Part 84

_Thomas Woolley_, in 1609, gave £100 for purchasing lands for the use of the poor of Worfield, which was laid out in lands at Brierley. Other premises in Brierley were afterwards purchased by the parish for the sum of £202. 4s., made up of six different benefactions. Soon after the last purchase, these properties were combined into one estate. The premises consist of 17A. 2R. 5P., and produce a yearly rental of £40. In the course of certain proceedings in chancery respecting this charity in the year 1808, it appears to have been stated in a valuation on oath before the master, that the mines lying under these lands were worth £300 per acre. Of the income, £1. 16s. is paid to the vicar, for preaching sermons according to the intentions of the donors; £6 to the treasurer of Lloyd and Parker’s charity; and the rest is distributed to the poor, according to a list made out by the trustees.

_Thomas Beech_, in 1645, surrendered to the use of his nephew, William Beech, certain lands in Hilton and Halton, in trust. After the death of Dorothy, wife of the said Thomas Beech, to pay 12s. 4d. at the feast of St. Michael, for engrossing the court rolls, and placing them in the church chest at Worfield; and after the expiration of ninety-nine years, beginning at the death of the said Dorothy, to pay yearly at the feast of the Ascension, to the vicar of Worfield 3s., and to the poor of Worfield 10s. The charity commissioners state the land to be vested in Mr. Smythe and Mr. Hardwick, but there was no evidence to show that these annuities have ever been paid; and it would appear that forty-two years’ arrears were then due to the vicar and the poor, as the payment ought to have commenced in the year 1777.

_William Perry_ charged a loft and half yard of land and a cottage in Wykem with the payment of 6s. 8d. yearly, on four specified days, to buy bread for twenty poor people of the parish of Worfield. The premises afterwards became possessed by Thomas Smith and John Bache, the former agreeing to pay 2s. 3d. of the said rent-charge, and the other 4s. 5d.

_Dr. William Congreve_, of Broadney, by his will dated 20th October, 1775, reciting that £10 had been left in his hands by his father and grandfather, the interest to be paid every Good Friday to persons who had lived servants at Bradney, and that Robert Littleford, his late servant, had left in his hands £10, the interest to be given yearly, the Sunday after Midsummer-day, to eight servants who had lived at the least one year at Bradney. Dr. Congreve charged his lands with the payment of 10s. and 8s., as the interest of these two sums, which is distributed according to the donor’s intentions.

_Robert Crudgington_, in 1714, surrendered to the lord of the manor of Worfield half a yard of land and three parts of a nook of land, in Newton, on condition that the persons in possession should pay out of the rents 20s. per annum, to be distributed among poor widows or other necessitous persons inhabiting in the parish of Worfield.

_Mr. Bache_, of Chesterton, left £5, the interest to be paid on New-year’s day to ten poor widows nominated by the heirs of the family. _Mr. Thomas Bache_ gave £10, and directed the interest to be applied in the same manner. The interest of these two sums is now distributed by the representatives of Mr. Bache. There is no document respecting these benefactions, but they are considered as charged generally on the family estate.

_Thomas Devey_, in 1725, surrendered a croft to the use of his heirs, subject to the payment of 10s. yearly, which he directed to be distributed among poor widows of this parish. This seems to be the gift mentioned on the benefaction table, as a legacy of Mrs. Elizabeth Devey.

_Thomas Smith_, in 1726, charged two pieces of land called Uphill and Downhill, and the Fen lands with the payment of 30s. per annum, 16s. thereof to be paid to the schoolmaster of Worfield, and 14s. to be divided among seven poor persons, to be nominated by the possessors of the land.

_Mrs. Mary Dolman_ left by will £40, the interest of £20 thereof to be given among the poor of Worfield, and the proceeds from the other £20 to be applied in buying bibles; one of her executors secured the payment of 40s. per annum on his estate at Ackleton.

