History Of Madeley - free ebook by John Randall

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History Of Madeley

John Randall

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HISTORY OF MADELEY, INCLUDING IRONBRIDGE, COALBROOKDALE, AND COALPORT,

HISTORY OF MADELEY, INCLUDING IRONBRIDGE, COALBROOKDALE, AND COALPORT,

From the earliest times to the present, WITH NOTICES OF Remarkable Events , Inventions , AND PHENOMENA, MANUFACTURES, &amp;c. —:o:— ILLUSTRATED With twelve wood-cut illustrations, and photographs. The work will be found to contain a copious Index, and list of old family names. BY John Randall, F.G.S., Author of “The Severn Valley,” “Old Sports and Sportsmen,” “History of Broseley,” &amp;c., &amp;c. Published at “The Wrekin Echo” Office, Madeley, Salop, 1880....

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INTRODUCTION.

INTRODUCTION.

The delay which has arisen in the publication of this work since it was first announced needs some apology. It arose from two causes; one the hope that fuller information might be forthcoming on some obscure points, the other that the book is chiefly made up of matter reprinted from the Salopian and West Midland Illustrated Magazine . It is therefore, to some extent, fragmentary, and not one for which the author can hope to receive the meed of praise bestowed upon his “Severn Valley,” “Old Spo

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PREFACE.

PREFACE.

The field of history is a wide one, but, in addition to its well-beaten track, there yet remains less frequented paths to explore in connection with our smaller villages and towns. The design of the present work may be stated in a few words. It is simply to place before the inhabitants of Madeley, and those interested in its history, the various phases through which it has passed in its progress from feudal times to the present. Strangers often come and seek for information which they do not a

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King Charles’s Visit to, and Concealment at, Madeley.

King Charles’s Visit to, and Concealment at, Madeley.

The first indication we find at Madeley of the troubled times which ushered in the most remarkable episode in the history of the 17th century is an entry in the church register, under date of April 14, 1645, informing us that on the above date one William Caroloso was buried, the church at the time being garrisoned by a Parliamentary regiment, commanded by Captain Harrington. A page of history was being written which in all future times would be read with interest; agencies, the growth of centu

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The Great Fire of London.

The Great Fire of London.

Another notable event noticed by an old book in the vestry of Madeley Church already quoted, is the Great Fire of London, September, 1666, sixteen years subsequent to the stirring drama previously recorded. It comes before us in a house-to-house visitation, by the vicar and churchwardens, for the purpose of raising subscriptions “in aid of a fund to relieve the sufferings by the Great Fire.” In this account nine sugar-refiners are said to have lost £20,000; but, notwithstanding the house-to-hou

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Assessments in Madeley, and Abolition of the Chimney Tax or Smoke-Penny.

Assessments in Madeley, and Abolition of the Chimney Tax or Smoke-Penny.

The Smoke-Penny, Chimney Tax, or Hearth-Money, previously alluded to, so oppressive to the poor, and so obnoxious generally, by exposing every man’s house to be entered and searched at pleasure, had become so unpopular that one of the earliest proceedings of the first Parliament of William and Mary was to substitute a grant in “aid,” of £68,820 per month, for six months, payable in proportions; the entire assessment for Shropshire being £1203, and those for the several parishes in the allotment

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The Law of Settlement.

The Law of Settlement.

From an order given to the constables of the parish of Madeley in 1690, we get an insight of the laws of Settlement which imposed such restrictions upon our ancestors, compelling a labourer to remain in the place where he was born to the end of his days, and preventing him bettering his condition. The order was that whereas Thomas Richardson had endeavoured to make a settlement in Madeley contrary to the law, &amp;c., that they, the constables, bring his body to the serjeant’s house, Much W

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Vagrants and Sturdy Beggars.

Vagrants and Sturdy Beggars.

Paupers having been created by restraints preventing them seeking employ where work was to be had, of course became troublesome. Hence the serjeant-at-mace orders the constables at Madeley upon oath to report what felonies have been committed, and what vagrants and sturdy beggars have passed through. The same constables were to ascertain how many persons of the age of sixteen absented themselves from church, and for how many Sabbaths. Also who destroyed hawks, hares, pheasants, &amp;c.; an

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The Oaths of Supremacy.

The Oaths of Supremacy.

