Chapter XXXIII: Part 33

CHARITIES.—Thomas Alcock, who died in 1627, gave twenty marks yearly towards the support of a free grammar school for the instruction of youth of the parishes of Wroxeter and Uppington. An addition was made to this endowment by the will of Richard Stevinton in 1652, whereby he gave a rent charge of £13. 6s. 8d., issuing out of his lands in Arleston, in the parish of Wellington. There is a school and schoolhouse situate at Donnington, and six acres of land adjoining thereto, but it is not known from whom this property was derived. The school premises have been greatly improved at the expense of the master, and are worth about £12 a year. The school has been considered as free for classical instruction only to forty children of the inhabitants of Wroxeter and Uppington, but there is no document showing that the number of free scholars is thus limited; and it is to be observed that the benefaction of Richard Stevinton was for the use of a master who should teach English as well as Latin. Scholars educated in this school are entitled to the benefit of two of the exhibitions founded by Edward Careswell, an account of which has already been noticed with the Royal Free Grammar School at Shrewsbury.

From an entry made in the churchwarden’s book in 1765, it appears that the sum of £61 belonging to the poor of Wroxeter, and which had formerly been placed out at interest, was called in, and laid out in building and repairing the church, and that £2 was to be paid yearly as the interest thereof. This has been regularly paid from the churchwarden’s account, but it appears to have been an inadequate sum to be allowed as the interest of £61.

In the same book there is an entry also made in the year 1765, stating that £20 given by _Edward Wellings_, to buy Bibles for poor children of Wroxeter, at the discretion of the minister was laid out for the same purpose. In respect of this gift 10s. is paid annually, and laid out in the purchase of Bibles.

_The Rev. Roger Clayton_, in 1327, invested £100 in the purchase of £113. 10s. stock, three per cent. consols, in compliance with the wish of his late brother William Clayton, in trust, to apply the interest for the benefit of the poor of Wroxeter. A memorandum was drawn up and placed in the parish chest, dated 16th October, 1827, and signed by Roger Clayton and Richard and Edward Stanier, acknowledging the stock to have been purchased for the aforesaid object.

DONNINGTON is a township and pleasant village situated a mile and a half E. from Wroxeter; the Duke of Cleveland is the landowner and lord of the manor. The population of the several townships in this parish are included in the returns for Wroxeter. The Charlton Hill corn mill is situated in this township; it was erected by the farmers in the surrounding neighbourhood to grind their own corn. The grammar school noticed with the charities of the parish is situated at Donnington.

DRYTON, a small township near the banks of the river Severn, is also the property of the Duke of Cleveland, and is situated two miles and a quarter S.S. by E. from Wroxeter.

EYTON-ON-THE-SEVERN, a township two miles S. from Wroxeter, takes its name from its situation near the Severn. The land here is highly fertile, and the meadow lands have a rich herbage. It is also the property of the Duke of Cleveland.

NORTON, a small township, has a few scattered houses on the Shrewsbury and Wellington turnpike road, about a mile N.E. from Wroxeter. The land is mostly arable, producing good wheat and barley. Lord Berwick is the sole proprietor of this township.

RUSHTON township is situated three miles E. from Wroxeter, near the western verge of the Wrekin. The land here has an undulating surface, with a stiff soil. The Duke of Cleveland is the landowner. The acres, rateable value, tithes, and population of the above townships are included in the returns for Wroxeter.

POST OFFICE.—_At Mr. Andrew Weatherby’s_. Letters arrive from Shrewsbury at 8 A.M., and are despatched at 5 P.M.

WROXETER DIRECTORY.

Clarke Maria, farmer

Egremont Rev. Edward, The Vicarage

Ford William, butler

Hoggins Edward, farmer, Smithcott

Oatley William Henry, Esq., The Villa

Stanier Edward, Esq., The Hall

Weatherby Andrew, shopkr.

Wood Thos., farmer, Beslow

DONNINGTON DIRECTORY.

Bennett Richard, farmer

Jebb Thos., manager, Corn mill

Jenkins Elizabeth, farmer, Charlton hill

Mainwaring William, shoemaker

Meredith Rev. John, M.A., Grammar School

Parton Benj., shoemaker

DRYTON DIRECTORY.

Clayton Henry, farmer

Farmer James, farmer

EYTON DIRECTORY.

Careswell Benjamin, farmer

Davies Sarah, farmer

Mansell William, blacksmith

Miner John, shepherd

Scott Mary, farmer

NORTON DIRECTORY.

Bayley Robert, farmer

Powell John, shopkeeper

Upton Elizabeth

RUSHTON DIRECTORY.

Brisbourne Peter, farmer

Jarvis Richard, farmer

Jarvis Robert, farmer

Jarvis Thomas, farmer, Wrekin farm

Pathan Thomas, farmer

BRIMSTREE HUNDRED.

The Hundred of Brimstree is divided into the Bridgnorth and the Shiffnal divisions. Hales Owen, formerly a third division of this hundred, being a detached part of the county surrounded by Worcestershire, has recently, by act of parliament, been annexed to the county of Worcester. This hundred is bounded on the north by the county of Stafford and the South Bradford Hundred, on the west by the Wenlock Franchise and South Bradford Hundred, on the east by Staffordshire, and on the south by the Stottesden Hundred. Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq., M.P., is lord of the hundred, and holds a court on the 24th April; Mr. George Pritchard, steward; and Mr. John Cullwick, bailiff. The population in 1801 was 18,817; in 1841 there were 2,577 houses and 12,458 inhabitants. The annexing of the populous district of Halesowen to the county of Worcester is the cause of the returns at the census of 1821 being greater than those of 1841.

The Bridgnorth division contains the following townships and places, viz., Aston, Beobridge, Bobbington (part of), Broughton, Claverley, Dallicott, Farmcott, Gatacre, Heathton, Hopstone, Ludstone, Shipley, Sutton, Woundale, and Worfield.

The Shiffnal divisions contains Albrighton, Badger, Beckbury, Boningale, Boscobal, Donnington, Kemberton, Ryton, Shiffnal, Hatton, Priors’ Lee, Woodside, Stockton, Sutton, Maddock, and Tong.

