SHROPSHIRE. 



the mafTacre of their chief. After the conqueft, nearly the 

 whole of ShropHiire was beftowed on Roger de Montgo- 

 mery, a relation of the conqueror's ; but the inroads of the 

 Welih frequently difturbed liim in the enjoyment of his 

 fplendid acquifitions. In 1067 they laid fiege to Shrewf- 

 bury, the feat of his baronial power, with fo formidable a 

 force, that the king found it neceliary to march againll them 

 in perfon, when they were defeated with great flaughter. 

 This difcomfiture, however, only ferved to increafe the 

 warlike fpirit of the Welih ; and WiUiam, finding himfelf 

 foiled in his repeated attempts to reduce thofe high-fpirited 

 foes to fubmillion by open combat, adopted a more politic 

 mode of warfare. He iflued grants to certain of his favourites 

 of all the lands they fhould be able to conquer from the 

 Welfli ; and endeavoured to divide and weaken the Welfli 

 border c»hieftains themfelves, by promifing a confirmation of 

 all the rights and privileges to fuch of them as would 

 fimply acknowledge the fovereignty of the Englifh crown. 

 Hence appears to have originated the feignories and juril- 

 diftions of the lord marchers, whofe power was even more 

 arbitrary and defpotic than that of the monarch himfelf. 

 They conilrufted and repaired fortrefles at their pleafure, 

 and garrifoned them with foldiers of their own. They 

 likewife built towns, and exercifed the moil abfolute au- 

 thority, both civil and military, witliin their refpeclive 

 territories. In later times, however, this power was con- 

 fiderably controlled by a chief court of the marches of 

 North Wales, which was generally held at Ludlow, but 

 fometimes alfo at Shrewftury and other towns ; and was 

 (till more Umited after the union of Wales with England, 

 from which period no lord marcher could exercife any pre- 

 rogative not confirmed to him by charter, without a fpecial 

 licence from the crown. During the various revolts which 

 occurred fubfcquent to the death of Edward I., and alfo 

 during the contentions for the crown between the houfes 

 of York and Lancaftcr, Shropftiire was occafionaliy the 

 fcene of military contells, of which the mod celebrated 

 was the battle of Shrewfbury. When the civil war broke 

 out in the 17th century, this county was peculiarly diftin- 

 guiihed for its loyalty ; but except the taking of the county- 

 town by the parhamentary forces, no tranfaftion of peculiar 

 intereft happened within its limits throughout that unfor- 

 tunate era. 



General Afpecl, Soil, and Climate Shroplhire pofleifes 



within its boundaries almoit every variety of natural charm ; 

 the bold and lofty mountain ; the woody and fecluded 

 valley ; the fertile and widely cultured plain ; the majelUc 

 river, and the fequeltercd lake. The foil is no Icfs various. 

 In the hundred of Ofwcltry, a deep loam and gravelly foil 

 prevail ; and in thofe of North Bradford and Eall Brimilrey, 

 a light or faiidy loam. PimluU hundred contains a mixture 

 of " boggy land, and of fandy foil, with a greater propor- 

 tion of found wheat land." In the other hundreds, clays of 

 different confiilcnce form the mott general foil ; but there 

 are numerous patches and extenfivc trafts both of deep and 

 fandy loam, gravel, &c. The climate of courfc partakes 

 of the charadler of its furface and foil. On the caltern fide 

 of the county, where the land is warm and flat, harveil fre- 

 quently commences a fortnight fooner than near tlie middle 

 of the county, where the vales are extenfivc, but the furface 

 lefs light, and the bottom often clayey ; and hay and grain 

 are both gathered earlier there than on the weftern fide, 

 where the vales are narrow, and the high lands frequent and 

 extenfive, although the foil is not in general fo flifi". The 

 eailerly winds prevail moll in fpring, and thofe from the 

 weft in autumn ; but the eailerly winds are tlie mofl regular ; 

 thofe from the well blowing for a fcries of month* (five 



or fix perhaps) ftrong and frequent, and then for nearly 

 a fimilar period lefs often and lefs violent. The fame may 

 be faid of the wet and dry feafons in this county, but the 

 periods of both appear to be much fhorter. 



