This is an inland shire, bounded on the north by Cheshire and a detached portion of the Welch county of Flint; on the east by Staffordshire; on the south by the counties of Radnor, Hereford, and Worcester; and on the west by those of Denbigh and Montgomery. In length, from north to south, it is about forty-five miles, and its extreme breadth about thirty-five: its circumference is computed at one hundred and sixty miles, comprising an area of 1,341 square miles, or about 826,055 statute acres. In size it ranks as the sixteenth English county, and in population as the twenty-sixth.

Name and Early History.—The derivation of the name Salop, or Shropshire, has not been with any degree of certainty established; indeed, so vague and various are the opinion of writers upon this subject, that to attempt to dispel the obscurity of its etymology would be to assume a task more critical than useful. This part of the Island was originally inhabited by the Celtic tribe Cornavii, and their chief city (which was situated, not far from the site of the present town of Shrewsbury), after its conquest by the Romans, became a station of the latter people, called Vriconium, and was fortified by them to secure the passage of the Severn. Under the Roman dominion Shropshire was included in the division called Flavia CÆsariensis. Shrewsbury is the principal, as it is the county town of Salop; yet, although no doubt can be entertained of its high antiquity, there is no authentic record of its origin: conjecture has, however, assigned that event to the fifth century. About this time Shrewsbury was esteemed the most important position on the Marches of Wales, and a strong fortress at this point continued for several centuries to be one of the principal places of rendezvous for the English armies, and hence was often visited by successive monarchs of the Saxon and Norman dynasties. In the military and political events connected with the county, Shrewsbury appears to have been a large participator. In the reigns of John and Henry III. it was taken by storm, being defended, on the latter occasion, by the adherents of the Empress Maude; and in the same Henry’s reign it was partly burnt by the Welch. In the reign of Edward I. a parliament was holden here, and David, the last of the Welch princes, beheaded. In this neighbourhood was fought a bloody battle between the army of Henry IV., commanded by his renowned son, and the forces of the fiery Henry Percy (surnamed ‘Hotspur’), in which the latter was slain, and after his interment his body was taken from the grave, and beheaded, as was his uncle, the Earl of Worcester. Richard, Duke of York, and George Plantagenet, sons of Edward IV., were born in Shrewsbury. Oswestry (corrupted from Oswaldstree) was conspicuous as a border town, and frequently became the scene of contest, first, between the Saxons and Britons, and afterwards between the latter and the Normans: the remains of its ancient castle, even in their present ruined state, are sufficient to attest its original prodigious strength. In the great civil war of the seventeenth century, Shropshire was the scene of much violence and bloodshed. In 1651, when Charles II. was fleeing, after the disastrous issue of the battle of Worcester, he, on the 4th of October, took refuge in White Ladies’ Priory, on the eastern side of the county; from that place he was conducted to Boscobel House, and, the day after his arrival there, was concealed, in company with Colonel Careless, in the ‘Royal Oak,’ in an adjoining wood, from whence he removed to a more secure hiding-place in Staffordshire. The last hostile movement made in the county was an ineffectual attempt, in 1654, by Sir Thomas Harris and others, to surprise the castle of Shrewsbury for the king.

