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Title: The History of Oswestry
Author: Cathrall, William
Language: English
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*** Start of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "The History of Oswestry" ***
Transcribed from the [1855] George Lewis edition by David Price.
[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.
“The five regal Tribes, and the respective representative of each,
were considered as of royal blood. The fifteen common Tribes, all of
North Wales, and the respective representative of each, formed the
nobility, were lords of distinct districts, and bore some hereditary
office in the palace. Grufydd ab Cynan, Prince of North Wales, Rhys
ab Tewdwr, of South Wales, and Bleddyn ab Cynvyn, of Powys, regulated
both these classes, but did not create them; as many of the persons,
placed at their head, lived before their times, and some after.
Their precedence, as it stands, is very uncertain, and not governed
by dates; the last of them were created by Davydd ab Owain Gwynedd,
who began his reign in 1169. We are left ignorant of the form by
which they were called to this rank. Mr. Vaughan, of Hengwrt,
informs us that Grufydd ab Cynan, Rhys ab Tewdwr, and Bleddyn ab
Cynvyn made diligent search after the arms, ensigns, and pedigrees of
their ancestors, the nobility and kings of the Britons. What they
discovered by their pains in any paper or records, was afterwards by
the Bards digested, and put into books, and they ordained five Royal
Tribes, there being only three before, from whom their posterity to
this day can derive themselves, and also fifteen special Tribes, of
whom the gentry of North Wales are for the most part descended!’”
It will be seen from the foregoing pages that we have abstained from all
minute detail in our description of the continued struggles for mastery
between the Welsh and their own kindred, as well as of the strife for
power and dominion between the Cambrian princes and their foreign
invaders. These scenes in the history of Wales are nothing more, to use
the eloquent language of Warrington, than “a recital of reciprocal
inroads and injuries—a series of objects unvaried and of little
importance, which pass the eye in a succession of cold delineations, like
the evanescent figures produced by the _camera obscura_. The characters
and events are not brought distinctly into view, nor are they
sufficiently explained, to enable the historian to judge of their
proportions, their beauty, or defects; whence he can neither develope the
principles of action, nor trace the connection of causes with effects, by
leading incidents, or by the general springs which govern human affairs.”
“The story of our country under its native princes,” observes another
impartial writer on Welsh history, “is a wretched calendar of crimes, of
usurpations, and family assassinations; and in this dismal detail we
should believe ourselves rather on the Bosphorus than the banks of the
Dee.” The British or Welsh rulers had doubtless much to complain of
against their Roman, Saxon, and Norman invaders; but their own conduct
towards their own people—to those who by affinity claimed their
protection and regard—was quite as guilty as that of their foreign foes.
Throughout the entire reign of Henry I. we read in the Welsh annals of
nothing but “a series of retaliated injuries arising in regular
succession; evils naturally springing from the passions, where they usurp
the sword of justice.” Henry died about the year 1135, and Stephen
succeeded to the English throne, and was soon embarked in a sea of
troubles. Engaged in continual hostilities, and in supporting a doubtful
title, he prudently concluded a peace with the Welsh, and allowed them to
retain the territories they had lately recovered, free of homage or
tribute. The incidents of Stephen’s reign were marked by no feature of
national interest; and the only reference made to it in connection with
this district is William Fitz-Alan’s espousal of the claim made by the
Empress Maud to the English crown. His union with other noblemen, to
dethrone Stephen, exposed him to danger, and he was compelled to leave
the kingdom, abandoning his lands and other property to the incensed
monarch. Whilst an exile from England he remained faithful to the
interests of the Empress; and on his return to this country on the death
of Stephen, and the accession to the throne of Henry II., he reaped the
reward of his spirit and fidelity, by receiving back all his forfeited
honours and estates, including the Castles of Oswestry and Clun. Of
Oswestry Castle we shall speak particularly in subsequent pages. Of Clun
we may at present say, that it remained in the direct line of William
Fitz-Alan down to the reign of Queen Elizabeth, when the last Earl died.
By the marriage of Mary Fitz-Alan with Philip Howard, the son of Thomas,
Duke of Norfolk, it became vested in that noble family. From them it
passed to the Walcotts, and afterwards, by purchase, to Lord Clive, in
whose family it continues. The Duke of Norfolk still retains the title
of “Baron of Clun,” as well as that of “Baron of Oswaldestre.”
Henry was an inveterate and formidable enemy to the interests of Wales.
He speedily employed his utmost force in attempting to subjugate the
Cambrian people; and it is recorded of Madog ab Meredydd, Prince of
Powys, who had united with the enemies of his country, that he incited
the English king to an invasion of North Wales. Henry listened to the
solicitations of the Powysian prince, and eagerly exerted every means for
the conquest of the country. He quickly raised a powerful army, and
marched without delay into North Wales. Mathew Paris states that the
levy of Henry, raised at this time, amounted to 30,000 men. Owain
Gwynedd, in this campaign, gallantly led the Welsh, and in one of the
actions, at _Coed Euloe_, near Hawarden, Flintshire, the monarch himself,
who had encamped near the field of battle, escaped from the hands of the
Welsh with the greatest difficulty. The English forces, having been
strengthened, pursued the Welsh, and at length Prince Owain, fearful that
his army would perish for want of provisions, concluded a peace with the
King of England. He himself and his chieftains submitted to do homage to
Henry, and to yield up the castles and districts in North Wales which, in
the last reign, had been obtained from the English. Lord Lyttleton tells
us, that to complete this humiliating position, Owain was obliged to
deliver up two of his sons as pledges of his future obedience. The year
after this important event a general peace took place between England and
Wales; the princes and all the chieftains of South Wales repaired to the
court of England, where Henry granted peace, on the Welsh doing homage
for their own territories, and formally ceding to him the districts
recovered from the English in the last reign. This peaceful state of
things was but of short duration. Rhys, the son of Grufydd ab Rhys,
immediate heir to the sovereign power of South Wales, having been
outraged by several English lords, threw off his allegiance, commenced a
revolt, and rallied around him a numerous force, which perplexed and
baffled the English monarch. Shortly afterwards, fired by the gallant
example of Rhys, the Prince of North Wales (Owain Gwynedd), and all his
sons, his brother Cadwaladr, and the chieftains of Powys, united with
him, in the endeavour to regain their independence and honour. After
some slight skirmishes with the Welsh, Henry gathered together a
formidable force, with which he marched into Powys, breathing slaughter
and extermination against the inhabitants. All the historical writers,
in describing this fearful onslaught, admit that few events of ancient
times were more deeply stained with the blood of innocence. The English
army, formed of the choicest troops, from Normandy, Anjou, Flanders,
Brittany, and other territories which Henry possessed in France, entered
the Welsh confines at Oswestry, where it was encamped for some time. The
forces of North Wales were collected under the command of Owain Gwynedd
and his brother Cadwaladr; the army of South Wales was headed by the
chivalrous Rhys ab Grufydd; and the men of Powys were led by Owain
Cyveiliog, and the sons of Madog ab Meredydd. The combined forces of the
Welsh assembled at Corwen, where they awaited the approach of the
English. Henry, burning with ardour to attack the enemy, marched his
army to the banks of the Ceiriog, near the present village of Chirk, and
at once ordered that the woods on each side of the river be cut down, to
prevent ambuscades and sudden approaches of the enemy. It is related by
some writers, that on the passage of the Ceiriog Henry was in imminent
danger of losing his life: attempting to force a bridge, an arrow aimed
at him by the hand of a Welshman must inevitably have pierced his body,
if Hubert de St. Clare, Constable of Colchester, perceiving the danger,
had not in a moment sprang before his sovereign and received it into his
own bosom, and thereby met with his death-wound. Whilst the English
soldiers were employed in felling the woods, a detachment of the Welsh
forces forded the river, and suddenly attacked the van of Henry’s army,
composed of pikemen, considered to be the most daring and gallant portion
of his soldiers. A fierce battle ensued; many were killed on both sides,
but at length Henry gained the passage, and advanced onward to the Berwyn
mountains, to recruit his troops. There he remained in camp for several
days. The Welsh were posted on the mountain-heights opposite, watching
with lynx-eyed care every movement of the enemy. They succeeded in
cutting off his supplies, and his army was reduced to extreme distress
and privation, for want of food for man and horse. To increase his
difficulties, sudden and heavy rains fell, which rendered the country on
the Berwyn side so slippery and dangerous, that neither men nor horses
could stand on their feet. Torrents of water, from the incessant rains,
poured down from the mountains into the vale where Henry was encamped;
and, unable to maintain his ground amidst all these unexpected disasters,
he retired, with great loss of men, and, what was more annoying to his
vaunting spirit, with defeat and disgrace. Fired with revenge, and urged
by the barbarism which ever marks the tyrant, he commanded that the eyes
of all the hostages which had been placed in his hands should be put out.
The two sons of Rhys ab Grufydd, Prince of South Wales, and the two sons
also of Owain Gwynedd, Prince of North Wales, became the unfortunate
victims of Henry’s cruelty. Holinshead, in his Chronicles, tells us,
that besides these young chieftains, the atrocious monarch caused the
sons and daughters of several Welsh lords to be treated with the same
severity; ordering the eyes of the young striplings to be pecked out of
their heads, and the ears of the gentlewomen to be stuffed.
In the annals of Wales this battle is ranked among the brightest
achievements of the Welsh, in their long-continued struggles for liberty.
The site is known by the mournful designation of _Adwy’r Beddau_, or the
Pass of the Graves. The conflict is called in most of the ancient books,
“_The Battle of Crogen_.” Yorke observes, “it has been erroneously said
that the term Crogen was used in contempt and derision of the Welsh; but
that was not the truth: the English meant to express by it animosity, and
the desire of revenge.” “Many of the English,” he adds, “were slain, and
buried in Offa’s Dyke, below Chirk Castle, and the part so filled up is
to be seen, and forms a passage over it, called to this day _Adwy’r
Beddau_, or the Pass of the Graves.” The late Mr. William Price, in an
annotated edition of his “History of Oswestry,” published in 1815, has
the following note on the Battle of Crogen:—
“Owain Gwynedd slept at Tyn-y-Rhos, the present residence of Richard
Phillips, Esq., who has still in preservation the bedstead he at that
time lay upon. Likewise a Deed or Lease of a piece of land, of five
acres, for 2s. 8d. per year; with a cock and hen at Christmas, and a
man a day in the harvest; which still preserves the name.”
Turning for a moment to the civil government of Oswestry, it may be
mentioned that in the reign of Henry II, the first Charter was granted to
Oswestry, by William, Earl of Arundel. The Welsh called it “_Siarter
Cwtta_,” the Short Charter. It was a Charter of protection, of which
there were many granted about this period. It states, “I have received
in protection my Burgesses of Blanc-Minster. Richard de Chambre was
Constable of White-Minster. Thomas de Rossall held Rossall, of John
Fitz-Alan, in chief, of one knight’s fee at White-Minster.” Guto (y
Glyn), an excellent poet who flourished from 1430 to 1460, a native of
Llangollen, and domestic bard to the Abbot of Llanegwestl, or Valle
Crucis, near that romantic town, speaks of White-Minster in his days. He
says, “I know not of any Convent of Monks superior to White-Minster.”
About the year 1188, William Fitz-Alan, Earl of Arundel, gave a sumptous
banquet in the Castle of Oswestry, to Giraldus Cambrensis, and Baldwin,
Archbishop of Canterbury, on their return from Wales, the bleak and
barren mountains of which they had just travelled over, in an attempt to
incite the people to the intended Crusade to the Holy Land. Giraldus
seems to have considered that the entertainment given by the Norman Earl
was too luxurious for saintly personages. He speaks, however, with much
complacency of the comfortable accommodations provided for him and the
Archbishop at Shrewsbury, whither they repaired from this town. “From
Oswestry,” says he, “that Prelate and his retinue came after Easter
(1188) to Slopesbury, where they remained some days to recruit and
refresh themselves, and many assumed the cross in obedience to the
precepts of the Archbishop, and the gracious sermon of the Archdeacon of
St. David’s. Here also they excommunicated Oen de Cevelioc (Owain
Cyveiliog, Prince of Powys), because he alone of all the Welsh princes,
had not advanced to meet the Archbishop.” The visit of Giraldus and
Baldwin to Oswestry might have been induced by a two-fold motive, namely,
to partake of the princely hospitality of Fitz-Alan, in his baronial
castle, and to hold “ghostly communication” with Regner, Bishop of St.
Asaph, who at this period resided in Oswaldestre.
The succeeding portion of Henry II’s long reign was largely occupied with
plans and movements to subdue the Welsh princes and their people. After
repeated struggles, the English monarch saw, with exulting spirit, that
he had reduced Cambrian independence to a bye-word of contempt, by
seducing them from patriotism and virtue, and rendering them a disunited
and improvident people. When he had accomplished this signal victory
over them, and hoped to enjoy further years of sovereign power in
comparative ease and tranquillity, the fate even of monarchs was dealt
out to him. His mortal career was ended, and he was “gathered to his
fathers:”—
“The glories of our blood and state are shadows, not substantial
things;
There is no armour against fate; Death lays his icy hand on kings.”
Henry was succeeded by Richard, his son, surnamed Cœur-de-Lion, whose
reign continued for about ten years, when he was slain at the siege of
Chalons, in France, and John, his brother, ascended the throne. During
Richard’s monarchy the town of Oswestry was not marked by any event
worthy the record of the contemporary historian.
The reign of John was distinguished by strong enmity to the Welsh. In
1211 he assembled a large army at Oswestry, and was there joined by many
of the Welsh Chieftains, his vassals, with whom he marched to Chester;
resolving to exterminate the people of North Wales. It is revolting to
trace the history of this feeble-minded and capricious king. His
reckless attacks upon Wales, and his inveterate quarrel with his
son-in-law, Prince Llywelyn ab Jorwerth, added to his troubles, and
probably hastened his end. As a last effort against Wales, resenting
Llywelyn’s stern defence of Cambrian independence, John demolished the
castles of Radnor and Hay; and then, proceeding to the Marches, he set
fire to Oswestry Castle, then under the governorship of John Fitz-Alan,
(who had united with the barons of England in renouncing allegiance to
the English Monarch, on his refusal to confirm their constitutional
rights,) and burnt it to the ground.
In the reign of Henry III. John Fitz-Alan, who was reconciled to the
king, procured for his Manor of Blanc-Minster the grant of a Fair on the
eve, the day, and the day after St. Andrew’s feast. The Bailiffs were
also made clerks of the market, with privilege to imprison any person
detected in forestalling; for which they were paid twenty marks as a
consideration. These petty officers, “dressed in a little brief
authority,” abused their power, and gave occasion to frequent
remonstrances from the inhabitants. Powel, who seems to have paid great
deference to “the powers that be,” concludes, not very logically, we
think, that it was “no wonder that so many of the grievances which the
Welsh so much complained of to Edward I. should originate from this
place.”
The historic facts recorded subsequent to this period are brief and
meagre. We are told that in 1233 Oswestry was again destroyed by fire.
Llywelyn ab Jorwerth had just made an inroad into the county of
Brecknock, destroying all the towns and fortresses belonging to that
territory; he then invested the castle, lay before it a month, raised the
siege, finding his efforts to be fruitless, set fire to the town, and
pursued his way to the Marches. Conflagration and ruin marked his
progress: he burnt the town of Clun, in Salop, demolished Redde Castle,
in Powys, and laid Oswestry in ashes. A few months afterwards, Llywelyn
and Lord Pembroke, having joined their forces, made another inroad into
the English Marches, and having rendered all that country a scene of
devastation, they finished their fiery career by laying part of the town
of Shrewsbury (Frankwell, it is supposed,) in ashes.
Early in the reign of Edward I. that monarch was intent on bowing the
stubborn neck of Llywelyn ab Grufydd (the last native sovereign Prince of
Wales). Llywelyn was refractory, and ambitious to maintain his order.
Edward summoned him to a parliament in London, but Llywelyn refused to
comply with the royal command. In reply, he offered (Oct. 14, 1276–7,)
to repair to Montgomery, or to “the White Monastery of John Fitz-Alan,”
as Oswestry was then called, but declined a journey to the metropolis of
England. On the receipt of this answer, by which Edward, resolute to
exact a personal obedience, was, or affected to be, greatly enraged, the
Parliament immediately condemned Llywelyn as a rebel, for his
non-appearance. The melancholy end of the Welsh prince is well known.
“If,” says an elegant historian, “the valour of Llywelyn, his talents,
and his patriotism, had been exhibited upon a more splendid theatre,—on
the plains of Marathon, or in the straits of Thermopylæ,—his name would
have been recorded in the classic page, and his memory revered, as an
illustrious hero, and as a gallant assertor of the rights of nature.”
Edward did not confine his attention to Wales only, but extended it to
the Borders, and included in his eagle-eyed glance the town of Oswestry.
“Provision was made,” says Pennant, “against future insults; for in the
reign of Edward I. the town (Oswestry) was surrounded with walls. This
happened when that politic monarch meditated the conquest of Wales; he
therefore thought proper to secure this town, one of the keys of the
country, with proper defence.” He commenced the erection of the walls in
1277. They are said to have been about a mile in circumference, with an
intrenchment on the outside, which could be filled with water from the
numerous streams in the vicinity. Edward’s order to put Oswestry into a
state of defence issued from Shrewsbury—the seat of his government for
several months—and his letters patent, directed to the Bailiffs and
Burgesses of the ancient town, are worthy of record, as they show the
mode in which taxation was levied in early days. This curious document
is as follows:—
“Of the Murage of Oswaldestre. The King to the Bailiffs and
Burgesses, and the other good men of Oswaldestre greeting.
“Know ye that we have granted in aid of enclosing our town of
Oswaldestre, that from the feast of St. Thomas the Apostle in the
twelvth year of our reign to the end of twenty years thence ensuing,
ye may take in the same Town, to the reparation of the walls of the
same Town, of every horse-load of corn to be sold, one halfpenny; of
every horse and mare, ox and cow sold, one halfpenny; of every hide
of horse and mare, ox and cow, fresh, salt, or tanned, one farthing;
of every cart bringing salted flesh to sell, twopence; of five bacons
sold, one halfpenny; of a salmon fresh sold, one halfpenny; of ten
sheep, goats, or pigs sold, one penny; of ten fleeces of wool, one
penny; of one hundred skins of sheep, goats, stags, hind bucks and
does, one penny; of every hundred skins of lambs, kids, hares,
rabbits, foxes, cats, and squirrels, one halfpenny; of every cart of
salt to sell, one penny; of every horse-load of salt to sell by the
week, one farthing; of every horse-load of cloth to sell, one penny;
of every entire cloth to sell in the town of Gloucester, one penny;
of every cloth of silk brocaded and diapered with gold, one penny; of
every cloth of silk without gold and chef de cendall, one halfpenny;
of every dole of wine to sell, two pence; of every horse-load of
honey to sell, one penny; of every dole of honey to sell, four pence;
of every sack of wool to sell, four pence; of every truss of cloth to
sell brought by cart, four pence; of every horse-load of cloth to
sell, or other diverse and small things coming to be sold in the same
town, one halfpenny; of every cart of iron to sell, one penny; of
every horse-load of iron to sell, one halfpenny; of every carriage of
lead to sell, two pence; of tallow and lard to sell, one farthing; of
every hundred of alum and copperas to sell, one halfpenny; of two
thousand onions, a farthing; of every thousand of herrings to sell,
one halfpenny; of every hundred of boards to sell, one halfpenny; of
every mill sold, one penny; of every thousand of laths sold, one
penny; of every new cart sold, one halfpenny; of every hundred of
faggots to sell, one halfpenny; of every quarter of salt, one
farthing; of every twelve horse-loads of coal sold, one halfpenny; of
every thousand of all manner of nails to sell, except cart nails, one
farthing; of a thousand of cart nails to sell, one halfpenny; of
every hundred of horse shoes and clouts to carts to sell, one
halfpenny; for every truss of any sort of merchandise coming for sale
to the aforesaid town, of the value of two shillings, one farthing;
of every cauldron sold to brew, one penny; of every quarter of
oatmeal to sell, one halfpenny: And we therefore command that ye take
the said custom to the end of the term aforesaid, but the term of the
said twenty years being compleat, the said custom ceases and is done
away. In witness, &c.”
Pennant states that the walls were begun in the sixth of Edward I., and
that “the murage or toll was granted on the inhabitants of the county,
which lasted for six years, in which time it may be supposed the walls
were completed.”
Archbishop Peckham visited Oswestry, June 12, 1284. He was received with
great respect by Anian, Bishop of St. Asaph, the clergy, and others.
Anian obtained from the king a confirmation of the rights and privileges
of his church, and received from John Fitz-Alan, Earl of Arundel, and
Baron of Oswestry and Clun, the grant to his church of one hundred acres
of land at St. Martins, paying yearly at Midsummer, for ever, a pair of
gilt spurs; with the condition, that neither the bishop nor his
successors should alienate the same. This grant is dated at _Album
Monasterium_, 1271. Richard, son of the said John Fitz-Alan, afterwards
confirmed it, and also gave forty-five acres more, with the manor-house
belonging thereto. Anian had a long dispute at Rome respecting the
placing of a vicar in Blanc-Monasterium, the tithes of which his
predecessor had given to the Abbey of Shrewsbury. The issue was, that
the abbot, for the peaceable enjoyment of his tithes, gave the whole of
his lands at St. Martins, upon paying two _Welsh knives_ yearly. These
said knives, if now produced at Sheffield, would doubtless disturb the
risible faculties of the keen knife-manufacturers there.
Edward II. was much annoyed and harassed in the latter part of his reign,
partly from his want of fidelity to many of his most distinguished
nobles, the two Mortimers, uncle and nephew, among their number. A
revolution broke out against the king, in 1325, concocted, it is said, by
the queen and her favourite, Roger Mortimer, Lord of Wigmore, in which
the French monarch also took part. A strong feeling for and against
Edward was manifested in Shrewsbury, where the Mortimers were well known.
Edmund, Earl of Arundel, was one of the few peers who had preserved their
loyalty to the crown. He assembled a multitude of his Welsh tenantry at
Oswestry, with a view of seizing Shrewsbury for the king. Arundel was,
however, apprehended near Shrewsbury, with certain of his adherents,
after an obstinate struggle. The Earl was taken from that town to
Hereford, where he expiated his loyalty on the scaffold. For this
“service” the “good men of Salop” had all the goods and chattels found
upon him. After his execution, the queen, to show her attachment to her
paramour, Lord Mortimer, obtained the Castle of Oswestry for that
favourite. In 1324, Edmund, Earl of Arundel, granted two shops in
Leg-street, to the burgesses of Oswestry for ever, on payment of 13s. 4d.
yearly. This grant is witnessed by “Lord Richard, Abbot of Haggemon,”
and others, and “dated at Oswaldestre, on the feast of St. Michael, in
the 18th year of the reign of King Edward, the son of King Edward.”
Edward III.’s reign was long and glorious. It was distinguished by the
ever-memorable battle of Cressy. Part of the inhabitants of this town
doubtless contributed to the victory thus obtained; for in 1346 the king
directed Richard Fitz-Alan to raise two hundred of his vassals from
Oswestry and Clun, to attend him in the French wars.
In 1397 Richard, Earl of Arundel and Surrey, was attainted and executed,
when Richard II. seized all his lands and manors, and granted them to
William le Scrope, Earl of Wiltshire. In the _Historia Regum Angliæ_ we
find the following bit of superstition entertained at this period. On
this occasion the Earl of Arundel must, of course, have deeply regretted
his contempt of the marvellous stone of which John Ross, the Antiquary,
of Warwick, writes. “The earl,” says this grave author, “kept a raven in
his court; and one day, as he was playing at chess in the garden, the
bird,” or, as Ross suggests, “a spirit in that form, brought up
(_eructavit_) a stone having the virtue of invisibility. The earl set no
value upon it, contrary to the advice of his nobles; and soon after,
being arrested by strong hand, he was committed to ward, and finally
beheaded.”
The king, having put down all opposition to certain measures which he was
resolved to carry, by the execution of Arundel, and the murder of his
uncle of Gloucester, adjourned his Parliament at Westminster to
Shrewsbury, and from thence to Oswestry. An apprehension of tumult among
the Earl of Arundel’s tenantry in this county, from his violent death,
and the seizure of his estates, was probably the reason for making both
Shrewsbury and Oswestry the scene of that national assembly. The
Parliament met at Shrewsbury Jan. 29, 1397–8, and was designated THE
GREAT PARLIAMENT. In this regal visit he displayed great magnificence,
and entertained the members with a sumptuous banquet, he appearing among
the people in his costly royal robes. Whilst in Shrewsbury Richard made
Chester a Principality, and annexed to it the Castle of Holt, the
lordship of Bromfield and Yale, Chirkland, and various other places in
Wales and on the Borders. During the proceedings in Parliament it was
ascertained that deadly hatred subsisted between the Dukes of Hereford
and Norfolk. These noblemen had been jointly concerned in the
impeachment of Arundel and his fellow-sufferers, at Westminster.
Norfolk, touched by remorse for his share in the ruin of a patriotic
peer, or desirous of ensnaring his late confederate, who had charged
Norfolk with using words disrespectful to the king, fell into open
quarrel with Hereford, who made the matter a subject of public accusation
in the Parliament against his antagonist. The king, unwilling that any
discourse about himself should be made the subject of open discussion,
suddenly closed the proceedings of Parliament, and adjourned to Oswestry.
In the assembly there the dispute between the two Dukes was recommenced,
and the king resolved that it should be ended by a duel between the
belligerent parties at Coventry. The combat did not take place, as the
Duke of Norfolk refused to fight; upon which Norfolk was banished from
the kingdom for ever, and Hereford for ten years. As a mark of the royal
favour, Richard granted, before the Parliament closed, the first Charter
conferred upon Oswestry, by which the town was incorporated by the name
of “_The Bailiffs and Burgesses of Oswestry_, _infra Palatinatum Cestriæ
in Marchia inter Angliam et Walliam_.” The Charter, which was founded
upon the one granted just before at Shrewsbury, exempted the Burgesses
from all contributions and exactions whatsoever, throughout the kingdom,
the city of London excepted. It bears date, August 14, 1399.
The close of Richard’s kingly rule was near. His love of idle show and
magnificence, his delight in popular applause, the buzzing about him of
parasites and flatterers, and his indulgence in pleasures, were followed
by a brief scene of bitter existence, which ended in degrading
humiliation and painful death. The eyes of Henry of Lancaster, Duke of
Hereford, had long been directed towards the throne, and he actively
employed his agents to place him upon it. The classic historians of
Shrewsbury assure us that, either from the disgust occasioned by outrages
perpetrated upon the Burgesses, by Richard’s body-guard, or disorderly
multitudes brought into the town during the sittings of his Parliament,
“it is certain that the revolution which placed Henry of Lancaster on the
throne had the entire concurrence of the inhabitants of these parts
(Shropshire). When the Duke proceeded into Wales to circumvent the
unhappy Richard, he passed through Ludlow and Shrewsbury, and was joined
here (Shrewsbury) by the Lords Scales and Bardolph, Sir Robert and Sir
John Legh, and other gentlemen of Cheshire.” Richard, after suffering
much indignity, was secured a prisoner in Flint Castle, by the great
conspirator Lancaster, and from thence was led in the Duke’s train to
Chester. Here Bolingbroke delivered the subdued monarch to the Duke of
Gloucester and Thomas, Earl of Arundel, saying, “Here is the murderer of
your father, you must be answerable for him.” He was subsequently
conveyed to Pontefract Castle, where he was basely assassinated by a band
of armed ruffians, four of whom he killed with a battle-axe before he
fell.
The untimely death of Richard caused an immediate change in the
government of Oswestry. Its newly-created lord, the Earl of Wiltshire,
fell a victim to popular fury, and Thomas, son of the attainted Earl of
Arundel, was restored to the manorial rights and dignities of Oswestry.
The Earl of Huntington, the king’s brother, fled into the county of
Essex; but passing through a village belonging to the Countess of
Hereford (sister of the deceased Richard, Earl of Arundel), he was
discovered, and arrested. The countess apprized the new monarch, Henry,
of the capture, and desired him to send to her the young Earl of Arundel,
her nephew, that he might witness the mode in which she intended to
avenge herself of her brother’s death. The Earl of Arundel posted to the
place where Huntington was prisoner, and loaded him with reproaches. The
countess delivered the captive nobleman, bound with chains, into the
hands of eight thousand of her vassals, whom she called together for the
occasion. The wretched prisoner, struck with terror at the preparations
made to take away his life, sued for mercy, and protested that he had not
committed the foul act of which he was accused. Had the countess
restrained her rage, and listened to reason and justice, she would have
found that Huntington was not a guilty murderer, but that Richard, Earl
of Arundel, was brought to the block mainly by the treachery of the Earl
of Nottingham. Heedless of his protestations and cries for mercy, she
commanded her vassals to cut him to pieces. His assembled executioners
are said to have taken pity upon him; whilst the countess and young earl
strenuously urged his death. Maddened by rage, she exclaimed, “Curse on
ye all, villains; you have not the courage to put a man to death.” This
violent exclamation roused an esquire, who offered himself as
executioner. He seized the hatchet, and approached Huntington, but was
so touched with his tender complaints, that he trembled with emotion; and
returning to the countess, his eyes being filled with tears, he said, “I
would not put the earl to death for all the gold in the world.” The
countess, full of indignation, looking at him “unutterable things,”
exclaimed, “Do what thou hast promised, or thy own head shall be cut
off.” When he heard this he was so afraid that he knew not what to do,
and approaching the earl again said, “Sir, I entreat your pardon; forgive
me your death.” He then struck him a violent blow on the shoulder, which
felled him to the ground. Huntington sprang up again, and said, “Alas,
man, why do you treat me thus? For God’s sake kill me more easily.” The
esquire then struck him eight times on the shoulder, being so terrified
that he could not aim his blows at the neck. Another blow followed,
which fell on the neck, when the wretched nobleman, suffering pain and
agony from his cruel treatment, cried out, “Alas, dear friend, have pity
upon me, and free me from my pain.” The executioner then seized a knife,
and cut the Earl’s throat, separating his head from the body.
The Glyndwr or Glendower insurrection arose about this period, and the
town of Oswestry greatly suffered from it. Owain Glyndwr was descended
on the mother’s side from Llywelyn, the last sovereign Prince of Wales,
his father, Grufydd Vychan, having married Helen, a grand-daughter of
that puissant chieftain. He studied the law at one of the Inns of Court
in London, and finally was admitted as a barrister. He may have quitted
his profession, for we find he was appointed an esquire to Richard II.,
to whom he was devotedly attached, and whose fortunes he followed even to
Flint Castle, and till his royal master’s household was dissolved. He
had been knighted by King Richard, and was married early in life to
Margaret, daughter to Sir David Hanmer, of Hanmer, in Flintshire, one of
the Justices of the Court of the King’s Bench. His resentment against
Henry IV. was strong and implacable. He had suffered deep private wrongs
from the usurpation of the king, and burned with indignation to avenge
himself.
Owain Glyndwr’s sudden appearance as a military leader of his countrymen
roused their ancient martial spirit, and thousands flocked to his
standard. In the year 1400 the town of Oswestry was burned, the Welsh
having attacked it; and in 1403 Owain Glyndwr assembled his forces in the
town, that he might join Lord Percy (surnamed Henry Hotspur) against the
king. The Welsh leader dispatched to the “tented field” his first
division only, amounting to 4000 men, whose prowess was distinguished on
the day of battle. The great body of his troops, about 12,000 in number,
did not approach nearer than Oswestry, they having been detained at the
siege of Kidweli Castle. It is thought by some writers, that Owain did
not remain inactively at Oswestry. Gough, the historian, mentions, that
about two miles from Shrewsbury, where the Pool road diverges from that
leading to Oswestry, “there stands an ancient decayed Oak Tree, of which
there is a tradition, that Glyndwr ascended it to reconnoitre; but
finding that the king was in great force, and that the Earl of
Northumberland had not joined his son, he fell back to Oswestry, and
immediately afterwards retreated into Wales.”
In the “_Beauties of England and Wales_,” the Shropshire history edited
by Mr. Rylance, we find the following passage on Glyndwr’s alledged
abandonment of Hotspur “at his utmost need:”—
“The army of Glyndwr, amounting to twelve thousand men, had remained
inactive at Oswestry during the battle. There is a tradition that he
himself quitted that place in disguise, and hastening to Shrewsbury,
hid himself in a gigantic oak, which commanded a full view of the
field; and that after witnessing the discomfiture of his friends,
returning with speed to Oswestry, he withdrew his forces into Wales,
whither he was pursued by Prince Henry.”
Hulbert, too, in his “_History of the Town and County of Salop_,”
referring to the famous battle, says, “Owain Glyndwr _beheld_ the battle
of Shrewsbury, instead of _sustaining_, by his arms, the cause of his
ally, the gallant and intrepid Hotspur.” Another writer on this
memorable event declares, that had Glyndwr brought up his reserved troops
when Hotspur by his impetuous onslaughts was within an ace of victory, or
when the brave warrior was slain, the battle would have been won, and the
royal forces entirely routed. Taking these allegements to be truths,
Glyndwr perpetrated a baseness which all faithful men must condemn.
Many writers have taken pains to solve the question, “Did Owain Glyndwr
act merely as an idle spectator at the battle of Shrewsbury; or did he
actually lead his _corps de reserve_ to Shelton, to aid the gallant
Hotspur?” No author that we have read has settled that doubtful inquiry.
Owain’s hatred of Henry, and his ardent efforts to give freedom to his
countrymen, with his chivalrous bearing in the rebellion he had created,
would suggest no evidence that Glyndwr was pusillanimous; and yet history
furnishes alleged facts strongly reflecting upon his heroic spirit, and
almost charging him with craven cowardice. To conclude that Glyndwr was
actuated by base and unmanly curiosity in perching himself upon a branch
of the Shelton Oak would be to brand his name with infamy; and yet, if he
were espying the battle from that famous tree, his troops being close in
reserve, but not in action, an accusation no less severe must ever rest
upon his character as a chieftain and a man. On this interesting
subject, which will always engage the attention of historical readers, a
poet of bright fancy and manly sentiment—Dovaston of Westfelton—has given
sarcastic expression to an opinion, in a Miltonic sonnet on the Shelton
Oak, that Owain Glyndwr, at the battle of Shrewsbury, was a traitor to
gallantry and faith:—
“Tradition says, and why not trust Tradition,
When many a haunt breathes, hallowed by her song,
From this Great Oak, backed by twelve thousand men,
Wrung at their country’s wrongs and murdered king,
Glyndwr, the wise, the bountiful, the brave,
_Beheld young Percy fall_: and conquest crown
The perjured Bolingbroke.—‘Bright youth, he cried,
Thy spur is cold. One thoughtless act hath lost
An Empire’s tide. Mark what the great have said—
‘The better part of valour is discretion,’
For safe on prudence every good attends.”
“The Battle of Shrewsbury” is not only “clad,” as the same poet
fancifully describes, “in cold-hearted History’s homely weeds,” but
“garlanded with Avon’s dewy flowers.” The conflict is part of the
history of this district; and the narrative we subjoin, from the able
pens of the historians of Shrewsbury, will attract the attention of all
who value “pure English, undefiled:”—
“Of the famous and severely-contested battle which ensued under the
walls of our town, the awful prelude to so many more between the
rival houses, through the remainder of the century, we have five
contemporary and perhaps independent narratives; but one of them is a
mass of errors, and another extremely succinct, and of the others
only one is circumstantial: nor is any of them sufficient to satisfy
the minute curiosity of the local historian: but the best account
that can be drawn from a comparison of the whole, supplied in some
instances by a consideration of the ground, and in a few others by
modest conjecture, shall be laid before the reader as the conclusion
of the present chapter.
“We are unable to trace the progress of Hotspur’s long march from the
North to Shrewsbury, a journey of not less than 250 miles. He
probably set out in the beginning of July; and skirting along the
eastern side of Cheshire, where his army received a considerable
augmentation, passed through Stafford, and was joined there by his
uncle the earl of Worcester. The king, aware of his intention to
gain possession of Shrewsbury, and desirous of cutting off his
junction with Glendower, pursued him with hasty marches. We find his
majesty on the 16th of July at Burton-upon-Trent, and on the 17th at
Lichfield: whence, finding that he could not overtake his enemy, he
hastened on to reach Shrewsbury before him. He would naturally take
the Watling Street road, and enter this town over the Abbey Bridge.
The route of Hotspur was more to the north, in order to keep up a
communication with the Severn, so important for his junction with
Glendower. In all probability he marched through Newport, by High
Ercall and Haghmond Hill; and hoped to gain admittance through the
North or Castle Gate. The king arrived just in time to save the
town: he entered it only a few hours before Hotspur, who reached the
Castle Foregate on the evening of Friday, July 19th, and the king’s
forces could not have advanced from Lichfield before the morning of
that day. They were certainly here before Percy: for, aware of the
intention of that young nobleman, and desirous to save the Castle
from his attack, they set fire to that extensive suburb, and marched
out of the Castle gates to offer him battle. Hotspur, unwilling to
bring his army into action at the close of a toilsome march, and
learning, from the royal banner which waved on the walls, that the
king was in possession of the town, called off his followers from the
attack, and retired to the Bull-field, an extensive common which
stretched from Upper Berwick to the East. He thus protected his rear
by the woody and impervious precipices extending to Leaton shelf, and
had the river not only on his side, but also, if it had not entirely
deserted its ancient channel under Cross-hill, (as there is reason to
believe it had not,) in his front also. This position enabled him
likewise to communicate readily over that stream by the ford of
Shelton with the forces of Glendower, when they should arrive, as he
hoped, on the opposite bank. Here he passed the night in council.
His army consisted of 14,000 chosen men, of whom a considerable part
were of the county of Chester, at that time eminent for its skill in
archery; but, if Hall is correct, the royal army was nearly double
that number; for he writes that above 40,000 men were assembled on
both parts, and every circumstance of the battle proves that the king
was at the head of a very superior force. His situation was,
however, by no means devoid of anxiety. He must have been conscious
how slender the title was which he possessed to the throne: and how
ill-disposed his peerage of the realm were to maintain him upon it.
From the Castle he might view, as the dawn arose, the plain which
stretched to the north glittering with hostile arms: while the
dreadful Glendower was believed to be in full march from Oswestry, to
join the rebels with his Welsh forces. But the difficulties of the
crisis only sufficed to call forth his energies and display his
talents.
“Henry was himself a distinguished warrior. In earlier life he had,
in company with his princely uncle the duke of Gloucester, travelled
into the north of Europe in quest of martial glory; and under the
banners of the renowned Teutonic order had made a glorious campaign
against the Pagans of Lithuania. He was still in the vigour of life,
being much under forty years of age, and an adversary every way
worthy of the gallant Percy; whom, relying upon the superiority of
his numbers, he determined, if possible, to force to an engagement,
before that nobleman should receive his reinforcements from Wales or
the north. By break of day, therefore, he dispatched, it is
probable, a strong force, under the nominal command, for it could be
no more, of the young prince, the future hero of Agincourt, but then
a youth of fourteen years, to come up with Hotspur at Berwick, if
possible. He himself, with the main body, appears to have marched
out on the Hadnall road, ready to proceed as occasion might demand,
either to the north of Cross Hill and Almond Pool, and close the
rebels between his two divisions; or else to advance further on upon
that road, where it branches off to Shawbury, with the view of
cutting off their retreat, if Hotspur, aware of his design, should
attempt to march to the east. It happened as the king anticipated.
Hotspur, on his advance, broke up in some disorder, and marched by
Harlescot and Abright Hussey to Hately-field, which stretches from
thence eastwards. Here, however, finding it impossible to avoid an
engagement, on account, as we may suppose, of the obstruction to his
retreat presented by the king’s movement above mentioned, he made his
stand in the rear of a field of peas nearly ripe; behind which he
stationed his army, and hoped thereby to deter the king from
advancing over a tract which must necessarily impede his operations.
“He then addressed his little army in a short harangue, of which
Walsingham has preserved the heads. ‘We must desist,’ said he, ‘from
any further attempt to retreat, and turn our arms on those that come
against us. Ye see the royal banner, nor is there time to seek a
passage even though we wished it. Stand, therefore, with steadfast
hearts: for this day shall either promote us all, if we conquer; or
deliver us from an usurper, if we fall: and it is better to die in
battle for the common wealth, than after battle by the sentence of
our foe:” and with this, to support the courage of his men by proving
his design to fight to the outrance, he dispatched two of his
esquires, Knayton and Salvayn, with that strange defiance, in which
he loads the king with the most horrid crimes. * * * *
“No one has informed us how the king received this furious manifesto.
He had something else to engage his attention. He proceeded to
marshal his forces, dividing them into two columns, or wedges. Of
one of these he took the command himself, and entrusted the other to
his son. The front rank of his own column was led on by his nephew
the young earl of Stafford, a soldier of conspicuous valour, on whom
he had that morning conferred the high office of constable of
England, recently enjoyed by the earl of Northumberland. Previous to
the final onset, the king, in compliance with the customs of
chivalry, bestowed the honour of knighthood on certain of his most
distinguished esquires. Hotspur, perceiving that an engagement was
unavoidable, called for his favourite sword. His attendants informed
him that it was left behind at Berwick, of which village it does not
appear that he had till then learned the name. At these words he
turned pale, and said, ‘I perceive that my plough is drawing to its
last furrow, for a wizard told me in Northumberland that I should
perish at Berwick: which I vainly interpreted of that town in the
North.’ His courage did not, however, yield to the impressions of
superstition; he rallied his spirits, and arranged his troops with
his usual ability: assigning their respective stations to his uncle
Worcester, the Scottish earl of Douglas, his recent captive at
Halidown, sir Richard Venables, baron of Kinderton, Hugh Brow, Hugh
Vernon, and others. His troops appear to have been chiefly stationed
on the north side of the spot now occupied by the church in a field
still called _the Hateleys_: on the east side of the church is a
field denominated _the King’s croft_, in which, it may be presumed,
were ranged those which the king commanded in person. These
positions exactly agree with the objects which we have assigned above
to the respective leaders; and lend, it is hoped, some confirmation
to the conjectural part of the preceding narration.
“While the hostile armies, drawn up in battle array facing each
other, waited, with mute expectation, the sound of the trumpet, the
dreadful signal for combat, two venerable divines, Thomas Prestbury,
lord abbot of Salop, and the clerk of the privy seal, advanced out of
the royal army, and proceeded towards that of Percy. The king,
desirous to spare the blood of his subjects, offered him and his
adherents pardon and peace, and redress of all grievances of which
they could justly complain. Hotspur was touched by these unexpected
overtures, made under circumstances of such numerical inequality, and
requested his uncle of Worcester to repair to the royal presence in
company of these holy men, and state the grounds on which he had
taken up arms. The king, we may suppose, was in his turn somewhat
softened by the sight of the earl, who had been so recently engaged
in the domestic office of governor to the prince of Wales; and a
recollection of the obligations he had received from the Percy family
might mix itself with his other reflections. It is certain that to
the remonstrances of Worcester, delivered in a fierce and haughty
tone, he listened with respect, and replied with a condescension
which, in the opinion of the spectators, was somewhat unbefitting the
royal dignity. A contemporary writer has preserved, though with a
mistake of the person, the dialogue supposed to have passed between
them. The king ‘counselled him to put himself on his grace.’ To
which the other replied, ‘I trust not in your grace.’—‘I pray God,’
rejoined the king, ‘that thou mayest have to answer for the blood
here to be shed this day, and not I. March on standard-bearer!’ and
the battle was set.—It is certain that the stern temper of Worcester
rejected all attempts at conciliation: he was conscious how deeply he
had been engaged in fomenting the quarrel; and, on his return to his
friends, he misrepresented the demeanour of Henry in such a manner to
his nephew, that the latter, with whatever reluctance, was compelled
to relinquish all hopes of accommodation. At length, therefore, much
of the day having been consumed in these fruitless negociations, both
parties flew to arms, and the air was rent with the war-cries of
‘_St. George_’ on one side, and ‘_Esperance Percy_’ on the other. In
the meanwhile, Glendower had advanced as far as Shelton on the
opposite bank of Severn, where he awaited the issue of the contest,
determined to proceed or retire according to its event. He is said,
by the constant tradition of the country, to have ascended there the
branches of a lofty oak, whose venerable trunk yet remains, for the
purpose of viewing the battle; at least of gaining, from personal
inspection, the earliest intelligence of its event.
“The fight began by furious and repeated volleys of arrows from
Hotspur’s archers, whose ground, as may be seen, greatly favoured
that kind of warfare: and they did great execution on the royal army.
The king’s bowmen were not wanting in return, and the battle raged
with violence. The military art had not yet attained that perfection
which almost supersedes the effect of individual exertion; and
Hotspur, with his associate Douglas, bent on the king’s destruction,
rushing through the midst of the hostile arrows, pierced their way to
the spot on which he stood. To adopt the vivid language of a
contemporary, ‘in the ardour of his spirit, he assembled a band of
thirty warriors, broke into the royal army, and made a great alley in
the midst thereof,’ (such was the terror which his presence inspired)
‘even to the stoutest of the king’s guards.’ Monstrelet says, Henry
was thrice unhorsed by the Scottish earl, and would have been taken
or slain had he not been defended and rescued by his own men. And
the fortune of the day would have been forthwith decided, if the
Scottish earl of March had not withdrawn him from the danger; for the
royal standard-bearer was slain, his banner beaten down; and many of
the chosen band appointed to guard it (among whom were the earl of
Stafford and sir Walter Blount,) were killed by these desperate
assailants,—while the young prince of Wales was wounded in the face
by an arrow. In short, notwithstanding all the exertions of the
royalists, victory seemed inclined to favour the rebel army, who
fought with renewed ardour, from an opinion naturally derived from
the overthrow of his standard, that the king himself had fallen, and
animated each other to the combat with cheering and redoubled shouts
of ‘_Henry Percy_, _king_! _Henry Percy_, _king_!’
“In this critical moment the gallant Percy, raging through the
adverse ranks in quest of his sovereign, fell by an unknown hand;
alone, and hemmed in by foes. The king lost no time to avail himself
of this event. Straining his voice to the utmost, he exclaimed
aloud, ‘_Henry Percy is dead_!’ The sound was heard by either army:
into those it struck dismay, while these it animated and encouraged.
The rebels fled in every direction, nor could the king, anxious as he
was to terminate the slaughter, restrain the impetuous pursuit of his
own troops, till the flower of Cheshire, two hundred knights and
esquires (besides pages and footmen) were slain. Douglas broke
through, and endeavoured to escape in the direction of Haghmond-hill:
being closely pursued, and leaping from a crag, he experienced a
severe injury, and was captured: but the king, in admiration of his
valour, set him at liberty. The loss in both armies was great. * * *
An ancient manuscript rates the number of gentlemen at two thousand
two hundred and ninety-one, besides commons. They were chiefly
buried, says that authority, in a great pit, the dimensions of which
are there specified, and over which the present church of Battlefield
was afterwards erected: but many are stated to have lain dispersed in
various directions for the space of three miles about the field of
battle: a fact which confirms what has been said above of the
desultory nature of the conflict. Others, of the most distinguished
rank, were interred in the neighbouring town, chiefly in the cemetery
of the Dominican or St. Mary’s Friars.
“The body of Hotspur was at first delivered to his kinsman lord
Furnival for interment, and it was by him committed to the ground
with the suffrages of the church, and with all the honours which, in
that haste, could be procured as due to his rank. It is painful to
reflect, that the king afterwards repented him of this generous
attention to the remains of deceased valour. He caused the corpse to
be taken out of the tomb in which it had been laid, and to be placed
between two mill-stones in the public street, near the pillory;
where, as if he feared lest the general sympathy should rescue it
from its ignominious situation, it was kept under military guard,
till the head was severed from the body, which was divided into
quarters, and transmitted to several cities in the realm.”
Thus closes this circumstantial and able description of the celebrated
battle of Shrewsbury; an event so interesting in the annals of the
county, that we make no apology for having transferred so detailed an
account of it to our pages. A nobler theme could not well be conceived
for the lay of a minstrel. “The characters of the leaders, both of the
royal and of the rebel party, the chivalrous spirit of the times in which
they lived, and the magnitude of the cause that roused them to arms, are
circumstances highly susceptible of poetical description, while the train
of incidents from the very origin to the termination of the feud, is of
that romantic cast which requires little embellishment from fiction.
There is indeed one objection which may have deterred our later Poets
from the undertaking; it is, that the ground which Shakspeare has trod is
sacred; but without any violation of the reverence due to his memory, it
may be wished that this magnificent subject had also been celebrated by
the muse that sang the tale of Flodden Field.”
We have already stated that on the deposition of Richard II. the Earl of
Wiltshire, recently appointed lord of the Manor of Oswestry, fell a
victim to popular fury, and Thomas, son of Richard, Earl of Arundel, was
restored in blood. This last-named nobleman was a liberal supporter of
the Corporation of Oswestry. In 1406 he gave it a release for £100 (a
large sum in those days,) which that body was indebted to him, in
consideration of the distresses which the town had suffered during the
Glyndwr insurrection. He also obtained pardon from the king for his
vassals in Chirk, Bromfield, and the Manor of Oswestry, for the share
they had taken in that rebellion. In the same year with the release he
granted a most extensive Charter to the town, containing many matters
showing the customs of the times. This Charter ordered, that “neither
the lord nor his heirs should confiscate or seize the effects of persons
with or without will in the corporation; that no burgess should be
compelled to be the lord’s receiver-general, but only collector of the
issues arising within the borough; that the burgesses should be
discharged from all fees demanded by the Constable of the castle, or any
of his menial servants, for any felonies or trespasses committed out of
the same liberties, when brought to the prison of the castle; saving that
the Constable might receive one penny at his own election, from every
mansion-house in the town, and a farthing from every cottage, on the
feast of St. Stephen annually; that the burgesses should be free for the
future from all excise of ale, brewed and sold in the town, which had
hitherto been payable at the rate of seven-pence for every _Bracena
cervisiæ_ exposed for sale; that they were to be freed from the duty of
_Amobyr_, or _Lyre-Wyte_; that whoever lived in the house of a burgess,
and happened to die there, the burgess was to have a heriot after his
decease, in the same manner as the _Uchelwyr_, or freeholders residing on
the lands of the lord in the Hundred of Oswestry; that no Shrewsbury ale
should be sold in the town without license, while any ale brewed in the
town was to be had, under the penalty of 6s. 8d.; that none of the
inhabitants of the lordships of Oswestry, Melverley, Kinardsley,
Edgerley, Ruyton, and the eleven towns, should drive or carry any cattle,
corn, or victuals, or other wares, to any foreign fair or market, before
the same had first been exposed for sale in the town of Oswestry, under
the penalty of 6s. 8d.; that none of the lord’s tenants should be
compelled to pay the _redditus advocarii_ for the security of the
castle,” &c. The _Amobyr_ of the Welsh, and the _Lyre-Wyte_ of the
Saxons, were fines paid by the vassal to his lord, to buy off the power
to violate domestic relations. Pennant gives a different interpretation
to the term _Amobyr_, but does not succeed in giving us its literal and
precise meaning. There is one curious fact mentioned in the aforesaid
Charter, and which, even in these days must excite a smile. The
respective _six-and-eightpences_ of the gentlemen who now study “Coke
upon Littleton” was actually prescribed even so far back as the fifteenth
century. It would be a still more curious fact developed, were we
acquainted with the lord of the Manor’s law-adviser when this Charter was
granted, because we might perhaps then be able, from the knowledge of
that fact, to ascribe the origin, if not honour, of lawyers’
_six-and-eightpences_ to the ancient Borough of Oswestry!
According to Pennant, “until the time of the above-mentioned Charter, the
lord’s Welsh tenants of the Hundred of Oswestry were accustomed by their
tenure to keep watch and ward, for three days and three nights, at the
four gates of the town, during the fairs of St. Andrew and St. Oswald,
with a certain number of men called _Kaies_; but these treacherously,
with others, ravaged and plundered the place. On this the tenants were
compelled to pay a sum of money as wages to a sufficient number of
Englishmen, as the burgesses should think convenient, for the custody of
the four gates; and the Welsh men were for ever to be discharged from
that duty. The vassals of the Earl of Arundel in these parts were of a
mixed nature; either descendants of the Norman followers of Alan, or of
the native Welsh, who were most numerous, and bore an hereditary dislike
to their co-tenants of foreign stock. The Welsh part was called
_Walcheria_, and lay in the upper part of the parish.”
Reverting to Owain Glyndwr’s career, we see that his escape from the
Shelton Oak, at the Battle of Shrewsbury, did not deter him from fresh
enterprises. Evidently regardless of the ruin of his allies—they, as
Leland tells us, “whom he promised to unite with” at that battle—he
continued to infest the English borders, where he committed great havoc,
the king being unable, from the want of funds, to resist his aggressions.
Owain’s marauding parties committed serious damage to Shrewsbury and
several of the adjoining townships, and extended their ravages as far as
Buildwas Abbey, which they wasted with fire, so that divine service was
for a time discontinued, and the monks were reduced to the greatest
poverty. At length Henry directed a writ to Edward Charlton, Lord Powys,
to raise forces with which to subdue the renewed rebellion; and similar
orders were sent to Lords Arundel and Grey, and Sir Richard L’Strange,
Lord of Knockin, Ellesmere, and other bordering manors. Glyndwr had
despatched to Shrewsbury two of his best officers, Rhys Ddu and Philipot
Scudamore, to command the insurrectionary party; but Lord Powys, having
promptly obeyed the orders of his sovereign, fortified several castles,
and speedily took as prisoners the above-named two leaders, and they were
both soon afterwards executed in London. Holinshed says, that “Glyndwr
himself in the same year, dreading to show his face to any creature, and
finally lacking meat to sustain nature, for mere hunger and lack of food
miserably pined away and died.” He was living, however, six years later,
but in a state of concealment, chiefly at the house of one of his
daughters, married to a gentleman of Herefordshire named Monnington. In
July, 1415, the new king Henry V., anxious to leave his country in
tranquillity before he engaged in the war with France, offered a pardon
to Glyndwr; and this would probably have been accepted by the Cambrian
chieftain, had not the negotiation been interrupted by his death, which
occurred September 30th, 1415, in the 61st year of his age. It is said
that David Holbetch, Steward of the manors of Oswestry, Bromfield, and
Yale, and founder of the Oswestry Free Grammar School, took a
distinguished part in this negotiation, and obtained the promised pardon
for Glyndwr. Tradition states that he was buried in the churchyard of
Monnington-on-Wye.
With Glyndwr ceased most of the troubles and calamities which had too
long afflicted the English and Welsh Borders. The superstitious charm
with which Owain’s name had been invested by his countrymen soon faded
away, and his life, though startling in a rude and ignorant age, soon
proved that he was “in the common roll of men!” Shakspere was justified
in creating him, poetically, as self-idolatrous, for his daring
incursions and fiery movements indicate that he believed himself to be of
the meteoric class, to curb oppression and give liberty to the enslaved.
