severn; the former having its confluence with the Severn at the Cymmeran Ferry. The parish contains 1,445a. 2r. 22p. of land, which from its low situation is frequently inundated by the overflowing of the Severn, thus enriching the meadows and producing the greatest luxuriance; large herds of cattle are usually fed upon the meadows. In 1801 here was a population of 218 souls; in 1831, 216; and in 1841, 229. Rateable value, £2,317 5s. The manor in the time of the confessor was held by one Edric, in whose family it continued till the 9th of Elizabeth, when Henry Earl of Arundle sold it to Young, from whom it subsequently passed to the Willastons. Lord Craven was afterwards lord of the manor, and it is now vested in George Edwards, Esq. The freeholders are Colonel Desbrow, Hon. Thomas Kenyon, Mrs. E. Bather, Mr. Henry Adams, Mr. William Parkes, Mr. Edward Williams, Rev. Mr. Maddocks, Mr. A. D. Benyon, Mr. James Jones, Mr. Stephen Matthews, Mr. William Cooper, Mr. Thomas Bromley, Mr. James Payn, Rev. Mr. Dimmock, Mr. William Downes, Mr. Oswell, Mr. Betta, Mr. John Edmunds, Thomas Justice Bather, Esq., Mr. Owen Owens, Mr. Jones, Mr. Manford, Mr. Duckett, and others.

The Church, dedicated to St. Peter, a large fabric of very primitive appearance, built of wood, stands on an elevated piece of ground near the banks of the Vernieu; part of it was swept away subsequent to the year 1478. Although the workmanship is of the rudest description, yet the magnitude of the building and the fine old porch, give it an attractive and venerable appearance. The windows are small and admit of very little light. It contains several ancient memorials, and was fitted up with oak pews in 1718, previous to which it was provided with massive benches. The living is a rectory annexed to Llandrinio, in the patronage of the bishop of St. Asaph, and enjoyed by the Rev. Henry Rogers. The tithes were commuted in 1841 for £177. 11s., and there are five acres of glebe. The parsonage is a neat residence of brick in the Elizabethan style of architecture, built during the years 1846–7. The Independents have a small chapel with a residence annexed, built in the year 1842.

Charities.—There is a field called the Poor’s Croft, in the upper division of Melverley, containing 2r. 2p., and another piece of land containing about an acre and a half, in the township of Tir-y-coed, in respect of which W. B. Price has for many years paid a rent of 12s. a year. The premises are stated to be worth £3 per annum, and notice has been given to the parties holding the lands to give up possession to the parish. There is also a small piece of ground in Melverley, about one and a quarter acre, producing a yearly rent of £3. 3s., which for many years has been carried to the account of the poor’s rate. Henry Morgen gave a rent charge of 10s. yearly, which is given to the poor on Good Friday. The poor have also a yearly sum of 5s., left by Mrs. Prees. The charities of Richard Lloyd and Elizabeth Lloyd are lost; the former left a rent charge of 20s. per annum in 1780, and the latter bequeathed the sum of £20 for the benefit of the poor.

Bather Mrs. Eleanor, Cross lane house

Bill Edward, farmer

Brown Edward, farmer

Davies William, farmer, Melverley hall

Gittings Benjamin, farmer

Jones David, farmer

Jones Ed., grocer & beerhse

Jones Richard, blacksmith

Jones William, farmer

Lewis John, shoemaker and parish clerk

Lewis Thomas, farmer

Lloyd William, farmer

Manford Thomas, farmer, The green

Morgan William, farmer & cattle dealer

Morris Edward, farmer, Cross lane

Owens John, farmer

Pugh John, shopkeeper & beerhouse

Richards John, grocer and cattle salesman

Rodgers Rev. Henry, The parsonage

Rodgers John, assistant overseer and rate collector

Vaughan Richard, farmer

Vaughan Thomas, saddler

Wild John, butcher

Wild John, farmer

Wild Richard, vict., New Inn

Williams Edward, farmer, The green house

OSWESTRY

is a parish, borough, and considerable market town, locally situated in the hundred to which it gives name, seventeen miles and a half N.W. from Shrewsbury, and 179 miles N.W. from London. The name of Oswestry is connected with some of our earliest historical recollections. On this spot, on August 5th, 652, was fought the battle between the Christian Oswald, king of the Northumbrians, and the Pagan Penda, king of the Mercians. Oswald was defeated, and lost his life. The battle began about four hundred yards west of the church. The assailant appears to have driven Penda’s forces to a field near the town, called Cae Nef, where Oswald fell, and Penda, with a savage barbarity, caused the breathless body to be cut to pieces, and stuck on poles as so many trophies of his victory. Oswald’s strict virtue, and zeal for the religion he had embraced, gained him the esteem of his subjects, and his character was so much revered by the monks, that a short time after his death he was canonized. The importance of the situation, which rendered it one of the keys to the principality of Wales, soon attracted the attention of the political monarch, whose prowess annexed that territory to his dominion. This place was called by the ancient Britons Tre’r-cadeirian, literally the town of chairs or seats commanding an extensive view. Notwithstanding the place was Welsh, and continued so above a century after the death of King Oswald, yet it has since gone under his name, and for some time was famed for the miracles wrought there through his intercession. An ancient poet in noticing Oswald and the fate of Penda says:

“Three gibbets raised, at Penda’s dire commands,
Bore Oswald’s royal head and mangled hands;
The tenor of the fact, and Oswald’s fate,
Were things of moment to the Mercian state.
Vain policy! for what the victor got
Proved to the vanquished king the happier lot;
For now the martyred saint in glory views,
How Oswy with success the war renews;
And Penda scarcely can maintain his own,
Whilst Oswald wears a never fading crown.”

Oswestry is one of the principal towns on the Welsh borders, and is now the most flourishing and prosperous of any in the county. In 1801 there were 2,672 inhabitants; in 1831, 4,478; and in 1841, 987 houses and 4,566 souls; of whom 2,121 were males, and 2,445 females. The entire parish of Oswestry, including the town and liberties of Oswestry in 1841, contained 8,843 inhabitants. The town is situated on a gentle eminence, the streets are in general spacious, and there are many good houses, and retail shops in all the different branches of trade; yet vestiges of its antiquity, timbered buildings with projecting gables, are still to be seen in various parts of the town. The beautiful prospects from the high ground above the town are perhaps not surpassed by any in the county. The rich and luxuriant vale of Shropshire lies as it were a map beneath the feet; while the Staffordshire hills, Nesscliff, the Wrekin, and the Styperstones, are seen in the distance. Towards Wales, the alpine heights and lovely vales are seen in rich profusion; and here the beholder glances upon a country which was eminently distinguished as the birth-place and residence of the children of freedom—a people, who, by their independent spirit and martial prowess, for centuries chastised rapacity and injustice, and made oppression and tyranny tremble upon the throne. The parish of Oswestry contains the townships of Aston, Cynyion, Crickheath, Hisland, Llanvorda, Maesbury, Middleton, Morton, Oswestry, Pentregaer, Sweeney Trefraclawdd, Trevlock, Trefonen, Weston Cotton, and Wootton.

The Britons were in the possession of Oswestry till the latter part of the eighth century, when the warlike King Offa, passing the Severn with a mighty force, expelled them from their fruitful seats on the plains, and reduced the kingdom of Powis to the western side of the celebrated ditch still known by his name. The princes of Powis were then constrained to quit their ancient residence at Pengwern and remove to Mathrafel, in the vale of Myfod, and the plains of Shropshire became a confirmed part of the kingdom of Mercia. The Britons shortly after entered into an alliance with the king of Sussex and Northumberland, and, having made a breach in the rampart, passed the boundary at early dawn, attacked the camp of Offa in an unprepared state, and put great numbers to the sword. In the middle of the following century, we find Roderic, Prince of Wales, added Powisland to his dominions. He, according to the custom of gavel-kind, divided his principality among his children. To Anarawd he gave North Wales; to Cadell, South Wales; to Mervyn, Powisland. Each wore a talaith, or diamond of gold, set with precious stones; whence they were styled Y Tri Tywysog Taleithiog, or the three crowned princes. Bleddyn ap Cynoyn, who ruled Wales jointly with his brother, at the Conquest re-united the kingdoms of North Wales and Powis. The latter, however, eventually devolved to his eldest son, Meredydd, and Oswestry was called Trefred, in honour of this prince. He made the division, which finally destroyed the potent kingdom of Powis. To his eldest son, Madog, he gave the part which bore afterwards the name of Powis Madog. Madog’s chief residence was at Oswestry, where, according to Welsh historians, he built the castle about the year 1140. He died at Winchester, and his body was honourably conveyed to Powis, and buried at Myfod. His widow married Fitzalan, Lord of Clun; who, in right of his wife, obtained the town and castle of Oswestry. This William was a descendant of Alan, who came into England with the Conqueror, and was the first of the Fitzalans that was baron of Oswestry. This honourable distinction was possessed by the Fitzalans, a powerful race, that existed with fewer checks than common to dignity for more than five hundred years. The title of Baron of “Oswaldestre” is now held by the Duke of Norfolk. His ancestor, Thomas Duke of Norfolk, married Lady Mary, daughter of Henry, the last Earl of Arundel, of the name of Fitzalan, in the 13th of Elizabeth, when the lordship of Oswestry was conveyed to the duke. The Powis family subsequently became possessed of the manor. Powisland extended from the Broxton hills, in Cheshire, to Pengwerne Powis, or Shrewsbury, including a large tract of land in both those counties, and also comprehended a considerable portion of Wales. This part of England, previous to the reign of Edward II., was termed the Northern Marches, and was governed by a Lord President, who kept his court at Ludlow Castle, and lived in a style little inferior to that of royalty.

The town of Oswestry had various immunities and privileges granted by different monarchs. In the 12th of Henry III. John Fitzalan obtained the grant of a fair at his manor of Blancminster, upon the eve, the day, and the day after the feast of St. Andrew, and for two days following. Edward I. surrounded Oswestry with walls, that it might be less liable to plundering excursions, and as a key to his intended conquest of Wales. A murage or toll was imposed upon the whole county (except the burgesses of Shrewsbury) for the building of the same for a period of six years. The walls were about a mile in circumference, with an entrenchment on the outside, which could be filled with water from the numerous springs in the vicinity. The remains of this fortification may still be traced. There were also four gates, the only inlets into the town. These gates, in process of time, became exceedingly inconvenient for the passage of carriages and merchandise, and the Blackgate was taken down in 1766, by the consent of Earl Powis, the lord of the manor. In 1782, the corporation entered into an agreement for the demolition of the three remaining gates, and appropriating the materials to the erecting of a prison. This was carried into effect, and pillars substituted in their stead. The New Gate was built in the reign of Edward II. It was used as a prison and guard-room for the soldiers. Beatrice Gate is said to have been named in compliment to Beatrice, wife of Henry IV., and was probably erected in that king’s reign. Willow Gate or Wallia Gate took its name from being the thoroughfare into Wales.

The governing charter, previous to the date of the municipal act, was one of 25th Charles II., styling the corporation the “Mayor, Aldermen, Common Council, and Burgesses, of the Borough of Oswestry, in the County of Salop,” and appointing a mayor, fifteen aldermen, fifteen common councilmen, a steward of the lord of the manor, recorder, coroner, or old mayor, town clerk, &c. The mayor, steward, coroner, and recorder, were appointed to act as justices of peace for the borough. A court of quarter sessions for the criminal jurisdiction within the borough was appointed to be held by the mayor, as president, and one to three of the magistrates. The boundaries were from the beginning restricted to a certain district within the parish, and in the maps of the municipal boundary commissioners they are still further restricted to the more immediate vicinity of the town. Under the new municipal act, the borough is divided into two wards, and appointed to be governed by six aldermen and eighteen councillors, under the usual corporate style. It is included in schedule A among the boroughs to have a commission of the peace, which has accordingly been granted. The following is a list of persons who have served the office of mayor since the new municipal act came into operation:—1835, John Croxon, Esq.; 1836, Francis Campbell, Esq.; 1837, Charles Thomas Jones, Esq.; 1838, George Dorsett Owen, Esq.; 1839, Griffith Evans, Esq.; 1840, Thomas Penson, Esq.; 1841, John Hayward, Esq.; 1842–3, William Williams, Esq.; 1844, William Price, Esq.; 1845, Thomas Rogers, Esq.; 1846, John Miles Hales, Esq.; 1847, Thomas Hill, Esq.; 1848, John Jones, Esq.; 1849–50, Edward Morris, Esq. The magistrates who act in the Oswestry district are Joseph V. Lovett, Esq., Thomas Lovett, Esq., Richard H. Kinchant, Esq., W. W. E. Wynne, Esq., the Hon. Thomas Kenyon, and Viscount Dungannon.

Recorder: John Robert Kenyon, Esq. Coroner: John Miles Hayes, Esq. Town Clerk and Clerk to Magistrates: Richard Jones Croxon, Esq. Clerk of the Peace: Robert Simon, Esq. Surveyor: Mr. Thomas Hughes. Treasurer: Mr. George Cooper. Superintendent of Police and Clerk and Inspector of Markets: Mr. Jacob Smith. The police force consists of a superintendent and six constables. The income of the borough for the year ending September, 1st, 1850, was £706. 8s. 5d. The principal items of expenditure were for salaries, £180; police constables and watchmen, £143; prosecutions, £65; gaol expenses, £144; conveyance of prisoners, £29; and miscellaneous expenses, £152.For upwards of two hundred years the Welsh webs were brought to Oswestry, as the common market, and there bought by the Shrewsbury drapers. The Welsh wished to draw the trade more into their own country, but the English purchaser could not be persuaded to follow them, on account of the unsettled state of the Principality; and thus Oswestry was constituted an emporium of merchandise, in consequence of its contiguity to Wales. The “Company of Drapers” in Shrewsbury made a weekly visit to Oswestry to purchase the cloths. The peril attending these pilgrimages must have been considerable, if we may judge from an order appearing in the records of the Shrewsbury corporation, where, in the 25th of Elizabeth, 1583, it was ordered, that “no draper set out for Oswestry on Mondays before six o’clock, on forfeiture of 6s. 8d., and that they shall wear their weapons all the way, and go in company.” The corporation paid yearly the sum of £20 to the vicar of St. Alkmund for reading prayers; 6s. 8d. for the light; and 6s. 8d. to the clerk for ringing the bell on Monday mornings, before the drapers set out for Oswestry market. In 1621, it was agreed by the drapers to buy no more cloths in Oswestry. The then recorder of Oswestry regarded this withdrawment as inevitably ruinous, and says, “Oswestry flourished and was happy indeed by reason of the market of Welsh cottons. A thousand pounds in ready money was left in the town every week, sometimes more; but now, since the staple of cloth is removed to Shrewsbury, the town is much decayed and impoverished, Shrewsbury having engrossed the said market.” For the defence of the rights secured to the burgesses by the various municipal charters, the members of each trade formed themselves into a guild or company, whose duties it was to guard the monopolies of the brotherhood. Thus we have notices of the company of hatters, glovers, butchers, corvsers, bakers, hucksters, and ale sellers. The charter of Richard II. directs “that the bailiff should treat as well the poor as the rich, and that the burgesses within the town and liberty should be quit of tolls and stallage. That none but burgesses should buy any fresh hides or new cloth in the borough. That they should not be bound to keep any fugitive coming to the church or churchyard, except only for one day and one night next after such flight, within which time they should give notice to the bailiff of the hundred, who should take such fugitive into custody. That the burgesses should be discharged from all fees of the constable, usher, and door-keeper of the castle, for any felonies committed within the town, for which such burgesses might be imprisoned in the castle, except that the constable at the feast of St. Stephen should receive from every mansion of the burgesses one loaf, from every hall one penny, and from every cottage one halfpenny. That the penalty of 6s. 8d. should be imposed for selling Shrewsbury ale in the town, half of such fine to go to the burgesses, and half to the lord. That no such ale should be sold in the town of Chirkslound, Melverdeley, and Kinnardeley, except in the town of Chirk, under the like penalty. That none of the inhabitants of those lordships, or of Oswestry, Edgerley, and Ruyton, should take any cattle, corn, victuals, or other articles to any foreign fair or market, until the same had been exposed for sale in the town of Oswestry, under the penalty of 6s. 8d.” Philip, Earl of Arundel, in the year 1581, affected an uncommon concern for the well doing of the town, and in a charter of that date he states “that by the misconstruction of certain words of the charters theretofore given to the town, several acts which ought to have been passed by the common council, had been done and proceeded in by the general voice of all the co-burgesses, whereby contentions and suits of law were occasioned by such popular governments. Therefore for the quiet and better ordering of the said town,” he arbitrarily appoints the mode of election, directs an oath to be taken by all the burgesses to be loyal and faithful to the Queen’s Majesty, and to be loving and dutiful to the said earl and his heirs, grants them a number of privileges, which had been enjoyed, as he states, from time immemorial, and, with true baronial modesty, not till the close does he discover the secret of all this paternal affection, by the significant clause,—“In consideration of all which agreements, and to the intent that the said bailiffs and burgesses may show their loyalty and good will to the said noble earl, they do undertake to pay him one bundled pounds.”In the year 1400 Oswestry was burnt during an insurrection of the Welsh. After a peaceable submission of upwards of a century, they made an attempt to regain their ancient independence under the renowned Owain Glyndwr. Lord Grey had unjustly seized upon some part of Glyndwr’s estates, which lay between Llangolen and Corwen. Owain sought satisfaction without having recourse to parliament, but he met with no redress. He, therefore, animated by his descent from the ancient line of British princes, caused himself to be proclaimed Prince of Wales on September 20th, 1400, and commenced his warlike career by attacking his enemy, Lord Grey, from whom he immediately recovered the lands which that nobleman had deprived him of. Relying on the valour of his soldiers and the inaccessible mountains of his country, he set at defiance the whole power of England. He assembled his forces at Oswestry, in order to join Lord Percy against the king. The Welsh chieftain sent off his first division of 4,000 men (an account of which has been noticed in a preceding page), and at the head of 12,000 men had the mortification of being obliged to remain inactive at Oswestry. Gough observes, that about two miles from Shrewsbury, where the Welshpool road diverges from that which leads to Oswestry, there stands an ancient decayed oak tree, of which there is a tradition, that Glyndwr ascended it to reconnoitre; but finding that the king was in great force, and that the Earl of Northumberland had not joined his son, Percy, he fell back to Oswestry, and immediately after the battle retreated precipitately into Wales. In 1409 Glyndwr made great devastations in the Marches, and the estates of Lord Powis suffered greatly. Several of the officers of the lords of the Marches, for the sake of preserving their country from the fury of the Welsh, by their own authority formed a truce with Glyndwr and his partizans. King Henry, highly indignant at these agreements, immediately issued writs to the lords of Knockin, Ellesmere, and other bordering manors, to cause such illegal compacts to be rescinded, and Glyndwr and his adherents to be pursued and attacked with the utmost vigour. Owain appears after this to have secured himself in the mountainous districts of Wales, and to have acted entirely upon the defensive. He died on the 20th of December, 1415.

That dreadful scourge the plague raged in Oswestry in 1559, and continued throughout the principal part of the year, during which time upwards of five hundred persons were swept away. About half a mile from the town, on the Welshpool road, is Croes wylan, where a cross formerly stood, the base of which still remains. During the time of the plague, the market is said to have been held at this cross, lest the country people by coming into the town should be infected. The plague again appeared in Oswestry in 1585, which the parish register states began in March, and continued until July, when three score and four persons died. The market for the sale of the flannel webs was held at Knockin until the calamity abated. In 1542 there was a fire in the town, by which two long streets, with extensive property, were consumed. In 1567 a fire again broke out and burnt two hundred houses. The houses were then principally built of timber. Leland, who passed through Oswestry in the time of Henry VIII., says, “There be within the town X notable streates: the iii. most notable streates be the Cross streate, the Bayly streate, and Newgate streate. with barns for corn and hay to the number VII. score several barns. There is a castelle set on a mont, be likelihood made by hand, and ditched by south west, betwixt Beatrice streate and Willow gate, to which the wall commith. The towne standeth most by sale of cloth made in Wales. There goeth thro’ the towne by the Crosse a broke, comming from a place caullid Simon’s well, a bow-shot without the waulle by N.W. This broke commith in by the waulle betwixt Willow gate and New-gate, and so renning through the towne, goith out under the Black-gate. There be no towers on the waulles beside the gates. The towne is dicked about, and brokettes ren ynto it. The chirch of St. Oswalde is a very fair leddid church, with a great tourrid steple, and it standeth without the New-gate; so that no church is there within the towne.”

The Castle.—The remains of the cattle consist only of an artificial mount on the north side of the town. It had a deep ditch extending to Beatrice gate on the one side and Willow gate on the other. According to Caradoc, the Welsh historian, the castle was founded in 1149, by Madoc, Prince of Powis. Leland says a tower went by the name of Madoc’s tower, which seems to confirm the account respecting the founder of the castle. The English historians, however, assign to it a more ancient date, and inform us that it was in being before the Norman conquest, and that Alan had the town and castle bestowed upon him by William the Conqueror soon after his accession. In the 15th of John, John, nephew of William Mareschall, Earl of Pembroke, being guardian of the Marches of Wales, was at that time constituted governor of the castles of Blancminster and Shrawarden, in the county of Salop. Llewellin, son of Griffin, son of Madoc, made his complaint to the archbishop of Canterbury against this constable of Oswestry, for disturbing him in the possession of the third part of the ville of Ledrot, and who had compelled him to send two young noblemen to be put to death in an ignominious manner, in derogation of their birth and extraction, which disgrace their parents would not have undergone for £300 sterling; also that the constable had twice imprisoned sixty of his men, for which they were forced to pay 10s. a man for their liberty; also that when the Welsh came to Oswestry fair, the constable would seize their cattle by driving them into the castle, and refusing to pay for the same. The castle and manor continued in the possession of the Fitzalans, with little interruption until the reign of Queen Elizabeth. The square now called Bailey-head was the ballium or yard of the castle. A mount in the castle field outside the great ditch is the site of the Barbican, or the outer gate at which the halt and blind were usually relieved, and is still called the cripple gate. Within the precincts of the castle there stood a chapel, dedicated to St. Nicholas, wherein during troublous times religious services were performed. The castle was garrisoned for Charles I. in the beginning of the civil wars; a Colonel Lloyd was governor, Sir A. Shipman succeeded him, and continued in that post until the town and castle surrendered to the parliamentary forces under the Earl of Denbigh and General Mytton, the 22nd June, 1644. Gough, in his manuscript history of Middle, relates, in his own quaint manner, the assault and capture of Oswestry. “I will speak of some things that have happened here in my time. The governor of this town, when it was a garrison for the king, pulled down many houses that were without the walls, lest they might shelter an enemy; the church also being without the walls was pulled down, and the top of the steeple only leaving where the bell frame stood; the bells were brought into the town and the organs were embezzled after. The town was well fortified, and the castle, which is but small, yet very strong, built by a Prince of Wales, A.D., 1149. General Mitton, with parliament forces, came and besieged it; he planted his cannon near that part of the steeple which was left; he battered the gate, called Church gate in such sort, that the garrison of soldiers could not stay at it. General Mitton supposing it was so, but not being sure of it, sent George Cranage, a bold and daring young man, to see whether it were so, who took a hatchet in his hand and went to the drawbridge, and found that the soldiers were gone, and the gate was open, for the cannon had broken the doors, and this Cranage broke the chains of the draw bridge with the hatchet, and let it down, so that the soldiers made haste to enter the town, but those who were within made like haste to meet them, which Cranage perceiving, and seeing a box of drakes standing within the gate ready charged, he turned the box of drakes towards those in the town, and one of Cranage’s partners came with a fire lock and gave fire to them, which made such slaughter amongst the garrison that they retreated and fled to the castle. Cranage was well rewarded, and being well filled with sack, was persuaded by the general to hang a battau on the castle gate; now a battau is an iron shell as big as an iron pot; it was filled with powder and wild fire balls, and had a handle with a hole in it, by which it might be fastened with a nail to any place. Cranage takes this battau, with a cart nail and a hammer, and got from house to house into the house next the castle, and then stepping to the castle gate he fixt his battau, and stepping nimbly back again escaped without any hurt. The battau burst open the gate.” The inmates were granted quarter, but the royalists failed notwithstanding several attempts to regain the town. The castle was shortly afterwards demolished, and nothing is now to be seen of it but a lofty circular mount.

