Chapter I: Part 1

[Picture: The Cross Market]

THE
HISTORY OF OSWESTRY,

COMPRISING THE
BRITISH, SAXON, NORMAN, AND ENGLISH ERAS;

THE
TOPOGRAPHY OF THE BOROUGH;

AND ITS
ECCLESIASTICAL AND CIVIC HISTORY:

WITH NOTICES OF
BOTANY, GEOLOGY, STATISTICS, ANGLING, AND BIOGRAPHY:

TO WHICH ARE ADDED
SKETCHES OF THE ENVIRONS.

* * * * *

ILLUSTRATED WITH WOOD-ENGRAVINGS,

By MR. PERCY CRUIKSHANK, after Sketches by MR. ROBERT
CRUIKSHANK.

[Picture: Ancient seal of Oswestry]

WRITTEN AND COMPILED

BY WILLIAM CATHRALL,

AUTHOR OF “THE HISTORY OF NORTH WALES,” “WANDERINGS
IN NORTH WALES,” &c.

* * * * *

OSWESTRY:
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY GEORGE LEWIS.

* * * * *

ENTERED AT STATIONERS’ HALL.

* * * * *

Preface.

THE issue of this volume has been “the accident of an accident.” I was called by commercial business last autumn to Oswestry, where I found, temporarily located, a man with humour at his finger-ends, and of “infinite jest” on paper. I allude to Mr. ROBERT CRUIKSHANK, an artist scarcely inferior to his celebrated brother, Mr. GEORGE CRUIKSHANK—_par nobile fratrum_, who have both successfully laboured in their vocation to

—“Shoot folly as it flies,
And catch the living manners as they rise.”

Mr. Robert Cruikshank, pleased with the rich and diversified scenery of the neighbourhood of Oswestry, undertook to illustrate the present book. To be thus pictorially aided was a distinction, and I therefore cheerfully complied with the wish of the respectable publisher, to try my “’prentice hand” at a History of the Borough. Mr. Cruikshank has well executed his task. What may be _my_ portion of merit will be determined by the judgment, not critically severe, I hope, of my readers.

The History of Oswestry and its neighbourhood is, however, worthy of a more elaborate and carefully-wrought volume than that which I now send forth; and I should have been glad had some pen, abler than my own, been employed in the completion of so desirable a work. Oswestry is not deficient in the talent or learning necessary to produce a voluminous history; but until the historic mantle fall upon some kindred spirit, that can evoke with magic skill the _dramatis personæ_ and chequered incidents of bye-gone ages, and beguile his readers with beautiful delineations of his native hills and vallies, the good citizens of Oswestry must, I fear, content themselves with the present volume, whose chief excellence, if it possess any, may be found to consist in supplying a collection of interesting facts, connected with the town and district, hitherto dispersed through many publications.

In preparing this volume for the press much delay has occurred from the pressure of other and more anxious engagements. In wading, however, through musty tomes and modern books, I have been instructed and solaced by the way. The Past reveals little else than vandal darkness and the pride and pomp of feudal power. Lords and their vassals figure chiefly in the discordant scene, and ignorant dependence is too commonly seen prostrate at the feet of favourites, in court or field, of ambitious and despotic monarchs. The Present has a more genial and encouraging aspect. Religion, with her gentle handmaids, Literature, Science, and Art, is shedding its radiance even over this district, so long the theatre of Border-feuds, strife, and injustice. The Future, therefore, indicates still more agreeable promise; and those of the present generation who are co-operating in the good work already begun, of endeavouring to make the world better than they found it, will have the consolation of leaving to posterity an inheritance more precious than silver or gold.

I cannot close these remarks without thankfully acknowledging the assistance I have derived, from several gentlemen of the town and neighbourhood, in the prosecution of my labours. If I could have stirred up many others to the grateful task of elucidating the history of their native or adopted place of residence, I should have been still more satisfied. I take this opportunity of mentioning the names of The Rev. Thomas Salwey, Vicar of Oswestry, Richard Redmond Caton, Esq., F.S.A., Edward Williams, Esq., of Lloran House, R. J. Croxon, Esq., Charles Sabine, Esq., and one or two other gentlemen, who, with a becoming feeling of respect for the ancient borough, have kindly aided me by various contributions.

I am sensible of many imperfections in the volume; but I trust, by the generous support of the Public, I may be enabled, at some not far distant day, to revise my pages, and render them still more worthy of acceptance.

WILLIAM CATHRALL.

_Oswestry_, _October_, 1855.

LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS.

ASTERLEY Miss, Willow-street

Attree R. W., Esq., Plasmadoc

* * * * *

BASSETT JOSEPH, Esq., solicitor

Berry Joseph, Accountant

Bennion Edward David, Esq., Summer Hill

Baugh Robert, Llanymynech

Bull William Isaac, Esq., solicitor

Bickerton George Morrel, brazier

Bartlett Charles Archibald, 32, Paternoster Row, London

Buckley Miss Eliza

Broughall John, Esq., Fernhill, Whittington

Barlow Thomas, Esq., postmaster, Worksop

Barnes William, Osberton Hall, Notts

Bayley Joseph, Quadrant

* * * * *

CASHEL REV. FREDERICK, Incumbent of Trinity Church

Corbett Vincent, Esq.

Caton Richard Redmond, Esq., F.S.A.

Croxon Richard Jones, Esq., Town Clerk

Crutchloe Henry, Lloran Cottage

Cooper George, Esq., Salop-road

Cullis William, Lower Brook-st.

Corney William, confectioner and spirit merchant

Churchill Benjamin, Esq., Bellan House

Cross Thomas, Ornithologist

Cox J., porter merchant, Birmingham

Clarke Mrs., 3, Devonshire-terrace, Paddington, London

Cruikshank Percy, Pentonville, London

Churchill Miss, Bellan House (2 copies)

Crippin R., Church-street

Cross William B., Cross-street

Cartwright Samuel, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury

* * * * *

DONNE REV. STEPHEN, the Schools (12 copies)

Dovaston John, Esq., Nursery, West Felton

Davies Henry, Esq., solicitor

Davies John, draper

Davies Edward, confectioner

Davies Captain, Llanymynech

Dicker Phillip Henry, Esq., surg.

Davies Messrs. R. & W., Golden Eagle

Downes Richard, Esq., Haughton Grange

Davies Edward, Esq., surgeon, Llansilin

Davies Henry, schoolmaster, Llandrinio

Duckett Mrs. Tamar, the Lodge

Davies Mrs. E., Chirk

Duncan John, Esq., solicitor, 2, New Inn, Strand

Davies W. M., Waterloo-house

Davies Giles, Lower Brook-street

Davies Thomas, Greenwich

Davies John, Erwallo, Glyn

* * * * *

EDWARDS JAMES, Esq., Upper Brook-street (2 copies)

Edmunds Rev. Edw., M.A., Vicar of St. Michael’s, Southampton

Eddy Walter, Mine Agent, Fron, Rhuabon

Evans Edward, auctioneer

Edwards Thomas, Esq., Cae Glas

Edwards Ed., Commercial Hotel

Eyeley Edward, organist

Evans R. D., Esq., Meifod

Edwards James Coster, Trefynant

Edwards Thomas, chandler

Evans John, ship builder, Morbum, Machynlleth

Edwards Alfred, Hanwell, Middlesex

Edmunds Griffith, Albion Hill

Edisbury James, Esq., Wrexham

Edisbury J. F., Esq., Holywell

Ellis Henry, English Walls

Evans Edward, Liverpool Gas Co.

