Shropshire Routes to Roots - Shropshire places - Wem
by Samuel Garbet
I have already taken notice of its antiquity, and situation, its flourishing state in the civil war, and its ruin by the great fire. I should be glad if I could give an account of the revolutions it has undergone in the barons' wars, when without doubt it had its share in the calamities of those trouble some times; and in the wars between the houses of York and Lancaster, especially in the reign of Henry VI. when according to a M.S. note in an old history, a large town called Wem was demolished to the ground, with it walls and castle. At the same time Red castle near Weston, was destroyed, I have reason to believe this was done by the earl of Salisbury, in 1459, after he had defeated, and slain lord Audley, who was possessed of a third part of Red castle, and the estate belonging thereto. Wem influenced by lord Audley, or directed by Ralph, lord Greystock, then baron thereof, might adhere to the king, and provoke the Yorkists to treat it with this severity. However it was not long before it recovered in some measure its former condition, by the encouragement, and bounty of the noble lord last mentioned.
In ancient writings we often read of houses being within, or without the bars, For there were three bars at the chief entrances of the town, one at the long stone near the pinfold, another below the parsonage house, and a third against the present school house. So long in the reign of queen Elizabeth in 1588, the town jury was called the homage within the bars, and time country jury, the homage without the bars.
Wem has the benefit of a good air, plenty of the best water, and is noted for its excellent malt liquors. Its extent from east to west is about half a mile, and above a quarter from north to south. The number of time houses is about two hundred and fifty, and inhabitants one thousand, reckoning four to a house. It consists of six streets, and four lanes. The streets are the High-street, Cripple-street, Noble-street, New Cripple-street, Mill-street, and the New-street. The lanes are Leek-lane, the Horse Fair, Maiden-lane, and the Dark lane.
The church is dedicated to the Apostles, Peter and Paul, as Mr. William Mytton found in an ancient deed; but no wakes is kept in memory thereof. The walls appear to be built of different stone, and at different times. The north porch, and the lower part of the walls are made of red Middle stone, coarsely worked, being perhaps the remains of the first church erected here in the Saxons' time. The steeple, the upper part of the walls, and most of the buttresses are of white Grinshill stone, and of more regular workmanship, having been probably finished in the beginning of the reign of Edward IV. soon after the demolition of the town by the earl of Salisbury. The vestry was built a little before the great fire, which burnt the roof, then covered with shingles, the pews, the gallery, and all the timber work, damaged the walls, and melted the bells. The arch under the east-side of the steeple, and the west window in the steeple were made in 1667; part of the west end of the church, all the roof, the north windows, the pews, &c. in 1678. Towards defraying this expense, near £200. were given, chiefly by the neighbouring gentlemen, and the inhabitants.
The lord's chancel was rebuilt about the year 1680. The chancels are separated from the body of the church by a partition supported by twelve pilasters of wood. In 1686, the Communion table was inclosed with the present rail and balusters. The foot pace is raised two steps above the rest of the floor; and the wall about it has been lately wainscotted with oak to the height of five feet and a half. The table is covered with a carpet of crimson velvet, edged with gold fringe; and provided with two cushions of crimson velvet, bound with gold lace. The common prayer books laid on the cushions are bound in Turkey leather, and gilt after a curious manner. These ornaments are owing to the influence of doctor Eyton, the present rector. On the north wall is an hatchment for Thomas Hill, esq. the last of the family at Soulton.
The nave, or the body of the church consists of two isles, supported in the middle by wooden columns. On the partition wall at the upper end of the principal isle, the king's arms are painted. Below are the creed and Lord's prayer. On each side are the ten commandments, on two tables, with the portrait of the head and shoulders of Moses, and Aaron, as standing behind to support them. The date of these decorations is 1680. The pulpit is curiously carved, being the gift of William Probin; and on Sundays is covered with a cloth of crimson velvet, with gold fringe, having the letters J. H. S. being the initials of Jesus Hominum Salvator, Jesus the Saviour of Men, together with a cross above, and an emblem of the Trinity below, finely embroidered in the middle of the cloth with threads of gold. The cushion is of the same velvet, with golden fringe and tassels. The velvet hanging for the desk is of a darker red than the pulpit cloth, but of the same sort of fringe. These rich ornaments were got by order of doctor Eyton. There are two long, and one cross alley, with pews on each side: over the chief alley is a handsome branch of brass, the gift of the Rev. Mr. Tyler, or rather of his aunt Walford. There is a gallery on the south side, and another on the west end, where had been the only one that was before the fire. The cavity of the font is so shallow, that it is not practicable to dip infants in it.
