Part 26

a parish and pleasant rural village, contains several genteel residences, and is situated six miles S.S.E. from Oswestry, and twelve miles N.W. by W. from Shrewsbury. It has 1389A. 3R. 16P. of land, and had in 1801 210 inhabitants, in 1831 311, and in 1841 54 houses and 271 souls. The soil is a mixture of sand and loam. The returns of 1841 include Heath Farm an extra parochial liberty, having two houses and seven persons. Rateable value, £1,982. 1s. The principal land owners are the Earl of Bradford; Joseph Lloyd, Esq.; Mrs. Sarah Jones; Richard Hilton, Esq.; John Hilton, Esq.; Mrs. Ann Williams; Mr. Thomas Higginson; Mr. William Thomas; Edware Downes, Esq.; Edward Parry, Esq.; and lady Tyrhwitt. There are also several smaller freeholders. The Earl of Bradford is lord of the manor, and holds a court at the Bradford Arms.

THE CHURCH, dedicated to St. Mary, a small handsome structure in the early English style of architecture, was re-built in 1847 of red sand stone. The interior has a very chaste and elegant appearance, and the fabric exhibits some fine specimens of decorated workmanship. The living is a rectory in the patronage of the Earl of Bradford, enjoyed by the Rev. Robert Ridsdale, a non-resident. The Rev. F. B. Foulkes is the officiating minister. The tithes are commuted for £325.

THE NATIONAL SCHOOL and residence for the teacher is a neat building, erected by the Earl of Bradford. It is supported by subscriptions and a small charge from each scholar. The income is about £60 per annum.

KNOCKIN HALL, situate on the east side of the village, a spacious mansion of brick, is the seat of the Hon. Captain Charles Orlando Bridgeman. It stands on a gentle eminence commanding delightful views into Wales. The interior is finely adorned with antique carved furniture, and the walls are ornamented with valuable and beautifully executed paintings. The park is small, but pleasingly diversified with graceful undulations, and enriched with fine timber. A beautiful avenue leads to the hall. THE KNOCKIN HEATH FARM, situated about two miles S.E. from the church, contains 350A., and is the residence of John Cooke, Esq. THE HALL FARM, an extensive range of premises a short distance from the village, is the residence of Richard Hilton, Esq.

Knockin is said to have given name to the ancient family of L’Estrange, who built KNOCKIN CASTLE, and fixed their seat here. Guy L’Estrange had three sons, Guy, Hamon, and John, all of whom held lands in Shropshire by gift of Henry II. The younger, Guy, was sheriff of this county from the 2nd to the 11th of Henry II.; other branches of the family were subsequently appointed knights of the shire. Ralph, son of the above Guy, gave the chapel of Knockin to the canons of Haughmond. John L’Estrange, in the 33rd of Henry III., procured a market for the town on Tuesday, and a fair on the eve, day, and day after the anniversary of the decollation of St. John Baptist. Madoc, who was at the head of an insurrection against the king’s officers of North Wales, marched against Lord L’Estrange and defeated him at Knockin. The male line of the family failing in John L’Estrange in the 17th of Edward IV., who leaving an only daughter Joan, she married George Stanley, who was created Earl of Derby by Henry VIII. The title of Knockin is still kept up, though the family is extinct; the eldest son of the Derby family being styled Lord Strange. The castle was demolished during the civil wars in the time of King John. At present there is scarcely a vestige remaining. Some of the stones were used to build the churchyard walls, and a bridge over the brook, and a large quantity of them were carried away to mend the roads. The fairs and market have long been obsolete.