About half a mile N.W. from the town of Oswestry is an insulated eminence of an oblong form, surrounded by two ramparts and fosses of great height and depth, which in former days was known by the name of Caer Ogyrfan and Hen Dinas, but now recognized by the title of Old Oswestry. This elevation bears the strongest marks of having been at some time a place of defence; the top is an extensive area containing 15a. 3r. 0p., and the fortifications which encompass it cannot be less than forty or fifty acres. A gentleman who visited this spot in 1797 says that a well and pavement had been discovered here. Some pieces of iron supposed to be armour had been dug up. The original entrance to this fortification appears to have been on the opposite side of the hill from the great Holyhead road. There is strong ground for the belief that this eminence was the original site of the town, which afterwards took and now bears the name of Oswestry, and that it was planted there by the ancient Britons at a very remote period. That it was known to the Britons will appear evident from the fact of both the names we have mentioned as having been applied to it being British or Welsh, Caer Ogyrfan signifying “The Field of Ogyrfan,” who was contemporary with King Arthur, and Hen Dinas signifying “The Old City.” It is evident that this magnificent work was not a sudden operation like that of a camp, but that it was a work of immense labour and ample security. The character of the elevation answers to the description given of the position of ancient British towns. They are said almost always to have been placed on a hill, and Speed tells us that the Britons “gave the name of townes to certain combersome woods which they had fortified with ramparts and ditches, whither they resort and retreat, to eschue the invasion of their enemies, which stand them in good stead, for when they have by felling trees mounted and fenced therewith a spacious plot of ground, there they build for themselves houses and cottages.” In 1767 as much timber was cut down from the ramparts as sold for £17,000.

The Church, dedicated to St. Mary, is a fine old fabric of considerable magnitude, ornamented with a massive square tower at the west end, in which are eight musical bells. The structure was enlarged and beautified in 1807, and since that period it has undergone great improvements. A handsome organ was erected by subscription in 1812; it is stated that the old organ, a fine toned instrument, is now in one of the churches in London. The chancel, commonly called St. Mary’s, was destroyed in 1616, and the tower and part of the body of the church were demolished in the civil wars of 1644. The vicarage house, which stood on a piece of ground adjoining the churchyard, with many other buildings, were burnt to the ground at the same period, in consequence of the town being besieged. The church contains many handsome tablets and monumental inscriptions, among which is a beautiful canopy of elaborate workmanship, and underneath it two figures in the attitude of prayer, in memory of Hugh Yale, alderman of this town, and Dorothy, his wife, whose bodies were interred within the chancel of this church, before its demolition in 1616. On the north side of the chancel is an elegant mural monument, with a latin inscription, commemorative of Richard Maurice, who died in 1700, and other members of the family who died at a subsequent period. A superb monument at the east end of the chancel remembers Robert Powell Lloyd, who died in 1769, aged five years; Sarah Lloyd, mother of the above, who died in 1790; and Robert Lloyd, Esq., the father, who died in 1793. A neat tablet at the same end records the death of the Rev. Thomas Trevor, in 1784, vicar of this parish 50 years, and of Rhuabon 15 years, chaplain to W. W. Wynne, Bart., and one of his Majesty’s justices of the peace for the counties of Salop and Denbigh. There are various other marble tablets, some of them beautifully executed, which our limits will not allow us to notice. The living is a vicarage valued in the king’s book at £23. 15s. 7½d., now returned at £507, in the patronage of the Earl of Powis, and incumbency of the Rev. Thomas Salway. The iron gates facing the town were put up in 1738 at the expense of the parish, at a cost of £46 1s. 4d. The churchyard was enlarged in 1817. The elm trees were planted between the years 1707 and 1713. The vicarial tithes upon 1,832a. 2r. 23p. of land in the town and liberties of Oswestry are commuted for £70 1s. 6d., and the rectorial for £211. £13s. 6d. There are 82a. 2r. 7p. of land tithe free. Earl Powis is the impropriator and lord of the manor. The principal landowners are Earl Powis, W. W. Wynn, Bart.; Earl of Bradford; Richard Jones Croxon, Esq.; William Ormsby Gore, M.P.; Mrs. Lloyd, Thomas L. Longueville, Esq.; and Mr. Williams, besides whom are several other proprietors.

Trinity Church, situate in the Salop road, a neat fabric built of free stone in the decorative style of English architecture, was erected in 1837; it consists of nave and chancel, and the roof is of groined timber, which gives it a very interesting appearance. There are 670 sittings, of which 400 are declared free and unappropriated for ever, in consequence of a grant from the Incorporated Society, for building and enlarging churches. There are 28 pews in the body of the church, 29 in the gallery, and the free sittings are open benches. The gallery contains a small organ, which was presented to the church, on the condition that the incumbent for the time being be allowed to receive the rent of the six pews in front of the communion table, in lieu of the pews in the gallery, partly taken up by the organ, and partly thrown open as free sittings. The chancel exhibits some fine chiselling and decorative workmanship; the east window is also richly adorned with stained glass. The living is a perpetual curacy returned at £450, in the gift of the vicar of Oswestry, and is enjoyed by the Rev. John Jones.

The Independent Chapel, situate in Arthur-street, is a commodious and well built brick structure, with stone finishings, and a portico of the Doric order, which gives it a chaste appearance. The pews are arranged in a semicircular form, and there is a gallery; it will accommodate about 600 hearers. There is a flourishing society and a Sunday school in connection with the chapel.

The Baptist Chapel, situated in Smithfield, was built in 1805, and enlarged in 1818; it is provided with galleries, and will hold 300 persons.

The Methodist Chapel is a good brick structure, erected in 1811, in the Salop road, and will accommodate 400 worshippers.

The Primitive Methodist Chapel, built in 1801, and situated in Castle Fields, is a brick building cemented; it is neatly pewed and calculated to hold 600 hearers. There is a small burial ground annexed to the chapel, and a house has been built for the resident minister.

The Welsh Independent Chapel, a small fabric, is situated in Castle Fields. Divine service is performed in the Welsh language.

The Welsh Calvinistic Chapel (Zion), a good building of brick with a stuccoed front, is situated in Gateacre place, and was erected in 1836. The interior arrangements have a neat appearance. The service of this chapel is also in the Welsh language.

The Welsh Methodists meet for worship in a room near the Welsh walls. The society contemplate building a chapel in a short period.

The Plymouth Brethren assemble for worship in a large room on the premises of Mrs. Macdongall, in Bailey street.

The Independent Methodists have a small chapel in Castle Terrace, built in 1848, which will hold about 150 hearers.

The National School, situate at Pentrepoeth, is a handsome building, in the Elizabethan style of architecture, with a convenient residence for the teacher. The centre of the building is occupied by the girls, and the wings on each side are for the accommodation of the boys and the infants. The school is pleasantly situated, has a play ground attached, and the whole is enclosed by a wall. The institution is supported by subscription, and a small charge from each scholar.

The British School, a substantial and commodious building in Arthur Street, was built by subscription and a grant from the School Society. The building is ornamented with stone quoins and cornices; the upper room is occupied by the girls, and the lower room by the boys.

The Young Men’s Institute was established in October, 1850, with the object of extending the moral and intellectual culture of the young men of the town of Oswestry. We are happy to observe that many of the young men in the town have enrolled themselves as members, a library has been established, and the news room is furnished with papers, and some of the most popular periodicals of the day. The ordinary members pay 1s. 6d. per quarter, honorary members pay an annual subscription of 10s. 6d., or a donation of £10 or upwards. The corporation have kindly granted a room in the Council Hall for the accommodation of the members.

The Savings Bank, in Bailey Square, was established in 1818. The capital stock of the bank on November 20th, 1850, amounted to £50,973. 6s. 1d., at which time there were 1463 separate accounts; of which 23 were charitable societies, having deposits amounting to £851. 8s. 10d., and 31 friendly societies, with deposits amounting to £5,884. 0s. 8d. Of the individual depositors, there were 697 whose respective balances did not exceed £20; 442 were above £20, and not exceeding £50; 180 were above that sum, and not exceeding £100; 62 above £100, and less than £150; 26 did not exceed £200, and two accounts were above that sum. The bank is open on Wednesdays, from twelve to two o’clock. Thomas L. Longueville, Esq., is treasurer, and Mr. John Hughes, secretary.

The House of Industry is an extensive range of building, composed of brick, pleasantly situated about a mile from the town. It was erected by the joint subscription of the town and parish of Oswestry, the several parishes of Whittington, West Felton, St. Martin’s, Chirk, Selattyn, Knockin, Kinnerley, Ruyton, Llansilin, Llanyblodwell, and the township of Llwytidman, in the parish of Llanymynech. The house will accommodate 600 inmates; the average number is about 190. It was built under Gilbert’s Act. The respective parishes appoint the officers, who collect the rates, and pay the out-poor. The board days are every Monday. Richard Nightingale Broughton, Esq., is the chairman, Mr. John Hughes, clerk, Mr. Thomas Morris, governor, Mr. Thomas Davies, relieving officer, and Edward and Ann Jones, schoolteachers.

The Dispensary, in Lower Brook Street, under the superintendence of Mr. Hales, is supported by annual subscriptions and donations. It is worthy of increased support from the charitable and humane; for since its establishment hundreds have partaken of the healing benefits of this Samaritan institution, the object of which is to check, and ameliorate suffering humanity, in whatever form it is found.

The Town Hall is situated near the site of the Castle, and forms one side of the square called Bailey-head. It is a plain stone building, comprising a large room (where the sessions and public affairs of the town are transacted) and offices for the clerks, &c. The front is enclosed by an iron palisade. Near the centre of the building is a figure of King Oswald, carved in stone. At the back of the hall is the police establishment, built in 1830, and residence of Mr. Jacob Smith, clerk of the market and superintendent of police.

The Borough Gaol, in Castle Fields, is a brick structure, erected in 1826, which contains three cells and two airing yards. It is now used as a lock-up, under the control of the borough and county magistrates.

The County Court Office adjoins the Town Hall, at Bailey-head. The jurisdiction of the court embraces the following parishes and places, viz.:—Knockin, Ruyton of the Eleven Towns, West Felton, Kinnerley Llanymynech, except Carreghova township, Llansilin, part of Soughton township, part of Selattyn, Llanblodwell, Oswestry town and liberties, St. Martin’s, Chirk, Ellesmere, except Penley, Welsh Hampton, and Hordley. Judge: Edward Lewis Richards, Esq. Clerk: William Simons, Esq. Assistant Clerk: Thomas Askew Davies. High Bailiff: Mr. Charles Scarlett Andrews. Bailiff; Mr. Ellis Hughes. Broker: Mr. Edward Evans.

The Powis Market Hall forms one side of the spacious area of the Bailey Square, and is a plain stone building, with a high clock turret. The front part of the structure was formerly used as the Guild Hall, at the back of which additional erections have been made of brick, chiefly through the instrumentality of P. Cartwright, Esq., and a few other resident gentlemen. It is a spacious structure, partly covered with glass. Here the corn market is held on Wednesdays, and is very numerously attended by the farmers in the surrounding district.

The Fairs at Oswestry are held on the first Wednesday in each month, for the sale of butter, cheese, and other commodities, which take place in the Powis Market Hall. The North Shropshire and North Wales yeomen are justly proud of their fine dairies of cheese and butter, and the market is unrivalled in Shropshire for the extent of business that is transacted in these commodities. The day preceding the above is for the sale of cattle, sheep, and pigs, which takes place in the Smithfield Market.

The Market held on Wednesdays for butter, poultry, and butchers’ meat, is very numerously attended. The meat and provisions brought to the market are abundant in quantity and excellent in quality. Considerable quantities of poultry (geese, ducks, as well as the small Welsh mutton) are brought here weekly for sale. The shambles are in Willow Street and Bailey Street; and the butter and poultry market is conveniently arranged and covered in.

The Gas Works, situated near Gallows Tree Gate, on the Salop road, were established in 1842. The premises are conveniently arranged, and from 8s. to 10s. are charged per 1,000 cubic feet for the luminous vapour. Mr. Robert Roberts is the proprietor.

The Theatre, a small building in Willow Street, is usually open for a few weeks in the year by a company of comedians.

The Races are held at Cen-y-bwch, a beautiful piece of ground situated on an eminence to the west of the town. The races of late years have not commanded that attention and support which they formerly did, and they were altogether discontinued last year. It is expected, however, they will again take place during the present year about the usual time, in the autumn of the year.

The Railway Station is situated on the north-east side of the town. There are ten trains arrive and depart during the day to Gabowen, where the branch from Oswestry joins the trunk line of the Shrewsbury and Chester railway. Mr. E. Jones is the station-master. The Assembly Room and Bowling Green are at the Wynstay Arms. The Stamp Office is in Willow Street. The Excise Office is at the Cross Keys Inn. The News Room is at the Court House, Bailey Square. The Cricket Ground is in Lower Brook Street. The Oswestry Advertiser, a small publication which makes its appearance on the first Wednesday in each month, is extensively patronised as an advertising medium, and is worthy of support for the interesting local information which it furnishes. Mr. John A. Roberts is the publisher and proprietor.

Charities.—The Free Grammar School is pleasantly situated on the west side of the town. It was founded as early as the reign of Henry IV. by David Hobech, who granted, for the maintenance of a schoolmaster, and the reparation of the school-house there, certain lands in Sweeney, Treflach, Maesbury, and Crickheath. By an inquisition, under a commission of charitable uses, taken at Oswestry, and dated 10th April, 1634, it is stated that although the bailiffs of Oswestry had the ordering and disposing of the school and the school lands, they had done the same without any just authority, and that if they had been trusted they had manifestly abused the trust, in making leases at an under value and for secret rewards for themselves. The said commissioners therefore decreed, that the bailiffs of the said town should be for ever discharged and excluded from any trust or intermeddling with the school lands, that the schoolmaster for the time being should let the premises in possession, and not in reversion, for the term of seven years, with the consent of the bishop and chancellor of the diocese. The commissioners further ordered that the schoolmaster should have an usher, to be allowed £10 a year; and the master for the time being to keep the school premises in repair.

The property now held by the master consists of 34a. 3r. 18p. of land at Crickheath, let for £30 per annum; three closes of land in Treflach, containing 23a. 1r. 7p., producing a yearly rental of £36; land in the township of Sweeney, containing altogether 68a. 3r. 10p., let for £134 per annum. There was also a small piece of land in Sweeney, of about half an acre, of which the master had lost possession. It was surrounded by property belonging to Sir W. W. Wynne, and had in fact been sold by him. The master having established his title thereto, a small piece of land adjoining the school premises was given up to him in lieu thereof. Four closes of land in Weston Cotton, containing 19a. 2r. 9p., producing £40 per annum; and an allotment in the same township of 1a. 2r. 9p., let for £3 yearly; land in the township of Maesbury consisting of 16a. 0r. 18p. producing an annual sum of £24; and the yearly sum of £1. 6s. 8d. as a free farm rent, issuing out of a corn mill in Maesbury. The rents of the above premises amount in the whole to £271. 10s. 2d., and are received by the master of the school. In addition to the premises already noticed, there is a school and school-house, and seven acres of land in the town of Oswestry, held under lease from Sir W. W. Wynne, bearing date 22nd September, 1815, for 10,000 years, at the clear yearly rent of £12. The school now existing was built by Dr. Donne, the expenses of which amounted to about £1,400. The school is open to all boys born in the parish of Oswestry, for instruction in English, Latin, and Greek; but it is expected that they should be able to read before they are admitted. No payment is demanded of the scholars, except 7s. 6d. for entrance, and 2s. a-year for fire money. The course of instruction in the school is chiefly classical; but algebra, geometry, history, and writing are also taught. For the latter a separate charge is made. In addition to the scholars on the foundation, the master takes a limited number of boarders. We cannot but observe on the inconveniences that have occurred, and are likely to occur, for want of trustees. It is true that Dr. Donne recovered possession of a great part of the school property, or an equivalent for it, at his own expense; but few persons in his situation would have undertaken the same risk; and the necessity for such proceedings was probably owing to the reluctance felt by former masters to involving themselves in litigation with the tenants. The Rev. Stephen Donne, M.A., is the head master.

Thomas Owen, in 1713, left £20 for the use of the charity school. Daniel Poole, in 1716, left the interest of £20 for the same use. In 1737, £32 was laid out on the poor house in Church street, which sum was paid out of the above legacies; and it was ordered at a vestry that a yearly sum of 40s. should be paid towards the support of the charity school. Nothing, however, has been paid in respect of these charities for many years. The poor house in Church street has been sold, and the produce applied to the general purposes of the town.

The Almshouses.—Dame Ellen, widow of Sir Francis Eure, by will bearing date 20th August, 1626, devised six tenements in William street, to the bailiffs and burgesses of Oswestry, and their successors, to be used and employed for the habitation of six poor men and six poor women, to be appointed by the said bailiffs and their successors. Jane Owen, in 1732, bequeathed to the twelve poor persons, inmates of the almshouse commonly called Porkington almshouses, the sum of 18s., to be paid to them yearly for ever; and she ordered her executor to charge her real and personal estate with the payment thereof. It does not appear that this gift was ever in any way settled to the use of the almspeople, Mrs. S. Ormsby, by her will in 1805, requested her daughter (now the wife of W. Ormsby Gore, Esq.), and those who should succeed her in the Porkington estate, would pay, “as she had done,” the poor people in the almshouse for ever. Mrs. Gore distributes £3 among the inmates on Christmas day, that being the sum her mother had previously given. The almshouses are kept in repair by Mrs. Gore, and she appoints the inmates.

Margaret Godolphin, in 1748, gave a messuage and shop, and other premises to the use of the vicar of Oswestry for the time being, provided he should live in the said house; and if the vicar should not reside in the said dwelling, the same should be let yearly, and the rents paid to the churchwardens, to be applied in placing out poor fatherless children apprentices. The premises above were exchanged in the year 1823, for other premises situate in Brook street. Before this exchange took place the house originally devised was not occupied by the vicar, but was let by the overseers, and the rent improperly carried to the general account of the poor’s rate. Owen Morgan, in 1604, gave certain property to the Haberdashers’ Company, London, subject to the payment of £20 yearly, for the relief of the poor people of the parish of Oswestry, to be distributed where most need should appear, by the parson, curate, and the churchwardens of the said parish. The yearly sum of £20 is received from the Haberdashers’ Company, through the Oswestry bank. This forms part of a general fund, which is distributed as hereafter mentioned.

Hugh Yale, by his will bearing date 2nd January, 1605, gave a messuage and garden adjoining the churchyard of Oswestry, with a croft near the Chapel Fields, and the reversion of a house and garden adjoining the school, in trust, to bestow the rents among the necessitous poor of the town; and he directed that if any preacher, lawfully licensed, should upon that day preach in the Welsh tongue in the parish church of Oswestry, he should receive 6s. 8d. out of the rents. The property belonging to Yale’s charity consists of a field called the Poor’s Croft, let for £8 per annum; two small tenements in Upper Brook street, producing a rental of £5 yearly; two plots of ground near the churchyard, demised to Richard Price for a term of 99 years, from 1st May, 1809, at a yearly rent of £2. 12s. 6d.; a piece of ground near the churchyard, let on lease in 1808 for a term of 99 years, to Thomas Davies, Esq., for 20s. per annum; two small cottages adjoining the churchyard, one let for £2 a year, and the other for £3 a year. A garden, for which a yearly rent of 2s. 6d. from the year 1688 till 1825 was received, when the party holding it disputed the right of the claim; the churchwardens, however, intended to take proceedings for possession of the land. In 1782, 10s. is entered as received of Thomas Griffith, for one year’s rent for a yard and a saw-pit adjoining the Lawn House. The same rent was afterwards paid by the Rev. Mr. Maurice, and, in 1804, by John Bonner, Esq., who succeeded to Mr. Maurice’s property. Nothing, however, has been paid since 1806, and the piece of ground could not be satisfactorily identified when the charity commissioners published their report. The income of this charity is added to the general fund, disposed of as hereafter mentioned. There seems to have been great negligence in the management of this charity, in admitting tenants who were unable to pay the rent; in not keeping up the boundaries of the land; and in not preserving the counterparts of those leases which appear to have been granted.

John Morris gave an annual payment of £1. 10s., issuing out of lands at Crickheath, for the use of the poor of the town of Oswestry. The amount is paid by the agent of W. Eyton, Esq., as the owner of the land upon which the payment is charged.

Richard Witcherley gave a parcel of land in Beatrice street, and directed 1s. per week to be expended in bread out of the rent thereof, and the overplus to be applied in apprentice fees. The premises consist of a croft, containing 1a. 2r., let at a yearly rent of £7.

