Chapter VII: Part 7

The Congregational Church of Protestant Dissenters now assembling in the Old Chapel, Arthur-Street, was formed in the township of Sweeney, in the year 1662, and the Rev. Rowland Nevet, A, M., ejected from the vicarage of Oswestry by the Act of Uniformity, was its first pastor. Mr. Nevet laboured in the ministry for thirty years; seventeen as a clergyman of the established church, and thirteen as a dissenting preacher. Calamy, in his “_Nonconformists’ Memorial_,” mentions to his honour, that when the Plague prevailed at Oswestry, he still continued with his people, extending to them both temporal and spiritual aid. He died December 8th, 1675, and was succeeded by the Rev. James Owen, a distinguished minister, who bore part, as we have already mentioned, in a theological controversy which took place in the Oswestry Guildhall, in the year 1681, in the presence of Bishop Lloyd. He was appointed pastor at Sweeney in November, 1676, the duties of which office he faithfully discharged, as well as those of chaplain to Mrs. Baker, a pious lady residing on her own estate at Sweeney Hall. Vestiges of the ancient burial-ground of the first Nonconformists are yet to be seen near the site of the old mansion at Sweeney, enclosed within iron railings by the late T. N. Parker, Esq. The following inscriptions are still legible:—

“Here lieth Mrs. ABIGAIL CHETWOOD, daughter to Sir Richard Chetwood,
who died the 1st May, 1658.”

“THOMAS BAKER, Esq., deceased March 19, aged 68, A.D. 1675.”

The above Thomas Baker served the office of High Sheriff of the county, in 1649, the first year of Cromwell’s Protectorate; and in the parliament of 1653 he was summoned by Cromwell, with John Brown, of Little Ness, as a knight of the shire. In 1692 the place of worship was removed, for convenience, from Sweeney into the town of Oswestry. The room fitted up for religious worship was part of a house in Willow-Street, now known as the Butchers’ Arms. Here Mr. Owen laboured for eight years, and then removed to Shrewsbury, where he was soon placed at the head of the dissenting theological seminary. He was succeeded by the Rev. Jenkyn Evans, who died in 1709, and his funeral sermon was preached by the celebrated Mathew Henry. The Rev. Joseph Venables was the next minister appointed; and after Mr. Venables came the Rev. Thomas Morgan. During his ministry the site on which the present chapel and chapel-house stand was purchased, with an old maltkiln upon it, for £38. The sum of £200 having been given for the purpose by Mrs. Sarah Lloyd, a chapel was erected, and opened for public worship in July, 1750. The immediate successors of Mr. Morgan were Mr. Davies and Mr. Dewhurst; the latter became Socinian or Arian in his doctrines, and soon left. In September, 1777, the Rev. Dr. Edward Williams removed from Ross to Oswestry. In 1783 he enlarged the chapel; and the Collegiate Institution at Abergavenny having been removed to Oswestry, Dr. Williams became its Tutor, and for the accommodation of the students he enlarged the chapel-house also. In 1791 he removed to Carr’s-Lane, Birmingham; afterwards to Rotherham College, of which he was appointed Principal, and there he died. The Rev. John Whitridge, who had been minister of the Congregational Church at Newcastle-under-Lyme for nine years, succeeded Dr. Williams, and he remained the kind and benevolent pastor of his congregation, which greatly increased under his ministry, till the period of his death, October 11th, 1826. On the west side of the chapel, and over the spot where the pulpit then stood, in which for thirty-five years he had dealt out the bread of life to his congregation, a plain marble tablet was erected, bearing the following inscription:—

“In Memory of the Rev. JOHN WHITRIDGE, this Tablet is affectionately
inscribed by the Church over whom for 35 years he was the devoted
Pastor. An example—in word—in conversation—in charity—in spirit—in
faith—in purity. ‘Whose praise is in the Gospel throughout all the
Churches.’ He was born 23rd March, 1760. Died 11th October, 1826.
His body reposes in a tomb beneath, waiting the spirit’s union at the
resurrection of the just.”

Dr. Jenkyn, of Wem, succeeded to the pastoral office, and afterwards the Rev. W. Reeve. The Rev. J. Davies was followed by the present able pastor, the Rev. James Matheson (son of the Rev. Dr. Matheson, the indefatigable Secretary of the Home Missionary Society), who entered upon his ministerial labours in September, 1851, and who, by his distinguished talents, great urbanity, and ardent zeal for the spiritual prosperity of his people, has succeeded in greatly increasing the number of his hearers, and in commending himself to the good opinion of all classes of his fellow-townsmen.

[Picture: The Old Chapel]

The present Chapel (of which we give a sketch) was built during the ministry of the Rev. Dr. Jenkyn. The old Chapel having become too small for the increased number of hearers, it was pulled down, with the exception of part of one wall, and the present one was erected. It is a substantial and commodious place of worship, and capable of containing, when closely seated, about eight hundred persons.

THE BAPTIST CHAPEL,

Situated on the English Walls (opposite the Cattle Market), was erected by voluntary contributions, in the year 1805, and enlarged in 1818. It contains two galleries, and will accommodate between 300 and 400 persons. The Baptist Church in Oswestry was formed September 6th, 1806, and then consisted of a few members dismissed from the Baptist Church, at Shrewsbury, at that time under the pastoral care of the late Rev. John Palmer, who, with other Baptist Ministers, preached the Gospel in Oswestry and its neighbourhood some time prior to the erection of the Chapel. The Rev. William Pain was the first Pastor, and was succeeded by the Rev. Thomas Cooke, in the year 1817, who, for twenty years, honourably sustained the office to which he had been chosen. In 1838 the Rev. Robert Clarke (late of Bridgnorth) became the Pastor; and his successor was the late Rev. H. G. Grainger, who settled in Oswestry, in the year 1846. The present Pastor, the Rev. David Crumpton, took the oversight of the Church in the year 1852. There is a Sabbath-School connected with this congregation. The Chapel is free from debt, as is also the Baptist Chapel at Sweeney, erected by this Church and congregation in the year 1831.

THE WESLEYAN-METHODIST CHAPEL

Is a plain brick building, situated in the Coney Green, and was erected in the year 1813. The interior is without galleries, but will accommodate on the ground floor about 500 persons. The Wesleyan body in Oswestry is included in the Wrexham Circuit, the present Superintendent being the Rev. Samuel Atkinson.

