Part 60

The manor, vicarage, and lands in Attingham, otherwise Atcham, together with other property of great extent, were given to the monastery of the blessed Virgin Mary, of Lilleshall, by persons of the name of Blemies, in honour of God and the Virgin Mary. This was subsequently confirmed by King John. In the reign of Henry III., the abbot of Lilleshall was questioned as to his right in taking toll at the bridge of the Severn of passengers that travelled that way. In the 53rd of the same reign the abbot had a grant of a fair to be kept at Attingham on St. Giles’s day, and two days after. In the 4th of Edward I. the said abbot had a grant of another fair in the month of May, to be held on the feast of St. Augustine, and the two following days. On the dissolution of religious houses the manor and tithes of Attingham were granted by the crown to Thomas Palmer, Knight, but Sir Thomas subsequently became convicted of treason, and his lordship and estate was forfeited to the crown, and was soon after granted to Sir John Gage, Knight. In 1693 it was possessed by the Gowers, and the lordship is described as containing twenty messuages, three water mills, twenty gardens, 200 acres of land, forty acres of meadow, 200 acres of pasture, ten acres of wood, twenty acres of furze, and the fishery of the Severn. In the 1st year of Queen Anne, William Gower obtained an act for the sale of the manor, when it was conveyed to Rowland Hill, Esq., for the sum of £3,413. His descendant, the Hon. Richard Hill, in consideration of his affection and regard for his sister, Margaret Harwood, wife of Thomas Harwood, Esq., conveyed the manor of Attingham to the use of his sister Margaret for her life, with remainder to Thomas Harwood, the younger, who afterwards took the name of Hill, on whose decease this property descended to his son, Noel Hill, who was created a baron by the title of Baron Berwick, of Attingham, in the year 1784, on whose decease it came to his eldest son, Thomas Noel Lord Berwick, who dying in 1833 without issue the manor and domain of Attingham descended to his brother, William Noel Hill Lord Berwick, and is now held by the Right Hon. Richard Noel Hill Lord Berwick, whose princely seat is ATTINGHAM HALL, one of the most extensive and elegant mansions in the county. It was built from a design by Stewart, and consists of a centre adorned with a magnificent portico of the composite order, supported by four circular pillars upwards of forty feet in height, and two wings connected with the main building by corridors. The situation of the mansion is peculiarly fine, and the extensive park by which it is surrounded is beautifully enriched with wooded scenery; the waters of the majestic Severn and the river Tern adding much to the picturesque beauty of the whole. The interior of the mansion is magnificently furnished, and contains a fine gallery of pictures, chiefly by the early Italian masters, also a fine collection of Etruscan vases and other antiquities from Herculaneum. In the picture gallery is a curious model of Mount Vesuvius, upon a large scale, made of the materials of the mountain by the late traveller Dr. Clarke. The park is stocked with deer. Attingham hall has not been occupied for several years, the present noble lord having chiefly resided at Cronkhill, on the opposite side of the Severn.

BERWICK MAVASTON is a lordship within the parish of Atcham, and was bestowed on Malvesyn, “one of those two hundred and sixty knights famous in the conqueror’s army,” who fought in his cause at Hastings, and by whose means he won the crown of England. Malvesyn having braved all the dangers, and therefore having a right to share the spoils of victory, would be eager to fix his residence on some of the conquered lands. His valour was rewarded by the grant of the lordship of Rideware, which was probably held by this Norman knight, under the Earls of Shrewsbury by the knightly tenure of bearing arms against the Welsh. He got possession of other lands about the same period, among which was the lordship of Berwicke Juxta Attingham, which he held under the same barony, by military service; and as the leading branch of this family gave their name to the seigniory of Manvesin Rosny, in France, so we find the younger branch communicated the same name to the respective lordships of Manvesin Ridware, and Manvesin Berwick, in England, where this family flourished in the days of our Henrys and Edwards—a knightly race in an age of gallantry; foremost like their Norman kindred in deeds of arms and works of piety. The situation, however, not being very distant from the borders of Wales, and holding the domain by the tenure of border service, his descendants found it no easy task to defend what their common ancestor had won by the sword. In the reign of Henry IV. John Malvesyn being slain at a hunting match, with men of Shropshire, at the Wrekin, and dying without issue, his niece Editha carried the Berwick estate into the family of Wydcomb, from whom it passed in like manner to the Hambrooks, and was purchased from them by the ancestor of the present proprietor, Lord Berwick.