Evans William, Glascoed

Edwards Edward, currier

Edwards William, Queen’s Head

Evans John, Church-street

Ewing John, gardener, Osberton Hall

* * * * *

FITZ-WILLIAM, THE RIGHT HON. THE EARL (4 copies)

Fitz-William, The Hon. Lady Charlotte Wentworth, Wentworth House

Fitz-William, The Hon. M. S. C. Wentworth

Fitz-William, The Hon. Lady Dorothy H. Wentworth

Francis Captain, Aberystwith

Fallon Rev. J. M., Bailee Rectory, Ireland

Fuller William, Esq., Salop-road

Furnin The Rev. J. P., Rode Parsonage, near Lawton, Cheshire

Faulder F. J., Esq., St. Ann’s-square, Manchester

Fox John, accountant

* * * * *

GORE WILLIAM ORMSBY, Esq., M.P. for North Shropshire

Grey William, Esq., New Burlington-street, London

Gray Thos., Esq. architect, Chester

Greenwood J. W., Esq., London

Goodwin John, Beatrice-street

Galloway Charles, Halston

George Roger, Willow-street

Giles Henry, Cross-street

Gornall Mrs. Jane, Swan Inn

Griffiths William, Esq., solicitor, Dolgelley

* * * * *

HILL THE RIGHT HON. THE VISCOUNT, Lord Lieutenant of the County of Salop

Hales John Miles, Esq., Lower Brook-street

Hill T. Esq., Upper Brook-street

Hill T. W., Esq., Upper Brook-st

Hargraves James, Esq., Whittington (2 copies)

Hayden Wm. Henry, 17, Warwick-square, London

Higgins Samuel, draper

Holland George, Whittington

Husband Rev. J., Rectory, Selattyn

Hopwood F. A., Station Master, Gobowen

Hardman Thomas, 14, Slater-street, Liverpool

Hughes T., Esq., solr., Wrexham

Hughes Miss Catherine, Church-street

Hughes Alexander, Willow-street

Hughes Miss Anne, Salop-road

Humphreys Edmund, East Sheen, Richmond (2 copies)

Hughes John, Savings’ Bank

Hilditch George, Esq., Salop-road

Heaton Rev. H. E., M.A., perpetual curate of Llangedwin

Hodgkinson R., Esq., estate agent, Osberton, Worksop

Howell David, Willow-Street (2 copies)

Hughes Thos., Esq., Plasnewydd, Llansilin

* * * * *

JONES, REV. LLEWELYN WYNN, M.A., Curate of Oswestry (2 copies)

Jacob Rev. L. R., Rhuabon

Jones John, Esq., solicitor

Jones Miss Harriette, Church-st.

Jones Thomas, Esq., Boughton, Chester

Jones Joseph, wine merchant

Jones Edward, Plas Issa, Rhuabon

Jones Mrs. Frances, London House

Jones John, hair dresser

Jones Edwin, Union-place

Jones James Thomas, Esq., Brynhafod (2 copies)

Jones Oswald Croxon, Esq., Enfield, Middlesex

Jones Mrs. Mary Watkin, Cross-street

Jacques Edwin William, Esq., Llangollen

Jones Henry, tobacconist

Jones Thomas, Esq., Brook-street

Jones John, Esq., Domgay, Llandisilio

Jervis Geo. Boot Inn, Whittington

Jones Rev. D. L., Meifod

Jones Rev. Walter, Llansilin

Jones Richard, Cross-street

Jones Richard, Salop-road

Jones Thomas, builder, Chester

Jones Gwen, Cross-street

Jones Henry, grocer, Cross-street

Jones John Pryce, Willow-street

Jones John, Cross

Jones Richard, Esq., Bellan Place, Rhuabon

Jones Edward, Mine Agent, Llwynymapsis

* * * * *

KENYON JOHN ROBERT, Esq., Recorder of Oswestry

Kinchant Richard Henry, Esq., Park Hall

King John Edward, Cross Keys Hotel

Kilner Richard, Britannia Inn

* * * * *

LOVETT JOSEPH VENABLES, Esq., Belmont

LLoyd, Mrs., Aston Hall

Longueville Mrs., Pen-y-lan

Longueville Thomas Longueville, Esq.

Lloyd Rev. Albany Rosendale, Hengoed

Large Joseph, Esq., surgeon

Lewis Richard, Osberton Hall, Notts (4 copies)

Lloyd David Edward, Cross

Lloyd David, Wynnstay Arms Hotel

Lewis Charles Thomas, 38–9, Holloway Head, Birmingham (6 copies)

Lewis Henry, painter, Beatrice-st.

Lloyd Rev. David, Trefonen

Lewis William, Elephant and Castle, Newtown

Leah John, Esq., Willow-street

Lewis Henry, building surveyor & contractor, Chester (2 copies)

Lever William H., Esq., Chirk

Lewis Miss Margaret, Cross

Lees S. S., National Schools

Lyons Aaron, Jeweller, Leg-street

Lloyd Miss M. A., Willow-street

* * * * *

MILTON THE HON. VISCOUNTESS, Osberton, Notts

Milton The Hon. Selina, Viscountess, Osberton Hall, Notts

Mickleburgh Chas. Esq., Montgomery (2 copies)

Minshall Thomas, Esq., solicitor

Morris Edward, Esq., Salop-road

Morris William, builder

M’Kie William Hay, Scybor Issa

Morgan Captain, 54, Terrace, Aberystwith

Minett William, Esq., Maesbury

Meredith Edward, Rednal

Morris Joseph, Esq., Shrewsbury

Morgan John, Wynnstay

Moreton and Son, Cross

Morgan Thomas, Willow-street

Mytton John, Church-street

Manning Benjamin, Esq., Warwick-square, London

Martin John, Esq., Gold Mine, Dinas Mowddy (3 copies)

Monk Charles, Llangollen

Morris George, Porkington

Morgan R., Aberystwith

M’Kie William H., Melbourne, Australia

Morris John, builder (2 copies)

Morris Thomas, chemist, Worksop, Notts

* * * * *

NORFOLK THE MOST NOBLE HIS GRACE THE DUKE OF (Baron of Oswestry), Arundel Castle, Sussex (4 copies)

Nicholson J. Esq., Upper Brook-street

* * * * *

OSWELL EDWARD, Esq., solicitor

Owen M. Wynne, Esq., Plas Wilmot

Owen George, Esq., Park Issa (2 copies)

Oliver Irwin, Leg-street

Owen Elizabeth, 5, Upper Parade, Leamington

Oliver John, druggist, Liverpool

* * * * *

POWIS THE RIGHT HON. THE EARL OF (Lord of the Manor of Oswestry), Powis Castle

Portman The Right Hon. Lord, Bryanstone House, Dorset

Portman The Hon. William Berkeley, M. P.