ZION CHAPEL.

Throughout the Principality the Calvinistic Methodists are the most numerous body of dissenters, and their annual meetings, or associations, are seasons of much interest and excitement. In 1814 a small chapel was erected on the Welsh Walls for the accommodation of persons of this persuasion resident in Oswestry, and this was occupied as a place of religious worship until 1836, when the great increase of the congregation rendered the erection of a larger chapel necessary. Accordingly the present building was commenced in Gatacre Place, and opened for public worship on the 6th of July, 1836.

It is a substantial stone structure, of rather imposing appearance, and affords accommodation for upwards of 500 persons.

THE PRIMITIVE METHODIST CHAPEL.

The first chapel erected by this body was on the site of the Bath in Upper Willow Street, and was opened in 1825. So rapid has been the increase of the members of this denomination, that from the summer of 1825, when their first travelling preacher visited Oswestry, to the present time, they have built in this circuit no fewer than sixteen chapels; and the number of preachers on their quarterly plan amounts to 120. Their place of worship in Willow Street having become incapable of accommodating their increasing numbers, the present chapel and chapel-house were erected in 1840, in Castle Street. It is a neat and convenient building, and will seat about 450 persons. The Superintendent is the Rev. Thomas Parr.

BETHESDA CHAPEL

Is a small neat building in Castle Street, erected in the year 1844, for the use of the Welsh Congregationalists, or Independents. The Rev. Robert Thomas is the present Minister.

THE INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHAPEL

Stands below the Horse-Market, and was built in 1848 by a body of seceders from the Primitive Methodists. It is a plain brick building, and capable of seating about 300 persons.

* * * * *

Besides the above, there is a small but highly-respectable body of Christians who hold their meetings in the Assembly Room at Osburn’s Hotel, under the ministry of the Rev. J, Stewart; and also a congregation of Welsh Wesleyan-Methodists, who assemble in a school-room at Black Gate.

Municipal and Civil Government.

The Corporation of Oswestry is of great antiquity. Its civic honours, primitively, flowed from its Barons or Lords, who, exercising themselves the power of petty sovereigns, appointed Bailiff’s and other officers to superintend the civic affairs of the borough. Its first assumption of civic dignities appears to have been in the reign of Henry II., when William, Earl of Arundel, granted to the town a short charter (called by the Welsh “_Siarter Cwtta_”), denominated also a Charter of Protection. A clause in this ancient document sets forth that “I (the Earl of Arundel) have received in Protection my Burgesses of Blanc-Minster” (Oswestry). Richard de Chambre was Constable at this period. Here was subsidiary power given to the inhabitants of Oswestry, for the government of the town; but in the reign of Richard II., August 14th, 1399, that monarch granted to Oswestry its first royal charter, incorporating the Burgesses by the name and title of “The Bailiffs and Burgesses of Oswestry, _infra Palatinatum Cestriæ_, _in marchia inter Angliam et Walliam_.” In 1407, as heretofore noticed, Thomas, Earl of Arundel, granted a comprehensive and valuable charter, showing that still the exercise of power, in his lordship or barony, for the good government of the burgesses, &c., was fully recognized by the crown.

The rights and privileges granted by Richard II. seem to have been strictly guarded and maintained by the inhabitants down to the reign of Elizabeth, when they were confirmed by that sovereign. It would appear, however, that subsequently “divers doubts and ambiguities” arose concerning the ancient liberties, franchises, &c., of the borough, and in the reign of James I., 1616, the king granted a charter to the town, extending its liberties and privileges, and confirming the Bailiffs, Burgesses, &c., as a body corporate, by the name of “The Bailiff and Burgesses of Oswestry, in the countie of Salop.” The charter of Charles II., granted January 13th, 1673, to “the ancient borough and corporation of Oswestry, alias Oswaldstrey, in the county of Salop,” enacted “That they be incorporated by the name of the Mayor, Aldermen, Common-Councilmen and Burgesses of Oswestry.” This charter, it will be seen, was the instrument which first called into existence the offices of Mayor, Aldermen, Common-Councilmen, and Recorder. That charter was immediately acted upon, and Mr. Richard Pope was elected _the first Mayor of Oswestry_. Sir John Trevor, Knight (afterwards speaker of the House of Commons, and Master of the Rolls), Morgan Wynne, Esq., Edward Owen, Richard Edwards, Richard Lloyd, the before-mentioned Richard Pope, gentleman; Gabriel Edwards, woollen-draper; Hugh Price, woollen-draper; John Jones, mercer; Richard Jones, John Blodwell, gentlemen; and John Lloyd, mercer, were chosen as _the first Aldermen_. Richard Price, brewer, Richard Jones, mercer, John Glover, tanner, Richard Jones, glover, Edward Evans, apothecary, John Jones, glover, John Muckleston, shoemaker, Thomas Edwards, gentleman, Thomas Edwards, baker, Nathaniel Jones, brewer, Hugh Edwards, shoemaker, Timothy George, mercer, Thomas Vaughan, chandler, William Price, butcher, and Thomas Felton, brazier, were _the first Common-Councilmen_. Morgan Wynne, Esq., was _the first Recorder_ of the town, and John Worral, Esq., first Common Clerk of the Borough, and Clerk of the Court. It may be mentioned as a fact worth knowing, that Sir John Trevor was the _second_ Mayor of Oswestry, under the charter of Charles II. Sir John was an eminent man, and his history, connected as he was with the borough of Oswestry, is worthy of brief record in these pages. He was the second son of John Trevor, Esq., of Brynkinalt, in the county of Denbigh, by an aunt of Sir George Jeffreys. He was born about the year 1637, and it is supposed never received educational advantages beyond those furnished by a village school. He was sent to London to his uncle, Arthur Trevor, a leading barrister, who employed him as his clerk in his chambers in the Inner Temple. The Rev. Robert Williams, in his careful and elaborate “_Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Welshmen_,” says of him, that—

