Wellington, Shropshire
Historical Description
Wellington, a market-town, the head of a poor-law union, petty sessional division, and county court district, and a parish in Salop. The town stands at a convergence of railways, near Watling Street, 2 miles NE of the Wrekin, 7½ SW of Newport, 10½ E of Shrewsbury, and 142 by road and 152 by railway distant from London. It has a station on the section of the G.W.R. to Shrewsbury and Chester, and on the section of the L. & N.W.R. to Shrewsbury, and from this station branches on the G.W.R go to Market Drayton and Crewe, and to Much Wenlock and Craven Arms, and a branch of the L. & N.W.R. to Oakengates and Coalport. It has a head post office. Wellington was originally called Watling Town, from Watling Street. It was the place where Charles I. in 1642 mustered his forces and issued his first proclamation. It is a seat of petty sessions and county courts, a nominal borough, is governed by a district council, and carries on much trade as the centre of a populous mining and agricultural territory. There are agricultural implement manufactories, iron-foundries, mailings, and timber yards. The town contains some evidences of antiquity in narrow streets and half-timbered houses, but has undergone much extension and improvement in modern times. The town-hall is a fine building in the Italian style erected in 1867, and the county courts are held here. All Saints' Church is a light edifice of freestone in the Classic style, erected in 1790. Christ Church, erected in 1838, is an edifice of white brick in the Early English style. There are Roman Catholic, Baptist, Primitive Methodist, and Wesleyan chapels. The cemetery was formed in 1875, and has two mortuary chapels. Markets are held on Thursdays and Saturdays, and a cattle sale is held every Monday. A weekly newspaper is published. There are two banks, a police station, a dispensary, and a workhouse.
The parish includes also Arleston, Beverley, Hadley, Horton, Horsehay Common, Ketley, Lawley, Lawley Bank, Lawley Common, New Dale, New Hadley, Red Lake, and Rock. It comprises 8731 acres; population, 12,276. The ecclesiastical parish of All Saints, with Eyton-on-the-Weald Moors, has a population of 3893, and the ecclesiastical parish of Christ Church, constituted in 1859, a population of 3117. Hadley and Ketley form separate ecclesiastical parishes. There are mineral springs at Admaston Hall, 1¼ mile distant from the town. Apley Castle is the chief residence. The livings are vicarages in the diocese of Lichfield; gross value of All Saints', £620 with residence; net value of Christ Church, £19 8 with residence. Patron, the Vicar of Wellington.
Wellington or Mid Parliamentary Division of Salop was formed under the Redistribution of Seats Act, 1885, and returns one member to the House of Commons. Population, 46,225. The division includes the following:-Bradford Wellington (part of)-Buildwas, Dawley, Eaton Constantine, Eyton, Leighton, Stirchley, Uppington, Wellington, Wombridge, Wrockwardine, Wroxeter; Bradford Newport (part of) -Lilleshall, Preston-on-the wild-Moors; Wenlock Borough (part of)-Benthall, Broseley, Little Wenlock, Madeley.
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 | Wellington All Saints | |
Hundred | South Bradford | |
Poor Law union | Wellington |
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 Wellington
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Wellington from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Wellington (All Saints))
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Shropshire (Salop) is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Wellington 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.