For years after Glyndwr’s fall Oswestry, for aught that history tells us
to the contrary, lay in comparative repose, entirely free from foreign
aggression. Intestine feuds and disorders seem to have been the chief
disturbers. The Welsh were arrayed against the English, and the latter
appear to have had no less enmity against their Cambrian neighbours. To
Pennant’s industrious and accurate research we are indebted for the
scanty notices collected of the history of this period. Among the
records of the Drapers’ Company of Shrewsbury, he tells us there is the
following order:—“25 Eliz. 1513. Ordered, that no Draper set out for
Oswestry on Mondays before six o’clock, on forfeiture of six shillings
and eightpence; and that they wear their weapons all the way, and go in
company—not to go over the Welsh Bridge before the bell toll six.”
However numerous and fierce marauders were in the days here referred to,
it would seem that peaceful employments were nevertheless pursued by the
inhabitants of Oswestry, and that their manufactured cloth was of so good
a quality as to be held in high repute among the Shrewsbury Drapers. The
“contests, robberies, and disturbances in the Marches of Wales” still
continuing with unabated force, and both Welsh and English seeming to
have considered everything as lawful plunder which they could seize in
each other’s territory, the Stewards, the Constable, and Lieutenant of
Oswestry and Powys entered into covenants in the year 1534, to restrain
these plundering excursions. It was agreed, that “if, after a certain
day then fixed, any person of one lordship committed felony in the other,
he should be taken and sent into the lordship where the offence was
committed, to receive punishment; and that if any goods or cattle were
stolen from one lordship and conveyed into the other, the tenants and
inhabitants of that lordship should either pay for the same within
fifteen days, or otherwise four principal men should remain in bail, a
main-prize, till they were either paid for or recovered.”
Notwithstanding these rigorous measures, the evil still continued; and so
alarmed were certain of the inhabitants of Shrewsbury, and regardful of
the safety of their fellow-burgesses who had to visit Oswestry market
weekly, that prayers for their preservation were offered up in one of the
churches, on Monday mornings, before they started on their perilous
journey. A timid gentleman, William Jones, Esq., left to the Drapers’
Company “one pound six-shillings and eight-pence, to be paid annually to
the Vicar of St. Alkmond’s Church, for reading prayers on Monday
mornings, before the Drapers set out for Oswestry market!” Pennant
informs us that at this period “Oswestry was the great emporium for Welsh
cloth; a privilege to which it was well entitled from its vicinity to
those districts of Wales in which that important branch of commerce was
manufactured, at a period when the English trader could not, with any
degree of safety, trust himself in the Principality. To this town
(Oswestry) the Drapers of Shrewsbury repaired every Monday. We learn the
fact from a curious MS. Chronicle of the last-mentioned town, which
relates that ‘on Monday, Dec. 5th, 1575, the Drapers of Shrewsbury had
like to have been robbed, if they had not been privately warned; but the
bailiffs and a great company went, strongly aimed, upon their usual trade
toward Oswestry. The robbers proposed to rob them in the dale between
Shelton and Shrewsbury, and lay over night in Master Sherar’s barn, on
the other side of the water.’ The whole narrative, which is told much at
length in the Chronicle, exhibits the unsettled police of a country
slowly emerging from a state of barbarism, and strongly reminds the
reader of the inimitable scene at Gadshill, so admirably pourtrayed by
our great dramatic bard in the first part of Henry IV.” The same writer
adds, “notwithstanding, however, this and similar proofs of the general
insecurity of the country, the Welsh manufacturer was unwilling to meet
the purchaser even half way with his commodities. ‘Not satisfied,’ says
our countryman Dr. Peter Heylyn, in his _Cosmography_, ‘with having fixed
the market at Oswestry, they sought to draw the staple more into their
own country.’ The MS. quoted above informs us, under the year 1582, that
it would have been removed thence, ‘to the great decay of that town and
of Shrewsbury, yf Sir Thomas Bromley, being Lord Chancelor, had not by
his great wisdom opened the same to the Queen’s Majestie, for which godly
deede theye of the said townes are contynewally bownde to praye daylye.’
Lord Chancellor Bromley was a Shropshire man, and possessor, by purchase
from the Earl of Arundel, of the Castle and Lordship of Shrawardine; he
was therefore personally interested in the prosperity of the county, and
by his influence at Court enabled to promote it.” It would further
appear, that the market was continued at Oswestry, so that it is likely
that Lord Bromley’s interposition at Court prevailed. In 1585 the Welsh
cloth market was removed from Oswestry to Knockin, the plague having
broken out in this borough, and destroyed “three-score and four persons,
and no more;” according to the parish register. The plague continued
from April to August, when it entirely disappeared, and the market was
held, as before, in Oswestry.
Oswestry was visited with other calamities some few years before this
period. In 1542 a fire broke out in the town, which was so destructive,
that “two long streets with great riches” were consumed; and in 1567
there was another fire, which destroyed “seven-score within the walls,
and three-score without.” The suburb still known by the name of
_Pentre-Poeth_ (the burnt end of the town) suffered severely, and may
have derived its designation from this destructive fire; or, as Price
intimates, from the frequent fires that may have occurred there during
the conflicts between the Welsh and English. These accidents were looked
upon, at the time, through astrological telescopes, by Camden, the
historian, and a Dr. Childrey. They both gravely ascribed these events
to astrological phenomena, Camden seriously remarking, “that the eclipses
of the sun in Aries have been very fatal to this place; for in the years
1542 and 1567, when the sun was eclipsed in that sign, it (Oswestry)
suffered much by fire!” After reading such absurdity as this from men
professing to be learned, we have reason to be thankful that we are
living in a more enlightened and scientific age.
A few years before the conflagration last referred to, the town was
visited by a no less alarming evil. In 1559 pestilence consigned to the
grave, within one year, more than five hundred of the inhabitants. The
disease which thus afflicted the people is stated to have commenced with
profuse perspiration, (from which it was called “the sweating sickness,”)
and to have continued until the death or recovery of the patient. Its
operation was quick and powerful, and cure or death occurred within
twenty-four hours. Those persons who were seized in the day were put to
bed in their clothes to wait the issue; and those seized in the night
were desired to remain in bed, but not to sleep. The desolation of the
town during the long continuance of the plague is described in affecting
language by the writer of the clever historical sketches, on the History
of Oswestry, that appear in Mr. Roberts’s publication, entitled “Oswald’s
Well:”—
“It was then that Croeswylan received its name. _Croes wylan_, or
the Cross of weeping, was there erected, the base of which still
remains to be seen. To this, with superstitious reverence, all the
people resorted. The diseased and dying sought in grief beneath its
sacred shadow a preparation for the doom to which they were
appointed, and there they languished till that doom was fixed.
Before it, the whole and healthy ones confessed and deplored their
sins, and deprecated the vengeance of heaven. Throughout the
succeeding century this foul contagion lurked on our shores, and at
intervals visited our town, converting it into a vast charnel house.
Its attacks were so insidious and sudden that the glow of health
suffered no process of removal, but instantly fled, as scared and
affrighted on the approach of the fell devourer. During its presence
no sights were to be seen but the wan and sickly visage of those who
were dying, or the panic-stricken gaze of the man yet uninfected,
almost delirious with alarm, and starting from the touch of the
dearest friend of his heart. The air was rent with shrieks and laden
with lamentation. Death alone seemed contented and satisfied, and
sat like a monster unmoved as he banqueted on hundreds of his
victims. All commerce was at a stand-still. Every house was locked,
the inmates scarcely venturing upon a communication with each other,
much less exposing themselves to contact with those without. With
foreboding reluctance they breathed the breath of heaven, pregnant as
it was with the seeds of death. If one of their number was attacked,
no consideration of friendship or kindred spared him the aggravation
of being hurled into the street, there to await the regular arrival
of the dead-cart. That sad accompaniment of the contagion, the
gibbet of the scene, rolled sullenly along the death-smitten streets
upon its gloomy mission, and never returned without the sad evidences
of the rapid progress of the desolating scourge. In the ears of the
expiring it must have sounded like the toll of the passing bell, the
knell of their speedy departure. Upon it, whether dead or just
gasping for life, the diseased victims were heaped, and hurried off
to the brink of a huge pit, dug, probably, in a corner of the Old
Churchyard, into which they were remorselessly thrown. Everything
bespoke the presence and working of a mighty power, in league with
‘the King of terrors.’ All human ties were forcibly disrupted, every
human sympathy was sacrilegiously immolated, until the people were
reduced to that extremity of sadness, in which life is burdensome for
its sorrows, and death terrible for the grim and ghastly shroud in
which it lies hid.”
The market was held, during the Plague, at _Croes wylan_, that the people
from the surrounding country-places should not visit the town, and
thereby suffer from the infection. No doubt that with the dreadful
scourge stalked, hand in hand, gaunt poverty. It may be easily imagined
that the poor suffered severely from the sickness, and that many of them
required relief. We have some testimony before us that the public
authorities of the time sympathized with the sufferers. The following
extracts from the “Accompt of Richard ap Lley, Muringer of the town of
Oswestr, for and from the xvj day of September, in the 2nd yere of our
sovraynge Lady Elizabeth,” show how pecuniary aid was rendered to certain
parties:—
The sayde accomtante doth asc alowaunce for rent bayted to the
Towlers (toll-takers) for one qr. in considracion of the PLAGE:
_s._ _d._
Fyrst to the executors of John Vyghan xx
Allso, &c. rent bayted to Thomas ap Rc. for xx
Wolyws-gate
Allso, &c. to David Glover the elder, for xiij iiij
Newe-gate
Allso, &c. to Wyling Lloyd, for Betresce-gate x
Allso, &c. to David ap David, for Blak gate iiij ij
Allso, &c. rent of Crofft-pystil, in the hande ij
of Rc. ap Mrdyth, dyssessed
Allso, &c. money payde for wrytinge of a xij
suplycacion to my lord of Arundell
Allso, &c. for Lewys Tayler, and Guttyn Furbur, xiiij
beinge unpayde for setting of stales, by reason
of the Plage
Allso, &c. for Rc. Lewther, for one qr. beinge xx
absent from the towne
_Tanners_. Allso, &c. for a qr. rent unto xiiij
tanners beinge apsent in in
tyme of the plage; and fyrste,
Thomas Baker (2 other similar
items)
_Glovers_. Itm. The sayde accomptaunt xij
dothe asc alowaunce for them
that are deade or fled, and
them that are in decaye; and
fyrst, Thomas ap John Wyling,
beinge a poore man (five
others fled, &c.)
_Buchers_. Imp. the sayde accomtant, &c. v
Lewys, bucher, that is dead
(one for the like and 7 fled)
_Corvsers_. Edward Gorg, fled (2 others iij
fled)
_Backers_. David ap sr. Rc. saythe that vi
he dothe not occupey his
backhowes, and prayth alowance
David Bobyth hathe ben longe iij
secke, and asc alo
_Hucksters_. Jonet vrch. David ap Morys asc x
alowance for a qr. Rent (1
other)
_Alle Selers_. Edward Lloyd pray the alowance xjj
for a qr.
David Glover the elder, in xiiij
lycke manner
Richard Salter was longe xiijj
sycke, and praythe alowance
Thomas Glover praythe xx
alowaunce for half a yere;
aledginge, that he sold no
alle for that space (3 others)
Payments for the provision of the genrall Feast unto the Coo-burgesses
according to the aunsient costom, holden the vth day of Desember, in the
thryde yere of the raynge of our sovraynge layde Ellizabeth, by the grace
of God quene of England, &c. at the making of this accompt:
_s._ _d._
_Whete_. Fyrste, the saide accomptaunt xj
hathe payde for ii stryckes and
a hoope of whette for brede and
for peys
_Maullt_. Allso payde for iii strycke of xij
maullt
_Boochers_. Allso payde for a qr. and ii vj viij
rybes of byff
Allso payde for mytton for to ij vj
make peys for this feast
. . . for iij_lb._ ressyns xij
. . . s pep v ij
_Cloves_, _&c._ Allso payde for cloves, masses, vj
aud saffrone
Allso payde for synamon and vij
sugr.
Itm. pd. for buttr. spent at viij
this feast
_Chese_. Allso payde for chesses ij ix
_Nyttes_, &c. Allso pd. for appells and nyttes xvj
_Saullt_. Allso payde for a hoope of sallt x
for the byff
_This Accompt was made before us_, _the persons under-named_, _then
Bailiffe of the said Towne_, JOHN STANNEY, THOMAS EVANS.
* * * * *
With these awful calamities the people endured severe privation, both as
to food and clothing. Provisions had risen so enormously in price as to
place even the coarsest food beyond the reach of the poor. We are told
that so deficient were the working-classes of the commonest provision,
that they were glad to resort, for subsistence, to horse-bread, composed
of beans, oats, and bran. “The good old times” are too frequently quoted
as periods of comfort, compared with the present days; but such facts as
have been now related must convince every Englishman of right feeling
that, however humble his lot, he still possesses “a goodly heritage.”
For a considerable time no event occurred in Oswestry worthy of detailed
notice. In the 42nd of Elizabeth, Coke, Attorney-General, acknowledges
all the liberties and franchises of Oswestry, by an order that all
further proceedings on the part of the Crown, on a writ of _Quo Warranto_
against the Bailiffs and Burgesses of Oswestry, should wholly cease. In
1603 a dispute took place between the Bailiffs, Burgesses, &c. and the
Earl of Suffolk, then lord and owner of the town and manor, the former
body having, in numerous assembly, resolved to maintain the rights and
privileges granted to them by Richard II., and confirmed by their “late
sovereigne of famous memorye, queene Elizabeth.” A petition setting
forth their grievances, mainly caused by the Earl of Suffolk’s steward,
had been presented by them to the Lord President of the Marches; to which
Lord Suffolk replied as follows:—
“_To his good freinds_, _the Burgesses and Townesmen of his Towne and
Manor of Oswester_:
I HAVE of late receaved a Letter from my honble good Lord and freind,
the L. President of Wales, wch declared unto mee, a great desire in
his Lpp to give some satisfaction to you uppon a Peticon given him
from yor Towne, as exceptinge against the Course wch Mr. Lloyd, my
Officer, healde with you. Nowe you must knowe, that I doe, and will
avowe him in such things as he, in his discreation, shall find to bee
profitable for mee wch, perchaunce, may bee displeasinge to you, but
herin you may further wronge yor selves then you are aware off; for
yf you shall deny to yeald mee thoes Rights & Proffits that are due
unto me, as Lord of the Manor, you must then knowe, that I doe look
for at Mr. Lloyds hands such a resistance of yor wills as I may not
bee prejudized thereby: & I knowe his understandinge & discreation is
such, as he would not drawe mee into frivolous and needles
questions.—Therefore I must tell you, that yf you have refused the
duties whch belonge unto mee, that I will execute my remedies as the
lawes of the Land will allowe mee. But, becawse I wolde not be
thought rigorous, and that yt may appeare that my L: President hath
the powre of an honorable & kind ffreind in mee, I am contented that
yf you doe sende upp to the Tearme at Winchester, such as shall have
powre to followe the cawse in the behaulf of you all, that then the
questions wch are risen between the Steward & you shall, yf yt may
be, have an end; by Councill chosen of each syde; wch Course shall
please mee well: but yf yt happen otherwise, the fault shall not be
myne, for I desire not contencons; but then of necessety, Lawe must
determyn them. In the meane tyme, I charge you all to carry yor
selves respectively and duetifully to my Officers; for you must learn
to obey, yf you will desire to be obeyed; wch you, being a Corporate
Towne, should principally desire. And soe I leave you for this tyme,
untill I heare further from you. From the Court at Wylton, this 25th
of October, 1603.
Yor Lovinge freind & Lord,
SUFFOLKE.”
James I. in 1616, granted a Charter to the town, thus removing “divers
doubts and ambiguities” which had “arisen concerning the ancient
liberties, francheses, &c., of the town and borough of Oswaldstre,” and
extending their liberties and privileges, as well as confirming them a
body corporate, by the name of “the Bayliff and Burgesses of Oswestry, in
the Countie of Salope.”
About this period a heavy blow was struck at the commerce of the town, by
the Drapers of Shrewsbury (a reference to whose complaints and
apprehensions has already been made), “who weary,” says Pennant, “of
their weekly journeys to Oswestry, determined to transfer the market to
their own town, from that in which Queen Elizabeth had established it.
But this attempt proved in the first instance abortive. The Lordship of
Oswestry was enjoyed at this time by Thomas Howard, Earl of Suffolk, to
whom it had been granted by the late queen, in the 43rd year of her
reign. He was in great favour with James, in whose Court he held the
office of Lord Chamberlain, and to whom he had recently recommended
himself by his vigilance and promptitude in the discovery of the
Gunpowder Plot. Possessed of the highest notions of the privileges of
the peerage, and jealous of the infringement of his rights by the traders
of Salop, he issued his mandate to them by one of their own body,—Arthur
Kynaston, merchant of the staple, a younger brother of the house of
Ruyton,—to desist from such attempts in future. Their answer is recorded
in their own books: it is entitled ‘The copy of a letter sent by the
Company to the Earle of Suffolk, Lord Chamberlain of his Majestie’s
househoulde, ye 24th June, 1609.’ ‘Right Honerabell,—Your letter bearing
date the second of this June, by the hands of Mr. Kiniston wee have
received: wherein ytt appereth yor Lordship was informed that wee the
Societie of Drapers wentt aboute by underarte and menenesse to withdraw
your markett of Walsh clothe from your towne of Oswester;’ and they
proceed to exculpate themselves from the charge in those phrases of
submission which were in that day the established usage of inferiors in
their addresses to those above them. This was their tone during the
plenitude of the Earl’s power, which, five years after the date of this
letter, received a great increase by his appointment to the exalted post
of Lord High Treasurer of England. During this time we may be sure ‘the
market for frize and cottons continued, where, according to Heylin, it
was originally fixed, at Oswestry.’ But in 1618, the King’s necessities
caused an enquiry into the management of the treasury, and Suffolk, whose
unbounded expenses in his magnificent palace at Audley-End, had brought
him into pecuniary difficulties, was fined by the Court of Star Chamber
in the vast sum of £30,000, and dismissed from all his employments. The
clemency of James mitigated this enormous fine, but the influence of the
Earl of Suffolk was gone; and in 1621 the Shrewsbury Drapers made an
order upon the books of their Company, ‘That they will not buy cloth at
Oswestry, or elsewhere than in Salop.’”
As we have shewn in a preceding page, the struggles of the Welsh, to
recover the freedom they had lost, terminated with the death of their
last great leader, Owain Glyndwr. “Their wild spirit of independence,
and their enthusiasm for liberty,” says the eloquent historian whom we
have already quoted, “from this period gradually declined. The blood of
their beloved Princes was nearly extinct; and their native bravery was
subdued, or rendered ineffectual, by their intestine divisions and by
their repeated misfortunes. When fierce valour and unregulated freedom
are opposed to discipline, to enlarged views, and to sound policy, the
contest is very unequal: it is not therefore surprising that the genius
of England at length obtained the ascendancy. It was, indeed, an
interesting spectacle, and might justly have excited indignation and
pity, to have seen an ancient and gallant nation, falling the victims of
private ambition, or sinking under the weight of a superior power. But
such emotions, which were then due to that injured people, have lost at
this period their force and their poignancy. A new train of ideas
arises; when we see that the change is beneficial to the vanquished—when
we see a wild and precarious liberty succeeded by a freedom which is
secured by equal and fixed laws—when we see manners hostile and
barbarous, and a spirit of rapine and cruelty, softened down into the
arts of peace, and the milder arts of civilized life—when we see this
Remnant of the Ancient Britons uniting in interests, and mingling in
friendship with their conquerors, and enjoying with them the same
constitutional liberties; the purity of which, we trust, will continue
uncorrupted as long as the British Empire shall be numbered among the
nations of the earth.”
We now approach a period in our national history which has ever been
viewed, by opposing political parties, in a conflicting spirit. The
turbulent elements of
THE CIVIL WARS
were not allayed until Death had silenced the two great actors in the
tragic and murderous drama. The present volume, devoted principally to
local history, is not an appropriate organ in which to discuss the merits
and demerits of Charles I. and his sturdy rival Cromwell. Charles was
doubtless guilty of many gross violations of his prerogative, and plunged
into a reckless course of misgovernment, accompanied with galling
taxation, which the people, beginning to learn the lessons of liberty,
and to understand the genius of the British constitution, would not
tamely submit to.
The ill-fated monarch, looking at him through the long vista of two
centuries, was greatly to be pitied. The son of a king, who disregarded
the instructions of his wise preceptor, George Buchanan, and who, in his
rule over the English people, was prodigal, unprincipled, and tyrannical,
he ascended the throne with a corrupt education, and urged to despotism
and injustice by his infamous minister Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, he
speedily exhibited in his regal capacity, a passion for power, which, as
Macauley remarks, soon became “a predominant vice; idolatry to his regal
prerogative, his governing principle. The interests of the crown
legitimated every measure, and sanctified in his eye the widest deviation
from moral rule.” Such was the son of a kingly father who was fond of
cockfighting, and the brutal pleasures of inebriation, who utterly
neglected the affairs of state on the plea that “he should not make a
slave of himself;” who sold titles and privileges of all kinds, that his
vices might be fed; and who basely deprived people of their patents,
after having paid for them to himself. These were only a small portion
of the sire’s iniquities. What surprise then can be entertained that
Charles, his son, walked much in the father’s footsteps! Notwithstanding
his despotic and infatuated measures, to which all the evils of the civil
wars may be traced, yet he had many excellencies; and the closing scene
of his unhappy life proved that had he been blessed with a wiser
tutelage, and taught to govern with a just and righteous hand, he might
have descended into the tomb with virtue and honour, embalmed in the
grateful recollections of his country.
Of his powerful rival and successor much has, and still may be said, in
his praise and condemnation. His character, however, singular and
erratic as it was, was mixed, as that of other men; and whilst he
displayed a religious enthusiasm and sanctity in most of his public acts,
apparently impressed with the conviction that he “was doing GOD service”
in the course in which he had embarked; yet the troublous events of his
life—the fears, anxieties, and weakness of his mortal nature—must have
convinced him, if he sincerely believed in the religion of which he made
so loud and trumpet-tongued a profession, that “he had done many things
which he ought not to have done, and left undone many things he ought to
have done.” Now that we look calmly back upon Cromwell’s life, we can
see much in his administrative policy that elevated the nation during his
transient rule, and that has shed its salutary influences even upon the
present generation; but the deep, dark spot in his escutcheon—the murder
of Charles—a crime which harrows up the feelings, and rouses the
indignation of all right-minded men—that foul murder, with all its cruel
and inhuman associations, blots out any excellency that he ever did
achieve, and stamps his character indelibly as that of a religious,
enthusiastic professor only, and not of a Christian man. Charles may
have been guilty, and deserving of punishment for his misrule; but we
have yet to learn that Cromwell had plenary power to execute the mandate
of JEHOVAH, and to have adopted the inspired exclamation, “VENGEANCE IS
MINE!”
“At the breaking out of the Civil Wars,” says Pennant, “the whole of
Shropshire, with few exceptions of persons and none of places, adhered to
the cause of royalty. Oswestry, like the rest, was garrisoned for the
king. The town was defended by a new gate and draw-bridge; the castle
was fortified very strongly; and to prevent it from being commanded by
the church, in case of the capture of the town, the steeple was pulled
down, and a part of the sacred edifice was also demolished.” The same
popular author, with his fervid nationality, and strong royalist
principles, adds, with evident pride and delight, “The garrison consisted
chiefly of Welsh (a people almost to a man staunch in the cause of their
sovereign).” The governor of Oswestry Castle at this disturbed period
was a Colonel Lloyd. Edward Lloyd, Esq., of Llanvorda, compounded for
his estates, as a royalist, in the sum of £300; and at the period of
which we write (1643) he was in the prime of life, and therefore
physically able to assume the important command of Governor of the
Castle. Colonel Thomas Mytton, of Halston, near Oswestry, a man well
skilled in military art, and of great personal courage, had united as a
commander with the Parliamentary forces, and first signalized himself in
an assault upon the town of Wem, which he seized and garrisoned; that
place soon became the centre from which attacks were directed against the
royalist garrisons in the neighbouring towns. Mytton’s success at Wem
was achieved in the latter end of August, 1643; and although he actively
assisted the Parliamentary army in its attacks upon other parts of the
country, he frequently visited Wem to concert measures for fresh
conquests. In January of the following year, a plan was there determined
upon for a sudden and covert attack upon Oswestry. The story is on
record that Mytton well knew the _bon vivant_ qualities of the Governor
of Oswestry. It was said of this royalist Commandant, that in the social
circle he was the life and soul of the company, and that when he entered
upon the convivialities of the table, he found it a difficult matter to
interrupt the rosy hours by wending homewards. Colonel Mytton might know
the frailties of his gallant opponent; and, with a strategetic art
unworthy of a modern general, he devised a scheme for capturing the
Governor and seizing the town of Oswestry. The anecdote proceeds to
state, that Colonel Lloyd was to be invited to dinner at the house of a
neighbouring gentleman; and Mytton calculated that no dinner invitation
would be refused by good-humoured Col. Lloyd. The plot included the
spread of further net-work, in which the unsuspecting Governor was to be
surely caught. His gastronomic and vinous attachments were to be
plentifully gratified; and whilst indulging in bacchanalian revels, a
military force, under Mytton’s direction, was to enter the dining room in
which the innocent Governor was carousing, to seize him, _vi et armis_,
take him before his own garrison, in Oswestry, and there compel him to
issue orders to his officers to surrender the town and castle. The plot,
as we have described it, was partly successful, but eventually failed.
Colonel Lloyd accepted the apparently-friendly invitation to dinner; and
all went merrily on with him for a brief period. The detachment of
troops was sent from Wem to take him prisoner, so that the first act of
the drama was nearly completed. Whilst, however, the Parliamentarians
were on their way to surprise him, two of their scouts were seized by
some royalist friends; they confessed their share in the treacherous
plot; the Colonel was apprized of the danger he was in, fled from the
habitation of his Judas-like host, reached the “post of honour” which he
had so improperly abandoned for the pleasures of the table, and secured
from the grasp of his enemies both the town and castle. Colonel Lloyd’s
misconduct was reported, it seems, to the royalist commander-in-chief,
who removed him from his important position, and appointed as his
successor Sir Absetts Shipman.
The parliamentary leaders were numerous and powerful, and they were all
fired with zeal and enthusiasm in the cause which they espoused. The
town of Oswestry was a military post of distinction in their eyes; and to
possess it was an achievement “devoutly to be wished.” Oswestry stood on
a towering height, vigilantly watching the varied movements of the
parliamentary hosts, and protecting the communication between the town
and Wales. The opposite party were equally active and observant.
Colonel Mytton was well acquainted, from his local connexion, with the
strength and resources of the town, and brought to his aid, in his
meditated attack upon it, Sir Thomas Fairfax, the equal to Cromwell in
military tactics. In the month of March, 1644, Fairfax and Mytton, with
a strong force under their command, made a sudden attack upon the town,
which was gallantly repulsed by Prince Rupert (the King’s nephew), who
commanded the royalist troops in garrison. This triumph was but of short
duration, for the town was attacked in a few months afterwards, and in
this renewed onslaught, the parliamentary forces were victors. The
Battle of Oswestry, if such it may be called, was fought on the 22nd
June. The Earl of Denbigh, a young parliamentary leader of some military
talents, and son of a nobleman who had died in defence of the crown,
suddenly left the main body of his army, and marched, with his “forlorn
hope” upon Oswestry, determined upon taking the town by a _coup de main_.
He reached the vicinity in company with Colonel Mytton, about two o’clock
in the afternoon of June the 22nd, the former probably knowing, from the
“false brethren,” as spies were then called, that the garrison was partly
defenceless, the Governor having imprudently gone to Shrewsbury with
certain parliamentary prisoners. Denbigh’s force consisted merely of two
hundred infantry, and two troops of cavalry. The engagement was short
and sharp. After a hot affair of about two hours, in which Lord
Denbigh’s artillery played fiercely upon the garrison with small and
great shot, a breach was made in the walls of the town, and the infantry
poured in, headed by Major Fraser, with the loss of only one man killed
and three wounded. “The New-gate,” adds Pennant, “was next demolished by
the cannon, when a young fellow, one George Cranage, went with a hatchet,
and cutting down the chains of the draw-bridge, enabled the cavalry also
to enter. The besieged made an attempt to maintain the Church, but soon
finding it untenable, fled to the castle. Hither they were closely
pursued, and the pioneers were quickly called in to undermine its walls;
in which, we are informed, the skill as well as valour of Colonel Mytton
was very conspicuous. He was probably enabled, from his residence in the
neighbourhood, to direct the miners to proceed with most effect. But the
daring valour of Cranage again anticipated these slower operations. He
was persuaded to hang a _Buttar_ (a petard) at the castle-gate! Being
well animated with sack, he undertook this desperate attempt, crept with
the engine from house to house, till he got to that next to the castle,
fastened it to the gate, set fire to it, and escaped unhurt! The gate
was then burst open, and the garrison, finding it impossible to make any
further resistance, surrendered the castle upon promise of quarter for
their lives. * * * It is greatly to the honour of the victorious
commanders that they restrained their soldiers from pillage, at the
expense of a gratuity of £500. One can scarcely err in ascribing this
noble and uncommon act of mercy to Colonel Mytton’s solicitude for the
welfare of his neighbours. The Earl dispatched intelligence of his
success to the Parliament. His letter was read to the House of Commons,
on the 27th June, giving an account of his taking the town and castle of
Oswaldstree, with 400 prisoners and 300 arms. Thanks were voted to him
for this his good service, and former testimonies of affection to the
house.” The circumstantial narrative proceeds to state that “his
Lordship returned, after this exploit, to his main army at Drayton,” and
left Colonel Mytton in defence of the town. The fall of Oswestry was a
severe blow to the royal party. Besides opening a door for the reduction
of North Wales to the power of the Parliament, it lowered them in the
scale of public opinion, a loss, in the declining posture of their
affairs, of incalculable importance. Active and energetic as were both
Lord Denbigh and Colonel Mytton, in their attack upon Oswestry, still
they did not escape the slanders even of their own party. The Earl of
Denbigh seems to have felt their calumnies acutely, for a few months
after the siege his Lordship wrote a letter to Mytton, vindicating the
gallantry of both; which we subjoin:—
“COLL. MITTON,
I will not trouble you with the injuries that are offered to you and
myselfe, by the Committe of Wem. I am sure you have deserved more of
the Parliament then the rest of that Committe. Captaine Clive, as I
am informed, reports I was not at the takeing of Oswaldstre, and that
my horse stood att too great a distance; I am sure they entred with
the foote; but the false representations of passages heere shall not
divert me from those occasions that may fully expresse me to be
Your faithfull frend and servant,
DENBIGH.”
“Condor, 29th Oct. 1644.”
At this period the King’s position was critical and alarming. In the
early part of the month he determined to take refuge within the walls of
Shrewsbury, in his march through Worcester and Bewdley. Waller, the
parliamentary leader, hearing of Charles’s movements, broke up from
Oxford, and hastened in the direction of Shropshire. On this
intelligence the King left Shrewsbury, and retraced his steps. The
battle of Copredy Bridge (June 29th) terminated in the defeat of the
parliamentary forces; and in July the Earl of Denbigh, encouraged by his
success at Oswestry, drew his forces towards Shrewsbury, but was repulsed
by the royalist army, with a loss of 120 of his men. The King’s defeat
at Marston Moor (July 3rd) added, however, to his disasters and dangers.
The whole of Shropshire was in arms, and jeopardy and distress stared
every man in the face.
Among the prisoners taken in the late disaster at Oswestry was Francis
Newport, Esq., who had served both in the short and long Parliaments.
The historians of Shrewsbury have furnished us with an interesting
account of this distinguished man:—
“Mr. Newport was son and heir of Sir Richard Newport, of High Ercall,
one of the knights of the shire. This young gentleman was but just
eligible to serve in parliament, having arrived at full age only on
the 23rd day of the preceding February. He manifested the same
ardent loyalty which actuated his father: and ventured, with rare but
honourable gallantry, to vote for the acquittal of Lord Strafford, at
a time when such votes exposed those who gave them to no small
personal hazard; the populace, with their usual toleration of
sentiments differing from their own, denouncing all such, fifty-six
in number, as _Straffordians_; and exposing their names to execration
and danger by public placards. Mr. Newport was soon expelled from
the house as a _malignant_; appeared in arms against the parliament;
and was among the prisoners taken at Oswestry, on the capture of that
town by the Earl of Denbigh and Colonel Mytton. It is needless to
say that he suffered very considerably in his estate: being obliged
to compound in the large sum of £5284, in addition to £3287, and £170
a year extorted from his father for the same crime of loyalty. Yet
though attached to the monarchy, he was friendly to the rights of the
subject; and it is not a little remarkable, that he who had suffered
so deeply for the first Charles, was so much disgusted by the base
and arbitary measures of the two succeeding kings, by the last of
whom he had the honour of being dismissed from the office of lord
lieutenant of this county; that he was a great promoter of the
Revolution, and was excepted, by the abdicated monarch, from his
general pardon. He was created earl of Bradford by king William; and
died Sept., 1708, in the eighty-ninth year of his age.”
The town of Oswestry was now in the hands of the parliamentarians, under
the temporary Governorship of Colonel Mytton, but was not long permitted
to remain quietly in the power of the victors. Only one short week
elapsed before a formidable attempt was made by part of the royalist
army, under Colonel Marrow, a skilful and intrepid commander, to retake
the town, and drive the parliamentary forces from their position.
Colonel Marrow invested the town with 3,500 infantry, and 1,500 cavalry,
and maintained a close siege for the three following days. This sudden
assault greatly embarrassed Colonel Mytton, whose only hope for relief
was from Sir Thomas Myddleton, his kinsman by marriage, who was then
stationed at Knutsford, in Cheshire, more than fifty miles distant.
Colonel Mytton, however, succeeded in making Sir Thomas acquainted with
his position in less than twelve hours from the commencement of the
royalist attack; and the gallant knight, who was heartily engaged in the
parliamentary cause, immediately mustered three regiments, namely,
Booth’s, Mainwaring’s, and Croxen’s, with Major Lothian at the head of
the reserve, and marching onwards with all speed, reached in two days
within sight of Oswestry—it is supposed between Halston and Whittington.
During this interval of time the royalists had not obtained full
possession of the town, though consisting, as Sir Thomas Myddleton says,
“of the most valiant commanders and soldiers, drawn out of the garrisons
of Chester, Cheshire, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, Ludlow, Denbighshire,
Flintshire, and other places.” They had possessed themselves of the
Church, but had made no inroad upon the Castle. Myddleton’s approach
having been made known, Colonel Marrow marched out from the town,
determined to attack him before his troops could recruit themselves after
their long march. “They had taken the passage of water neere to
Whittington,” says Sir Thomas, in his letter to Lenthall, the Speaker,
“and very furiously assaulted and charged us, but were repulsed and
forced to retire, through the courage of our horse, who most courageously
entertained the enemy. Three several times the skirmish was doubtful;
either side being forced so often to retreat. But in the end, our foot
forces, coming up, relieved the horse, beat back the enemy, and pursued
them with such force, that our horse being thereby encouraged, which
indeed was formerly weary, joining with the foot, they put the enemy to
an absolute flight, in which we pursued them five miles towards
Shrewsbury, to a place called ‘Felton Heath,’ and where we remained after
their flight, again masters of the field. In the skirmish with the
enemy, and in the pursuite, we lost several of our horse, some of our
troopers, but never a footman, which I am yet informed of. As for the
enemy they lost several stout men; had many of them taken prisoners, some
of them being of great quality, as the Lord Newport’s eldest son; and
besides, in their flight, such was their haste, that we found in our
pursuite the highway as it were strewed with bread, cheese, bacon, and
other good provisions; clothes, and such necessary appurtenances to an
army, besides some whole veals and muttons, new killed.” Sir Thomas
adds, that “his forces followed up their blow nearly to Shrewsbury, and
that Majors Manley and Whitney were afterwards taken under the walls of
that town, in pursuite of them.”
This affair closed the struggle between the royalist and parliamentary
forces for the possession of Oswestry. On the very day on which Sir
Thomas Myddleton raised the siege, Prince Rupert was signally defeated at
Marston Moor, with the loss of ten thousand men killed and taken
prisoners. Colonel Mytton must subsequently have delegated his command
as temporary Governor of Oswestry, as we find him soon afterwards
actively engaged in commanding the parliamentary troops in the conquest
of Shrewsbury. That event happened early in 1645, when the town was
placed in the hands of the parliamentarians. At this period we find
Mytton named, in several public documents, as Major-General in the
parliamentary army, and some time afterwards as Commander-in-chief of the
forces in North Wales.
All the historical records referring to this period give evidence of the
arduous duties of General Mytton, and of the difficulties which he had
suffered in maintaining his hold upon Oswestry. A letter which we here
give indicates the straits he was in, and at the same time the friendly
offers of support made to him in the county. The letter is from a Mr.
Edward Mynshull, of Bearstone, near Drayton:—
“Honoble Sr,
I came to Drayton, hearinge you were there, butt unfortunately mist
of you, yor honor lyeinge in Stafforde the night before; I have since
then waited yor retorne from London, haveinge 30 able men in
readiness, and 20 of them well armed, to doe yor honor servise. I
have kepte them together upon my owne charge, and should have bin
glad they might have bin accepted in Ossestrie, to doe duty for
theire free quarters till yor honor had returned. I motioned this to
Major Goldegay, butt itt could nott be granted without an order from
the Comitte. Sr, I am resolved to doe you servise, or no man; and
for my fidelity, I will engage £400, paid in Shropshire, and if you
please, as much in Cheshire; if yor honor please, I could wish to
have a comission sent me by the first, because I only tooke itt in
direction from yor honor, and whether thatt may suporte me in yor
honor’s absence, (should I be questioned) I make a doubte of. Sr, my
request is, I may have order by the first, to martch to Osestree,
where I and my men will doe duty for free quarters, (requireinge noe
pay) till yor honor retorneth; and lett me receive order from Major
Goldegay to thatt purpose, if you soe please, for were I settled in a
garrison, I could have men sufficient. I beseech yor honor retorne
me yor pleasure by the first, and I shall willingly embrace yor
commands; if yor honor send to Hugh Bate, Shoemaker, in Wem, he will
convey yor letter to Mr. Jon. Grosvenor, in Berson, from whence itt
will come safe to me. Sr, I pray for yor honors prosperity and safe
retorne, and whilst I live I shall remaine
Att yor servise,
EDWARDE MYNSHULL.”
“Berson, April 25th, 1645.”
The fall of Shrewsbury into the power of the Parliament was marked by “a
solemn thanksgiving throughout the City of London,” on the 12th March;
Mytton was summoned to appear before the House of Commons on the 29th of
that month, and “Master Speaker, in the name, and by the command of the
whole House, gave him hearty thanks for his many and faithfull services
done to the state; giving him all encouragement to persist in the same:
especially for that gallant service of Shrewsbury; assuring him that he
shall never want the encouragement of the House of Parliament in his
undertakings.”
General Mytton had evidently embarked all his energies in the
parliamentary cause; yet notwithstanding the tribute paid to him by the
Commons, it does not appear that he obtained from that source any more
substantial honours. This neglect seems to have given him much pain. A
letter to him from the Duke of Northumberland, about this period, shews
that even the Governorship of Oswestry was not actually accorded to him
till late in the year 1645. The letter we subjoin:—
“Sr,
By an indisposition in my health, I have not beene able for some
dayes to attend the Committie of both kingdomes, so as I can not give
you so good an account of your businesse as I desired, but I heare
that a commission for your being governor of Oswallds-tree is
alreadie signed; to-morrow I shall make a further enquirie after this
particular, and if it be in my power to contribute any thing towards
your satisfaction, none shall more readily assist you then
Your very affectionate freind and servant,
“London, Nov. 21, 1645.”
NORTHUMBERLAND.”
“For my very loveing Freind, Col. Mytton.”
The conquest of Shrewsbury, by the parliamentary troops, is generally
acknowledged to have been achieved by the gallantry and superior tactics
of General Mytton; and having accomplished so signal a service for his
party, he naturally expected, now that the Governorship of that town was
vacant, that the office would he conferred upon him. His ancient
relation to the town, his ancestors having been inhabitants and burgesses
for upwards of four centuries, added strength to his claim. All his
important services to the Parliament were, however, of no weight, and the
Governorship was bestowed upon another man. We are told that “Colonel
Mytton’s politics were getting very fast out of fashion. He had sided
with the Parliament only for the limitation of prerogative, not for the
subversion of the monarchy. The Presbyterians, to whom, it appears, he
belonged, had no insurmountable objections to the office of a king,
provided he was under their controul: or to a national establishment of
religion, if its revenues were at their disposal. But those who commence
important changes in a state have seldom the satisfaction of reaping the
fruit of their labours. Spirits more ardent, with views more extensive,
step in between them and the consummation of their designs.” With Sir
William Waller, another of the ablest and most successful commanders of
the Presbyterian party, he could say, “after the expence of so much blood
and treasure, all the difference between our former and present estate is
this, that before-time, under the complaint of a slavery we lived like
freemen; and now, under the notion of a freedom, we live like slaves,
enforced by continual taxes and oppressions, to maintain and feed on our
miseries.”
Although General Mytton had been thus ungratefully treated by the
Parliament, he still occupied his military position, for we find that in
1648 he was engaged with Sir Thomas Myddleton in the attack upon
Caernarvonshire and Anglesey. In June of that year the Speaker of the
House of Commons communicated to him a letter, highly approving his “good
and faithfull service” against “Sir John Owen and his rebellious crewe.”
The letter referred to is a curiosity, as it shows the blasphemous
freedom which Cromwell’s parliament took with the holy name of GOD:—
“Sir,
I received a letter subscribed by yourself and the Governor of
Conway, wherein you gave an account of the late successe wherewith
God hath beene pleased to blesse the forces under both yor commands
and conductes in yor late expedition into Carnarvonshire, against Sir
John Owen and his rebellious crewe, wch I have imparted to the house,
and hath beene there read. Yor good and faithfull service in that
expedition is soe well represented, that I am comanded, as from the
house and in their name, to returne thanks for the same, wch hereby I
doe, and you are desired to do the like to those officers and
souldiers under the charge and comand wch God hath beene pleased to
make instrumentall in the obteyning of such a seasonable mercy, and
withall to represent to the house what course (like to be effectual)
may bee taken for remunerating ye officers and souldiers for their
good service. This beeing all I have in comand at present, I shall
only add that I am
Yor assured loveing freind,
WM. LENTHALL, SPEAKER.”
“June the 13th, 1648.”
Lenthall, the Speaker, was profuse, as we have shewn, in compliments, but
still no substantial mark of favour upon General Mytton was bestowed.
The Committee to whom the appointment of Governor of Shrewsbury Castle
had been referred had long before found “reasons of weight to put
another” in that office, after having held it in their own hands for some
time. In 1647 the Governorship was filled by Humphrey Mackworth, Esq.,
of Betton, a Presbyterian, and Colonel in the army, who occupied the post
till his death, in 1654, and having been one of Cromwell’s Privy Council,
was buried in Henry VII.’s Chapel in Westminster Abbey, on the 26th
December, with great magnificence. He was succeeded in office at
Shrewsbury by Thomas Hunt, Esq., representative of the town in
Parliament, and a Colonel in the army. Mytton retired to London, from
what immediate cause there is no record to show; but some writers assert
that he resigned his command. In 1651 we find that the Parliament again
solicited Major-General Mytton’s services, the following letter having
been forwarded to him by the President Bradshawe. The kingdom was
disturbed at this period by the Scottish Covenanters, under the nominal
command of Charles II.:—
“Sr,
The Scotts army being now entred into England, and bending their
course towards those parts where wee know you have a good interest,
wee conceive your presence there may bee of use for the service of
the Commonwealth; wee therefore desire you forthwith to repaire into
the Countie of Salop, and there, with the rest of your fellow
Commissioners, doe your best endeavour, and put out your interest
there for the raiseing of what force of horse and foot you can, for
the service of the Commonwealth in this present exigency of affaires.
Signed in the name and by order of the Councell of
State, appointed by authority of Parliament,
JO: BRADSHAWE, PRSIDT.”
“Whitehall, 14th August, 1651.”
“For Major General Thomas Mytton.”
Most probably by this time General Mytton had grown tired with the hard
toils of intestine warfare, and become disgusted with the faithlessness
of the men whom he had so ardently and faithfully served; for we do not
find that he complied with Bradshawe’s letter, or took any further part
in public affairs. He died in the metropolis in the year 1656, and his
body was taken down to Shrewsbury, and interred in St. Chad’s Church
there.
THE RESTORATION.
It is unnecessary here to do more than merely advert to the unhappy close
of Charles I.’s reign, the triumphs of Cromwell, and the bold and manly
efforts made by Charles II. to obtain the Crown which had been so
violently wrested from his father. Although Cromwell had made himself
Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland, yet he reposed not on a
bed of roses. “Every party in the kingdom soon became disgusted with
Cromwell’s dominion. The royalists were indignant to see the ancient
monarchy usurped by an upstart who had no hereditary claim upon their
allegiance; the republicans were mortified to see all their blood and
efforts, which had been spent for the setting-up of the Commonwealth,
lavished only for the support of a government which, in everything but
the name, was a most despotic monarchy; the Presbyterians were chagrined
at the favour of their rivals, the Independents, and at a general
toleration of every religious denomination (except the Church of
England).” Conspiracies and plots were hatched in many parts of the
land; and the Protector was kept on the alert by daily intelligence that
the exiled king would challenge the usurper, and claim the British throne
as soon as a favourable opportunity presented itself for so bold an
enterprise. Cromwell, however, after various struggles with the royalist
forces, was summoned to “the house appointed for all men living.” He was
succeeded, for a brief period, by his son Richard, who speedily retired
from public life. General Monk, who had been an intrepid commander both
of the royalist and the parliamentary forces, and who possessed powerful
influence in the country, on the death of the Protector Cromwell wisely
threw the weight of that influence into the royalist scale, and adopted
measures at once to bring back Charles II. from France to England. Upon
that joyful event all ranks hastened to return to their allegiance, and
on the 29th of May, 1660, Charles II. set his foot again upon British
soil, and immediately assumed the functions of sovereignty.
During the events to which we have been adverting the town of Oswestry
suffered much privation and distress by the feuds and divisions into
which all classes of men were thrown. A letter from Mr. John Griffith to
Major-General Mytton, dated January 7th, 1650, shows that Oswestry was
enduring much hardship. The letter, which is copied from the Halston
MSS., is as follows:—
“Honor’d Sir,
I receaved a note from * * * * to write unto yor honor concerning our
sufferings. I presume yor honor knowes the maner of our sufferings,
and how we may be releeved is better known to you then to us. The
Baylifes and the rest of the sufferinge people of Oswestree depende
much upon your assistance, and hope yor honor will have a fitt
opportunity to doe this poor towne good. * * * I shall make bould to
put yor honor in mind of your promise to draw a petition to the
Parliament wth yor owne handes, wch we all hope you will doe before
yor returne, and then yor honor shall further ingadge the whole towne
ever to pray for yor honor, and especially
Yor servant,
JOHN GRIFFITH.”
“Osw., the 7th of January, 1650.”
“To the Honrable Major Generall Mytton, at London.”
There are no records extant showing precisely the position of civil and
military affairs, as regards the town of Oswestry, in the struggles of
Charles II. for the Crown. The parliamentary party held firm possession
of all towns which they had taken, and against Charles they fought as
fiercely as against his murdered father. Whatsoever the position of
Oswestry was at the period to which we are referring, that of a valiant
neighbour, Sir Thomas Myddleton, of Chirk Castle, was dangerous and
deeply painful. In 1659, upon the royalists of Cheshire, headed by Sir
George Booth, declaring in favour of Charles, the venerable old man, then
eighty years of age, decided in favour of the ancient constitution,
believing monarchy to be indispensable to the settlement of the nation,
and proclaimed Charles II. at Wrexham. For this act he suffered
severely, but was named afterwards as Commander-in-chief of the Counties
of North Wales, and as Governor of Shrewsbury, although this latter
nomination seems to have embarrassed Sir Edward Hyde, Chief Minister of
Charles II., as likely to clash with the views of his friend Lord
Newport, who had ever been a staunch friend to the royalist cause.
The events of public interest that occurred in connection with the town
subsequent to the Restoration were “few and far between.” The most
important act in Charles II.’s reign was his grant in 1673 of a Charter,
which, looking at the privileges it confers upon the town, is considered
by some to be the Magna Charta of Oswestry. Its importance to the
borough, as its provisions are still acted upon in the leading Law-Court
of the town, justifies us in giving a correct abridgment of it:—
The Charter
was granted
“to the ancient Borough and Corporation of Oswestry, alias
Oswaldstrey, in the County of Salop: That they be encorporated by the
name of THE MAYOR, ALDERMEN, COMMON-COUNCIL-MEN, AND BURGESSES OF
OSWESTRY; and that they are empowered to purchase lands to them and
their heirs for ever, and to give and bequeath or otherwise dispose
of the same: That the said corporation may have one common seal for
dispatching of all business concerning the said borough; and to
change and make new their same seal, as often as they shall think
convenient: That there be Twelve Aldermen and Fifteen
Common-council-men; whereof one of the said aldermen is to be
Steward: and that whoever is chosen steward, must come in as an
alderman. And that there shall be chosen a discreet person for
Recorder, well learned in the law, who must be one of the
Common-council-men: That the said borough may have one house of
meeting, to be called the Guild-hall of the said town; and that the
mayor, aldermen, common-council-men, steward, and recorder may meet
there, or in any other convenient place within the said borough, for
making, establishing, &c. any laws, orders, &c. for the better
government of the said corporation; and to declare in what manner the
said mayor, &c. may manage themselves in the negociation of the said
borough: and that the said mayor, aldermen, &c. or the greatest part
of them, may imprison the bodies or impose fines or otherwise, upon
all such as shall offend against the said laws, &c. and that the one
moiety of the said fines to be levied for the use of the said mayor,
aldermen, &c.; and the other moiety to the use of the lord of the
manor: provided, such laws, &c. be not repugnant to the laws of the
land, or contrary thereto, or prejudicial to the lord of the manor:
That Richard Pope, first mayor, continue in his mayoralty from the
day of the date hereof, until the next Friday after the feast of St.
Michael, the Archangel, 1674, and until another be sworn in his
stead. Sir John Trevor, knt.; Morgan Wynne, esquire; Edward Owen,
Richard Edwards, Richard Lloyd, the aforesaid Richard Pope,
gentlemen; Gabriel Edwards, woollen-draper; Hugh Price,
woollen-draper; John Jones, mercer; Richard Jones, John Blodwell,
gentlemen; and John Lloyd, mercer, to be the first aldermen; and to
continue in their office during life, unless for just cause any of
them shall be removed by the mayor, aldermen, common-council-men, &c.
or the greatest part of them.—Richard Price, brewer; Richard Jones,
mercer; John Glover, tanner; Richard Jones, glover; Edwd. 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, brasier, to be
the first common-council-men; and to continue in office during life,
unless removed as aforesaid. The mayor, &c. to meet on the next
Friday after Michaelmas, yearly, and to choose at that time, out of
the common-council-men, a new mayor; and to swear him in then, if
present, or within twenty-one days next after such election, before
the old mayor or (in his absence) before two or more of the aldermen
of the said borough. If the mayor happen to die, or be removed out
of his place for not well demeaning himself, or for any other just
cause, before the expiration of the said year, that then and in such
case, the aldermen, and common-council-men, &c. or the major part of
them, shall elect and choose another mayor for the executing the said
office of mayoralty during the remainder only of the said year. And
upon the decease of any aldermen or common-council-men, to choose
others to make up the number; administering to them their oaths for
the executing of their places: and that they shall be sworn in the
presence of the mayor, or (in case of his absence) of the aldermen,
common-council-men, or the major part of them. In case the mayor be
sick or absent, that the mayor may constitute and appoint one of the
aldermen to be his deputy; and that being duly sworn, he may
officiate the place of mayoralty during such sickness or absence, as
fully and effectually in every respect as the said mayor might or
could have done personally. When Morgan Wynne, the present Recorder,
dies, or should happen to be dismissed, that the mayor, aldermen,
&c., choose another, able and experienced in the law, within one
month after such decease or dismission. The mayor, coroner, steward
and recorder, during the time and term of holding their places, shall
be Justices of the Peace, &c., and that each and every of them are
Clerks of the Market, to settle weights and measures, and all other
laws and ordinances incident thereto; and to officiate the same as
fully and effectually as any other of his Majesty’s justices of the
peace might or could do. Sir John Trevor, knight; Robert Owen, and
Edward Kinaston, esquires, or any of them, to swear the first mayor;
and that the mayor being sworn, he is to swear the coroner, steward,
recorder, &c. That the mayor, steward, and recorder, or any two of
them (whereof the mayor to be one) may keep a Quarter Sessions for
all offences, as fully and effectually as the justices of the said
county of Salop may do; and that any one of them may commit to the
common gaol of the said county any person accused of treason, murder,
man-slaughter, or felony, whatsoever: and that the justices of the
said county have no power to intermeddle with the said borough upon
any cause whatsoever. That the mayor (for the time being), shall
choose any inhabitants of the borough, Constables; and to swear them
in accordingly. The mayor to choose two Sergeants, to attend upon
him or his deputy, when required; and to continue for one year (if
they well demean themselves): and that the said sergeants shall carry
two maces with his Majesty’s and successors’ arms, and the arms of
the lord of the manor thereon, in their hands or upon their shoulders
bare-headed, before the mayor, when required: and that the said
sergeants shall be sworn by the mayor, for the due executing of all
precepts, warrants, &c. The last mayor to be Coroner, who shall have
as full power to officiate as any other coroner in any of his
Majesty’s counties hath, or may have; and not to execute his power
before he be sworn before the mayor or his deputy: and upon the death
of any coroner, the mayor, aldermen, &c., to choose another. A Court
of Record to be kept every Friday, at the guild-hall, before the
mayor or his deputy; and to try all actions and causes whatsoever, as
fully as the bailiffs and burgesses formerly did, or as fully as any
corporation in his Majesty’s kingdom do, or did formerly: and that
the mayor, &c. shall have to their use the one moiety of the issues,
amerciaments, &c.; and the other moiety thereof, to the use of the
lord of the manor. John Morral to be Common Clerk of the Borough,
and Clerk of the Court; and may have a deputy, to be appointed by the
steward: that the common clerk to be nominated by the lord of the
manor, and to be sworn, as well as all other officers by the mayor:
that if he shall not reside in the said borough, then he shall
employ, in his absence, an honest and able attorney of the said
court, to be approved of by the steward: and the said attorney shall
officiate in the time of his absence.—Six Attornies to be of the
court: whereof four to be chosen by the mayor, and two by the
steward. One Marshal, or Crier to be chosen by the mayor. The
mayor, aldermen, &c. to have within the borough a Gaol or Prison, for
detaining of all prisoners, committed by the mayor, steward, or
recorder, or any of them: and that the mayor, recorder, clerk of the
market, common clerk, marshal, keepers of the prison, and sergeants
(for the time being) shall receive such Fees, &c. as the bailiffs,
&c. of Ludlow, and the said borough, have hitherto received. [Ludlow
fees are half of the Common Pleas.] All burgesses and other
inhabitants of the said borough to pay scot and lot, and to be
assessed for the maintenance, good order, and further profit of the
same; and in default of payment, distresses to be laid upon their
goods.—The mayor, &c. to have power to elect persons who have served
seven years’ apprenticeship, or that have been householders (paying
scot and lot) seven years within the said borough, Burgesses: and
with the approbation of the steward, to make any other person burgess
of the said borough; and so continue, unless for any just cause he be
expelled by the mayor, &c. No Stranger or Foreigner shall exercise
any Trade in the borough (except it be in time of fair) unless he be
a burgess; nor keep any shop, without special licence from the mayor,
aldermen, &c. or the major part of them: the mayor, &c. to punish
such foreigners and strangers by fines, and to distress upon their
goods, in default of payment. The mayor and corporation, and
burgesses, Exempt from serving on Juries out of the borough, at
assizes or quarter-sessions. The corporation to have return of
writs; and all which returns to be made by the mayor. No
high-sheriff, or any of his officers, to enter the liberty, unless in
defect of the mayor for the time being. The mayor or clerk to
receive recognizances, according to form of Statute Merchant, or
Acton Burnell; and to make execution, &c. as fully as any other town
can do, by virtue of the said statute: and that there shall be a seal
for the sealing of those recognizances. The mayor and corporation
may purchase lands, &c. not exceeding £50 a year, but such as are not
held _in capite_ or knight’s service. The said borough is to enjoy
two Markets weekly, for ever; that is, one on Wednesday and the other
on Friday. To have a Fair on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th days of March,
yearly; and the fairs on the 1st and 2nd of May, the 4th and 5th of
August, and the 29th and 30th of November, to be continued as
heretofore. And if any of the said fairs shall fall upon the
Lord’s-day, then the same to be kept on the Monday following. The
mayor, &c. may hold a Court of Pie-poudre at the time of the fairs;
and to take the usual tolls of markets and fairs—all rights, &c. of
the lord of the manor excepted.”
