Part 62

a pleasant but scattered village and township, two miles and a half S.E. from Whitchurch, containing 714A. 3R. 11P. of land, had in 1841, 27 houses and 115 inhabitants. The chief landowners are the Trustees of the late Earl of Bridgewater, Mr. Richard Bellington, Mrs. Gretton, Samuel Yate Benyon, Esq., Mrs. Beckett, Mr. John Cookson, Viscount Combermere, W. L. Brookes, Esq., Mr. John Moore, and Mr. Edward Nickson; besides whom there are several other freeholders. This township has a bold undulating surface, and the soil is strong and clayey.

DIRECTORY.—James Goulbourn Etches, Esq., Oak Villa; William Bather, farmer; Martha Beckett, farmer; Prudent Blundell, beerhouse and shopkeeper; Mrs. Mary Boulton; Richard Boulton, farmer; John Leeveley, farmer; John Lewis, farmer; John Moore, farmer; George Robinson, farmer, Old Wood; Thomas Stringer, farmer; Thomas Unett, farmer; Daniel Warrington, farmer, Fir Tree House; James Weston, farmer; Joseph Wright, farmer.

WOODHOUSES (OLD),

a small village and township, three miles N.E. from Whitchurch, contains 391A. 2R. 37P. of land, and at the census of 1841 had 13 houses and a population of 62 souls. The soil in some places is a strong loam, in other places it is sandy. Viscount Combermere is owner of the whole township. There is a fine sheet of water near here, which covers a considerable surface, called Comber-mere.

The principal residents are John Ellis, farmer; William Evans, boot and shoemaker; Richard Hassall, carpenter and joiner; James Reddrop, farmer, The Grove.

WIRSWALL, OR WIRSHALL,

is a township and village in Whitchurch parish, situated in the county of Cheshire, two miles north from Whitchurch. In 1841 there were 17 houses and 91 inhabitants. The principal landowners are John Goodall, Esq., George Harper, Esq., Rev. C. W. Ethelstone, Charles Robert Cotton, Esq., and the Representatives of the late John Parsons, Esq. The tithes are commuted for £70. The Earl of Shrewsbury had land here from the time of Henry VI. to the reign of Philip and Mary; and the manorial rights are divided between this family and Viscount Combermere. BELVIDERE is a handsome house, the property and residence of John Goodall, Esq. The situation is delightful, and the prospect most extensive and diversified.

DIRECTORY.—Joseph Cliffe, blacksmith; Samuel Davies, cattle dealer; James Goodall, farmer, The Grange; John Goodall, Esq., Belvidere; Robert Goodall, farmer, Dairy-house; Mr. William Hale; Mrs. Mary Harrison, Wood Cottage; John Nunnerley, farmer; Miss Reddrop; John Smith, farmer; John Wood, farmer; Wm. Woodward, farmer.

THE SOUTH BRADFORD HUNDRED.

The South Bradford Hundred is bounded on the north by North Bradford Hundred, on the east by the county of Stafford, on the south by the Brimstree and Condover Hundreds and the Wenlock Franchise, and on the west by Albrighton Division and the Shrewsbury Liberty. The hundred is divided into the Newport and Wellington Divisions. The Newport Division, in 1841, contained 2,111 inhabited houses, 61 uninhabited, and five building. At the same period there were 10,929 inhabitants; of whom 5,446 were males and 5,483 females. The Wellington Division at the same period contained 5,959 inhabited houses, 211 uninhabited, and 43 building; and 30,938 inhabitants; of whom 15,856 were males and 15,082 females. The hundred of Bradford at the Domesday survey was divided into the hundreds of Odenet and Recordin, and are now distinguished by North and South Bradford. These names in early times had a certain meaning, and were given either by reason of the importance or situation of a place, or in respect of some remarkable circumstance—as the name before us, _Bradan Forde_ (that is, Broad Ford), is said to have its name from a ville named Bradford, situate on the river Tern, near Ercall, and long since destroyed.

_The South Division_ contains the several parishes of Bolas Magna, Chetwynd, Edgmond, Kinnersley, Lilleshall, Longford, Newport, Preston-upon-the-Wild-Moors, and Woodcote Chapelry.

