MURRAY'S ENGLISH HANDBOOKS. DURHAM AND NORTHUMBERLAND— Newcastle, Darlington, Bishop Auckland, Stockton, Hartlepool, Sunderland, Shields, Berwick, Tynemouth, Alnwick, Ac. 5 Maps and Plans, 10*. THE LAKES (WESTMORLAND AND OUMBERLAND)-Lanoas- ter, Furness Abbey, Ambleside, Kendal, Windermere, Coniston, Keswick, Grasmere, Ulswater, Carlisle, Cockkbmouth, Penrith, Appleby, Ac, 5 Maps. 6*. YORKSHIRE— Doncaster, Hull, Selby, Beverley, Scarborough, Whitby, Harrogate, Ripon. Leeds, Wakefield, Bradford, Halifax, Hud- dersfield, Sheffield, Ac. ith Edition . Remodelled and Revised* 38 Maps and Plans. 14*. . r LANCASHIRE — Warrington, Bury, Manchester, Liverpool, Burnley, Clitheroe, Bolton, Blackburn, Wigan, Preston, Rochdale, Lancaster, Southport, Blackpool, Ac. Map. 6*. LINCOLNSHIRE— Grantham, Lincoln, Stamford, Sleaford, Spald- ing, Gainsborough, Grimsby, Boston, Ac. New { 2 nd ) Edition . Largely re- written. With Map and 8 Plana. 7 s . 6 d . 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EASTERN COUNTIES (ESSEX, CAMBRIDGE, NORFOLK, SUF- FOLK) — Chelmsford, Harwich, Colchester, Maldon, Cambridge, Ely, Newmarket, Bury St. Edmunds, Ipswich, Woodbridok, Felixstowe, Low- estoft, Norwich, Yarmouth, Cromer, Ac. WARWICKSHIRE— Warwick, Kenilworth, Coventry, Stratfoud- on-Avon, Birmingham, Ac. 10 Maps and Plans. 6*. WORCESTER AND .HEREFORD— Leominster, Ross, Malveln, Kidderminster, Dudley, Bbomsgrove, Evesham. 5 Maps. 5 s . *LOU CESTERSHIRE — Gloucester, Bristol, Ac. 3 MapH and Plans, 6s. Cheltenham, bury, HERTS, HUNTINGDON AND BEDS— Bedford, Hatfield, Hun- tingdon, Luton, St. Albans, Thing, Ware, Watford, Ac. 10 Maps and Plans. 7s. 6 d . BUCKINGHAMSHIRE— Eton, Wycombe, Aylesbury, Buckingham, Stowe, Ac. Ntw Edition . Entirely re-written. With 2 Mapa. 6*. October, 1907 Mapsellers, Booksellers and Stationers, 67 St. James’s Street, S.W. 6 t don.' on 3 UOUUO) . ii Co* the use of nl AHifv)'rer:»iK>, GiA3|pu\ L)um •'•^'zxxszxs: »WrriBHLAM) f &o. Ak* 6 -. 10,.^# Galway, Wexford, Cork, fiJilfy, Bajitbt, &o. An entirely New London through TOIHS N*W F61IE8T, AND BACK Dk AMD Rp*OH- lUAHtratod by a J.RD STANFORD, AflWfc W. 0 , % I A HANDBOOK FOR SHROPSHIRE AND CHESHIRE ^ This sign in the text appended to a name indicates that further information relating to the subject is to be found in the Index and Directory at the end of the book. A HANDBOOK FOR RESIDENTS AND TRAVELLERS IN SHROPSHIRE AND CHESHIRE THIRD EDITION, REVISED WITH MAPS AND PLANS LONDON JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET 1897 PRINTED BY SPOTTISWOODE AND CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE LONDON PREFACE. The present edition of the Handbook for Shropshire and Cheshire has been thoroughly revised and brought up to date, particular attention having been devoted to those districts in Shropshire — such as the neighbourhoods of Church S tret ton, Bishop’s Castle, and Clun — which are most visited, or most worthy of being visited by tourists in search of picturesque and wild scenery, and care has been taken to indicate the best methods by which pedestrians can explore the fine scenery of the more mountainous parts of the county. The account of Chester has been almost entirely rewritten, with a special eye to the requirements of the many visitors who resort to that ancient city, and it is hoped that there is no object worthy of the attention of visitors in either county which has not received adequate notice. A number of sectional maps, as well as one of a general character, together with plans of the two county towns, have been added to this edition. Thus the Handbook may fairly claim to afford a greater amount of infor- mation respecting the two counties with which it deals than any similar publication. The great difficulty in the way of tourists in Shropshire is the want of adequate hotel accommodation in many of the more picturesque parts of the county. The excursions have been planned so as to overcome this difficulty as far as possible, and a list of hotels and inns is combined with the Index, some of which are first-rate, whilst the others will, it is believed, in all vi Preface. cases be found to afford comfortable, if less spacious, accommoda- tion for tourists. Information as to fishing, posting, &c. will be found in the same part of the work. It is impossible, notwithstanding all efforts to the contrary, that a guide, even to so comparatively small an area as that dealt with in the present volume, should be free from all errors and omissions, and Mr. Murray will feel grateful for any corrections or additions to the work, which may be addressed to him at 50 Albemarle Street, W., for use in the preparation of any future edition. The above remark applies particularly to hotels and inns, which, changing hands from time to time, are liable to deteriorate or to improve. B. C. A. W. January 1807 . LIST OF MAPS AND PLANS. 1. Ludlow and District .... . to face page 6 2. Church Stretton and Longmynd „ 14 3. Clun and District „ 34 4. Plan of Shrewsbury „ 53 5. Macclesfield and Buxton . „ 96 6 . Delamere and Tarporley . „ 122 7. Plan of Chester . . „ 139 8 . General Map ... . . at the end SHROPSHIRE AND CHESHIRE. INTRODUCTION. I. Physical Geography and Geology Shrops. 9 Chesh. 15 II. Industrial Resources . 18 20 III. Communications .... 22 23 IY. History and Antiquities 25 31 Y. -Places of Interest 36 38 VI. Celebrated Men .... 40 41 VII. Skeleton Tours . ... 42 43 VIII. Antiquarian Tours 44 46 IX. Pedestrian Tours .... 47 47 I. PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. I. SHROPSHIRE. Shropshire, as viewed from its physical aspect, is well fitted for its position on the Marches of Wales : the Welsh portion possessing all the features of a mountain-land ; the English, of fertile plain and rich farming country. There is so much variety in Salop that it may be considered an epitome of England, for it contains, within the compass of a few miles, all the characteristics of an Alpine district in miniature, while at the same time within sight of orchards, gardens, and farm- houses. From this very variety of scenery, which of course depends mostly on the geological formation, Shropshire has come to be regarded as a typical district by the geologist, who will find within its borders a complete history of the Paleeozoic formation. The mountain region is principally found on the Welsh, or western side. On the S., the Radnorshire hills are continuous with the Forest of Clun, whence the high grounds run, with but little intermission, into the noble range of the Longmynd and the Stiperstones, the latter keeping up the con- nection with the mountains of Montgomeryshire, and the former abruptly ending at the beautiful valley of Church Stretton. On the [ 10 ] Shropshire — Physical Geography . other side of this valley is the equally picturesque, though not so lofty, series of Hope Bowdler, Caradoc, Ragleath, and Lawley, separating the Church Stretton valley from Apedale, which joins it lower down at an acute angle, and is sheltered on the E. by the very characteristic ridge of Wenlock Edge. The latter commences, near Craven Arms, in a series of very striking wooded terraces, and runs diagonally across Shropshire until it is brought up by the great gap of the Severn Valley, near Coalbrook Dale. To the E. of it is Corve Dale, whence hilly, undulating ground extends for the remainder of the distance to the Severn, and even beyond it, to the Staffordshire border. The chief scenic features in this district are the isolated upthrows of the Clee Hills, which are landmarks for many a mile. The Brown Clee is the most northerly and the highest, and is con- nected with its fellow, the Titterstone Clee and Hoar Edge, by a ridge, which on one side overlooks Ludlow and the Vale of Teme, on the other the broken country of the Forest of Wyre : “ Those mountains of commande, The Clees, like loving twinnes, and Stitterstone that stand Transevered.” — Drayton. To the N. of the Stiperstones is the valley of the Rea, and a gradually diminishing series of hills, which merge into the valley of the Severn between Welshpool and Shrewsbury. Generally speaking, the districts N. and E. of the Severn, which cuts Shropshire into two tolerably equal divisions, are of English character, although the surface is repeatedly interrupted by elevations such as the Wrekin and Haugh- mond Hill. The former is a curved ridge, of somewhat ungainly shape, but with beautiful wood-fringed sides, and sends off to the N. lower spurs to Lilleshall and Donnington, and to the S. those of Coalbrook Dale. Between Wellington and the Cheshire border (the course of the Great Western Railway to Nantwich) is the basin of the Tern, a level, richly cultivated district, broken only by the wooded heights of Hawk- stone. The same character of surface is maintained as far as Oswestry, where the ground begins to rise again, the outposts of the great moun- tain-country of Merionethshire and Denbighshire, which at Sweeny Hill and Llynclys afford scenery of considerable beauty. One great characteristic of the Shropshire plain should be mentioned, viz. its meres , some of which are sufficiently large to justify their being called lakes. They are to be found in great numbers, scarely a parish or gentleman’s park being without them. The water -basin of Shropshire is altogether that of the Severn and its tributaries. That noble river itself, in its course through the country, passes through great variety of scenery : from the stately, placid stream between Shrewsbury and Cressage, gliding through rich pastureland, to the fretted rapid between the wooded heights of Coalbrook Dale and Benthall Edge, during which passage its elevation is reduced some 40 ft. The Rea and the Tern are the two principal tributaries in the northern part of the county, the south being watered by the Oney, the Corve, and the Teme, the latter of which does not join the Severn for a considerable distance after it has emerged from Shropshire. The geology of Shropshire is still more diversified than the scenery Shropshire — Geology . [ 11 ] and is of the highest interest to the scientific observer, who may read from its stone volume the condition of the very earliest rocks that form the crust of the earth. Thanks to the labours of Sir Eoderick Murchison, the late Mr. Salter, Professor Ramsay, and that hardworking body of local geologists which compose the Woolhope Club, these intricate decipherings have been clearly made out, so that he who runs may read. In the Longmynd we have the representation of some of the oldest rocks in the British Isles, formerly termed Cambrian, but which discoveries of late years appear to assign to a period of greater antiquity, forming, as it were, the axis upon which the more recent fossiliferous strata were deposited. It forms a range of deeply ravined mountains, varying in height from 1,400 ft. to 1,600 ft., and standing boldly out from the neighbouring hills. The lowest beds are formed of clay- slates, interrupted by bosses of eruptive trap -rock, and overlaid by a vast and regular series of hard purple, greenish, and grey and purple flagstones, often finely laminated and ripple -marked. For years and years the bottom rocks of the Longmynd were considered as utterly lifeless, and were pointed to as the zone at which all life, even of the most minute description, ceased ; but the diligent researches of the late Mr. Salter revealed at last the presence of annelid burrows, analogous to the lob- worm of the present day. The vast thickness of these rocks was considered by Professor Ramsay to be 26,000 ft. ; but Mr. Salter, from subsequent examinations, believed that this computation should be reduced one-half, owing to the doubling of the strata upon them- selves. One great feature of the Longmynd is the transverse dells, or “ gutters,” as they are locally called, the origin of which has given rise to much discussion : some geologists considering that they are the work of river excavation, while others hold that they are due to the action of the sea. The Stiperstones, to the W. of the Longmynd, are so called from a ridge of quartz rocks on their summit, which denotes the division between the Cambrian rocks on the E. slopes and the fossiliferous strata of the so-called Ordovician or Lower Silurian beds on the W. The former are the equivalents of the Tremadoc beds of North Wales; but the rocks immediately on the W. of the Stiperstones are Arenig. They appear to constitute the natural base of the rocks of the Shelve and Corndon district. These Ordovician or Lower Silurian rocks extend over the remaining portion of Shropshire into Mont- gomeryshire, interrupted only by the outburst of the trap-rocks of Corndon Hill, while beds of volcanic ash are interstratified with Ordovician rocks. On the W. side of the Longmynd, therefore, is a regular sequence of fossiliferous strata ; but on the E. a different state of things prevails. Here the Lingula and Llandeilo beds are absent, while the fossiliferous beds of the Caradoc or Bala occupy the ground, between which and the Longmynd rocks rise the igneous chains of Ragleath, Hope Bowdler, Caer Caradoc, and Lawley, overlain by strata of Cambrian age and bounded to the W. by a line of fault. By this fault the upper strata have been cut off from the lower, and the Caradoc has been deposited on the edge of the Cambrian and the rocks of higher antiquity. From hence these rocks, with the underlying Cambrian, extend northwards to the Wrekin ; southwards, to the valley of the Teme and occupying a portion of that of the Oney, where they [ 12 ] Shropshire— Geology. are seen with the overlying May Hill, or Llandovery rocks. These latter extend to Build was and the base of the Wrekin, and are ob- servable also at Hope, reposing unconformably on rounded bosses of trap and Arenig rock. Another small patch of Llandovery rock is seen at Linley and Norbury, as well as on the E. flank and the S. extremity of the Longmynd. Overlying the Caradoc and Llandovery beds is the Wenlock, forming a line of hills that run diagonally across Shropshire from the Severn at Coalbrook Hale to near Ludlow. The ravine of Coalbrook Hale itself is mainly scooped out of Wenlock shale, and its entrance into the Severn valley is guarded by Lincoln Hill, also Wen- lock limestone, with carboniferous measures reposing on it. On the S.E. slopes of Wenlock Edge are the Lower and Upper Ludlow , separated by the Aymestry limestone, which is well developed near Stokesay, but thins out towards Wenlock. To the Ludlow beds succeed the Downton sandstone a$d the Old Bed , the latter of which occupies the area between Corve Hale and a line drawn S. from Bridg- north through Leasowes, Old Hay, and Harpswood. The cornstone beds, which are local calcareous beds in the Old Bed, form notably good wheatland. Southwards, the Old Red is continuous with that of Herefordshire, interrupted only by the Clee Hills. To the N. and W. of Wenlock Edge it has been a good deal denuded and broken up, leaving only some isolated patches, such as Clun Forest. As in Here- fordshire, the Old Red of Shropshire is of great interest to the geologist, from the variety of fish remains. The carboniferous measures, though collectively occupying no very large area, are interesting from the character and relations of the subordinate beds. The Shrewsbury coalfield extends in a narrow strip, in shape something like a siphon, from the base of Haughmond Hill to Alberbury, on the banks of the upper Severn, a distance of 18 m., and has the peculiarity of possessing neither millstone grit nor mountain limestone, the coalmeasures resting directly on the Silurian and older rocks. Superficially, it is overlaid by Lower Permian strata, containing, as at Alberbury and Cardeston, a remarkable stratified breccia, com- posed of angular fragments of white quartz and carboniferous lime- stone, cemented by calcareo-ferruginous paste. The coalfield is chiefly remarkable for the presence of a band of estuarine limestone, with freshwater or brackish shells, which is curiously persistent over a large area, and is always found associated with the upper coal- measures. As a coalfield the Shrewsbury field is comparatively valueless. The same may be said of the Lebotwood field, which extends from the base of Caer Caradoc to the north side of the Long- mynd. The Coalbrook Dale field is very different, both in interest and value. It is an irregular triangle in form, having its most northerly point at Lilleshall, its most southerly at Coalport, and its base along the valley of the Severn. On the W. it is partly bounded by the fault which lets in the New Red, and on the E. by a narrow strip of Permian. The ravine of Coalbrook Hale itself, as has been observed, is scooped out of Wenlock shale ; but the Lightmoor hollow, up which the railway has been carried, is excavated in the lower coal- measures. The Lightmoor fault traverses the coalfield from N. to S., and has a downthrow of about 100 yds., and to the W. of it the coal- Shropshire — Geology . [ 13 ] beds are almost exhausted. E. of these coalmeasures, successful shafts have been sunk through the Permian rocks, and the coal has been found in regular sequence. According to Mr. Hull, the area of the basin was 28 sq. m., and contained 27 ft. of workable coal. That portion where the coalmeasures come to the surface is practically exhausted, but in the E. extension of the field they are being worked at a profit beneath the Permian. The Forest of Wyre coalfield is another of the comparatively unproductive ones. Although superficially of great size, coal can be worked at a profit only in a few scattered localities. It extends from the northern end of the Abberley Hills, near Stourport, in Worcester- shire, to several miles beyond Bewdley, narrowing at its northern end to a thin strip bordering the W. bank of the Severn. The coal- measures repose on the Old Red, and are overlaid by a thick sequence of Permian rocks. The coalfield of the Clee Hills is particularly interesting, from the fact of its having been pierced by an outburst of basalt, which has spread over it, and forms the basaltic head of the Titterstone Clee. The measures, two or three in number, are nearly horizontal, and some of the old shafts by which they were reached pierce the basaltic strata. In the case of the Clees, the coal rests on the Old Red, but on the N. and W. sides of the hills are both grit and limestone, the latter, at Oreton and Farlow, being the equivalents of the yellow sandstone, and abounding in fish remains. The carboni- ferous strata of Shropshire should not be dismissed without mention of Sweeny Hill, near Oswestry, which comes within the geographical pale of the county, though geologically it forms a portion of the Flint- shire basin. The millstone grit here is unusually interesting, from its fossiliferous character, a very unusual feature in this formation. To the coalmeasures succeeds the Permian , which is of some economic value in Shropshire, on account of its fringing the coalfields and of the possibility of the underlying coalmeasures being worked through it. To the E. of Coalbrook Dale these beds have been success- fully pierced down to the coalmeasures. The breccia which borders the Shrewsbury coalfield is considered by Mr. Hull to be the remnant of an old shingle beach, composed of carboniferous and Silurian rocks. The Triassic occupies nearly all the remaining area of the county, including the district E. of the Severn, between Bridgnorth and Wolverhampton, and that between Shrewsbury, Ellesmere, Newport, and Market Drayton. Bridgnorth is the best locality for studying the Triassic, very fine sections being met with in the conglomerate, or pebble bed. Between the bounding ridges of Haughmond and the Wrekin is the Triassic basin of the Tern. There is a small pear-shaped patch of Lias between Wem and Audlem, extending for a short distance into Cheshire. The igneous rocks have already been mentioned in the respective districts which they have influenced, such as the Clee Hills, Corndon Range, the Caradoc ranges, and the Wrekin. Some of these igneous rocks are of high antiquity, probably pre-Cambrian ; such are the volcanic rocks of the Wrekin, Caradoc, Lilleshall, and Pontesford. Others are of much more recent date, such as the Arenig and Bala Ashes W. of the Stiper- [ 14 ] Shropshire — Geology . stones, and the intrusive igneous rocks, the Clee Hills, Corndon, and Ketley. The geologist will find Salop an admirable district for studying the phenomena of the Glacial Period , drift gravels , sands, and clays. Over the whole of the county are distributed large numbers of erratics, which are especially predominant in the district N. of the Severn, but are very sparse upon the Longmynd and its borders. These seem to have their origin in two sources — viz. 1. The S. of Scotland and the Lake District ; 2. Arenig mountains of N. Wales. The basin of the Tern, too, shows deposits of low-level gravel. The geologist visiting Shropshire should study Sir R. Murchison’s “ Siluria,” Prestwich’s “ Coalbrook Dale” (Trans. Geol. Soc.), the “ Transactions of the Woolhope Field Club,” Eyton’s “ Denudation of Shropshire,” and the various memoirs published in the “ Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society” and by the Geologists’ Association. See particularly a paper (1894) by Lap worth and Watts with bibliography. Localities interesting to the Geologist. The Longmynd. — Longmyndian rocks at Church Stretton, Carding- mill section. Arenicolites. Stiper stones. — Quartzites. Shelve. — Fossiliferous and Arenig rocks. Corndon Mountain. — Intrusive dolorites with fossiliferous Llan- dello rocks. Llandello and Bala (all fossiliferous) at Rorrington , Snailbeach , Middletown, Marnvngton Dingle. All this district can be best explored by staying at the Miner's Arms, Minsterley. Caradoc beds at Cardington , Chatwall, and Soudley. Caradoc of Marshbrook, Acton Scott. Oney River (Craven Arms). — Caradoc strata overlaid by Llandovery rocks. Beds at Horderley and Cheney Longville. Wenlock shales and limestone at Coalbrook Dale. Benthall Edge and Wenlock Edge very fossiliferous. Ludlow Rocks and Bone-bed, Downton Sandstone near Ludlow , Mary Knoll, Leintwardine , Pedwardine (starfishes), &c. Old Red Cornstones, with Pteraspis, Cephalaspis, and Eurypterus, near Ludlow, Whitbatch, Hopton, Bouldon, Downton. Yellow Sandstone at Farlow, plants, and fish remains. Mountain Limestone at Oreton, with fish teeth ; at Wrekin (corals) ; and at Sweeny Hill. Millstone grit (fossiliferous) at Llynclys. Clee Hills. — Coalmeasures, overlaid by Basalt. Coalbrook Dale. — Coalmeasures and ironstones ; very productive in coal fossils. Shrewsbury Coalfield, near Pontesbury, with freshwater limestone. Limestone, with Spirorbis, at Linley. Permian rocks, bordering the E. of the Coalbrook Dale field. Permian breccia at ATberbury and Cardeston. [ 15 ] Cheshire — Physical Geography . Triassic of Bridgnorth . Lias between Wem and Audlem. Drift (glacial) at Strethill, near Buildwas. River terraces and gravel drifts at Arley. Low-level gravels at Crudgington , and the valley of the Tern . II. CHESHIRE. The chance traveller by rail from Crewe to Birkenhead, during his progress through Cheshire will, generally speaking, carry away with him a low estimate of its scenic beauty and interest ; but for all that, there is much in the county that is charmingly picturesque, although it lies somewhat out of the beaten track of tourists, and requires searching for. Cheshire may be described as a great plain, set in a frame of high ground, which in many localities offers views of a high order, although the component parts are not on a large scale. But even the plain, though exceedingly level, contains all the pleasant and sunny features of English pastoral life ; while nowhere is the view so circumscribed as not to be relieved by the distant hills, which, if not so rich in the peculiar treasures of the plain, possess others of different kind and value. To the E. a wild elevated district separates Cheshire from Derby and Staffordshire, extending from the valley of the Goyt, and forming the rugged country of Macclesfield Forest and Shutlingslow, to the S. of which the line is continued by Cloud Hill, Congleton Edge, and Mow Cop. The southern portion of Cheshire is continuous with the fertile pastures of Shropshire, but the western setting of the frame is furnished by the Peckforton range, and the high grounds that mark the course of the Dee. The Delamere Forest, one of the prettiest alternations of hill and woodland to be found in England, is almost the only break in the great central plain, and even this soon merges into the hills and defiles that fringe the Mersey estuary from Alvanley to Frodsham and Runcorn, and gradually die away as the Lancashire border is approached near Bowdon. Cheshire possesses two outlying districts, those of Wirral and Longdendale, which, as seen on the map, look very much like the respective handles of the casket. Neverthe- less they are extremely unlike each other, Wirral being marked by a tolerably uniform level, broken only by the hillocks of Bidston and Storeton, while Longdendale is characterised by the lofty hills and moorlands of the Pennine range. With the exception of the Dee, which, though it enters the sea