Part 80

SUTTON township is situated about half a mile N.E. from Claverley, and at the census of 1841 contained three houses and 17 inhabitants.

WOUNDALE, a township and village in Claverley parish, a little more than a mile from the church, at the census in 1841 had 24 houses and 114 inhabitants; the land is the property of Farmer Taylor, Esq., who resides at a pleasantly situated mansion of brick, stuccoed. The acres and rateable value of the several townships in this parish will be found included in the returns of Claverley.

POST OFFICE.—_At Mr. Thomas H. Perry’s_. Letters arrive at 8 A.M., and are despatched at 7.25 P.M.

CLAVERLEY DIRECTORY.

Acton Edward Farrer, Esq., Gatacre park

Gabert Christopher, Esq., Rose Cottage

Gabert Rev. George Hilder Betterton, M.A., vicar, the Vicarage

Gatacre Edward Lloyd, Esq., Gatacre hall

Haslehust Thomas, Esq., surgeon, Powk hall

Kettle George Mackenzie, Esq., Dalicott house

Lea Mrs. Wolryche, Ludstone house

Stokes Mr. William, Ludstone hall

Taylor Farmer, Esq., Chykenell

Widdell Thos., Esq., Wood Field

Wilson John, Esq., Aston hall

Wilson William, Esq., Beobridge cottage

Ash Wm., miller and farmer

Austin Joseph, carpenter and joiner

Bate Daniel, millwright

Beasley Charles, schoolmaster (National)

Bishton George, shoemaker

Brazier Helen, schoolmistress

Brown Charles, shoemaker

Chapman James, accountant

Corns Mrs. Elizabeth

Crowder John, butcher and farmer

Crowder Joseph, painter, plumber, and glazier

Crowder Miss Ann

Davenport John, tailor

Evans Mr. William, Digbeth cottage

Evason Benjamin, tailor, draper, and tea dealer

Evers Henry, beerhouse

Evers William, shoemaker

Halfman Dinah and Mary, dressmakers

Halfman George, inland revenue officer

Harles Job, vict., the Crown

Jackson Richard, shoemaker

Page John, miller, Ashford mill

Parbut Mary, shopkeeper

Perry Helen, schoolmistress

Perry James, blacksmith

Perry Joseph, farmer and maltster

Perry Mrs. Elizabeth

Perry John, saddler and harness maker

Perry Thos. H., postmaster

Pickrill John, shoemaker

Preece Francis, shoemaker

Pritchard John, beerhouse

Rushton Francis, carpenter, joiner, builder, and vict., Glynne Arms

Weaver William, registrar of births and deaths, and vict., King’s Arms

Weston John, tailor

Whythse Elizabeth, grocer

Williams Benjamin, butcher

Wilson Thomas, saddler and harness maker

ASTON DIRECTORY.

Bryan Mr. Joseph

Farrington John, farmer

Griffiths Thomas, wheelwright

Hill Wm. Thomas, farmer

Perry John, farmer and timber merchant

Wilson John, farmer, maltster, house and estate agent, and appraiser Aston hall

BEOBRIDGE DIRECTORY.

Brinsford Samuel, farmer and corn miller, Lower Beobridge

Brown Edward, wheelwright, Lower Beobridge

Cox Joseph, farmer, Upper Beobridge

Rea Benjamin, blacksmith, Broad Oak

Thomas Thomas, farmer, Lower Beobridge

Wilson William, Esq., Beobridge cottage

Wilson William, farmer, Upper Beobridge

Windle Thomas H., Esq., Lower Beobridge

BROUGHTON DIRECTORY.

Edmonds Joseph, farmer, the Bank

Harley Edward, beerhouse keeper

Webster Thomas, farmer

DALICOTT DIRECTORY.

Kettle George Mackenzie, Esq., Dalicott House

Malpass Joseph, farm bailiff

FARMCOTT DIRECTORY.