In the fifth year of William and Mary (1691) constables were to give notice to all above sixteen and under sixty, whom they believed to be disaffected, to appear before the serjeant-at-mace to take the oaths, &amp;c.: but a goodly number of the Madeley and Little Wenlock allotment appear to have been guilty of contempt, and were ordered to pay the sum of 40s. by them forfeited. Having been guilty of further contempt, the constables are ordered to seize and bring the bodies of the delinquent

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The Poll Tax.

The Poll Tax.

In the same year, 1692, constables are instructed to look-up all loose seamen and watermen, and bring them before one of the justices of the peace; and to collect 4s. in the £, towards carrying on a vigorous war with France. An order (September, 1693), signed “George Weld, Bart.,” addressed to Mr. Brooke, of Madeley, calls upon the constables to summons the Militia to appear at Shrewsbury &amp;c., &amp;c. Under the act passed for collecting 4s. in the £, for carrying on the war, consta

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Assessment for carrying on a Vigorous War.

Assessment for carrying on a Vigorous War.

The assessment for Madeley for three months, on the allotment of Little Wenlock by the commissioners, towards the raising of £1,651,702, as granted by Parliament to the king for carrying on a vigorous war against France, was £8 2s....

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Press Laws.

Press Laws.

In the same year constables were commanded to make diligent search for all straggling seamen and watermen who were of able bodies, fit for service at sea, and, to impress them, giving them one shilling. The assessment in Madeley of 4s. in the £, for 1694, produced, on land, works, &amp;c., £149 1s. 4d., “one pound having been abated on the lime-works.”...

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Tax upon Marriages, Births, Burials, &c.

Tax upon Marriages, Births, Burials, &c.

In 1695 the Madeley constables were to collect duties upon “marriages, births, and burials, and upon bachelors and widows,” for carrying on the war with France, according to the rank of the individuals. In 1696, and 1697, we find constables have various duties assigned them; and in 1698, they are required to carry out an act for preventing frauds and abuses in the charging and collecting, and paying of duties upon marriages, births, and burials, bachelors and widows. Also for collecting a quart

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Rent and Value of Lands in the Lordship of Madeley, in 1702.

Rent and Value of Lands in the Lordship of Madeley, in 1702.

Demesne lands in Madeley, (537a. 3r. 33p.) or those attached to the Court House, with the 770 trees upon it, valued at twenty years purchase, was said to be £6,459 10s. 4d.; yearly rent, £289 13s. 6d. The whole acreage of Madeley, including the above, was 2073 acres, the yearly value of which was £1,021; trees, 3369; loads of wood, 160; purchase, £17,366 9s. 4d. For names of proprietors, see Appendix. We find from a survey of the lordship of Madeley, that the demesne lands of the Court in 1786

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The Coal and Iron Industries of Madeley.

The Coal and Iron Industries of Madeley.

During the period events previously recorded were being enacted, the coal and iron industries now employing so many hands, and which have brought so much wealth to individual proprietors, were being developed. Francis Wolfe, who gave shelter to King Charles, is supposed to have been a shareholder in some ironworks at Leighton, and probably at Coalbrookdale, from the fact that an iron plate, bearing date 1609, has the initials “T.R.W.,” and another with the date 1658 (the latter removed here fro

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The First Ironworks.—The Reynoldses.

The First Ironworks.—The Reynoldses.

The first ironworks were of course of a very humble description; the outcrop of the mines did not then determine the situation so much as the presence of a powerful stream which supplied a force to work the leathern bellows which blew the fires. The first Abraham Darby came to the Dale in 1709, and in 1713 the make was but from five to ten tons per week. In 1712 he used coal in smelting iron. He died at the Court House, Madeley, in 1717, and was succeeded by his son, the second Abraham Darby,

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William Reynolds.

William Reynolds.

The father, Richard Reynolds, as will be seen from our sketch, managed to realize immense wealth at Ketley, and, what is more, to remain superior to the influence wealth too often has upon its possessor. The finer feelings of the man never succumbed to the vulgar circumstances of his position, but maintained their freshness, and graduated to maturity by the mastering force of a resolute will and a well-disciplined and highly enlightened mind. Never so completely absorbed in the arts and intric

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Events relating to the Social and Political History of Madeley, from the 13th to the 19th Centuries, not previously noticed.

