Shropshire Routes to Roots - Shropshire places - Wem
by Samuel Garbet
The Boundaries, Extent, Tenure Soil, and Valuation of Wolverley.
WOLFORDELEY, as it was written in the reign of Edward I. is of Saxon original; it took its name from its proprietor Wulfere or Wulphere, and the Saxon word leag, corrupted in ley, which signifies a field or pasture. Thus, Bromley, the name of a town, in modern English is Broomfield. This, township is bounded on the north by Northwood and Newtown, on the east by Horton, on the south by Loppington, on the west by Lineal, in the parish of Ellesmere. It is a mile and a half in length from Blackemore's Lynos to Dickin's house, near Blackford bridge, (but the school lands in Northwood intervene) ; the breadth of it is about a mile, from my orchard., late Hinton's, to the strinde that divides it from Loppington. The soil towards, the east is chiefly clay, which suits best for wheat; the remainder, which is by far the greater part, is sandy, and produces excellent rye. Barley, peas and oats grow pretty well upon it; the common manure is muck and marle, with some lime. Along the strinde there are good meadows, but subject to be overflowed upon any sudden rain. The whole township is freehold, which tenure was obtained here about four hundred years ago. The free tenants in 1561, were Thomas Sturry, esq. Rowland Lacon, esq. John Hochkiss who purchased oft Sir Richard Mainwaring; John Chidlow, John Milward who purchased of John de Houghton, chaplain, as. he had done of Richard Phillips, of Frankton. In respect to the Land tax, this township is valued at near £138 per annum, which at 4s. in the pound, the assessment would be £27. 11s. 9d.
I find the Common fields of Wolverley mentioned in an ancient charter; but they have been so long enclosed that no account can be given of them.
Wolverley Hall in 1404, 32nd Edward I. was in the possession of William de Wolfferdeley, to whom it came in succession from his father John. In 1561, it was the seat of Thomas Sturry, esq. who was still living in 1588. Before 1642, two farms were sold from this estate. About 1687, Mr. Richard Corbet, then a private gentleman in the horse guards, sold the reversion of Wolverley Hall to Chancellor Jeffreys, for one thousand pounds ; since that time it has gone along with the barony and manor of Wem. The shell of a domestic chapel, which is still preserved, shows that good families have lived here. In 1642, Richard Menlove, as tenant, was charged to the subsidy then raised. Soon after the Chambers settled in this place; Francis, who died in 1678, gave a silver cup for the use of Newtown chapel, and charged forty shillings per year on a piece of land near Penceford bridge, to keep the chapel in repair, or if no repairs should be wanting, to be paid to the third school-master of Wem.
The next messuage and estate belongs to Roger Acherley, of the Cross, in the parish of Ellesmere, gentleman. In the first Richard II. it seems to have been the estate of Hugh Phillips, of Frankton, who conveyed it to John Houghton, chaplain, and he to Richard Milward, whose son John was in possession of it in 1561. In 1642, Thomas Acherley was charged for it in the subsidy, and eight years after he was chosen one of the first feoffees of Wem school; he died in 1658, and was succeeded in this estate by his son Richard, gent. who purchased a good estate at Loppington, and another at Common Wood, in the same parish. Upon his death this tenement and another at Newtown devolved on a younger brother, Thomas, an ironmonger, first at Wrexham, afterwards at Wem,, who sued the widow of the said Richard Acherley for the estates in the parish of Loppington, which she designed to leave him at her death, but being provoked by his ill usage, she bequeathed them to other relations, the Chancery having declared the fee to be in her. This Thomas left two sons; viz. Richard, for some time curate of Wellington, till he grow disordered in his mind; and Roger, the present owner, who married Mrs. Spencer, of the Cross, heiress of that estate, worth one hundred pounds per annum. In 1750, the house and outbuildings at Wolverley were burnt to the ground, but they are now rebuilt with brick and covered with tile.
Sir Rowland Hill, of Hawkstone, has an estate and messuage in this township, called the NewHouse, but part of both lies in Northwood. About thirty pounds per annum. was purchased of John Goodall, of Namptwich,tallow-chandler, who bought it of John Wicksteed, of the same town, gentleman. It was part of the marriage portion which the said Wicksteed had with Mary, the daughter of Steward Jebb; and probably was one of the seven estates which belonged to Rowland Lacon, esq. at the time of the survey. The remainder of the New-House estate, above two-thirds of which are in Northwood, was bought by Sir Rowland Hill of William Wicksteed, of Wem, grocer, who a little before had purchased it of one Brindley, of Wellington, taylor. It came to the Brindley's from the Menlove's. Richard Menlove, an attorney, younger brother of William Menlove, of the Foxholes, lived here in the reign of Charles II. The estate was in that family before the civil war.
Near Wolverley bridge, over Rediellis brook, is the messauge and estate of Roland Wingfield of Preston Brockhurst, esq. high sheriff of the county of Salop. At the survey in 1661, this estate belonged to John Chidlow, from whose family it passed to the Wilkinson's.
In 1642, Robert Wilkinson was charged to the subsidy then raised; in the civil war be was overseer of the fortifications of Wem; in 1650, he was chosen one of the feoffees of the free-school at Wem, to which he was a considerable benefacter, having contributed eleven pounds ten shillings; and in 1677, after the first fire at Wem, he gave five pounds towards rebuilding the church. In 1679, he was succeeded in this farm by his son Andrew, who sold it to the Wingfield's, from whom he had a lease of it. Robert, grand-son of this Andrew, is the present tenant.
On the other side of the road lately stood a messuage, appertaining to an estate, which at the survey in 1561, was Rowland Lacon's, esq. It was purchased by Steward Jebb, who settled it on his daughter Ursula and her husband, John Wicksteed, of Namptwich, gent. and by him it was sold to John Goodall,of the same place, who conveyed part of it to the Hon. Rowland Hill, esq. part to me, and the remainder to John Hinton,of Newtown. Hinton joining these lands to his estate of inheritance, sold the house from the premises, and afterwards conveyed his whole estate to me.
Part of the original estate of the Wolfferdeleys and the Stanys, was in 1642, the property of Ellis's of Edstaston; from them, by marriage, it carne to the Paynes, who sold it to several persons; so that now it is divided between Arthur Dickin, of Lineal; Mr. Blakemore, of the Black Park, near Whitchurch; Rowland Wingfield, esq. and myself. Another part of the same estate was purchased by Steward Jebb, who annexed it to his estate at Newtown, and settled it on his daughter Mary, then married to Mr. Wright, of Wellington, mercer. She now lives at London, in a very advanced age. The messuage at Wolverley is pulled down, but it formerly stood beyond Herets.
Page created 28 June 2007 and last updated 28 June 2007