Mrs. Dorothy Southey’s Charity.—A yearly sum of £2. 12s. is paid from a field in the liberties of the town of Oswestry, as the gift of Mrs. Southey, for a distribution of bread.William Gough, in 1669, left a rent charge of £5. 6s. 8d., charged on certain lands in Trevlach, and directed £5 per annum to be applied in placing out poor children apprentice, born in the parish of Oswestry, and the remaining 6s. 8d. to be paid to the minister for a sermon on St. Stephen’s day.

A donor unknown gave a small plot of land for the use of the poor of Oswestry. A yearly payment of 5s. is made by William Ormsby Gore, Esq., out of a piece of land near Llwyn gate, in respect of this charity. There is also a yearly payment of 5s. issuing out of a house and premises in Cross street, the property of D. O. Cooper, which is distributed in bread among the poor.

Winifred Matthews, in 1709, left a yearly sum of £2. 10s., payable out of a piece of land in Trefonen, called Maes-y-Benglog, towards putting apprentice one poor child of the town of Oswestry one year, and the next year from Trefonon, Treflach, Sweeney, or Trever clawdd. The property from which this payment is made belongs to Sir W. W. Wynne, and the amount is paid by his agent.

Mary Lloyd, in 1727, bequeathed £100, and directed the yearly interest thereof to be laid out in woollen cloth for the poor of the town of Oswestry, and apprenticing a poor boy of the said town alternately. Mrs. Peacock, in 1732 gave £5, the interest to be distributed among poor decayed housekeepers. These two sums are laid out upon the security of the tolls of the turnpike road leading from Oswestry to Selattyn, called the Willow Gate Trust; and £5. 5s. is paid as the interest.

Thomas Turner, by his will, 1777, bequeathed £20, the interest thereof to be distributed among the poor of the parish of Oswestry.

The produce of the eleven charities last mentioned, amounting to £55. 11s., are brought to one account, kept by the churchwardens appointed for the town of Oswestry, and disposed of for the benefit of the poor of the town, exclusive of the rest of the parish. Six shillings worth of bread is given away in the church every alternate Sunday, and the residue is given away at different times of the year, in bread, clothing, or shoes, according to the discretion of the churchwardens for the time being. As it appeared the churchwardens had frequently selected for distribution such articles as they themselves dealt in, the charity commissioners strongly recommended that some regular mode of distributing these charities should be adopted, and that the directions of the respective donors should be followed as far as they could be ascertained, and circumstances would admit.

Sir John Swinnerton, by will 1616, charged his lands with the payment of £5. 4s. for bread, which, by the sale of the lands, was increased to £7. 4s. per annum. The money for which the land was sold was in the hands of T. Kynaston, Esq., nearly fifty years, and subsequently of Mr. Lloyd, for which interest was regularly paid till 1781, when this money was called in, for the purpose of enabling the town to purchase and repair certain premises near the churchyard, intended for a workhouse. The money was probably applied accordingly; but in 1808 this workhouse was sold for £280, by the directors of the Oswestry house of industry, under the powers of an act of parliament, passed 31 George III. We are informed, however, that the produce of this sale was not added to the funds of the house of industry, but was applied in obtaining an act of parliament for lighting and paving the town of Oswestry. It appears, therefore, the inhabitants of the town of Oswestry have appropriated to their own use a sum of £120 applicable to charitable uses, without making the poor any compensation in lieu thereof.

Richard Muckleston, in 1638, gave 40s. per annum to be distributed in bread to the poor of Oswestry, charged on premises in the parish of Kilgurran, and at Llandrau. The amount is expended in bread and distributed on Good Friday.

Francis Shore, in 1691, charged his mansion house in Oswestry, with the payment of 20s. yearly, to be distributed among the poor. Mr. Jones, the owner of the house, gives 20s. yearly among poor persons, according to his own discretion, on St. Thomas’s day.Margaret Lloyd, by will 1694, charged her house and croft in the parish of Oswestry, with the annual payment of 20s., to be given among twenty poor labourers or decayed tradesmen.

Elizabeth Williams, in 1703, left to poor housekeepers 40s. per annum, to be distributed by the churchwardens on Palm Monday, for ever, which money was to be paid out of the Mixen Hall estate.

Rebecca Lloyd, by will 1733, gave £20, which was afterwards secured on premises in Cross street. The amount is paid by Mr. Penson, the owner of a house and garden in Cross street, and distributed by the churchwardens among forty poor persons on New Year’s day.

Sir William Williams, by his will, 7th September, 1734, bequeathed £200, the annual produce thereof to be distributed among poor persons of the town and parish of Oswestry. This money is in the hands of Sir Watkin W. Wynne, whose agent pays the yearly sum of £10 as the interest thereof. One half of this money is distributed by the churchwardens of the town, in sums of 6d. and 1s. each. The other half is divided between the upper and lower divisions of the parish.

Sir Nathaniel Lloyd’s Charity.—In the will of Sir Nathaniel Lloyd, bearing date All Souls day, 1740, there is the following clause:—“I give to some of the meaner inhabitants of Oswestry and Whittington a yearly benefit, equally among them, as shall arise out of my South Sea Stock and old annuities; the first putting in of such persons to be in the heir of Aston, of the family of my grandfather, Andrew Lloyd, Esq., and the nomination to any vacancy to be in the bishop of that diocese and the heir of Aston alternately.” Soon after the death of the testator, proceedings were instituted in the Court of Chancery, and by a decree made 14th November, 1743, it was referred to the master to inquire of what South Sea Stock and Old South Sea annuities the testator died possessed; to appoint trustees, to whose names the same should be transferred, and to approve of a scheme for the application of the charity; and it was declared that the bequest to the meaner inhabitants of Oswestry and Whittington was a perpetual charity, and ought to be distributed among the meaner inhabitants, who should not receive alms. The master, by his report, made 15th May 1745, certified that the testator was possessed of £660. 16s. 9d. South Sea Stock, and £2,623. 16s. Old South Sea annuities; and he approved of a scheme, whereby it was provided that the charity should be extended to the whole town and liberty of Oswestry; and that three-fifths of the dividends should be paid among the meaner inhabitants, not receiving alms, and two-fifths among the like persons in Whittington; and that twelve persons of the town and liberty of Oswestry, and eight persons of Whittington, be nominated alternately by the heir of Aston, and the bishop of St. Asaph, should be allowed £4 each yearly, by quarterly payments. That a power should be vested in seven trustees thereinafter named, to make orders for the better management of the charity; and that on the death of any of the trustees, the survivors should within six weeks appoint another. The master’s report was confirmed, and the stock and annuities duly transferred into their names. The dividends, amounting to £97 19s. 8d. per annum, are received by Messrs. Child, and £50 is transmitted every Christmas, and £45 every Midsummer, to Mr. Lloyd, who pays to twenty poor persons of the parishes of Oswestry and Whittington, £4. 10s. per annum, by half-yearly payments. No persons are appointed unless at the time they reside in one of the parishes above mentioned; but if they afterwards cease to reside there, the allowance is not taken away from them. The parties receiving the charity are generally such as have been reduced from better circumstances.

OSWESTRY DIRECTORY

A LIST OF STREETS, COURTS, SQUARES, AND PLACES IN THE BOROUGH OF OSWESTRY

Albert place, Beatrice street

Albion hill, Bailey head

Arthur street, Bailey head

Bailey head, Bailey street

Bailey street, Cross street

Bailey square, Bailey head

Beatrice street, Legge street

Black gate, Legge street

Borough gaol, Bailey head

Brook st., Lower, Pool road

Brook st., Upper, Church st.

Butter market, Cross street

Butter and cheese mart, Powis hall

Castle buildings, Willow st.

Castle fields, Up. Bailey sq.

Castle street, Castle fields

Castle terrace, Beatrice street

Church street, Cross street

Church st., Upper, Pool road

Clawddu street, Willow street to Cross street

Coney green, Salop road

Corn market, Powis market hall

County court, Bailey square

County hall, Bailey square

Cross street, Church street

Croxon’s square, Smithfield road

Dispensary, Lower Brook st.

English Walls, Smithfield rd

Excise office, Legge street

Gatacre place, Welsh walls

Horse fair, Castle fields

Kent place, Salop road

Legge street, Salop road

Londonderry, Upper Willow street

Love lane, Church street

Middleton road, Salop road

Oswell’s place, Pool road

Paradise row, Salop road

Pentropoath, Pool road

Police office, Bailey head

Poultry and fruit market, Clawddu street

Pool road, Church street

Porkington terrace, Willow street

Post office, Willow street

Powis market hall, Castle fields

Quadrant place, Legge street

Race course, two miles W.W by N. of the borough

Railway station, Lower Beatrice street

Salop road, Legge street

Shambles, Willow street

Shoe and merchandise market, Bailey square

Smithfield road, Salop road

Smithfield beast, sheep, and pig market, English walls

Stamp office, Willow street

Theatre, Upper Willow street

Union place, Beatrice street

Victoria place, Smithfield rd

Warrington place, Upper Willow street

Welsh walls, from Brook street to Willow street

Willow street, Cross street

Willow street, Upper, Welsh walls

ALPHABETICAL DIRECTORY
OF
NAMES, PROFESSIONS, TRADES, AND RESIDENCES
OF THE
INHABITANTS OF OSWESTRY.

Allen Thomas, market gardener, Kent place

Andrews Charles Scarlett, Esq., high bailiff

Arthur Evan, provision dealer, Cross street

Asterley Catherine, seminary, Castle buildings

Aubrey Mrs., Broom hall

Barnett Henry, surgeon, Willow street

Barrett James, vict., Coach and Horses, Legge street

Basnett Miss, Salop road

Bassett Joseph, solicitors’ clerk, Salop road

Bate Mrs. Mary, Salop road

Batchelor and Grindley, maltsters, Beatrice street

Batten William, veterinary surgeon, Upper Brook street

Batterbee William, brazier and glazier, Legge street

Baverstock John, tailor, Salop road

Bayley Charles, glass and china dealer, Cross street

Beard Hannah Jemima, dress maker, Willow street

Beckett James, vict., Fighting Cocks, Beatrice street

Bentley John, parish clerk, Upper Church street

Bennion and Meredith, surgery, Welsh walls

Bickerton George Morrel, hardware dealer, Willow street

Bill Mrs. Jane, Bailey street

Blaikei Robert, surgeon, Church street

Bowen John, painter, Legge street

Bowyer Thomas, cooper, Beatrice street

Brayne Mrs. Elizabeth, maltster, Beatrice st.

Brayne Thomas, accountant, Beatrice street

Breese John, vict., Victoria, Willow street

Bridden Mary, confectioner, Albion hill

Brocklehurst Rev. T. H., Brook street

Buffey Mr. Samuel, Brook street

Bull Mrs. Elizabeth, Kent place

Bull William Isaac, solicitor, Church street

Cadwallader Thos., basket maker, Salop road

Carry Mrs. Mary Ann, Kent place

Cartwright Peploe, Esq., Church street

Cash Thomas, slater, Beatrice street

Churchill Benjamin, Esq., Lime house

Churton Joseph, provision dealer, Beatrice street

Clayton Thomas, boot and shoe maker, Upper Brook street

Collier Henry, teacher of dancing, Coney green cottage

Cooke Ann, dress maker, Pool road

Coombs Samuel, boot and shoe warehouse, Church street

Cooper George, bank manager, Willow st.

Corken Archibald, watch and clock dealer, Cross street

Corney William, confectioner, Cross street

Corney and Jones, wine merchants, Church street

Cowdell John, book stationer, Legge street

Cross Thomas, bird and animal preserver, Brook street

Croxon Mrs., Church street

Croxon Richard Jones, Esq., Church street

Davies Mrs. Catherine, Beatrice street

Davies David Christopher, tin plate worker, Legge street

Davies Edward, mail contractor, Coney green

Davies Edward, lets post horses, Salop road

Davies Edward, cheese factor, Church street

Davies Edward, confectioner, Cross street

Davies Elizabeth, straw bonnet maker, Cross street

Davies Ellen, confectioner, Cross street

Davies Francis, blacksmith, Willow street

Davies Henry, solicitor, Willow street

Davies James, beerhouse, Bailey street

Davies John, vict., Three Tuns, Bailey head

Davies John, mercer & draper, Cross street

Davies John, saddler and harness maker, Bailey street

Davies John, tailor, Cross street

Davies Mary, confectioner, Albion hill

Davies Richard and William, mercers and drapers, Cross street

Davies Robert, beerhouse, Upper Brook st.

Davies Sarah, straw bonnet maker, Church st.

Davies Susannah, shopkeeper, Willow street

Davies Thomas, vict., Red Lion, Bailey head

Davies Thomas, plumber and glazier, Albert place

Davies Thomas, glazier, Beatrice street

Davies Thomas, machine maker, Bailey sq.

Davies Thomas Askew, county court clerk, Cross street

Davies William Morris, mercer and draper, Cross street

Dempster Thomas, upholsterer, Legge street

Dicker Philip, surgeon, Arthur street

Dodd Edward, vict., The Eagles, Bailey sqre.

Donne Rev. Stephen, Brook street house

Doughty William, baker, &c., Willow street

Edmunds Griffith, tailor and draper, Albion hill

Edmunds John, Esq., Porkington terrace

Edmunds Mrs. Martha, Union place

Edwards Mr. David, Beatrice street

Edwards David, basket maker, Brook street

Edwards Edward, vict., Unicorn, Albion hill

Edwards Edward, butcher, Willow street

Edwards Edward, vict., Five Bells, Willow street

Edwards George, boot and shoe dealer, Cross street

Edwards John, boot and shoe maker, Croxon’s square

Edwards John, butcher, Bailey street

Edwards James, Esq., Upper Brook street

Edwards Luke, vict., Swan, Beatrice street

Edwards Richard, tailor, Salop road

Edwards Richard, lets post horses, Londonderry

Edwards Thomas, Esq., Porkington terrace

Edwards Thomas, tallow chandler, Cross st.

Edwards Thomas, bricklayer, Willow street

Edwards Thomas, currier, Beatrice street

Edwards Walter, chemist and druggist, Church street

Edwards William, spirit merchant, Legge st.

Edwards William, nurseryman, Welsh walls

Edwards William, vict., Star, Bailey street

Edwards William, hairdresser, Church street

Ellis Henry, attorney’s clerk, Smithfield cottage

Ellis Thomas, tallow chandler, Brick kilns

Ellis Thomas, glazier, Croxon’s square

Evans Edward, auctioneer, Legge street

Evans Edward, builder, Lower Brook street

Evans Evan, butcher, Poole road

Evans Francis, saddler and harness maker, Cross street

Evans George, boot and shoe maker, Upper Brook street

Evans John, provision store, Pool road

Evans John, cow keeper, Beatrice street

Evans Lydia, milliner, Quadrant

Evans Richard, chemist and druggist, Willow street

Evans Robert, tanner, Legge street

Evans Samuel, news agent

Evans Mrs. Selina Clementia, Salop road

Evans Thomas, shopkeeper, Pool road

Evans William, dyer, Pool road

Eyeley Charles, painter, Lower Brook street

Eyeley and Son, painter, Upper Brook street

Farmer Charles, saddler and harness maker, Willow street

Farr Thomas, coach builder, Salop road

Faulkes Edward, beerhouse, Legge street

Faulkes Robert, draper and mercer, Church street

Fisher John Edward, ironmonger, Cross street

Fitzgerald Samuel, attorney’s clerk

Fox John, accountant, Upper Brook street

Fox Ralph, shopkeeper, Upper Brook street

France George, commercial school, Beatrice street

Franklin Mrs. Elizabeth, Willow street

Fuller William, surgeon, Salop road

Gee Margaret, vict., Albion, Church street

Gerrard William, hairdresser, Legge road

Gilpin Mrs. Mary, Union place

Gittins Samuel, maltster, Beatrice street

Gough John, glazier, Beatrice street

Gough Mrs. Maria, Church street

Gregory Thomas, silversmith, Cross street

Griffith William, boot and shoemaker, Willow street

Griffith William, surgeon, Church street

Grindley and Co., maltsters, Beatrice street

Hales John Miles, gentleman, Lower Brook street

Hammons Edward, farrier, Church street

Hamor Mrs., The Cottage

Hardy Mary, baby linen repository, Church street

Hardy Thomas, slater, Church street

Haswell Charles, beerhouse, Legge street

Hawkins Henry George, agent, Union place

Hayward William, Esq., Willow street

Hayward and Davies, solicitors, Bailey head

Hill Thomas, auctioneer, Upper Brook street

Hilditch George, auctioneer; office, Church street

Hingham George, gunsmith, Cross street

Hodges Richard, corn factor, Willow street

Hodges William, seed factor, Bailey street

Holbrook Sarah, seminary, Salop road

Holden Richard, vict., Horse Shoe, Legge street

Holland Isaac, builder, Beatrice street

Hughes Edward, whitesmith, Beatrice street

Hughes Edward, wheelwright, Salop road

Hughes Elizabeth, bonnet maker, Willow st.

Hughes Ellis, county court bailiff

Hughes Hannah, straw bonnet maker, Beatrice street

Hughes John, bank manager, Bailey square

Hughes John, beerhouse, Salop road

Hughes John, shopkeeper, Beatrice street

Hughes Mary, shopkeeper, Salop road

Hughes Price, butcher, Willow street

Hughes Richard, butcher, Upper Brook street

Hughes Thomas, wine merchant, Church st.

Hughes Thomas, bricklayer, Upper Brook street

Hughes Thomas, beerhouse, Willow street

Hughes Thomas, tailor, Willow street

Hughes William, tanner, Willow street

Hurdman John, temperance house, Bailey sq.

Humphreys Clara, clothes dealer, Legge street

Jackson George, butcher, Bailey street

Jackson Joseph, beerhouse, Church street

Jackson Mary Ann, seminary, Willow street

Jackson Thomas, butcher, Willow street

Jameson David, provision store, Bailey street

Jarvis James, painter, Church street

Jarvis Ann M., bonnet maker, Bailey street

Jarvis Miss, milliner, Cross street

Jennings R. W., commercial traveller

Johnson James, grocer and dealer, Bailey st.

Johnson Joseph, butcher, Albion hill

Jones Charles, engraver, Pool road

Jones Charles, shopkeeper, Upper Brook st.

Jones and Corney, wine and spirit merchants, Church street

Jones David, baker, Willow street

Jones David, shopkeeper, Beatrice street

Jones David, boot and shoe warehouse, Church street

Jones Edward, tailor, Pool road

Jones Edward, shopkeeper, Beatrice street

Jones Edward, boot & shoemaker, Bailey st

Jones Edward, vict., George, Bailey head

Jones Edward, attorney’s clerk, Arthur street

Jones Edwin, station master, Beatrice street

Jones Elizabeth, dress maker, Welsh walls

Jones Evan, wheelwright, Pool road

Jones Evan, butcher, Upper Brook street

Jones Frederick, grocer & tea dealer, Legge st

Jones Gwen, glass & china dealer, Cross st.

Jones Miss Harriet, Salop road

Jones Henry, butcher, Willow street

Jones Hugh, shopkeeper, Willow street

Jones James Thomas, bank manager, Willow street

Jones John, gentleman, Lower Brook street

Jones Rev. John, the Cross

Jones John, vict., White Horse, Church street

Jones John, Esq., Plasffynnon

Jones John, gentleman, Willow street

Jones John, pawnbroker, Bailey street

Jones John, butcher, Bailey street

Jones John, cabinet maker, Church street

Jones John, butcher, Beatrice street

Jones John, lets post horses, Willow street

Jones John, shopkeeper, Brook street

Jones John, slater, Upper Brook street

Jones John, upholsterer, Church street

Jones John, hairdresser, Legge street

Jones John, hat manufacturer, Church street

Jones John, shopkeeper, Legge street

Jones John, shopkeeper, Church street

Jones John clothes dealer, Bailey head

Jones John blacksmith, Legge street

Jones John, blacksmith, Lower Brook street

Jones Jonathan, bricklayer, Corneabrun

Jones Leonard, beerhouse, Salop road

Jones the Misses, Willow street

Jones Miss Elizabeth, Lower Brook street

Jones Morris, blacksmith, Middleton road

Jones Richard, hat manufacturer, Bailey st

Jones Richard, shopkeeper, Cross street

Jones Richard, skinner, Willow street

Jones Robert, wheelwright, Willow street

Jones Robert, butcher, Church street

Jones Thos., vict., Plough, Beatrice street

Jones Thomas, wheelwright, Beatrice street

Jones Thomas, pipe manufacturer, Pentrapoath

Jones Thomas, grocer and dealer, Willow st.

Jones Thomas, gentleman, Church street

Jones Thomas, merchant, Low Willow street

Jones Watkin, grocer and dealer, Cross street

Jones William, blacksmith, Beatrice street

Jones William, shopkeeper, Willow street

Jones William, lets post horses, Beatrice st.

Jones William, plasterer, Beatrice street

Jones William, farmer & grazier, Hays farm

Jones Wynne the Rev., Upper Brook street

Kiffin Mrs. Elizabeth, Salop road

King Francis the Rev., Upper Brook street

King John Edward, vict., the Cross Keys Hotel, commercial and posting house, Legge street

Killon John, tailor, Beatrice street

Lacon John, iron merchant, Legge street

Large Joseph, surgeon, Union place

Lawford William Robinson, Esq., Orley hall

Leeke Thomas, soda water manufacturer, Welsh walls

Leeke Thos., lets post horses, Willow street

Leigh Mrs. Mary, Willow street

Lewis George, stamp office, Willow street

Lewis John, hairdresser, Albion hill

Lewis Margaret, dressmaker, Beatrice street

Lewis Mary, dressmaker, Bailey street

Lewis Martin, butcher, Cross street

Lewis Thomas, vict., Bear Inn, Legge street

Lewis William, painter, Beatrice street

Lloyd David, vict., Wynnstay Arms Hotel, commercial and posting house, Church st.

