Chapter XXXII: Part 32

An omnibus leaves the Bull’s Head Hotel for Ironbridge, at 2 P.M., and 8 P.M., and arrives from thence at 9 A.M. and 5 P.M.

ARLESTONE

is a email township in the parish of Wellington, which comprises 612A. 3R. 3P. of land, and in 1841 had 33 houses and 181 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,525. 10s. This township is the property of Lord Forester, and situated about a mile and a half south-east from Wellington; the houses are scattered; a commodious house in the village, composed of brick and timber, is the residence of Mr. John Poole, farmer. NEWDALE is a hamlet about two miles from Wellington, returned as having 37 houses and 196 inhabitants, at the census of 1841. The population of this hamlet is chiefly employed in the collieries in the immediate vicinity.

DIRECTORY.—Richard Brown, tailor; John Garbitt, beerhouse keeper; Francis Groome, farmer; Edmund Oliver, joiner and cabinet maker; John Poole, farmer; Enoch Upton, farmer; Edward Williams, farmer and shopkeeper, Newdale.

APLEY

is a township a mile and a quarter north from Wellington, embracing 382 acres of land, which is the property of St. John Chiverton Charlton, Esq. Rateable value, £790. 2s. APLEY CASTLE is a handsome mansion embosomed in foliage, the seat of St. John Chiverton Charlton, Esq., and situated in a park of considerable extent. The principal front of the mansion is ornamented with a noble portico, and not far from the entrance is a fine sheet of water. On the south-west side of the house is the conservatory and flower garden, tastefully laid out, and kept in the most beautiful order. About a hundred and fifty yards from the mansion are the remains of the ancient castle, which was in early times the manor house of the Charltons, Lords of Powis, of which family the first we find mentioned is John de Charlton, who, in the first year of Edward II., obtained a charter of free warren in all his demesne lands; and in the tenth year of the same reign procured a licence to make a castle of his manor house here. The old castle was moated, part of which still remains; some small fragmentary portions of the walls are also still to be seen. The site is now occupied by a range of stables. The rectoral tithes of Apley Dothill are commuted for £49. 4s.

The residents are St. John Chiverton Charlton, Esq., Apley Castle; John Mitchell, gardener; and Joseph Walker, farm bailiff.

ASTON

is a township in the parish of Wellington, with a scattered population, three miles south-west by south from the parish church, comprising 1,389A. 3R. 22P. of land, which is the property of the Duke of Cleveland and Mrs. Cludde. In 1841 here were 15 houses and 84 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,420. 10s. The tithes have been commuted, and £178. 10s. apportioned to St. John Chiverton Charlton, Esq., and £48. 8s. to the vicar of Wellington.

The principal residents are Robert Dickin, farmer; George Dodsworth, builder; John Edwards, farmer, Wrekin farm; John Keay, farmer, Wrekin; Miss Abigail Rider, farmer, the Hall; Joseph Steele, farmer.

DOTHILL

is a small township in the parish of Wellington, comprising 323A. 3R. 14P. of land, which is the property of Lord Forester. Rateable value, £710. 18s. DOTHILL PARK, a good house pleasantly situated about a mile north from Wellington, is the only residence in the township, and is occupied by William Wyley, Esq.

HADLEY

is a township and populous village in the parish of Wellington, on the Newport and Wellington turnpike road, about a mile and a quarter north-east from the latter place. The township contains 1,199A. 1R. 18P. of land, and in 1841 there were 246 houses, and 1,280 inhabitants. Rateable value, £5,217. 18s. The rectoral tithes, commuted for £272. 11s., are paid to St. John Chiverton Charlton, Esq., and the vicarial tithes for £87. 8s. The labouring population find employment in the extensive iron works and collieries in the immediate vicinity, and trade is facilitated by the Shropshire union railway, which intersects the township, and also by the Shropshire union canal, which crosses Hadley Park a short distance from the hall. The opposition between the Shrewsbury and Birmingham and the Shropshire Union railways, has caused a greater reduction in the fares for the last twelve months, in this locality, perhaps than in any other part of the kingdom; the charge being but one penny for third-class passengers to Shrewsbury, a distance of about a dozen miles; and threepence for second-class passengers. The Hadley station is situated a short distance from the Hall. The Baptists and Primitive Methodists have each a place of worship here. HADLEY HALL is a commodious brick structure, pleasantly situated in park-like grounds, the occasional residence of George Benjamin Thorneycroft, Esq., who is lord of the manor and a considerable landowner. The other chief landowners are Mr. Phillips, Mr. Boycott, Mrs. Cartwright, Rev. T. Stoneham, and Mr. Poyner. THE MANOR HOUSE is an ancient timbered residence, in the occupancy of Mr. Thomas Jones, farmer.

Thorneycroft George Benjamin, Esq., the Hall

Bennoin Charles, farmer and maltster, Hadley Park

Brown Joseph, farmer, maltster, and vict., King’s Head

Brown Robert, shoemaker

Brown William Henry, maltster and shopkeeper

Bullock Thomas, maltster and beerhouse

Clayton John, maltster and farmer

Collier George, Esq.

Davies Joseph, shopkeeper

Draycott Elizabeth, dressmaker and shopkeeper

Dunn William, farmer

Evans Thomas, tailor

Getley William, crown, sheet, and plate glass merchant

Ireland Philip Henry, vict., Bush Inn

Jones Benjamin, agent to Wombridge coal works

Jones George, schoolmaster

Jones Henry Windsor, station master

Jones John, farmer, Hadley lodge

Jones Richard, farmer and shopkeeper

Jones Thomas, bricklayer

Jones Thomas, farmer, the Manor House

Jones Thomas, vict., Cross Keys

Jones Whitmore, butcher

Lawrence Elizabeth, beerhouse

Lloyd William, shoemaker

Lover John, sergeant-major in yeomanry cavalry

Medlington Benjamin, blacksmith

Nickleys Thomas, farmer and beerhouse

Palin John, farmer

Pearce John, corn miller, Hadley mill

Pooley Thomas, Esq., iron master

Poyner Henry, Esq.

Siddens Mrs. Emma

Shuker William, shopkeeper

Thomas Robert, cattle dealer

Tomlinson John, corn miller, Leegomery

Turner Samuel, shopkeeper

Ward James, joiner, builder, and cabinet maker

Webb Matthew, Esq. surgeon, Haybridge

Whittingham Samuel, Esq., Haybridge

Worrall Timothy, shopkeeper and shoemaker

HORTON,

a small township and scattered village in the parish of Wellington, comprises 354A. 1R. 15P. of land, which is principally the property of Mrs. Icke. The village is situated about three miles north from Wellington, and in 1841 there were 27 houses and 117 inhabitants. Rateable value, £706. 6s. St. John Chiverton Charlton, Esq., is the impropriator of the large tithes, which are commuted for £81. 18s.; the vicarial tithes are commuted for £15. 2s.