Phillips John, Esq., Cross

Porter Isaac, Esq., Salop-road

Pryce Thomas, Cross-street

Powell John Richard, Esq., Preesgwene

Price William, Esq., Fulford, York

Phillips the Rev. John Croxon, Tynyrhos

Pearson Mr. S., clothier, 2, Lamb’s Conduit-street, London

Penson Richard Kyrke, Esq., Willow-street

Price Miss Mary, The Cross

Phillip and Son Messrs., Liverpool

Penson Thomas Mainwaring, Esq., Chester

Price Miss Elizabeth, Confectioner, Cross

Peate Jane, Porkington Terrace

Pierce Mrs. H., 87, Park Terrace, Green Heys, Manchester

Perkins Samuel, Bailey Head

Pearson W., J. Munn and Co., Manchester (4 copies)

Powell William, Salop Road

Parry Thomas Price, Willow-st.

Provis William A., Esq., Cross-street

Pearce R.A., Esq., Worksop, Notts

* * * * *

ROGERS THOMAS, Esq., Stone House

Roberts Thomas Vaughan, Esq., solicitor

Roberts Thomas, Esq., Glyndwr, St. Asaph

Roberts John, Esq., Cross-street

Roberts Maurice, draper

Roberts David, Leg-street

Rogers E., Church-street

Roberts John Askew, Bailey Head

Rodenhurst Charles, Whittington

Roderick William, Esq., surgeon

Redrobe James, Royal Oak

Roberts Miss, Brook-st. Cottage

Roberts R., gas proprietor

Roberts E., Willow-street

Roberts William Whitridge, Melbourne, Australia

Reed Mrs., London

Ruscoe John, Horse Shoe Inn

* * * * *

SALWEY REV. THOMAS, Vicar of Oswestry

Sabine Charles, Esq., solicitor

Smith Frederick William, Esq., Ruthin (3 copies)

Smale William, chemist

Sharwood Messrs. S. and T., 120, Aldersgate-street, London (2 copies)

Saunders George James, chemist

Sage Mrs. Catherine, Middleton-road

Smith Captain, Dinas Mowddy

Smith Henry, Supervisor, Inland Revenue

Savin Thomas, draper

Stokes Mrs., Rock Ferry

Sides Miss Sarah, Fron, Rhuabon

Sissons Henry, stationer, Worksop, Notts

Shaw Henry, ironmonger, Worksop, Notts

Smith Benjamin, innkeeper, Norton, Notts

* * * * *

TIPTON EDWARD BLAKEWAY, Esq., Distributor of Stamps for Shropshire and North Wales

Thomas Edward Wynne, Esq., Cross

Tomkies John, Esq., Manchester (2 copies)

Thomas Rev. John, Liverpool

Thomas John, maltster

Tucker St. Felix, Esq, H.M.C., West Derby-road, Liverpool

Taylor John, shoemaker

Tyley Thomas, Sun Inn

Thomas Henry, Coney Green

Thompson John, Leg-street

Towers Mr., Angel Hotel, Dale-street, Liverpool

Thompson Thomas, Chester

* * * * *

VENABLES ROWLAND JONES, Esq., Oakhurst

Vaughan Robert Chambre, Esq., Burlton, Shrewsbury

Venables Mrs. Eliz., Whittington

* * * * *

WEST FREDERICK RICHARD, Esq. M.P., Ruthin Castle

West Frederick Myddleton, Esq.

Williams Edward, Esq., Lloran House (4 copies)

Wilding John Powell, Esq., Montgomery

Whalley George Hammond, Esq., Plasmadoc

Waite George, Esq., New Burlington-street, London

Williams Rev. Rt., Rhydycroesau

Webster Benjamin Esq., Adelphi Theatre, Strand, London

Wood Richard, Leg-street

Woods Richard, farmer, Osberton, Worksop

Williams J. Vincent, Accountant

Wright Edmund, Esq., Halston

Wynn Edward, Black-gate

Williams Edward, Belle Vue, Wrexham

Williams Rt., draper (2 copies)

Williams Samuel, The Llys

Winter John, Chirk

Webb Miss J. C., Melbourne, Australia

Windsor William, Babin’s Wood

Windsor Samuel, Powis Castle

Wilson William, upholsterer

Williams G. H., Esq., The Lymes

Williams William, Esq., 295, Kent-St., Southwark, London

Williams Michael, Railway Station

Whitridge Mr., bookseller, Carlisle

Index.

Page Agricultural Statistics 205 Album Monasterium 3 Aldermen and Common-Councilmen 166 Alfred the Great 17 Ancient Customs 191 Ancient Houses 185 Ancient Relics 186 Angling 209 Aston Hall 242 Attack on the town 65

Baptist Chapel 155 Banks 100 Battle of Oswestry 6 Belmont 285 Benevolent Institutions 119 Bethesda Chapel 157 Blanc-Minster 3 Bleddyn ab Cynvyn 14 Biography 223 Botany of the Parish 213 Bray, Dr. Thomas 224 British Period 4 British Schools 114 Broom Hall 289 Brunswick Dynasty 88 Brynkinalt 243

Cadwaladr’s reign 8 Cae Nef 6 Carreg Hofa Castle 257 Castle of Oswestry 15–172 Overton 15 Ceiriog, the 212 Civil Wars 61 Charitable Donations 121 Church or Chapel-Field 6 Church Grant 30 Charles I., Character of 62 Charter, First Royal 33 Charter of Charles II. 78 Charter the Third 47 Chirk 291 Chirk Castle 244 Clawdd Coch 259 Coed Euloe, Battle of 21 Cranage’s Daring 66 Crogen, Battle of 23 Croes-Oswallt (Oswald’s Cross) 3 Croes Wylan 54

Death of Oswald 7 Derivation of Name, &c. 2 Derwen 285 Dispensary and Baths 117 Dissenting Places of Worship 152 Dovaston, John Freeman Milward 224 Drenewydd 289

Ecclesiastical History 132 English Period 21 Extension Line (Oswestry and Newtown) Railway 198

Famine 57 Felton West 274 Fernhill 258 Fitz-Alan, William 15 Fletcher, Philip Lloyd 16 Fitz-Gwarine 17 Free Grammar School 107 Friendly Societies 131

Gas-works 104 Gates 93 Genealogical Table 178 Geology, &c. 221 Glorious Age 89 Glyndwr Insurrection 36 Reverses 49 Death of 50 Great Western Railway Company 195 Greenfield Lodge 274 Griddle Gate 137 Grufydd ab Cynan 15 Guto (y Glyn) 226

Halston 249 Hen Dinas 5 Hengoed 272 Hotels 107 House of Industry 119 Humphreys, Humphrey, D.D. 227 Huntington, Execution of 35 Hywel Dda (the Welsh Justinian) 13

Independent Methodist Chapel 157 Ingratitude of (Common Wealth) Parliament 73 Invasion of Wales 21

