"CONDOVER, a parish in the Condover division of the hundred of Condover, its vicarage discharged, in the diocese of Coventry and the deanery of Salop, and archdeaconry of Salop, 274 houses, 1,378 inhabitants, 6½ miles south of Shrewsbury.

Condover is the birth place of Thomas Owen, a learned judge, who was educated at Oxford; from whence he removed to Lincoln's Inn, where he became Lent reader to the society, in 1583. In 1590, he was made Serjeant at Law, and afterwards a judge of the Common Pleas. He died in 1598, reports were printed in 1654.

Richard Tarlton, or Tarleton, the earliest English comedian of celebrity, was also born at Condover. At what precise period he commenced actor is unknown. He was brought to London, and introduced to court, by a servant of Robert, Earl of Leicester, who found him in a field, keeping his father's swine. The Earl 'highly 'pleased,' says Fuller, 'with his happy unhappy answers,' took him under his patronage.

In 1583, Queen Elizabeth, at the suit of Sir Francis Walsingham, constituted twelve players, who were sworn her servants, allowing them wages and liveries, as grooms of the chamber, (a custom which lasted till Colley Cibber's time,) one of whom, was Tarleton.

Heywood, in his " Apology for Actors," says 'Here I must needs remember Tarleton, in his time, gratious with the Queene Soveraigne, and in the people's general applause.' And Hawes, the editor of Stow's Chronicle, observes, 'Among these twelve players, were two rare men; viz., Thomas Wilson, for a quicke, delicate, refined, extemporal wit; and Richard Tarleton, for a wondrous, plentiful, pleasant, extemporal wit, was the wonder of his tyme. He was so beloved that men used his pictures for their signes.'* Fuller asserts that, 'when Queen Elizabeth was serious ( I dare not say sullen) and out of good humour, he could undumpish her at his pleasure. Her highest favourites would in some cases, go to Tarleton, before they would go to the Queen; and he was their usher, to prepare their advantageous access unto her. In a word, he told the Queen more of her faults than most or her chaplains; and cured her melancholy, better than all her physicians.'

Sir Richard Baker in his Theatrum Redivivum, speaking of Pryane, says 'let him try it when he will, and come upon the stage himself, with all the scurrility of the Wife of Bath, with all the ribaldry of Poggins, or Boccace; yet, I dare affirm, he shall never give that contentment to beholders, as honest Tarleton did; though he said never a word.' Implying that the very aspect of Tarleton, delighted the spectators, before he uttered a syllable; and in his chronicle, Sir Richard, after giving due praise to Allen and Burbage, adds, 'and to make their comedies complete, Richard Tarleton, who for the part called the Clowne's part, never had his match,- never will have.'

Dr. Cave, De Politics, Oxf. 1588, 4to., says 'Aristotles suum Theodoretum laudavit quendam peritum tragrediarum actorem, Cicero suum Rosciam, nos Angli Tarletonum; in cujas voce et vultu onines jocosi affectus, in cujus cerebroso capite, lepidae facetae habitant.' Fuller says, 'much of his merriment, lay in his very looks and actions; according to the epitaph written upon him,

Hic situs est, cujus poterat, vox, actio, vultus, Ex Heraclito reddere Democritum.

Indeed the self same words, spoken by another, would hardly move a merry man to smile, which uttered by him, would force a sad soul to laughter.'

That he possessed the via comica in a supereminent degree, the following epigram assures us;

As Tarleton when his head was only seene, The Fire house door, and Tapistrie between, Set all the multitude in such a laughter, They could not hold for scarce an hour after; So, Sir, I set you, as I promised, forth, That all the world may wonder at your worth.

He for some time kept an ordinary in Paternoster Row; and then, the sign of the Tabor, a Tavern in Gracechurch street, where he was chosen scavenger; but was often complained of by the ward, for neglect: he laid the blame on the raker, and he again on the horse, which being blooded and drenched the preceding day, could not be worked: then said Tarleton, the horse must suffer; so he sent him to the compter; and when the raker had done his work, sent him to pay the fees, and redeem the horse. Another story is told of him, that having run up a large score at an alehouse in Sandwich, he made his boy accuse him, for a seminary priest. The officers came and siezed him in his chamber, on his knees, crossing himself; and they paying his reckoning, with the charges of his journey, he got clear to London. When they brought him before the Recorder, Fleetwood, he knew him, and not only discharged him, but entertained him very courteously.

In a very rare old pamphlet, entitled "Kind Hearte's Dream," by Henry Chettle, 4to., no date, but published in December, 1592, he is thus described. ' The next, by his suite of russet,- his buttoned cap,- his taber,- his standing on the toe, and other tricks, I knew to be either the body, or resemblance of Tarleton; who, living for his pleasant conceits, was of all men liked, and dying, for mirth left not, his like.'

In 1611, a book was published, called "Tarleton's Jeasts." It contains several specimens of the extemporary wit, so pleasing to our ancestors, of which the following is one.

' As he was performing some part at the Bull, in Bishopsgate street, where the Queen's players often times played, a fellow in the gallery, threw an apple at him, which hit him on the cheek; he immediately took up the apple, and advancing to the audience, addressed them in these lines.

Gentlemen, this fellow with his face of mapple,** Instead of a pippin, hath thrown me an apple, But as for an apple, he hath cast a crab, So instead of an honest woman, God hath sent him a drab.

The people,' says the relater, 'laughed heartily, for the fellow had a queen to his wife.'

Tarleton's wife, (whose name was Kate,) is said to have been unfaithful to him. Being with her in a storm, in his passage from Southampton, when every man was compelled to throw all his baggage overboard, he offered to throw his wife over; but the other passengers prevented him.

So great wss his privilege with the audience, and his power over them, that he would enter between the acts, nay, sometimes between the scenes, on the stage, and excite merriment by any spacial of buffoonery that occurred to him; as in this whimsical instance.

'At the Bull, in Bishopsgate street, was a play of Henry the fifth, (the performance which preceded Shakespeare's,) and because he was absent that should take the blow, Tarleton himself, ever forward to please, tooke upon him to play the sane judge, besides his owne part of the clowne; and Knel, then playing Henry the fifth, hit Tarleton a sound box indeed, which made the people laugh the more because it was he; but anon the judge goes in, and immediately Tarleton, in his clowne's clothes comes out, and asks the actors- What news? O, saith one, hadst thou been here thou should'st have seen Prince Henry hit the Judge a terrible box on the eare! What, man, strike a Judge! It is true i'faith, said the other! No other like, said Tarleton, and it could not but be terrible to the Judge, when the report so terrifies me, that methinks the blowe remains still on my cheeke, that it burns again. The people laught at this mightily; and to this day I have beard it commended for rare: but no marvel, for he had many of these. But I would see our clowns in these days doe the like. No, I warrant ye; and yet they think well of themselves too.'

After the play was finished, theames were given to him by some of the audience, which, to their great entertainment, he would descant upon. In his "Jeasts" we find the following:-

"I remember once I was at a play in the country, when, as Tarleton's use was, the play being done, every one so pleased threw up his theame: amongst an the rest, one was read to this effect, word by word:

Tarleton, I am one of thy friends, and none of thy foes, Then I pr'y'thee tell me, how thou cam'st by thy flat nose,

Tarleton very suddenly returned this answer:

Friend or foe, if Wilt nteds know, marke me well; With parting dogs and bears, then by the ears, this chance fell; But what of that? though my nose be flat, my credit to save, Yet very well, I can by the smell, scent an honest man from a knave.'

Ben Johnson, in " The Induction" to his comedy of Bartholomew fair, makes the stage keeper speak thus of him:

'I kept the stage in Master Tarleton's time, I thank my stars. Ho ! an' that man had lived to have played in Bertholomew fair, you should ha' seen him ha' come in, and ha' been cozened i' the cloth quarter so finely.'

He was the author of a drumstick piece, the schethe or plant only, of which is now remaining, called "The Seven deadly sins." Gabriel Harvey, in his four letters, &c. 4to. 1592; stiles it 'a famous play:' he also adds, 'which most deadly but lively playe, I might have seen in London, and was very gently invited thereunto at Oxford, by Tarleton himself.'

After an eccentrick and too free life, he died a penitent in 1588, and was buried in St. Leonard's, Shoreditch, September 3, of that year; as appears by the parish register. About this period were licensed, as we learn front the entries in the books of the stationer's company: 'A sorrowfull newe sounette, intitled Tarleton's Recantation, upon this theame given him by a gentleman at the Bel Savage, without Ludgate, being the last theame he songs, (Now or else never,') and 'Tarleton's repentance, or his farewell to his friends in his sickness a little before his death, &c.'

In "Wit's Bedlam" Svo. 1617, it the following epitaph on Tarleton.

' Here, within this sullen earth, Lies Dick Tarleton, lord of mirth. Who in his grave still laughing gapes, Syth all clownes have been his apes; First he of clownes to learn still sought, But now they learn of him they taught By art far past the principall, The counterfeit is,- so worth all.'

The orthography and phraseology of these anecdotes, no doubt, appear uncouth; and some of Tarleton's jokes, witticisms, and mummeries, flat and insipid to the modern reader and auditor; but it must be remembered that when this celebrated Buffo flourished, that humour was but in embryo, to which Shakespeare afterwards gave birth, and which was afterward reared to maturity by Jonson.

* At that time it was common for every tradesman's shop to have its sign:- a custom which has become almost obsolete; or is at least, confided to inns and tippling houses.

** i.e. rough and carbuncled."

" BAYSTON, a township in the parish of Condover, and in the Condover division of the hundred of Condover. 2½ miles south of Shrewsbury."

" CHATFORD, a township in the parish of Condover, and in the Condover division of the hundred of Condover. 4½ miles south of Shrewsbury."

" CONDOVER HAMLETS, a township in the parish of Condover, and in the Condover division of the hundred of Condover."