The chief residents in Horton are James Barge, maltster; Thomas Barker, black smith and vict., Horse Shoe Inn; Thomas Blest, boot and shoemaker; Thomas Chilton, bricklayer; John Doody, tailor; John France, farmer; Richard Griffiths, carpenter and joiner; Elizabeth Icke, farmer; Samuel Middleton, shopkeeper

KETLEY

is a township and populous district in the parish of Wellington, situated in the great Prœtorian road of the Romans called the Watling Street, two miles east from Wellington. The township contains 774A. 3R. 2P. of land, which is chiefly the property of the Duke of Sutherland; the Rev. Thompson Stoneham, and others, are also proprietors. At the census of 1841, there were 498 houses, and 2,642 inhabitants, most of whom are employed in the extensive iron works, collieries, and ironstone mines, situated in this and the adjoining townships. Rateable value, £3,033, 4s. St. John Chiverton Charlton, Esq., is the impropriator of the large tithes, which are commuted for £92; the vicarial tithes are commuted for £31. 10s. The commercial intercourse of Ketley is facilitated by the Shropshire union canal, and the railway in the immediate vicinity, by which the valuable mineral productions with which this locality abounds are conveyed to distant parts. The Ketley Company (Messrs. Lawley, Ogle, Williams, Hombersley, Cope and Cope) have an extensive establishment for the manufacture of pig and bar iron, and are also the proprietors of extensive collieries, which are held in lease under the Duke of Sutherland. THE CHURCH, dedicated to St. Mary, a neat cruciform structure, exhibiting the lancet style of architecture, was built and endowed in 1838, by his grace George Granville, Duke of Sutherland. Upon the organ is an inscription, from which we learn that the inhabitants of Ketley and the neighbourhood, “under a deep sense of gratitude, have caused the organ to be erected as a thank offering to Almighty God, for having thus disposed the heart of his servant.” The situation of the church is judiciously chosen, elevated and central, and the churchyard commands most extensive views of the surrounding counties. The home views embrace a fine extent of the fertile plains of Shropshire, the celebrated Wrekin, and the far-famed iron works of the neighbourhood. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the diocese of Lichfield, and patronage of the Duke of Sutherland; incumbent, Rev. Thompson Stoneham, M.A., who resides at the PARSONAGE, a good and commodious residence, also the gift of his grace. THE PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS, situated near the church, were built by his grace the Duke of Sutherland, by whose liberality they are also chiefly supported. There is an average attendance of about one hundred and fifty scholars. THE WESLEYAN METHODISTS have a small chapel, built in 1823; there is also a commodious WESLEYAN CHAPEL at Ketley Bank, built in 1823. KETLEY BANK is a scattered but populous district, partly in this township and partly in the parish of Wombridge. The Wesleyan chapel above mentioned is in the latter parish. Many interesting varieties of fossils and petrifactions are found in this neighbourhood.

POST OFFICE.—_At Mrs. Ann Williams’_. Letters arrive at 7 A.M., and are dispatched at 6 P.M.

_Marked_ 1 _are in Ketley Bank_, 2 _in Ketley Sands_, _and the rest in the village of Ketley_.

Adams Geo., cabinet maker

1 Allen George, schoolmaster (parochial)

1 Blakemore Thomas, tailor

Bourne Maria, maltster and shopkeeper

Bourne William James, grocer, tea dealer, and draper

Bradbury George, Esq., Spring grove

1 Chunn Enoch, shoemaker

Conniff Robert, hair dresser

Cooke Joseph, maltster, residence Shrewsbury

Dickson Mr., Bank house

2 Dorset William, beerhouse

Dunning Roger, vict., Lord Hill

Gallier Charles, butcher

Gallier William, vict., Stars Inn

1 Gittins John, blacksmith

1 Guy Roland, shopkeeper

1 Hazledine John, shopkeepr

Hughes John, cashier to Ketley Iron Works

Jeffs Henry, tailor

1 Jones James and Jeffry, farmers

1 Jones James, farmer and shopkeeper

1 Jones James, farmer

1 Keay Elizabeth, shopkeepr

1 Keay Richard, shoemaker

1 Light Robert, joiner

Lloyd John, shoemaker

1 Lloyd Sarah, beerhouse

Mackay John, agent to the Duke of Sutherland

Macknight George, surgeon, Mossy Green Cottage

Macknight James, farmer, Mossy Green Cottage

1 Morley Thomas, grocer and draper

1 Maddocks John, blacksmth

Millington John, maltster, timber merchant, & brick maker

Moore William, beerhouse

Morris John, vict., Horse Shoes

1 Ollerenshaw Rev. H., (Independent)

1 Onions William, shoemaker

Onions William, vict., Red Lion

2 Palin Richard, boot and shoemaker

Pearce Mr. Thomas

Perry William, vic., Stafford Arms

Picken Richard, beerhouse

Pinches John, shoemaker

1 Pocock Robert, schoolmast

Price Aaron, grocer and tea dealer

Price Thomas, beerhouse

Ravenscroft William, tailor

1 Shepherd William, vict., Sun Inn

Stoneham Rev. Thompson, M.A., incumbent, The Parsonage

1 Teague John, shopkeeper and beerhouse

Tipton Mark, agent to Beriah Botfield, Esq., and vict., Wheat Sheaf, Mossy Green

Turner Elizabeth, beerhouse

Vickers Edward, relieving officer

Williams Ann, postmistress

Williams Ann, schoolmistrss

Williams Emanuel, shoemkr

Williams John, Esq., iron master, Ketley Hill

Woodall Peter, shoemaker

LAWLEY

is a township in the parish of Wellington, with a scattered population chiefly engaged in the extensive collieries and iron works in the immediate vicinity. The village is situated three miles south-east from Wellington, and five miles west by north from Shiffnal. The township contains 708A. 0R. 1P. of land, and at the census of 1841 there were 33 houses and 173 inhabitants. Rateable value £3,033. 4s. The rectoral tithes are commuted for £78. St. John Chiverton Charlton, Esq. is the impropriator. The vicarial tithes are commuted for £25. 4s. The WESLEYAN NEW CONNEXION have a commodious chapel, situate at Lawley Bank, erected in the year 1838.