Jones, Thomas 227

King Oswald 5 Knockin 253 Kynaston, Humphrey 228

Le Strange, Roger 17 Lighting 96 Lodge, the 273 Llanforda 260 Llangollen Vale 292 Llanymynech 254 Llanyblodwel 262 Llansilin 261 Lloyd, Colonel 63 Lloyd, Bishop 83 Llynclys (or Llynclis) Pool 211 Lupus, Hugh 16 Llwyd, Edward 230 Llywarch Hen 8 Llywelyn ab Jorwerth 27

Madog 15 Maelor 15 Marrow’s Assault 69 Marches Lordships 17 Margery Bruce 180 Markets and Fairs 97 Markets 102–3 Maserfield 7 Mathrafal 9 Maud Verdon 15 Maurice, William 231 Mayors, List of 164 Mayor’s Blunders 85 Mediolanum 259 Montgomery, Roger de 16 Morda, the 212 Morlas, the 212 Morus, Hugh 231 Monuments within the Church 139 in the Church-yard 14 in the New Church-yard 147 Morva Rhuddlan 113 Mortimers, the 31 Mount Pleasant 290 Municipal and Civil Government 158 Officers 163 Murage, the 29 Myddelton, Sir Thomas 77 Mytton, Major-General 75 Mytton, the late John, Esq. 251

National Schools 112 Natural History 205 Newport, Mr. 68 Norfolk, Duke of 15 Norman Period 14 Notabilia 235

Oakhurst 290 Offa’s Dyke 10 Old Chapel 152 Oswald’s Well 189 Oswestry Race-course 10 Castle, Burning of 72 Government of 72 As it was 92 recent History of 181 Castle Hill 177 Owain Brogyntyn 15 Oswald and Penda 2

Parliament, the Great 32 Parish Church 132 Sunday School 114 Park Hall 263 Penda, the Mercian King 8 Pengwern 9 Pentre Pant 290 Pentre Poeth 53 Penylan 290 Perry, the 212 Plague, records of 55 Plot to remove the markets 59 Poor Rate Return—Oswestry town and parish (1855) 240 Population 204 Porkington 266 Post Office 99 Powys Vadog 14 Preesgwene House 273 Primitive Methodist Chapel 157 Public Establishments and Institutions 98

Quinta, the 274

Railway Communication 194 Restoration, the 76 Review of Ancient History 7 Revolution, the 86 Reynolds, John 232 Richard II., death of 34 Rivers 209 Rhyd-y-croesau 290 Rhyd-y-croesau Church 150 Roberts, the Rev. Peter 232 Rug 15

Sacheverell, Dr. 86 Salter, Mr. Robert 234 Savings’ Bank 101 Saxon Period 9 Selattyn 269 Shrewsbury, the Battle of 37 Siarter Cwtta, the Short Charter 24 Site of the town 91 Sketches of the Environs of Oswestry 241 Social Improvement 88 Society for Bettering the Condition of the Poor 129 Spot, Dick 233 St. Martin’s 272 Stamp Office 101 Statistics 201 Streets 95 Sweeney Hall 291

Tenants’ Service 48 Theatre 104 Topographical History 90 Town Walls 184 Tre’r Cadeiriau 3 Tre’r Fesen 6 Trefaldwyn 13 Trefonen Church 149 Tre Meredydd 14 Trevor, Sir John 159 Trinity Church 144 Tyn-y-Rhos 278

Visit of Baldwin and Giraldus 25 Vicars, List of 151

Walter the Stewart 179 Watt’s Dyke 11–12–13 Welsh Cloth Market 51 Wesleyan Methodist Chapel 156 Whittington 275 William the Conqueror 10 Wood Hill Hall 291 Wynnstay 286

Young Men’s Institute 115 Zion Chapel 152

Illustrations.

THE TOWN.

Page Beatrice Gate 94 Church Gate and Avenue 136 Cross Market and Street Views (facing the Title-page) Dispensary and Public Baths 118 Free Grammar School (facing) 107 Griddle Gate 137 New Gate 93 National Schools 113 Oswestry Castle (from an ancient drawing (facing) 172 belonging to an inhabitant of Dudleston) The Old Chapel 155 Parish Church (facing) 132 Powis Market, Guildhall, and Bailey Head (facing) 103 St. Oswald’s Well 190 Trinity Church 148

THE ENVIRONS.

Brynkinalt (facing) 243 Chirk Castle (facing) 244 Halston (facing) 249 Llanymynech Church 255 Park Hall (facing) 263 Porkington (facing) 266 Selattyn Church 271 Whittington Castle (facing) 281 Wynnstay (facing) 287

History of Oswestry.

A CELEBRATED writer has said, that “History is philosophy teaching by example.” Local History was doubtless included in the reflection of the distinguished essayist, when he penned the memorable sentence, which has for years past been adopted as a national maxim. In Local History we have handed down to us facts and fiction, both grave and gay; traditions and customs illustrative of popular habits and manners; records of national edicts and social laws; municipal mandates, and parochial practice; doleful notes of superstition and ignorance, with gratifying statistics of the progress of truth and enlightenment; pleasing reports of the advancement of science and art, mechanical ingenuity, and industrial pursuits; and, speaking comprehensively, with a keen glance at the past, we descry enough, in the chequered examples of byegone times, to help us on in wisdom’s ways.

With these preliminaries, let us now lead our readers pleasantly onward through the devious paths and labyrinths of Oswestry’s varied history, beguiling them, perchance, by the way, with all that is agreeable pertaining to the ANCIENT AND LOYAL BOROUGH, which, from its antiquity, its scenes of martial daring and prowess, the tranquil beauty of its surrounding landscapes, and its primitive, as well as modern relation to some of the sweetest spots of CAMBRIA, has commanded the admiration and homage of historians, painters, and poets.

Derivation of Name, &c.

The derivation of the name of the Borough is still, and perhaps ever will be, involved in obscurity. As a place of retreat for the Cymry, or early Britons, when chased from the south by the Roman invaders, it is not unlikely to have had a primitive name that has been lost in the flood of ages. Pennant, whose industry and historical research have earned for him lasting fame, dates the commencement of its history in the Saxon period, not anterior to the celebrated conflict at Oswestry, between _Oswald_, the Christian King of the Northumbrians, and _Penda_, the Pagan King of the Mercians, which occurred in the year 642. Other Welsh biographical and historical writers trace the origin of its name to a much earlier period, and contend that _Oswal_, a son of Cunedda Wledig, sovereign of the Stratclyde Britons, and who lived in the early part of the fifth century, received from his father, as a tribute for special military services, an extensive grant of land, called from him _Osweiling_, in which the present town of Oswestry is situated. The coincidence is extraordinary that two distinguished chieftains should have flourished—although upwards of two centuries had rolled between their reigns—bearing names so similar to each other, that from either, it may be presumed, the town could, not inappropriately, have derived its present designation. The evidence in favour of Oswald’s right to the sponsorship of Oswestry is, however, in our opinion, so strong, that we must accord the honour to the Northumbrian Monarch, until the Cambrian or British claim shall be more authoritatively established. In the battle between _Oswald_ and _Penda_, history informs us that the former was defeated and fell; that the barbarian victor ordered that the body of the slain monarch should be cut in pieces, and “stuck on stakes dispersed over the field as so many trophies; or, according to the ancient verses that relate the legend, his head and hands only were thus exposed:—

‘Three crosses, raised at _Penda’s_ dire command,
Bore _Oswald’s_ royal head and mangled hands.’”

