Part 41

is a small village and township, three miles and a quarter south from Ellesmere, having 1,054A. 3R. 26P. of land, which is the property of the trustees of the late Earl of Bridgewater. At the census in 1841 there were 22 houses and 120 inhabitants. The resident _Farmers_ are Edward Colemere; William Gough, The Lodge; Thomas Hamson, Kenwick Park; Ann Harrison, Top House; Jane Harrison, Old Cast; Lazarus Harrison, Lower House; John Hassall; Thomas Jacks; John Reynolds; and James Williams.

HENWICKS WOOD

is a township, situated four miles south from Ellesmere, embracing 865A. 3R. 16P. of land; an undulating district, the high ground of which commands a most beautiful view of the fertile plains of Shropshire and of the mountainous district of Wales. In 1841 there were 23 houses and 137 inhabitants. The principal landowners are William Sparling, Esq.; Sir John Roger Kynaston, Bart.; Thomas Buckley Buckley Owen, Esq.; Mrs. Sutton; and Mr. Joseph Hignett.

The following are the chief resident _Farmers_, viz.:—Stephen Burrows, Edward Hayward, Sarah Nickson, John Shingler, and Edward Stoakes.

LEE

is a pleasant little village and township, a mile and a half south from Ellesmere, which contains 815A. 1R. 30P. of land, the whole of which is the property of Thomas Buckley Buckley Owen, Esq. This is a fine agricultural district; the land produces good crops of all kinds of grain, and many of the farms are of considerable extent THE OLD HALL, the residence of Mr. Thomas Lewis, is an antique structure of timber and plaster, with projecting gables, and has the date of 1594 on the front. One of the rooms is wainscotted with oak, and has the date of 1657 over the fire place. A fine old yew tree stands in front of the house.

The resident _Farmers_ in Lee are Thomas Burrows; Thomas Gough; Thomas Hollis; Joseph Jones, John Lewis, John Price, and Richard Williams; Mr. John Lewis, Old Hall. John Morgan, blacksmith.

LINEAL

is a village and township, three miles S.E. from Ellesmere, which contains 1,897A. 3R. 3P. of land, of which 1,620 acres are vested in the trustees of the late Earl of Bridgewater. The township is intersected by the Shropshire Union Canal and the turnpike road from Ellesmere to Wem. There are lime works here which were formerly carried on to a very considerable extent, the canal affording facilities for sending that commodity to distant parts of the country. At the census of 1841 there were 44 houses in the township and 247 inhabitants.

DIRECTORY.—Andrew Bickley, farmer; Samuel Hignett Bickley, farmer; Isaac Birch, boot and shoemaker; Richard Bright, farmer; William Clay, engineer, blacksmith, and ironfounder; Mary Darlington, farmer; Francis Dickin, farmer; John Medeley, farmer; Hannah Mercer, victualler, New Inn, Hampton Bank; Robert Parry, farmer; Mary Peak, farmer and shopkeeper, Hampton Bank; William Rogers, farmer; John Wilkinson, victualler, Blue Dog; William Youd, farmer.

NEW MARTON,

a small village pleasantly situated four miles W. by S. from Ellesmere, is returned as having 21 houses and 106 inhabitants at the census of 1841; the landowners are the trustees of the late Earl of Bridgewater; the township contains 587A. 0R. 14P. of land, mostly an undulating surface, having a fertile soil, which produces good crops of grain. Dr. Thomas Bray, an eminent, learned, and pious divine of the seventeenth century, was born at Marton, in Shropshire, in 1656. He was educated at Oswestry Grammar School, and was the principal promoter of the Missionary Society denominated _The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts_. Dr. Bray was instrumental in raising lending libraries in many parts of England and Wales, in connection with episcopal places of worship, out of which the neighbouring clergy might borrow the books they had occasion for, and where they might consult upon matters relating to their function and learning; similar libraries were also established in the American colonies for the use of the missionaries, which were subsequently secured to posterity by an act of parliament passed for that purpose in 1708. In the year 1712 the Dr. printed his “Martyrology, or Papal Usurpation,” in folio. This work consists of some choice and learned treatises of celebrated authors, which were grown very scarce, ranged and digested into a regular history. He proposed to compile a second volume, and had, at no small expense and pains, furnished himself with materials for it, but he was afterwards obliged to lay the prosecution of his design aside, and bequeathed by will his valuable collection of martyrological memoirs, both printed and manuscript, to Zion College. In the year 1726 he was employed in composing and printing his Directorium Missionarium, and his Primordia Bibliothecaria. About this time he also wrote a short account of Mr. Rawlet, the author of the Christian Monitor, and reprinted the life of Mr. Gilpin. Some of these were calculated for the use of missionaries, and in one of these he has endeavoured to show that civilizing the Indians must be the first step in any successful attempt for their conversion. As the furnishing the parochial clergy with the means of instruction would be an effectual method to promote Christian knowledge, so another expedient manifestly subservient to the same end would be, he thought, to imprint on the minds of those who are designed for the ministry, previously to their admission, a just sense of its various duties, and their great importance. With a view to this he reprinted the Ecclesiastes of Erasmus, a name of great authority in the republic of letters, and to whom the re-establishment of polite literature was principally owing. Dr. Bray was a frequent visitor of the prisons, the inmates of which always excited the highest degree of compassion in his breast, and to the temporal benefits which he munificently bestowed, he always subjoined spiritual comforts. He died on the 15th February, 1730, in the 73rd year of his age.

