Shropshire Routes to Roots - Shropshire places - Wem
by Samuel Garbet
The Boundaries, Extent, Soil and Tenure of Sleap.
Sleap is a name given by the Saxons only to three towns in England; this and another in Bradford South still retain it, but the third in Huntingdonshire, for above 1000 years, has been called St. Ives. This township is bounded on the north by Noneley, in Loppington parish; east by Tilley; on the south by Hawson, in Middle parish; and on the west by Brandwood, in the same parish. Its length from the township of Tilley to Brandwood is about a mile and a half; its breadth from Sleap-brook to Sleap-Hall brook is three-quarters of a mile. The soil is for the most part very sandy, and bears excellent rye, barley, and oats; it suits well enough with large cattle, but agrees best with sheep: some of the ground is moorish, and has a black rotten earth, about a yard deep, on a gravelly bottom; another part is called the Heath, which was formerly a common, but has been long enclosed. The whole township is freehold, no other tenure has been obtained here since the Reign of Henry II. Sleap is in the hundred of Pimhill, and so does not fall within the compass of this work; but as it was formerly a member of the barony of Wem, and always a part of Wem. parish, I did not think fit to omit it.
In the reign of Henry II. Hugo Pantulff or Pantor, (for Pantor seems a mistake of the transcriber) granted to Richard de Sleap all the village of Sleap, to be held of him and his heirs in fee farm, paying the annual rent of 16s. and doing homage, viz. The men or vassals of the said Richard de Sleap, and of his heirs, were obliged to grind their corn at the lord of the manor's mill at Wem, to assist at the drawing of mill stones and cleansing the pond; and when the lord of the manor's other freemen helped him to make his castle, Richard de Sleap, and his heirs were to help Hugo and his heirs in that or the like work.
In process of time the inheritance of the whole township of Sleap came to Richard Bannister, of Hadnall, and Peter his son, who by their indenture of bargain and sale, dated the, 12th of March, 1545, in the 36th Henry VIII. for the sum of £28. 13s. 4d. did bargain and sell unto William Noneley, Margaret his wife, and William Groom, their heirs and assigns, for ever, four messuages and one cottage, and four yards of land to the same belonging, in the town and fields of Sleap, with commons and appurtenances. Sixteen years after this sale, at the survey in 1561, there were but three estates in this town; and they belonged to Richard Drury, William Groom, and John Perbolde; of them the free rent of 16s. was demanded, and apportioned thus, Drury 6s. Groom 6s. Perbolde 4s.
In 1683, a hundred and twenty two years after the survey, there were four estates in this town of near equal value, for they were assessed equally in the church and poor levy; the first belonged to Thomas Wingfield, of Preston Brockhurst, esq. the second to Edward Garland, gentleman; the third to William Groom, yeoman; and the fourth to Widow Morgan, who marrying unfortunately, he was obliged to sell or divide his estate to portion his four sisters and his own two daughters. Mr.Wingfield augmented his farm, by purchasing several of these shares. The messuage which did belong, to Morgan's estate has been pulled down.
February 7, 1738, this town was laid in ashes by sudden fire in the day time, before a vast concourse of people, that were able to give but very little assistance. The flames first broke out about eleven or twelve o'clock in Mr. Wingfield's house, where the tenant's house keeper was washing clothes, by a piece of wood in the chimney taking fire, communicated it to the rest of the buildings, and being a brisk wind spread it with so much rapidity, that the conflagration soon became general. The three dwelling houses, with all the barns and outbuildings were consumed. A brief was obtained for the relief of the unhappy sufferers.
Rowland Wingfield, of Preston Brockhurst, esq. has the principal estate, which seems to be that which Richard Drury was once possessed of; the house and barns are built of brick and covered with tile, to prevent, if possible, such a calamity as they have once undergone.
John Groom is descended from an ancient family, who settled here in the reign of Henry VIII. but is of so bad a temper, as to make all his neighbours very uneasy. The frame of his present house came from Darlston, being purchased of Mr. George Tyler after the fire.
William Greenwollers, grocer and ironmonger, of Whitchurch, has the third estate by his marriage with the heiress of the Garlands, who had enjoyed it for four generations. Mr. Gyles, who married the widow of the last Garlands, sold the muck. off his estate for seven years together, so that it has great need of improvements. The house which he erected after the fire, was bought of Mr. John Hinton, and formerly stood on Wolverley Yard, being the messuage that belonged to my tenement in that township.
It is observable that Richard de Sleap and his men are not obliged to attend the courts leet and baron of Wem, nor does it appear that they who claimed from him ever did. The constable of Sleap is sworn at the Duke of Bridgewater's court at Middle. The reserved rent of 16s. is still paid, but pannage ceased with the forest, the repair of the castle at its demolition, working at the mill upon its alienation, the serving the king in his wars, upon the change of all tenures by knights service into common socage.
Page created 12 December 2007 and last updated 13 December 2007