Lloyd Eleanor, hosier, Legge street

Lloyd John, beerhouse, Willow street

Lloyd Joseph, bricklayer, Willow street

Longueville Thomas Longueville, Esq. Mount Pleasant

Longueville & Williams, solicitors, Brook st

Lowe James, vict., Butchers’ Arms, Willow st

Lowther William, broker, Beatrice street

Lucas Francis, agent, Salop road

Lucas Miss, Salop road

Lucas Mr. Francis, Salop road

Macdougall Mary, victualler, Osbourn’s Hotel, Commercial and Posting House, Legge st

Mackiernin Thomas, flax dresser, Bailey st

Mansell Richard, gentleman, Rod Meadows

Marriott Edward Birch, Esq., Willow street

Mathews Richard, watch and clock maker, Bailey street

Mellor William, glass & earthenware dealer, Bailey Head

Menlove Richard, Esq., Upper Brook street

Meredith John, surgeon, Willow street

Minshill & Dale, ironmongers, Bailey street

Minshill John, gentleman, Salop road

Minshill Rebecca, Castle fields

Minshill Sarah, Porkington terrace

Minshill Thomas and Charles, solicitors, Arthur street

Milnes Richard, gentleman, Pool road

Milnes Richard, stone mason and builder, Pool road

Mine John, maltster, Pool road

Minett Sarah, Pickton house

Mitton George, boot & shoe dealer, Willow st

Mitton Sarah, milliner, Willow street

Moreaton Ann, vict., Boar’s head, Willow st

Moreaton Wm., butcher, Willow street

Morgan Abraham, hair dresser, Cross street

Morris Edward, Esq., Salop road

Morris Edward, maltster, Willow street

Morris Edward, commission agent: office, Albion Inn

Morris Edward, beerhouse, Warrington place

Morris Griffith, timber merchant, Salop road

Morris Mrs. Mary, Pool road

Morris James, plasterer, Oswall’s place

Morris John, cooper, Legge street

Morris Mrs. Price, Willow street

Morris Richard Esq., Salop road

Morris Richard, glazier, Willow street

Morris Robert, bricklayer, Upper Brook st

Morris and Savin, mercers and drapers, Legge street

Morris Thomas, butcher, Bailey street

Moses Edward, lime burner, Bronygarth

Oliver John, cooper, Legge street

Oswell Edward, Esq., Derwen house

Oswell Edward, solicitor, Church street

Owen Arthur, butcher, Bailey street

Owen Edward, tailor, Bailey street

Owen Mrs. Jane Emma, wine & spirit dealer Legge street

Owen Mrs. and Miss, Brook street

Owen Wm., watch & clock maker, Cross st

Painter Mary, shopkeeper, Beatrice street

Parry James, currier, Legge street

Parry Mary, skinner, Willow street

Parry Thomas, woolstapler, Londonderry

Parry Thomas, skinner, Willow street

Payne John, cooper, Willow street

Peat the Misses, Union place

Peate & Teece, mercers & drapers, Cross st

Penson Richard Kyrke, architect, Willow st

Penson Thomas, general architect, Willow st

Phillips Elias, whitesmith, Pool road

Phillips John, mercer and draper, Cross st

Pickstock Ann, dressmaker, Pool road

Pierce Edward, shopkeeper, Church street

Pierce Robert, maltster, Beatrice street

Pierce Robert, shopkeeper, Castle terrace

Pierce Richard, maltster, Beatrice street

Poole Emma, straw bonnet maker, Cross st

Poole Edward, tailor, Salop road

Poole Richard, maltster, Cross street

Poole William, painter, Upper Brook street

Pope Ann, shopkeeper, Church street

Porter Isaac, surveyor, Salop road

Powell Richard, hosier, &c., Church street

Price Ann, confectioner, Bailey street

Price David, nurseryman, Pool road

Price Jane, stay maker, Willow street

Price Mary, spirit vaults, Cross street

Price Richard, soot dealer, Upper Brook st

Price William, printer & stationer, Cross st

Price Mrs. William, The Cross

Price William, gentleman, Cross street

Pritchard Margaret, victualler, King’s Head, Church street

Probett Ann, dressmaker, Kynaston lane

Pryce Thomas, ironmonger, Church street

Prynailt Rchrd., vict., Feathers, Albion hill

Pugh Mrs. Elizabeth, Pool road

Pugh Thomas, boot & shoemaker, Willow st

Ralphs Samuel, governor of borough gaol

Redrobe James, slater, Upper Brook street

Rees John, butcher, Beatrice street

Rees John, Temp. Coffee House, Bailey st

Rees John, vict., Victoria Bailey sheet

Richards Elizabeth shopkeeper Willow st

Richards James, saddler, &c., Bailey street

Richards Martha Paynter, milliner & dressmaker, Willow street

Richards Rchd., commercial school, Brook st

Richards Richard, assistant overseer and collector of poors’ rates, Victoria place

Richards William, land surveyor, Beatrice st

Ridge Mary, shopkeeper, Beatrice street

Roberts Ann, dressmaker, Salop road

Roberts David, shopkeeper, Legge street

Roberts Edward, provision store, Bailey st

Roberts Edward, shoemaker, Legge street

Roberts Edward, butcher, Willow street

Roberts Eleanor, vict., Grapes, Willow st

Roberts Elizabeth, Upper Brook street

Roberts Frank, bank manager, Willow street

Roberts Hugh, vict., White Lion, Willow st

Roberts John, shopkeeper, Londonderry

Roberts John, fruiterer, Willow street

Roberts John Askew, bookseller, printer, stationer, &c., Advertiser office, Bailey Head

Roberts John, gentleman, Cross street

Roberts John, beerhouse, Warrington place

Roberts John, saddler, Bailey street

Roberts Margaret, bonnet maker, Beatrice st

Roberts Miss, seminary, Castle fields

Roberts Miss, dressmaker, Beatrice street

Roberts Mrs. Mary, Lower Brook street

Roberts Richard, butcher, Bailey street

Roberts Robert, maltster, Salop road

Roberts Robert, hydraulic engineer, plumber, glazier, and gas-fitter, Brook street

Roberts Sarah, baker, Church street

Roberts Thomas, bookkeeper, Canal Compy.

Roberts William, joiner, Beatrice street

Roberts Thomas, shopkeeper, Middleton rd

Roberts William, solicitor, Brook street

Robley Isaac, maltster, Salop road

Rodgers Edward, fish-tackle maker, Cross st

Rodgers Edward, beerhouse, Willow street

Rogers Jones Raura, draper, Cross street

Rogers John, tanner, Lower Brook street

Rogers John, solicitor, Willow street

Rogers Mary, confectioner, Church street

Rogers Sarah, dressmaker, Willow street

Rogers Thomas, wine, spirit, and porter merchant, Stone House, Cross street

Rowland Thomas, flour dealer, Bailey street

Russell Frederick, mercer & draper, Bailey st

Sabine Charles, Esq., Salop road

Salter Jackson, printer & stationer, Church st

Salter Richard, toy and fancy repository, Bailey Head

Salter Richard, glass & china dealer, Bailey st

Salter Thomas, gentleman, Salop road

Salwey the Rev. Thomas, M.A., The Vicarage, Brook street

Saunders George James, chemist & druggist, Cross street

Sheaf Samuel, bank clerk, Victoria place

Shone Lazarus, provision store, Cross street

Sides Mary, staysmaker, Upper Brook street

Simon Robert, Esq., clerk of the peace, Church street

Simons William, Esq., chief clerk county crt.

Smale William, chemist & druggist, Cross st

Smith Jacob, clerk of the markets, Bailey Head

Smith Mr., inland revenue officer, Willow st

Southall John, fishmonger, Legge street

Stanton Robert and John, gun makers Bailey street

Stennett Eliza, berlin repository, Church st

Stevens Mary, vict., Royal Oak, Church st

Teece & Peate, mercers and drapers, Cross st

Thaxter Chas., vict., Railway Inn, Beatrice st

Thomas Charles, beerhouse, Upper Brook st

Thomas David, gentleman, Willow street

Thomas David, bricklayer, Legge street

Thomas Edward, woolstapler, Castle street

Thomas Edward Wynne, draper and mercer, Cross street

Thomas Henry, plumber, &c., Salop road

Thomas John, builder, Legge street

Thomas John, gentleman, Cross street

Thomas John, beerhouse, Bailey street

Thomas John, maltster, Beatrice street

Thomas John, woolstapler, Willow street

Thomas John and Peter, grocers and tea dealers, Cross street

Thomas Jeremiah, solicitor, Salop road

Thomas Mary, vict., Coach & Dogs, Church st

Thomas Mary, dressmaker, Upper Willow st

Thomas Richard, carrier, Church street

Thomas Samuel, shopkeeper, Pool road

Thomas Mr. Stephen, Salop road

Tomkies John, shoemaker & dealer, Bailey st

Thompson John, dyer, Legge street

Titley Charles, seedsman, Willow street

Turner John, shopkeeper, Salop road

Tyley Thomas, vict., Sun, Church street

Varty William N., gentleman, Salop road

Vaughan Edward, painter, Beatrice street

Vaughan John, butcher, Bailey street

Vaughan James, timber merchant, builder and joiner, Beatrice street

Vaughan James, upholsterer, Beatrice street

Vaughan Jas., tailor & draper, The Quadrant

Vaughan Richard, boot & shoemaker, Pool rd

Vaughan Samuel, slater, Bailey street

Vaughan William, whitesmith, Welsh walls

Walker Charles, shopkeeper, Church street

Warren John, Esq., Porkington Terrace

Watson Miss Elizabeth, Church street

Weaver James, chemist & druggist, Bailey st

Weston Geo., chemist & druggist, Church st

Whitaker Mary, lets post horses, Legge st

Whitridge Miss, Arthur street

Wildblood Hugh, bank clerk, Victoria place

Williams Edward, solicitor, Upper Brook st

Williams David, shoemaker, Willow street

Williams Edward, Esq., Lawrea House

Williams Edw., surveyor of stamps, Willow st

Williams Evan, grocer & dealer, Bailey street

Williams Harvey, surgeon, Church street

Williams John, tailor, Pool road

Williams John, bricklayer, Upper Church st

Williams John, vict., Golden Lion, Pool road

Williams John, beerhouse, Pool road

Williams Margaret, shopkeeper, Up. Brook st

Williams Mary, milliner, &c., Willow street

Williams Richard, tailor, Upper Brook street

Williams Robert, mercer & draper, Church st

Williams Thomas, butcher, Willow street

Williams William, Esq., Willow street

Williams William, Esq., Castle buildings

Williams William, vict., Bell, Church street

Windsor John, agricultural implement maker, wire worker, and dealer, Beatrice street

Wood Jane, upholsteress, Upper Brook street

Wood Richard, victualler, Britannia, Brook st

Worton Harriet, stay maker, Willow street

Worton Richard, staymaker, Upper Brook st

Wright Mrs., Willow street

Wright Edward, tailor, Victoria place

Wynn John, surgeon, Willow street

CLASSIFICATION
OF THE
PROFESSIONS, MANUFACTURES, AND TRADES
IN THE
BOROUGH OF OSWESTRY.

Academies.

Marked * are Boarding Schools.

* Asterley Catherine, Castle buildings

Bentley John, Church street

British School, Arthur street, Richard Orton, master; Mary Jones, mistress

France George, Lower Brook street

* Grammar School or College, Brook street, Rev. Stephen Donne, M.A., head master

* Holbrook Sarah, Salop rd

Infant School, Welsh walls, Ann Pearce, mistress

* Jackson Mary Ann, Willow street

Jones Elizabeth, Beatrice st

National School, Welsh walls, Edward Wynne, master; Fanny Whitfield, mistress

Richards Richard, Willow st

Roberts Ann, Castle fields

Wynne Edward, Black gates

Accountants.

Brayne Thomas, Beatrice st

Fox John, Upper Brook st

Agricultural Implement Makers.

Davies Thomas, Bailey head

Windsor John, Beatrice st

Architects.

Penson Thomas, Willow st

Penson Richard Kyrke, Willow street

Porter Isaac, Salop road

Attorneys.

Bull Wm. Isaac, Church st

Croxton Richard Jones, and town clerk, Church street

Hayward & Davies, Arthur st

Longueville and Williams, Upper Brook street

Minshall Thos. and Charles, Arthur street

Oswell Edward, Church st

Roberts William, Cross st

Rogers John, Willow street

Sabine Charles, Salop road

Thomas Jeremiah Jones, Cross street

Auctioneers & Valuers.

Evans Edward, Legge street

Hilditch George, office, Wynnstay Hotel

Hill Thomas, Upper Brook street

Bakers & Flour Dealers.

Arthur Evan, Cross street

Clurton Joseph, Beatrice st

Corney William, Cross street

Davies Edward, Cross street

Jones David, Willow street

Roberts Sarah, Church street

Rowland Thomas, Bailey st

Bankers.

The Old Bank, Willow street, Croxton, Longueville, & Co.; draw on Masterman and Co., London; Geo. Cooper, Esq., manager

North and South Wales Banking Company, Willow street; draw on London and Westminster Bank; Frank Roberts, manager.

Savings’ Bank, Bailey head, open on Wednesday from ten to four; John Hughes, secretary

Basket Makers.

Cadwallader Thomas, Salop road

Edwards David, Upper Brook street

Blacksmiths.

Davies Francis, Willow st

Jones John, Lower Brook st

Jones Morris, Middleton rd

Jones William, Legge street

Jones William, Beatrice st

Phillips Elias, Pentrapoath

Booksellers, Printers, Stationers & Bookbinders.

Bayley Chas. George, Cross street

Cowdell John, Legge street

Jarvis James, Cross street

Price William, Cross street

Roberts John Askew, Bailey street

Roberts Samuel, Advertiser Office, Bailey head

Salter Jackson, Church st

Boot & Shoemakers.

Clayton Thomas, Upper Brook street

Combs Samuel Howard, Church street

Edge Wm., Upper Church st

Edwards George, Cross st

Edwards John, Croxon’s sq

Evans George, Upper Brook street

Griffith’s Wm., Willow st

Jones David, Church street

Jones Edward, Bailey street

Mitton George, Willow st

Pugh Thomas, Willow st

Roberts Edward, Legge st

Taylor John, Cross street

Tomkins John, Bailey st

Turner Richard, Beatrice st

Vaughan Richard, Pool road

Williams David, Willow st

Braziers & Tin Plate Workers.

Batterbee John, Legge street

Bickerton George Morrell, Willow street

Davies David Christopher, Legge street

Minshall and Dale, Bailey street

Price Thomas, Cross street

Bricklayers.

Edwards Thomas, Willow st

Hughes Thomas, Upper Brook street

Jones Jonathan, Corneabrun

Lloyd Joseph, Willow street

Morris Robert, Lower Brook street

Thomas David, Legge street

Williams John, Upper Church street

Brick & Tile Makers.

Holland Isaac, Beatrice st

Jones John, Salop road

Morris Griffith, Salop road

Rogers Thomas, Cross st

Thackster Charles, Beatrice street, agent to W. O. Gore, Esq.

Vaughan James, Beatrice st

Builders.

Evans Edward, Lower Brook street

Holland Isaac, Beatrice st

Morris Griffith, Salop road

Thomas John, Legge street

Vaughan James, Beatrice st

Butchers.

Marked * only attend the weekly market.

* Davies Edward, Market

Davies James, Bailey street

Edwards Edward, Willow st

Edwards John, Bailey street

Evans Evan, Pool road

* Finsley David, Market

Hughes Price, Willow street

Hughes Richard, Upper Brook street

Jackson George, Bailey st

* Jacks John, Market

Jackson Thomas, Willow st

* Jackson William, Market

Johnson Joseph, Albion hill

* Jones Edward, Market

Jones Evan, Upper Brook street

Jones Henry, Willow street

Jones John, Bailey street

Jones John, Beatrice street

* Jones Robert, Market

Jones Robert, Church street

* Jones William, Market

Lewis Margaret, Cross street

* Lloyd Charles, Market

* Llewellyan Charles, Market

* Morris Thomas, Market

Morris Thomas, Bailey st

Moreton William, Willow st

Owen Arthur, Bailey street

Poole Richard, Cross street

* Pratt Charles, Market

Reese John, Beatrice street

* Reese John, Market

Roberts Edward, Willow st

Roberts Richard, Bailey st

* Simpson Charles, Mardol

Vaughan John, Bailey street

Williams Thomas, Willow st

* Williams William, Market

Cabinet Makers.

Holland Isaac, Beatrice st

Jones John, Church street

Vaughan James, Beatrice st

Cheese & Butter Factors.

Arthur Evan, Cross street

Davies Edward, Church st

Thomas Edward, Castle st

Chemists & Druggists.

Edwards Walter, Church st

Evans Richard, Willow st

Roderick Wm., Legge st

Saunders George James, Cross street

Smales William, Cross street

Weaver James, Bailey st

Weston George, Church st

China & Glass Dealers.

Marked * are only glass dealers.

* Bailey Charles George, Cross street

Gregory Thomas, Church st

Jones Gwen, Cross street

Mellor William, Bailey st

* Salter Richard, Bailey street

Coach Builders.

Farr Thomas and Brother, Salop road

Coal, Slate, & Lime Agents.

Evans Edward, Legge street

Hawkins Henry George, Plasmadoc coal

Jones Thomas, Blackpark coal

Lucas Francis, South Sea coal

Roberts Frank, Ruabon and Cefn coal; offices at the Railway wharf

Confectioners.

Bridden Mary, Albion hill

Corney William, Cross st

Davies Edward, Cross street

Davies E. and Mary, Bailey street

Davies Mary, Albion hill

Price Mary, Cross street

Rogers Mary, Church street

Walker Charles, Church st

Coopers.

Bowyer Thomas, Beatrice st

Morris John, Legge street

Oliver John, Legge street

Payne John, Willow street

Corn Dealers.

Arthur Evan, Cross street

Hodges Richard, (merchant) Bailey street

Jameson David, Bailey st

Roberts Edward, Bailey st

Curriers and Leather Cutters.

Edwards David, Beatrice st

Evans Robert, Legge street

Hughes William, Willow st

Thomas Richard, Church st

Dyers.

Evans William, Pool road

France George, Brook street, agent to Mr. Booth, of Chester

Thompson John, Legge st

Eating Houses.

Hardman John, Bayley st

Lloyd John, Willow street

Rees John, Bailey street

Richards Elizth., Willow st

Engineers.

Penson Thomas, Willow st

Penson Rd. Kyrke, Willow street

Roberts Robert, (hydraulic) Brook street

Engraver.

Jones Charles, Pool road

Farmers.

Edwards William, Legge st

Jackson Thomas, Willow st

Jones William, Hays farm

King John Edward, Legge st

Lloyd David, Church street

Poole Richard, Cross street

Fire and Life Office Agents.

Birmingham, Thomas Hill, Upper Brook street

Clerical, Medical, & General, George Cooper, Salop road

Crown, William Hayward, Willow street

Eagle, Samuel Roberts, Bailey head

English & Scottish, William Hayward, Arthur street

European, George Lewis, Willow street

General, James Vaughan, Beatrice street

Guardian, Mr. John Bentley

Hand-in-hand, Mr. Hayward, Arthur street

Law, Mr. Haywood, Arthur street

Norwich Union, William Roberts, Cross street

Phoenix, Mr. George Cooper, The Bank

Royal Exchange, Thomas Hughes, Church street

Salop Union, William Price, Cross street

Scottish Equitable, John Minshall, Bailey street

Scottish Union, Wm. Isaac Bull, Church street

Shropshire & North Wales, John Lacon, Legge street

Temperance Provident, John Windsor, Bailey street

Fishmonger.

Southall John, Legge street

Fishing Tackle Maker.

Rogers Edward, Cross street

Fruiterers.

Jones Thomas, Willow street

Roberts John, Willow street

Furniture Brokers.

Holland Isaac, Beatrice st

Jones John, Bailey head

Lowther William, Beatrice st

Game Dealer.

Poole Richard, Cross street

Grocers & Tea Dealers.

Davies John, Cross street

Davies Richard and William, Cross street

Foulkes Robert, Church st

Fisher John Edward, Cross street

Jameson David, Bailey street

Johnson James, Beatrice st

Jones Edward David, Legge street

Jones David, Beatrice street

Jones Frederick, Willow st

Jones Mary, Cross street

Jones Thomas, Willow st

Jones Mary Watkin, Cross st

Lacon John, Legge street

Morris & Savin, Legge street

Phillips John, Cross street

Roberts Edward, Bailey st

Shone Lazarus, Cross street

Teece & Peate, Cross street

Thomas John and Peter, Cross street

Williams Evan, Bailey street

Wynne Thomas Edward, Cross street

Gun Makers and Cutlers.

Higham George, Cross street

Staunton Robert & Son, Bailey street

Gutta Percha Dealer.

Roberts John Asknew, Bailey head

Hair Dressers.

Edwards William, Church st

Gerrard William, Legge st

Jones John, Legge street

Lewis John, Albion hill

Morgan Abraham, Cross st

Hatters.

Hardy Thomas, Church st

Jones John, Church street

Jones Richard (and furrier), Bailey street

Hop Dealers.

Fisher John Ed., Cross st

Hodges William, Bailey st

Jameson David, Bailey st

Jones Thomas, Willow st

Minshall John, Smithfield rd

Saunders George, Cross st

Weaver James, Bailey street

Hosiers.

Lloyd Eleanor, Legge street

Powell Richard, Church st

Hotels, Inns, and Taverns.

Albion, Margt. Gee, Church street

Bear, Thos. Lewis, Legge st

Bell, William Williams, Church street

Boar’s Head, Ann Moreaton, Willow street

Britannia, Richard Wood, Brook street

Butchers’ Arms, Jas. Lowe, Willow street

Coach and Dogs, Mary Thomas, Church st

Coach and Horses, James Barratt, Legge street

Commercial Hotel and Posting House, Mary Macdougall, Legge street and Bailey street

Cross Keys Commercial and Posting House, John Edward King, Legge st

Duke of York, Geo. M. Bickerton, Willow street

Eagles, Edward Dodd, Bailey square

Feathers, Richard Prynallt

Fighting Cocks, James Beckett, Beatrice street

Five Bells, Edward Edwards, Willow street

George Edward Jones, Bailey head

Golden Lion, John Williams, Pool road

Grapes, Eleanor Roberts, Willow street

Horse Shoe, Richard Holden, Legge street

King’s Head, Margaret Pritchard, Church street

Plough, Thomas Jones, Beatrice street

Queen’s Head Commercial and Posting House, Wm. Edwards, Legge street

Railway Inn, Charles Thaxter, Lower Beatrice st

Red Lion, Thomas Davies, Bailey head

Royal Oak, Mary Stephens, Church street

Star, William Edwards, Bailey street

Sun, Thos. Tyley, Church st

Swan, Luke Edwards, Beatrice street

Three Tuns, John Davies, Bailey street

Unicorn, Edward Edwards, Albion hill

Victoria, John Reece, Bailey street

White Horse, John Jones, Church street

White Lion, Hugh Roberts, Willow street

Woolpack, John Preese, Willow street

Wynnstay Arms Hotel, Commercial and Posting House, David Lloyd, Church street

Beerhouses.