Events relating to the Social and Political History of Madeley, from the 13th to the 19th Centuries, not previously noticed.

We have no means at command for giving anything like such a consecutive account of Madeley as would show its growth and progress from the feudal times, when first noticed in the Domesday Survey, to the present time; and the facts that we have to offer on this head must necessarily appear disjointed and isolated. The next notice we find succeeding that in Domesday is one in 1291, when it was taxed to the Ninth , twelve merks, but whether of gold or silver we cannot say, probably the latter, as on

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Scarcity of Wheat in Madeley in 1795.

Scarcity of Wheat in Madeley in 1795.

The system of farming and the state of the laws regarding the importation of grain were such down to the period we refer to that the country was at the mercy of the viscisitude of the seasons, and if these were adverse nothing less than a partial or a general famine was the result, and it sometimes happened that the use of an extra ounce or two of bread was grudged if not considered sinful. Thus, an old writer commenting upon the scarcity of grain in the above year, censured the use of tea on t

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The Church, and the Moral and Religious Aspects of the People of Madeley.

The Church, and the Moral and Religious Aspects of the People of Madeley.

We have previously given the names of some of the early rectors of the church, when the whole mind of the people here, as elsewhere, by education, if not conviction, was Roman Catholic. There was undoubtedly a pleasant kind of poetry about the older system of religion, which no man, from the peasant to the peer, thought of questioning, but which, from the cradle to the grave, governed and regulated, as far as its influences went, the thoughts and actions of all men. They were the high days of

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Rev. John W. Fletcher, Vicar of Madeley.

Rev. John W. Fletcher, Vicar of Madeley.

No sketch of Madeley would be complete which did not include a copious notice of Mr. Fletcher. So many “Lives” of Mr. Fletcher have, however been written, and are so readily attainable, that we need not enter into those details appertaining to his parentage, birth, youth, education, etc., which belong properly to the biographer who writes a book; and we shall content ourselves therefore with a summary of such matters, in order the more fully to bring out those traits of character which distingu

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MRS. FLETCHER, OF MADELEY.

MRS. FLETCHER, OF MADELEY.

Long before the question of woman’s mission came to be debated, there were useful and pious women who quite came up to the standard modern champions of the sex have raised. History brings before us the names of many whose thoughts and doings had a vital influence upon the society in the midst of which they moved. The fidelity, zeal, and usefulness of some appear as a silver-thread woven into the past, showing that there is no sex in piety or in intellect. When the down trodden vine of Christi

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Religious Aspect of Madeley in Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher’s day.

Religious Aspect of Madeley in Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher’s day.

Having given sketches of Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher at some length, we now proceed to notice the religious aspect of Madeley at that period. In order to do this more fully we notice, first, that Mr. Fletcher during the three years which elapsed between his ordination and presentation to the living at Madeley, in 1760, occasionally visited the parish and officiated for Mr. Chambers, the then vicar, as his curate. He was therefore acquainted with the nature of the charge he was about to undertake, an

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Religious Aspect of Madeley in 1777 and 1877.

Religious Aspect of Madeley in 1777 and 1877.

It is, of course, difficult to arrive at strictly accurate statistics by which to determine the complete state of religious feeling at any given time; but taking well ascertained facts for our guide we may at least get an approximate result. The moral ground and receptacle of religious truth upon which Mr. Fletcher had to work was the same as now; but that ground may be, and is, we imagine, in a more favourable condition for the reception of the seed now than it was in Mr. Fletcher’s day: facts

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Ironbridge Church.

Ironbridge Church.

We are not so well informed with regard to the Church at Ironbridge. It was built in 1836, and consists of nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a tower in which is a clock and one bell; it has a fine east window of stained glass, with full length figures of St. James and St. John. It will accommodate about a thousand hearers, but at present the number attending is small. In addition to the cost of the erection, which was defrayed chiefly by local subscriptions, £1000 was contributed towards t

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Coalbrookdale.

Coalbrookdale.

A beautiful little Church dedicated to the Holy Trinity was erected here by the munificence of the Darby family, who endowed it, and gave to the Incumbent a handsome house as a residence. It is in the Decorated Gothic style. It consists of nave, chancel, and aisles, and has a handsome tower, with illuminated clock, and a peal of eight fine-toned bells. It will accommodate 850 persons, and is generally well filled. The number of communicants averages 60. The Sacrament is administered monthly,

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Wesleyan Methodism.