" DORRINGTON, a township in the parish of Condover, and in the Condover division of the hundred of Condover. The residence of William Cross Curtis, Esq."

" GREAT LYTH, a township in the parish of Condover, and in the Condover division of the hundred of Condover. 2 miles south- west of Shrewsbury."

" GREAT LYTH, a township in the parish of Condover, and in the Condover division of the hundred of Condover. 4 miles south- west of Shrewsbury."

" GREAT RYTON, a township in the parish of Condover, and in the Condover division of the hundred of Condover. 6 miles south of Shrewsbury."

" LITTLE LYTH and WESTLEY, a township in the parish of Condover, and in the Condover division of the hundred of Condover. 4 miles south- west of Shrewsbury."

" LITTLE RYTON (and HAMLETS), a township in the parish of Condover, and in the hundred of Condover."

" LYTH WOOD, a township in the parish of Condover, and in the Condover division of the hundred of Condover. 3 miles south- west of Shrewsbury. The residence of Thomas Parr, Esq."

" NORTON, a township in the parish of Condover, and in the Condover division of the hundred of Condover. 4 miles south of Shrewsbury. The seat of Miss Oakley."

" RYTON. (Great) A township in the parish of Condover, and in the Condover division of the hundred of Condover. 6 miles south of Shrewsbury."

" ST. LYTH and WESTLEY, a township in the parish of Condover, and in the Condover division of the hundred of Condover. 4 miles south-west of Shrewsbury."

" WHETTALL (or WHEATHILL, or WHEATHALL), a township in the parish of Condover, and in the Condover division of the hundred of Condover.

[Transcribed information from A Gazetteer of Shropshire - T Gregory - 1824](unless otherwise stated)

[Description(s) transcribed by Mel Lockie ©2015]

 

 

 

 

"CONDOVER, a parish in the hundred of CONDOVER, county of SALOP, 4 miles (S.) from Shrewsbury, containing 1378 inhabitants. The living is a discharged vicarage, in the archdeaconry of Salop, and diocese of Lichfield and Coventry, rated in the king's books at & 4. 14., and in the patronage of E..W. S. Owen, Esq. The church is dedicated to St. Andrew. A school is supported by divers donations, amounting in the whole to £ 25 per annum. Here is a small lake, termed Bomere, in and near which have been found several rare botanical plants. There is a mine of coal in the parish."

[Transcribed information from A Topographical Dictionary of England - Samuel Lewis - 1831](unless otherwise stated)

[Description(s) transcribed by Mel Lockie ©2015]

 

 

 

 

"BOSCOBEL, (Salop) near White-Ladies, in the p. of Tonge, whose grove is noted for the oak, in which Cha. II. was hid, and saw the Pt. soldiers pass by, in quest of him, after the battle of Worcester; but they were diverted to the other side of the grove by the chace of an owl, which flew out of a neighbouring tree, and fluttered as if it had been broken wing'd. The tree was enclosed with a brick wall, but is almost cut away by travellers. Boscobel-house, which stands a bow-shot from the oak, was then the seat of the Pendrils, who gave the shelter above-mentioned to K. Cha. and have ever since had a pension of 200 l. a year. The garret of the house, which is a popish chapel, was formerly a nunnery in possession of the family of Ccoksey, whose descendant still keeps the gloves and garters, which his Majesty left behind him. The chapel is yet standing, and has some painted saints upon the wall."

[Transcribed information from England's Gazetteer - Stephen Whatley - 1750](unless otherwise stated)

[Description(s) transcribed by Mel Lockie ©2015]

 

 

 

An extract of Shropshire from Leonard's Gazetteer published in 1850. It provides a list of places, with a location for each in terms of relative distance and direction from nearby places, and a population count taken from the most recent census. County and market towns are marked and market days listed.

SHROPSHIRE is bounded, North by a detached part of Flintshire and Cheshire; East by Staffordshire; South by Worcestershire and Herefordshire; and on the West by Radnorshire, Montgomeryshire, and Denbighshire. It is about 44 miles long, and 28 broad; and is divided into 15 divisions - Bradford (North), Bradford (South), Brimstrey, Chirbury, Condover, Ford, Munslow, Oswestry, Overs, Pimhill, Purslow, Stottesden, Bridgnorth, Shrewsbury, and Wenlock. RIVERS; the Severn, the Camlet, the Terne, and the Clun. It has 16 MARKET-TOWNS. Is in the PROVINCE OF CANTERBURY, partly in the DIOCESE OF HEREFORD, and partly in that of LITCHFIELD AND COVENTRY; and it is in the OXFORD CIRCUIT. It contains 1341 square miles, or 856,240 acres. POPULATION, 239,041.

(c) - County Town.
* - Market Town.

