Much Wenlock, Shropshire
Historical Description
Wenlock, Much, a market-town, a municipal borough, and a parish in Salop. The town stands under the NE end of Wenlock Edge, 8 miles NW of Bridgnorth, 12 SE of Shrewsbury, 146 by road and 163 by railway from London. It has a station on the Wellington, Much Wenlock, and Craven Arms branch of the G.W.R., and a post, money order, and telegraph office (R.S.O.) Much Wenlock dates from the ancient British times, was anciently called Llan-Meilien, signifying "St Milburga's Church." It acquired importance from a monastery founded in 680 by Milburga, daughter of King Merwald. It suffered severely from the inroads of the Danes. It became a borough, sending two members to Parliament, in the time of Edward IV., and gives the title of Baron to the family of Lawley. The ancient monastery was destroyed by the Danes, and was refounded as a Cluniac abbey in 1080 by Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury. The abbey gave rise in 1164 to Paisley Abbey, founded by the first Stuart, went at the dissolution to the Lawleys and the Berties, passed to the Gages and the Wynnes, and belongs now to the Gaskells. It was a noble cruciform edifice, measuring 401 feet from E to W, and 166 feet along the transept, included a Lady chapel of the 15th century 48 feet long, and a chapter-house 60 feet by 30, and is now represented by extensive ruins, comprising large parts of the main body of the church, parts of the Lady chapel, the chapter-house, the cloisters, and the prior's lodge and gate. The prior's lodge, a building of the 15th century, is now inhabited by the Gaskell family. An ancient hospital of St John also was here. The town consists chiefly of two streets, crossing at right angles. The Guildhall is an ancient half-timbered edifice with piazzas, and was restored in 1848. The market-hall is a modern half-timbered building opened in 1879. The corn exchange, erected in 1852, is a handsome stone building, and comprises a corn market, a museum, and an agricultural library. The church is adjacent to the priory ruins, ranges from Norman to Decorated, and consists of chancel, nave, and S aisle with a massive tower and spire. It was restored in 1853. The chancel retains sedilia, an aumbry, and a piscina. There are Primitive Methodist, and Wesleyan chapels, and a cemetery. Markets are held weekly on Mondays, and stock sales fortnightly; there is a hiring fair on 12 May. The business of the town is almost entirely agricultural, but there are limestone quarries. There are two banks, a school of art, and a police station. Races are held in April, and "Olympic Games" on Whit-Tuesday. The municipal borough extends over the parishes of Barrow, Benthall, Broseley, Linley, Posenhall, Madeley, Little Wenlock, and Willey. Acreage, 22,657; population, 15,703. It is divided into the wards of Barrow, Broseley, Madeley, and Wenlock, is governed by a mayor, 8 aldermen, and 24 councillors, who act as the urban district council, and has a separate commission of the peace and a separate court of quarter sessions. Under the Redistribution of Seats Act of 1885, Much Wenlock lost its privilege of returning members to Parliament, its representation being merged in that of the county. The parish contains the townships of Wenlock, Walton and Atterley, Callaughton and Bourton, Wyke, Bradley and Tickwood, Wigwig, Horner, and part of Presthope. Acreage, 8761; population of the civil parish, 2180; of the ecclesiastical, 2205. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Hereford; gross value, £273.
Administration
The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.
Ancient County | Salop | |
Ecclesiastical parish | Wenlock Holy Trinity | |
Liberty | Borough of Wenlock | |
Poor Law union | Madeley |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
Findmypast, in association with the Shropshire Archives have the Baptisms, Banns, Marriages, and Burials online for Much Wenlock
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Much Wenlock from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Wenlock, or Much Wenlock (Holy Trinity))
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Shropshire (Salop) is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Much Wenlock are available from a number of sites:
- Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- Google Streetview.
- National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
- OpenStreetMap.
- old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
- Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)
Newspapers and Periodicals
The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following Shropshire newspapers online:
- Shrewsbury Chronicle
- Wellington Journal
- Eddowes's Journal, and General Advertiser for Shropshire, and the Principality of Wales
- Ludlow Advertiser
- Salopian Journal
Visitations Heraldic
The Visitation of Shropshire, 1623 is available on the Heraldry page.