Shropshire Routes to Roots

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Hedgerows and houses

2. Forests and clearings

What was the landscape like 1000 years ago?

If you were to stand on the road up to Church Preen today this is what you would see. 1000 years ago the whole of this picture, would have been covered in trees as far as Wenlock Edge on the horizon.

Looking towards Wenlock Edge
[Routes to Roots original photograph]

During the medieval period woodland was a valuable resource. By the 12th century up to a third of Britain was designated Royal forest. This was a legal term meaning that only the crown and noblemen had the right to hunt in these forests.

The wooded escarpment of Wenlock Edge, today managed by the National Trust, is the remnants of the Royal 'Long Forest' . This was so named because it followed the length of the escarpment and stretched from River Severn to beyond Church Stretton.

Wenlock Edge [Opens in new window: image size 35kb]

Wenlock Edge
Larger image, in a new window [35 kb]
[Shropshire Archive reference: (229/12557)

Hughley, Kenley and Church Preen all fell within the boundaries of "Long Forest" and would have been small clearings in the trees.

The village of Hughley [Opens in new window: image size 33kb]

The village of Hughley
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[Routes to Roots original photograph]

This view of the village of Hughley is probably as it looked in the 18th century. The Elizabethan "Old Hall" a beautiful timber framed building can be seen on the right and the chimneys of the Mill Farm an 18th century building on the left.

How can we tell that this area was wooded?

Documents, Maps, and the landscape all tell us that this area was heavily wooded. This detail of a map drawn by Saxby in 1577 is illustrated liberally with little trees denoting areas of woodland. Place names also suggest that the area was heavily wooded.

If you look at the map you will see that many of the names of villages and hamlets end in the suffix "ley". This suggests a clearing in a wood. Consequently Kenley and Hughley (Hew Lee) are settlements within a clearing.

Can you find other place names ending in Ley?
Look at the top right of the map the area around Shifnal. Are many trees drawn?
How many villages have the "ley " ending?
What can you deduce from this?

Saxby's map [Opens in new window: image size 129kb]

Saxby's map of 1577
Larger image, in a new window [129kb]
[Reproduced with kind permission of Secret Shropshire ]

In 1086 a survey was carried out. This was commissioned by William the Conqueror and the results were recorded in the Domesday book. The purpose of the survey was to find out the value of the land acquired during the Conquest of Britain. William the Conqueror needed to know who owned what and what it was worth.

Clearing the woods [Opens in new window: image size 109kb]

Clearing the woods
Larger image, in a new window [109kb]
[Reproduced with kind permission of the family of Sheila Sancha]

The survey recorded the size of woods and the number of ploughs for each village, giving some indication of the amount of arable land. In 1086, at the time of the survey, Hughley, Kenley and Church Preen had one plough team each, and Kenley is recorded as having enough woodland for 400 swine!. From this time onwards ancient woodland was gradually cleared turning wasteland to agricultural land. The illustration shows men at work in the woods felling trees and managing the woodland.

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Page created 2003 and last updated 30 July 2007

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