after a short course through Cheshire, is properly a Welsh rather than a Cheshire river, the water basin is entirety formed by the millstone grit plateau that bounds the North Staffordshire and Derbyshire coalfields. From its recesses issue the Tame and the Goyt, which, with their united waters, form the commerce-laden bosom of the Mersey. Hence also rise the Bollin, the Wheelock, and the Dane, the two latter helping to swell the volume of the Weaver, which, rising in the Shropshire plain, has a somewhat stagnant, though very valuable, career through the salt-bearing districts. [ 16 ] Cheshire — Geology. The oldest rocks that enter into the geological composition of the county belong to the carboniferous formation, and are chiefly millstone grit , with their subordinate beds. The limestone is principally re- presented by the Yoredale rocks that form the ridges of Bosley Minn and its neighbourhood, and are again seen further north at Staley - bridge and the Saddleworth valley, where they are 2,000 ft. thick. On the N.W. side of Mow Cop the shale and limestone crop out at Newbold Astbury, the effects of an anticlinal line that runs along the ridge. To the N. are the high grounds of Macclesfield Forest, extending as far as Longdendale and into Yorkshire. The conical hill of Shutlingslow, the bold elevation of Cloud Hill, and the rugged escarpment of Congleton Edge, are all formed of different beds of these grits and their associated shaly beds, which, as they approach Yorkshire, are developed on a large scale, though the scenery is not so varied. There are four different beds of grit, with shales between each. The whole series is seen at Mottram, 3,000 ft. thick, but in their course southward they thin out more or less, until they disappear altogether in Staffordshire. The second bed cannot be traced further S. than Shutlingslow, but at Cloud Hill the first, third, and fourth grits are seen — the first, known as the Rough Rock, forming the base of the coalmeasures ; while to the third the hill owes its massive character. Immediately on the other side of Congleton Edge is the most northerly limit of the North Staffordshire coalfield, known as the Biddulph trough, which is formed by two beds of grit passing under- neath the coalmeasures, and cropping out on the Edge and Mow t Cop. The Coalmeasures that form the southern portion of the Cheshire, or more properly the Lancashire coalfield, are underlain by the Rough Rock, and are worked between Stockport and Macclesfield to within half a mile of the latter town. They are here superficially covered by the Boulder clay, and soon pass under the river, taking a N.W. dip and being overlaid by the Permian. In the neighbourhood of Macclesfield the collieries are not of so much importance as they are nearer to the Lancashire border, where some of the pits, and notably that of Dukinfield, are among the deepest in England. The carboni- ferous beds are much disturbed all through the district. The valley of the Goyt itself is formed by a synclinal line towards w T hich the coal- beds dip E. and W. An anticlinal passes between Mellor and Marple, and can be traced as far as Forest Chapel, where it splits into two, the coalbeds rising towards it from the Goyt trough on the E. and the Cheshire plain on the W. One branch of this saddle passes to the E. of Shutlingslow, which is capped with millstone grit and shows the limestone cropping out on the N.E. The other runs down S. to Cloud Hill and Mow Cop, where it exposes the shales at Newbold Astbury as I before mentioned. It finally disappears at Madeley, -where the Bunter sandstone wraps round the extremity of the Potteries coal-1 field. With the exception of a small portion of that pear-shaped Lia J patch between Wem and Audlem, and some Permian beds at Norburyl near Stockport, the whole of the remainder of Cheshire consists of Keuper beds and the underlying Bunter sandstone, the intermediatj Cheshire — Geology . [ 17 ] Muschelkalk being entirely wanting in this comity, as elsewhere in England. The waterstones (Lower Keuper) are seen 2 m. S. of Macclesfield in close contact with the lower coalmeasures, and also in the course of the Bollin between Quarry Bank and Bowdon. A considerable dislocation runs from Leek in Staffordshire past Bosley to Bosthern and Lymm, forming the N.E. boundary of the Cheshire saltfield. To the S. of Cheshire the Upper Red Marls extend along the base of Congleton Edge and Mow Cop, where they are in contact with the carboniferous limestone, and thence continue southwards to Madeley and Audlem, though much covered by drift. The district between Malpas (at the S.W. corner of the Peckforton Hills) and Congleton is a trough or broad valley of gypseous and saliferous beds of the Keuper — in other words the Great Cheshire Salt- field— -extending thence to Northwich and embracing all the principal salt-works which lie more or less near the banks of the rivers Weaver and Wheelock. The most easterly place where salt has been found is at Lawton, on the Staffordshire border, where the gypseous beds are brought in contact with the coal. The following are some of the heights compared with the sea-level at which salt has been found (Ormerod, “Geol. Soc. Journal”) : Lawton . . Rock-salt 290 feet above sea-level Northwich . • • 55 55 ,, „ „ Winsford . • • 33 90 „ „ Marston 27 „ „ Wheelock . Brine 3 „ below „ • • » 93 „ above „ Middlewich . • • „ 120 „ „ Frodsham . • • „ 250 „ „ The rock-salt occurs for the most part in two beds. At Winsford the upper bed is 120 ft. thick, and at Northwich about 90, the salt being impure in each case. Below it is a bed of indurated clay called “ Stone ” (33 to 36 ft.), succeeded by the second bed, the lower portion of which is the great repository from which the rock-salt supplies are drawn. To the N. of Northwich, salt is not found further than Budworth and Pickmere, both of which pools are probably due to the subsidences of the surface from the dissolving of the salt-beds underneath. To the E. of Cheshire, the same fault which cuts off the salt-field has taken great effect at Alderley Edge, on one side of which are seen the Lower Keuper beds with strata bearing copper in small quantity, and on the other the Bunter sandstone. The latter is seen also at Timperley — along the valley of the Bollin — and again underlying the terrace ridge from Hoo Green by Leigh to Lymm, and on to Hill Cliff near Warrington. Thence it fringes the Red Marl all round by Runcorn, Frodsham, nearly to Tarporley, forming the ranges of the Peckforton Hills, Beeston Rock, and the rising ground on the banks of the Dee. In Wirral the Upper Red and variegated sandstones of the Bunter are frequently seen, overlaid by the Keuper. These beds are of peculiar interest to the fossil collector from the occurrence of Cheirotherium footsteps at various localities ( e.g . Storeton). The [H. B. Shrojj.] a 1 — 1 00 tH i i Cheshire — Geology . thickness follows : of the Trias in Cheshire has been estimated as Gypseous and Saliferous beds .... Waterstones Bunter Sandstone . 700 feet . 400 „ . 600 „ 1,700 33 Few counties afford better opportunities for studying the drift than Cheshire. All over the S. the Triassic strata are more or less covered by it, but the level character of the country does not offer many sections. However, the ravine -like nature of the district round Macclesfield and Stockport allows the boulder clay and valley gravels containing shells to be seen to great perfection. Localities interesting to the Geologist. Limestone and shales of Newbold Astbury. Millstone grit at Motv Cop and Cloud Hill. Coalmeasure shales, with goniatites at Bukinfield, on the banks of the Tame. Keuper beds (copper-bearing) at Alderley Edge and Mottram St. Andrew's. Triassic strata at Lymm , Daresbury , Weston near Runcorn, Tar - vorley , and Storeton Hill, all containing foot-tracks of Cheirotherium. Salt-mines at Northwich , Marston , and Winsford. Drift (boulder clay and gravels) at Macclesfield , where great numbers of shells were found at the cemetery. Drift beds at Bredbury , near Stockport (marine shells). “ Till ” at Hyde. Deposits near Birkenhead. Forest beds at Leasowes. Glaciation marks at Bidston Hill and elsewhere. The Flora of Mid-Cheshire is intermediate between that of the N. and S. counties of Britain. E. of Macclesfield that of the high ground is akin to the West Riding of Yorkshire, while in the W. the botany of Wirral is more various and southern in character. The marl-pits and inland meres of Mid- Cheshire render it almost sui generis for aquatic plants and reeds. II. INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES. I. SHROPSHIRE. Although Shropshire cannot be included among the manufactur- ing counties, it contains within its boundaries a very fair share of the economic riches of the earth, about half of its population being engaged in specific trades and pursuits, while the other half is supported by agriculture. The metalliferous mines are nearly all found in the mountainous portion of the county, between Bishop’s Castle and Minsterley. The district which yields them has long been known for its mineral wealth. “ In 1190 Richard I. granted a charter conveying the ‘ Forest of Tene- Shropshire — Industries . [1 9] frestanes’ to the Baron of Caus ; and there are so many references to the lead found in the neighbourhood as to prove that the veins were ex- tensively worked in the 13th and 14th cent. In Eyton’s ‘ Antiquities of Shropshire,’ cartloads of lead are spoken of ; but whether lead- ore or pure lead is not stated, though it is certain that smelting operations were performed near the mines.” — Morton. Mining implements of Roman age, together with a pig of lead, were found near Snead, at the bottom of a trench called the Roman Vein, which is the most valuable vein in the district. Lead has been for many years obtained from the Snailbeach and other mines. The quantity of ore raised in 1893 was 1,800 tons ; this produced 1,382 tons of lead, valued at 11,171?. Copper has been found at Westcott and Clive, on the N. side of Grinshill, where it was worked in horizontal beds in the Triassic strata as at Alderley, Cheshire (Rte. 14), and not in lodes as at Cornwall. In addition to the lead, the Stiperstone mines yield zinc-ore and barytes, of which 5,852 tons, valued at 5,119Z., were raised in 1893. The other productions, which are only valuable to the mineralogist, consist of quartz, chalcedony, calcite, witherite, malachite, redruthite, galena, minium, etc. Iron ore , in the shape of argillaceous carbonate and blackband, is largely worked in the neighbourhood of Coalbrook Dale, Madeley, Lilleshall, and the coal-basin generally. In 1893, 54,596 tons were raised, the value of which was 27,298 1. Ten blast furnaces, of which half were in blast, during the same year produced 39,514 tons of pig- iron. The Shropshire Coalfield is described in the section dealing with Geology. During the year 1893 636,628 tons of coal were raised, valued at 254,651 1. The minor manufacturing industries of Shropshire are few, and include pottery and tobacco pipes, a very old-established trade at Broseley; an important encaustic tile manufactory, carried on at Benthall ; earthenware and china at Coalport ; carpets at Bridgnorth. There is much valuable building stone in the county. That of Grinshill, between Shrewsbury and Wem, on the New Red sandstone, has been largely used for churches, public buildings, and gentlemen’s seats. Limestone of good quality is quarried at Oreton, and valuable road-metal is obtained from the “ Dhu Stone ” of the Clee Hills. The county of Salop, however, important maybe its several branches of manufacture, ranks rather amongst the agricultural counties of England, and in this respect more as a grazing than a corn-growing district. For this, the large extent of New and Old Red sandstone that prevails renders it fitting, the land of the W., approaching the Welsh borders, being hilly and poor. Amongst the local peculiarities of the cattle, it may be mentioned that the Bishop’s Castle neighbour- hood is celebrated for a good breed of cattle of dark red colour, whilst the district known as the Forest of Chm yields good mountain ponies, and a small breed of sheep, the mutton of which is highly prized by bon vivants. The com crops consist of wheat, barley, oats, beans, and peas ; and the principal green crop is that of swedes. a 2 [ 20 ] Cheshire ■ — Industries. II. CHESHIRE may fairly be divided into half manufacturing and half agricultural interest, and possesses almost a monopoly of two of England’s most valuable industries — salt and silk. As a metalliferous county, its only product is copper, formerly worked somewhat extensively in the Keuper formation of the New Red sandstone at Alderley Edge, where it is found not in lodes, as in Cornwall, but in horizontal cupriferous beds. In addition to the copper, occur ores of cobalt, manganese, carbonate of lead, galena, barytes, and oxide of iron. The carbonate of lead is in the shape of crystals, disseminated through the rock, and is separated from the matrix by maceration and washing when it is ready for smelting. The cobalt and manganese are found and treated in the same way, and the water used in the working of them is allowed to settle, when the red or yellow ochre, of which it is full, subsides and is then smelted for the iron that it contains. “ The process by which the copper is separated from the sand, and thrown down in a metallic state, is very beautiful, and probably the only one by which the result could be accomplished successfully in a commercial point of view, as its average percentage of ore is not more than 2*5. The rock is macerated in a solution of muriatic acid, then filtered ; and the 4 copper liquor,’ of a rich deep green, is pumped into reservoirs of wood. Into these old scrap-iron is thrown, and the acid, leaving the copper, seizes the iron, which it dissolves, while the copper is precipitated in a metallic state. On the completion of the process the residuum, consisting of 80 parts of copper and 20 of iron, is collected and sent in sacks to St. Helens and Swansea to be smelted.” — Hull. Fireclay was raised to the extent of 12,568 tons in 1894. As a coal-producing district, Cheshire does not rank high, although a very considerable portion of the county is occupied by the coal- measures, extending from Wildboar Clough, by Macclesfield and Stockport, into Lancashire. At Dukinfield there is a pit of the extra- ordinary depth of 2,150 ft. To scientific men this pit was specially interesting, for in it was taken a series of observations as to tempera- ture at increasing depths of mines. It was found that 51° was the invariable temperature throughout the year at a depth of 17 ft., and that for every 83‘2 ft. there was an increase of 1°. Salt . — The geological features of the salt district of the Triassic or New Red sandstone are detailed on page [17]. The salt trade is altogether confined to a few localities, and is largely in the hands of the recently formed “Salt Union.” For description of mines at North wich, the tourist must refer to Rte. 21, where an account of the process of manufacture is also given. In 1894, 188,277 tons of rock salt were raised, the value of which was 35,686Z. The salt obtained from brine amounted to 1,445,365 ons, value 484,479Z. With building stone Cheshire is fairly supplied, the chief, indeed the only quarries being in the New Red sandstone, the millstone grit and eoalmeasure sandstones. Of the former the best known are the quarries at Bidston, Flaybrick, Weston, Frodsham, and Storeton. Cheshire * — Industries . [ 21 ] Mow Cop and Congleton Edge yield a first-class stone from the mill- stone grit ; Kerridge and Five Ashes from the coalmeasnres. In agriculture Cheshire has long held a high position for the rich- ness of its pastures and its splendid dairy farms, the average size of which is from 50 to 150 acres. “ The effect of the dairy husbandry may he observed all through the county. Land is ploughed in order to bear winter fodder for cattle, and to improve pastures overrun with cows. The sheep husbandry, which is so profitable to the farmers in other counties, is scarcely known in Cheshire. Sheep do not go well with cows, as they pick out the finest herbage before it is long enough for the cows to graze. Some few are kept to consume the grasses which the cows refuse ; they are seldom kept over the year, and are sold as soon as any profit is realised. Grass-land is considered so much more valuable than arable, that most leases contain a clause that not more than one-fourth of the farm shall be ploughed. A soil which is rather stiff is considered the best for grass, especially if there be a substratum of marl, which is the case in many parts of the county. A very rich loam is not considered so good for pastures where cheese is made as one less fertile, as it is apt to make the cheese heave.” The portion of the county which lies in proximity to the great cities and towns is valuable for market gardens, and immense quan- tities of vegetables are grown ; the neighbourhood of Frodsham being famous for its potatoes, and Altrincham for its carrots and onions. The former, indeed, is so celebrated, that it is known as the Altrincham or greentop carrot. Of manufactures, one of the most important is that of silk , which is almost a Cheshire specialty. In the towns at the north-east portion of the county, such as Stockport, Hyde, Dukinfield, Mottram, &c., cotton- spinning is the staple employment ; but in Macclesfield, Congleton, and the villages surrounding, such as Sutton, Langley, Bollington, Eainow, &c., nearly all the population is devoted to silk, although the trade is not such a very old one, the first silk mill being established in Macclesfield only in 1756, and in Congleton still later. Silk in the state of cocoons is principally supplied to this country from Japan and China, though of late years the planting of mulberry trees and the rearing of the silkworn has been largely carried on on the Continent, and is very soon likely to become an important branch of industry in England through the agency of the Silk Supply Association. Curiously enough, when it arrives in the raw state in England, it has to be sent to France or Italy to be reeled, there being no body of factory operatives who have hitherto been taught how to reel silk, although instruction in this necessary branch is likewise in contemplation. The raw silk, when properly reeled, consists of a delicate continuous thread formed •by an aggregate of the fine silkworm filaments, and it becomes needful, before it can be made sufficiently hard for the purposes of the weaver, to give it into the hands of the silk throiuer , or throwster. Many silk throwers are also silk manufacturers, but for a considerable period, and particularly when Spitalfields was the chief locale of the trade, it was a separate branch. The operation, which requires some complex machinery, consists in spinning and twisting the silk into a coherent and continuous thread. “ In plain silk- weaving the process is much the [22] Shropshire — Communications . same as that for weaving -woollen or linen, but the weaver is assisted by a machine for the even distribution of the warp, which frequently consists of 8,000 separate threads in a width of 20 inches. Satin derives its lustre from the great proportion of the warp being left visible, and the piece being afterwards passed over heated cylinders. The pile, which constitutes the peculiarity of velvet, is produced by the insertion of short pieces of silk thread, which cover the surface so entirely as to conceal the interlacings of the warp and the weft.” The manufacture of cotton is also extensively carried on in the N.E. towns, and other businesses are those of worsted, woollen, boots, and hats. Shipbuilding is carried on on the Mersey, with the manu- facture of ropes and sail-cloth. III. COMMUNICATIONS. I. SHROPSHIRE. For an agricultural district few counties are better supplied with facilities for travelling than Salop, mainly owing to its being on the high-road between South Wales and Lancashire on the one hand, London and North Wales on the other. The Great Western and London and North-Western systems supply the county for the most part. Access from South Wales is given by the jointly worked line of the Hereford, Ludlow and Shrewsbury. From this a branch is thrown off (Great Western Rly.) from Wooferton , to Tenbury and Bewdley , there joining the Severn Valley. A second cross connection is given by the branch from Craven Arms to Wenlock and Buildwas , while to the W. runs from the same junction (Craven Arms) the short line to Bishop's Castle , and the important trunk rly. of the Central Wales, to Knighton, Llandrindod, Llandovery, Caermarthen, and Swansea. A direct route is thus opened from Manchester and Liverpool to the western parts of South Wales. The Severn Valley follows the course of that river from Worcester, or rather Hartlebury Junct., entering Shropshire at Bewdley, and running by Bridgnorth to Ironbridge and Shrewsbury. At Buildwas it is joined by the Coalbrook Bale and Wellington line, which, together with the Wolverhampton, Wellington and Shrewsbury Rly., accommodates the Shropshire coalfield. The remainder of this busy district is served by the London and North-Western, a portion of which, the Shropshire Union, connects Stafford with Newport, Wellington, and Shrewsbury. A subsidiary branch of the same company bisects the coalfield to Coalport, near Ironbridge. So much for the southern portion of the county; but once past Shrewsbury the two great systems diverge, each going its own way. The Great Western has a route to Manchester by the Wellington, Market Drayton and Nantwich line, and on to Chester and Birken- head through Oswestry (Gobowen Junct.) and Chirk. The London and North-Western line runs from Shrewsbury to Wem, Whitchurch, Nantwich, and Crewe. Another branch of the London and North- Western shortens by way of Malpas and Tattenhall the route between Whitchurch and Chester. At Whitchurch the Cambrian system, Cheshire — Communications. [ 28 ] which is worked in harmony with the London and North-Western Company, commences by a line to Ellesmere and Whittington, thence to Oswestry and Aberystwith through Montgomeryshire. Another section of the same line runs direct from Shrewsbury to join the main line at Welshpool , throwing off a short branch to Minsterley . Canals. — The local canals in Shropshire are : The Shrewsbury Canal, which starts from the Severn near that town, and runs N. of Wellington through the coal district to Coalport. The latter portion was the original Shropshire Canal, the first ever made in the county. A branch is sent off from near Eyton, past Newport, to join the Bir- mingham and Liverpool Canal, which is carried near the N.E. boundary to Market Drayton and Nantwich. The Chester and Ellesmere Canal serves as a waterway to the N.W. corner, and is remarkable for the gigantic works on its course. Its different ramifications are these : “ A branch passes northward near Ellesmere, Whitchurch, Nantwich, and the city of Chester to Ellesmere Port on the Mersey (Rte. 25) ; another in a S.E. direction, through the middle of Shropshire towards Shrewsbury on the Severn ; and a third, in a south-westerly direction, by the town of Oswestry to the Montgomeryshire Canal near Llany- mynach — its whole extent, including the Chester Canal incorporated with it, being about 112 miles.” — Smiles. Telford’s greatest works on this canal were the Chirk aqueduct over the Ceiriog (Rte. 9), and Pontcysylltau over the Dee, near Llangollen. Telford was also the en- gineer of the Shrewsbury Canal, the work of which was so far interest- ing that a new principle was adopted by him in his bridges. Writing in 1795, he says : “ Although this canal is only 18 miles long, yet there are many important works in its course, several locks, a tunnel about half a mile long, and two aqueducts. For the most considerable of these I have just recommended an aqueduct of iron. It has been approved, and will be executed under my direction, upon a principle entirely new, and which I am endeavouring to establish with regard to the application of iron.” II. CHESHIRE. The systems that give railway accommodation to Cheshire are the London and North-Western, Great Western, Cheshire Midland, Mid- land, Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire, and the North Stafford- shire. The most important of them is the London and North- Western, which, entering the county near Crewe, its great manufacturing junc- tion, sends radiations northwards like a fan, that on the right running to Alderley, Stockport, and Manchester, and being crossed at Sandbach by the line from the Potteries to Middle wich and North wich, which at the last-named place meets the line from Chester, through Knutsford, to Manchester. The middle line is the great trunk line between London and Scotland, and runs through the most fertile portion of Cheshire to Hartford Bridge and Warrington. A branch from Whit- church by Tattenhall to Chester makes the shortest route from Shrewsbury to Chester. The direct Liverpool line branches off to Runcorn, where it crosses the Mersey (Rte. 18). The left wing of the fan is formed by the