Wesleyan Methodism.

In Mr. Fletcher’s day Wesleyan Methodism was but struggling into existence. Societies were formed at Madeley, Madeley Wood, Coalbrookdale, and other places in adjoining parishes, and Mr. Fletcher, and his curate subsequently, preached there alternately with the preachers of Mr. Wesley. These societies were attached to the Shrewsbury Circuit, and preachers came fortnightly, travelling on horseback. In or about the year 1764 we find him inviting the Rev. A. Mather, then an eminent preacher in M

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Primitive Methodists.

Primitive Methodists.

The Primitive Methodists established themselves in Madeley about 50 years ago. They have a chapel at Madeley with an attendance upon an average of 220. Members 53 Sunday School scholars 136 Monies raised for various purposes during the year £131 19 0 Ironbridge Chapel attendance 150 37 93 £50 12 4 Aqueduct Chapel attendance 60 6 43 £31 10 7 Total £211 11 0...

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The New Connexion.

The New Connexion.

This body established themselves in Madeley about half a century ago, and they have two chapels, one at Madeley and another at Madeley Wood, each capable of holding 200 hearers. At the Bethesda chapel, Madeley, about 60 attend, and there are 18 members. There is a Sunday School, with 60 scholars and 8 teachers. For Home objects, including the Sunday School, £26 is raised yearly and for Foreign Missions a further sum of £2. Total £28 0 0. At Zion chapel, Madeley Wood, there is an average atte

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Baptists.

Baptists.

The Baptists erected a chapel here in 1858 at a cost of £650, which holds 250 persons. There are 30 members, and the congregation averages 100. There is a Sunday School, with 60 children. The sum raised for various objects amounts to £60....

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Congregationalists.

Congregationalists.

The Congregationalists erected a church here in 1874, at a cost of £1,400. It was opened in January 1875, and has an average congregation—Morning, 50; Evening 100. Sunday School 80 on the books. Mothers service 20 attend. Two weekly services; average attendance 30. Amount raised for all purposes in connection with the Church £130. Besides these well recognised institutions in connection with various religious bodies there are other useful institutions, some of a religious, and others of an

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The Madeley Wood Works.

The Madeley Wood Works.

William Reynolds having at his death left a share in the Madeley Wood works to his nephew, William Anstice (father of the present William Reynolds Anstice) whom he also appointed one of his executors, and by whom, in partnership with William Reynolds’s surviving son, the late Joseph Reynolds, the works were carried on until the decease of Mr. Anstice in the year 1850. Mr. Anstice was a young man, not more than twenty-one, when he succeeded to the management of these works, and although he posses

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The Clay Industries of the district.

The Clay Industries of the district.

The very excellent coal-measure clays found on both banks of the Severn, and turned to such good account by the Coalbrookdale Co., by Mr. Legge at the Woodlands, by neighbours too on the opposite bank of the Severn, as well as the celebrity attained by the Coalport works, renders it necessary that we should take a somewhat comprehensive view of the subject. Bricks and tiles and pottery of various kinds appear to have been made from a very early period, but the manufacture of Salopian porcelain

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Maw and Co’s Tesselated, Mosaic, and Majolica Works.

Maw and Co’s Tesselated, Mosaic, and Majolica Works.

It was the excellency of the Broseley and Benthall clays, above referred to, which attracted the Messrs. Maw to the spot and led them to remove from Worcester, to where they had been in the habit, first of all, of having them conveyed by barges on the river, to the present site of their works, fashioned out of the old Benthall Iron Works, carried on a century ago by Mr. Harries, then owner of the Benthall estate. Notwithstanding the additions made by them, the trade has so wonderfully developed

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Jackfield Pottery and Porcelain.

Jackfield Pottery and Porcelain.

Older even than the Haybrook Mug House are the Pot Works of Jackfield, which, according to the parish register of Stoke-upon-Trent, quoted by Mr. Jewitt and Mr. Chaffers, supplied a race of potters to that great centre of early pot-making in the year 1560. Excavations made too, soma years ago, brought to light on a spot near which the present works of Craven, Dunnill &amp; Co., now stand, an oven, or kiln, with unbaked ware, which appeared to have been buried by a land-slip; and in an old p

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Coalport Porcelain Works.