Darley Richard, farmer, Sytch house

Edwards Mr. Vincent

Head John, shoemaker

Lees William, corn miller, Sytch house mill

Preece William, farmer

Thomas John, farmer, timber merchant, and wheelwright

Wilson Thomas, farmer

GATACRE DIRECTORY.

Acton Edward Farrer, Esq., J.P., and deputy lieutenant for Shropshire

Gatacre Edward Lloyd, Esq., Gatacre hall

Griffiths William, farmer, Gatacre park

Woolrich Henry, farmer, the Valley

HEATHTON DIRECTORY.

Booth William, tailor

Brandford Samuel, painter, plumber and glazier

Crowder Martha, asylum keeper

Davenport James, tailor

Heynes Benjamin, farmer

Lloyd Charles, vic., Swan Inn

Munday William, shoemaker

Plimley John, vict., Old Gate

HOPSTONE DIRECTORY.

Brazier Richard, Wheelwrigt

Broughall George, farmer, corn miller, and maltster

Felton William, shoemaker and beerhouse keeper

Pound Thomas, blacksmith

Ridley Samuel and Edward, corn millers, residence Bridgnorth

LUDSTONE DIRECTORY.

Lea Mrs. Wolryche, Ludstone House

Morris Francis, farmer

Smith William, farmer, Upper Ludstone

Stokes William, farmer, Ludstone Hall

SHIPLEY DIRECTORY.

Bott Samuel, farmer

Farmer Alexander, farmer

Francis Robert, farmer

Lakin Charles, vict., Talbot Inn

Miles Matthew, cattle dealer and shopkeeper

Stokes Mary, farmer

Whatelan Benjamin, beerhouse keeper

SUTTON DIRECTORY.

Jackson Joseph, farmer, Sutton Mill

Smith James, farmer

WOUNDALE DIRECTORY.

Davies Edward, farmer

Penzer John, boot and shoe maker

Preece Thomas, vict., Red Lion

Taylor Farmer, Esq., Chykenell

DONINGTON

is a parish in the Shiffnal division of the Brimstree hundred, comprising 2,655 acres of land, and in 1801 had 289 inhabitants; 1831, 318; 1841, 380, and in 1851 81 houses and 352 inhabitants, of whom 197 were males and 195 females. Rateable value, £3,977. The chief landowners are George Jones, Esq., Francis Yates, Esq., and the Rev. Henry Edward John Howard, D.D., dean of Lichfield. Donington is situated about four and a half miles S.E. from Shiffnal, and has a scattered population; the houses are in general of brick, well built, and commodious, and the cottages have a neat appearance. At the Doomsday survey Earl Roger held _Donitone_, and there was then a mill that rendered five horse load of corn, a wood a mile and a half long, and half a mile broad, and in the Wyke there were five salinæ that paid 20s. THIS CHURCH is a venerable structure, supposed to have been built early in the fourteenth century; it consists of nave and chancel, with a square tower, in which are two bells. The interior has a neat appearance, and the pews are of oak. The chancel is separated from the nave by a pointed arch, and the windows are beautified with stained glass. The chancel contains several memorials, among which is one to Edmund Waring, Esq., who died on the 30th January, 1682–3, aged 63 years. A brass plate remembers John Chapman, formerly rector of Donington, who died in 1607. The living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £5. 6s. 5½d., now returned at £721, enjoyed by the Rev. Henry Edward John Howard, D.D., dean of Lichfield, who resides at the rectory, a spacious and handsome mansion of modern construction, situated near the church. SHAKERLEY HOUSE, a good brick house situated about half a mile north from the church, is the residence and property of George Jones, Esq., iron master, who is also a considerable landowner in this parish. The mansion is delightfully situated, and the pleasure grounds are tastefully laid out.

CHARITIES.—_Sarah Manning_ charged her real estate in Shakerley with the payment of 10s. annually to the poor of the parish of Donington. From a deed in the possession of the owner of the Shakerley estate, dated 3rd April, 1729, it appears that this annuity was charged on a butt or section of land called Green Furlong, adjoining to the Kilsale Green, and which was by the provisions of that deed to be conveyed by Thomas Jellicorse and Jonathan Ruston, the trustees therein named, after the death of Sarah Manning, to William Bishton. What is the particular piece of land subjected to this payment cannot now be ascertained, but the amount is paid as a charge on the Shakerley estate.