Chester and Holyhead, an equally important Cheshire — Communications. [ 24 ] trunk line to Ireland. The same company have a branch from the Potteries, through Stockport to Macclesfield, and thence by Cheadle and Stockport to Manchester. The Manchester and Buxton line enters the county on the extreme E., and has a course of a few miles from Whaley Bridge to Stockport. The Great Western obtains access to Manchester and Liverpool through Cheshire. It enters the county on the W. at Gresford, and at Chester bifurcates — to the N.W. running through the district of Wirrall to Birkenhead, where ferry boats are in constant activity to the opposite shore — to the N.E. to Frodsham and Warrington, whence the company has running powers over the London and North-Western rails to Manchester. Two other lines are in the Wirral peninsula, one from Helsby to Horton, the second from the latter to Neston, Hoylake, New Brighton, and Birkenhead. The Cheshire Midland principally accommodates the salt districts, which until of late years were without any railways at all. It com- mences at Altrincham, where it takes up the running from a short line called the Manchester South Junction and Altrincham , and then plunges into the heart of Cheshire to Knutsford and North wich, Dela- mere, Tarvin, and Chester. It thence runs to Winsford in one direc- tion, to Winnington in another, and to Frodsham in a third, so that all the saline districts are put into direct communication with one another, as also with their port. The Midland Company has only a short course through Cheshire. It approaches Manchester from Buxton, entering the county at Marple, and keeping close to the E. boundary, at the corner of which it joins the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Ely. The Midland obtains a share of the silk district traffic by a short branch from Marple, through Bollington and Macclesfield. The Manchester , Sheffield and Lincolnshire is what we may term a border line. A portion of its main line from Manchester to Hull runs through the eastern handle of Cheshire, sending off a branch to Hyde and Stockport, and serving the factory districts of Mottram and Glossop. From Stockport it obtains an entry to Liverpool by means of a line through Cheadle, Lymm, Warrington, Widnes, and Garston, the greater portion of which runs (as far as Warrington) on the S. bank of the Mersey. This rly. is, however, a sort of “ highway of nations,” as it is used also by the Midland, London and North-Western, and by the North Staffordshire , which finds its principal customers in the silk district, it starts from Crewe en route for the Potteries, but at Hare- castle sends an important branch to the N. to Congleton and Maccles- field. By means of this line Manchester and Macclesfield obtain another and independent route to London. Canals. — The Manchester Ship Canal traverses parts of Cheshire, and had cost, when opened in 1894, £11,750,000. The work was com- menced in 1887. It is 35J m. in length, consisting of 4 long docks with 5 sets of locks ; and 28 m., from Runcorn to Manchester, has been formed by making a straight and deep channel for the united streams of the Mersey and Irwell. The lower section of the canal, from East- ham to Runcorn, forms a curved line of 12 m. along the Cheshire shore of the estuary of the Mersey, joining at Western Point the mouth of the navigable river Weaver. The depth of the canal is 26 ft., the various Shropshire — History . [ 25 ] locks raising its level on the whole to 60 ft. above the level of the sea. The minimum width at the bottom is 120 ft., or 48 ft. wider than the bottom of the Suez Canal ; and for a distance of 3J m. on approaching Manchester the bottom width is 170 ft., so that ships can lie along the bank without interfering with the fairway. Several railway lines cross the canal by lofty viaducts, giving a clear headway of 75 ft. above the water. The district affected by the canal contains over 150 im- portant towns, 100 of which have a population of over 10,000, and in 11 of these the population exceeds 100,000. The total population may be taken at 7,500,000, and the district is rich in minerals and great industries. — Kelly . The Grand Trunk Canal, before the age of railways one of the first means of communication that existed in Central England, enters Cheshire from Staffordshire, near Lawton or Harecastle, and thence traverses the salt districts of Wheelock, Winsford, and Northwich, to Preston Brook, where it joins the Bridgewater Canal system. This enters the county at Ashton near Stretford, and follows the course of the Mersey to Lymm. It leaves Warrington to the rt., and enters the high -grounds in the North of Cheshire, forming a junction at Preston Brook with the Grand Trunk. It has its final termination at Runcorn, the scene of one of Brindley’s finest works (Rte. 25). The Mersey and Irwell Canal is a short cut between Warrington and Runcorn, so as to obviate the windings of the river. One of the most important and valuable water communications in Cheshire is the river Weaver. The Chester and Nanttoich Canal enters the county near Audlem, and runs to Chester, where it forms a junction with the Dee, and also with the Dee and Mersey Canal, the termination of which is Ellesmere Port on the Mersey. A branch is sent off to Middlewich, and another to Whitchurch. The Macclesfield, Canal starts from the Grand Junc- tion at Harecastle, and runs to Congleton, Macclesfield, and Marple, where it unites with the Peak Forest Canal, between Whaley Bridge and Guide Bridge. It will be seen therefore that Cheshire is amply supplied with railway and canal accommodation. IY. HISTORY AND ANTIQUITIES. I. SHROPSHIRE. The history of Shropshire is of great interest to the antiquary on account of the abundant remains that are scattered over the county. “ The customary names of the shire and county town appear to date from the beginning of the 11th cent, only, for Lappenberg mentions, on the authority of Ellis, that Scrob, a knight on the Welsh Marches, held lands under King Edward the Confessor in Hereford, Worcester, and Salop. No doubt he found it very desirable to restore and main- tain the ancient fort on the hill at the stream top : very possibly he so enlarged and improved it, that it came to be called Scrobbesbyrig instead of Salopesbyrig ; and it may be noticed that one pronunciation of the town’s name, Shro’sbury, closely approximates to the knight’s, and there is also a close resemblance between Scrobshire and Shrop- shire.” — Athenceum . [ 26 ] Shropshire — History . The Severn appears to have been the dividing line between the British tribes of the Cornavii on the W. and the Ordovices on the E., while a portion of the southern district was inhabited by the Silures ; but after the subjugation of the Celtic principalities by the Roman arms, the county was included in the province of Flavia Caesariensis. There seems to be little doubt that the victorious forces of Ostorius Scapula penetrated into Shropshire and finally overcame within its boundaries the British king Caractacus, although the actual site of the battle is adhuc sub judice. Of the Roman occupation we have most interesting traces, and particularly of the period of the decline of their tenancy in Britain. From its position as a border county Shropshire obtained from a very early date a reputation of being unsafe as a resi- dence, on account of the exposure of its western border to the savage tribes of the Welsh mountains. It was, to cite a writer on land mea- surement of the time of Nerva, an “ ager arcifinius,” a border district, and from the necessity that existed of checking the encroachments of its wild neighbours, it became garnished with a series of forts, many of which in the Norman time were of great strength and importance. These border limits were called the Marches, and the Barons who held the properties were entitled Lords Marchers, who, says Camden, “ exercised within their respective liberties a sort of Palatinate jurisdiction, and held courts of justice to determine controversies among their neighbours, and prescribed for several privileges and immunities, one of which was that the King’s, writs should not run here in some causes. But not- withstanding that, whatever controversies arose concerning the right of Lordship or their extent, such were only determinable in the King’s courts of justice. We find these styled formerly Marchiones de Mar- chia Wallige, Marquises of the Marches of Wales, as appears by the 1 Red Book ’ in the Exchequer, where we read that at the coronation of Queen Eleanor, consort to Henry III., these Lords Marchers of Wales, viz. John Fitz-Alan, Ralph de Mortimer, John de Monmouth, and Walter de Clifford, in behalf of the Marches, did claim in their right to provide silver spears and bring them to support the square canopy of purple silk at the coronation of the Kings and Queens of England.” Later on, the jurisdiction of the Marches assumed a much higher and more important character, it being considered as one of the rights and honours of the Princes of Wales to hold special Courts, either in their own persons or through their deputies, the Lords President of Wales. Ludlow became a royal residence and the centre of these Courts, which were held with great splendour until 1688, when the office of President was abolished. The 18th and 14th cents, were stirring ones for Shropshire, on account of the irruptions of the Welsh under Llewelyn and the insurgent Barons. Parliaments were held at Shrewsbury for the trial of Dafydd, the last native prince of Wales, and later on (temp. Richard II.) of Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk, w T ho was impeached by Henry of Bolingbroke, afterwards Henry IY. Owain Glyndwr was the last who troubled the peace of the comity to any serious extent ; but the battle of Shrewsbury (1408) terminated fatally for his hopes and those of the Earl of Northumberland. During the Civil Wars Shropshire generally was a staunchly royalist Shropshire — Antiquities . [27] county, and Charles I. had many occasions to feel grateful for contribu- tions of men and money, and for personal shelter. The various inci- dents which make up the interest of the history of Shropshire will be found under their respective localities. There are a fair number of circles, tumuli, &c. in the sequestered and hilly districts. There are some tumuli in the parish of Woolstaston (Rte. 1), and others in a field near Staunton Lacey (Rte. 1) and else- where. There is a fine menhir in the Clun district (Rte. 5). Circles are found only near Stapeley Hill (Rte. 8), viz. the Marsh Pool Circle, the Whetstones, and Mitchell’s Fold, all grouped together. Camps and earthworks are tolerably numerous, and are placed just where we should expect to find them, guarding defiles of valleys and the passages of rivers. The figures denote the routes under which they are mentioned : Route 8. Abdon Burf, near Ludlow. Date uncertain. Belan Bank, Alberbury. British. Guarding the passage of the Vyrnwy. Berth Hill, Baschurch. Anglo-Saxon. 1: Bodbury Ring, Church Stretton. British. 1. Brockhurst. Saxon. Bury Ditches, Clun. Probably British. Bury Walls, Hawkstone. British. Caer Caradoc, Church Stretton. 1 -p -p i ^ n -i -ir • i x r Both British. Caer Caradoc, Knighton. J Castell Brogyntyn, Oswestry. British. Castle Ring, Church Stretton. British. Caynham Camp, Ludlow. Roman. Clee Burf, Ludlow. Uncertain. Ditches, Wenlock. British. Ebury Camp, Shrewsbury. Anglo-Saxon. Habberley Camp, Minsterley. British. 8. Nordy Bank, Ludlow. Roman. 1. Norton Camp, Craven Arms. Roman (?). 10. Old Oswestry. British. 4. Quatford, Bridgnorth. Anglo-Saxon. 6. limond’^Castle, } Bishop’s Cas * le > British. 8. Titterstone Camp, Ludlow. Uncertain. 8. The Walls. Roman. 7. Wrekin earthworks, Wellington. British. 9. 10 . 5. 18. 1 . 5. 10 . 1 . 3 . 3 . 6 . 8 . 5. Traces of the Roman occupation are obvious, not only in the camps marked as Roman, but in the magnificent remains of Uriconium (Wroxeter, Rte. 8), which are the most extensive of the kind in Eng- land. The other Salopian town of this era was Ruyton of the XI Towns, at which antiquaries have placed the ancient Rutunium (Rte. 10) ; and there was another place called Uxacona or Uxiconium, about- which they are not agreed, some placing it at Red Hill, some to the N.W. of Shifihal, others, with most probability, at Oaken Gates. Wherever it was, it was an unimportant place. As Shropshire lay in [28] Shropshire — Antiquities. the direct routes between Deva (Chester) on the north, and Isca Silu- rum (Caerleon) and Yenta Silurum (Caerwent) in South Wales, several Roman roads ran across the county. The Watling Street entered it from the Staffordshire side, in its course from Pennocrucium (Penkridge) to Uxacona, while another branch ran southwards from Uriconium down the Church Stretton valley on its way to Magna (Kenchester) and Bravinium (near Leintwardine). The Portway (Rte. 1) was a British road between Billing’s Ring and Castle Hill, near Leebotwood. Offa's Dyke was a border line of Anglo-Saxon date, and is most clearly visible in the southern part of the county at Knighton and Clun, and the northern at Oswestry and Selattyn. Watt’s Dyke is also observable near Oswestry. Castles . — From its position on the Marches, Shropshire possessed a good many forts, although few of them rose to the dignity of a castle. Ludlow, however, is an exception, for in its history, extent, and gran- deur, it yields to very few in England. Nearly all the Shropshire castles are of the same date. Route 1. Acton Burnell. 13th cent. 9. Alberbury. Very slight traces. 9. Caus Castle. Norm. 5. Clun. Norm., supposed to be the “ Garde Doloreux ” of Sir Walter Scott. 1. Hopton, Early 14th cent. 1. Ludlow. Norm., with additions and alterations of Elizabethan date, and others still later. 13. Middle Castle. Temp, Edw. III. 9. Wattlesborough. Norm. 10. Whittington. Norm. Of Shrawardine, Ellesmere, Knockin, and Bishop’s Castle only the sites are left. Ecclesiastical buildings are numerous and interesting, and espe- cially the churches. By far the greater number are of Norm, date, and present many beautiful details. The following are the monastic or conventual remains that are left, all, with the exception of Brom- fjeld, in more or less ruin : Route 1. Bromfield Priory ch. Norm, arcades, E. Eng. 4. Buildwas Abbey, 12th cent. Nave and chapter house. 8. Haughmond Abbey, 12th cent. Norm., E. Eng. 8. Lilleshall Abbey. Norm. 8. Shrewsbury. Monastic remains of the Abbey. Norm. 6. Wenlock. Norm., E. Eng. 7. White Ladies conventual ch. Norm. The churches of Shropshire are particularly rich in architectural details and monuments, and the ecclesiologist will find much to repay him in out-of-the-way country districts. Church restoration has been extensively carried on, and, generally speaking, very judiciously. Shropshire— C hurch es . [ 29 ] Route 1. Acton Burnell. E. Eng. details, and brass. 7. Albrighton. Norm, and E. Eng., and Dec. details. Monuments. 4. Astley Abbott. Norm. 3. Aston Botterell. Altar-tomb. 4. Aston Eyre. Carving on tympanum. 8. Atcham. Norm. 6. Barrow. Norm. 9. Baschurch. Norm. 8. Battlefield. 16th cent. 4. Berrington. Saxon (?) font. Effigy. 3. Bitterley. Norm. font. Bood-loft. Churchyard cross. 4. Bridgnorth — St. Leonard’s. Collegiate. 4. Broseley. Perp. 2. Burford. E. Eng. Triptych painting. Monuments. 4. Chelmarsh. Norm. Piscina. 7. Child’s Ercall. Font. 8. Church Preen. Stone building adjoining the ch. 1^ Church Stretton. Norm, doorway. 4. Claverley. Trans. Norm. Heads of capitals. Font. 4. Cleobury. Norm. font. 3. Cleobury Mortimer. E. Eng. Wooden spire. 5. Clun. Norm. Lych gate 8. Condover. Norm. Monument by Boubilliac. 7. Donington. Stained glass. 12. Ellesmere. Dec. Monuments. Stained glass. 7. Eyton. Monuments. Stained glass. 13. Hadnall. Monuments. 7. Hodnet. Monuments. 6. Holgate. Norm. 7. Ightfield. Brasses. 4. Kinlet. Blocked arches. Monuments. Stained glass. 4. Leighton. Effigy. 4. Linley. Norm. S. doorway. 11. Llanyblodwell. Octagonal tower. 1. Ludford. Monuments, 1. Ludlow. Perp. lantern tower. Stained glass. Norm. S. door- way. 5. Lydbury North. Norm, font and door. 7. Malins Lee Chapel. Norm. 3. Mamble. Chapels. Monuments. Effigies. 8. Minsterley. 4. Morville. Norm. 8. Newport. E. Eng. 10. Oswestry. Tower. Monuments. 7. Patshull. Stained glass. Altar- tombs. 7. Pattingbam. Norm., E. Eng., and Dec. 8. Pitchford. Oak figure. 8. Pontesbury. Collegiate. 4. Quatford. Norm, and 14th-cent, alterations. [ 30 ] Shropshire — - Churches . 7. Shavington. Monuments. 18. Shawbury. Saxon (?) font. 7. Shiffnal. Trans. Norm, and Dec. Parvise to S. porch. 8. Shrewsbury — Abbey Church. Norm., E. Eng., and Dec. Stained glass. Monuments. St. Giles’s. St. Mary’s. Norm., E. Eng., and Dec. E. window. Stained glass. Pulpit. Monuments. St. Julian’s. Monuments. 1. Staunton Lacey. Pre-Conquest work. E. Eng., with Dec. alterations. 8, Stoddesdon. Norm. Pre-Conquest doorway. Tiles. 7. Tonge. E. Perp. Monuments very rich. 4. Upton Cressett. Norm. door. 8. Upton Magna. Fine ch., restored by Street. 3. Wheathill. Norm. door. 13. Whitchurch. Stained glass. Monuments. Apse. 8. Worfield. Screen. Monuments. 8. Wroxeter. Norm. Altar-tombs. Domestic . — This class of antiquities is tolerably abundant in Salop, although there is not the same profusion of timber houses that prevails in Cheshire. Route 8. Albright Hussey (moated). 2. Bleatherwood Court. Henry VIII. 7. Boscobel House. Timber-and-plaster. 4. Bridgnorth. Bishop Percy’s House (restored). 1. Bromfield, Domestic buildings of Bromfield Priory. 8. Edgmund Rectory. 14th cent. 8. Frodesley Hall. Elizabethan. 1. Ludford Hall. 13th cent. 1. Ludlow. The Reader’s House — 17th cent. Lane Asylum — a little later. Bull Inn — panelling. Feathers Inn — timber- and-plaster. 8. Moreton Corbet. 17th cent. 7. Patshull Old Hall, Timber-and-plaster. 8. Pitchford Hall. Early part of 16th cent. Timber-and- plaster. 6. Plash. Tudor style. 8. Shrewsbury. Council House ; Ireland’s Mansion ; Bernard’s Hall; Butcher’s Row; Owen’s House; Jones’s Mansion; Drapers’ Hall ; Vaughan’s Place ; Rowley’s Mansion ; Whitehall ; Market House. 1. Stokesay. 13th cent. Castellated domestic. 6. Wenlock. Prior’s residence. Old houses. Tow'nhall. Modern . — Few counties possess such wealthy territorial properties as Salop, many of their owners having inhabited their ancestral acres for a great number of generations. Amongst the most important seats in the county are the following : Cheshire — His tory . Route 8. Acton Burnell, Shrewsbury. 13. Acton Reynald, Shrewsbury 4. Apley Park, near Bridg- north. 7. Apley Castle, near Wel- lington. 8. Aqualate, Newport. 8. Attingham Park, Shrews- bury. 3. Badger Hall, Bridgnorth. 12. Bettisfield, Ellesmere. 10. Brogyntyn, Oswestry. 3. Caynham Court, Ludlow. 8. Chetwynd Park, Newport. 8. Condover Park, Shrews- bury. 1. Downton Castle, Ludlow. 4. Gatacre Park, Bridgnorth. 12. Gredington, Ellesmere. [ 31 ] Route 12. Halston, Osw.estry. 12. Hardwick Hall, Ellesmere. 13. Hawkstone, Wem. 4. Kinlet Hall, Cleobury Mor- timer. 8. Lilleshall Hall, Newport. 9. Loton Park, Shrewsbury. 8. Longner Hall, Shrewsbury. 6. Lutwych Hall, Wenlock. 3. Mawley Hall, Cleobury. 1. Oakley Park, Ludlow. 7. Patshull, Shiffnal. 7. Shavington, Market Dray- ton. 6. Shipton Hall, Wenlock. 4. Stanley, Bridgnorth. 7. Tonge, Shiffnal. 4. Willey Park, Wenlock. II. CHESHIRE. The early history of Cheshire appears with great probability to be bound up with its physico-geological features, seeing that the accounts of the earliest geographers agree very much with what our geological knowledge tells us must have been the case. In fact, since the time of man, and even as late as the occupation of the Romans, the north-west portion of the county has evidently undergone great changes. Ptolemy mentions that there were only two rivers between the mouth of the Dee (Seteia Portus) and the Ken (Moricamb), which of course would exclude the third one altogether, viz. the mouth of the Mersey. This therefore would seem to imply that the mouths of the Dee and Mersey were identical, and a careful consideration of the aspect of the district of Wirral appears to confirm this view. “ It is generally acknowledged that at some distant period the tides have risen considerably higher on the western coast than at present, and this is borne out by the appearance of the barnks of all the Lancashire as well as the Cheshire rivers, even without acceding to the common opinion that the Ribble was once accessible for ships as high as the Roman station of Ribchester. With reference to this, several channels have been pointed out in the account of Wirral, by which the waters of the Mersey and Dee would have been made to com- municate between that hundred and Broxton through a valley yet marked with shells and sea-sand, by a tide only a few feet higher than usual, and the same stream would also be led through other valleys between West Kirkby and Wallasey and the rest of Wirral.” — Ormerod . From the mouth of the little river Gowy there is a valley a very few feet above high water, through which communication could easily [32J Cheshire — History . be made through Backford to Mollington, It is quite plain, indeed, that the tide once flowed that way ; and when, added to that, we have the names of Ince (Ynys = island) and the claims of the Abbot of St. Werburgh, in the reign of Edward III., to seawrack 3 m. up the valley, it is more than probable that the high ground of Kirkby was an island, and that the Dee and Mersey had the same mouth. In early British times the Cornavii were the inhabitants of Cheshire, but at the period of the Roman occupation it was included, like Shropshire, in the province of Flavia Caesariensis. The Romans continued their holding of the county for between 200 and 300 years. Deva (Chester, Rte. 24) seems to have been occupied under Agricola, and to have been so held until- the reigns of Diocletian and Maximian (a.d. 304). Various traces, in the shape of walls, coins, inscriptions, hypocausts, combine to make Chester one of the most interesting Roman cities in England ; and, although little or nothing is left of the roads that led to it, we have sufficient knowledge of their direction to make them out pretty distinctly, and in this we are helped by the names of the villages on their route. An important road led from Deva to Uriconium (Wroxeter), which, according to the Antonine Itinerary, passed through Bovium (placed by antiquaries at Bangor Iscoed), just within the borders of Flintshire and on the banks of the Dee, which, it must be borne in mind, had probably a somewhat different course from what it has now. From Deva a road ran north-east to the station of Veratinum , now Wilderspool, near Warrington (Rte. 25), and continued thence to Man- cunium (Manchester), quitting Cheshire where it crossed the Dee at the small station marked Ad Fines et Flavice. From Veratinum, a road ran southward to the station of Condate , identified by antiquaries as Kinderton, near Middlewich, and was most probably connected with Pennocrucium (Penkridge) in Staffordshire, and ultimately with Eto- cetum (Wall, near Lichfield). A cross-road, marked as the Watling Street, joined Deva with the Condate and Veratinum road at North- wich, passing through Tarvin and^Delamere Forest. The names of Stamford Bridge, Stretton, Walton, &c., are sufficiently corroborative of the position of this road. Chester, according to Mr. Earle, is the Saxon Ceaster, derived from Castrum. “ The true old Roman name had been Diva (Antoninus) and Colonia Divana (on a coin of Septimus Geta), and it was while these names were buried in forgetfulness, after the Roman evacuation and during the presumed desertion of Diva, that the modern name took its rise.” After the Saxon conquest, Cheshire was governed by the Mercian “ ealdormen ” under the West Saxon kings, until the invasion of the Danes, the traces of whose occupation may be found in the occasional names of places ending in “by.” Subsequently the Saxon rule was restored, and it continued under Earl Leofric until the Norman con- quest. Soon after this event, King William gave the county and earldom of Chester to Hugh Lupus, a famous warrior, though somewhat cor- pulent, according to Ordericus Vitalis, “ being given much to his bel^, whereby in time he grew so fat that he could scarce crawl.” The im- portance and extent of his possessions may be imagined by their em- bracing not only Cheshire proper, but the lands between the Mersey Cheshire — Antiquities . [ 38 ] and the Kibble, Lancashire not appearing at all as a territorial division in Domesday Book. The line of Hugh Lupus expired in 1282, and soon afterwards Henry III. annexed the earldom to his crown, in the possession of which it remained ever afterwards, with one or two exceptions. “ By an Act passed in Richard II. ’s reign, the earldom was made into a principality, and was limited strictly for the future to the eldest son of the reigning king, and though the Act was annulled by one of the first year of Henry IV., the earldom of Chester has ever since been granted in conjunction with the Principality of Wales. The county continued to be governed by its earls as fully and independently as it had been under the Norman earls, till Henry VIII., by Act of Parliament, made it subordinate to the crown of England.” — Prov. Hist, of England , In the Civil Wars, Cheshire suffered as much, if not more, than almost any county ; Nantwich, Chester, Middle wich, Stockport, underwent sieges, together with a great number of private houses, whose owners suffered very considerably both in property and money ; while the battles of Tarvin, Rowton, Hoole Heath, Malpas, and North wich suf- ficiently betoken the severity of the struggle. Cheshire was always noted, as indeed it is now, for the number of its aristocracy and wealthy proprietors. For generations we find the same time-honoured names from the days of the Plantagenets down to * the Stuarts and to the present time. Of course many historical names have disappeared altogether, while others have dropped from their high estate, and have only the melancholy satisfaction of pointing to where their ancestors held sway. But what the troublous times of the middle ages and the hard blows of the Civil Wars could not do, the changes of the 19th cent, are doing. Manufactures and commerce are gradually pushing aside the old noblesse, while nouveaux riches are taking their place, and to a certain extent it may be said that Cheshire has become a suburb of Manchester and Liverpool. The County Palatine of Cheshire affords ample interest to the antiquary, and particularly in the matter of churches and old houses. The Roman stations and roads have already been alluded to, and will be found detailed under their respective routes. Camps and earth woiks are extremely few in number, and are limited to the hilly districts, which will probably account for their scarcity. There are two or three to be found in the chain of hills that extend from Helsby to Frodsham (Rte. 25) — a British fortification named Bucton Castle, in the hilly country north of Stalybridge (Rte. 17) — and Kelsborough Castle (Rte. 17), of British origin, a little to the south of Delamere Forest. There are some tumuli in the same neighbourhood, but taken in connection with the (?) Saxon fortress of Eddisbury (Rte. 21), it is most probable that these are also of Saxon date — the word “ Low,” or tumulus, being derived from the Anglo-Saxon “Lleaw,” that which covers. The Roosdych, near Whaley Bridge (Rte. 16), with Melandra andMouslow Castles (Rte. 19) are just within the Derbyshire borders, so that they cannot be included in Cheshire antiquities. Of existing castle ruins there are still fewer than of camps. Beeston (Rte. 23) and Halton (Rte. 25), both of Norm, date and origin, are the only ones left. Of the castles of Northwich, Stockport, Frodsham [H. B. Shrop.] b [ 34 ] Cheshire — Churches. and Dodleston, only the sites remain. Rock Savage (Rte. 25) was dignified with the name of a castle, but it really was an Elizabethan castellated mansion. Foremost amongst objects of ecclesiastical interest is the splendid old Perp. Cathedral of St. Werburgh at Chester. The traces of the Priory of Birkenhead (Rte. 26), dating from the 12th cent., are unfortunately small, while of Pulford (Rte. 24) and Stanlaw (Rte. 25) Abbeys, the site only remains. There are some traces of monastic occupation at Ince (Rte. 25) and at Yale Royal (Rte. 18), now one of the finest of Cheshire residences. Many of the churches of Cheshire are very fine, and abound in beautiful details. The following are the best worth visiting : Route 21. Arley Chapel. Modern Dec. 15. Astbury. Perp. Very fine west front, and general appearance. Monuments in ch. and churchyard. 