The steeple is twenty-three yards high to the top of the battlements. On the west side stands the statue of a man at full length, and as big as the life, with a truncheon in his hand. On the west side is another statue of a woman, with a cross in her left hand, and the model of the church in her right. The first figure I believe represents Ralph, lord Greystock, baron of Wem, who probably was at the charge of building the steeple, and the other may be his lady, who might promote so good a work. Within is a ring of five bells, cast in 1680; and a clock and chimes set up in 1726.
The silver plate belonging to the church is of the largest size. The chalice and pattin were the gift of Gerrard Shelley, and Cicely, his wife; the flagon of Thomas Groom, and Anne, his wife, in 1707. The bason for receiving the oblations of the people. was bought with money given at the sacrament.
Gerrard, and Cicely Shelley lived in the New-street. Whilst he was employed as a painter at Appley castle, near Wellington, he seduced Cicely, sister of William Forester, and third daughter of Francis Forester, of Watling-street, esq. amid having married her, lived on the interest of her fortune, amounting to about £100. per annum. He died at Wem, December 5th, 1705, in the fifty-third year of his age.
Thomas Groom, of the High-street, tanner, married Anne Tyler, of Darleston, who for her second husband, married Mr. Walford, of Lee Brockhurst, but had no issue.
The High-street begins at the May-pole, and reaches a little beyond the market house. In the most eastern part the private houses are mean, and ruinous, but between Peter Pidgeon's and the Bar there are some good houses, and formerly there were considerable farms belonging to several of them. Within the Bar there is a great deal of good building, as particularly Mr. Henshaw's house; Mr. Phillips's set to sir Thomas Longueville, baronet; Mr. Dickin's inhabited by Mrs. Chambre; and Mr. Green's held by Joseph Swanwick, mercer. The market house stands on the south side of this street. The great fire consumed the old one, which was built of timber, and in a different position, one end of it facing time street. In 1677, a slight fabric of boards was set up, which for many years upbraided the town with its low condition. In 1702, the present market house was built with brick, quoined with stone, but it was not finished till 1728. It is a fine structure, thirty feet long, and twenty-five broad, supported towards the street by arches, and columns of free stone. In front there are two arches, two half, and three whole columns, each of one entire stone, about seven feet in length, between the chapiter and pedestal, and four feet three inches and a half in circumference. The lowest floor is paved, but has a border of free stone, and in the middle a flagged walk extending the whole length of it. On the south side is a handsome staircase leading to a spacious room above, which has nine windows, and serves for holding court-leets. In the midst of the roof which is covered with tile, there arises a large open cupola, very ornamental to it.
Between the church-yard, and this street there was formerly a court-house, which had three shops under it. This building either decayed before, or perished in the fire. There was another court-house more ancient, which had been granted in the reign of Henry VIII. to Maurice David. Its situation appears to have been opposite to time present market hall, where after the fire Mr. Joseph Smith built a Commodious house, now Mr. Green's.
Various is the tenure that prevails in this street. Without the Bar there never were any burgages, all the lands and houses being copyhold, till the Jebbs, Cowpers, and others got their's made free by Onslow and Playters. Within the Bar the major part of the houses are borough-hold, but there are some freehold, and one copyhold.
Cripple-street had probably its name from the use that was made of it by cripples, who chose it for their station when they came to this town a begging on market days, or fairs. At the time of the survey in 1561 it began where the High-street ended, at the house of John Hinton, afterwards of Richard Peat, since of Thomas Chettoe, at present of Mrs. Higgins, now divided into two dwellings. To the west of them stood a messuage, formerly a burgage, which in the times of popery appertained to the service of the Virgin Mary in the church of Wem, but in 1st Edward VI. was given to the crown. Hence we may conjecture that the blessed Virgin had an altar in the said church, and that the rents of this, and other messuages and lands were applied to the buying of lights and lamps, and perhaps for the maintainance of a priest. After the fire Matthew Evans, mercer, built a large brick house on this ground, which on the decay of that family, was purchased by Robert Sandland, who made it two dwellings. The next burgage on the turn of the street two hundred years ago belonged to William Watkis; now the southern part of it is the property of Mr. Richard Allinson, bailiff of the manor, to whose candour and humanity I owe several lights, that have enabled me to traverse the dark paths of antiquity.
On the other side of the street was the half burgage of William Cowper, afterwards of Thomas Dean, barber and ale-seller, whose sign was the Castle, One of his sons was vicar of Ellesmere, and another a noted innkeeper in the High-street, at the sign of the White Horse. The next house westward before, and after the fire, belonged to William Lawrence Dier. Rowland Lacon, of Kinlet, esq. had several houses on both sides this street. The farm house at the west end of it, formerly called Lacon's hall, belonged to him; it came afterwards to the Goldisbroughs; to the Cottons, of Aston; and next to Mr. William Wicksteed, ironmonger and grocer, who at some distance from the street built a high tower of brick, for no visible purpose, as it can be of little, or no use; and therefore it is justly called Wicksteed's folly. Of his administrator this estate was purchased by sir Rowland Hill, of Hawkstone. It is freehold.
