HISTORY OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 317 



brick, well-built, and regular. The market-day is Friday, and it is 

 well supplied with provisions. There are four annual fairs : Midlent 

 Thursday, Holy Thursday, August 5th, and the first Friday in 

 November, principally for horses, cattle, and sheep. 



According to the parliamentary returns of the population in the 

 year 1801, the parish of Eccleshall contained 594 houses ; 1,737 

 males, and 1,750 females : total, 3,487 persons. In 1811, the town 

 of Eccleshall contained 217 houses, 225 families ; 466 males, 550 

 females : total, 1016 persons. At the same period, the whole parish 

 of Eccleshall contained 693 houses, 711 families; 1805 males, 1813 

 females : total, 3,618 inhabitants. There are several good inns 

 and large shops in Eccleshall, but no manufactures, except the 

 common handicraft trades. The neighbourhood of the town is 

 pleasant, and the land fertile. 



Eccleshall Church is a large and handsome fabric of stone, in the 

 Gothic style of architecture, and consists of the nave, a north and 

 south aisle, and the chancel. The nave is lighted on the south 

 side by nine large Gothic windows, and the chancel by one large 

 and three narrow windows, besides that at the eastern end, which 

 is partly built up. There are also several windows on the north 

 side. The interior is clean and commodious, the pews are of oak, 

 and the chancel contains several monuments, particularly of the 

 Bosvilles, who formerly possessed the estate at Biana, near Eccle- 

 shall Castle. 



This church and the church-yard are situated at the extremity 

 of the town, on the road to Chester. The square tower of the 

 church is large and high, built of stone, and adorned with eight 

 pinnacles and a vane. It contains six bells and a clock. The rooks 

 have taken possession of this airy citadel, and may be seen in 

 numbers flying in and out of the apertures in the steeple. The 

 general exterior appearance of the church is magnificent, the walls 

 are ornamented with small pinnacles and battlements, and the 

 southern entrance is through a very beautiful and high Gothic 

 arch. This edifice bears strong marks of antiquity, and is evi- 

 dently verging to decay, for the wall on the northern side is sup- 

 ported by five strong buttresses. This church is memorable for 

 being the place where Queen Margaret was concealed after the 

 disastrous battle of Blore-heath. 



Eccleshall Castle is the residence of the Bishop of the Diocese. 

 It was built in 1299, by Walter de Langton, Bishop of Lichfield, 

 and Lord High Treasurer of England, who established it as the- 



