Part 114

is a small parish and retired village nine miles N.E. by E. of Ludlow, containing 1,094A. 2R. 16P. of land, the rateable value of which is £861. 6s. 5d., and gross estimated rental, £1,179. 12s. 6d. At the census of 1841 there were 24 houses and 140 souls; in 1801, 152, and in 1831, 123 inhabitants. The landowners in the parish are Viscountess Boyne, Mrs. Lucy Botfield, Mr. Richard Haynes, John Onions, Esq., and John Whitefoot, Esq. Wheathall appears to have been a place of importance in former times, for on the 28th of Edward I. Walter Hakett obtained a grant for a market on a Thursday, and of a fair on the eve and feast of the Holy Trinity, and the day after. These have long been obsolete. THE CHURCH, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, is a small stone edifice consisting of nave and chancel, in which is a tablet of stone to the memory of Henry Holland, gentleman, dated 1684. The living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £7. 5s. 7½d., now returned at £277., and enjoyed by the Rev. Bernard Churton.

DIRECTORY.—Samuel Breakwell, shopkeeper, farmer, and carrier to Bridgnorth; Harriett Bradnee, farmer, Townsend; John Bradnee, farmer, Townsend; Thomas Bytheway, beerhouse and blacksmith; Rev. Bernard Churton, The Rectory; Edward Duce, farmer, Weathall Green; William Griffiths, farmer, Lower Bromden; Richard Haines, farmer, Duns Living; John Hardwick, farmer, Wheathill House; Edward Hodnett, farmer, Besam; Richard Sambrook, farmer; and Thomas Thomas, farmer.

FARLOW

is a detached portion of the county of Hereford, but a chapelry annexed to the church of Stottesden, situated three miles S.W. of the parish church. In 1841 here were 301 persons, and in 1831 345 inhabitants. The township contains 1,419A. 3R. 35P. of land, and 20 acres of public roads. The Duke of Cleveland is the lord of the manor. THE CHURCH is an ancient edifice built of stone, with a tower in which are two bells. The living is a perpetual curacy annexed to Stottesden, in the patronage of the vicar, and incumbency of the Rev. David Williams, B.A. The tithes are commuted for £127. 14s. 11½d. There are three acres of glebe land. The Parsonage House, a short distance south of the church, is a modern erection, built of brick, in the year 1847, at the sole expense of the late Thomas Botfield, Esq., of Hopton Court, who also bequeathed by will the sum of £800 the interest to be invested in the three per cents., the interest thereof to be applied towards the augmentation of the salary of the curate of Farlow, on condition that there should be divine service performed twice every Sunday in the church.

DIRECTORY.—Thomas Bowen, wheelwright; Joseph Dolphin, farmer and vict., Maypole Inn; James Hauslow, blacksmith; William Harris, beerhouse keeper; George Hancox, shopkeeper and wheelwright; Charlotte Humphry, farmer; William Jones, farmer and corn miller; Mary Jordin, shoemaker; James Lane, farmer; Rev. John David Williams, B.A., curate, The Parsonage House.

THE OVERS HUNDRED

Is bounded on the west and north by Stottesden, and on the east and south by Worcestershire. A detached part of it is bounded on the west by Munslow, and on the east and south by Stottesden. It contains the parishes of Bitterley, Burford, Greet, Milson, Neen Solars, and Silvington; and at the census of 1841 had a population of 2.637 souls.