_Mrs. Arabella Davenport_, in 1763, bequeathed £200 to the vicar and churchwardens, in trust, to be laid out in lands, and the rents to be distributed among poor widows and maidens of this parish. No purchase of lands has been made with this money, but it is placed in the hands of Mr. Smythe, and secured on bond dated 9th September, 1809, with lawful interest at four and a half per cent.

_Mrs. Sarah Mason_, in 1809, gave to the churchwardens of Worfield for the time being, an annuity of £5, to be divided among poor widows residing in this parish. The payment is charged upon the freehold and copyhold estates of the donor, to be paid on the 24th of June and 25th December, by equal portions.

It is stated on the table of benefactions that _George Bromley_, _Esq._, gave £120 to charitable uses, £30 of which had been laid out in a purchase of land at Brexley, and £90 remained in the hands of the trustees, which was laid out in 1730 in building a workhouse for the use of the parish.

The following benefactions appear on the tablet in the church, of which nothing further is now known. £50 given by _William Rowley_ for a distribution of bread, £5, the gift of _John Beech_, and a legacy of £20 bequeathed by _John Bradburne_.

ACKLETON is a small well-built village, and township in the parish of Worfield, two and a quarter miles north-east from the parish church. The acres and population of the several townships in Worfield are included in the general returns of the parish. The principal freeholders are the executors of the late Mr. Eykyn, Mr. Green, Mrs. Clarke, Mrs. Patrick, Mr. Thomas Priest, and Mr. John Richards. Ackleton House is a good residence occupied by Mrs. Eykyn. ALLSCOTT is pleasantly situated about a mile and a quarter north-west from Worfield; the land is the property of Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq. BARNSLEY township is situated two miles south-east from Worfield, and the freeholders are Mr. John Hoccom, Mr. William Hoccom, and Miss Hoccom. BENTLEY lies about two miles to the south-west of Worfield, and is the property of George Pritchard, Esq. Bentley House is a good brick residence beautified with tasteful pleasure grounds, and occupied by Mr. William Sing. The farm premises which are commodious are situate a short distance from the house. BROMLEY township is chiefly the property of Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq.; the village is situated about a mile to the south-west of Worfield. BRADNEY, or BRADLEY, a pleasantly situated township, half a mile east from Worfield, is intersected by the Wolverhampton turnpike road. Bradney House, the residence of Captain Brazier, is a beautiful modern erection with pleasure grounds tastefully laid out. Warner House, an ancient residence, is now occupied as a farm dwelling. Capt. James Brazier is the land owner. BURNCOTE, or BURCOT, is a small rural village and township situated on a gentle eminence; the principal freeholders are Mr. John Bell Hardwick, Mr. Richard Hardwick, Mr. Parkes, and Mrs. Bache; the township is bounded by the river Worf and the Shiffnal and Wolverhampton turnpike road. In 1809, a large semi-circular cave was discovered at Burcot, in which were found human bones, sculls, and the bones of several animals. The ancient name of Bourncote, which in the Saxon language means the cote or dwelling near to the river, of which this cave is within a few paces serves to show the probability of this having been the cote or dwelling, which may have given rise to the word Burcot, the present name of the township. It is presumed the bones found in this cave may have been those of persons who made this cave the place of their occasional residence, and that it was destroyed by a sudden convulsion of the rock, and downfall of the soil above it. CHESTERTON village is delightfully situated on a gentle eminence, commanding fine views over a country teeming with luxuriance. The residence of John Bache, Esq., is a handsome mansion, with pleasure grounds most beautifully laid out. The residence of Mrs. Marindin is also spacious and elegant. The landowners are John Bache, Esq., Mrs. Marindin, Mr. Thomas Wilson, and Mr. Samuel Marindin. Near to the village, which is about two miles N.E. from Worfield, are the remains of a Roman encampment, which is said to have covered an area of more than twenty acres. A small structure in this township prior to the reformation was used as a chapel, but since that period has been occupied as an humble dwelling; it was dedicated to St. John the Baptist. CRANMERE, or CRANMERE HEATH, is situated about a mile and a half to the N.W. of Worfield. The land is the property of William S. Davenport, Esq., and Valentine Vickers, Esq. CATSTREE, another small township, anciently formed part of the demesnes of the Saxon lords of the manor of Worfield. The family of Catstree resided here till the year 1819. Thomas C. Whitmore, Esq., and W. S. Davenport, Esq., are the landowners. EWDNESS, a pleasantly situated township on the Bridgnorth and Shiffnal turnpike road, two miles north from Worfield, contains 441 acres of land, which is the property of Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq. Rateable value, £490. 