DIRECTORY.—John Bate, farmer and maltster; John Cooke, farmer; John Gabriel, wheelwright; Edward Lewis, maltster and shopkeeper; John Lewis, farmer; John Powell, blacksmith; William Williams, boot and shoemaker.

NEWNES

is a very small township on the turnpike road from Ellesmere to Oswestry, about a mile S.S. by W. from the former town. It contains 333A. 2R. 36P. of land, of which 310 acres are now vested in the trustees of the late Earl of Bridgewater. In 1841 there were six houses and 46 inhabitants. The resident farmers are Henry Pearce and James Thomas; Edward Lloyd, nurseryman. There is an erroneous tradition that the celebrated Whittington, Lord Mayor of London, was born at Newnes.

NORTHWOOD,

a village and township on the verge of the county, two and a half miles N. from Ellesmere, is separated from the county of Flint by a small stream, on the banks of which is a corn mill. The township is well wooded, has an undulating surface, and contains 1,321A. 3R. 5P. of land, the principal owners of which are the trustees of the late Earl of Bridgewater. Mr. Richard Evans and Mrs. Sarah Lindop are also proprietors. In 1841 there were 29 houses and 150 inhabitants. The resident farmers are John Cooke, Richard Evans, Mary Hassall, Sarah Lindop, Thomas Madeley, and Andrew Wycherley; Charles Reeves, corn miller. When our agent visited Northwood there were two farms unoccupied.

OTELEY, NEWTON, AND SPOONHILL,

a township with a scattered population, extending from half a mile to a mile and a half E. from Ellesmere, contains, 1,221A. 1R. 24P. of land, the whole of which is the property of Charles Kynaston Mainwaring, Esq., who resides at OTELEY PARK, an elegant mansion built of the Cafn free stone in 1827, and exhibiting a fine specimen of the florid English style of architecture, which prevailed during the reign of Henry VII. The mansion is most delightfully situated upon an elevated plot of ground, overlooking a magnificent sheet of water covering a surface of one hundred and sixty acres. In the front of the hall is one of the finest terraces in the country, it is surrounded with ornamental vases, filled with scarlet geraniums, which have a most beautiful appearance during the summer months, and give an additional charm to the fairy scene. The interior of the mansion is most superbly furnished, and contains an extensive and costly collection of antique, china, and curious ornaments of the most elaborate workmanship. There is a fine collection of family portraits, executed by the most celebrated Italian, Dutch, Flemish, and English masters. The library contains a fine collection of books, and is richly ornamented with carved oak. The entrance to the corridor is of stained glass, tracing the royal tribes of Wales, and the window of the hall traces the pedigree of the family: these are beautifully executed by Evans, of Shrewsbury. A little north from the hall is the billiard room, the interior of which is ornamented with Flemish tapestry. The shrubberies and pleasure grounds, which cover upwards of eighteen acres, are kept in the most admirable order, and beautified with rockeries, rustic bridges, and a very tastefully designed Swiss cottage. The grounds contain some fine shrubs, and the cyprus and the arbavitus, which are very numerous, exhibit the greatest luxuriance of growth. The park has a fine undulating surface, and is stocked with deer. This township at the census of 1841 contained 14 houses and 87 inhabitants.

DIRECTORY.—Charles Kynaston Mainwaring, Esq., Oteley Park; Robert Butter, farmer and maltster and vict., Dog Inn, Ellesmere; Edward Edwards, farmer, Crimps; George Foulkes, farmer and carpenter; Edward Groom, gardener to C. K. Mainwaring, Esq.; Elizabeth Price, farmer; Mary Whitfield, farmer; Thomas Whitfield, farmer, Spoonhill.