ALBRIGHTON

is a parish and populous village in the Shiffnal division of the Brimstree Hundred, situated five miles south east by east from Shiffnal, and twenty-three south-east from Shrewsbury. The parish lies in the eastern verge of the county, and contains 3,365 acres of land, of which 59 acres are in roads and plantations. In 1801 there were 901 inhabitants; 1831, 1,054; in 1841, 1,058, and 236 houses; and in 1851, 242 houses and 1,141 souls. Rateable value, £7,089, 16s. 11d. This pleasant rural village is delightfully situated in a salubrious part of the county, intersected by good roads, and contiguous to the Shrewsbury and Birmingham railroad. Within the last few years it has attracted much attention, and several handsome villa residences have been built, which are chiefly occupied by respectable families and tradespeople from Wolverhampton and the neighbourhood. There are many good shops in the different branches of the retail trade, and the inns and boarding houses afford every accommodation to the numerous visitors who annually attend the celebrated Albrighton Hunt. The land in this locality has a bold undulating surface, and the views are varied and beautiful. The farms are extensive, and by unremitting industry, and an outlay of capital, have been brought to a state of productiveness far superior to what has been hitherto known in this district. The farm houses are in general well built, and provided with commodious out-premises. The Earl of Shrewsbury is the principal landowner and lord of the manor. The other chief owners are Thomas Plowden Presland, Esq.; Launcelot Shadwell, Esq.; William Oatley, Esq.; the Earl of Dartmouth; Mr. John Oatley; John Yates, Esq.; George Jones, Esq.; the representatives of the late John Meeson; Richard Wood, Esq.; and the trustees of the poor of Tong, Albrighton, and Tattenhall; besides whom there are several smaller owners.

In the time of Edward the Confessor Albrighton was in two manorial, divisions, held by Algar, Earl of Menia, and a Saxon, named Godit. In the reign of the Confessor, one hide and a half of land in this parish were taxed to the king. After the conquest it extended to four carucates, when they were in demesne three carucates, thirteen servants, three villains, and three borderers, with one carucate of plough land. There was at that time a wood sufficient to fatten one hundred hogs, which was then in the hands of the king. In the reign of the Confessor it was valued at 21s., and at the Conquest at 16s., when it was found wasted, from whence we may learn that the hand of the Saxon destroyer had been raised in revenge. In a manuscript of Dr. Hardwicke’s, now preserved at the vicarage, the parish is spoken of as comprising the lordships of Albrighton and Bishton, the manors and granges of Cosford and Whiston, and many other places of less note. This lordship being enjoyed by Norman the Hunter, shortly after the conquest, was undoubtedly in his possession in 1066, when he and Roger his brother, lord of Beckbury, attended their superior Lord Roger, the Count Palatine, and Adelaisa his second countess, at their palace at Quatford, near Bridgnorth, on the great festal occasion of the dedication of that church, 22nd July, 1086, which they so amply endowed with lands and tithes, arising out of several parishes in this county, as these two lords are particularly noticed as attesting witnesses, with many other lords of manors, the vassals of the count. In the reign of King Henry I. (1102) the manor was granted by the king to his favourite Sir Ralph de Pitchford, in whose family it continued through several generations; as Camden states that a Sir Ralph de Pitchford, 29th of Edward I., had his residence within this manor of Albrighton, where he died, leaving three sons, John, Nicholas, and Hugh, and Margery his relict, who in the 32nd year of this reign, recovered in the Court of King’s Bench, his service against Roger Charles and William the Beadle of Brimstree, of eleven marks rent, with appurtenances in Albrighton. John de Pitchford, the eldest son, was lord of Albrighton and Pitchford, holding them of the crown by the service of one knight’s fee each. It afterwards passed to Sir John de Tregon, Lord Tregon, who, dying without male issue, it came to his grandson, Sir John la Warre, who held in chief by one knight’s fee, and in the 31st of Edward I. obtained a charter to hold a market on a Tuesday, and a fair on the eve of the day, and the day after the translation of St. Thomas the Martyr; and also to hold courts leet and view of frankpledge in the manor half yearly. He was summoned to parliament from 26th August, 1307, to 26th February, 1342, and died in the 21st of Edward 3rd, 1347. About this period Roger Careless, a considerable proprietor of lands in Albrighton, gave 60 acres of land there to found a chantry in the Church at Albrighton, to which he added lands and 2s. rent within his manor of Ryton adjoining. The charter of Albrighton was renewed by King Charles II., and the manor given or confirmed to the Talbots in 1663. The Lady Mary Talbot presented the borough with a mace. The market has long been obsolete, but fairs are held for cattle, sheep, swine, and general merchandise on the first Monday in March, 23rd of May, and the last Saturday in June. A feast is held on the first Sunday after the 18th of July, and races on the following Monday. A flourishing society of the Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows, is held at Mr. Bucknall’s, the Crown Inn. The Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway Company have a station here: Mr. James Davies is the station master. Flys and cars are daily in attendance at the station on the arrival of each train.

THE CHURCH is a venerable fabric, dedicated to St. Mary, consisting of nave, chancel, and side aisles, with, a square tower, containing six bells. The interior is spacious and handsome, and is neatly pewed with dark oak sittings. Upon the gallery, at the west end, there is a fine-toned organ. The chancel is divided from the nave by a lofty pointed arch, and the east window is richly foliated. The church contains some beautiful tablets and other memorials to the Talbots and several other distinguished families. An alabaster tomb has two full length figures in a recumbent posture, with hands joined in the attitude of prayer; the knight clothed in a surcoat and chain armour, and his feet resting on a lion. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king’s book at £5. 10s., now returned at £651, in the patronage of the Haberdashers’ Company and the Governors of Christ’s Hospital, London, alternately. The Rev. George W. Woodhouse, M.A., is the incumbent. Divine service is performed twice a-day throughout the year in the church. THE VICARAGE, a spacious stuccoed residence, a little east from the church, is ornamented with pleasure grounds tastefully laid out. The tithes have been commuted, and £626. 7s. 2d. apportioned to the vicar, and £20 to Mr. George Jones. There are 15A. 2R. 32P. of glebe land. Gilbert Talbot, bishop of Bertha, in Italy, resided chiefly at Lower Pepperhill, in this parish, where he erected a brick mansion, with a court before it. The pope, in consideration of his high birth, family connections, and enormous wealth, raised him to the see of Bertha. He enjoyed his great hereditary property nearly twenty-six years in much privacy and seclusion, engaging himself in acts of charity and devotion, and dying at Lower Pepperhill, on the 12th of December, 1743, was interred in the Catholic Cemetery of the White Ladies, near Albrighton. There is a PAROCHIAL SCHOOL, in which six boys are taught gratuitously, in consideration of the schoolmaster having the free use of the school-house.