The following are the principal residents:—Those with * affixed are at Lawley Bank. Robert Bailey, cashier, Spring cottage; * William Dunning, vict., Bull’s Head; * Mary Ann Garbitt, farmer; Richard Garbitt, farmer and land agent; * Elizabeth Hart, vict., King’s Head; Susannah Hewlett, farmer; William Ison, manager to Coalbrook Dale company; * James Jones, farmer and shopkeeper; * Thomas Jones, farmer, shopkeeper, and maltster; * Robert Lloyd, boot and shoemaker; * Enoch Morgan, shopkeeper; Mr. Edward Rowlands; * George Shepherd, grocer and draper; John Williams, farmer; Joseph Williams, farmer, butcher, and vict., White Horse.

WALCOT, OR WALCOTT,

a small township in the parish of Wellington, comprising 408A. 3R. 27P. of land, at the census in 1841 had nine scattered houses and forty-three inhabitants, chiefly engaged in agricultural pursuits. The township is situated four miles south-west by south from Wellington. The landowners are Lord Berwick, Miss Cludde, Mr. George Walmsley, and Mrs. Ann Walmsley. The soil in this locality is a mixture of sand loam, with a portion of gravel. The river Tern bounds the township, and is crossed by a stone bridge of three arches, built by subscription in 1782; and the Shrewsbury and Wellington line of railway intersects the township, and has a station here.

The chief residents are Susannah Cotterill, farmer; William Cotterill, farmer and corn miller; Thomas Plant, farmer, the Grove; Ann Walmsley, farmer; John Walmsley, the Cottage.

WAPPENSHALL AND LEEGOMERY

is a township in the parish of Wellington, embracing 834A. 0R. 15P. of land, but of which there was no separate return of the population at the census of 1841. Wappenshall is situated about two and a half miles N.E. from Wellington, where there is a respectable inn, a wharf and warehouses on the banks of the Shropshire union canal, which here branches off to Wolverhampton; there is also a branch of the extensive iron works and collieries in the immediate vicinity, which from thence passes on to Coalport. The land here is the property of the Duke of Sutherland. LEEGOMERY HOUSE, a good residence pleasantly situated a mile and a quarter N.E. from Wellington, is occupied by William Shakeshaft Lawley, Esq. A short distance from Leegomery is a corn mill, also in this township. The rectoral tithes are commuted for £194. 14s. St. John Chiverton Charlton, Esq., is the impropriator. The vicarial tithes are commuted for £70. 12s. The principal residents are Harriet Balliss, farmer, Wappenshall; William Shakeshaft Lawley, Esq., Leegomery House; John Tomlinson, corn miller; John Tranter, wharfinger and vict., Sutherland Arms.

WITHINGTON

is a parish and small rural village in a retired part of the county, six miles W. from Wellington; which comprises 1,135A. 0R. 13P. of land, the principal owners of which are Andrew William Corbet, Esq., R. D. Edwards, Esq., Rev. Thomas Husband, and Mr. Bernard Hiles. At the census in 1801 the parish had a population of 170 souls; 1831, 193, and in 1841 there were 44 houses and 219 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,694. 12s. THE CHURCH is a plain structure, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, consisting of nave and chancel, with a tower in which are two bells. The chancel, which is the most ancient part of the building, is of stone, and the body of the church of brick. The interior has a neglected appearance. Upon a stone in the nave, there is a brass plate, with the figure of a person in priestly habiliments, with the following inscription in old English characters:—“Here lieth buried Mr. Adam Graffton, the most worshipful priest living in his days, sometime chaplain to the famous princes, King Edward V. and Prince Arthur; Archdeacon of Stafford, Warden of the Battlefield, Dean of St. Mary’s College, in Salop, and parson of this church: deceased the 20th of June, A.D. one thousand five hundred and thirty, whose soul God keep.” Another brass plate, with the figure of a man and a woman and seven children, remembers John de Onley and family, and is dated 1500. There are neat marble tablets to the memory of Peter Blakeway, who died in 1808; to Elizabeth Browne, who died in 1788; and to the Rev. Corbet Browne, rector of this parish and Upton Magna, who died in the year 1807, aged 80 years. The living is a perpetual curacy, subordinate to the rectory of Upton Magna. The Rev. Corbet Browne is the incumbent: Rev. Thomas Honeyman, curate. This township is intersected by the Shrewsbury Canal. A sum of £16 mentioned in the charity returns of 1786, as given by Andrew Peplow in 1728, appears to have been lost many years ago, by the insolvency of the person in whose hands it was placed.

Browne Rev. Corbet, rector, The Rectory

Browne Corbet, jun., farmer

Edwards Rann Dolphin, Esq.

Evans Richard, tailor and shopkeeper

Hiles Bernard, farmer

Honeyman Rev. Thomas, curate

James Edward Topham, farmer

Milward Frederick, saddler

Moore Helen, dressmaker

Pain Thomas, farmer

Richards Edward, wheelwright

Shingler George, wheelwright

Smith William, vict., Hare and Hounds

Topham Benjamin, farmer

Williams John, blacksmith and beerhouse

Williams Robert, shoemaker

Woolstein John Edward Israel, tailor

WOMBRIDGE,

a parish and small village two miles east from Wellington, containing most of the populous district of Oakengates within its bounds. The parish contains 790 acres, and in 1801 had 1835 inhabitants, 1831, 1855, and in 1841 there were 406 houses and a population of 2057 souls. Rateable value £2,395. The village is situated at the junction of the Shrewsbury, Shropshire, and Marquis of Stafford’s Canals, and intersected by the Watling street and the various railways connected with the extensive coal and iron works in the immediate vicinity. There are some slight remains in the garden of Mr. Shepherd of a PRIORY that was founded here by William Fitz-Alan, for canons of the order of St. Austin. It was endowed by Henry II. with the church of St. Sutton; Hugh, Bishop of Coventry, confirmed the grant of Sutton, together with the grant of the chapel at Uppington, the gift of Roger de Mussun, on condition that the canons should present their chaplains to the bishop and his successors to receive at his and their hands, institution and induction for that church and chapel. The canons were to allow their chaplains a competent maintenance, and the residue of the profits was to be employed in charitable uses. There were various other benefactors to this priory, among whom were the lords of Cherrington, who gave the revenues of certain lands in that township to it. The various possessions of those canons with divers liberties granted by their several benefactors, were confirmed by King Edward II. The revenues at the general dissolution of religious houses were valued at £65. 7s. 4d. The CHURCH is a brick structure, dedicated to St. Mary and St. Leonard, and consists of nave and transepts, with a short tower. It was enlarged and galleries added in 1823, when upwards of 300 sittings were thereby obtained, of which 295 were declared free and unappropriated, and are in addition to 100 free sittings formerly provided. There is a small organ at the west end. This church stands on the site of a former structure, which was blown down by a storm which happened in the spring of the year 1756. The living is a perpetual curacy, returned at £86. The Rev. John Dawson is the officiating minister.