Davies James, Bailey street

Davies Robert, Upper Brook street

Foulkes Edward, Legge st

Haswell Charles, Legge st

Hughes John, Salop road

Hughes Thomas, Willow st

Jackson George, Bailey st

Jackson Joseph, Church st

Jones Leonard, Salop road

Jones Thomas, Beatrice st

Lloyd John, Willow street

Morris Ed., Warrington pl

Pierce Edward, Church st

Roberts John, Londonderry

Rogers Edward, Willow st

Thomas Charles, Upper Brook street

Thomas John, Bailey street

Williams John, Pool road

Iron Merchants.

Lacon John, Legge street

Minshall and Dale, Smithfield road

Ironmongers.

Bickerton George Morral, Willow street

Brown Robert, Bailey street

Fisher John Edward, Cross street

Lacon John, Legge street

Minshall & Dale, Bailey st

Price Thomas, Church street

Joiners and Builders.

Evans Edward, Low Brook st

Holland Isaac, Beatrice st

Jones Evan, Pool road

Morris Griffith, Salop road

Roberts William, Beatrice st

Thomas John, Legge street

Vaughan James, Beatrice st

Libraries [Circulating.]

Price William, Cross street

Salter Jackson, Church street

Roberts John Askew, Bailey Head

Linen and Woollen Drapers.

Davies John, Cross street

Davies Rchd. & Wm., Cross st

Davies Wm. Morris, Cross st

Faulkes Robert, Church st

Morris & Savin, Legge street

Phillips John, Cross street

Powell Richard, Cross street

Rogers Jones L., Cross street

Russell Frederick, Bailey st

Teece and Peate, Cross st

Thomas Edw. Wynne, Cross st

Williams Robert, Church st

Livery Stable Keepers.

Those marked * are Licensed to Let Post Horses.

* Davies Edward, Salop road

* Edwards Richard, Londonderry

Edwards Wm., Queen’s Head Hotel

* Jones John, Bailey street

* Jones William, Beatrice st

King John Edward, Cross Keys Hotel

* Leeke Thomas, Willow st

Lloyd David, Wynnstay Arms Hotel

Macdougall Mary, Osbourn’s Hotel

* Whitaker Mary, Legge st

Maltsters [Licensed].

Brayne Elizabeth, Beatrice street

Edwards Edward, Albion hill

Gittins Samuel, Beatrice st

Grindley & Co., Beatrice st

Hughes John, Salop road

Jameson David, Bailey street

Jones John, Bailey street

Jones William, Welsh walls

Mine John, Pool road

Morris Edward, Willow street

Pierce Robert & Son, Beatrice street

Poole Richard, Cross street

Roberts Robert, Salop road

Robley Isaac, Salop road

Rogers Thomas, Church st.

Thomas John, Beatrice street

Tyley Thomas, Upper Brook street

Milliners and Dress Makers.

Beard Hannah Jemima, Willow street

Cooke Ann, Pool road

Evans Lydia, Quadrant

Hughes Elizabeth, Willow st

Jarvis Miss, Cross street

Jones Elizabeth, Welsh walls

Lewis Margaret, Beatrice st.

Lewis Mary, Bailey street

Mitton Sarah, Willow street

Pickstock Ann, Pool road

Probert Ann, Kynastone lane

Richards Martha, Willow st.

Roberts Ann, Salop road

Rogers Sarah, Willow street

Stanton Margaret, Bailey st.

Taylor Mary, Pool road

Thomas Mary, Willow street

Williams Mary, Willow street

Nursery and Seedsmen.

(See also Seedsmen.)

Edwards Wm., Welsh walls

Price David, Pool road

Titley Charles, Willow street

Painters.

Batterbee John, Beatrice st

Brown John, Legge street

Eyeley Charles, Lower Brook street

Eyeley and Son, Upper Brook street

Lewis William, Beatrice st.

Poole William, Upper Brook street

Vaughan Edward, Beatrice st.

Vaughan James, Beatrice st.

Pawnbroker.

Jones John, Bailey street

Plumbers and Glaziers.

Batterbee John, Legge street

Davies Thomas, Beatrice st.

Davies Thomas, Albert place

Ellis Thomas, Croxon square

Gough John, Beatrice street

Morris Richard, Willow st.

Roberts Robert, Brook street

Thomas Henry, Salop road

Porter Dealers.

Corney & Jones, Church st.

Edwards Wm., Legge street

Hawkins Henry George, Union place

Rogers Thomas, Stone house

Rope Maker & Flax Dresser.

Mac Kiernin Thomas, Bailey street

Saddlers & Harness Makers.

Davies John, Bailey street

Evans Francis, Cross street

Farmer Charles, Willow st.

Richards James, Bailey street

Roberts John, Bailey street

Throstle Mr., Cross street

Salt Dealers.

Hawkins Henry George, Low Beatrice street

Roberts Edward, Bailey st.

Seedsmen.

Allen Thomas, Kent place

Edwards Wm., Welsh walls

Evans Richard, Cross street

Hodges William, Bailey st.

Jameson David, Bailey street

Jones Thomas, Willow street

Roberts John, Willow street

Salter Richard, Bailey street

Saunders George, Cross st.

Weaver James, Bailey street

Weston George, Church st.

Shopkeepers and Dealers in Provisions and Sundries.

Arthur Evan, Legge street

Churton Joseph, Beatrice st.

Davies Susannah, Willow st.

Davies Thomas, Beatrice st.

Doughty William, Willow st.

Evans John, Pool road

Evans Thomas, Pool road

Fox Ralph, Upper Brook st.

Hughes John, Beatrice street

Hughes Mary, Salop road

Hughes Price, Willow street

Jones Charles, Upper Brook street

Jones Edward, Beatrice st.

Jones Hugh, Willow street

Jones John, Upper Brook st

Jones John, Church street

Jones John, Legge street

Jones Richard, Salop road

Jones William, Willow street

Painter Mary, Beatrice street

Pierce Edward, Church street

Pierce Robert, Beatrice street

Pope Ann, Church street

Richards Elizabeth and Ann, Willow street

Ridge Mary, Beatrice street

Roberts David, Legge street

Roberts Edward, Bailey st.

Roberts John, Londonderry

Roberts Thomas, Middleton road

Shone Lazarus, Cross street

Southall John, Legge street

Thomas Samuel, Pool road

Turner John, Salop road

Walker Charles, Church st.

Williams Margaret, Upper Brook street

Worton Richard, Upper Brook street

Silversmith and Cutler.

Gregory Thomas, Cross st.

Skinners & Leather Dressers.

Jones Richard, Willow street

Parry Thomas, Willow street

Slaters and Plasterers.

Cash Thomas, Beatrice street

Jones John, Lower Brook street

Jones Wm., Beatrice street

Morris James, Oswell’s place

Redrobe James, Upper Brook street

Vaughan Samuel, Bailey st.

Soda Water Manufacturers.

Edwards Walter, St. Oswald’s well

Leek Thomas, Welsh walls

Staymakers.

Price Ann Jane, Willow st.

Sides Mary, Upper Brook st.

Worton Harriet, Willow street

Worton Richard, Upper Brook street

Stone Mason and Builder.

Milnes Richard, Pool road

Straw Bonnet Makers.

Davies Elizabeth, Cross st.

Davies Sarah, Church street

Davies William Morris, Cross street

Hughes Hannah, Beatrice street

Jarvis Ann Margaret, Bailey street

Poole Hannah, Cross street

Roberts Margaret, Beatrice street

Surgeons.

Barnett Henry, Willow street

Blaikei Robert, Church street

Bennion and Meredith, Welsh walls

Cartwright Peploe, Church street

Dicker Philip, Arthur street, Bailey head

Fuller William, Salop road

Griffith Wm., Church street

Large Joseph, Union place

Roderick William, Legge st.

Williams Harvey, Church st.

Wynne John, Willow street

Surveyors.

Jones Joseph, Church street

Penson Richard Kyrke, Willow street

Penson Thomas, Willow st.

Porter Isaac, Salop road

Richards Richard, Upper Brook street

Richards William, Beatrice street

Tailors.

Baverstock John, Salop road

Davies John, Cross street

Edmunds Griffith, Bailey head

Edwards Richard, Salop road

Hughes Thomas, Willow st.

Jones Edward, Pool road

Killon John, Beatrice street

Owen Edward (and clothier), Bailey street

Poole Edward, Salop road

Vaughan James (& clothier), Quadrant

Williams John, Pool road

Williams Richards, Upper Brook street

Wright Ed., Victoria place

Tallow Chandlers.

Ellis John, Brick hills

Edwards Thomas, Cross st.

Fisher John Edward, Cross street

Tanners.

Evans Robert, Legge street

Hughes William, Willow st.

Rogers John, Lower Brook street

Timber Merchants.

Evans Edward, Smithfield road

Holland Isaac, Beatrice st.

Morris Griffith, Salop road

Porter Isaac, Salop road

Thomas John, Salop road

Vaughan James, Beatrice st.

Tobacco Pipe Maker.

Jones Thomas, Pentrapoath, Pool road

Veterinary Surgeons.

Batten William, Upper Brook street

Hales John Miles, Lower Brook street

Upholsterers.

Dempster Thomas, Legge st.

Holland Isaac, Beatrice street

Jones John, Church street

Vaughan James, Beatrice st.

Watch and Clock Makers.

Corken Archibald, Cross st.

Matthews Richard, Bailey street

Owen William, Cross street

Wheelwrights.

Hughes Edward, Salop road

Jones David, Beatrice street

Jones Edward, Beatrice street

Jones Evan, Pool road

Jones Robert, Willow street

Jones Thomas, Beatrice st.

Whitesmiths and Bell Hangers.

Hughes Edward, Beatrice st.

Phillips Elias, Pentrapoath

Vaughan Wm., Welsh walls

Wine and Spirit Merchants.

Marked * are retail dealers only.

Edwards William, Legge st.

* Hughes Thomas, Cross st.

Jones and Corney, Cross st.

Owen Jane Emma, Legge st.

* Price Mary, Cross street

Rogers Thomas, Cross street

Wire Workers.

Davies Thos., Bailey square

Windsor John, Beatrice st.

Woolstaplers.

Parry Thomas, Londonderry

Thomas Edward, Castle st.

Thomas John, Willow street

CARRIERS FROM THE INNS.

To Bala—J. Jones, from the King’s Head, Tuesdays.

To Cefn—Jones, from the Swan; and Edwards, from the Crown, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

To Ellesmere—Pearce, from the George, Wednesdays.

To Felton—Fox, from the Horse Shoe, and Jones, from the Barley Mow, Wednesdays.

To Knockin and Kinnerley—Beddoes, from the King’s Head, and Glover, from the Three Tuns, Wednesday.

To Llandrinio—Williams, the Albion; Lewis, the Grapes; Richards, Coach and Dogs; Bagley, Green Dragon, Wednesdays.

To Llanfyllin—Davies, Coney Green, daily; Lloyd, Macdougall Hotel; Davies, Bell, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.

To Llangollen—Thomas, the Boar’s Head; and Evans, the Horse Shoe, Wednesdays.

To Llangedwin—Davies, George Inn, Wednesdays.

To Llanrhaiadr—Hughes and Davies, Boar’s Head; Evans, Three Tuns, Wednesdays.

To Llansaintffraid—Edwards, the Fox, Wednesdays.

To Llansilin—Evans, the Boar’s Head; and Ellis, the Five Bells, Wednesdays.

To Llanyblodwel—Mason, the Star, on Wednesdays.

To Llanymynech—Price, King’s Head, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

To Maesbrook—Briggs, White Horse, Wednesdays.

To Maesbury—Kenthric, Barley Mow, Wednesdays and Fridays.

To Merford—Roberts, the Sun, Wednesdays.

To Nesscliff—Benyon, White Horse, Wednesdays.

To Rhosymedre—Jones, the Swan; Edwards, the Crown, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

ASTON

is a small township in the parish of Oswestry, comprising 860a. 2r. 17p. of land, which is the property of Mrs. Louisa Lloyd, who is also lady of the manor. The township is two miles S.E. from Oswestry, and in 1841 had 12 houses and 68 inhabitants. The tithes are commuted for £197. 19s., of which £138. 12s. 1d. is apportioned to Mrs. Lloyd, £42. 8s. 11d. to Lady Tyrwhitt, and £16. 8s. to the Vicar of Oswestry. Aston Hall, the seat of Mrs. Lloyd, is a handsome mansion of brick, with stone finishings. It is surrounded with a park of upwards of 100 acres, with a fine undulating surface, and richly timbered. Some of the beech trees are of immense size; and opposite the front of the hall is a large sheet of water. A little south from the hall is the Domestic Chapel, a neat structure of brick, with a square tower. It is stated, on the table of benefactions of 1792, in Oswestry church, that Mr. Thomas gave by will an annual payment of £2. 12s., to be distributed every Sunday at Aston chapel. A quantity of bread was formerly supplied by he owners of the Aston estate, now belonging to Mrs. Lloyd, and given after divine service in Aston chapel among the poor of the township. Divine service having been discontinued in this chapel, Mrs. Lloyd usually distributes a quantity of beef and bread on St. Thomas’s day.

Directory.—Mrs. Louisa Lloyd, Aston Hall; Edward Harvey Lloyd, Esq., Aston Hall; Ann Evans, farmer, Bromwich Park; Sarah Hughes, farmer; Richard Legh, farmer, Fox Hall; Zachariah Larkin, farm bailiff and gardener, The Hall; John Roberts, agent to Black Park Coal Works, Queen’s Head Wharf.

CRICKHEATH,

a village and township four miles S. from Oswestry, has 1,286a. 2r. of land, and at the census of 1841, 89 houses and 370 inhabitants. The landowners are the Earl of Bradford, Earl Powis, W. Eaton, Esq., Mr. Thomas, Miss Wheeler, and Mr. Thomas Jones. The tithes are commuted for £246. 1s. 6d., of which £225 are paid to Earl Powis, and £21. 1s. 6d. to the Vicar of Oswestry. The soil is various. The meadow land is subject to be flooded by the Morda overflowing its banks. It is the opinion of many that minerals abound in this township. A party of gentlemen have commenced works in search of copper ore, but none had been found when our agent visited the township.

Pant is a hamlet in this township, in a mountainous district, where there are several immense quarries of limestone. A number of persons are employed in working the quarries and burning lime.

Directory.—Those with * affixed reside at the Pant.—* John Griffiths, blacksmith; Thomas Jones, farmer; * Robert Llwyd, wheelwright; John Murray, blacksmith; Hugh Pugh, farmer; * Samuel Pugh, shopkeeper and coal dealer; John Rogers, farmer, The Hall; * Robert Roberts, victualler, Powis Arms; * Robert Roberts, jun., farmer and quarry master; William Rowland, blacksmith; Edward Sockett, farmer; Thomas Ward, farmer; John Williams, farmer.

CYNYNION

is a township and scattered village, three miles and a half S.W. by W. from Oswestry, which contains 760a. 1r. 6p. of land, mostly a bleak, mountainous district. The village is situate at the verge of the range of limestone rock, near the borders of Denbighshire, and had in 1841, 27 houses and 68 inhabitants. Sir Watkin W. Wynne, Bart., is lord of the manor, owner of the whole township, and impropriator of the large tithes, which are commuted for £14. 15s. 6d. The vicarial tithes are commuted for £13. 13s. 5d. The Church, situated at the Lawnt, is a small fabric of stone, with a square tower. Divine service is performed both in English and Welsh. The Rev. Robert Williams is the incumbent, and resides at the Parsonage, a good residence a short distance from the church. Mr. Williams receives a limited number of scholars as hoarders. A school was built in the village in 1850. The lime works in this township are extensively worked by Messrs. Croxon and Co. Lawnt is a small hamlet in this township.

Croxon & Jones, lime works & quarry masters

Edwards John, farmer

Evans Robert, farmer, Pandy

Evans Wm., farmer & quarry master, Lawnt

Evans William, victualler, Cross Foxes Inn

Evans William, blacksmith

Jones Humphrey, shoemaker

Jones Thomas, farmer and lime agent

Jones William, farmer

Lloyd John, farmer

Owens Edward, farmer, Cafn-byrlallt

Thomas Thos., gentleman, Cynynion House

Williams David, farmer

Williams Rev. Robert, M.A., incumbent, and boarding school proprietor, Parsonage House. Lawnt

HISLAND,

a small township, with 571a. 1r. 36p. of land, two miles and a quarter S.E. from Oswestry; had in 1841, 14 houses and 66 inhabitants. Mrs. Lloyd is owner of the whole township. The tithes have been commuted for £165. 18s. 8d., of which £113. 6s. 8d. is paid to Mrs. Lloyd, £41. 1s. 10d. to Lady Tyrwhitt, and £11. 10s. 11d. to the Vicar of Oswestry. The residents in this township are Henry Legh, farmer, Buckley; Edward Parry, farmer; Thos. Briscoe, blacksmith; and Mary Williams, schoolmistress.

LLANFORDA, OR LLANVORDA,

a pleasantly situated village, one mile and a half W. by S. from Oswestry, at the census of 1841 had 61 houses and 304 inhabitants. The township contains 1,278 acres of lands, mostly elevated, from which are seen some fine views over the fertile plains of Shropshire, and into the mountainous district of Wales. Sir Watkin William Wynne, Bart., is the landowner, lord of the manor, and impropriator of the large tithes, which are commuted for £87. 19s. 6d.; the vicarial tithes are commuted for £23. 11s. Llanvorda Hall is a handsome mansion, delight fully situated on a gentle acclivity, commanding picturesque views over a luxuriant country of great beauty. The park is spacious, and studded with thriving plantations. There are several genteel residences in this township, which our limits will not allow us to notice in detail. A MSS. of John Davies, Esq., of 1635, says, “Rynerus, bishop of St. Asaph, suppreesed the old church of the Mercians, called Llanvorda.” Elizabeth Williams gave, by will, an annual payment of 30s., issuing out of a croft in Croes Willyn, to buy clothes for poor people of this township. The amount is paid out of a plot of land, about two-thirds of an acre, called The Poor’s Croft, and expended in suitable clothes for the poor.

Andrews Chas. Scarlett, Esq., Bryn Haford

Aubrey Mrs. Llanforda House

Bennion Edwd. David, Esq., Summer-hill House

Croxon Captain John, Llanforda Issa

Davies Hugh, slater and farmer

Davies Mary, farmer

Ellis Robert, Bwlch farm

Evans Joseph, farmer

Francis Thomas, farmer

Hayward Peter, Esq., Llanforda Hall

Jones William, Hayes farm

Kilbrook John, gamekeeper

Knox William, gardener

Lawfoot William R., Esq., land and estate agent, Ordley Hall

Leeke Thos., tailor & farmer

Lloyd David, Llywn-y-maan farm

Llongueville Mrs., Penylan Hall

Morris Elizabeth, farmer

Parker John, farmer and wood ranger

Price Edward, Tynycoed farm

Thomas Sarah, farmer

Thomas Thomas, farmer

MAESBURY

is a pleasant village, in a bold undulating country, three miles S.E. from Oswestry, having in 1841, 107 houses and 414 inhabitants. This township and that of Sweeney contain together 3,164a. 3r. 35p. of land, chiefly a productive soil. The meadow lands on the banks of the Morda Dyke are occasionally flooded by those waters overflowing their banks. The principal landowners are Mrs. Lloyd, Mrs. Parker, George W. Edwards, Esq., John Pickstock, Esq., Mr. John Davies, Mr. John Furmston, Mr. Thomas Jones, Mr. Edward Peat, J. F. M. Doveston, Esq., Mrs. Wildblood, Mrs. Hughes, Mr. John Frances, Mrs. Edwards, and the executors of Thomas Basnitt, Esq. The township is intersected by the Oswestry and Llanymyneck turnpike road and the Shropshire Union Canal. The latter has a wharf at Maesbury Marsh, which affords every facility for forwarding merchandise to the inland counties. The tithes of the above land are commuted for the sum of £674, of which £80. 3s. are apportioned to the vicar, £30 to J. A. Lloyd, Esq., £11 to L. J. Venables, Esq., £3. 15s. to Rowland Hunt, Esq., £520 to T. N. Barker, Esq., £16 to Mr. J. Davies, and £13 to L. Bentley, Esq.

Davies John, farmer, The Fields

Duncon John, farmer

Edwards Mrs., farmer

Evans Edward, farmer

Evans Mrs., jun., farmer

Fardoe William, shoemaker

Frances John, maltster and farmer

Frank Edward, farmer, The Dairy

Hughes John, farmer, Pentrecoed

Humphreys Joseph, farmer

Jones Thomas, corn miller

Lea John, miller & corn factor

Leeke Catherine, beerhouse keeper

Minett William, farmer

Peat Edward, miller and corn factor

Pickstock John, Esq.

Price Morris, victualler, Navigation Inn

Wildblood Mrs.

Williams John, beerhouse keeper

MIDDLETON,

a small township, one mile and a half S.E. by E. from Oswestry, contains 650a. 1r. 16p. of land, the owners of which are William Ormsby Gore, Esq., Mrs. Lloyd, Mr. Thomas Humphreys, Mr. John Tomley, John Jones, Esq., Mrs. Webster, and Shrewsbury Free Grammar School. Earl Powis is the impropriator of the large tithes, which are commuted for £110. 5s., and the small tithes, £13, are paid to the Vicar of Oswestry. In 1841, here were 41 houses and 98 inhabitants. This township has generally a level surface, the soil is various, some of it highly productive.

The Farmers are Thomas Humphreys, Margaret Jones, Nathaniel Jones, John Manford, John Tomley, and Samuel Williams. Mrs. Jane Humphreys, Middleton Cottage, is also a resident here.

MORTON,

a chapelry and township pleasantly situated 3½ miles S. from Oswestry, and at the census of 1841 had 28 houses and 147 inhabitants; the township contains 685a. 1r. 18p. of land; the Earl of Bradford is lord of the manor. Morton chapel is situated within the bounds of Llanyblodwell parish; it was built by Mrs. Bridgman in 1774, who endowed it with funds to the annual value of £47; with this property, and a grant of £200 obtained from Queen Anne’s bounty, certain lands were purchased in Staffordshire. Some time after the lands so purchased were found to contain a valuable bed of coal, and they were ultimately sold for the sum of £19,000, when the amount was invested for the benefit of the incumbent. The living was formerly presented to by the Earl of Bradford, who neglecting to appoint, it became vested in the bishop of the diocese, who is now patron; incumbent, Rev. John Henry M. Luxmore; officiating minister, Rev. David Lewis. The church is a plain brick fabric, with nave and transepts; the parsonage house is a neat modern erection, a short distance from the church. The tithes have been commuted for £211, of which £190 are apportioned to the Earl of Bradford, and £21 to the vicar of Oswestry. The living of the church is returned at £669. The Primitive Methodists have a small chapel at Morton Common, built in 1838. The poor of Morton, Maesbury, and Crickheath, are entitled to one-third of the rent of an estate at Osbaston, left by Mr. Jeffreys, and now amounting to £4. 8s. per annum. The donor directed that out of every 10s. of the rent, 4s. should be distributed in Morton, 3s. in Maesbury, and 3s. in Crickheath.