CHARITIES.—By indenture, dated 18th May, 1682, reciting two bequests to the inhabitants of Albrighton, one of £20 by one _Southall_, the other of £10 by _Roger Brooke_, the interest of which was to be yearly disposed of among poor people, and which two sums, with some accumulation of interest, had increased to £40; and further reciting a gift by _George Bromley_ of £100, the yearly profits to be distributed on St. George’s day and the Feast of All Saints, with the yearly increase thereof then amounted to £150; it was witnessed that in consideration of the sum of £210, composed of the above benefactions and a sum of money borrowed for the use of the parish, to make up the deficiency, certain lands were conveyed in trust for the benefit of the poor. In the year 1771, William Whitwich, the only surviving trustee, with the approbation of the parishioners and inhabitants assembled at a parish meeting, exchanged the two pieces of land, called the Wooden Croft, and the Six Butts, containing together four acres, for certain lands, called the Pool Field, containing two acres and rood, and a sum of £60 in money. The lands held in trust for the poor, when the charity commissioners published their report, comprised 14A. 3R. 16P. and a workhouse which had been built upon the charity land, together producing a yearly rental of £61 16s. 1d. The sum of £60 paid by Thomas Meeson, in part consideration for the exchange for lands in 1771, was suffered to remain in his hands at an interest of £4 per cent. till May, 1779, when it appears to have been paid up and applied, together with two other sums of £31. 10s., and £20 belonging to the trust, making in the whole £111. 10s. in the erection of a building for the reception of paupers, for which the parish paid a rent of £7 from the year 1780. This application of these several sums is not indeed expressly stated in the trustees’ books, or in any of the parish books or other documents that we could procure; but it seems sufficiently to be inferred from the circumstance that the payment of interest on those sums appears in the books till the year 1780, when it ceases, and the payment of rent for the workhouse commences. As this house is kept in repair from the trust funds, it does not seem to have been a very beneficial investment of the money. From whence the two sums of money above mentioned were derived does not appear. In the returns, under the act of the 26th Geo. III., two legacies to this parish of uncertain date are mentioned, one of £40 by _William Scot_, and the other of £20 by _T. Davenhill_. It is possible that a part of the first and the whole of the second of these legacies may have constituted part of the funds for the erection of the parish poorhouse. This, however, is mere conjecture, as we could learn nothing further concerning these charities.

_Thomas Chapman_, in 1655, granted to trustees three several rent charges, amounting in the whole to 30s., issuing out of a messuage called Harbour House and certain lands within the manor of Donington, and directed 13s. 4d. (part thereof) to be distributed among the poor of Albrighton, 10s. among the poor of Donington, and 6s. 8d. (the residue) for the relief of the poor inhabitants within the parish of Boningale. The amount allotted to Albrighton is carried to the general charity fund of the parish.

_Mrs. Mary Waltho_, in 1783, gave the sum of £20, in trust, to place out the same, with the approbation of the minister and churchwardens of the parish, the interest to be disposed of among poor widows. An annual sum of 16s., which is understood to be the interest of this legacy, was paid by Mr. Meeson. Mr. Meeson stated to the Charity Commissioners that his father had been accustomed to make the payment to poor widows, from whence he concluded that he had received the £20 left by Mrs. Waltho. It does not appear that any security is given for it; nor do the minister and churchwardens interfere with the distribution of the interest.

In 1848, a portion of the charity land was required for making the railway, for which the Charity Trustees received the sum of £712. 3s. 3d., which has been invested in government securities; the dividends of which and the rent of lands amount at the present time to about £74 per annum, which is distributed on Holy Thursday and St. Thomas’s day among widows and the indigent poor not receiving parochial relief.

POST OFFICE—_At Maria Jones’s_. Letters arrive at 9 A.M., and are
despatched at 5.30 P.M.

Bedwell Orson, Esq.

Bishton Rev. Henry, M.A.

Crump Henry, Esq.

Dale Miss

Davies James, station master

Dickens Richard, gentleman

Dodd Rev. George, M.A., curate, Donington

Edwards Mrs.

Holyoake Captain Thomas

Johnson Mrs. Catherine Grecina

Jones Mrs. Maria, Post office

Law Richard, gentleman

Letts James, fly proprietor

Mitchell Mr. James

Parry The Misses, Albrighton Hall

Pitt Frances, gentlewoman

Presland Thomas Plowden, Esq., Cosford Hall

Savage Mrs. Lydia

Stubbs William, gentleman, Bowling-green House

Taylor George, Esq., Boningale Park

Thomason Henry, gentleman

Thorneycroft Mrs.

Totty Mr. John, registrar and vestry clerk

Wood Richard, surgeon and farmer

Woodhouse Rev. George W., M.A., The Vicarage

Yates John, gentleman, Shaw lane

Academy.

Hammersley Thomas, and bookseller and stationer

Baker and Flour Dealer.

Austin George

Boot and Shoemakers.

Fletcher Thomas

Stanley Edward

Taylor John

Taylor Thomas

Wedge Daniel

Brick and Tile Maker.

James Thomas

Bricklayers.

Nickolds George

Stockton Joseph

Totty George

Butchers.

Austin Frederick

Bailey George, Lea Hall

Darley Joseph, Woodhouses

Cabinet Makers.

Perry William, & carpenter

Thomas Thos., & carpenter

Chemist and Druggist.

Whatmore Thomas

Coal Dealers and Carters.