4s. 10d. The tithes have been commuted, and £74 apportioned to the impropriator, and £22 to the vicar of Worfield. Ewdness House is a commodious Elizabethan structure, with bay windows; the interior contains some fine specimens of antique oak carving. The house is occupied by Mr. Richard M. Barker. FENN GATE, a hamlet two miles from Worfield, has only one farm. The land is the property of T. C. Whitmore, Esq. HILTON is a pleasantly situated village and township on the turnpike road from Bridgnorth to Wolverhampton, four and a half miles N.E. from the former place. A small stream here called Hilton Brook is crossed by a stone bridge erected in 1814, with funds raised by subscriptions, and from the Bridgnorth turnpike trust. The principal landowners are Mr. Samuel Ridley, Mr. Kettle, Mr. Thomas Smythe, Mrs. Hammond, and Mrs. Smythe, besides whom are several other proprietors. Hilton House, the residence of George Smith Dorset, Esq., is a handsome residence with grounds tastefully laid out, besides which there are several other good houses in the village. HOCCOM, or HOCKHAM, is a small hamlet about two miles N.E. from Bridgnorth; the landowners are Mr. John Meredith and Mr. William Sing. HALLON is a hamlet adjoining Worfield, situated on a bold eminence. Hallon House, a beautiful modern erection of considerable extent, is the residence of James Farmer, gentleman. The freeholders are William S. Davenport, Esq., and Valentine Vickers, Esq. HARTLEBERRY is situated N.W. from Worfield, about a mile and a quarter from the church. Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq., is the landowner. KINGSLOW is a small hamlet delightfully situated, three miles N.E. from Worfield. The freeholders are Lord Lewisham and Mrs. Devey. Kingslow House is a good residence occupied by John Farmer, gentleman. Stanlow House is occupied as a farm residence by Mr. Thomas Wilson. The hamlet of LITTLE GANE lies about three miles from Worfield; the freeholders and residents are Samuel and Edward Ridley, gentlemen. OLDINGTON township is situated two miles N.W. from Worfield, and is the property of Thomas C. Whitmore, Esq. NEWTON, situated near to Oldington, is also the property of the same gentleman. ROUGHTON is a well built and respectable village on the Bridgnorth and Wolverhampton turnpike road, two and a half miles from the former place; there are several genteel residences embosomed in foliage, and beautified with tasteful pleasure grounds. The landowners are John and George Pritchard, Esq., Mrs. Fletcher and Mrs. Stokes. RIDDLEFORD, or RHUDDLEFORD, is of British derivation, and signifies the Red Ford. It is a small township about two miles E. of Bridgnorth, which formerly belonged to the family of the Walkers, a branch of the Walkers, of Burncote and Roughton, who disposed of it to the Colley family, and they to the late William Hardwicke, Esq., of Burncote, who married Miss Mary Purton, by whom he had two children, John Role Hardwicke, Esq., deceased, and William Hardwicke, Esq., of Bridgnorth, an eminent antiquary and genealogist, whose widow is the present proprietor. ROWLEY is another small hamlet nearly a mile from Worfield, where William S. Davenport and Mrs. Martha Johnson are the landowners. STANMORE is a village and township on the Stourbridge road, two miles E. from Bridgnorth. John and George Pritchard, Esqrs., W. S. Davenport, Esq., and T. C. Whitmore, Esq., are the landowners. Stanmore Grove, the residence of R. Pigott, Esq., is a good house, pleasantly situated. STABLEFORD, or STAPLEFORD, is a small hamlet two miles N. from Worfield, not far from which runs the Cosford Brook. The freeholders are Mr. Jasper, and the executors of the late Richard Taylor. SWANCOTE is situated about a mile and a half to the N.E. of Bridgnorth. George Pritchard, Esq., is the proprietor of the land. Swancote House, a commodious residence pleasantly situated on a gentle eminence, and ornamented with pleasure grounds neatly laid out, is occupied by William Sing, Esq. WHEEL GREEN is a hamlet on the Bridgnorth and Northampton turnpike road, three and a half miles N.E. from the former place, and near to the river Worf. WINSCOTE is situated two miles from Worfield, and the land is the property of T. C. Charlton, Esq. WYKEN, derived from Wycke, (Saxon, “Place and Residence,” and Hen, British, “Old, or the Old Place”), is a small township and manor within the parish and manor of Worfield, situated about three miles N.E. of Bridgnorth. This manor was granted, together with the church of Worfield, and chapel of Chesterton, in the same parish, by King Edward II., in the 11th year of his reign, to the dean of Lichfield, in exchange for the manor of Greenford, in Middlesex. In the 2nd Edward VI., Richard William, then dean of Lichfield, with the chapter conveyed this manor with the advowson of the vicarage of the parish church of Worfield, and most of the great tithes of that parish, to Sir John Talbot, Knight, of Albrighton, which manor and tithes are now vested in William Sharrington Davenport, Esq., of Davenport House, in Worfield parish. The chief landowner in this township is Joseph Parkes, Esq., (in right of his wife Anna, the only child of the late John Bache, Esq.,) who resides at Wyken House, situated on the Streetford Brook, which has its confluence with the Worf below; Mr. Nicholas and Mr. J. Mollineux are also proprietors in this township.