RIDGE HIGHER AND LOWER,

a township and village situated S.W. from Ellesmere, contains 1,625A. 2R. 13P. of land, the principal owners of which are the trustees of the late Earl of Bridgewater; Mr. Menlove and Mrs. Jones are also owners. At the census of 1841 there were 31 houses and 157 inhabitants. Higher Ridge is situated about three miles from Ellesmere, on elevated ground, which commands a most extensive and delightful view of the country. Lower Ridge, about a mile further from Ellesmere, consists of two good farms. The principal residents are Thomas Brayne, farmer, Higher Ridge; Edward Jones, farmer, Lower Ridge; John Matthews, farmer, Lower Ridge; Edward Price, farmer, Higher Ridge, and John Urion, farmer, Ridge.

STOCKS AND COPTIVINEY,

a small township two miles N.E. from Ellesmere, comprising 455A. 2R. 7P. of land, in 1841 is returned as having five houses and 48 inhabitants. The whole of the land is the property of Charles Kynaston Mainwaring, Esq. The principal residents are Ambrose Nixon, farmer, Stocks; George Rodenhurst, farmer, Stocks, and Thomas Whitfield, farmer, Coptiveney.

TETCHILL

is a township and village situated three miles S. from Ellesmere, which contains 1,735A. 0R. 20P. of land, the whole of which is the property of the trustees of the late Earl of Bridgewater, except one farm, the property of Sir John Roger Kynaston, Bart. In 1841 there were 63 houses and 333 inhabitants—the houses are for the most part scattered. George Salter, Esq., resides at a neat residence called Prynallt, near the western verge of the township; the house stands on high ground, and commands a fine view of the country. “This village is celebrated as the birth place of William Fromston, the Shropshire giant; he died at Tetchill, in 1795, aged 77 years; he is said to have been remarkably active for his age and surprising height; his coffin measured eight feet two inches inside.” The principal residents are Ann Boodle, farmer, Winstone; Edward Boylin, farmer; William Carsley, blacksmith; William Cooke, farmer, Tetchill Moor; William Cox, shoemaker; Elizabeth Davies, farmer; John Davies, maltster and tailor; Thomas Davies, maltster; Thomas Foulkes, farmer, Tetchill Moor; Thomas Harrison, wheelwright and shopkeeper; Samuel Higginson, tailor; Joseph Jones, farmer; Thomas Jones, tailor; Richard Lee, farmer, Onston; Henry Legh, farmer, The Buildings; Elizabeth Mathers, farmer, Tetchill Moor; William Morgan, shopkeeper and boot and shoe maker; William Price, farmer, The Wood; George Salter, Esq., solicitor, Prynallt; Wm. Sheraton, farmer, Broom Farm; Henry Townsend, farmer, Tetchill Moor.

TRENCH,

a township on the northern verge of the county, situated about two miles N.N. by W. from Ellesmere, contains 854A. 0R. 6P. of land, the principal owners of which are the trustees of the late Earl of Bridgewater; Charles Kynaston Mainwaring, Esq.; and Rev. John Phillips, are also proprietors. In 1841 the township contained 28 houses and a population of 65 souls. The resident farmers are Thomas Cross, John Evans, John Groom, William Higginson, William Nunnerley, William Paddock, and Thomas Pearce.

GREAT NESS

is a considerable parish and pleasantly situated village in the lower division of the Pimhill hundred, four miles S.W. from Baschurch, ten S.E. by S. from Oswestry, and seven and a half miles N.W. by N. from Shrewsbury. The parish embraces the townships of Alderton, Felton Butler, Great Ness, Hopton, Kinton, Nesscliffe, and Wilcott, which together contain 3,865A. 3R. 30P. of land, and in 1801 had 732 inhabitants, 1831, 850, and in 1841, 143 houses and a population of 876 souls. Rateable value, £4,431. 5s. 4d. The village of Great Ness contains several good houses, and is surrounded with an undulating district, which commands some fine views of great diversity and picturesque beauty. The township contains 856A. 3R. 37P. of land, and in 1841 there were 16 houses and 84 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,198. 1s. 5½d. The principal landowners are the Earl of Bradford; George Edwards, Esq.; Henry Calveley Cotton; and Thomas Justice Bather, Esq. The former is lord of the manor. The soil is a mixture of sand and loam, producing good wheat and barley. THE CHURCH, dedicated to St. Andrew, is an ancient structure, consisting of nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a square tower, in which are three bells. It contains several neat tablets to the families of Perry, Prosser, Payne, and Gittins. The living is a vicarage, valued in the King’s book at £9, now returned at £345, in the patronage of the Lord Chancellor; incumbent, Rev. Henry Calveley Cotton. The vicarage is a neat residence a little west from the church. The vicarial tithes of Great Ness are commuted for £47. 10s. THE HALL, the residence of George Edwards, Esq., is a handsome house of brick, in the Tudor style of architecture, rendered conspicuous by a tier of rooms with semi-octagonal projections. The grounds are tastefully laid out, and the park, though not extensive, is densely wooded. North-west from the hall are the lofty heights and plantations of Nesscliffe hills. This township is intersected by the Holyhead turnpike road.