Moore Thomas

Powell John Thomas

Coal and Lime Agent.

Davies James

Corn Millers.

Shenton Benjamin, Cosford mills

Shepherd James

Farmers.

Bailey George and Thomas, Lea Hall Farm

Bate William, Over Pepper hill

Bayley John, Park side

Boulton John

Bradshaw Thomas, Lea

Earp William, Cosford

Fletcher George, Dead Woman’s Grave Farm

Gibbs Henry, Lower Pepper hill

Head Charles, Birches

Husselby William, bailiff to Earl of Dartmouth

Oatley John, Bishton Hall

Oatley Joseph, The Hall Farm

Oatley William, The Hall Farm

Roberts John, Harriotshay

Shenton Benjamin, Cosford

Stanford Joseph, and horse dealer, Harriotshay

Stubbs Walter, Bowling Green

Thomas Rd., farm steward to Earl of Shrewsbury

Yates John, Elms Farm

Grocers and Tea Dealers.

_Marked * are Provision Dealers_.

Brown Jane

Ewart John

* Molineux George

* Tomkins James and John

Hotels, Inns, and Taverns.

Boulton Thomas, victualler, Talbot

Bucknall William, vict., The Crown Hotel, Commercial and Boarding-house

Jones Henry, vict., Whiston Cross

Letts James, vict., Harp Inn, and Posting-house

Steele Benjamin, vict., The Bush

Beerhouse.

Fletcher Thomas

Linen & Woollen Drapers.

Delf John, and clothes dealer

Hammersley Susannah

Maltsters.

Austin George

Bailey George and Thomas

Bucknall George

Milliners and Dress Makers.

Delf Mrs. John, and straw bonnet maker

Hammersley Susannah

Swann Mary Ann

Plumbers, Glaziers, & Painters.

Harris Henry

Meredith Joseph

Saddler and Harness Maker.

Eardley William

Sawyer and Wood Dealer.

Gough George

Shopkeeper.

Moore Paul, and huxter

Smiths.

Howell Thomas

Ward John

Stone Masons and Builders.

Burns and Collins

Thomas Henry

Surgeons.

Bedwell and Son

Crump Henry

Tailor and Woollen Draper.

Totty William

Veterinary Surgeons.

Howell John, Beamish Hall Farm

Watch and Clock Makers.

Morris Thomas

Nickolds Thomas

Wheelwrights.

Parker William

Sutton William

Carrier

To WOLVERHAMPTON, Bessy Wheeler, on Monday, Wednesday, & Saturday

BADGER

is a parish in the Shiffnal division of the Brimstree hundred, six miles N.N.E. from Bridgnorth and five and a half miles S. from Shiffnal, comprising 980 acres of land, of which upwards of 100 acres are covered with woods and thriving plantations. The soil is various, the meadows and pastures produce a rich herbage, and the arable lands are highly productive. Rateable value £768. The parish in 1801 contained 88 inhabitants: 1831, 142: 1841, 137: and in 1851 there were 38 houses and a population of 101 souls, of whom 79 were males and 92 females. The village of Badger is delightfully situated in a district pleasingly diversified with bold undulations and rural scenery; the low lands are watered by the meanderings of the Cosford brook, and the small stream of the Worf. A romantic glen called the Dingle stretches for upwards of a mile in length, and the banks of the stream have been planted with shrubs and evergreens with great taste; in several places the waters are precipitated over the shelving rocks into the dingle below, which gives an additional charm to the picturesque scenery. This locality is the frequent resort of pleasure parties from Birmingham and the surrounding country during the summer months. Robert Henry Cheney, Esq., of Badger Hall, is the principal landowner, and lord of the manor; Mr. John Green is also a landowner.

THE CHURCH, dedicated to St. Giles, is a small but neat structure of free stone, having a square tower ornamented with crocketted pinnacles; the tower is beautified with a clock, sun-dial, and contains three bells; the interior of the church has a tasteful and elegant appearance, and the side compartments are neatly pewed with oak sittings. The east window is beautifully decorated with stained glass illustrative of scripture history; the appendages of tracery are of the most exquisite workmanship. The altar exhibits a fine specimen of elaborate carving. The parishioners of Worfield, who reside near Badger, in consideration of being accommodated with sittings in this church, presented a new organ in the year 1844. In the chancel is an elegant memorial in memory of Isaac Hawkins Brown, Esq., of this parish, D.C.L., and F.R.S., who died in 1818. A full length figure of the purest statuary marble, (one of Chantrey’s masterly productions) is represented as seated and perusing a book, on the side of which are several large quarto volumes in marble. Underneath the monument is an inscription in memory of his wife Elizabeth Brown. There is also a tablet beautifully designed, with the figure of a female in bass-relief to Jane Brown, and other members of the family, dated 1783. The Rev. William Smith, late rector of Badger, is remembered on a neat memorial dated 1837. There are others to Joseph Green and his wife, and to Elizabeth Kinnersley, the latter is dated 1619. In the church yard are several ancient tombs which have been erected in memory of deceased members of some of the principal families in the parish. The living is a rectory valued in the king’s book at £4. 13s. 4d., now returned at £280, in the patronage of Robert Henry Cheney, Esq.: incumbent, Rev. Thomas Freeman Boddington, M.A. In the churchyard is a yew tree of immense growth, and near it a lofty mutilated column.

BADGER HALL is an elegant and spacious mansion, the seat of Robert Henry Cheney, Esq., J.P. The structure is of brick with stone finishings, and situated on elevated ground, commanding delightful views over a luxuriant country. The vicinity of the mansion is finely timbered, and the extensive enclosures of park-like grounds are pleasingly diversified with sylvan beauty. The pleasure grounds and shrubberies are of considerable extent, and display the taste and superior management of the head gardener, Mr. George Cooke. Robert Henry Cheney, Esq., was appointed high sheriff of the County of Shropshire, for the year 1851. THE RECTORY is a good residence a little west of the church; it is pleasantly situated, and the gardens and pleasure grounds are neatly laid out. There is a school in the village which is supported by Mr. Cheney, where about fifty children are instructed. The Rev. T. C. Hartshorn gave £10 to the poor in 1752, and the Rev. Thos. Hartshorn gave a like sum which was laid out in the purchase of a rent charge of 20s. per annum, issuing out of a messuage and garden in Badger; the amount is expended in bread for the poor.