_The Wellington Division_ contains the parishes of Atcham, Buildwas, Dawley Magna, Eaton Constantine, Ercall Magna, Eyton-upon-the-Wild-Moors, Leighton, Longdon-upon-Tern, Roddington, Stirchley, Uppington, Upton Magna, Upton Parva, Wellington, Withington, Wombridge, Wrockwardine, and Wroxeter.

ATCHAM, OR ATTINGHAM,

is a parish in the Wellington Division of the South Bradford Hundred, comprising 3,491 acres of land, mostly a fertile undulating district, richly timbered, and watered by the rivers Severn and the Tern. The soil in some parts is a strong fertile loam, producing good wheat and barley; in other parts it is of a lighter nature, and the meadow lands are very fertile. Rateable value, £6,126. In 1801 there were 430 inhabitants; 1831, 463; and in 1841, 95 houses and a population of 513 souls. The parish comprises the townships (for highway purposes) of Chilton, Cronkhill, and Emstrey, on the south-west bank of the Severn, and of Berwick, Atcham, and Uckington, on the north-east side of that river. The village and township of Atcham is delightfully situated in a salubrious district richly adorned with sylvan beauty, and contains Attingham Hall, the princely seat of the Right Honourable Richard Noel Hill (Lord Berwick), and several handsome villa residences. THE HOTEL is a noble pile of buildings, and affords every accommodation to the numerous visitors who resort here in the summer season to enjoy the fishing as well as the beautiful views of this interesting locality. The river Severn is crossed near to the hotel by a magnificent stone bridge of seven arches, and is about one hundred and thirty-four yards long. The river Tern has a bridge across it of beautiful workmanship, which is forty-four yards across. It is ornamented with an open balustrade of fine chiselling, upon which is engraved, “This bridge was erected at the expense of the county, in 1780, and decorated at the expense of Noel Hill, Esq.” The great Holyhead and London turnpike road which intersects the township is in an admirable state of repair. The village is three miles and six furlongs south-east from Shrewsbury. The Right Hon. Lord Berwick is lord of the manor and the principal landowner. Robert Burton, Esq. and others are also proprietors. A branch of the Shrewsbury, Birmingham, Chester, and Shropshire Union Canal passes through Atcham parish, where there is a tunnel of about a mile in length.

THE CHURCH, dedicated to St. Hyatia, and situated in a sequestered spot near the banks of the Severn, is built of free stone, and consists of nave and chancel, with a square tower. It was built in 1665, and has recently undergone a complete reparation. The sittings are of oak, and the pews of Lord Berwick and those of the Burton family are elaborately adorned with carved work. The interior has a very chaste appearance, which is much heightened by the subdued light admitted through the richly stained glass windows. The altar is of the most elaborate workmanship. The central window on the south side is a stained glass memorial of superb workmanship, in memory of Blanch, daughter of Henry Milnes Parry, Esq., who held the appointment of “chief gentlewoman of Queen Elizabeth’s privy chamber,” whom she served from the birth of her majesty, and died at court on the 18th of February, 1589, aged 82. There are also two beautiful windows of stained glass, embodying the arms of the Burton family. On an altar tomb, with two full length figures in memory of deceased members of this family, is a brass plate, on which is engraven—“This monument was removed from a pew belonging to the estate of Longnor, in the parish church of St. Chad, Shrewsbury, on the fall of that church, July, 9th, 1788.” There are also several beautiful mural tablets in memory of the Burtons and others. The living is a vicarage valued in the king’s book at £11. 6s. 8d., now returned at £300 in the patronage of Robert Burton, Esq. Incumbent, Rev. Henry Burton, M.A. The vicarage is situated near to the church.