BITTERLEY,

an extensive parish in the hundred of Overs, comprises the chapelry of Middleton, and the townships or Cleeton, Henley, Hill-upon-Cot, and Snitton, which together contain 5,718 acres of land; of which 197 acres are woods, plantations and public roads, and 26 acres in common lands. Rateable value, £6,494. 10s. 10d. At the census of 1801 there were 1,083 inhabitants; 1831, 1,194; 1841, 1,098; at the latter period there were 191 houses. The soil is mostly strong and fertile. On the summit of the Clee hill are vestiges of a Roman encampment; the prospect from this lofty eminence is most extensive and delightful; coal and ironstone are found in abundance, but the mines at present are but little worked. On the lofty height of Titterstone hill a stately and elegant pillar has been erected to the memory of the late Duke of Sutherland. Sir William E. R. Broughton, Bart., is a considerable proprietor of land, and lord of the manor. Sir Charles Corley, Rev. Charles Walcot, Mr. P. Jones, Captain Horton and others are also landowners. BITTERLEY COURT is a good residence, delightfully situated at the foot of the range of Clee hills. The Kington Canal intersects the parish. The houses in Bitterley are scattered, but pleasantly situated four miles north-east by east from Ludlow. The township at the census of 1841 contained 40 houses and 204 inhabitants. THE CHURCH, dedicated to St. Mary, stands in a sequestered locality, and consists of nave and chancel, with a tower, in which are three bells. It was rebuilt in 1667, and repaired in 1761. The south transept was built in 1848–9, by subscriptions and a grant from the Church Building Society. The church contains some interesting memorials, some of which are of very elaborate workmanship. Among the families remembered are those of Powys, Pardoe, Rocke, Walcot and others. The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £16. 16s. 3d.; in the patronage and incumbency of the Rev. Charles Walcot, M.A. The tithes are commuted for £740; and there are 88 acres of glebe land.

CHARITIES.—THE FREE GRAMMAR SCHOOL was founded by Sir John Newborough in 1711, who bequeathed £400, in trust, to purchase an estate in fee simple for the benefit of the master. The property now belonging to the school consists of 38A. 2R. 20P. of land, which produces a yearly income of £42. _Sergeant Powis_ left £50, which was laid out in the purchase of a rent charge of 50s. per annum, issuing out of certain lands, called “The Hales,” now the property of the Rev. Charles Walcot. This sum, with other monies, is distributed to the poor on St. Thomas’s-day. The poor have 8s. a year, as the interest of £10, left by Richard Page. _Ann Shephard_, of Middleton, left by her will the sum of £500, which has been invested in government stock; the dividends are distributed on St. Thomas’s-day.

CLEETON is a township in the parish of Bitterley, three miles east from the church, having in 1841 fourteen houses and seventy inhabitants. The Earl of Powis is the principal landowner. Mrs. Lewis, Rev. G. D. Pardoe, and Mr. Crowther are also freeholders.

HENLEY township in 1841 had six houses and fifty two inhabitants, and is situated two miles south from the church. The Rev. S. J. Knight is the chief landowner.

MIDDLETON is a chapelry and township in the parish of Bitterley, two and a half miles north-east from Ludlow, having 31 houses and 198 souls at the census of 1841. Sir W. E. R. Broughton, Bart., is lord of the manor and owner of the land. The chapel is an ancient structure, built of rubble stone, with a tower of wood. An antique oak screen which divides the nave from the chancel has the date of 1582.

SNITTON township lies about two and a half miles east from Ludlow. At the census of 1841 it had 118 houses, chiefly cottages, and 564 inhabitants. The Earl of Powis is the landowner and lord of the manor. A chapel of ease was built here in 1839. The Rev. John Burleigh James, M.A., is the officiating minister.

BITTERLEY DIRECTORY.

Beddoes William, Warthill Farm

Carter John, Astbach Farm

Cross Miss, boarding school proprietor

Froggatt John, Luppencot Farm

Gardner George, farmer

Green James Haynes, schoolmaster, Endowed Schools

Horton Captain

Nott William, shoemaker

Price Mrs., The Villa

Tomkins Harriet, school teacher

Tomkins William, shoemaker

Vaughan John, Lowbridge Farm

Walcot Rev. Charles, The Rectory

CLEETON DIRECTORY.

Edwards Charles, farmer, Clee Hill

George Anne, vict., Angel Inn

Glover Richard, farmer, Clee Hill

Nash Saml., farmer, Clee Hill

Onslow Thos., Gold Thorn Farm

Pardoe, Rev. G. D., Cleeton Hall

Powell William, farmer

Tunks Richard, farmer

HENLEY DIRECTORY.

Cuyler Sir Chas., The Hall

Hardwick Thos., blacksmith

Knight Rev. S. J., The Villa

Walker Charles, farmer

MIDDLETON DIRECTORY.

