Part 71

* Watkin John, High street

* Worrall Joseph, High street

Tallow Chandlers.

Brittain William, High street

Fieldhouse William, High st.

Wilde Martha, St. Mary’s st.

Tanner.

Rogers Elizabeth, Watery lane

Timber Merchants.

Ward George Joseph, Canal wharf

Mansell Thomas, Stafford road

Turnery, Bendware, and Hair Sieve Manufacturers, & General Wood Turners.

Atkins Lewis, Mill Works

Baughey Thos., Mill Works

Veterinary Surgeon.

Duncalfe Thomas, St. Mary’s street

Watch & Clock Makers.

Northwood James, High st

Whiston Joseph, High street

Whiston Thomas, Upper Bar

Wheelwrights.

Mansell Thomas, Stafford st

Shaw John, Workhouse Lane

Wine & Spirit Merchants.

Allan Harry, High street

Liddle William, High street

Wood Turners.

Leech and Humphreys, Upper Bar

Wool Staplers.

Ford and Co., Stafford street

General Carriers.

The Shropshire Union Railway and Canal Company, George Hall, clerk

PRESTON-UPON-THE-WILD-MOORS

is a parish and small rural village, three miles N.E. of Wellington, comprising 1,153A. 4R. 30P. of land, and in 1801 had 170 inhabitants; 1831, 218; and in 1841 there were 80 houses and a population of 389 souls. Rateable value, £1,422. 1s. 10d. The village is retired, but pleasantly situated, and contains some good farm residences. St. John Chiverton Charlton, Esq., and the Trustees of Preston Hospital are the landowners. THE CHURCH is a small brick structure, consisting of nave and chancel, with a tower, in which are two bells. The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £3, now returned £198, in the patronage of the Trustees of Preston Hospital and St. John Chiverton Charlton, Esq., alternately; incumbent, Rev. William Taylor Bird, M.A. The tithes are commuted for £119, and there are 23 acres of glebe land.

PRESTON HOSPITAL.—_Lady Catherine Herbert_, widow of Henry Lord Herbert, by her will, bearing date 11th April, 1716, gave the sum of £6,000, in trust, to be laid out in the purchase of lands, in the county of Salop, and building an almshouse thereon, for the reception of 12 poor women and 12 poor girls; the patronage to be vested in the Earl and Countess of Bradford. _Thomas Lord Torrington_, by will, 1718, devised his real estate in Preston-upon-the-Wild-Moors, subject to certain annuities, in trust, to apply the rents and profits to the same use as Lady Herbert’s gift; and directed the almshouse to be built upon such part of the estate at Preston as his trustees should think proper; and he gave £1,000, then due to him from his nephew, the Earl of Bradford, to the trustees, to be laid out in building a hall in the middle of the hospital. The property belonging the hospital, when the Charity Commissioners published their report in the year 1828, consisted of the sum of £9,621. 4s. 6d., three per cent. consols; certain lands, chiefly situated in the parish of Preston, comprising 1,077A. 0R. 31P. of land, let at a yearly rental of £1,301. 5s. 6d.; and the dividends of £5,539. 12s. three per cent. consols, producing £166. 3s. 4d. per annum. The latter stock is in respect of a legacy of £4,000, bequeathed in 1802 by _Charles Henry Coote_, _Earl of Montrath_, to be applied by the trustees in the augmentation of the poor widows’ stipends.

The hospital is a spacious and elegant brick structure, with stone finishings, and was originally built so as to form three sides of a square, with a large hall in the centre, used both as a chapel and as a school. The old buildings contain apartments for 20 widows, and sufficient accommodation for 20 girls and the matron who superintends the school, together with a kitchen and other offices. There are also apartments for the receiver, who has occasion frequently to attend on business connected with the trust. Under an order of the Court of Chancery, made 27th March, 1827, new buildings have been erected as wings at each end. These comprise eight apartments, for an additional number of widows. Each of the widows has for her own use a small garden. There are also three meadows and a large garden, which are kept in hand, and stocked for the general use of’ the hospital. Since the erection of the wings, the number of widows have been increased from 20 to 27. The widows are selected by the trustees, without any restriction as to the place of birth or residence. Twenty inmates receive £26 per annum, and seven have £18 a-year; in addition they have two tons of coal each, and are provided with beds, bedding, and other necessary articles of furniture. They were formerly supplied with medicine and medical attendance from the funds of the charity; but some years ago this expense was found to be so great that it was thought expedient that every almswoman that should be appointed after that time should deposit a sum of £10 in a savings’ bank, for the purpose of providing herself with such medical assistance as she might require during her residence in the hospital. When a widow dies, £5 is allowed for the expense of her funeral. The twenty widows who have the largest income receive the additional allowance under the bequest of the Earl of Montrath. Upon this establishment there are also 20 girls appointed by the trustees. They are provided with board and lodging, and are clothed and fed without any expense whatever to their parents; and at 16 years of age, when they leave the hospital, they receive £5 to supply them with clothing. The matron who instructs the girls, and has the management of this branch of the establishment, as well as the superintendence of the widows, receives a salary of £30 a-year in addition to her board and lodgings.