The poor have also an annuity of 10s., as a portion of a rent charge of 30s. per annum, given by Mr. Chapman, to be divided between the poor of the parishes of Albrighton, Donington, and Boningale, as stated in the account of the charities of Albrighton. The owner of the Shakerley estate is not aware in what manner the payment of that rent charge was apportioned, so as to subject him to this share of it, but he considers it as a general charge on the Shakerley estate, and pays it accordingly. These two sums are distributed among the most necessitous poor of the parish.

Boulton John, farmer, Humphreston

Boulton William, farm bailiff, Sidnall

Cartwright William, farmer, Wood Farm

Dodd Rev. George, curate

Duncalfe William, farmer and surveyor, Chapel House

Holyoake George, Esq., banker, Nachley

Howard Rev. Henry Edward John, D.D., rector and dean of Lichfield, The Rectory

Howell Joseph, shopkeeper

Jones George, Esq., iron master, Shakerley House

Jones John, Esq., ironmaster, White House

Lander Richard, jun., farmer

Miller William, farmer

Moore William, miller, Shakerley Mill

Radford Henry, blacksmith, Shakerley

Reynolds Richard, shopkeeper & shoemaker, Shakerley

Russell John, tailor, Sidnall lane

Sherratt John, farmer, Low Wood Farm

Ward Matthew, Esq., Blue House

Wilkes Samuel, farmer and corn miller, Shakerley

KEMBERTON,

a parish and small rural village, pleasantly situated two miles and a half S.W. by S. from Shiffnal, at the census in 1801 contained 289 inhabitants; 1831, 318; and in 1841, 79 houses and a population of 380 souls. The parish comprises 1,385A. 2R. 16P. of land, of which twenty-three acres are in woods and plantations. Rateable value, £1,930. The Shiffnal, Madeley, Bridgnorth, and Ironbridge turnpike roads intersect the parish. The principal landowners are Robert Aglionby Slaney, Esq., M.P., Mr. John Bradburne, Lord Sudeley, Mr. Henry Thomason, and Mr. T. L. Beddows; besides whom Mr. Thomas Harper, Mr. Ward, Mr. S. Broughall, Mr. John Cherrington, Mr. William Harper, and others, are also proprietors. The soil is variable; in some parts a light loam prevails, in other parts the soil is strong, and there is a portion of clay. This locality is noted for the salubrity of the air. The land is broken into bold swells, from the high grounds of which some fine views of the surrounding country and of the distant county of Stafford are seen.

THE CHURCH, dedicated to St. Andrew, is a small fabric, with a square tower ornamented with pinnacles. The interior consists of nave and chancel, and is neatly pewed with oak sittings; the tower contains four bells. A neat marble tablet has been erected, at the expense of the parishioners, in memory of the Rev. John Williams. The living is a rectory, with the vicarage of Sutton Maddock annexed; valued in the king’s book at £5. 6s. 5½d., in the patronage of Robert Aglionby Slaney, Esq., M.P.; incumbent, Rev. George Whitmore, M.A. The tithes are commuted for £580. THE RECTORY is a handsome stuccoed residence adjoining the church-yard, beautified with pleasure grounds, tastefully laid out. There is a PAROCHIAL SCHOOL in the village, which is chiefly supported by the rector.

DIRECTORY.—George Adlington, wheelwright; Samuel Barker, shoemaker; William Bowdler, farmer; John Cherrington, gentleman; James Clulow, farmer; Wm. Downes, shoemaker; Charles Gough, shopkeeper and wheelwright; Thomas Harper, victualler, Masons’ Arms; Wm. Harper, bricklayer and parish clerk; Benjamin Heyward, gardener; William Richard Jackson, farmer; William Lumley, farmer; John Onions, maltster; Peter Reynolds, farmer; Elizabeth Rogers, school-teacher; Thomas Spenser, gentleman, Langley Cottage; Thomas Stonely, corn-miller; Mrs. Eliza Lloyd Thomas, farmer; Mary Ann Tomkins, shopkeeper; James Vaughan, blacksmith; Rev. George Whitmore, M.A., The Rectory; William Williams, tailor.