The manor, vicarage, and lands in Attingham, otherwise Atcham, together with other property of great extent, were given to the monastery of the blessed Virgin Mary, of Lilleshall, by persons of the name of Blemies, in honour of God and the Virgin Mary. This was subsequently confirmed by King John. In the reign of Henry III., the abbot of Lilleshall was questioned as to his right in taking toll at the bridge of the Severn of passengers that travelled that way. In the 53rd of the same reign the abbot had a grant of a fair to be kept at Attingham on St. Giles’s day, and two days after. In the 4th of Edward I. the said abbot had a grant of another fair in the month of May, to be held on the feast of St. Augustine, and the two following days. On the dissolution of religious houses the manor and tithes of Attingham were granted by the crown to Thomas Palmer, Knight, but Sir Thomas subsequently became convicted of treason, and his lordship and estate was forfeited to the crown, and was soon after granted to Sir John Gage, Knight. In 1693 it was possessed by the Gowers, and the lordship is described as containing twenty messuages, three water mills, twenty gardens, 200 acres of land, forty acres of meadow, 200 acres of pasture, ten acres of wood, twenty acres of furze, and the fishery of the Severn. In the 1st year of Queen Anne, William Gower obtained an act for the sale of the manor, when it was conveyed to Rowland Hill, Esq., for the sum of £3,413. His descendant, the Hon. Richard Hill, in consideration of his affection and regard for his sister, Margaret Harwood, wife of Thomas Harwood, Esq., conveyed the manor of Attingham to the use of his sister Margaret for her life, with remainder to Thomas Harwood, the younger, who afterwards took the name of Hill, on whose decease this property descended to his son, Noel Hill, who was created a baron by the title of Baron Berwick, of Attingham, in the year 1784, on whose decease it came to his eldest son, Thomas Noel Lord Berwick, who dying in 1833 without issue the manor and domain of Attingham descended to his brother, William Noel Hill Lord Berwick, and is now held by the Right Hon. Richard Noel Hill Lord Berwick, whose princely seat is ATTINGHAM HALL, one of the most extensive and elegant mansions in the county. It was built from a design by Stewart, and consists of a centre adorned with a magnificent portico of the composite order, supported by four circular pillars upwards of forty feet in height, and two wings connected with the main building by corridors. The situation of the mansion is peculiarly fine, and the extensive park by which it is surrounded is beautifully enriched with wooded scenery; the waters of the majestic Severn and the river Tern adding much to the picturesque beauty of the whole. The interior of the mansion is magnificently furnished, and contains a fine gallery of pictures, chiefly by the early Italian masters, also a fine collection of Etruscan vases and other antiquities from Herculaneum. In the picture gallery is a curious model of Mount Vesuvius, upon a large scale, made of the materials of the mountain by the late traveller Dr. Clarke. The park is stocked with deer. Attingham hall has not been occupied for several years, the present noble lord having chiefly resided at Cronkhill, on the opposite side of the Severn.

BERWICK MAVASTON is a lordship within the parish of Atcham, and was bestowed on Malvesyn, “one of those two hundred and sixty knights famous in the conqueror’s army,” who fought in his cause at Hastings, and by whose means he won the crown of England. Malvesyn having braved all the dangers, and therefore having a right to share the spoils of victory, would be eager to fix his residence on some of the conquered lands. His valour was rewarded by the grant of the lordship of Rideware, which was probably held by this Norman knight, under the Earls of Shrewsbury by the knightly tenure of bearing arms against the Welsh. He got possession of other lands about the same period, among which was the lordship of Berwicke Juxta Attingham, which he held under the same barony, by military service; and as the leading branch of this family gave their name to the seigniory of Manvesin Rosny, in France, so we find the younger branch communicated the same name to the respective lordships of Manvesin Ridware, and Manvesin Berwick, in England, where this family flourished in the days of our Henrys and Edwards—a knightly race in an age of gallantry; foremost like their Norman kindred in deeds of arms and works of piety. The situation, however, not being very distant from the borders of Wales, and holding the domain by the tenure of border service, his descendants found it no easy task to defend what their common ancestor had won by the sword. In the reign of Henry IV. John Malvesyn being slain at a hunting match, with men of Shropshire, at the Wrekin, and dying without issue, his niece Editha carried the Berwick estate into the family of Wydcomb, from whom it passed in like manner to the Hambrooks, and was purchased from them by the ancestor of the present proprietor, Lord Berwick.