“On his first arrival he displayed very lively parts, although his
manners were rather uncouth, and he could not speak a sentence of
correct English. His diligence, however, was so great, that being
entered a student of the Inner Temple, he rendered himself well
versed in all branches of his profession, and soon acquired extensive
practice. Through the interest of his cousin, Sir George Jeffreys,
he was made a king’s counsel, in 1678, and he obtained a seat in the
House of Commons. Here he acquired considerable influence among the
members, and such was his reputation as a high prerogative lawyer,
that at the meeting of James II’s. parliament in May, 1685, he was
elected Speaker. In October of the same year he was appointed Master
of the Rolls, and in July, 1688, he was sworn a Privy Councillor. On
the accession of William and Mary, Sir John Trevor was dismissed from
the office of Master of the Rolls. In the Convention Parliament he
sat for Beraldstone, and opposed by every means in his power the
measures of the Government. In the next Parliament, called in 1690,
he made his peace with the Court, and was unanimously elected
Speaker. In May, 1691, he was made first Lord Commissioner of the
Great Seal, which office he held until May 2nd, 1693, and in January,
1693 he was restored to his office of Master of the Rolls. Such was
his talent for managing party, and of recommending himself to the
Government by his bold and dexterous measures, that had it not been
for his great indiscretion, he would probably have reached the great
object of his ambition, which was to become Lord Chancellor, and to
be created a peer. In 1695 a violent outcry was raised against
bribery, and a committee was appointed by the House of Commons, to
inquire into the charges, which were made against members, and it
reported that Sir John Trevor had received a bribe of a thousand
guineas for furthering a bill called the ‘Orphan’s Bill,’ promoted by
the City of London. Accordingly, March 12th, 1695, he was subjected
to the unparalleled humiliation of putting the resolution from the
chair, and declaring himself guilty. He then resigned the chair, and
was expelled from the House. Receiving money for voting in
parliament was in those days so common, that his offence was not
regarded in a very serious light, and he was permitted to retain his
high judicial office of Master of the Rolls, for the long period of
twenty-two years after his expulsion from the House of Commons. By
the death of his elder brother he succeeded to the paternal estates
of Brynkinalt, which, with large possessions of his own acquisition,
have descended through his only daughter Anne to the present Viscount
Dungannon. Sir John Trevor died May 20th, 1717, being nearly eighty
years of age, at his house in Chancery Lane, and was buried in the
Rolls Chapel.”

Yorke, in his “_Royal Tribes of Wales_,” relates a droll anecdote of Sir’ John, which is worthy of transplantation.

“Among his other virtues,” says Yorke, “Trevor was an economist. He
had dined by himself one day at the Rolls, and was drinking his wine
quietly, when his cousin Roderic Lloyd was unexpectedly introduced to
him from a side door. ‘You rascal,’ said Trevor to his servant, ‘and
you have brought my cousin Roderic Lloyd, Esquire, Prothonotary of
North Wales, Marshal to Baron Price, and so forth, and so forth, up
my _back stairs_. Take my cousin Roderic Lloyd, Esquire,
Prothonotary of North Wales, Marshal to Baron Price, and so forth,
and so forth; take him instantly back, down my _back stairs_, and
bring him up my _front stairs_.’ Roderic in vain remonstrated, and
whilst he was conveyed down one, and up the other stairs, his Honor
removed the bottle and glasses.”

Trevor had an obliquity of vision, or, in plainer words, he squinted abominably! When he was expelled from the House of Commons for bribery, pasquinades were issued against him, in one of which it was wittily said, that “Justice was blind, but Bribery only squinted.”

The charter of the 25 Charles II. (which was the governing charter previous to the passing of the Municipal Reform Act,) granted to the Borough of Oswestry a general Court of Quarter Sessions, to be held before the Mayor, the Steward, and the Recorder, or any two of them, of whom the Mayor was to be one. On the passing of that Act the Government refused to renew the grant of a separate Quarter Sessions, although strong and unanimous petitions from the town were presented in favour of this privilege. In 1842, however, when the Ministry of Sir Robert Peel was in office, Sir James Graham being Secretary of State for the Home Department, the application was renewed, and was ultimately complied with. The grant is dated the 27th May, 1842, and under it John Robert Kenyon, Esq., was appointed Recorder. The first Quarter Sessions, under this grant, were held on July 8th in the same year. Mr. Kenyon has ably and impartially discharged the duties of Recorder since that period; and to his legal acumen and zealous interest for the borough the inhabitants are indebted for many advantages.

The Corporation are chosen from the respectable and enterprising classes of the borough, so that all men who by perseverance and success in trade or commerce, in the learned profession of the law, or medical science, or who move in the quieter and more elevated ranks of life, where the _otium cum dignitate_ is to be seen in perfection,—if to be seen anywhere,—are in the legitimate path to Magisterial authority and Aldermanic greatness.

The Municipal Act came into operation in Oswestry in January, 1836. James Edwards, Esq., was elected Mayor of the borough in 1834, and held office, pursuant to the new Act, until January 1st, 1836, on which day John Croxon, Esq., was elected the _first Mayor_ under the Municipal Reform Act, and continued in office till November 9th, 1836, when Francis Campbell, Esq., was elected as the _second_ Mayor of the borough under the same Act.

The Hon. Thomas Kenyon (second son of the celebrated Lord Kenyon, and father of the present Recorder of Oswestry) was appointed High Steward of the Borough in the year 1823. Mr. Richard Jones Croxon (who had succeeded Mr. Lewis Jones to the Town-Clerkship in 1834) was appointed Town-Clerk under the Municipal Act, and has continued to perform the duties of that office to the present time, with great credit to himself and satisfaction to the town.

Under the New Corporation Act the borough was divided into two Wards, viz., the _East Ward_, comprising 148 burgesses, and the _West Ward_, numbering 166 burgesses.

THE CORPORATION OF OSWESTRY, for the year 1854–5, consists of the following gentlemen:—

G. H. WILLIAMS, MAYOR.

_Aldermen_:

THOMAS LONGUEVILLE LONGUEVILLE, THOMAS ROGERS,

PEPLOE CARTWRIGHT, EDWARD MORRIS,

THOMAS HILL, THOMAS MINSHALL.

_Councillors_:

WILLIAM HODGES, THOMAS EDWARDS,

WILLIAM EDWARDS, JAMES THOMAS JONES,

EDWARD WYNNE THOMAS, WILLIAM ISAAC BULL,

DAVID LLOYD, WILLIAM MORRIS,

GEORGE MORRALL BICKERTON, RICHARD KYRKE PENSON,

WILLIAM HAYWARD, JOHN LACON,

FRANCIS ROBERTS, JOHN MINSHALL,

GEORGE JAMES SAUNDERS, JOHN PHILLIPS,

JOHN ROBERTS.