Bird Rev. William Taylor, M.A., rector

Brown Henry, farmer

Chilton Thomas, farmer

Colley Ann, shopkeeper and beerhouse

Getley Edward, farmer, The Wich Farm

Hartley John, farmer

Hawkins Richard, farmer, Preston Farm

Hawkins Richard, farmer, Preston Hall

Higgins Mrs. Jane, Preston Cottage

Higgins Thomas, farmer

Hughes Jas., carpenter, joiner, & shopkeeper

Kirkham Mary Ann, farmer

M’Lean Mrs. Ann, governess of Preston Hospital

Pritchard Elizabeth, shopkeeper

Wood George, parish clerk

RODINGTON, OR RODDINGTON,

a parish and scattered village, which derives its name from its situation on the river Roden, is pleasantly situated five miles N.N. by W. from Wellington. The parish also includes the township of Sugdon, which together contain 1,615A. 0R. 8P. of land. In 1801 the parish contained 372 inhabitants; 1831, 423; and in 1841 there were 106 houses and 466 inhabitants. Rateable value, £2,717. 4s. 2d. The landowners are the Duke of Cleveland, John Tayleur, Esq., Mr. S. Pain, and Mr. S. Smith. The township of Roddington, at the census in 1841, contained 88 houses and 365 inhabitants. It is intersected by the river Roden and the Shrewsbury Canal. There are some good farms here, the farm-houses are respectable, and there is a good inn in the village. THE CHURCH, dedicated St. George, is a brick structure, consisting of nave and chancel, and a tower in which are two small bells. There is a small gallery at the west end. A memorial, with the date of 1737, remembers John Tayleur, Esq., formerly a resident in Roddington. The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £6. 13s. 4d., in the patronage of the Lord Chancellor, and enjoyed by the Rev. Henry Thomas Whateley, The tithes have been commuted for £296, and there are thirty acres of glebe land. THE WESLEYAN METHODISTS have a small chapel built in 1834. THE NATIONAL SCHOOL, a neat brick structure, is situated a little south from the church; fifty-six children now attend.

SUGDON is a small township in Roddington parish, situated about a mile from the church, which at the census in 1801 contained 18 houses and 101 inhabitants. The land is all the property of the Duke of Cleveland. LONGWAIST is a hamlet in Sugdon township.

POORS LAND.—In the parliamentary returns of 1786 it is stated that _Walter Davies_, by will, gave to the poor of this parish £50 in the year 1674, and that _William Tayleur_, _Esq._, in 1722, left £30 for the like purposes, and that those legacies were then laid out in land. The premises referred to consist of two enclosures containing 4A. 2R. 25P. of land. There is also an allotment of 3A. 8P. set out thereto on an enclosure about the year 1805. The land was let for £17. 17s. per annum when the charity commissioners published their report. The amount is distributed to the poor in December and Easter, in sums varying from 2s. to 10s.

POST OFFICE.—_At Mr. John Prices’s_, _Bull’s Head_. Letters arrive at 9 A.M., and are despatched at 5 P.M.

RODINGTON DIRECTORY.—Robert Allen, boot and shoemaker; Thomas Belcher, wharfinger; John Hodges, farmer; George Hulse, butcher and farmer; Thomas Jukes, farmer, Rodington Hall; Samuel Pain, farmer; John Price, farmer and vict., Bull’s Head.; Mrs. Elizabeth Ralphs, The Grove; Edward Rogers, parish clerk; George Shinglar, farmer, Somerwood; Hugh Shinglar, farmer; Samuel Smith, farmer, Rodington Villa; Edward and Arabella Wainwright, teachers; Rev. Henry Thomas Whately, The Rectory.