CHILTON, CRONKHILL, and EMSTREY are three small townships for highway purposes, in the parish of Atcham on the western side of the river Severn, near the Holyhead and Shrewsbury turnpike road. The land in Chilton is chiefly the property of Robert Burton, Esq. Cronkhill is the property and seat of the Right Hon. Richard Noel Hill Lord Berwick, whose principal seat is Attingham hall. The house at Cronkhill is a plain stuccoed structure. EMSTREY is situated about two miles and a half from Shrewsbury, and has upwards of 500 acres of land, which is the property of Lady Tyrwhitt. UCKINGTON township is situated on the eastern side of the Severn; the land is the property of the Duke of Cleveland, who is also the impropriator.

CHARITIES.—_Joseph Jones_, by will, 1729, directed that six o’clock prayers in St. Alkmund’s church, Shrewsbury, should be continued for ever, for which purpose he gave a yearly rent charge of £7. 10s., issuing out of his tenement and lands in Astley, £6 thereof yearly to be paid to the vicar or curate of the parish of St. Alkmund, or St. Mary, or on their neglect to such other minister of the church of England as should read prayers in either of the said churches about the hour of six o’clock in the evening, and 20s. to the clerk, and 10s. to the sexton for officiating on such occasions; and in case of neglect or refusal, he gave the said legacy to the poor of the parish of Atcham, to be applied in the education of poor children, or in the maintenance of decayed housekeepers; and he further directed that the payment of 20s. yearly, for the instruction of two poor boys or girls in the charity school of Shrewsbury, should be continued for ever, if his wife should think fit. And as to the residue of the rents of the lands in Astley, he bequeathed the same to his wife, with liberty for her to sell a parcel of land called the Wood Meadow; and after her decease, without issue, he decided that she, by her will or otherwise, should dispose of the remainder of the rents reserved upon the lease to such charitable uses as she should think fit; but for want of such appointment after his wife’s decease, he directed that as there was divine service in the chapel of Astley only every third Sunday in the month, 10s. monthly should be paid to a minister to read prayers and preach in the said chapel every first and last Sunday in the month; but in case of neglect or refusal, he gave the rent charge to the poor of Atcham and Astley, or for educational purposes, at the discretion of the trustees. As executor to Thomas Cox, Mr. Jones had in his hands a legacy of £5, given for the poor of Atcham, and a sum of £30 entrusted to him by the Bromley, to buy coals for the poor of Shrawardine; for securing the payments of 5s. and 30s. as interest of the above, Mr. Jones charged his lands in Astley and Coleham with the payment thereof. Elizabeth Jones directed the six o’clock prayers should he continued in the parish of St. Alkmund as mentioned in her husband’s will; and the yearly sums of £6. 20s., and 10s. paid as by him directed; and she appointed 40s. to be paid to the said minister to provide candles during the winter, in case the parish should refuse, and £5 yearly to be paid to the organist of St. Mary’s. The estate at Astley contains 58A. 2R. 6P., and when the charity commissioners published their report, produced a yearly rental of £60, out of which £6 is paid to the minister of Astley, £5 to the organist of St. Mary’s, and £1. 10s. to the poor of Shrawardine. Though the last-mentioned payment, and the interest of £5 as Cock’s legacy, were charged upon the testators’ estates in Shrewsbury and Coleham, as well as that in Astley, the Shrewsbury and Coleham estates have been sold or passed to different hands as being exonerated from the charge. Nothing has been paid for many years for maintaining prayers in the church of St. Alkmund, or St. Mary’s, Shrewsbury, the duty required not having been performed. The interest of Cock’s legacy is to be considered as included in the portion of the residue paid to the parish. After the payment of the several sums above mentioned, and any incidental expenses that may be incurred, the residue is divided between the parish of Atcham and the township of Astley, £40 generally to the former, and £10 to the latter. The Atcham portion is disposed of with the produce of other charities, in money or clothing, on St. Thomas’s day, chiefly among such of the poor as do not receive parochial relief.