21. Bowdon. Late Perp. Windows. Chapels. Monuments. 22. Brereton. 17th cent. Monuments. 21. Budworth. Stalls. Monuments. 28. Bunbury. Dec. and Perp. Chapels. Monuments. 20. Cheadle. Monuments. 24. Chester — St. John’s. Splendid example of E. Norm. Double row triforium arches. St. Mary’s. 12th cent. Monuments. Trinity Church. Monuments. 25. Daresbury Chapel. Rood-loft. 16. Disley. 15th cent. Illuminated roof. 20. Dunham Massey. Modern. 20. East Hall Chapel. 1581. 25. Frodsham. Stalls. Monuments. 15. Gawsworth. Mural paintings. 20. Grappenhall. 16th cent. 14. Holmes Chapel. Shrine work. 17. Hyde. Perp. Stained glass. 20. Lymm. Dec. 15. Macclesfield — St. Michael’s. 18th cent. Monuments. Rivers Chapel (Edwardian). Monuments. Oriel window. 24. Malpas. Dec. and Perp. Monuments. 22. Middlewich, Monuments. 21. Mobberley. Piscina. Sedilia. Brasses. Monuments. 19. Mottram. Perp. Monuments. 14. Nantwich. Cruciform Ch. of 14th cent. Vaulted stone roof of choir. Stalls. 26. Neston. Fine tower and general appearance. 21. Over Peover. 16th cent. Monuments. Nether Peover Black-and-white Timber Church. 25. Plemstall. Henry VIII. Monuments. 15. Prestbury. Various styles. 21. Rostherne. 16th cent. Monuments. Cheshire — Old Houses. [ 35 ] Route 14. Sandbach. 17th cent. Chapels. Oak roof. Font. In the town are two crosses of pure Saxon date. 26. Shotwick. Monuments. 14. Stockport. Dec. Piscina. Stalls. Monuments. 21. Tabley. Jacobean Chapel. 28. Tarporley. Monuments. 21. Tarvin. Bruen Chapel. Brass. 16. Taxal. Monuments. 25. Thornton. Piscina. Monuments. 20. Warburton. 14th cent. Ancient timber. 18. Weaverham. Date of James I. 14. Wilmslow. 14th cent. With the exception of Lancashire, Cheshire is perhaps the richest oounty in England in old houses, and particularly of that quaint and old-fashioned style of timber-and-plaster. It is a fact worth mentioning, that the prevalence of this style somewhat depends on the geological formation ; for timber houses are always more abundant in flat districts, where quarries are absent, than in hilly ones. Cheshire, being princi- pally on the New Bed sandstone, in which quarries are few and far between, is therefore abundant in this class of antiquities. Route 15. Adlington Hall. Elizabethan. 21. Arley Hall. Elizabethan. 21. Ashley Hall. 20. Baguley Hall. Farmhouse. Timber-and-plaster. Edward II. 15. Bramhall. Timber-and-plaster. Edward III. 22. Brereton Hall. 16th cent. 24. Calveley Hall. Farmhouse. 24. Carden. Timbered. Henry III. 24. Chester. Bishop Lloyd’s residence. God’s Providence House. Stanley Palace. The Bows. Falcon, and other old houses. 15. Congleton. Timber houses. 22. Cotton Hall. Timber-and-plaster. 18. Crowton Hall. Farmhouse. Timber-and-plaster. 22. Davenport Hall. 14. Dorfold Hall. Elizabethan. 17. Dukinfield Hall. Timber-and-plaster. Edward II. 21. Do. Farmhouse. 18. Dutton Hall. 16th cent. 25. Elton Hall. Farmhouse. 17th cent. 18. Erdeswick Hall. 17. Harden Hall. Elizabethan. 23. Hatton Hall. 21. Holford Hall. Farmhouse. Timber-and-plaster. 23. Huxley Hall. Edward I. 22. Kinderton Hall. Farmhouse. Timber-and-plaster. 17th cent. 24. Kinnerton Hall. Edward III. 24. Lache Hall. 17th cent. 16. Lyme Park. Henry VII. b 2 Shropshire— Places of Interest [ 86 ] Route 20. Lymm Hall. 17. Marple Hall. Elizabethan. 15. Moreton Hall (Little). Timber-and-plaster. 21. Over Peover Hall. Elizabethan. 15. Poynton Hall. 17th cent. 22. Ravenscroft Hall. 17th cent. 23. Saighton Grange. Gate tower. 14. Sandbach Old Hall. (The Inn.) 17th cent. 22. Smethwick Hall. Earmhouse. 22. Somerford Booths. 17th cent. 21. Tabley Old Hall. 17th cent. 19. Tintwistle Hall. 14. Twemlow Hall, Moated. 23. Utkinton Hall. 23. Wetenhall. Gabled. Timber-and-plaster. 20. Wythenshawe Hall. Edward III. Amongst the old family seats and estates of Cheshire the fines are — Route 14. Alderley Park. 14. Capesthcrne. 24. Cholmondeley Castle. 14. Crewe Hall. 14. Combermere Abbey. 24. Eaton Hall. 19. Glossop Hall. 16. Lyme Park. Route 21. Marbury Hall. 25. Norton Priory. 23. Onlton Park. 23. Peckforton Castle. 21. Tabley. 21. Tatton Park. 18. Yale Boyal. Y. PLACES OP INTEREST. I. SHBOPSHIRE. Ludlow . Castle. View from the Keep. Church. Reader’s House. Hosiers’ Almshouse. Lane Asylum. Grammar School. Museum. Broad Street Gate. Feathers Hotel. Ludford House and Church. Scenery at Whitecliff and Mary Knoll. Aston Church. Wigmore Church. Hay Park. Scene of “ Comus.” Bringewood Chase. View from the Yignoles. Croft Ambrey. Richard’s Castle. Burlington Church. Downton Castle. Scenery of the Teme. Bitterley Church and Cross. Caynham Camp. Titterstone Clee Hill and Camp. Brown Clee Hill and Camps of Clee Burf and Abdon Burf. Wheathill Church. Burwarton Church. Bromfield. Priory Church. Oakley Park. Staunton Lacey Church. Graven Arms . Stokesay. Norton Camp. Corvedale. Delbury Church, The Heath Chapel. Munslow Church. Millichope Old House. Holgate Church. Church Stretton . Church. Ascent of Longmynd. Carding Mill. Devil’s Mouth. Light Spout. Ratlinghope. Castle Ring. Bodbury Shropshire — Places of Interest . [ 87 ] Bing. Portway. Ascent of Caer Caradoc. (Camp.) Cardington. Hope Bowdler. Leebotwood. Acton Burnell Park. Castle. Church. Frodesley Church. Pitchford Hall. Church. Condover. Park and Church. Wooferton. Little Hereford Church. Easton Court. Bleather- wood Court. Tenbury. Church. Butter Cross. Wells. St. Michael’s College. Burford Church. Neen Sollars. Mamble Church. Shakenhurst. Cleobury Mortimer. Church and wooden spire. Grammar School. Mawley Hall. Limestone scenery at Farlow and Oreton. Forest of Wyre. Bewdley. Eailway bridge. Scenery of the Severn. Habberley Valley. Bridgnorth . Castle. St. Leonard’s Church. St. Mary’s Church. Townhall. Bishop Percy’s House. Bridge. Grammar School. Hermitage. Quatford Church. Claverley Church. Stoddesdon Church. Cleobury Church. Davenport House. Worfield Church. Scenery of the Worf. Badger Hall. Scenery of Badger Dingle. Morville Church. Upton Cresset Church. Aston Eyre Church. Acton Bound Church. Astley Abbott Church. Higley. Kinlet Hall and Church. Chelmarsh Church. Linley. Church. Apley Park. The Terrace. Willey Park. Coalport. Scenery of Severn. Iron Bridge . Church. Bridge. Coalbroot Dale Works. Scenery. Broseley. Pritchard Memorial. Church. Messrs. Maw’s Tile Works at Benthall. Scenery at Benthall Edge. Buildwas . Abbey. Eailway Bridge. Leighton Church. Gressage. Timber bridge. Old oak. Berrington. Church. Knighton . Old house. Church. Offa’s Dyke. Farrington. Craig Donna. Holloway Eocks. Caer Caradoc. Coxwall Knoll. Clun. Castle. Church. Bury Ditches. Menhir. Castell Bryn Amlwg. Bishop's Castle . Church. Walcot Park. Linley Hall. Snead Camp. Simond’s Castle. Marnington Dyke. Corndon Hill. Circle at Mitchell’s Fold. Shelve Mines. Lydbury North Church. Minsterley. Church. Stiperstones. Habberley Camp. Pontes- bury Church. Stapeley Hill and Stone Circles. Hopton. Castle. Longville. Old house at Plash. Church Preen Church and Manor House. Easthope. Lutwych Hall. The Ditches. Wenlock . Priory ruins. Church. Prior’s residence. Old houses. Barrow Church. Albrighton. Church. Patshull Park and Church. Pattingham Church. Donington Church. White Ladies Euins. Boscobel Wood and House. Weston Park. Tonge Church. Castle. Shiffnal . Church. View from Brimstree Hill. Oahengates. Malins Lee Chapel. Coalfield. [ 38 ] Shropshire — Places of Interest. Wellington. Church. Apley Castle. Excursion to the Wrekin. Eyton Church. Hodnet. Hall. Church. Child’s Ercall Church. Market Drayton . Church. Blore Heath. Muckleston Church. Adderley. Hall. Shavington. Shrewsbury. Railway Station. Castle. Town Walls. Welsh and English bridges. St. Mary’s Church. St. Alkmund’s. St. Julian’s. New St. Chad’s. Abbey Church. Monastic remains. Stone pulpit. St. Giles’. St. Michael’s. School. Council House. Old buildings. Grey Friar ruins. Butter Market. Corn Exchange. Market House. Clive Monument. Lord Hill’s Column. Drapers’ Almshouses. Wellington Hospital. Museum. Quarry. Glyndwr’s Oak. Atcham Church. Attingham Hall. Wroxeter Church. Roman city. Haughmond Abbey. Sundorne Park. Uffington Hill. Ebury Camp. Upton Magna Church. Battlefield Church. Albright Hussey. Longner Hall. Tomb of Edward Burton. Donning ton . Lilleshall Abbey. Iron Works. Newport. Church. Aqualate Park. Edgmond Church and Rec- tory. Chetwynd Park. Baschurch. Church. Berth Hill Camp. Ruyton of the XI Towns. Whittington. Castle. Oswestry. Church. Old Oswestry. Castell Brogyntyn. Bro- gyntyn. Watt’s Dyke. Llanymynach Hill. Llanyblodwell Church. Gobowen . Scenery .of Glen Ceiriog. Viaduct and Aqueduct. Halston. Ellesmere. Church. Lake. Hardwicke. Bettesfield. Hanmer Church. Westbury . Caus Castle. Alberbury . Church. Loton. Belan Bank. Rowton Castle. Wattlesborough Castle. Woolaston. Breidden Hills. Hadnall. Church. Shawbury Church. Moreton Corbet House. Church. Yorton. Grinshill. Copper Mines at Clive. Wem. Church. Hawkstone Park. Whitchurch. Church. II. CHESHIRE. Wrenbury . Church. Combermere Abbey. Nantwich. Church. Townhall. Elizabethan House in Hospital Street. Dorfold Hall, Crewe. Railway Station. Engine Factories. Bessemer Steel Works. Crewe Hall (not shown). Sandbach. Church. Inn. Crosses. Holmes Chapel. Cotton Hall. Blackden Hall. Somerford Booths. Davenport Hall. Brereton Hall and Church. Chelford. Withington Hall. Capesthorne. Alderley . Edge. Copper Mines. Wimslow . Church Lindow Common. Handforth. Styal. Norcliffe Hall. Cheshire — Places of Interest. [ 39 ] Stockport. Railway Viaduct. Church. Market Place. Vernon Park. Factories. Bramhall. Poynton. Hall. Adlington. Adlington Hall. Macclesfield. Church. Rivers Chapel. Christ Church. Cemetery. Park. Grammar School. Silk Mills. Excursion to Cat and Fiddle. Reservoirs near Langley. Prestbury Church. Shutlingslow. Bol- lington. Pott Shrigley Church. Gawsworth Church and Tilting Ground. Gongleton. Townhall. Silk Mills. Timbered Houses. Cloud End. Congleton Edge. Mow Cop. Biddulph. Astbury Church. Little Moreton Hall. Harecastle. Tunnel. Lawton Church. Coalmines. Whaley Bridge. Scenery of the Goyt. Roosdych. Taxall Church. Disley. Lyme Park. Marple. Hall. Church. View from the Churchyard. Chadkirk Church. Compstall. Woodley. Werneth Low. Harden Hall. Hyde. Church. Cotton Mills. Dukinfield Chapel and Hall. Mottram. Church. View from Churchyard. Hinting Vale. Viaduct. Glossop. Hall. Church. Melandra Castle. Mouslow Castle. Hadfield. Tintwistle. Manchester Reservoirs in the Etherow Valley. Cheadle. Church. Northenden. Wythenshaw Hall. Baguley. Baguley Hall. Dunham Massey. Hall. Dunham Church. Altrincham. Scenery of the Bollin. Bowdon Downs. Church. Timperley. Biddings. Fir Tree Farm. Ashton on Mersey. Roman Station. Carrington Moss. Heatley . Warburton Church. Hall. Lymm. Church. Dell of the Dane. Hall. Quarries. High Leigh. East Hall. West Hall. Thelwall. Grappenhall Church. Ashley . Scenery of the Bollin. Rostherne Mere and Church. Mere Hall. Mobberley. Church. Dukinfield Hall. Knutsford. Unitarian Burying Ground, with grave of Mrs. Gaskell. Gaol. Townhall. Tatton Park and Gardens. Toft Hall and Church. Over Peover Hall and Church. Lower Peover Church. Tabley Old Hall. Plumley . Holford Hall. Northwich. Salt Works. Old Marston Mine. Marbury Hall. Budworth Church. Arley Hall and Chapel. Minshull Vernon. Erdeswick Hall. Winsford. Salt Works. Over. Hartford Bridge. Vale Royal. Scenery of the Weaver. Weaver- ham Church. Dutton Hall. Delamere Forest. View from Eddisbury Hill. Old Fortress. Tumuli. Kelsborough Castle. Tarvin Church. Middlewich. Church. Lea Hall. Bostock. Davenham. Cheshire — Places of Interest . [ 40 ] Calverley. Wetenhall Hall. Wardle Hall. Beeston. Castle. Peckforton Castle. Walk through the woods to Burwardsley. Peckforton Hills. Bunbury Church. Tarporley Church. Swan Inn. Oulton Park. Tattenhall . Huxley Hall. Hatton. Waverton. Kowton Heath. Malpas. Church. Cholmondeley Castle. Broxton. Peckforton Hills. Carden. Farndon. Holt. Handley Church. Calverley Hall. Chester. Walls. Gates. Phoenix Tower. Water Tower. Bonwal- desthorne’s Tower. Morgan’s Mount. Pemberton’s Parlour. Wishing Steps. View from Walls. Bows. God’s Providence House. Bishop Lloyd’s House. Stanley Palace. Timber houses. Boman remains. Cathedral. St. John’s. St. Peter’s. St. Mary’s. Trinity Church. Castle. Grosvenor Bridge. Exchange. Music Hall. Blue Coat School. Museum. Eaton Hall. Eccleston Church. Lache Hall. Dodleston. Kinnerton Hall. Plemstall Church. Saighton Grange. Helsby. Scenery of the hills. Alvanley. Moiling ton. Shotwick Church. Views of Flintshire coast. Hooton. Hall. Neston. Church. Parkgate. The Dee. Hoylake. Hilbre Island. Leasowe Castle. Bidston Hill. Obser- vatory. Birkenhead. Ferries. Landing Station. Docks. Wallasey Pool. Park. Hamilton Square. St. Aidan’s College. Workmen’s dwell- ings. Seacombe. Egremont. New Brighton. Sloyne. Storeton Hill and Quarries. Eastham. Ince. Manor House. Church. Thornton Hall. Whitby. Port Ellesmere Docks. Frodsham. Church. Scenery of hills and Weaver. Hatton. Castle. Church. Bock Savage. Buncorn. Church. Canal Works. Bail way Bridge. Weston Point. Norton. Priory. Daresbury Chapel. VI. CELEBRATED MEN, WHO HAVE BEEN BORN IN OR ARE IDENTIFIED WITH THE HISTORY OF THE COUNTIES. I. SHBOPSHIBE. Adams, Sir T., Lord Mayor of London in the 17th cent. Alison, Sir A., the historian. Baxter, the Nonconformist divine. 17th cent. Beddoes, Dr., chemist and man of science. 18th cent. Benbow, Admiral. 1650. Brown, Isaac, lawyer and poet. 18th cent. Brown, Tom, poet. 17th cent. Shropshire — Cheshire — Celebrated Men . [ 41 ] Burnell, Sir Robert, Bishop of Bath and Wells. 14th cent. Burney, Dr., musician. 18th cent. Charlton, Sir Job, Judge of Common Pleas. James I. Churchyard, the poet. 16th cent. Clive, Lord, the Indian hero. 18th cent. Darwin, Charles, naturalist. Edwardes, Sir Herbert, of Mooltan. Farmer, Hugh, a celebrated Dissenting minister. 18th cent. Hammer, Sir T., Speaker of the House of Commons. 18th cent. Hayes, Dr. William, organist of St. Mary’s, Shrewsbury. 18th cent. Hill, Lord, the Peninsular hero. Hill, Sir Richard, controversialist. Hill, Rowland, the preacher. Hyde, Dr., Orientalist and keeper of the Bodleian. 17th cent. Ireland, John, author. 18th cent. Johnes, Thomas, of Hafod, translator of “ Froissart’s Chronicles.” Kynaston, Sir Francis, scholar and poet. 16th cent. Longland, Robert, poet. 14th cent. More, Richard, M.P. for Bishop’s Castle in the Long Parliament. Orton, Job, scholar and Nonconformist. Owen, T., Judge of Common Pleas. Reign of Elizabeth. Parr, Old, the “ centenarian.” Percy, Bishop, author of “ The Reliques.” Robert of Shrewsbury, Bishop of Bangor. 13th cent. Stephens, Jeremiah, scholar and critic. 17th cent. Taylor, translator of Demosthenes. Thomas, John, Bishop of Salisbury. 18th cent. Wilkins, botanist. Wycherley, poet and dramatist. 17th cent. II. CHESHIRE. Birkenhead, Sir J., editor of the “ Mercurius Aulicus.” During the Civil War. Booth, George, Baron Delamere. During the Civil War. Booth, John, Bishop of Exeter. Booth, Lawrence, Archbishop of York. Reign of Edward IV. Booth, William, Archbishop of York. Boy dell, John, Lord Mayor of London. 18th cent. Bradshaw, Sir H., Chief Baron of the Exchequer. Reign of Edward YI. Bradshaw, John, President of the Court that condemned Charles I. Brereton, Sir W., the Parliamentary commander. Bruen, John, a celebrated Puritan gentleman. Calveley, Sir Hugh, a naval commander. Reign of James I. Cotton, Sir Stapleton, the Peninsular general. Crewe, Sir Randal, Chief Justice to James I. Davenport, Sir Humphry, Chief Baron of the Exchequer. Charles I. Dukenfield, Colonel, a Parliamentary leader. Egerton, Thomas, Master of the Rolls to Queen Elizabeth. Fothergill, Dr., a celebrated physician. 18th cent. [42] Shropshire — Skeleton Tours . Gerarde, John, the herbalist. 16th cent. Harrison, Thomas, the regicide. Heber, Reginald, Bishop of Calcutta. Henry, Matthew, the commentator. Higden, Ralph, the chronicler. Holinshed, Ralph, the chronicler and antiquary in the reign of Elizabeth. Legh, Sir Perkin, knighted at the battle of Crecy. Leicester, Sir P., antiquary and county historian. Lindsey, Theophilus, a celebrated Unitarian divine of the 18th cent. Nedham, Sir John, Judge in reign of Henry YI. Nixon, the Cheshire prophet in the time of James I. Parnell, Dr., Archdeacon of Clogher, and poet. Percival, Sir T., Lord Mayor of London. Edward IY. Shaw, Dr., a noted preacher. Reign of Edward IY. Shaw, Sir E., Lord Mayor of London. Reign of Richard III. Speed, John, antiquary. Reign of James I. Touchet, Sir John, commander. Time of Edward IY. Whitney, Geoffrey, poet. Time of Elizabeth. VII. SKELETON TOUES. (To be varied according to pleasure,) (The Places marked in Italics are the best for Headquarters,) I. SHROPSHIRE. Days 1. By rail from Wolverhampton to Codsall or Albrighton Stats. Drive or walk thence to White Ladies and Boscobel (not shown after 5 p.m. nor on Sundays). Continue excursion to Tonge Church and Castle. Sleep at Shiffnal. 2. See Shiffnal Church. Walk to Brimstree Hill. By rail to Wel- lington. Excursion to Wrekin. Sleep at Wellington, 8. By rail to Lilleshall. See Abbey and Iron Works. Return to Shrewsbury by rail, and on the way see Upton Magna Church. 4. Spend at Shrewsbury, 5. Excursions in the morning to Haughmond Abbey and Ufhngton Hill ; in afternoon to Battlefield Church and Moreton Corbet, returning by rail from Hadnall to Shrewsbury, 6. Excursion to Atcham and Wroxeter. Afternoon by train to Buildwas. See Abbey. Sleep at Buildwas, 7. Excursion to Wenlock. See Abbey, &c. ; scenery of Benthall and Wenlock Edges. Sleep at Ironbridge, 8. Ironworks. Lincoln Hill. By rail from Ironbridge to Linley. See the Terrace at Apley Park. Sleep at Bridgnorth , 9. See Bridgnorth. Afternoon excursion to Worfield and the Badger Dingle. Return to Bridgnorth. 10. Rail to Bewdley. See Forest of Wyre and Cleobury Mortimer ; thence to Tenbury , where sleep. See Burford Church in after- noon. Cheshire — Skeleton Tours . [ 43 ] Days 11. See St. Michael’s College. Afternoon, rail to Little Hereford, where see Church, and on by train to Ludlow . See Castle. 12. Ludlow . Afternoon, excursion to Vignalls and scene of Milton’s “ Comus.” 18. Excursion to Leintwardine and Downton. Scenery of the Teme. 14. Excursion to the Clee Hills, returning to Ludlow by Staunton Lacey. 15. From Ludlow by rail to Craven Arms. See Stokesay Castle. Rail from Craven Arms to Hopton Castle and Knighton , where sleep. 16. Excursion to Clun Church and Castle. Sleep at Clun, and ex- cursions. 17. To Bishop’s Castle by Lydbury North, thence by rail to Lydham Heath, for Linley, Craven Arms, and Church Stretton. 18. Explore the Longmynd, and, if a good pedestrian, continue over the Stiperstones to Minsterley Stat., where take last train to Shrewsbury ; or Ascend the Caer Caradoc or Lawley, and afternoon by train to Shrewsbury . 19. By train to Middletown Stat., and ascend the Breidden. Return to - Shrewsbury, or, if preferred, go on to Welshpool and take the train to Oswestry . 20. See Oswestry and Llanymynach Hill. Afternoon, train to Whittington. See Castle. Sleep at Ellesmere . 21. See Ellesmere, and by rail to Whitchurch and Wem. Afternoon, excursion to Hawhstone. Sleep at the Inn there. 22. Drive or walk to Hodnet, and thence by train to Market Drayton and Nantwich ; or Return from Hawkstone to Wem, and take the train to Wrenbury. See Combermere Abbey, and by rail from Wrenbury to Nantwich . II. CHESHIRE. Days 1. See Nantwich, Acton Church, Combermere Abbey (train from Nantwich to Wrenbury), and in evening to Crewe , where sleep. 2. See Railway Stat. and Engine Works ; Crewe Hall. Afternoon, take the train to Basford and visit Wybunbury Church. 8. From Crewe by train to Harecastle and Mow Cop. See Little Moreton Hall ; Astbury Church. Sleep at Congleton. 4. Excursion to Congleton Edge or Cloud Hill, and to Biddulph Gardens. In evening by rail to Macclesfield. 5. See Macclesfield. Afternoon, excursion to Shutlingslow. 6. Excursion to Cat and Fiddle, returning to Macclesfield by Jenkin’s Chapel and Bollington. 7. By train to Bramhall. See the Hall. Sleep at Cheadle . 8. Excursion from Stockport to Lyme Park, Disley Church, and Whaley Bridge. If time, walk to Taxal. Return to Cheadle. 9. Excursion to Chadkirk, Marple Hall, and to Hyde for Harden and Dukinfield Halls. Return to Cheadle . [44] Shropshire — Antiquarian Tours. Days 10. Excursion by rail to Mottram, Tintwistle, the Reservoirs, and Glossop. 11. From Stockport by rail to Alderley. See the Edge and Copper Works. Afternoon, by rail to Sandbach. 12. See Sandbach, Brereton Hall, and other old houses in the neighbourhood. Afternoon, by train to Middlewich and Northwich . IB. See Northwich Salt Works and (if possible) Old Marston Mine. Afternoon, Holford Hall or Arley Hall and Chapel. Sleep at Knutsford. 14. See Bostherne Church and Mere, Bowden Church and Downs, and Dunham Massey. Sleep at Altrincham. 15. See Wythenshaw and Baguley Halls, Lymm Church and Quarries, and Grappenhall Church. Sleep at Warrington. 16. By rail from Warrington to Hartford Bridge, Delamere Forest, Tarvin, and Chester. 17. See Chester and Eaton Hall. 18. Excursion to Beeston Castle, Tarporley, and Bunbury Church. The pedestrian can sleep at Beeston and walk on 19. To the Peckforton Hills, Broxton, Carden, Handley, and Chester. 20. From Chester by rail to Frodsham ; excursion over the hills. Afternoon, see Kuncorn and Halton Castle; and, in the even- ing, by train (via Helsby) to Birkenhead. 21. See Birkenhead Docks and town. Afternoon, by rail to Bidston, Leasowes, and Hoylake , where sleep. 