Soil, Climate, and Agricultural, &c. Produce.—Few counties possess a greater variety of SOIL, or are more diversified in appearance: divided into nearly two equal parts by the Severn, its south and west portions assume the mountainous character exhibited by the counties of Montgomery and Denbigh; whilst the northern half approaches the resemblance of a level, agreeably relieved by a few single hills and romantic valleys, finely wooded. The meadows on the side of the Severn are remarkably fertile, being occasionally enriched by the overflowing of that river, which is navigable throughout its whole course. The famed Wrekin mountain, celebrated for the magnificent and extensive prospects which it commands, rears itself singly out of the plain to the height of nearly 1,200 feet above the level of the Severn, near which it rises. To the east of the Wrekin, and on the eastern border of the county, lies the coal district of Coalbrookdale, which extends, from north-east to south-west, about eight miles in length and two in breadth. The CLIMATE is considered highly salubrious; the air is pure, although in many situations sharp and piercing. The PRODUCTIONS of the county are various and valuable; the breed of cows and sheep deserve particular notice—the former yielding abundant quantities of milk, while the sheep, fed upon its hilly tracts, afford some of the finest fleeces obtained in the kingdom. The whole county is in general well cultivated, furnishing liberal supplies of grain; its southern border produces excellent hops, agreeably varied with fine healthy orchards. The crops most common in Shropshire are wheat, barley, oats, peas, and turnips. Rye was formerly cultivated extensively, but it has been superseded by wheat. In the eastern part of the county turnips are almost universally grown, as also on the rocky lands of the western side of it. Potatoes are generally cultivated—hemp and flax rarely, and beans but in inconsiderable quantities. The principal artificial grasses are the broad-leafed clover, Dutch clover, trefoil, and ray grass. Shropshire is not particularly famous for its dairies: in that part of it lying to the north-east of the Severn they are small, and, as much butter is made, the cheese is not of the first quality. On the north-western side of the same district the dairies are much larger, and more cheese is made—some of a very superior quality, rivalling the ‘Cheshire.’ Clun Forest, an extensive sheep walk contains about 12,000 acres. There are some large rabbit warrens upon the Longmynd and Brown Clee hill. In the neighbourhood of Clun great numbers of turkeys are reared, as are geese on the commons. This county has at various times been denuded of its timber, great supplies having been furnished for the purpose of ship-building at Bristol; but there are still numerous fine woods of oak, and extensive coppices of the same kind of timber: much of the latter, after eighteen years’ growth, is cut and made into charcoal for the various iron works.

Minerals and Manufactures.—Rich as this county is in the productions of the field, the treasures extracted from its bowels are not of less importance. Lead, iron, limestone, pipe-clay, and coal are found in great abundance; and in the hundred of North Bradford are salt springs; whilst, on the eastern side of the county, are extensive iron-works, that give employment to hundreds of hands. The chief MANUFACTURE is porcelain, which is of great excellence and in proportionate demand. In the neighbourhood of Shrewsbury are extensive iron foundries, and it was here the noble Menai bridge was cast. In the parish of Madeley are iron works of great magnitude; the stupendous iron bridge that bestrides the Severn at this place was constructed here: there are also two at Oswestry. At Coalport are china manufactories of great celebrity, and the manufacture of chain is carried on here, and also at Cradley; at Bridgnorth carpets and porcelain are manufactured; at Broseley various descriptions of pottery ware, including tobacco-pipes, held in great estimation; at Hales Owen (which is now incorporated with Worcestershire) nails and pearl buttons are made, and there are also some extensive iron works; and Ludlow and its vicinity derive considerable prosperity from an extensive malting trade.Rivers, Lakes and Mineral Springs, Canals and Railways.—The principal RIVERS of this county are the Severn, the Tern, and the Rodan; the smaller ones are the Teme, the Colun, the Warren and the Rea, besides numerous inconsiderable streams and brooks, the waters of almost all of which finally reach the Severn. The noble Severn enters Shropshire at Melverley, about eleven miles from Shrewsbury—flows pass the latter town, and, after visiting Coalbrookdale, Madeley and Bridgnorth, enters Worcestershire at Bewdley. The Tern rises in Staffordshire, and enters the north part of the county, where, after receiving the waters of the Rodan, it runs into the Severn near Brompton Ferry. The Rodan has its source in the north of the county, and joins the Tern near Walcott. The LAKES, though neither numerous or of great extent, form a variety in the landscape not often met with in the midland counties; that adjoining Ellesmere covers nearly one hundred and twenty acres, and there are several others in the neighbourhood, but of smaller dimensions. Near Whitchurch are two other lakes or meres; while, on the northern side of the Severn, are those of Fennymere, Llynclys-pool, and Ancot. On the western side of the county is Marton-pool, covering about forty acres; and at Shrawardine is a fine piece of water of nearly the same extent: there is another Marton pool on the northern side of the Severn, of nearly the same size as the former. South of the Severn, and a few miles from Shrewsbury, is Beaumere, a small but lovely sheet of water; and almost adjoining it is Shomere. There are MEDICINAL SPRINGS of different qualities at Smeithmore and Moreton-Say, in the hundred of Bradford, and at Admaston, two miles and a half north-west from Wellington, in the parish of Wrockwardine. At the latter, and near to the Wrekin hill, is a capital Inn and Baths, called the ‘Admaston Spa Hotel and Boarding House.’ There are other springs near Ludlow, at Broseley, and in the vicinity of Wenlock. About two miles to the south of Shrewsbury, and close to Sutton village, is a spring, the waters of which are saline and chalybeate, and somewhat resemble those of Cheltenham. The CANALS which pass through Shropshire are the Ellesmere, the Shrewsbury, the Kington, the Donington Wood, and the Dudley Extension; all in a greater or less degree important, and perhaps essential to the carrying trade of the county. Railways, for the conveyance of heavy articles, have for years, and to a considerable extent, been in use in this county. The extensive iron and coal tract about Coalbrookdale is intersected by numerous tram-roads, leading from the coal works to the different foundries, and the wharfs on the banks of the canal and the river Severn. The Shrewsbury and Chester Railway proceeds from the latter city, by way of Wrexham, Rhuabon, Clun, and Oswestry, to Shrewsbury, where it meets the Shrewsbury and Hereford railway: this line visits Ludlow, and soon after leaves the county for that of Hereford. The communication by rail between the Metropolis and Liverpool includes Salop in the advantages consequent thereupon, by the opening of the Shrewsbury and Birmingham line, and the Shrewsbury and Chester; while a direct intercourse is maintained with Staffordshire and the Pottery district by means of the Shrewsbury and Stafford branch of the Shropshire Union railway. There are also two other lines projected, or in progress; one to be called the Crewe and Shrewsbury Extension, the other the Severn Valley Line; the latter will pass through the extensive coal and iron district before mentioned.