DIRECTORY.—Robert Henry Cheney, Esq., J.P., Badger Hall; William Bate, gentleman; William Bate and Sons, farmers; Rev. Thomas F. Boddington, M.A., the Rectory; William Braithwaite, corn miller; Henry Brewster, farmer and corn miller, Higford; George Cooke, gardener; John Green, gentleman, The Heath; John Mole, butler; Matthew Taylor, coachman; Richard Worrall, farmer.

BECKBURY

is a parish and village in the Shiffnal Division of the Brimstree Hundred, comprising 1321A. 0R. 10P. of land, and situated six miles and a half N.E. from Bridgnorth, and four miles S. from Shiffnal. In 1801 there were 231 inhabitants; 1831, 307; and in 1841, 61 houses and 312 souls. Rateable value, £1,942. 9s. 8d. The principal landowners are C. H. Slaney, Esq., Walter Stubbs, Esq., Thomas Charlton Whitmore, Esq., Dr. Windham, Dr. Fowler, and Mrs. Frances Horton.

THE CHURCH, dedicated to St. Milburgh, is built of red free-stone, and consists of nave and chancel, with a square tower, in which are three bells. In the chancel are several memorials, one of which remembers W. J. Yonge, Esq., of Caynton House, who died in 1825, aged 71 years; also of Captain William Horton, who died in 1844. There are also several memorials to various members of the Stubbs family and others, one of which (a slab of limestone) has the outlines of the figures of a male and a female, with smaller figures of ten children. The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £5. 3s. 4d., in the patronage of the Lord Chancellor; incumbent, Rev. Henry Ralph Smythe. The tithes are commuted for £333, and the rector has 31A. 0R. 18P. of glebe land. BECKBURY HALL is a commodious family mansion, of brick, the residence and property of Walter Stubbs, Esq., a considerable landowner in this parish.

POST OFFICE—_At Thomas Page’s_. Letters arrive at 8 A.M., and are
despatched at 4.45 P.M.

DIRECTORY.—Benjamin Adams, shoemaker; Thos. Baugh, beerhouse-keeper; Isaac Bradburn, draper and shopkeeper; Samuel Brown, farmer; Benjamin Corfield, farmer; George Hand, butcher; John Hand, carpenter; Thomas Hand, parish clerk and builder; William Hand, joiner; William Hampton, blacksmith; Thomas Page, shopkeeper and postmaster; William Poyner, butcher; John Richards, maltster and farmer; Rev. Walter Ralph Smythe, rector, The Rectory; Thomas Southall, beerhouse keeper; Samuel Thurstaus, farmer and maltster, Heath House; Walter Stubbs, Esq., Beckbury Hall; John Ward, Esq., R.N., Lower Hall; Richard Williams, shopkeeper; John Warren, tailor and draper; Benjamin Worrall, farmer, Snowdon Pool.

BOBBINGTON

is a small parish, partly in the Bridgnorth Division of the Brimstree Hundred, but chiefly in the county of Stafford, situated eight miles and a half S.W. from Wolverhampton, and eight miles E. from Bridgnorth. That portion of the parish in the county of Salop at the census of 1841 contained six houses and 22 inhabitants. This county is here divided from Staffordshire by a small stream; the Bridgnorth and Stourbridge turnpike road bounds the parish on the south-east side. THE CHURCH is a small ancient structure of free-stone, with a tower, in which are four bells. The interior is small, and fitted up with primitive simplicity. The living is enjoyed by the Vicar of Claverly; officiating curate, Rev. Henry Pennant Cooke, M.A. William Moseley, Esq., is the owner of the land in that part of the parish, in the county of Salop.

DIRECTORY.—Richard Barrimore, wheelwright and machine-maker; Samuel Brimsford, maltster and victualler, Six Ashes Inn; Sarah Bytheway, shopkeeper and victualler, Lion Inn; Rev. Henry Pennant Cooke, MA.; Edward Fenn, blacksmith, Six Ashes; John Knowles, farmer; Philip Pearman, farmer, Whatmore Hall; Mrs. Sarah Pearman.

BONINGHALL, OR BONINGALE,

is a small parish and village, in the Shiffnal Division of the Brimstree Hundred, five miles S.E. by S. from Shiffnal, and seven miles S.W. by S. from Wolverhampton, which in 1841 contained 184 inhabitants; and at the census in 1851 had 36 houses and 195 souls; of whom 99 were males and 96 females. The turnpike road from Shiffnal to Wolverhampton intersects the parish, which contains 986A. 0R. 18P. of land. The soil is a mixture of loam and gravel, and produces good wheat, turnips, and barley. There is also some fine grazing land. Rateable value, £1,948. 14s. George Taylor, Esq., is lord of the manor, and the most considerable landowner. The Executors of the late William Wood, Mr. John Oatley, Mr. Richard Wood, Mr. James William Weaver, Mr. James Riddle, and the Incumbent of King Swinford, are also proprietors. The village is situated in a salubrious district, commanding pleasing and diversified views of the surrounding country. The Kennels for the fox-hounds of the celebrated Albrighton hunt are at the Summer House in this parish. THE CHURCH, a plain antique structure, in a sequestered situation, is built of free-stone, and, as an ornamental appendage, has a tower of wood, in which are three bells. It contains a small gallery, and the sittings are of oak. The ceiling is supported by a framework of wood, and empanelled with dark oak, varnished. There is a tablet in memory of Mrs. Elizabeth Robinson, and another to William Tindal, who died in 1830. The living is a perpetual curacy annexed to the rectory of Stockton. The Rev. Charles Blaney Cavendish Whitmore, M.A., is the incumbent. The tithes have been commuted, and £236 apportioned to the incumbent; the minister has also 11A. 0R. 29P. of glebe land. There is no parsonage house in this parish. BONINGHALL PARK, the seat and property of George Taylor, Esq., is a spacious erection, pleasantly situated in the midst of park-like grounds, well-timbered, and commanding some five views of the distant country. The pleasure-grounds are planted with choice shrubs and beautiful flowers.