The residents in SUGDON are Wm. Thomas Davies, farmer; James Powis, bricklayer; LONGWAIST HAMLET, John Bourne, brick and tile agent for the Duke of Cleveland; Jane Dunn, schoolmistress; James Dyke, coal agent; William Lockley, blacksmith; James Reeves, shopkeeper; Thomas Tudor, coal agent, The Wharf.

STIRCHLEY

is a small parish and village five miles S. E. from Wellington, and three miles W. from Shiffnal, which in 1801 contained 189 inhabitants; 1831, 271, and in 1841, 301; at the latter period there were 61 houses, which are mostly scattered; there are a number of cottages in the immediate vicinity of the church, which are small, ill ventilated, and most miserable hovels; this, however, is not the character of cottages generally in this locality, or indeed in the county, for on the whole we conceive them to be far superior to cottage residences in most other counties. The parish contains 833A. 0R. 36P. of land, the principal owner of which is R. H. Cheney, Esq.; the Duke of Cleveland, Robert Burton, Esq., and Beriah Botfield, Esq., are also proprietors. A considerable part of land is held in lease by Beriah Botfield, Esq., who has extensive collieries and ironworks in the parish. THE CHURCH is a small fabric dedicated to St. Mary, and consists of nave, chancel, and north transept, with a gallery over it built by the Botfield family, for the use of their own workmen. There are ten pews in the body of the church, and two in the chancel,—the whole has a very primitive appearance. The church was formerly lighted with small pointed windows, but these have all been made up, and a large window void of taste and of unmeaning character has been added to the east end to supply their place. The chancel is divided from the nave by a Saxon arch of exquisite workmanship, which modern renovators have attempted to improve by adding sundry coats of lime wash. A neat marble tablet has been erected in memory of Thomas Botfield, Esq., who died in 1801, and of his wife, Margaret, who died in 1803. The living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £6. 5s. 10d., now returned at £274, in the patronage of the Phillips family, and enjoyed by the Rev. Hugo Moreton Phillips, M.A., who resides at the rectory, situated near the church, and has 45A. 3R. 38P. of glebe. There is a parochial school which is chiefly supported by B. Botfield, Esq., and the rector. There is a Wesleyan Chapel on the Dawley road, which is just within the bounds of Dawley Magna township. The Shropshire union canal intersects this parish. Gross estimated rental of the parish, £2,500. 15s. 6d.; rateable value, £2,364. 8s. 6d. Stirchley Hall is a good residence a little west from the church.

_Thomas Clowes_, in 1748, gave to the poor of this parish the sum of £20 per annum, to be disposed at the discretion of the churchwarden and overseer. This annuity has long been paid by the tenant of Stirchley Hall estate, formerly the property of Mr. Clowes, and which he charged with the payment of the same.

_Richard Cookes_, in 1799, demised certain premises in Stirchley for the term of 1,000 years, at the yearly rent of 17s., payable to the lessor, his heirs and assigns. This rent has for a great many years been paid to the overseers of this parish for the use of the poor, and it is supposed to have been assigned for their benefit by Richard Cookes, the lessor, but at what time or under what circumstances they first became entitled to it there is no evidence to show. The term is at present invested in Mr. Darral, who has improved the premises by building to the annual value of £13.

Botfield Beriah, Esq., iron master and colliery proprietor

Barnard Richard, vict., Rose and Crown

Blakemore Thomas, farmer

Blocksidge John, schoolmaster and parish clerk

Hayward Sarah, shopkeeper

Onions Thomas, agent to B. Botfield, Esq.