Directory.—Croxon Jones and Co., Coal and Mine Wharf; Samuel Davies, shoemaker; Edward Edwards, farmer, Ley; John Jones, farmer, Lower Farm; Thomas Jones, tailor and draper; Rev. Mr. Lewis, curate; Richard Lloyd, dealer in coal, fire bricks, and flagstones, &c.; Redwith, Old Wharf; John Peirce, beerhouse; William Thomas, farmer.

PENTREGAER

township has 512a. 2r. 28p. of land, and is situated 5 miles W.W. by S. from Oswestry; in 1841 here were 17 houses and 98 inhabitants; the township lies on the borders of Denbigh; the scenery is varied and romantic, and the whole district mountainous; a strong soil prevails, which is mostly upon the limestone; upon the hills the land is cold and bleak, but in the valleys there is some fine grazing and arable land. Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart., is the impropriator of the large tithes, which are commuted for £24. 1s. 11d., and the small tithes which are commuted for £10. 16s. 6d. are paid to the vicar of Oswestry. Coad-y-gaer Tower, the occasional summer residence of Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart., is a square lofty structure, situated on a bold eminence, commanding most extensive and delightful views into the counties of Denbigh and Montgomery, the western borders of Shropshire and the lovely vale of Llansilin. Near the tower is a large pool of water covering several acres, which is well stocked with fish. Tan-coed-y-gaer, a hamlet returned as a separate township on the commutation map, but of which there is no return for 1841, contains 357 acres of land, the principal owner of which is Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart., who is also lord of the manor; when the tithes were apportioned £12 was awarded to Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart., to the vicar of Oswestry £1. 7s. 6d., to the vicar of Llansilin £14. 15s., and to the parish clerk of Llansilin 5s.

Edwards John, farmer

Ellis Robert, Tan-y-coad-y-gaer farm

Evans T., Nant-y-gollan farm

Hughes Allen, farmer

Hughes John, Tan-y-coad-y-gaer farm

James John, farmer and wheelwright

Jones John, farmer

Jones Richard, Tan-y-coad-y-gaer farm

Lewis David, Warnydeuon farm

Lewis Thomas, farmer

Morris Hugh, Tan-y-coad-gaer farm

Morris Robert, farmer

Thomas John, Pennybrin farm

SWEENEY

is a village and township 2½ miles S. from Oswestry, having conjointly with Maesbury 3,164 acres of land, and in 1841 had 105 houses and 513 inhabitants. The Earl of Powis is lord of the manor, the chief freeholders are Mrs. Parker, Mrs. Haines, Mrs. Jennings, Thomas Jones, Esq., Mr. Thomas Evans, Miss Oldnall, Miss Dymoch, the Vicar of Oswestry, Mrs. Evans, Mrs. Owen, Charles Clay, Esq., Mr. James O. Pugh, William Roberts, Esq., Colonel Wynn, and others. In this township are immense heights and rocks called the Sweeney Mountains: here coal is found in considerable quantities, which is conveyed to distant parts by the Hordly Aston Moor and Llanymynech canal. There is a wharf here where Messrs. Croxon Jones and Co. have on sale coal and lime, Edward Jones, manager; coal, slate, and fire bricks are also sold by Richard Lloyd, at the Old Wharf. Sweeney Hall, the seat of Mrs. Parker, is a handsome mansion of free stone, delightfully situated in a well timbered park near the Welshpool turnpike road; the pleasure grounds and shrubberies are laid out with great taste; the interior of the mansion is elegantly furnished, and contains some fine paintings and statuary. In the grounds near the hall are the vestiges of a burial ground, adopted as such in the turbulent period of the Commonwealth. Thomas Barker, Esq., who died in 1675, was buried here; he served the office of high sheriff for the county, A.D. 1649, the first year of Oliver Cromwell’s usurpation, and in the parliament of 1653 he was summoned by Cromwell, with John Brown, of Little Ness, as a knight of the shire. Mr. Pierce gave one moiety of the rent of land called Cae Mark to the poor of Sweeney. The amount is paid out of certain land in Llanyblodwell, the property of Mrs. Oliver, and she distributes 10s. in money and 10s. worth of bread yearly among the poor. The same property is considered as charged with 6s. 8d. yearly for a sermon in the Welsh language, but the payment has not been made of late years, no sermon having been preached at Sweeney in Welsh.

British Coal Company, Croxon, Jones, and Company, coal and lime masters, Drilth, Sweeney, and Coed-y-goe Collieries

Davies Thomas, farmer

Edwards Thomas, farmer

Evans Thomas, farmer

Evans Thomas, jun., farmer

Haines Elizabeth, vict., The Drill Inn

Jennings Mrs., farmer

Jones and Co., coal masters

Jones David, farmer

Jones Edward, Esq., Llwynymapsis House

Lloyd William, blacksmith

Owens John, blacksmith

Parker Mrs., gentlewoman, The Hall

Pugh Thomas, farmer and miller

Rogers George, bookkeeper, Colliery

Rogers Mary, beerhouse

Rogers Richard, grocer and collector

Savin John, farmer and lime master

Savin Mary, farmer

Wainwright Richard, farmer

Wall William, farmer

Watkin Edward, wheelwright

Williams John, tailor

Yorke Thomas, farmer, and lets thrashing machine.

TREFARCLAWDD,

a village and township, lies about 2¼ miles W.W. by S. from Oswestry; the township comprises 934 acres of land, the owners of which are Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, Bart., and John Croxon, Esq.; the Earl of Powis is lord of the manor; here were 94 houses and 435 inhabitants when the census was taken in 1841. There are extensive collieries in this township, which are worked by Messrs. Jones and Co.; fire bricks and ornamental tiles are also manufactured here by Mr. John Howell, of Trefonen Cottage. The tithes were commuted in 1837, for £49. 3s. 2d., of which £33. 3s. 1d. were appropriated to Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart., and £16. 0s. 1d. to the vicar of Oswestry. Trefarclawdd House, the residence of John Croxon, Esq., is a handsome stuccoed mansion, embosomed in foliage, and beautified with pleasure grounds and shrubberies. Pentre Shannel House is a good residence with extensive premises attached, now in the occupation of Mr. William Hughes, farmer.

Directory.—British Coal Company’s Coal Works, Coed-y-Goe; Croxon John, Esq., Trefarclawdd House; Thomas Davies, farmer; John Howell, fire brick and fancy tile manufacturer; Mr. William Hughes, Pentre Shannel House; Jane Hughes, farmer, Ty-tan-y-myn-ydd; Edward Price, blacksmith; Godfrey Roberts, farmer and corn miller; John Thomas, farmer; John Williams, farmer, Vron.

TREFLACH OR TREVLACH,

a scattered village three and a half miles S.W. by S. from Oswestry, in 1841 had 103 houses and 396 inhabitants; the township contains 1,098a. 0r. 31p. of land, mostly a poor soil, in a bleak and mountainous district. The Earl of Powis is lord of the manor, L. J. Venables, Esq., and Rowland Hunt, Esq., are land owners and impropriators: to the former 5s. were apportioned, and to the latter £13. 10s.; the tithes payable to the vicar are commuted for £13. 10s. The Wood Hill Hall, the property and residence of Lazarus Jones Venables. Esq., is a pleasantly situated house in park-like grounds, which are studded with thriving plantations. The Hall is an ancient residence, in the occupancy of George Hilditch, estate agent. At Treflach Wood are several extensive quarries of stone, which is used for building purposes, blocks of immense size are frequently raised; there is also a small stone got here which is burnt into lime. The Independents have a small chapel at Treflach Wood.

David Jones, relieving officer

Edwards Jane, quarry owner

Edwards John, quarry mastr

Hilditch George, auctioneer & estate agent, The Hall

Jones David, beerhouse and shopkeeper

Jones David, lime burner

Jones John, higgler

Jones Thomas, blacksmith

Jones John & Owen, farmers

Jones Richard, shopkeeper

Lloyd William, farmer

Moreton Edward, farmer

Roberts John, quarry master

Stoakes Walter, beerhouse and shopkeeper

Tudor Thomas, farmer

Venables Lazarus Jones, Esq., Wood hill Hall

Williams Edward, higgler

Williams Walter, shoemaker

TREFONEN,

a township and village with a scattered population, four miles S.W. from Oswestry, in 1841 contained 146 houses and 632 souls; there are 953a. 3r. 9p. of land, with a strong soil lying upon the limestone; the land rises into bold swelling hills. The tithes are commuted for £82. 15s. 8d., of which £74. 5s. 8d. are apportioned to the bishop and dean of St. Asaph, £5. 13s. 4d. to the vicar of Llansilin, and £2. 16s. 8d. to the vicar of Oswestry. The Earl of Powis is lord of the manor, Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, Bart., is the principal land owner. The church, a plain structure of stone, was built in 1821, and enlarged in the year 1828, when 95 additional sittings were obtained. The service is performed alternately in the Welsh and English languages. The living is a perpetual curacy returned at £85 in the patronage of Earl Powis and incumbency of the Rev. David Lloyd, M.A. In the last thirty years 836 burials have been registered here. The parochial school has an attendance of 65 children. It is supported by subscriptions, charity sermons, and a small charge from each scholar attending the school. The Independents have a neat chapel here built in 1832. The Welsh Calvinistic Methodists have also a chapel built of stone called “Carmel.” There are Sunday schools connected with the several places of worship, which are numerously attended.

Davies Edward, farmer, lime master, and maltster

Davies Morris, shopkeeper

Dolbey Mrs., gentlewoman

Ginder John, Esq.

Gittins Edward, farmer

Howel John, brick and tile maker, The Cottage

Hughes Evan, vict., The Eel Inn and charter master, Coal Works

Hughes John, schoolmaster and parish clerk

Lloyd Rev. David, M.A., incumbent

Probert John, farmer and lime master

Smout Jane, farmer

Stoakes Edward, farmer and maltster

Thomas Mary, farmer

Thomas John, farmer

Thomas William, farmer

Tudor Samuel, farmer

Watkins Thomas, shoemaker

Williams John, farmer and lime master

WESTON COTTON,

situated one and a half mile S.S. by E. from Oswestry, is a small township, having in 1841 49 houses and 361 inhabitants. The turnpike road from Oswestry to Welshpool, and the Morda Stream intersects the township; the latter is here crossed by a stone bridge. The land owners are Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart.; Mrs. Lloyd; John Croxon, Esq.; Mrs. Parker; Henry Warren, Esq.; Mr. Edward Peat, and Mr. John Warren. Earl Powis claims the manorial rights. Belle View, the residence of William Banning, Esq., is a neat and pleasantly situated mansion in this township. The House of Industry will be found noticed at a preceding page.

Banning William, Esq., Belle View

Davies Francis, shopkeeper

Griffiths, Jones and Co., corn millers and factors, Morda

Hayward Joseph, farmer

Hayward Joseph, jun., farmr

Hughes John, Paper Mills, agent, Morda

Jones Thomas, paper manufacturer, Morda

Minnitt Mr. Thomas, bookkeeper, Morda

Morris Edward, corn factor and commission agent

Morris Mr. Thomas, Morda House

Morris Thomas, wheelwright

Lea Job, Weston corn mills

Peate Ed., miller & farmer

Phillips Griffiths, shopkeepr

Poole Richard, farmer and butcher

Price William, schoolmaster

Roberts Benjamin, Morda corn mills

WOOTON

is a small village and township, three and a quarter miles S.E. from Oswestry, bounded on the east by the Shropshire union canal; there is a wharf near the Queen’s Head Inn, not far from which the townships of Ashton, Wooton, and Twyford converge. At the census of 1841 here were 29 houses and 162 inhabitants. The tithes are commuted for £167. 2s. 4d., the impropriators Mrs. Lloyd receives £136. 1s. 3d., and Lady Tyrwhitt £19. To the vicar of Oswestry was also apportioned £12. 1s. 1d.

Directory.—Farmers: John Jones, Thomas Roberts, Thomas Williams, and Wm. Windsor; Francis Dodd, beerhouse; John Evans, blacksmith; John James, vict., Queen’s Head; John Jones, provision and coal dealer; Richard Jones, shoemaker; Thomas Lacon, shoemaker; Edward Kynaston, wheelwright; Richard Thomas, gamekeeper to Mrs. Lloyd.

Ruyton of the Eleven Towns is a parish, containing the six townships of Cotton, Eardiston, Ruyton of the Eleven Towns, Shelvock, Shotatton, and Wikey, all situated in the lower division of the hundred of Oswestry, and altogether comprising an area of 3,991 acres of land. In 1801, the number of inhabitants was 720; in 1831, 933; and in 1841, 1,083, and 216 houses. George Edwards, Esq. is lord of the manor. The soil is a mixture of loam and sand, producing good wheat and barley. There is also some fertile grazing land. The farms are in some instances of considerable extent, and are provided with good houses and commodious outbuildings.

RUYTON OF THE ELEVEN TOWNS

is a place of great antiquity, and though now considered as a village only, it was formerly a borough of honourable account. “Edmund, Earl of Arundel, in the 5th of Edward II., obtained a grant of a market on a Wednesday at his manor of Ruiton, in the Marches of Wales, and a fair to be kept yearly, on the eve of the day of St. John the Baptist, and for three days following.” The charter is confirmed by Richard II. and Henry VI., and grants that the burgesses may have certain customs and laws as freely as the burgesses of Shrewsbury. Fairs are held the second Monday in April, July 5th, and second Monday in November. The market has long been obsolete. Ruyton is pleasantly situated two and a half miles west from the Baschurch railway station, ten miles N.W. from Shrewsbury, and nine miles S.E. from Oswestry. The township contains 1,717a. 3r. 22p. of land, and in 1841 there were 142 houses and 658 souls. Rateable value, £1,865. 4s. 5d. The land rises into bold swelling hills, thickly studded with plantations, and watered by the river Perry. The following are the freeholders in this township:—Samuel Bickerton, Esq.; Robert Broughton, Esq.; Robert S. Comberbach; John Comberbach; George Davies; Edward Davies; Mrs. Edwards; Rev. George Evans; Richard Griffiths; Thomas Griffiths; David Hiles; Thomas Hall; the Hon. Ths. Kenyon; John Kough, Esq.; Henry Kent; Edward Leeke; Miss Middleton; Saml. Minton; Richard Minton; Robert Peel; John Price; William Rodgers; John Thomas; and John Walford, Esq.

The Church, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, has been built at different periods. The chancel is very ancient, and the tower is massive and lofty. The south side of the fabric was built about the year 1696, and the north side was re-built and enlarged in 1845, when 96 additional sittings were obtained, which, in consequence of a grant from the Incorporated Society for building and enlarging churches, the whole are declared free and unappropriated for ever. Previous to the alterations there were 294 sittings, of which 30 were free. The body of the church has a double pitched roof, supported by lofty pointed arches, and the ceiling is of dark oak, which gives the interior of the edifice a very interesting appearance. There are several neat mural monuments to the families of Kinaston, Hunt, Evans, and others. The Kinastons were formerly numerous in the parish. In the churchyard are some fine tombs, beautifully chiselled, remembering some of the principal families who were formerly residents in the parish. The living is a vicarage, valued in the King’s book at £5. 18s., now returned at £313. The patronage is vested in the Lord Chancellor. Rev. George Evans, M.A., is the incumbent, and resides at the vicarage, which is pleasantly situated on an eminence. The tithes were commuted in 1839, when £94 was apportioned to the vicar, and £105 to the impropriators. There are 44a. 1r. 11p. of glebe land. The National School, a good building, with a residence for the teacher, was built in 1819, by subscription, and a grant of £60 from the National Society. It is endowed with £438. 11s. 10d., of which £200 is secured on the Oswestry House of Industry, and £238. 11s. 10d. are invested in government securities, Mrs. Margaret and Mrs. Anne Kinaston gave the site, and left £20 towards the repairs of the school. The Independents have a neat chapel and a residence for the minister, built in 1833. The congregation is under the pastoral care of the Rev. David Harris. The Primitive Methodists have also a chapel here. There is a small Lock-up in the village. The following are the principal houses in the township:—Ruyton Park, the residence of the Hon. Charles Nowell Hill; the Villa, a modern erection of brick, the residence of Robert Broughton, Esq.; west from the church is the residence of R. S. Comberbach, Esq.; the Hall, a pleasantly situated house with projecting gables, is occupied by the Rev. L. Slater, the officiating minister; the residence and boarding school of the Rev. David Harris, lies nearly a mile north-west from the church; the residence of Samuel Harmon, Esq., is also a good house.

Post Office.—At Mary Cooper’s. Letters arrive from Shrewsbury at 9.45 A.M., and are despatched at 4 P.M.

Alexander Elizabeth, farmer

Benbow Joseph, vict., Admiral Benbow Inn

Bickerton Samuel, farmer, Park

Bickley Miss, dress maker

Broughton Robert, surgeon, The Villa

Bullock Richard, corn miller and baker

Brown John, farmer

Comberbach Charles, farmer

Comberbach John, corn miller, New Mills

Comberbach Robert Suker, Esq.

Comberbach Thomas R., grocer and draper

Cooper James and Mrs., National School teachers

Cooper Mary, postmistress

Cooper Sarah, farmer

Cooper William, saddler and harness maker

Cooper William, bailiff

Corden Thomas, farmer, The Lawn

Croft John M., surgeon, The Cottage

Davies George, shoemaker

Davies Robert, butcher

Evans Rev. George, M.A., The Vicarage

Evans Mrs., gentlewoman

Fisher Charles, inland revenue officer

Foulkes Joseph, joiner and cabinet maker

Foulkes Joseph, farrier and horse breaker

Griffiths David, blacksmith

Griffiths Richard, farmer

Griffiths Richard, maltster and shopkeeper

Harmon Samuel, Esq.

Harris Rev. David, boarding school

Harris John, farmer, The Hill

Hiles Richard, maltster

Hill Hon. Charles Nowell, Ruyton Park

Jones George, farmer

Jones John, wheelwright

Jones Mrs., dressmaker

Jones Robert, saddler and harness maker

Jones Robert, quarry master, Queen’s court

Leek Edward, shoemaker

Llawalling Mary, vict., Talbot Inn

Lloyd John and Son, blacksmiths

Maddocks Thomas, farmer

Minton Mr., assistant overseer

Minton Thomas Rowland, butcher

Minton William Rowland, machine manufacturer

Morris Edward, shoemaker

Morris John, shoemaker

Morris Thomas, farmer

Parry William, mason

Pickering Miss

Price John, brazier and painter

Price Mary, draper and bonnet maker

Price William, tailor and draper

Roberts John, farmer

Slater Rev. Leonard, M.A., The Hall

Stant Thomas, builder and contractor

Thomas John, bricklayer

Stokes Joseph, cooper and undertaker

Tanswell Henry, hairdresser

Taylor John, carrier to Shrewsbury

Tomlinson Edward, wheelwright

Tomlinson Edward, farmer

Tomlinson Miss, dress maker

Timmis Lydia, vict., Commercial Inn

Timmis Thomas, farmer and maltster

Timmis Thomas, jun., farmer, The Hill

Vaughan William, farmer, The Lodge

Wace Charles R., solicitor, office, Powis Arms

Wilde Robert M., tailor, Blackbow hill

COTTON

(usually called Coton), a small township, salubriously situated, one and a quarter mile S.W. from Ruyton, contains 233a. 2r. 9p. of land, and at the census of 1841 had one house and 14 inhabitants. Rateable value, £181. 15s. 9d. The tithes were commuted in 1847, when £10. 15s. was apportioned to the vicar, and £40 to the impropriator, George Edwards, Esq. Mr. Thomas Thomas is the principal landowner, and occupies all the land in the township.

EARDISTON,

a village pleasantly situated two and a half miles west from Ruyton, contains some good residences. The township is bounded by the London and Holyhead turnpike road, and has 705a. 0r. 25p. of land, the soil of which is mostly a stiff loam, with a portion of sand. In 1841 here were 26 houses and 160 inhabitants. Rateable value, £977. 4s. 6d. The landowners are the Hon. Thomas Kenyon; Thomas Basnett Oswell, Esq.; Mr. Thomas Wilkinson; Mr. John Wilkinson; Mrs. Cureton; Mr. Menlove; and a few smaller proprietors. The vicarial tithes were commuted for £61 in 1847, when £120 was apportioned to the impropriators. There is a school here, where about thirty children attend. The Hon. Thomas Kenyon gives a yearly sum of £15 towards the support of the school, in consideration of which twenty children are taught free.

Directory.—The Hon. Thomas Kenyon, The Pradoe; William Dovaston, tailor; John Edwards, farmer; Joseph Edwards, grocer and vict., Barley Mow; Joseph Evans, jun., mole catcher; William Gydvill, butcher; John Jones, farmer; Thomas Basnett Oswell, Esq., Eardiston House; John Pearce, blacksmith; Thomas Williams, maltster and farmer; Thomas Wilkinson, farmer.

SHELVOCK

township contains 324a. 3r. 30p. of land, and is situated two miles and a quarter S.W. by W. from Ruyton. Buckley Owen, Esq., is the land owner and impropriator. In 1841 here were two houses and sixteen inhabitants. Rateable value, £341. 7s. 9d. The principal residents here are Buckley Owen, Esq., John Morris, farmer, and John Hughes, farm bailiff and woodranger to B. Owen, Esq.

SHOTATTON,

a scattered village in the parish of Ruyton, two miles and a quarter S.W. by W. from the church, in 1841 had 14 houses and 84 inhabitants. The township has 850a. 3r. 1p. of land, of which 730a. 1r. 37p. are arable, 101a. 1r. 6p. meadow, and 26a. 3r. 38p. are in woods and plantations. The soil is of a light sandy nature. Rateable value, £748. 15s. 5d. John Arthur Lloyd, Esq., owns the whole township. The tithes were commuted in 1838, when £30. 18s. were apportioned to the Vicar of Great Ness, £15. 9s. to the Vicar of Ruyton, £93 to the late Countess of Bridgewater, £11. 17s. 6d. to R. A. Slaney, Esq., M.P., £33. 10s. to J. A. Lloyd, Esq., and £1. 17s. 6d. to several smaller impropriators.

The principal residents are Samuel Bickerton, Esq.; Joseph Humphreys, farmer, Handley Hall; Robert Lee, farmer; Robert Wall, farmer; Samuel and Joseph Briscoe, blacksmiths and agricultural implement makers; Samuel Briscoe, registrar for the Knockin district; and John Lloyd, wheelwright.