Bridgeman The Hon. Capt. Charles Orlando, R.N., Knockin Hall

Adams Mr., painter, plumber, and glazier

Barrett Thomas, farmer and vict., Bradford Arms

Barneby Alban M., schoolmaster

Burroughs John, vict., Cross Keys

Cooke John, farmer, Heath house

Davies Edward, farmer

Davies Edward, farmer, Heath Farm

Evans John, butler

Evans Mrs., shopkeeper and baker

Foulkes Rev. F. B., The Wain

Griffiths Alice, farmer

Griffiths Edward, farmer and land agent

Griffiths Edward, builder and contractor

Gwynne George, cooper

Haustin William, tailor

Hilton John, Esq., farmer, Knockin House

Hilton Richard, farmer, Hall Farm

Jones John, joiner and carpenter

Jones John, surveyor and collector

Lloyd Joseph, builder and contractor

Lloyd William, farmer

Maddox John, veterinary surgeon

Maddox William, blacksmith

Maddox William, assistant overseer and collector

Morris John, tailor

Morris Samuel, grazier and butcher

Price William, butcher

Price S. M., shopkeeper

Ratcliffe James, shopkeeper

Ratcliffe Richard, saddler and harness maker

Roberts Thomas, boot and shoemaker

Thomas William, farmer

* * * * *

LLANYBLODWELL is a parish on the western verge of Shropshire, adjoining the county of Denbigh, comprising the townships of Abertannat, Blodwell, Bryn, and Lynclys, which together, at the census of 1841, contained a population of 961 souls and 200 houses. The parish is bounded on the east by Offa’s-dyke, noticed at the preceding page.

ABERTANNAT,

a village and township one mile S.E. from Blodwell, contains 1073A. 3R. 17P. of land, 19 houses, and 102 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,135. 12s 5d. The land has mostly a strong soil, upon the limestone, considered good for grazing purposes. The proprietors are Lord Godolphin and John Hamor, Esq. Earl Powis is lord of the manor. The tithes have been commuted for £90. 2s. 2d., of which £39. 7s. has been apportioned to the Rev. R. Williams; £13. 9s. 10d. to the Rev. R. M. H. Hughes; and £37. 5s. 4d. to the Rev. John Parker. ABERTANNAT HALL is the pleasantly situated mansion of John Edwards, Esq. The scenery in the vicinity is most beautiful and picturesque. Upon the towering heights of some of the hills are seen prospects of unbounded extent. The lands abound with game, and the rippling stream of the Tanat meanders at the foot of the hills, well stocked with trout and other fish.

DIRECTORY.—John Edwards, Esq., The hall; James Davies, farmer, Llan; Robert Edwards, farmer, Cafn; Thomas Jones, shopkeeper; Charles Jones, gamekeeper; John Jones, farmer, Garth-issa; William Jones, farmer, Gath-ucha; Richard Jones, gamekeeper; William Lloyd, blacksmith and vict., Horse Shoe Inn; Richard Lewis, farmer, Tynycoed; John Morgan, huntsman; William Pritchard, farmer, Cafn; Matthew Roberts, schoolmaster.

BLODWELL

is a pleasant village in a hilly and romantic country, six miles S.S.W. from Oswestry, having 87 houses and 384 inhabitants. The township contains 1677A. 1R. 18P. of land. Rateable value, £1777, 1s. 9d. Gross estimated rental, £1989 18s. 9d. The principal landowners are the Earl of Powis, Earl of Bradford, Mrs. Aubrey, Rev. John Parker, John Bonner, Esq.; John Edwards, Esq.; and John George Edwards, Esq.; the former is lord of the manor. THE CHURCH, dedicated to St. Michael, is a venerable fabric, the exterior of which is now undergoing a complete reparation at the expense of the present incumbent. The body of the church is divided into two compartments, and has a pitched roof, supported by columns and arches in the Norman style of architecture. The chancel is tastefully decorated, and contains a splendid stained glass window; it is fitted up with stalls, and separated from the body of the church by an antique oak screen, richly carved. The church has had additions and alterations made at several different periods; in 1835 the accommodation of the church was increased by the addition of 47 sittings. The chancel contains several handsome memorials, one of which remembers the Bridgemans, of Blodwell; another very elegantly designed is commemorative of the late Sir John Bridgeman, Bart.; there are also monuments to the Godolphins, Matthews, and others. The living is a vicarage valued in the king’s books at £7. 12s. 6d., and now returned at £271 in the patronage of the bishop of St. Asaph, and incumbency of the Rev. John Parker, M.A. Divine service is performed alternately in the Welsh and English languages. The vicarage is a modern and commodious erection of brick, in the decorative style, with ornamental chimneys, and is situated a short distance from the church; a considerable portion of the house has been built by the present incumbent. The bishop of St. Asaph is the impropriator of the large tithes, which are commuted for £211 9s. 6d., and the small tithes payable to the vicar are commuted for £36. 9s. 3d.