Coalport Porcelain Works.

The first works at Coalport were we believe founded and carried on by William Reynolds, Thomas Rose, Robert Horton, and Robert Anstice; the former William Reynolds, being then Lord of the Manor. The buildings, or a good portion occupied by them are still standing. Mr. Thomas Rose, and Mr. John Rose, were sons of a respectable farmer living at Sweeney. The latter was a clerk under Mr. Turner, at Caughley, and left him to take the Jackfield works about the year, it is said, 1780. Having carried

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MADELEY CHINA WORKS.

MADELEY CHINA WORKS.

Excepting to the trade, and to some of the old inhabitants, it is not generally known that Martin Randall established China Works at Madeley, and made porcelain similar to that of Nantgarw and little if at all inferior to old Sevres porcelain. He and his brother Edward were Caughley men; he left there to go to Derby. He afterwards went to Pinxton, and thence with Mr. Robins, a Pinxton man, to London, where they entered into partnership and carried on business. They were supplied with Nantgarw

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MADELEY CHURCH.

MADELEY CHURCH.

Much interest attaches to the old church in which Mr. Fletcher preached, but little that is definite and satisfactory appears to be known. In one of the topographies of Shropshire it is said to have been in the Norman style of architecture, but nothing so early is shewn in the engravings of the windows and tower. It was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and a Chantry is said to have been added in the 11th of the reign of Richard II. It was small, damp, and dilapidated, in 1794, when it was taken

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Benefactions.

Benefactions.

1706. May 28th, Basil Brooke, Esq. of Madeley gave by will £40, to which an addition of £60 was made by unknown Benefactors, wherewith certain Cottages and Premises were purchased and conveyed to Trustees for the benefit of the Poor of this Parish. 1800. The yearly sum of five shillings was given to the Poor of this Parish to be paid out of the Rates of the Premises lately belonging to Mr. Richard Beddoes, but now in the possession of Walter Bowdler, of Madeley. 1825. Joseph Reynolds, Esq., o

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MADELEY. Extinct and ancient names.

MADELEY. Extinct and ancient names.

An old book containing tithe charges has names of places now no longer known. In 1786, for instance, Mr. Botfield is stated to occupy under the family of the late Sir Joseph Hawley some pieces of land called the Hoar Stones. The Rev. Charles Hartshorne in his Salopia Antiqua describes hoar stones at some length and quotes passages from sacred and profane writers to shew that they were in some cases memorial, and in others division marks between property. They occur at a place called Hoar, or

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MADELEY MARKET.

MADELEY MARKET.

Grants of markets and fairs appear to have been made by kings in former times by way of favour to the holders of manors, rather than from a wish to accommodate the people who shared the privileges. Madeley market was granted by the necesstous king, Henry III., to the Prior of Wenlock, July 6, 1269. He also granted an annual fair, to be held on three days; namely, on the vigil, the day, and the morrow of St. Matthew the apostle. The market was to be held on Tuesdays, but it fell into disuetude

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Madeley as a part of the Franchise of Wenlock.

Madeley as a part of the Franchise of Wenlock.

Madeley for the last 900 years has been associated with Wenlock. It formed part of the possessions of the Church of St. Milburgh in the time of King Edward (son of the Great Alfred) at the commencement of the tenth century, and is mentioned as such in Domesday. It shared the privileges which the many franchises obtained by the Prior of Wenlock conferred. These privileges and exemptions from taxation gave, Mr. Eyton observes, to each acre of land a two-fold value. On the other hand it suffere

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SHEEP STEALING IN SHIRLETT: CUNNING DEVICE.

SHEEP STEALING IN SHIRLETT: CUNNING DEVICE.

“The information upon oath of John Eabs of Shurlett, taken upon oath the xxvth day of May, 1648, conserninge some Sheepe stolne from him of late. “Deposeth that upon ffriday night last he had a Lamb feloniously stolne from him either out of his yearde or out of the pasture, and alsoe upon Wensday night he had likewise a weather sheepe stolne, and upon search made for the same yeasterday being Saturday he wh. Edward Buckley the Deputy Constable, found in the house of Willm. Wakeley in Shurlett a

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PETTY SESSIONS.

PETTY SESSIONS.