CHILTON, CRONKHILL, and EMSTREY are three small townships for highway purposes, in the parish of Atcham on the western side of the river Severn, near the Holyhead and Shrewsbury turnpike road. The land in Chilton is chiefly the property of Robert Burton, Esq. Cronkhill is the property and seat of the Right Hon. Richard Noel Hill Lord Berwick, whose principal seat is Attingham hall. The house at Cronkhill is a plain stuccoed structure. EMSTREY is situated about two miles and a half from Shrewsbury, and has upwards of 500 acres of land, which is the property of Lady Tyrwhitt. UCKINGTON township is situated on the eastern side of the Severn; the land is the property of the Duke of Cleveland, who is also the impropriator.

CHARITIES.—_Joseph Jones_, by will, 1729, directed that six o’clock prayers in St. Alkmund’s church, Shrewsbury, should be continued for ever, for which purpose he gave a yearly rent charge of £7. 10s., issuing out of his tenement and lands in Astley, £6 thereof yearly to be paid to the vicar or curate of the parish of St. Alkmund, or St. Mary, or on their neglect to such other minister of the church of England as should read prayers in either of the said churches about the hour of six o’clock in the evening, and 20s. to the clerk, and 10s. to the sexton for officiating on such occasions; and in case of neglect or refusal, he gave the said legacy to the poor of the parish of Atcham, to be applied in the education of poor children, or in the maintenance of decayed housekeepers; and he further directed that the payment of 20s. yearly, for the instruction of two poor boys or girls in the charity school of Shrewsbury, should be continued for ever, if his wife should think fit. And as to the residue of the rents of the lands in Astley, he bequeathed the same to his wife, with liberty for her to sell a parcel of land called the Wood Meadow; and after her decease, without issue, he decided that she, by her will or otherwise, should dispose of the remainder of the rents reserved upon the lease to such charitable uses as she should think fit; but for want of such appointment after his wife’s decease, he directed that as there was divine service in the chapel of Astley only every third Sunday in the month, 10s. monthly should be paid to a minister to read prayers and preach in the said chapel every first and last Sunday in the month; but in case of neglect or refusal, he gave the rent charge to the poor of Atcham and Astley, or for educational purposes, at the discretion of the trustees. As executor to Thomas Cox, Mr. Jones had in his hands a legacy of £5, given for the poor of Atcham, and a sum of £30 entrusted to him by the Bromley, to buy coals for the poor of Shrawardine; for securing the payments of 5s. and 30s. as interest of the above, Mr. Jones charged his lands in Astley and Coleham with the payment thereof. Elizabeth Jones directed the six o’clock prayers should he continued in the parish of St. Alkmund as mentioned in her husband’s will; and the yearly sums of £6. 20s., and 10s. paid as by him directed; and she appointed 40s. to be paid to the said minister to provide candles during the winter, in case the parish should refuse, and £5 yearly to be paid to the organist of St. Mary’s. The estate at Astley contains 58A. 2R. 6P., and when the charity commissioners published their report, produced a yearly rental of £60, out of which £6 is paid to the minister of Astley, £5 to the organist of St. Mary’s, and £1. 10s. to the poor of Shrawardine. Though the last-mentioned payment, and the interest of £5 as Cock’s legacy, were charged upon the testators’ estates in Shrewsbury and Coleham, as well as that in Astley, the Shrewsbury and Coleham estates have been sold or passed to different hands as being exonerated from the charge. Nothing has been paid for many years for maintaining prayers in the church of St. Alkmund, or St. Mary’s, Shrewsbury, the duty required not having been performed. The interest of Cock’s legacy is to be considered as included in the portion of the residue paid to the parish. After the payment of the several sums above mentioned, and any incidental expenses that may be incurred, the residue is divided between the parish of Atcham and the township of Astley, £40 generally to the former, and £10 to the latter. The Atcham portion is disposed of with the produce of other charities, in money or clothing, on St. Thomas’s day, chiefly among such of the poor as do not receive parochial relief.