The privileges secured to the inhabitants of the borough by this Charter
must, at the time of its being granted, have been very valuable, and no
doubt contributed greatly to the good government and prosperity of the
town, during subsequent times. Some of such privileges have been
superseded by the provisions of the Municipal Corporation Act, 5 & 6,
William 4th, cap. 76, entitled “An Act to provide for the Regulation of
Municipal Corporations in England and Wales,” and other modern
enactments; but others still remain, although the value and convenience
of them appear in some degree to be overlooked. The Charter secures some
peculiar privileges with respect to trade which may not probably
harmonize with modern views and notions; but the privileges of trying at
Quarter Sessions all offences, except felonies, committed within the
borough, and of suing for debts, unlimited in amount, in the Court of
Record, ought not to be regarded otherwise than as precious relics of
byegone times. It is true, that the Court of Quarter Sessions has been
constantly and regularly held by the most able Recorder, J. R. Kenyon,
Esq.; but the Court of Record has of late years been so seldom resorted
to, that on a late occasion, when a cause was tried before it, a local
newspaper referred to it with special wonder, hinting its surprise that,
in a place where the weapons of legal warfare were so easily obtained,
the inhabitants should so long have ceased to use them, and to remain in
peace amongst themselves, without any legal strife in a Court of Record.
Although, however, debts without limit, as regards amount, may be sued
for, the final process of the Court is confined to the borough, and
cannot be put in force beyond its boundary; and this circumstance,
connected also with the facilities for the recovery of debts afforded by
the Small Debts Act, has rendered resort to the Court of Record less
frequent than, under other circumstances, it doubtless would have been;
still, to have it is a privilege, as is also the exemption from serving
on Juries at the Assizes, or County Quarter Sessions, secured by the
Charter.
The RESTORATION brought with it, of course, the ascendancy of loyal
subjects and monarchical principles in all parts of the realm. Charles,
however, did not make the wisest use of the power and influence he had
newly acquired; and the closing hours of his life proved that his
religious principles, unfixed and vacillating, were ill adapted to the
requirements of the age. Howsoever much other parts of the kingdom were
disturbed during this reign, the town of Oswestry would seem to have
resumed a tranquil position: the injury and damage sustained in it during
the many years of disquietude and war were partially restored; the
ancient Church was gradually repaired; but the Castle, so dilapidated and
broken down, was permitted to lie in ruins; the crown made no effort to
restore it; and by degrees its shattered walls and fallen columns were
carried away by nocturnal depredators, until at length the vestiges of
the fortress consisted of little more than the mound still left in our
sight.
In 1681, only four years before Charles’s death, a polemic scene was
enacted in Oswestry, which, from the celebrity of the parties engaged in
it, forms no uninteresting feature in the history of the town. Charles’s
reign was marked by odious political intolerance and injustice. He aimed
at absolutism, and was as regardless of religious liberty as of religion
itself. The controversy to which we have alluded occurred in the
Guildhall of Oswestry, in September, 1681, and was conducted throughout
in a spirit of candour and moderation not frequently to be witnessed in
that turbulent period. The leading parties engaged were Dr. Lloyd,
Bishop of St. Asaph (the prelate who preached the first sermon in the
Chapel Royal to William III.), and the distinguished Philip Henry, of
Broad Oak, Flintshire (father of the erudite and evangelical Matthew
Henry, the Commentator on the Bible). Other nonconformist Ministers were
present, and took part in the proceedings, especially Mr. James Owen,
then of Oswestry—but afterwards of Shrewsbury Seminary for the education
of Dissenting Ministers—a man of considerable acquirements and genuine
piety. The Bishop, upon his elevation to the episcopal chair, was
desirous of securing the conformity of those who dissented, and “that he
might do it with the cords of a man, he resolved to reason the matter
with them, and endeavour to effect their conviction by discourse, in
which he had a very great facility both by learning and temper.” The
account from which we derive these particulars goes on to state, that
“one of the most eminent nonconformist ministers in his diocese was Mr.
James Owen, of Oswestry. The Bishop had several interviews with Mr. Owen
in private. At last he appointed a meeting to be held in the Town Hall,
Oswestry, on Tuesday, the 27th of September, 1681, at which he requested
Mr. Owen to give an account ‘by what right he exercised the ministry, not
having episcopal ordination.’ He also directed him to procure any other
ministers he could to assist him, for ‘he would be glad to hear what any
of them had to say for themselves.’ Mr. Owen sought the co-operation of
Mr. Henry, which, after much hesitation, was granted; to whom also was
joined Mr. Jonathan Roberts, ‘a plain man of great integrity, and a very
good scholar.’ On the day appointed the Bishop made his appearance with
the famous Henry Dodwell. In those days of intolerance, some parties had
refrained from engaging in the controversy, ‘lest it might be prejudicial
to their liberty. The Bishop, however, was pleased to promise that no
thing which should be said, by way of argument, should be any way turned
to the prejudice of the disputants, nor advantage taken of it to give
them trouble.’ There was convened a large number of the gentry and
clergy of the neighbourhood, the magistrates of the town, and a great
concourse of people. The discussion lasted from two in the afternoon
till between seven and eight at night. ‘Much was said, pro and con,
touching the identity of bishops and presbyters, the bishoping and
unbishoping of Timothy and Titus, &c. It was managed with a great deal
of liberty, and not under the strict laws of disputation.’ ‘The Bishop
won golden opinions from all parties on account of the gravity, calmness,
and evenness of spirit’ with which he conducted his part; while he seems
to have been so much gratified with the temper of his opponents, as to
have formed from that time a most intimate friendship with Mr. Henry.”
The report does not inform us whether the Bishop was convinced by the
arguments of the nonconformists. That Philip Henry retained his opinions
is undeniable; for he never ceased advocating, with Christian zeal and
moderation, the principles of nonconformity. It is gratifying, however,
to read of so tolerant and well-conducted a disputation in so persecuting
an age; it speaks much in favor of the just and beneficent spirit of
Bishop Lloyd.
The reign of James II. offers no particular incident in relation to
Oswestry. As a sovereign he was worthless and dangerous. His darling
objects were, the establishment, throughout the land, of the Roman
Catholic religion, and the restriction of popular freedom. During his
brief occupation of the throne he paid a visit to Shrewsbury and
Whitchurch; and on his way from the metropolis sojourned at Ludlow for a
night, and passed through the Strettons. The people of Shrewsbury had
not been favoured with a royal visit for nearly half a century, and were
now disposed to give the monarch a cordial reception. All the public
functionaries were trained and disciplined as to duty, for an incident
had occurred in the royal progress, so ludicrous in character, that the
Shrewsbury corporation resolved it should not be re-enacted amid their
loyal congratulations. The story to which we refer may be true or
fabulous; but it is too good not to be connected with a notice of James’s
reign: and, after all, the mayor of the town where the scene is laid, in
adopting literally the promptings of the learned recorder, was not, to
use a common phrase, “so great a fool as he seemed to be.” If King James
had received those promptings in a wise spirit—mirth-exciting as they
must have been—he might have been a good sovereign, and had around him
loyal and devoted subjects.
The mayor whose absurdities we are about to describe is said to have been
both illiterate and dull, incapable of reading or remembering an address.
It was settled therefore, says the tale, that the recorder should stand
behind him, to set him right if he happened to be out. When they (the
corporation) were ushered into the royal presence, and the chief
magistrate was about to commence his harangue, as he appeared somewhat
sheepish and embarassed, his friendly monitor whispered in his ear,
“_Hold up your head_, _sir_, _and look like a man_!” Mistaking this for
the beginning of his speech, he boldly stared the king in the face, and
roared out, “_Hold_, _up your head_, _sir_, _and look like a man_!”
Alarmed at the frightful blunder just made, the recorder whispered to the
chief magistrate (who at this moment must have resembled the celebrated
Mayor of Garrat, with two nosegays in his coat), “_What the d—l do you
mean_, _sir_?” The mayor, as stolid as ever, and nothing abashed,
thundered out the recorder’s exclamation as boldly as before. The
recorder, indignant and irritated, muttered, “By heavens, sir, you’ll
ruin us all!” His worship, taking this to be a continuance of the
speech, and still staring his majesty full in the face, with a yet louder
voice repeated, “_By heavens_, _sir_, _you’ll ruin us all_!” Even kingly
patience could bear this no longer, and rising, his majesty in an angry
tone demanded what was the meaning of this jargon? when the recorder laid
before him “the facts of the case,” and the king passed the affair by
with a gracious smile.
THE REVOLUTION.
The Revolution of 1688 brought over to England William III.; and his
reign was followed by that of “good Queen Anne.” Her reign has been
termed the Augustan era of English literature, as it was graced with the
polished writings of Sir Isaac Newton, Addison, Steele, Farquar (who laid
the scene of his comedy, “_The Recruiting Officer_,” in Shrewsbury, and
who, in his epistle dedicatory, first used the lively sentiment, “To all
friends round the Wrekin,” now one of the social laws of Salop), of
Vanbrugh, Prior, Pope, Parnell, Garth, Gay, _cum multis aliis_.
Instructed as the nation was by these and other eminent men, still
bigotry and enthusiasm were evidenced by many in matters of religion and
politics. In the year 1709 the nation was thrown into a gentle ferment
by the indiscreet conduct of the government towards an obscure clergyman
named Sacheverell (who had long been starving on a poor curacy in
London), in consequence of his having preached and published two
scurrilous and intemperate sermons, of which red-hot politics were the
staple. He was summoned to the bar of the House of Lords, and impeached.
The Whig ministry viewed his attacks with alarm, and he was sentenced not
to preach for three years. This persecution, as the proceedings of the
government were called at once martyrised Sacheverell, who suddenly found
himself famous. A gentleman residing in the neighbourhood of Oswestry,
Robert Lloyd, Esq., of Aston, sympathized with the suffering Sacheverell,
and became his friend. Mr. Lloyd had been the doctor’s pupil at Magdalen
College, Oxford; and as the rectory of Sylattyn, in his gift, became
vacant at this juncture, he presented it to the high-church meteor. This
was doubtless a god-send to the doctor, who set off from London, to take
possession of his new living, with all the state which a corrupt
popularity could give to him. A Tory writer of Queen Anne’s reign tells
us that “he entered upon his triumphant progress to Shropshire. He was
magnificently entertained at Oxford by the University, and received in
the other great towns he passed through (Shrewsbury and Oswestry
included) with the loud acclamations and joyful congratulations of the
people, upon his deliverance from whig persecution.” In Shrewsbury the
crier was sent about to proclaim his arrival, and the bells were rung in
honour of the event. As he passed through Oswestry, it is related, the
crowd assembled to witness his arrival was so great, that an enthusiastic
old woman, a great dabbler in politics and religion, no doubt, was so
excited in her endeavours to obtain a sight of the distinguished bigot,
that she succeeded only in catching a passing glance at his figure and
periwig. “I could see only part of the holy man,” she exclaimed, “but I
console myself with having had a sight of his ever-blessed wig as he rode
along.” This sort of mummery was not confined to Oswestry. In many
towns people were desirous to have their new-born infants christened with
a name so revered; which, having been transmitted through succeeding
generations, is not yet extinct in this county. On his return to London
he met with nothing but laudations, except at Worcester, where, by the
direction of Bishop Lloyd, a suitable rebuff was administered to him. Of
Dr. Sacheverell nothing more was heard worthy of transcription. Like
most other men whose popularity is created by intolerant doctrines in
religion or politics, he speedily found that his sudden greatness was as
mutable as it was undeserved.
The death of Queen Anne, in 1714, secured to the kingdom the Brunswick
Dynasty. The Act of Settlement, passed in the reign of William III.,
provided that the crown of Great Britain should henceforth be held only
by Protestant Princes. James Stuart, Queen Anne’s brother, known more
popularly as the Pretender, could not reign in England because he was a
Roman Catholic, and George, Duke of Brunswick, and Elector of Hanover, a
Protestant Prince, whose mother was grand-daughter of James I., became
King of Great Britain. The Brunswick succession has continued till the
present time, the united kingdom deriving especial benefits from the
reigns of the three Georges, of William IV., and of Queen Victoria.
Under the sway of George III. enlarged freedom, civil and religious, was
extended to his subjects; arts, science, and commerce flourished, and the
people made rapid advancement in religious and moral improvement. The
memorable wish of the venerable monarch George III., “That every one of
his subjects should read and possess the Bible”—a far more generous
sentiment than that of the French King who desired to see the day when
every one of his subjects should be able to put a fowl into the pot once
a week—was largely realized through the instrumentality of Robert Raikes,
Dr. Bell, and Joseph Lancaster, the great promoters of education in the
land, and by, also, the foundation of the British and Foreign Bible
Society, whose distribution of the Scriptures gave an impulse to
religious and benevolent efforts which have been increasing in usefulness
and efficiency to the present day. Under the auspices of George IV. the
nation derived numerous blessings, deficient as he was of many of the
bright qualities that ought to shine in the moral diadem of a British
King. The reign of William IV.—the Sailor King, as he has been
familiarly but appropriately called—was rendered illustrious by his
intense regard for the interests of the people, and his sanction to the
Second Great Charter of British rights. Under the mild and gracious rule
of our beloved Sovereign QUEEN VICTORIA, the rights and privileges of
Britons are held sacred; literature, arts, and science have acquired “a
more than double sway;” commerce and manufactures, in a multiplicity of
forms, for the comfort and luxury of mankind, have careered onwards with
giant steps, that have astonished and delighted the wisest and the best;
the social comforts of all classes of the British community are rendered
almost boundless by the progress of invention, the ingenuity of
mechanical skill, and the unceasing activity of all industrial pursuits;
the unrighteous laws that prohibited the importation of corn have been
abolished; free trade in bread has been established with all the nations
of the earth; ancient grinding monopolies have been destroyed; national
imposts reduced; the just demands of the people speedily granted; harsh
feudal laws, carrying with them inhuman punishments, have been blotted
out of the Statute-book; “man’s inhumanity to man,” under the sanction of
Acts of Parliament, has been softened if not wholly subdued; the just
principle of national brotherhood, inculcated by divine precept, has
gained vital force; religion has become less sectarian, and more
thoroughly Christian in profession and practice; the helping hand of man
to his brother man, in the hour of necessity, is seen now more actively
at work than ever; the people at large are united as one man, in all
great designs of philanthropy and benevolence, and in all puissant
combinations against injustice and oppression; our QUEEN and her
enlightened and virtuous CONSORT are ever watchful for the country’s
weal. The reign of VICTORIA is thus far the brightest page of regal
history, because it has been pre-eminently the best. We may sum up in
the eloquent language of Dr. Southwood Smith:—“We live in a glorious age.
The rapidity of the progress of liberal opinion, and I will add, of
liberal feeling, within these few years has been unexampled in the
history of our race. Sometimes indeed the tide of improvement like the
tide of the ocean may appear to have receded; but soon, as if deriving
strength from its momentary retreat, slow, majestic, irresistible, it has
rolled beyond its former limit; but, unlike its type, it has not
returned, _and it will not return_, to the boundary it has passed.”
Topographical History.
OSWESTRY is one of the most interesting of the English Border towns, as
we have already endeavoured to show; its early history, in various
conflicting ages, being crowded with incidents to give to it a lasting
renown. In its present state it offers numerous claims to public
attention; and the time does not seem far distant when it will take its
rank among the more flourishing towns of the empire. Having railway
communication direct with the metropolis, the great seats of
manufacturing industry in the northern counties, and by a new line of
conveyance, both of passengers and goods, _via_ the rapidly-rising town
and port of Birkenhead, with the sister kingdom, its importance and
improvement will quickly increase. Nor is the contemplated railway
extension from Oswestry to Welshpool and Newtown to be overlooked, as
that may soon lead to the still further construction of a railway forming
a junction with the projected line from the latter place to the busy town
of Llanidloes, and stretching onward till it reaches the great harbour in
course of formation at Milford Haven. With such “means and appliances”
the trade and commerce of Oswestry are not likely to retrograde; and
although we possess not the poetical and sanguine temperament of Griffith
of Glyn Ceiriog, who, some centuries ago, fancied that “in merchandise it
resembled Cheapside,” in London, yet we have no doubt that Oswestry,
which is now prospering commercially, and diffusing much good, both
morally and religiously, will advance steadily forward in the march of
general and social improvement. We are too gallant not heartily to
concur on another point with the Welsh poet just quoted. In his days, he
says, “The handsomest women, and the most becomingly drest, are those of
Oswestry.” If we did not unhesitatingly applaud this opinion of a
Welshman, we should consider ourselves unworthy the name of Englishmen!
The site of Oswestry is remarkable. It stands upon more elevated ground
than any other town in Shropshire, being 450 feet above the level of the
sea. Its commanding position freely exposes to the gaze of the delighted
spectator a range of landscape scenery which, for variety, beauty, and
grandeur, cannot be excelled in any part of the kingdom. On the heights
above the town the prospect expands. To the south-east the fertile vale
of Salop displays its diversified charms, the Nesscliff Rock, Hawkstone
(Lord Hill’s beautiful ancestral residence), and the huge and venerable
Wrekin peering forth in the distance; whilst the high ridges of the
Longmynd and Stiperstones form an uninterrupted chain along the Welsh
border, with the bold and abrupt acclivities of Cefn-y-Castell and
Moel-y-Golfa; and the Breidden, crowned with Rodney’s Pillar, completes
the great natural panorama. Towards the east the Macclesfield hills,
dividing Cheshire from Derbyshire, appear. The view on the Welsh side is
equally impressive, and may well be called “the paradise of Cambria.”
The fullest topographical description of ancient Oswestry that we have
discovered is that of Harrison, who wrote in 1564. He says,
“Oswester is eighteen miles from Shrewsburie, and containeth a mile
within the walls. It hath in like sort foure suburbs or great
streets, of which one is called Stratlan, another Wuliho, the third
Beterich, wherein are one hundred and forty barns, standing in a row,
belonging to the citizens or burgesses, and the fourth named the
Black Gate-street, in which are thirtie barns maintained for corne
and haie. There is also a brooke running thorough the town by the
crosse, coming from Simon’s well, a bowshot without the wall, and
going under the same, between Thorow-gate and New-gate, running under
the Black-gate. There is another, over whose course the Baderikes or
Baderich-gate standeth, and therefore called Baderich brooke; the
third passeth by Willi-gate or New-gate, and these all fall, together
with the Crosse brooke, a mile lower by south, into the Mordaunt.”
Leland, the historian, who briefly sojourned in the town in the reign of
Henry VIII., informs us that the northern part, or Beatrice-street, at
that period contained “many barns for corn and hay, to the number of vii
score several barns;” the eastern, or Black-gate, “xxx barns for corn,
with other houses ’longing to the townesmen.” The same writer adds,
“There be within the town iii most notable streates, the Cross-streate,
the Bayly-streate, and New-gate-streate. The houses withyn the town be
of timbre, and slated. There is a castell, sette on a mont be likelihood
made by hand; and ditched by south-west, betwixt Beatrise-gate and
Willow-gate, to the which the wall comith. There be no towers in the
waulles besides the gates. The town is dicked about, and brokettes ren
ynto it.” Camden describes Oswestry in his day as “a place of good
traffic, inclosed with a wall and ditch, and fortified with a castle.”
Pennant’s brief description brings us nearer to the present time.
“Oswestry,” he says, “stands just in Shropshire, on the very border of
the British frontier. It is 17½ miles from Shrewsbury, 11 from
Llangollen, and 179½ from London. The country for several miles round is
delightfully varied with hills, vales, wood, and water, and abounds in
rich scenery. The prospect on the Montgomery side is terminated abruptly
by the august ridge of the prominent mountains of Breiddyn. It is upon
higher ground than any other town in Shropshire.”
The Walls referred to by these writers were erected, as we have already
stated, by Edward I. (probably under the superintendance of his
celebrated architect Elreton, who built both Conway and Caernarvon
castles), that he might secure Oswestry as a key to his intended conquest
of Wales, and render it less liable to the plundering incursions of the
Welsh. These walls were about a mile in circumference, with a
skilfully-made intrenchment on the outside, which could be filled with
water from the springs in the vicinity. Some remains of this ancient
fortification may still be traced, and part of its boundary-line is
designated, up to the present time, as “the Walls.”
There were four Gates, the only inlets into the town, and they stood as
strong fortresses in times of disquietude and danger. As the town
advanced in trade and commerce the Gates became exceedingly inconvenient
for the passage of carriages and merchandize, and in 1766, the Black-Gate
was taken down by consent of Earl Powis, the lord of the manor. Rylance
assures us that “Black-Gate was demolished in consequence of its having
become so low in the arch, that loads could scarce go under, having been
rendered so by several pavements being put one over the other to repair
the street, and make a vent for the water, which made the passage through
it bad.”
[Picture: The New Gate] The convenience rendered to the town by the
removal of the Black-Gate induced the Corporation to obtain the consent
of the lord of the manor to the removal of the three other Gates. In
1782 an arrangement was accordingly made for their demolition, and the
materials were used in the erection of the borough prison. The New-Gate
was erected in the reign of Edward II., and was used as a prison and
guard-room for the soldiers. Over the New-Gate (as is seen in our
engraving) was the figure of a horse in full speed, with an oaken bough
in his mouth. Pennant remarks, “There is a conjecture, but I will not
pretend to say how well warranted, that it alluded to the generous breed
of horses which Powys-land (of which this was part) was famous for,
derived from some fine Spanish stallions introduced by Robert de Belesme,
Earl of Shrewsbury.”
[Picture: Beatrice Gate]
Beatrice Gate is said to have been named in compliment to Beatrice, the
Queen of Henry IV., and in all probability was built in that king’s
reign, as his sojourn in this district, during his long onslaughts upon
the Welsh, connected him much with the neighbourhood. The gate was a
handsome building, with a guard-house on each side, and over it the arms
of the Fitz-Alans (a lion rampant). It is said to have been built by
Thomas, Earl of Arundel.
Willow-Gate, or Wallia-Gate, derived its name from the road, in which the
gate was situate, leading directly into Wales.
The borough has now assumed, from a number of improvements made in it, a
highly-respectable appearance. Church-Street may vie, in neatness and
public accommodation, with the leading thoroughfare of any
similarly-sized town in the kingdom. Willow-Street is an active business
thoroughfare, the two Banks and the Post-Office being situated there;
Beatrice Street is the only thoroughfare to the Railway Station, and is
therefore, with Leg-Street, the chief street of traffic. Bailey-Street,
principally confined to shops, is a leading approach to the Powys Market,
Guildhall, and public offices; whilst Upper Brook-Street is a pleasant
location, and will doubtless soon become a favourite site for villa
residences; at least, its beautiful situation, and the fine healthy
country to which it is proximate, entitle it to such a distinction, Salop
Road is on the march of improvement, and some good modern houses are
erected in it; but yet its dwellings are irregular in size and
appearance, and some time may elapse before it exhibits much of harmony
or attraction, as a leading thoroughfare, unless the projected railway
extension through the town gives, as may reasonably be expected, a
stimulus to house-building in this district. The innovating hand of
modern improvement has not hitherto effected much change in the central
and more dense portions of the town. Let us “wait a little longer,” and
the unsightly dwellings deemed palaces by our forefathers, but which,
compared with modern domestic houses, are little better than huts or
hovels, will give place to habitations worthy of this age, so properly
distinguished for its sanatory regulations and general progress. Such
ancient and dilapidated buildings are mere figments of days gone past,
and atone not, by their pictorial beauty, for their ruined and desolate
condition. The flagging of the leading public streets, recently
determined upon, and which has been partly carried into effect, will be
one of the greatest improvements already adopted in the borough. The
principal thoroughfares in the entire town will speedily be flagged in
the same style, so that in a short time the inhabitants, ladies
especially, will be able to perambulate the streets, and amuse themselves
“a-shopping,” without paying for it the hard penalty of walking in their
fashionable boots or slippers over a flinty pavement. This improvement
is being effected from the funds of a voluntary subscription, to which a
large number of the professional gentry and trading classes have
liberally subscribed. The various roads leading from the town are wide
and well-constructed, and are generally kept in a good travelling
condition.
The town is lighted with gas, and has been so for many years past. The
honour of introducing gas-light into Oswestry is due to Mr. Robert
Roberts, civil engineer, a man of much talent in his profession, and of
singular perseverance and industry. The origin of lighting the town with
gas may be told in a few words. In the year 1819 Mr. Charles Stanton, at
that time Manager of the Oswestry Theatre, which had been recently built,
entered into an arrangement with Mr. Roberts to light the Theatre during
the season. Mr. Roberts had been hitherto experimenting on a small
scale, and was not fully prepared to enter upon so important a piece of
work as illuminating the Theatre. His persevering habits prevailed, and
he agreed with Mr. Stanton that the Theatre should be lighted on a
certain evening. To introduce gas into a large public building was
deemed an event of no common magnitude in those days. The appointed
evening, in September 1819, at length arrived, and Mr. Roberts succeeded
in lighting the Theatre with a brilliant gas, which astonished all
beholders. The performances on that evening were for the benefit of Miss
Stanton, the Manager’s daughter. Some tradesmen in the town quickly
availed themselves of this new light; others followed in the wake; and in
the winter season of 1821, the leading streets of the town were for the
first time illuminated with gas. Places of religious worship soon
afterwards adopted gas. The Welsh Methodist Chapel, in Willow-Street,
first used it; the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Salop-Road, followed; and
the Old Parish Church, then and still under the vicarage of the Rev.
Thomas Salwey, was afterwards lighted, forty burners being introduced,
including lights at the entrance doors. The other places of religious
worship quickly followed the example; and in a very few years gas became
the universal light in all public places, private houses, and commercial
and trading establishments. In 1821 the public, or street-lamps, were
only 10 in number; there were 123 private lights; and one chapel lighted
with five lights. In 1854 there were—private lights, 925; public lamps,
66; Church and Chapel lights, 112. The lighting of the borough has been
much improved since gas was first introduced here. It is still under the
superintendence of Mr. Roberts, who, now an octogenarian, is of hale
health, and of as active and bustling habits as he was in the days of his
youth.
Oswestry is a market-town, and the chief market is held every Wednesday.
It is abundantly supplied from the surrounding highly-cultivated
agricultural country, and the articles brought for sale are generally of
the very best quality. Welsh mutton, poultry, and fruits of rare
delicacy are among the choice morsels which the exquisite _gourmand_ may
ever find, in their due season, in the Oswestry market. Apples and
pears, produced in the vicinity, and offered for sale here, might
successfully vie with the best of those fruits grown in Guernsey, Jersey,
or the sunny orchards of Kent. There is a small market held on the
Saturday, principally for the accommodation of the numerous labouring
classes employed in the neighbourhood.
Twelve FAIRS are also held in the town, all of which are conducted with
great spirit, and attended by a large class of buyers and sellers. A
Fair is held on the first Wednesday in every month.
Public Establishments and Institutions.
Imagine a party of strangers visiting Oswestry, having heard much spoken
in favour of its neatness and beauty, and the picturesque scenery by
which it is surrounded; and stretch forth your imagination, gentle
reader, by supposing that this party have been comfortably supplied with
viands, and perchance “the cup which cheers, but not inebriates,” by mine
host of the Cross Keys or the Wynnstay Arms. Having discussed these good
things, they may perhaps hasten out in quest of “the lions” of the place.
“Let us away to the Museum!” probably exclaims one of the ladies of the
party who is ever in search of the _utile_ as well as the _dulce_. “This
is a charming spot,” she perhaps adds, “for mineralogical and geological
curiosities. The country, we are told, abounds in productive lead,
copper, and coal mines. We shall surely collect much useful information
in this practical and exploratory district, and return home wiser than
when we came.” “Bravissimo!” may be the cry and echo of most of the
party, “Miss Aimwell is ever zealous in good works, and to-day she is
bent upon providing for us no common store of rational pleasure and
information. Let us hasten to the Museum, therefore, at once.” The
party, we suppose—for it is merely a fancy sketch—hie away towards the
imaginary Museum, full of glee, anticipating the pleasure of exchanging
compliments with the Curator, and one Director at least, and of
inspecting a carefully-selected collection of natural curiosities,
comprising, of course, attractive productions in the mineral world;
specimens in ornithology; some of the many wonders and “gems of purest
ray serene,” snatched from the deep caverns of the ocean; rare marbles
and pebbles chiselled out of rocks and caves, mountains and dells;
botanical rarities, and floral, horticultural, native and exotic
products; with gatherings from the realms of art, science, fancy, and
literature. Do the imaginary party discover the Museum, or a Public
Library, or any Institution whatever, in which Lord Bacon’s axiom is
illustrated, that “knowledge is power?” No such thing is in existence.
The fancied party—or fanciful party, as some people would denominate
them—have been in search of “the baseless fabric of a vision.” Like
Puff, in Sheridan’s “_Critic_,” they might say, with a slight
interpolation,
“The Museum we cannot see,
Because it’s not in sight!”
Turning from the gay to the grave, we reiterate, there is no Museum in
the town; nor even a Public Library, on a scale worthy of so respectable
a community. We wish it were otherwise; and the day is not far off, we
trust, when the reproach will be wiped away, and Oswestry shall shew an
example in this respect deserving of all praise.
THE POST OFFICE
Is situated in Willow-Street. Post-Mistress, Miss Sarah Babington, who
has held her appointment since May, 1831. The Post Office was removed
from Church-Street to Willow-Street, in October, 1839.
DISPATCH OF LETTERS, &c.
Lines of Road, and chief Letters can be Posted Letters &c.
Places of Destination. can be
registered
until
Without extra With one
charge, until additional
1d. stamp,
until
Shrewsbury, Birmingham, P. M. P. M. P. M.
and London taking Letters
for all parts of England,
North and South Wales,
Ireland, Scotland, and
Foreign parts
6 15 6 55 5 45
Llanymynech, Llanfyllin, A. M. A. M. P. M.
Llanrhaiadr, & Rural Post
5 45 7 0 10 0
DELIVERY.
Lines of Road, and chief Places Delivery by Delivery to
from which Mails are received. Letter callers
Carriers begins at
begins at
London, Birmingham, and Shrewsbury, A. M. A. M.
bringing Letters from all parts of
England, North and South Wales,
Ireland, and Foreign parts
8 0 8 0
London, Crewe, Liverpool, Chester, P. M. P. M.
Wrexham, &c.
5 0 4 45
Llanfyllin and Rural Post 7 15 7 10
On Sundays there is only one Delivery by Letter Carriers (commencing at 8
a.m.), and Letters are delivered at the Window, from 8 until 10 a.m.
only.
REGULATIONS.
Ordinary Business:—From the beginning of March to the end of October,
this Office is, on Week-days, opened to the Public, for ordinary
Business, at 7 a.m., and during the remaining months at half-past 7. It
is always closed at 10 p.m. On Sunday the Office is open only from 8
till 10 a.m.; but the Letter Box remains open as on other days.
The inhabitants of Oswestry have now the privilege of receiving letters
from London, both by the evening and morning mails. The new postal
regulation, by which letters may be posted in London in the evening,
after seven o’clock, and up to eight in the morning, is of great
importance to tradesmen and others in Oswestry, as it enables them to
reply to such letters on the evening on which they are delivered.
THE BANKS.
There are two Banks in the town. The OLD BANK, under the firm of
“Croxon, Jones, Longueville, and Co.,” is situated in Willow-Street, and
has been established for upwards of seventy years. The original
co-partners were Messrs. Gibbons, Croxon, and Sheppard. The present
co-partners are Thomas Longueville Longueville, Esq., John Croxon, Esq.,
Richard Jones Croxon, Esq., and James Thomas Jones, Esq., who is also
Acting Manager. Mr. Jones’s father (Mr. Charles Thomas Jones) likewise
discharged the duties of Manager of this Bank for the long period of
thirty-five years. In such capacity, also in that of Chief Magistrate,
and as a warm friend to every useful institution in the borough, he
earned the grateful esteem of his fellow-townsmen. This Bank issues £5
notes, payable here or in London: issue limited by law to £18,470.
Circulation, on an average of the last five years, £10,180.—Draw on
Masterman and Co., Nicholas Lane, London.
The NORTH AND SOUTH WALES BANK, also situated in Willow-Street, is a
Branch to the Bank bearing that title, established April, 1836, in
Liverpool. The Oswestry Branch was opened June, 1836. There are fifteen
Branches of the North and South Wales Bank established in the
Principality and the Borders. Manager:—Mr. F. Roberts, appointed
September, 1845.—Draw on the London and Westminster Bank.
THE SAVINGS’ BANK,
On the Bailey Head, was established in 1818; and at the present time it
is in a state of great prosperity, showing the careful and economic
habits of a large portion of the labouring classes in this thriving
district. From the annual account of the Trustees of the Bank, ending
20th November, 1854, it appears, that the balance in favour of the
Depositors amounted to £69,975 18s. 11d. The number of Depositors whose
respective balances, including interest, did not exceed £1 each, was 77;
of those £1, and not exceeding £5, 303; ditto above £5, and not exceeding
£10, 270; ditto above £10, and not exceeding £15, 217; ditto above £15,
and not exceeding £20, 146; ditto above £20, and not exceeding £30, 253;
ditto above £30, and not exceeding £40, 194; ditto above £40, and not
exceeding £50, 113; ditto above £50, and not exceeding £75, 188; ditto
above £75, and not exceeding £100, 89; ditto above £100, and not
exceeding £125, 49; ditto above £125, and not exceeding £150, 23; ditto
above £150, and not exceeding £200, 41; ditto exceeding £200, 2. The
total number of Depositors was 1965; Charitable Societies, 30; and
Friendly Societies, 31. The total number of accounts was 2026. The
affairs of the Bank are conducted by ten Trustees and fourteen Managers.
Treasurer:—Thomas Longueville Longueville, Esq.
Secretary:—Mr. John Hughes.
The Bank is open for business every Wednesday, from twelve till two
o’clock.
THE STAMP OFFICE
Is situated in Leg-Street. Sub-Distributor, Mr. George Lewis.
THE MARKETS.
Until very recently the town of Oswestry had not provided any
market-sites worthy of the name. As the town, however, advanced in
population and trading pursuits, and agriculture and farming in general
progressed in the neighbourhood, the want of new and convenient public
markets began to be seriously felt, and most of the inhabitants, and
gentlemen connected with the neighbourhood, were disposed to contribute
towards the completion of such desirable improvements. A very liberal
spirit was manifested in favour of so excellent a design; a public
subscription was set on foot; and at length the sum of £3202 was raised,
which was laid out towards erecting the Cross Market, as that was
considered to be the most desirable to commence upon. But this sum being
found insufficient to cover the cost even of this Market, it was agreed
by the Town Council to apply to Parliament for an Act, empowering them to
effect further Market Improvements in the borough, and to raise £5000 for
that purpose. Accordingly a Bill was presented to Parliament, in 1848,
entitled “The Oswestry Markets and Fairs Bill,” and in February of that
year Mr. Fowler, Surveying Officer of the Commissioners of Woods and
Forests, attended at Oswestry, to hear evidence upon the proposed
markets. R. J. Croxon, Esq., Town-Clerk, appeared for the promoters, and
having pointed out, in a long address, the evils arising from holding the
Fairs and Markets in the public streets, called several witnesses in
support of his statement. Mr. Fowler reported favourably of the objects
of the promoters; and in the same Session of Parliament the Act received
the royal assent. The measure being so far successful, no time was lost
in carrying out this creditable project; and on June 6th, 1849, the CROSS
MARKET, for the sale of butter, eggs, poultry, fruit and vegetables, was
opened. Part of the market is also used for the sale of butchers’ meat.
The Powis MARKET-HALL, forming one side of the Bailey Square, was opened
on the same day. The chief part of the buildings of which the Powis
Market is composed, as well as the site on which the new portion of the
Market stands, was presented to the town by the late Earl of Powis, Lord
of the Manor and Lordship of Oswestry, his Lordship merely stipulating
that he and his successors should have the use of the new Guildhall when
the same was wanted for holding the Manor Courts. The site on which the
Cross Market was built, being in the centre of the town, had been covered
with shops and dwellings, all of which were purchased at a cost of
upwards of £2,700. Mr. Thomas Penson was the architect employed on this
Market, and Messrs. Griffith and William Morris contracted for its
erection. The market is spacious and convenient, is covered in, and has
three entrances, the main one being from the Cross. The Powis
Market-Hall, in which accommodation is given to farmers and general
dealers in cheese, butter, and grain, is a plain stone-fronted edifice,
with a high clock turret. The front part of the building was formerly
used as the Guild-Hall, at the back of which new buildings have been
erected, in brick, and partly covered with glass. This market has been
found to be exceedingly convenient, especially in the winter season; and
the accommodation thus rendered to buyers and sellers has contributed so
much to increase their number, that a considerable extension to the
market is contemplated. The CATTLE MARKET comprises an extensive piece
of ground, situated between Church-Street and Croxon’s Square, which was
purchased from Mr. George Withers Edwards, at a cost of £1050. It is
exceedingly well attended, and fully justifies the expectations of all
parties engaged in its formation. The HORSE MARKET is situated at the
back of the Powis Market. The site on which it is held, comprising 4256
square yards, was purchased for £279. Both of these markets were opened
on Wednesday, 4th July, 1849.—Mr. George Cooper is Treasurer of the
Markets; and Mr. John Donald Superintendent.
[Picture: Guildhall, Powis Market, and Bailey head]
Most of the leading gentlemen of the town had taken an active interest in
the formation of the new markets, and no one was more zealously engaged
in promoting them than Peploe Cartwright, Esq., to whom, after the
completion of these public improvements, a service of plate, consisting
of a silver salver, tureen, and four corner dishes, was presented on
behalf of the Corporation and a numerous body of the inhabitants of the
town and neighbourhood, as a testimony of their sense of his many “public
services in forwarding the improvements of the town, and in particular
for his able, zealous, and untiring exertions in promoting the
establishment of the fairs and market accommodations.” The presentation
of the plate took place December 26th, 1850, in the Powis Market-Hall, in
the presence of a numerous assembly. The Recorder of the borough, John
Robert Kenyon, Esq., presented the plate, in an appropriate and eloquent
speech; and Mr. Cartwright responded with ability and feeling. On the
same day, as a further testimonial to Mr. Cartwright, a public dinner was
given to him, at the Wynnstay Arms Hotel, on which occasion the festive
enthusiasm which distinguishes the Salopian gentry was more than
ordinarily displayed. The entire proceedings of the day passed off with
the utmost satisfaction.
THE GAS-WORKS
Were erected in 1842, at the sole expense of Mr. Robert Roberts, the
proprietor, on a piece of land situated near Gallows-tree Bank turnpike
gate, the original works in Willow-Street having long before been found
too small and inconvenient to meet the increasing requirements of the
town. The new works were built on an extended scale, and comprise a
retort-house, purifying house, with a large tank and gasometer. The
apparatus is of the usual character, including condenser, purifier,
scrub, with fire-clay retorts, hydraulic main, &c. The chimney is
square, and spiral in form, tapering to the top, and forms an object of
interest on the approach to the town from Shrewsbury.
THE THEATRE
Is a small neat building in Willow-Street, but is not often occupied. It
is the property of William Ormsby Gore, Esq., who, when he built it,
doubtless considered he was providing means of rational entertainment for
the inhabitants. But Melpomene and Thalia have lost their charms in this
district; and the immortal works of Shakspeare, Jonson, Fletcher,
Massinger, Colman, Sheridan, Knowles, Bulwer, and others, are doomed to
shed their fragrance only in the library or study. Thirty years ago the
acted drama was deemed a genial and instructive amusement, and the boxes,
pit, and gallery of Oswestry Theatre were frequently crowded with
fashionable and attentive audiences. About the period to which we refer
the Theatre was under the careful and clever management of Mr. Charles
Stanton, who, with his family, “gained golden opinions,” and a more than
decent competence, by his histrionic labours. During the time he
presided over the Thespian realm, he succeeded in attaching to his _corps
theatrique_ many ladies and gentlemen of talent and high principle, who
afterwards figured with advantage in more extended spheres of their
profession; and whilst he held the reins of government, he deserved and
received the good opinion of his supporters. After having thus briefly
adverted to theatricals in Oswestry, it will not be inappropriate to
mention, that on no occasion, perhaps, in the history of provincial
dramatic performances, were more brilliant and exhilarating scenes
displayed than in 1822, when a number of ladies and gentlemen, most of
them residents of the town or neighbourhood, kindly volunteered their
services as _dramatis personæ_ in a series of dramatic productions.
Three performances were determined upon, that a fund might be raised for
establishing in the town a Public Library. The first took place February
15th, when the comedy of “_Speed the Plough_,” and the afterpiece of
“_The Review_,” were presented. An original Prologue, from the pen of
William Ormsby Gore, Esq., was spoken by the characters. The receipts of
the night were £76 12s. 6d. On the evening of May 23rd, in the same
year, Colman’s comedy of “_The Heir at Law_,” and the afterpiece of “_The
Review_,” were performed. Mr. Alderman Salisbury, a hale octogenarian,
spoke a Prologue to the play, attributed to Garrick. Colman’s Epilogue
was spoken by the characters. The receipts on this occasion were £47.
The third performance, May 25th, consisted of “_Speed the Plough_,” and
the afterpiece of “_High Life below Stairs_.” Receipts £24. The late J.
F. M. Dovaston, Esq., who had taken much interest in these performances,
wrote a Prologue to “_The Heir at Law_,” and it was intended that he
should enact the part of Lord Duberly, and deliver his own witty
effusion. Some differences, however, arose, and he did not therefore
take any part in the performances. Although the total receipts amounted
to the handsome sum of £147 12s. 6d., yet the expense of scenery, &c.,
exhausted nearly all the fund, and the original design, of establishing a
Public Library, failed.
Mr. Dovaston’s Prologue is given in his volume of Poems, published in
1825. It forms part of the literary history of Oswestry, and we
therefore make no apology for transferring it to our pages:—
“PROLOGUE,
“To a Play for the Benefit of a PUBLIC LIBRARY; spoken in the
character of
Lord Duberly (formerly Old Daniel Dowlas, the Grocer).
Oswestry Theatre, 1822.
“THOUGH here I struts, a lord so great and gay,
I was but tallow-chandler t’other day;
I’ve riches, dress, good dinners, rank, and station,
But what are all these without headication?
If I dines out, and says but aye or no, Sir,
As sure as figs is figs—out peeps the Grocer.
I sees as clear as is in glass or varnish,
Wealth without larnin is—but tawdry tarnish:
Poor men, of Manners, Sense, and Wit all handy,
Are to Society—bright Sugar-candy;
While ev’n in Senate, Bar, Church, Tabernacle,
Brass without Brains is—Brimstone without Treacle.
“I to the Playhouse goes, to see their vainery,
And (tho’ enraptured with their fine new Scenery)
I knows not what their wit or weeping takes there,
Nor what they means by SHERIDAN or SHAKSPEARE.
“We’ve got no Books—and this our show’s all brib’ry
To ax good-natur’d folks to fill our LIBREY.
We gives books to the poor—and all approves them;
Then why not by example shew we loves them?
“Knowledge, in this world’s counting-house’s mass,
Is good store candle, mould, or brilliant gas,
To keep our day-book faithful; which, when furl’d,
Will post us fitter for a future world.”
It is worthy of notice also, that in the same year in which the
performances were given in behalf of a Public Library, the celebrated
actor, distinguished as “The Young Roscius,” Mr. William Henry West
Betty, appeared on the Oswestry Stage, and played several of his popular
characters. Mr. Betty soon afterwards retired from public life; and for
many years past has been residing in London, having earned a handsome
fortune, enjoying his _otium cum dignitate_. He was a native of
Shrewsbury, and in right of his mother was heir to the extensive estate
of Hopton Wafers, in Shropshire.
THE HOTELS.
The principal Hotels in the town are, the Cross Keys, the Wynnstay Arms,
the Queen’s Head, and Osburn’s Commercial. All these Hotels are
well-conducted, and are much frequented by commercial travellers, private
families, and tourists through the Principality and Border Lands.
Educational Institutions.
THE FREE GRAMMAR SCHOOL.
[Picture: The Free Grammar School]
This ancient and valuable institution was founded and endowed in the
reign of Henry IV., between 1399 and 1413, by Mr. David Holbetche, “a
lawyer, steward of the towne and lordship,” and who in the same reign was
“made a denizen or free citizen of England.” The munificent founder
granted, for the maintenance of a schoolmaster, and the reparation of the
school-house, certain lands in Sweeney, Treflach, Maesbury, and
Crickheath, in addition to a house on the south-west side of the Parish
Church. By an inquisition under a Commission of charitable uses, taken
at Oswestry, 17th September, 1634, it was found that “how the said lands
were granted, or to whom, or by whom, they were to be let, was not known,
but that the bailiffs of the town of Oswestry had, for the most part,
jointly let the same:” and it was further found, “that upon the granting
of certain leases therein-mentioned, certain sums had been paid to the
bailiffs, or to their use, as a gratuity for making such leases; and that
they had cut timber upon the said estates which they had disposed of for
their own use.” In April, 1635, the Commissioners made a decree, stating
“that they had not found that the bailiffs of Oswestry were trusted by
the founder in ordering and disposing of the said school and
school-lands, but that they had done the same without any just authority;
and that if they had been trusted therein, they had manifestly abused the
trust, in making leases at an under-value, and for secret rewards for
themselves, and in committing great waste upon the timber-trees growing
upon the said premises; the said Commissioners decreed, that the bailiffs
of the said town should be for ever discharged and excluded from any
trust, or intermeddling with the said school and school-lands, or from
anything which should concern the same, otherwise than was thereafter
limited; that the nomination and placing of the schoolmaster should be
left to the bishop of the diocese according to the law; that the
schoolmaster for the time being should let the premises in possession,
and not in reversion, for the term of seven years, at the yearly rents
mentioned in a particular of the lands referred to in the inquisition, or
more, and so as the consent of the bishop and chancellor of the said
diocese, and of the bailiffs of the said town, or any two of them,
whereof the bishop should be one, should be first had in writing, for the
making of such leases; that neither the master nor any of the tenants
should cut or lop any timber-trees growing upon the premises without the
like consent; that the then schoolmaster should, within one year, make a
true terrier of all the school-lands and tenements, whereof one part
should be delivered to the bishop, to be kept in his registrar’s office,
and the other to be delivered to the bailiffs, to be entered in the
town-book. And the said Commissioners further ordered, that the
schoolmaster should always have an usher, and allow him £10 a-year, and
so much more out of the improved rents, as the said bishop for the time
being should think fit; so that the whole stipend of the usher should not
exceed £15; and that the schoolmaster for the time being, should keep the
school-house in repair.”
A terrier of the school-lands was accordingly taken, and the report was
as follows:—_Crickheath_, 24a. 1r. 37p.; _Treflach_, 20a. 1r. 5p.;
_Sweeney_, 74a. 0r. 10p.; _Maesbury_, 12a. 0r. 29p. The lands in
Treflach mentioned in the terrier had been held for many years at the
ancient rents, without any variation; and the Rev. James Donne, D.D. (the
former master), brought actions of ejectment against the late Lazarus
Venables, Esq., and Mrs. Hilditch, who held the lands, and insisted upon
their right to hold them, paying the accustomed rents. Upon the trial of
these actions verdicts were given in favour of Dr. Donne, and the lands
being very much dispersed and intermixed with those belonging to the
defendants, the judge recommended that lands equal in value, and lying
together, should be given up to the plaintiff, instead of the identical
lands which were the subject of the suits. This recommendation was
cordially adopted by all parties concerned, and further litigation was
therefore avoided.
Dr. Donne, through whose exertions these valuable properties were
recovered for Oswestry School, may justly be looked upon as its second
Founder. He raised the character of the School from comparative
obscurity to being second to none of the Grammar Schools of England. His
memory is held in affectionate remembrance by his pupils, who, to testify
their feelings, raised a handsome Memorial in Oswestry Parish Church.
The inscription on this Monument speaks deservedly of a revered Master,
and does credit to the elegant scholarship and affectionate feelings of
the distinguished Pupil who composed it.
Further advantageous exchanges of land have taken place during the time
of the present Master, which have resulted in attaching some of the most
valuable land in the Liberties of Oswestry and Township of Weston to
Oswestry School.
The Rents of the property accruing to the benefit of the School,
including a payment of £1 12s. 0d. from the receiver of the Crown Rents,
in respect of a sum of £2 charged on the land revenues, amount to £271
10s. 2d. Some land around the School-House is not included in this
statement, so that the Endowment of the School may be considered to
amount to £300 per annum.
In 1776 the late Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart., gave a piece of land, called _Cae
Groes_, comprising nearly eight acres, upon which the present
School-House was erected, charged with a rent of £12 per annum, to the
heirs of Sir W. W. Wynn; and the sum of £779 4s. 8d. was subsequently
subscribed towards completing the structure, the balance of expenses
having been borne by Dr. Donne.
The School is open to all boys born in the parish of Oswestry, for
instruction in English, Latin, and Greek; but it is expected that they
should be able to read before they are admitted. For the
before-mentioned studies no payment is demanded from the boys on the
Foundation, except 12s. 6d. for entrance, and 2s. a-year for fire-money.
The present Master is the Rev. Stephen Donne, A.M., who has filled the
office since his appointment in 1833 with singular merit and success, and
who has had the good fortune, during his connexion with the School, to
acquire the esteem and confidence of his pupils, and the warm approval
and regard of their parents and guardians.
The course of instruction in the School is Classical and Mathematical,
embracing strict attention to Religious knowledge, with History and
Geography, both Ancient and Modern; and whilst pupils are prepared for
the Universities, and Addiscombe, Woolwich, and Sandhurst, boys who have
in view the Profession of the Law or a Commercial life, in addition to
their other studies, are carefully trained in Writing, Arithmetic, and
Book-keeping. The Head Master receives Boarders into his House, who are
treated in a liberal and gentlemanly spirit. Several Pupils from this
School have, during the time of the late and present Master, highly
distinguished themselves at Cambridge, Oxford, Dublin, Addiscombe, and
Woolwich.
The late Rev. James Donne, D.D., retired from the School in 1833, and
died at Llanyblodwel Vicarage (which he had re-built), January 23rd,
1844.
The early Masters of the School we are unable to discover. Our list of
appointments commences with the year 1537:—
LIST OF HEAD MASTERS,
— Reynolds, appointed 1537
David Morris, Vicar of Llansilin 1561
John Berkley, D.D. 1606
Rector of Llanddoget 1606. He became Vicar of Llansannan 1611,
Rector of Newtown 1613, Rector of Llanfyllin 1614, Prebendary of
Llanvair Second Comportion 1621, and Rector of Llandyssil 1622.
John Kyffin —
— Lloyd 1624
Edward Payne, A.M. 1636
Rector of Cemmaes 1661, Vicar of Kinnerley 1668. This gentleman
was ejected in the time of Oliver Cromwell’s Usurpation.
William Griffiths 1661
Thomas Clopton 1672
Rector of Cilken, 1673, Canon 1675, Rector of Llanrwst 1677,
Prebendary of Myfod and Rector of Castle-Careinion 1678, and Rector
of Christleton, Cheshire.
John Evans 1678
Rector of Newtown 1666, Canon 1681, and Rector of Berriew 1686.
Edward Wicken —
Andrew Guild 1694
Thomas Jones 1697
Daniel Poole 1705
— Lloyd —
Robert Patrick —
Rector of Cemmaes 1717, Canon 1718, and Rector of Mallwyd 1733.
John Skye 1733
Rector of Berriew 1730, Vicar of Llansilin 1755.
Peter Morris 1763
Owen Reynolds about 1769
Charles Anson Tisdale 1772
Eusebius Edwards, Pembroke College, Oxford 1781
James Donne, M.A. 1796
Second Master of the King’s School, Chester, 1794, Minor Canon of
Chester 1796, Vicar of Llanyblodwel 1798, and Rural Dean of Marchia
1803.
Stephen Donne, M.A., Scholar of St. John’s 1833
College, Cambridge, January
NATIONAL SCHOOLS.