Madeley with its two sister wards has Petty Sessions once in six weeks, which are held in the large room built for that purpose over the Police Office at Ironbridge. In the lower story are cells for prisoners, very different indeed as regards cleanliness and conveniences of all kinds to the old Lock-up, which many may remember near the potato market. The justices for the borough generally sit here, the Mayor being chief magistrate presiding. The first batch of magistrates, in the place of the

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COURTS FOR THE RECOVERY OF DEBTS, COUNTY COURT, &c.

COURTS FOR THE RECOVERY OF DEBTS, COUNTY COURT, &c.

A County Court or sciremote was instituted by Alfred the Great, and gradually fell into disuse after the appointment of Justices of Assize in the reign of Henry II. Courts of Request were afterwards created. The charter already quoted, for instance, speaking of the burgesses says:— “That they may have a Court of Record upon Tuesday for ever, once in two weeks, wherein they may hold by plaint in the same court all kinds of pleas whatsoever, whether they shall amount to the sum of forty shilling

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MANORIAL COURT.

MANORIAL COURT.

This court was originally held at the Court House, by the Prior of Wenlock, as lord of the manor of Madeley, as shewn on page 9 , where the pleas and perquisites of the said court are mentioned as being entered in 1379 at 2s. The right to hold such court, a Court Leet, as it was called, was transferred, together with other privileges, by Henry VIII. to Robert Brooke when he sold the manor. It passed to John Unett Smitheman, Esq., who married Catherine Brooke, daughter and co-heir of Cumberford

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THE DISPENSARY.

THE DISPENSARY.

This useful and valued institution was established in 1828. At its fiftieth anniversary, held July, 1878, the president was the Right Hon. Lord Forester. The vice-presidents: the Hon. and Rev. Canon Forester; W. O. Foster, Esq.; the Rev. G. Edmonds; C. T. W. Forester, Esq., M.P.; A. H. Brown, Esq., M.P.; C. G. M. Gaskell, Esq.; and the treasurer, John Pritchard, Esq. The surgeons include E. G. Bartlam, Esq., Broseley; T. L. Webb, Esq., Ironbridge; C. B. H. Soame, Esq., Dawley; J. Procter, Esq

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MADELEY UNION.

MADELEY UNION.

Prior to the passing of the New Poor Law in 1836 each parish maintained its own poor, a system which had been acted upon, we suppose, from the time of Queen Elizabeth. But how the Madeley poor were housed or treated prior to the erection of the Old “House of Industry,” or “Workhouse,” which stood on the hill overlooking the valley of the Severn, now in course of demolition and conversion into cottages, we are unable to say. [242] In all probability out-door relief alone was administered. At

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THE CHOLERA.

THE CHOLERA.

If some memorable occurrences in local history may be termed ‘red lettered,’ the fearful visitations of this epidemic in 1832 and 1848 may be said to have been black, and very black lettered events indeed. The steady march of this dire disease from Asia over the continent of Europe towards our shores in 1831 created the utmost alarm of approaching danger, and led to precautionary measures being taken. Medical science however was at fault; contradictory advice was given; orders in council were

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THE SEVERN.

THE SEVERN.

The Severn at present is of little service to the parishioners of Madeley, either as a source of food or a means of transit, compared with what it was in former times. Yet washing as it does the whole of the western side of the parish, from Marnwood brook to the brook which separates Madeley and Sutton parishes, it deserves notice. There was a time when it supplied a considerable portion of food to those living upon its banks; and when, whilst other parts of the country, less favoured, were la

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THE SEVERN AS A SOURCE OF FOOD.

THE SEVERN AS A SOURCE OF FOOD.

So much importance has been attached to the Severn as the means both of supplying food and innocent recreation, that many Acts of parliament have at various times been passed for its protection. One sets forth that: “The King our Sovereign lord James, &amp;c., &amp;c. Having certain knowledge that in his stream and river of Severn and in other rivers, streams, creeks, brooks, waters and ditches thereinto running or descending, the spawn and brood of trout, salmon and salmon-effs and ot

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FLOODS.

FLOODS.

To quote from our “History of Broseley”:— In modern times these can to some extent be guarded against, as the news of any sudden extraordinary rise in the upper basin may be communicated to those living lower down. Formerly this could not be done; a flood would then travel faster than a letter, and coming down upon the villagers suddenly, perhaps in the night time, people would find the enemy had entered their households unawares. It was no unusual thing to see haystacks, cattle, timber, furni

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COALBROOKDALE.