Phillips Rev. Hugo Moreton, The Rectory

Smith George, farmer, The Hall

Smith William, farmer

Tipton Mark, agent to B. Botfield, Esq.; residence, Mossy Green

Trigger Robert, farmer

UPPINGTON

is a parish and township in the Wellington division of the South Bradford hundred, four miles S.W. by S. from Wellington, which contains 747A. 0R. 36P. of land. In 1801 there were 107 inhabitants, 1831, 117, and in 1841 18 houses and 96 inhabitants. Rateable value, £937. 10s. The Duke of Cleveland is lord of the manor and proprietor of the whole parish. The village is delightfully situated in a salubrious country, pleasingly beautified with rural scenery, and commands a fine view of the majestic Wrekin. An avenue of trees extends nearly through the length of the village, which gives it an air of quiet retirement. There are several good houses, with pleasure grounds neatly laid out, and tastefully planted with shrubs. THE CHURCH has a venerable appearance, it is built of brick and rough cast, and dated 1678; it consists of nave and chancel, with a turret containing two bells. The interior underwent a complete reparation in 1844, at a cost of about £120, raised by subscriptions and a grant from the Diocesan and Incorporated Societies,—the whole has now a tasteful and orderly appearance. A brass plate which remembers John Stanier and family is dated 1691. A neat marble tablet dated 1793 has been erected to the memory of Rich aid Boycott, Esq. A tablet very chastely designed, of coloured marble, and dated 1789, records the death of Charles Stainer and several members of that family. An altar tomb to Silvanus Boycott is dated 1686. There is also a beautiful marble scroll, exquisitely executed, in memory of John Middleton Ashdown, Esq., agent to the Duke of Cleveland, which was put up at the expense of the Duke’s Shropshire tenantry. The living is a perpetual curacy in the patronage of the Duke of Cleveland, and enjoyed by the Rev. John Meredith, M.A. In the church-yard are two yew trees of immense girth, one of which is completely hollow, and will admit of twelve persons standing within the trunk at the same time; although nothing remains of the trunk at the bottom but a shell, yet the tree shows vigorous signs of life, and the branches cover a large surface of ground. The tithes have been commuted for £155. 2s., when £115. 2s. was apportioned to the Duke of Cleveland, and £40 to the incumbent of the parish.

THE GRAMMAR SCHOOL at Donnington, in the parish of Wroxeter, appears to have been founded for the benefit of the parish of Uppington, as well as that of Wroxeter. An account of the foundation will be found noticed with Wroxeter.

POST OFFICE.—_At Mary Wood’s_. Letters arrive from Wellington by foot post at 8 A.M. and are despatched at 6 P.M.

DIRECTORY.—William Allen, farmer; Samuel Harding Ashdown, Esq., land and estate agent; John Bagley, shopkeeper; John Boore, gentleman; Richard Boore, farmer; Charles Durnell, parish clerk, agricultural implement maker, and blacksmith; Richard Jones, wheelwright; Charles Stanier, Esq.; Mary Wood, post office.

UPTON MAGNA

is a parish and village, pleasantly situated five miles east from Shrewsbury and seven west from Wellington, having the facilities of railway communication to both places, by the Shrewsbury and Birmingham railway, which intersects the parish. At the census of 1801 there were 482 inhabitants; 1831, 512; and in 1841, 99 houses and 494 souls. The parish comprises the townships of Upton Magna, Downton, Haughton, Hunkington, and Preston Boats, which together have an area of 3,260A. 3R. 25P. of land. Rateable value, £4,171. 2s. 6d. The principal landowners are Andrew William Corbet, Esq.; the Duke of Cleveland; and Robert Burton, Esq.; besides whom there are a few small freeholders.

THE CHURCH, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, is an antique structure, consisting of nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a tower, in which are four bells; the body of the church is built of red sand stone, and the tower of a white stone, which it is said was brought from an ancient moated mansion at Hunkington; the seats and pulpit are of oak, over the latter is the date of 1591; there is a gallery at the west end, and an ancient stone font. The church has been greatly beautified within the last ten years by the munificence of Miss Arabella Pigott, who has added a new organ and altar-piece, adorned the windows with stained glass, and made other additions. There is a book chained to a desk near the pulpit entitled, “An answer to a certeine booke lately set forth by Mr. Harding, entitled a confutation of the apology of the Church of England.” An altar tomb in the chancel, with full length figures in chain armour, remembers Waiter Barker, Esq., who died in 1644. There is also a handsome marble memorial to the memory of Mary Elizabeth Pigott, who died in 1837, and of Frances Pigott, who died in 1829, daughters of the Rev. William Pigott, rector of Edgmond and Chetwynd. The living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £12, now returned at £546, in the patronage of Andrew William Corbett, Esq., and incumbency of the Rev. Corbet Brown. THE SCHOOL is situated in the church-yard; forty-three children attend, eight of which are educated free; the school has the liberal support and assiduous attention of Miss Pigott. UPTON MAGNA COTTAGE was built about forty years ago, and is the delightful residence of Miss Arabella Pigott; it is tastefully furnished, the walls are decorated with some choice paintings, and there is a good library containing many valuable standard works. The pleasure grounds are very beautifully laid out, and command fine views of the surrounding country, and of the majestic Wrekin.

DOWNTON is a small township in Upton Magna parish, situated about a mile W. from the church. Of the townships in this parish there were no separate returns made of the population and acres at the census of 1841, they are therefore included with Upton Magna. Andrew William Corbet, Esq., is the landowner.