WORFIELD.

Bennett William, shopkeeper

Brown John, mill manager

Broadbent Rev. Cornelius Francis, M.A., The Rectory

Broughall Geo., corn miller

Clutton George, butcher

Clutton Mary, beer retailer

Crookshanks Alex., gardener

Crow Emily and Caroline, dressmakers

Cunliffe Rev. Henry, M.A., curate

Davenport Elizabeth, gentlewoman

Davenport Wm. Sharrington, Esq., and county magistrate, Davenport House

Hall John, vict., Grey Hound Inn

Humphreys Hugh, National School master

James Samuel, principal of Endowed Grammar School

Mead William, butler

Piper Mary, dressmaker

Piper Thomas, wheelwright

Powell Mr. Edwd., The Low

Price Richard, tailor

Pritchards Theophilus, game keeper

Rogers Thomas, shoemaker, and parish clerk

Sherry William, tailor

ACKLETON.

Eykyn Mrs., The Hall

Gibbons James, farmer

Holden Francis, blacksmith

Painter Thomas, shopkeeper

Poole Francis, beer-retailer and farmer

Priest Thomas, farmer

Richards John, maltster and farmer

Richards Sarah, farmer

Wilson Richard, maltster and farmer

ALLSCOT.

Reynolds Wm., shoemaker

Wray Richard, farmer

BARNSLEY.

Haccom Miss, farmer

Haccom John, farmer

Haccom William, farmer

BENTLEY.

Sing William, farmer

BROMLEY.

Iddins Thomas, farmer

Jones John, wheelwright

Smith Thomas, gentleman

Worrall Richard, farmer

BRADNEY.

Brasier Captain James

Gibbons James, farmer

BURCOTE.

Cartwright John, farmer

Hardwicke John Bell, maltster and farmer

Hardwicke Richard, farmer and corn miller, The Villa

Rowley Richard, machineman (lets)

Sharpe Mrs.