COALBROOKDALE.

As an important part of the parish of Madeley, still more as a locality famous on account of its fine castings and other productions, Coalbrookdale is deserving of a much further notice than has incidentally been given on previous pages in speaking of the Darbys and Reynoldses. There are few people perhaps in the kingdom who have not heard or who do not know something of Coalbrookdale; and there are none, probably, who pass through it by rail who do not peer through the windows of the carriage

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COALBROOKDALE BRICK, TILE, AND TERRA COTTA WORKS.

COALBROOKDALE BRICK, TILE, AND TERRA COTTA WORKS.

Under the management of Mr. John Fox the clay-works of the Coalbrookdale Company have become so expanded and improved, that they now form an important department of the Company’s undertakings, and are at the present juncture, no doubt, among the more profitable of their industries. Since sanitary science has so successfully called public attention to the importance of the use of good bricks impervious to damp, the productions from these excellent coal-measure clays have been more in demand. Cl

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Coalbrookdale Coalfield.

Coalbrookdale Coalfield.

The works of the company in the Dale, at Lightmoor, Horsehay, the Castle, and other parts of Dawley, are so intimately connected and so entirely dependent upon the mineral resources of the district, that some further notice is needed to complete this stretch. We said at the commencement that neither iron nor coal were found here, but in the quotation from the Philosophical Transactions it is stated that Mr. Ford made iron either hard or soft from ore and coal got in the dale; and it may perhaps

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IRONBRIDGE.

IRONBRIDGE.

Ironbridge is a part of Madeley which, like Coalbrookdale, has risen to an independent ecclesiastical division, and its church now enjoys the unmerged rectorial tithes, valued at about £115 yearly, which formerly belonged to the mother church. In other respects also it enjoys privileges which formerly belonged to Madeley proper, such as markets and fairs. When the grants of these privileges were made, and indeed for centuries afterwards, the slopes now covered with houses, and the streets whic

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THE SEVERN VALLEY RAILWAY WAS AUTHORIZED IN 1853.

THE SEVERN VALLEY RAILWAY WAS AUTHORIZED IN 1853.

First by the 16th and 17th Vict. Ch. 227, entitled “An Act for making a Railway from the Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton Railway near Hartlebury, in the County of Worcester, to the Borough of Shrewsbury, in the County of Salop, WITH A BRANCH to be called the Severn Valley Railway, and for other purposes.” 2 ndly , in 1855. By the 18th. and 19th. Vict. Ch. 188 entitled “An Act for making and maintaining the Severn Valley Railway, and for other purposes.” 3 rdly . in 1856. By the 19th. and

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THE WELLINGTON AND SEVERN JUNCTION RAILWAY

THE WELLINGTON AND SEVERN JUNCTION RAILWAY

Was authorized in 1853, but a portion only of this Railway (from Wellington to Lightmoor) was constructed and the powers of the Act lapsed. It was worked by the Great Western Company in connexion with their line from Lightmoor to Shifnal and Wolverhampton. The Great Western Company and the West Midland and Severn Valley Railway Companies promoted Bills for Leasing this Railway in the Session of 1861. The Great Western Bill also proposed for the extension of their existing Line ending at Lightm

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ST. LUKE’S CHURCH.

ST. LUKE’S CHURCH.

The church occupies a picturesque situation on the side of the hill, opposite to the bridge, from which it is approached by a long flight of steps on one side, and a circuitous path winding round the hill on the other. It was built in 1836, and like the bridge, is of a material with which the district abounds. It would however have been equally in character with the place, and more pleasing to the eye, had it been built of stone. It has a tower, a nave, a chancel, and side aisles, and a richl

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THE SANITARY STATE OF THE PARISH.

THE SANITARY STATE OF THE PARISH.

The sanitary state of Madeley and Ironbridge is far from what it ought to be. There is not only a sad deficiency of water, but much that is used is impure. Severn water is carried and sold at Madeley Wood and Lincoln Hill at 1d., 1½., and sometimes 2d. per pail, or 6d. for a small barrel. Again, any one who knows the turbid tale of Severn-water after rain, or is acquainted with the amount of sewage thrown into the river, will question the quality of such water for drinking purposes. Just abo

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THE STEAM ENGINE IN ITS INFANCY.