OAKENGATES

is a populous district, partly in Wombridge and partly in Ketley, three miles east from Wellington, and four miles north-west from Shiffnal. The inhabitants of this populous locality find employment in the extensive collieries and iron works with which the neighbourhood abounds. The town consists of one long street which contains many good shops and several respectable inns. A market was established here in 1826, which is held on Saturdays, and the after part of the day has a very animated and business-like appearance. Fairs are also held in March, June, September, and December, but the specific days have not been finally settled. The fairs are toll free. To the west of Market street is Ketley or Coalpit Bank, a scattered district with a considerable population, partly in Wombridge parish, but chiefly in Wellington parish. The inhabitants have the advantage of railway communication by the Shropshire Union Railway, which passes through the town, and has a station within a hundred yards of Market street. The extensive iron works of the Lilleshall company will be transferred from Oakengates to Prior’s Lee before the expiration of the present year, in consequence of that place being nearer the iron-stone mines, but the extensive collieries will be carried on as heretofore by that company. The coal got here is of a very superior quality, and immense quantities are conveyed to distant parts by the railway and canals in the vicinity. The extensive iron works of Messrs. S. Horton, Simms and Bull, at Oakengates, are just within the bounds of the parish of Shiffnal. THE INDEPENDENTS have a commodious chapel at Oakengates; the congregation is under the pastoral care of the Rev. H. Ollerenshaw. THE PRIMITIVE METHODISTS have a spacious chapel built in 1847. THE NATIONAL SCHOOL was chiefly built at the expense of James Oliver, Esq., of Wellington, aided by a grant from the National Society. Mr. Oliver also purchased the site for the school. It is a neat structure of brick, erected in 1846, comprising two commodious rooms and a residence for the teacher. The average number of scholars at the present time is fifty girls and eighty boys.

POST OFFICE at _Mr. Henry Shepherd’s_, the Lion Inn. Letters arrive at 7 A.M., and are despatched at 6 P.M.

OAKENGATES AND WOMBRIDGE DIRECTORIES.

_Those with * affixed are at Wombridge_, _and the rest at Oakengates_, _or where specified_.

Bell Frederick, butcher

Bennett and Co., colliery proprietors

Cludde Moses, brazier

Davies George and Thos., colliery proprietors

* Dawson Rev. John, the parsonage

Eardley Mr. Robert, Hollins Wood

* Groom Thomas, farmer and maltster

Hanes John, tailor

Harper George, seedsman

Hill Enoch, builder

Horton, Simms and Bull, iron masters

Houlston John, auctioneer, and Wellington

Jones Arthur, accountant, Snedshill

Jones Alfred Charles, furnace manager to Lilleshall Company

Jones Charles Crawford, agent, Snedshill

Knox John, station master

Lilleshall Company, colliery proprietors and iron masters

Littlehales Thomas, schoolmaster (national)

Mansell William, currier

Ollerenshaw Rev. H., independent, Ketley Bank

Peplow Andrew, brick maker, Hollingswood

Robinson James, ironmonger

* Shepherd John Pike, farmer and maltster

Snead John, brickmaker, Snedshill

Turner Thomas, solicitor

Beerhouses.

Arkinstall George

Baugh Joseph

Bell Frederick

Brown John

Clarke William

Corbett Thomas

Peplow Andrew

Perry George

Scarrot Emanuel

Boot & Shoe Makers.

Cooper William

Jones Samuel

Grey Thomas

Light Francis

Hair Dressers.

Capsey Samuel

Hill James

Grocers & Provision Dealers.

Arkinstall George

Blackband Gerrard

Chapman Joseph

Corbett Thomas

Cotterill Joseph

Day Sarah

Hayes Henry

Jones Richard, and chemist and druggist

Matthews Thomas

Parkes John

Picker Mary

Pugh William

Robinson Alexander

Wright Sarah

Inns & Taverns.

Bull’s Head, Henry Onions

Black Horse, Rd. Holmes

Caledonian, Benj. Marrion

Charlton Arms, John Bourne

Compasses, William Pugh

Duke of York, Henry Hayes

Fighting Cocks, Wm. Light

Grey Hound, Thos. Marrison

Hand & Hammer, Sampson Pitchford

Leopard, Rebecca Rigby

Lion, Henry Shepherd

Red Lion, George Ellis, and watch maker

Talbot, William Hooper

Linen & Woollen Drapers & Hatters.

Davies John

Hayes Henry

Hopkins George, & clothier

Parkes John

Tarbett John

Maltsters.

Davies Thomas

Parkes John

WOODCOTE

is a township and chapelry in the parish of Sheriff Hales, three miles south-east by south from Newport, which in 1801 contained 130 inhabitants; 1831, 195; and in 1841 there were 29 houses and a population of 140 souls. The township contains upwards of 1,000 acres of land; rateable value, £1,003. 10s. WOODCOTE HALL is a spacious and handsome mansion, of free stone, delightfully situated on a gentle acclivity, and surrounded with park-like grounds finely timbered and richly diversified with sylvan beauty. A little west from the hall are extensive gardens. THE HALL is the seat of John Cotes, Esq., who is owner of the whole township. THE CHAPEL, situated near to the hall, is a plain structure of free-stone of considerable antiquity. On the south side is a door which exhibits the Saxon style of architecture. It contains several neat tablets in memory of the Cotes family, the last of which is in memory of John Cotes, Esq., M.P. for the county of Shropshire, who died in 1821, aged 72 years, leaving two sons and six daughters. A large marble slab, reared up against the pews near the altar rails, appears to have been the top of an altar tomb. It is curiously ornamented with two full length figures, and has a mutilated inscription round the edge. We did not observe any date upon it, but it is very ancient and worthy of inspection. A little west from the hall is an eminence called Heath Hill, which commands an extended view over this and the adjacent county of Stafford, and also of the towering heights of the Welsh mountains. On the eastern side of the township a small stream called Moreton Brook divides this county from that of Staffordshire; on the banks of which is a dilapidated corn-mill. The rest of the parish of Sheriff Hales, except Lilleshall House and a few scattered farms, are within the bounds of the county of Stafford, and may at a future period be included in a similar volume for that county. The village of Sheriff Hales is pleasantly situated three miles north from Shiffnal and five miles south from Newport. The parish contains 5,317A. 2A. 37P. of land, and at the census of 1841 there were 32 houses and 191 inhabitants returned as in the county of Shropshire, the names of the principal residents of which have been given in the Lilleshall directory.

