Shropshire Routes to Roots

Pigot's Directory, 1821-1822
This map is confusing because Drayton is both the name of the wider parish - indicated by the dashed line - and of the town itself.

Slater's Directory, 1850
When the 1821 map of Drayton is compared with this one there is one important addition to the earlier map. To find out what this is, you could examine the other sources from 1850 on this page, or look at the Transport and communication: The day the canal came.

Kelly's Directory, 1895
Study this map, drawn from a new survey to the one used in 1822 and 1850:

• Have the names of any of the places on the map changed?
• How have the major towns on the map grown?

Pigot's Directory, 1821-1822
This extract is interesting as it shows the impact of changing transport on the town:

• Why might the growth of canals outside of Shropshire not have been good for Drayton's economy?
• What were the two main manufactures?

Slater's Directory, 1850
Thirty years later, it is possible to judge whether there is still an impact on the economy:

• Were the canals still affecting Drayton in 1850? What event of 1835 might have changed residents' opinions of the canals? Look in Transport and communication: The day the canal came to find out more.
• Were the markets declining or increasing in popularity?

Kelly's Directory, 1895
And finally, in 1895:

• How did Market Drayton's markets appear to be faring in 1895?
• Looking at the population figures for the previous two directories as well, did Market Drayton's population increase or decrease after 1821?

Pigot's Directory, 1821-1822
Look at the number of tradespeople listed under each category:

• How did Drayton's shopping facilities compare with other towns such as Shrewsbury or Oswestry?

Slater's Directory, 1850
When the number of tradespeople in 1850 are compared with the number in 1821, there appear to be many more. In fact what has probably happened is not that the number of businesses in the town has increased dramatically, but that the number of people listed in the directory has gone up. This is where trade directories can be slightly deceptive. Of interest on this list:

• Can you find a well-known, modern insurance company?

Kelly's Directory, 1895
On this page, it is possible to note how the technology used by ordinary people has developed since 1850. Find the jobs done by:

• Henry and William Hall
• Mark Kimberley
• George Plim

Pigot's Directory, 1821-1822
The transport links from Market Drayton appear to have been very limited in 1822:

• To what five places could you have travelled?

Slater's Directory, 1850
Thirty years later, and the transport situation seems to have changed significantly:

• To which places could you have travelled from Market Drayton in 1850?

Bear in mind that later trade directories may be more completely researched than earlier directories; it is not necessarily the case that the number of carriers or other means of transport was growing dramatically.

Kelly's Directory, 1895
This list is much more succinct than the one produced in 1850:

• Why do you think there might have been less call for extensive lists of transport in trade directories by the end of the nineteenth century?