CHARITIES.—_John Littleford_, by his will, dated the 27th of February, 1712, gave the sum of £4, to be laid out for the use of the poor of Boningale, “with £10, which Mr. Green had promised should be paid.” It is probable that both these sums were duly received, and that they compose a sum of £14, which the parish has long enjoyed, and which was designated as the gift of an unknown benefactor for the use of the poor of the parish. An additional benefaction of £16 was subsequently received from _Miss Jane Skeinton_. These sums appear to have remained at interest in the hands of the parish officers, upon their personal security, until the year 1812, when they were laid out in the purchase of a messuage and a garden, which it was thought advisable to purchase for the use of the parish. The premises were accordingly charged with the repayment of the sum of £30, so borrowed, to the churchwardens and overseers of the said parish for the time being, with interest for the same at five per cent. per annum, such interest to be paid on the 25th of March yearly, and to be distributed annually on Easter Sunday, by the minister, churchwardens, overseers, and the inhabitant freeholders of the parish for the time being, among poor industrious parishioners.

A rent charge of 6s. 8d., derived from the bequest of _John Chapman_, is usually allowed to remain for two years, and 13s. 4d. is then distributed among the poor of the parish with the above charity.

DIRECTORY.—George Bayley, butcher, Lea Hall; Benjamin Cox, shopkeeper; Joseph Darley, farmer, Woodhouses; Joseph Lowe, victualler, Summer House and Commercial Inn; Edmund Nicklin, shopkeeper; John Oatley, farmer, Woodhouses; Benjamin Southall, farmer, Boningale Farm; Mr. William Staples, huntsman, Summer House; George Taylor, Esq., Boningale Park; Thos. Taylor, farmer; James Thomas, victualler, The Horns Inn; Richard Wood, farmer, Whiston.

BOSCOBEL

AN EXTRA PAROCHIAL LIBERTY in the Shiffnal division of the Brimstree hundred, is remarkable in history as a place in which King Charles II. concealed himself from his pursuers, after the unfortunate battle of Worcester. The liberty comprises two houses and 691A. 2R. 17P. of land, of which eighty acres are in woods, and is situated on the eastern verge of the county, adjoining Staffordshire, seven miles east from Shiffnal. The bold eminence upon which Boscobel is situated is most delightful, and is one of the finest tracts of table land in England; the scenery is most extensive, beautiful, and varied. Boscobel manor house is a spacious and ancient timbered mansion exhibiting a fine specimen of the domestic architecture of bygone days; part of it has been recently modernized and stuccoed, which gives it a light and handsome appearance. The house stands partly in Shropshire and partly in Staffordshire, and the southern portion now forms the summer residence of the Misses Evans, of Darley, near Derby. The dining room is spacious, and the walls are wainscotted with oak, exhibiting some fine carving; on the right of the entrance is shown the secret recess through which King Charles II. made his escape from the house to the oak tree when pursued by the infuriated rebels. There is a fine painting in this room of the youthful monarch, and in a side room is a beautifully executed painting of Oliver Cromwell. Although the interior of the mansion has been much improved and beautified from time to time, yet whatever relates to the concealment of the unfortunate Charles has been preserved with the greatest care. On ascending the staircase is seen the bed room and the secret recess where he took shelter from his pursuers, and which communicates with the garden by a trap-door. In the upper room is what is denominated the “sacred hole” from the circumstance of his majesty occasionally concealing himself there, the trap-door and step-ladder remain in their original state.

The following circumstances relating to this remarkable and interesting event are taken from various authorities:—His majesty, as soon as he perceived which way the victory at the disastrous battle of Worcester inclined, was not unmindful to provide for his own safety. He had during the battle performed all the offices both of a valiant man and a good commander, riding about incessantly to encourage his soldiers, and when he saw they began to fail he was heard to utter this pathetic expression, “Rather shoot me than let me live to see the sad consequences of this fatal day.” Many parties of horse were sent out through all the country after the flying troops. Few of the infantry escaped from the field alive, and but about three thousand horse, of whom one thousand were taken near Bewdley by Colonel Barton, and more by others in different places. In this fatal engagement the number of the slain was supposed to be three thousand, among whom were many of the nobility and gentlemen, and principal officers who supported the royal cause. The king lost a hundred and fifty-eight stand of colours, his standard bearer, his collar of S.S., his coach and horses, and other things of great value. His majesty after the battle was very narrowly searched for, and it was on his account that the greater diligence was employed in following and intercepting the routed Scots; but notwithstanding all the search and inquiry no news could be heard, nor could any one certainly tell what was become of him. When the enemy had forced the gate, all possible care was taken to secure his majesty, and for this purpose the Earl of Cleveland, Sir James Hamilton, and others, kept the enemy engaged in Sudbury street, while the king unpursued took his way with a body of horse through St. Martin’s gate about six o’clock in the evening. When he arrived at Brabon’s bridge, about half a mile from the town, he halted in order to advise with a few noblemen and gentlemen that were with him, and as there was not the slightest probability of being able to rally again, it was determined with all speed to make their way to Scotland. Having proceeded about half way to Presteign, the king was informed that a detachment of troops was in pursuit of him, on which he immediately changed his route to Shropshire, the Earl of Derby recommending Boscobel house as a place of temporary sanctuary. Mr. Giffard and Mr. Yates having been chosen as guides, they arrived at break of day, at a house called White Ladies, about half a mile from Boscobel. This house was formerly a monastery of Cistercian nuns, who from their habit were denominated the White Ladies, and this name, notwithstanding the abolition of the order, adhered to the house.

