Hopton Castle

"HOPTON CASTLE, a parish in the Stow division of the hundred of Purslow, county Salop, 12 miles N.W. of Ludlow, and 7 S.E. of Bishop's Castle. This village, which is small, is situated on a branch of the river Clun. There are some traces of the Cliffords' Castle, which was dismantled during the civil wars of Charles I. The soil is various but light, producing chiefly barley and turnips. The land is nearly evenly divided between arable and pasture, with a considerable tract of common, and about 300 acres of woodland. The living is a rectory* in the diocese of Hereford, value £238. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, is an ancient stone structure, with a small belfry. The interior of the church contains a font and several monuments. Here is a school supported by voluntary contributions. Salwey Beale, Esq., is lord of the manor."[Transcribed from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868 by Colin Hinson ©2015]