Noble-street seems to have been so called from some imposition, or charge upon it, which amounted just to a noble. It is vulgarly called the Back-street, because it is behind, and as it were at the back of the High-street. At the entrance of it is the school house, belonging to the chief master; where once stood the house which boasted of the birth of sir Thomas Adams, founder of the school. At the survey in 1561, Rowland Lacon, esq. had several houses here; as also had Thomas Pontsbury, esq. particularly a burgage, which in the the civil war was the town prison for delinquents. The present house passed from the Ryecrofts to the John-sons, and from them to tile Sandlands. The next burgage eastwards was also the property of the said Pontsbury. Samuel Deakin has lately built a new house on the same ground. John Woodhouse was owner of the adjacent burgage, which continued in his family till my time, when it was sold to Mr. Lowe. He had two more on the other side of the street. Sambrook hall was then in the holding of Humphrey Jebb. It was burnt at the fire, and a mean building set up on the scite of it. This Mrs. Marrigold pulled down, and erected a finer hall in its place than Sambrooke's was. I can give no account of this Sambrooke, but there are lands in Wem that still go by his name, and the High-fields, and other estates in Edstaston belonged to him. Mr. Walford's is a neat, and pleasant habitation; much augmented, and improved by him. Two hundred years ago, Thomas Trentham, esq. had a burgage here; next to him Arthur Miliward, alias Chamber, had two burgages on the same ground, which since belonged to Robert Hill, glover, and now to Robert Blake-way, barber. The Draw-well, and Mr. Astley's house are the remains of the old town before the fire. The former with a good estate passed from the Cowpers to the Higginsons, from them to Mr. Joseph Smith, who added much to the estate, from him to the Greens, of Stafford. The latter at the survey be longed to sir AndrewCorbet, afterwards to the Jebbs, now to Mr. Astley.
On the other side the street stands the Presbyterian meeting-house, built in 1716, in Sarah Thornhill's garden, which the dissenters bought, together with the revenue of her houses after her decease. The charge of it was supported by subscriptions among themselves, added to above £60. of the high sheriff of the county, by orders of the lords of tile treasury, being the valuation of the meeting-house, demolish ed by the mob. That which they have at present is built with brick, quoined with free stones, and covered with Madely tiles. Close by it their teacher has a convenient mansion, not long since erected by the Reverend George Tyler, who little imagined into whose hands it would fall, and to what use it would be applied after his death.
From the school-house to Thomas Watkins's shop, all the houses on both sides of time street are free hold, having been formerly parcels of the estate of Rowland Lacon, esq. from thence to the other end of the street near the Pinfold, all are borough-hold, except the Draw-well house, which for many years has been copyhold.
It is a short alley between the High and Noble street. How it came to be called Cripple-street when there was another of the same name, is to me unaccountable. But use and customs have a sovereign power. They have stretched the High-street to the school bridge, and transferred the Cripple-street to this once obscure alley. For at the time of the survey in 1561, I do not find that it had any houses in it, or that it was distinguished by any particular name. It was first paved in the memory of man by the Rev. Mr. Collier, who lived here, and took up on him the office of supervisor of the highways, that he might order so necessary a work to be done.
When Mr. Collier resigned the school he sold his house, which is a very good one, with the gardens and out-buildings, to Mr. John Chettoe, of Horton, who thereupon removed to Wem; applied himself to the malt ing trade, and built a large and most com modious malt house upto his dwelling. But in 1727, a statute of bankruptcy being issued against him, the dwelling house, with all its appurtenances, was sold to John Barnes, of the Lowe, esq.
On the other side of the street are three new houses. the neatest of which was built by Mr. Beetenson. apothecary and surgeon. The whole street is borough-hold.
The Mill-street takes its name from the mills at the south-end of it. They belonged to tile barons of Wem; and I have seen a charter of Hugo Pantulph, whereby he obliges one of his freehold tenants and his men, that is, all that held under him, to grind at his mill at Wem, and to assist at the carriage of mill stones, and in mending the mill pond. It is probable all his other freehold tenants were bound to the same service. In 1553, 1st Mary: William, lord Dacre granted a lease for twenty-one years, of two water-mills, and one wind-mill, at the yearly rent of £8. with a proviso, that if the said lord Dacre, or his heirs kept house within the lordship of Wem during that term, then the grains spent in his, or their house were to be toll, or molter free. In 1541, the said mills belonged to the earl of Arundel; but have since been sold, and have passed from the Dolemans to Mr. John Chettoe, and from him to the Jeffreyses.