The following are the principal residents in Woodcote township, viz.:—John Cotes, Esq., Woodcote Hall; George Alsop, farmer, Lynn; John Bedford, farm bailiff; John Downes, gamekeeper; James Lockley, farmer, Pave lane; Richard Lascombe, butler, The Hall; John Morris, farmer, Lynn; Cornelius Whitehouse, gardener, The Hall.

WROCKWARDINE

is a considerable parish in the Wellington division of the South Bradford hundred, which comprises the several townships (for highway purposes) of Admaston, Allscott, Bratton, Burcott, Charlton, Clotley, Long Lane, Wrockwardine, and Wrockwardine Wood. The parish contains 4,630A. 3R. 12P. of land, of which 469A. 0R. 28P. are woods, plantations, roads, and waste. The soil is various, the arable lands produce good crops of grain, and the grazing lands an abundance of grass. Gross estimated rental, £11,727, 7s. 4d.; rateable value, £10,554. 15s. In 1801 there were 1,913 inhabitants; 1831, 2,528, and in 1841, 541 houses and 2,741 inhabitants. A court leet and baron is held for the manor. Mrs. Mary Cludde, of Orleton, is lady of the manor, but Miss Anne Maria Cludde, daughter of the late Mr. Cludde, took the estate as heiress on September 9th, 1851. Wrockwardine township is pleasantly situated in a rich country pleasingly diversified with undulations, and contains 1,094A. 1R. 20P. of land, and in 1841 had 258 inhabitants. Rateable value, £2,464. 14s. The village stands on elevated ground, and commands some fine views of open landscape scenery, of the hilly country in the Condover hundred, and of the Wrekin. THE CHURCH is an ancient structure of red sand stone, dedicated to St. Peter, with a tower rising from the centre, in which are six musical bells; the tower is supported by four pointed arches rising from fluted pillars. It is neatly pewed, and the pulpit and reading desk are of beautiful carved oak. The organ was erected in 1846, at a cost of about £200 raised by subscriptions. The east window is beautified with stained glass, and contains a representation of our Saviour, very chastely executed. In the chancel are several handsome monumental tablets, one of which remembers Edward Pemberton and his wife, dated 1800, and is very beautifully executed in the Grinshill free stone. Another of the same stone has been erected to the memory of Edward Cludde, Esq., and is dated 1785. There are also very beautiful tablets to other members of this family, and to the Cockburns, Phillips, Roe, and others. The living is a vicarage valued in the king’s book at £7. 8s. 6d., now returned at £427 in the patronage of the Lord Chancellor, and incumbency of the Rev. George L. Yate, M.A. The vicarage is a good residence a short distance from the church. The vicarial tithes are commuted for £353. 19s., and the rectoral for £225. It appears from the parish register that the Houlston family have held the office of parish clerk for a period of 257 years, and is still held by the same family.

WROCKWARDINE HALL is a commodious mansion of brick stuccoed, beautified with pleasure grounds and shrubberries, and is the seat of Miss Anne Maria Cludde. ORLETON HALL, a delightfully situated mansion, the seat of the ancient and highly respected family of Cludde, is now the residence of Mrs. Cludde; the hall is stuccoed, and the gardens and pleasure grounds are very extensive, and kept in the most admirable order. It commands a fine view of the Wrekin, and is surrounded by a park of 160 acres, beautifully wooded. THE BOYS’ SCHOOL, a substantial brick building, was built at the cost of Mrs. Cludde, who is also a munificent contributor towards its support; 75 children attend. THE GIRLS’ SCHOOL has an attendance of sixty children, and is supported by Miss Cludde. TWO ALMSHOUSES were erected in 1841, “and endowed for the maintenance of two poor women in their declining years; they are dedicated to the memory of Edward Cludde, Esq., late of Orleton, in this parish, by his tenants and neighbours, in testimony of their respect for a man who was an eminent example of pure and undefiled religion, visiting the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and keeping himself unspotted from the world.”

CHARITIES.—_Edward Pemberton_, in 1680, devised a rent charge of £3 per annum for putting forth an apprentice every other year, fatherless or motherless children to be always preferred. The amount is charged upon an estate now the property of Mrs. Cludde. A yearly sum of 10s. is paid as charged upon the Burcot estate, and a like sum as charged upon the Leaton property; in respect of 10s. payable by Mrs. Cludde, two bushels of wheat flour are given away by her agent to the poor. The other sum is laid out in the purchase of bread. It is supposed these charities were left by one of the Langley family.

Several sums of money given for charitable uses, amounting in the whole to £60, were laid out in the purchase of a piece of land called Tidicross Furlong, which was improved in 1670 by Edward Pemberton, who built a house and barn thereon. About the year 1801 a parish workhouse was built on these premises, and the old house and barn was pulled down. Up to the year 1829 the sum of £4. 10s. per annum (which was the amount of the rent when the workhouse was built) was paid out of the poor’s rate, and given away on Good Friday. In consequence of a suggestion of the charity commissioners that the rent ought to be raised, it was resolved at a vestry meeting of the parish, held 5th May, 1830, that the sum of £8 should in future be paid by the parish annually for the lands above mentioned.

_Thomas Ore_, in 1798, gave a yearly sum of 40s., payable out of his freehold estate in the township of Walcott, in the parish of Wellington, the same to be given among the poor every St. Thomas’s-day, in his seat of the south aisle of the church, at Wrockwardine, after morning prayer. _The Rev. Joshua Gilpin_, who died in 1828, bequeathed £50 to the vicar of Wrockwardine, in trust, to divide the interest in equal portions among eight of the poorest families residing in Wrockwardine, on the day before Christmas day.