RYTON

is a parish, in the Shiffnal Division of the Brimstree Hundred, which embraces 1,390 acres of fertile land, yielding fine crops of wheat, barley, and turnips. The village is pleasantly situated, three miles S. from Shiffnal, and the same distance W. of Albrighton. The river Worf, which is celebrated for the excellency and abundance of its trout, intersects the parish. At the census in 1801 there were 160 inhabitants; 1831, 154; and in 1841, 41 houses and 195 souls. Rateable value of the parish, £2,507. The principal landowners are William Angeworth, Esq., Charles Head, Esq., Rev. Robert William Eyton, M.A., and R. A. Slaney, Esq.; there are also several smaller proprietors. THE CHURCH is a neat structure of free-stone, erected in the year 1710, to which additions have from time to time been made. It consists of nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a square tower, in which are three bells and a clock; the interior has a neat and orderly appearance: the pews are of oak, and the east window is beautifully ornamented with stained glass, with figures illustrative of Scripture history. There are some neat tablets and memorials to the Hardings, Heads, Sansoms, and others. The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £5. 12s. 1d., now returned at £508, in the patronage and incumbency of the Rev. Robert William Eyton, M.A.; curate, Rev. Richard Seddon, B.A. The tithes for Royton parish are commuted for £445. THE RECTORY is a handsome modern residence, pleasantly situated a little south from the church, and was built on the site of the old rectory. THE NATIONAL SCHOOL, a neat Elizabethan brick structure, situated a little east from the church, was built in the year 1850. The average attendance of children is about forty. Not far from the National School the stream of the Worf is crossed by a small stone bridge.

DIRECTORY.—Robert Bradley, farmer; John Candlin, farmer; Edward Corbett, blacksmith; Elizabeth Corbett, schoolmistress; Samuel Dalloe, schoolmaster; Rev. Robert William Eyton, M.A., The Rectory; Charles Head, farmer, Atchley House; Thomas Hodgkiss, shoemaker; William Holloway, shoe and patten maker; John Knight, wheelwright; William Miles, farmer and beerhouse-keeper, Grindle; George Powell, farmer, Grindle; John Roberts, butler; Rev. Richard Seddon, B.A., curate, Ryton Bank; Thomas Wheeler, farmer, Atchley; John Yates, farmer, Grindle.

SHIFFNAL,

anciently called IDESALL, or IDSAL, is a parish and market town the head of a division of the Brimstree hundred, eight miles south from Newport, ten miles north from Bridgnorth, and eighteen miles east by south from Shrewsbury. The town chiefly consists of one street upwards of a mile in length, with several minor streets diverging from it. The houses are irregularly built, and many of the cottage residences have a mean appearance; there are however several good inns and private houses, and a number of respectable shops in most of the branches of the retail trade. Though the situation of the town is low, it is built on a dry sandy soil, and by no means unpleasant. According to tradition Idesall was a place of more considerable note in former times, and the principal portion of the town stood westward of the church; foundations and traces of buildings have frequently been discovered which would seem to confirm this supposition. In the 9th of Edward II. Bartholomew de Badlesmere obtained for him and his heirs a market on Monday and Friday, and two fairs in the year, one on the eve of the day, and the day after the feast of the Holy Trinity, and the other on the eve, the day, and the morrow after Michaelmas, as also the liberty of free warren in his demesnes in Ideshall, Adderley, Sponley, Calverhall, and Shavington. He was one of those mutinous lords who took part in the battle of Boroughbridge, March 16th, 1322, where he was taken prisoner and afterwards executed at Canterbury. The possessions of Bartholomew Badlesmere were granted in the 15th of Edward II. to Edmund Earl of Arundel and the heirs male of his body, but that noble lord was in like manner attainted about four years after, and so we find Giles de Badlesmere, son of the said Bartholomew, restored to the inheritance of his family. In the 11th of Edward IV., John Earl of Shrewsbury had a grant of a market and two fairs at the Ville of Suffenhall. The market is still held on Tuesday, but is not of much consideration; formerly corn was sold to a considerable extent. Fairs are held on the first Monday in April, August 5th, and November 22nd. The great London and Holyhead road passes through the town, upon which there were formerly seventeen coaches passing and repassing daily, which, with other traffic, added much to the commercial importance and advantage of Shiffnal. Although the inhabitants have the facilities of railway communication and a station in a central part of the town, this has rather had a tendency to diminish the importance of Shiffnal, by diverting the attention of parties who formerly frequented the market here to places of more consideration at no great distance.