CHARITIES.—By indenture, dated 8th September, 1753, _John Edwards_, _Esq._ conveyed a plot of land called the Chapel Yard, at Nesscliffe, to the Rev. William Parry, then vicar of Great Ness, for the erection of a school and residence for the teacher. The following benefactions are stated to have been given towards the support of the school, viz., _Sir Orlando Bridgeman_, £20; _Sir John Langham_, £10; _Mrs. Pridie_, £20; the _Rev. William Parry_, £25; and _Mrs. Parry_, £25. This sum, amounting to £100, was in the hands of John Edwards, Esq., when the charity commissioners published their report, and he paid interest for it at the rate of five per cent. The master resides in a house built on the land, containing about an acre in the whole, and in consideration of the above emoluments is required to teach six poor children in reading, writing, and accounts, without any charge.

_Samuel Shuker_, by will bearing date June 18th, 1821, devised two leasehold estates, then let at a yearly rent of £148. 15s., to John Edwards, Esq., upon trust to sell the same, and to invest the proceeds of such sale in the public funds, and out of the first year’s dividends to improve the present school house, and afterwards to pay the dividends yearly, in promoting the views of the said school, by causing so many poor children of indigent parents, not exceeding the age of twelve years, nor under the age of six years, to be properly instructed in reading, writing, and the four first rules of arithmetic, and finding them in books, pens, ink, and paper; the proportions of such children to be admitted into the said school being two boys and one girl. The property above mentioned was sold by John Edwards, Esq., to whom the testator left the residue of his personal estate, not otherwise disposed of, the bequest to the charity being void under the statute of 9 George II., c. 36. The produce of the sale of the above estates was about £1,070. Mr. Edwards proposed settling this property ultimately upon the school, but retaining the disposal of the produce thereof for his life.

_Margaret Dyos_, by will 1729, bequeathed £10, and directed the proceeds to be distributed to the poor of Great Ness for the first three years, and the fourth year to the poor of Kinnerley, and so on in rotation from four years to four years. This gift and £5 in the hands of the parish officers was laid out in the purchase of a piece of land in Melverley, which now produces a yearly rent of £1. 10s.

_William Phillip_ left a rent-charge of 5s. yearly, to be distributed among twenty poor housekeepers. The sum of 5s. is paid yearly to the churchwardens of Great Ness, as charged upon the Plough Inn, at Wellington, by Mr. Leeke, the owner of those premises.

DIRECTORY.—Thomas Justice Bather, Esq.; Rev. Henry Calverley Cotton; George Edwards, Esq., the Hall; James Jones, gentleman. _Farmers_: William Davies, grazier, William Hughes, Samuel Smith, John Sides, John Wildblood. Thomas Davies, butcher.

ALDERTON

is a small township one and a half mile from Great Ness, having one house, 13 inhabitants, and 196A. 3R. 10P. of land, with an undulating surface and light sandy soil. The Earl of Powis is lord of the manor, and sole proprietor. The tithes have been commuted, and £17. 15s. apportioned to the impropriator, and £7. 7s. 6d to the vicar of Great Ness. ALDERTON HALL is a neat brick residence, occupied by Mr. Thomas Jones. The farm buildings are extensive, and near to the hall is a pool of water of considerable extent. The rateable value of this township is £234.

FELTON BUTLER

is a pleasantly situated township, with a scattered population, one and a half miles S.W. by S. from Great Ness, having at the census of 1841 twelve houses and 65 inhabitants. It contains 534A. 3R. 3P. of land of a light sandy nature, about two-thirds of which is arable. Rateable value, £642. 18s. 9d. The Earl of Powis and Thomas Justice Bather, Esq., are the landowners. The former is lord of the manor. One half of the rectoral tithes are apportioned to the vicar of Great Ness, and the other moiety of £28. 17s. 6d. to the prebend of Holgate. The vicar receives £46. 15s. Mr. Thomas Harris resides at a very neat house, with grounds tastefully laid out. The farm premises are of considerable extent and conveniently arranged.