Cludde Mrs., Orleton Hall

Cludde Miss Anne Maria, Wrockwardine Hall

Bullock Benjamin, carpenter

Burrell John, gamekeeper

Clayton John, farmer

Clayton Samuel, farmer, David’s bank

Cooper Thomas, farmer, Austins

Davies John, farmer, The bank

Edwards William, wood steward

Gilpin Mrs. Jane, The villa

Houlston Charles, blacksmith, and agricultural implement maker

Houlston John, shoemaker

Houlston Josiah, farmer

Houlston Joshua, assistant overseer and vestry clerk

Houlston Thomas, farmer, parish clerk, and assessed tax collector

Jones Sarah, maltster

Pickin Eliza, farmer, Sydney house

Poole William, butler and coachman

Speake Richard, shopkeeper

Taylor Henry William, vict., The Talbot, and posting house, Hay gate

Trumper William, farm bailiff

Turner Charles, nursery and seedsman

Vaughan, and Mary Ann, school teachers

Webb William, butler

ADMASTON

is a township and delightfully situated village in the parish of Wrockwardine, one and a half mile north-west by north from Wellington. The township contains 509A. 2R. 19P. of land, and in 1841 here were 188 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,164. 13s. The principal landowners are Mr. Jones; Mrs. Webb; Mr. William Taylor; James Oliver, Esq.; Mr. John Haynes; Mrs. Elizabeth Mansell; William Wyley, Esq.; Mrs. Austin; Mr. Waring; Mr. Richard Tew; Mr. John Burgiss; and Mrs. Mary Williams. The village of Admaston is pleasantly situated near the station on the line of the Shrewsbury and Wellington railway, and is crossed by beautiful drives and fine open roads, commanding most delightful views over a luxuriant country, finely timbered, and studded with beautiful residences. It is also within a few miles of the far-famed Salopian mountain, the Wrekin, which commands views of unparalleled extent and sublimity. THE ADMASTON SPA lies in a sheltered situation, near the verge of the village, the waters of which have long been celebrated for their medicinal purposes, and are highly recommended by eminent physicians. There are two wells, one of which is sulphurous, and the other chalybeate; the upper well contains a large portion of muriate of soda, or common salt, and a portion of muriate of lime, and is found exceedingly beneficial in giving a salutary stimulus to the stomach, correcting dyspepsia, and highly efficacious in scrofulous affections. The lower spring contains a large quantity of chloride sodium, and in its analysis approaches nearer to the Harrogate waters, so justly celebrated and efficacious in cutaneous disorders.

The solid contents of an imperial wine pint weigh seventy-seven grains of the chalybeate saline water, and the proportion in which the several ingredients exist may be stated as follows:—

Grains. Chloride sodium (common salt) 54.5 Chloride calcium (muriate lime) 14.3 Chloride magnesium 5.2 Carbonate iron and lime, and alumina and silica 1.5 Loss 1.5 Bromine, a trace 0.0 77.0

The solid contents of a wine pint from the sulphur spring weigh 79 grains, the component parts of which, according to an analysis by Messrs. Blunt, in 1847, may be thus stated:—

Grains. Chloride sodium 65.0 Chloride calcium 10.5 Chloride magnesium 2.0 Carbonate lime 1.0 Carbonate iron, slightest trace 0.0 Bicarbonate soda, a trace 0.0 78.5

The Hotel and Boarding House in connection with the baths is a handsome pile of buildings, greatly admired for its architectural beauty, erected at an expense of £6,000. The house is elegantly furnished, and replete with every convenience and comfort for the accommodation of the numerous parties who frequent the spa during the summer season. The baths are admirably arranged, and no expense has been spared to combine elegance, comfort, and utility. The walks and pleasure grounds are tastefully laid out, and are surrounded by a salubrious country, richly variegated and picturesque. Mr. John Purcell is the proprietor of the hotel.

ADMASTON HALL, a beautiful modern mansion, delightfully situated, is the residence of the Hon. Charles Nowell Hill. The pleasure grounds and shrubberies are very beautifully laid out. THE BOARDING SCHOOL, conducted by Mr. J. W. Smart, is a commodious building in a pleasant situation, where a limited number of young gentlemen receive the advantages of a classical and commercial education. This locality is noted for its annual steeple chase meetings, its field sports, and for fishing.

Beech John, superintendent of the Shropshire union railway

Bennett John, engineer

Buchannan Philip, Esq.

Bullock Elizabeth, dress maker

Bullock John, wheelwright

Bullock Richard, joiner, &c.

Burgiss John, surgeon

Burton Robert, farmer

Davies Thomas, beerhouse

Haynes John, farmer

Hicks Thos., station master

Hill the Honble. Charles Nowell, the Hall

Houlston William, farmer

John Johnson, horse breaker and steeple chase trainer

Mansell Elizabeth, gentlewoman

Marsh James, blacksmith

Newns John, butcher

Purcell John, hotel and boarding house, Admaston Spa

Proctor Dr., physician

Robinson Richard, farmer and maltster

Smart Joseph Wm., boarding school proprietor

Tew Richard, farmer, maltster, and vict., the Pheasants

Titley Joseph, farmer

Williams Mary, gentlewoman

Wyley William, Esq., land and estate agent, surveyor, and conveyancer

ALLSCOTT,

a township with a scattered population, about a mile north from Wrockwardine, at the census of 1841 had 98 inhabitants. The township contains 357A. 0R. 17P. of land. Rateable value, £796. 16s. The principal landowners are W. S. Lawley, Esq.; Miss Cludde; Henry Povall, Esq.; Mr. Samuel Nevett; Messrs. Juckes and Dixon; Mr. William Franks; and Sarah and Robert Clarke. The river Tern bounds the township for a short distance; it is also watered by two small streams, and intersected by the Shropshire union railway. The hamlets of CROSS GREEN, RUSHMORE, and BROOMFIELD HOUSE are within the bounds of this township. BROOMFIELD HOUSE is a handsome brick residence, pleasantly situated, the residence of Mr. Thomas Edwards.

DIRECTORY.—Marked * are at Cross Green, † Rushmore, and the rest at Allscott.—Robert Clarke, farmer and maltster; Sarah Clarke, farmer and maltster; Francis Delves, butcher and farmer; Edward Ditcher, farmer, the Hall; Thomas Edwards, farmer, Broomfield; * William Edwards, blacksmith; † William Edwards, shoemaker; William Franks, farmer; Roger Hawkins, farmer and corn miller; * John Hollis, shoemaker and beerhouse keeper; Thomas Lees, farmer and gardener; George Milnes, farmer; † Francis Phipps, gardener; * Ambrose Robinson, beerhouse; † William Smith, shoemaker; Charles Tew, farmer and maltster; † James Ambrose, machine maker.

BRATTON,

a small township comprising 459A. 0R. 19P. of land, is pleasantly situated two miles and a quarter north-west by west from Wellington. At the census of 1841 here were 66 inhabitants. Rateable value, £755. The soil is mostly a strong loam, with some portions of clay. The chief landowners are Miss Cludde, Thomas Eyton, Esq., and the trustees of the Shrewsbury Free Grammar School.

The principal residents are Thomas Basnett, farmer; William Blackmore, shopkeeper; John Felton, farmer and butcher; Thomas Plant, farmer; Joseph Read, gamekeeper; Joshua Sankey, farmer; Samuel Tudor, vict., the Gate; George West, vict., Buck’s Head, Long lane; James Winnall, farmer, Rushmore.