22. Walk or drive to Parkgate. By rail to Neston and Eastham, whence cross by steamer to Liverpool. VIII. ANTIQUARIAN TOURS. ( The Places in Italics are the best Centres from which to explore.) I. SHBOPSHIRE (commencing at Bewdley). Days 1. Rail to Cleobury Mortimer (Church), or to Neen Sollers Stat. thence walk to Mamble Church. On to Tenbury (Church). Burford Church. Little Hereford Church. Reach Ludlow for headquarters. 2. Ludlow Castle. Church. Reader’s House. Grammar School. Lane Asylum. Bull and Feathers Inns. Bridge and Gate. Ludford Church. Bromfield and Staunton Lacey Churches. 3. Aston Church. Wigmore Church and Castle. Croft Ambrey Earthwork. Richard’s Castle. Scene of “ Comus.” 4. Caynham Camp. Bitterley Cross, Church, and Court. Titterston Clee Camp. Continue excursion either to Brown Clee, and see the Camps of Clee Burf, Abdon Burf, and Nordy Bank, or else visit the Churches of Wheathill, Burwarton, and Aston Botterell. 5. Craven Arms. Stokesay Castle. Norton Camp. View Edge. Culmington Church. Cortham Earthworks. The Heath Chapel. Delbury Church. Shropshire — Antiquarian Tours . [ 45 ] Days 6. Hopton Castle. Coxwall Knoll. Knighton , old houses. Farrington. Caer Caradoc. 7. Drive to Clun Church and Castle. Menhir and Castell Bryn Amlwg. Bury Ditches. Tumuli. Bishop's Castle Church. Camp at Snead. Hyssington Church. Circles on Corndon Hill. 8. Billing’s Bing. Castle Bing. Church Stretton Church. Ancient road on Longmynd. Brockhurst Castle. Bodbury Bing. Caer Caradoc. 9. By train to Leebotwood Stat. Walk to Frodesley Hall. Acton Burnell Castle. Pitchford Hall and Church, rejoining the Severn Valley Bly. at Condover Stat. ; thence to Shrewsbury . 10. Spend in examination of Shrewsbury. 11. Visit Atcham Church. Wroxeter Church and City ; returning by Upton Magna Church. Uffington Church. Haughmond Abbey. Ebury Camp ; and by Sundorne to Shrewsbury. 12. Visit by rail, Berrington Church. Cressage Oak. Leighton Church, and Build was Abbey. 18. Wenlock Abbey. Prior’s House. Townhall. Acton Bound Church. Barrow Church. 14. By rail to Easthope Stat, Visit house at Plash. Langley Hall Gateway. The Ditches. 15. Iron Bridge. Linley Church. Astley Abbotts Church. Bridgnorth Castle, Church, old houses. 16. Morville Church. Aston Eyre Church. Upton Cresset Church. Quatford and Quat Churches. 17. Claverley Church. Worfield Church. The Walls. Badger Church. Patshull Church, continuing to Albright on Stat., where a train may be caught either to Wolverhampton or Shiffhal ; the former perhaps will be most convenient. 18. Beturn by train to Albrighton Stat. See the Church, and Don- nington Church ; then visit White Ladies ruins and Boscobel. On return to Shiffnal , see Tonge Church. 19. Shiffnal Church. Malins Lee Chapel. Wombridge Priory ruins. Wellington . Earthworks on the Wrekin. 20. Lilleshall Abbey. Woodcote Church. Newport Church. Edgmond Church and Bectory. Eyton Church. Beturn by rail to Shrewsbury. 21. Han wood Church. Pontesbury Church and Camp. Minsterley Church. Caus Castle. Wattle sbbrough Castle; returning to Westbury Stat., and thence to Shrewsbury . 22. Battlefield Church. Albright Hussey. Moreton Corbett, Hadnall, and Shawbury Churches. 28. By rail to Baschurch Stat. The Berth. Buyton of the XI Towns. Whittington Church and Castle. Park Hall. Osivestry. 24. Old Oswestry. Offa’s Dyke. Castell Brogyntyn. Ellesmere Church. Hanmer Church. Whitchurch. 25. Wem Church. Edstaston Church. Hawkstone. Bed Castle. Bury Walls. Hodnet Church. Market Drayton . Cheshire — Antiquarian Tours. [ 46 ] Days 26. Blore Heath. Muckleston Church. Stoke-upon-Tern Church. Adderley Church. Nantwich . Enter Cheshire. II. CHESHIBE. Days 1. Nantwich Church and old houses. Acton Church, Dorfold Hall. Combermere Abbey. Wrenbury Church. 2. Crewe Hall. Coppenhall Church. Haslington Hall. Wybunbury Church. Barthomley Church. Lawton Church. 3. Sandbach Church. Inn. Crosses. Betchton Hall. Holmes Chapel Church. Cotton Hall. Twemlow Hall. Blackden Hall. 4. Somerford Booths. Swettenham Hall. Davenport Hall. Brereton Hall and Church. Smethwick Hall. Little Moreton Hall. Astbury Church. 5. Congleton, old houses. Crossley. Gawsworth Church. Maccles- field Church. Bivers Chapel. Prestbury Church. 6. Alderley Church. Bramhall. Stockport Church. Bank House. Harden Hall. Hyde Church. Dukinfield Hall. 7. Disley Church. Lyme Hall. Whaley Bridge. Boosdych. Taxal Church. Marple Hall. Chadkirk. 8. Mottram Church. Tintwistle. Melandra and Mouslow Castles. 9. Wythenshaw Hall. Baguley Hall. Dunham Massey Church. Bowdon Church. Bostherne Church. 10. Knutsford old Church. Holford Hall. Mobberley Church. Over Peover Church and Hall. Nether Peover Church, black-and- white timbered. Tabley Old Hall. 11. Northwich Castle site. Budworth Church. Arley Chapel. Daven- ham Church. Middlewich Church. Kinderton (Boman stat. of Condate). Lea Hall. Yale Boyal. 12. Merton Grange. Crowton Hall. Dutton Hall ; or from Hartford Bridge to Delamere Forest, where examine Eddisbury Hill. Tumuli. Kelsborough Castle. Tarvin Church. Sleep at Chester . 13. Examine Chester. 14. Bowton Heath. Hatton. Huxley Hall. Beeston Castle. Tar- porley Church. Bunbury Church. Sleep at Beeston. 15. Drive to Malpas, see Church. Cholmondeley Castle. Carden. Handley Church. Calverley Hall. Chester . 16. Eccleston Church. Eaton Hall. Saighton Grange. Dodlestone Church. Kinnerton Hall. Plemstall Church. 17. Frodsham Church. Bock Savage. Halton Church and Castle. Norton Priory. Daresbury Chapel. Warrington . 18. Wilderspool (Veratinum), Thelwall, Grappenhall, and Lymm Churches. East and West Leigh Halls and Chapel. Warrington Church. 19. By rail to Helsby. Ince Manor House. Site of Stanlaw Abbey. Thornton Hall and Church. St ot wick Church. Neston Church. Birkenhead. 20. Leasowe Castle. Hoylake. Shropshire — Cheshire — Pedestrian Tours . [47] IX. PEDESTRIAN TOURS. I. SHROPSHIRE. Tour 1. From Ludlow by Richard’s Castle, Croft Ambrey, Wigmore. Re- turning by Elton and Mary Knoll. About 17 m. 2. From Ludlow to Burrington and Downton, returning by Brom- field. 11 to 12 m. 3. From Ludlow over the Clee Hills to Cleobury Mortimer . 11 m. By going on to Oreton and Farlow, some 4 m. longer. 4. From Cleobury Mortimer to Bridgnorth , by Kinlet and Billingsley. 13 m. 5. From Bridgnorth to Wenlock , by Broseley. Ironbridge. Coal- brook Dale, and Buildwas. 11 m. 6. From Wenlock to Craven Arms , down Corvedale. About 20 m. 7. From Craven Arms to Knighton by rail. Walk on to Clun, Bury Ditches, and Bishop's Castle . 14 m. 8. From Bishop’s Castle to Hyssington, Stapeley Hill, Shelve, and Minsterley. 13 m. 9. From Minsterley to the Stiperstones, Ratlinghope, and over the - Longmynd to Church Stretton. About 11 m. 10. From Church Stretton to Caer Caradoc, Acton Burnell, Pitchford, and Berrington Stat. 10 to 11 m. 11. Shrewsbury to Battlefield, Albright Hussey, Haughmond Abbey, Uffington Hill. 11 m. 12. By rail to Middletown Stat. Walk over the Breidden to Llan- drinio, Llanymynach, Treonen, and Oswestry . 12 to 13 m. 13. From Oswestry by Frankton to Ellesmere. 7 m. By rail thence to Wrenbury. See Combermere Abbey, 6 m., and after- wards by rail to Nantwich and Wellington . 14. Ascend the Wrekin. 6 m. By rail to Shiffnal : then walk by Tonge and Boscobel to Albrighton Stat., 9 m., whence take train to Wolverhampton . II. CHESHIRE. Tour 1. Start from Whitchurch. Walk to Malpas and Broxton Junct . 10 m. See Carden. 2. From Broxton, over the Peckforton Hills, to Beeston and Tar- porley. 9 m. 3. From Tarporley, across Delamere Forest, to Frodsham . 11 to 12 m. 4. From Frodsbam to Northwich, 9 m.; or on to Knutsford , 15 m. 5. From Knutsford to Rostherne and Bowdon, 8 m.; or from Ros- therne, follow up the Bollin to Wilmslow, about 6 or 7 m. Sleep at Alderley. 6. Over the Edge to Macclesfield. 6 m. Rail to Congleton , and see Congleton Edge. Astbury and Moreton Hall. 7. Rail to North Rode Stat. Walk to Broxton, 14 m., by Shutlings- low and Axe Edge. 8. Broxton to Disley, by Goyts Bridge, see Lyme Hall. Taxal Whaley Bridge. 10 to 11 m. Train to Stockport. 11. Stockport to Marple. Glossop. About 12 m. HANDBOOK FOR ; SHROPSHIRE AND CHESHIRE. ROUTES. # # # The names of places are printed in italics only in those routes where the places are described. Route Page Route 1 Hereford to Shrewsbury, by Ludlow and Church S tret- ton 2 Ludlow to Bewdley , by Woo- ferton, Tenbury , and Cleo- bury Mortimer . 3 Ludlow to Wolverhampton, by the Clee Hills and Bridg- north 4 Bewdley to Shrewsbury, by Bridgnorth and Ironbridge 5 Clun and District 6 Knighton to Wellington, by Craven Arms, Wenlock, and Coalbrook Dale . 7 Wolverhampton to Nantwich, by Shiffnal , Wellington , and Market Drayton . 8 Shrewsbury to Stafford, by Wellington and Neivport . 9 Shrewsbury to Bishop’s Cas- tle, by Alberbury , Westbury, Chirbury, and Churchstoke 10 Shrewsbury to Chirk . 11 Oswestry to Shrewsbury, by Llanymynech , # Knockin , and Shrawardine 12 Whittington Junct. to Whit- church Junct., by Elies - mere [H. B. Shrop.] 13 Shrewsbury to Nantwich, by Went and Whitchurch 2 14 Whitchurch to Stockport , by Nantwich , Crewe, and Al- derley 18 15 Crewe to Stockport, by Hare- castle, Congleton, and Mac- clesfield . 22 16 Buxton to Stockport, by Whaley Bridge and Disley . 25 17 Buxton to Manchester, by 34 New Mills, Hyde , and Guidebridge 18 Stafford to Warrington, by 39 Crewe 19 Stockport to Penistone, by Glossop .... 44 20 Stockport to Warrington, by Altrincham and Lymm 53 21 Manchester to Chester, by Altrincham, Northwich, and Delamere Forest . 71 22 Congleton to Northwich, by 74 Hulme and Middlewich 23 Crewe to Chester, by Beeston 24 Whitchurch to Chester, by 76 Malpas . 25 Chester to Warrington, by Frodsham .... 77 26 Chester to Birkenhead . £ Page 79 83 93 102 105 108 110 112 117 128 131 134 147 151 2 Route 1 . — Hereford to Shrewsbury . BOTJTE 1. FROM HEREFORD TO SHREWSBURY, BY LUDLOW AND CHURCH STRETTON (HEREFORD AND SHREWSBURY ELY.) Rail. Road. Places. Hereford 19 m. Wooferton Junct. 23^ m, Ludlow Walk. abt. 16 m, High Vinnals, Croft Ambrey, Richard’s Castle, and Orleton Ludlow 31 m. Aston 8 m. Wigmore 11 m. Leintwardine 15 m. Hopton Heath Stat. Ludlow 26 m. Bromfield 31 m, Craven Arms Junct. 38 m. Church Stretton Walk. abt, 5 m. Carding-mill Valley abt. 9 m. Longmynd abt. 11 m. Ratlinghope abt. 9 m. Caradoc and Lawley Church Stretton 42 m, Leebotwood 45 m. Dorrington 46 m. Condover 49 m. Shrewsbury • This mark is affixed to the names of places or objects of unusual interest. The Hereford and Shrewsbury Bail- way, a joint line of the Great Western and London and North-Western Companies, quits Hereford by the Barr’s Court Stat. (Handbook for Herefordshire ), passes Leominster (13 m.) and crosses the Shropshire border between the villages of Brim- field and (19 m.) Wooferton Junct.,# whence a branch is given off oil rt. to Tenbury and Bewdley. The rly. now enters the fertile and beautifully wooded valley of the Teme, which it crosses between the villages of Ashford Bowdler (rt. bank) and Ashford Carbonell (1. bank). On the 1. bank are Ashford Court (Capt. C. C. Evan-Morgan) and Ashford House (Miss Hall). Ashford Hall , on rt. bank, is the seat of Felix Ludham, Esq. The line follows the bend of the Teme, leaving the Sheet (B. I. Dansey, Esq.) to the rt. A beautiful view of the town of Ludlow is obtained before entering the tunnel, in which the church, castle, and rocks by the river-side are prominent objects. 23| m. LUDLOW,# “in Welsh Dinan and Llys-twysoc, that is, the Prince’s Palace ; ’tis seated upon a hill at the joyning of the Teme with the river Corve : a town of greater beauty than antiquity.” — Camden. Ludlow is indeed splendidly situated on an amphitheatre of high ground, formed by the winding stream of the Teme just at its junction with the Corve. From the highest portion, on which are the ch. and castle, the streets descend on every side, and by their breadth and dignity bear evidence to its importance in the days when the county families of Shropshire thought it not unfashion- able to spend the winter season with- in its precincts and mingle in its assemblies and Bailiff’s Feasts. “ The towne doth stand most part upon a hill, Built well and fayre, with streates both longe and wide ; The houses such, where straungers lodge at will, As long as there the counsell lists abide. Both fine and cleane the streates are all throughout, With condits cleere and wholesome water springs ; And who that lists to walk the towne about Shall find therein some rare and pleasant things ; But chiefly there the ayre so sweete you have As in no place ye can no better crave.” Churchyard. The early HISTORY of the town is alto- gether identified with that of the Castle,* which, since its erection in the 11th cent., has been the scene of much stormy action. It is of purely Norm, origin, and is said to have been begun by Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury, the builder of the massive dongeon or keep, between 1086 and 1096, and completed by Joce (or Joyce) de Dinan in the reign of Henry I., by the rebellion of its pos- sessors against whom it became a royal castle. In Stephen’s time, the then governor joined the cause of Maud ; and in the siege that followed, the Scottish Prince, whom Stephen had brought as his hostage, was nearly drawn within the walls by an enor- mous iron hook. In Henry II.’s reign the Route 1 . — Ludlow: Castle, 3 castle was in the possession of Joce de Dinan, into whose household the second Fulke Fitz- Warine, son of the Lord of Whittington, was sent for education as a knight. A most romantic incident is recorded concerning Fulke, who was idling in the courtyard when the news came that Joce de Dinan had been attacked by Walter de Lacy, and was even then being overpowered in a hand-to-hand combat with him and 3 of his knights. Fulke, although too young to wear armour, seized a rusty helmet and a great Danish axe, and, flinging himself on the back of a cart- horse, spurred to the scene of action, where he laid about him with such vigour that he soon rescued Joce from his danger, and brought De Lacy in triumph as a prisoner to the castle. After this feat he married, a little later on, Hawyse, the daughter of Joce, and on the death of his father became Lord of Whittington. Ludlow Castle subsequently became the residence of Edward IV. and his infant children, the murderer of whom, Richard Duke of Gloucester, afterwards Richard the Third, is said to have had his early education here ; here too in Henry VII.’s reign, his elder son, Arthur Prince of Wales, died in 1502, after his marriage with Catherine of Aragon. From that period it was considered as the- peculiar property of the Princes of Wales or their deputies, the Lords President of Wales, who held their Courts of the Marches with great dignity and splendour. “ Also the 4 judges of the councill have their lodgings here, and they and the president dine together, their charges being borne by the kinge ; they have their cooke and all their necessary attend- ants and keepe 4 termes every year, when all law suites are determined ; they have within the said castell a prison, a bowlinge greene, a tenis court, and stable room for above 100 horses and quantitie of armes .”— Marmaduke Rawdon. The tenure of the Lords Marchers’ office was peculiar, as the King’s writ did not run in the Marches, but the Lord Marcher appointed his own sheriff. It was not the King’s Peace, but the Lord Marcher’s which malcontents broke : and this because though the King nominated the Marcher, he left him to fight his own battles and hold his position without other help, so that the deputy had almost plenary power. If but scanty evidence of this appears in charters, this arises from the King’s reluct- ance to recognise such an “imperium in im- perio ” if he could help it. This lasted until 1688, when the office was abolished and the castle allowed to go to decay. But this intermediate period was the height of Ludlow’s glory. Here Charles I. was enter- tained with much feasting and revelling, and here it was that “ Comus,” one of Milton’s most beautiful creations, was written and acted in 1634, on the occasion of the appoint- ment of the Earl of Bridgewater to the office of President of Wales. The incident that gave rise to it was as follows. Soon after the Earl of Bridgewater’s arrival as Lord Presi- dent, his sons, Lord Brackley and Mr. Thomas Egerton, and his daughter. Lady Alice, were benighted in the Hay Wood (see Excursion, p. 7), near Richard’s Castle, at a distance of some 3 m. from Ludlow, and separated from the hill of the High Vinnals by a lovely sylvan dingle. Here they were for a short time lost altogether. On their reaching Lud- low, Milton wrote his “Masque of Comus,” which was then and there set to music by Henry Lawes, who, with the heroes of the adventure, took the principal parts. Sir Henry Sydney, father of Sir Philip Sydney, was the last occupant of the castle previous to its being taken by the parliamentary force in 1646. Sir Henry was President of the Council of Wales from 1559 to 1581, and at the Restora- tion this office was conferred on the Earl of Carbery, under whose patronage Samuel But- ler enjoyed the office of steward or seneschal, and wrote, in a chamber over the gateway, the first portion of his “ Hudibras.” From the eventful history of Lud- low, and the numerous people that tenanted it at various times, the so- called Castle Palace, as may readily be imagined, is of various dates in its style. “ An aunciente seate, yet many buildings newe Lord President made, to give it greater fame.” The ruins, as they stand at present, consist of a large base court or “ outer bailey ” encircled by walls, and are entered on the S. side by a gateway. To the 1., as the visitor enters, is a range of Tudor buildings called the Stabling. On the W. side of the court is a semicircular tower, now used as a volunteer armoury. This is known as Mortimer's Tower , Hugh Mortimer having, according to tradi- tion, been imprisoned there c. 1150. To the 1. of this is the old Court of Record for the Marches. On the E. side of the court is a square tower, indicating the limit of the original Norm, castle. The inner court, approached by a drawbridge over a dry moat which divides it from the outer ward, is entered across a bridge of 2 arches, and by a gateway built by Sir Henry Sydney of Penshurst, who also added the coats of arms of Queen Elizabeth and himself with the Latin inscrip- tions over the gateway arch. In the Middle Ward , thus entered, are (1) the nave of the chapel of St. Mary Magdalene, built on the model of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, like the Temple Church, London, probably by Joce de Dinan, temp. Henry I. The chancel, which extended to the curtain wall of the 4 Route 1 . — Hereford to Shrewsbury . castle and had no E. window, has disappeared, but the chancel-arch, which is round-headed, remains, and opposite to it is the fine late Norm. W. door. The interior has a Norm, arcade of 14 arches. In Grose’s time the chapel was profusely decorated with panels charged with armorial bearings, and was connected by a covered way with the state apartments. (2) Beyond the chapel is a range of buildings, which consist of (a), on the 1., the Buttery Toiver, occupying the N.W. angle of the ward, (b) In the centre, the Hall where “ Comus ” was performed. This fine room is 60 by 30 ft., and 35 ft. to the springing corbels of its former open timber roof. The recesses for the hammer-beams remain, and the corbels on which the principals rested. In the N. wall are 3 long narrow windows of one light each, tref oiled and crossed by a heavy transom, and in the S. are also 3, looking upon the court. These are of two lights, trefoiled and crossed by a transom, (c) On the rt. are the state rooms , of Dec. architecture, with windows also of Perp. and Tudor periods. Projecting from this part of the castle is the Garderobe Tower , and at the angle between the middle and outer wards is the North-east Tower , rectangular in plan and of Norm, date. (3) Against the wall of the inner court (ie. opposite to the Buttery Tower) is the kitchen , a rectangular building of the Dec. period. In the Inner Ward , which is en- tered by a doorway beyond the kit- chen, are — (1) on the rt. the Postern Tower ; (2) near this the well , now 85 ft. deep, but formerly 150. It is fed by a spring in Whitecliffe Woods, whence Sir H. Sydney laid a lead pipe. (3) In the 1. corner, facing the well, the Oven Tower , which is Norm. (4) On the rt. the keep, which consists of a basement and three floors. The basement possesses in the portion nearest to the door some Norm, arcades and has been called the chapel, the further portion being described as the dungeon. Mr. Clark is, however, very doubtful as to what may have been the real purpose of these rooms. There is an admirable view from the summit of the keep. The Church,* dedicated to St. Lawrence, is one of the noblest parish churches in England. It is a fine late Perp. building, with a lofty tower, which, from its own height and the elevation of the ground, is a very conspicuous landmark for miles around. It is cruciform, having nave, side aisles, choir, transepts, and side chapels, with the lofty cen- tral tower rising from the intersec- tion. The original ch. seems, in the 12th cent., to have occupied the site of the chancel of the present ch. The rebuilding was carried on several years into the 13th cent., and addi- tions were made early and late in the 14th cent., when the guild of Palmers incorporated in Edward I.’s reign at Ludlow became rich, and the ch. collegiate, but it is plain that a Norm, building existed previously, and that its extent was identical with that of the pre- sent nave. It is said that, when this ch. was enlarged, the “low” or mound which gave the town a portion of its name (Leode-hloew, or the people’s hill) was levelled and bones discovered in it. These were stated by the clergy to be the bones of St. Brendan, with those of his father and mother. The ch. was then enlarged, and during the process of restoration, in 1860, by the late Sir G. G. Scott , the foundations of this old 12th-cent. ch., which preceded the present one, were dis- covered. The S. entrance is by a beautiful hexagonal embattled porch , some- thing like that of St. Mary Redcliffe ch., Bristol. This was restored by Lord Boyne. The view from the W. door is very fine, embracing the nave and chancel arches, the lantern, 80 ft. high, and the magnificent stained E. window. The nave is divided from the aisles by 6 pointed arches, springing from clustered pillars. The roof is of oak, ornamented with large gilt bosses, and that of the choir is illuminated with green and red. The choir is lighted by 7 Perp. windows, containing full-length figures of bishops and other ecclesi- astics ; but the chief glory of the ch. is the E. window, representing the Route 1 . — Ludlow: Church. 5 martyrdom of St. Lawrence. It was originally the gift of Spofford, Bishop of Hereford 1421-1448, and, after undergoing great mutilation, was well restored, in 1828, by Evans of Shrewsbury. It occupies the whole breadth of the chancel, and is in 65 compartments, displaying the life, miracles, and martyrdom of the saint, including his being broiled on a gridiron. Notice the 7th compart- ment, in which the idols are repre- sented as falling to pieces in his presence. Beneath the window is a beautiful carved stone reredos, re- stored by subscription at the instance of the last Lord Dungannon. Behind the altar is a passage, entered by a door on the S. side of the W. wall and under the window. In this pas- sage is a leper window, which can be seen from outside. Among the monuments in the choir are recum- bent effigies of Edm. Walter and his wife. He was chief justice of three shires in Wales, and one of the Council of the Marches in 1592. There are also monuments to Am- brosia Sydney, fourth daughter of the Rt. Hon. Sir H. Sydney, President of the Council, and to Lady Mary, his wife, daughter of the Duke of North- umberland, who died in Ludlow Castle, 1574. Within the Easter Sepulchre, N. of the altar, is the tomb of Sir Robt. Townsend and his wife, dated 1581. The canopies of the choir, of carved oak, are a memorial to the Rev. J. Phillips, a late rector and energetic restorer of the ch., by his widow. To the S. of the altar are four sedilia and a piscina ; and on each side the chancel are stalls, with numerous well-carved miserere seats, for the officiating priests of the adjoining chapel of St. John. This is N. of the choir, and is entered from the transept by a carved screen. It contains some well-restored 15th- cent. glass, the most westerly window having the Annunciation above and SS. Catherine, John the Baptist, and Christopher below. The next two windows contain the Twelve Apostles, each with the sentence of the Creed assigned by tradition to them near them on a scroll. Here also are the tombs of Sir John Brydgeman, chief justice of Cheshire, and his wife. He was the last President but one of the Court of the Marches. They are conjectured to have been the work of Fanelli, who was much employed in England during the reign of Charles I. The S. chapel contains a much- restored Jesse window. Here also, on the N. wall, are a well-preserved set of the Commandments, written in the 16th cent. In the N. transept is a fine organ by Schweitzer, and in the S. transept is a recumbent monu- ment to Dame Mary Eyre, wife of Lord Eyre, President of the Marches. The W. seven-light window (by Willement) is modern, and is filled with mediaeval figures of persons connected with the history of Ludlow, such as Richard, Duke of York; Edward IV. ; Arthur, Prince of Wales ; Montgomerie, Fitzwarine, Joce de Dinan, &c. The ch.