BLODWELL HALL, a modern stuccoed mansion delightfully situated, is the residence of William Lyons, Esq. The hills above the hall command a scene of sublimity and beauty, perhaps unsurpassed in any part of Wales. The summits of innumerable mountains are seen at once, rising in every variety of ridge, the distant in softest azure, and the near clothed in the richest verdure, with hanging woods, fertile meadows, and the bright rivers, Vernieu and Tanat, meandering at the foot of the hills, on their way to join the sunny waters of the magnificent Severn. Turning towards England, a perfect contrast is presented, in the fertile and expansive plains of Shropshire, richly wooded, and profuse in luxuriant vegetation, terminated on the south by the noble Wrekin, and on the north and east by the faint outline of the distant hills of Cheshire and Stafford. The river Tanat is crossed by a stone bridge at the point of separation of this township and that of Abertannat; at the Grove about a mile and a half below Blodwell it has its confluence with the river Vernieu, which here separates Shropshire and Denbighshire.

THE SCHOOL is endowed with £100 bequeathed by Ursula Bridgeman in 1713; £100 the gift of Sir John Bridgeman in 1739; and £100 given by Judith Bridgeman. In 1825 it was discovered that there was £300 stock in the old south sea annuities standing in the names of trustees, but that no dividends had been received thereon since the 6th April, 1801. In September, 1825, £211. 10s. was received for the arrears of dividends, out of which sum £57. 10s. 6d. was paid for the expense of recovering them, of transferring the stock, and of the new trust deed, and £123. 7s. 2d. was expended in 1826 and 1827 in re-building the school. Out of the dividends amounting to £9 per annum, £7 is paid to the schoolmaster, the residue having hitherto been reserved for repairs. According to the deed of 1753 the master is entitled to three-fourths of the dividends; 50 scholars attend the school, which is partly supported by the vicar.

_Edward ap Thomas_, by his will bearing date 13th October, 1657, gave a rent charge of £2. 12s. yearly to the poor of Llanyblodwell and Llansilin, in equal portions.

DIRECTORY.—William Lyons, Esq., The hall; Rev. John Parker, The vicarage; _Farmers_, John Davies, Sarah Ellis, Richard Hughes, Edward Morris, Thomas Owen, Mary Roberts, and Edward Wall, The hall farm; Matthew Roberts, schoolmaster.

BRYNN,

a small village and township 1¼ mile N.W. from Blodwell, has 1118A. 0R. 35P. of land, 37 houses and 200 inhabitants. The country around Brynn is bold and mountainous, and the uplands are cold and exposed. The farms are in general small. Rateable value, £1063. 15s. The principal landowners are John Wynn Eyton, Esq.; John Hamor, Esq.; Mrs. Owens; Rev. John Parker; and the Earl of Powis; there are also several other freeholders. The tithes are commuted for £176. 16s. 10d., of which £85. 8s. 5d. is apportioned to the vicar of Blodwell, £27 7s. 1d. to the Rev. Maurice Jones, and £64. 1s. 4d. to the bishop of St. Asaph. GLANYRAFON HOUSE, the seat of John Hamer, Esq., is situated on an eminence, on the line of road leading into North Wales; it is surrounded with park-like grounds finely timbered and studded with thriving plantations, and from the elevated position of the mansion it has an imposing appearance. It commands views of great diversity and picturesque beauty; the meanderings of the Tanat giving an additional charm to the fairy scene. BRYNTANAT HALL, the occasional residence or hunting box of William Henry Perry, Esq., is picturesquely seated on the knoll of a hill, the foot of which is washed by the rippling stream of the Tanat. Although the hall is situate near to Bryan, it stands within the bounds of the county of Denbigh.

