Dowles

"DOWLES, a parish in the Cleobury division of the hundred of Stottesdon, in the county of Salop, 3 miles N.W. of Kidderminster, and three-quarters of a mile N. of Bewdley, its post town. The parish, which is of small extent, is situated on the river Severn. The Bewdley gasworks are here, and bricks and tiles are made in large quantities. There is a mine of excellent fire-clay. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Hereford, value £159, in the patronage of J. Taylor, Esq., and others. The church, dedicated to St. Andrew, is a small structure, with turret and two bells. J. A. Taylor, Esq., is lord of the manor, and owner of nearly the whole of the soil. The tithes have been commuted."[Transcribed from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868 by Colin Hinson ©2015]