After this battle the Welsh, or Cymry, (who seemed to have possessed for some time the district including Oswestry,) had called it _Croes-Oswallt_ (Oswald’s Cross), in allusion to Penda’s ignominious exposure of Oswald’s slaughtered body. The spot where the battle was fought is said to have borne the name of _Maeshir_ (the long field), as marking the length and obstinacy of the conflict. In the fulness of the Saxon period the town was known as _Oswald’s Tree_, in evident reference to Oswald’s death, and subsequently, to the present day, “without let or impediment,” by the name of OSWESTRY.

Industrious and talented antiquarian writers have given to the town other names and derivations. For instance, we are told that it was termed by the Saxons _Blanc-Minster_, _White-Minster_, _Album-Monasterium_, from its “fair and white Monastery,” whilst the Cymry, or “Old Britons,” as Williams denominates them, “called the town _Tre’r Fesen_, _Tre’r Cadeiriau_, the Town of the Oak Chairs,” or, as another writer has it, “the Town of Great Oaks.” These terms bear special allusion to Oswald’s unfortunate arrival in this district; for the ancient seal of the town, cut in brass, represents King Oswald sitting in his robes on a chair, holding a sword in his right hand, and an oak branch in his left, with the words around, “_De Oswaldestre sigillum commune_.” In repeating the long and tedious catalogue of names and derivations, it will be proper to mention that one writer renders the designation _Tre’r Cadeiriau_ as follows:—“Oswestry was called by the Britons _Tre’r Cadeiriau_, literally the Town of _Chairs_, or Seats, commanding an extensive view, (as _Cadair Idris_, the chair of Idris, and others,) as there are several eminences commanding such views in the neighbourhood.”

Here is a chapter on civic nomenclature and varied derivation, very curious, perhaps, to many readers, but little edifying to those who ask with the poet, “What’s in a name?” And yet, ancient civic names, like many other ancient relics, have valuable and salutary uses. They are as finger-posts to the Past; in some instances inviting us to the honest path of truth and honour; in others deterring us from the rugged ways of ignorance and error. In almost all respects they enable us to institute comparisons and form contrasts between men and manners in ancient and modern days. Whilst looking at such names, we are too frequently reminded of times when Might overcame Right, and are gently led with thankful spirits to the Present, when, in our own happy and highly-privileged age, every Briton can sit “under his vine and under his fig-tree,” none daring to make him afraid.

REVIEW OF ANCIENT HISTORY.

The British Period.

FOR ages the site of the town, with the surrounding district, was the theatre of brutal contention, rapine, and aggrandisement. Here, as in the Border-Lands of Scotland, it was

“The good old rule,
* * * the simple plan,
That they should take who have the power,
And they should keep who can.”

Education had not spread her benign wings over the people, to hush them into peace; and too commonly they who possessed the strongest physical power and the wildest barbarism became, in turns, “Lords of the Ascendant.” There is no record extant that the Roman invaders of Britain pitched their tents within the Oswestrian district; and yet it is more than probable that part of the legion, which traversed from the south of our island, actually touched at Llanymynech Hill (a Roman settlement beyond doubt), and most likely constituted a portion of the army which, under Suetonius, found its way along the mountain-passes of North Wales into Anglesey, may have halted there, if the ground was pre-occupied by the invaded Britons, or the ancient encampment, _Hen Dinas_, had then stood. We can produce nothing more than conjectural evidence of such a visit. There is no Roman architecture in the town, to mark the presence of the invaders, nor are there Roman relics rich as those discovered at Llanymynech. If the Britons occupied _Hen Dinas_ during the Roman visit to the district, the destruction of that encampment may have been accomplished by the Roman marauders; and yet it is believed by some that the Britons possessed Oswestry, intact, from before the death of Oswald to the invasion of Offa. A Roman invasion of Oswestry, and the real history of Hen Dinas (or Old Oswestry, as it is termed,) are therefore alike still involved in mystery.

On this “vexed question” we may add the following:—“Remarking to a _gentleman_,” says Mr. Hutton, “that I had gleaned some anecdotes relative to Oswald, he asked me if I had seen Old Oswestry, where, he assured me, the town had formerly stood. I smiled, and answered him in the negative. He then told me, ‘that the town had _travelled_ three quarters of a mile to the place where it had taken up its present abode.’ This belief, I found had been adopted by others with whom I conversed.”

The earliest sovereign possession of Oswestry, noted in the Welsh historic page, was in the beginning of the fifth century, as already referred to. Oswal, son of Cunedda Wledig, is there represented to have been its first monarch. The Welsh Chroniclers, however, furnish no details of his reign; and no event connected with the town is subsequently recorded, till the memorable one of King Oswald’s attack upon the Mercian King Penda, August 5th, A.D. 642. Oswald and Oswy were sons of Adelfrid, the seventh King of Northumberland. These young Princes had been driven out of the kingdom of their father by Cadwallawn, who had before been expelled from Wales, his rightful possession, by Edwin. Oswald, after seventeen years’ exile in Scotland, was restored to his kingdom by the overthrow and death of Cadwallawn. During his exile Oswald is said to have been baptized in a Christian church. He brought with him from Scotland a Christian bishop, Aidan, who preached Christianity to the people, and Oswald assisted him in his ministrations. The young Northumbrian King appears to have been zealous in the Christian cause, both in the pulpit and the field. Penda was a pagan prince, and had united with Cadwallawn in laying Northumbria waste. Oswald’s Christianity was not strong enough, it would seem, to subdue his revenge against Penda. The two monarchs at length met, a bloody conflict ensued, and Oswald was slain. The site of the closing scene of this memorable battle is said to have been a field called _Cae Nef_ (Heaven’s Field), “situated on the left of the turnpike road leading to the Free School.” The writer from whom we quote mentions, that “Oswald approached with his army to what is called Maes-y-llan, or Church Field, then open.” “About four hundred yards west of the church,” he adds, “is a rising ground, where the battle began. The assailant appears to have driven Penda’s forces to a field nearer the town, called _Cae Nef_. Here Oswald fell.” These minute particulars give increased interest to the combat; but the writer does not state any authority for the details. We suppose it must have been merely traditionary. At the present time the sites of _Cae Nef_, and _Church_ or _Chapel Field_, are well known to most of the inhabitants of the town. Oswald’s remains were first interred in the monastery of Bradney, in Lincolnshire, and afterwards, in 909, removed to St. Oswald’s, in Gloucestershire. The memory of the deceased King seems to have been held in great veneration, for churches, in various parts of the kingdom, still bear his name, as patron saint. Speed, in his “_History of Great Britaine_,” with his accustomed quaintness and minute graphic description, sums up Oswald’s closing scene in the following language:—