In the work of benevolence the borough of Oswestry has never acted with a
niggardly hand. When the necessity of national education first engaged
the sympathies of the community at large, Oswestry took a distinguished
part in the good work, and liberally provided education for the children
of the poor, who, until that period, had had none to help them. So early
as the commencement of the last century a Charity School was established
for the benefit of forty children, of whom twenty were clothed, and all
taught by a mistress to read and spell. When the boys were made perfect
in the reading of certain elementary books, they were transferred to a
master; and the girls were fully instructed, besides reading and
spelling, in spinning, knitting, and sewing. It is stated on one of the
tables of benefactions in the Parish Church, that in 1713 Mr. Thomas
Owen, Vicar of Oswestry, left the interest of £20 for the use of this
Charity School; and that in 1716 the Rev. Daniel Poole, chief
Schoolmaster of the town, left the interest of £20 for the like use. In
a minute of vestry, dated July 5th, 1737, it is stated that £32 was laid
out on the Poor-house in Church-Street, which sum, it is added, was paid
out of the legacies of the Rev. T. Owen and the Rev. D. Poole. In
December, in the same year, it was ordered at a vestry, that in lieu of
the money laid out as mentioned in the preceding minute, forty shillings
should be paid yearly toward maintaining the Charity School in the town
of Oswestry. It does not appear what school was intended, or how long
the payment was continued.
The friends of education in Oswestry, still anxious for the well-being of
the rising generation, united together in the year 1810 to carry out
their benevolent intentions. In July of that year it was agreed, that
the Guildhall should be appropriated for the reception of boys, and the
school-room situated in the church-yard for the reception of girls, until
rooms at the Bailey-Head should be properly fitted up for their
instruction. A public notice was afterwards issued, announcing “That the
Public Charity School, belonging to the town and parish of Oswestry, is
now open for the instruction of boys of the age of five years and
upwards.” In November following, the boys’ school was removed to the
chapel of the House of Industry, the School Committee considering that
such change would afford an opportunity to the children of parents
residing in the country to attend the school. This plan partly failed,
and soon afterwards convenient school-rooms, for boys and girls, were
fitted up at the Bailey-Head, from plans by Mr. T. Jones, Architect.
These schools were supported by general subscription and occasional aid
from the National Society. At length it was deemed necessary to provide
more spacious and convenient school-rooms, for the furtherance of the
great object of education, and arrangements were made for accomplishing
so important a design. A public subscription was entered into, and this
was aided by grants of £338 from the Committee of Council on Education;
£200 from the National Society; and a contribution of £700 from the funds
of the Oswestry Church Sunday School. The present beautiful building was
accordingly erected under the Welsh Walls, sufficient accommodation being
rendered for an Infant School. The structure was designed by Mr. Penson,
and raised by Mr. J. Vaughan, Builder. As a tribute of respect to the
memory of the late Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart., the building was commenced on
the 22nd of May, 1841, when his son, the present worthy possessor of
Wynnstay, attained his majority. The sole control of the School is
vested by the trust-deed in the Vicar of the parish for the time being.
The number of children at present educated in the Schools is—Boys, 78;
Girls, 64; Infants, 57.—Master, Mr. S. S. Lees; Mistresses, Miss
Whitfield and Miss Pierce.
[Picture: National Schools]
THE PARISH CHURCH SUNDAY SCHOOL
Was established in 1831. A zealous interest is taken in its prosperity
by the Clergy and many persons of wealth and influence in the town and
neighbourhood. The average attendance at present is 280 Scholars;
Teachers from 30 to 35.
THE BRITISH SCHOOLS
Were erected in 1841, at a cost, including the site, of about £800; the
builder being Mr. James Vaughan.
They are held in trust for “the education of children and adults, or
children only, of both sexes, of the labouring, manufacturing, and other
classes, in the town and parish of Oswestry, and in the several parishes
adjoining;” such education to be conducted on the principles of the
British and Foreign School Society. The trust includes permission to use
the premises on week days, prior to and after school hours (i.e. before 9
a.m. and after 6 p.m.), for “such moral, literary, scientific, or other
purposes,” as shall be allowed in manner therein mentioned. The funds
for the erection of the Schools having been subscribed chiefly by members
of the congregation assembling at the Old Chapel, there is a trust
assigning the use of the building on the sabbath to the Sabbath Schools
connected with that place of worship.
The system of education on week days being conducted on the principles of
the British and Foreign School Society, it need hardly be said that no
denominational catechism or dogma is permitted to be taught; but the Holy
Scriptures are in daily use.
The utility of the institution having become much crippled by a debt
remaining on the building and an accumulation of current expenses, a
special effort was made in the year 1854 to throw off the incubus. The
generous efforts and contributions of friends in the town and
neighbourhood, and others in various parts of the kingdom, aided by a
Bazaar, not only effected the “consummation” so “devoutly to be wished,”
but also realized a fund applicable to the substantial repair of the
building, and a needed supply of school materials.
The present Master and Mistress are—Mr. Farmer and Miss Jones.
THE YOUNG MEN’S INSTITUTE
Began its course about the year 1838. It was originated by the then
minister of the Old Chapel (the Rev. W. Reeve), and a few members of his
congregation, chiefly young men, who felt the importance of adopting some
means calculated to promote the moral and intellectual advancement of the
young men of the town, and which should offer to them a refuge and
enticement, during the evening hours, from listlessness on the one hand,
and from low and debasing pleasures on the other.
The meetings were for some time held in the vestry of the Old Chapel.
When the British School-rooms were erected in the year 1841 the
opportunity was taken of endeavouring to extend the benefits of the
Institute, by transferring its meetings to the lower school-room. Still
it was felt by its friends, that it was not so used or supported as they
desired; but, necessity having no choice, no attempt was made for several
years to change its location or enlarge its scope.
At the School-room the Institute prospered for a considerable time, and
did much good; but afterwards, from one cause or another, it drooped, and
well nigh sank. Deeming it, however, too good a thing to die, and
thinking it possible that many influential parties might have withheld
their sympathy and aid, from an idea (erroneous though it was) that the
Institution, from its antecedents and place of meeting, was not entirely
unsectarian and liberal, its friends made a successful effort in the year
1850 to resuscitate it. The clergy and dissenting ministers of the town,
together with several influential lay gentlemen, formed a committee,
obtained the use of the Guild-Hall for the meetings, and raised very
extended subscriptions. Many excellent lectures, professional and
amateur, were delivered, and new life seemed for a time to flow in the
veins of the Institute. The Guild-Hall being found inconvenient for the
Library and Reading-room, these were removed to rooms over the Shop of
Mr. Richard Jones, Hatter, at the Cross.
Subsequently, however, the falling-off of the subscriptions, and, it must
be added, the backwardness of the young men generally to avail themselves
of the privileges offered them, obliged the committee to relinquish these
premises, and for more than a year past there seem to have been no
meetings.
It is said that “all that’s fair must fade.” May we hope that the Young
Men’s Institute is only slumbering, and will not die, or, that dying, it
will rise again to a stronger, happier, better life.
Benevolent Institutions.
DISPENSARY AND BATHS.
The establishment of these two institutions is honourable to the
founders, and, we are glad to observe, of great benefit to the poor and
needy afflicted with disease. The origin of both is part of the annals
of the town, and claims especial record in our volume. We find that in
the year 1828 a meeting of the leading gentlemen of Oswestry was held,
for the purpose of endeavouring to establish a Dispensary. That assembly
was presided over by William Ormsby Gore, Esq., and the benevolent
institution was at once founded under most liberal auspices. Donations
amounting to one hundred and sixty guineas were subscribed at the
meeting, and a Committee was appointed, to carry out the objects of the
Charity. At the same time a liberal amount in annual subscriptions was
determined upon, that the new institution should be rendered permanent.
The following parties formed the first Committee, &c.
_President_:
WM. ORMSBY GORE, ESQ.
_Committee of Management_:
THE HON. THOS. KENYON, ROBT. MORRALL, ESQ.,
T. BULKELEY OWEN, ESQ., T. L. LONGUEVILLE, ESQ.,
J. V. LOVETT, ESQ., T. N. PARKER, ESQ.,
H. P. T. AUBREY, ESQ., REV. THOS. HUNT,
REV. THOS. SALWEY, REV. C. A. A. LLOYD,
REV. G. N. K. LLOYD, MR. LUCAS.
_Honorary Treasurer_:—C. T. JONES, ESQ.
_Visiting Physician_;—DR. EVANS.
_Surgeons_:
MR. MORRIS, MR. E. D. BENNION,
MR. COCKERELL, MR. CARTWRIGHT.
_Dispenser and Secretary_:—MR. J. M. HALES.
The original Dispensary rented for the Charity was situated in Lower
Brook-Street; but the premises being found too limited and inconvenient
for the benevolent objects contemplated, a new building was suggested,
and accordingly, in March, 1852, the Committee adopted a resolution to
the effect, that it was desirable to erect a Dispensary, with Baths
attached to it, for the accommodation of the public, as well as for the
use of the patients of the institution. To carry out this excellent
design a handsome subscription was entered into, amounting to between
seven and eight hundred pounds; to which was added, from the accumulated
fund of the Dispensary, the sum of five hundred pounds. The present
Dispensary and Baths were immediately erected from a design by R. Kyrke
Penson, Esq., on ground near the site of the former Dispensary. The
building is roomy and convenient, containing handsome and suitable rooms
for the Dispensary, with the addition of Warm and Cold Baths, Shower
Baths, a Vapour Bath, and Plunge Baths.
[Picture: Dispensary and Baths]
The number of patients who have partaken, within the last three years, of
the benefits which the Dispensary affords, shows the necessity and value
of the institution. From May, 1851, to May, 1852—Patients, 455. In
1853—Patients, 496. In 1854—Patients, 555.
The Dispensary, with the Baths, was opened May 1st, 1854. Mr. Ormsby
Gore still holds the office of President of the institution, and Mr.
Hales continues to officiate as Secretary and Dispenser. The Committee
and officers are:—
_Committee of Management_:
E. WRIGHT, ESQ., REV. S. DONNE,
REV. G. CAREW, REV. J. LUXMOORE,
R. K. PENSON, ESQ., J. V. LOVETT, ESQ.,
THOS. MINSHALL, ESQ., ROWLAND J. VENABLES, ESQ.,
THOS. LOVETT, ESQ., E. WILLIAMS, ESQ.,
T. L. LONGUEVILLE, ESQ., JOHN CROXON, ESQ.,
_Treasurer_:—J. T. JONES, ESQ.
_Surgeons_:
MR. CARTWRIGHT, MR. BLAIKIE,
DR. FULLER, DR. WILLIAMS.
The Trustees to whom the site for the new Dispensary and Baths was
conveyed are, William Ormsby Gore, Esq., Thomas Lovett, Esq., Edmund
Wright, Esq., and Thomas Longueville Longueville, Esq.
The proposition for building the Dispensary with the addition of Baths
originated with Edward Williams, Esq., of Lloran House; and his efficient
and zealous efforts were used in promoting the benevolent design, which
was most successfully accomplished in the end. In the prosperity of so
valuable an institution all classes in the town and populous
neighbourhood, who are blessed with this world’s goods, should consider
it a Christian privilege to take a lively interest, by contributing to
its funds, and thus extending its usefulness among the labouring poor who
have few to help them.
THE HOUSE OF INDUSTRY,
Situated on elevated ground near the river Morda, on the road from
Oswestry to Welshpool, was erected by virtue of an Act of Parliament
obtained in the year 1790, and opened for the reception of inmates April
28th, 1791. The first steward and matron were Mr. Thos. Cooper and Mrs.
Cooper, who held those responsible situations for the long period of
nearly thirty years. Directors were appointed, under the Act, to manage
the affairs of the institution, on behalf of Oswestry town and parish,
and the other parishes also thereby incorporated: namely, Saint Martins,
Selattyn, Whittington, West Felton, Ruyton, Kinnerley, Knockin, and
Llanyblodwel, in the hundred of Oswestry, and county of Salop; that part
of the parish of Llanymynech which lies in the hundred of Oswestry; the
parish of Chirk, in the county of Denbigh; and the parish of Llansilin,
in the counties of Salop and Denbigh. The Directors held their first
meeting on Monday, August 11th, 1791: Chairman, John Lovett, Esq., Mayor
of Oswestry. The building, of red brick, which still looks fresh and
fair, cost £12,000. It has ever excited the attention of strangers, on
account of its imposing stateliness of architecture, the exterior
presenting, at the first view, the appearance of a fine old English
baronial residence. Nicholson, in describing it thirty years ago, says,
“it is a ridiculously-splendid brick building, intended, not for a
purpose which its exterior seems to prompt, but for the abode of the
indigent and wretched.”
In 1851 a slight sensation was created in the united parishes of Oswestry
by a proposal from Mr. Doyle, Poor-Law Inspector, to admit six additional
parishes into union with the Oswestry Incorporation. The Poor-Law Board
had some time before claimed a general authority over the Incorporation,
to which the Directors, after a slight resistance, submitted. Public
meetings of the rate-payers of the incorporated parishes were held, to
consider Mr. Doyle’s proposal, and one also was convened in the Old
Church, Oswestry, on Saturday, July 21st: Peploe Cartwright, Esq., in the
chair. Mr. Doyle stated that certain alterations in the House of
Industry would have to be made; and in order to effect these improvements
at as small a cost as possible to the incorporated parishes, he suggested
that six other parishes should be united to the present, the expense
being thus spread over a larger number of rate-payers. The proposal was
not favourably entertained, as such a measure would have involved the
immediate dissolution of the Oswestry Incorporation. A resolution was
adopted at the meeting, “That in the absence of proper information and
details, we are at present of opinion that it is not desirable to
dissolve the Oswestry Incorporation.” From that time to the present the
Poor-Law Board exercise only a general authority over the Incorporation,
whose powers, as defined by the Act of Parliament, with the exception
just named, remain intact.
In 1853 various alterations, suggested by the Poor-Law Board, were made
in the House, at an expense of £1500. The average number of inmates in
the Institution is 174. The number which the House can receive is
limited by the Poor-Law Board to 300. The election of Directors is
independent of the Board; they are nominated by the vestries of the
several parishes, and appointed by the Board of Directors.
The present officers of the Institution are as follows:—The Rev. J.
Maude, Chairman; the Rev. E. W. O. Bridgman, Vice-Chairman; Mr. John
Hughes, Clerk to the Directors; and Mr. R. Richards, Master. Relieving
Officers:—For the _Upper Division_, comprising Oswestry Town and Parish,
Llanyblodwel, townships of Llwyntidman and Treprenal, Llansilin, and
Selattyn, Mr. Thomas Davies. For the _Lower Division_, consisting of
Chirk, Saint Martins, Whittington, Ruyton, West Felton, Knockin, and
Kinnerley, Mr. Joseph Rogers.
CHARITABLE DONATIONS TO THE POOR.
In the present age the good old-fashioned mode of bequeathing some
portion of worldly substance for the education or relief of the poor is
recognized by very few of our wealthier fellow-countrymen. The usual
channels of relief to the poor and needy—the Poor-Law Union, the Night
Asylum, the Good Samaritan Society, and other institutions of like
class—are excellent in their way, and diffuse much benefit and comfort
among the aged and indigent; but still our ancient charities, especially
our schools and almshouses, whilst they secure to their recipients
permanent, not precarious good, shed a brilliant lustre over the land,
and denote the kind and benignant spirit of many of our ancestors. Would
that the old benevolent English spirit were revived among us, and that
all affluent men, who have possessed their money by inheritance, or
obtained it by the force of their talents, or success in trade or
commerce, would, among their testamentary bequests, never fail to
“remember the poor.” Then should we have comfortable asylums for many
hoary-headed men and women, who, reduced by misfortune, or overwhelmed by
the distressing calamities of life, have no place of quiet shelter—no
resting-place in which to pass the residue of their days.
The following list of Charitable Donations, left for the benefit of the
poor of Oswestry, shows that in days gone by, the weak were not
overlooked by the strong, and that many, imbued with practical Christian
benevolence, deemed it their duty to aid, not only the poor of their own
days, but those also of succeeding generations. The only Aims-Houses in
the town are those situated near the turnpike-gate in Willow-Street.
They are six in number, and were left by Dame Ellen, widow of Sir Francis
Eure. Mrs. Jane Owen, in 1732, bequeathed to the twelve poor persons
(six men and six women), inmates of the alms-houses, the sum of 18s. to
be paid to them yearly, for ever, and also ordered her executor to charge
her real and personal estate with the payment thereof. Mrs. M. Ormsby,
by her will in 1805, requested her daughter (the present Mrs. Ormsby
Gore), and those who should succeed her in the Porkington Estate, would
pay “as she had done,” the poor people in the alms-houses for ever. Mrs.
Ormsby Gore regularly distributes £3 among the inmates on Christmas-Day,
that being the sum her mother had previously given. The alms-houses are
kept in good repair by Mrs. Ormsby Gore, and she selects the inmates.
Names of By what Nature of When payable. By whom. By whom Time of
Donors. Instrument Property, or directed to be distribution.
created, and Amount. distributed,
Date. and in what
manner.
Owen Morgan Will, 31 March £20 per Annum. 25 March Haberdashers’ Parson and
1604 Co., London. Churchwardens
of the Parish
of Oswestry,
for the relief
of the poor
Hugh Yale Will, 2nd Jan. Several Rts. payable at Tenants Bailiffs and 1st January.
1605 messuages and different times Overseers,
lands in amongst the
Oswestry, poor of the
producing at town and 6s.
present £13, of 8d. for a Welsh
thereabouts Sermon
John Morris, & Deed, 24th Ju. £1 10s. per On Feast day of J. W. Eyton. Trustees to be
Wife 1629 annum, on lands Philip & James appointed by
in Crickheath & All-Souls the Burgesses,
to be
distributed in
bread, and for
other purposes
Richard Deed, 23rd Dr. A field in 25 March R. Brayne, Bailiff 52s.
Wycherley 1624 Beatrice St. tenant per annum. for
let for £7 pr. bread and the
annum remainder to
set out an
Apprentice
Dorothy Santley Deed, 18th Ch. £2 12s. per 25 March Roberts, Church-wardens, Every Sunday.
I., 1643 annum issuing Ruthin, Rt. Bailiffs’ and
out of a field Roberts tenant Vicar, in
called Cae bread, to the
Bychan poor of the
town
William Gough Will, 1669 £5 6d. 8d. 25 Decbr. Rd. Hunt, Esq. £2 10s. by the
issuing out of Overseers of
lands in the Parish, and
Treflach the like sum by
the Overseers
of the town,
for the Poor,
and 6s. 8d. to
the Ministers
for a Sermon on
St. Stephen’s
Day
A butt of land Church-wardens
in Beatrice and Overseers
St., for which {124}
5s. pr. anm.
was pd.
Muckleston 5s. per annum 25 March Reps. of David In bread, but
Allen issuing out of Oliver not stated by
houses in whom to be
Cross-Street distributed
Winifred Will, 20th Ju. £2 10s. issuing 25 March Sir W. W. Wynn Vicar and
Matthews 1709 out of a field, Churchwardens
in Trefonen, to put out an
called Maes y apprentice,
Benglog from Oswestry,
and the
townships of
Trefonen,
Treflach,
Sweeney, and
Treferclawdd,
alternately
Mary Lloyd Will. June 5th £100 secured on Dec. 30th Trustees Vicar, Christmas.
1727 Willow-Street Church-wardens,
Gate & Road and Overseers,
in putting out
an apprentice,
and in woollen
clothing for
the poor of the
town each
alternate year
— Peacock — 1732. £5 secured with Dec. 30th Ditto To be Christmas.
the above distributed
amongst poor
house-keepers
of the town
Thomas Turner Will, 1777 £20 secured on March 25 Trustees The Christmas.
Llangedwin Church-wardens
Turnpike Road
Richard Will, 20th Jan. £2 per annum March 25 Rev. Jn. Lloyd The Bailiff, Good Friday.
Muckleston 1638 issuing out of Brunant Vicar, &
estates in Church-wardens,
Carmarthenshire in bread, to
the poor of the
Township of
Oswestry
Francis Shore Will, 13 Aug. £1 per annum This has Feast of St.
1691 issuing out of hitherto been Thomas.
houses in Ch. distributed by
Street, Mr. D. Jones,
belonging to who claims to
Mr. David Jones do so, as the
lineal
descendant of
the surviving
Trustee of the
Testator
Margaret Lloyd Will, 2nd May £1 issuing out Jany. 1st Thomas Allen Mayor and New Year’s Day.
1794 of her house, Church-wardens,
forge, yard, & amongst 20 poor
dwelling-house labourers or
in Oswestry decayed
aforesaid, with tradesmen
one croft of
land thereunto
belonging,
devised to
Richd. Pryce,
Mercer
Elizabeth Will, 1703. £2 per annum Plm Mon Reps. of James Church-wardens, Palm Monday
Williams. issuing out of Vaughan to the poor, in
Mixon Hall, and 6d. or 1s. to
croft each
Rebecca Lloyd Will, 10th Jan. £1 per annum 25 Decbr. Rv. J. Thomas Vicar, amongst Christmas
1733 issuing out of the poor
house in
Cross-Street
Sir William Will, Sep. 7th, £200 21 Decbr. Sir W. W. Wynn Vicar, At such time as
Williams 1734 Church-wardens, they shall
and Trustees, please
amongst such
poor persons of
the Parish as
they shall
think fit
Elizabeth Will Croft at Croxon & Co. The tenant of
Williams Croes-Wylan, Penylan has
occupied with hitherto
Penylan, for distributed
which £1 10s. this sum yearly
has hitherto in clothing for
been paid the poor
— Pierce Will A field called Marg. Oliver She distributes
Cae Mark, in 10s. upon
the Parish of All-Saints’
Llanyblodwel, Day, at Sweeney
occupied by Mountain, to
Margt. Oliver; poor persons of
consists now of Sweeney and
a house and Weston, in
buildings, and money; and also
several small another 10s. in
closes bread
James Phillips Will, 24th Ap. In 1833, £522 Mayor & Church-wardens, Feast of St.
1661 7s. 10d., Corporation of in flannel Simon and St.
which, after Shrewsbury Jude
certain
deductions,
left £186 8s.
8d. to be
distributed
between the
Parishes of St.
Chad,
Shrewsbury,
Oswestry,
Ellesmere, and
Whitchurch
Lady Eure Will Porkington Alms Reps. of Mrs. Money to be
houses, and Jane Owen distribtd. at
18s. per annum Christmas
to poor people
occupying them,
since incrsd.
to £3
Margaret Deed, 2nd Mar Messuage in If not occupied
Godolphin 1748 Cross St. by the Vicar,
exchanged in then to be let
1823 for one in and the rents
Brook St. for distributed by
the use of the the _Country_
Vicar, if Wardens in
actually placing out
resident in the children in the
same _Parish_ whose
Parents’ names
are not in the
Poor’s Books
Sir Nathaniel Will, 1740 Interest of Christmas & Trustees, or Nomination in Christmas and
Lloyd Stock, at Midsummer person the Reps. of Midsummer 12
present authorized by Sir N. Lloyd, & poor persons of
producing £97 them the Bishop of Oswestry, & 8
19s. 8d. per St. Asaph, of Whittington
annum alternately
— Thomas Will £2 12s. Every Su. in Owner of the Ditto St. Thos. Day
annually, out bread Aston property
of lands in —
— Jeffreys ⅓ of an estate Church-wardens St. Thos. Day,
at Osbaston, of lower 4s. out of
which 3rd now division of every 10, to
produces £4 0s. parish the poor in
8d. per annum Morton; 3s. in
Maesbury and
3s. in
Crickheath.
*** Swinnerton’s Charity is lost.
LIST OF CHARITIES FOR THE USE OF THE CHURCHWARDENS, CONSISTING OF SUCH
ONLY AS ARE PAID TO AND DISTRIBUTED BY THEM.
CHARITIES RELATING TO THE TOWN ONLY.
Yale’s; Morris’s; Witcherley’s; Sontley’s; Donor unknown, (Owen?) Land in
Beatrice Street; Muckleston Allen’s; Lloyd and Peacock’s; Muckleston’s
(Poor of Oswestry); Margaret Lloyd’s; Elizabeth Williams’s (Mixon Hall);
Rebecca Lloyd’s (Freeman).
CHARITIES RELATING JOINTLY TO THE TOWN AND PARISH.
Morgan’s; Gough’s; Winifred Matthews’s; Turner’s; Sir William Williams’s.
CHARITIES RELATING TO THE PARISH ONLY.
Elizabeth Williams’s (Croft at Croes-Wylan); Jeffreys’s.
THE SOCIETY FOR BETTERING THE CONDITION OF THE POOR,
Within the Hundred of Oswestry, was established in or about the year
1812, by the late Rev. C. A. A. Lloyd, Rector of Whittington, and the
late Rev. G. N. K. Lloyd, Rector of Selattyn. The objects of the Society
at its original institution were—the encouragement of schools for the
education of the lower classes; the increase of the comforts of the poor
in their dwellings, by the improvement of cottages; the distribution of
moral and religious books and tracts; the encouragement and promotion of
friendly societies; the establishment of a bank for the poor, paying
interest for small sums; and, finally, the distribution of rewards among
the poor for extraordinary acts of industry.
During the progress of the Society very much has been done in the
neighbourhood, through its instrumentality, with regard to the above
objects. Several schools were established soon after its commencement,
and a vast number of moral and religious publications have been given as
prizes, from time to time, to the best-informed children, and also as
rewards for proficiency in writing, drawing, sewing, &c. With respect to
the improvement of cottages, the Society issued several small
publications some years ago, directing the attention of owners of
property to this very important social amelioration; some plans were also
engraved, and rules printed, relative to the building of habitations for
the poor. Through the influence of this institution some Friendly
Societies were established, and also (which is well worthy of notice) a
Savings’ Bank for the poor, about four years _before_ the present
excellent institution commenced operations in conformity with an Act of
Parliament passed on the subject. As soon as the Government Savings’
Bank was opened, the funds of the former were transferred to it.
Subjoined are specimens of some of the prizes which were offered by the
Society during the year 1854:—
No. 2.—To the Labouring Cottager who shall be found to occupy the
best-furnished, neatest, and cleanest Cottage, together with the
best-cultivated Garden, the same being not less than a quarter of an
acre in extent:
£. s. d.
First Prize 1 10 0
Second ditto 1 0 0
Third ditto 0 10 0
No. 5.—To the most deserving Widow, who under the greatest difficulties
has supported herself by her own unassisted exertions:
£. s. d.
First Prize 1 0 0
Second ditto 0 15 0
Third ditto 0 10 0
No. 8.—To the Cottager, or Farming Servant, who shall have accumulated
most money in the Savings’ Bank, the same to have arisen entirely from
his or her own earnings:
£. s. d.
First Prize 2 0 0
Second ditto 1 0 0
No recipients of parish relief are allowed to become candidates for any
of the prizes.
It is to be regretted that the Society, since the loss of its benevolent
founders, has been in a declining state; but it is to be hoped that an
institution which has effected so much social and domestic comfort, and
advanced the cause of morality and vital religion, will not, in this
wealthy district, be allowed to expire for want of support. Franklin has
well observed, that “more will be done for the happiness of the poor by
inuring them to provide for themselves, than could be done by dividing
all your estates among them.” To establish principles of self-reliance
among a people is to secure to them respectability and a manly
independence of character.
FRIENDLY SOCIETIES.
There are several Friendly Societies in Oswestry, all of which are
conducted with prudence and judgment, and are at present in a state of
prosperity. The following is a list of these institutions:—
Sun Friendly Society, established 1765, consisting of 107 Members.
The Feathers Friendly Society, established 1830, consisting of 150
Members.
King Oswald Lodge of Odd Fellows, No. 603 Manchester Unity; established
1833, consisting of 153 Members. Held at Osburn’s Hotel.
Philanthropic Lodge of ditto, No. 1637, established 1838, having 50
Members. Held at the George Inn.
Duke of Cornwall Court of Foresters, No. 86, established 1840, consisting
of 86 Members. Held at the Unicorn Inn.
Ecclesiastical History.
THE PARISH CHURCH.
THIS ancient fabric, though having no pretensions to beauty of
architecture, externally or internally, yet, from its size and the
massiveness of its ivy-mantled tower, has a venerable and somewhat
imposing aspect. Girded on the west side by noble elm trees, and on the
north by an avenue of limes, its tower presents on every side an object
of much interest in the surrounding country. The eye even of the casual
observer cannot fail to remark how much the fabric has suffered in former
times, little probably of the original structure remaining. The
different styles of architecture in the present building might enable the
antiquary to decide with some probability when each particular part was
restored. The only windows possessing any architectural beauty are those
in St. Mary’s chancel, and it is to be lamented that, when the south side
of the chancel was restored some years ago, the new windows were not made
uniform with these. At present nothing can be more incongruous than the
different styles which present themselves on every side.
[Picture: The Parish Church]
There are perhaps few churches, in a parish so large and important as
Oswestry, which contain so meagre a collection of records relating to it.
Doubtless many of the books belonging to it were lost during the
disturbed times which ended in the establishment of the Commonwealth.
The old Vicarage House is supposed to have been burnt down, either at
this time or in some former incursions of the Welsh. It stood on the
north side of the church-yard, and when this site was exchanged with the
late Mr. Lloyd, of Swan Hill, by the then Vicar, for what is now the New
Church-Yard, and which then became the Vicar’s Croft, the row of trees
forming the north side of the avenue, though separated by a wall from the
church-yard, was expressly reserved as belonging to the church; and the
present owner of that property has no right to cut down, or even to lop,
the trees; whilst the Vicar has at all times power to enter upon the
premises to plant new trees, if any of the present ones should be blown
down or injured. The croft which became the Vicar’s, by the above
exchange with Mr. Lloyd, was again exchanged by the late Lord Powis for
what is now the Vicar’s land in Salop Road, and Lord Powis then gave the
croft thus obtained as a free gift to the parish for a new Burial-ground.
This, however, is already nearly filled, and as the Old Church-yard ought
unquestionably to be shut up and disused for burials, another and a
larger Burial-ground is much needed.
In the year 1748 Mrs. Margaret Godolphin endeavoured to remedy the loss
of the old Vicarage House, by leaving to the Vicar and his successors for
the time being a small tenement at the back of Cross-Street, as a
residence, but coupled with this proviso, that if the Vicar should not
occupy it himself, then it was to be let by the Churchwardens, and the
rent appropriated in putting out apprentices from amongst the poor. It
does not appear that the house so given by Mrs. Godolphin was ever
occupied by any Vicar, and it consequently fell at once under the second
provision of the will, and became a sort of Poor-house for the town.
This continued till the year 1823, when the house was exchanged for more
desirable premises in Brook-Street, which were for many years occupied by
the present Vicar; but in consequence of his non-residence, through ill
health, the property has been given up by him, and has once more reverted
to the second purpose of the charity.
The antiquity of the church, as we have already intimated, is not clearly
defined in any of the books relating to the history of the county. In
the records of the Augmentation Office the following minutes are made in
reference to the Rectory and Vicarage of Oswestry:—
“The Church of Oswestry is doubtless of great antiquity. There was
certainly a vicarage here antecedent to the formation of the Valor by
Pope Nicholas IV., A.D. 1291; for in the record, the original of
which is preserved in the Exchequer, Oswestry is thus recorded:—
“ST. ASAPH. SPIRITUALITIES.
DEANERY OF MARCHIA.
_Church of Oswalstræ_:
£. s. d.
Rectory 26 13 4
Vicarage 8 13 4
“From this it is evident that the vicarial endowment of Oswestry must
be of a date prior to 1291; and in all probability, therefore, so
ancient as to preclude the expectation of its being extant,
“The Church of Oswestry was, in early times, given to the Monastery
of Shrewsbury, and afterwards appropriated thereto, and the rectory
and tithes converted to the uses of the said monastery. They
continued to belong to the monastery until, as one of the great
religious houses, Shrewsbury was, by force of the statute of 31 Henry
VIII., dissolved, when its tithes and other possessions came into the
hands of the crown.”
The tithes of Oswestry afterwards became the property of the Earl of
Arundel, Lord of Oswestry, and then of the Earl of Powis, who sold them
in 1819 (excepting the liberties of Oswestry town and Middleton township)
to Mr. W. Lloyd, of Aston, Mr. T. N. Parker, of Sweeney, the Hon. T.
Kenyon, of Pradoe, and others.
Within the tower of the church are eight silver-toned bells, whose joyous
peals on occasions of festivity give hilarity to all who hear them. A
new clock was substituted for an old one in 1836, the cost of which was
paid by public subscription.
The church is dedicated to St. Mary. A new organ was erected by
subscription in 1812; and the organist, by the adoption of effective
sacred music, and the choir, by its able execution of the beautiful
psalmody selected, contribute much to the solemnity and effect of public
worship in this venerable church. The present Organist is Mr. Edward
Eyeley. It is stated that the old organ, a fine-toned instrument, is
fixed in one of the metropolitan churches.
The interior of the church, especially on a Sabbath morning, when a
numerous congregation generally assembles, presents a most delightful
spectacle. The place where, for ages past, divine worship has been held,
and the footsteps of grandsires and great-grandsires have led them to bow
before the “throne of the heavenly grace,” cannot fail to exhibit an
affecting scene to all who understand the frailty and brevity of human
life.
The church was enlarged and beautified in 1807: and in 1831 a new
entrance door was completed at the east or chancel end. A great
improvement in the interior, both as to comfort and effect, would still
be added, were a new set of pews erected. Many of the present pews are
most unsightly and inconvenient. A new set, formed on the most approved
principle of church seat-accommodation, would be acceptable to all
pew-holders, giving neatness and adding comfort within the fabric which
every member of the congregation would heartily approve. The inhabitants
of the parish have accomplished much, in the way of public improvement,
within the last few years; and the alterations we have now suggested
would be a crowning point to their spirited exertions for the benefit and
honour of the town.. The altar-piece might be removed, and a more
suitable one introduced, at a trifling expense.
The Communion Plate belonging to the church consists of the following
articles:—A silver cup, bearing the inscription, “Ex Dono Dauidi
Edwards”; another cup, dated 1575, the gift of “Richard Stanni,” “Elder
Mercer”; a silver flagon, the letters “I. H. S.” engraved thereon, with
the inscription, “Given for the use of the Holy Communion, in the Parish
Church of Oswestry, 1707”; and two silver salvers, the gift of Mrs.
Elizabeth Roderick.
The CHURCH-YARD is no ordinary resting-spot for the dead. As we have
already said, it would be well now to close it as a place of sepulture.
Sanitary motives would urge this change; and the feelings of those whose
departed relatives or friends are about to be consigned to the grave
should be religiously deferred to. The Church-yard may soon be
surrounded by human dwellings, and then the newly-laid dead will lie
amidst the busy living.
[Picture: The Church Gate and Avenue]
Its beautiful avenue, rendered still more pleasant in spring, summer, and
autumn, by the lofty row of lime-trees which separates it from the space
appropriated to the tenements of the dead, might be made still more
impressive in character, were a neat lattice-work constructed, extending
from tree to tree, to mark the line of demarcation between the avenue and
church-yard more distinctly. A sketch of the Avenue, with the Alcove at
the west end, is here given, as well as the florid, chastely-designed
Gate leading to it from Church-Street. This gate was put up in 1738, at
the expence of the parish. Country churchyards are always deeply
interesting to the contemplative and thoughtful; and Gray’s truthful and
pathetic Elegy, which appeals so powerfully to the best feelings of our
nature, has invested them, however rude and humble, with an affecting
character that touches the hearts even of the most indifferent. Oswestry
Church-Yard, with its aged elms of more than a century’s growth; its
sombre yews; its stately tombs and humble graves for patrician and
plebeian dust, “the rich and the poor meeting together,” is a scene
conveying monitory lessons to all who will seriously read them. Among
the tombs are several, bearing appropriate inscriptions, containing the
ashes of French prisoners of war, who died in Oswestry on their parole,
between the years 1811 and 1814. The ancient entrance to the Church-yard
from Upper Brook-Street, through the GRIDDLE GATE, is a curious relic of
byegone times. Formerly, on occasions of burial from the south side of
the town, the coffin of a deceased party was placed temporarily on a bier
within the porch of the Griddle Gate, and thence conveyed to the church.
It will be seen from the engraving we give of this Gate that it was
erected in 1631.
[Picture: The Griddle Gate]
We may here state that the elm-trees in the church-yard were planted at
the expense of the Rev. Thomas Owen, when Vicar of the Parish, between
the years 1707 and 1713.
Monuments and Tablets within the Church.
How valuable are Monumental Inscriptions, when they are the records of
truth, and affectionate tributes to departed worth! The tablets on our
church walls are silent, but often effective monitors, reviving drooping
spirits, recalling scenes of sublunary enjoyments, transient as the stay
of the dew-drop in the sun, and suggesting the brevity and uncertainty of
human existence. Within Oswestry Church, as well as in its grave-yard,
most of the Monuments and Inscriptions are simple, chaste, and
impressive. They either plainly mark the spot where lies the departed
body, or touchingly express the natural grief of surviving relatives or
friends. Whilst wandering among the habitations of the dead, and
viewing, with “slow and solemn steps,” the houses, for rich and poor,
“appointed for all men living,” we can sympathize with Salopia’s own
sweet poet, in his beautiful apostrophe:
“Thou, sainted Memory, art mine,
And smiling Hope, of birth divine,
Ev’n now I feel your mingled pow’r,
Ev’n in this solitary hour.”
On the north wall, within the church, is an ancient monument exhibiting a
male and female kneeling.
“In memory of Mr. HUGH YALE, alderman of this town, and DOROTHY his
wife, daughter of Roger Roden, Esq., of Burton, in the county of
Denbigh, whose bodies are interred within ye chancel of this church,
commonly called St. Mary’s, before its demolition in the late wars,
anno 1616. They gave to ye poor of this town the yearly interest and
benefice of one hundred pounds, to continue for ever; besides other
good acts of charity.”
Beneath this inscription:
“Underneath are interred the remains of MARGARET, the wife of David
Yale, Esq., daughter and heiress of Edward Morris, of Cae-mor, Gent.
She departed this life, the 20th day of December, 1754, aged 66.
Also lye the remains of DAVID YALE, Esq., who dy’d January the 29th,
1763, aged 81. This was erected by her son, John Yale, of Plas yn
Yale, Clerk.”
In 1721 died Edward Yale. There is a monument to him in Wrexham Church,
with the following inscription:—
“Born in America, and in Europe bred,
In Africa travell’d, and in Asia wed,—
Where long he liv’d and thriv’d—in London died.”
On marble tablets on the same side:
“Near this small monument lie the remains of Mrs. MARY GRIFFITHS, the
wife of William Griffiths, Gent., one of the aldermen of this
corporation: she died on the 9th day of August, 1774, in the 70th
year of her age. Likewise the remains of the said WILLIAM GRIFFITHS,
who died the 14th day of November, 1791, in the 81st year of his
age.”
* * * * *
“Sacred to the memory of ELIZABETH, the beloved wife of John Jones,
Esq., of Brook Street, who departed this life the 2nd of February,
1835, aged 68. Also to the memory of the above-named JOHN JONES, who
departed this life the 8th of June, 1846, aged 86.”
* * * * *
“VAUGHAN BARRETT, Esq., died 17th October, 1772, aged — years; MARY,
relict of Vaughan Barrett, Esq., daughter of Thomas Kynaston, Esq.,
of Maesbury Hall, in the county of Salop, died 28th of May, 1779,
aged — years; ELIZABETH, daughter of Vaughan and Mary Barrett, died
6th March, 1792, aged 58 years; LETITIA, daughter of Vaughan and Mary
Barrett, died 25th of March, 1803, aged 71 years. This testimony of
affection and regard is erected to their memory by Edward Disbrowe,
Esq., of Walton-upon-Trent, in the county of Derby.”
* * * * *
“In memory of ELIZABETH VENABLES, who died July, 1772, aged 39; SARAH
VENABLES, who died June, 1807, aged 70; MARGARET VENABLES, who died
June, 1814, aged 80. Their remains are interred in an adjacent
vault. They lived virtuously, and ‘all died in faith,’ in stedfast
hope of a blessed resurrection.”
“Likewise in memory of MARY ASHBURN, sister of the above-named, who
died October 14th, 1817, aged 81, beloved and lamented.”
On mural monuments on the north side of the chancel:
“M. S. RICHARDUS MAURICE, Arm. Ad pedem Columnæ huic Marm. oppositæ
Exuvias Mortales Uxoris ALICIÆ, Filiæ Thomæ Carpenter, De Home, Com.
Herefordiæ, Arm., cum unica ex eadem Filia Anna, tumulavit, September
4, A.D. 1700, Ætat. 22. Et MARGARETÆ itidem, Secundis illi Nuptiis
conjunctæ, Filiæ Johannis Price, A.M., ex qua Unum suscepit Filium,
Johannem, cum Matre placide dormientem. Denat. September 4, A.D.
1716, Ætat. 32. In Uxorum et Liberorum Memoriam, H. M. R. MAURICE,
P.C., in eodem Tumulo et suos aliquando Cineres depositurus, Æterna
Requie fruiturus, si erga Deum Pietas, erga Pauperes Benignitas, erga
Omnes summa Benevolentia illam Requiem afferre valeant. Obiit Primo
die Junii, An. Salutis 1749, et suæ Ætatis 84.”
* * * * *
“MDCCCXII. In memory of LEWIS JONES, Esq., for fourteen years
town-clerk of Oswestry: he died June 5th, in the 56th year of his
age. This tablet was erected by the corporation of this town, in
token of their affectionate remembrance of a man, who was remarkable
for his knowledge of the laws of his country, and for his readiness
in imparting that knowledge, with a view to prevent litigation among
his neighbours.”
* * * * *
“To the memory of ELIZABETH, the wife of Mr. Lewis Jones, who died
26th of September, 1801, in the 38th year of her age. This small
tribute of affectionate regard, as a testimony of her worth, and an
expression of his own deep regret, is placed by her surviving
husband.”
* * * * *
“Sacred to the memory of Captain ROBERT WATKIN LLOYD, of
major-general Gwynne’s regiment of cavalry, only son of Robert Lloyd,
Esq., of Swan Hill, aged 17. He fell a victim to the yellow fever,
on the 26th of June, 1794, at Port au Prince, in Saint Domingo,
having survived the capture of that place. In him were united a mind
firm and vigorous; a disposition kind and benevolent; manners
engaging and mild, giving promise of a character which might one day
have added lustre to his profession; have adorned the circle of
polished society, and have sweetened the enjoyments of domestic
life.” “Sacred also to the memory of ROBERT LLOYD, Esq., of Swan
Hill, father of the above-named Robert Watkin Lloyd, who departed
this life on the 3rd day of October, 1803, aged 58. By that event,
his family lost an affectionate husband and father; the county an
upright magistrate; and the public an amiable man.”
A monument at the north end of the chancel:
“ROBERT POWELL LLOYD, son of Robert Lloyd, of Swan Hill, Esq., by
Sarah, his second wife, died 11th March, Anno 1769, and was interred
in the vault beneath, aged 5 years. SARAH, mother of the above R. P.
Lloyd, died 19th of August, 1790, aged 59 years; also ROBERT LLOYD,
Esq., the father, died 5th of April, 1793, aged 72 years.”
A neat tablet at the same end:
“Sacred to the memory of THOMAS TREVOR, clerk, M.A., son of Roger
Trevor, of Bodynfol, in the county of Montgomery, Esq., Vicar of this
parish 50, and of Ruabon, 15 years; chaplain to Sir W. Williams
Wynne, baronet; and one of his Majesty’s justices of the peace for
the counties of Salop and Denbigh, who died the 29th of February,
1784, aged 76. Of manners unaffected, he performed the service of
the church with a peculiar grace; and by a propriety of elocution,
attracted the attention, and raised the devotion of his hearers. He
was an active and upright magistrate, tender husband, kind relation,
and steady friend. He married twice—first, Elizabeth, daughter of
Edward Maurice, of Trefedrhyd, in the county of Montgomery, Esq.,
11th June, 1762; afterwards, Anne, daughter of Gabriel Wynne, of
Dolarddyn, Esq., and relict of George Robinson, of Brithdir, Esq.,
both in the county of Montgomery, who survived.”
On tablets near the communion table:
“Sacred to the memory of the Rev. TURNER EDWARDS, L.L.B., Vicar of
this parish, and of Llansilin, in the county of Denbigh; rural dean
of Marchia, in the diocese of St. Asaph; and one of his Majesty’s
justices of the peace for the county of Salop: he departed this life
on the 10th of January, 1803, aged 44, leaving an afflicted widow,
with five children, to deplore his untimely loss. Also underneath
lie the remains of SARAH, relict of the above Rev. Turner Edwards,
and second daughter of the late William Birch Basnett, Esq.; she
departed this life on the 16th December, 1814, aged 52. This
monument, a slender token of duty and affection, was erected by their
surviving children, Turner, John, William, James, and Mary Anne.”
* * * * *
“Sacred to the memory of the Reverend JOSEPH VENABLES, L.L.B., who
was born 31st August, 1726, and died 14th August 1810. As a minister
of the Gospel, he illustrated his precepts by his example, by his
piety, benevolence, and general character as a man. To his
relations, his affection and kindness were unbounded; for society,
his friendship was ardent and sincere; and when his Creator called
him to another and a better world, he closed a long and well-spent
life, respected and lamented.”
A tablet near the communion table:
“To the memory of THOMAS KYNASTON, of Maesbury, Esq., who died in
1710, aged 33; also of three of his children, and five
grand-children.”
On a plain slab near the town door:
“Sweeney Vault.—Underneath lie the remains of EDWARD BROWNE, Esq.,
who departed this life 22nd of February, 1704, aged 80.”
On a neat marble tablet near the above:
“EDVARDO BROWNE, de Oswestry, in comitatu Salopiensi, armigero, qui
vixit ann. 80. Decessit 8 Calend. Mart., Anno sacro 1794. Sara,
conjux Thomæ Netherton Parker, haeres ejus, ex asse, pio gratoque
animo in avunculum optime de se meritum, hoc monumentum faciendum
curavit.”
Mural monuments near the above:
“M. S. Jacobi Donne, S.T.P., Ecclesiæ Blddwell, in agro Salopiensi,
Vicarii, qui, dum Scholæ Oswestriensi per annos 36 præfuit, quid sit
verus ingenuarum artium finis, quid erga Deum patriamque pietas, quid
strenua illa honestas, nominis Britannici prisca propugnatrix,
præceptis, exemplo, tota vitæ ratione, pro virili edocuit. Quanta
denique Religionis Christianæ vis, ipse jam tandem placida senectute
degens otium, et ad extremam vitæ horam sacris literis officiisque
deditus sanctioribus, sibi suisque feliciter demonstravit. Hoc
monumentum poni curaverunt, qui, disciplina pueri tam honesta
instituti, provectioribus jam annis venerandi illius capitis testari
volunt desiderium.”
* * * * *
“Sacred to the memory of CHARLES PENSON, a friend and instructor of
the poor, and a lover of all who loved the Lord Jesus Christ. He
died November 26th, 1836, aged 40 years. Although nearly blind, he
was an honoured instrument in God’s hand in turning many from
darkness to light. His life was spent in an active course of
self-denying Christian benevolence, yet ever counting himself an
unprofitable servant. In life and in death he had but one ground of
hope, the mercy of God in Christ Jesus. Near this place he long sat
as a Teacher in the Sunday School, labouring to make known to others
that Saviour whom he had found so precious to his own soul. ‘His
faith follow, considering the end of his conversation; Jesus Christ,
the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever.’ Heb. xiii, 7, 8. This
tablet is erected to his memory by many who esteemed him very highly
in love, for his work’s sake.”
Tablet on a pillar in the chancel:
“Sacred to the memory of RICHARD PRICE, surgeon, one of the senior
aldermen of this town, obt. 26th September, 1790, æt. 68. Also to
the memory of SUSANNA, wife of Nathaniel Price, Esq., who departed
this life February 23rd, 1844, aged 67 years. Also of NATHANIEL
PRICE, Esq., who departed this life May 22nd, 1847, aged 67 years.
This tablet was erected as a tribute of affection by Harriet,
daughter of Susanna and Nathaniel Price.”
A brass plate near the organ gallery steps:
“MARY, wife of Humphrey Mostyn, Esq., died September 3rd, 1781, aged
60. Also of HUMPHREY, youngest son of William Mostyn, Esq., of
Brongwyn, Montgomeryshire, died 12th of January, 1786, aged 60.”
Scroll, surmounted by military insignia, on south-east wall:
“Sacred to the memory of Captain OWEN ARTHUR ORMSBY GORE, of the 43rd
Light Infantry, third son of William Ormsby Gore, Esq., M.P., of
Porkington, who fell in action with the Caffres, at the head of his
Company, on the 6th of April, 1852, at ‘Antas Cave,’ British
Caffraria. This monument was erected by his brother officers, as a
mark of their affectionate regard.”
Arms—Motto, “In hoc signo vinces.”
Tablet, surmounted by an urn:
“Sacred to the memory of HENRY PINSON TOZER AUBREY, Esq., of Broom
Hall, in this Parish, who died deeply and deservedly lamented,
September 30th, 1848, aged 69.”
“The memory of the just is blessed.”
Monuments in the Church-yard.
We select the following from various parts of the Churchyard:—
“Sacred to the memory of SAMUEL LEACH, Esq., Llanforda Issa, and an
alderman of the corporation of this town, who departed this life
November 4th, 1833, aged 67 years.”
“Sacred to the memory of MARY, relict of the late Samuel Leach, who
departed this life February 25th, 1838, aged 60 years.”
* * * * *
“To the memory of the Rev. JOHN SHEIL, Incumbent of Cannock,
Staffordshire, who died at Oswestry, September 24th, 1841, aged 61.
This tribute of esteem and regard, is erected by his former
pupils—Arthur Viscount Dungannon, of Brynkinalt, and the Rev. John
Parker, Vicar of Blodwel.”
* * * * *
“THOMAS HUNT, died February 17th, 1831, aged 69 years. SUSANNA,
widow of the said Thomas Hunt, died August 21st, 1844, aged 82
years.”
* * * * *
“Sacred to the memory of FRANCIS CAMPBELL, Esq., an alderman of the
corporation of this borough, who died September 26th, 1841, aged 73.
Also, MARY CAMPBELL, relict of the above, who died April 30th, 1845,
aged 78.”
“Sacred to the memory of ELIZABETH, daughter of the late Thomas
Peate, Esq., of Preeshenlle, who died November 6th, 1841, aged 67
years.”
“Sacred to the memory of JOHN TOMLEY, Gent., late of Middleton, in
this parish, who died August 25th, 1808, aged 74 years.”
* * * * *
“Sacred to the memory of ELIZABETH, the beloved wife of John Jones,
Esq., who departed this life, the 2nd February, 1835, aged 68. Also
to the memory of the above-named John Jones, who departed this life
the 8th June, 1846, aged 86.”
“Sacred to the memory of RANDLE JONES, son of John and Elizabeth
Jones, who departed this life April 10th, 1821, aged 23 years.”
“Sacred to the memory of MARY, youngest daughter of John and
Elizabeth Jones, who departed this life January 27th, 1833, aged 31
years.”
“Sacred to the memory of EMMA, the beloved wife of John Jones, jun.
Esq., who died June 19th, 1834, aged 37.”
“Sacred to the memory of ELIZA, eldest daughter of John and Elizabeth
Jones, who departed this life the 24th May, 1854, aged 61 years.”
* * * * *
“Sacred to the memory of SKINNER HANCOX, Esq., late colonel of the
7th Dragoon Guards, who departed this life January 27th, 1843, aged
55.” “If Thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall
stand? But there is forgiveness with Thee, that thou mayest be
feared.” Psalm cxxx: 3, 4.
* * * * *
“Sacred to the memory of General JOHN DESPARD, late colonel of the
5th West India regiment, who died at Swanhill, September 3rd, 1829,
in the 85th year of his age, after having honorably served his
country for 70 years. Also of HARRIET ANNE, sister of the late Sir
Thomas Dalrymple Hesketh, Bart., of Rufford Hall, Lancashire, and
relict of the above General John Despard. She died at Brighton, May
14th, 1848, aged 76 years.”
* * * * *
“CONWAY LONGUEVILLE, eldest daughter of Thomas Longueville
Longueville and Anne, his wife, died 17th March, 1854, aged 14
years.”
“CHARLES HENRY LONGUEVILLE, their youngest son, died 30th June, 1854,
aged 6 years.”
* * * * *
“In memory of JOHN CROXON, alderman of this town, who died March
21st, 1803, aged 66; and of ALICE, his wife, daughter of Richard and
Alice Jones. She died July the 19th, 1824, aged 87. ELIZABETH, wife
of Samuel Tudor, of Shrewsbury, and daughter of the above-named John
and Alice Croxon, died January the 24th, 1811, aged 36.”
“Sacred also to the memory of RICHARD CROXON, of this town, eldest
son of the said John and Alice Croxon, who died the 31st July, 1838,
aged 70.”
* * * * *
“Here lie the remains of ALEXANDER KYFFIN, who died August 10th,
1766, aged 51. Also of MARGARET, his wife, who died December 20th,
1815, aged 73,”
“In memory of SARAH, wife of Charles Osburn, who died February 11th,
1851, aged 66. Also of the above-named CHARLES OSBURN, who died
February 16th, 1851, aged 66.”
* * * * *
“Sacred to the memory of WILLIAM PRICE, who died November 4th, 1847,
aged 70 years. Also of JANE, widow of the said William Price, who
died April 10th, 1848, aged 68 years.”
* * * * *
“Sacred to the memory of CHARLES THOMAS JONES, late of this Town,
Banker, who died 16th October, 1847, aged 70 years.”
* * * * *
“Sacred to the memory of ROBERT EDWARDS, late of the Queen’s Head
Inn, in this Town, who died February 2nd, 1843, aged 62. And of
SARAH, his beloved wife, who died April 7th, 1843, aged 59. Also of
THOMAS, third son of the above Robert and Sarah Edwards, who died
June 20th, 1843, aged 27 years. Life, how short, how uncertain!
Look, O! look on this monument, ye gay and careless; attend to these
dates, and boast no more of to-morrow.
‘Father, thy chastening hand we own,
And bow submission to Thy rod;
That must be wise which Thou hast done,
It must be kind, for Thou art God.’”
“In memory of ROBERT, second son of Robert and Sarah Edwards, who
died December 1st, 1808, aged one year. Also of ROBERT, their fourth
son, who died January 20th, 1818, aged 6 months. Also of MARTHA,
their fourth daughter, who died March 8th, 1823, aged 11 months.
Also of SOPHIA, their fifth daughter, who died May 15th, 1824, aged 4
months. Also of ROBERT EDWARDS, grandfather of the above infants,
who died May 10th, 1837, aged 84.”
“Sacred to the memory of JOSEPH, fifth son of Robert and Sarah
Edwards, who died May 2nd, 1851, aged 32.”