The parish contains 11,433 acres of land, of which 1,090 acres are in woods and plantations, 74A. 3R. 28P. in roads and waste, and there are 60 acres of glebe. Rateable value, £24,561. 16s. Population in 1801, 3,632; 1831, 4,779; 1841, 5,244; 1851, 5,616; of whom 2,820 were males, and 2,796 females; at the latter period there were 1,050 houses. The Marquis of Stafford is lord of the manor and a very considerable landowner. The parish comprises four divisions, viz.: that of Shiffnal, embracing the town and its suburbs; Hatton district, comprising the hamlets of Idsal, Hem, Wyke, Evelith, and Hinnington; Priors Lee, those of Snedshill, Haughton, and Woodhouse; and the division of Woodside, containing the hamlets of Crackley bank, Decker hill, the Lizzard, Aston, Stanton, Upton, and Coppice green. The parish is intersected by the London and Holyhead, Shiffnal and Bridgnorth, and the Albrighton and Newport turnpike roads, and is watered by the small streams of the Sal, Worfe, Cosford, and the Lizzard. The township of Shiffnal contains 188A. 2R. 10P. of land, and in 1841 had 412 houses and 1,872 inhabitants. Rateable value, £4,153. 4s. The principal freeholders are the Marquis of Stafford, W. H. Slaney, Esq., William Cope, Esq., Mr. Edward Cherrington, and Mr. Thomas Eaton Lander, besides whom there are between forty and fifty small freeholders. The tithes were commuted in 1839, when the rectoral tithes were apportioned as follows, viz: £923 to the Rev. John Brooke; £580 to Henry Sidney Herbert, Esq.; £105 to the Duke of Cleveland; and £26 to Messrs. John and George Pritchards. The vicarial tithes are commuted for £307. A considerable extent of land, the property of the Duke of Cleveland, Lord Forester, R. A. Slaney, Esq., Rev. John Brooke, and others, is tithe free, and other portions of the parish pay a small modus.