PLACE	LOCATION	POPULATION
ABBERBURY or ALBERBURY	8¼ miles W. Shrewsbury.	1861.
ABDON	8 miles N.E. Ludlow.	155.
ACTON-BURNELL	7 m. N.E. Church-Stretton.	394.
ACTON-SCOTT	3 miles S. Church-Stretton.	204.
ACTON	2½ miles S.W. and included in North-Lydbury.
ACTON-ROUND	5½ m. N.W. Bridgenorth.	180.
ACTON-REYNOLD	1½ m. N.W. Shawbury.	159.
ADDERLEY	3 m. N. Drayton.	404.
ALBRIGHTON	5 miles S.E. Shiffnall.	1058.
ALBRIGHTON	3½ m. N. Shrewsbury.	85.
ALKINGTON	1½ m. S. and included in Whitchurch.
ALL-STRETTON	included in Church-Stretton.
ALVELEY WITH NORDLEY-REGIS	6 m. S.S.E. Bridgenorth.	1062.
AMASTON	See Rowton.
ASH (Great)	2½ m. S.E. and included in Whitchurch.
ASH (Little)	adjoining Great Ash and included in Whitchurch parish.
ASHFIELD	1 m. N.W. Ditton-Priors. See Ruthale.
ASHFORD-CARBONELL	2½ m. S.S.E. Ludlow.	266.
ASHFORD-BOWDLER	3 m. S. Ludlow.	96.
ASTLEY-ABBOTTS	2 miles N. Bridgenorth.	657.
ASTLEY	in St. Mary's adjoining Shrewsbury.	264.
ASTON	2½ m. S.E. and included in Oswestry.
ASTON	in Wem parish.	212.
ASTON-ROGERS	1½ mile N. and included in Worthen.
ASTON-BOTTERELL	6½ miles N.W. Cleobury-Mortimer.	173.
ASTON-PIGOTT	1 m. N. and included in Worthen.
ASTON-EYRE	in Morvill parish.	130.
ATCHAM	7 m. W.S.W. Wellington.	513.
BADGER	6 miles N.E. Bridgenorth.	137.
BARROW	2½ m. E. Wenlock.	383.
BASCHURCH	7½ m. N.W. Shrewsbury.	1491.
BATCHCOTT	1 mile E. Richard's Castle. See Moor.
BATTLESFIELD	3 m. N.N.E. Shrewsbury.	64.
BEACHFIELD	See Bing-Weston.
BEARSTON	in Muckleston parish Stafford.	101.
BECKBURY	6 m. E. Broseley.	312.
BEDSTONE	8 miles S.E. Bishop's-Castle.	139.
BENTHALL	1 m. W. Broseley.	587.
BENTHALL and SHRAWARDINE	24 m. E.S.E. and included in Abberbury.
BERRINGTON	4 m. S. Shrewsbury.	651.
BESFORD	2½ m. N. Shawbury.	145.
BETTUS	6 m. N.W. Knighton.	452.
BILLINGSLEY	5 m. S. Bridgenorth.	149.
BING-WESTON BEACHFIELD and WALTON	2 m. W. and included in Worthen.
*BISHOP'S-CASTLE	157 miles N.W. London. Market:Fri.	1781.
BITTERLEY	4 miles N.E. Ludlow.	1098.
BLACK-PARK	included in Whitchurch parish.
BOLAS-MAGNA and MEESON	6 miles N.W. Newport.	288.
BONINGALE	6 m. S.E. Shiffnall.	160.
BOOLEY	in Stanton-on-Hine-Heath parish.	117.
BOSCOBEL (Extra Par.)	6 miles E. Shiffnall.	18.
BOULDON	in Holdgate parish.	61.
*BRIDGENORTH	139½ miles N.W. London. Market:Sat.	6308.
BROCKTON	included in Worthen parish.
BROCKTON	2½ m. S.W. and included in North-Lydbury.
BROMFIELD	3 m. N.W. Ludlow.	655.
BROMPTON WITH RISTON	3 miles S.E. Montgomery.	190.
BRON-Y-GATH	See Weston-Rhyn.
BROOKHAMPTON	1 mile N.E. Holdgate.	109.
*BROSELEY	145 miles N.W. London. Market:Wed.	4829.
BROUGHALL	included in Whitchurch parish.
BROUGHTON	8 miles N. Shrewsbury.	188.
BRUNSLOW	included in Edgton parish.
BUCKNILL	9½ m. S. Bishop's-Castle.	532.
BUILDWAS	4 m. S.W. Wellington.	273.
BURASTON and WHETMORE	2 miles N.E. Tenbury.	223.
BURFORD	1½ m. W. Tenbury.	1031.
BURWARTON	9 m. S.W. Bridgenorth.	151.
CAINHAM	3½ m. E. Ludlow.	973.
CALVERHALL	in Prees parish.	303.
CARDESTON WITH WATLESBOROUGH	6 m. W. Shrewsbury.	372.
CARDINGTON	3½ miles E. Church-Stretton.	691.
CHELMARSH	4 miles S. Bridgenorth.	495.
CHERRINGTON	3 miles W.N.W. Edgmond.	189.
CHESWARDINE	4½ m. S.S.E. Drayton.	1015.
CHETTON	3½ m. S.W. Bridgenorth.	693.
CHETWYND	1½ m. N. Newport.	740.
CHETWYND-ASTON	1½ mile S. Newport.	385.
CHILD'S-ERCALL	6 m. S. Drayton.	471.
CHILMICK	included in Hope-Bowdler parish.
CHIMNELL	1½ m. N.E. and included in Whitchurch.
CHIRBURY	9 miles N.W. Bishop's-Castle and 3 m. N.E. Montgomery.
CHOULTON	See Eaton.
CHURCH-ASTON	1 mile S. Newport.	512.
CHURCH-STRETTON	See Stretton-Church.
CLAVERLEY	5 miles E. Bridgenorth.	1669.
CLEE (St. Margaret's)	7 miles N.E. Ludlow.	269.
*CLEOBURY-MORTIMER	137 miles N.W. London. Market:Thurs.
CLEOBURY (North)	7 miles S.W. Bridgenorth.	176.
CLIVE	in St. Mary's adjoining Shrewsbury.	273.
CLUN	5 m. S. Bishop's-Castle.	2077.
CLUNBURY and OBLEY	6½ m. S.E. Bishop's-Castle.	994.
CLUNGUNFORD	8 m. S.E. Bishop's-Castle.	568.
CLUNTON and REMPTON	2½ miles W.N.W. and included in Clunbury.
CONDOVER	4½ miles S. Shrewsbury.	1550.
CORELY	3½ m. W. Cleobury-Mortimer.	525.
COTTON	1½ m. S.E. Hodnet included in Wem.
COUND	6 m. S. Shrewsbury.	808.
CULMINGTON	4½ m. N. Ludlow.	541.
CRESSAGE	3 miles N.W. Much-Wenlock included in Cound.
CRICKHEATH	included in Oswestry parish.
CROFTON	1½ mile N. Great Sutton included in Diddlebury.
CRUCKTON	3½ m. S.W. Shrewsbury included in Pontesbury.
DARLESTON	1½ m. S.E. and included in Prees.
DAWLEY-MAGNA and DAWLEY-PARVA	3 miles S.S.E. Wellington.	8641.
DEUXHILL	4 m. S.S.W. Bridgenorth.	45.
DIDDLEBURY	5 m. S. Church-Stretton.	899.
DINCHOPE	4½ miles N.N.W. and included in Bromfield.
DINMORE (Extra Par.)	in Purslow hundred.	No P.
DITCHES and LOWE	included in Wem parish.
DITTON-PRIORS	7½ m. S.W. Bridgenorth.	660.
DODINGTON	included in Whitchurch parish.
DONNINGTON	4 miles S.E. Shiffnall.	380.
DORRINGTON	in Muckleston parish Stafford.	188.
DOWLES	1 m. N. Bewdley.	80.
DOWN	3½ m. S.W. North-Lydbury included therein.
*DRAYTON-IN-HALES	159 m. N.W. London. Market:Wed.	4680.
EARDINGTON	1½ m. S. Bridgenorth.	349.
EASTWALL	included in Rushbury parish.
EASTHOPE	5 miles S.W. Much-Wenlock.	108.
EATON	1½ miles N.W. Bridgenorth.	579.
EATON-CONSTANTINE	4½ miles S.W. Wellington.	294.
EATON and CHOULTON	in North Lydbury 3½ miles N.E. Bishop's-Castle.
EATON	2½ m. S. Stoke-upon-Terne.	127.
EDECLIFT	in Clun parish.	157.
EDGBOLTON and GREAT-WITCHFORD	1 m. N.E. Shawbury.	199.
EDGE	2½ miles N. and included in Pontesbury parish.
EDGEBY	included in Whitchurch parish.
EDGMOND	1½ m. W. Newport.	2486.
EDGTON	3½ m. S.E. Bishop's-Castle.	219.
EDSTASTON	1½ mile N. Wem.	449.
*ELLESMERE	179 m. N.W. London. Market:Tues.	708l.
ERCALL-MAGNA	5 miles N.W. Wellington.	1999.
EYTON-UPON-THE-WILD-MOORS	2½ m. N. Wellington.	365.
EYTON	included in Abberbury parish.
EYTON and PLOWDEN	included in North-Lydbury parish.
FAULS	2¼ m. S.E. and included in Prees.
FELTON (West)	4 m. S.E. Oswestry.	1087.
FITZ	4 m. N.E. Shrewsbury.	246.
FORD	4½ m. W. Shrewsbury.	309.
FRODESLEY	7 m. S. Shrewsbury.	414.
GATTON	2½ m. N.W. and included in Rathlinghope.
GLAZELY	3½ m. S.W. Bridgenorth.	38.
GRAVENHANGER	in Muckleston parish Stafford.	148.
HOPE-BOWDLER	1½ mile E. Church Stretton.	184.
HOPESAY	5½ miles S.E. Bishop's-Castle.	660.
HOPTON-CASTLE	7 m. S.E. Bishop's-Castle.	164.
HOPTON-IN-THE-HOLE	4 miles N.E. Ludlow.	30.
HOPTON-WAFERS	2 m. N.W. Cleobury-Mortimer.	481.
HORDLEY	4 m. S.S.W. Ellesmere.	308.
HORTON	in Wem parish.	86.
HUGHLEY	4 m. Wenlock.	127.
IFTON-RHYN	in St.Martin parish.	1020.
IGHTFIELD	4 m. S.E. Whitchurch.	368.
KEMBERTON	3 miles S.W. Shiffnall.	256.
KENLEY	4 m. W.N.W. Much-Wenlock.	294.
KINLET	5 m. N.E. Cleobury-Mortimer.	480.
KINNERLEY	6 miles S.E. Oswestry.	1286.
KINNERSLEY.	4½ m. W.S.W. Newport.	295.
KNOCKIN	5½ m. S.E. Oswestry.	271.
LACON	in Wem parish.	84.
LANGLEY	1 mile S. Acton-Burnell. See Ruckley.
LAWTON	2 m. N.E. Great-Sutton included in Diddlebury.
LEATON	4 m. N.W. and included in Shrewsbury.
LEDBURY and TOTTERTON	included in North-Lydbury.
LEE-BROCKHURST	2½ miles S.E. Wem.	165.
LEEBOTWOOD	3 m. N. Church-Stretton.	233.
LEIGHTON	5 miles S.W. Wellington.	403.
LILLESHALL	2½ m. S.S.W. Newport.	4653.
LINLEY	3 m. S. Broseley.	111.
LLANFORDA	2¼ miles W. Oswestry included therein.
GREET	2 m. N.W. Tenbury.	112.
GRETTON	included in Rushbury parish.
GRINSHILL	6½ m. N.N.E. Shrewsbury.	255.
HABBERLEY	7 m. S.W. Shrewsbury.	125.
HABBERLEY	3½ m. E.S.E. Worthen.	125.
HADNALL-EASE	4 miles S.E. Middle.	429.
*HALES-OWEN	situate in Staffordshire 3½ miles E. Stourbridge. Market:Mon.	17376.
HALFORD	4¼ miles N.W. Bromfield.	124.
HALSTON	2½ m. E. Oswestry.	34.
HANWOOD (Great)	3½ miles S.W. Shrewsbury.	167.
HANWOOD	3½ m. S.W. Shrewsbury included in Pontesbury.
HARCOURT	in Stanton-upon-Hine-Heath parish.	26.
HARDERLEA (Extra Par.)	returned with Edgton.
HARLEY	2 m. N.W. Much-Wenlock.	219.
HATTON	2¼ m. S. Shiffnall.	647.
HAUGHMOND (Extra Par.)	3½ miles N.E. Shrewsbury included in Upton-Magna.
HEATH	2 miles N. Stoke-St.-Milborough.	49.
HEATH (Nether and Upper)	3 miles S.E. and included in Worthen.
HIGH-HATTON	2½ miles E. Stanton-upon-Hine-Heath.	201.
HUGHLEY	6 m. S. Bridgenorth.	360.
HINSTOCK	5½ m. S. Drayton.	897.
HINTON	included in Whitchurch parish.
HISLAND and WOOTON	included in Oswestry parish.
HOBENDRID	4 m. S. Clun.	138.
HODNET	6 m. S.W. Drayton.	2185.
HOLDGATE	7½ miles S.E. Church-Stretton.	224.