Turner Thomas, manager, Mill

CHESTERTON.

Bache John, Esquire

Holding Francis, blacksmith

Hunt John, farmer & miller

Johnson John, farmer

Marindin Ellen, gentlewoman

Smith Edward, farmer

CRANMERE.

Braidley Thomas, shoemaker

Humphreys John, farmer

CATSTREE.

Nicholls Sarah, farmer

Price John, farmer

EWDNESS.

Barker Richard M., farmer

FENN GATE.

Whitehouse Cornelius, farmer

HILTON.

Darley Thomas, farmer

Davies Edward Harrison, builder and maltster

Dorset George Smith, Esq., Hilton House

Gibbons James, Blue Barn farm

Lane James, beer retailer

Poole Mr. William

Pope William, wheelwright

Ridley Samuel, gentleman

Roles Benjamin, shopkeeper

Tolly John, blacksmith

White John, wheelwright and machine maker

Wilcox Richard, gentleman

HOCCOM.

Meredith George, farmer

Meredith John, farmer

Sing William, farmer

HALLON.

Barney Theophilus, blacksmith

Farmer James, gentleman, Hallon House

Tarrant Isaac, builder and joiner

Turner John, blacksmith

HARTLEBERRY.

Dudley Samuel, wheelwright

Littleford Thomas, senior, farmer

Wood Eleanor, shopkeeper and farmer

Wood Thomas, brick & tile maker, and farmer

KING SLOW.

Farmer John, gentleman, Kingslow farm

Wilson Thomas, Esquire, Stanlow

LITTLE GANE.

Ridley Samuel and Edward, farmers

OLDINGTON.

Worrall Arthur, farmer

Worrall Thomas, farmer

NEWTON.

Sing William, jun., farmer

ROUGHTON.

Meredith John, farmer

Pratt Edward Richard, farmer, miller, & corn factor, Brook Cottage; Corn Mills at Smestow and Union Steam Mills, Tipton

Smith John, gentleman

Smith William, gentleman, The Hall

Smithyman Mrs Jane

Smithyman William, farmer

Stokes Martha Corser, gentlewoman

RINGLEFORD.

Ridley Samuel and Edward, corn factors, millers, maltsters, farmers, seedsmen, and guano and tillage dealers

Wellings Benjamin, blacksmith

ROWLEY.

Johnson Martha, farmer

STANMORE.

Beeston Richard, farmer, carrier, and van proprietor

Pigot Richard, Esq., The Grove

Ridley Samuel and Edward, Grove farm

Tedstall Thos., beer-retailer

Warder James, farmer

STABLEFORD.

Hill Henry, farmer

Humphrey George, wheelwright

Jasper John, Esq., The Hall

Smith Thomas, farmer

SWANCOTE.

Sing William, Esq., Swancote House

WHEEL GREEN.

Hammond Jane, farmer and victualler, The Wheel, and Post Office

WINSCOTE.

Sing William, jun., farmer

WYKEN.

Adams Thomas, plumber, glazier, and painter

Bache Ann, gentlewoman

Lloyd James, shoemaker

Lloyd James, blacksmith

Mantle John, shopkeeper, market gardener, nurseryman and seedsman

Mollineux James, gentleman

Mollineux James, butcher and farmer

Mollineux Michael, farmer

Painter John, blacksmith

Parkes Joseph, Esq., The Hall

Piper Moses, shopkeeper

Powell William, bricklayer

THE CONDOVER HUNDRED.