* * * * *
“In a vault beneath are deposited the remains of WILLIAM JONES, late
Ironmonger, of this town, who died December 28th, 1827, in the 71st
year of his age. Also the remains of ELIZABETH JONES, relict of the
above, who died April 12th, 1843, aged 81.”
“THOMAS, youngest son of William and Elizabeth Jones, died June 28th,
1828, in the 27th year of his age. Also of ALICE, eldest daughter of
William and Elizabeth Jones, who died March 7th, 1844, aged 50.”
“Sacred to the memory of JOHN JONES, late of Plas-fynnon, who
departed this life December 10th, 1853, aged 61 years.”
* * * * *
“In memory of EDWARD BENNION, Surgeon, Cyrn-y-Bwch, who died July
31st, 1844, aged 87. Also ALICE BENNION, wife of the above Edward
Bennion, who died July 16th, 1838, aged 70.”
“In memory of EDWARD BENNION (senior), Surgeon, who died February
27th, 1788, aged 69. Also ELIZABETH BATTEN and ELIZABETH ROBERTS,
who died in their infancy.”
* * * * *
“MARGARET CARTWRIGHT, wife of Robert Cartwright, Surgeon, died June
28th, 1807, aged 29 years. ROBERT CARTWRIGHT, died July 17th, 1822,
aged 51 years.”
* * * * *
“Sacred to the memory of GEORGE DORSET OWEN, late of this Town, who
departed this life November the 3rd, 1839, aged 52.”
* * * * *
“Sacred to the memory of EDWARD POWELL, late of Preesgwyn, in this
County, and of the Excise Office in the City of London, second son of
Edward Powell, by Sarah his wife, who departed this life January 6th,
1825, and was interred the 12th of the same month, at St. Dunstan’s
Church, Mile End, Old Town, Middlesex, aged 68 years. Underneath
rest the mortal remains of JOHN POWELL, late of Preesgwyn, youngest
son of the above Edward and Sarah Powell, who departed this life
November 24th, 1825, aged 63 years.”
* * * * *
“In a vault beneath this stone are deposited the mortal remains of
MARY, the beloved and affectionate wife of Mr. William Faulder, late
of this town, and mother of Margaret, wife of John Richard Powell, of
Preesgwyn, who died February 17th, 1847, in the 73rd year of her
age.”
* * * * *
“Underneath lie the remains of MARGARET JENNINGS, eldest daughter of
Thomas and Margaret Jennings, of Penylan. She died May 12th, 1826,
aged 59. Also the remains of MARY, youngest daughter of Thomas and
Margaret Jennings, who died 31st of March, 1834, aged 61. Also the
remains of EDWARD, the youngest son of Thomas and Margaret Jennings,
who died November 27th, 1835, aged 61. Also the remains of THOMAS,
eldest son of Thomas and Margaret Jennings, who died July 26th, 1844,
aged 74. Underneath are deposited the remains of THOMAS JENNINGS, of
Penylan. He died l7th of December, 1805, aged 79. Also the remains
of MARGARET JENNINGS, relict of Thomas Jennings, of Penylan. She
died the 31st of March, 1811, aged 79. JANE, the wife of John Wolfe,
of Penylan, departed this life July 19th, 1695. SINAH, the second
wife of John Wolfe, of Penylan, departed this life October 25th,
1736, aged 77. MARY JENNINGS, of Penylan, (widow), departed this
life November 11th, 1756, aged 51. JOHN WOLFE, of Penylan, departed
this life July 3rd, 1739, aged 80.”
* * * * *
“EDWARD GOUGH, departed this life March 14th, 1803.”
“Also to the memory of CATHERINE WILLIAMS, who departed this life
April 28th, 1840, aged 97.”
“Also to the memory of MARIA, relict of the above-named Edward Gough,
who departed this life February 25th, 1853, aged 82.”
* * * * *
“Sacred to the memory of THOMAS POTTER MACQUEEN, late of Ridgemount,
Bedfordshire, Lieutenant-Colonel of the Beds. Yeomanry Cavalry, and
M.P. for that County, born May 28th, 1792, died March 31st, 1854.”
In the New Church-Yard.
“In memory of CHARLOTTE ELIZABETH URWICK, eldest daughter of Thomas
and Frances Penson, and wife of William Urwick, of Ludlow. She died
of consumption, at Torquay, on the 26th of November, 1846, aged 30
years. In this dispensation of the Divine will, her parents have to
sorrow for a most dear and dutiful daughter, and her husband to
bemoan the loss of an affectionate wife. Her remains, with those of
her only child, THOMAS PENSON URWICK, who died on the 27th of May,
1847, aged 13 months, are deposited beneath.”
* * * * *
Near this place are deposited the remains of HANNAH PENSON, who died an
infant, on the 28th of September, 1823. And underneath lie the remains
of SARAH MARIA PENSON, who died on the 25th of April, 1829, aged 8 years.
Also the remains of HENRY PENSON, who died on the 1st of May, 1832, aged
12 years; children of Thomas and Frances Penson.
‘Happy children, early blest,
Rest, in peaceful slumbers rest.’”
* * * * *
“Sacred to the memory of JANE, daughter of Edmund Faunce, Esq., late
Lieutenant-Colonel of the 4th or King’s own regiment, and Bridget his
wife, who died April the 12th, 1826, aged 16. Also sacred to the
memory of the above-named EDWARD FAUNCE, Esq., of St. Mary’s Hall,
county of Kent, late Lieutenant-Colonel in the 4th or King’s own
regiment. He died September 29th, 1838, aged 72.”
* * * * *
“Sacred to the memory of JOHN WILLIAM BOURKE, obiit August 21st,
1823, ætat. suæ 47. Sacred to the memory of ANNE, relict of the Rev.
John William Bourke, who died October 22nd, 1833, aged 73.”
TRINITY CHURCH.
[Picture: Trinity Church]
The great want of accommodation for the poor in the Parish Church led to
the building of another church, in the outskirts of the town, in the year
1835. This church, dedicated to the HOLY TRINITY, was consecrated by the
Bishop of St. Asaph (Dr. Carey) in 1837, and a district, consisting of
the wards of Leg-Street and Beatrice Street, in the town, and of the
townships of Middleton, Hisland, Wootton, Aston., and Maesbury, has since
been formed for it by the Church Commissioners. The population of the
district so assigned was estimated at the time at about 2,300. The
church contains accommodation for 700 persons, for about 400 of whom
there are free sittings. The ornamental parts of the interior were
executed at the expense of the Rev. John Parker, of Sweeney Hall, Vicar
of Llanyblodwel. The Viscount Dungannon presented a handsome bible and
prayer book, and the communion services, for the use of the church. The
communion plate was given by the late Earl of Powis. T. L. Longueville,
Esq., has also been a most liberal contributor to the church, both in
presenting an organ, and in subscribing largely to the original
structure, and to the subsequent improvements. A school-room at
Maesbury, with a house for the master, was built some years since in this
district, and subsequently licensed for the performance of worship by the
Bishop of St. Asaph, and which is served gratuitously by the Incumbent of
Trinity Church. It is much to be desired that a chapel-of-ease were
erected in this part of the parish. Trinity Church is now altogether
separated from the living of Oswestry, the Vicar of Oswestry for the time
being appointing the Incumbent. The present Incumbent is the Rev.
Frederick Cashel, M.A.
TREFONEN CHURCH.
To meet the wants of the Welsh population of the parish, a church was
built in the township of Trefonen, and consecrated in the year 1821; and
in 1842 a district was assigned to it, by an Order in Council bearing
date August 27th, consisting of the three townships of Trefonen,
Treflach, and Treferclawdd. In 1851 this district contained 319 houses,
and 1233 inhabitants—viz., 589 males and 644 females.
Trefonen Church, which is capable of containing about 500 persons, was
built on a piece of land given for that purpose by the late Sir W. W.
Wynn, father of the present Baronet. It was originally intended that the
service of this church should be wholly in Welsh; but, owing to the
increase and prevalence of the English language, that intention was not
persevered in, and the service has for some years past been performed in
Welsh and English alternately. A substantial school-room, with a house
for the Master, was erected in the year 1825, upon a portion of the glebe
given for that purpose, with the sanction of the Bishop, by the late
Incumbent, the Rev. Edward Jones, and which has been of great advantage
to the district. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of
the Earl of Powis. The present Incumbent is the Rev. D. Lloyd.
Trefonen abounds in mineral wealth. Coal was raised in considerable
abundance some years since in the adjoining township of Treferclawdd, but
the pits there are now exhausted. It is still worked, however, in the
township of Treflach, where there are also valuable and extensive
quarries of lime. A mine was opened some years since in the Moelydd,
which produces lead and calamine.
RHYDYCROESAU CHURCH.
In addition to the above means of providing church accommodation to the
inhabitants of the parish, an additional advantage has been gained by
annexing the two Welsh townships of Pentregaer and Cynynion to the new
church at Rhydycroesau. This church is situated on the high road to
Llansilin, about three and a half miles from the town of Oswestry. It
owes its foundation to the Rev. G. N. K. Lloyd, late Rector of Selattyn,
who contributed liberally himself, and, with the co-operation of the
first and present Incumbent, the Rev. Robert Williams, M.A., raised a
sufficient fund, by voluntary contributions, to complete the church and
erect a glebe-house. The church was consecrated August 2nd, 1838, by the
Bishop of St. Asaph, and the glebe-house was built in 1840. It is a
Consolidated District Church, licensed for all parochial purposes; and
has a legally-assigned district, consisting of the townships of Cynynion
and Pentregaer, in the parish of Oswestry; a detached portion of the
parish of Llanyblodwel, called Cefnymaes; with portions of the parishes
of Llansilin and Selattyn. A very neat Gothic building has also been
erected by the present Incumbent, aided by voluntary contributions, and
opened as a National School in January, 1850. The sites for the school
and playground, as well as for the church and church-yard, are the
munificent gifts of Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, Bart. The portion of the
population of the parish of Oswestry thus transferred to the district of
Rhydycroesau is about 200.
Nothing is now needed to make the ecclesiastical arrangements of the
parish of Oswestry complete but the building of a chapel-of-ease at
Maesbury, and the annexing a district to Morton Chapel; the latter of
which objects will no doubt be effected whenever a new Incumbent shall be
appointed to it.
Oswestry is a discharged Vicarage, in the gift of the Earl of Powis. The
present Incumbent is the Rev. Thomas Salwey, B.D.
LIST OF VICARS.
David Owain instituted 1534
Rector of Whittington 1532, and Prebendary of
Myfod 1534
Peter Brereton 1537
John Price, L.L.B. 1552
He became Prebendary of Myfod 1558, and
Chancellor 1559.
William Owen 1583
William Horton 1587
Thomas Somerfield 1588
John Bagshaw 1591
Rector of Whittington 1588.
William Morgan 1599
Vicar of Pool 1575.
Richard Pagot 1602
Nathaniel Tattersall (deprived) 1603
Richard Muckleston 1612
John Kyffin, B.D. 1625
Humphrey Wynne 1639
Rowland Nevet, A.M. —
Ejected by the Act of Uniformity.
Richard Edwards 1664
Richard Jones 1680
Samuel Wilson, A.M. 1690
Archibald Guild 1694
Thomas Jones 1697
Thomas Owen 1707
Edward Parry 1713
Thomas Trevor, A.M., Bodynfol 1736
Turner Edwards, L.L.B., Talgarth 1784
Vicar of Llansilin.
Daniel Griffiths 1803
J. W. Bourke, A.M. 1807
Vicar of St. Martins 1803.
Thomas Salwey, B.D. December, 1823
The present esteemed Vicar of Oswestry, suffering much from illness, has
long been unable to attend personally to the duties of his office. When
however occasion has offered to promote, by his counsel and aid, any
measure of benevolence in the Parish, he has been active in the good
work. There are two Curates at present attached to the Parish Church—the
Rev. Llewelyn Wynne Jones, and the Rev. George Cuthbert, both of whom are
zealous and faithful in their ministerial labours, and have acquired the
regard and affection of the numerous congregations to whom they dispense
the Bread of Life.
Dissenting Places of Worship.
THE OLD CHAPEL.
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.
In a record of the Inquisition, 21 Richard II., 1398, preserved in the
Tower of London, there is a curious inventory of articles contained in
Oswestry Castle on the attainder of Richard, Earl of Arundel, taken by
order of the King. The Jurors consisted of inhabitants of the town and
district. The record states, that “the Castle, Vill, and Lordship of
Oswaldestre, in the Marches of Wales, is worth yearly, with its customs
and appurtenances, besides the fees of all the officers there, and
besides all reprizes made there, one year with another, £252, 16s. 2d.” *
* * * “That the said Earl was seized as of fee of one messuage in the
Vill of Oswaldestre, by his deed enfeoffed one John ap Wyllym, to have to
him and his heirs for ever, worth yearly beyond reprizes, 6s. 8d. Also,
that the said Earl was seized as of fee of the advowson of the free
Chapel of St. Nicholas, within the Castle of Oswaldestre, worth 46s. 8d.
Also, that the said Earl of Arundel had within the Castle of Oswaldestre,
on the 18th day of July last past, and afterwards, the following goods
and chattels, that is to say,—in the _Wardrobe_ there, 5 yew bows, 4 elm
bows, 20 sheaves of arrows, 6 cross-bows, lances, with 6 heads, 1 gun, 1
barrel of gunpowder, 200 quirells, 3 pol-axes, 2 sparthes, 3 broken
jacks, 3 pair of gauntlets, 3 pallets, 1 banderich for a cross-bow, 1
table, 1 pair of stakes, 3 pair of fetters, 6 pair of iron handcuffs,
with iron bolts, 1 coler, with 2 iron shakylls, 1 file, 1 hammer. In the
_Great Chamber_, 1 cupboard, 2 tables, 4 forms. In the _Middle Chamber_,
3 chests, 2 forms, 1 table. In the _High Chamber_, 1 hand-mill, panel of
a certain trefreget. In the _Constable’s Hall_, 3 tables, four tressels,
3 forms, 1 bason, with a laver, 1 small chest. In the _Butlery_, 1
chest, broken at the top, 1 bucket, with an iron chain, 1 barrel for
weapons, 31 keys of different locks. In the _Chapel_, 1 vessel for the
holy water, 1 missal, 1 gilt chalice, 2 linen towels, with a frontal, 2
surplices, 2 chessibles, with accompaniments, 1 hand-mill for grinding
corn. In the _Kitchen_, 1 stone mortar, with a pile of wood. In the
_Larder_, 2 broken oxheads, with 6 bushels of salt; which said artillery,
arms, goods and chattels, are put into the custody of Madog Lloid, the
Deputy of Robert Legh, Chivaler Constable of the Castle aforesaid, for
the defence of the same.” After enumerating several other articles, the
Inquisition record adds, “and in a certain house in the Vill of
Oswaldestre (the said Earl possessed) 601 fleeces of wool, weighing 2
sacks, and ⅛th of a sack, at per sack 100s.; 50 gallons of honey, at 7s.
a gallon. Also the said Earl had on the 18th day of July aforesaid, and
afterwards, in the said Castle, 1 white stallion, price £10; 1
race-horse, called _Young Sorrell_, price £13 6s. 8d. And in the Park of
Oswaldestre Superior, 16 horse colts, 13 of which are 3 years old, and 3
of them 2 years old: price in the whole, £66 13s. 4d.” The record
further adds, that the said “Earl had after the 18th of July, £720 in
money, and that one Thomas Harlyng, late Receiver-General of the said
Earl, took and carried away the same, whereof he is answerable to the
King.” A great number of articles, with monies, cattle, &c., are stated
to have been taken away by various persons named, who are made answerable
to the King for the same.—This document is curious, inasmuch as it throws
some light upon the military weapons in use at the period, on the plain
and scanty domestic articles in the Castle, and on the low value of
farming stock, &c. The record presents no account of the Earl’s
apartments, or those of his servants, or of the furniture there used.
Probably all the valuable property which he possessed in the fortress was
carried away and disposed of before the Earl was attainted. The entire
record furnishes evidence of nothing polished or luxurious; on the
contrary, it is a catalogue of mere rudeness, discomfort, and barbarity;
giving no marks whatever of vice-regal grandeur or princely state.
As an additional fact it is proper to mention, that the _Bailey-Head_ was
the original _ballium_, or quadrangle of the Castle; that the mount in
the Castle-field, known by the name of the _Cripple-bank_, or _gathe_,
was also the site of the ancient _Barbican_, or outer gate, at which the
poor and diseased received relief. Of the free chapel, dedicated to St.
Nicholas, _infra Castrum de Oswaldestre_, the advowson of which belonged
to the Arundel family, there is not a trace left to mark its situation.
The sketch of Oswestry Castle which forms one of our illustrations shows
that, in its pristine state, it was a formidable structure, of great
strength and stateliness. The architecture seems to be of the Saxon
order.
THE WALLS.
The ancient Walls of the town were the work of Edward I., and no doubt
were well and firmly built; but scarcely a vestige of them remains.
Their circumvallation is, however, correctly marked in most of the old
books, and old inhabitants of the present day point out various sites on
which portions of the walls stood. Edward was generally successful in
giving strength and endurance to his military buildings. Caernarvon,
Conway, and Rhuddlan Castles, all designed and erected under his
superintendence, are noble fortresses in the present age, notwithstanding
the dilapidations they have suffered from military attack and “Time’s
effacing fingers.” The Walls of Oswestry must have suffered much injury
during the period of the Commonwealth; and perhaps private encroachments
since that time have been the principal cause of their entire
disappearance.
ANCIENT HOUSES.
There are still remaining several ancient timber houses, to mark the
architecture of bye-gone times. Among these are, the _Three Tuns_
public-house, in Bailey-Street, and an antique edifice forming the angle
of Bailey-Street and Cross-Street, in front of which is the figure of a
spread eagle, raised on the plaster, and supposed to have been the
residence of the Lloyds, of Trenewydd, who bore the eagle in their coat
of arms. The _Three Tuns_ was a popular house in former days, and was
the resort of most of the drapers who visited the fairs and markets of
the borough. Among the other old timber buildings are Miss Holbrooke’s,
in Salop-Road, the most attractive of any in the town, from the neatness
in which it is kept, the _Coach and Dogs_, and the _Fighting Cocks_
public-houses. These relics of past days may not be allowed to remain
much longer, now that improvement in the town is likely to become so
rapid in its strides.
The railway extension, from Oswestry to Welshpool and Newtown, will
effect important changes in most parts of the borough; and as the antique
relics to which we have been alluding are comparatively useless in a
social point of view, their sites may soon be covered with buildings
better adapted to the comforts and requirements of the present day.
ANCIENT RELICS.
A ball found many years ago near the Cross in Oswestry, and now in the
possession of W. Ormsby Gore, Esq., is considered to be one of the
weights used at the end of beams in what was called _Auncel Weight_,
practised in the reign of Edward I. It is ornamented with a shield,
bearing the arms of England simply, which dates it before the 15th of
Edward, as in that year he claimed the crown of France, and immediately,
on obtaining it, placed the arms of that kingdom in the first quarter of
his shield. On the second shield appears the bearing of the Fitz-Alans,
a lion rampant. The third shield has an eagle displayed, most probably
of the gentleman who at that period filled the office of Steward.
Some further antiquities require a brief notice. The field known by the
name of _Croft-y-Spytty_, that is, _the Croft of the Hospitallers_,
intimates that the Knight Hospitallers had once some establishment in the
town. The field known as _Erw-Spiridion_, _the Acre of Sprudion_, or
_Spiridion_, would lead to the conclusion that a church or chapel, or the
ground itself, had been dedicated to the supposed Saint ycleped
_Spiridion_. In a former part of this volume we have referred to
_Maes-y-garreg-llwyd_, that is, _the Plain or Field of the Sacred Stone_.
That plain is now divided into fields, situated on the Shrewsbury road,
contiguous to Gallows-tree turnpike-gate. In the field nearest to the
town there stands a STONE PILLAR, about seven feet in height, and twelve
in circumference; and in the field farthest from the town, there is a
similar Pillar. The late Rev. Peter Roberts, the learned antiquarian,
was of opinion that all the fields at that end of the town formed a large
plain when these pillars were erected, and bore the name already
mentioned, of _Maes-y-garreg-llwyd_. _Llwyd_ was an epithet of the
Deity, as in the expression “_Duw llwyd_,” the Sacred GOD. Between these
two pillars there is still visible part of a ditch, called _the Devil’s
Ditch_; and adjacent to the farthest field was another called
“_Caerychain Bannog_,” or _the Field of __the bossed Oxen_. Mr. Roberts
adds,
“According to a tradition common in Wales, these oxen were twins, and
employed by _Hu Gadarn_, a hero of antiquity, to draw a monster out
of a lake, by which means he saved the country from being inundated.
The popular tradition of the _Devil’s Ditch_ is, that an evil spirit
formed it, in order to convey water to deluge the country, and that
the ditch was in one night carried as far as Wynnstay, but that when
the said evil spirit had carried it so far, the cock crew, he was
obliged to desist, and it was left unfinished. Absurd, however, as
these traditions may appear, they lead to the true origin, namely,
that this ground and the pillars had some reference to the Deluge,
and it may reasonably be presumed, that in the space included between
these pillars some druidical rites were performed, in commemoration
of the Deluge. The setting-up of a pillar, and consecrating it to
the Deity, was a memorial of reverence to HIM in the time of the
Patriarchs, as we read in Genesis that Jacob set up a stone pillar,
and consecrated it, in memory of his devoting himself to the worship
of the true GOD. And hence it may be concluded, that these and such
Pillars were in like manner the memorials—rude indeed, but durable—of
Pagan tradition.”
In the _Shrewsbury Chronicle_ of March 16th, 1832, there appeared the
following paragraph:—
“As some workmen were digging in a field near Oswestry, last week,
they turned up the hilt and part of the blade of an elegant antique
sword. The blade is in two pieces, completely encrusted with rust,
and very much corroded, but upon cleaning and grinding a part of it,
the steel was found to be of excellent temper. The handle is
apparently of ebony, or some similar wood, but encrusted with the
oxyde which has passed from the steel inserted in it, and worked its
way through the pores of the wood, so as to make it resemble buck’s
horn. The part of the sword which is attached to the hilt (about
four inches in length) remains in the scabbard, and, what is very
remarkable, the canvass of which the scabbard is composed is still
visible. The scabbard and hilt are mounted with highly-chased
silver, as perfect as when it came out of the hands of the graver.
On the end of the hilt is an eagle, pouncing on its prey, and a
representation of Jupiter and Leda. On each side of the guard is a
full-length figure, and on the sides of the sword end of the hilt are
the figures of a spread eagle, and of a doe _couchant regardant_.
The latter appears as a crest. On the silver plate which covers the
opening of the scabbard is the representation of an Arcadian Shepherd
scene. The sword is of the description of those which were worn by
the Cavaliers, and there can be no reasonable doubt but that it was
dropped by one of them in the route to which the Royalist army was
put by Sir Thomas Myddelton, when they made an attempt to regain
possession of Oswestry, on the 2nd of July, 1644, after its capture
by the Parliament forces. ‘They had taken the passage of water,’
says Sir Thomas Myddelton, ‘near to Whittington, and very furiously
assaulted and charged us, but were repulsed and forced to retyre,
through the courage of our horse, who most courageously entertained
the enemy. Three several times the skirmish was doubtful, either
side being forced so often to retreat; but in the end, our foot
forces coming up, relieved the horse, beat back the enemy, and
pursued them with such force, that they put them to an absolute
flight, in which we pursued them five miles towards Shrewsbury, to a
place called Felton Heath, and where we likewise remained after their
flight again, masters of the field. In the skirmish with the enemy,
and in the pursuite we lost several of our horse, some of our
troopers, but never a footman which I am yet informed of. As for the
enemy, they lost many stout men; had many of them taken prisoners,
some of them being of great quality, as the Lord Newport’s eldest
son, and besides in their flight, such was their haste, that we found
in our pursuite, the highway as it were strewed with ammunition, &c.’
As this relic was found in the line of this pursuit, the road having
passed through the field, there can be scarcely a doubt of its having
belonged to one of the officers of Charles’s army.”
The sword is in the possession of Mr. Sabine, in whose field it was
found.
In March, 1811, two urns were dug out of part of the Coney Green,
belonging to the late Mr. Thomas Hilditch, of Oswestry. They were both
of the same composition, but the larger one of a finer and more
symmetrical form. In the smaller urn were found the remains of bones,
but whether of the human form could not be ascertained.
A piece of marble, of an oblong form, and resembling an ancient club, was
dug out of the ground at Broom Hall, in Oct., 1836, about five feet below
the surface, in a bed of clay. It was one inch in thickness, but tapered
to an edge all round, the broad edge being very sharp. It is supposed to
have been a weapon of defence in the early British period.
OSWALD’S WELL
Is one of the most interesting objects of the town. It is beautifully
situated to the west of the Free Grammar School, and has easy and
pleasant approaches to it from Upper Brook-Street and from Willow-Street.
The Well is supplied by a spring flowing from the elevated ground beyond
it. It is inclosed in a small square basin, in a recess made of stone,
and arched over. At the back there is a sculptured head of King Oswald,
once “banded by a royal fillet,” and formerly the front of the Well was
secured by an iron grate. Tradition and superstition have invested the
Well with much interest, but the purity of the water it sends forth
should have secured to it a far higher celebrity. We are told that
Oswald’s remains were interred near the spring; that a tree was planted
there to mark the spot; that when Oswald was slain, in the battle with
Penda, an eagle tore one of the arms from the body, and, flying off with
it, fell down and perished on the spot from which the waters burst forth,
and have continued to flow ever since, as miraculously as the waters of
St. Winifred’s Well, in Flintshire. A later writer on Border History has
ventured to inform us, that so recently as the year 1780 King Oswald’s
“skull was found in digging the pool just below the Well.” How the skull
was identified the writer does not state, probably from the great
difficulty he must have had in establishing such an important
identification. Setting aside all this mystification and nonsense, we
are glad to put on record, that the water from this Well is justly
entitled to the appellation of pure _aqua fontana_; and from the analysis
of Sir James Murray, which we subjoin, its medicinal properties are of no
mean order:—“Thermometer at 470 Fahrenheit, the water consisting of
sulphate of lime (gypsum), carbonate of lime, muriate of soda (common
salt), muriate of magnesia, and sulphate of magnesia.—June 6th, 1822.”
[Picture: St. Oswald’s Well]
It is generally admitted, from the records of the ancient historical
writers, that on the spot where Oswald was slain a Monastery was founded,
dedicated to him in the character of a Saint. It was called
_Blanc-Minster_, or the White Monastery, and was situated according to
Leland, “on the south side of the town.” The time of the foundation or
dissolution is not known, but its situation is fixed near the site of the
parish church, as some remains of the building are said to have been
discovered in digging graves in the churchyard. A spot of ground near
the church, still called _Erw-Myneich_, or Monk’s Acre, would indicate
that Blanc-Minster was contiguous to it. In the reign of Henry VIII., as
we have already stated, Leland visited Oswestry, and noted that at that
period “the cloister only was standing within the memory of persons then
living.”
Before closing this notice we would recommend all visitors to Oswestry to
make a pilgrimage to Oswald’s Well. The scenery around it is replete
with beauty; and if the day be fine and warm, a draught of the water,
which constantly bubbles up in freshness and pellucid clearness, will
cheer and not inebriate. The inhabitants possess in this Well a valuable
natural treasure which it is their duty to preserve, for their common
benefit, free from all impurities and contaminations.
ANCIENT CUSTOMS.
In a work partly descriptive of the Border Lands of England and Wales, it
might be deemed a reproach were we silently to pass by the customs that
once prevailed in the district. Many of those ancient customs were
innocent and harmless in their character, whilst others were connected
with superstition which kept the people in mental darkness, and impeded
the free course of education and knowledge. Our notice of these customs
will be brief, for they are no longer observed in the town, and but
slightly so, if at all, in the neighbourhood. The printing-press has
exploded such folly, and most of the ancient customs will very soon,
throughout our land, be referred to only as evidences of the ignorance of
our forefathers, and their disregard of the educational improvement of
their fellow-creatures.
SHROVE TUESDAY and its observances were vestiges of a Roman Carnival,
when, as Aubanus tells us, “men eat and drank and abandoned themselves to
all kinds of foolery, as if resolved to have their fill of pleasure
before they were to die.” “Pancake Bell” is now unheard, because no
sexton or bell-ringer can be found to pull the rope. Men and women do
eat pancakes which, when well made, even Soyer would not object to; and
such gastronomy is, we believe, the sum-total of Shrove-tide observances
in the present enlightened day. Cock-fighting, bull-baiting, and other
brutal amusements, formerly practised on this day, are abandoned, we
trust, for ever.
GOOD FRIDAY is still observed so far, in reference to mundane things,
that fathers and mothers indulge their children with a plentiful supply
of Hot Cross Buns. This observance is harmless enough. The day being
the anniversary of our Saviour’s Crucifixion, it is now marked by the
entire Christian community as one of solemn worship; and as time rolls
on, and religious education prevails, we may reasonably expect that a
still more devotional regard will be paid to this day.
EASTER-DAY is no longer observed by people walking into the fields early
in the morning to see the “sun come dancing from the east.” The
_Heaving_ or _Lifting_ system, formerly much practised on Easter Monday
and Tuesday, is now rapidly on the wane. By men and women not remarkable
for their love of decency or modesty, it is still partially observed in
Oswestry. The custom would, however, be “more honoured in the breach
than the observance.”
ALL FOOLS’ DAY (April 1) is, we believe, acknowledged by many of that
class who are fond of a joke. The wit formerly displayed on this day
consisted in sending persons on what are called sleeveless errands, for
the history of Eve’s mother, for pigeon’s milk, and in quest of other
absurdities. In the present day rude tricks are tried even upon
philosophers, and with much gusto when they succeed. The “Verdant
Greens,” at this season of the year, are especially full-blown.
MAY-DAY formerly brought with it flowery decorations in front of our
house-doors; but this pretty custom has long since faded away.
WALKING THE BOUNDARIES.—A general custom formerly, but observed now in
very few places. The Mayor, Churchwardens, Overseers, &c., of Oswestry
walked the boundaries in 1813, and that was the last occasion of this
ancient observance.
PALM SUNDAY, MAUNDY THURSDAY, ROYAL OAK DAY, CORPUS CHRISTI DAY, OSWESTRY
WAKE, ALL SAINTS’ EVE, ST. SWITHIN’S DAY, &c., have become, so far as
rude observances are concerned, mere relics of past days. Our ancestors
marked all these days with scrupulous attention; but few if any men of
the present time have boldness enough to set them apart for rejoicing and
merriment—for feast and carnival—as in days of yore. GUNPOWDER PLOT
(Nov. 5) is occasionally noticed by boys, discharging pop-guns, and
alarming the lieges with bonfires, effigies, squibs and crackers; but
that absurd and bigoted observance is in its downward course, no one
being interested in its continuance at present but the pyrotechnists, who
tempt boys to spend their money in rockets, blue-lights, and other
combustibles.
CHRISTMAS.—Some twenty years ago Christmas morn was ushered in with the
singing of carols by “wakeful Waits,” thus joyfully celebrating the
opening of this truly-festive anniversary, and this custom is still
partially observed. The singers of the Parish Church also greeted the
inhabitants at their several dwellings with sounds of grateful melody.
No longer is this latter custom maintained, but CHRISTMAS DAY is marked
as a sacred and solemn festival; “the rich and the poor meet together;”
on that day the conventionalities of rank and dignity are thrown aside;
hospitality prevails in every house in the land, from the palace to the
cottage; families are collected together to partake of that day’s joyful
festivity; and the nation at large presents the delightful picture of one
happy family. The rich administer kindly to the poor, and all hearts are
touched with benevolence or gratitude. Long may our merry
Christmas-tides thus be observed; for such customs are based on true
religion, which teaches men “to love one another.”
Railway Communication.
We need not enter into detail, now-a-days, to show how railway
communication was rendered necessary a quarter of a century ago by the
great increase of travelling throughout the land, and the insufficiency
as well as inefficiency of stagecoach conveyance to satisfy the public
wants. When railway travelling was first suggested stage-coaches had
been “whipped-up” by “coming events” into improvement; the people were no
longer compelled to “drag their slow length along,” for full five
wearisome days, from Chester to London. The “Gee-hos,” and “Highflyers,”
at four miles an hour; “The Birmingham and Shrewsbury Long Coach, with
six able horses, in four days;” even the “Flying Machine,” from
Shrewsbury to London in two days, had all passed the _stage_ of their
creeping existence; and the liege subjects of the realm were now
beginning to be whirled along, at ten and twelve miles an hour, in
“Quicksilvers,” “Tantivys,” “Erin-go-braghs,” “Tallyhos,” “Wonders,” and
other well-horsed and well-appointed vehicles bearing equally excitable
names. The Coach called “The Wonder” made the journey from Shrewsbury to
London in a day. An intelligent contributor writes,—“The late old
Justice Smith, in a conversation I had with him some 25 years ago, said,
‘I remember going to London 70 years ago by a coach called The Fly; we
were 7 nights and 8 days on the road, and now they go in a day—what a man
lives to see!’” But even this increased “pace” did not meet the
requirements of the community. James Watts’ steam-engine had begun to
revolutionize all classes and occupations. In manufactures, hand-looms,
spinning-jennies, shuttles, treddles, and the rest of early inventions
were superseded by steam-power, moving machinery for spinning and
weaving; in packet and marine conveyance generally Watts’ steam-power
wrought as great a change; and in the manufacture of metal and porcelain
goods, the sawing of timber and stone, and even the making of pins and
needles, steam was the great giant power. With this national revolution
in trade, manufactures, and commerce, came a more active and enterprising
spirit among the people; soft and hard goods, as the manufactures of the
north and midland counties are technically called, were multiplied until
supply exceeded demand; the locomotive wants and desires of the public
increased; and all eyes and heads were turned towards Watts’ steam-engine
as the only mighty agent of accelerated travelling. The history of the
country has supplied the results of this great experiment. The
ever-honoured George Stephenson succeeded in carrying heavily-laden
trains, of passengers and goods, on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway,
at the rate of thirty miles an hour; and in the present day such is the
appetite for rapid railway locomotion, that express trains, as they are
called, flying over the earth at a more than race-horse speed of forty
miles an hour, will scarcely satisfy the urgent requirements of
manufactures and commerce.
Railway projects arose in various parts of the kingdom, and the first
step taken towards what has since proved a direct communication with this
borough and the metropolis was the incorporation of the _Great Western
Railway Company_, by an Act passed in 5 and 6 of William IV. Some years
elapsed before any measures were adopted to establish railway
communication in this district. At length, in 1845, when railway
“bubbles and squeaks” “affrighted the isle from its propriety,” a direct
line was projected from Chester, through Whitchurch and Wem, to
Shrewsbury. The scheme was promoted by the Chester and Holyhead Railway
Company, the London and Birmingham, and other important interests. Mr.
Robert Stephenson was appointed engineer, and Mr. Mallaby, of Liverpool,
solicitor. A Company, called the “North Wales Mineral Railway Company,”
had previously obtained an Act for making a line of Railway, from Chester
to Rhuabon, and on the scheme for the line from the former place, _via_
Whitchurch and Wem, being announced, a Company, in friendly connection
with the North Wales Mineral Railway Company, and called the Shrewsbury,
Oswestry, and Chester Junction Railway Company, was formed for the
purpose of extending the Railway from Rhuabon to Shrewsbury, in
opposition to the other scheme mentioned above. The late Mr. Henry
Kelsall, of Chester, was appointed solicitor, and Mr. Robertson engineer.
A sharp struggle between the rival Companies ensued, but at length the
line from Chester to Shrewsbury, _via_ Whitchurch and Wem, was abandoned;
by the prudent interposition of Mr. Edward Williams, solicitor, of
Oswestry, (of the firm of “Longueville and Williams,”) the dissentient
landowners were appeased; and the “Shrewsbury, Oswestry, and Chester
Junction Railway Company” obtained their Act, which passed through
parliament as an unopposed Bill, the royal assent being given to it the
30th of June, 1845. W. Ormsby Gore, Esq., as Chairman of the successful
line, rendered powerful assistance to its claims, having clearly seen the
advantages which it must render to the important interests of North
Shropshire. The next step was to unite the two lines between Chester and
Shrewsbury, viz., the North Wales Mineral Railway, and the Shrewsbury,
Oswestry, and Chester Junction, and an arrangement was accordingly
entered into by the two Companies, by which, in 1846, they were united
into one, under the title of “The Shrewsbury and Chester Railway
Company.” The subsequent history of this line is patent to the public;
the battles of the Great Western Railway interest, with those of the
North Western, each Company seeking to possess the line, almost rivalling
in intensity the fierce struggles of the ancient Roses—York and
Lancaster. In the Parliamentary Session of 1854 a Bill was brought into
the House of Commons by Viscount Barrington, Lord Norreys, and Sir
Phillip Egerton, to authorize the consolidation, into one Company, of the
Great Western, the Shrewsbury and Birmingham, and the Shrewsbury and
Chester Railways. The Bill was sanctioned by Parliament, and the Act is
now cited for all purposes under the title of “The Great Western,
Birmingham, and Chester Railway Section.” By this consolidation of these
several Companies a direct communication with London, under one system of
Railway management, has been secured to the town of Oswestry; the journey
by the _Express Trains_ occupying no more than about five and a half
hours. The country through which the _Great Western_ line runs is
remarkable for its beauty and interest. Windsor Castle, Oxford,
Blenheim, Leamington, Warwick, and other attractive places, are in close
proximity; and to add to these advantages, the care, attention, and able
management of the entire line, are further agreeable features in the
route, which all travellers on the railway gratefully acknowledge.
To the inhabitants of Oswestry and its vicinity it is unnecessary to say
anything in praise of the attractive scenery that gives such lively
interest to the railway between Shrewsbury and Chester. To the stranger,
however, and the summer tourist in search of the sublime and picturesque,
we may remark, that few lines in the kingdom present so many charms to
the admiring gaze as this most delightful railway. Llangollen Vale has a
world-wide celebrity; whilst the Chirk Viaduct, spanning the Ceiriog
Vale; the pretty village of Chirk; Lord Dungannon’s pleasant seat at
Brynkinalt; “Chirk Castle walls;” Wynnstay Park; the fine tower of
Wrexham Church; Gresford Vale, with its luxuriant and refreshing scenery;
and the graceful approach to Chester, across “Sweet Deva’s wizard
stream,” and in sight of the animating race-course (the Roodeye), the
fine old Roman walls of the city, the ancient Castle, a work of Roman
art, the Armoury, county Gaol, St. Werburgh’s Cathedral, the venerable
Church and Priory of St. John the Baptist,—these, with many other relics
of days now
“Numbered with those beyond the flood,”
must give an intense interest to those who value objects stamped with
natural beauty and hoary antiquity.
All hostility between the Great Western and North Western Railway
Companies having, at least for the present, ceased, both of these
gigantic undertakings can, without ungenerous feelings one against the
other, devote their energies and capital to the improvement of all
departments of their respective undertakings, rendering to the public the
attention, comfort, and assurance of safety in travelling which railway
management ought to secure.
EXTENSION LINE FROM OSWESTRY TO WELSHPOOL AND NEWTOWN.
Whilst this volume was passing through the press a successful effort was
made in carrying through Parliament a Bill for extending a line of
railway through part of Montgomeryshire, commencing by a junction with
the Shrewsbury and Chester Section of the Great Western Railway. The
Bill was introduced into the House of Commons in the early part of the
present Session of Parliament (1855), and passed through the various
stages of that branch of the Legislature without opposition. In the
House of Lords a slight but unsuccessful opposition was raised, and the
Bill received the Royal assent on the 25th of June. Thus has been
secured to the county of Montgomery, which is rapidly growing in
population and importance, the advantage of railway communication direct
from the metropolis, and from the busy seats of manufacturing industry in
the north. The manufacturing and agricultural wealth and enterprise of
Montgomeryshire, its rich mineral resources, and the benefits which will
accrue to it by throwing open to its use the affluent coal-fields of
Shropshire and Denbighshire, were strong claims entitling Montgomeryshire
to the boon she sought. The further objects contemplated by the
promoters of this line, in connecting it, at no far distant period, with
the magnificent national harbour at Milford Haven, and thus opening a
grand route from that capacious landing-place from the north of Ireland
to Manchester, Yorkshire, and the Midland Counties, were doubtless among
the considerations of Parliament in granting their sanction to this
railway. The line will commence by a junction with the Shrewsbury and
Chester section of the Great Western Railway, at its Oswestry terminus,
and then proceed by Llanymynech, Llandrinio, Llandisilio, and Buttington,
to Welshpool; thence, crossing the river Severn, near Miltrewydd, will
pass between Montgomery and Berriew, and on to Newtown, on the south side
of the river, where it will unite with the Newtown and Llanidloes line.
The capital authorized to be raised by the “Oswestry and Newtown Railway
Company” is £250,000. Mr. Benjamin Piercy is appointed resident engineer
of the line; and Mr. Peter Barlow consulting engineer. The contractors
for the making of the entire line are Messrs. M’Cormick and Thornton,
whose previous railway contracts give the best assurance that the present
line will be constructed in an efficient manner.
* * * * *
The first general meeting of the shareholders was held at the Town Hall,
Welshpool, on Saturday, July 21st; WILLIAM ORMSBY GORE, Esq., Chairman of
the Board of Provisional Directors, in the chair. The attendance was
very numerous. The report stated that it was the intention of the
Directors to proceed with the construction of the railway with as little
delay as possible, that the certificates of the proprietorship of the
shares in the capital of the Company, under the seal of the Company,
could be forthwith issued to the Shareholders; that the Directors
congratulated the Shareholders and the district upon the unanimity which
had prevailed in the establishment and progress of the Company, and
expressed their hope that this would lead to the speedy completion of the
undertaking, and the further developement of the resources of the
country. The speakers on this occasion were the Chairman, Sir W. W.
Wynn, Bart. M.P., the Rev. C. T. C. Luxmoore, the Ven. Archdeacon Clive,
G. H. Whalley, Esq., the Rev. Maurice Lloyd, Richard Humphreys, Esq.,
George Brace, Esq., and other gentlemen. The Directors named in the Act
were, William Ormsby Gore, Esq., M.P., Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, Bart.
M.P., D. Pugh, Esq. M.P., John Naylor, Esq., John Carnac Morris, Esq.,
Richard Herbert Mytton, Esq., John Davies Corrie, Esq., Rowland Jones
Venables, Esq., Arthur James Johnes, Esq., Col. Herbert Watkin Williams
Wynn, M.P., J. Powell Wilding, Esq., and Wm. Lloyd, Esq., and they were
re-elected unanimously. An important resolution was also passed, “That
it is the opinion of this meeting, that it is of the utmost importance to
the interest of the Company that a communication by railway should be
effected between Newtown and Milford Haven; and the Directors are hereby
requested to afford such co-operation and assistance to any Companies now
existing, or which may be projected, as would best tend to accomplish
that object.” The entire proceedings were marked by harmony and good
spirit, and all present appeared suitably impressed with the importance
and value of railway communication through Montgomeryshire, and with the
benefits, in connection with the great national harbour at Milford Haven,
which would ultimately accrue to the “Oswestry and Newtown Railway
Company.” Few, if any, railway enterprizes were ever started under a
more able and upright management, and perhaps equally few lines, of so
short a distance, had at their outset such encouraging prospects before
them. With these signal advantages no doubt can be entertained that the
undertaking will be crowned with abundant success.
Statistics.
The BOROUGH of OSWESTRY is situated on the north-west border of
Shropshire, in the Diocese of St. Asaph, and Deanery of Marchia, and in
the Hundred to which it gives name. In 1535, by a statute of Henry
VIII., Oswestry, with Whittington, Maesbrook, Knockin, Ellesmere, Down,
and Chirbury, was, by Act of Parliament, severed from Wales, and annexed
to the County of Salop. The HUNDRED of OSWESTRY is bounded on the west
by Montgomeryshire and Denbighshire; on the north by the rivers Ceiriog
and Dee, and the stream of Shelbrook, which separates it from
Denbighshire and Flintshire; on the east by the Hundred of Pimhill; and
on the south by the rivers Vyrnwy and Severn, which divide it from
Montgomeryshire, and from the Hundred of Ford.
The UPPER DIVISION of the Hundred contains the parishes of
ST. MARTIN,
WHITTINGTON,
SELATTYN (part of),
OSWESTRY (part of),
LLANYMYNECH (part of),
LLANSILIN (part of),
WEST FELTON (part of),
ELLESMERE (part of),
LLANYBLODWEL,
and the extra-parochial places of Halston and Heath Farm.
_The parish of St. Martin_ contains the townships of Ifton Rhyn (upper),
Ifton Rhyn (lower), Weston Rhyn (upper), Weston Rhyn (lower), and
Bronygarth (east and west).
_The parish of Whittington_ contains the townships of Whittington, Welsh
Frankton, Old Marton (part of), Berghill, Daywell, Fernhill, Hindford,
Henlle, and Ebnall.
_The parish of Selattyn_ contains the townships of Porkington (upper),
and Porkington (lower).
_The parish of Oswestry_ contains the townships of Oswestry, Middleton,
Aston, Hisland, Wooton, Sweeney, Weston Cotton, Maesbury, Llanvorda,
Pentregaer, Cynynion, Coed-tan y gaer, Treferclawdd, Treflach, Trefonen,
and Crickheath. The parish of Oswestry contains also the township and
chapelry of Morton, which are in the Lower Division of the Hundred.
_The parish of Llanyblodwel_ contains the townships of Llanyblodwel,
Abertanat, Blodwel, Bryn, and Llynclis, or Llunck-Llys.
The _parish of Llanymynech_ contains the townships of Carreghofa,
Llanymynech and Llwyntidman. The parish of Llanymynech contains also the
township of Treprenal, which is in the Lower Division. The rest of the
parish is in Denbighshire, and, for election and other purposes, is
annexed to Montgomeryshire.
The _parish of Ellesmere_, in the Upper Division of the Hundred of
Oswestry, contains the townships of Dudleston (upper), and Dudleston
(lower). The other townships in the parish are in the Ellesmere Division
of the Hundred of Pimhill.
The _parish of West Felton_ contains the townships of Woolston (part of),
Sandford, and Twyford. The other townships in this parish, namely, West
Felton, Sutton, Rednal, Haughton, and Tedsmere, are in the Lower
Division.
The _parish of Llansilin_ has only one township in Shropshire (Sychtyn).
The rest of the parish is in Denbighshire.
The LOWER DIVISION of the Hundred contains the parishes
WEST FELTON (part of), MELVERLEY (part of),
KNOCKIN, OSWESTRY (part of),
RUYTON, LLANYMYNECH (part of),
KINNERLEY.
The _parish of West Felton_ contains the townships of West Felton,
Rednal, Sutton, Haughton, and Tedsmere, or Tedsmore. The other townships
in the parish, namely, Woolston, Sandford, and Twyford, are, as already
stated, in the UPPER DIVISION.
The _parish of Knockin_ contains only the township of Knockin.
The _parish of Ruyton_ (_of the Eleven Towns_) contains the townships of
Ruyton, Cotton, Shotatton, Shelvocke, Eardiston, and Wikey.
The _parish of Kinnerley_ contains the townships of Kinnerley and Argoed,
Dovaston, Kynaston, or Kinaston, Maesbrook-issa, Maesbrook-ucha,
Edgerley, Tir-y-Coed, and Osbaston.
The _parish of Melverley_ contains the townships of Melverley (upper),
and Melverley (lower).
The _parish of Oswestry_, in the Lower Division of the Hundred, contains
only the township of Morton.
The _parish of Llanymynech_, in the Lower Division of the Hundred,
contains the townships of Carreghofa and Treprenal.
The MANORS in Oswestry Parish are Aston, Duparts, and Middleton. _Aston_
includes the townships of Aston, Hisland, and Wooton, and also Twyford,
in West Felton parish. _Duparts_ includes the township of Crickheath,
Cynynion, Llanvorda, Maesbury, Morton, Pentre-gaer, Sweeney, with Weston
Cotton, and the township of Sychtyn, in Llansilin parish. _Middleton_
includes the township of Middleton, and _Oswestry_ the town and liberties
of Oswestry. Lady of the Manor for _Aston_, Mrs. Lloyd; and Lord of the
Manor of _Oswestry_ and _Duparts_, the Earl of Powis.
POPULATION.
The population of the town and parish, in 1801, amounted to 5,839; and
the number of houses, 788. In 1811 the population of the town and parish
had increased to 6,733. In 1821 the returns showed that the population
of the town and parish was still on the increase, the number of males and
females being 7,523. The population of the town and liberties, in June,
1831, was—males, 2,007; females, 2,471; total, 4,478. The return further
showed that the number of houses in course of being built, was 3; houses
uninhabited, 29; ditto inhabited, 885; families engaged in agriculture,
11; in trade, 276; all others, 613. Total number of families, 899. Male
servants, 42; females, 311; retired tradesmen, 38; clergy, educated men,
&c., 79; handicraft, 567; gardeners, &c., 232. The returns for 1841 were
as follows;—Town and Liberties, 4,569; Parish, 4,277; total, 8,846.
Houses occupied in the town, 931; unoccupied and building, 68; in the
parish, 886; unoccupied and building, 18. In 1851 the census returns
were as follows:—
MALES. FEMALES. TOTAL.
Town and Liberties 2,251 2,565 4,816
The Parish 1,972 2,006 3,978
Total 4,223 4,571 8,794
AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS.
A return was made in 1854, giving the following details on agriculture,
in reference to Oswestry Town and Liberties, Oswestry Parish, and other
parishes within the Hundred:—The total number of acres occupied in the
Town and Liberties of Oswestry, the Parish of Oswestry, Llansilin,
Llanyblodwel, Selattyn, Llwyntidman, Sychtyn, St. Martin’s, Chirk,
Whittington, Felton, Ruyton, Knockin, and Kinnerley, was 78,301; sown
with wheat, 7,909 acres; with barley, 6,512; oats, 2,924; rye, 39¾; beans
and peas, 275; vetches, 160; turnips, 4,420½; mangold, 48¼; carrots, 24;
potatoes, 566; flax, 5. Total under tillage, 24,013; clover, lucerne,
and other artificial grasses, 6,307¼; permanent pasture, 3,198; irrigated
meadows, 2,599¼; sheep walks and downs, 3,095½; total under grass,
63,990; number of acres in houses, gardens, roads, fences, &c., 1,468¾;
number of acres in waste (if any) attached to the farms, 2,258; horses,
2,618; colts, 802; milch cows, 6,854; calves, 5,571; other cattle,
including working oxen, 4,636; tups, 588; ewes, 12,509; lambs, 9,047;
other sheep, 4,572; swine, 7,142; number of acres in wood and
plantations, 3,749; common lands, 227.
The greatest registered quantity of wheat, according to the excise
returns, ever sold in one day at Oswestry market, was disposed of on
Wednesday, the 11th of July, 1855, namely, 4,373 imperial measures.
Natural History.
Our limits will not admit of extended observation on this subject, but it
is our duty to direct the attention of our readers to the feathered
tribes in the district, which include many of the more remarkable and
beautiful of British birds. Mr. Cross, of Oswestry, has, in the last few
years, made collections of rare and valuable birds, some delightful
songsters, including the nightingale, the piping bullfinch, with birds of
prey, those of the passerine order, and a large variety of water birds.
The following list, formed more than twenty years ago, the names given
according to Bewick’s history of birds, will show that the neighbourhood
has long abounded with fine specimens of the feathered creation:—
_Kites_.—Ring-tailed eagle, osprey, common buzzard, honey buzzard, kite,
goshawk, sparrow-hawk, hen harrier, kestrel, and marten.
_Owls_.—Great-eared owl, white owl, and tawny owl.
_Butcher Birds_.—Great ash-coloured shrike, red-backed shrike.
_Pies_.—Raven, carrion crow, hooded crow, rook, jackdaw, magpie, jay,
starling, ring ousel, ousel cock or blackbird, missel thrush or storm
cock, fieldfare, throstle or thrush, redwing, cuckoo, and wryneck.
_Woodpeckers_.—Green, greater spotted, lesser spotted, nuthatch, and
creeper.
_Grosbeaks_.—Grosbeak or hawfinch, green grosbeak, bullfinch, pine
grosbeak.
_Buntings_.—Brown, yellow hammer, blackheaded or reed sparrow, and snow
bunting.
_Finches_.—House sparrow, mountain sparrow, chaff, or pied-finch,
mountain-finch, gold-finch, linnet, and lesser redpole.
_Larks_.—Sky-lark, field-lark, grashopper-lark, wood-lark, and tit-lark.
_Wagtails_.—Pied, or water wagtail, grey, and yellow.
_Flycatchers_.—Pied, or gold-finch, spotted, or house linnet.
_Warblers_.—Robin redbreast or ruddock, redstart or brantail.
_Fauvette_.—Lesser fauvette, winter fauvette or hedge sparrow, reed
fauvette, black-cap, white-throat, yellow willow wren, willow wren, least
willow wren, wren, golden-crested wren, white rump or wheat ear,
win-chat, or gorsehopper, stonechat, and nightingale.
_Titmice_.—Greater, blue or tom-tit, cole, marsh, long-tailed, or
can-bottle.
_Swallows_.—Chimney swallow, marten, sand marten, swift or deviling,
night jaw or fern owl.
_Doves_.—Wild pigeon, ring dove, turtle dove, and small black rock
pigeon.
_Gallinaceous_.—Domestic cock, pheasant, turkey, peacock, pintado or
guinea fowl, wood grouse, black grouse, red grouse, partridge, quail,
corncrake or landrail.
_Plovers_.—Great plover, pee-wit or lapwing, golden plover, and grey
plover.
WATER BIRDS.—Long-legged plover, water crake, or rail, water ousel, and
kingfisher or haleyon.
_Herons_.—Heron, bittern or bog-boom, and curlew.
_Snipes_.—Woodcock, great snipe, common snipe, and judcock, or jacksnipe.
_Godwit_.—Brown sandpiper, common sandpiper, water, or moor hen, coot,
greater coot, great crested grebe, little grebe, or jack doucker.
_Terns_.—Common and lesser.
Common gull.
_Ducks_.—Wild swan, swan goose, grey-lag goose, tame goose, mallard, or
wild duck, shieldrake, widgeon, and teal.
_Pelicans_.—Cormorant,—pelecanus graculus, or the shag.
The district has occasionally other aërial visitants, including the
_peregrine falcon_, the bird which furnished the ancient amusement of
falconry, the _colymbus troile_, or guillemot, and the _corvus
caryocatactes_, or nutcracker.