Adney John, farmer

Adney William, farmer

Braithwaite Stephen, farmer

Fletcher Edwd., Crow Leasow Farm

Hammonds Thomas, tailor

Hardwick Benjamin, joiner and cabinet maker

Hardwick Wm., wheelwright

Meyrick Samuel, blacksmith

Patrick William, farmer

Ricketts Wm., Torgrove Farm

Swift Joseph, Brookhouse Farm

Wall John, Meason’s Farm

Wilcox Joseph, Hill’s Farm

SNITTON DIRECTORY.

Beniams Edwd., shoemaker

Bray Benjamin, West Farm

Butcher Thos., South Farm

Pardoe Rev. G. D., Longhouse Farm

Reynolds Saml., Hall Farm

BURFORD

is an extensive parish in the Overs hundred, comprising the townships of Burford, Buraston with Whetmore, Nash, Tilsop, Weston, and Whitton, Greet, and Stoke, which have an area of 8,537A. 2R. 19P. of land, of which 312 acres are in hop grounds. Rateable value, £9,875. 18s. 9d. At the census of 1841 there were 212 houses and 1,031 inhabitants; population in 1801, 819; and in 1831, 1,086 persons. The parish is bounded on the south by the river Teme, which is here crossed by a handsome stone bridge of six arches; the river here separates Salop from Worcestershire. The township of Burford is situated one mile west of Tenbury, and contains 1,510A. 2R. 1P. of land, the rateable value of which is £2,683. 3s. 3d. In 1841 here were 67 houses and 297 persons; population in 1801, 215; in 1831, 365. George Rushout, Esq., M.P., is lord of the manor and the principal landowner. In 1839 springs of strongly impregnated saline water were discovered in the immediate locality of this place. The water is similar to that of Cheltenham, except that there appears to be double the quantity of saline matter in the fluid, one pint of which, on slow evaporation in a shallow vessel, produced an ounce of crystalline salt. The analysis of one of the springs is as follows:—Chloride of sodium 923.52 grains, of calcium 461.9, of potassum 38.63, of magnesium 41.81; sulphate of magnesia 1.57, protoxide of iron 4.82; silica 4.54, and bromine and iodine .84;—total, 1,476.89 grains. Convenient and elegant buildings have been erected for the accommodation of the numerous visitors who frequent the baths. In the immediate vicinity of the baths are several good inns. The situation is remarkably salubrious, and the scenery beautifully picturesque and varied. Coaches from Ludlow to Bewdley, Kidderminster, Dudley, and Birmingham, pass and repass twice a day, calling at the Swan Inn and the Royal Oak Hotel.

THE CHURCH, dedicated to St. Mary, is a handsome stone edifice with a square tower. It contains some interesting tombs and monumental tablets. On the north wall of the chancel is a very elegant tryptych to the memory of Edmund Cornwall, Baron of Burford, who was sheriff of Shropshire in 1580; on the outer part are the representations of the apostles, and in the inner compartment are the figures of Edmund Cornwall, his father and mother, and below a representation of the baron in his winding sheet. He is said to have been 7 feet 8 inches in height. The triptych was painted in 1588, by Melchior Salaboss, better known by the name of Gherardino Milanese. This very beautiful work of art is in admirable preservation, and with two others in different parts of the kingdom are the only triptychs in England. There is a recumbent figure, beautifully carved in oak, to the memory of the Princess Elizabeth, daughter of John of Gaunt, and sister of Henry IV., who died and was buried at Burford in the year 1426. There is also a recumbent figure of wood to the memory of Edmundas Cornewalle. An ancient tomb remembers Elizabeth Devroke, daughter of Sir Walter Devroke, Knight, who lived to see seventeen score and more children raised from her body, she died in 1508; besides which there are various memorials which our limits will not allow us to notice. In the chancel are two beautiful stained glass windows. The organ was the gift of the Misses Rushout, in 1846. The tithes have been commuted for £1,644. 18s. 11½d. The bishop of the diocese has recently divided the parish into three divisions, and assigned to each rector a separate districts, namely—Buraston and Nash chapelry to the rector of the first portion, Whitton chapelry to the second, and the district of the Mother Church to the rector of the third portion. Handsome residences have recently been built for the rectors of the second and third portions. BURFORD HOUSE is a beautiful and commodious structure, the seat and property of George Rushout, Esq., M.P.