HOLLYHURST	included in Whitchurch parish.
HOPE-BAGGOT	3½ m. N.N.W. Tenbury.	75.
LLANVAIR-WATERDINE	3½ miles W. Knighton.	603.
LLANYBLODWELL	4½ miles S.W. Oswestry.	961.
LLANYMYNECH	6 miles S. Oswestry.	954.
LLWYNTLANAN	included in Llanymynech parish.
LONGDON	3¼ m. from and included in Pontesbury parish.
LONGDON-UPON-TERNE	3 m. N.W. Wellington. 99.
LONGFORD	2 m. S.W. Drayton.	209.
LONGNOR	4½ miles N.N.E. Church-Stretton.	243.
LOPPINGTON	6 miles S.E. Ellesmere.	612.
LOUGHTON	in Chetton parish.	113.
LOWE and DITCHES	included in Wem parish.
LUDFORD	½ m. S. Ludlow.	300.
*LUDLOW	143 miles N.W. London. Market:Monday.	5064.
LUTWYTCH	included in Rushbury parish.
LYDBURY(North)	2½ m. S.E. Bishop's-Castle.	908.
LYDHAM	1½ m. N. Bishop's-Castle.	198.
LYNYMON	1½ m. W. and included in Oswestry.
MAESBURY	2½ m. S.E. and included in Oswestry.
*MADELEY	148 miles N.W. London.	7368.
MANLIUS-LEE	included in Dawley parish.
MAINSTONE	4¼ m. W.S.W. Bishop's-Castle.	449.
MARTIN (St.)	5 m. N.N.E. Oswestry.	2200.
MEESON	See Bolas-Magna.
MELVERLEV	10 m. W. Shrewsbury.	229.
MERRINGTON	included in Preston Gubbals parish.
MICKLEY	2½ m. E.S.E. and included in Prees.
MIDDLE	8 m. S.E. Ellesmere.	1330.
MIDDLEHOPE	1 m. N.E. Mumslow included in Diddlebury.
MIDDLETON	2¼ m. E. and included in Oswestry.
MIDDLETON-SCRIVEN	5 m. W.S.W. Bridgenorth.	108.
MILLENHEATH	included in Prees parish.
MINSTERLEY	3½ m. S.E. Westbury.	914.
MILSON	3 m. N.E. Tenbury.	160.
MINDTOWN	5 miles N.E. Bishop's-Castle.	48.
MINTON	3 miles S. and included in Church-Stretton.
MONKSHOPTON	4 m. S. Wenlock.	189.
MONTFORD	5 miles W.N.W. Shrewsbury.	490.
MOOR WITH BATCHCOTT	included in Richard's-Castle parish.
MORE	3 m. N. Bishop's-Castle.	246.
MORETON-CORBETT	4½ m. S.E. Wem.	248.
MORETON-SEA	4 m. W. Drayton.	770.
MORVILL	3 miles N.W. Bridgenorth.	542.
MORTON	3 miles S. and included in Oswestry.
MOSTON	1½ miles N. and included in Stanton-upon-Hine-Heath.
MUCKLESTON	2 m. N. High-Ercall.	1688.
MUCKLEWICK	in Hyssington parish in Montgomery.	64.
MUNSLOW	6 m. S.E. Church-Stretton.	773.
NASH	2½ m. N.E. and included in Burford.
NEEN-SAVAGE	1 m. N.E. Cleobury-Mortimer.	490.
NEEN-SOLLERS	2 m. S.S.W. Cleobury-Mortimer. 190.
NEENTON	6 miles S.W. Bridgenorth.	144.
NESS (Great)	7 m. N.W. Shrewsbury.	622.
NESS (Little)	1 m. N.E. Great Ness.	238.
NEWCASTLE	1 mile N. Bettus.	176.
*NEWPORT	140 miles N.W. London.	2497.
NEWTOWN	in Wem parish.	79.
NORBURY	3 miles N.E. Bishop's-Castle.	420.
NORDLEY-REGIS	See Alveley.
NORTHWOOD	in Wem parish.	233.
NORTON-IN-HALES	4 miles N.N.E. Drayton.	312.
OAKENGATE	See Priors-Lee.
OSLEY	1½ m. S.E. Clun. See Clunbury.
OLDBURY	2 m. S. Bridgenorth.	142.
OLLERTON	included in Stoke-upon-Terne parish.
ONIBURY	5 m. N.W. Ludlow.	368.
*OSWESTRY	180 m. N.W. London. Market:Wed.	8840.
OVERTON	1½ m. W. Ashford-Bowdler included in Richard's-Castle.
PARKS (Upper and Lower)	included in Diddlebury parish.
PEATON	in Diddlebury parish.	103.
PETTON	6 m. S.E. Ellesmere.	39.
PITCHFORD	6 m. S.E. Shrewsbury.	186.
PLOWDEN	See Eyton.
PONTESBURY	6½ miles S.W. Shrewsbury.	3311.
PONTREGAER	included in Oswestry parish.
POSENHALL (Extra Par.)	in Wenlock liberties.	No P.
POSTON	included in Diddlebury parish.
PRESTON-BROCKHURST	2½ m. N. and included in Shawbury.
PREEN-CHURCH	5 m. N.E. Church-Stretton.	101.
PREES	5 miles S. Whitchurch.	3270.
PRESTON-GUBBALS	6 m. N. Shrewsbury.	888.
PRESTON-UPON-THE-WILD-MOORS	3 m. N.E. Wellington.	247.
PRIORS-DITTON	See Ditton-Priors.
PRIORS-LEE with OAKENGATE	3 m. N.W. Shiffnall.	2470.
PULVERBATCH-CHURCH	7 m. S.W. Shrewsbury.	543.
QUATFORD	2 m. S.E. Bridgenorth.	543.
QUAT-MALVERN	4 m. S.E. Bridgenorth.	365.
RAGDON	included in Hope-Bowdler.
RATLINGHOPE	6 miles N.E. Bishop's-Castle.	315.
REMPTON	3¼ miles N.E. Clun. See Clunton.
RICHARD'S-CASTLE	3 m. S.W. Ludlow.	656.
RISTON	See Brompton.
RODDINGTON	4½ m. N.W. Wellington.	466.
ROMSLEY	2½ m. incl. in Alveley parish.
ROWTON and AMASTON	included in Abberbury parish.
RUCKLEY and LANGLEY	1 m. S.W. Acton-Burnell.	83.
RUDGE	2 m. S.W. Pattingham. Stafford.	101.
RUSHBURY	4 m. E. Church-Stratton.	502.
RUTHALE and ASHFIELD	included in Ditton-Priors parish.
RUYTON-OF-THE-ELEVEN-TOWNS	8 m. N.W. Shrewsbury.	1083.
RYTON	4 m. S. Shiffnall.	195.
SANDFORD	1½ m. E. Prees.	76.
SELATTYN	3½ m. N.W. Oswestry.	1128.
SHAWBURY	5 miles S.S.E. Wem.	1079.
SHELVE	6m. N. Bishop's-Castle.	69.
*SHIFFNALL	143 m. N.W. London. Market:Fri.	5244.
SHINETON	in Stoddesdon hundred.	154.
SHIPTON	6¼ m. S.W. Wenlock.	153.
SHRAWARDINE	6 m. N.W. Shrewsbury.	196.
SHRAWARDINE (Little)	½ mile S. from the above. See Benthall.
(c)*SHREWSBURY	162 m. N.W. London. Market:Wed:Fri:Sat.	21517.
SIBDON-CARWOOD	6 m. S.E.Bishop's-Castle.	59.
SIDBURY	5½ m. S.W. Bridgenorth.	94.
SILVINGTON	8 m. N.E. Ludlow.	46.
SMETHCOTT	3 m. N. Church-Stretton.	371.
SPLASHFORD	1½ m. S.E. and included in Diddlebury.
SOUGHTON	in Llansillin parish Denbigh.	251.
SOULTON	2½ m. N.E. Wem.	34.
STANTON-LACY	3 m. N.W. Ludlow.	1540.
STANTON (Long)	7 m. S.W. Much-Wenlock.	327.
STANTON-UPON-HINE-HEATH	5 miles S.E. Wem.	669.
STANWAY	included in Rushbury parish.
STAPLETON	6 miles S. Shrewsbury.	257.
STEEL	2 m. N. and incl. in Prees.
STIRCHLEY	1 mile N. Madeley Market.	301.
STOCKTON	4 m. N. Bridgenorth.	422.
STONE-UPON-TERNE	5½ miles S.W. Drayton.	1000.
STOKE (St. Milborough)	6 m. N.E. Ludlow.	528.
STOKESAY	6 m. N.W. Ludlow.	556.
STONE-ACTON	1½ m. W. and included in Rushbury parish.
STOTTESDEN	5 miles N. Cleobury-Mortimer.	1578.
STOW	1 m. N.E. Knighton.	185.
*STRETTON-CHURCH	159 miles N.W. Market:Thurs.	1604.
STRETTON (Little)	1½ m. S. and included in Great-Stretton.
SUTTON	5 m. N. Ludlow included in Diddlebury.
SUTTON	2 m. S.E. Shrewsbury.	69.
SUTTON-MADDOCK	5 m. S.W. Shiffnall.	352.
SWEENEY	2½ m. S. and included in Oswestry.
TASLEY	2 m. N. Bridgenorth.	83.
TIBBERTON	2 miles N.W. Edgmond.	329.
TILLEY	included in Wem parish.
TILSOP	included in Burford parish.
TILSTOCK	2½ m. S. and included in Whitchurch.
TONG	4 m. E. Shiffnall.	566.
TOTTERTON	2½ m. E. Bishop's-Castle. See Ledbury.
TREFARCLAWD	included in Oswestry parish.
TREFLACH and TRESONNA	included in Oswestry parish.
TREPRENAL	incl. in Llanymynech parish.
TRESONNA	See Treflach.
TUGFORD	9 m. N.E. Ludlow.	145.
UFFINGTON	3 m. N.E. Shrewsbury.	463.
UPPINGTON	3½ m. S.W. Wellington.	96.
UPTON-CRESSETT	4½ m. W. Bridgenorth.	56.
UPTON-MAGNA	6 m. W.N.W. Wellington.	494.
UPTON-WATERS	5 m. N. Wellington.	228.
WALL-UNDER-HAYWOOD	included in Rushbury parish.
WALTON	See Bing-Weston.
WATLESBOROUGH	See Cardeston.
WELCH-HAMPTON	3½ miles E. Ellesmere.	596.
*WELLINGTON	150 miles N.W. London. Market:Thurs.	11099.
*WEM	173 miles N.W. London. Market:Thurs.	4119.
WENLOCK (Little)	3½ miles N.E. Madeley-Market.	1091.
*WENLOCK (Much)	148 m. N.W. Market:Mon.	2987.
WENTNOR	45 m. W.S.W. Church-Stretton.	715.
WESTANSWICK	in Stoke-upon-Terne parish.	200.
WESTBURY	8½ m. S.W. Shrewsbury.	2412.
WESTHOPE	included in Diddlebury parish.
WESTLEY	included in Westbury parish.
WESTON and WIXHILL-UNDER-RED-CASTLE	3 m. E. Wem.	348.
WESTON-RHYN and BRON-Y-GATH	1½ m. W. St. Martin.	1180.
WESTON	included in Oswestry parish.
WESTON	included in Burford parish.
WESTON (Cold)	7 m. N.N.E. Ludlow.	31.
WHEATHILL	10 miles S.W. Bridgenorth.	140.
WHETMORE	See Buraston.
*WHITCHURCH	18l miles N.W. London. Market:Fri.	6373.
WHITTINGTON	2½ m. N.E. Oswestry.	1919.
WHITTON	2 m. N. Burford.	61.
WHIXALL	3 m. N. Wem.	978.
WILLEY	3 m. E. Wenlock.	162.
WILLISTON	3 miles W.N.W. and included in Prees.
WISTANSTOW	6 miles S. Church-Stretton.	1051.
WITCHFORD (Great)	1½ mile N.W. High-Ercall. See Edgbolton.
WITCHFORD (Little)	included in Shawbury parish.
WITHINGTON	4½ m. N.W. Wellington.	219.
WIXHILL-UNDER-RED-CASTLE	included in Hodnet parish.
WOLVERLEY	included in Wem parish.
WOLLASTON	2½ m. S.W. Abberbury.	427.
WOMBRIDGE	4 miles E. Wellington.	2057.
WOODCOTE	1½ m. N. Sheriff-Hales Stafford.	140.
WOODSIDE WITH HUTTON	in Shiffnall parish.	902.
WOOLASCOTT	adjoining Shrewsbury and included therein.
WOOLFERTON	included in Richard's-Castle parish.
WOOLSTASTON	2½ miles N. Church-Stretton.	84.
WOORE	3 miles N. Muckleston Stafford.	372.
WOOTON	3½ m. E. Oswestry. See Hisland.
WORFIELD	3 miles N.E. Bridgenorth.	1643.
WORTHEN	8 m. N.E. Montgomery.	3195.
WROCKWARDINE	2 miles N.W. Wellington.	2731.
WROXETER	6 m. S.W. Wellington.	636.
YOCKLETON	2½ m. E.N.E. and included in Westbury.