DIRECTORY.—John Hamor, Esq., Glanyrafon Hall; William Henry Perry, Bryntanat Hall; _Farmers_, Walter Davies, Edward Edwards, Richard Edwards, Richard Griffiths, Robert Hughes, Edward Jones, William Jones, Richard Kilner, Richard Phillips, and Richard Richards.

LLYNCLYS,

a village and small township, four miles S.W. by S. from Oswestry, contains 608A. 0R. 3P. of land; and in 1841 there were 57 houses and 275 inhabitants. Rateable value, £917. 4s. 3d.; gross estimated rental, £1,013. 11s. 10d. The Earl of Bradford; Earl Powis; Rowland Hunt, Esq.; Philip Jennings, Esq.; Hon. Thomas Kenyon; Rev. John Parker; Mr. Humphrey, and others, are land owners. The township is crossed at right angles by the Oswestry and Welshpool and the Knockin and Llansilin turnpike roads. There are extensive lime works in this township: a considerable quantity of that commodity is used by the farmers on the western borders of Shropshire and in Wales for agricultural purposes. LLYNCK LYS POOL is a small but beautiful lake of great depth, of which strange and superstitious tales prevailed in former times. It is stated that the lake was formerly the site of a royal palace, which in fairy times was sunken below the earth by a fairy spell. The late Mr. Dovaston, of the Nursery, in a ballad entitled “Llynch Lys,” thus beautifully introduces the tradition:—

“Still the villagers near, when the lake is clear, Show the towers of the palace below, And of _Croes Willin_ there, will the traveller hear, And the cave called the grim _Ogo_.

And oft from our boat of a summer’s eve, Sweet music is heard to flow, As we push from the side of the blue lake’s tide, Where the long green rushes grow.”

The rushes and reeds which grow on the margin are of extraordinary length; some have been drawn upwards of eighteen feet in length. The water lily here flourishes with the greatest luxuriance, and throws out a profusion of blossoms upon the surface of the crystal waters. PORTHY-WAEN is a populous hamlet in Llynclys township.

_Those with * affixed are at Llynclys_, _and the rest at Porthy-Waen_.

