Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for ELLESMERE

ELLESMERE, a town, a sub-district, and a division in Salop; and a parish and a district, partly also in Flint. The town stands on Ellesmere lake, the Ellesmere canal, and the Cambrian railway, at the junction of the E. and Glyn Valley railway, 16 miles NNW of Shrewsbury. It took its name from the lake, which covers about 186 acres, and was known to the Saxons as Aelsmere, or "the great lake." It belonged, at Domesday, to Earl Roger de Montgomery; it afterwards was held by the Crown, -was frequently given, as a marriage portion with female members of the royal family, to the princes of Wales, -but was given, in every instance under reservation of a right of resumption; it possessed, in those times, a strong castle which, as well as its situation on the frontier, made it a place of much importance in politics and in war; and it afterwards passed to successively Lord Strange, the Earls of Derby, Richard Spencer, Edward Savage, and the Egertons. Its castle occupied an eminence; was under special governors during all the times of its being held by the Crown; but began to pass into neglect from the time of Edward III.; was afterwards suffered to go to ruin; and has entirely disappeared. The castle's site has been converted into a bowling-green; and commands a brilliant view over portions of nine counties. The town presents a pretty appearance; is a seat of petty sessions and a polling place; and has a post office‡ under Shrewsbury, a railway station, three chief inns, two banking offices, a town-hall, a church, four dissenting chapels, a fine cemetery of 1865, a workhouse, and charities £115. The church is cruciform and decorated English; was rebuilt in 1849; has a good E window; and contains some ancient monuments. A weekly market is held on Tuesday; and fairs on the first Monday of every month. There is an extensive foundry at the wharf. There are also gas-works. A large trade is carried on in agricultural produce, and in malting. The Ellesmere and Glyn Valley railway was authorised in 1866; and goes, 15 miles, to Llansaintffraid-Glyn-Cerriog. The town gives the title of Earl to the Egertons. Pop., 2, 114. Houses, 413.—The parish includes the townships of Ellesmere, Colemere, Crickett, Criftins, Eastwick, Elson-with-Greenhill, Birch and Lythe, Cockshutt and Crosemere, Frankton, Hamptons-Wood, Hardwick, Kenwicks-with-Stockett and Whettall, Kenwicks-Park, Kenwicks-Wood, Lee, Lyneal, New Marton, Newnes, Northwood, Oteley-with-Newton and Spoonhill, Ridges, Stocks-with-Coptivinney, Tetchill-with-French, and the chapelry of Dudleston, in Salop, and the chapelry of Penley in Flint. Acres, in Salop, 24, 597; in Flint, 2, 036. Real property, in Salop, £23, 334; in Flint, £2, 950. Pop., in Salop, 6, 071; in Flint, 382. Houses, 1, 229 and 91. The property is subdivided. Ellesmere House, a handsome brick-edifice, is the seat of Capt. Cust. Otley Park, a modern Tudor mansion, is the seat ofMainwaring, Esq.; and Lythe Hall is the seat of R. J. Jebb, Esq. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Lichfield. Value, £386.* Patron, Earl Brownlow. The p. curacies of Cockshutt, Dudleston, and Penley are separate benefices.

The sub-district contains all the Salop parts of Ellesmere parish, and the parishes of Hordley and Welsh-Hampton. Acres, 28, 646. Pop., 6, 078. Houses, 1, 400.—The district comprehends also the sub-district of Baschurch, containing the parishes of Baschurch, Great Ness, Petton, and Middle; the sub-district of Hanmer, conterminate with Hanmer parish, electorally in Flint; and the sub-district of Overton, containing the parish of Overton, and the chapelry of Penley, both electorally in Flint. Acres, 71, 081. Poor-rates in 1862, £6, 665. Pop. in 1851, 15, 239; in 1861, 14, 611. Houses, 3, 003. Marriages in 1860, 76; births, 407, -of which 41 were illegitimate, deaths, 299, -of which 74 were at ages under 5 years, and 7 at ages above 85. Marriages in the ten years 1851-60, 752; births, 4, 352; deaths, 2, 894. The places of worship in 1851 were 17 of the Church of England, with 6, 051 sittings; 8 of Independents, with 1, 220 s.; 1 of Baptists, with 90 s.; 7 of Wesleyan Methodists, with 815 s.; 25 of Primitive Methodists, with 2, 100 s.; and 2 of the Wesleyan Association, with 264 s. The schools were 17 public day schools, with 1, 265 scholars; 28 private day schools, with 682 s.; 27 Sunday schools, with 1, 553 s.; and 1 evening school for adults, with 14 s.- The division is part of Pimhill hundred, and contains three parishes and parts of two others. Acres, 35, 555. Pop., 8, 227. Houses, 1, 622.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a town, a sub-district, and a division"   (ADL Feature Type: "cities")
Administrative units: Ellesmere Tn/CP/AP       Ellesmere RegD/PLU       Shropshire AncC
Place names: AELSMERE     |     ELLESMERE
Place: Ellesmere

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