BURCOTT, LEATON, CLOTLEY, AND CLUDDLEY,

are separate townships, but returned as one division of the parish, and together contain 614A. 3R. 22P. of land. Rateable value, £1,020. They are situated near to the Wrekin, and intersected by the Shrewsbury, Birmingham, and Wellington turnpike roads; by the Street, Lane, and Watling Street. On this great thoroughfare is a commodious family hotel and posting house, situate at Hay-gate, in the occupancy of Mr. John Henry Taylor. The situation is delightful, and being the nearest hotel to the Wrekin, it is the frequent resort of parties who visit that far-famed Salopian mountain. The land at Burcott is the property of Mrs. Cludde; at Clotley, Mrs. Mary and Mr. Henry Stillgoe are the proprietors; the Leaton estate is the property of John Stanier, Esq., and Miss Crowther; and at Cluddley, Mrs. Cludde and Thomas Baddeley are the principal owners. BURCOTT HALL, the residence of Charles Emery, Esq., is pleasantly situated a short distance from the Wrekin, and surrounded with park-like grounds, well timbered. The farm premises are very extensive, and situated a short distance from the hall. LEATON HALL, an ancient mansion in a salubrious and delightful situation, is the residence and property of John Stanier, Esq.

DIRECTORIES.—_Burcott_: Charles Emery, Esq., the Hall; Samuel Nicholls. tailor. _Clotley_: Henry Charles Stillgoe, farmer and corn miller; Mrs. Mary Stillgoe, Clotley House; Richard Shelton Stillgoe, farmer. _Cluddley_: Thomas Baddeley, farmer; Richard Bailey, farmer, the Hall farm; John Edwards, farmer, Wrekin farm; Thomas Nigington, farmer. _Leaton_: John Clayton, farmer, Wheatfields; John Stanier, Esq., the Hall; Harriman Willings, farmer.

CHARLTON

is a township and village, in a salubrious situation, two miles S.W. by S. from Wrockwardine, embracing 714A. 1R. 25P. of land, mostly a fertile district, producing good crops of barley and other grain. At the census in 1841 there were 101 inhabitants. The Shrewsbury and Wellington railway passes through the township, and has a station near to the village, which also lies contiguous to Shrewsbury, Wellington, and Shiffnal turnpike road. Rateable value, £1,007. The Duke of Cleveland is lord of the manor and owner of the whole township. From the few fragmentary remains of CHARLTON CASTLE, it was no doubt a place of consequence in by-gone days. The ruins are mantled with ivy, and the moat which surrounded it may still be traced. Not far from the castle are several artificial mounds, which may have been raised for military purposes in past ages. As it is in the line of road of the celebrated Roman station at Wroxeter it may have had some connection with that important military station.

The principal residents are William Capsey, butcher; Robert Hawkins, farmer; Henry Povell, farmer; John Pritchard, farmer.

LONG LANE,

a small township, comprising 379A. 0R. 37P. of land, stretches for two miles in length, and is situated about three miles north from Wellington. In 1841 there were 137 inhabitants within the bounds of this township. The houses are chiefly small cottage residences. The chief landowners are Thomas Eyton, Esq., William Henry Dickinson, Esq., and Mr. John Jones. CHESHIRE COPPICE, the residence of William Henry Dickinson, Esq., is an ancient structure, situated on a gentle eminence, which commands some fine views of the distant country.

DIRECTORY.—William Henry Dickinson, Esq., Cheshire House; John Griffiths, farmer; John Jones, farmer; John Jones, jun., farmer; Susannah Smith, farmer.

WROCKWARDINE WOOD

is a populous township, four miles and a half S.W. from Newport, and four miles and three quarters N.E. from Wellington. The inhabitants are chiefly engaged in the collieries and iron works in the immediate vicinity. The township contains 502A. 0R. 8P. of land, and in 1841 had 342 houses and 1,698 inhabitants. Rateable value, £2,836. 4s. The collieries are the property of the Duke of Sutherland, and held in lease by the Lilleshall company. THE CHURCH is a brick structure, dedicated to the Holy Trinity. It was built in 1833, and contains 610 sittings, of which 420 are free and unappropriated in consequence of a grant from the Incorporated Society for Building Churches. It is endowed with the small tithes of Wrockwardine Wood, and the living has been augmented with grants from Queen Anne’s Bounty. There is a neat font, which was the gift of Mr. Thomas Webb, late churchwarden. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Vicar of Wrockwardine, and incumbency of the Rev. Reginald Yonge, B.C.L. THE PRIMITIVE METHODISTS have a chapel, built in 1832, which will hold about 500 persons. The structure and fittings have cost altogether £498. THE NATIONAL SCHOOL was built in 1830, partly by subscription and partly by the National Society. It stands a little north from the church, and has an attendance of about sixty boys and forty girls;

TRENCH LAKE is a straggling district on the Wellington and Newport turnpike road, three miles from the former place and five miles from the latter. The houses are chiefly in the township of Wrockwardine Wood, but also extend into the township of Eyton-on-the-Wild-Moors. THE WESLEYAN METHODISTS have a chapel here, built in 1823. The Earl of Bradford is the principal landowner; Mr. Webb is also a proprietor.

WROCKWARDINE WOOD AND TRENCH LAKE DIRECTORIES.

_Marked * are in Wrockwardine Woody and the rest in Trench Lane_.

Barker Richard, tailor

Beech William, shoemaker

Bennett John, Esq., Coal Works (Proprietor)