_Thomas Burton_, _Esq._, of Longnor, in 1730, bequeathed £10 per annum for the use of the poorest inhabitants of this parish, and charged an estate in Berwick with the payment of the same. The amount is given away with the produce of Jones’s charity.

_The Countess of Harborough_, in 1765, left to the poor of this parish the sum of £200, the interest to be annually distributed by the patron and minister of Atcham. This sum was laid out, in the year 1792, in the purchase of £193. 11s. 6d. stock, four per cent. annuities, and in the year 1803 the sum of £44. 2s. 10d., which was raised by suffering the dividends to accumulate, was laid out in the purchase of additional stock to make up the sum of £250. The dividends, amounting to £8. 15. per annum, together with £1. 5s. added by the vicar to make up the deficiency occasioned by the reduction of the dividends, is also disposed of with the produce of Jones’s charity.

_Margaret Thompson_, in 1751, gave £6, the yearly interest to purchase bibles and prayer books for poor children. This sum is in the hands of the vicar, and he applies the interest according to the donor’s intentions.

_Thomas Hill_, in 1779, bequeathed £100 to the vicar, churchwardens, and overseers of Atcham, on trust, to apply the interest in relieving the necessities of the poor not receiving parochial relief. This gift is in the hands of Lord Berwick, who distributes annually a quantity of meat and provisions, exceeding the amount of the interest.

In 1666 _John Cox_ left £20 to the poor of the parish. _Joan Blakeway_, in 1684, left a yearly sum of 6s. to be distributed among the poor. _John Calcott_, in 1698, charged a tenement in Worthen with the payment of 12s. and 7s. a year, to be distributed among poor housekeepers of Atcham. He also charged the same premises with the legacy of Joan Blakeley, of 6s. yearly. It is supposed that something was paid in respect of these charities by Scarlet Lloyd, Esq., who died about fifty years ago. Nothing, however, has been paid since that period; and though some pains have been taken to discover the tenement in Worthen subject to the payment of the charities, no satisfactory information has been obtained.

_Richard Cox_ gave £5, and directed the interest to be expended in bread and given to the poor on Easter day. The sum of 5s. was paid in respect of this charity for several years, by Robert Burton, Esq., of Longnor, supposing it to be charged on property taken by him from one of the Calcott family, in exchange for other lands. On examining the title deeds at a subsequent period, no such charge is mentioned, and he therefore declined paying in any longer.

_Dorothy Whitcome_ left £10 for the benefit of the poor. In 1742, this gift, by some means which we are unable to account for, was reduced to £4. 7s. 8½d., and at a parish meeting held in that year, it was agreed to distribute the principal among the poor.

ATCHAM, BERWICK, CHILTON, CRONKHILL, EMSTREY, AND UCKINGTON DIRECTORIES.