Rivers and Lakes. — Shropfhire abounds with rivers as 

 much as any county in England. The principal among 

 them is the Severn, which, after bounding the county for 

 feveral miles, enters it near Melverley, and flows on in an 

 irregular Terpentine channel to Shrewfbur)-, which it nearly 

 encircles. At this town it turns towards the north, but 

 foon again fweeps to the fouthvvard, pafTing by Wroxeter, 

 Madeley, and Bridgenorth, to Bewdley, where it enters 

 Worcellerfhire. Its courfe within Shropfhire is elUmated 

 at nearly feventy miles in length, throughout the whole of 

 which fpace it is navigable for barges, trows, wherries, and 

 boats, and is abundantly fupplied with fifh of various deno- 

 minations. The contributary ilreams to this great river, 

 belonging to the county, are the Camlet, the Vyrnyw, the 

 Morda-Brook, the Perry, the Mcole-Brook, the Rea, the 

 Tern, the Bell-Brook, the Cund-Brook, the Worf, the 

 Marbrook, and the Bore-Brook, all of them confiderable 

 waters. Thofe of moil importance, which do not join the 

 Severn, are the Morles, which falls into the Dee, the Temc, 

 the Shelbrook, the Elf-Brook, the Weever, the Clun, the 

 Ony, which difcliarges itfelf into the Teme, in Herefordfhire, 

 and the Corve ; but befides thefe, there are nearly a hun- 

 dred flreams of minor extent, which our limits will not 

 permit us to mention. The lakes here are numerous, but 

 none of them are very extenfive. That of Ellefmere, which 

 is the largeft, covers about 1 16 acres of ground. 



Minerals. — Shropfhire is well fupplied with minerals. 

 The mines of lead-ore, on the weftern fide of the county, 

 are extremely produftive, and their produft is reckoned to 

 be of excellent quality. Copper and calamine are likewife 

 found here in great quantities, but neither of them has 

 hitherto been mined with any degree of fuccefs. Coal of a 

 fuperior kind is wrought on the eallern fide of the county, 

 particularly in the parifhes of Welhngton, Lilleihall, 

 Wrockwardine, Wombridge, Stirchley, Dawley, Little- 

 Wenlock, Madeley, Barrow, Benthall, and Brofeley. It 

 is Ukewife found in the hundred of Stottefden, and to the 

 fouthward of the Clee liills ; alfo on the north and north- 

 weft confines of the county. Iron-ftone, as is ufually the 

 cafe, accompanies the coal ftrata, as well as lime-ilone, 

 which is quarried in various places, but particularly at 

 Lilleihall, Porth-y-Wain, and Llanymynach, and in the 

 parifhes of Cardifton and Alberbury. This county further 

 contains abundance of building-ftone, and flates for cover- 

 ing roofs. At Pitchford, about feven miles S.E. from 

 Shrewfbury, is a red fand-ftone, approaching the furface in 

 many places, which exudes a mineral pitch. From this rock 

 is extrafted an oil, known by the name of Betton's Britifli 

 oil. Mr. Arthur Aikin is preparing an intcrefting publica- 

 tion on the mineralogical ftratification of this county. 



State of Property, Isfc. — The extent of ettates in tliit 

 county is very various. While the poficfFions of a few 

 noblemen and gentlemen include from 10,000 to 25,000 

 acres each, there is an infinite number of freeholders' and 

 yeomen's cftates of all inferior fixes. TIic number of free- 

 holders entitled to vote amount to above jooo ; and the 

 total rental of the county, tithes inclulivc, to about 

 900,00c/. There is much copyhold tenure, but of eafier 

 cuiloms than in moft of the neiglibouring counties. The 

 lords of fome cuftomary manors have enfrancliifed the copy, 

 holders, upon receiving an equivalent in money ; but the 

 cuftoms of the greater number are ftill preferved and afted 

 upon. In the manors of Ford, Cundover, Wcro, and Lop. 

 4 K 2 pington, 