 

"ABTON, (Salop) near Wenlock, is a manor which bel. heretofore to the Lovels, and Burnels, and came afterwards to the Norfolk family."

" ALDENHAM, (Salop) or AWDENHAM, near Bridgnorth, a noble seat of the Actons, whose family kept their station and estate for many Rs. one of whom was sheriff in the R. of Edv. I. and another was created a Bt. in the R. of Ch. I."

" ARCOLE, (Salop) 3 m. S.W. of Hinstock, a hamlet of Pullid, formerly the Lp. of Mortimer, ancestor of the Es. of March."

" ASTON-PIGOT, (Salop) near Chirbury, formerly the manor of Edward, Ld. Burnel; from whom it passed to John, Ld. Lovel; and from him it went, by marriage, to Sir Brian Stapleton, and Sir Edward Norris."

" AVELEY-UPPER, (Salop) a fine, old seat of the Littletons, Barts. with pleasant walks, on the E. side of the Severn, almost over against Higley on the W. side."

" BRADFORD, (Salop) tho' now an inconsiderable village, gave name to 2 Hs. viz,. N. and S. Bradford, in the former of which it stands, and gives title of Viscount and Earl to the family of Newport."

" CAER-CARODOCK, (Salop) a hill near the conflux of the Clun and Teme, where are still some vestiges of the fortification created by the famous British K. Caractacus, and gallantly defended by him against Ostorius and the Roman legions, but at last he took it; for which the senate of Rome decreed him a triumph. This is call'd in some of our maps Cradock-Hill."

" CAUS-CASTLE, (Salop) on the b. of Montgomeryshire, 4 m. E. of Powis-Castle, was anciently the Lp. of the Corbets, one of whom, in the R. of K. John, obtained a Mt. here. It afterwards passed, by marriage, to the Staffords; who held it down to Cha. I. when Sir William Howard inherited it, by marrying Henry Ld. Stafford's only daughter and heir, and was created Visc. Stafford. It came lastly to the Thynnes family, by the marriage of Sir John Thynne, an ancestor of Ld. Visc. Weymouth, to a daughter of Sir Rowland Hayward."

" CHERLTON-CASTLE, (Salop) under Wreken-Kill, bel. anciently to the Cherltons, Lds. of Powis, and was afterwards settled on Mrs. Jane Orwell, and her children."

" CLAY-HILL, (Salop) or BROWN-CLEE-HILL, on the N. bank of the r. Temd, bet. Clee-St.-Marga-ret and North-Clebury, produces the fceft pit-coal, has some veins of iron,and certain remains of an ancient camp."

" CORSHAM-CASTLE, (Salop) bet. Alcaston and St. Margaret's-Clee, is called Corvesham, because it stands on the r. Corve. This manor was given by Hen. II. to Walter, Ld. Clifford; and went afterwards, by marriage, to Sir John Giffard of Brimsfield."

" DALALY-CASTLE, (Salop) on the N. E. side of Wrekin-Hill, near the Watling-Street, was, in the R. of Rich. II. annexed, by act of Pt. to the principality of Chester."

" DELALEY-CASTLE, (Salop) near Wrekin-Hill, bel. anciently to the Earl of Arundel, on whose attainder it was forfeited to K. Rich. II. who. annexed it to the principality of Chester."

" DRAYTON, (Salop) 118 cm. 149 mm. from London, has a Mt. on W. and Fairs on the W. before Palm-Sunday, and Oct. 13. The Corbets family had a seat here, some of whom were sheriffs of this Co. from the 33d of Hen. III. in most of the succeeding Rs. to the 11th of Cha. I."

" DUDMASTON, (Salop) on the E. side of the Severn, and a little to the S. of Bridgenorth, was the ancient seat of the Wolriches, Bts. and is a noble structure, on a rising ground, that gives it a delightful prospect. Here was formerly a chantry."

" WENLOCK-GREAT, (Salop) 114 cm. 143 mm. from London, 10 from Shrewsbury to the S. E. in the road to Worcester, is an ancient corp. governed, pursuant to a charter of Cha. I. by a bailiff, recorder, and 2 other justices of the peace, and 12 bailiffs peers, or capital burgesses. The bailiff, who is justice of the quorum, is chose at the common- hall on Michaelmas-day, by 13 electors, who chuse another justice, the preceding bailiff being one for the year ensuing. In the Saxons time it had a nunnery, which was endowed with this manor, and it was afterwards turned into a convent for monks. It had in the R. of Richard II. a copper-mine. 'Tis now noted for lime-stone, and clay for tobacco-pipes, which are its chief mf. The Mt. is on M. Fairs Trinity-M. June 24, each 2 days, and Oct. 6, for 3 days. The manor bel. formerly to Sir John Winell, who, for his great services to Hen. VI. was created Baron of Wenlock, and Kt. of the Garter, but dying without issue, his estate fell to his cousin and heir, Lawley, from whom the Lawleys of this Co. are descended. The members of Pt. for this Bor. are chosen by the burgesses, who are about 100, and the bailiff returns them. 'Tis remarkable, that K. Edward IV. empowered this Bor. by charter to send one member to Pt. which is the first precedent of any such privilege inserted in the charter of any Bor."

" HOLGOT-CASTLE, (Salop) or HOULDGATE-CASTLE, anciently bel. to the Mauduits, who obtained a Mt. here, long since disused. In the R. of Edw. I. it was the Ld. Burnel's. In the R. of Hen. VII. it was Francis Visc. Lovel's, who forfeiting it, it was granted to Jasper D. of Bedford."

" HOWGATE-CASTLE, (Salop) N. W. of Brown-Clee-Hill, bel. formerly to the Mauduits; then to Burnel, Bp. of Bath; and afterwards to the Lovels."

" ISLE, (Salop) 2 m. from Shrewsbury, is a peninsula formed by the Severn, where those floats, called coracles, are much used; wherein only one man can fit, who rows very swiftly with one hand, while with the other he manages his fishing- tackle. They are of a form almost oval, and made of split fally twigs interwoven, and that part under the water is covered with a horse's hide. 'Tis about 5 foot long and 3 broad, round at the bottom, and so light, that they carry them on their backs to and from the water."

" KNOCKING-CASTLE, (Salop) on the S. E. side of Oswestry, was the manor and seat of the Lestranges, from the R. of Hen. II. to Edw. IV. when it went, by marriage, to Geo. Stanley, son to Thomas E. of Derby."

" LANTERDEN, (Salop) near the conflux of the rs. Temd and Colun, not far from Munslow; where are 2 burrows, in which were found, not long ago, burnt bones and ashes; and in the neighbourhood is a perfect Roman camp, called Brandon, and a British camp, called Coxall."

" NESS-CLIFF, (Salop) on the N. W. side of Shrewsbury, has a noted cave, and bel. formerly to the Le Stranges."

" PICKFORD, (Salop) on the S.E. side of Shrewsbury, near Condover, bel. anciently to the Pichfords, then to the Lds. Burnell. It was afterwards, for at least two centuries, the estate of the Oatleys. It is noted for a spring of pitchy water (from whence some derive its name) on the top of which there always flows a sort of liquid bitumen. Over most of the coal-pits here-abouts there lies a stratum of blackish rock; of which, by boiling and grinding, they make pitch and tar, and also distil an oil from it."

" REDCASTLE, (Salop) not far from Wem, is the decayed seat of the Audleys, on a rocky hill, anciently called Radcliff."

" ROSSAL-UP and DOWN, (Salop) N. W. of Shrewsbury, where the Severn fetches such a com. that it almost returns into itself, and incloses a tract of several miles round, which is therefore called the Isle."

" ROWTON-CASTLE, (Salop) on the S. W. side of Shrewsbury, not far from the Severn, belonged formerly to the Corbets, and afterwards to the L'Stranges of Knockin; out of ill will to whom, Leolin Pr. of Wales razed it to the ground. It is now the seat of Rich. Lyster, Esq; to whose ancestors it came from the L'Stranges of Knockin."

" STANDFORD, (Salop) in the p. of Edgmond, in a fine sporting country, 2 m. from Newport, in the road from London to Chester."