_Town-Clerk_:—R. J. CROXON.
_Clerk of the Peace_:—ROBERT SIMON.
_Coroner_:—JOHN MILES HALES.
_Treasurer_:—GEORGE COOPER,

We subjoin a full List of the MAYORS OF OSWESTRY, from the earliest period, with the names also of the entire body of other Corporate Officers, Aldermen, and Common-Councilmen, elected under the Municipal Reform Act:—

1673 Richard Pope, first Mayor 1674 Sir John Trevor, Master of the Rolls 1675 Richard Edwards 1676 Richard Lloyd, Ford 1677 John Blodwell 1678 John Lloyd

Dying in his mayoralty, succeeded by Edward Owen 1679 Richard Price 1680 John Glover 1681 Peter Griffiths 1682 Humphrey Foulks 1683 William Price

Appointed instead of Thomas Edwards, who died before he was sworn 1684 Hugh Jones 1685 Phillip Ellis 1686 Sir Robert Owen, Porkington 1687 Roger Edwards 1688 Morgan Powell 1689 Thomas Jones 1690 Thomas Powell, Park 1691 Thomas Pritchard 1692 John Muckleston 1693 John Price 1694 David Lloyd 1695 Richard Jones 1696 Sir Robert Owen (second time) 1697 John Skye 1698 Nathaniel Edwards 1699 Peter Jones, Llanfyllin 1700 Francis Tomkies 1701 William Jones 1702 Humphrey Davenport, Hayes-Gate 1703 Roger Green 1704 Thomas Powell, Park (second time) 1705 Robert Lloyd, Aston 1706 John Davies 1707 Edward Lloyd, Trenewydd 1708 Thomas Tomkies 1709 Thos. Kynaston, Maesbury 1710 John Price (second time) 1711 Richard Jones 1712 John Skye (second time) 1713 Roger Green (second time) 1714 John Davies (second time) 1715 Thomas Warter 1716 George Edwards 1717 Robert Lloyd, Aston (second time) 1718 Owen Hughes 1719 Thomas Edwards 1720 John Evans 1721 Richard Payne 1722 Richard Maurice 1723 Nathaniel Price 1724 Peter Povall

Dying in his mayoralty, succeeded by Owen Hughes 1725 John Kyffin 1726 Richard Thomas 1727 Edward Lloyd, Llwynymaen 1728 Watkin Williams Wynn 1729 Charles Lloyd, Trenewydd 1730 William Owen, Porkington 1731 John Huxley 1732 John Mytton, Halston 1733 Nathaniel Kynaston 1734 Richard Powell 1735 Robert Williams 1736 Robert Barkley 1737 Thomas Jones 1738 John Burgess 1739 Corbett Kynaston

Dying in his mayoralty, succeeded by Thomas Tomkies 1740 William Price 1741 John Jones 1742 John Hughes 1743 John Mort 1744 Peter Williams 1745 David Morris 1746 Richard Lloyd 1747 Richd. Williams, Penbedw 1748 Vincent Phipps 1749 Nathaniel Jones 1750 John Griffiths 1751 John Williams 1752 John Griffiths 1753 Edward Price 1754 Thomas Jones 1755 John Jones 1756 Thomas Rathbone 1757 Edward Evans 1758 John Basnett 1759 Nathaniel Price 1760 Edward Evans 1761 Robert Lloyd 1762 Richard Price 1763 John Edwards 1764 Richard Jones 1765 John Gregory 1766 William Griffiths 1767 Richard Morrice 1768 John Evans 1769 John Lloyd 1770 Watkin Williams, Penbedw 1771 John Mytton, Halston 1772 Robert Godolphin Owen, Porkington 1773 E. Thornes 1774 Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, Bart., Wynnstay 1775 William Griffiths 1776 Francis Chambre 1777 Joseph Richardson 1778 John Croxon 1779 Noel Hill, Shrewsbury 1780 Edward Brown

Dying in his mayoralty, succeeded by Nathaniel Price 1781 Thomas Vernon 1782 Edward Wynn Evans 1783 John Kynaston, Hardwick 1784 Richard Bickerton 1785 Thomas Howell 1786 Richard Salisbury 1787 Wm. Mostyn Owen, Woodhouse 1788 Lewis Jones 1789 John Gibbons 1790 John Lovett 1791 John Probert 1792 John Mytton, Halston 1793 Rev. Turner Edwards 1794 Arthur Davies 1795 Rev. John Robert Lloyd 1796 Owen Ormsby 1797 Thomas Lovett 1798 Robert Lloyd 1799 John Jones 1800 Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart. 1801 Richard Croxon 1802 Lawton Parry 1803 Richard Jebb 1804 Thomas Skye 1805 Rev. James Donne 1806 Robert Cartwright 1807 Thomas Longueville Jones 1808 William Lloyd 1809 Robert Roberts 1810 John Sheppard

Dying in his mayoralty, succeeded by Thomas Hilditch 1811 Edward Edmunds 1812 John Croxon 1813 Rev. Charles Arthur Albany Lloyd 1814 Hon. Thomas Kenyon 1815 Thomas Morris 1816 S. Leach (R. Salisbury, Deputy) 1817 Rev. George Lloyd, Selattyn (Mr. Cartwright, Deputy) 1818 Thomas Netherton Parker 1819 H. W. W. Wynn (Mr. Salisbury, Deputy) 1820 W. Lovett (J. V. Jones, Deputy) 1821 John Bonnor, Brynygwalia (Robert Roberts, Deputy) 1822 Henry Pinson Tozer Aubrey 1823 W. Ormsby Gore 1824 John Mytton (Thomas Hilditch, Deputy) 1825 John Jones (second time) 1827 Rev. Turner Edwards 1827 Roger Mercy Cockerill 1828 Robert Morrall 1829 Peploe Cartwright 1830 Thomas Lovett 1831 Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart. (second time) (Dr. Donne, Deputy) 1832 Thomas Longueville Longueville 1833 John Jones, jun. 1834 James Edwards 1835 John Croxon 1836 Francis Campbell 1837 Charles Thomas Jones 1838 G. Dorset Owen 1839 Griffith Evans 1840 Thomas Penson 1841 John Hayward 1842 W. Williams 1843 W. Williams (re-elected) 1844 W. Price 1845 Thomas Rogers 1846 John Miles Hales 1847 Thomas Hill 1848 John Jones 1849 Edward Morris 1850 Edward Morris (re-elected) 1851 Thomas Minshall 1852 William Hodges 1853 Thomas Edwards 1854 George Harvey Williams

ALDERMEN AND COMMON-COUNCILMEN.