CHARITIES.—_John Turner_, by will, dated 1753, bequeathed £100, the interest thereof to be distributed to the poor of the parish. _John Knowles_, by a codicil to his will proved in 1814, bequeathed £200, the interest of which was to be distributed to the poor in bread at Christmas and Whitsuntide annually.

BORASTON is a township, chapelry, and pleasant village one mile and a half N.E. of Burford, which in 1841 had 41 houses and 199 residents. In this chapelry are the townships of Boraston and Whetmore, which have an area of 1,386A. 0R. 36P. of land, the rateable value of which is £1,765. 6s. The principal landowners are John Dalleyway, Esq., Mr. Edward Good, Rev. H. Mac Laughlin, Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Edmund Edwards, Mr. John Benbow, and several others. Boraston Chapel is an ancient edifice with a short tower. The tithes are commuted for £470, of which £250. 14s. 4d. is apportioned to the rector of the second portion, and the remainder to the rector of the first portion, Hubert Mac Laughlin, M.A., is the incumbent of the first portion of the parish.

GREET is a small township three miles N.W. by W. of Burford, containing seven houses and 115 persons in 1841. The principal landowners are J. H. Hope, Esq., and Thomas Hodgkiss, Esq.

NASH is a township and chapelry two and a half miles north of Burford, which in 1841 had 23 houses and 115 persons. The chapelry comprises the townships of Nash, Tilsop, and Weston, which have an area of 2,377A. 2R. 35P. of land. THE CHURCH is a small structure with a square tower surmounted by a wooden spire. The south window is beautified with stained glass. The tithes are commuted for £560. NASH COURT is a handsome brick mansion, the seat and property of George Pardoe, Esq. It is surrounded by beautiful pleasure grounds, and the park is richly timbered. COURT OF HILL, the ancient seat of the family of Hill, is now the residence of Major Arthur Charles Lowe.

STOKE is a small township four miles N.W. of Burford, containing 23 houses and 115 inhabitants. The principal landowner is P. P. Williams, Esq. STOKE HALL is a handsome residence surrounded with park-like grounds, the seat and property of Philip Penrey Williams, Esq.

TILSOP, a scattered township three and three quarter miles north of Bridgnorth, in 1841 had 61 houses and 226 inhabitants. The principal freeholders are Mr. Benjamin Bridgman and Mr. John Pugh. Tilsop and Nash school was erected in 1846 by voluntary subscriptions; about forty scholars attend.

WESTON township, three miles N.W. by W. of Burford, at the census of 1841 had ten houses and 41 residents. The tithes are commuted for £46. 11s. Major A. C. Lowe is the sole landowner.

WHETMORE, or WHATMORE, is a small town containing seven houses and 24 persons. The principal freeholders are Mrs. Lee, Mrs. Edwards, Mrs. Wilks, and George Pardoe, Esq. Captain Rushout, Mrs. Mary Beddoes, and Mr. Foxall, are also proprietors.

WHITTON, a chapelry four miles N.W. by N. of Tenbury, embraces the townships of Greet, Stoke, and Whitton, which have an area of 1,582 acres of land, the rateable value of which is £674. 10s. The principal landowners are Mrs. Lucy Botfield, the Ludlow Corporation, and the Rev. Charles Adams. THE CHURCH is a plain structure with a square tower. The Rev. Caleb Whiteford, M.A., is the incumbent. The tithes are commuted for £327. WHITTON COURT, a fine old mansion in the Elizabethan style of architecture, was formerly the seat of the Charlton family. It contains some fine specimens of carved oak.

BURFORD DIRECTORY.