“But as the sunne hath his shadow, and the highest tide her ebbe, so
_Oswald_, how holy soeuer, or gouernment how good, had emulators that
sought his life, and his Countries mine: for wicked _Penda_ the Pagan
Mercian, enuying the greatnesse that King _Oswald_ bare, raised
warres against him, and at a place then called _Maserfeild_, in
_Shrop-shire_, in a bloudie and sore fought battle slew him; and not
therewith satisfied, in barbarous and brutish immanitie, did teare
him in peeces, the first day of August, and yeere of Christ Iesus six
hundred forty two, being the ninth of his raigne, and the thirty
eighth of his age: whereupon the said place of his death is called to
this day _Oswaldstree_, a faire Market Towne in the same Countie.
The dismembred limmes of his body were first buried in the Monastery
of _Bradney_, in _Lincolnshire_, shrined with his standard of Gold
and Purple erected ouer his Tombe, at the industry and cost of his
neece _Offryd_, Queene of _Mercia_, wife vnto king _Ethelred_, and
daughter to _Oswyn_ that succeeded him. From hence his bones were
afterwards remooued to _Glocester_, and there in the north side of
the vpper end of the Quire in the Cathedrall Church, continueth a
faire Monument of him, with a Chapell set betwixt two pillers in the
same Church.”

From the death of Oswald to 777, Oswestry is reported, as already mentioned, to have been in undisputed possession of the Britons. What its faithful history was during that long period we are unable to state. If the Britons did really occupy it, no event worthy of record seems to have occurred. If the Britons were preserved in peace, no chronicle is handed down to us of their social or industrial habits within the halcyon time. Whether they improved their land, instructed their minds in arts useful to their tribe, or were sunk in ignorance, sloth, and selfishness, there is no voice or pen to inform us. Three centuries later than this period the domestic architecture of the Cymry was in the lowest state of rudeness. One of the regal mansions of Hywel Dda, their great law-giver, was made of peeled rods; the people lived in wattled huts; and a gentleman’s hall was valued according to the number of posts it contained. These were filled up with wattled twigs and clay. The only notice we have of the period is in the Welsh Chronicles, and from them we learn that Cadwaladr (son of the Cadwallawn who was defeated and slain in a battle with King Oswald, near Denisbourne, in Northumberland,) the last of the Welsh Princes who assumed the title of Chief Sovereign of Britain, reigned over the Britons from A.D. 634 to 703, and was succeeded by Idwal Iwrch, or the Roe. In one of the Welsh Triads, Cadwaladr is called “one of the three canonized kings of Britain,” for the protection which he gave to the primitive Christians when dispossessed by the pagan Saxons; and his long reign is mentioned as having been peaceable, mainly in consequence, we are told, of his mother being sister to Penda, the Mercian king. Rhodri Molwynog, a brave and warlike prince, and grandson of Cadwaladr, succeeded to the western part of Britain about the year 720, and was engaged in constant hostilities with the Saxons until near the close of his life, in 755. These dottings from Welsh history show that the Britons had not peace within their borders during the long period already mentioned, and that “battles and murders” were still the constant theme and employment of the Britons and Saxons. It is hardly probable that the Britons possessed this district peaceably, and not unlikely that they still had to fight for their lives and property, inch by inch, and foot to foot. War, even in the present day, is the curse of nations; it fosters animosities, engenders ignorance and vice, and brutalizes man. What, then, must have been the effect of constant wars and incursions upon the British people by their invaders? The Britons had among them, about this period, their great bard, _Llywarch Hen_, a man ranked among the wise bards of the Court of Arthur, and whose poetical effusions display profound talent, if not genius, for so rude an age; but we have no proofs that they profited much by his vigorous instructions, although his life was lengthened out to one hundred and fifty years. The art of printing was unknown in Llywarch’s days, otherwise his humanizing productions might have wrought peace and harmony amongst both the oppressors and the oppressed.

The period had now arrived when the sovereignty of the Britons was so powerfully disputed that they were compelled to yield to the cohort strength of the impetuous Offa, King of the Mercians. Mercia was the largest of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, and London was its capital. Offa passed the Severn with a mighty force, drove the Britons from their fertile and lovely plains, and limited the princedom of Powys to the western side of the celebrated ditch still known by the name of _Offa’s Dyke_. Offa enjoyed a victorious reign, from the year 755 to 794. During that period the finest part of Powys became a confirmed part of the Mercian territory, and Shropshire was permanently annexed to England. Owen and Blakeway, in their invaluable “_History of Shrewsbury_,” remark, “Though there can be no doubt that the cession of Shropshire was obtained from the British Prince (_Eliseg_, it is supposed,) only by the military preponderance of the Saxon, yet it seems equally certain that it must finally have been the subject of a pacific negociation. A work of so much labour as Offa’s Dyke, evidently designed, according to his practice in other places, as the line of demarkation between two kingdoms, could never have been carried into execution without the concurrence of the sovereign on each side of that boundary. * * * * The prince, thus despoiled of the fairest portion of his dominions, retired to Mathrafal, on the Vyrnwy, five miles beyond Welshpool, while Pengwern, degraded from the dignity of a metropolis, passed under the yoke of an English conqueror, and henceforth to be known by the name of Shrewsbury, a name of Saxon origin.”

OFFA’S DYKE, called by the Britons _Clawdd_ OFFA, extended nearly a hundred miles along the mountain border of Wales, from the Clwydian hills to the mouth of the Wye. Part of the Dyke may be traced at Brachy Hill, and Leintwardine, in Herefordshire, continuing northward from Knighton, in Radnorshire, over part of Shropshire, entering Montgomeryshire between Bishop’s Castle and Newtown. It again appears in Shropshire, near Llanymynech, crosses Cern-y-bwch (the Oswestry race-course), descends to the Ceiriog, near Chirk, where it again enters Wales, and terminates in the parish of Mold, beyond which no traces of it are discovered. Offa may have imagined that the Clwydian hills, and the deep valley that lies at their base, would serve as a continuance of the prohibitory line. Pennant tells us, that in all parts the Dyke was constructed on the Welsh side, and that there are numbers of small artificial mounts, the sites of small forts along its course. In the MS. “_Historia Wallica_,” we are informed, that the work of forming this Dyke, forty feet in height, occupied a numerous band of men, “able and accustomed to work in the fields,” more than seven years. This great line of demarcation answered but little purpose as a line of defence, or even of boundary. The Border Lands were still the scenes of sanguinary contests, and superior force alone repelled the Britons. Severe laws were enacted against any that should transgress the limits prescribed by Offa; and one of these enactments declared, that “the Welshman who was found in arms on the Saxon side of the Dyke was to lose his right hand.” These laws, however, were unheeded by the Britons. They deeply felt their injuries, and concerted means of revenge, and, as they hoped, emancipation. They formed an alliance with the kings of Sussex and Northumberland, broke through the boundary, attacked Offa’s camp, slew great numbers, and the Mercian king himself narrowly escaped with a small remnant of his army. On this disaster Offa retired into his own dominions, meditating vengeance. Hostages having been given to him by the Britons, a short time before, during a brief period of peace, he now dealt out to them severe treatment, strictly confining them, and selling, or reserving for perpetual slavery, their wives and children. Still breathing destruction he marched into the confines of Wales with a powerful army, but for years was gallantly repelled by the Britons. At length the contending forces met on Rhuddlan Marsh (now the scene of peaceful arts, the Chester and Holyhead Railway passing over it), and the Britons, under the command of Caradog, were entirely defeated with terrific slaughter, their leader being slain in the conflict. The fury of the Saxon prince did not cease with victory. He savagely massacred the men, women, and children who fell into his hands; and, according to tradition, the remaining Britons, who had escaped the enemy’s sword, fleeing with haste over the marsh, perished in the waters by the flowing of the tide. This tragedy has been carried down to posterity by a plaintive Welsh melody, called _Morva Rhuddlan_, the notes of which are amongst the most touching and deeply-pathetic of Cambrian minstrelsy.