ALDERMEN—1835:
John Jones Peploe Cartwright

Richard Croxon T. L. Longueville

Thomas Morris John Jones, jun.
COUNCILLORS—1835:
EAST WARD. WEST WARD.

John Croxon John Hayward

Francis Campbell Thomas Rogers

George D. Owen Edward D. Bennion

Francis Lucas Charles Thomas Jones

Griffith Evans John Jones, jun.

James Howell Charles Sabine

Richard Bill William Williams

William Price James Williams

William Roberts Thomas Penson
COUNCILLORS—1836:
Thomas Penson Edward Edwards (in the room of
James Williams, deceased)
John Miles Hales
William Williams
Robert Edwards
John Tomkies
John Croxon
John Hayward
Francis Campbell
Thomas Rogers
George Dorset Owen
Edward David Bennion
Francis Lucas
Charles Thomas Jones
Griffith Evans
John Jones, jun.
James Howell
Charles Sabine
1837:
Francis Lucas Charles Thomas Jones

Griffith Evans Thomas Jones Rogers

James Howell John Davies

Thomas Penson Edward Edwards

John Miles Hales William Williams

Robert Edwards John Tomkies

John Croxon John Hayward

Francis Campbell Thomas Rogers

George Dorset Owen Edward David Bennion
ALDERMEN—RE-ELECTED IN 1838:

Peploe Cartwright, T. L. Longueville, and John Jones, jun.
COUNCILLORS—1838:
George Dorset Owen John Hayward

David Thomas Thomas Rogers

William Smale Nathaniel Minshall

Francis Lucas Charles Thomas Jones

Griffith Evans Thomas Jones Rogers

James Howell John Davies

Thomas Penson Edward Edwards

John Miles Hales William Williams

Robert Edwards John Tomkies COUNCILLORS—1839: Thomas Penson William Williams

John Miles Hales John Tomkies

Robert Edwards Edward Edwards

William Price (in the room of G. John Hayward D. Owen, deceased) Thomas Rogers David Thomas Nathaniel Minshall William Smale Charles Thomas Jones Francis Lucas Thomas Jones Rogers Griffith Evans Richard Cross (in the room of Richard Salter (in room of James John Davies, deceased) Howell, deceased) 1840: Francis Lucas Richard Powell (in the room of Thomas Jones Rogers) Griffith Evans Richard Cross Richard Salter Thomas Hughes (in the room of Thomas Penson Charles Thomas Jones, appointed Alderman) John Miles Hales John Tomkies Robert Edwards William Williams William Price Edward Edwards David Thomas John Hayward William Smale Thomas Rogers

Nathaniel Minshall ALDERMEN—1841: Thomas Penson (in the room of Charles Thomas Jones John Croxon, who had left the borough) John Jones COUNCILLORS—1841: John Miles Hales John Hayward

William Price Thomas Rogers

David Thomas Nathaniel Minshall

William Smale Richard Cross

Francis Lucas Thomas Hughes

Griffith Evans Richard Powell

Richard Salter William Williams

Robert Edwards John Tomkies

Charles Osburn (in the room of Edward Edwards Thomas Penson) COUNCILLORS—1842: John Miles Hales William Williams

Robert Edwards John Tomkies

William Price Edward Edwards

David Thomas John Hayward

Griffith Evans Thomas Rogers

William Smale Nathaniel Minshall

Richard Salter Richard Cross

Charles Osburn Thomas Hughes

Pryce Morris (in the room of Richard Powell Francis Lucas) Henry Hughes appointed Coroner June 20th, 1842. 1843: Griffith Evans Richard Cross

Richard Salter Thomas Hughes

Charles Osburn Edward Williams

John Miles Hales William Williams

Thomas Hill (in the room of R. John Tomkies Edwards, deceased) Edward Edwards Pryce Morris John Hayward William Price Thomas Rogers David Thomas Nathaniel Minshall William Smale ALDERMEN—RE-ELECTED NOVEMBER, 1844:

T. L. Longueville, Peploe Cartwright, and John Jones, jun.
COUNCILLORS—1844:
John Broughall (in the room of Thomas Rogers
David Thomas)
John Hayward
William Smale
Nathaniel Minshall
Griffith Evans
Thomas Savin (in the room of
Richard Salter Richard Cross)

Charles Osburn John Jones (in the room of Thomas Hughes) John Miles Hales Edward Williams Thomas Hill William Williams Thomas Minshall (in the room of Pryce Morris) John Tomkies

Edward Edwards
1845:
Thomas Hill John Phillips

John Miles Hales Edward Edwards

William Williams Charles Humphreys

William Price Thomas Rogers

Edward Morris (in the room of John Hayward John Broughall, who had left the borough) Nathaniel Minshall

William Smale Thomas Savin

Griffith Evans Edward Williams

Richard Salter John Jones

Thomas Minshall 1846: Thomas Edwards John Jones

Thomas Minshall Edward Williams

William Isaac Bull Edward Edwards

William Williams James Weaver (in the room of
Charles Humphreys, deceased)
John Miles Hales
John Phillips
Thomas Hill
John Hayward
William Price
Nathaniel Minshall
Edward Morris
Thomas Rogers
William Smale
Edw. Wynne Thomas (in the room of
Mr. Savin, deceased)
ALDERMEN—ELECTED NOVEMBER, 1847:
John Hayward, Thomas Penson, and William Williams.
COUNCILLORS—1847:
Edward Morris David Lloyd

William Price Nathaniel Minshall

Jeremiah Jones Thomas Thomas Rogers

John Lacon (in the room of W. Williams, Alderman) 1848: John Lacon Edward Roberts

Thomas Hill George Morrall Bickerton

William Hodges David Jameson John Miles Hales appointed Coroner, and Robert Simon Clerk of the Peace, April 27th, 1848 (in the room of Henry Hughes, deceased). 1849: Thomas Minshall John Jones