Opposite to the church yard there was formerly an alms-house, which was reduced to ashes at the great fire. The scite of it belongs to tile lord of the manor, being the garden between the buildings of Mr. Wicksteed and Mr. Colley, of Booley. What endowment it had, and what is become of it I can not find.
The ornament of this street is the parsonage house, about 1716 rebuilt by doctor Chandler at great expense, and in a new taste. The out-buildings, and the gardens have been much enlarged, and improved by doctor Eyton. The situation is a little too near the water. Doctor Chandler once intended to remove this inconvenience, by building near the upper end of the garden, but was discouraged by the prospect of the additional expense this would occasion.
All the houses in this street are borough-hold, except this belonging to the Rector, and another opposite to it belonging to Miss Swinnerton.
The name of this street, as well as it situation, shews, that it was built after several of the rest, and yet it seems to be as old as the borough. At first it contained twenty-six burgages, thirteen on a side. The land annexed to each burgage was about fifty or sixty yards in length, and seventeen or twenty in breadth, for there is some variation in the mea sure. At the time of the survey in 1561, Rowland Lacon, of Cotton, esq. had four burgages in this street, Thomas Barnes of the Lowe, had one, and Margaret Lee, two. She was the heiress of Richard Hottal, and the relict of John Allanson. In the civil war all the burgages were destroyed that lay north of Whitchurch gate, being thirteen, or fourteen at least.
At that time William Allanson, gentleman, had a good house in this street, and a large estate in the township of Wem, for which, he was obliged to compound by paying the sum of £80. His father, and grandfather had been bailiffs of this manor, that is receivers of the rents and profits due to the lord. His son Francis married a lewd, and extra vagant virago from London, who by her riotous and expensive living, ran him so far in debt, that he was forced to sell his estate to his mercer, Matthew Evans, who soon disposed of it again to John Shinton, mercer, collector of the money arising from Wem brief.
The four burgages which I have in this street formerly belonged to the Cadmans, afterwards to the Whitfields, of the Lowe, from one of which family they came to Richard Newns, of Lee Brock hurst, from him to Richard Lyth, of Acton Reynold, and so to me. The house wherein I live stood once at Edstaston. After the fire it received four, or five families. When it came into my hands, was framed anew, and made a convenient dwelling. At present all the houses in this street are borough-hold, except one that formerly belonged to Edstaston chapel, and two belonging to me, which are freehold.
MAIDEN-LANE is a short alley between the Draw-well fold and the High-street. This name is so little known that I have met with but one person that could inform me of it. In this lane there are only three houses. That built by Thomas Griffiths is freehold, the other two are borough-hold.
LEEK-LANE is more considerable, but I cannot account for that name. It is commonly called the old Chapel-street, from a barn which the dissenters converted into a meeting-house, and which the mob pulled down and burnt in 1715. Part of the houses are borough-hold, and part copyhold; a little below this lane is a noted well, called Oliver's well, I sup pose from a family of that name who lived near it.
THE DARK LANE is so called from its late obscurity and darkness, occasioned by its hollow situation, and the trees that covered it. It is as it were the sink of the town, has no pavement, and for that reason is very dirty in winter. The houses on the west side are borough-hold, on the east copyhold.
THE HORSE FAIR which has been lately called Ireland, begins at the school bridge, and reaches to the end of the town. It contains nothing remarkable but the school, which was built in 1670. It is a large and handsome fabric of brick quoined with free stone, sixty-one feet in length, twenty-four in breadth, and twenty in height to the roof, which is covered with slate, and in the middle has a turret for a bell given by William Adams, nephew of the founder. The first story contains the first and second school, illuminated by twelve windows. The ceiling is lofty, the walls are wainscotted. The second story contains the third school and the library, in the former of which, plays were used to he acted by tile scholars. In the latter is a small, but good collection of books, most of which were given by young gentlemen who had their education in this school, and all in my time.
Near the end of this lane towards Horton, formerly stood St. John's chapel, which was a chauntry endowed with lands, of which a field containing fifteen butts lay in the township of the Lowe, for the maintenance of a priest, daily saying, or singing mass for the soul of the donor, and such other as he appointed. There was also in such settlements a provision for a certain number of poor people, to whom alms were distributed on the anniversary day of the founders. This chapel was suppressed, and its lands seized in 1548. The preamble of the act importing, that such foundations did promote superstition, and error, particularly the vain opinion of purgatory, and of masses satisfactory for the de ceased. At this end of the town there is a well of excellent water, in the memory of man, called St. John's well, from the chapel above mentioned, but now generally the soap well, from the use its water is generally applied to.
Page created 7 September 2003 and last updated 22 June 2007