" WREKIN-HILL, (Salop) to the E. of Shrewsbury, is by some called Gilbert's-Hill. It stands bet. Watling- Street and the Severn, and within 1 m. of Wroxeter, the famous Roman station. It ascends gradually for a great length, till it becomes the highest ground in the Co. and is well adorned with trees. The toast in these parts, To all friends round the Wrekin, is as common as that to these round St. Paul's is at London, &c."

[Transcribed information from England's Gazetteer - Stephen Whatley - 1750](unless otherwise stated)

[Description(s) transcribed by Mel Lockie ©2015]

 

 

"BLODWELL. See LLAN YBLODWELL, county of SALOP."

" BOSCOBEL, a district (extra-parochial), in the Hales- Owen division of the hundred of BRIMSTREE, county of SALOP, 7 miles (E.) from ShifFnall, containing 30 inhabitants. Boscobel House is celebrated in history as the place where Charles II. concealed himself in September, 1651, after the disastrous battle of Worcester, secure in the incorruptible integrity of five brothers, named Penderell: the house has been considerably modernised, but the place of concealment, called the Sacred Hole, is carefully preserved, and in front of the house is a Latin inscription, traced with white pebbles in the pavement, recording the circumstance. The Royal Oak, thought to have sprung from an acorn of the parent tree, among the branches of which the unfortunate monarch retired for greater security, when his .pursuers were searching the house and out-buildings, stands near the middle of a large field adjoining the garden; it is surrounded by an iron railing, and has an inscribed brass plate affixed to it."

" CARWOOD. See SIBDONCARWOOD, county of SALOP."

" HAGHMON ABBEY (or HAUGHMOND ABBEY), a liberty (extraparochial), in the Wellington division of the hundred of BRADFORD (South), county of SALOP, 4 miles (N.E.) from Shrewsbury. In 1110, William Fitz-Alan, of Clun, founded an abbey here for canons regular of the order of St. Augustine, and dedicated it to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, the revenue of which, at the dissolution, amounted to £294. 12. 9. It forms part of the demesne of Sundorn: the remains consist of the chapter-house, which is entire, the south doorway of the nave of the church, and a range of building supposed to have been the abbot's lodging and hall, partly in the Norman, but chiefly in the early, style of English architecture. The Rev. William Clarke, Chancellor in the Cathedral Church of Chichester, and an antiquary of no mean repute, was born at this place in 1696."

" HALSTON, a liberty (extra-parochial), in the hundred of OSWESTRY, county of SALOP, 3 miles (E.N.E.) from Oswestry, containing 39 inhabitants. There is a domestic chapel belonging to John Mytton, Esq., who appoints the minister. The Ellesmere canal touches on the boundary of the liberty, which is crossed by a small stream called the Perry; this, by a diversion of its channel, has been made to resemble a large river, called Halston Pool, covering about forty acres. The Knights Templars had a preceptory here, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, which subsequently belonged to the hospitallers, and was valued, in the 26th of Henry.VIII., at £160. 14. 10. per annum; in the reign of Mary it was re-granted to the order of St. John of Jerusalem, and in that of her successor Elizabeth it was possessed by "William Home."

" HORDERLEY, a liberty (extra-parochial), in the hundred of PURSLOW, county of SALOP, 6 mile's (E. by S.) from Bishop's Castle, containing about 150 inhabitants."

" KYNNERSLEY. See KINNERSLEY, county of SALOP."

" POSENHALL, a district (extra-parochial), within the liberty of WENLOCK, county of SALOP, 1 mile (W.) from Broseley, containing 14 inhabitants."

" SHINETON. See SHEINTON, county of SALOP."

[Transcribed information from A Topographical Dictionary of England - Samuel Lewis - 1831](unless otherwise stated)

[Description(s) transcribed by Mel Lockie ©2015]

 

"SHROPSHIRE, (or Salop), an inland county in the W. of England, is bounded on the N. by Cheshire, E. by Staffordshire, S. by Worcestershire and Herefordshire, and W. by the Welsh counties of Radner, Montgomery, and Denbigh. It lies between 62° 18' and 53° 0' N. lat. and between 2° 14' and 3° 12' W. long. Its extreme length from N. to S. is 48 miles, and its greatest breadth from E. to W. is 40 miles. The area of the county is 1,343 square miles, or 859,520 acres, of which 790,000 acres are arable, meadow, and pasture. The population at the commencement of the century was 169,248; in 1851 it was 229,341; and in 1861, 240,959, or 42 per cent: over the number in 1801.

At the time of the Roman invasion the county was chiefly inhabited by the Ordovices and Cornavii, whose territory was divided by the Severn, and was subsequently included in the Roman province Flavia Cæseriensis. The Romans appear to have been stoutly opposed by the Britons in this part of the country, as evidenced by the camp called Caer Caradoc, supposed to be that of Caractacus, and the earthworks at Caer Ditches, near Clun, where Camden and others are of opinion the great battle was fought between this chief and Ostorius Scapula, which effected the subjugation of the W. of the island. The principal Roman station was at Wroxeter, on the Severn, called by Latin writers Uriconium, where a wall, rampart, and ditch still mark the extent of the Roman city. There are besides Roman remains at Rowton, Market-Drayton, The Walls, Bury Ditches, and other places in this county.

For many centuries it formed part of the kingdom of Powisland, with Pengwern for its capital, but the Saxons under Penda succeeded in conquering it in 626, and it became incorporated with the kingdom of Mercia, which extended to the base of the Welsh mountains, and was known as Myrcna-rice, the kingdom of the borderers; this was Latinised into Mercia, and finally was corrupted into the Marches of Wales. For the protection of his territory from the inroads of the Welsh, Offa made a dyke or rampart 100 miles long, which still bears his name, and extended along the confines of Wales, from Flintshire on the N. to the Bristol Channel on the S., with the Severn for an inner boundary.

Shortly after the union of the Saxon kingdoms under Egbert, this part of the country became a prey to the ravages of the Danes, who arrived here in great force in 849, and pushed on to Wales. At Cleobury Mortimer is a camp, supposed to have been formed by this people, and near Bridgnorth are traces of a fortification. When Alfred the Great had expelled the Danes he formed this district into a county under the name of Scrobbesbyrigshire, after its capital, then a city of much importance, of which its present name is a corruption.

During the two following centuries the county was frequently invaded by the Welsh, and at the Norman conquest was given by William I., with the adjoining county of Montgomery, and the title of the Earl of Shrewsbury, to Roger de Montgomery for his services in the reduction of Edric the Forester. About this period most of the castles in the county were erected by the Norman nobles, who obtained grants of land on condition of maintaining their castles garrisoned against the Welsh, and were appointed Lords Marchers, with power to decide all questions of grievance between the English and Welsh, establish courts of judicature, build towns, &c., but the Welsh continuing to harass the border, Edward I. determined on their subjugation, and having taken David-ap-Llewellyn, the last prince of Wales, summoned a parliament to meet at Shrewsbury in 1283, by which the prince was declared guilty of treason, and condemned to be hanged and quartered, which was accordingly done. A parliament was again appointed to meet here by Richard II. in 1397.

During the revolt of Owain Glyndwr in the reign of Henry IV., the county was the scene of many lesser conflicts, and the final battle was fought at Shrewsbury in 1403, when the Prince of Wales, afterwards Henry V., with a portion of the king's army, defeated the joint forces of Glyndwr and the Percys, and slew Harry Hotspur, son of the Earl of Northumberland, which terminated the war. In the struggle between the rival houses of York and Lancaster the county was again engaged, and many important events took place. On the landing of the Duke of Richmond in 1485 he was proclaimed as Henry VII., and joined by the tenants of the Earl of Shrewsbury, and many others, who rendered him signal service in the battle of Bosworth Field. When Charles I. became obnoxious to a portion of his subjects he retired to Shrewsbury, and many of the towns in this county declared in his favour, but in 1644 the parliamentarians gained the ascendency, and continued to hold it, notwithstanding the unavailing efforts of the royalists, who rose in arms in 1655, and again in 1659.

The county is remarkable for the variety and beauty of its scenery, which in some places displays itself in rugged mountainous districts, and in others in rich and well-cultivated tracts, diversified by gently rising elevations with intersecting valleys. The county is divided by the Severn into two almost equal parts, the southern portion assuming the mountainous character of the adjoining counties of Montgomery and Denbigh, while the northern district is nearly level, relieved only by a few solitary hills and finely-wooded valleys. The elevated summits on the S.E. are for the most part extensions of the great western, or Welsh, range of mountains. The highest points are Brown Clee Hill, 1,805 feet above the sea-level, and Titterstone Clee Hill, 1,750 feet; W. of the Clee hills is the mountainous district called Clun Forest, formerly a wooded tract, but now well cultivated and divided into small freehold properties. Separating these two districts is a mountainous tract which stretches to the N.W. in a range of hills, the loftiest of which is Longmynd, 1,674 feet high, and still further N. is Stiperstones, a very peculiar mass of rocks. The remaining most important mountain ranges are the Berwyn range, which enters from Montgomery and terminates in this county in Selattyn Hill, 1,300 feet high; the Breddin hills, extending for about 4 miles, but in no place of considerable altitude; and the Wrekin, an isolated elevation of 1,320 feet, near Wellington, which forms a conspicuous object, being much higher than the neighbouring hills. It is connected with the Caer Caradoc hills, which border on the Longmynd.