William Isaac Bull Edward Williams

Walter Edwards Edw. Wynne Thomas ALDERMEN—ELECTED NOVEMBER, 1850: T. L. Longueville, Peploe Cartwright, and Thomas Rogers. COUNCILLORS—1850: Edward Morris Thomas Jones

Jeremiah Jones Thomas David Lloyd

William Edwards William Morris 1851: John Lacon George Morrall Bickerton

William Roberts Thomas Edwards

William Hodges George Harvey Williams 1852: William Isaac Bull Jackson Salter

Thomas Minshall Francis Roberts

Walter Edwards William Hayward
ALDERMEN—ELECTED NOVEMBER, 1853:

Thomas Hill, John Jones, and Edward Morris.
COUNCILLORS—1853:
Edw. Wynne Thomas James Thomas Jones

William Edwards David Lloyd

William Morris William Morris 1854: John Lacon Thomas Edwards

William Roberts George Morrall Bickerton

William Hodges George Harvey Williams

Benjamin Churchill (in the room of Walter Edwards, resigned)

[For the above List of Aldermen and Common-Councilmen, up to and including 1846, we are indebted to the Representative of a gentleman who filled the Civic Chair, and who for many years recorded the changes in the Municipal Body. The subsequent List is from the Corporation Poll Books.]

Antiquities.

OSWESTRY CASTLE.

OUR readers will have already learnt that Oswestry, from an early period in the history of the nation, bore no undistinguished part. Fixed in the midst of an arena of fierce and convulsive conflicts for many ages; its early state of warlike defence, rendered so complete by the sagacious Edward I., and forming a powerful post on the Border Lands, the eyes of monarchs and their gallant nobles were frequently directed towards it for succour or defence. The Castle, in its primitive state, may have been a palace fit for regal splendour. The honour of erecting it is assigned, as we have previously mentioned, to Madog, descended from an illustrious Welsh Prince, the strenuous ally of Henry II., in his Welsh wars, and whose sire was the constant confederate of Randel the Third, and of his son, Hugh Cyveiliog, the fourth Earl of Chester. Madog was a man of high distinction in his day, and, being Prince of Powys, of which division Oswestry formed a part, there is presumptive evidence that the Castle was built by him, as the Welsh historians maintain, or very considerably enlarged or repaired. The English records fix its existence even before the Norman Conquest, and show that “Alan, a noble Norman,” received it immediately from William the Conqueror, on his accession. “This Alan,” adds Dugdale, the historian, “was the stock of the Fitz-Alans, Earls of Arundel; a potent race that flourished (with fewer checks than are usual with greatness) for near five hundred years.” It may be necessary to mention here, to aid the reader as to dates, that Madog died A.D. 1159, and that the Norman Invasion occurred in 1066. If Dugdale is to be relied upon, the Castle of Oswestry was built at a period anterior to the Conquest, but he makes no mention of Madog. He says, “There was a Castle at _Oswaldster_ at the time of the Conquest;” and Pennant, a good authority, adds to this note of Dugdale, “I think it very probable.” The able Welsh tourist further remarks, “The artificial mount on which it was placed indicates it to have been earlier than the Norman era. The Britons and the Saxons gave their fortresses this species of elevation. The Normans built on the firm and natural soil or rock, but often made use of these mounts, which they found to have been the site of a Saxon castle. I believe this to have been the case with that in question. A Fitz-Alan repaired or re-built, and added to that which he met with here: a tower also (as is not unfrequent) might receive the name of _Madog_, complimentary either to the son of _Meredydd_ (Madog’s father), or some other great man of the same title.” We have collected all the authorities we could find on this vexed question; but the actual date of the building of the Castle, and the veritable party to whom the honour of founding it is due, are still among the undiscovered facts of ages past.

[Picture: Oswestry Castle]

There is still, however, a notable event connected with Oswestry Castle that gives to its history surpassing interest, and ranks it among the more remarkable military relics of the nation. If the pains-taking researches of Chalmers, the historian of Scotland, are to be relied upon, one of the distinguished occupants of Oswestry Castle was the founder of the Stewart royal family. The real origin of that race of sovereigns had long perplexed genealogists; but the labours of Chalmers, who has minutely investigated all the written and printed records on the subject, have proved beyond further controversy that Walter, the son of Alan (the two first Norman possessors of Oswestry Castle), the son of Flaald, and the younger brother of William, the son of Alan, who was the progenitor of the famous house of Fitz-Alan, the Earl of Arundel, _was the first of the Stewarts_. Symon, and other Scotch historians, trace the Stewart family to a Thane of Lochabar. Lord Hailes disputed this and other opinions, treating them as fabulous, but it was reserved for Chalmers to establish and set at rest the long-contested question as to the origin of the Stewart race. Lord Hailes himself acknowledges that Walter, who flourished under David the First of Scotland, and Malcolm the Fourth, was _indeed_ the first Stewart of Scotland; but he is unable to determine where, and what was the commencement of this family. The subject is important to every native of our land; but to the people of Oswestry it is of paramount interest, as it connects with the town, however remotely, the genealogy of our present beloved monarch, QUEEN VICTORIA.