Here his majesty was committed to the care of the Pendrills, and for his better disguise, put on the green Kendal breeches and leathern doublet of Richard Pendrill. Lord Wilmot who performed the office of barber, cut the hair of the King in a most rustic manner, and caused his hands and face to be discoloured with the intention of giving him the appearance of a country labourer. His majesty thus transformed, with a wood bill in his hand assumed the character of a wood cutter, and was taken by a back road into a wood called Spring Coppice belonging to Boscobel House, by Richard Pendrill, who attended the King while the three other brothers of Richard were set to watch and give intelligence of any threatened danger. A short time after the King had left the house a party of horse came to search it; it was therefore thought the safest course for his majesty to remain in the wood all that day, although the rain fell in torrents. The King being in urgent want of refreshment, made his wishes known to Richard Pendrill, who accordingly applied to the wife of Francis Yates to provide some provision for a person in want and to carry it to an appointed place in Boscobel wood. She accordingly provided a dish of such fare as her cottage afforded, and taking a blanket with her, proceeded therewith to the wood. On her approaching the spot fixed upon she perceived the King, who being much surprised at the appearance of a woman, became apprehensive that she might possibly divulge the secret of his retreat, till demanding of the good woman if she could be faithful to a distressed cavalier, she answered “Yes Sire, I would rather die than discover you.” At night his majesty resolved to proceed into Wales, and take Richard Pendrill with him as his guide; they began their journey that night to Madeley, where lived a zealous royalist named Wolfe. The night was very dark and as they passed by Evelyn bridge, Richard permitting a gate to clap too loudly, brought out a miller at that place, and on his bidding them stand Richard ran through the water and the King followed by the sound of his calfskin breeches. The miller imagining that these persons were on the search was not less alarmed than they were, having then under his protection in the mill several fugitive loyalists who had escaped from the bloody field of Worcester. On their arrival at Madeley they proceeded to Wolfe’s house, but there being so many soldiers in the neighbourhood it was considered unsafe for them to remain in the house, and they found refuge in a hay-loft which was their bed till Friday night. It had been his majesty’s intention to pass the Severn and so proceed into Wales, but learning that all the passages over the river were strictly guarded and that all the ferry boats were stopped, they returned somewhat late on Friday night towards Boscobel. Colonel Carles, who when his majesty left Worcester was bravely combating the enemy in Sudbury street to favour the King’s escape, was now come to that place for refuge and relief. The Colonel who was well acquainted with the house and its inhabitants, having been born and educated not far off, was no sooner informed that the King was in the wood than he hastened with joy to present himself to his majesty. After mutual congratulations they proceeded to the house to refresh themselves, and then immediately retiring into the wood and finding a large oak whose branches afforded them a safe retreat, they ascended the tree, and with the help of cushions made a tolerable abode there till night. At night they betook themselves again to the house where his majesty thought proper for the future to trust himself while he remained in that part of the country, being much pleased with a secret corner which William Pendrill shewed him, where the Earl of Derby concealed himself after the misfortune of his defeat at Wigan. Being now in hopeful security he permitted William Pendrill to shave him and cut his hair short at the top, but leaving it long about the ears, as was the country mode in those days.

On Humphrey Pendrill going to Shiffnal to pay his share of the monthly tax, he was accosted at the house of Captain Broadway, by a colonel who had come hither to enquire after the search of the White Ladies. The colonel understanding that Humphrey lived near the place, put him to a strict examination, and after he had tried the effect of menaces to induce a confession, began to tempt him by the reward of the thousand pounds which was offered to the person that discovered his majesty; Humphrey’s discreet answers, however, rendered his dissembled ignorance the more unsuspected. On this being told to his majesty he was determined to leave Boscobel, and it was arranged that he should ride upon Humphrey Pendrill’s mill horse, for Humphrey was miller at the White Ladies Mill. The king mounted his steed on Monday evening and was attended by four of the Pendrills and their brother-in-law Francis Yates, who guarded him on the road with bills and pike staves. Humphrey led the horse by the bridle, and on his majesty complaining that it was the dullest jade he ever rode on, Humphrey made a witty apology for his steed by telling his majesty that it was no wonder he went so slow since he carried the weight of three kingdoms on his back. The King at this time was dressed in a leathern doublet and an old greasy hat, his hands and face being coloured with soot and walnut leaves. In this way they journeyed to Moseley in Staffordshire, and there found a place of safety in the house of Mr. Whitgrave, who had formerly been engaged in the king’s service, and being a suspected person his house was searched while the king was there, but the readiness of Mr. Whitgrave to let the soldiers enter, and his open deportment, gave the men so much satisfaction that they went away with little more than a bare enquiry. The White Ladies was also searched the same day, on the information of an ensign, and the proprietor strictly questioned about the king with a musket presented at his breast. He acknowledged that a large party had been there who had almost eaten him out of house and home, but the king he did not know from any other man, and no such person being there to be found, the searchers at last went away, storming that they had troubled themselves so much in vain, and the ensign was paid for his diligence with blows and contempt. The King on one occasion being concealed in a house belonging to Mrs. Jane Lane, his pursuers having some idea of his being there, came in a body to examine it, but on Mrs. Lane observing their approach she immediately clad the king in a rustic dress and put a slouched hat on his head, and on the entering of the soldiers Charles looked around, which the good old dame observing seized a basting ladle, and giving the king a sharp blow on the back exclaimed in apparent anger “And what do you stare at, you dog you; why don’t you mind what you’re about.” This reprimand furnished the King with a pretext for keeping his eyes towards the spit, by which means he escaped discovery.