THE STEAM ENGINE IN ITS INFANCY.

It will be seen from what has already been written how much this parish has been associated with various improvements and matters connected with the early history of the steam engine, and although the subject might not be of universal interest, we might mention here a correspondence between the Commissioners of Patents and W. R. Anstice, Esq., senior partner of the Madeley Wood Company. On the 24th of May, 1879, an article appeared in the Times under the head of...

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PATENT MUSEUM,

PATENT MUSEUM,

Stating that a very interesting old engine, the last of its kind which remained at work, had been removed from and re-erected in this museum, having been presented for that purpose to the Commissioners of Patents; and giving the following description issued by the curator, Colonel Stuart Wortley.— “Heslop’s Winding and Pumping Engine. Letters Patent, A.D. 1790, No. 1760.—This engine was erected at Kell’s Pit, for raising coals, about the year 1795, afterwards removed to Castlerigg Pit, in 1847,

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CAPTAIN WEBB.

CAPTAIN WEBB.

We have in the course of these pages given prominence to the names of men who have in different ways merited distinction, and whose deeds are deserving of record in a local history of this kind; and we cannot omit a passing recognition of the unparalleled feats of this distinguished Salopian, whose early life is so closely associated with this parish. We had prepared copious extracts from our “Life of Captain Webb,” in which is detailed his extraordinary performances, but can only give here a b

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Hotels, Inns, Public Houses, and Beershops, in the Parish—their Signs, &c.

Hotels, Inns, Public Houses, and Beershops, in the Parish—their Signs, &c.

Signboards are scarcely so significant or important now as formerly: yet an interest attaches to them still, and there is some pleasure in pondering over their designs, as significant of olden times and manners—the old ones especially. One easily imagines too the jovial tenants of taverns in former years, the noisy chafferings, the political discussions carried on by those who sought recreation and enjoyment in them. The Three Horse Shoes is the oldest Sign in Madeley; it swings over the door o

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THE BROOKE FAMILY.

THE BROOKE FAMILY.

From the time that Lord Chief Justice Brooke purchased the manor of Madeley, the names of members of the Brooke family constantly figure in the ecclesiastical and civil records of the parish of Madeley. Until the year 1706 they continued to occupy the Elizabethan mansion known as the Old Court House, now unhappily fallen into decay, the habitable portions being converted into cottages, and the chapel in which they once worshipped being, on the occasion of our last visit, occupied by poultry, wh

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MONUMENTAL INSCRIPTIONS.

MONUMENTAL INSCRIPTIONS.

Madeley Church, 1815. (British Museum) 21, 181. Hic jacet Johannes Brooke, Arm: filius Roberti Brooke: equitis aurati Justiciarii, capitalis de communi Banco (qui eqregiam reginam Mariam in obtinendo avito regno contra improborum machinationes navavit operam, et jus Anglicanum pluribus editis voluminibus mirifice illustravit) et Elizabethæ filiæ et hæredis Francisci Waring armig: qui postquam vixerat jurisprudentiæ doctrinæque ceteræ fama insignis, pluribus beneficus omnibus charus diem sunm san

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King Charles’s Oak.

King Charles’s Oak.

It is still a matter of dispute whether the oak tree still standing is the original tree which gave shelter to the king, or one grown from an acorn planted where the old tree stood. An old work says:— “King Charles II. took refuge in the Boscobel Oak in September, 1651. The tidings of his majesty’s restoration, and of his entry into London on the 29th of May, 1660, reached this county early in June. ‘Hundreds of people’ now flocked to see the oak; and such was the destruction of ‘its young bo

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Old Family Names.

Old Family Names.

It is interesting to notice that as early as 1694 many names of old Madeley families occur. Ashwood, Easthope, Brooke, Lloyd, Smytheman, Bowdler, Glazebrook, Boden, Bartlam, Hodgkiss, occur from 1689 to 1711, either as proprietors, or collectors of the Poll tax, Land tax, Window tax, or the tax on Births, &amp;c. The following were holders of the 2073 acres mentioned on p. 58:— Tenants’ Names. Quantity. Yearly Value. A. R. P. £ s. d. Demesne Lands 547 2 39 294 3 Mr. Purcell 256 0 11 129 1

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