Ecclesiastical and Civil Divisions, and Representation.—Shropshire is in the province of Canterbury, and includes parts of the several diocesses of Hereford, Lichfield and Coventry, and St. Asaph. It is included in the Oxford circuit, and divided into fourteen hundreds or districts, comprising two hundred and fourteen parishes, and eleven parts of parishes, containing one county town (Shrewsbury), and sixteen other market towns. The whole county, before the Reform Bill passed, returned twelve members to parliament, namely, two each for Bishop’s Castle, Bridgnorth, Ludlow, Shrewsbury and Wenlock, and two for the shire. The new act deprived Bishop’s Castle of its ancient privilege, and gave two additional members to the county at large; the number of representatives is, therefore, the same as heretofore. The shire is divided into two representative districts, named the Northern Division and the Southern Division. The former comprises the hundreds of Oswestry, Pimhill, North and South Bradford, and the liberty of Shrewsbury; and the Southern Division includes the hundreds of Brimstrey, Cherbury, Condover, Ford, Manslow, Overs, Purslow (including Clun and Stoddesdon), and the franchise of Wenlock. The return of members for the Northern Division of the county is made from Shrewsbury, and for the Southern from Church Stretton. Besides the place of return, the Northern Division polls at Oswestry, Whitchurch, and Wellington; and the Southern Division at Bridgnorth, Ludlow, Bishop’s Castle, Clun, Shiffnall, and Wenlock. The members returned at the general election in 1852, for the Northern Division, were William Ormsby Gore, Esquire, of Porkington Hall, Oswestry, and John Whitehall Dodd, Esquire, of Cloverley Hall, Whitchurch, both in this county; and for the Southern Division, the Honourable Robert Henry Clive, 53, Grosvenor-street, London, and Viscount Newport, Wilton-crescent, London (all four re-elected).

Population, &c.—By the returns made to Government at the census of 1851, Shropshire contained 114,340 males and 115,001 females—total 229,341; exhibiting an increase, over the returns of 1841, of 3,521 persons. The annual value of Real Property in this county, as assessed to the Poor Rates in 1850, amounted to £1,195,032.