His majesty having gratefully acknowledged the kindness of Mr. Whitgrave, went with Lord Wilmot to Colonel Lane’s, at Bentley, where shortly after he had an opportunity of being conveyed to Bristol, in order to embark for France. Miss Jane Lane procured a pass for herself and servant, to visit a pretended sister of hers who resided near to Bristol, and in the journey his majesty assumed the character of Miss Lane’s servant; Colonel Lascelles, Miss Lane’s relation, with his wife behind him, accompanied them; and Lord Wilmot, with a hawk in his hand, as if he had met them accidentally, and had occasion to travel that way. In passing through Broomsgrove they were obliged to employ a smith to shoe one of the horses; the conversation of the bystanders was of the battle of Worcester and the king’s escape. His majesty, amidst many conjectures, gave it as his decided opinion that the king had fled to Scotland, and lay concealed there. “I rather think,” replied the smith, “that he remains somewhere concealed in England, and how glad should I be if I knew where.” On the third day they arrived at the house of Mr. George Norton, of Leigh, about two miles from Bristol, where the king was introduced as the son of one of her father’s tenants, and on pretence of suddenly being attacked with fever, kept his bed, and was attended by Dr. George, who asked the sick man many questions about the king’s escape, and being told by his majesty that he did not wish to be troubled with such questions, declared that he could not help thinking that his patient was a sider with the roundheads. His majesty had not been long here before he was discovered by the butler, who had formerly been in the service of his royal father. This man, on the promise of close secrecy and loyalty, was entrusted by his majesty in several important services. From this place he proceeded amidst great dangers, experiencing unchanging fidelity, to Brighthelmston, in Sussex, when on the 15th of October, 1659, he took sail in a small coasting vessel, employed in the colliery trade, and being favoured with a prosperous gale they arrived in a short time at Feccam, a small sea port in Normandy, his majesty assisting himself to steer the vessel. From Feccam his majesty proceeded to Roan, and on the 30th October was met on his journey to Paris by his mother, the Queen Dowager of Great Britain, his brother the Duke of York, the Duke of Orleans, and other nobles of France, with a great retinue of English and French gentlemen.

On the restoration of King Charles, the family of the Pendrills, who consisted of five brothers, attended upon his majesty on the 13th of June, 1660, at Whitehall, when the king was pleased to remark that the simple rustic who serves his sovereign in the time of need to the extent of his ability, is as deserving of our commendation as the victorious leader of thousands. “Friend Richard,” rejoined the king, “thou wert my preserver and conductor—the bright star that shewed me my way to Bethlehem, for which kindness I will engrave thy memory in the tablet of a grateful heart;” and having requested Richard to state to the lords in attendance what passed when he quitted the oak at Boscobel, “Your majesty,” replied Richard, “must well remember that when brother Humphrey brought his old mill horse from White Ladies, not accoutered with knightly gear, but with a pitiful old saddle and bridle; not attended with royal guards, but only by half a dozen raw and undisciplined rustics, who had but little else but good will to defend your majesty; it was when your majesty mounted, and as we journeyed your majesty did most heartily complain of the jade you rode on, and said it was the dullest creature you ever met with, whereupon Humphrey remarked, ‘My liege, can you blame the horse to go heavily when he had the weight of three kingdoms on his back?’”

The royal oak before mentioned stood about 200 yards from the house, and was a flourishing tree, the branches of which were so richly covered with ivy that the soldiers who were in pursuit of the king, and who suspected him to be there, could not discover him. In the course of time the original oak was so mutilated by visitors that to preserve its remains the Fitzherberts erected a brick wall around it. The tree, however, has long been destroyed, and there is now standing on the site a flourishing oak, produced from an acorn of the old tree, for the preservation of which a lofty iron palisading surrounds it. The following inscription on a brass plate is affixed to the bole of the tree:—

“Felicissimam Arborem,
Quam in Asylum Potentissimi Regis Caroli II.,
Deus optimus maximus per quem Regis regnant
Hic crescere voluit
Tam in perpetuam rei tantæ memoriam,
Quam in specimen firmæ in Regis fidei.
Muro cinctum posteris commendant
Basilius et Jana Fitzherbert.
Quod Pietatis monumentum vestustate collapsum,
Paternarum vertutum Hieredes,
Et evitæ in Principes fidei amulatores.
In integrum restituerunt
Basilius et Eliza Fitzherbert,
iiii Cal Junii, A.H.S., MDCCLLXXXII.
Qua ex arbore Quercum hanc uti fertur ortam,
Ferreis his quæ hodie sunt repagulis.
Circummunivit
Ejusdam hujusce agri possesor,
Evdemque erga Regis animo prædita.”

THE CONVENT OF WHITE LADIES.—Near half a mile south from Boscobel, in a sequestered and romantic spot, are the ruins of the Nunnery of White Ladies, an establishment of nuns of the Cistercian order, designated the White Ladies by reason of the conventical habit which they adopted being of that colour, as also to distinguish it from another establishment in its immediate vicinity, denominated the Black Ladies, situated at Bishop’s Wood, in the county of Stafford. The ruins of this venerable structure are mantled with ivy, and the walls of the church are of immense thickness, with a recessed circular doorway. It is dedicated to St. Leonard, and the foundation is supposed to have been as ancient as the time of King Richard I., or King John. The two seals that have been met with relating to this establishment represent the virgin and child, one of which bears the legend, “SIGILLUM COMMUNE NIGRARUM MONALIUM D’BRE,” and the other “S. CONVENT. S. MARIE NIGRAS D’NARUM,” and seem to have been used as the common seal of the White Ladies and Black Ladies conjointly, these two houses having been considered as comprising the convent of Brewood. The ruins and grounds of this religious house are walled in, and the interior, which is spacious, is nearly covered with gravestones. It is still used as a place of sepulchre by members of the catholic religion. There are several tablets on the walls, and some remarkable epitaphs. On a gravestone is the following inscription: “Here lies Winifred White, late of Wolverhampton, who was instantaneously cured of hemiphegia by bathing in St. Winifred’s well, Flintshire, June 11th, 1805. She died of consumption, January 13th, 1824, aged 45 years. May she rest in peace.” The White Ladies Nunnery became celebrated in history from the circumstance of its having afforded a temporary shelter and a place of successful concealment to his Majesty King Charles II., immediately on his flight from the disastrous and fatal battle of Worcester. At the dissolution of religious houses, this nunnery, then styled the Convent of Brewood, consisted of six religious. The total revenue was stated to amount annually to £31. 1s. 4d. In the reign of Henry VIII. the site was granted to William Whorwood; it is now possessed by the Catholic community. The Misses Evans are the principal freeholders in Boscobel, and have been instrumental in building a church at Bishop’s Wood, which has just been completed. The ladies also liberally contribute towards the education of the children, and in supplying the necessities of the poor in this vicinity.

The principal residents are Miss Elizabeth Evans, Boscobel House; Miss Fanny Evans, Boscobel House; Mrs. Walker; Thomas Wilson, farmer, White Ladies; Thomas Wilson, jun., farmer, Boscobel Farm.

CLAVERLEY