THE CHURCH, dedicated to St. Andrew, is a large interesting cruciform structure, exhibiting various styles of architecture, with a handsome square tower rising from the centre and supported by four pointed arches resting on massive pillars with ornamented capitals. The side aisles are separated from the nave by four semi circular arches, and terminated by side chapels. The chancel is spacious, and was re-roofed a few years ago at the expense of the late vicar, the Rev. John Brooke. The ceiling is of oak, and varnished, which gives the venerable structure a very interesting appearance. On the gallery at the west end is a fine toned organ; a noble old window at the east end is beautifully foliated. The altar is remarkably fine. Among the numerous memorials is a magnificent altar tomb, having a full length figure in a recumbent position, with the hands joined and uplifted in prayer, in memory of Oliver Briggs, who died 20th November, 1596. Another alabaster tomb of beautiful workmanship, with the figure of a knight and his lady, remembers Humphrey Briggs, Esq., and Ann, his wife, dated 1622. In a niche in the wall is a full length figure of Thomas Forester, some time prior of Wombridge, warden of Tong, and vicar of Idesall, dated 1526. A splendid white tablet has been erected to the memory of Dame Magdalene Briggs, who died September 15th, 1698. There are also handsome tablets to the Slaneys, Corbets, Pitts, Jackson, Charltons, and Brookes. The memorial to George Brooke, Esq., of Haughton, who died in 1776, is beautifully executed in free stone. A neat marble tablet has been erected to the memory of Mary Bagott, daughter of Ralph Clayton, of Sheffield, in the county of Yorkshire; she died July 27th, 1748, aged 88 years. From the inscription on the tablet to William Wakley, we learn that he was baptised at Idsal, May 1st, 1590, and was buried November 28th, 1714, aged 124 years. He lived in the reigns of eight kings and queens, viz., Elizabeth, James I., Charles I., Charles II., James II., William and Mary, Anne, and George I. Mary, wife of Joseph Yates, who died August 7th, 1776, aged 127 years; she is stated to have married a third husband at the age of 92, and to have been hearty and strong when 120 years old. Besides which are recorded in the church yard many instances of extreme longevity, for which this parish is peculiarly eminent. The advowson of the church in early times was granted to the abbey of Shrewsbury; in the 24th of Henry VI. the impropriation was annexed to the college of Battlefield, near Salop. The living is now a vicarage, valued in the king’s book at £15. 6s. 8d.; now returned at £492.; in the patronage of the Rev. John Brooke, of Haughton Hall; incumbent, Rev. Townshend Brooke, M.A. THE VICARAGE is a handsome residence pleasantly situated a short distance from the church.

THE BAPTISTS have a neat chapel situated on the Salop road, built in 1843, and another chapel in Aston street. THE WESLEYAN METHODIST CHAPEL is situate in the Back lane. THE NATIONAL SCHOOLS are situated in the Innage. Seventy-five boys and about seventy girls attend. It is supported by endowments and annual subscriptions, together producing about £40 per annum. The endowments of the schools will be found noticed with the charities. THE CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY have a branch depository for the circulation and sale of religious books, situated in High street; Mr. Cornelius Bennet is the librarian.

THE MECHANICS’ INSTITUTION was established in 1849, and is under the management of a president, vice-president, and committee of proprietary members. The general object of the institution is for the establishment of classes for the study of most of the branches of a liberal education, the formation of a library, and affording the members facilities for hearing lectures on literary and scientific subjects. A READING-ROOM has been established, which is furnished with many of the leading newspapers, and some of the most popular periodicals of the day. _President_: Rev. J. Brooke, Haughton Hall. _Vice-President_: W. Cope, Esq. _Secretary and Librarian_: Mr. B. L. Beddow. THE TOWN HALL, situated in High street, was built in the year 1840. The Petty Sessions are held here on the first Friday in each month. The officiating magistrates are Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq., M.P., Uvedale Corbet, Esq., Robert Henry Cheney, Esq., and George Holyoake, Esq. Mr. Peter Osborne is clerk to the magistrates. In 1850, a Lock-up and residence for the constable was erected adjoining the Town Hall. THE STAMP OFFICE is at Mrs. Ann Edmunds, Market-place. The EXCISE OFFICE is at the Bell Inn.

THE SAVINGS BANK was established in 1819, and is situated in New-street Terrace. The capital stock of the bank on November, 20th, 1850, amounted to £15,198. 3s. 2d., at which period there were 469 separate accounts; of which nine were charitable societies, and three friendly societies. Of the respective balances, 260 did not exceed £20, 108 were above £20 and not exceeding £50, 46 did not exceed £100, 30 were above £100 and not exceeding £150, and the deposits of 13 were above the latter amount and under £200. The amount received from depositors from November 20th, 1849, to November 20th, 1850, was £2,204. 14s. 8d. The payments during the same period were £2,275. 4s. 7d. Mr. Thomas Eaton Lander, _Treasurer_; and Mr. Peter Osborne, _Secretary_. The bank is open every alternate Tuesday from ten till one o’clock.