The principal residents are Thomas Harris, farmer and grazier; John Lewis, jun., farmer; Thomas Lewis, farmer; and Robert Jones, shoemaker.

HOPTON,

a township in Great Ness parish, near to the Holyhead turnpike road, contains 653A. 2R. 5P. of land, the soil of which is a mixture of peat and sand, upon which rye, turnips, and some little wheat are grown. There is some good pasture land below the cliffs. The village is divided into what may be considered Higher and Lower Hopton, and is pleasantly situated a mile and a quarter N.W. by N. from Great Ness, and eight and a half miles N.W. from Shrewsbury. To the north-east of the village are the Nesscliffe hills, which rise four hundred feet above the level of the village. In 1841 there were 38 houses and 179 inhabitants. Rateable value, £607. The Earl of Bradford is lord of the manor. The freeholders are Mr. Richard Minton; Mr. Samuel Minton; Thomas Justice Bather, Esq.; Mr. Richard Wildblood; the Earl of Bradford; Mr. Thos. Bather; Mrs. Haddy; Mr. John Rodgers; Miss Williams; Mr. James Canlin; Mr. Charles Lloyd; Mr. John Povey; Mr. William Payne; and Mr. James Jones. The rectoral tithes have been commuted for £81. 15s., and apportioned to Thomas I. Bather, Esq. The vicarial tithes are commuted for £32. There are stone quarries here, from which a fine red freestone is procured, in blocks of almost any dimensions. THE WESLEYAN METHODISTS have a neat stone chapel near the village.

The principal farmers are Thomas Clayton, Startlewood; Edward Davies; Samuel Minton; Richard Minton; and John Suckley. William Davies, butcher.

KINTON

is a village pleasantly situated two miles W. from Great Ness, commanding views of great strength and diversity; the township contains 1,163A. 0R. 3P. of land, the soil of which is sandy, upon a strong sub-soil, producing good wheat and barley. The Earl of Bradford is lord of the manor. The chief landowners are the Earl of Bradford, Mr. Richard Wildblood, Thomas Justice Bather, Esq., Mrs. Haddy, Miss Williams, Mr. Charles Lloyd, Mr. James Canlin, Mr. John Rodgers, Mr. William Payne, and others are also proprietors. At the census of 1841 there were 21 houses and 97 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,115. 2s. 2d. There are several neat villa residences in the village. THE GROVE is a modern erection, the residence of Mr. Robert Suckley, and has conveniently-arranged farm premises attached. THE WOLF’S HEAD FARM, the residence of Mrs. Mary Suckley, was formerly a noted public house, and is situated near to Knockin Heath, on the side of the Holyhead turnpike road. It was the rendezvous of thieves and vagabonds, and robberies were so frequently committed in this locality that the stout-hearted had a dread on passing this road.

Canlin Mrs. Maria

Canlin James, gentleman

Evans Edward, shoemaker

Gittins Thomas, blacksmith

Higginson William, grocer and provision dealer

Jones Richard, shoemaker

Lloyd Thomas, farmer

Massey James, farmer

Mansell Richard, farmer

Payne Mrs., gentlewoman

Suckley Mrs. Mary

Suckley Robert, farmer, The Grove

Taylor George, farmer

Wildblood Richard, farmer, The Hall

NESSCLIFFE

is a township in the parish of Great Ness, pleasantly situated on the Holyhead turnpike road, four and a half miles W. by S. from Baschurch, and eight miles N.W. from Shrewsbury. There are 28 houses and 189 inhabitants, and the township contains 86A. 5R. 13P. of land. Rateable value, £157. Thomas Justice Bather, Esq., George Edwards, and the Earl of Bradford, are the landowners; the latter is lord of the manor, and holds a court leet. The village is remarkable for its clean and neat appearance, and there are two respectable and commodious inns. An annual fair is held here on the last Monday in April, and there are meetings in the season for coursing, archery, and steeple chasing. There is a prosperous friendly society in the village, having 267 members and a reserve fund of £1,904. 5s. 9d. The vicarial tithes are commuted for £9, and Mr. Payne and Mr. Bather, the impropriators, receive £3. 11s. 8d. The endowed school, supported with money arising from the benefactions noticed with the general charities of the parish, is situated in this village. The school is capable of accommodating eighty children; there are now 52 receiving instruction. The master receives 20s. per annum for every scholar admitted; John Jones is the teacher. Over the school house door is the following inscription, which has reference to a chapel dedicated to St. Mary, which formerly stood near the site of the school:—