Chalmers’ evidence on this subject is curious and interesting. He tells us that the great exploit of Walter, the son of Alan, was the founding of Paisley monastery, during the reign of Malcolm IV., by transplanting a colony of Cluniac monks from the monastery of Wenlock, in Shropshire. Such, then, he adds, was the connection of Walter the First Stewart with Wenlock, and with Isabel de Say, who married William, the brother of Walter. Alan, the son of Flaald, married the daughter of Gwarine, the famous Sheriff of Shropshire, soon after the Norman conquest; and of this marriage William was the eldest son of Alan, and the undoubted heir both of Alan and of Gwarine. Alan, the son of Flaald, a Norman, acquired the manor of Oswestry soon after the Conquest. Alan was undoubtedly a person of great consequence at the accession of Henry I. He was a frequent witness to the king’s charters, with other eminent personages of that court. Mr. Chalmers, in his further investigations, proves the fraternal connection of William, the son of Alan, by a transaction which had before been as new to history as it is singular in itself. It has already been shown that Oswestry was the original seat of Alan on the Welsh border. Clun was added to his family by the marriage of his son William, who built Clun Castle; and John Fitz-Alan, Lord of Clun and Oswestry, by marrying Isabel, the second sister of William de Albany, the third Earl of Arundel, who died in 1196, became Earl of Arundel, and changed his residence from Shropshire to Sussex. Now, Richard Fitz-Alan, Earl of Arundel, being with Edward III., during the year 1335, and claiming to be _Stewart of Scotland by hereditary right_, sold his title and claim to the king for 1000 marks, which purchase he cautiously had confirmed to him by Edward Baliol; but Richard Fitz-Alan had not any right to the Stewartship of Scotland. Walter, who was the first purchaser of this hereditary office, was the younger brother of William, the son of Alan, the progenitor of Richard Fitz-Alan, the claimant; and till all the descendants of the first purchaser had failed, the claim could not ascend to the common father of the two families. But Robert the Stewart, who was born of Margery Bruce, on the 28th March, 1315–16, and became King of Scots the 2nd February, 1370–1, under the entail of the crown, was then in possession of the hereditary office of Stewart, by lineal descent. Walter, the son of Alan, undoubtedly obtained from David I., and from Malcolm IV., great possessions, a high office, and extensive patronage, and it may be reasonably asked, by what influence he could acquire from two kings so much opulence, and such an office? David I. was a strenuous supporter of the claims of his niece, the Empress Maud, in her severe contest with Stephen. William, the brother of Walter, influenced by the Earl of Gloucester, the bastard son of Henry I., and other powerful partizans of his sister the Empress, seized Shrewsbury in September, 1139, and held it for her interest. He attended her, with King David, at the siege of Winchester, in 1441, where they were overpowered by the Londoners, and obliged to flee. Such then were the bonds of connection between David I. and the sons of Alan, who were also patronized by the Earl of Gloucester. It was probably on that occasion that Walter accompanied David into Scotland. William, the son of Alan, adhered steadily to the Empress, and was rewarded by Henry II. for his attachment. Thus Walter, the son of Alan, could not have had more powerful protectors, than the Earl of Gloucester with David I., and Henry II. with Malcolm the II. When Walter, by those influences, obtained grants of Renfrew with other lands, and founded the Monastery of Paisley for Cluniac Monks from Wenlock, he was followed by several persons from Shropshire, whom he enriched, and by whom he was supported. He married Eschina, of Moll, in Roxburghshire, by whom he had a son Alan, who succeeded him in his estates and office when he died, in 1177. Six descents carried this family, by lineal transmissions, to Robert the Stewart, whose office, as already stated, was purchased by Edward III., and who became King of Scots 1371: Walter, the son of Alan, was followed by his brother Simon. Thus does Mr. Chalmers treat the history of the Stewarts, whose blood, he says, runs in a thousand channels.

This historical subject has attracted the attention of a talented resident of Oswestry, whose taste and research, united with genius and poetic imagination, have already conferred upon the town no trivial honour. That gentleman has favoured us with a notice of the CASTLE HILL, which bespeaks the enthusiasm of the writer, and adds to the interest which all lovers of history must feel on a topic so closely connected with the present amiable Sovereign of the kingdom. It is only due to Mr. SABINE to state (for to him we are indebted for aid in endeavouring to elucidate a dark and hitherto uncertain portion of Border History) that he has shed light even upon the pains-taking researches of Chalmers, and done much towards establishing a fact which, as we now consider it to be “proven,” cannot fail to confer upon Oswestry an historical importance of no common degree.

Mr. SABINE’S paper we have pleasure in quoting entire:—

“There is nothing,” he remarks, “in the appearance of this Hill very
imposing or very remarkable. It is a somewhat abrupt mound, with
some rude fragmentary remains of the castle, with which it was
formerly surmounted. It has long been a moot question whether this
mound is natural, or whether it has been raised by artificial means.
Its appearance would seem to indicate that it is the work of man; but
an examination of its geological composition, and a comparison of it
with similar surrounding elevations, lead to the conclusion that it
is the accumulated deposit of ages during a period in which the
district has probably been the area of obstructed and pent-up waters,
which, having been set at liberty, have left exposed the present
undulated portions of the district, of which this mound forms one of
the most prominent. Its present abrupt character—abrupt as compared
with some of the more shelving banks—is easily and obviously
accounted for by manifold encroachments, and by the military
necessity for making the Castle as inaccessible as possible to
hostile attacks. But if there is nothing in the appearance of the
Castle Hill of Oswestry that is remarkable, this cannot be said of
its history; for if there can be one fact topographically of greater
interest than another in the history of a kingdom, it is that which
is connected with the origin of its reigning monarch. To say
nothing, then, of the numerous battle scenes of which Oswestry Castle
has been the witness, and of which, it might say with Æneas, ‘_Quorum
pars magna fui_,’ a note of Sir Walter Scott’s to the “Monastery”
will be a sufficient warrant for saying that Oswestry, in point of
historic interest, is second to no town in the united kingdom. ‘The
acute pen of Lord Hailes (says the author of Waverley), which, like
the spear of Ithuriel, conjured up so many shadows from Scottish
history, had dismissed among the rest those of Banquo and Fleance,
the rejection of which fables left the illustrious family of Stewart
without an ancestor, beyond WALTER, THE SON OF ALAN. The researches
of our late learned Antiquary detected in this Walter the descendant
of Alan, the son of Flaald, who obtained from William the Conqueror
THE CASTLE OF OSWESTRY, IN SHROPSHIRE; and who was the father of an
illustrious line of English nobles, by his first son, William, and by
his second son, Walter, the progenitor of the royal family of
Stewart.’ Few will be bold enough, even if so disposed, to question
the authority of such an antiquarian as Sir Walter Scott, especially
in matters relating to his own country. Assuming, then, that Alan
Fitz-Flaald is the stirp of the Stewart House, a genealogical table
may not be uninteresting to the readers of this work:—