HAUGHTON, another small township, is situated about three miles N. from Upton Magna. The Duke of Cleveland and A. W. Corbet, Esq., are the landowners.

HUNKINGTON is situated about a mile N.E. from the church, and is the property of Andrew William Corbet, Esq. There was formerly a moated mansion here, but of which we possess no historical record; not a vestige of the building now remains, but the moat may still be traced.

PRESTON BOATS is a village and township two miles S.W. from Upton, on the banks of the river Severn, over which there is a ferry for passengers. The land is the property of Robert Burton, Esq.

CHARITIES.—_Thomas Blakeway_, in 1767, bequeathed £300 upon trust to apply one-third part of the yearly proceeds thereof in relieving the necessities of poor housekeepers, and the residue for the instruction of children belonging to poor parishioners. He also bequeathed £20 to be laid out in the repairs of the school. As the produce of this bequest there is now £322 stock, three and half per cents., the dividends of which amount to £11. 5s. 4d., two thirds of which are applied in the education of youth, and one-third is distributed among the poor. The _Rev. Richard Andrews_, in 1726, left £10 to the use of the poor. Mrs. _Ann Peploe_, in 1728, gave £16 to buy a garment for the poor. _Ann Barker_ gave £20, and _Thomas Jewkes_ £20 for the benefit of the poor. These several sums, amounting in the whole to £71, were laid out in building a parish work-house, which was subsequently sold, and the charity money was laid out in 1813, in the purchase of £80. 0s. 7d. stock in the navy five per cents., and there is now in respect of the charity money £84. 0s. 7d. standing in the names of certain trustees in the new four per cents. Out of the dividends 5s. is given away in bread, 16s. laid out in the purchase of two garments for poor persons, and the residue is distributed in small sums on St. Stephen’s-day.

UPTON MAGNA, DOWNTON, HUNKINGTON, HAUGHTON, & PRESTON BOATS DIRECTORIES.

Pigott Miss Arabella, The Cottage, Upton Magna

Allen Thomas, station master

Allen William, farmer, Hunkington

Barber Richard, farmer, The Sales, Upton Magna

Bladon John, wheelwright, Upton Magna

Brisbourne Thomas, farmer, Haughton

Bowen Wm., farmer, Somer Wood, Upton Magna

Brown Edmund, farmer, Upton Magna

Burroughs Daniel, tailor, Upton Magna

Clarke Mrs. Mary, Upton Magna

Davies James, farmer, Downton

Davies Robert, farmer, Preston Boats, Ferry

Davies John, shoemaker, Upton Magna

Elkes John, shoemaker, Haughton

Elsmere Colley, farmer, Upton Magna

Gregory Mary Ann, farmer, Preston Boats

Humphries Mary, schoolmistress, Upton Magna

Humphries Nathaniel, schoolmaster, Upton Magna

Humphries Richard, farmer, Rae House, Upton Magna

Humphry John, farmer and vict., Corbet Arms, Upton Magna

Jervis Robert, farmer, Upton Magna

Jones Hannah, farmer, Preston Boats

Jones John, farmer, Preston Boats

Jones Richard, farmer, Downton

Keay Henry, parish clerk, Upton Magna

Keay Walter, basket maker, Upton Magna

Leeke John, farmer, Haughton

Lockley Henry, blacksmith, Upton Magna

Matthews William, farmer, Preston Boats

Pickin Helen, shopkeeper, Upton Magna

Ralphs Henry, wheelwright, Upton Magna

Rogers Joseph, tailor, Upton Magna

Tart Thos. Sharratt, farmer, Upton Magna

UPTON WATERS, OR PARVA,

is a small parish, township, and pleasantly situated village, five and a half miles N. from Wellington, in the Wellington division of the South Bradford hundred. The parish contains 732A. 3R. 35P. of land, and in 1801 had 169 inhabitants, 1831, 193, and in 1841, 43 houses and 228 souls. Gross estimated rental, £1,346. 18s.; rateable value, £1,256. 0s. 11d. The principal landowners are Thomas Whitfield, Esq., Miss Ann Dickin, Mrs. Elizabeth Groucock, Mrs. Rider, Mr. William Boycott, and Mr. John Williams, besides whom there are several small freeholders. The village is pleasantly situated on elevated ground, and commands an extensive view of the surrounding country; on the western verge of the parish is the river Tern, which separates Upton Waters from the parish of Ercall.