WIKEY, OR WYKEY,

a township, two miles west from Ruyton, has 869a. 1r. 38p. of land, 31 scattered houses, and 151 inhabitants. The soil is a mixture of peat and loamy sand. Rateable value, £800. 4s. 3d. The landowners are John Basnett, Esq.; Richard Oswell, Esq.; T. B. Oswell, Esq.; Mrs. Richards; Mrs. Cureton; William Price, Esq.; and the devisees of the late Mr. Humphreys. The tithes were commuted in 1847, when £50. 8s. were awarded to the Vicar of Ruyton, £20 to John Basnett, £3. 10s. to Thomas B. Oswell, Esq., £25 to William B. Oswell, Esq., and £25 to Richard B. Oswell, Esq. The Chester and Shrewsbury railway intersects the township. The residents are John Basnett, Esq., The Hall; John Humphreys, farmer; Richard B. Oswell, Esq.; Thomas B. Oswell, Esq.; Edward Jones, blacksmith; and William Morgan, shoemaker.

SELATTYN

is a parish on the N.W. verge of the county, bordering on Shropshire, comprising the townships of Upper and Lower Porkington, and containing 5,437 acres of land. In 1801 the parish embraced a population of 701 souls; in 1831, 1,143; and in 1841 there were 241 houses and 1,128 inhabitants, of whom 556 were males, and 572 females. The village of Selattyn lies on an acclivity, three miles N.N.W. from Oswestry, and consists of a few detached houses near to the church. The rest of the population reside in dwellings which are scattered throughout the parish. To the north and west of the village, a bleak and mountainous district stretches to the extremity of the county. The principal landowners are William Ormsby Gore, Esq., M.P.; Thos. George Warrington Carew, Esq.; John Wynn Eyton, Esq.; John Povey, Esq.; Richard Henry Kinchant, Esq.; Mrs. Lloyd; Richard Lewis, Esq.; Thos. Jones, Esq.; Thomas Lovett, Esq.; Mr. John Williams; Mr. John Edwards; Mr. Richard Jones; Messrs. Gilpin and Owen; and the trustees of Shrewsbury Grammar School; besides whom are several other proprietors.

The Church is a plain cruciform structure, with a square tower, and is dedicated to St. Mary. A small organ was added in 1847, at a cost of £70. The Rev. Thomas Edwards, who died in the year 1800, is remembered on a neat tablet. The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £12. 9s. 7d., in the patronage of Mrs. Lloyd, and enjoyed by the Rev. Albany Rosendale Lloyd, M.A. The tithes were commuted in 1840 for £813. James Wildig, one of the assembly of divines, and the Rev. Henry Sacheverall, D.D., remarkable for their different principles, were rectors of Selattyn. A Chapel of Ease, dedicated to St. Barnabas, was opened for divine service on June 11th, 1850, at Hengoed. It is a small edifice, in the early English style, with nave and chancel, and has a chaste and neat appearance. The cost of the structure was about £500, which was raised by subscription, to which the rector was a liberal contributor. The Rev. Thomas Lewis Lewis is the officiating minister. Previous to the erection of this chapel there was a small place of worship here, which has since been converted into a school, where about fifty children are educated. The Free or Parochial School is situated a short distance from the parish church, where about 100 boys are educated. There is also a girls’ school, where 40 children are instructed. Mr. William Cullis, the teacher, is writing master to the juvenile branches of the royal family, and has published a small school book, which has had a large circulation. (For the endowment, see “Charities.”) The village is supplied with an abundance of excellent water, by means of a Water Ram Fountain, which was placed on the road side, at the sole expense of the rector, in the year 1847. The water is brought from a distance of about 1,000 feet, and rises 100 feet in perpendicular height. There are lime works on the western verge of the parish. About half a mile W. by N. from the church is a tower, upon the lofty summit of a hill, which is a conspicuous object for many miles. It was built by the Rev. Gerald Carew, and has the following inscription:—

GORSEDD ORWYNION.
It is recorded in the poems of the aged Prince and Bard, Llywarch-hen,
that in the 7th century, from
this spot he saw his son Gwen slain in a battle
between the Britons and Saxons, on the brook Morlas below.
Oedd gwr-vy-mÂb oedd ddysgywen hawl
Ar ryd VorlÂs-y-llass Gwen.

A sepulchral urn, containing bones, was found underneath this tower, A.D. 1847.

From the tower a most beautiful panoramic view of the fertile plains of Shropshire is seen towards the south-east, and in the opposite direction the bold and picturesque scenery of the counties of Denbigh and Montgomery open to view. Porkington, the seat of William Ormsby Gore, Esq., M.P., lies about a mile N.W. from Oswestry. This plane takes its name from Brogyntyn, an old castle of the Welsh princes, which stood in the neighbouring grounds, and was surrounded by a deep fosse, which may still be traced. Porkington is a Grecian edifice, with an elegant portico. The park is extensive, and has a fine undulating surface, richly adorned with timber, and the prospects are extensive, varied, and beautiful. Pentre-pant Hall is a handsome residence, in a sequestered situation about two miles south from Selattyn; the hall is elegantly furnished, and the grounds beautifully wooded. It is the property of Thomas George Warrington Carew, Esq., and residence of the Rev. Gerald Carew. The Derwen is a neat house, S.E. from Selattyn, the residence and property of John Povey, Esq. The Rectory is a pleasantly situated house, a little south from the church.

Charities.—John Hanmer, D.D., bishop of St. Asaph, by will, 1628, gave the inheritance and fee-simple of his tenement in Selattyn to the use of the poor of the parish.

Charles Morris, in 1721, bequeathed £500 in trust, and directed the amount to be laid out in the purchase of lands, and out of the yearly proceeds thereof 20s. to be paid yearly for a sermon on Candlemas-day, and the residue to be employed for the maintenance of the poor charity children and other poor persons of this parish. The legacy was laid out in the purchase of land soon after the death of the testator, but there are no title deeds now to be found in the parish relating thereto, and that it is so intermixed with the property devised by Bishop Hanmer that it would now be difficult to distinguish them. The whole estate consists of 53a. 3r., including 18 acres of allotment, and about one rood of ground, obtained by exchange with Mr. John Edwards. The estate produces £60. 5s. per annum, to which is added 4s. yearly, the moiety of rent due to this parish from certain land left by J. R. Powell. There is a school and school-house on the premises, devised by Bishop Hanmer, the former of which was built in 1812. The Rev. G. N. K. Lloyd, the rector, contributed £100 towards this building, on condition that he, and the successors to his property in this parish, should have the privilege of sending to the school six poor children resident in, though not belonging to, the parish, to be taught free. The school at Hengoed was built upon land given by G. H. Carew, Esq., principally at the expense of the rector, who gave £200, expressly upon the condition that the children of all poor residents in the parish should be admitted to both the schools.

Colonel Owen charged certain lands, which now form part of the Porkington estate, with the payment of £6 yearly to the poor of this parish. A yearly sum of £10 is now paid by Mrs. Gore to the rector, who distributes the amount in sums varying from 5s. to 10s.

Mrs. Margaret Ormsby, by her will, dated 25th February, 1805, requested those who should succeed her in the Porkington estate, to distribute £20 annually among poor persons in the neighbourhood. In compliance with this request, the daughter of the testatrix gives £20 yearly among the most deserving poor.

Carew Rev. Gerald, Pentre-pant Hall

Cullis William, schoolmaster

Drury Richard, farmer, Mardon

Edwards Mr. John, Tower hill

Edwards John, farmer, Fron

Edwards Richard, farmer, Pentre

David Edwards Richard, farmer, Underhill

Edwards Richard, corn miller, Oak Mill

Evans John, farmer, Paradwys

Evans John, farmer, Ty-cock

Fenna Richard, farmer, Gyrn

Gore William Ormsby, Esq., M.P., Porkington Hall

Hales Sarah, farmer, Cerny-bwch

Harding Mr. Frederick, Fron Lodge

Holland James, carpenter, builder & farmer, Peny-bont

Hughes Edward, farmer, Park Farm

Jackson George, farmer and butcher, Pentre-clawdd

Jones Isaac, blacksmith, Pant-glass

Jones John, farmer, Birch House

Jones John, farmer, Forrest

Jones John, farmer, Five Cross Lanes

Jones John, blacksmith, Pentrewerne

Jones John, wheelwright

Jones Thomas, farmer, White House

Kenrick Elizabeth, vict., Hart and Trumpet

Lewis Mrs. Letitia

Lewis Margaret, shopkeeper

Lewis Richard, farmer, Pentrewerne Cottage

Lewis Rev. Thomas Lewis, curate, Hengoed

Lloyd Mrs. Ann, Nant Issa

Lloyd Rev. Albany Rosendale, M.A., Rectory

M’Kie W. H., agent to W. O. Gore, Esq., Scybar Issa

Meredith Humphrey, farmer, Pentre David

Morgan George, farmer, Springs

Morgan Joseph, farmer, Tyng-drain

Newstead Mary, school teacher, Hengoed

Nicholas Thomas, parish clerk, assistant overseer, and collector of assessed taxes

Peate Robert, farmer, Pentre clawdd

Povey John, Esq., The Derwen

Roberts Edward, farmer

Roberts John, maltster & vict., Cross Keys

Roberts Robert, shopkeeper

Sands Hugh, farmer, Cross lanes

Sands Thomas, farmer, Craignant

Thomas David, farmer, Llawry-pant, Ucha

Thomas John, corn miller

Thomas John, farmer, Penrhos

Thompson Thomas, farmer, Crown house

Vaughan Edward, farmer, Nantucha

Williams David, farmer, Pentrewerne

Williams Edmund & Thos., corn millers

Williams Richard, farmer, New Barn

Williams Samuel, farmer, Fron

Williams George, farmer, Grouse Lodge

Williams Peter, farmer, Selattyn Lodge

Williams Richard, blacksmith & beerhouse

Whitehurst John, Esq., Marddu

Wynn William Williams Edward, Esq., Sion House

SYCHTYN

is a township in the parish of Llansilin, with a scattered population, in a bleak and mountainous district, five miles S.S. by W. from Oswestry. The rest of this parish is included in the county of Denbigh. The township contains 1,414 acres of land, and in 1841 had 55 houses and 251 inhabitants. Rateable value, £907. 1s. 6d. The principal landowners are Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart.; John Wynn Eyton, Esq.; the Earl of Liverpool; Thomas Fitzhough, Esq.; Richard Morris, Esq.; and Messrs. Poole and Haslam. The Earl of Powis is lord of the manor. The tithes have been commuted, and £96. 15s. awarded to the Bishop of St. Asaph, to whom Robert Owen Tudor, Esq., is the lessee; £2 to the vicar of Llansilin, and £1. 7s. to the parish clerk of Llansilin. There are extensive limestone quarries in this township, and large quantities are annually burnt into lime, and used for agricultural purposes. The Independents and Welsh Methodists have each a small chapel in this township.

Davies Edward, farmer

Davies Edward, collector of rates

Davies Evan, farmer

Davies Richard, farmer

Edwards Edward, farmer

Griffiths John, farmer

Hughes Margaret, farmer

Jones Edward, lime burner and victualler, New Inn

Jones John, farmer and lime burner

Morris Richard, Esq., Pentre-cefn

Rees John, butcher

Richards Hugh, farmer and lime burner

Roberts Thomas, blacksmith

Roberts William, farmer

Rodenhurst John, farmer

Tudor Thomas, farmer

Williams John, farmer

parish includes the townships of West Felton, Haughton, Rednall, Sandford, Sutton, Tedsmore, Twyford, and Woolston, together comprising 5,989a. 2r. 9p. of land, the soil of which is a mixture of sand and loam. The meadows produce a fine herbage, and being intersected by the river Perry, which, frequently overflowing its banks, and covering hundreds of acres, produces the greatest fertility and luxuriance. In 1801 the parish contained 926 inhabitants; in 1831, 1,093; and in 1841, 1,087. Rateable value, £8,314. 14s. George Edwards, Esq., is lord of the manor. The tithes were commuted in 1838 for the sum of £1,008.

WEST FELTON

is a well built village and township, intersected by the Holyhead and London turnpike road, five miles S.E. from Oswestry and thirteen N.W. from Shrewsbury. In the village are some good houses, and the immediate vicinity is a rich farming district, in which are scattered several neat villa residences. The township contains 800a. 3r. 15p. of productive arable and pasture land, having a loamy soil with a mixture of sand. In 1841 here were 43 houses and 214 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,285. 10s. The principal landowners are John Freeman Dovaston, Esq.; Rev. Peter George Bentley; Edward Frank, Esq.; Thomas Frank, Esq.; Rev. Thomas Hunt; executors of the late R. L. Murray, Esq.; Mrs. Duckett; Mr. Richard Fardoe; Mr. John Brookfield; George Withers Edwards, Esq.; Mr. John Hopkin; Mr. Edward Rodgers; and Messrs. Sides.

The Church, dedicated to St. Michael, a handsome structure in the decorative style of English architecture, consists of nave, chancel, and side aisle, the latter being separated from the nave by lofty Norman arches, rising from circular pillars; the floor of the nave and chancel are ornamented with encaustic tiles of beautiful design, and the communion table and two chairs are of oak, elaborately carved. In 1842 the structure was enlarged and renovated at a cost of upwards of £600, which was raised by subscriptions and grants from the diocesan and incorporated societies, in consequence of which 202 additional sittings were added, and 58 were declared free and unappropriated for ever. The east end of the sacred building is beautified by two stained glass windows, one the gift of the Hon. Thomas Kenyon, and the other the gift of the Hon. Mrs. Kenyon and the junior members of the family. They exhibit a masterly display of workmanship, and were executed by Evans, of Shrewsbury. The stone work was the gift of the Rev. Mr. Hunt. The window on the north side, over the entrance door, has fine representations of Moses and Aaron, and was the gift of Viscount Dungannon. The roof of the church is of dark oak, beautifully designed; and the whole has a chaste and elegant appearance. It is ornamented with a square tower, in which are three bells. The living is a rectory, valued in the King’s book at £20. 12s. 6d., now returned at £1,032. The patronage is vested in the Earl of Craven. The Rev. Thomas Hunt, M.A., is the incumbent. The tithes of this township are commuted for £127. 5s. 3d. The Rectory, a commodious brick edifice near the east end of the church, beautified with pleasure grounds and shrubberies, has been much improved by the present incumbent. There is a free school near the church.

West Felton House, the residence of the Rev. P. G. Bentley, M.A., is a delightful mansion, pleasantly situated and ornamented with pleasure grounds tastefully laid out. The Manor House is a commodious mansion of great antiquity, the property and residence of Mr. Thomas Frank. Near the house is a mound, surrounded by a deep moat; tradition says a building formerly stood on the summit. The Shropshire union canal intersects the township, and there is a railway station at Rednal, about two miles from West Felton. The county constabulary have a station here: Mr. Robert Jones is the superintendent, and there are eight constables stationed in the adjacent district.

Charities.—George Iveson, in 1616, bequeathed a rent charge of 40s. per annum for the use of the poor. John Edwards gave 20s. per annum for the same object in 1686. These two gifts are paid from land at Osbaston, belonging to Mr. Price. Joseph Withers, in 1731, directed a yearly sum of £2 to be paid out of the rent of his tenement in Moreton, to the poor of this parish. A sum of £125, derived from different benefactors, is secured upon the tolls of the Holyhead road, by an instrument bearing date 18th January, 1762. The interest, £6. 5s. per annum, with 5s. yearly paid by a farmer at Llan Rhaiadyr for an encroachment, are carried to one account with the produce of the preceding charities, making in the whole £11. 7s. 10d. The amount is given one year to the poor residing in the township, and the next year to the poor residing out of it. Mary Jones, in 1758, charged certain lands in Tedsmere with the payment of £5 per annum for the benefit of the poor, and a further sum of 10s. 6d. yearly to the minister, provided he preach a sermon in the parish church of Felton on the 12th of September. Sarah Owen, by will 1764, gave to the minister and churchwardens £200 in trust, to distribute the interest (with the approbation of the owner of Woodhouse for the time being) among poor and indigent persons. This legacy is secured on the Oswestry house of industry.

Post Office.—At Mr. Thomas Roberts’s. Letters arrive at 6.30 A.M., and are despatched at 6.40 P.M.

Bentley Rev. Peter George, Felton house

Davies George, farmer and butcher

Davies John, saddler and harness maker

Duckett Mrs., The Villa

Edwards William, farmer

Evans John, farmer

Evans Mrs. Margaret, Hall farm

Evans Thomas, farmer

Fardoe Richard, farmer

Fox Thomas, farmer and carrier

Frank Thomas, farmer, Manor house

Hampton William, farmer

Hollis Edward, farmer

Hopkin John, shopkeeper

Howell William, farmer and road surveyor

Hunt Rev. Thomas, M.A., The Rectory

Jones Edward, farmer and maltster

Jones John, farmer, The Cross

Lloyd Edward, vict., Fox and Hounds

Lloyd Edward, blacksmith

Murray Miss Lathrop, Felton hall

Pugh John, shoemaker

Roberts Thomas, overseer and vict., the Lion

Roberts Thomas, farmer & assistant overseer

Rogers Edward, farmer and tailor

Vaughan William, builder and stone mason

HAUGHTON,

a township two miles N.E. from West Felton, contains 1,010a. 3r. 22p. of land, chiefly low fertile meadows, frequently flooded by the river Perry overflowing its banks. In 1841 here were 38 houses and 212 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,482. 3s. The principle landowners are Mr. Thomas Austin, Mr. Thomas Briscoe, Mr. William Prue, Mr. John Roberts, Mr. John Vaughan, and Mr. Thomas Vaughan; besides whom are several other freeholders. The tithes are commuted for £163. 16s. 4d. The Chester and Shrewsbury railway intersects the township. A superior freestone for building purposes is got here. The Primitive Methodists have a small chapel in the village.

The Farmers in Haughton are William Humphreys, Robert Large, Thomas Minshall, Charles Peacock, William Prue, and Joseph Vaughan. There is also a farm held by the family of the late Robert Rogers. The other residents are Thomas Austin, tailor; John Kynaston, wheelwright; and John Vaughan, blacksmith.

REDNAL, OR REDNALL,

a township two and a quarter miles from West Felton, with a scattered population, contains 1,566a. 1r. 23p. of land, and in 1841 had 24 houses and 140 inhabitants. The soil is chiefly a strong fertile loam, with a mixture of clay, producing good wheat and barley. On the low lands, near the banks of the river Perry, which forms the boundary of the township, is some good grazing land, some parts of which are occasionally flooded. William Mostyn Owen, Esq., owns the land. The tithes are commuted for £233. 4s. The Ellesmere and Queenshead turnpike road crosses the township, and the Shrewsbury and Chester railway has a station here, which is two miles distant from West Felton. Woodhouse is a beautiful mansion of white freestone, the seat of William Mostyn Owen, Esq., delightfully situated on a gentle eminence, commanding fine views, and surrounded by park-like grounds beautifully wooded. The mansion is approached by a noble portico, supported by four circular columns; and there is a fine avenue of beech and other trees on the south side of the park.

Directory.—William Mostyn Owen, Esq., Woodhouse. Farmers: Thomas Cartwright, the Buildings; Edward Humphreys, the Old Mill; Edward Meredith; William Meredith; John Thomas, the Leys; and Robert Williams, Lower Lees. James Adams, station master; Paul Briscoe, blacksmith; Robert Brookfield, slater; Moses Tomlinson, shopkeeper.

SANDFORD,

a small township comprising 719a. 0r. 34p., of land, situate one and a half mile from West Felton, in 1841 had 18 houses and 92 inhabitants; the soil is of a light nature, producing good wheat, barley, and turnips. The chief landowners are Samuel Bickerton, Esq., Mr. Thomas Beamand, and Mr. Abraham Hancox. Rateable value of the township, £876. 15s. The tithes are commuted for the sum of £132. 15s. Sandford Hall is a well built modern erection of brick, the present occupier of which is highly respected as a spirited farmer and grazier, and noted for his zeal in advocating the cause of protection to native industry. Near to the hall is a large pool of water. There is a fox cover in the township. The principal residents are Thomas Beamand, gentleman; Samuel Bickerton, Esq., The Hall; Edward Goff, farmer; Abraham Hancox, farmer; Edward Kent, farmer; Richard Clarke, wheelwright; Edward Evans, corn miller.

SUTTON

township lies four and a half miles S.E. from Oswestry, and one and a half mile from Weston Felton, near the Rednal railway station. In 1841 here were 31 houses and 135 inhabitants; the township comprises 664a. 3r. 22p. of land, the owners of which are Mr. Edward Edwards, Mr. John Edwards, Messrs. Sides, Mr. John Manford, Mr. William Duckett, and the executors of late Mr. Croxon. The tithes were commuted in 1838 for £116. 7s. 9d. Rateable value of the township, £810. 17s. Sutton Hall, an ancient edifice pleasantly situated on an eminence, has had additions from time to time made, and of late years has been much modernized. Grimpo is a hamlet consisting of well built houses, and being near the parish of Weston Felton, a commodious school has been erected, with a residence for the teacher; it was built by subscriptions, and the site was given by William Mostyn Owen, Esq.; it is supported by a few benevolent individuals, and a small charge from each of the scholars; the average attendance is about eighty scholars. The Independents have a chapel at Grimpo, built in 1831.

Sutton and Grimpo Directory.—George Dawes Brittain, The Hall; James Hargreaves, Esq., The Hall; Edward Furmston, farmer, Grimpo; William Manford, farmer, Sutton farm; Thomas Morgan, farmer; John Morgan, farmer and parish clerk; William Walton, farmer; John Morgan, schoolmaster; Edward Parkes, butcher; Edward Vaughan, builder and farmer.

TEDSMERE,

one mile east from West Felton, is a township with 383a. 3r. 39p. of land, having in 1841 17 houses and 87 inhabitants; the chief part of the land is grass, and in large enclosures. Rateable value, £551. 18s. The tithes are commuted for £63. 10s. 6d. T. B. B. Owen, Esq., and Joseph Pemberton, are the landowners. Tedsmere Hall, the seat of Thomas Bulkeley Bulkeley Owen, Esq., is a handsome stone structure, on a considerable elevation, commanding a fine view of the vale beneath, and of the bold mountainous district of North Wales. The front and portico of the hall are now being rebuilt of white free stone. A superior quality of free stone found in this township is much used for ornamental building, the quarries are extensively worked, and blocks of immense size are frequently raised. The principal residents here are Thomas Bulkeley Bulkeley Owen, Esq., The Hall; John Cureton, farmer; John Thrumpston, farmer; John Williams, farmer, Bentley marsh; and John Smith, butcher.