Berrington John, farmer, Venns

Davies and Edwards, brick and tile makers

Davies William, Dean Park

Edwards Edmund, farmer

Edwards Jno., miller & farmer

Giles William, farmer

Grove William Henry, vict., Swan Inn

Holmes Thomas, gentleman, Park Villa

Jones George, Bank Farm

Joyce Rev. J. W., rector

Morris John, farmer, The Lodge

Rushout George, Esq., M.P., Burford House

Smallman Hy., vict., Rose & Crown

Tenbury, Gas Co.’s Office

Tranter John, wine & spirit merchant, vict., Royal Oak Hotel, Commercial and Posting House

Wall Mary, Rockhill Mill

Weaver Wm., Wall House

Webb John, fly waggon proprietor, from Ludlow and Worcester daily.

Williams Philip Penrey, Esq., Stoke Hall

BORASTON DIRECTORY.

Bowden Thomas, cooper

Down Thomas, blacksmith

Good Edmund, miller

Good Edward, farmer

Howells William, mason

Mac Laughlin Rev. Hubert, The Rectory

Meakin Thomas, farmer

Reynolds William, farmer

Rudge Rev. William

Sayer Benjamin, farmer

Smallman Esau, farmer and vict., Peacock Inn

Smallman William, farmer

GREET DIRECTORY.

Griffiths John, farmer

Grove Joseph, farmer

NASH DIRECTORY.

Brown William, wheelwright

Cork John, farmer

Hardwick Vincent, farmer, Hartall

Holt Letitia, farmer, Underhill

Hotchkiss Samuel, farmer

Jones John, farmer, Batch

Jones Thomas, farmer, The Shire

Lowe James, farmer, Greenway-head

Lowe Major Arthur Charles, Court of Hill

Morris Joseph, farmer, Shirebourne

Nott Mrs., Hartall

Pardoe George, Esq., Nash Court

Price Wm., farmer, Cliffords

Quaterman John, schoolmr.

STOKE DIRECTORY.

Wall Mary, farmer

Williams Philip Penrey, Esq., The Hall

TILSOP DIRECTORY.

Bridegman Benj., farmer

Pugh John, farmer

Ricketts George, farmer, The Wood

Robinson George, farmer, Cottrills

WESTON DIRECTORY.

Godfrey Benjamin, farmer, The Court

Tantram Thomas, farmer, Old Furnace

WHATMORE DIRECTORY.

_Farmers_.

Beddoes Mary

Brown Richard

Meakin Richard

Mytton James, & miller

Potts George

Powell William, carpenter

Weaver Joseph

Wilks Mary

WHITTON DIRECTORY.

Adams Rev. Charles

Amies Francis, wheelwright

Bill James, farmer, Whiteway Head

Bill John, farmer

Swift John, farmer, Whitton Court

Town Benjamin, shopkeeper and parish clerk

Whiteford Rev. Caleb, The Rectory

Whiteman Saml., wheelwrt.

GREET

is a small but pleasant village and parish, five miles south-east from Ludlow, which contains 1,041 acres of land, of which fourteen acres are in woods and plantations, and 8A. 2R. 15P. in roads and waste. At the census of 1801 there was a population of 90 persons; 1831, 93; and in 1841, 22 houses and 112 inhabitants. Rateable value of the parish, £1,276. 14s. The principal landowners are J. H. Hope, Esq.; P. P. Williams, Esq.; Devisees of the late Mr. Mason; and the Trustees of Ludlow Charities. THE CHURCH is a small structure, of unpretending appearance (built of rubble stone), having a small turret. The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £5, now returned at £170. The patronage is vested in the Hope family; incumbent, Rev. J. C. Bradney, M.A. The tithes of this parish have been commuted, and £161. 5s. 8d. apportioned to the rector of Greet, and £24. 1s. 6d. to the rector of Whetton. THE RECTORY is a good house, of modern erection, pleasantly situated a short distance from the church. It was built by the present incumbent, on the site of the old rectory, about three years ago. The cost of the structure was upwards of £1,400. The rector has 6A. 2R. 13P. of glebe land. The _Rev. Francis Edwards_, who died in 1767, left £10 for the benefit of the poor of this parish, the interest of which was formerly paid by the tenant of the Court Farm, at Greet; but it does not appear to have been a charge upon the estate. A voluntary donation of 10s. yearly is now distributed by the Hope family in lieu of it.