The principal river is the Severn, which is noticed in a separate article. Its course through this county is winding and navigable through its entire extent of 70 miles, during which it receives from the E. the waters of the Tern, and its tributary the Roden, and of several small streams from the W. The S. is also watered by the Teme, which is joined by a number of small tributaries, and after forming part of the boundary between Herefordshire and Shropshire, falls into the Severn below Worcester. The Dee washes the N.E. corner of the county, separating it from Cheshire. The only lake of any size is Ellesmere, near the town of that name, which covers an area of 116 acres. The canal accommodation is very excellent, all the lines being to the N. of the Severn; the principal are the Donnington, which extends from Donnington Wood to the neighbourhood of Newport, where it is joined by the Shropshire canal of about the same length, which runs into the Severn below Coalbrookdale; a branch communicates with Ketley. The Shrewsbury canal, starting from the Severn at Shrewsbury; runs along the left bank of the river, and then, turning to the N.E., joins the Shropshire and Donnington canals near Wellington. It is 17 miles long; at Atcham it passes through a tunnel 970 yards in length, and it crosses the valley of the Tern by the first cast-iron aqueduct that was ever made; besides several other minor canals.

The county is well supplied with railways; Shrewsbury, its capital, being in direct communication with Chester and Liverpool by Crewe, Stafford, Birmingham, and Gloucester and South Wales by Hereford. Coach roads were formerly very bad, but have of late years been much improved. The principal is the London and Holyhead road, which enters the county between Wolverhampton and Shiffnal, and, passing Shrewsbury, leaves it near Chirk.

Shropshire is as important from the richness and variety of its minerals as it is interesting from the beauty of its scenery and the numerous remains of antiquity which may yet be seen there. The New Red sandstone formation occupies the whole N. of the county, and the Old Red sandstone extends over most of the S., the Severn being in most parts the boundary between the two systems. The northern limit of the older formation is the coalfield of Coalbrookdale, and on the E. it extends to the Wyre, or Bewdley coal district which passes into the adjoining county of Worcester. Its south-western boundary consists of an extensive tract comprising nearly one-fourth of the entire county, and composed of stratified rocks of the Silurian and Cambrian systems, but there is a considerable outlying district of the Old Red sandstone nearly 100 square acres in extent, separated from the larger portion of the Silurian rocks, which reaches into Radnorshire, and includes nearly the entire of Clun Forest. The Ludlow hills belong to the Silurian system, and rise from the Old Red sandstone at Corvedale to elevations of 1,000 to 1,100 feet, and from these to Coalbrookdale extends an unbroken escarpment called Wenlock Edge, consisting of Wenlock limestone. W. of this rise the Caradoc, or Church Stretton hills, where Ostorius is said by some to have defeated Caractacus, and which are formed of amorphous trap; Longmynd, which belongs to the Cambrian system, and raises its square-topped head to a height of 1,674 feet; and Stiperstones, rough and ragged, in which is a rich lead mine. The New Red sandstone formation in the N. of the county is broken towards Market Drayton by a bed of lias containing fossils corresponding to those found in the great lias formation of Warwick and Worcestershire, from which it is distant upwards of 60 miles. The plain of Shrewsbury is in most parts formed of the newer sandstone, but several patches of coal are scattered through it, and they are also found at intervals between the transition chains which indent this same plain.

The important coalfield of Coalbrookdale, the most extensive and most productive in the county, extends from Wormbridge to Coalport on the Severn. It is 8 miles in length and 2 in breadth; the coal is of the kind called slate coal, and contains from 1 to 3 per cent. of ash. Some of the beds are very sulphurous, and the coals are only used in making lime on account of the foetid odour which they emit when burning. The most productive parts of the field are about Hadley, where 16 seams have a total thickness of 15 yards; Dawley, where the coal seams are 14 yards in depth; and Madeley, where the beds are narrower, and 24 of them only measure 10½ yards. The entire field is much faulted, some of the dislocations amounting to 600 or 700 feet. Coal is found at every part of the district at varying depths, and alternating with ironstone, sandstone, and other substances. The ironstone is not rich, but being accompanied by the coal and flint supplies all the requisites for smelting, which is extensively practised. The ores of iron are peroxides in sandstone, argillaceous carbonates in shale, and sulphurets in coal. Brown Clee Hill and Titterstone Clee Hill, a few miles S. of Coalbrookdale, have their summits covered with overlying masses of granite, but coal is worked midway from the base. In the former it is found only in their strata, but in the latter the principal bed is 6 feet in depth. At Cornbrook there is a very valuable field 1 mile long and a quarter of a mile in breadth. The Billingsley tract, to the E. of the Clee hills, stretches from Dense Hill on the N. to the borders of Shropshire and Worcestershire, a distance of 8 miles, but it is doubtful whether this is one continuous field, or consists of several smaller ones adjacent to each other. The rocks which bound or separate these coal fields consist principally of sandstone, limestone, trap, and schists, containing lead and calamine, the most important of which, as already mentioned, are in Stiperstones mountain. The matrix is crystallized quartz, with sulphates and carbonate of barytes, and carbonate of lime. The ore is sulphuret of lead, carbonate of lead, red lead, ore, and blends, which contains besides calamine, or zinc, and the rock at Pimhill is strongly tinctured with copper. Mineral pitch exudes from the red sandstone at Pitchford. Freestone, marble, slate, and pipe-clay are raised. Saline springs are found among the New Red sandstone and coal measures in the N. and there is one also at Saltmoor, near Ashford, on the banks of the Tern, where salt is said to have been manufactured before the Norman conquest. Chalybeate springs also occur near Wenlock, at Moreton Bay, and in other places, and on the W. side of Longmynd, on Prolley Moor, there is a spring containing chloride of lime.

The climate is generally salubrious, but varies much according to the elevation above the sea and the nature of the soil, the lands in the E. being level, are dry and warm, so that the harvests there are frequently ripe a fortnight earlier than in the W. and middle. The soils are too varied and intermixed to admit of any general description, but the land is for the most part fertile and well cultivated, except the elevated districts, which are generally too rugged and barren to admit of much use being made of them except as sheepwalks. Agriculture is improving, grass lands receiving less attention than arable. The meadows near the Severn are very fertile, and are often enriched by the overflow of the river.

The county is not remarkable for dairy produce, but a fine quality of cheese is made and sold as Cheshire. The cattle are generally of the improved Hereford, Lancashire, Leicester, and Cheshire breeds. The horses are of good quality, but of no particular kind. The sheep are remarkable for the excellence of their wool. In many parts there is a species of horned sheep peculiar to this county and resembling South Downs. They are small and hardy, weighing about 10 lbs. the quarter, and yielding fleece of about 2½ lbs. Pork and bacon are much used by the people. Large flocks of turkeys are raised, and there are fine orchards, particularly in the S., where hops also are grown.

China of delicate and elegant pattern is made at Coalport and Caughley; earthenware at Coalport, and a coarse quality is also made at Broseley. There are glass works at Brockwardine, and porcelain is made at Bridgnorth, also carpets and cloth. Flannels are manufactured at Oswestry, Shrewsbury, Worthen, and Church Stretton, and linens and linen thread at various places. Gloves and paper are made at Ludlow, and there are paper works also in different parts of the county.

The principal industry, however, is devoted to coal and iron. The collieries under inspection number 59. The yearly produce is estimated at upwards of 300,000 tons, most of which is consumed in the iron furnaces at Coalbrookdale, Lightmoor Ketley, Donnington, Madeley Wood, and Snedshill on the N. of the Severn, and Calcot, Willey, Broseley, and Benthall S. of that river. Seven-tenths of the iron produced in the county, or 7 per cent. of that in the entire kingdom, is raised at Wellington, Dawley, and Madeley. The manufacture at Wellington and its neighbourhood is yearly increasing by the establishment of iron foundries, saw mills, new workshops and forges for the making of bar iron, which is there extensively carried on.

The county is divided into North and South Shropshire, the former containing the hundreds of Oswestry, Pimhill, North Bradford, South Bradford, and the liberty of Shrewsbury; and the latter the hundreds of Brimstrey, exclusive of Halesowen parish, Chirbury, Candover, Ford, Munslow, Overs, Purslow, including Clun, Stottesdon, and Wenlock franchise. It comprises 231 parishes, distributed among the dioceses of Hereford, Lichfield, St. Asaph, and Worcester, but all in the province of Canterbury. The civil government is entrusted to the lordlieutenant and custos rotulorum, high sheriff, and about 138 deputy-lieutenants and magistrates.

The county is in the Oxford circuit; the assizes and quarter sessions are held at Shrewsbury, where the county gaol, lunatic asylum, and Shropshire infirmary are situated, and there are 14 market towns. The county returns 12 members to parliament, two for the northern and two for the southern divisions, constituency 5,315 and 4,170 respectively, in 1865, and two each for the boroughs of Shrewsbury (1,505), Bridgnorth (647), Ludlow 382), and Wenlock (999). The detached district of Halesowen is included for elective purposes with the county of Worcester. The election for the northern division is held at Shrewsbury, and for the southern at Church Stretton."

[Transcribed and edited information from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland - 1868]

Search the GENUKI Gazetteer. [Click the Gazetteer link at the top of any page, not the search box which searches GENUKI pages.] 
The GENUKI Gazetteer covers the whole of England, Wales and Scotland and can be searched by place-name (or part of a place-name) or Ordnance Survey Grid Reference (six-figure, eg NZ183848). If there are multiple place-names matching the name you enter, you will initially be presented with a drop-down list of the matching place-names with their distances and bearings from London, England.

 

The GENUKI Church Database. [Click the Churches link at the top of any page, not the search box which searches GENUKI pages.]
This covers the whole of the UK and includes facilities for listing other churches and parishes within any specified distance of the parish church.

 

• The Vision of Britain site provides: A vision of Britain between 1801 and 2001. Including maps, statistical trends and historical descriptions. 
  - read the guide to searching places, units and locations 
  - check the sources on which this excellent site is based
• The downloadable PARLOC program is available from Dave & Chris Bennett's site.
• The Open Domesday project enables you to locates places (and their details) from the Domesday book.

 

GENUKI Gazetteer maintenance - Ireland

Basic information

All the Irish Civil Parishes and Townlands appear in the gazetteer, but for many we do not have an actual location. So as a starting point it uses the centre of the county when we have no location. Where we have a parish location we use that as a starting location for the townland. All very approximate but it helps guide reasearchers to the appropriate area and as we add locations it gets nearer and nearer to the real value. So most of this work is to achieve that. There is also other documentation describing how it is achieved.