TWYFORD,

a small township adjoining West Felton, and four and a half miles south from Oswestry, intersected by the Holyhead turnpike road, and the Shropshire union canal, contains 341a. 3r. 9p. of land, and in 1841 had 29 houses and 110 inhabitants. The freeholders are J. F. M. Dovaston, Esq.; Mr. Edward Downes, Mr. John Brookfield, Mr. Richard Lloyd, Mr. William Manford, and Mr. Isaac Ratcliff. The land is of good quality, an undulating district, and well wooded. Rateable value, £598. 3s. Rent charge, £56. 16s. 7d.

The Nursery is the elegant seat of John Freeman Milward Dovaston, Esq., barrister, a gentleman of classical learning, high genius, ardent benevolence, and indeed possessed of every estimable quality which adorns the mind. It is deeply to be regretted that Mr. Dovaston has not been able to leave his bed for several years. It may be said that he has inherited the virtues of his father, John Dovaston, Esq., a gentleman of learning, science, and ingenuity, who died March 31st, 1808. He was born of humble parents, who lived on their small estate at West Felton. “He was taught to read by an old woman in the village, and that was the whole of his education; every other acquirement which he afterwards possessed in so eminent a degree was entirely his own. He was the eldest son of seven, all of whom he brought up to respectable professions. From his father he received his little estate, swallowed up by mortgages, which he redeemed at a very early period of life, by two voyages to the West Indies, and afterwards considerably increased by prudence and industry. Though he left scarcely any science untouched, his turn of mind was principally directed to antiquities, natural philosophy, music, mechanics, and planting; of the first he left a large collection of manuscripts, historical observations relating to Shropshire and the Welsh borders; on druidical relics, tracing traditional vulgar errors from the remote times of superstition. In mechanics he left a set of philosophical and musical instruments made by his own hands, and just before his death he projected an orrery to show the satellites on a new method. In planting he has clothed the country around him with forest and fruit trees, all raised and grafted with his own hands; and his villa (which from his fondness for planting he called “The Nursery”), is laid out with much taste and rural elegance. He was well versed in the Hebrew, Anglo-Saxon, and Latin tongues, and had some knowledge of Greek. His reading was very extensive, his mind vigorous, and his application intense. He was remarked for the plainness of his dress, yet his person always appeared dignified, and his manners were courteous and gentlemanly. He was fond of a cheerful glass, remarkably communicative and sociable, full of facetious anecdote, which he had a singularly agreeable manner of imparting. To the very last day of his life he rose at five, it being one of his maxims always to get start of the sun. Though he lived to the age of 68 years, it was the opinion of his medical friends that his excessive and laborious application of mind and body brought a somewhat premature decay. In his youth he was the close friend of Shenstone, to whose memory he was always much attached. On his death bed he spoke to his son these remarkable words:—‘Jack, I believe in my soul it has pleased God to prosper all my undertakings; my lad, be honest, and you will be independent; be liberal, and you will be esteemed; deserve God’s blessing, and you will be happy.’”

Dovaston John Freeman Milward, Esq., The Nursery

Brookfield John, painter, plumber, & glazier

Davies John, farmer

Downes Edward, Esq., Twyford House

Duckett William, Esq., The Cottage

Edwards Edward, farmer

Edwards John, farmer

Foulkes William, shoemaker

Howell William, grocer and draper

Jones Robert, superintendent of police

Lloyd Richard, vict., Punch Bowl

Morris Rev. John (Independent)

Phillips Ann, shopkeeper

Savin William, farmer, Ford’s & Hey’s farm

WOOLSTON,

a small village and township two miles and a half S.W. from Felton, has 501a. 2r. 14p. of undulating land, and in 1841 had 15 houses and 77 inhabitants. Rateable value, £748. 13s. Rent charge, £106. 4s. The landowners are Lady Tyrwhitt; Edward Beamand, Esq.; George W. Edwards, Esq.; and Mr. Samuel H. Burrows. There are several well built and pleasantly situated farm residences in this township. Coal is found here; and several years ago a party of miners opened coal works, but finding the seams of small thickness, and the water breaking in upon them, the works were abandoned. There is a well here called St. Winefred’s Well, which was formerly in great repute for its medicinal properties. The baths are walled in, and the water filters through a red grit stone rock; they are now in a delapidated and neglected state. Woolston House, a modern erection of brick, pleasantly situated, is the residence of George W. Edwards, Esq.

Directory.—Edward Beamand, gentleman; George Withers Edwards, Esq., Woolston House; Richard Clarke, farmer; Richard Drury, farmer; John Sides, farmer; Richard Williams, farmer.

WHITTINGTON

is a parish and village, pleasantly situated on the turnpike road from Oswestry to Ellesmere, two miles and a half E.E. by N. from the former town, and sixteen miles N.N. by W. by railway from Shrewsbury. The parish comprises the townships of Berghill, Daywell, Ebnall, Fernhill, Frankton, Henlle, Hindford, Old Marton, and Whittington, which, together, in 1801 contained a population of 1,398 souls; 1831, 1,788; and in 1841, 1,919. The tithes of the whole parish are commuted for £1,000. The township of Whittington, in 1841, contained 164 houses and 808 inhabitants. The principal landowners are Edmund Wright, Esq.; Mrs. Lloyd; Richard Henry Kinchant, Esq.; William Ormsby Gore, Esq., M.P.; Thomas Lovett, Esq.; Thomas Broughall, Esq.; Rev. John Davies; and Mr. Hugh Davies. Extent of parish, 3157a. 3r. 23p. Rateable value, £2,736. The Church is a plain brick fabric, rebuilt in 1806, at a cost of £1,500. The exterior is partially covered with inscriptions from the Holy Bible. The original fabric was of stone, and is said to have been built by the first Fulk Fitz Warine, out of the refuse of the materials when the castle was built. A commission was directed from the council in the Marches of Wales, A.D. 1630, to John Trevor and Richard Lloyd, gentlemen, to make a terrier of the glebe land of this church, as also to return an inventory of the utensils belonging to the same, amongst which there were three pairs of armour, furnished with two pikes and two head pieces. These are supposed to have been employed by the rector for the defence of the castle against the Welsh. The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £25. 4s. 2d., now returned at £1,224, in the patronage of Mrs. Lloyd, who is also lady of the manor. Incumbent, Rev. Charles Arthur Albany Lloyd, M.A. There are 58a. 1r. 3p. of glebe land in this township.

The chief object of attraction at Whittington are the ruins of The Castle. It is supposed to have been built in the year 843, by a British nobleman, who was succeeded by his son, Tudor Trevor, who, though possessed of many houses with rich and extensive domains, made this his chief residence. The descendants of Tudor continued possessed of the castle for several generations, and many families in this neighbourhood and North Wales boast their origin from him. At the Domesday survey this place is called Wititone, and consisted at that time of eight corn farms, twelve ox-stalls, and a very extensive wood; the cows yielding five shillings per annum, and all Welsh residents were obliged to pay twenty shillings among them. The Castle of Whittington next passed into the hands of Hugh, and afterwards of his brother Robert, sons of the Earl of Shrewsbury. Upon the defeat of Robert by Henry I. it was restored to the Peverels. William de Peverel had two daughters, the younger of whom was named Mellet, and being a valiant knight himself resolved to marry his daughter Mellet to none but a knight of consummate valour. Her father promised the Castle of Whittington as her dower. Several distinguished combatants assembled at Peverel’s Castle, in the Peak of Derbyshire, to contend for the fair prize. When Guarine de Metz, then Lord of Aldberbury, went there, and fighting with a son of the king of Scotland, and a Baron of Burgoine, overthrew his rivals, and obtained the beautiful Mellet. The posterity of this great man, for nine generations, assumed the Christian name of Fulk. They continued possessed of the castle from the end of the reign of Henry I. till the time of Henry VIII., a period of nearly four hundred years. On the rebellion of the barons against King John, Fulk joined with them, for we find his name among the number that were excommunicated by the Pope for extorting from John that firm basis of English liberty called Magna Charta. In the reign of Henry III., Fitz Guarine procured a grant of his estates to him and his heirs for ever; for which he gave the king two coursers and two hundred and sixty-two pounds,—an enormous sum in that age, and gives some idea of the wealth of Fitz Guarine. The same monarch granted him the liberty of a fair on St. Luke’s day, and a market on Wednesday, at Whittington; but on account of its proximity to Ellesmere and Oswestry, both market and fair have long been obsolete. Subsequently fairs were held on the last Thursday in April, July and November, but these have also been discontinued. After the castle passed into the hands of Henry VIII. we hear nothing further respecting it till the following reign, when the king presented it to Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, who forfeited it in consequence of being convicted of high treason. Shortly after, Queen Mary granted the castle to Fitz Alan, the last Earl of Arundel. He mortgaged it to several persons, who obtained the place in default of payment from him. William Albany, a chief man among the number, was, by the joint consent and approbation of the rest, put into sole possession of it. By the marriage of his great granddaughter with Thomas Lloyd, Esq., of Aston, Whittington passed into the hands of that family, and is now the property of Mrs. Lloyd. The castle was fortified with five round towers, each forty feet in diameter, and a hundred feet in height, and the walls were twelve feet in thickness. It was surrounded by a moat, part of which still remains, and the fosses and intrenchments may yet be traced to a considerable distance. About the year 1760, the eastern tower fell into the moat; and some years afterwards one of the northern towers and the western wall were taken down to repair the roads leading from Whittington to Halston-bridge. The towers of the gate-house are still entire; and some portions of the ancient building have been modernised, and converted into a dwelling, which is inhabited by Thomas Broughall, Esq.

The Free School is endowed with a farm and two cottages, producing about £47 per annum. The school is taught in the Old Tithe Barn, a long brick building of considerable antiquity; about 90 children attend. There is also a girls’ school, where about 60 scholars attend. The rector is a liberal contributor towards the support of the schools. The Independents have a small chapel here, built in 1844. Brabins Wood consists of a number of cottages and a Primitive Methodist chapel, about a mile S.E. from the church. The Shrewsbury and Chester Railway Company have a station about a quarter of a mile west from the church. Park Hall, an ancient mansion with projecting gables, chiefly composed of timber, and situated near the Oswestry road, about one mile and a quarter W. from Whittington, is the residence and property of Richard Henry Kinchant, Esq. The entrance hall is wainscotted, ornamented with paintings, banners, &c., and contains a massive oak table, cut from one plank, measuring 23 feet long, 4 feet wide, and 2½ inches thick. Several of the apartments contain antique oak furniture elaborately carved, and the ceilings are of curious workmanship. There are also some fine paintings, chiefly family portraits. On the west side of the hall is the domestic chapel, which was probably erected in the time of Henry VIII.

Charities.—Robert Jones, in 1679, devised all his lands and houses in Whittington, for the support of an “honest ingenious schoolmaster.” The premises consist of 5a. 2r. 28p. of land, and two dwelling houses built thereon. The land is stated to be worth about £11 per annum.

Griffith Hughes, in 1706, devised certain lands and a dwelling house, at Rhuabon, and directed out of the yearly proceeds 20s. to be paid for teaching poor children to read, in Aston township, and the residue of the rents and profits to be appropriated for educational purposes in Whittington and Rhuabon. The estate islet for £28 per annum. In 1813, a sum of £142, the produce of some timber cut and sold from the estate, was laid out in the purchase of a piece of land in Whittington, containing 2a. 1r. 15p., which produces a yearly sum of £5.

Elizabeth ap Robert, in 1675, devised two pieces of land in Pentrewerne, containing 7a. 1r. 18p., for the benefit of the poor of this parish. The rents were formerly applied in apprenticing children, but for some time they have been paid to the mistress of the girls’ school in Whittington. In the year 1822, a sum of £146 was laid out in the purchase of 1a. 3r. 16p. of land, in the township of Whittington. Of this sum, £5 was a legacy left to the poor by Richard Evans; £15 was the produce of timber cut and sold from the lands belonging to Trustan’s charity; £31. 16s. was money which had been paid for the property tax for several of the charity estates, but which was returned, and the residue was made up by the rector. The land is let for £5 per annum, which is paid to the schoolmistress.

John Trustan, in 1659, gave certain lands, and directed the yearly proceeds to be expended in bread, and distributed every Sabbath day for ever. The land devised, in eluding an allotment awarded in 1781, consists of 11a. 0r. 36p., and is let at a yearly rent of £12.

Walter Rogers, in 1685, left a rent charge of 40s. per annum, issuing out of land called Bryn Rhig. The amount is expended in flannel, and given away on St. Thomas’s day.

Elizabeth Lloyd, by will, 1696, bequeathed £200 to be laid out in the purchase of land, the yearly rent to be divided among twelve of the poorest families of the township of Whittington. It appears this sum was placed out at interest, and the principal and interest in 1837 amounted to £350, which sum was laid out in the purchasing of a rent charge of £14 per annum, issuing out of a farm in Whittington.

Robert Conway, in 1727, charged his lands in the parish of St. Martin with the payment of 20s. yearly, for the benefit of the poor of Whittington parish. The particulars of Sir Nathaniel Lloyd’s charity will be found noticed with Oswestry.

Mrs. Frances has recently left £200, the interest to be divided among six poor widows of Whittington and Dudleston in equal proportions. The amount is invested in the three per cent. stock.

Broughall Mrs. Elizabeth

Broughall Mrs. Sarah, Penny-bryn

Broughall Thomas, Esq., The Castle

Hargreaves Mr. James, horse trainer

Jones John, station master

Kinchant Richard Henry, Esq., Park Hall

Lloyd Rev. Charles Arthur Albany, M.A., The Rectory

Lunt Mrs.

Peate Mr. Richard

Perkins Francis, post office

Thomas Mrs., Rose hill

Woods Rev. Robert M‘Clure, curate

Yates Richard, valuer and land surveyor, The Mount

Academies.

Jones Eliza

Roberts William Henry

Spencer John

Blacksmiths.

Briscoe John

Tudor John

Boot & Shoemakers.

Bickley Joseph

Grinley Joseph

Lea Richard, & rate collector

Butchers.

Haycock Thomas

Llewelyn John

Carpenters, &c.

Bowyer William

Griffiths John (wheelwright)

Mansell Edward

Marsh John

Nicholas Samuel

Farmers.

Davies David

Davies Robert

Holland George

Hughes Edward Foulkes, Park Farm

Jervis George

Jones Edward, Perry Moor

Jones Rd., Tinkers’ Green

Jones Thos., Brabins’ Wood

Munslow Rd., & maltster

Ward John, Donnet Farm

Inns & Taverns.

Boot Inn, George Jervis

Lion, Ann Venables

Beerhouses.

Davies David

Evans Nathaniel

Shopkeepers.

Davies John, and saddler and harness maker

French Ann

Parry Elizabeth

Venables Elizabeth

Watkin Henry

Tailors.

Price Richard

Williams Richard

BERGHILL

is a small township two and a half miles east from Whittington, comprising 688 acres of land, and had in 1841 six houses and 46 inhabitants. Rateable value, £592. 8s. 6d. Edmund Wright, Esq., of Halston, is the owner of the land in this township, which is intersected by the river Perry and the Shropshire union canal.

The Farmers are Jonathan Grindley, Thomas Jones, Thomas Lee, John Morris, and Thomas Evans Thomas; Charles Sykes, gamekeeper to E. Wright, Esq.

DAYWELL

is a village and township two and a half miles north from Oswestry, and two and a half miles N.N.W. from Whittington, having in 1841 71 houses and 328 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,212. 4s. 6d. There are 1,134a. 2r. 18p. of land in the township, of which Joseph Venables Lovett, Esq., is a considerable owner; the other principal owners are John Wynn Eyton, Esq., Rev. E. Edwards, Mr. Joseph Bickerton, Mr. John Gardener, and Mr. Robins. The celebrated Watts Dyke makes its appearance at Gabowen in this township, and may be traced from thence into the parish of St. Martin. The extent between this dyke and Dyke Offa’s, which crosses the hills above Selattyn, is about four miles. The intervening space between these dykes is said to have been a common mart, where the English and Welsh met to carry on commercial intercourse with each other; but if either party transgressed these bounds, they were exposed to the severities of war. Upon Watts Dyke at a place called Bryna Castle, near to Gabowen, is the site of an old Watchfort, and another a little further on towards St. Martin’s. Bryna Castle consists of a few cottages a quarter of a mile N.E. from Gabowen; here the Independents built a small chapel in the year 1831. Belmont is a delightfully situated mansion in a fine park, the seat and property of J. V. Lovett, Esq. At Gabowen there is a railway station on the Shrewsbury and Chester line of rails, which is 18 miles N.N.W. from Shrewsbury, and 24 miles S.E. from Chester. There is also a branch railway from here to Oswestry. Upper Hengoed is a scattered district of houses at the north extremity of the township. The Primitive Methodists have a chapel here, built in 1839.

Those with * affixed reside at Upper Hengoed.

Bickerton Joseph, farmer, Rose Cottage

Cartwright Eli, shopkeeper

* Cound Thomas, shoemaker

Edwards David, farmer, Preese Henlle

Evans Thomas, farmer

Figg Francis Fowler, station master, Gabowen

Furmstone Mrs. Amelia, Rose Cottage

Gardener John, farmer, Bark House

Haycock Thomas, farmer

Howell Thomas, farmer

Jones Thomas, farmer

Jones Thomas, shopkeeper

Lovett Joseph Venables, Esq., Belmont

Morgan Richard, shoemaker

* Morris Thomas, maltster

* Phillips Mrs. Mary, Stone Cottage

Philips Philip, tailor

Price John, maltster and vict., Cross Foxes, Gabowen

Roberts Edward, farmer, Pentre Kenrick

Stewart Mrs. Alexander

Taylor Mr. Peter Poole, Green Bank Cottage

* Weston Edward, beerhouse keeper

Weston Owen, farmer

Williams Edward, farmer

EBNALL

township contains 1,033a. 2r. 32p. of land, and is situated four miles N.N.E. from Oswestry, and twenty-three and a quarter miles north from Whittington; in 1841 here were 51 scattered houses and 240 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,000. 2s. The principal landowners are John Venables Lovett, Esq.; Thomas Broughall, Esq.; Thomas George Warrington Carew, Esq.; Mr. Robins, Mrs. Ann Owen, Mr. Edward Griffiths, and others, are also proprietors.

The Farmers are James Boodle, William Croft, Prees Henlle; Josiah Holland, Ann Owen, Elizabeth Owen, John Owen, Mary Price, and William Woollam; Thomas Davies, carpenter and wheelwright; John Eaton, blacksmith; Mr. Edward Griffith, Moor Wharf Cottage; John Jones, shoemaker.

FERNHILL,

a small township one and a quarter mile north from Whittington, contains 274a. 3r. 4p. of land, and in 1841 had nine houses and 65 inhabitants. Rateable value, £265. 18s. Thomas Lovett, Esq., is sole proprietor in this township, and resides at Fernhill Hall, a neat mansion of free stone, which stands on the knoll of a hill, and commands some beautiful views of the surrounding country; the hall is surrounded with pleasure grounds and shrubberries, and the park is beautifully wooded with thriving plantations. The river Perry flows through this township; it is formed of several small streams which have their rise in the high grounds of Selattyn, and have their confluence in this township.

The principal residents are Thomas Lovett, Esq., Fern Hill Hall; Edmund Edmunds, farmer; William Broughall, farmer; and Richard Edwards, corn miller, Oak Mill.

FRANKTON,

commonly called Welsh Frankton, is situated three miles east from Whittington; the township contains 931a. 1r. 14p. of land, and in 1841 here were 54 houses and 275 persons. Rateable value, £85. 14s. 6d. The chief land owners are Edmund Wright, Esq., Thomas Broughall, Esq.; Joseph Dutton, Esq.; William Francis Oswell, Esq.; Mr. Landford and Mr. Thomas Danily. The high grounds in this township command a most extensive and delightful view of the fertile plains of Shropshire. A small chapel of ease stands on the road side leading from Oswestry to Ellesmere; there is a school adjoining, and a little higher up the road near the summit of the hill is a neat Independent chapel. The Shropshire union canal takes its course on the eastern verge of this township, where there are four locks, and a fall of about forty feet.

Directory.—Farmers, Thomas Danily, William Drury, John Nicholas, Stephen Walley; William Edwards, beerhouse and shopkeeper; Elizabeth Hodnet, schoolmistress; William Jenks, boat builder; William Francis Oswell, Esq.; Edward Teggin, blacksmith; Thomas Teggin, beerhouse keeper; Thomas Williams, provision dealer.

HENLLE,

usually called Hentley, is situated one mile and a half north from Whittington, and four and a half miles N.E. from Oswestry. The township is returned as having nine houses, 43 inhabitants, and 396a. 1r. 13p. of land. Rateable value, £340. 9s. 6d. The land owners are Thomas Lovett, Esq.; Mr. John Duckett, Mr. John Jones, and Mr. Thomas Hughes.

Farmers, Thomas Brookfield, John Danily, and maltster, Edward Davies, and Walter Munslow; Mr. John Duckett is also a resident here.

HINDFORD,

a small township with 196a. 2r. 10p. of land, lies a little more than a mile north from Whittington, and has 20 houses and 91 inhabitants. Rateable value, £241. 1s. 6d. Edmund Wright, Esq., and Mr. Broughall are the principal proprietors. The Chester and Shrewsbury railway intersects the township, and is crossed by a bridge on the road leading to Old Marton.

The resident farmers are Edward Edwards, William Jackson, and Thomas Parry; William Jackson, butcher.

OLD MARTON

township, three miles N.E. from Whittington, has four houses, 23 inhabitants, and 496a. 2r. 3p. of land, which is the property of Richard James Griffiths, Esq., Rev. George Salt, and Mr. Jones. Mr. John Pridden, who was born at Old Marton Hall, was one of the many instances in which integrity and perseverance have introduced their votaries to ease and affluence. His father dying when he was only twelve years old, and his mother marrying again, he was subjected to the most unmerciful and cruel treatment of a step-father. Having endured his unmerited sufferings for several years, he bade adieu to his unpropitious home, and arrived in London in March, 1748, where he soon found protectors in Mr. Nourse and Mr. Manley, the latter of whom he succeeded in business as a bookseller, where he soon found himself supported by a numerous and respectable set of friends, and eventually rose to wealth and affluence. To do good was his delight; to communicate happiness to all around him was his unceasing aim. He died in 1807, and left two sons and three daughters.

The resident farmers in Old Marton are Thomas Brayne, Stephen Burrows, and Amelia Jones.