[Picture: Genealogical table] {178}

“That Sir Walter Scott is as indubitable an authority in early
English or Welsh History as in that of his own country may not be
admitted by all. According to the Welsh records Oswestry belonged to
Madog, Prince of Powys, who resided at Oswestry, and built the Castle
there about the year 1140. His second wife, Maud Vernon, an English
lady of noble birth, on the death of Madog, married William
Fitz-Alan, Lord of Clun, who in right of his wife obtained the Town
and Castle of Oswestry. This William was a descendant of Alan who
(says the Welsh Historian) came over with William the Conqueror, and
was the first of the Fitz-Alans that was Baron of Oswestry. Again,
the English historians assign to Oswestry Castle a more ancient date
than 1140. They inform us that it was in being before the Norman
conquest; and that Alan, a noble Norman, had the Town and Castle
bestowed upon him by the Conqueror, soon after his accession. But
whether Walter the Steward was the grandson of Flaald, and of Welsh
descent, or whether his father came over from Normandy with the
Conqueror, it may be taken as a fact that Walter, the son of Alan,
the younger brother of William Fitz-Alan, went from Oswestry Castle,
of which his father was Governor, into the service of David I., King
of Scotland, as that monarch’s Steward, and was the founder of the
house of Stewart. The following extract from _Chambers’ Journal_ is
concurrent in testimony with the main features of the above, and is
fraught with additional interest, as it shows how greatly Scotland
was indebted to the old Town of Oswestry for its progress in
civilization:—

‘During the troublous conflicts of Maud and Stephen, in their
competition for the crown of England, Walter, the son of Alan, the
son of Flaald, fled from the family seat at Oswestry, and settled in
Scotland. David I. made him his Steward, and gave him lands to
support the dignity of his office. By the charter we learn that
these lands were those of “Passaleth (Paisley), Polloc, Talahee,
Ketkert, le Drop, le Mutrene Egglesham, Louchwinnock, and Inverwick.”
These estates in Renfrewshire (then a portion of Lanarkshire) were
confirmed by Malcolm IV. in 1157, when he made the office of Steward
hereditary, and granted, in addition, various other estates in the
same quarter. Besides these possessions, Walter acquired the western
half of Kyle, in Ayrshire, which hence was called Kyle Stewart. At
this period the country was in a semi-barbarous state; but Walter the
Stewart introduced new and civilized usages. He settled many of his
military followers on his lands, and, founding the Abbey of Paisley,
introduced a body of instructed men, who taught the ancient people
domestic arts and foreign manners. By the marriage of one of these
Stewarts with Margery Bruce, Robert the Stewart was born, and became,
1370–1, King of Scots.’

“The Hill which claims this unique and unquestionable honour, in
defiance of all the various contradictory and exploded fables which
would give it to Scotland (for no spot in England seeks to withhold
it from Oswestry), has been rescued from the destruction with which
it has long been threatened, both by the encroachments of time and
thoughtless spoliation, having been purchased by several of the
Inhabitants of Oswestry, and vested in James Thomas Jones, Esq., as
their Trustee, and is now planted as an Arboretum. The panoramic
view from this Hill is one of the most beautiful scenic gems in the
neighbourhood; and when the shrubs which have been planted shall have
overcome the obstacles to their luxuriant growth, arising from
exposure to bleak winds, and a comparatively uncongenial soil, it
will constitute an ornament to the Town of Oswestry, such as few
localities can boast; and which, in addition to its historic
interest, will render it a spot, of which the Inhabitants of the
County of Salop, and of Oswestry especially, may rank among their
most remarkable objects of attraction. While the Hill was being
planted a small silver coin was found, which, on examination, proved
to be of the reign of David I. of Scotland. This, though not a
direct link in the chain of proof of the title of Oswestry Castle to
the honour it claims, and defies Scotland to dispute, is a remarkable
corroborative incident, most valuable, as circumstantial evidence, in
support of the claim. A stone has been placed on the Hill, with the
following inscription:—’A.D. MCXXXVIII., Walter, son of Alan, the
progenitor of the Royal House of Stuart, left this, his ancestral
castle, in the reign of Stephen, King of England, and of David I.,
King of Scots.’”

The more recent history of the Castle may be given in a few words. In the sixth of Henry II., Guy le Strange, Sheriff of Shropshire, accounted in the exchequer for salaries paid out of the king’s revenues to the wardens in the Castle of Blancminster (Oswestry), the inheritance of William Fitz-Alan, then lately deceased. In the fifteenth of John, the nephew (John) of the Earl of Pembroke, guardian of the Marches of Wales, was made Governor of Blancminster. In Henry III., John Fitz-Alan, as heir to Hugh de Albany, Earl of Arundel, had upon the death of that Earl, assigned for his _purpatry_, the Castle of Arundel, and upon paying £1000 fine was admitted to the possession of Oswestry Castle. In the twenty-fourth of Henry III., on the death of John Fitz-Alan, John le Strange had a grant of the custody of the lands of John, his son (then a minor), with an allowance of 300 marks per annum, for guarding Blancminster and other places. In the first of Edward I., John de Oxinden had the custody of the Castle of Blancminster, upon the death of John, Earl of Arundel. In the third of Edward I., Bogo de Knovil was Sheriff of the county, and Keeper of the Castle of Blancminster. In the eighth of Edward I., Isabel, mother of Richard, Earl of Arundel, had the custody of the Castle of Blancminster, and also of the hundred of _Oswaldster_ during the minority of her son; but two years afterwards her brother, Edmund de Mortimer, supplanted her, and got the grant to himself. In the eighteenth of Edward I., Adam de Montgomery died Governor of the Castle. In the twenty-seventh of Edward I., Peter Meuvesine de Berwicke, _juxta Akinton_, died in the same office. In the twenty-seventh of Edward II., after the attainder of Edmund, Earl of Arundel, Roger Mortimer, Lord of Wigmore, had a grant of the Castle. In the twenty-first of Richard II., Richard, Earl of Arundel, being attainted or executed, the king seized upon his lands and manors, and granted them to William Scrope, Earl of Wiltshire. In the seventh of Henry IV., Thomas, son of the attainted Earl, after he was restored in blood, freed the burgesses from many impositions of the Constable of the Castle. Amongst the names of subsequent Governors of the Castle we find those of John Trevor, Vaughan, Jeffrey Kyffyn; and in the twenty-fifth of James I., Thomas, Earl of Suffolk, his wife, Lord Walden, Sir Arnold Herbert, and William Herbert, “grant to the Lady Craven, Sir William Whitmore, George Whitmore, and their heirs, the lordship, manor, and Castle of Oswestry.” The state of the Castle in the Civil Wars has already been described.