The Right Hon. Richard Noel Hill, Lord Berwick, Attingham Hall and Cronkhill

Adams John, farm bailiff, Cronkhill

Burgwin Thomas, blacksmith, Atcham

Burton Rev. Henry, the Vicarage, Atcham

Casewell Thomas, shoemaker, Atcham

Clayton John, farmer, Berwick

Cotterill Edwin, farmer, the Grange, Atcham

Ditcher Joseph, farmer, Uckington

Hand Ann, vict., Berwick’s Arms, commercial and boarding house

Higgins John, farmer, Berwick

Hughes Hannah, vict., Horse Shoe, Uckington

Leigh Edward, coal agent, to Shropshire Coal Company, Atcham

Linell Henry, farmer, Emstrey

Lowe James, farmer, Uckington

Mancell Ann, shopkeeper, Atcham

Mason Robert, wheelwright, Atcham

Miller William, farmer, Uckington

Nunnerley William, coal agent to Hazledine and Co., Atcham

Peach Miss, boarding school, Chilton

Peach William, maltster & saddler, Atcham

Price John, farm bailiff, Berwick

Price William, farmer, Chilton

Rose John, farmer, Emstrey

Vaughan John, Esq., Chilton grove

Weatherby Robert, registrar, Atcham

BOLAS MAGNA, OR GREAT BOLAS,

is a parish and small rural village, in a retired part of the country, seven miles W. by N. from Wellington. The houses are in general scattered, but pleasantly situated on the banks of the river Tern, which divides this parish from Little Bolas. The parish contains 1,784 acres of land; mostly a bold undulating district, the soil of which is a mixture of sand and loam. The meadow lands are highly fertile. In 1801, there were 207 inhabitants; 1831, 255; and in 1841, 55 houses and a population of 228 souls. Rateable value, £2,682. The principal landowners are John Taylor, Esq., Thomas Taylor, Esq., Joseph Ogle, Esq., and Mrs. Pooler, besides whom there are several smaller proprietors. The Newport, Preston Brockhurst, and Wellington turnpike roads cross the township. THE CHURCH, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, is a brick structure, except the chancel which is of stone, situated on a gentle eminence near the banks of the river Tern. It has a square tower, which contains two bells. The interior has a neat appearance; it is pewed with oak sittings, and has a small gallery. In the chancel is a neat tablet in memory of John Ogle, Esq., and his wife, dated 1840. Another mural tablet remembers Thomas Griffith, and several members of that family, and is dated 1745. The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £7. 9s. 4½d. Gross income, £368. 14s, in the patronage of Viscount Hill, incumbent, Rev. John Hill, M.A., who resides at THE RECTORY, a pleasantly situated house, on elevated ground, near the banks of the river Tern. The rectory was built a few years ago by the present incumbent, in aid of which a grant was obtained from the governors of Queen Anne’s Bounty. There are 46 acres of glebe land. A small organ was purchased for the church in 1843; the cost of it, £63, was raised by subscriptions, chiefly given by the family of Hill. There is a SCHOOL in the village, where 20 children are educated free; other children are admitted on the payment of a small sum weekly. BOLAS HOUSE, the residence of John Taylor, Esq., is a spacious brick structure, surrounded with neat pleasure grounds and park-like enclosures. BURLEIGH VILLA, a good house, with projecting gables, is approached by an avenue of trees, and delightfully situated, is the property and residence of Thomas Taylor, Esq. Bolas is celebrated as the place where the late Marquis of Exeter domiciled for a time under the assumed name of Mr. Jones, courted, and married Miss Sarah Hoggins, and finally raised her to the rank of a British peeress. At the time Mr. Cecil visited Great Bolas, Mr. Hoggins had a farm and kept a small shop. One evening, just as the day had closed, a stranger presented himself at the door, and stated that he was benighted in a strange part of the country, and would be grateful for the accommodation of a bed, or, in case that would be inconvenient, to rest on a chair or otherwise. Mrs. Hoggins, however, very abruptly gave a refusal, but Mr. Hoggins expressed it as his opinion that it was their christian duty to befriend the stranger; to which Mrs. Hoggins eventually assented. In the morning, the stranger arose, and went to survey the farm premises and stock; but the principal object that attracted his attention was the farmer’s daughter, Sarah, feeding the poultry. She was a handsome girl, with a lively and cheerful countenance, bespeaking sensibility and happiness. The heart of the stranger was no longer his own, but he determined not to be too premature, and therefore made an agreement to become an inmate of the farmer’s dwelling. He employed his leisure hours in assisting Mr. Hoggins in the rural affairs of his farm, and in domestic matters as occasion occurred, frequently visiting Wellington in the market cart. Mr. Jones eventually began to manifest a degree of partiality for Miss Hoggins, and placed her at a school at Wellington. This circumstance did not escape the notice of the neighbours, and the mysterious stranger was the talk of the surrounding district. Most people could discover that he was no ordinary person, and various were the suppositions as to his real character; but generally the idea prevailed among the gossips of the neighbourhood that he was captain of a gang of robbers, and this opinion was strengthened by the occasional visit of strangers and the absence of Mr. Jones every now and then for a few days, after which he had always plenty of money. He finally made proposals of marriage to Miss Hoggins, whose heart had from the first felt a kindred flame, and he was accordingly accepted. He then pressed his suit with the parents, but the cautious mother sternly refused, and thought there might be some truth in the supposition of her neighbours as to the real character of her guest; but the father had observed their mutual attachment, and the conclusiveness of his reasoning, “Has he not plenty of money to keep her?” eventually prevailed with the good old dame. After his marriage with Sarah, he engaged masters in every branch of polite education to accomplish his bride. In the course of time the lovely bride had a daughter, which died, and was buried at Bolas. Her second child, Brownlow, became the Marquis of Exeter. On the demise of his uncle, in December, 1793, he became entitled to the honours and estates of the Earldom of Exeter; he, therefore, found it necessary to repair to London. He accordingly set out, as on a journey of pleasure, taking his wife with him, and on the route called at several noblemen’s houses, where, to the astonishment of his wife, he was welcomed in the most friendly manner. At length they arrived at the beautiful patrimonial seat of his lordship (Burleigh, in Northamptonshire), and on approaching the house he asked his wife, with an air of unconcern, whether she would like it to be her home; which she immediately assenting to, he then said, “My dear Sarah, it is yours!” and on making his appearance in front of the house, he was instantly recognised, and received with acclamations of joy by the family and domestics.