Davies Thos., vict., Red Lion

* Evans Thomas, farmer

* Griffiths Ann, farmer, Nut Tree Bank

Griffiths Francis, shopkeeper and baker

Griffiths Mary, farmer

Hughes Thos., toll collector

Hughes John, shopkeeper

Howell John, schoolmaster

Jones Edward, beerhouse

* Jones Mary, farmer

Jones David, shoemaker

* Lawrence Edward, farmer

Lewis Mary Ann, lime works

Lewis John, beerhouse

* Lloyd William, beerhouse keeper and lime works

Martin Maria, beerhouse

Newal Mrs., quarry owner

Pryce William, shopkeeper

Parkes Edward, blacksmith

Probert Edward, assistant overseer and collector

Roberts John, Dolgorth lime works

Savin Mary, lime works

Williams John, lime works

Williams John, jun., lime works

LLANYMYNECH

is a parish which contains the townships of Llanymynech-Llanytidman and Treprenal, partly situated in this county, and partly in the counties of Denbigh and Montgomery, in Wales. The entire parish in 1801 had 596 inhabitants; in 1831, 887; and in 1841, 954. Rateable value, £3,987. The village of Llanymynech is pleasantly situated, six miles south from Oswestry, and ten miles N.W. by S.S. from Shrewsbury. It has attained its present importance from the extensive quarries of limestone with which the vicinity abounds. Considerable quantities of the stone are sent to the Staffordshire iron works, for fluxing the metals. It is also burnt into lime. The Chester, Ellesmere, and Newtown canal affords facilities for carrying the material to distant parts. Copper ore was formerly found in considerable quantities, but the mines have not been worked for some time. There are 1,281 acres of land, the principal owners of which are the Earl of Bradford; Earl Powis; John Lloyd, Esq.; Richard Nightingale Broughton, Esq.; Rev. William Evans; Rev. John Luxmoore; Robert Wall, Esq.; Mr. Parker; Philip Jennings, Esq.; R. W. Kynaston, Esq.; T. W. Thomas, Esq.; Robert Wall, Esq.; Rev. William Thomas; Mrs. Evans; Hon. Francis West; Thomas West, Esq.; and Robert West, Esq. Earl Powis is lord of the manor. The soil is various in this parish. The meadow lands on the banks of the Vernieu are enriched by that river frequently overflowing its banks. The river is here crossed by a substantial stone bridge of three arches; and about a mile and a half from the village a branch of the Ellesmere canal is conducted over the river by an aqueduct of five arches, near which it is joined by the Montgomeryshire canal.

THE CHURCH, dedicated to St. Agatha, consists of nave, chancel, side aisles, and a square tower with one bell. It was rebuilt in 1845, in the decorative style of English architecture, and exhibits some fine chiselling and ornamental workmanship. The interior is neatly pewed, and has a very chaste appearance. The living is a rectory, valued in the King’s book at £12. 13s. 4d., now returned at £394, in the patronage of the Bishop of St. Asaph, and enjoyed by the Rev. John Luxmore, M.A. The rectory, a neat stuccoed residence a short distance from the church, has been much improved by the present incumbent. The tithes are commuted for £380. The National School stands near the churchyard, and is supported by subscriptions and a small charge from the scholars: about sixty children are educated. There is a school for girls in the village. Fairs are held on April 1st, May 29th, and September 23rd, and are generally well attended. A coach leaves the Red Lion Inn for Shrewsbury and Welshpool daily.

On Llanymynech hill is an artificial cave of considerable length, called _Ogo_ (from the Welsh word _Ogof_, signifying a cave), supposed to have been worked by the Romans as a copper mine. It contains many sinuosities, and is generally about three yards wide, having many turnings and passages connected with each other. Some years ago, all the passages of this subterraneous labyrinth were explored by J. F. M. Dovaston, Esq., when none of the paths were found to extend more than two hundred yards from the entrance. The passages are cut through the rock, which is of limestone, whereon frequently appear the marks of chisels, and the various ramifications have no doubt been made in quest of the rich veins of ore. Subsequent to the Romans, it probably became either a place of refuge after battle, or a depository for the dead, for human skeletons, culinary vessels, hatchets, and Roman coins have been found in this cavern. A finger-bone was picked up with a ring on it. One of the skeletons had a curious battle-axe beneath his arm, and not far from it were the bones of a man, woman, a child, a dog, and a cat. Some time ago several Roman coins, mostly of Constantine, were found in the earth which was washed down the side of the hill. The water which drops in some parts of the cave is of a petrifying quality, and forms stalactites; the drops of water hanging on the points of each, catch the light of the candle, and give the surrounding space a glittering illumination extremely beautiful. It is probable that a battle has been fought here in disputing for this mine, or that the large entrenchments, that run parallel with the Clawdd Offa eastwardly, were made to defend it. Not far from this cave is a Cromlech, called the GIANT’S GRAVE. At the north-east end are four large stones, which formerly supported a fifth flat stone on their points, in form of a Brandart, called in Welsh _Trwbad_; but these are now thrown down. Towards the south-west proceed two rows of flat stones, six feet asunder, and thirty-six in length. On digging here a Druid’s celt was found, and several other things, with human bones, the teeth very perfect.

There is a sum of £26 in the hands of the churchwardens, the origin of which is not known. It was received from the executors of the late incumbent, who died in 1829. The interest is distributed among poor women of the parish at Christmas.

LLANYTIDMAN

is a township with a scattered population, five and a half miles south from Oswestry, having in 1841, 113 houses and 545 inhabitants. Here are extensive stone quarries and lime works, and the township is intersected by the Ellesmere and Llanymynech canal, and the Oswestry and Llanymynech turnpike road.