Mr. Cross’s specimens are of recent date, many of the birds named having
been taken during the last twelve months. We subjoin his list, which
will be read with interest by all lovers of natural history:—
Peregrine falcon, kite, buzzard, goshawk, blue hawk, merlin, hobby,
sparrow hawk, kestrel, large butcher bird, small butcherbird. Tawny owl,
white owl, long-eared owl, short-eared owl, night jay or goat
sucker-cuckoo. Green woodpecker, great spotted woodpecker, lesser
spotted woodpecker, nuthatch, creeper. Wood pigeon, rock pigeon, coblard
turtle, turtle dove. Rook, crow, jackdaw, magpie, jay, starling, black
bird, wood thrush, thrush, fieldfare, red wing, stone chat, whin-chat,
yellow hammer, mounting finch, red finch, gold-finch, bull-finch, robin,
reed sparrow, hedge sparrow, common sparrow, green linnet, grey linnet,
yellow wagtail, pied wagtail, red start, black cap, pied flycatcher,
spotted flycatcher, white throat, black cap titmice, small black cap
titmice, blue cap titmice, long tailed titmice, willow wren, common wren,
golden crested wren. Swift, barn swallow, house marten, sand marten.
Woodlark, skylark, meadow pipit, tree pipit. Pheasant, grouse,
partridge, black grouse, corncrake. Heron, bittern, cormorant, eared
grebe, goosander, smews, curlew, widgeon, silver widgeon, magpie widgeon,
golden eye widgeon, pintail duck, coot, moorhen, jack curlew, teal,
seagull, woodcock, solitary snipe, common snipe, small grebe, lapwing,
grey plover, golden plover, jack snipe, water rail, ring ouzel, water
ouzel, marsh sandpiper, common sandpiper, knot, and kingfisher.
ANGLING.
OSWESTRY has no rivers immediately contiguous to it, but at short and
easily-approachable distances are several, namely, the _Severn_, the
_Vyrnwy_, the _Tanat_, the _Dee_, the _Ceiriog_, the _Perry_, the
_Morlas_, and the _Morda_. The Severn has its rise from a small lake, on
the eastern side of Plinlimmon, whence it flows in a devious direction,
under the Welsh name of _Hafren_, to Newtown, whence it assumes its
English name of Severn, and pursues its circuitous route to Shrewsbury.
From its source to fair Salopia it runs nearly one hundred miles,
receiving the waters of several tributaries. From Shrewsbury it
continues its winding course, and receives the Tern, at the foot of the
Wrekin, about which it describes a semi-circle; then curving repeatedly,
it flows towards Coalbrookdale, whence it flows in a north-west direction
to Tewksbury, and eventually to the British Channel. Blakey, in his
recently-published volume on “Angling,” says, “The best bottom-fishing
for carp, perch, roach, chub, and eel, is within those portions of the
river appropriated to navigation. Grayling are to be met with in many
parts of the Severn.” The Vyrnwy and Tanat abound with fish; the former
so much so that it has obtained the title of _Piscosus Amnis_. The Tanat
falls into the Vyrnwy at Aber-Tanat, and the Vyrnwy into the Severn at a
place called _Y Cymmerau_ (the Conflux), at the lower end of Guilsfield
parish, not far distant from the Breiddin, Moel y Golfa, and Cefn y
Castell mountains. The scene in this district has been sung in rapturous
and beautiful strains by a Welsh bard and warrior, of the 12th century
(Gwalchmai):—
“Rise orb of day! the eastern gates unfold,
And shew thy crimson mantle, fring’d with gold;
Contending birds sing sweet on every spray,
The skies are bright—arise, thou orb of day!
I, Gwalchmai, call—in song, in war renown’d,
Who, lion-like, confusion spread around,—
The live-long night the Hero and the Bard,
Near Breiddin’s rocks, have left a constant guard,
Where cool transparent streams in murmurs glide,
And springing grass adorns the mountain’s side,
Where snow-white sea-mews in the current play,
Spread their gay plumes, and frolic through the day!”
Blakey furnishes some practical information on this branch of our notice.
He says:—
“The Vyrnwy has a great number of dependent feeders, the principal of
which are the _Eunant_, the _Afon_, the _Gedis_, the _Afon Gynnan_,
the _Glasgwn_, and the _Cown_. These undoubtedly constitute a
considerable range of the waters, and are well adapted for the fly,
and some for trolling as well. After the main river receives all
these tributaries, it flows a south-eastern course for twenty miles,
and then receives the waters of the _Twrch_, which flows a distance
of twenty miles, through a very interesting section of the country.
This tributary itself has good angling feeders, capable of affording
fair sport with the rod. The Vyrnwy likewise receives the _Cain_,
and, a little farther down, the _Tanat_, both of which contain good
fish. The Tanat itself is fed by several good streams, as the
_Rhaiadr_, the _Afon Harrog_, and the _Ymrch_. Here there is good
fly-fishing. All these waters, large and small, are bright,
sparkling, and flowing, and have that peculiar form of stream which
indicates good sport. As to the colour of the fly requisite in these
mountain streams, little need be said; in fact, when the fish are in
humour, and they are not here capricious, they seem to snatch at
anything in the shape of an insect. Very large flies, however, will
not answer well.”
The _Dee_ has its origin in Merionethshire, by the junction of two small
streams rising about four miles to the north-west of Llanwchllyn, and two
miles below that village enters Pimblemere, or Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid);
issuing from that, beneath Bala, it flows under the bridge, takes a
north-easterly direction through the Vale of Eideirnion, and turning to
the east in fine meandering curves, waters the Vales of Glyndwrdwy (Vale
of the Dee), and Llangollen, where it receives the tributary Brân.
Thence, passing through Llangollen Vale, beneath Pont-y-cysyllte
Aqueduct, and the Great Western (Shrewsbury and Chester) Viaduct, both of
which span the Vale, it curves below Wynnstay Park, emerges into the Vale
Royal of Cheshire, and finally, after passing through Holt, and skirting
Eaton Hall, the magnificent seat of the Marquis of Westminster, glides
past the Church of St. John the Baptist, in Chester, beneath the ancient
and new bridges and railway viaduct there, and finally, at the estuary of
the Dee, enters St. George’s Channel. The portion of the Dee running
through Denbighshire and Flintshire (not far distant from Oswestry,) is
an excellent locality for trout-fishing, as the well-supplied
dinner-tables of the two hotels in Llangollen (the _Hand_ and the
_Victoria_) can amply testify. The Ceiriog, the Perry, the Morlas, and
the Morda, are each well stored with fish, and can supply the angler with
tempting rewards for his patience and skill. The _Lake of Llynclys_,
near Oswestry, has not only a poetical, but a piscatory celebrity also.
It is the scene of a clever ballad, from the pen of the poet Dovaston,
who, as a prefix to his metrical tale, has given the following
description of the Lake:—
“_Llynclys Pool_ is a small but beautiful lake, of extraordinary
depth, on the Welsh border, near Oswestry. The name in the Welsh
signifies _Sunk Palace_, and the vulgar have a firmly-believed
superstition (in which the neighbourhood abounds), corresponding with
the catastrophe of this ballad; nay, some even at this day go so far
as to affirm, that when the water is clear and the surface smooth,
towers and chimneys may be seen in it at a great depth. In the
summer months fishing parties of ladies and gentlemen frequently
spend the day on it in a boat with music and refreshments; on one of
these occasions this ballad was hastily written.”
The Lake is situated near the turnpike-road from Oswestry to Welshpool,
only a short distance from Llynclys turnpike-gate. It is bordered on
some of its sides with reeds and rushes, and a few years ago the flower
of a white water lily was pulled up, not far from the shore, the stalk of
which measured nearly fourteen feet. The fishery is the property of the
Earl of Powis, and the water abounds with pike, bream, perch, and dace.
R. H. Kinchant, Esq., of Park Hall, near Oswestry, has also an interest
in the fishery.
The _Ceiriog_, a picturesque and romantic river, winds among the rocks
behind Oswestry, forming deep glens and dingles, and falls into the Dee
below Chirk. The _Perry_ and _Morlas_ are two bright rivulets arising in
the mountains near Selattyn; the former passes Whittington and falls into
the Severn, near Fitz, whilst the latter unites with the Ceiriog, near
Pont-y-blew. The _Morda_, no inconsiderable stream, finds its rapid way
between the rocks at Llanforda, immediately above the town of Oswestry,
and, sweeping its course to the south, falls into the Vyrnwy at
Pentreheylin.
The following metrical instructions to the student angler, although the
lines are quaint, may not be deficient of interest to the younger
disciples of Isaac Walton:—
“In deep the silver _Salmon_ loves to rove;
And marly swifts allure the _Barbel_ drove;
Sharp streams delight the _Trout_, still deep the _Bream_;
The fearful _Chub_, he loves the shaded stream.
In shady holes and hollow banks, the _Perch_ he dwells,
And, for his boldness, the finny race excels;
_Roach_ and _Dace_ the sandy bottom choose,
And _Carp_ the weeds, and _Tench_ the muddy ooze.
In streams with gravel bottom _Gudgeons_ do delight,
The wanton _Bleak_ will ever sport in sight;
The _Pike_, the tyrant of the finny brood,
Near weeds and ledge lies lurking for his food.”
Botany of the Parish.
We are indebted to the REV. THOMAS SALWEY, Vicar of Oswestry, for the
subjoined interesting paper on the Botany of the Parish. It gives
evidence of his ardent attachment to this pleasing branch of Natural
History, and its publication may lead others to follow his example, in
studying a science which delightfully leads the mind of its possessor to
an increased admiration of the beauty and wisdom of the Creator’s
marvellous works:—
“By cooling streams and softening showers
The vegetable race are fed;
And trees and plants, and herbs and flowers
Their Maker’s bounty smiling spread.
The flowing tribes all blooming rise
Above the faint attempts of art;
Their bright inimitable dyes
Speak sweet conviction to the heart.”
“The interest and variety of the Botanical productions of any district
will always be found to depend upon its geological character; and in this
respect there are perhaps few Parishes which comprise within their
boundaries so many different geological formations as that of Oswestry.
The lower part of the Parish, from the neighbourhood of the Town to the
Queen’s Head, consists of the new red sandstone; or rather to that part
of it which is called by modern Geologists the Permian formation, and
which is so called because this formation is most amply developed in the
District of Perm, in Russia. The Town itself is situated upon the
coal-measures. With this is associated the usual sandstone grit and
chert, breaking out in Sweeney Mountain and Mynydd-y-Myfyr. Immediately
at the back of these hills the mountain, or carboniferous limestone,
breaks out, running in a line through the parish from Cynynion, through
Pentregaer, Trefonen, and Treflach, to Porth-y-waen. This is here and
there broken through by detached masses of Trap Rock, as at the point on
which the Tower of Pentregaer is built, and upon the western slope of the
Moelydd; whilst on the slope of the hill from Cynynion, and under
Coed-y-Coch, the Silurian system begins to shew itself. In such a
district we may reasonably expect a corresponding variety of plants. In
the following list, however, it is by no means intended to give anything
like a complete enumeration of the plants to be found within the
district, which would be inconsistent with such a publication as the
present. Such plants only have been selected as will show the character
of the Botany, and be a sufficient guide to any Botanist in conducting
his researches.
“Great, however, as is the variety of Geological formation within the
Parish, there is one feature, always of the greatest interest to the
Botanist, which unfortunately it does not possess, namely, old woods,
with their ancient oaks, the growth of centuries, and the deep mossy
dells which are so favourable to the production of the scarcer
cryptogamic plants. We have no scenery of this kind in our Parish, or
even in the immediate neighbourhood, and hence our mosses are only those
which are found everywhere. The beautiful little _Dicranum bryoides_
(the moss which so revived the spirit of the unfortunate Mungo Park when
fainting in the deserts of Africa), may indeed be found in Broom Hall
lane; and the _Hypnum commutation_ may be gathered at the foot of the
Moelydd. The _Bryum palustre_ may also be found above Morda pool; and
the _Bryum roseum_, and the large and handsome _Bryum ligulatum_, in some
of the wet and shady lanes in the upper part of the Parish; but beyond
these I am not aware that there are any mosses of peculiar interest to be
found amongst us. We have, however, a greater variety of ferns than
perhaps any other district of equal extent could produce; but here again
only the more scarce ones are enumerated.
“The more minute cryptogamic plants, and especially those under the head
of _Fungi_, will of course be the least interesting portion of the list;
but any notice of the Botany of the district would be incomplete without
the introduction of a proportionate number of these obscure, but, to a
Botanist, highly-interesting plants.
“The following are some of the plants which will be found in the parish,
or close to its immediate boundaries:—
Phœnogamæ.
_Circæa lutetiana_—Penylan and Llanforda lanes
_Scirpus lacustris_—Llynclys pool.
_Arundo phragmites_—Llynclys pool. {215}
_Myosotis collina_—Hedge banks about Pentreshanel,
_Anchusa sempervirens_—Croes-wylan, and Llanforda lane.
_Menyanthes trifoliata_—Bog above Morda pool.
_Campanula trachelium_—Hedges between Cynynion, and Pentregaer.
_Viola hirta_—Limestone rocks, Trefonen.
_Artropa Belladonna_—Porthywaen.
_Gentiana amarella_—Moelydd.
,, _campestris_—Ditto.
_Parnassia palustris_—Meadows between Sweeney and Morton; and in a field
on the west side of the Brick-kilns, at the High Vawr.
_Galanthus nivalis_—Upon the ledge of a low rock on the west side of
Sweeney mountain.
_Allium ursinum_—Lanes and moist places about the upper parts of the
Parish; and in the Nant-Mawr.
_Colchichum autumnale_—Meadows at Sweeney and elsewhere.
_Paris quadrifolia_—Thickets about Treflach.
_Adoxa moschatellina_—Broom Hall lane; Penylan lane; and other places.
_Chrysosplenium alternifolium_—Near the mill at Llanforda; and in other
similar wet places.
,, _oppositifolium_—Ditto.
_Saxifraga tridactylites_—Walls about the Town; and rocks at Pentregaer
and Craig-y-Rhu.
_Cotyledon umbilicus_—In the lane below the Race-ground, on the east
side.
_Sedum anglicum_—Rocks below Coed-y-coch; and between Craig-y-Rhu and
Cynynion.
_Prunus padus_—Below Penylan mill.
_Pyrus aria_—Craig-y-Rhu.
_Rosa villosa_—Pentregaer.
_Tilia parvifolia_—Croes-wylan lane.
_Cistus helianthemum_—Rocks at Trefonen, above the Nant-Mawr.
_Aquilegia vulgaris_—Thickets at Treflach, where it is also found with
white flowers.
_Ranunculus parviflorus_—Not uncommon on hedge banks; Maesbury road, near
the Gallows-Tree Bank.
_Trollius europæus_—Fields in the upper part of the Parish; and below the
house at the Hayes.
_Teucrium chamædrys_—This was found some years ago upon an old wall
(since taken down) at the Hayes. It may be found now upon the wall of a
garden in Brook-Street, lately belonging to the Vicar, having been
transplanted there from the Hayes. It grows also sparingly upon the old
walls of Whittington Castle.
_Scrophularia vernalis_—Penylan and Llanforda lanes; brought there
probably by the celebrated naturalist, Mr. Lloyd, who lived formerly at
Llwynymaen.
_Hutchinsia petræa_—Pentregaer and Trefonen; upon the slope of the hills
facing Llansilin.
_Arabis hirsuta_—Pentregaer.
_Geranium colum binum_—Hedge banks, occasionally.
_Fumaria claviculata_—Craigforda.
_Ornithopus perpusillus_—Moelydd, and Pentregaer.
_Anthyllis vulneraria_—Treflach, and Trefonen.
_Tragopogon pratensis_—Llanforda (1st park).
_Tussilago petasites_—Meadows near Llwynymaen.
_Hieracium paludosum_—Maesbury.
_Achillæa ptarmica_—Upper part of the Parish.
_Listera ovata_—Road-side near Mount Sion.
_Myriophyllum spicatum_—Pool at Llanforda.
_Typha latifolia_—Morda, and Llynclys pool.
_Carex paniculata_—Llynclys pool.
,, _hirta_—Llanforda
Cryptogimia.
FILICES.
_Polypodium phegopteris_—Craigforda.
_Aspidium oreopteris_—Ditto.
_Grammitis ceterach_—Crickheath Hill and Treflach Hill, above Porthywaen
and Blodwel rocks
_Cystea dentata_—On the loose heap of stones below the Tower at
Pentregaer; also upon a high wall, at the back of the house, at Broom
Hall.
_Hymenophyllum Wilsoni_—Upon a rock in a wood at Treflach.
_Osmunda regalis_—Maesbury.
_Botrychium lunaria_—In the 1st park at Llanforda; and on the brow of the
hill between the tower at Pentregaer and Craig-y-Rhu.
_Ophioglossum vulgatum_—Fields about Llanforda and Llwynymaen.
_Equisetum limosum_—Morda.
,, _fluviatile_—Maesbury.
MUSCI.
_Dicranum bryoides_—Broom Hall lane.
_Bryum palustre_—Above Morda pool.
,, _roseum_—Wet and shady lanes in the upper part of the Parish.
,, _ligulatum_—Ditto.
LICHENES.
_Calicium furfuraceum_ (_Coniocybe Fries_)—Upon the hedge bank of the
Vicar’s field on Cyrn-y-bwch.
_Opegrapha chevallieri_—Craigforda.
,, _saxatilis_—Ditto.
_Lecanactis lyncea_—Llanforda.
_Sphærophoron coralloides_—Craigforda.
,, _b. cæspitosum_—Ditto.
_Endocarpon miniatum_—Ditto.
,, _læte-virens_—Mynydd-y-myfyr.
,, _rufo-virescens_—Craigforda.
_Verrucaria plumbea_—Pentregaer, and Craig-y-Rhu.
,, _gemmifera_—Craigforda.
,, _umbrosa_—Ditto.
,, _codonoidea_—Craig-y-Rhu.
,, _immersa_—Craigforda.
,, _epipolœa_—Treflach, Trefonen, and Craig-y-Rhu.
_Pyrenothea leucocephala_—Park Sychant.
_Variolaria conspurcata_—Limestone rocks, Craig-y-Rhu.
,, _globulifera_—Upon an old ash tree at Craig-y-Rhu.
_Urceolaria calcarea_—Limestone rocks, Pentregaer.
_Lecidea morio_—Upon the loose stones under the Tower at Pentregaer.
,, _lapicida_—Mynydd-y-myfyr.
,, _premnea_—Upon an old oak in Middleton lane.
_Lecidea griffithsia_—Treflach, near Woodhill
,, _aromatica_—Wall in Llanforda lane, just under the house.
,, _enteroleuca_—The saxicolar form—same habitat as above.
,, _synothea_—Upon an old gate-post near Treflach Hall.
,, _immersa_—Limestone rocks, Pentregaer.
,, _pruinosa_—Wall in the lane below the house at Llanforda.
,, _speirea_—Limestone rocks, Pentregaer.
,, _incompta_—Elm-trees in the Church-yard at Oswestry; and upon a wych
elm at the Hayes.
,, _canescens_—Occasionally found about Oswestry; but not common.
,, _quernea_—Pentreshanel and Llanforda.
,, _œruginosa_—Upon an old gate-post, Treflach Hall.
,, _quadricolor_—Mynydd-y-Myfyr.
,, _rupestris_—Limestone rocks, Moelydd, &c.
,, _pineti_—Llanforda (scarce).
,, _lutea_—Llanforda.
,, _polytropa_—Mynydd-y-myfyr.
,, _lucida_—Pentreshanel, and other places.
,, _erythrella_—Llanforda.
,, _cœruleo_—_nigricans_—Moelydd.
_Lecanora rubra_—Craig-y-Rhu (very scarce).
,, _hæmatomma_—Craigforda.
,, _crassa_—Moelydd and Craig-y-Rhu.
,, _candicans_—Pentregaer.
,, _repanda_—Pentregaer.
_Parmelia glomulifera_—Upon a single tree in Llanforda (2nd Park).
,, _Borreri_—Upon oak trees opposite to the house at Woodhill.
,, _conspersa_—Craigforda.
,, _pityrea_—Upon a decayed oak near Old Port; and upon trees opposite to
the house at Trafalgar.
,, _aquila_—Mynydd-y-myfyr, upon a single isolated piece of rock on the
south end of the hill. This is a very unusual habitat for this plant,
which is usually a marine lichen.
,, _cæsia_—In fruit; but rarely at Pentregaer and other places.
_Sticta pulmonaria_—Pentregaer.
_Collema fragrans_—Llanforda and Pentregaer.
,, _ceranoides_—Llanforda and Pentregaer.
,, _multipartitum_—Moelydd.
,, _marginale_—Pentregaer.
,, _tunœforme_—Pentregaer.
,, _dermatinum_—Pentregaer.
,, _muscicola_—Pentreshanel.
_Peltidea scutata_—In fruit upon ash trees at Pentregaer.
_Peltidea aphthosa_—Craigforda; at the bottom of the wood a little above
the brook (scarce).
,, _spuria_—Upon a hedge bank, near Aston.
_Gyrophora polyphylla_—Mynydd-y-myfyr (scarce).
_Borrera furfuracea_—Mynydd-y-myfyr.
_Cenomyce cæspititia_—Craigforda.
_Cornicularia aculeata_—Craigforda.
CHARACCÆ.
_Chara hispida_—Ditches above Morda Pool.
ALGÆ.
_Ulva calophylla_—Walls of Oswestry church; east end and lower part of
the wall in the great walk; but not found every year.
,, _crispa_—Oswestry church-yard; and other places about the town.
_Lemania fluviatilis_—In the Morda.
_Zygnema nitidum_—In the lane by the cottage at Porkington.
_Batrachospermum moniliforme_—In the well at Pen-y-lan; and in other
places near the Morda.
_Draparnaldia plumosa_—In the Morda, below Penylan bridge.
_Meloseira varians_—In the Morda, below Craigforda, and below Penylan
bridge.
_Fragilaria hyemalis_—In the Morda, below Craigforda.
_Diatoma vulgare_—In the Morda.
,, _flocculosum_—In the pool, in the wood, at Llanforda.
_Meridion circulare_—In the well at Penylan; and in a ditch near the
Morda, above Morda pool.
_Cymbella minor_—Penylan mill.
FUNGI.
_Agaricus rubescens_—In the shrubbery at Porkington.
,, _cristatus_—Craigforda.
,, _phyllophilus_—Craigforda.
,, _laccatus_—_b. amethystinus_—Craigforda.
,, _clavus_—Blodwel woods.
,, _galericulatus_—Llanforda.
,, _stellatus_—Llanforda (rare).
,, _disseminatus_—Near the Lawnt.
_Cantharellus cibarius_—By the lower pool, at Porkington.
_Dædalea betulina_—In a timber yard at Oswestry.
_Polyporus sulphureus_—On the yew trees in the church-yard, at Oswestry;
but not found every year.
,, _salicinus_—On stumps of trees, near Penylan mill.
_Polyporus abietinus_—On fir poles at Treflach.
,, _scoticus_—Llanforda, in the wood above the garden.
,, _incarnatus_—Upon broom by the pool in the wood, at Llanforda.
_Fistulina hepatica_—Upon a Pollard oak, at Penylan.
_Thelephora purpurea_—Llanforda.
_Thelephora quercina_—Llanforda.
,, _lactescens_—Llanforda
,, _incrustans_—Upon an old felled trunk below Penylan Bridge.
,, _incarnata_—On laburnum in the wood, by the pool at Llanforda.
_Clavaria rugosa_—Llanforda.
_Peziza reticulata_—Penylan.
,, _aurantia_—Upon the stump of a tree near Trafalgar.
,, _humosa_—Upon an old mossy trunk at Llynclys pool.
,, _anomala_—Llanforda.
,, _cyathoidea_—On stems of herbaceous plants, Oswestry.
,, _cinerea_—On fallen branches, Oswestry.
_Bulgaria sarcoides_—On an old stump at Llanforda.
_Exidia glandulosa_—Llanforda.
_Næmatelia encephala_—On larch and fir rails in Llanforda park (scarce).
_Sclerotium scutellatum_—On oak leaves at Llanforda.
_Phallus caninus_—On an old stump by the pool, in the wood, at Llanforda
(scarce).
_Sphæria concentrica_—Upon an old ash tree at Maesbury.
,, _multiformis_—On rails in Llanforda (first park), and at Craigforda.
,, _nummularia_—Upon an ash tree near Penylan bridge.
,, _lata_—On dry wood near Penylan mill.
,, _leiphæmia_—On dead oak branches, Oswestry.
,, _laburni_—On laburnum, Oswestry.
,, _cupularis_—On lime branches, Oswestry.
,, _elongata_—On broom, Llanforda.
,, _yuccæ_—On yucca glancescens, Oswestry.
,, _sanguinea_—On timber, at Llanforda.
,, _moriformis_—On an old tree under the Blodwel rocks.
,, _pulvis-pyrius_—Llanforda.
,, _eutypa_—On a dead tree near Llwynymaen.
_Phacidium patella_—About Oswestry.
_Scleroderma vulgare_—Woods at Llanforda and Porkington.
_Lycogala epidendrum_—Llanforda.
_Reticularia umbrina_—On a decayed larch pole, Oswestry.
_Trichia fallax_—Llanforda.
,, _clavata_—Llanforda.
,, _turbinata_—Llanforda.
_Trichoderma viride_—On fallen trees, Oswestry.
_Tubercularia granulata_—On lime branches, Oswestry.
_Torula antennata_—On fallen timber, Llanforda.
_Puccinia saxifragarum_—On adoxa moschatellina; lanes about Oswestry.
_Æcidium violæ_—Mynydd-y-myfyr.
_Uredo scillarum_—Llanforda.
Geology, &c.
The town of Oswestry is situated upon and near the southern termination
of the North Wales Coal Field, which extends a little farther south of
the town, and, north-west, through Ruabon, Brymbo, Flint, Mostyn, and on
to the sea, near the Great Ormshead. Running parallel, and lying at the
back, or to the west of these coal-measures, is the great belt of
mountain limestone, commencing at Llanymynech Hill, and extending also,
north-westerly, to the Ormshead, and from thence dipping into the sea.
The metalliferous character of the district is distinguished for the
production of lead, copper, and zinc. Trials have been made for minerals
at Treflach Wood, and portions of carbonate and sulphuret of copper, of
average qualities, have been found, but not in sufficient quantities to
justify extended operations. At Llanymynech Hill both copper and lead,
sulphurets and carbonates, with carbonate of zinc, or calamine, have been
raised in large quantities by various companies, and occasionally the
ores have reached a high per centage, ranging from five to twenty-five
per cent. The ores are found in beds or flats, at from thirty to fifty
yards from the surface, and lying between, and running parallel with, the
strata of limestone that inclose them. It is an extraordinary fact, that
the metalliferous belt of limestone abruptly terminates at the south end
of the hill, and cannot be traced farther. Proceeding west, at the back
of Oswestry, in Treflach Wood, there are some fine beds of Derbyshire
marble or entrochal limestone, that have been worked for mantle-pieces
and other ornamental purposes.
Trials have been made, and small quantities of lead and copper found in
this limestone belt, extending to Minera, including the Eglwyseg range
which bounds a portion of the Vale of Llangollen, near to Ruabon.
The Minera district is too well known for its rich mineral products,
especially of lead and zinc, to require particular notice, and the same
may be said of the Mold, Halkin, and Holywell mineral formation, passing
on with continued fine mineral deposits, to Talargoch, near Prestatyn, in
Flintshire.
The coal-measures in the district of Oswestry abound in fossils,
_Lepidodendrons_, _Sigillaria_, _Stigmaria_, and _Calamites_, &c.; and
the carboniferous limestone is much more prolific of that class of
fossiliferous productions which usually accompany the old mountain
limestone.
The application of capital and scientific labour to mining operations,
during the last ten years, has given to the district an active and
business-like character, and brought with it a large increase to the
working population. At Llanymynech Hill, in addition to mining
operations, there are annually raised about 60,000 tons of limestone,
which is chiefly used for farming purposes in Montgomeryshire and
Shropshire. At Porth-y-Waen rocks, in the same range, there is nearly
the same quantity of limestone raised. The united quantities hewn and
blasted from these vast limestone rocks produce about 70,000 tons of
burnt lime, thus showing the extended use now made of limestone in the
cultivation of farm lands in the immediate district.
The manufacture of iron is most extensively carried on in Ruabon parish,
principally by the New British Iron Company, the quantity of good bar
iron made amounting on the average to 350 tons per week. These works
give employment to about 2,500 people, men and boys. The Company works
its own collieries, and consumes nearly all the coal its numerous pits
produce. In the same parish there are two extensive manufactories, for
the conversion of the ores of calamine and black jack (carbonate and
sulphuret of zinc) into zinc or spelter, and at each of these places from
twenty to thirty tons of these metals are made.
The coals raised from the coal-fields in and around Oswestry, worked by
Messrs. Croxon and others, amount to about 40,000 tons per annum; whilst
nearly 250,000 tons are raised in the Ruabon district, and a much larger
quantity at Brymbo.
At Minera a powerful Company is actively engaged in working the old mines
that produced so much ore during the former operations upon them. These
mines were closed from the influx of water, and the inadequacy of the
machinery then employed to carry it off. The present Company have, with
an enterprising spirit, adopted the highest class of machinery, and
employed the best mining talent that could be procured. By these means,
which have called forth the application of at least £50,000 to this
gigantic undertaking, the Company has fortunately succeeded in
discovering rich veins of lead-ore, which produce from 100 to 150 tons
per month. Other mining companies are also largely engaged in the
district, some of which are producing large quantities of lead-ore.
Biography.
OSWESTRY, although not the birth-place of many distinguished men, has
amongst its present population some “choice spirits,” men born not,
perhaps, to wield “the fierce democracy,” or to attract the nation’s
glare by the display of brilliant talents, yet who possess the happy art
of imparting sterling benefits to their fellow-men, and scattering
blessings all around them. We could point to gentlemen, still honourably
connected with the borough, whose good names must be well-deserved,
because they have been earned among their fellow-citizens. The borough
has nevertheless extended education to several eminent characters, and
been the chosen residence of many others. The names of Kenyon, Charles
W. W. Wynn, West, Parker, Longueville, Lloyd, Donne, and Dovaston, are
still cherished with grateful recollections, their talents and labours
having been ably exercised for the social benefit and intellectual
advancement of the town.
We subjoin a few sketches of worthies that did the “State some service,”
and whose connection with Oswestry claims for them a notice in these
pages:—
DR. THOMAS BRAY, an eminently pious and learned divine of the 17th
century, was educated in Oswestry. He was afterwards entered of Hart
Hall, Oxford, took his degree of Master of Arts there, was chosen by Dr.
Compton, Bishop of London, to model the infant church at Maryland, and
afterwards took the degree of Doctor in Divinity. He returned from
Maryland, after a long and useful residence there, and rendered immense
service to the cause of foreign missions, by his numerous publications
and remarkable personal exertions. He closed a useful life in 1730,
having reached the age of seventy-three years. He was born at Marton, in
Salop.
JOHN FREEMAN MILWARD DOVASTON, M.A.—The death of this sweet poet,
accomplished musician, and profound naturalist, occurred in August, 1854.
Mr. Dovaston was not a native of Oswestry, but his birth-place
(Westfelton) being so near to the borough, and his social connexion with
it so constant and intimate during the whole of his life, that he may
fairly be ranked among the celebrities of the town. He was the only son
of John Dovaston, Esq., of “The Nursery,” at Westfelton, a man also of
great natural talents, and who was distinguished for his science,
learning and ingenuity. The subject of our present notice was educated
for the Bar, but having a dislike for the profession, and possessing an
ample property left by his father, he preferred a life of literary
leisure, amid the charming scenery in his neighbourhood, to the wordy war
and the feverish excitement of forensic ambition. In his sylvan retreat
he sought amusement and instruction from the glories of nature so
profusely scattered around him, and with the pure taste of the poet and
philosopher, found
“Sermons in stones,
Tongues in trees, books in running brooks,
And good in every thing.”
In early life he published a volume entitled “Fitz-Gwarine and other
poems,” to which he made considerable additions in later years. He also
published an able discourse on Natural History, and contributed two
lectures on Music and National Melody. He was the author of a most
interesting sketch of Bewick, the clever wood-engraver, whom Mr. Dovaston
styled “the celebrated xyographer and illustrator of nature;” wrote
several prologues and epilogues to histrionic performances for charitable
purposes; and employed his graceful pen so long as Providence gave him
mental and bodily strength. For several years, however, he was confined
to his bed, and died at the age of 72 years. His education was commenced
at Oswestry Free Grammar School, to which Institution he reverts, in the
pride of his manhood and the fervent inspiration of the poet; and
subsequently he was removed to Shrewsbury School, where he remained for
some years, under the able tuition of Dr. Butler, afterwards Bishop of
Lichfield. Mr. Dovaston’s poetic genius led him almost entirely into the
realms of nature. His ardent fancy revelled amid flowers and trees,
murmuring rivulets and mountain torrents, or roamed among “boxen bowers”
and greenwood shades, where no sounds are heard but the drowsy hum of
bees, the joyous notes of the mavis or the lark, or the plaintive
warblings of his “bonny robin.” His metrical romance of “Fitz-Gwarine”
gives evidence of high descriptive power; and his Ballad, entitled “Bala
Water,” will bear comparison with the best stanzas of Scott. His works
will live in the district in which they were written, comprising as they
do so many local allusions; but had his muse soared to loftier themes, he
would, in all probability, have transmitted to posterity a name which the
lovers of song throughout the land would have delighted to honour. Never
having been married, he left a considerable property, which is now in the
possession of his relation, John Dovaston, Esq.
GUTO (Y GLYN,) or _Griffith_, of _Glyn_, having been elected a burgess of
Oswestry, is entitled from that distinction, as well as from his genius
as a poet, to a brief notice. We have already quoted from his quaint
description of Oswestry, but we shall now give it entire, as it was this
production of his muse that procured for him the honour of enrolment as a
burgess of the town. He was a native of Llangollen, and domestic bard to
the Abbot of Llanegwestl, or Valle Crucis, near that town, to whom
several of his poems are addressed. He is represented as witty and
social, and was an acceptable guest at the halls of the Welsh nobility
and gentry in his triennial visitations through the Principality. His
gentle muse must have been more than ordinarily gracious when he poured
forth such mellifluous strains as the following, in honour of Oswestry:—
“Oswestry is the liberal, the best endowed of cities;
The beloved of heaven that draws me to it.
_Oswestry_ the strong fort of conquerors; the _London_ of Powys;
Where the houses are well stored with wine, and the land is rich.
Its school is celebrated, and its city for preachers and men of
science.
GOD is present in its beautiful temple—
A church adorned with rich chalices,
And with bells and a rich-toned organ.
No better choir is there from it to Canterbury:
None in which there is correcter singing,
Or the habilments more suitable.
To _White Minster_ I know no convent superior.
The handsomest and best-dressed women are those of Oswestry.
It resembles Cheapside in merchandize,
And its people are honest and unanimous.
GOD’S grace be with the city, and those that dwell therein;
May GOD be its guardian and kind preserver.”
HUMPHREY HUMPHREYS, D.D., an eminent prelate, born November 24th, 1648,
was for some years placed at the Free School of Oswestry, under the care
of his uncle, Humphrey Wynn, A.M., who was master of the school and vicar
of the parish. Bishop Humphreys was an able Welsh antiquary, and wrote
some memoirs of eminent Welshmen, in addition to those contained in
Wood’s _Athenæ Oxonienses_, printed in the last edition of that work, and
in the first volume of the _Cambrian Register_. “He was a person of
excellent virtues during the whole course of his life, and in his latter
years of a piety so extraordinary, as has but few examples.”
THOMAS JONES, son of John Williams, was born in Oswestry, and
distinguished himself as an able defender of the Protestant faith.
Having received his early education in his native town, he was entered at
Jesus College, Oxford, at the commencement of the rebellion, but he left
the University soon after, and returned when Oxford was surrendered to
the Parliament, in 1646. He became Fellow of University College, by
authority, of the parliamentary visitors, in 1648, and was remarkably
zealous in the republican cause. He took the degree of M.A. in the year
following, and in 1655 became rector of Castell Caerinion, in
Montgomeryshire, where he acquired a knowledge of the Welsh language, to
serve those parts where the orthodox clergy were rejected. His
subsequent life was marked by strong zeal against papacy, and in an
action for slander brought against him by Dr. Morley, Bishop of
Winchester, whom he charged as a promoter of popery, he was fined £300,
and the rectory of Llandyrnog, to which he had been appointed, was
sequestered for the payment of it. He continued this severe course of
polemic warfare, and published several other works, amongst which, in
1682, “Elymas the Sorcerer; or a memorial towards the discovery of the
bottom of this Popish Plot.” This effusion exposed him to much
persecution, and would have subjected him to further punishment, had he
not escaped by his decease, which occurred at Totteridge, Herts, in the
same year.
HUMPHREY KYNASTON, surnamed _The Wild_.—This remarkable man, whose
exploits would furnish skilful romance-writers with materials for at
least three entertaining volumes, was not a native of Oswestry, but as
there is a tradition that his first wife was Elizabeth, daughter of
Meredydd ab Hywel ab Morris, of Oswestry, and another that she was
Margaret, daughter of William Griffith, of Oswestry, called Coch-William,
or the _Red_, we have deemed his history worthy of brief narration in
this volume. Kynaston was son of Sir Roger Kynaston, of Hordley, by
Elizabeth, daughter of Henry Grey, Earl of Tankerville, by Antigony,
daughter of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester. The enormous debts he
contracted by his imprudent life and conduct caused him to be outlawed,
upon which he fled from Middle Castle, his usual place of residence, but
which he had so neglected that it was falling into ruins, and sheltered
himself in a cave in the western point of Nesscliff Rock, called to this
day _Kynaston’s Cave_. The cave is large, and divided into two rooms by
a pillar of the rock, upon which is carved “H. K. 1564.” Yorke says of
him, that “he was a gentleman of many strange pranks, still the talk of
the neighbouring peasantry. The cave in the rock, at Nesscliff, called
Kynaston’s Cave, was the retreat of himself and mad companions. He was
outlawed the sixth of Henry VII., pardoned the next year, and died in
1531.” Kynaston’s career was brief, but his exploits and vagaries within
the short period of twelve months filled the country round with
enthusiastic reports of his courage and semi-madness. His horse,
somewhat resembling the notorious Turpin’s “Black Bess,” seemed to have
an instinctive knowledge of his master’s love of daring adventure.
Tradition states that this animal was stalled in the cave, the ascent to
which was by a flight of steps, and that when he was grazing in any of
the fields below, on hearing his master’s whistle, he would immediately
attend to the summons, ascend the steps of the cave, and kneel at
Humphrey’s bidding. Kynaston is represented as no common outlaw, and
that in all his depredatory warfare he ever regarded a sort of justice,
giving freely to the poor, by whom he was idolized, a portion of the
“black mail” he had levied from the rich. On the road, if he saw a cart
with one horse, and another with three, he made them equal, by taking the
fore-horse from the latter and hooking it to the former. Most of the
adventures ascribed to him seem to have been more dictated by whim than a
desire of plunder. He had a plentiful supply of necessaries from the
people around, the rich paying him tribute through fear, and the poor
from gratitude. _Kynaston’s Horse-leap_, a place thus named on Dovaston
Common, received its name from the following circumstance: Kynaston
having been observed to go over Montford Bridge to Shrewsbury, the
Sheriff, intending to take him, caused one of the divisions of the bridge
(then formed of planks laid upon stone pillars,) to be taken up, and
placed a number of men in ambush. When Kynaston had advanced on the
bridge, the men came up and blocked up his retreat, upon which he put
spurs to his horse, which bore him safely over the wide breach, and
carried him to his cave at Nesscliff; some say the horse leaped into the
Severn, and carried him across! The length of this leap was afterwards
measured on Dovaston Common, with an H cut at one end and a K at the
other. The letters were an ell long, a spade’s graffe wide, and a spade
deep, and were generally cleansed annually by order of Mr. Kynaston, of
Kington, as Gough, the historian of Middle, informs us. Camden merely
mentions Nesscliff and its cave, but says not a word about Kynaston.
Wild Humphrey’s adventures were probably much exaggerated by the vulgar
people of the district, some of whom have not scrupled to declare that
his leap was forty yards! Kynaston, being a desperate man, would not
hesitate much at daring feats, but a forty yards’ leap is fit only for
record in the pages of Major Longbow.
EDWARD LLWYD, or LLOYD, the celebrated antiquary, although not a native
of Oswestry, was closely connected with it, as he was the natural son of
Edward Lloyd, of Llanforda, a man of dissolute character, and who, after
dissipating his estate, died without legitimate issue. Edward Llwyd was
born in 1660, and at the age of seventeen was entered in Jesus College,
Oxford. He studied fossils, and became under-keeper of the _Ashmolean
Museum_, and in 1680 succeeded to the head-keeper’s place, vacant by the
resignation of his friend and patron, Dr. Plot. In 1704 he took the
degree of M.A. His researches into the languages, histories, and customs
of the original inhabitants of Great Britain obtained for him a
distinguished name; but the chief fruit of his studies and travels was
his “_Archæologiæ Britannica_,” of which Baxter, in a letter to Sir Hans
Sloane, said, “That it was the work of an age, rather than of a few
years; that it gave great light to the history and antiquities of
Britain, and was an honour to his ancient country.” He was elected
Fellow of the Royal Society, and in the following year the University
gave “proof of the high esteem in which it held his extensive learning,
by electing him Esquire Beadle in Divinity;” but he did not long enjoy
the appointment, as he died after a few days’ illness, in June 1709. His
manuscript collections, relating to Welsh and Irish antiquities,
consisted of above forty volumes in folio, ten in quarto, and upwards of
one hundred of smaller sizes. They were ultimately sold to Sir Thomas
Seabright, of Beachwood, Herts, and were afterwards purchased from Sir
John Seabright, part by the late Thomas Johnes, Esq., of Hafod, and the
other part by the late Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart., of Wynnstay. Some years
afterwards, Mr. Johnes’ portion of these literary-treasures were consumed
in a destructive fire that broke out at his elegant mansion, and a
similar fate befel the more valuable of the Wynnstay portion, they having
been consumed in a fire which occurred on the premises of a bookbinder in
Covent-garden, London, where they had been sent for the purpose of being
bound.
WILLIAM MAURICE, of CEFN-Y-BRAICH, and HUGH MORUS, the BARD OF
CEIRIOG.—These two able men, although not Oswestrians, were so closely
connected with the town, as natives of the neighbouring parish of
Llansilin, that a few words on their biography will not be misplaced.
Mr. _Maurice_ was an eminent antiquary, and the industrious collector of
the library of manuscripts now in the Wynnstay library. He was descended
from Lowri, sister of Owen Glyndwr, and what is singularly coincident, he
married Letitia, a descendant of Glyndwr’s successful opponent, Henry
Bolingbroke. She was a Kynaston, of Morton, descended from the Greys of
Powys, and the Greys from Antigony, daughter of Humphrey, Duke of
Gloucester, fourth son of Henry IV. William Maurice was so devoted to
Welsh literature, that he erected close to his house, at Cefn-y-Braich, a
building three stories in height, for his library. It was called “The
Study,” but has long since been in ruins. Mr. Walter Davies says of it,
“From what I recollect of it, and of a print in an old Oxford almanack of
‘Friar Bacon’s Study,’ in that university, I judge the one to have been a
_fac simile_ of the other.” This assiduous antiquary died from about
1680 to 1690.
_Hugh Morus_, the Poet, as he is emphatically called, because he excelled
all others in the smooth and flowing _awen_, or song-writing, was born at
Pont-y-Meibion, in the Vale of Ceiriog, in the year 1622. He died in
1709, at the advanced age of 87 years, as appears from his tomb-stone in
Llansilin church-yard having lived in six reigns, exclusive of the
commonwealth. His songs, carols, &c., hundreds in number show his
fertile genius, and many of his productions are marked by wit, irony,
fun, satire, and high poetic beauty. He was a frequent visitor at
Porkington and Chirk Castle, and always a welcome guest.
Mr. JOHN REYNOLDS.—This gentleman, a native of Oswestry, was a nephew of
Mr. John Davies, of Rhiwlas, Denbighshire, author of a small work
entitled “_Heraldry Displayed_.” After his uncle’s death he published a
_Book of Pedigrees_, from Mr. Davies’s manuscript, in the quarto form.
The REV. PETER ROBERTS, A.M., an able writer on Welsh history, resided in
Oswestry for some time. He was born at Rhuabon, Denbighshire, in 1760,
and in 1810 was presented to the living of Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog. He
was prevented by the delicate state of his health from residing on his
living for more than a few of the summer months, his regular home being
in the town of Oswestry, where he was generally respected for his
literary talents and private worth. In 1814 the freedom of the borough
was presented in full assembly to Mr. Roberts, as “Author of numerous and
extensive publications,” “for his deep and laborious researches of
ancient records,” and “in consideration of his profound learning.”
Astronomy and the Oriental languages were his favourite studies in the
early part of his life, and he had aspired to the Astronomical Chair in
Trinity College, Dublin, as successor to the celebrated Archbishop Usher,
whose friendship and regard he had long possessed. The illustration of
his native language, and of the ancient history of the Cymry, afterwards
deeply engaged his attention, and to the discussion of these subjects he
brought such powers of mind, united with such multifarious learning, that
he reminded his contemporaries of the gigantic power of the renowned
Edward Llwyd, and justly entitled himself to the high eulogium of Bishop
Horsley, who declared “there was only _one_ Peter Roberts in the world.”
He closed his earthly career at Halkin, Flintshire, in 1821, whilst
administering relief to a poor parishioner; he was seized with apoplexy,
and died in a few hours afterwards. His published works were numerous
and able. In the list we find “Christianity vindicated, in a series of
letters to Mr. Volney;” “Harmony of the Epistles;” “an essay on the
Origin of the Constellations;” “Art of Universal Correspondence;” “A
Sketch of the Early History of the Cymry or Ancient Britons;” “Review of
the Policy and Peculiar Doctrines of the Church of Rome;” “Manual of
Prophecy,” “Collectanea Cambrica;” “Letter to Dr. Milner, on the supposed
miracle at St. Winifred’s Well;” “Cambrian Popular Antiquities,” &c.
“DICK SPOT.”—A man figuring under this patronymic, but whose real name
was Edward Morris, flourished at Oswestry some years ago. He was
celebrated as a conjuror or professor of legerdemain, and pursued his
tricks with such marvellous success that the name of “_Dick Spot_” was
popular among the humbler classes throughout the district. He professed
to tell a love-sick damsel who was to be her husband; to detect thieves
by turning a key upon the Bible; and by other “craft and subtlety”
inspired his credulous visitors with hopes of coming grandeur and
overflowing fortunes, &c. At length death arrested Morris in his
deceptive career, and his remains were consigned to the earth in Oswestry
Church-yard. Hulbert, in a notice of Oswestry, in his “History of the
County,” refers to Dick Spot’s career, and says, “On requesting an
eccentric but ingenious inhabitant, now one of the Churchwardens, to
furnish me with some particulars of a pamphlet said to be the Life of
_Dick Spot_, he thus replied,—‘I know not who has got his life, but this
I know, that I am in possession of his mortal remains in Oswestry
Church-yard, having purchased the spot of earth which contained them,
from his grand-daughter. His skull, which I had in my hand the other
day, was treated with very little respect by the Hamlet-like grave
digger.’ If poor Morris had been blessed with the gift of foresight, he
certainly would have directed that his mortal remains should be deposited
in a more secure place of sepulture.” Who the eccentric Churchwarden was
the historian does not inform us. We are half inclined to believe that
his _grave_ discovery was a hoax, a species of pleasantry, somewhat
resembling what is called “Bolton Trotting,” and which two or three
well-known wags were wont to indulge in, many years ago, occasionally
with thoughtless imprudence and merciless severity.
Mr. ROBERT SALTER.—This gentleman’s family had for centuries been
connected with Oswestry, the name of “Salter” being recorded in civic
documents of very ancient date. He was author of a piscatorial work,
entitled “_The Modern Angler_,” a _brochure_, written in a series of
letters to a disciple of Isaac Walton, and evidencing a
thoroughly-practical acquaintance with the art of angling. It was
published in 1811. Like that celebrated lover of the finny tribes, he
looks upon his favourite recreation with the warmest enthusiasm of his
craft, and quotes Walton’s refreshing picture of some of the angler’s
joys on closing a long day’s sport. Safely landed at some “friendly
cottage, where the landlady is good, and the daughter innocent and
beautiful: where the room is cleanly, with lavender in the sheets, and
twenty ballads stuck about the wall; there he can enjoy the company of a
talkative brother sportsman, have his trouts dressed for his supper, tell
tales, sing old tunes, or make a catch. There he can talk of the wonders
of nature, with learned admiration, or find some harmless sport to
content him, and pass away a little time, without offence to GOD, or
injury to man.” Mr. Salter’s Letters are worthy of re-publication.
Notabilia.
The use of coaches was introduced into England by Fitz-Alan, Earl of
Arundel, in the year 1580. At first they were drawn only by two horses,
but about the year 1619 six horses were used by the notorious Duke of
Buckingham.
The Duke of Powis visited Oswestry in the Mayoralty of Robert Barkley,
Esq. (1737), in whose accounts are the following items:—“Aug. 8th—Paid
Mrs. Sarah Evans’ bill for wine, for his grace the Duke of Powis, at the
Town Hall, 13s. 3d.; paid John James, for drink to a bonfire when his
grace the Duke of Powis was at the Town Hall, 2s. 6d!”
Oswestry Association, for the prosecution of felons, formed Dec. 14th,
1771, by John Lloyd, Esq., Solicitor. First Treasurer, Mr. Edward
Browne. Mr. Lloyd was the original institutor of societies for the
prosecution of felons.
Races re-commenced September 1802, under the patronage of Sir W. W. Wynn,
Bart., after being discontinued 17 years.
The foundation of Castle Buildings was laid February 1803.
The first Sheriff’s Court held at Oswestry, on Friday, June 20th, 1804.
Stage-coach first established from Shrewsbury, through Oswestry to
Holyhead, by Mr. Robert Lawrence, of Shrewsbury.
The Holyhead and London mail-coach first ran through Oswestry, instead of
Chester, 6th September, 1808, when great rejoicings took place; a saving
of 22 miles was effected in the journey by this change.
Act of Parliament passed in 1809, for paving, cleansing, lighting,
watching, and otherwise improving the streets, and other public passages
and places within the borough.
In 1809 Charles Williams Wynn, Esq., Recorder of Oswestry, received the
thanks of the Corporation and inhabitants of the borough, for voting
independently in the case of the late Duke of York, and for his strict
attention to his parliamentary duties. A piece of plate, of the value of
£60, was presented to him at the same time.
From 1811 to 1814 about three hundred French prisoners of war (military
and naval) on parol in Oswestry. They were in the service of Napoleon
Bonaparte, and consisted of French, Germans, Spaniards, Dutchmen, Poles,
&c. Among them were the Prince D’Aremberg, General Phillipon (who broke
his parol), and other officers of distinction.
In 1812 a Grand Musical Festival was held in the Parish Church, on
occasion of the opening of the New Organ. The _Messiah_ was performed
with great _eclât_ in the church, and a Miscellaneous Concert was given
in the Theatre.
In 1814 the freedom of the borough was presented in full corporative
assembly to _John Freeman Milward Dovaston_, Esq., A.M., of West Felton,
author of _Fitz-Gwarine_, and other beautiful poems, “as a mark of their
respect and admiration of his very pleasing poetic talents, and taste for
elegant literature.”
The New Gaol finished in 1816.
Monday, January 6th, 1817, The Archduke Nicholas, of Russia (the late
Emperor), passed through Oswestry from Wynnstay, on his way to Powis
Castle.
William Ormsby Gore, Esq., High Sheriff of the County in 1817.
The New Burial Ground (formerly Vicar’s Croft), consecrated by the Bishop
of St. Asaph (Dr. Luxmoore), October, 1817.
_Oswestry Herald_ Newspaper first published by the author of this book,
March 21st, 1820, and discontinued Tuesday, Dec. 31st, 1822. In those
days the newspaper stamp-duty was 4d., and advertisement-duty 3s. 6d. on
each advertisement. The newspaper was swamped by excessive taxation.
February 14th, 1820, the Mayor and Corporation of the borough proclaimed
the accession of George IV. to the throne.
The celebrated Mile Oak Tree felled Monday, May 20th, 1824. The girth of
the lower part of the tree, 16½ feet; the largest branch, 5 feet 10
inches in circumference; length of the tree, 57 feet.
Evening Lectures commenced June 20th, 1824, in Oswestry Church, by the
Rev. Thomas Salwey, Vicar of the Parish.
The Church and Burial-ground at Trefonen consecrated by the Bishop of St.
Asaph, on Wednesday, January 17th, 1825, and service commenced on Sunday
morning, January 24th, by the Rev. John Hughes.
The Chancel and new entrance-door to the Parish Church, from
Church-street, finished in 1831.
Our present Gracious Sovereign, when Princess Victoria, on her way from
Powis Castle, visited Oswestry, with her illustrious mother, the Duchess
of Kent, in September, 1832. The royal visitors were received at
Croes-wylan gate by the High Steward (the Hon. Thos. Kenyon), the
Deputy-Mayor, the Coroner, and other members of the Corporation, in their
robes, and a large number of the gentry and tradesmen of the town bearing
white wands. The Princess and her mother did not alight from their
carriage, but merely changed horses at the Wynnstay Arms. During this
short stay Mr. Kenyon congratulated the royal visitors in the name of the
Corporation, and was commanded by the Duchess of Kent to inform the “good
people of Oswestry” of the “very great satisfaction she felt at the
manner in which she was received by the inhabitants of the town and
neighbourhood, and that she felt obliged by their loyal and affectionate
feeling manifested towards herself and the Princess Victoria.” The
Corporation and gentlemen conducted the cavalcade to the Beatrice Gate,
and the Oswestry squadron of North Shropshire Cavalry, under the command
of Captain Croxon, escorted the royal party to Chirk Bridge. Here they
were met by Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart., and a detachment of the Denbighshire
Cavalry. Captain Croxon having been introduced to the Princess and
Duchess, and received their thanks, the royal party proceeded onward to
Wynnstay.
A new Church Clock put up, by subscription, April, 1836.
The first Writ of Enquiry from the Court of Queen’s Bench, _Pierce_ v.
_Foulkes_, was tried at Oswestry, December 5th, 1837.
A Vestry held 15th July, 1842, to assess a church-rate. Objections
raised against the Organist’s salary, which, upon vote, was rejected by a
majority of _five_. The following Sunday the organ was not played, nor
was there any singing!
November 2nd, 1842, Prince Ferdinand of Austria passed through Oswestry.