-yd., which is supported on the N. by a portion of the old wall, is beauti- fully kept and planted, and com- mands a noble view up the vales of the Corve and Ony, with the Titterstone and Brown Clee Hills on the E. Within its precincts is a fine old timbered house, of the date of the 17th cent., as testified by the in- scription on it of “a.d. 1616, Thomas Kaye.” It is the official residence of the Reader, who, however, does not occupy it. On the opposite side is the Hosier Almshouse, for old widows and widowers, originally founded in 1486. The approach to the ch. from the town at its S. entrance is by a passage now crowded with houses, but still retaining the name of the “ Skallens ” or “Kalends,” which Sir G. C. Lewis and other inquirers in “ Notes and Queries ” have indu- bitably identified with the ancient lych gate. The Lane Asylum is another tim- bered house, date 1672. It was built from moneys left by the Ludford family, and is still kept up partly from this fund and partly by subscription. 6 Route 1 . — Hereford to Shrewsbury. An antique furniture store near the castle was formerly the chapel of St. Mary by the Dinham Gate, which stood here, and still contains moulded ribs of the date of the 12th cent., also blocked Norm, arches. The Grammar School is the oldest in the county, and was founded by the Palmers’ Guild, to whom the town owes the church and other ecclesiastical charities. A master and usher represent the school foun- dation, whilst the ch. is indebted to the guild for a lecturer and a reader, in supplement of the rector and his curates. Amongst the alumni of this ancient foundation school may be named the late Thomas Wright, M.A. and F.S.A., the author of the History of Ludlow, the History (for the Camden Society) of its Church- wardens’ Accounts, and various other antiquarian and archaeological works. The charter of this guild was given by Edward I. ; but when it was dis- solved in the reign of Edward VI., all its charities were transferred to the town and vested in the corpora- tion. Amongst other old buildings is the Bull Inn, containing some good panelling ; also the Feathers Hotel, a quaint, old-fashioned black-and- white timbered hostelry. This fine old house is dated 1603, and is said to have been built for a Lord Justice of the Marches. The coffee-room contains a carved oak fireplace on which are the royal arms and the letters I.B. Of the 7 gates by which Ludlow was formerly entered, only one is left, about halfway down Broad Street, on the road to Ludford. At the top of Broad Street is the Butter Cross, a building now appropriated to the borough records. Ludlow also contained an establishment for Austin friars, 1282, and one for Carmelite friars. A house in Old Street, now in the occupation of a grocer, Mr. Bishop, contains a good oak and plaster ceiling and oak panelling which are said to have come from the castle. There is a large modern market hall. The Museum, adjoining the As- sembly Booms, is interesting, and contains an unusually fine collection of fossils, principally of the Silurian rocks in the neighbourhood, which have been thoroughly investigated by the local geologists and the Woolhope Natural History Society. The visitor will find very good specimens of Old Bed fishes, including Pteraspis and Eurypterus. There are also some antiquities from Uriconium, and some MSS. belonging to the old Ludlow guilds of the Hammermen’s and Stitchers’ Companies, with the money-boxes in which their contribu- tions were placed. Amongst the natives of Ludlow was Mr. Thomas Johnes, of Hafod, who flourished in the fast cent., and was the translator of Froissart’s “ Chronicles.” Mr. Stanley Weyman, the well-known author, is now a resident in the town. Immediately across the river Teme, which here separates Shropshire from a small nook and corner of Herefordshire, is the House of Lud- ford, the old-fashioned seat of the Charltons (B. J. B. Parkinson, Esq.), which formed part of the Hos- pital of St. John in the 13th cent., founded by a burgess of Ludlow named Peter Undergood, and endowed with St. Giles’s House in Ludford. It was granted after the Dissolution to the Earl of Warwick, of whom it was purchased by William Fox, M.P., Secretary to the Council of the Marches, who added a chantry to Ludford Church, within which he was buried in 1554, and by his family sold, in 1667, to the Charltons, a branch of the family of Apley Castle, near Wellington. Of this ancient family were Sir Bobert Charlton, who suffered much by his loyalty to Charles I. ; Sir Job Charlton, Speaker in 1685 and a Judge of the Common Pleas, who entertained James II. here in great state in 1687, and was by that monarch created a baronet, a title which became extinct in 1784. Sir Job founded a hospital here in 1672 for poor persons. From the last of the Charltons the property passed, about forty years ago, to . Route 1 . — Ludlow : Excursions. 7 John Lechmere, their cousin, the second son of Vice-Admiral Lechmere of Steeple Aston, and after him to his sister Mrs. Monro. The ancient house is approached through an Edwardian archway leading into a quadrangle, chiefly of offices. The reception rooms face the lawn or garden front. The ch. contains Sir Job’s effigy, reclining in his judicial robes ; and there are other noticeable tablets. On the E. side of the N. aisle is an old altar-slab, converted into a tomb ; and here also is a brass of 1500, with an English (pre-Be- formation) inscription. The bridge which connects the two counties is very ancient, and has exceedingly prominent piers with recesses above on each side. It is mentioned by Leland. “ There be three fayre arches in this bridge over Teme, and a pretly chapel upon it of St. Cathe- rine. It is about a hundred years since this bridge was built ; men passed afore by a ford a little beneath.” The geology of the Ludlow dis- trict is especially interesting, but it will be sufficient here to direct atten- tion to the salient points, of which details are given in the Introduction (p. 12). At Ludford are displayed “the upper beds, forming the downward passage from the Old Bed system ; yellowish sandstones, of a very fine grain and slightly micaceous. The central part of the stratum is a battered mass of scales, ichthyodoru- lites, jaws, teeth, and coprolites of fishes. These, together with a few smaller testacea, are united by a gingerbread- coloured cement. Many of the imbedded fragments are of a jet-black polish, others of a deep mahogany hue.” — Siluria. The cliffs on the W. side of the Teme are remarkably fine and pre- cipitous, the ground on the summit of Whitecliffe being laid out with pleasant walks and seats. Here are also some earthworks. Excursions : — (1) To High Vinnals, Croft Ambrey, Richard’s Castle, andOrleton (about 16 m.) Cross the bridge, and turn to the rt. opposite Ludford House on to Whitecliffe ; the road should then be followed, which ascends the beautiful hill of Mary Knoll, or St. Mary’s Knoll, so called because a large figure of the Blessed Virgin stood here in Catholic times. At the summit Bringewood Chase stretches away to the rt., and High Vinnals is seen on the 1. Descend the hill and take the first turn on the l. , up a rough narrow lane (about 2| m. from Ludlow). A footpath leads from this to the wood on the side of High Vinnals , which should be traversed until the opposite (E.) side is reached. Here there is a fine view over N. Herefordshire. The path leads along the edge of the wood, which lies to the rt. To the 1. in a charming valley is Hay Park, in the wood on the edge of which the incident occurred which gave rise to “ Comus ” (see p. 3). Continue the path until a farm lying to the rt. is reached. By descending the valley to the 1. Richard’s Castle may be reached. Before arriving at the castle itself a small spring of water at the base of the rock, the so-called Bony Well, is passed. “ Beneath this castle, Nature, which nowhere dis- porteth itself more in stirring wonders than in waters, hath brought forth a pretty well, which is always full of little fish-bones, or as some think of small frog-bones, although they be from time to time drawn quite out of it, whence it is called Bonewell.” — Camden. Drayton also notices it : “ With strange and sundry tales Of all their wondrous things : and not the least of Wales ; Of that prodigious spring (hia wondering as he past) That little fishes bones continually doth cast.” 7th Book. This phenomenon is explained by Sir B. Murchison. “ It results from the usual sloping position of the Lud- low Bocks, which, whilst it desic- cates the higher parts of the ridges, 8 Route 1 . — Hereford to Shrewsbury. tends to produce natural springs near the foot of these inclined planes, wherever the strata are affected by faults near the junction of the rock and old red sandstone. The faults, however, act here particularly as dams to the water, and occasion springs.” From whatever cause the well may have obtained its name, there are now no bones to be seen in it. A short distance bej^ond the well, and almost completely hidden by high trees and thick undergrowth, are the scanty remains of the Castle, erected in the reign of Edward the Confessor, probably by Richard Scrupe or Scrob, whose grandson, Hugo Fitz Osborne, in the reign of Henry I., married Eustachia de Saye, and left her surname to his descendants, one of whom married a Mortimer. Sir John Talbot, a member of the Eccleswall line, was the son of Sir Richard Talbot by Joan de Mortimer, a coheiress of Richard’s Castle : which was granted by Edward VI. to Nicholas Bishop of Worcester, and leased to' Rowland Bradshaw; by him it was sold (ac- cording to Blount) to Richard Sal- way, in whose family it still con- tinues. The mound upon which the castle was erected is of great size, being 60 ft. in height, with a platform 30 ft. in diameter, and appears to be entirely artificial. “ The great interest of the place is due to its very remarkable Earthworks, and to the fact that it was occupied and fortified by a Norman master before the Con- quest.” — Clark. The old Church, a fine structure adjoining the castle, has some beau- tiful painted glass in the heads of the windows of the N. transept. It is also memorable as having a detached belfry, formerly surmounted by a spire, which was destroyed by fire before the time of Blount’s MS. History. There is a new Church some dis- tance further down the valley (Norman Shaw,R.A.,archt.) The path below the castle should now be taken and followed up the hill, until a round hill, High Cullis, is reached, the road on the 1. side of which should be followed to Leinthall Earls Here a road on the 1. leads straight up to Croft Ambrey.* This remarkable British fortress is elliptical in shape, the bank on the N. being mostly natural, whilst on the S. is a double ditch and rampart, now overgrown, though not obliterated, by fine trees. As in the case of many other places (e.g. Ambresbury in Epping Forest), the name is supposed to have been derived from that of Aurelius Am- broses, a Romano-British hero ; but it is exceedingly doubtful whether the etymology is correct. On the southern slopes of the Ambrey is Croft Castle, the beautiful residence of the Rev. E. L. Kevill Davies, and the seat of the ancient family of Croft from the days of Edward the Confessor to the reign of George III., when it was sold by Sir H. Croft to Mr. Johnes, who made this pic- turesque spot his residence before he lavished his wealth on Hafod. Sir John Croft, who married a daughter of Owain Glyndwr — Sir Jas. Croft, a distinguished soldier in the reigns of Mary and Elizabeth, condemned for a participation in Wyatt’s rebellion, but pardoned by Elizabeth and after- wards entrusted by her with very im- portant offices — and Herbert Croft, Bishop of Hereford 1661-91, were each proprietors of this estate. Leaving the Ambrey by its entrance, which is at the N.E. extremity, the path should be followed to a gate. Pass through this and keep along the plantation to its termi- nation. Turning round the end of the wood to the rt., a gate will be seen leading on to a fern-covered com- mon. Keep the path to the 1. of this until some cottages are passed. A gate will then be seen, from which on the rt. a steepish, rough road descends, with a high bank on the rt. side and a tiny stream on the 1. This road should be fol- lowed to Orleton , 5 m. from Ludlow. This was the birthplace of Adam de Route 1 . — Wigmore : Castle . 9 Orleton, Bishop of Hereford 1317-27, one of the most active agents of the barons in their wars against Edward II. When application was made to him by the governors of Berkeley in reference to the murder of the king, he is said to have returned this oracular reply, the ambiguity of which lies in its optional punctua- tion : — “ Edvardum occidere nolite timere bonum est.” Having gained the favour of Edward III. so far as to be employed as ambas- sador to France, he was translated to Winchester diocese, where he died 1345. Thomas Blount, author of “ Jocular Tenures,” a “ Law Dic- tionary,” and other works, was a native of this parish, and died here 1679. Orleton Court (J. B. Hill, Esq.) is an jold timber mansion of the 16th cent., curious for its external quaintness as well as the arched and panelled beams and fine carved man- telpieces of its principal chambers. Another and earlier timbered house of 8 gables claims to have given birth to Adam de Orleton. From Orleton the tourist may proceed to Wooferton Junct. Stat., and by rail to Ludlow. (2) To Wigmore, Leintwardine, and Hopton Castle (about 14 m.) — The same road should be traversed as in the first excursion, but instead of turning up to ascend High Vinnals, the main road is to be continued to Aston (3J m.), close to which are two tumuli. The nave of the Church is a good specimen of Norm, archi- tecture ; there is a transition chancel arch and an E. Eng. chancel. The tympanum of the N. door is finely carved, representing above the pelican in her piety, and below, in a circular compartment, the lamb and flag, supported by an eagle and a winged bull (' i.e . SS. John and Luke). The S. door, which is blocked, is also Norm. There is a lesser window in the chancel, where is also the bowl of the ancient Norm. font. 5 m. Elton and Elton Hall (W. V. King, Esq.) 6J m. Leinthall Starkes , with some fine yews in the ch.-yd. [1J m. to the rt. is Burring ton on the Teme, where fine specimens of the trilobite Calymene Blumenbachii have been found.] 8 m. Wigmore,* a decayed town, once the abode of the warlike Mortimers. The castle of this family, which occupies such a distinguished place in the annals of English history, and which ultimately obtained the Crown in the person of Edward IV., stands on a commanding eminence beyond and above the church and town, a ruin the remains of which are sufficient to show the strength and importance of this once princely residence. The outward wall is the most perfect, though of this a very considerable part is destroyed. Within the area, on a high artificial hill, are the remains of the keep, chiefly consisting of massive fragments overlooking the country to the N. and E. When the original fortress was founded is unknown ; but there was certainly a mound here before the time of Edward the Elder, who is recorded to have repaired Wig- more. Mr. G. T. Clark considers that a Norm, lord, at the end of the 11th or beginning of the 12th cent., first superseded the timber palisades of the English keep with a polygonal keep, and the curtain walls of the inner ward. Much of the extant masonry, with the exception of the Norm, shell-keep and wall, is of Dec. date, mostly built originally on the Norm, outlines. In the early . 14th cent, the whole was restored in a complete and substantial fashion. “It is impossible to con- template the massive ruins of Wig- more Castle, situate on a hill in an amphitheatre of mountains, whence its owner could survey his vast estates, from his square palace with 4 corner towers, on a keep at the S.W. corner of his double-trenched outworks, without reflecting on the instability of the grandeur of a family whose ambition and intrigues made more than one English mon- 10 Route 1 . — Hereford to Shrewsbury. arch uneasy on his throne ; yet not a memorial remains of their sepul- ture.” — Camden. The immense estates of the Mor- timers continued part of the royal domain until the 17th cent., when Wigmore and a large tract of the surrounding country was granted to the Harleys, of whom the Lord Treasurer, on his elevation to the peerage, was created Earl of Oxford, Earl Mortimer, and Baron Harley of Wigmore. The Church, formerly attached to the wealthy abbey, founded 1179 for monks of the order of St. Austin, was of Norm, architecture ; but only slight traces of this date remain, the structure largely belonging to the Dec. period. Some herring- bone masonry can be seen in places. There is a fair roof, and the sanctus bell hangs still in its turret. The Grange which represents the Abbey of Wigmore lies a mile or so to the N. of the old town and castle. Near the farmhouse occupying the site of the Abbey are a few remnants of the ch. where Hugh de Mortimer, its founder, who died an Augustinian canon, was buried in front of the high altar. Here a tesselated pavement was recently discovered. The win- dows of the Abbot’s hall still remain, and there are many fragments of old carving in the house and buildings. The great barn was destroyed by fire about 1889. There is a fine stone archway surmounted by a half-tim- bered building. A building near the gate of the farm is locally called the gaol, but its real purpose is some- what doubtful. 11 m. Leint war dine,# a well-built village pleasantly situated at the junction of the Teme with the Clun. It occupies the site of the Roman station Bravinium, and is traversed by the so-called Watling Street (see p. 14). Roman bricks and pottery, with other relics, have been found in the village ; a mile and a half from which, across the river, is Brandon Camp, while Coxwall Knoll, a Silurian battle-ground, lies on the Shropshire bank of the Teme, nearer to Walford and Brampton Bryan. ThePerp. Church, restored in 1865, is a handsome building, consisting of a lofty nave, with clerestory, aisles, chancel, and good sedilia. The steeple is over the S. porch. The font is of earlier date. In the chancel is a monument to Gen. Sir B. Tarleton, M.P. for Liverpool, 1790- 1812. There are the remains of a fine coloured reredos, and a quantity of old oak stalls and canopies for- merly belonging to Wigmore have been brought here. On the 1., between Leintwardine and Hopton, Bedstone Court (C. J. Clarke, Esq.) 15 m. Hopton Heath Stat. About 1 m. beyond the stat. is Hopton Castle, standing in the centre of a field, traversed by a little brook from which doubtless the moats, traces of which can be seen, were formerly supplied. This place, the Opetune of Domesday, was a fief of Clun. In 1255 it was held by Walter de Hopton, who was bound to provide for the defence of Clun Castle one soldier all the year round and a second for forty days in time of war. The family seems to have remained at Hopton till the reign of Elizabeth, but the castle was still standing and of suffi- cient strength to be held for King Charles in the 17th cent. It was taken after a gallant resistance and dis- mantled. The castle consists of a single quadrangular tower, all of one date, probably the work of Walter de Hopton (d. 1304 or 5), and is much more like a Scotch than an Eng- lish edifice. The doorway had a triangular hood, and there was never any portcullis, only a strong door. The traveller will return from here to the stat. (3) To Downton The Wigmore road is followed over Mary Knoll to within 1 m. of Aston, then turn to the rt. over Burrington Common and cross the Teme at Bow Bridge to the village of Downton, beautifully situ- ated on the 1. bank of the Teme, which here serpentines through a Route 1 . — Downton ; Bromfield. 11 most picturesque glen. There is a camp immediately opposite the bridge. About 1J m. higher up the glen, and 6 m. from Ludlow, is Downton Castle (A. J. Rouse Boughton Knight, Esq.), erected 1774-78 by the cele- brated scholar, Richard Payne Knight, and subsequently the seat of his brother, Andrew Knight, 27 years president of the Royal Horticultural Society, to whom the horticulture of England and the Pomona of Here- fordshire are so largely indebted. The castle stands on an elevated bank, surrounded by an extensive amphitheatre of wood, admitting occasional peeps over a varied and beautiful country. The building is composed of a micaceous sandstone, raised on the estate, and is orna- mented ^ with Gothic towers and battlements without, and with Grecian ceilings, colours, and entab- latures within — a singularity of formation which entailed much severe criticism on the taste of the classic owner. In a subsequent publication, “ An Analytical Enquiry into the Principles of Taste,” he observed, “ that though his example had not been much followed, he had every reason to congratulate himself upon the success of the experiment, he having at once the advantage of a picturesque object and of an elegant and convenient building, though less perfect in both respects than if he had executed it at a maturer age. It has, moreover, the advantage of receiving alterations and additions in almost every direction, without any injury to its genuine and original character.” The castle was somewhat altered by the present owner, who substituted stone mul- lions for the sash windows. The interior is fitted up with great taste, and there is a well-selected gallery of pictures. The course of the Teme through the grounds, a length of 3 m., is sur- passed in the beauty and wildness of its scenery by very few spots in England. “ The best approach to ev’ry beauteous scene Is when it’s least expected or foreseen ; Where nought occurs to anticipate surprise Or bring the landscape piecemeal to the eyes.” — R. P. Knight. The so-called Downton walks abound in rare lichens and fungi. The rustic bridge at the Hay Mill has almost a Swiss character. On the banks of the Teme, below the castle, are the remains of an iron forge, from which large fortunes were derived by the grandfather of Mr. Payne Knight, and his partner Mr. Walter. The ore was in those days conveyed by horses and mules from Staffordshire to be smelted in the timber-abounding district of Downton. Hence the tourist may either follow the road to Ludlow by Oakley Park and Bromfield, or proceed to Hopton Heath Stat. Further excursions may be made from Ludlow to (4) Stokesayby rail (Rte. 1). (5) By Bitterley to Clee Hills, returning by Caynham (Rte. 3). (6) To Tenbury by rail vid Wooferton Junct. (Rte. 2). From Ludlow the rly. continues its course, N.W., up the vale of the Teme for a short distance, and then up that of the Ony. A mineral branch to Clee Hill is given off on the rt. immediately after leaving the station, and the Corve is crossed close to its junction with the Teme. 26 m. (from Hereford) is Bromfield Stat., the Ludlow racecourse being hard by onrt. The field in which it lies is called the Old Field , and contains two tumuli, called, like a pair on the Longmynd, Robin Hood’s Butts. The village is to the I., and contains an interesting Church belonging to the ancient Priory of Bromfield. It con- sists of E. Eng. nave with N. aisle, and a tower at the W. end of the aisle, its lower portion forming a porch. At the E. and N. of the chancel are two large plain Norm, blocked arches, showing apparently that the ch. was once cruciform. On the S. side of the ch. are some 12 Route 1 . — Hereford to Shrewsbury . domestic buildings, probably rem- nants of a house built out of the con- ventual erection. There is also an arched gateway remaining. Brom- field was a Benedictine monastery, founded early in the 12th cent., '"and was annexed to the Abbey of St. Peter’s, at Gloucester, in 1155. A chapelry (Halford) of Bromfield, an old ch., with nave, chancel and small tower, lies nearer Craven Arms on the bank of the Teme. Close to Bromfield village is Oakley Park (Baron Windsor, whose father’s family has been seated here since the reign of Henry II.) In the interior of the house, which is beautifully situated, overlooking the Teme, is a gallery, supporting an en- tablature, the frieze of which is taken from the Phygalian marbles dis- covered by Mr. Cockerell. The park is splendidly wooded, and contains some oaks known as “the Druidical Oaks.” There is also much fine ornamental timber, including Spanish chestnut, silver spruce firs, Pinus cembra , P. Douglasiiy Wellingtonia gigantea , &c., besides groves and clumps of very ancient oaks. Nearly 1 m. rt. of the stat., on the border of the Corve, is Staunton Lacy, described in Domesday as belonging to Roger de Lacy, with whose power- ful family it remained till two co- heiresses, Matilda and Margaret, in 1241 carried the de Lacy lands to John de Verdon and Geoffrey de Genevill. The Church * is cruciform, and is earlier than the Conquest. In the nave and N. transept is pre- Conquest work, marked by the characteristic pilastering. In the N. side of the nave is a round-headed pre-Conquest door surmounted by a plain cross of similar date. The chancel is E. Eng. “ Here are some very important Dec. alterations. From the lantern arches being of that date, while the upper part of the tower is E. Eng., we may infer that the upper part was an addition to the Romanesque structure, and that it was afterwards underpinned and the Dec. arches inserted. At the same time a S. aisle was added to the nave, and other alterations made in detail.” — Camb. Arch. Journ. The ch. has been restored, and possesses a handsome reredos, a pul- pit of Caen stone, and a stained- glass window by Evans. On the ex- terior are several recessed tombs con- taining mutilated recumbent effigies. This interesting ch, possesses more traces of pre-Conquest work than any other in the county. “ Stanton Lacy was formerly free from hundredal subjection. Its seigneural lords claimed to have a gallows, to hold pleas of bloodshed and hue and cry and to assize beer : as well as under writ of right to try all civil causes within their jurisdic- tion. ” — Anderson. 