Having traced Offa’s Dyke, it is necessary to describe the course of WATT’S DYKE, as the space between these two great lines of demarcation was deemed neutral ground both by the Britons and their invaders, and subsequently, during the Norman period, became part of what is denominated the MARCHES, although it is difficult to define correctly the precise extent of territory they occupied. Watt’s Dyke is supposed by various writers to have been constructed anterior to the time of Offa. Its course is marked by Pennant as follows:—

“It appears at Maesbury, in the parish of Oswestry, and terminates at
the river Dee, below Basingwerk Abbey. The southern end of the line
is lost in morassy grounds; but was probably continued to the river
Severn. It extends its course from Maesbury to the Mile Oak [on the
old road from Oswestry to Shrewsbury]; from thence through a field
[now belonging to Edward Williams, Esq., Solicitor, of Oswestry],
called _Maes-y-garreg-llwyd_, between two remarkable pillars of
unhewn stone [strongly resembling Druidic altar stones]; passes by
the town [below the Shelf-bank’ Field], and from thence to Old
Oswestry, and by Pentreclawdd to Gobowen, the site of a small fort
called _Bryn-y-Castell_, in the parish of Whittington; runs by Prys
Henlle and Belmont; crosses the Ceiriog, between Brynkinallt and
Pont-y-blew Forge, and the Dee, below Nant-y-Bela; from whence it
passes through Wynnstay Park, by another Pentreclawdd, to Erddig,
where there was a strong fort on its course; from Erddig it runs
above Wrexham, near Melin Puleston, by Dolydd, Maesgwyn, Rhos-ddû,
Croes-oneiras, &c.; goes over the Alûn, and through the township of
Llai, to Rhydin, in the county of Flint, above which is _Caer-estyn_,
a British post; from hence it runs by Hope church along the side of
Molesdale, which it quits towards the latter place, and turns to
Mynydd Sychdyn, Monachlog, near Northop, by Northop Mills, Bryn-Moel,
Coed-y-Llys, Nant-y-Flint, Cefn-y-Coed, through the Strand Fields,
near Holywell, to its termination below the Abbey of Basingwerk.”

The Chester and Shrewsbury Railway intersects these two ancient dykes. At the junction of the branch line to Brymbo, Minera, &c., the railway crosses Watt’s Dyke, and continues to run on the left side of it, travelling from Chester, for about fourteen miles, until Gobowen is reached, where the line again crosses the dyke; the superintendants of modern improvements, especially railway engineers and contractors, paying little if any deference to mere antiquities. By this route the railway traveller passes a considerable distance on the neutral ground, where alone, for many years, the trade and commerce of the Britons, the Saxons, and the Danes, were transacted. Offa’s Dyke at Brymbo is about two miles to the right, from Chester, and runs parallel with the railway for about eighteen miles. Churchyard, in his “_Worthies of Wales_,” thus chronicles, in his quaint verse, the use to which the “free ground” was applied in early days:—

“Within two miles, there is a famous thing
Called OFFA’S DYKE, that reacheth farre in lengthe;
All kind of ware the Danes might thither bring;
It was free ground, and called the Britaines’ strength.
WATT’S DYKE, likewise, about the same was set,
Between which two, both Danes and Britaines met.”

For many years after Offa’s memorable defeat of the Britons on Rhuddlan Marsh, the history of the district conveys but little information interesting in the present day. “Wars, and rumours of wars,” are the only topics on which past historians have filled their pages in reference to this period. Rhodri Mawr (Rhoderick the Great), one of the most celebrated warriors and princes of Wales, succeeded to the sovereignty of North Wales and Powys in 843. In the year of his succession his territories were invaded by Berthred, King of Mercia, whom he defeated with great loss. Rhodri left three sons, and, according to the law of gavel-kind, he divided his dominions among his children. His son Mervyn had the principality of Powys, with the palace of Mathraval. His three sons were called _y tri thywsog taleithiog_, or diademed princes, from their wearing diadems of gold set with precious stones; and Anarawd, his eldest son, received a yearly tribute from the Prince of Powys. Contentions still continued, and intestine divisions kept the Britons in as violent commotion as if they were battling with their avowed enemies on the border. Mervyn did not long enjoy his dominion, as he was slain in 892 by his own subjects, headed by his brother Cadell, who took possession of the throne. The reign of Cadell was also brief, and his son Hywel Dda (Howel the Good) succeeded him. The Welsh Justinian, as Hywel has been called, died in 984, deservedly honoured by his subjects, and leaving four sons, all of whom perished in the desolating wars to which his country soon after fell a prey.

The Norman Period.

Saxon dominance was now rapidly approaching to its close; and the Britons were about to be exposed to the incursions of a new body of invaders, under the usurpation of William, surnamed the Conqueror. Bleddyn ab Cynvyn, with his brother, obtained in 1062 the sovereignty of North Wales and Powys, through the influence of the Saxon King Edward. Bitter hostilities subsequently occurred between Bleddyn and his kindred; at length the succession to the whole principality passed from his children, but Powys-land devolved to his sons, and came at length entire to Meredydd, the eldest born, after the contentions and slaughter incident in those days to such partitions. Oswestry, we are told, was called _Trefred_ (a contraction of _Tre Meredydd_, Meredydd’s Town), in honour of this prince, but after his death the name was soon discontinued, and the town resumed its former appellation of Oswald’s-tree, or Oswestry. His eldest son, Madog, inherited from his father the tract known by the name of Powys Vadog, which consisted, according to the division of the times, of five cantrevs, or hundred townships; and these were subdivided into fifteen commots, or cwmwds:

CANTREVS. CWMWDS. COUNTIES.
Y BARWN, Dinmael Denbighshire.
Edeyrnion Merionethshire.
Glyndyfrdwy Ibid.
Y RHIW, Yale, or Ial Denbighshire.
Ystrad Alun, or Mold Flintshire.
Hope Ibid.
UWCHNANT, Merffordd Ibid.
Maelor Gymraeg, or Bromfield Denbighshire.
Maelor Saesnaeg Flintshire.
TREFRED, Croes-Vaen Denbighshire.
Tref-y-Waun, or Chirk Ibid.
CROES-OSWALLT, or Oswestry Shropshire.
RHAIADR, Mochnant-is-Rhaiadr, Cynllaeth, Denbighshire.
&c.
Nanheudwy Ibid.
Whittington Shropshire.