_Thomas Burton_, _Esq._, of Longnor, in 1730, bequeathed £10 per annum for the use of the poorest inhabitants of this parish, and charged an estate in Berwick with the payment of the same. The amount is given away with the produce of Jones’s charity.

_The Countess of Harborough_, in 1765, left to the poor of this parish the sum of £200, the interest to be annually distributed by the patron and minister of Atcham. This sum was laid out, in the year 1792, in the purchase of £193. 11s. 6d. stock, four per cent. annuities, and in the year 1803 the sum of £44. 2s. 10d., which was raised by suffering the dividends to accumulate, was laid out in the purchase of additional stock to make up the sum of £250. The dividends, amounting to £8. 15. per annum, together with £1. 5s. added by the vicar to make up the deficiency occasioned by the reduction of the dividends, is also disposed of with the produce of Jones’s charity.

_Margaret Thompson_, in 1751, gave £6, the yearly interest to purchase bibles and prayer books for poor children. This sum is in the hands of the vicar, and he applies the interest according to the donor’s intentions.

_Thomas Hill_, in 1779, bequeathed £100 to the vicar, churchwardens, and overseers of Atcham, on trust, to apply the interest in relieving the necessities of the poor not receiving parochial relief. This gift is in the hands of Lord Berwick, who distributes annually a quantity of meat and provisions, exceeding the amount of the interest.

In 1666 _John Cox_ left £20 to the poor of the parish. _Joan Blakeway_, in 1684, left a yearly sum of 6s. to be distributed among the poor. _John Calcott_, in 1698, charged a tenement in Worthen with the payment of 12s. and 7s. a year, to be distributed among poor housekeepers of Atcham. He also charged the same premises with the legacy of Joan Blakeley, of 6s. yearly. It is supposed that something was paid in respect of these charities by Scarlet Lloyd, Esq., who died about fifty years ago. Nothing, however, has been paid since that period; and though some pains have been taken to discover the tenement in Worthen subject to the payment of the charities, no satisfactory information has been obtained.

_Richard Cox_ gave £5, and directed the interest to be expended in bread and given to the poor on Easter day. The sum of 5s. was paid in respect of this charity for several years, by Robert Burton, Esq., of Longnor, supposing it to be charged on property taken by him from one of the Calcott family, in exchange for other lands. On examining the title deeds at a subsequent period, no such charge is mentioned, and he therefore declined paying in any longer.

_Dorothy Whitcome_ left £10 for the benefit of the poor. In 1742, this gift, by some means which we are unable to account for, was reduced to £4. 7s. 8½d., and at a parish meeting held in that year, it was agreed to distribute the principal among the poor.

ATCHAM, BERWICK, CHILTON, CRONKHILL, EMSTREY, AND UCKINGTON DIRECTORIES.

The Right Hon. Richard Noel Hill, Lord Berwick, Attingham Hall and Cronkhill

Adams John, farm bailiff, Cronkhill

Burgwin Thomas, blacksmith, Atcham

Burton Rev. Henry, the Vicarage, Atcham

Casewell Thomas, shoemaker, Atcham

Clayton John, farmer, Berwick

Cotterill Edwin, farmer, the Grange, Atcham

Ditcher Joseph, farmer, Uckington

Hand Ann, vict., Berwick’s Arms, commercial and boarding house

Higgins John, farmer, Berwick

Hughes Hannah, vict., Horse Shoe, Uckington

Leigh Edward, coal agent, to Shropshire Coal Company, Atcham

Linell Henry, farmer, Emstrey

Lowe James, farmer, Uckington

Mancell Ann, shopkeeper, Atcham

Mason Robert, wheelwright, Atcham

Miller William, farmer, Uckington

Nunnerley William, coal agent to Hazledine and Co., Atcham

Peach Miss, boarding school, Chilton

Peach William, maltster & saddler, Atcham

Price John, farm bailiff, Berwick

Price William, farmer, Chilton

Rose John, farmer, Emstrey

Vaughan John, Esq., Chilton grove

Weatherby Robert, registrar, Atcham

BOLAS MAGNA, OR GREAT BOLAS,