• The status of each county section can be seen on the statistics page which helps identiy the amount of work required for each county.
• Details of the format of the source files and basic techniques are described in the Gazetteer maintenance page.
• Work already mostly done on developing the Irish counties is a useful adjunct.

Work required

The starting point for each county is to take a look at the Parishes column on the statistics page. If you hold the mouse over the numbers it explains what they represent. We want to get to the stage where there is just single number here where we've created a web page for each parish. If there is a name other than Phil Stringer in the Maintainers column then somebody is already working on this county.

In the end we want to get to the stage where there is nothing in the Approx column, and nothing in the No links column but it is easiest to do some of the tasks in a particular order.

Exact location for parish

In the Approx column, if there is a number marked Parishes with an approximate location this is the simplest one to resolve first. It is those parishes that had a location in our original data and location should be nearly right. Click the number for the names of the parishes, and click each name to see a page with links to online maps. Select This place shown on a Google map. Zoom the map appropriately and drag the icon to where you think the centre of that place is. You then have the correct value to go the csv file and can change the Approx field (column C)from Y to N. If you find the Google map does not take you to a place and ther is none nearby on the map, then perhaps then perhaps an error was made in the past. So use the instructions in the next step for finding the centre location of the parish.

Parishes where we need a location

These can be identified in the Parishes column, and are labelled Civil parishes for we don't yet have a location. Click the number and see the list of names. Click a name to take you to links to online maps, the ones in the south are much easier to do.

• North - the Irish Times site is your friend as it shows where they all are on a map. It is not always easy to relate this to the modern Google map as it does not show place names. But you need to open a Google map in another browser tab and pan it and move the marker to then centre of the area shown on the Irish Times. You then have the centre location of the parish.
• South - follow the link to the Irish Ordnance survey site. Use the search menu on the right, and select the county and then Historic parishes. That shows you a historic map of the parish along with its boundaries. Pan the map until the red cross is in the centre of the parish. Don't pan it again on subsequent clicks as it changes the location that you've just found!. I find it best then to go to the 'Preview map series' menu on the right and select 'Wind report' it changes to a modern map which is much easier to relate to the Google map. Zoom, without, panning so that you can see place names that you can relate to a Google map that you've open in another tab. So look at that the OS map with one eye and move the marker on the Google map to the same location. You then have the centre location of the parish.

Cut and paste the location (Lat/Lon) into column B in the csv file for that parish entry. Change the Approx field (column C) from Y to N. Now for all the townlands without a location in this parish, change the Approx field (column C) to P, and add the parish centre location to column B. This makes the most significant improvement to the gazetteer.

Places with no location at all

As updated versions of the csv file are updated the entries that need attention in the statistics file thankfully drop. At this point the Places with no location at all in the Approx column should now have disappeared. If not it is worth fixing these now as there will be very few left for this county. Sometimes you may see Market Town in column K with the name of a description in column L. Search the gazetteer for this place to read the description. It may tell you this is also a parish. If so copy column L into column L for the parish where it is missing and then you can probably just delete the duplicate Market Town entry. For others a Google search can help identify it and lead to a location.

Townlands with a parish centre location

We are now getting to the more tedious work, but once done it makes it much more useful for researchers. In the Approx column there is probably a significant number entitled Places with a parish location. This gives list of all the names which can be clicked to link to maps, such as Google centred on the parish centre, the value in that entry in the csv file. However going through this alphabetically can be slow and it isn't as easy to spot mistakes.

The easiest method I've found is to look in the csv file at all the entries in a parish, the smaller parishes being easier. Use the gazetteer to search for the entry for the parish and ask it to display all the places in the parish on a Google map. There will be townland names on the Google map which should match the ones you need to find. If none match then the parish location may be wrong! There do seem to townlands in other parishes with the same name as actual parishes. In the rare event that this has happened, then fix the parish centre location as described above. Drag and drop the marker on the map to find the location of the townlands and change the location field in the csv file and also change the Approx to N.

Start with the ones where we already have an approximate location as they show up reasonably easily to start with. Then compare the unknown townland names nearby on the Google map with the csv file. Where they match, drag and drop and you have another answer. Google does at times have two identical names close by. I tend to use the one in the larger font as that seems to be the older one. If both are the same size I drag to point mid-way between.

So what about the townlands that don't seem to be on the Google map? Well we can go to the Irish OS site and search for the townland and see where it is on the map. Be careful that the one you get is the one you want as there can be multiple townlands with the same name. Again a useful check is to look at adjacent ones on the map and see if they are in that parish in the cav file. The Irish OS technique can only be used for counties in the South as it doesn't have the countties and townlands in the search menu for the north. If it is a county in the North try the map provided by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. We haven't found a way to link into a location so you will need to zoom and pan to the parish location and then search for townland names. There does seem to be better coverage than Google, and it appears to have more accurate locations.

There will be some very small townlands that the Irish OS site doesn't have in the menu. If it is an island, then browse the Irish OS 6" historic map for the parish and pan and zoom across the wet areas. It is easy to find island names there. For tiny townlands that aren't islands, try a Google search as somebody may have described the location. Otherwise you are left with panning the historic 6".

There is also a technique that will find the townlands plotted on a Google map. Go to https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@?dg=dbrw&newdg=1 and put the place and county in the search bar. It normally finds it and shows a marker on a map with a rough outline of the townland. What you want is the location of the marker. So right click next to the marker and a menu will appear. Select What's here? and the lat/lon is placed in the search bar. I tend to compare that with other places in the parish to make sure it is nearby and so the right one.

In the larger parishes I find it useful to put in a framework of townlands, upload the csv file, and wait for the nightly update. Things are then clearer on the map the next day. There is less clutter and it is easier to finds ones that still need doing. You need to zoom in for Google to make some visible.

The remaining places with approximate locations

That ones that are left with approximate locations come from the CIA World Fact Book. Some will be duplicates of existing places, some geographic features and some places smaller than townlands. So take each one in the list, and select nearby places on a Google map.

• Look at nearby places marked on the map, and if a duplicate, remove it from the csv file.
• I look at all Cross Roads and tend to remove any that match the name of a nearby townland. If it is a new name check on the Irish OS map and zoom in when it usually becomes visible. You then know the exact location and can drag/drop the Google marker. It is also useful loohing at the historic 6" to see which parish it was in, and put that name in the Parish field. The CIA didn't always get the spelling right, so make any adjustments that are needed.
• If it is a named bridge, then I keep these setting the exact location, and filling in the Parish name.
• Then any small places I treat in a similar way.

It is during this phase that the towlands with parish boundaries running through them become visible as we have two or more markers at the same spot. Zoom in to make it clearer and perhaps drag one to the side to check the names and the parishes.

We only want the user to be presented with a single place at that location. We don't multiple gazetteer entries for any of these as we are trying to specify where they are, not to document an administrative hierarchy. But we can do our best to tell the user that it is in multiple parishes. So for the first entry for the townland put the names of the parishes it lies in, in the parish field separating the names with a colon ':' character (without quotes). Then delete the entries from the other parishes. We then have a single place listing all the parishes it is in.

Gotchas

There do seem to be some parishes split across counties. If you find one, get in touch with Phil as he has devised a technique to handle it but has not yet implemented it.

 

The Post Office's Postcode Finder

 

The Post Office no longer supports their postcode finder tool. Instead they advise: for the most up-to-date address and postcode details, please use your preferred mapping service such as Google Maps or Apple Maps, or use a search engine.

 

• The GENUKI Gazetteer covers the whole of England, Wales and Scotland and can be searched by place-name (or part of a place-name) or Ordnance Survey Grid Reference (six-figure, eg NZ183848). If there are multiple place-names matching the name you enter, you will initially be presented with a drop-down list of the matching place-names with their distances and bearings from London, England.
• A Gazetteer of British Place Names provided by the Association of British Counties. This comprehensive place-name index for Britain lists more than 50,000 places and gives the Ordnance Survey grid reference, the ancient or geographical County, and current local government information for each place name. There is comprehensive coverage of alternative spellings (including Welsh and Gaelic versions) and detailed notes specifically aimed at historians and genealogists. Appendices relate present day registration districts to local government areas and list those places which lay in a different "registration county" to their ancient County in the 19th century.
• The GB1900  Project - a crowd-sourced historical gazetteer based on the 1:10560 Ordnance Survey mapping of Great Britain
• GENUKI Church Database provides an online Parish Locator covering the whole of the UK. This includes facilities for listing other churches and parishes within any specified distance of the parish church.
• UK Placename Finder from Popular Archaeology includes details of 160,000 UK places.
• The archived copy of the BBC Domesday Project Reloaded website provides a method of searching the contents of the original BBC Domesday Gazetteer disk - a huge crowd-sourced description of the UK, dating from 1986 - by using the TNA Discovery Catalogue's results filtering facility.

Some historical gazetteers:

Lewis, Samuel. A Topographical Dictionary of England. 4 vols. London: S. Lewis and Co., 1831

Southall, Humphrey; Aucott, Paula; Fleet, Christopher; Pert, Tom; Stoner, Michael. GB1900: engaging the public in very large scale gazetteer construction from the Ordnance Survey “County Series” 1:10,560 mapping of Great Britain. Journal of Map & Geography Libraries, Vol. 13, No. 1, (2017), p. 7-28. [PDF]

Wilson, John M. The Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales. Six Volumes. Edinburgh, Scotland: A. Fullerton, 1870

The National Gazetteer: A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands. Virtue and Co., London (1868) 3 vols. [Full text - vol 1 (A-E), vol. 2 (F-M), vol. 3 (N-Z)]

Gazetteer of the British Isles. Edinburgh, Scotland: John Bartholomew and Sons, Ltd., 1966.