TREPRENAL

is a small township in Llanymynech parish, comprising three houses and 21 inhabitants. Here is LLWYNYGROES HALL, the residence of R. N. Broughton, Esq., delightfully situated, commanding fine views of the surrounding country.

POST OFFICE.—_At Mr. John Lloyd’s_. Letters arrive by gig mail from Oswestry at 9.30 A.M., and are despatched 4 P.M.

_Those marked_ 1 _reside at Llanytidman_, 2 _at Treprenal_.

2 Asterley Thomas, farmer

Asterley William Lloyd, Esq.

Batterbee Charles, brazier, plumber, painter, and beerhouse keeper

Baugh Margaret, vict., Cross Keys

1 Bothell Mary, farmer

Bower William, wool agent

2 Broughton Richard Nightingale, woolstapler and maltster, Llwynygroes hall

Broughton and Asterley, grocers, drapers, and general dealers

Davies Mrs., gentlewoman

1 Davies John, farmer and miller

Dovaston Edward Milward, surgeon

1 Dyke Isaac, farmer

Ellis Letia, tailor and draper

1 Evans John, farmer, gardener, and rate collector

Griffiths Richard, blacksmith

Griffiths Richard, draper and grocer

1 Griffiths Jn., quarry master

Gwynne George, cooper

Gwynne George, shoemaker

Hackett John, tallow chander

1 Harris Geo., quarry master

1 Harrison John, farmer

Hughes Edward, shoemaker

1 Humphreys James, vict., Cross Guns

Jeffreys John, weaver

Jones Edward., saddler and harness maker

1 Jones Thomas, farmer

Leak Francis, toll collector

Lloyd John, farmer, timber merchant, builder, and vict., Lion Inn

Lloyd Richard, vict., Dolphin

Luxmoore Rev. John, the Rectory

Morgan Edward, saddler and dealer

Morris John, shoemaker

Parkins Charles, shoemaker

Poole Mrs., gentlewoman

1 Price Elizabeth, farmer

Price Hugh, seedsman

1 Pryce William, gentleman, Holly Bush

Pugh Henry, seedsman and druggist

Pugh James Owen, grocer and draper

Ratcliffe Samuel, farmer

Richards Richard, farmer, maltster, and vict., Bradford Arms

1 Roberts William, gentleman, Prospect cottage

Rodgers Edward, farmer

1 Savage Elizabeth, farmer

2 Sheldon Wm., gentleman

Thomas Thomas, farmer

Thomas Robert, schoolmaster and parish clerk

Watson Miss, post office

Whitticose Mary, gentlewoman

Williams Sarah, schoolmistress

CARRIER.—Hugh Price, to Oswestry on Wednesdays and on Mondays, Saturdays, and Welshpool on Mondays.

ST. MARTIN

is a parish, and small but pleasantly situated village, five miles N.E. from Oswestry, and about the same distance W. from Ellesmere. The parish comprises the townships of Bronygarth, Ifton Rhyn, and Weston Rhyn, containing together 5,314A. 2R. 25P. of land, and had in 1801, 1,476 inhabitants; in 1831, 2,099; and in 1841, 2,200. The village of St. Martin is included in IFTON RHYN township, which contains 2,813A. 2R. 33P. of land; and at the census of 1841 had 217 houses and 1,620 souls. Rateable value, £4,570. The principal land owners are the Right Hon. Arthur Trevor Viscount Dungannon, of Bryn-Kinalt Castle, the Hon. W. M. B. Nugent, Dean and Chapter of Winchester, R. G. Jebb, Esq., J. Haslam, Esq., Joshua Jones, Esq., Mrs. Fallows, and Edward H. Dymock, Esq. This township lies on the N.W. confines of the county, and has some fine grazing land. It is separated from Denbighshire by the Ceiriog river. The Morlass brook here turns several corn mills, and has its confluence with the Ceiriog about a mile from the Erewescob corn mill.