28 m. At Onibury Stat. the dale becomes contracted and very prettily wooded to 31 m. Craven Arms Junet., where the Central Wales, the Bishop’s Castle, and the Wenlock rlys. join the main line (Rte. 6). On the hill to the 1. is Sibdon Castle , the seat of the Rev. H. F. Baxter, M.A. The antiquary must retrace his steps for 1 m. to the fine old castle of ^ STOKE SAY,* an extremely interesting relic, which is a striking object on the rt. of the rly. This is one of the finest examples in England of a castellated mansion of the 13th cent. — a record existing, in 1291, of “permission given to Law- rence de Ludlow to crenellate his castle of Stokesay.” Leland speaks of “ Stokesay be- longing to the Ludlowes, now the Yerdons, builded like a castell,” as being “ in the way betwixt Ludlo and Bishop’s Castle.” During the Civil War it was garrisoned for the king, but surrendered to the Parliamen- tarians after a short siege. The castle is entirely surrounded by a moat which has an average breadth of 22 ft., and there is a fine half-timbered gatehouse furnished with a door of great strength. The carvings on this house are very fine and include Adam and Eve, the ser- pent, and the forbidden fruit. Route 1 . — Stokesay ; Craven Arms. 13 Opposite the gate is the Hall , 53 ft. 4 in. by 31 ft. 5 in., and 34 ft. to the roof tree. It is lit by windows of E. Eng. tracery, some of which are provided with window seats. At the N. end of the hall there is a flight of steps downwards into a room contain- ing a well. This is one of the most ancient portions of the building. In the interior of the hall and at the same end a staircase of great age leads to the upper rooms. The first set are called the priest's rooms , and consist of two apartments. In the floor of the inner of these are laid many ancient tiles. The upper story consists of a large irregular room, which was formerly subdivided ; it possesses a half-timbered projection resting on brackets projecting from the wall, which from the exterior re- minds one of the stern cabins of an ancient "man-of-war. In this room is a fine fireplace which has lost its hood, an ambry in the wall, and a case con- taining a few objects discovered when the moat was cleared out. Beturning to the courtyard, a set of stone stairs at the S. end of the hall, above which there is a dripstone indicating the former existence of a roof, leads to the solar or withdrawing room, a beautiful room in which there is the remains of much fine wainscotting formerly coloured and gilt, and an admirable Jacobean oak chimney- piece — on either side of this is a small window by means of which the occupants of the solar could see what was going on in the hall. Once more returning to the courtyard the great S. Tower should be visited. This structure is 66 ft. in height, and con- sists of several stories, each provided with fireplace and garderobe. The walls are 6 ft. thick, and the battlements on the roof consist of embrasures alternating with loopholes. There is a small watchtower at the N. extre- mity. The castle is the property of H. J. Allcroft, who has very carefully repaired those portions which were falling into decay. Close to the castle is the Church, which has a Norm, door on the S. side, and pos- sesses two fine canopied pews of the 17th cent. Craven Arms# (31 m.), an impor- tant junct. for the Shrewsbury and Hereford, Knighton, Much Wenlock, and Bishop’s Castle line. From here the pedestrian can visit Norton Camp , placed on the brow of a wooded hill to the E. In order to reach it the Corvedale road should be taken. After a bridge has been crossed, take the first stile on the rt., and follow the footpath to and through the wood until the vallum of the camp is reached. Keep this to the rt. until the single entrance on the S.E. is reached. The interior is clear of trees, and the visitor will now be able to see the shape of the camp, which is that of a horseshoe. The curved portion is surrounded by an artificial vallum, and the straight side is formed by a natural steep bank. Cross the enclosure to a gate on the opposite side, leave the camp, and turn along a footpath to the 1. until a clearing with an iron seat is reached. Here there is a charming view of Stokesay overhung by an eminence called View Edge , on which are also some earthworks, and of the valleys leading to Clun, Knighton, and Bishop’s Castle. A steep path leads downwards to a small cave called the Giant's Chair . Beyond this the foot- path may be followed to the main road. From Craven Arms, Corve Dale (see Bte. 6) and Wenlock Edge (see Bte. 6) may be explored. In this neighbourhood have been found Lathrcea sguamaria (Norton Camp), Myrrliis odorata (Stokesay), Epipac- tis grandiflora , Paris guadrifolia , Polygonum viviparum, Astrantia major (Stoke Wood). At the village of Wistanstow, a little farther on, where the nave and transepts of the fine old cruciform churches have recently undergone restoration, and a carved oak roof of Perp. work has been brought to light, the branch to Much Wenlock is given off on rt. (Bte. 6). The Grove (H. D. Greene, Esq., Q.C., M.P.) 14 Route 1 . — Hereford to Shreiosbury. On the rt., on the summit of a wooded eminence, Dinchope Hill, is a modern tower, Flounder's Folly . At 36 m. Marshbrook Stat., the valley begins to close in again. On rt., 1 m., is Acton Scott Ch. and Hall (A. Wood Acton, Esq.) It was formerly the residence of Mrs. Stackhouse Acton, one of the daughters of T. Andrew Knight of Downton Castle, a contributor to the illustrations of his “ Pomona Herefordensis ” and authoress of “ Old Shropshire Houses.” Acton Scott Hall is said to have been built in 1567 by Edward Acton, and its resemblance to the White Hall, Shrewsbury, began in 1576, favours this surmise. The wooded banks on each side the rly. soon give place to a more open valley bounded by lofty hills. 37 m. Little Stretton. The first of three villages deriving their names from the position near a Eoman road known as the Watling Street , which leads from Kenchester (Magna) in Herefordshire to Wroxeter (TJriconium) and which has already been met with at Leintwardine (see p. 10). This road must not be confused with the great Roman road of the same name lead- ing from London to Chester (see p. 61), which it met at Uriconium. 38 m. CHURCH STRETTON * Stat. This picturesque spot, 600 ft. above the sea-level, annually attracts large numbers of visitors by the excellence of its air and water and the number and charm of the walks which are to be found in its neighbourhood. It lies directly under and on the slopes of the steep sides of the LONGMYND,* which, with its deep gullies and cross valleys, forms the most important range of mountains in Shropshire, rising to the height of from 1,400 to 1,600 ft. Immediately opposite are the hills of Ragleth, Hope Bowdler, Caer Caradoc, and the Lawley, all nearly as high, but more broken in their outline. These chains of eminences afford to the lover of scenery ample reasons for making Church Stretton his headquarters — though it is principally to the geologist that the neighbourhood is so deeply interesting. Speaking of the Longmynd, Sir Roderick Murchison says, “ This semi-moun- tainous mass is found to be com- posed of the most ancient recog- nisable sediments of the British Isles. Ranging from N.N.E. to S.S.W., they stand boldly out from beneath the surrounding Silurian de- posits, of which they form the mineral axis. The lowest strata of the Longmynd, or those forming the base of their eastern escarpment, range along the western side of the Stretton valley. The whole of the series can be well observed, together with the order of superposition, along the banks of the small brook which descends by the Carding-mill to Church Stretton, and in other parallel transverse gullies. Quartz veins occur here and there — but, on the whole, these strata consist of sandstone rock, both schistose and gritty, and often finely lami- nated, in which the lines of deposit, and even the rippled surfaces of the beds, are distinctly visible — the mass being scarcely affected by any slaty cleavage.” At the present day, how- ever, these Longmyndian rocks are re- garded by the majority of geologists as of pre-Cambrian age, while rocks of Cambrian age occur locally between them and the Silurian. For many years the beds of the Longmynd were believed to be utterly unfossiliferous, but Mr. Salter eventually found in them traces of fuci, some annelid or worm-tubes, and a marking which he believed to be a portion of a trilobite and which he named Palasopyge, but the organic nature of which is now considered doubtful. On the west flanks of the Longmynd, which extends in the direction of Montgomeryshire, is a very sym- metrical ascending order of strata from the Cambrian rocks into those CHURCH STRETTON AND LQNre MVMr. 15 Route 1 . — Church Stretton; Longmynd. of the Lower Silurian ; but on the E. or Church Stretton side there is a great fault estimated by Pro- fessor Ramsay at not less than 2,000 ft. We find the Caradoc range, as it is called, consists of old volcanic outbursts and igneous injections, the former of pre-Cambrian age. The only portion of the fossiliferous Silurian strata which originally reposed on the Longmynd rocks and which has escaped the universal denudation is a small patch of Silurian, or Wenlock limestone, that occurs at Botville, a little higher up the valley, and is curiously wedged between the Longmynd rocks and the igneous rocks of the Caradoc hill. Church Stretton itself is a straggling little place, with the ch ., an old square-towered building, in the centre. It is cruciform, with an image of St. Lawrence in the E. angle of the tower. The doorway is of Norm. date. In the interior is much carved oak, placed there by a late rector. Here was born Dr. Roger Main- waring, chaplain to Charles I. and Bp. of St. David’s. Excursions : — (a) To Carding-mill or Paper-mill Valley (about 5m.) Take the road to All Stretton and turn up the valley through a gate on the 1. near the workhouse and just beyond a stream ; after a short walk through a lane another gate is reached and the valley proper entered. On the summit of the second hill on the rt. is a circular camp, Bodbury Ring, said to have been occupied by the Roman General Ostorius Scapula prior to his battle with Caractacus (or Caratacos, as he should be more properly called). This can be visited by climbing one of the gullies at its side. Beyond this hill a sharp ridge, the Pike, de- scends to the valley on the rt. at a spot where there is a small reservoir. Near here are the carding-mills, now used for the manufacture of aerated waters. Some little distance further the road forks. The path on the 1. leads to the Lightspout, a small waterfall, near which is a rustic seat. That on the rt. leads to Robin Hood’s Butts, the Portway, and Ratlinghope (see Excursion c). Reaching the summit of the Long- mynd by either of these paths, the pedestrian can return to Church Stretton by the Devil’s Mouth path (see Excursion 5). (6) The Longmynd (about 9 m.) Al- though this range does not offer any very arduous task to the ordinary mountaineer, it has a reputation for being somewhat dangerous at times in consequence of fogs and the preci- pitous character of the passes. “ The last fair in the year held at Church Stretton is popularly distinguished by the rather significant name of ‘ Dead Man’s Fair,’ on account, it is said, of the number of men who, after attending it, have perished in the attempt to return home over the hills in the dark nights of early winter.” In 1865 the Rev. D. Carr, of Ratlinghope, nearly lost his life in a snowstorm, having been 24 hours on the hill. A vivid description of his sufferings will be found in a little work entitled “ Lost in the Snow,” written by the reverend gentleman, who has survived his unpleasant ex- perience for 30 years. A good idea of the extent and character of this range may be obtained by taking the path past the Rectory along the side of Burway Hill . To the rt. below is the Carding-mill Valley, on the opposite side of which Bodbury Ring will be re- cognised. Following the upper path, a gap between two rocks, formerly much bolder and known as the Devil's Mouth, is reached. Beyond this point the path forks, that on the 1. leading to a platform used for artillery practice. (N.B. The signal post here must not be mistaken for the genuine Pole.) The path on the rt. leads to the Pole at the summit of the range (1,696 ft.) From this point an extensive view of the moun- tains is obtained: N. The Wrekin ; 16 Route 1 . — Hereford to Shrewsbury . E. Caradoc, Lawley, Wenlock Edge, and the Clees ; S.E. The Malvern Hills, and at their S. extremity Cleeve Cloud, beyond Cheltenham ; W. the Stiperstones, easily recognisable by the numerous outcrops of rock along the summit, and at their S. extremity the isolated mass of Corn- don Hill. On a clear day Snowdon, Cader Idris, the Brecon Beacons, and other Welsh mountains can be seen. A short distance from the pole is a small house, Pole Cottage, inhabited all the year round. The Portway leads in front of this. It is an ancient British trackway, leading from Castle Hill above Leebotwood to Billing’s Ring, 2 m. S.E. of Bishop’s Castle. “ A perambulation of this part of the forest, made in 1278, relating especially to Lydbury North, speaks of the king’s highway on ‘ Longe- munde,’ which, no doubt, means the Portway.” — Wright. The Portway may be followed to the S. end of the range, where it dips down to Plowden (stat. on Bishop’s Castle line, Rte. 5). The track is difficult to find in places amongst the heather and bilberries unless the Ordnance map is used. The trouble, however, is well worth taking, as the views obtained are magnificent. The pedestrian will be assisted by re- membering that he should keep along the rt. edge of the range, without dipping into the valley until he has crossed a grass-covered hill, Black Knoll. (c) To Ratiinghop s and Wool stast on (11 or 15 m.) The path mentioned in the last excursion should be taken to a fingerpost which will direct the pedestrian to Ratlinghope, a priory or cell of Wigmore as early as 1209, between 5 and 6 m. distant. On the hill beyond this village is the Castle Ring, which is oval, contains in its area 1| acre, and is encircled by one ditch only, the general height of the vallum being about 10 ft. On W. and S. the ascent is precipitous, and the fosse slight ; but on the E., where the ground falls gently, the works are more elevated. Another camp, due S. of Castle Ring, lies between it and Bilbilch Gutter. From Ratlinghope, take the road past the brickworks and follow the second path on the rt. past Marsh Farm. The path passes a tumulus and a small pool, Wildmoor Pool, on thert., and leads to a pair of tumuli, known as Robin Hood’s Butts. The path on the rt. beyond these should be followed to Woolstaston, above which at Castle Bank is an earth- work with keep-mound. From this the pedestrian can proceed to Leebot- wood. A quarter of a mile W.N.W. of the ch. is the Castle Hill, a large mound, partly natural but more largely artificial. It is 40 ft. above the plain, and 265 ft. in length. From Leebot- wood the traveller can return to Church Stretton by road through All Stretton (4 m.), or train. (d) To Caradoc and Lawley. Follow the road passing the station until it is crossed by the Watling Street. Turn up this to the 1. and take the first turn to the rt. up a deeply cut trackway. On the rt. of this is the field in which the battle between Caractacus and Ostorius Scapula is said to have taken place, though it is right to add that much doubt exists as to the actual posi- tions occupied by the armies, other places, such as Caer Caradoc near Knighton, claiming the honour. The trackway should be followed until the E. face of Caradoc is reached, bounding a valley called the Cwms, The ascent should be made from a stile on the 1. side of the path. On the summit (1,506 ft.) is a very per- fect camp, with ditches 5 to 6 ft. deep, said to have been the impreg- nable position occupied by Caractacus prior to the battle. 1 A short dis- 1 “ The Romans wrote Caratacus, and the editors have made it into Caractacus, which is gibberish. Carat- represents the passive part, of the verb, which is in Welsh car-u, to love, and the affix -ac is frequently used in proper names. The name is very common in Mod. Welsh as Caradog , and in Irish as Carihach, genitive Carthaig , per- petuated in an Anglicised form by the Irish families that call themselves MacCarthy .” — Rhys. 17 Route 1 . — Caer Caradoc ; Stapleton. tance below the vallum, on the W. face of the hill, is a small cave which is traditionally connected with the British chieftain. From the summit is a fine view : To the N. (1) the sharp ridge of Lawley Hill ; (2) beyond this and rather to the rt., Lodge Hill, above Frodesley ; (3) Sha'dwell Coppice, above Acton Bur- nell ; (4) the Wrekin. To the E., and separated from the above-mentioned Hills (save the Wrekin) by Apedale, is Wenlock Edge, and beyond it the Clee Hills. To the W. is the Long- mynd, the pole on the highest point of which can be easily seen. To the S., and running nearly at right angles with Caradoc, is Cardington Hill; an outcrop of rock on the W. ex- tremity of this is known as the Gaer Stone . Beyond this and close to Caradoc are the Hazier and Ragleth Hills. The N. face of Caradoc should now be descended and the road at the foot crossed, when the Lawley can be ascended ; at the pole which marks its summit a similar view to that from Caradoc will be obtained, the plain around Shrewsbury and the small elevations of N. Shropshire, with the Berwyns in the distance, forming a charm- ing prospect. Follow the ridge of Lawley to its N. termination, and turn sharp down a road on the 1. which crosses the Watling Street and leads to Longnor (Hall — Lt.- Col. J. K. Spilling). Turn to the rt. at the main road to Dorrington ; the stat. is about 1J m. distant. (Length of this excursion about 9 m. It involves a considerable amount of steep, though not difficult climbing.) (e) To Little Stretton, Marsh- brook, and Horderley. Take the road to the S. end of Church Stretton past the gasworks. A sharp turn between the hills is known locally as the End of the World . On the rt. is the steep eminence of Yearlet (1,500 ft.), and immediately in front a low wooded bank, partly artificial, on which for- merly existed the royal castle of Brockhurst , of which no traces now exist. [H. B. Shrojp.] 1! m. Little Stretton. There is here a pretty, much modernised, half- timber house. 2| m. Marshbrook. The tourist should now take the road to the rt. which crosses the line, and ascend the hill to a modern eh. at Coombe- head (4 m.) The road passes through a beautiful gorge to Horderley (5 m.), where is a stat. on the Bishop’s Castle line. Here the train may be taken, or the road to the 1. pursued for 2 m. to its junction with the main Shrewsbury and Ludlow road, from which point it is 6 m. to Church Stretton, or 3J to Marshbrook Stat. From Church Stretton the rly. proceeds to 42 m. Leebotwood (or Le Botwood) Stat., near which occasional glimpses of a deserted coalpit show that the tourist is traversing the Shrewsbury coalfield. (. Introduction , p. 12.) To rt. Netley Hall (Rev. St. L. F. Hope-Edwardes). 45 m. Dorrington Stat. [Beyond this and on 1. | m. from line Stapleton. There is here a singular Church, consisting of two edifices erected at different dates, one on top of the other. The lower (said to be 11th cent.) has very massive walls, 4 ft. thick, pierced with narrow square-headed slits, widely splayed internally. It was entered by a round-headed doorway on the S. In the 13th cent, the roof of this ch. fell in, and a further edifice, originally separated from the lower by a wooden floor, was built upon it. This was lit by lancet windows. On the S. of the ch. is a remarkable tumulus, probably from its situation the remains of a Saxon fortification.] 46 m. Condover Stat. The village is £ m. 1. (See Exc. c, Rte. 8, p. 65.) On the 1. the Lyth Hill, a favouite spot for summer residence, and Lythwood Hall (W. E. M. Hulton Harrop, Esq.) 47 m. Bayston Hill. Overlooking the valley of the Severn, on the oppo- site side of the village green to the ch., are earthworks called the Burys. 49 m. Shrewsbury. (See p. 53.) c 18 Route 2 . — Ludlow to Bewdley . EOUTE 2. FROM LUDLOW TO BEWDLEY, BY WOOFER- TON JUNCT., TENBURY, AND CLEOBURY MORTIMER (RAIL). Rail. Places. Wooferton Junct. 6* m. Tenbury 7* m. Newnham 10 m. Neen Sollers 13* m. Cleobury Mortimer 19* m. Bewdley From Ludlow to Wooferton Junct. see Bte. 1. Thence a branch quits the main line, running parallel with the Teme Eiver to 3 m. Easton Court Stat. (in Here- fordshire). On rt. is the pretty ch. of Little Hereford; it is for the most part of the date of Henry II., and .possesses an early Norm, font, a piscina, and sedilia. There are monuments to the Delameres, who were great bene- factors to the ch. One of these is an incised slab under a recessed arch in the chancel. Bishop William of Hereford ordered masses for the soul of Wm. Delamere, “ pro donatione et libertate ecclesiie de Parva Hereford.” There is a most singular piscina by the side of the chancel arch near its point, which was evidently connected with the rood-loft, of which the stair- case still exists. In the chancel is a monument to the late Jos. Bailey, M.P. for the county. On 1. is Easton Court, a seat of Sir J. Bussell Bailey, Bart., which formerly belonged to the Delameres and then to the Dan- seys, from whom it was purchased in 1840. In the library are some arm- chairs made out of the house at Leicester where King Eichard slept the night before Eosworth. In this parish, also, are Ledwych Farm, once belonging to the family of Benbow, of which Admiral Benbow was a member ; and Bleatherwood Court, an old house built by Christopher Dansey, on his marriage with Sybil Delamere, temp. Henry VIII. Upton Court was an old seat of the Karvers. The course of the Teme is extremely pretty here, as at Red Rock, a little farther on. Crossing the Ledwyche, the rly. re-enters Salop at 4 m. Burford House (Lady North- wick), erected in the reign of George II. It has a short avenue of elm- trees in front. This estate came from the Mortimers to the family of Cornewall, who enjoyed it under the designation of Barons of Burford. The line ended in a daughter, who married a Legh of High Leigh, by whom this property was sold to William Bowles, M.P. for Bewdley. The Lords of Burford held the land by barony, but were not summoned to Parliament, an exemption first claimed as a privilege, but afterwards lamented as a privation. In the reign of Henry III. Burford was a place of so much importance as to possess a weekly market and an annual fair of 3 days. Burford Church * has been so thoroughly restored by the Hon. Miss Bushout as to be practically a new edifice. Apart from the well- carved oak in the chancel and the reredos in memory of the Hon. and Eev. G. Bushout, ob. 1887, there are a number of most interesting me- morials of the Cornewall family, and special notice should be taken of the following : (1) On the N. wall of the chancel is a most interesting triptych by Melchior Salaboss, executed in 1588. In the pediment is a representation of the Last Judgment, with a small Crucifixion beneath. On the doors externally are the Apostles and in- ternally coats of arms. When the doors are opened, full-sized paintings of Bichard Cornewall, Janet his wife, and Edmund their son will be seen. Below are two long doors with an inscription externally, and internally figures of Sir B. Cornewall and his wife ; when opened they expose a painting of Edmund Cornewall, the “ Strong Baron,” in his shroud. He was the son of Bichard Cornewall, and 7 ft. 3 in. in height. (2) Underneath a canopy in the chancel is a fine re- cumbent alabaster effigy_of the Prin- 19 Route 2 . — Burford; Tenbury. cess Elizabeth, daughter of John of Gaunt, sister of Henry IV., wife of John Holland, Duke of Exeter, and afterwards of Sir J. Cornewall, Lord Fanhope, a professional tilter in the reign of Henry IV. She died 1426, and was originally buried with her husband in Whitefriars Ch., London. (3) In the centre of the chancel a good coloured wooden effigy of Ed- mund Cornewall, ob. 1580, aet. 20. (4) An excellent brass (by the com- munion table) to Elizabeth, wife of Esmond Cornewaylle, c. 1370. (5) In a small recess in the chancel, the en- shrined heart of Edmond Cornewall, who died abroad temp. Henry VI. In the ch.