His lordship shortly afterwards returned to Bolas, discovered his rank to his wife’s father and mother, put them in a house he had built there, and settled on them an income of £700 per annum. He also amply provided for the brothers and sisters of his countess; and generously pensioned all the servants and workpeople of the villa. The countess, from her pleasing and unassuming manners, was received with the greatest cordiality in the high circle of her noble husband, and was introduced to her majesty, the late Queen Charlotte. She, however, lived but a short period to enjoy her exalted station, dying in child-bed January 8th, 1797.

MESSON is a small township, in Great Bolas parish, about half a mile S.E. from the church, the acres of which are returned with the parish. The landowners are the Duke of Cleveland, Joseph Ogle, Esq., Mr. Collier, Mr. Samuel Miner, Mr. William Flemming, Mr. William Wild, and Mr. Thomas Wild. At the census in 1841 the township contained 17 houses and 85 inhabitants. MESSON HALL is now occupied by Mr. Joseph Ogle, as a farm residence.

CHARITIES.—_Elizabeth Walker_, in 1723, bequeathed £20 to the poor of this parish, the interest to be expended in bread, and given every Lord’s day among the poor. _John Whitfield_, who had lived 55 years a servant in the family of Sir Rowland Hill, and who died in 1747, left £10 for a distribution of bread on St. John’s day.

BOLAS DIRECTORY.—William Oxon, farmer; John Betley, farmer; John Blanton, farmer; Samuel Brasenell, shopkeeper and victualler; Fox and Hounds; Samuel Buckley, farmer and corn miller; Richard Cherrington, shoemaker; Richard Fox, farmer; Rev. Matthew Kinsey, curate, The Rectory; Benjamin Phillips, wheelwright; John Taylor, Esq., Bolas House; Thomas Taylor, Esq., Burleigh Villa.

MEESON DIRECTORY.—Thomas Bellingham, farmer, Shrey-hill; Thomas Blanton, farmer; William Flemming, tailor; Samuel Miner, farmer; Joseph Ogle, farmer, Meeson Hall; Thomas Wild, shoemaker; William Wild, farmer.

BUILDWAS