DIRECTORY.—John Berrington, farmer; Rev. Joseph C. Bradney, M.A., The Rectory; Mrs. Elizabeth Griffin; John Griffin, farmer; John Hardwicke, wheelwright; Richard Mason, farmer, Brick House; Thomas Morgan, farmer, Rock Hill; William Morgan, farmer; Samuel Price, blacksmith; Mary Rawlins, farmer, Stoke; Lydia Smith, farmer, Longlands; Mary Wall, corn miller, Rock Hill; Richard Whiteman, farmer, Bower.

MILSON

is a parish and small rural village, three miles south-west of Cleobury Mortimer, and one mile north-west of Neen Sollars, which in 1851 had 31 houses and 170 inhabitants. Population in 1801, 134; and in 1831, 156; 1841, 160. The parish contains 1,102A. 2R. 39P. of land, the rateable value of which is £934. 13s. 4d. Gross estimated rental, £1,028. 3s. 6d. The principal landowners in Milson are H. G. Mytton, Esq.; Thomas Perry, Esq.; Mr. William Lowe; and Mr. Thomas Jones; besides whom are several smaller proprietors. THE CHURCH, dedicated to St. George, is a small structure, consisting of nave, chancel, and small square tower, surmounted by a turret. On the south side of the church-yard is a fine old yew tree. The living is a perpetual curacy, annexed to the rectory of Neen Savage. Incumbent, Rev. Thos. Hardwicke, D.D.

DIRECTORY.—Rev. Thomas Hardwicke, D.D., rector, The Rectory; William Barker, farmer; John Cox, farmer; William English, blacksmith; John Evans, tailor; Thomas Jones, farmer, Upper Langley; William Lowe, farmer, Church House; Edward Palmer, farmer; Francis Penny, farmer, Lay Fields; John Radnor, farmer, Little Down; Edward Smallman, carpenter and wheelwright; John Watters, farmer, Hill House.

NEEN SOLLARS

is a parish and pleasant rural village, in the Hundred of Overs, situated three miles south-west from Cleobury Mortimer, and ten miles east by south from Ludlow. It is intersected by the river Rea, which is crossed a short distance below the village by a brick bridge. In this parish are several hop plantations. It contained at the census of 1851, 40 houses and 218 persons. Population in 1801, 197; and in 1831, 208; 1841, 190. There are 1,916A. 1R. 31P. of land, the rateable value of which is £1,732. 14s. The principal landowners are Sir Edward Blount, Bart.; Mr. John Cooke; Mrs. Ann Wall; Mrs. Lucy Botfield; Charles Wickstead, Esq.; Mr. Joseph Mantle; and Mr. Richard Hall; besides whom are several smaller proprietors. The family of the Conynsbys were formerly lords of this manor and residents in the parish. In the church is a monument to the memory of Humphrey Conynsby, Esq., who was born about the year 1567, and commenced his travels in 1594, and for four years remained on the continent, when he returned home a little while, and then took his journey again into Bohemia, Polonia, and Hungary, where for the defence of the Christian faith, he put himself under the banner of Rodulph, the second emperor of the Romans, and was at the siege of Stregonium, in Hungary, against the Turks. Afterwards he visited most of the ancient cities of Greece, and from thence he went to Constantinople, in the reign of Mahomet, the third emperor of the Turks, who, to do him honour, gave him a Turkish gown of cloth and gold; and his mother, the Sultana Ebrita, gave him another rich gown of cloth and silver, and fifty chequins in gold. After a twelvemonths sojourn there, he returned to England; where, after staying a while, he went into Spain, and came back in safety: and again, the fourth time, took his journey from London to Venice, in October, 1610; from which time he was never seen by any of his acquaintances, nor any certainty known of his death. Thomas Hearne, speaking of the descent of the family of Coningsby, informs us that an ancient parchment is preserved by them as a precious relic, on which is written:—

“William de Coningsby Came out of Brittany, With his wife Tiffany, And his maid Manifras, And his dog Hardigras.”