To Madog is assigned the honour of erecting the Castle of Oswestry. Whether he is entitled to this distinction it would be difficult now to prove. Welsh historians assert, that he built also the Castles of Overton (Flintshire) and Caereinion, and that in the former, which received the additional name of Madog, he resided. Powell says of him, that he was “ever the King of England’s friend, and was one that feared GOD, and relieved the poor.” Madog married Susanna, daughter of Grufydd ab Cynan, Prince of North Wales, by whom he had two sons, Grufydd Maelor and Owain ab Madog. To the first he gave the two Maelors, Yale, Hopedale, Nanheudwy, Mochnant-is-Rhaiadr, &c.: to Owain, the land of Mechain-is-Coed; and to his natural son, Owain Brogyntyn, a nobleman of distinguished talents, he granted the lordships of Edeirnion and Dinmael. The last-named Owain resided at Brogyntyn, near Oswestry, now called Porkington, whence he assumed his surname. His dagger and cup are still preserved at Rûg: and many families in Merionethshire and Denbighshire are directly descended from him. Madog’s second wife was Maud Verdon, an Englishwoman of noble lineage. He died in 1159 at Winchester, whence his body was conveyed to Meivod, in Montgomeryshire, where it was deposited in the Church of St. Mary, which he himself had built some years before. His widow is stated to have been married to William Fitz-Alan, Lord of Clun, and he, in right of his wife, obtained the town and castle of Oswestry. Fitz-Alan was a descendant of Alan, one of the companions of the Conqueror, and was the first of his name who bore the title of “Baron of Oswaldestre.” Alan was progenitor of the entire noble family which from him derived the name of Fitz-Alan, and for many succeeding centuries were the most distinguished personages in Shropshire. From this powerful race is descended the present Duke of Norfolk, who holds the title of “Baron of Oswaldestre,” in addition to his other patrician honours. His Grace’s ancestor, Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, married Lady Mary, daughter of Henry, the last Earl of Arundel named Fitz-Alan, 13th Elizabeth, when the barony of “Oswaldestre” was conveyed to the Duke.

The Norman conquest was “a heavy blow and great discouragement” to the impetuous Britons. During that eventful period almost the whole of Shropshire was parcelled out, and bestowed by William the Conqueror on his kinsman, Roger de Montgomery, as a reward for his great military services in the conquest. The Earl of Shrewsbury, whilst thus taking possession of Powys, among his other newly-acquired lands, brought under his subjection the town and castle of Trefaldwyn, (from Baldwin, Montgomery’s lieutenant,) which fortress he strongly fortified, and afterwards called it after his own family name. Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester, (the founder of the Grosvenor family,) likewise did homage for Englefield and Rhûvoniog, with the country extending along the sea shore from Chester to the waters of Conway. Ralph Mortimer did the same for the territory of Elvel; as did Hugh de Lacie for the lands of Eulas; and Eustace Cruer for Mold and Hopedale. Brady relates out of Domesday, that William the Conqueror granted to Hugh Lupus North Wales in farm, at the rent of £40 per annum, besides Rhos and Rhûvoniog. These Norman Barons erected fortresses on their lands, and, so far as they were able, settled in them English and Norman defenders. In a MS., relating to the Welsh Marches, from the library of the late Philip Lloyd Fletcher, Esq., of Gwernhaylod, in Flintshire, it is stated “that about this time, Bristol, Gloucester, Worcester, Shrewsbury, and Chester were rebuilt and fortified, and formed a line of military posts upon the frontiers.” Thus the last asylum of the Welsh was invested on almost every side, or broken into by their enemies. The kingdom of North Wales, reduced to the island of Anglesey, to Merioneth and Caernarvonshire, and to part of the present counties of Denbigh and Cardigan, still preserved the national character and importance. The natives of Wales, aided by the virtue and courage of their Princes, became more formidable than ever to the English; and at times, as they acquired union with additional vigour from despair, their invaders, instead of being able to make new conquests, held those which they had already obtained by a precarious tenure. William’s policy, in giving to his barons the power to make such conquests in Wales as they were able, led to the erection of the Marches Lordships, of which Oswestry formed a part. These lordships consisted of more than a hundred petty sovereignties, and were the fruitful source of innumerable disorders, till their partial suppression in the reign of Henry VIII. Pennant says, that William’s design was, in establishing these seignories and jurisdictions, to give to those whom he had brought over to England the power of providing for themselves, and to reduce, at the same time, the opposition of the Welsh people. The precise extent of the Marches Lordships it is difficult, as we have already said, to define. During the Saxon period the Severn was considered the ancient boundary between England and Wales. The lands conquered by Offa on the western side of that river were annexed to Mercia, and afterwards incorporated with the monarchy by Alfred the Great. The term _Marches_ signifies generally the limits or space between England and Wales, of which the western part of Shropshire, Oswestry included, formed a principal portion. Of the Norman Barons, besides the first Earl of Shrewsbury, who did homage for royal grants of territory, were Fitzalan for Oswestry and Clun; Fitz-Gwarine for Whittington; and Roger le Strange for Ellesmere. The tenure by which the _Baronies Marches_ were held, was, that—

“in case of war the lords should send to the army a certain number of
their vassals; that they should garrison their respective castles,
and keep the Welsh in subjection. In return for these services the
lords had an arbitrary and despotic power in their own domains. They
had the power of life and death, in their respective courts, in all
cases except those of high treason. In every frontier manor a
gallows was erected; if any Welshman passed the boundary line fixed
between the two countries, he was immediately seized and hanged.
Every town within the Marches had a horseman armed with a spear, who
was maintained for the express purpose of taking these offenders. If
any Englishman was caught on the Welsh side of the line, he suffered
a similar fate. The Welsh considered everything that they could
steal from their English neighbours as lawful prize.”

After the conquest of Wales by Edward I. the Baronies Marches were continued, but under regulations somewhat different from the former. In the reign of Edward IV. they were governed by a Lord President and Council, consisting of the Chief Justice of Chester, and three Justices of Wales. In cases of emergency other parties were called in. By a statute passed in the reign of Henry VIII. the principality and dominion of Wales became formally annexed to England; and all the Welsh laws, and most of their peculiar customs and tenures, were by this statute entirely abolished. By this statute also four new counties were formed, Brecknockshire, Denbighshire, Montgomeryshire, and Radnorshire. The Marches became annexed partly to England, and partly to the new counties of Wales. The President and Council of the Marches were however allowed to continue as before, and their general court was held at Ludlow. A statute was passed in the reign of William III., by which the government of the entire principality was divided between two peers of the realm, on whom was conferred the title of Lords Lieutenant of North and South Wales. From that period the Lordship Marches were entirely abolished.

There is another salient point in the history of Wales which it will not be inappropriate here to mention. Many of our readers have heard or read of the Royal Tribes of Wales.