In 1846 the Corporation of Oswestry, assisted by the inhabitants of the
borough, and the gentry of the neighbourhood, entered into a subscription
to present to the Recorder (J. R. Kenyon, Esq.,) a piece of plate, on his
marriage, as a testimonial of their regard and esteem. The plate
consisted of a salver of chaste and elegant workmanship, weighing upwards
of 164 oz., and measuring across twenty-four inches. The inscription in
the centre was as follows:—(Surmounted by the Arms of Oswestry). “To
John Robert Kenyon, D.C.L., on his marriage, from the Corporation and
inhabitants of the town of Oswestry, in testimony of the deep respect in
which he is held as Recorder of the borough, and the grateful feelings
entertained for his liberal support of the different charitable
institutions connected with the town.”—(The Family Arms below.)
Oswestry is 450 feet above the level of the sea, and 254 feet higher than
the Shrewsbury meadows. Shrewsbury is 196 feet above the level of the
sea.
The following heights of places above the sea, either near or in sight of
the Great Western Railway (Birmingham, Shrewsbury, and Chester Sections,)
taken by the Rev. T. E. Evans, of Trinity College, Cambridge, are “facts
worth knowing:”—Hawkstone, 834 feet; Grinshill, 696; Nesscliff, 630;
Llanymynech church, 246; Breiddin, 1,236; Wrekin, 1,494.; Cyrn Moelfre,
1,746; Cader Ferwyn, 2,826; Cern-y-Bwch, 1,206. By Mr.
Murchison:—Oswestry, 460; plan of Shrewsbury, 97; surface of the
Ellesmere canal under Heathhouse bridge, 260 feet. The canal at Chirk is
the height of two locks more than the canal near Whittington. Allowing
24 feet for the rise, it would make the surface of the canal at Chirk,
334 feet.
The late Rev. Walter Davies, rector of Manafon, in his Historical notice
of Llansilin, published in the first volume of the _Cambro-Briton_, says,
“In 1699 there was a well in the parish of Oswestry, called _Ffynnon Maen
Tysilio_, where the inhabitants resorted to celebrate their annual Wake.”
_Oswestry Show_, long since discontinued, was generally held on the first
Thursday after Trinity Sunday. As a pageant it bore no comparison with
Shrewsbury Show. The incorporated companies of the town walked in
procession, preceded with flags, bands of music, &c.
“There was formerly,” says the _Oswestry Herald_, “a castle at Maesbury,
in that township, as we find from Domesday Book. Rainald the Sheriff
(all whose estates devolved on the Fitz-Alans,) held Maesburie under
Roger et ibi fecit Rainaldus Castellum Lvvre.” No mention of this castle
is made by Pennant, Bingley, or any subsequent historian or tourist.
Poor Rate Return.
OSWESTRY TOWN AND PARISH (1855.)
Town and Parish. Acreage Gross Rental Rateable value
assessed to the
Relief of poor.
A. R. P. £ S. D. £ S. D.
Oswestry Town & Liberties. 1753 2 24 16604 18 6 14933 13 0
Ditto Parish 13911 1 31 22280 0 0 20052 10 3
Sketches
OF
The Environs of Oswestry.
SUFFICIENT has been said in these pages to justify much more extended
notices than we can give to the ancient castles, fine old mansions, and
modern residences of wealthy proprietors in this neighbourhood, imparting
as they do so much additional beauty and interest to the bold and
picturesque natural scenery in the midst of which they are so tastefully
situated. Oswestry, as we have already described, is not only a pretty
town, but historically curious; and the charms of nature and art
surrounding it render it still more worthy of admiration. We append
brief descriptions of neighbouring places, all fixed near the Border
Lands of England and Wales, whose history teems with glowing narratives
of embattled hosts, of fierce chieftains in bright array, and of
minstrels famed
“In Cambria’s noon of story,
Ere bright she set in glory!”
Almost every nook and corner has its historic tale, its love or war-song,
or its tradition. These remains of ancient times and deeds of bravery,
with natural beauties superadded,—mountains, valleys, and rivers, of
surpassing loveliness, have invested the Environs of Oswestry with an
enduring interest with which few, if any other towns in the kingdom, can
vie. Our DISTRICT SKETCHES, being arranged alphabetically, will commence
with
ASTON HALL,
The seat of Mrs. Lloyd, widow of the late William Lloyd, Esq. It is
situated on the right of the turnpike-road from Oswestry to Shrewsbury,
about two miles distant from the former. The highly-respected family who
have for so many years occupied this beautiful estate are of great
antiquity, having descended from Einion, Prince of part of Powys, who
distinguished himself in the wars against Henry I. Yorke, in his “_Royal
Tribes of Wales_,” writing in 1799, has furnished a copious notice of the
house of Aston.
“The Lloyds,” he says, “are descended from Einion. The heiress of
the house, Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Lloyd, married Foulke Lloyd,
of Fox Hall, or the hall of Foulke, and was great grandmother to the
Rev. John Robert Lloyd, Rector of Whittington and Selattyn, both in
his advowson, the present possessor of Aston. The name of the Fox
Hall family was Rosindale, when they came first from the north. To a
younger branch, settled at Denbigh, we owe our learned countryman,
Humphrey Llwyd. He was of Brazen-nose, Oxford, studied physic, and
lived as family physician in the house of the last Earl of Arundel,
of the name of Fitz-Alan, the Chancellor of the University. He sat
in Parliament for his native town of Denbigh, and died there in the
forty-first year of his age, and was buried in the Parish Church with
a coarse monument, a dry epitaph, and a psalm-tune under it. He
collected many curious books for Lord Lumley (whose sister he
married), which form at this time a valuable part of the Library in
the British Museum. One of his sons was settled at Cheam, in Surrey,
whose great grandson, Robert Lloyd, was Rector of St. Paul’s, Covent
Garden, and contended, but without effect, for the Barony of Lumley.”
Aston Chapel was built in 1594, at the expense of Richard Lloyd, Esq., of
Aston, and then called Christ’s Chapel. It was endowed by its founder
with £15 per annum, and Anne, his wife, left by will £5 per annum in land
to the Chapel, and 40s. for four Welsh sermons to be preached in the
year, with 15s. to be distributed to the poor of Oswestry parish at each
sermon. The chapel was consecrated by Bishop Parry.
BRYNKINALT,
The seat of the Right Hon. Viscount Dungannon, is situated about a mile
from Chirk, and one of the most picturesque mansions in the Principality.
The house was built during the reign of James I., from a design by Inigo
Jones, and is situated on the brow of a hill, at the foot of which flows
the Ceiriog. The park is fine, and is divided by the river. On the site
of this house formerly stood the residence of Tudor Trevor, a British
nobleman who lived A.D. 924, the head of the tribe of March or Maelor,
and who bore the title of Earl of Hereford in right of his mother, the
daughter and heiress of Lluddocca, ab Caradog Vreichvras, Earl of
Hereford. Trevor had large possessions between the Wye and Severn, and
was Lord of both Maelors, Chirk, Whittington, Oswestry, &c. His chief
residence was Whittington Castle; he was contemporary of Hywel Dda, the
Welsh law-giver; and Angharad, daughter of Hywel, became the chieftain’s
wife, and had by him three sons and one daughter. The arms of this
distinguished man, which are still borne by the Trevor family,
are—“Parted per bend sinister ermine and ermines, over all a lion
rampant, or.” Debrett informs us that “Arthur Hill, first Viscount, was
only brother of Trevor, Viscount Hillsborough, ancestor of the Marquess
of Downshire, and grandson of William Hill, who married secondly Mary,
eldest daughter of Sir Marcus Trevor, Viscount Dungannon; so created,
1662, for his signal gallantry in wounding Oliver Cromwell at the Battle
of Marston moor. Arthur, succeeding, 1762, to the estates of his
maternal grandfather, Sir John Trevor, of Brynkinalt, Speaker of the
House of Commons in England, and first Lord Commissioner of the Great
Seal, assumed the name and arms of Trevor, and was created, April 27th,
1765, Viscount Dungannon.” An interesting fact connected with this noble
family is, that the mother of the Duke of Wellington, the “Hero of a
hundred fights,” was Anne, Countess of Mornington, daughter of Arthur
Hill, the first Viscount Dungannon. This illustrious lady was closely
allied with two greatly-distinguished men: her husband, the Earl of
Mornington, ranked high as a musical composer, and “the Duke,” her son,
placed himself high on the roll of fame with conquerors of ancient and
modern renown.
[Picture: Brynkinalt]
The present Viscount Dungannon takes much interest in archæological
pursuits, and is author of an ably-written work, in two volumes, 8vo.,
entitled “The Life and Times of William the Third, King of England, and
Stadtholder of Holland.” His Lordship has acquired the literary
distinctions of M.A., F.A.S., and M.R.S.L., and is an active magistrate
for the district in which he resides. He has large possessions in the
north of Ireland, in which he takes much interest.
CHIRK CASTLE,
The noble residence of Colonel Myddelton Biddulph, is situated near to
Chirk, on elevated ground on the Berwyn range of hills, commanding
delightful views of the surrounding scenery. It is a bold castellated
mansion, built of grey stone, partly mantled with ivy, and is supposed to
have been erected on the site of an ancient fortress called by the Welsh
_Castell Crogen_, near which, as is recorded, the celebrated Battle of
Crogen took place in 1164, when the Welsh fought with more than their
usual bravery against Henry II., for the recovery of their independence.
The present castle was built in the reign of Edward I. by Roger Mortimer,
son of Roger, Baron of Wigmore, to whom the king had granted the united
lordship of Chirk and Nanheudwy.
[Picture: Chirk Castle]
The Castle continued in the hands of the Mortimer family but a short
period, it being sold by John, grandson of Roger Mortimer, to Richard
Fitz-Alan, Earl of Arundel, whose family possessed it for three
generations. It afterwards passed to Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk and
Justice of North Wales, Chester, and Flint, in right of his wife,
Elizabeth, eldest sister to Thomas, Earl of Arundel. It then devolved
upon the Beauchamp and Neville families, and afterwards became the
property of Sir William Stanley, together with Holt Castle. Henry VIII.
bestowed it upon his natural son, Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and
Somerset; in the following reign it was granted to Thomas, Lord Seymour,
brother to the Protector Somerset. Queen Elizabeth granted it to her
favourite Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and on his death it became the
property of Lord St. John, of Bletso, whose son, in 1595, sold it to Sir
Thomas Myddelton, Knight, Lord Mayor of London, in a branch of whose
family it still remains.
It is stated that the erection of the Castle was begun in 1011, and
finished in 1013. The building partakes both of the castle and mansion,
the form quadrangular, the angles being strengthened with bastion-like
towers, each surmounted by a small turret. The principal entrance,
through a fifth massive arched tower, is at the north front, leading into
a court-yard 160 feet long by 100 broad. Around this are ranged the
different apartments, and the east side is ornamented by a handsome
colonnaded piazza. The north and east wings are occupied by the family,
and the south and west given up to the offices. The most remarkable of
the apartments are, a saloon of sixty feet by thirty, lighted by three
large mullioned windows looking towards the court; a drawing-room thirty
feet square; and an oak gallery, extending the whole length of the west
wing, one hundred feet by twenty-two, leading to the chapel. The
ceilings throughout are ornamented by rich plaster work, and the rooms
display a large collection of paintings. Among the portraits are those
of the Myddelton family, Sir Orlando Bridgeman, the Duke of Ormond, and
his son Lord Ossory, the Countess of Warwick, daughter of the fourth Sir
Thomas Myddelton, and afterwards wife to the celebrated Addison, author
of the “_Spectator_” and other classic writings. Among the landscapes
there is a view of the admired water-fall, _Pistill Rhaiadr_, in
Montgomeryshire, represented as falling into the sea. Of this work of
art a pleasant story is told. The artist employed in taking the view was
a foreigner, to whom it was hinted, when he had nearly finished the
picture, that the addition of a few sheep would add to the effect. The
painter replied, “you want some _sheeps in it_. O! O! ver veil. I vill
put you some _sheeps_ it.” He then introduced the sea, and with it
several _ships_! The picture being thus ludicrously transformed, it was
allowed to remain in its altered state as an artistic curiosity; and the
visitor when inspecting it is sure to have his risible muscles disturbed
by so droll a metamorphosis. The gallery contains several old cabinets,
the work probably of Italian or French Artists; one, an exceedingly
handsome one, a gift from Charles II. to the brave Sir Thomas Myddelton.
The history of the Myddelton family is one of national interest. There
were four Sir Thomas Myddeltons at Chirk Castle, the two former knights,
and the two latter baronets. The first Sir Thomas was Lord Mayor of
London when his brother, the celebrated Hugh Myddelton, was knighted for
bringing the new river into the Metropolis. The second Sir Thomas served
in Parliament for the county of Denbigh, and took arms in its support
when he was fifty-seven years old. For his services at Oswestry,
Montgomery, and Holt, in 1643–4, he received the thanks of Parliament
through the Speaker. When he engaged in the service of the Parliament
his own castle became garrisoned for the king, and the veteran knight was
compelled to besiege it with all his force. It remained, however, in the
hands of the royalists till February 1646, when Sir John Watts, the
governor, quitted it, and was captured, with his men, at Churchstoke,
Montgomeryshire. Sir Thomas Myddelton, some ten years afterwards,
abandoned the parliamentary cause, and took up arms with Sir George
Booth, a Cheshire general, to restore the monarchy, and place Charles II.
on the throne. The royalists were few in number, and easily defeated, by
Lambert, who retook Chester, and made Sir George Booth prisoner. He then
laid siege to Chirk Castle, which, after a sharp resistance, was
surrendered by Sir Thomas Myddelton, who deemed it useless, he said, to
oppose the whole kingdom. A resolution was passed in parliament,
authorizing Lambert to demolish the Castle; but, Cromwell dying the same
year, the threatened destruction did not take place. The damage and loss
sustained at Chirk Castle, during the usurpation, are said to have
amounted to £130,000. Such was the reward which the veteran Sir Thomas
Myddelton received for his patriotism. His fate resembled that of his
co-patriot, Major-General Mytton, but was somewhat more disastrous.
Sir Thomas’s son, of the same name, was made a baronet at the
Restoration. The son died in 1663, his father surviving him three years,
when he died at the age of 80 years. His grandson, the fourth Sir
Thomas, and the second baronet, married twice. By his second wife,
Charlotte, daughter of the Lord-Keeper Bridgeman, he had an only
daughter, Charlotte, who married first to the Earl of Warwick, and
secondly to Addison, as already mentioned. Their daughter, Miss Addison,
died unmarried. The baronetage became extinct at the death of Sir
William, son of Sir Richard, brother to the last Sir Thomas, Sir William
having died unmarried in 1718. The estate, by the entailment, came to
Robert Myddelton, eldest son of Richard, the third son of Sir Thomas, the
soldier. He, dying without issue, was succeeded by his brother John,
father of Richard, father of Richard Myddelton, Esq., for many years M.P.
for the Denbigh boroughs, who died unmarried in 1796. The estate was
afterwards divided among his three sisters. The eldest, Mrs. Myddelton
Biddulph, had for her share Chirk Castle and its domain, and it is now in
the possession, as before stated, of her son, Col. Myddelton Biddulph.
The second sister, Maria, who married the Hon. Frederick West, brother of
the late Earl of Delawarr, had for her portion the property in
Llangollen, Rhuabon, Wrexham, and Holt. The third sister had for her
portion Ruthin Castle with its demesnes, and died unmarried; her
property, with that of the Hon. F. West, came into possession of his son,
Frederick Richard West, Esq., M.P. for the Denbigh Boroughs, who now
resides at Ruthin Castle, a portion of which has been re-built, and the
whole greatly embellished under his tasteful superintendence.
Chirk Castle is among the most interesting and oldest-inhabited feudal
buildings in the kingdom. Its
“Towers, unmodernized by tasteless art, remain
Still unsubdued by time.”
The family have hitherto protected it from injury, as it has been
repaired with care and skill where much decay or damage had presented
itself, but in no degree to impair its original character. Within the
last few years considerable improvements and alterations have been made
in it, under the direction and superintendence of the late Mr. Pugin.
The lower apartments are of the pure gothic of the fifteenth century.
The large rooms are in the style of Francois the First. The bed in which
Charles I. slept when he visited Chirk Castle, in his “utmost need,” in
1646, is still shown in a room adjoining the gallery. The south-west
wing has undergone little if any alteration by modern art, and there may
still be traced the architecture of the period in which the fortress was
erected.
The large estate surrounding the Castle has been much improved by Col.
Myddelton Biddulph; the grounds and noble trees that ornament it are kept
in excellent order, and the farms upon the property are all in a
nourishing and healthy condition.
Col. Myddelton Biddulph is Lord Lieutenant of the county of Denbigh, and
representative also for the shire.
HALSTON,
The seat of Edmund Wright, Esq., was for several centuries the property
of the Myttons. It is situated within a mile of Whittington, on the
Oswestry and Ellesmere turnpike road. It is called in ancient deeds
_Haly-stone_ or _Holy-stone_. Near the house stood the abbey, taken down
about a century and a half ago. The Rev. Peter Roberts says, “That it
had been a sanctuary is evident. Meyric Lloyd, lord of some part of
_Uwch Ales_, in the reign of Richard I., would not yield subjection to
the English Government, under which the Hundred of Dyffryn Clwyd and
several others were then, and having taken some English officers that
came there to execute the law, (which was contrary to the customs of the
Britons,) hanged some and killed others. For this act he forfeited his
lands to the king, fled, and _took sanctuary_ at Halston, where (for his
notable enterprises and merited chivalry,) he was taken under the
protection of its possessor, John Fitz-Alan, Earl of Arundel, ‘who made
him general of the army in the besieging of Aeon, in Asia, anno dom.
1190, where he behaved himself,’ as Reynolds informs us, ‘with such
dexterous attempts as were admirable to the spectators.’” [See his
exploits further recorded in our notice of “Llanforda.”]
[Picture: Halston]
In the Saxon era the Lordship of Halston belonged to Edric, at which time
there were on the property two Welshmen and one Frenchman. After the
Conquest Halston became the property of an Earl of Arundel, or of Robert,
Earl of Shrewsbury, and was afterwards bestowed on the Knights of St.
John of Jerusalem. In the 26th Henry VIII. the commandry was valued at
£160 14s. 10d. a year. On the abolition of many of the
military-religious orders and monasteries, Henry empowered John Sewster,
Esq., Scutifer, and afterwards allowed him to dispose of this manor to
Alan Horde, who made an exchange with, or sold it to Edward Mytton, Esq.,
of Habberly, ancestor to the present John Mytton, Esq. This alienation
was subsequently confirmed by Queen Elizabeth.
In a manuscript account of Halston, written in 1821 by the late Rev. C.
A. A. Lloyd, we find the following description:—
“The Manor of Halston is extra-parochial. The Mansion-house of
Halston was formerly situated near the chapel, but in the year 1690
it was removed to its present situation, which is on an elevated spot
of ground rising out of an extensive flat, and formerly subject to
frequent floods. The grandfather of the present owner (the late John
Mytton, Esq.,) was a gentleman of great spirit and enterprise, and at
considerable trouble and expense drained vast tracts of the low
ground, which rendered the neighbourhood more healthy. The river
Perry here forms several islands, and its shores are shaded by oaks,
perhaps the finest in the country.”
After describing the pictures and books at Halston at the time he was
writing, he adds,
“Mr. W. Mytton was engaged for many years in collecting materials for
a History of the County, but unfortunately died before he arranged
them. Among the collection is a manuscript copy of the History of
the County, by Mr. E. Lloyd, of Trenewydd, which Mr. Pennant, by some
blunder, mistook for Mr. Mytton’s.”
The Chapel of Halston is a donative, without any other revenue than what
the chaplain is allowed by the owner, and is of exempt jurisdiction.
The Mytton family are of great antiquity, and their connection with
Shrewsbury is of remote date. The late John Mytton, Esq., sold, among
other property belonging to him in that town, a field called the “Chapel
Yard,” on Coton Hill. When Leland visited Shrewsbury the Myttons lived
on Coton Hill. In the bailiff’s accounts for a year from Michaelmas, 2nd
Richard III., among rents in decasu (in decay) is one “Procapella de
Coten Thome Mytton,” the sum defaced; and his descendant Thomas Mytton,
Esq., was rated for it to the poor as late as 1686. Major-General Thomas
Mytton, the great parliamentary commander in the Civil Wars, was a
descendant of the Myttons of Shrewsbury. Halston was his birth-place,
and he resided there for many years. He was a zealous and untiring
leader of the parliament forces under the Commonwealth, and gave his days
and nights to the Protector’s cause; but he lived long enough to realize
the truth of the poet’s exclamation,
“How wretched is the man that hangs on Princes’ favours!”
He saw men of inferior talent, but ostentatious in profession, placed
over him in rank, and had to suffer the penalty which many others paid
for their attachment to Cromwell—the neglect and indifference of the
party whom he had so long delighted to serve, and the favour of the
Protector extended to sycophants and flatterers.
The late John Mytton, Esq., was the last member but one of the family who
possessed the Halston estates. This unfortunate gentleman passed a brief
life in folly and dissipation, and closed his existence with an
unenviable notoriety. On reaching his majority he found himself the
owner of immense wealth, in money and landed property. Under pernicious
influences he plunged into extravagance, recklessly squandered away his
patrimony, and in a few years became the inmate of a gaol,
“Deserted at his utmost need,
By those his former bounty fed.”
He drew his last breath within the gloomy walls of a prison, at the early
age of thirty-eight, and was interred, with his ancestors, in the
burial-ground at Halston Chapel.
It is painful to advert to so lamentable a career and so distressing an
end. But, whilst we point to Mr. Mytton’s ruinous habits, we cannot
withhold the acknowledgment that he had redeeming qualities. Like most
men of his pursuits, he often found the means he possessed too limited
for his own wants; yet occasionally he would perform noble and generous
deeds, that might be classed with the purest benevolence. His mental
calibre was of no common order. Had he been rightly disciplined in his
youth, and trained to habits of self-denial and literary improvement, his
life might have been honourable, and extended to a good old age. “It was
the misfortune of John Mytton,” as a county historian observes, “to lose
his father in his infancy, and it is remarkable that the heirs of the
house of Halston have for several generations been orphans.”
Mr. Mytton was High Sheriff of Salop in 1823, and represented Shrewsbury
in the last parliament of George III., being elected May 23rd, 1819. He
was a candidate the second time for the same borough, in March, 1820, the
other candidates being Panton Corbet, Esq., and the Hon. Henry Grey
Bennett, but was then defeated. His Parliamentary career was therefore
but of short duration; but brief and useless as it was, it cost him many
thousand pounds, to raise which a large portion of his Shrewsbury and
other property had to be sold.
Mr. Mytton married in 1818, soon after he became of age, a daughter of
Sir Thomas Jones, and sister of the late Sir Thomas John Tyrwhitt Jones,
of Stanley Hall, near Bridgenorth, by whom he had one daughter only, who
is now the wife of Captain Clement Hill, a brother of Lord Hill. Mrs.
Mytton died in 1820, and in the following year he married Caroline, one
of the daughters of Thomas Giffard, Esq., of Chillington, in the county
of Stafford, by whom he had an eldest son John, (who sold the Halston
estate to Mr. Wright,) and several other children. Mrs. Mytton survived
her husband, but at her death, although from Mr. Mytton’s erratic habits
she had been compelled to separate herself from him, she was, at her own
request, laid in the grave at Halston by his side.
The Halston Estate was purchased in April 1847 by the late Edmund Wright,
Esq., of Manchester, from the present Mr. Mytton. The property was
offered for sale by auction on the 13th of that month, at Dee’s Royal
Hotel, Birmingham. At Mr. Wright’s death it came into the possession of
his son, Edmund Wright, Esq., the present worthy owner. Since his
possession of the estate he has greatly improved it. Additions have been
made to the house, and he has otherwise rendered it more convenient and
ornamental. The park has been thoroughly drained, four feet in depth,
within the last three or four years, the main drain being carried
underneath the upper pool, by which means an ample fall for the efficient
working of the drain is secured.
KNOCKIN.
We briefly notice this place, from its antiquity, and having possessed a
castle, erected in the reign of Henry II. Knockin is in the hundred of
Oswestry, as already stated; is a rectory discharged, in the diocese of
St. Asaph, and the deanery of Marchia. It is situated five and a half
miles south-east of Oswestry. The origin of the name is not known.
There is no mention of it in Domesday Book, nor in any of the British
Chronicles before the Conquest. Camden refers to it but with brevity.
The castle was built by Lord L’Estrange, the first of whose family was
Guy L’Estrange (Guido Extraneous,) a younger son of the Duke of Bretagne.
He had three sons, Guy, Hamon, and John, all of whom held lands in
Shropshire by gift from Henry II. The younger Guy was Sheriff of Salop
from the sixth to the eleventh of Henry II.; and again from the
seventeenth to the twenty-first of Henry II., Ralph, his son, gave (the
first of Richard II.) the chapel of Knockin to the canons of Haughmond.
He left no issue, and his three sisters became his co-heiresses. John,
grandson of Guy, in the thirty-third of Henry III., procured a market for
the town on a Tuesday, and a fair on the eve-day and day after the
anniversary of the decollation of St. John the Baptist. Madog, who was
at the head of an insurrection against the king’s officers in North
Wales, marched against the Lord Strange, and defeated him at Knockin.
The male line of the family failed in John Le Strange, who died in the
seventeenth of Edward IV., leaving an only daughter, Joan, who married
George, son and heir of Thomas Stanley, who was created Earl of Derby by
Henry VII. The castle was first demolished in the civil wars in the
reign of King John, and repaired by John Le Strange in the third of Henry
III. The title of Knockin is still kept up, though the family is
extinct, the eldest son in the Derby family being styled Lord Strange.
The castle was long since a heap of ruins, and scarcely a vestige of it
remains to be seen. The materials of which it was composed were worked
up to build the church-walls, &c.; and, “tell it not in Gath, publish it
not in the streets of Askelon!” cart-loads of the stones were carried
away to repair the roads! The Poor-rate return for the parish gives the
following statements:—Acreage, 1,384; gross rental, £2,131; rateable
value assessed to the relief of the poor, £1,916.
LLANYMYNECH
Is situated about six miles from Oswestry, on the turnpike-road leading
from thence to Welshpool. The parish contains one township, _Carreg
Hofa_ (Offa’s stone,) which, although detached from, yet is within the
county of Denbigh, but attached to Montgomeryshire for election and other
purposes. The other two townships, Llwyntidman and Treprenal, are within
the county of Salop, but on the borders of Montgomeryshire. The church
is dedicated to St. Agatha. Patron,—the Bishop of St. Asaph. The
present Rector is the Rev. John Luxmoore. In the chancel is a monument
to the memory of the wife and daughter of George Griffith, Bishop of St.
Asaph, who had been Rector of this parish whilst Canon of that Chapter.
He was of the House of Penrhyn, in Caernarvonshire, and was consecrated
to the above See in October 1660, in reward for his piety and great
sufferings in the royal cause. A tablet, in another part of the church,
has the following singular inscription:—“Randolph Worthington, died in
the West Indies, _of the yellow fever_, _nobly fighting for his king and
country_.” The church and village are beautifully situated on a gentle
slope above the river Vyrnwy, and from Llanymynech Hill present the
appearance of a charming Swiss scene. Various interpretations of the
name of the village are given. Some etymological writers have said that
the word Llanymynech means “the Village of the Miners,” whilst others
contend that it signifies “the Church of the Monks, or Monkstown.” Since
the invasion of the Romans the hill has been known as mineral ground, so
that the origin of the name “Village of the Miners,” is easily
understood. A monastery is said to have been in existence here at an
early date, and hence “the Church of the Monks,” &c.
[Picture: Llanymynech church]
An ancient mansion called CARREG HOFA CASTLE once stood in the parish,
but was demolished about the beginning of the 13th century. Having been
built of wood, not a vestige of the Castle remains. A foss, to guard the
most inaccessible approach on the east, is the only index left. It was
taken and pillaged in 1162, by the two cousins Owen Cyveiliog and Owen ab
Madog. The latter kept possession of it for twenty-five years, and was
eventually slain in it by Gwenwynwyn and Cadwallon, sons of Owen
Cyveiliog.
_Offa’s Dyke_ separates the parish into two nearly equal parts, and
continues its course as described in page 10. The river _Morda_ divides
the parish on the east from Kinnerley, and on the north it joins the
parish of Oswestry.
_Llanymynech Hill_ is an extensive tract of land, on the limestone
formation, comprising about 160 acres. It belongs to F. R. West, Esq.,
M.P., and the minerals upon it are leased to the “_Carreg Hova Copper and
Lead Mining Company_.” The limestone rocks, part of which are 900 feet
in height, are worked by another Company, and large quantities of fine
limestone are annually raised and sold, principally for agricultural
purposes, in Shropshire and Montgomeryshire. The ores raised from the
hill are carbonates, sulphurets, and oxides of copper, carbonate of lead,
and calamine (carbonate of zinc). On the north-west side of the hill are
the remains of ancient surface mines, supposed to have been of Roman
origin, and from vitrifications near this spot, there is no doubt that
the Roman miners smelted their copper there in jars on open hearths.
Near these old workings is an immense cave or level, known in the
district by the name of the _Ogo_, from the Welsh _Ogof_—(a cave). Its
windings are so numerous and intricate, that many years back the
labourers, attempting to explore its mazes, were bewildered in the
effort, and a number of miners, who had been sent in search of them,
discovered them lying prostrate on the ground, in despair of ever again
seeing the light of day. Skeletons, various utensils, and coins of
Constantine and Vespasian, Antoninus and Faustina, have been found within
and about the _Ogo_. One of these skeletons had a battle-axe by its
side, and a bracelet of glass beads, like the druidical rings or beads
called _glain neidr_, (the _ova anguinum_ of Pliny,) and another with a
golden bracelet encircling the wrist. In 1849 two other skeletons were
found buried in trenches near the _Ogo_, by the side of one of which lay
a strong battle-axe, formed of mixed metal, but sharp at the edge. These
skeletons were of a very large size, the bones evidently being those of
remarkably tall men. The late Mr. J. F. M. Dovaston explored the _Ogo_
several years ago, and declared that none of the paths extend more than
two hundred yards from the entrance. Great quantities of human bones
were found in many parts, especially where the cavern becomes wide and
lofty, and this fact induced the belief that the place, at some early
period, was a refuge in battle or a depository for the dead. For years
it was commonly believed in the district that this labyrinth communicated
by subterraneous paths with Carreg-Hofa Castle; and some persons have
exercised their imagination so largely as to declare that, while in the
far recesses of the cave, they have heard the rivers Vyrnwy and Tanat
rolling over their heads, and that the said labyrinth actually leads down
to fairy-land!
On the eastern brow of the hill there formerly stood a Cromlech,
measuring seven feet by six, and eighteen inches thick. It was called by
the Welsh people “_Bedd-y-Cawr_,” or the _Giant’s Grave_; and under it,
according to tradition, a giant’s wife was buried, with a golden torques
about her neck. To search for this treasure three brothers named Paine,
who lived in the neighbourhood some years ago, threw down the stone from
its pedestal.
The prospect from Llanymynech Hill is indisputably one of the finest in
the kingdom. On the Welsh side are seen the summits of mountains, rising
in every variety of ridge, the distant in the softest azure, and the
nearer in the most brilliant verdure, with hanging woods, fertile
meadows, and the brightly-shining rivers, Vyrnwy and Tanat, uniting in
the valley below, and sweeping their sunny waters to join the Severn,
under the abrupt and bold rocks of the Breiddin range of mountains. At a
considerable distance, when enlightened by the sun, may be seen the
glistening water-fall of Pistill Rhaiadr. Turning towards England the
expansive Vale of Shropshire is seen richly wooded, and profuse in
luxurious vegetation, terminated by the column and spires of Shrewsbury,
the Wrekin, and the far distant hills of Staffordshire and Cheshire. In
a northerly direction the Shropshire Union Canal is seen glitteringly
interlacing the rich meadow land; the graceful lake at Llynclis peeps out
amidst over-shading trees; and the ancient tower of Oswestry parish
church completes the diversified and enchanting series of landscapes. We
lately heard a visitor from Switzerland, just arrived at Llanymynech Hill
from that far-famed picturesque country, declare that he had seen nothing
in the land of William Tell to compare with the beauty and grandeur of
the scene before him. Enraptured with the prospects, he enthusiastically
exclaimed, as the celebrated Lord Lyttleton had done on viewing Festiniog
Vale, “With the woman one loves, with the friend of one’s heart, and a
good library of books, one might pass an age here, and think it a day!”
To the south-west lies Carreg Hofa Hall, formerly the pleasant retreat of
Sir Thomas Jones, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, and representative
for Shrewsbury in 1660. It came into the possession of Sir J. T.
Tyrwhitt Jones, Bart., Usher of the Black Rod, and father of the first
wife of the late John Mytton, Esq., of Halston. Further in the same
direction is Pentre Heilyn, the seat of the Heilyn family, some members
of which occupy a distinguished place in Cambrian biography. Below the
western brow of the hill is Aber Tanat, formerly the seat of the Tanats,
or Tanads, descended from Einion, who took their name from the river
Tanat, near their house, for the same reason as the Mostyns, the Glynnes,
&c., to avoid the redundancy of _Aps_. Blodwel, a little farther north,
was the graceful theme of bards and minstrels when Welsh song and music
went joyously hand in hand. Llwyn-y-groes, formerly the seat of the late
John Evans, M.D., (but now of Richard Nightingale Broughton, Esq.,)
viewed also from the hill, claims special notice. Dr. Evans was popular
in the literary world, and his didactic poem, “_The Bee_,” enriched with
instructive notes, philosophical and botanical, is still read with
delight. Dr. Evans was father of the author of “_The Rectory of
Valehead_,” a work which obtained public favour, and still holds its
place as a literary production of high merit. The late Mr. Robert Baugh,
of Llanymynech, was another distinguished parishioner. He officiated for
many years as clerk of the parish, but his talents as a land surveyor and
draughtsman procured for him a high reputation. His large map of
Shropshire, a work honourable to his talents, is still referred to for
its accuracy.
The identification of the Roman encampment at _Clawdd Coch_, in the
parish of Llanymynech, with the ancient _Mediolanum_, is still a
disputable point. A learned antiquary, the Rev. R. W. Evans, Vicar of
Heversham (son of the late Dr. Evans), considers that such identification
is clearly established; and the late Rev. Peter Roberts, who had viewed
the place, “would fain insist, in conversation, that it was the identical
spot where Mediolanum once quartered the legions of ambitious Rome.” The
late Rev. Walter Davies, no mean authority on questions of antiquity,
paid much attention to the subject, and after personal inspection of
Clawdd Coch, came to the conclusion that Mediolanum is still among the
_terræ incognitæ_.
The following is the estimated extent, gross rental, and rateable value
of this parish:—
Estimated extent. Gross rental. Rateable value.
Townships of A. R. P. £ S. D. £ S. D.
Llwyntidman, County of 1052 3 29 2227 4 10 2227 4 10
Salop.
Treprenal, County of 227 2 16 309 16 0 309 16 0
Salop.
Carreghofa, County of 1221 3 8 2224 15 6 1968 6 6
Denbigh, now annexed to
Montgomery.
Total 2502 1 23 4761 16 4 4505 7 4
LLANFORDA,
The residence of the Right Hon. Sir Henry Watkin Williams Wynn, K.C.B.
and G.C.H., is situated one mile and a half west of Oswestry. The
original estate was part of the possession of Einion Evell, Lord of
Cynllaeth and Mochnant, from whom it descended, together with
Llwyn-y-Maen, to Ievan Vychan, constable of Knockin, whose heiress,
Agnes, carried it into the family of the Lloyds, by her marriage with
Maurice Lloyd, of whom the Welsh records give the following account:—
“The said Maurice Lloyd ab Bleddyn Lloyd, finding himself much
oppressed by the English Laws, did kill one of the judges and hanged
divers other officers on oak trees in Uch-dûlas, upon whose
conviction his lands and inheritance in Denbigh-land were escheated
to the Crown, and so still remains for most part to this day, and
known by the name of the said Maurice Lloyd; and he for his safeguard
withdrew himself to the sanctuary of Halston, in the county of Salop,
and there betook himself to the protection of John Fitz-Alan, Lord of
Oswestry and Clunne, and after Earl of Arundel. By the said Earl’s
commission he levied a great number of soldiers out of the said
Earl’s Lordships and Hundreds in the marches of Wales, and made the
said Maurice Lloyd Captain over them, and the said Earl of Arundel
being then General of the English forces, the King of England sent
them to assist the Emperor in the Holy Warre against the Turke, in
which service, at the scaling of, and entering, the breach at the
siege of Acon, the Emperor’s colours were taken by the enemies, and
recovered back by the said Maurice Lloyd, and brought again by him to
the Emperor, in reward of whose valour and faithful service therein
the Emperor gave him the coat of the house of Austria, only changing
the field for his first coat in his achievements before the parental
coat of Hedd Moelwynog.”
The bearing thus acquired, and constantly used by his descendants, was
the imperial eagle in a field sable. From Maurice Lloyd the Llanforda
property descended to Richard Lloyd, who, dying in 1508, divided the
estate, and left Llanforda to his eldest son John, and Llwyn-y-maen to
his second son Edward. Llanforda eventually passed from the hands of
this family, Edward Lloyd, a man of dissolute character, having sold it
to the first Sir William Williams, Speaker of the House of Commons in the
two last Parliaments of Charles II., about the year 1685, in whose
posterity (the Wynnstay family) it has since continued. The Edward Lloyd
just mentioned was father, as we have stated in our Biographical notices,
of the celebrated scholar and antiquary, Edward Llwyd. There was
formerly a church at Llanforda, but it was suppressed by Rynerus, Bishop
of St. Asaph. The river Morda passes close to the estate.
Sir Henry Wynn is a Privy Councillor, and for twenty-five years filled
the important office of Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court at
Copenhagen. He is also a magistrate for the county of Salop.
LLANSILIN
Is situated in the county of Denbigh, but the parish being on the
confines of Salop, and near to Oswestry, a brief notice here will not be
inappropriate. The parish has numerous historical associations. It was
the birthplace of Morris Kyffin, the learned translator into Welsh of
Bishop Jewell’s Apology; of Charles Edwards, the pious author of
“_Hanes-y-Fydd_,” a history of Christianity; of John Davies, author of
“Heraldry Displayed;” and of Hugh Morris, the eminent Welsh poet and
song-writer. Glasgoed, a seat of the Kyffins (the last heiress of which
married Sir William Williams, Speaker of the House of Commons), is now
the property of Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart.; and Plasnewydd, an ancient and
pleasant residence, once the property of the Chirk Castle family, belongs
to Thomas Hughes, Esq., who resides there. The late Rev. Walter Davies
contends, in his historical notice of Llansilin, that Owen Glyndwr “was
an inhabitant at least, if not a native of this parish.” Pennant makes
Sycharth, situated in the valley of the Dee, about three miles below
Corwen, as the mansion of Owen, whilst Mr. Davies fixes the Sycharth, in
the parish of Llansilin, as another of Owen’s houses. He says, “in the
year 1792 I had the curiosity to visit this spot (Sycharth) in
Glyndyfrdwy, and also another place called, and universally known by the
name of Sycharth, in this parish of Llansilin; and when I returned to Mr.
Pennant’s volume, I entered in the margin, opposite the name
Sycharth,—‘Sycharth, the seat of Owain Glyndwr, described by Iolo Goch,
in his Invitation Poem, is in the parish of Llansilin, about twelve miles
to the south by east of Glyndyfrdwy.’” Mr. Davies adds, “As Owain was
baron of two townships, no one will deny his having a seat in each; one
on the Dee in Glyndyfrdwy, the other on the Cynllaeth, in this
(Llansilin) parish.”—In the church there is a fine monument of the first
Sir William Williams, Speaker of the House of Commons.—The present Vicar
is the Rev. Walter Jones.—The Poor-rate return for the present year
(1855,) gives the acreage at 13,000; gross rental, £11,880 13s. 10d.;
rateable value assessed to the relief of the poor, £1,070 16s. 2d.
LLANYBLODWEL,
Although now included in the county of Salop, is nevertheless on the
borders of Montgomeryshire, and is in the diocese of St. Asaph. It is a
rectory (_cum cap. Morton_), dedicated to St. Michael, and is valued in
the King’s books at £39 5s. Patron, the Bishop of St. Asaph. It is
situated six miles from Oswestry, on the east side of the river, below
Abercynllaeth, and above Aber-tanat. In Domesday Book it is called
_Bodowan-ham_, and in an old deed of the Fitz-Alans _Blodwel_ (dated in
the time of Henry 6th,) _Vawre Villata_, which means “the village of
Great Blodwel.” Welsh etymologists contend that the name of the place is
derived from _Blodau_, a flower, the spring there being very early;
whilst other writers say that the name originated in the Saxon “blood”
and “wold,” in consequence of the bloody and inhuman battle fought there
between the Mercians and the Cymry (or Welsh). In this parish is
Blodwel-Hall, the deserted seat of the Tanats, descended from Einion.
The heiress of the house, Jane, married John Matthews, of Court, and the
heiress of the Matthewses, Ursula, married Sir John Bridgman, grandson to
the Lord-Keeper, Sir Orlando, and ancestor to the present Earl of
Bradford, who inherits the estate. The rector of the parish is the Rev.
John Parker, son of the late Thomas Netherton Parker, Esq., of Sweeney
Hall, near Oswestry, and distinguished for his taste in ecclesiastical
architecture and decorations.
PARK HALL,
In the parish of Whittington, the residence of Richard Henry Kinchant,
Esq., is situated a little more than a mile east from Oswestry, and about
the same distance from Whittington. It is one of those ancient timber
mansions, few of which are now remaining in England, perhaps none in so
perfect a state of preservation, and exhibits a fine specimen of the
domestic architecture of bye-gone days. The estate on which it stands
formed a portion, in ages past, of the once extensive and densely-wooded
park appertaining to Whittington Castle, when that ancient stronghold
could boast as its possessors in succession the powerful baronial
families of Tudor Trevor, Peverel, Gwarine de Metz, and Fitz-Alan.
[Picture: Park Hall]
In those somewhat rare and beautifully-delineated maps of English
counties, by Saxton, published in 1577, it is styled “_The Park Hall_.”
This very singular and time-honoured structure is presumed to have been
built in the reign of Queen Mary (1553–8), by Robert ap Howell, otherwise
Robert Powell, the first of that name seated at Park, son of Howel ap
Griffith, of Oswestry, descended from a younger son of Ievan Vychan, of
Abertanat, a junior branch of the royal line of Powys. It remained in
this family until the death of Thomas Powell, High Sheriff in 1717; his
line terminated in an heiress, Jane Powell, who sold the estate to Sir
Francis Charlton, Bart., of Ludford, in the county of Hereford.
Subsequently this property and that of Blundel Hall, near Bishop’s
Castle, became vested in the Kinchant family, by the marriage of John
Quinchant (as the name was then spelt), of Stone House, near Ludlow,
Shropshire, a Captain in the 32nd Regiment of Infantry, with Emma
Charlton, daughter of the before-mentioned Sir Francis Charlton. By this
marriage the present possessor of Park derives his pedigree from the
Princes of Powys-land.
The house is 126 feet in length, the façade presenting numerous pointed
gables, terminating in pinnacles. The entrance to the Hall is through a
porch, and over the original oak door, which is of considerable
thickness, and studded with large square-headed nails, is the following
inscription, carved on stone, the letters in bold relief:—“Quod tibi
fieri non vis alteri ne feceris.” The chimnies, of solid brick-work, are
quadrangular, a small space intervening between each, and crowned with a
heavy mass of masonry uniting them together, and so placed as to present
an angle to each of the cardinal points: thus formed they have resisted
the tempests of three centuries. The hall is wainscoated, and is 33ft.
long by 23ft. wide: it contains several old family portraits of the
Charlton and Kinchant families. There is an oak table in it, cut from
one plank, resting on massive turned pillars; the length is 23ft. by 4ft.
in width, and 2½ inches thick: at one end is carved the date—1581. Over
a door in the hall, leading to the great staircase, the arms of Powell,
Needham, and Corbet, are painted in separate panels, of a deeply-recessed
oak moulding. Thomas Powell, of Park Hall, who died in 1588, married
Mary, daughter of Sir Robert Corbet, Knight, of Moreton Corbet, and his
son, Robert Powell, married Anne, daughter of Robert Needham, Esq., of
Shavington, sister of the first Viscount Kilmorrey. The large
dining-room is beautifully wainscoated in diamond-shaped panels, and the
mantel-piece is a noble specimen of rich oak carving. It bears the date
1640, with this motto carved on a scroll:—“_Nec vi nec vento_.” A
Colonel Jones, of Shropshire, engaged with Cromwell’s army, bore this
motto on his banner, yet it does not appear that he ever resided at Park,
or was connected with the Powell family. The ceiling is a fine example
of plaster-work, and, as there appears no date upon it, is probably
coeval with the house. It is ornamented with figures of birds, horses,
and stags, and the central compartment has a representation in bold
relief, of Neptune and his attendant Tritons. The great staircase,
leading to the drawing-room, long gallery, and bedrooms, is a good
specimen of the style of the 16th century; the balustrade of massive oak,
the strong upright pillars, having pointed finials, are carved with a T
like ornament, such as is of common occurrence on the ancient stone
crosses of Wales. Underneath the window, on the first landing-place, is
carved this sentence:—“Accurate cogita immutabilia.” Here are also two
fine paintings, the one by Holbein, representing the great reformers,
Luther, Wyckliffe, Melancthon, and others, seated round a table; the
other painting a boar hunt, after Schneider. The upper rooms are all
wainscoated, and abound in elaborately-carved old oak furniture, some
bearing dates early in the 17th century. The gallery, extending nearly
the entire length of the house, is hung with several old family
portraits. There is a beautiful little chapel abutting on the west wing
of the house; the windows are stained glass, the interior is wainscoated,
and the whole arched over with oak panelling; over the entrance is carved
on stone these words:—“Petra et ostium Christus est.” There is a gallery
to the chapel, approached by a door from the drawing-room. On the south
side of the garden is a terrace of considerable length, and in the centre
stands a remarkable sun-dial, in stone, bearing several Latin
inscriptions, alluding to the rapid flight of time: on the pediment is
the date 1578. All the letters and figures on this stone, and all that
are found in various parts round the house, are carved in relief. This
dial fronts the south, and has no less than seven complete dials on it.
On the terrace are likewise the fragments of several large stones and
dials, bearing inscriptions in Latin.
In the List of the High Sheriffs of Shropshire will be found the
following names, owners of Park Hall:—
Robert Powell 1647
Thomas Powell 1717
Job Charlton 1748
John Charlton Kinchant 1775
Richard Henry Kinchant 1846
PORKINGTON,
Situated about a mile from Oswestry, to the right of the road leading to
the race-course, is the seat of William Ormsby Gore, Esquire, M.P. for
North Shropshire. This delightful estate is associated with some of the
most interesting incidents in the history of North Wales, and has for
years been viewed as one of the great land-marks of the chequered history
of the Welsh border. It derives its name from “Castell Brogyntyn,” a
fortress of the celebrated Owen Brogyntyn, a natural son of Madog ab
Meredydd ab Bleddyn, Prince of half of Powys, and who, as a gift from his
father, enjoyed the title of Lord of Edeirnion and Dinmael. He
flourished in the latter part of the twelfth century. The site of the
ancient fort still remains in the shrubberies of Porkington, the moat
filled up serving as a gravel walk, surrounded by plantations. Owen
resided at Brogyntyn, whence he assumed his surname. According to a
drawing in the Mytton collection, the fort was of a circular form,
surrounded by a large earthen dyke and a deep foss, that had two
entrances close to each other, projecting a little from the sides, and
diverging, the end of each being guarded by a semi-lunar curtain. The
name of the fortress and house (for Owen Brogyntyn resided there) was
soon altered into one closely resembling the present, as we find that in
1218 Henry III., in an address to Llywelyn, Prince of Wales, informs him
that, among others, “Bleddyn Filius _Oeni de Porkinton_” had performed
the service he owed to the English Crown. The house was formerly known
also by the name of “_Constables’ Hall_.” The precise date of the change
of name cannot be ascertained.
[Picture: Porkington]
Porkington is also historically connected with the distinguished royalist
Sir John Owen, of Cleneney, Caernarvonshire, a man whose history reveals
unshaken fidelity to the unfortunate Charles I., and a courage undaunted
amidst the most trying reverses. A short biography of this eminent man
will not be deemed out of place in these pages. Sir John Owen was the
eldest son of John Owen, Esq. of Cleneney, and was born in 1600. His
father had been secretary to the great Walsingham, and had amassed in his
service a fortune of £10,000, a large sum in those days. He married
Ellen Maurice, the heiress of Cleneney and Porkington, about 1597. Their
son John entered the army, and soon distinguished himself. At the siege
of Bristol he greatly signalized himself, and was severely wounded in
that engagement. Throughout indeed the wars against the Common Wealth he
proved himself a faithful and valiant commander on behalf of the king.
At the famous battle of Llandegai, near Bangor, Caernarvonshire, fortune
declared against him, and he was taken prisoner. This victory was
considered by the Cromwell party of so much importance that Captain
Taylor, who communicated the intelligence to Parliament, was rewarded
with £200 from Sir John’s estate. He was conveyed to Windsor Castle,
where he found incarcerated four of his gallant compatriots, namely, the
Duke of Hamilton, the Earl of Holland, and Lords Goring and Capel. All
these prisoners were put upon trial, and Sir John Owen maintained a firm
and heroic spirit during the enquiry that eventually saved his life. On
being asked by the Court for his defence, he said “he was a plain
gentleman of Wales who had always been taught to obey the king; that he
had served him honestly during the war; and finding many honest subjects
endeavouring to raise forces whereby they might get him out of prison, he
did the like.” He was condemned to lose his head, and at the conclusion
of the sentence he bowed to the Court and gave his humble thanks. A
bye-stander, marking his intrepid conduct, asked him what he meant, when
Sir John replied—“It was a great honor to a poor gentleman of Wales to
lose his head with such noble lords, for he was afraid they would have
hanged him.” Strong remonstrances were made in Parliament on behalf of
the duke and noble lords, but, finding no one speak in favour of Sir John
Owen, Ireton rose as his advocate, and told the house “there was one
person for whom no one spoke a word, and therefore he requested that he
might be saved by the sole motive and goodness of the house.” Ireton’s
appeal was effectual, and Sir John was pardoned after a few months’
imprisonment, and permitted to return to his native country. He died in
1666, and was buried in Penmorfa Church, Caernarvonshire, where a
monument is erected to his memory. The estates of Sir John Owen are
possessed by his lineal descendant, Mrs. Ormsby Gore, and many
interesting relics of the gallant knight are preserved at Porkington.
Among these are his official seal as Vice Admiral of North Wales, and a
sword given him by Lord Capel with the following inscription:—“Lord
Capel, the day before his execution, presented this sword to Sir John
Owen, by whom, he said, he was convinced it would be worn with honour.”
His portrait is also preserved at Porkington, from which the engraving,
in Pennant’s quarto edition of his tours, was made.
Porkington is chiefly indebted to the wife of Mr. Ormsby Gore (daughter
and heiress of Owen Ormsby, Esq., who married the daughter of William
Owen, Esq., and Mary Godolphin), for its present beautiful appearance.
The mansion having been built at three several periods presented a
confused mass, until the alterations made by Miss Ormsby conferred on it
a correct Grecian elevation. The present worthy owner assumed on his
marriage the name of Ormsby, prefixed to his own, and has added largely
to the demesne, and to the well-timbered and romantic appearance of the
hills which environ the rear of the building, the sight from the
north-east and south giving extensive views over the counties of Denbigh,
Chester, and Salop.
On the pediment of the portico are the arms of the present possessors in
_alto-relievo_. The principal stair-case is lighted by a dome of stained
glass, exhibiting the names and arms of different proprietors, with the
dates of their occupancy, and the names and arms also of various
heiresses connected therewith, namely, Laken, Maurice, Owen, Anwyl,
Wynne, Godolphin, Ormsby and Gore. The reception rooms are furnished
with remarkable elegance and taste. In the saloon is the full-length
portrait of Mrs. Siddons, a singularly-faithful likeness, and also a
curious painting on panel, being the only portion saved of the
Altar-piece of Valle Crucis Abbey.
The views from the Terrace at Porkington are extensive and highly
picturesque, displaying a variety of rich landscape scenery. In the
foreground (now attached to the Porkington estate) is _Old Oswestry_, the
_Hen Dinas_ of the Welsh, (and in still more ancient periods Caer
Ogyr-fan, from Ogyr-fan, a hero contemporary with Arthur,) a densely
wooded hill, and supposed to have been a strong fortification of British
or Roman origin. It is situated on the range of Watts’ Dyke, which
served as a boundary to the neutral ground on the Welsh side. It is
surrounded by three deep entrenchments, one above the other, in which are
two passes, north and south, to ascend to a very extended plain on the
top of the whole, encompassed with fortifications &c., comprising upwards
of forty-two acres of land. The sides of the entrenchments are closely
wooded, and carefully preserved by Mr. Ormsby Gore, who has also planted
an adjacent hill on the other side of the valley.
The parish of Selattyn, in which Porkington stands, is divided into two
townships, deriving their names from the same source, namely, _Upper
Porkington_ and _Lower Porkington_.
SELATTYN & HENGOED.
SELATTYN,
Or Sylattin, is a parish in the upper division of Oswestry, a rectory
remaining in charge, in the diocese of St. Asaph and the deanery of
Marchia. The village is situated about two miles from the Great Western
Railway Station at Preesgwene, and three miles north-west of Oswestry.
The population of the parish has greatly increased within the last forty
years, much land, hitherto waste, has been brought into a profitable
state of cultivation, and many neat and convenient cottages have been
built. During the long residence in the parish of the late Rev. G. N. K.
Lloyd, rector, who died in his sixtieth year, on the 17th January, 1846,
the social condition of his parishioners was greatly improved, as he was
constantly engaged for their benefit in every “good word and work.” In
October 1846 a water-ram was erected at the expense of his nephew, the
Rev. Albany R. Lloyd; by which means the water is forced up, from a fine
spring some distance off, to the rectory, and on towards the village, for
the convenience and comfort of the inhabitants.
[Picture: Selattyn Church]
The village is romantically situated. The church and school, the small
collection of dwellings, with the little picturesque valley leading to
it, and the brook, which empties itself into the Morlas, rolling its
limpid stream over a rocky and pebbly bed, are all delightful features of
the scene. In the church-yard some beautiful and aged ash-trees expand
their immense arms over the precipice beneath, while a noble avenue of
lime trees adorns the northern side, and several lofty firs enrich the
southern. There are also several ancient yews, which add solemnity to
this interesting spot. On the hills above Selattyn are two large
carneddu, with lesser ones near to them.