The Condover hundred is bounded on the north by the liberties of Shrewsbury, on the east by the South Bradford hundred and the Wenlock franchise, on the west by the Ford hundred, and on the south by the hundred of Munslow. The land presents a considerable inequality of surface; the soil is various; in some places there is a good deal of gravelly loam and sand, and in other places a clayey soil prevails, lying upon the red sand stone. The Lyth hill stands within the bounds of this hundred, and the lofty heights of the Caradoc, Lawley, and Longmynd connect it on the south and west with the hundreds of Munslow and Purslow. The population of this hundred in 1801 was 5,818, and in 1841, 7,349, of whom 3,701 were males and 3,648 females. At the latter period there were 1445 inhabited houses and 73 houses building. This hundred comprehends the Condover and the Cound divisions. The Condover division contains the following townships and places, viz: Bayston, Betchcott, Betton and Alkmere, Castle Pulverbatch, Chatford, Church Pulverbatch, Churton, Condover, Cothercott, Dorrington, Frodesley, Lee Botwood, Longnor, Meole Brace, Newton and Edgbold, Nobold, Picklescott, Pulley, Smethcott, Stapleton, Sutton, Walkmills, Wilderley, Woolstaston, and Wrentnall.

The Cound division contains Acton Burnell, Berrington, Church Preen, Cound, Cressage, Harley, Kenley, Pitchford, and Ruckley and Langley.

ACTON BURNELL

is a parish and pleasant well-built village, seven miles S.S.E. from Shrewsbury, comprising 2,650 acres of land, and in 1801 had 272 inhabitants; in 1841 there were 54 houses and a population of 311 souls. Sir Edward Joseph Smythe, bart., is the land owner and lord of the manor, and resides at the Hall, an elegant mansion of white free stone, approached by a beautiful portico of the Ionic order; the pleasure grounds are tastefully laid out, and the park commands a beautiful prospect of the surrounding country. Near to the Hall are the ruins of ACTON BURNELL CASTLE, which is memorable in history for a parliament held here in the year 1283, by King Edward I., on which occasion the lords sat in the castle and the commons in a barn. It was in this parliament that the statute known by the name of the statute of Acton Burnell was made for the purpose of enforcing the _statutuno de mercatoribus_. It appoints the mode in which a statute merchant is to be made, and by whom; fixes the manner of seizing and valuing goods for the payment of debts; in what case the debtor shall be imprisoned, and how maintained in prison; when sureties shall be compelled to pay the debts of their principals, and when they are to be exempted, &c. Sir Robert Burnell, who lived in the reign of William the Conqueror, had his seat here, and his posterity flourished in this vicinity for a long period. Philip Burnell, in the 54th Henry III., had the grant of a market on Tuesday, and two fairs in the year, the one on the eve, the day, and the day after the annunciation of the blessed Virgin, and the other on the eve, the day, and the morrow of St. Michael the Archangel. Robert Burnell, bishop of Bath and Wells, is said to have repaired or built the castle here in the reign of Edward I. The walls of the castle are of immense thickness, and adorned with battlements and rows of curiously carved windows. A short distance from the castle stood the barn, where the commons are stated to have assembled when the parliament was held here, it is now a complete ruin, and the gables only remain. THE CHURCH is a venerable fabric dedicated to St. Mary; the living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £6. 10s., now returned at £350, in the patronage of Sir E. J. Smythe and incumbency of the Rev. Edward Arthur Wainwright. Adjoining the hall is a very beautiful CATHOLIC CHAPEL, which has recently been considerably enlarged and improved at the cost of Sir E. J. Smythe. The family at the hall and a great portion of the tenantry usually attend divine worship here.

ACTON PIGOTT is a hamlet with one farm and a few cottages, one mile north-east from Acton Burnell.

CHARITIES.—Several sums of money left to the poor by different donors amounting in the whole to £20, were applied in repairing the workhouse, and the inhabitants agreed to pay 20s. yearly out of the rent of the said house, as the interest thereof, to be distributed in bread. _Edward Bayley_, in 1789, left a rent charge of 10s. yearly for a distribution of bread. _Thomas Smyth_, in 1673, left 5s. per annum for a distribution of bread, to be paid “out of his estate to the world’s end, if his estate should so long continue sufficient to make it good.” It does not appear that anything has been paid in respect of this charity for a long period.