Bourne Mary, beerhouse

* Bowen Rebecca, schoolmistress

* Bowen William, schoolmaster

* Bullock John, manager to Donington Wood Mill Company

Chilton Thomas, butcher

* Chilton William, blacksmith

Davies George, hat maker

Deakin George, farmer

Downing Mary, milliner and dressmaker

Downing Thomas, saddler

Farmer Henry, beerhouse

* Fenn William, shoemaker

* Getley Henry, butcher

* Getley Elizabeth, shopkeeper

Green James, victualler, Old Shaw Birch

* Grieves Rev. Joseph, Primitive Methodist

Hill Richard, shopkeeper and beerhouse

Jeffs Richard, shopkeeper

Johnson James, farmer

Johnston Thomas, shopkeeper

Jones Edward, farm bailiff

* Jones Thomas, victualler, Queen’s Head

* Kite Jane, shopkeeper & victualler, White Horse

Latham James, farmer

* Leese Mary Ann, milliner and dressmaker

Lockley Samuel, blacksmith

Lowe Thomas, shoemaker and beerhouse

Mainwaring Mary and Son, shopkeepers

Manwaring Richard, victualler, The Crown

* Martin John, victualler, The Lamb, and shopkeeper

* Millward Mary, shopkeeper

Paice William, railway gate keeper

Palmer Thomas, tailor

Parton John, saddler

Pickering James Richard, vict., Dun Cow

Reynolds Evan, shoemaker

* Simpson William, shoemaker, and vict., Bull’s Head

Slaney Henry, confectioner

Taylor William, farmer

Wakely Dorothy, victualler, Duke of York

Webb Catherine, maltster and victualler, King’s Arms

* Yonge Rev. Reginald, B.C.L., incumbent, The Parsonage

WROXETER

is a parish in the Wellington division of the South Bradford Hundred, situated on the eastern bank of the river Severn, which contains the townships (for highway purposes) of Donnington, Dryton, Eyton-upon-Severn, Norton, Rushton, and Wroxeter. The parish comprises 4,212 acres of land, of which 188 acres are in woods and plantations, roads, and waste. Gross estimated rental, £7,131. Rateable value, £6,274. 3s. 6d. The Duke of Cleveland is the most considerable landowner. Lord Berwick and the Vicar of Wroxeter are also owners: the former is lord of the manor and holds a court leet and baron. There is a considerable portion of stiff soil in the parish, which is mostly used for arable purposes. A sandy soil prevails in some places; the meadows and grazing land on the banks of the Severn have a rich herbage. At the census of 1801 the parish contained 544 inhabitants; and in 1841 there were 126 houses and 636 inhabitants. The houses in general are composed of brick and slated, and have a respectable appearance.

THE VILLAGE OF WROXETER is delightfully situated on elevated ground, near the eastern banks of the Severn, five miles and three-quarters S.E. from Shrewsbury, commanding fine views over a rich and beautiful country of the Wrekin, and of the hilly country in the Condover Hundred. The turnpike road from Shrewsbury to Wellington, Ironbridge, and Bridgnorth, intersects the township, and a little north from the village the river Tern has its confluence with the Severn. Wroxeter is generally supposed by our antiquaries to be the _Uriconium_, one of the cities of the Cornavii, the ancient inhabitants of Britain. This city was also called Wreckencester, which is manifestly retained in the name of the adjacent hill, The Wrekin, to this day; from which the word Uriconium itself may proceed. Whether the town was built by the Romans or the Britons is uncertain; but that the former fortified it is most likely, since the river Severn hereabouts has more fords than in any other place. The foundation of a bridge is sometimes discernible at low water, which was at first discovered by some workmen erecting a wear upon the river. The circumference of the wall which surrounded the city was about three miles, and was built upon a gravel full of pebble stones. The wall was three yards broad, with a deep trench on the outside, which may be traced in several places to this day. The remains of the walls are called by the inhabitants the Old Works at Wroxeter; being about twenty feet high and a hundred feet in length, made of hewn stone, distinguished with seven rows of British bricks at equal distances, and arched within, after the manner of the Britons. Where these remains appear, it is thought the citadel stood, and what favours the opinion is the evenness of the ground, and the rubbish of walls that lie in great heaps thereabouts. It is supposed by some that the blackness of the soil in certain places proceeds from the fire that burnt the town, but it can hardly be conjectured that the footsteps of such a casualty should remain so long, especially since the ground has been so often ploughed up and exposed to the weather. The Roman coins found here are a proof of the antiquity of the place. The lords of the manor, from time to time, have obliged all their lease tenants, under certain penalties, to bring all the old coins they meet with to them. The coins found are generally so rusty and decayed that the inscription is scarcely legible or the image to be distinguished. None of the Saxon coins have ever been found here, which is a proof that the place was destroyed before the Danish times. It is impossible to look upon the fields, teeming in rich luxuriance, and remembering that there flourished a Roman city, not a vestige of which remains but the fragments of a wall, without sensibly feeling the instability of human greatness, and exclaiming with Cowper:—

“We turn to dust, and all our mightiest works
Die too. The deep foundations that we lay,
Time ploughs them up, and not a trace remains.
We build with what we call eternal rock;
A distant age asks where the fabric stood?
And in the dust, sifted and search’d in vain,
The undiscoverable secret sleeps,”

The graves that have been met with here are deep and wide, the corpse enclosed in red clay, both under and over, and to prevent the mixture of other mould with that clay, the graves were faced on the sides with slates, and then covered with stones, sometimes five or six upon one grave; bones have been found that were interred after this manner, which contributed to their preservation several hundred years. Teeth have been taken out of the jaw-bones of men near three inches long, and many thigh bones have been found of full a yard in length. Several urns have been discovered within the memory of man, after digging four or five feet deep in the earth, and it is to be noted that as the dead bodies are here buried in red clay, so urns are found deposited in red sand. About half a century ago were discovered three large urns composed of a beautiful transparent green glass, each having one handle elegantly ribbed, and severally containing burnt bones, and a glass lachrymatory. Several earthen urns, an earthen lamp, and a few Roman coins were also found at the same place, the whole being covered with large flat stones. Tesselated pavements, sepulchral stones with inscriptions, moulds for coining money; seals, an Apolla elegantly cast in lead; copper, gold, and silver coins, and many interesting remains of Roman manufacture, have from time to time been found whilst excavating on this site. A stone altar found near the vicarage in the year 1824, is thus inscribed:—

“BONO REI PVBLICAE NATVS.”

The precise epoch of the first establishment of this Roman station at Wroxeter has been hitherto held as uncertain by all historians, but a recent event has thrown some light on this historical point. In 1844 a large brass coin of the Emperor Trajan, in a fine state of preservation, was found imbedded in the mortar of the Roman wall (usually called the old works) still remaining at Wroxeter, which warrants a conclusion that although the erection of this station might have been posterior to the reign of Trajan, it would seem clear that this station could not have been raised at an earlier period. Marcus Ulpius Trajanus Crinitus, or Marcus Ulpius Nerva Trajanus, was born A.D. 53. He was governor of Germania under the Emperors Domitian and Nerva, and in the year 97 was associated with the latter in the government of the empire, and invested with the titles of Cæsar and Imperator. He succeeded Nerva, and took the title of Augustus in A.D. 98, and died in the year 117. It may therefore reasonably be supposed, from the perfect state and freshness of the above mentioned coin, that the station of Uriconium was built either at the latter end of the first or early in the second century.

THE CHURCH is an ancient structure, dedicated to St. Andrew, consisting of nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a massive square tower, ornamented with a clock, and the heads of rude figures of a grotesque character. The interior is neatly pewed. The living is a vicarage valued in the king’s book at £11. 18s., now returned at £330, in the patronage of the Duke of Cleveland, and enjoyed by the Rev. Edward Egremont, M.A., who resides at the vicarage, a good residence a short distance from the church. The Duke of Cleveland, Lord Berwick, and Mrs. Jenkins, are the impropriators of the rectoral tithes, which were commuted in 1840 for £606. 6s. The vicarial tithes have been commuted for £248. 14s.