The erection of the steeple of the church was commenced upon in 1703. In
1821 a north transept was added to the fabric, and in 1828 the south
transept was built. A new organ, built by Bryceson, was placed in the
church in 1847.
A whimsical derivation of the name of the place is given by the late John
Davies, Esq., Recorder of Oswestry:—“A schoolmaster having set up here,
and finding that few pupils attended, imagined that people did not know
of him, but passed on to Oswestry, wrote over his door, ‘I sell Latin!’”
Whether this was veritably the origin of the name we are unable to prove,
but, as Mr. Davies adds, “if not the best, it is not worse than some
derivations which may be found.”
We subjoin a list of the rectors of the parish since 1537, including the
appointment of the fiery meteor Sacheverell, whose career we have noticed
in preceding pages:—
LIST OF RECTORS.
John ap Robert —
Robert Stanley 1537
T. Thomas 1556
Robert Powell 1557
Richard Price 1578
Thomas Topperly 1587
William Horton (Vicar of Oswestry) —
Rowland Thackerly 1592
Henry Jones 1600
James Wilding 1610
Thomas Wilding 1666
John Jones 1681
Henry Sacheverell, D.D. 1713
William Daker 1713
Thomas Hammer 1719
William Roberts 1780
John Robert Lloyd —
Whitehall Whitehall Davies 1801
George Newton Kynaston Lloyd 1810
Charles Arthur Albany Lloyd (Rector of Whittington) 1846
Henry James Lloyd 1852
John Husband 1853
HENGOED,
In the parish of Selattyn, is situated about two miles north of Oswestry,
and has derived much interest from the recent erection of a neat and
convenient church, dedicated to St. Barnabas, built chiefly at the
expense of the Rev. Albany Rossendale Lloyd, the present much-respected
Incumbent, aided by a few subscriptions. The foundation-stone was laid
by the Rev. A. R. Lloyd, Aug. 16th, 1849; the church was opened for
divine service June 11, 1850; and was consecrated by the Right Rev. Dr.
Thomas Voule, Bishop of St. Asaph, August 15th, 1853. A district, with a
population of about 650 persons, has been legally assigned to this
church, and was duly gazetted January 31st, 1854. An excellent
Sunday-school is attached to the church, and was originally used, until
the present church was completed, as a place for divine worship.
* * * * *
The amount rated to the poor for the parish of Selattyn, for the year
ending 25th March, 1855, was 1s. 3d. in the pound. The annual rental of
the land and buildings is fixed at £6,974; rateable value, £6,501 6s.
8d.; and the estimated extent of acreage, 5,434a. 3r. 13p.
ST. MARTIN’S
Is a parish situated about five miles from, and in the hundred of
Oswestry. It is a vicarage discharged, in the diocese of St. Asaph, and
deanery of Marchia. The great tithes were given by one of the Fitz-Alans
to the Monastery of Oswestry, _Album-Monasterium_. They afterwards
became the property of the Duke of Powis, and now belong in part to
Viscount Dungannon. The living is a vicarage, and is valued at £9 8s.
8d., but, having received Queen Anne’s Bounty, is discharged from
payments. The church is dedicated to St. Martin. The tower is a
handsome building of freestone, but the body of the church is of rubble
stone, and very inferior in appearance. In 1811 the church was new
pewed, when a gallery was also erected, and the same year the late Lord
Dungannon made a present of an organ. In the roof of the chancel were
several beautiful wood-carved images, but they were destroyed by some
merciless churchwarden. The Bishop of St. Asaph had a palace here, but
Owen Glyndwr burnt it when he laid waste the county of Salop. In the
Mostyn library is a Welsh manuscript on parchment, of the life of St.
Martin. It was translated from the Latin by John Trevor, a writer who
flourished between 1430 and 1470. In the parish are two schools, one
founded by William ab Royd, Merchant Taylor, for fifteen poor children,
and the other by the late Viscountess Dungannon, on the Lancasterian
plan, for twenty poor girls. The poor-rate return for the year 1855
shows that the acreage of the parish is 5,315; the gross rental, £10,016
13s. 9d.; and the rateable value, £9,534 4s. 3d. The present Vicar is
the Rev. William Hurst.
In the village called _The Lodge_, in this parish, a school was erected
in the year 1851, and has been productive of much good among the humbler
portion of the inhabitants.
* * * * *
In the parish of St. Martin’s there are several beautiful residences,
among which may be enumerated _Preesgwene_, _The Quinta_, _Tyn-y-Rhos_,
and _Greenfield Lodge_.
PREESGWENE HOUSE is historically connected with the Border Lands. It is
the property and residence of J. R. Powell, Esq., is a neat mansion,
embosomed in rich foliage, and situated four and a half miles from
Oswestry. The house was built in the sixteenth century, by E. Phillips,
Esq., an ancestor of the present possessor. The Rev. Robert Williams, in
his “_Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Welshmen_,” states that “Gwên,
the most valiant of the twenty-four sons of Llywarch Hên, was slain on
the ford of Morlas, a brook which rises in Selattyn mountain, near
Oswestry, and flows into the Ceiriog. The name of Gwên is preserved in
Prys Gwên, a gentleman’s residence near the Morlas, in the parish of St.
Martin’s.” Llywarch Hên is said to have died in the parish of Llanvor,
near Bala, where a secluded place called _Pabell_, or the cot of Llywarch
Hên, is still pointed out. He was a British Prince by birth, and a
distinguished bard, as already stated. [See pp. 8 and 9.]
THE QUINTA was for many years the residence of the late Hon. Frederick
West, (a gentleman whose virtues and honour endeared him to all who had
the privilege of his acquaintance,) by whom it was greatly improved.
This delightful estate was purchased by Thomas Barnes, Esq., M.P., for
Bolton, Lancashire, one of the most successful manufacturers of that
county. In his hands the property has undergone still further
improvements.
TYN-Y-RHOS, the seat of the Rev. John Croxon Phillips, is an ancient
mansion. In 1164, the reign of Henry II., Owen (or Owain) Gwynedd,
Prince of North Wales, slept at this house, and granted to the owner
certain privileges already described. [See p. 24.]
GREENFIELD LODGE is a pleasantly-situated villa, the property, and
formerly the residence of F. W. Smith, Esq., Agent to F. R. West, Esq.,
M.P. The house is approached by a remarkably fine avenue.
WEST FELTON
Parish comprises many beautiful residences, including PRADOE, the seat of
the Hon. Mrs. Kenyon (widow of the late Hon. Thomas Kenyon, third son of
Chief Justice Lord Kenyon); WOODHOUSE, the fine old mansion of W. Mostyn
Owen, Esq.; TEDSMERE, a house belonging to T. B. Bulkley Owen, Esq.; and
“THE NURSERY,” formerly the residence of J. F. M. Dovaston, Esq., but now
possessed by John Dovaston, Esq., the inheritor of the Poet’s estates.
The parish church is dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel, and is of
great antiquity, the nave being of Norman date. Within the last few
years a new aisle on the north side, in the early English style, has been
erected. At the east end of it there is an elegant triplet filled with
stained glass of early English character, displaying scriptural subjects
in medallions. Other improvements have been made in the church from
designs by Mr. G. G. Scott. Near Haughton, in this parish, large
quantities of earthenware have been discovered, of various colours, blue,
red, green, and yellow, and highly glazed. Their origin or purpose
remains a mystery, but is still worthy of antiquarian investigation.
Sandford Hall, in this parish, was formerly the residence of the
celebrated “Bumper Squire Jones,” the hero of the once popular song of
that name.
The present rector is the Rev. T. Hunt. According to the poor-rate
return for 1855 the acreage of the parish is 5,989 acres 2 roods; the
gross rental £10,048 10s.; and the rateable value assessed to the relief
of the poor, £7,948 6s.
WHITTINGTON,
Is a charming village, possessing all the beauties which give pleasure to
the lovers of inland rustic scenery. Picturesque cottages, neat
dwellings for people in retired circumstances, good-looking farmers’
homesteads, the village church, in silent repose, surrounded by its
grave-yard, and finally, the vestiges of its ancient Castle, once the
baronial and stately residence of the renowned Norman Chief Fitz-Gwarine,
and the scene of many a romantic story, give to Whittington village a
lively interest in which all who can leisurely view it must participate.
It is situated upon the turnpike-road from Oswestry to Ellesmere, and two
and a-half miles from the former, and five and a-half from the latter.
The Great Western Railway passes through the village, where there is also
a station, the trains stopping there several times a day.
Its antiquity extends so far back as the year 590, when, as the Welsh
poet Llywarch Hên states, it was known by the name of the _White Town_
(Drev-Wen.) In the reign of Rhodri Mawr (Roderick the Great,) king of
all Wales, A.D. 843, a British Chieftain (Ynyr ab Cadfarch) built the
Castle, which was afterwards possessed by his son, Tudor Trevor,
subsequently Earl of Hereford. Tudor Trevor’s mother was grand-daughter
to Caradog Vreichvas, who fell in the memorable battle at Rhuddlan Marsh,
A.D. 795. The descendants of Tudor continued in possession of the Castle
for many generations, and several of the leading families in North Wales
can trace their origin to him. At the conquest Whittington became the
property of Pain Peverel, and afterwards of Roger, Earl of Shrewsbury.
The Castle and lordship next passed into the hands of Hugh, and
subsequently of Robert, both sons of Roger, the before-named Earl. On
the defeat and forfeiture of Robert, by an Act of Henry I., the property
was restored to the Peverels, in the person of Sir William Peverel,
distinguished for his noble and valiant enterprises. He had two
daughters; the youngest, named Mellet, of martial spirit, resolved to wed
no one but the knight greatest in valour, and her father published this
declaration, promising Whittington Castle as her dower. This
announcement attracted the attention of many a gallant youth, and soon
afterwards Peverel’s domain at the Peak, near Castleton, Derbyshire, was
the scene of contention for the fair prize. Among the combatants were a
son of the King of Scotland, the Baron Burgoyne, and a noble Lorrainer,
Gwarine de Metz, (Sheriff of Shropshire, and chief Counsellor to the Earl
of Shrewsbury,) the latter of whom appeared with a shield of silver, and
a proud peacock on his crest! To him the spirited Mellet was sincere, he
having been declared victor. The son of this chivalrous pair was “famed
for deeds of arms,” and their posterity, for nine generations, assumed
the christian name of Fulk, and the common name of Fitz-Gwarine. The
Castle of Whittington was possessed by the family from the end of the
reign of Henry I. till the reign of Henry VIII. Gwarine de Metz died in
the reign of Henry I. at Alberbury, the Abbey of which place he had
founded, and there he was interred, his wife, the famous Mellet Peverel,
and her son, the first Fulk Fitz-Gwarine, being present on the affecting
occasion.
This youth was as distinguished, in the arts of love and war, as his
father. He became desperately enamoured with Hawys, the daughter of Sir
Joos, of Normandy; rescued the father from impending death, while in the
hands of Walter Lacy and Sir Arnold de Lis, two inveterate enemies, and,
as a reward for his gallantry and courage, received the hand in marriage
of his beloved Hawys. Fulk Fitz-Gwarine was heroic in all his
achievements, was knighted by Henry I., made steward of the King’s
Household, and Lieutenant of the Marches. In a skirmish with the Welsh,
under Grufydd ab Cynan, he was defeated, and Whittington Castle fell into
their hands. In the reign of Henry II. peace was made with Owen Gwynedd,
the succeeding Prince of North Wales: the Castle was retained by Owen;
and as some compensation for his loss, Fulk had the manor of Alston, in
Gloucestershire, bestowed upon him. It is recorded, says the Rev. W.
Davies, in his interesting “History of Whittington,” that “Fulk
Fitz-Gwarine, and John, son to Henry II. (afterwards King John,) were
playing at chess together, when it happened that they disagreed, and the
Prince gave Fulk a severe blow upon the head with the board, which the
latter returned in such a violent manner as almost to kill the young
Prince, a circumstance, had it happened, not much to be regretted, were
it not in consideration of the glorious Magna Charta afterwards obtained
from him.” Dovaston, in his fine descriptive poem, entitled
“Fitz-Gwarine,” makes his hero describe the quarrel in the following
lines:—
“Enough to name our last affray,
The Prince his temper lost at play,
The chess-board swung with coward sway,
And hurl’d my head upon;
Ill could the wrong my bosom brook,
I sent him first a furious look,
Then firm with knuckles clench’d I strook
The pate of royal John.”
Fulk Fitz-Gwarine was succeeded by his eldest son, who bore the same
name, and eclipsed his father by the brilliancy and skill of his military
enterprises. He accompanied Richard I. in the Crusades, and was made
Lord Marcher of Wales. At the commencement of King John’s reign
Whittington was in the hands of Maurice, brother to the Roger to whom
Owen Gwynedd had presented it. Fulk Fitz-Gwarine applied to John for the
restoration of the ancient property of his ancestors; but John rejected
his application. Indignant at this treatment Fulk joined the Welsh
sovereign, made battle against Maurice, in which the latter was slain.
The English King determined upon having Fulk Fitz-Gwarine put to death,
but the latter fled to France, under the _nom de guerre_ of Sir Amice, a
wandering knight, and was so much admired by the French monarch for his
honourable and chivalrous conduct, that he tendered to him a barony of
France. After having performed many acts of valour and renown in France,
Fulk returned to England, determined to see King John and propitiate his
favour. Fearing discovery, he exchanged clothes with a peasant, and
wended his way to Windsor, to confront the monarch. In Windsor Forest
they both met, John being out hunting, and Fulk appearing before the King
as a peasant. Fulk made known to him his errand, and declared that he
was the obnoxious Fitz-Gwarine; with the courage and dignity of his race
he menaced the king for the unjust treatment he had received, and forced
him to restore to his undisturbed possession the Castle and lordship of
Whittington, his ancestral property. John immediately repudiated his
grant, and Fulk was again compelled to leave the kingdom, having been
pursued by emissaries of the monarch, charged to slay him. Fitz-Gwarine
was still as adroit as he was brave; he killed the man who meditated his
assassination, fled to Orkney, where he released a persecuted female from
her captivity, and won a hauberk of hard steel, which, with other ancient
pieces of armour belonging to his family, hung, till Cromwell’s wars, in
the church of Whittington. From Orkney Fulk sailed to Carthage, where he
derived much information, his patriotism was inflamed, and where also his
enthusiastic desire for the improvement of his native country glowed with
increased ardour. Wrapt in these visions of future glory and happiness,
he re-embarked for England, arrived safely, appealed again to King John,
obtained pardon for all past offences, and with it the restoration of
Whittington Castle and all its appendages. Thus once more in possession
of his ancient halls, he lived in the state and hospitality which became
his princely condition. Then, as the author of “Fitz-Gwarine” so sweetly
sings—
“Other guests than yon lone bird,
And other music here were heard,
In times of better days;
Festive revelry went round,
The board with blushing goblets crown’d,
And costly carpets clad the ground,
Where now yon cattle graze.
Days were those of splendour high,
Days of hospitality,
When to his rich domain
Welcom’d many a crested knight,
Welcom’d many a lady bright,
Fitz-Gwarine of Lorraine!”
This remarkable man was afterwards sent by the English King to Ireland on
an important service, and was distinguished on his return, with the title
of THE GREAT. He subsequently united with the English Barons in their
memorable demand from King John of Magna Charta, and so resolute was his
conduct on that great occasion at Runnymede, that the Pope actually
conferred upon him the honour of excommunication from the papal church.
After various other conflicts and disasters, “by flood and field,” he
descended into old age, when he was stricken with blindness. He was
buried in the porch of Whittington Church, and his remains were found
there in an oak coffin, three inches in thickness, by digging a grave in
the year 1796. He left behind him a son who enjoyed his father’s estates
and titles, but for no considerable time. He followed Henry III. through
all his adverse fortunes, and whilst engaged at the battle of Lewes was
drowned in crossing a river, leaving behind him a young son, the fourth
Fitz-Gwarine.
Fitz-Gwarine the second was married to Clarice of Abbourville, and he
went generally by the peculiar appellation of _Proud-homme_, as a mark of
respect to his nobility.
Whittington Castle, after the battle of Lewes, was bestowed by the Earl
of Leicester upon Peter de Montford. Leicester also compelled the
captive king Richard II. to deliver it, with other Border Castles, into
the hands of Llywelyn ab Grufydd, Prince of Wales, who had just received
the entire sovereignty of Wales, and required homage from all the barons
under him.
The subsequent history of the Fitz-Gwarines presents but few interesting
features. This illustrious race became extinct at the death of Henry,
fifth Earl of Bath (who inherited the title of Fitz-Gwarine through the
marriage of Elizabeth, sister and heiress to Fulk the _ninth_, with
Richard Haukford, Esq.,) and the manor, after various transfers in
succeeding ages, was purchased by Francis (or William) Albany, Esq., of
London, from one of the Earls of Arundel, it having been granted to him
by Queen Mary, but afterwards mortgaged and sold. The manor, advowsons,
and estate of Fernhill passed subsequently to the house of Aston, by the
marriage of Sarah, daughter and heiress of the said Francis Albany, Esq.,
to Thomas Lloyd, Esq., of Aston. In the year 1760 the eastern tower of
the Castle fell into the moat after a severe frost, and some years
afterwards one of the northern towers and the western wall were taken
down to repair, it is said, the road leading from Whittington to Halston
bridge.
[Picture: Whittington Castle]
The remains of the Castle are still a picturesque ruin, which attracts
artists from all parts of the kingdom to sketch its lingering beauties.
Our own artist has done justice to the Castle in the sketch he has taken.
The towers of the gate-house are still entire, and part of the ancient
building is converted into a dwelling, and occupied by Thomas Broughall,
Esq. A running brook passes through the moat, which is overhung with
fine old trees, casting their shade upon the waters. In the year 1796
three curious bottles, richly gilt, were found, and subsequently, in
clearing the bottom of one of the old towers, some huge iron fetters, a
gyve of ponderous size, with a number of the heads and antlers of deer.
The Castle, from its position on the frontier of Wales, and from the
warlike spirit of its lords, was in feudal times a place of great
consequence, and, like other border fortresses, alternately the scene of
clashing arms and knightly festivity.
The church, which is dedicated to St. John, is a rectory in the
archdeaconry and diocese of St. Asaph, and was originally designed as a
chapel to the castle. The body of the church was rebuilt in 1805, from a
design by the late Mr. Thomas Harrison, architect, of Chester. It is a
large brick building of 60 feet by 50, and cost £1500. To lessen the
expense of building the church two briefs were procured that raised £703
15s. 1d., but of this sum only £42 2s. 1d. was received. In 1810 a new
organ was erected in the church. In the same year the church-yard wall,
being much out of repair, was rebuilt with stone. The Rev. Charles
Arthur Albany Lloyd, who had filled the office of Rector for many years,
died July 24th, 1851, he being also Rector of Selattyn at the time.
Whittington parish is divided into nine townships, namely,—Whittington to
the south; Berghill and Francton (or Frankton) to the east; old Marton
(or Martin), Hindford, Henlle, and Ebnall, to the north; and Fernhill and
Daywell to the west.
In a manuscript description of the parish we find the following
derivation of names:—
WHITTINGTON, or White Town, from White Castle, in Welsh, _Drewen_.
BERGHILL—Welsh, _Byr-Ghill_, or Short Hazles.
HINDFORD—,, _Hen-fordd_, or The Old Road.
HENLLE—,, _Hen_, old, and _Lle_, Place.
DAYWELL—,, _Fynnon du_, or _dydd_. Day Spring (or well).
FERNHILL—,, _Fwrn_ and _Oven_, or Hole and Hill.
A tradition long prevailed in the village, that it was the birth-place of
the renowned Sir Richard Whittington, “thrice Lord Mayor of London town.”
It is now, however, generally understood that he was born in the township
of Newnes, (not far from Whittington,) about one mile north-west of
Ellesmere. Shropshire claims him for her own; and if Whittington really
was “a proud Salopian,” the county has a right to be proud of the honour
of enrolling among its worthies so distinguished a name. Another vague
tradition prevailed, that the well-known metrical tale of “_The Babes in
the Wood_” derives its origin from _Babins’ wood_, (commonly called
_Babbys’ wood_,) near Whittington. The tradition adds, that the murder
of the two children by their cruel uncle was perpetrated at this place.
Gough, the historian of Middle, relates particulars of the murder of a
child by its uncle, but his account is only from tradition, and therefore
mixed up with much error.
The version we now give of this murder, derived from an authentic source,
shews that the ballad of the _Babes in the __Wood_ could not have been
founded upon it. The scene of the nursery rhyme is laid in Norfolk, and
all the circumstances it details differ materially from those of the
murder at Knockin heath. The version we have is as follows:—
“1590, 27th March.—A man and woman were executed at Knockin heath,
for murdering a child of the age of five years, for his land, being
an heir of £5 a-year, or thereabout, which fell after the said
child’s death, if he died without issue, to his uncles, being three
of them, which uncles procured and imagined the death of the said
child ever since his birth. Two of the uncles were executed at
Bridgenorth assizes, and the third _pressed_ to death there. But the
woman being grandmother to the child, and the man named Geffrey
Elkes, being hired to do the deed, were executed at the said heath
where the said deed was done.” “Elkes, at his execution, affirmed
that he did not kill the child, but brought a pail of water to the
heath, and left it there with the child and the uncle that was
_pressed_ to death, but he confessed that before the deed was done,
and after, two ravens usually would meet him, follow him, and cry
about him; and when he escaped and hid himself, the said ravens did
cry, and flew about the place, and descried him out, and he was found
in a cock of hay by their means.”
The parish register is a curious record of odds and ends, and from it we
make a few quaint selections:—
“Died March 11th, 1767.—THOMAS EVANS, parish clerk, aged 72.
‘Old Sternhold’s lines, or Vicar of Bray,
Which he tun’d best is hard to say.’
I do make choice of William Evans, his son, to serve the office of
parish clerk, being qualified according to the 91st canon, viz: above
twenty years of age, and of an honest conversation, and very
sufficient for his reading, writing, and also for his competent skill
in singing, tho’ not so clever a piper as his father. This choice
was signified to the parishioners in time of divine service, on
Sunday, the 15th day of March, 1767.
(Signed) by me, W. Roberts, Rr.”
* * * * *
“1776.—ANDREW WILLIAMS, in Whittington, aged 84, Decoy-man under the
Aston family, at the Decoy, in this parish, above 60 years:—
“Here lies the Decoy-man, who liv’d like an otter,
Dividing his time between land and water:
His hide he oft soak’d in the waters of Perry,
Whilst Aston old beer his spirits kept cheery;
Amphibious his trim, Death was puzzl’d, they say,
How to dust to reduce such well-moisten’d clay.
So Death turn’d Decoy-man, and decoy’d him to land,
Where he fix’d his abode till quite dried to the hand;
He then found him fitting for crumbling to dust,
And here he lies mould’ring, as you and I must.”
* * * * *
“SAMUEL PEATE, of Whittington Castle, died, aged 84.
“Here lies Governor Peate,
Whom no man did hate,
At the age of four-score,
And four years more,
He pretended to wrestle
With Death, for his castle,
But was soon out of breath,
And surrender’d to Death,
Who away did him take,
At the eve of our Wake,
One morn about seven,
To keep Wake in heaven.”
* * * * *
“Nov. 29th, 1780.—SARAH BROWNE, of Babe’s Wood, widow, aged 76.
“EPITAPH.
Here lies Mammy Brown,
Who oft sung ding and down
Over many a brat;
And what of all that?
Why she sung herself down,
So here lies Mammy Brown.
N.B.—She nursed many children besides her own.”
There are several useful and important charities pertaining to
Whittington parish. Jones’s charity of 1670, and Griffith Hughes’s
bequest in 1706, provide for the education of the boys of the parish, as
that of Elizabeth Probert does for the girls. These bequests are now
applied to the National Schools established in the village.
The old National Schools being too small for the increasing population of
the parish, a new School House, for the accommodation of Boys and Girls,
was erected in the year 1853, on the site of the former Boys’ School, at
a cost of £900, after a design by Messrs W. and J. Morris, Builders, &c.,
of Oswestry, by whom also the structure was erected. The present
much-respected Rector is the Rev. William Walsham How, who purchased the
living in the life-time, and succeeded to it on the death, of the Rev. C.
A. A. Lloyd.
The parish of Whittington contains 8,303a. 3r. 10p.; gross rental,
£13,145 5s. 0d.; rateable value, £12,867 10s. 0d.
It is worthy of record in our notice of Whittington, that the admirable
Missionary Hymn, from the pen of the late Bishop Heber, “From Greenland’s
icy mountains,” was written especially for a public meeting of the
friends of Missions, held in the village about the year 1820, at which
the poet Heber attended. The hymn was sung on that occasion for the
first time; but since then how many thousand voices, in every part of the
habitable globe, have been raised in tuneful melodies whilst pouring
forth this immortal strain! Heber’s hymn ranks with the sacred songs of
our best poets, and has urged many a Christian heart to the heaven-born
work of spreading the gospel throughout the heathen world.
Amongst the pleasant retreats in the neighbourhood of Whittington are
BELMONT, the residence of J. V. Lovett, Esq., an active and intelligent
Magistrate for the county; FERNHILL, about one mile from Whittington, the
seat of Thomas Lovett, Esq., also an able county Magistrate; and the
DERWEN, the house of John Povey, Esq., a gentleman much respected in the
district.
WYNNSTAY,
The beautiful seat of Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart., M.P. for Denbighshire, is
within twenty minutes’ railway ride from Oswestry. The talent, wealth,
and princely hospitality of the Wynnstay family have given to this
mansion and its extensive domains a national celebrity. The late Sir W.
W. Wynn (father of the present worthy baronet) did much to maintain the
high character for hospitality and munificent liberality for which the
House of Wynnstay has ever been distinguished, and his memory is embalmed
in grateful recollections by hundreds who partook of his bounty and were
generously aided by his purse and patronage.
Wynnstay is situated in the parish of Rhuabon, and is erected on the site
of a residence of Madog ab Grufydd Maelor, Prince of Powys, and founder
of the abbey of Llanegwest, or Valle Crucis, near Llangollen. The
original name of this house was _Rhuabon_. It was the property of Edward
Eyton, Esq., whose daughter Mary, the heiress, married Richard Evans,
Esq., son of Thomas Evans, Esq., of Oswestry, attorney-general in the
Court of the Marches. Their grandson, Eyton Evans, (son of Thomas, son
of Richard,) altered the name to _Watt_-stay, on account of its proximity
to Watts’ Dyke; and Jane, sole daughter and heiress of Eyton Evans, Esq.,
married Sir John Wynn, who again changed the name to _Wynnstay_, in
compliment to his own family, he being grandson of Sir John Wynn, of
Gwydir, by his tenth son, Henry, representative for Merionethshire. The
above-named Sir John Wynn, of Wynnstay, left that and other estates of
great value to his kinsman, the first Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, grandson
of Sir William Williams, Speaker of the House of Commons in the reign of
Charles II., and in the early part of his career Recorder of Chester.
Sir William was one of the most successful lawyers of his time, and was a
zealous and eloquent advocate of the popular party in Charles’s reign.
The notorious Jeffreys was reprimanded, on his knees, by him whilst he
was Speaker of the House of Commons; who also conducted the prosecution
of the Seven Bishops, when solicitor-general; and the “Treating Act,”
which still continues one of the safeguards of the purity and
independence of Parliament, was introduced by him in the House of
Commons. This celebrated lawyer was made a baronet in 1688. He married
Margaret, daughter and heiress of Watkin Kyffin, Esq., of Glascoed, in
the parish of Llansilin, near Oswestry. He left two sons, and the elder,
Sir William, of Llanforda, married another great heiress, Jane, the
daughter of Edward Thelwall, Esq., of Plas-y-ward, and was father, as
already mentioned, of the first Sir Watkin Williams Wynn. The Speaker’s
youngest son, John, was an eminent provincial lawyer, and practised at
Chester, and was direct progenitor of the present Sir John Williams, of
Bodelwyddan, Flintshire.
[Picture: Wynnstay]
The mansion is a noble pile of building, of fine white stone, and has,
recently, under the direction of the present possessor of Wynnstay,
undergone much improvement. The interior comprises several noble
apartments, which are embellished with paintings by the first masters,
portraits of various members of the family, and busts by eminent
sculptors, of the distinguished statesmen Lord Grenville, William Pitt,
&c. The library consists of a fine collection of books, in ancient and
modern literature, with valuable MSS. illustrative of early British
history. Among the variety of plate, including elegant race-cups, &c.,
is a large silver vase, or punch-bowl, presented to the late Sir W. W.
Wynn, by his countrymen, on his return from the battle of Waterloo.
The grounds in which the house is situated are remarkable for their
sylvan beauty. The avenue leading to the mansion from Rhuabon is formed
of fine oak, elm, beech, and other trees, one of which, “The King,”
measuring thirty feet in circumference, and with its outspreading arms
appearing to bid defiance to its fellows, seems to have a just claim to
the monarchical title it bears. A fine sheet of water in front of the
house adds much to the picturesque and deeply-wooded scenery around.
Both the near and distant views from the park are distinct and
attractive, those especially towards the Berwyn chain of mountains, with
the grand breach in it beyond Llangollen, through which rolls the rapid
Dee. An obelisk or handsome free-stone column is erected in the park,
after a design by Wyatt, as a tribute of maternal affection, in memory of
Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, grandfather of the present baronet. Round the
entablature is a gallery, with a circular iron balustrade, nine feet
high, in the centre of which stands a handsome urn in bronze. The plinth
is wreathed with oak leaves descending from the beaks of eagles. A
door-way leads, by a wide stair-case, to a gallery at the top. On the
lower part of the Cenotaph is the following emphatic inscription:—
“FILIO OPTIMO.
MATER CHEU! SUPERSTES.”
Although this column cannot be seen from the house, a glimpse of it may
be caught on the left side of the railway, in passing from Rhuabon
towards Oswestry. The Nant-y-Bela Tower, in “The Dingle of the Marten,”
is another Cenotaph, erected by the late Sir W. W. Wynn, after a design
by Sir Jeffrey Wyattville, in memory of his brother officers and private
soldiers slain in Ireland during the rebellion of 1798. It stands on an
eminence, and commands a view of the Vale of Llangollen, for several
miles. The Waterloo Tower, close also to the railway, is another
ornament to the park.
In the days of Sir W. W. Wynn, grandfather to the present baronet,
theatrical performances were often given during the Christmas Holy days,
in a neat theatre near the house, erected for the purpose. David
Garrick, “the British, Roscius,” as he was called, frequently
superintended these histrionic displays, where wit and revelry prevailed.
The surrounding nobility and gentry participated in these festivities,
which uniformly passed off with _eclât_. The late Sir W. W. Wynn
divested this Thespian Temple of its ornaments, and appropriated it for
an annual agricultural meeting, as an auxiliary to the society at
Wrexham. An annual show of cattle was held at Wynnstay, where premiums
were adjudged, for the best of every species of stock, for ploughing the
greatest number of acres, with two horses a-breast, without a driver, &c.
This bucolic fete was generally held in September, when a numerous
assemblage of practical agriculturists attended. A dinner at the hall
followed, where covers were laid for five or six hundred persons. The
tables groaned beneath the weight of viands, including fine samples of
roast beef and unctuous venison; “rosy wine” spread its charms along the
festive board, and “old October,” from the cellars of Wynnstay, were
handed round in huge flagons worthy of the merriest days of Cambria. On
these occasions Sir Watkin generally presided, and did the honours of the
table with an urbanity and cheerful hospitality that endeared him to all
his visitors.
The present Sir W. W. Wynn represents in parliament the county of
Denbigh, is Steward of the Lordships of Bromfield and Yale, and is
Lieutenant-Colonel of the Montgomeryshire Yeomanry Cavalry.
* * * * *
Among the more attractive residences in the immediate suburbs of the town
the following claim a brief notice:—
BROOM HALL, the residence of Mrs. Aubrey, widow of the late H. P. T.
Aubrey, Esq., is situated near to the town, on the west side. Mr. Aubrey
died in 1848. [See p. 143.] DRENEWYDD stands about a mile and a-half
from Oswestry, on the road leading to Whittington, is a very ancient
house, and has some interesting historical facts connected with it. It
was formerly the residence of Edward Lloyd, Esq., eldest son of Marmaduke
Lloyd, Esq., by Penelope, daughter of Charles Goodman, Esq. He was
eminent for his learning, and after a long and diligent search into
ancient records, wrote a history of his native county, but did not live
to publish it. A MS. copy of his learned works is preserved in the
Bodleian Library, Oxford. He was elected Mayor of Oswestry in 1707; in
which office, it is recorded of him, “he corrected many existing abuses.”
He left an only son, Charles, who was the last in the male line of the
Drenewydd family. The old house at Drenewydd is now the property of
William Ormsby Gore, Esq., and is occupied as a farm house. MOUNT
PLEASANT, the seat of Thomas L. Longueville, Esq., (a gentleman
distinguished for his public and private worth,) is situated about one
mile from Oswestry, on the road leading to Llansilin. OAKHURST, a
newly-erected mansion, about one mile north-west of Oswestry, on the road
leading to Selattyn, commands extensive and delightful views of the
surrounding country, including the Vale of Salop and the Breidden hills.
It is built in the Elizabethan style of architecture, and is the property
and residence of R. J. Venables, Esq., one of the Magistrates of the
county, and a Director of the Great Western and Oswestry and Newtown
Railway Companies. The family of Mr. Venables have for many years been
honourably connected with the borough of Oswestry. At RHYD-Y-CROESAU is
the residence of the Rev. Robert Williams, author of “Biographical
Dictionary of Eminent Welshmen.” Mr. Williams is a profound scholar, and
his location in the district, at the head of an ably-conducted school,
may be looked upon as a great advantage to the inhabitants generally.
PENTREPANT, the property of T. G. Warrington Carew, Esq., is the
residence of Colonel Frederick Hill. It is about one mile from Oswestry,
on the road to Selattyn. The estate was for many generations in the
Hanmer family, and John Hanmer, Bishop of St. Asaph, resided here. He
died in 1629, and was buried in the church of Selattyn, to the poor of
which parish, and also of Oswestry and St. Asaph, he gave £15 to be
equally divided between them. PENYLAN is a very beautiful House, about
one mile from Oswestry. The pleasure-grounds and shrubberies are laid
out with much taste and skill. It is the residence of Mrs. Longueville,
(Widow of the late T. L. Longueville, Esq.,) a lady of enlarged
benevolence, and who has ever shewn herself ready to alleviate the
sufferings of the poorer classes of the district. SWEENEY HALL, situated
about two miles from Oswestry, on the left of the road to Welshpool, is a
handsome mansion built of freestone, and beautifully placed in the midst
of a well-timbered park. The house was erected by the late Thomas
Netherton Parker, Esq., a gentleman who will be long remembered as an
active and impartial Magistrate of the county; as an enlightened landed
proprietor; and a liberal and warm-hearted friend to the poor of his
district. Mr. Parker was an able writer on agricultural and social
economy, and some clever essays from his pen show how intimately
acquainted he was with the condition of the rural population of all
classes. He was an ardent promoter of agriculture, and most assiduously
employed himself for its practical advancement. The estate is now the
property of his son, the Rev. John Parker, Vicar of Llanyblodwel, and the
house is occupied by Hugh Beavor, Esq. Some particulars relative to the
ancient burial-ground upon the estate are given in page 153. WOOD HILL
HALL, about two miles from Oswestry, on the right of the road to
Llanymynech, was formerly the property of L. J. Venables, Esq., but has
recently been purchased, and is now occupied by J. Lees, Esq.
* * * * *
In closing our SKETCHES of the ENVIRONS, a brief reference to Chirk and
Llangollen Vale, both being within half an hour’s railway ride from
Oswestry, seems to be necessary.
CHIRK is situated upon the northern bank of the river Ceiriog, and is a
pleasant and somewhat picturesque village. The entire parish is the
property of Col. Myddelton Biddulph. The church, dedicated to St. Mary,
contains an interesting monument of the gallant Sir Thomas Myddelton; and
in the church-yard are some fine yew trees, the growth of centuries.
There is an excellent inn in the village, _The Chirk Castle Arms_, kept
by Mr. Moses, who is also post-master there. From the poor-rate return
for the present year (1855), it appears that the acreage of the parish is
4,635a. 3r. 29p.; the gross rental, £9,401 8s. 4d.; and the rateable
value assessed to the relief of the poor, £9,308 2s. 1d. The present
much-respected Vicar is the Rev. Joseph Maude, who is also, as already
stated, Chairman of the Board of the Oswestry Incorporation. The Vale of
the Ceiriog, like that of the Dee, generally attracts the attention of
railway travellers, from its singular beauty and historical associations.
It is crossed by a Viaduct of the Great Western Railway, and by an
Aqueduct also, extending along the Ellesmere canal upon long ranges of
arches at a considerable elevation. _Llangollen Vale_ is only a few
minutes’ ride from Chirk, and, we need not add, “the admired of all
observers.” The tourist is amazed with the first view obtained of it;
its hills and slopes display enchanting spots, and the beauty of the
natural scenery is increased by the massive elegance of Robertson’s
railway viaduct across the Dee, and the classic grace of Telford’s
aqueduct. The Vale, on both sides the river Dee, is at length brought to
a high state of cultivation. Looking down the valley from the railway
viaduct, or from the more elevated portions of the Holyhead road, the
scene presents a strange admixture of beauty and ugliness; and a
stranger, for the first time viewing the scene, would declare, “I see
nothing but smoke.” On the north side of the river are the extensive
iron works of the New British Iron Company, disgorging smoke and flame
day and night, and on the opposite side of the river are the Vron
limestone quarries and kilns, equally active in discharging huge volumes
of vapour. The tourist must pass on from these manufacturing localities,
and his eye will soon rest upon scenery of surpassing loveliness and
grandeur. The wood-crowned heights of Trevor, the Eglwyseg and Berwyn
range of mountains, the old battered fortress, _Castell Dinas Bran_, the
luxuriant Vale, which presents the form of a capacious amphitheatre, and
the Dee, vending its course over beds of clay-slate, limestone, and
granitic boulders,—these, with abundance of full-grown timber, snug
villas, white-washed cottages, and well-managed farms, with fertile
fields and well-farmed hill-sides, show of what materials the panoramic
valley is composed. Could Moore have viewed it, as we have done on a
bright summer day, he would have been constrained to quote his own
beautiful line,
“The valley lies smiling before me.”
Of _Llangollen_ itself we shall attempt no description. Its charms have
been transmitted to glowing canvass and sung in rapturous verse from Anna
Seward downwards; its hostelries, the _Hand_ and the _Royal Hotels_, its
“trouts,” its mountain mutton, sparkling ale, and other delicacies, have
too long been the “household words” of tourists, album-writers, and
after-dinner orators, to render eulogium or even “faint praise” from us
in the slightest degree necessary.
* * * * *
After these poetic visions it is difficult to descend to sober reality.
The tourist, generally speaking, unless he be a botanist, a geologist, or
an artist, penetrates little beyond the public highway, except in those
localities distinguished by a waterfall, an ancient castle, or a noble
residence. Thousands of people, from the manufacturing districts, cannot
in their visits to the Principality do more than give a passing glance to
the country through which they hurriedly travel. In the immediate
vicinity of the turnpike-roads on both sides of the Dee the land there
lets at a high price, and, generally speaking, is ably farmed; and
ascending the hills, to the heights of ten or twelve hundred feet, most
of the little inclosures occupied by small farmers, or by parties engaged
principally in other occupation than that of agriculture, are also well
cultivated, and fetch a rental of from 30s. to 40s. per acre. Some
twenty years ago the mountain-land in the Vale of Llangollen was deemed
common, and but few habitations were erected upon it; but at the present
time neat cottage-dwellings for the industrious poor are raised in
clusters, and most of the land attached to them is farmed with a skill
and success that would put to the blush many a professed agriculturist.
No doubt that this comparatively high price for mountain-land is caused
by the large number of working-men employed in the various manufacturing
and other working establishments in the neighbourhood. Such men require
small portions of what is called occupation land, on which to feed a cow
and grow a little wheat, barley, oats, and potatoes. To them the land
even at the price is an advantage; but still it is a fact worthy of note,
that mountain-land in this busy district is in great demand, and whenever
let fetches a high rental. Such is the influence of manufactures upon
agriculture, both of which, as Sir Josiah Child said years ago, “must wax
or wane together.”
* * * * *
* * * * *
* * * * *
* * * * *
OSWESTRY: PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY GEORGE LEWIS.
CORRIGENDA. {296}
Some few typographical and other errors have occurred in the progress of
the volume, which we are anxious to correct.
In page 210, line 13, for “old transparent,” read “_cool_ transparent.”
In page 223, line 3, for “carbonate of zinc,” read “_carbonate_ and
_sulphuret_ of zinc.”
In page 251, line 4, for “Procapella de Coton,” read “_Pro capella de
Coten_.”
In the List of Illustrations, for “Corn Market,” read “_Cross_ Market.”
* * * * *
THE POST-OFFICE.
Since our notice of the Post-Office was printed, a new postal arrangement
has been made, by which Letters to the north and south can now be posted,
without extra charge, till eight o’clock, p.m.; and, with an extra stamp,
till half-past eight.—Money Orders can be obtained till 5, p.m.; and
Letters registered till 7, p.m.
ADVERTISEMENTS.
THE UNITED KINGDOM TEMPERANCE
AND
GENERAL PROVIDENT INSTITUTION,
FOR THE MUTUAL ASSURANCE OF LIVES, &c.,
1, Adelaide Place, London Bridge, London.
ESTABLISHED 1840.
ACCUMULATED CAPITAL, 125,000.
This flourishing Institution has just completed its financial year,
within which it has accepted One Thousand Eight Hundred Proposals for
Assurances, covering considerably more than a Quarter of a Million
Sterling. It has issued 4,640 Policies, making, since its commencement,
an aggregate of more than TEN THOUSAND. Its present income is above
£45,000 per annum. It has paid in claims, chiefly to the Widows and
Orphans of its members, £36,000.
The Temperance and General Sections are kept separate, the members of
each participating in the Profits of their respective Sections. The
Office transacts every description of Life Assurance.
W. R. BAKER, RESIDENT DIRECTOR.
JOHN WINDSOR, AGENT FOR OSWESTRY.
Of whom Prospectuses &c. may be obtained.
* * * * *
MR. JAMES EDISBURY,
Auctioneer, Sworn Appraiser, Accountant,
AND
GENERAL VALUER,
Wrexham.
*** All Sale Accounts immediately settled.—Valuations for the Probate of
Wills and Administrations faithfully and promptly attended to.
* * * * *
GEORGE LEWIS,
Printer, Bookseller, Stationer, Bookbinder,
MACHINE RULER, & NEWS AGENT,
LEG STREET, OSWESTRY.
···························································
G. L. has constantly on hand a well-selected Stock of
DAY BOOKS, JOURNALS, LEDGERS,
And every description of ACCOUNT BOOKS.
* * * * *
Bibles, Prayers, and Church Services,
In the most elegant Bindings.
* * * * *
SCHOOL BOOKS AND STATIONERY,
ON THE LOWEST TERMS.
* * * * *
A GREAT VARIETY OF CHEAP MUSIC,
FINE ART, SCRIPTURAL, & OTHER ENGRAVINGS,
At very reduced prices.
* * * * *
Magazines, Reviews, and all New Works, supplied punctually on the Day of
Publication.
* * * * *
Foreign and British Wines and Spirits,
LONDON AND DUBLIN PORTER,
AND
MILD AND BITTER ALES,
From the first Breweries in England.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JOSEPH JONES.
Being anxious to afford his friends and all respectable private families
who may be kind enough to patronize him, an opportunity of having their
requirements supplied upon the very best terms, begs to state that they
may always rely upon an excellent Stock of all the above-mentioned of the
most superior quality to select from, and which will be delivered without
the least delay after being ordered.
_Cross Street_, _Oswestry_, _October_, 1855.
* * * * *
ROBERT ROBERTS,
Gas Proprietor, Hydraulic Engineer,
PLUMBER, GLAZIER, GAS-FITTER, &c.,
Begs to return his most grateful thanks to his numerous friends and
patrons for the very liberal support he has received the last half
century, and begs to inform them and the Public generally, that he still
continues the above business in all its branches as heretofore, and hopes
to merit a share of their continued support.
He has now on hand every requisite in the PLUMBING, GLAZING, and
GAS-FITTING line. Also a large assortment of first-rate Gas-fittings, of
elegant designs, in glass. Bronze and Lacquered work, from which may be
selected, patterns suited to every requirement of the palace or the
cottage.
_Brook Street_, _Oswestry_, _October_, 1855.
* * * * *
WILLIAM CORNEY,
Wholesale Dealer in Foreign and British
Wines and Spirits,
MANUFACTURER OF
Soda Water, Lemonade, & Ginger Beer,
Families and the trade supplied with
WINES IN ANY QUANTITIES TO SUIT PURCHASERS.
_Either in Cask or Bottle_.
FRENCH BRANDY, GIN, RUM, WHISKEY, HOLLANDS,
And all other Spirits, in quantities of two gallons and upwards.
Parties purchasing as above will reap a decided advantage, both in
quality and price, and a trial is most respectfully solicited. W. C. has
constantly on hand at his CONFECTIONARY ESTABLISHMENT, a general
assortment of plain and ornamented Bride, Plum, Seed, Almond and other
Cakes, in great variety, and of the best quality.
FUNERAL ORDERS EXECUTED ON THE SHORTEST NOTICE.
Haylock’s Arrowroot Biscuits, British Wines, Pickles, Sauces,
Raspberry Vinegar, &c., &c.
WINE AND SPIRIT STORES, SMITHFIELD ROAD.
CONFECTIONARY ESTABLISHMENT, CROSS-STREET.
_Oswestry_, 1855.
* * * * *
William Williams,
1, KING ALFRED’S PLACE,
Near Bingley, Hall, Broad-Street, Birmingham,
MANUFACTURER OF
IMPROVED BLINDS FOR SHOP FRONTS,
SPRING ROLLERS, from 1 to 5in. diameter,
NEW ROLLER FURNITURE,
ON AN IMPROVED PRINCIPLE, ALL SIZES,
Rollers and Iron Work for Bonnet Blinds,
VENETIAN BLIND FURNITURE,
_Cornice Poles_, _with Rings_,
BLINDS FOR GREEN-HOUSES, SKY-LIGHTS, ETC.,
MAPS MOUNTED ON SPRING ROLLERS,
In Boxes, and every other description of
BLIND FURNITURE & FITTINGS.
* * * * *
ESTABLISHED A.D. 1803.
* * * * *
J. EDISBURY, & CO.,
(LATE RATCLIFFES)
Wholesale and Retail Tea Dealers,
Family Grocers,
CHEESE FACTORS, &C.,
TOWN HILL, OPPOSITE THE TOWN HALL,
WREXHAM.
* * * * *
SALOP FIRE OFFICE,
SHREWSBURY.
* * * * *
ESTABLISHED 1780.
* * * * *
TRUSTEES:
The Rt. Hon. the Viscount Hill, Lord Lieutenant of the County of Salop.
Robert Burton, Esq. | George Pritchard, Esq.
DIRECTORS:
Jonathon Scarth, Esq. J. J. Peele, Esq.
W. W. How, Esq. W. H. Perry, Esq.
R. Jones, Croxon, Esq. Timotheus Burd, Esq.
Charles Wilding, Esq. William Cooper, Esq.
John Hazledine, Esq.
SECRETARY—Mr. Edward B. Tipton.
The advantages offered to Insurers are equal to those of similar
Institutions, and a large PAID-UP Capital, together with the individual
and unlimited responsibility of the Shareholders is available at all
times to meet the Company’s engagements.
THE RATES OF PREMIUM:
Common Risks 1s. 6d. percent.
Hazardous ditto 2s. 6d. ,,
FARMING STOCK:
Premium only (being free from Duty) 2s. percent.
Persons insuring for Seven Years, BY ONE PAYMENT, will be allowed One
Year’s Premium and Duty. No expense is incurred in removing Policies
from other Offices.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AGENTS:
OSWESTRY Mr. G. LEWIS, Stamp Office.
Ellesmere Messrs. Cooley and Son.
Whitchurch Mr. R. M. Angior.
Wem Mr. Josiah Franklin.
Chester Mr. Henry Lewis.
Wrexham Mr. John Bury.
Dolgelley Mr. William Jones.
Corwen W. B. Williams, Esq.
Llanidloes Mr. William Jerman, Jun.
Newtown Messrs. Woosnam & Lloyd.
Welchpool Thomas Bowen, Esq.
* * * * *
S. HOWARD COOMBES,
BOOT MANUFACTURER,
CROSS STREET, OSWESTRY.
AGENT TO THE TEMPERANCE PERMANENT LAND & BUILDING SOCIETY.
* * * * *
JOHN WINDSOR,
Agricultural Implement Manufacturer,
Begs to call Public attention to his
STOCK OF IMPLEMENTS,
CONSISTING OF
PATENT PLOUGHS AND HARROWS,
CAMBRIDGES & PLAIN LAND ROLLERS,
SCARRIFIERS,
Corn, Manure, Turnip, & Clover Seed Drills,
With the latest improvements.
STEAM ENGINES,
(PORTABLE OR FIXTURE,)
PATENT THRASHING MACHINES,
Of the most approved makes;
WINNOWING MACHINES,
AND
CHAFF-CUTTERS OF VARIOUS KINDS.
Wire-work of every kind executed on the shortest notice.
* * * * *
_N.B._—_Agent for Milners’ Fire-resisting and Thief-proof Safes_.
* * * * *
EDWARD WYNNE THOMAS,
Linen and Woollen Draper, Silk Mercer
AND
HABERDASHER,
GROCER AND TEA DEALER,
Oswestry,
Invites the attention of the Public to the following announcements, viz:—
IN GENERAL
FANCY DRAPERY
He has constantly in stock a large assortment of goods suitable to the
various seasons, and is receiving from time to time the newest designs
and styles as they appear.
* * * * *
MILLINERY IN ALL ITS BRANCHES,
TO ORDER.
* * * * *
In Plain Goods for Furnishing and Household
purposes, as well as for Personal Wear,
He is particularly careful to secure the best and most durable makes, and
which he can confidently recommend.
* * * * *
A LARGE ASSORTMENT OF WEST OF ENGLAND BROAD-CLOTHS, AND FANCY DOESKINS,
VESTINGS, &C., &C.
* * * * *
AGENT FOR
PATENT VICTORIA FELT CARPETS.
TINSLEY’S FRENCH WOVE CORSETS.
FORD’S EUREKA SHIRTS & COLLARS.
* * * * *
FINE FLAVOURED TEAS AND COFFEES,
And every Article in general Grocery,
Great care being taken to secure the GENUINESS of every Article.
FAMILIES SUPPLIED ON THE MOST ADVANTAGEOUS TERMS.
* * * * *
LOCAL NEWS.
* * * * *
THE ONLY NEWSPAPER THAT GIVES ALL THE LOCAL
INTELLIGENCE OF THIS DISTRICT IS THE
OSWESTRY ADVERTISER,
Shropshire & North Wales Herald,
Published every _Wednesday Morning_.
Each number contains the London markets of Monday, and the Liverpool of
Tuesday, accurately reported; a summary of General News; Telegraphic
Dispatches of Latest Intelligence; besides a quantity of Local News not
to be found in any other paper. Orders for the Paper and Advertisements
to be given to the Publisher,
J. ASKEW ROBERTS, BAILEY HEAD, OSWESTRY.
* * * * *
EDWARD DAVIES,
Confectioner, Pastry Cook, Biscuit Baker,
And Dealer in all kinds of Fancy Cheese,
CROSS STREET, OSWESTRY.
* * * * *
BRIDE CAKES & FUNERAL BISCUITS,
On the shortest notice.
* * * * *
SUPERIOR
BRITISH WINES, JAMS, JELLIES, PICKLES & SAUCES.
Agent for the Dublin China Tea Company’s Teas.
,, Castle Lansdown & Cos. celebrated Coffees.
,, Feast’s Superior Calfs’ Foot Jelly.
_Adcock’s celebrated Melton-Mowbray Pork Pies_.—_Oranges_, _Lemons_,
_&c._
* * * * *
GEORGE LEWIS,
Law Stationer and Accountant,
Leg Street, Oswestry.
* * * * *
A. LYONS,
WATCHMAKER,
Jeweller, Silversmith, and Optician,
LEG-STREET, OSWESTRY,
Respectfully announces that he has constantly on sale a large assortment
of
JEWELLERY,
Of his own and foreign manufacture; also
SPECTACLES, PRESERVERS, & EYE-GLASSES,
To suit all sights and ages, made on the premises, with the best
Brazilian Pebbles & Crystals.
* * * * *
A. L. having been for many years practically engaged in the best houses
on the Continent, is able to suit, at first glance, the sight of any
person from the age of 10 to 70, with Spectacles or Eye-glasses.
* * * * *
AGENT FOR ANDERSON’S PATENT SPECTACLES AND GLASSES.
* * * * *
IMPORTER OF, AND DEALER IN
HAVANNAH, AND OTHER CIGARS.
* * * * *
PARIS HOUSE,
No. 1, Bailey Street, and 1, Market Street,
OSWESTRY.
* * * * *
JOHN MORETON,
LINEN & WOOLLEN DRAPER,
Begs to call the attention of the Public to the above establishment,
where they may rely upon being supplied with every description of LINEN &
WOOLLEN DRAPERY, of the best quality, selected from the first
manufactories, and OFFERED AT THE SMALLEST REMUNERATIVE PROFIT.
FOOTNOTES.
{124} When the Railway from Gobowen to Oswestry was made, this piece of
land was sold to the Railway Company by the Churchwardens and Overseers
for £232; and the money is now invested in their names, on security of
the Oswestry Market and Fair Tolls, at 3½ per cent, payable half-yearly.
{178} [Footnote by transcriber, DP.] The table reads as follows:—
ALAN of whom: WILLIAM FITZ-ALAN and WALTER FITZ-ALAN.
WILLIAM FITZ-ALAN was progenitor of the Earls of Arundel, and Barons of
Oswestry.
WALTER FITZ-ALAN was progenitor of the Royal House of Stewart as follows:
Alan.
Alexander.
Walter.
Alexander.
John.
Walter—Margery Bruce.
Robert 2nd, King of Scots.
Robert 3rd.
James 1st.
James 2nd.
James 3rd.
James 4th.
James 5th.
Mary.
James 6th of Scotland, 1st of England.
Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia.
Sophia, Electress of Hanover.
George 1st.
George 2nd.
George 3rd.
Edward, Duke of Kent.
VICTORIA.
{215} This reed is used extensively in Cambridgeshire, and the fen
districts, for thatching. It has been known to last in this way for 100
years.
{296} The Corrigenda has been applied to this transcription.—DP.
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