-yd. is a wheel-cross on octagonal base, restored by the parishioners in 1867 in memory of Miss Rushout. The Eectory is a charmingly picturesque (though modern) diouse near the ch. In the neighbourhood of Burford are Stoke House (W. Foster, Esq.) and Court- of-Hill (Commander A. H. 0. P. Hill- Lowe). 5$ m. TENBURY# Stat. (in Wor- cestershire) derives its name from the river which divides Salop from Worcestershire, and is here crossed by a neat bridge of 6 arches. The town, which possesses one or two old houses, such as the Royal Oak, in Broad Street, consists of 2 streets, the chief being Teme Street, crossing each other at rt. angles, and has a Spa, Corn Exchange, Work- house, a Butter cross, and a ch . within its limits. The tower and chancel are the only remains of the ancient Church erected in the 11th cent. The nave was destroyed in November 1770 'by the overflowing of the Teme, which surrounds the ch.-yd. This injury was occasioned by digging a grave near the foot of a pillar supporting the roof between the nave and S. aisle, when the water, percolating through, under- mined the column, and threw down that portion of the edifice. The ch., which consists of nave, aisles, chancel, and west tower, has been carefully restored, and presents several objects of interest. The E- window of 5 lights and 2 single lights in the chancel are memorial windows of stained glass. The aisles are separated from the nave by 3 arches with clustered columns. A curious monument is preserved here — the effigy of a knight, only 30 in. long, clad in chain mail, with a surcoat and sword, and his legs crossed. It is on a raised tomb, 3 ft. in length, within a canopy 8 ft. high, and is ascribed to Sir John Sturmy, who joined the Crusaders under Richard I. The face has un- fortunately been cut off, but otherwise this remarkable monument is in excellent preservation. At the E. end of the S. aisle are 2 life-size recumbent figures of Thomas Acton, Esq., and his wife, on a richly carved base, erected in 1584. He is repre- sented with his feet resting on a boar. Near this is a mark on the wall, about 3 ft. from the ground, show- ing the point to which the water rose in the severe floods of May 1886. In the S. wall of the same aisle is the full-length figure of a Cru- sader, so built into the wall that only one side can be seen in the interior. The advowson of Tenbury belonged to the monastery of Sheen in Surrey, and after its suppression was pos- sessed by Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas Lucy, by whose descendants it was sold, in 1716, to Mr. Read, whose youngest daughter was the mother of Sir Thomas Lawrence. A mineral spring was discovered here in 1839, by workmen sinking a well. The water sprang up suddenly from a bed of limestone, lying under a massive stratum of old red sandstone, 32 ft. below the surface. It contains chlorides of calcium and of sodium, magnesia, and bromine, with a trace of iodine, and has proved highly beneficial in scorbutic and cutaneous disorders. At the end of Teme Street farthest from the bridge and stat., a pump- room, a reading-room, and baths have been established for the con venience of invalids, and walks laid c 2 20 Route 2 . — Ludlow to Bewdley. out on the banks of the small river Kyre. The tourist should visit the Rev. Sir Frederick Ouseley’s magnificent ch. of St. Michael , about 2 m. from Tenbury on the Leominster road. It is a splendid example of Dec. architecture, and is gorgeously fitted up. The organ is one of the best in England, and was constructed under Sir Frederick’s immediate superin- tendence. Attached to the ch. is a college, wherein boys are educated with a special view to the cultivation of church music. If possible, visit it on a saint’s day, when full choral service is performed. From Tenbury the line keeps near the turnpike road and the river to 7| m. Newnham Stat.# On 1. is the village of Knighton on Teme. The Teme for several miles is pre- served by an Association, of which the terms of membership are reason- able. Trout and grayling are the principal catches. The rly now turns to the N. to 10 m. Neen Sollers Stat., on the outskirts of Bewdley Forest. The ch. has a monument to Humphry Coningsby, the traveller, lord of the manor in the 16th cent. To the rt. 1 m. is Shakenhurst (G. Wicksted, Esq.), an unpretending brick man- sion, with a porch. 2 m. to the E. is Mamble Ch., which has 2 mortuary chapels be- longing to the Blount and Shaken- hurst families, filled with their me- morials. Amongst them is a stone effigy of Ralph de Mamble in full suit of chain armour, and a brass of John Blount and his wife, 1510. This neighbourhood is noted for the longevity of its inhabitants. Passing 1. Mawley Hall (H. C. V. Hunter, Esq.), situated at the head of a pic- turesque glen, the traveller arrives at 13J m. Cleobury Mortimer.# The town derives its second name from Ralph de Mortimer, who came over with the Conquest, and having subdued Edric, Earl of Shrewsbury, received all his Shropshire estates as a reward. It is a straggling old-fashioned little place, on the banks of the Rea Brook. The ch. (formerly attached to a religious house) is E. Eng. date, and has nave, aisles, chancel, S. porch, and square tower with a high octagonal wooden spire, which by warping has twisted like that at Chesterfield. A son of Sir Roger de Mortimer and Lady Isabel de Ferrars, which hardly survived its birth, was buried here. Adjoining it is a gram- mar school founded by Sir E. L. Child. In High Street is a stone pil- lar on which the body of Prince Arthur is said to have rested between Ludlow and Shrewsbury. At Cleo- bury Mortimer was born Robert Longland, the author of the “ Vision of Piers Plowman,” in the 14th cent. Saxton, in his survey, mentions a large park here, originally a royal chase or park, which in early times came to the Mortimers, and again merged into the Crown. Here, too, John Moultrie, the revered vicar of Rugby, the boy-friend of Macaulay, Mackworth Praed, and Sidney Walker, the author of “ My Brother’s Grave,” “Sir Launfal,” and “A Dream of Life,” passed the years of his boy- hood. The rly. now enters the Bewdley Forest , once so vast that Worcester- shire took its name from it, but now a district of 7,000 acres, planted with oak and underwood, which, however, scarcely furnishes the usual charms of forest scenery. A periodical pil- lage has taken place from an early period, calling forth the following complaint in the “ Polyolbion.” “ When soon the goodlie Wyre, that wonted was so hie Her statelie top to reaye, ashamed to behold Her straighte and goodlie woods unto the furnace sold ; And looking on herself, by her decay doth see The miserie wherein her sisters’ forests bee.” The Forest of Wyre coalfield stretches from the N. end of the Abberley Hills, and under the Bewdley Forest, until it becomes contracted to a narrow band along- side the Severn, near Bridgnorth, where it dies out. The coal seams 21 Route 2 .- are mainly those of the upper series, and, as usual in those cases, are of inferior quality. A single patch of the lower series has alone been dis- covered near Kinlet, and is now being worked. There were several pits in the upper measures in the parishes of Mamble and Pensax. “ In some of the latter the shafts are from 30 to 40 yards deep, passing through white sandstone, and two coals are worked, of which the upper or yard coal is the best— a lower coal of inferior quality is not extracted. The overlying coal sandstone is ex- hibited in fine quarries at Pensax, and is a good building material, but it thins out towards the Abberley Hills.” Notwithstanding that the timber of the Wyre district is far below the size of English forests, it is a pleasant, wild, out-of-the-way country to ramble in, and will well repay the pedestrian. The rly. crosses the Severn at Dowles Brook, on an iron bridge of one arch, having a span of 200 ft., and joins the Severn Valley Ely. at Northwood. Near the river-bank to the rt. is the little brick cli. of Dowles, of plain structure. 19 m. Bewdley is in Worcester- shire, but so close to the borders of Shropshire that it must be described here. It is a borough town, consist- ing of two principal streets at right angles, containing very well built houses. In the High Street a “black-and-white” timbered house of three gables bears the date of 1610. It takes its name (Beau Lieu or Bellus Locus) from its pleasant situation upon the declivity of a hill on the rt. bank of the Severn, which is crossed by one of Telford’s bridges, erected 1797, and charmingly shel- tered by the adjoining forest of Wyre. Camden describes it in a complimen- tary verse — “ Delicium rerum Bellus Locus undique floret, Fronde coronatus Viriarae tempora Silvae.” “ Fair seated Bewdley, a delightful town Which Wyre’s tall oaks with shady branches crown.” Bewdley. It was included in the Marches of Wales, and was added to the county of Worcester by Henry VIII., though it had previously obtained a charter of incorporation from Edward IV. Its situation on the Severn, and its means of communication with Bristol by that river, enabled the merchants of Bewdley to establish a very exten- sive trade in combs and sailors’ caps, and it was once the emporium for the exportation of Welsh flannels, cotton goods, timber, bark, corn, leather, and wool ; whilst it imported groce- ries for the supply of Lancashire and the Principality. Its trade in these commodities has been abolished by modern arrangements ; but the town retains many proofs of its former prosperity in the numerous massive houses built by its wealthy mer- chants. In the Civil War Bewdley was held for the King, but was sur- prised by Fox the Tinker, who took Sir T. Lyttleton and other persons of quality prisoners. Charles I. re- gained possession of it before the fight at Marston Moor, and also after his defeat at Naseby. The Town Hall, a modern neat building in the High Street, has a commodious marketplace under- neath, with the arms of Lyttleton carved in front. John Tomes, a theological disputant of notoriety in the Civil Wars, and Willis, Bp. of Winchester, son of a carpenter, were natives of Bewdley. Crossing the Severn Bridge and passing the extremely primitive ch. at the top of Load Street, an outlet, called Park Lane, leads to Ticknell House (J. Moxon, Esq.), situated on a very picturesque eminence, and built by Henry VII. as a place of retire- ment for Arthur, Prince of Wales, in the forest of Wyre, and in this house the prince was married by proxy to Catherine of Aragon. The Court of Marches was once held alternately at Ludlow and Ticknell, and it was on his road between these places that the prince died, a.d. 1502. Ticknell continued in good condition until the Civil 22 Route 2 . — Ludlow to Bewdley. War, when it was visited by Charles L, and was afterwards de- molished by the Parliament. Their Commissioners described the Eoyal House as having “a great court, a garden, and several outhouses — the house built within the park, and contains 2 acres in its site.” At the Restoration it was granted to Lord Herbert, and afterwards to Sir Francis Winnington, Solicitor- General. At the farther end of High Street from the ch. is ap- proached Kates Hill (J. Bury, Esq.) ; and beyond it, amidst fine timber, Winterdyne House. Winterdyne House (G. Shaw, Esq.), commanding a delightful view of the Severn, was built 1770, by Sir E. Winnington, Bart. “ The healthi- ness of the situation, the beauty of the prospect, and the commodious arrangements of the mansion unite in making it a very delightful resi- dence.” — Nash. ROUTE 3. FROM LUDLOW TO WOLVERHAMPTON, BY CLEE HILLS AND BRIDGNORTH. Road. Places. Ludlow 84 m. Burwarton 94 m. Cleobury North 174 m. Bridgnorth 244 m. Shipley Common 314 m * Wolverhampton This road leads through a portion of Shropshire scarcely touched by rlys., and but little frequented. The direct road to Bridgnorth is by Middleton, distance 17Jm. ; but a far more interesting rte. is obtained by going across the Clee Hills, and regaining the turnpike at Burwarton or Cleobury North. There are 2 roads to the Clee Hills from Ludlow : 1. The upper one (5 m.) is the shorter, passing, 2 m. t., Henley Hall (J. B. Wood, Esq.), and leaving the village of Middleton to the 1., 3J m. [To the L, 1 m., is the village of Bitterley, mentioned in Domesday Book as having once belonged to Roger de Lacy. The Church (restd.) is at some little distance from the village, close beside Bitterley Court (Rev. J. Walcot). It contains a fine Norm, font, a remarkably good oak chest, and a floriated cross in the Easter sepulchre in the chancel. The feature of greatest interest, how- ever, is the ch.-yd. cross, which is by far the finest in the county, and dates back to about 1500. In the head the Crucifixion can be clearly seen. The shaft is perforated by a hole, the object of which is not clear.] The road now ascends the shoulder of Hoar Edge, and soon joins 2. The lower road, which is rather longer, and passes Caynham Court, the seat of Sir William M. Curtis, Bart. On the hill above the house is a Roman camp, in good preserva- tion ; 2 m. to the E. is Whitton Chapel and Whitton Park, an old seat of the Charltons. The road now ascends Knowbury Hill, and joins the former one. By pursuing this main road the traveller will reach Cleobury Mortimer in 9 m. (Rte. 2), passing 1. the village of Hopton Wafers and Hopton Court (Rear- Admiral Woodward, C.B.) The ch. of Hopton was attached to Brecon Priory. Hopton Court was in the 17th cent, the seat of the Hydes, but it passed by purchase to Mr. Oldham, who built a new house from designs by Nash. The grounds were laid out by Repton. The Clee Hills, famous, according to Camden, “ for producing the best barley, and not without some veins of iron,” form a picturesque and sin- gular range, running rather disjoint- edly for some 10 m. in a north-easterly direction. They may be described as a long ridge, consisting of Knowbury, Hoar Edge, and Farlow Hill, in front of which, and connected by a small Route 3 . — Clee Hills . 28 elevated neck, rises the steep escarp- ment of Titterstone Clee (1,749 ft.), a most important feature in South Shropshire scenery. Leland says : “ The highest part of Cle Hills is cawlyd Tyderstone. In it is a fayre playne grene and a fountayne in it. Ther is another Hill, 3 miles distant, cawlyd the Brown Cle.” At Farlow the hills die out for about 2 m., but reappear further N. in the two emi- nences of the Brown Clee. From any one of them, but more especially the Titterstone Clee, the view is remarkably fine, extending over the Malverns, the Sugar-loaf and the Scyrrid in Monmouthshire, and the Black Mountains in Brecon- shire, while eastward the whole ex- tent of country is visible to Bridg- north, and even into Staffordshire. Drayton thus sings of the Teme and the Clees : Where at her going out, those mountains of commande (The Clees, like loving twins and Stitter- stone that stande) Trans-Severned, behold faire England to- wards the rise, And on their setting side, how ancient Cambria lies.” Polyolb. viii. 416-20. The geologist will find very much to interest him, for the Clee Hill coal- field consists of “ 2 small outlying tracts, remnants of a formation that once spread continuously from South Wales and Gloucestershire. They are perched on the summits of the Titterstone and Brown Clee ; and, if lighted up with the combustible ma- terials with which they are stored, would serve as beacon-fires for many a mile around. These coalfields are rather more than a mile each in dia- meter, and are capped by a bed of hard basalt, to which, owing to its powers of resistance to marine de- nudation, the hills probably owe their preservation. On these flat-topped hills are planted several small col- lieries, whose shafts pierce the basalt before entering the coal. The vent from which this igneous rock has been erupted is situated in the Tit- terstone Clee ; and from this orifice the basalt has apparently been poured forth in the form of liquid submarine lava, at some period after the coal-mines were formed.” The basalt is in great request for “metal ” for roads, for which it is quarried under the name of Dhustone (black stone). Large crushing engines have been erected for the purpose of breaking it up on the spot. “The thickness of the coal formation is but small, containing only 2 or 3 thin columns, and the strata rest generally on Old Bed sandstone, but representatives both of the carboni- ferous limestone and Millstone grit are interpos d at the eastern side of the Titterstone Clee.” — Hull . At Far- low and Oreton these beds between the Old Bed and the Millstone grit are especially interesting, and. have yielded the Pterichthys macroce- phalus, while the overlying limestones are rich in palatal teeth of Orodus, Pascilodus, Helodus, &c. — The fol- lowing flowers have been noted on the Clee Hills : The minute harebell (Wahlenbergia hederacea ), Allosorus crispus (parsley fern), Achillea Ptarmica , Viola lutea , Scutellaria minor , Sedum Telephium , Inula Helenium, Saxifraga hypnoides , Narthecium ossifragum , Botrychium lunare. The archaeologist may observe the remains of an ancient encampment on the summit of Titterstone Clee, and facing the W. is a portion of basaltic rock, called “ The Giant’s Chair.” The vallum surrounding the camp is larger than that of Ab- don Burf, but inferior to it in height. It measures from N. to S. 560 yds., and from E. to W. J m. The original entrance lies on the S.S.E. The coal from the collieries is con- veyed to Ludlow by a rly., used only for minerals. The main road from Middleton runs up the valley of the Ledwyche Brook, passing 1., on high ground, Downton Hall , the seat of Sir Charles Boughton, Bart. 4 m. rt., The Moor ; and to the 1., 24 Route 3 . — Ludlow to Wolverhampton. 1 m., is the village of Hopton in the Hole, or Hopton Cangeford. 6J m. on rt., If m., is Wheathill, the ch. of which has a fine semi- circular S. doorway with cable moulding; the tympanum is orna- mented with diamond facets. Burwarton is situated on the slopes of the Brown Clee Hill. The Hall is the residence of Viscount Boyne. The old ch ., now in ruins, is Norm., and had a plain semicircular chancel arch. The new ch. is situated near it, but on somewhat higher ground. The Brown Clee Hill, which overlooks Burwarton, has two sum- mits, each marked by a camp. Clee Burf, the most southerly, is sur- rounded by a vallum on the N. side. Abdon Burf (Qy. Buarth, enclosure) is also encircled by a vallum of dew- stone, 65 ft. wide at its base. The en- closed area is oval, 1,317 ft. from N. to S., and 660 ft. from E. to W. In this enclosure are remains of circles, and a large unhewn stone called the Giant’s Shaft. This overthrown menhir is over 8 ft. in length, and tapers from 2 ft. 4 in. sq. to 1 ft. 8 in. Nordy Bank is a Boman stat., 1 m. W. of Clee Burf. It is a parallelogram with rounded angles, surrounded by a “ fosse ” 12 ft. wide, and a very perfect specimen of a Boman fortified position. Mr. Hartshorne argues, from Abdon Burf overlooking Nordy Bank, that the former enclosure was religious , not defensive , as . otherwise the Bomans would not have encamped at a disadvantage. A road led from it to^ Bushbury, now called the Devil’s Causeway. Aston Botterell Ch. (1 m. rt.) con- tains a canopied altar-tomb to the Botterells. On rt., 4 m., is Stoddesdon Ch.,* restored in 1868. It contains some good Norm, work in the lower stage of the tower and semicircular arches between the N. aisle and the nave : a S. aisle, called the Wrickton Chantry, was added in the 14th cent. There are good Dec. sedilia, a plain Easter sepulchre floored with some old tiles, a late 16th cent, carved wood pulpit, and a very fine Norm, font with interlaced borde surmounting other bands of orna- ment. The most remarkable feature in this ch. is the piece of carving forming the tympanum of the W. door of the original church, now hidden by the later tower. To see it the lower stage of the tower must be entered. The dripstone is divided above, and in the interval between the 2 limbs is a large face, under this is some rude diapering, below which, on a large single stone form- ing the architrave of the doorway are 3 beasts with human heads, 2 of which are upside down. This piece of carving is apparently of pre- Conquest date and one of the most ancient in the county. Stoddesdon Manor originally be- longed to the Norm, family of De Gamages, and afterwards was held by the Cornewalls and Sir Walter Manny. He raised the siege of Hennebonne, which had been de- fended to the last gasp by the Countess of Montfort. 9f m. Cleobury North and Court (W. L. Dodgson, Esq.) A ch. existed at Cleobury in the reign of Henry I., and was attached to Brecon Priory. The font is octa- gonal, with tooth-moulding round the base. Clceia in Saxon = “ Clayey,” whence Clee Hill, Clceia Beorg, or Clayey Town = Cleobury, now called Cleobury North, in contradistinction to Cleobury Mortimer. lOf m. is the village of Neenton on the Rea Brook. The country now becomes very hilly all the way to BRIDGNORTH,# 17 J m. (Bte 4). (See p. 26.) Hence the road crosses the Severn, and mounts the opposite hill, de- scending again at Roughton, over- looking the river Worf and the grounds of Davenport House (W. L. B. Levett, Esq.), a fine brick mansion placed in the centre of delightful scenery, caused by the windings of Route 3. — Worjield; Badger . 25 the Worf in its narrow and deep channel. At the bottom of the valley is Worfield, with its pretty ch. and spire. In the interior are a good screen, a canopied marble altar-tomb with recumbent figures of Sir George Bromley and his lady, a brass to Sir E. Bromley, and other monuments to the Davenport family. The late Mr. Davenport was a well-known sports- man, and celebrated for his grey- hounds. Among the former rectors of Worfield were William de Kilkenny, Bp. of Ely and Lord Chancellor 1255, and Henry de Wengham, Bp. of London and Lord Chancellor 1260. The latter was also Dean of St. Martin’s, Dean of Tettenhall, Bector of Alveley, Kirkham, and Preston — a tolerable example of pluralism. [Nearly 4 m. to the N. is Badger Hall (Col. A. Capel Cure), which, if it did not take its name from its former possessors, the De Beggeso- veres, afterwards the Bagsores, may have been A.-S. for “the bank of the brook” or “of the beeches.” In the last cent. Badger belonged to Isaac Hawkins Browne (died 1776), a lawyer and poet of con- siderable ability, author of “ The Pipe of Tobacco ” and a Latin poem on the “Immortality of the Soul.” The ch., which is of the date of the 12th cent., contains some exquisite monuments to members of the Browne and Cheney families, by Flaxman, Chantrey, and Gibson ; also copies of Guido’s “Annunciation” and Titian’s “ Ecce Homo,” pre- sented by Col. Capel Cure. The scenery of the Badger dingle is very charming, and famous throughout Shropshire — a narrow rocky glen of nearly 1 m. running down to join the valley of the Worf. It is a favourite spot for excursionists, and admission is granted on certain days.] 4J m. to the S. of Badger and the same distance E. of Bridgnorth, on a high ridge known as Gravenor Com- mon, is Chicknell, and at 5|- m., a little to the N., at Chesterton is an earth- work known as the Walls. This is supposed to be a Roman encampment. At 7 m., Shipley Common, the road enters Staffordshire. 14 m. Wolverhampton. Handbook for Staffordshire. ROUTE 4. FROM BEWDLEY TO SHREWSBURY, BY BRIDGNORTH AND IRONBRIDGE. Rail. Road. Places. Bewdley 4 m. Arley 64 m, Highley 84 m. Hampton Load 11 m. Eardington 13 m. Bridgnorth Walk. abt. 8 m, to Quatford and Morf Forest Bridgnorth 3 m. Morville 4 m. Aston Eyre 5 m. Upton Cressett Bridgnorth 17 m, Linley 194 m. Coalport 21 m. Ironbridge 23 m. Buildwas Junct. 284 m. Cound 30 m. Berrington This route is conveniently per- formed by the Severn Valley Ely. of the Great Western Company, which leaves the main line between Worcester and Wolverhampton at Hartlebury Junct., entering Shrop- shire a few miles beyond Bewdley (Rte. 2). For the whole way it is carried close to the Severn, and for picturesque and varied river scenery is excelled by few lines in the kingdom. Quitting the JBewdley Stat. at Wribbenhall, it follows the 1. bank of the rivei', and sends off the Tenbury and Wooferton branch at Dowles on 1. 2 m. to rt., in the wooded high ground, is Habberley valley. Trimpley, a little to the N., has yielded from its tilestones Cepha - 26 Route 4 . — Bewdley to Shrewsbury. laspis Murchisoni. The line now crosses the river to 4 m. Arley Stat. The village is on the 1. bank, in a little outlying corner of Staffordshire. The view is charm- ing — a beautiful bend of the river, as it runs through a deep vale — the village close to the water, and above it the beautiful grounds and castle of Arley , with the quaint ch. adjoin- ing it. About 5 m., to the W. of Arley, in an elevated and wild part of the Forest of Wyre, is Kinlet Hall, once, according to Camden, “ a seat of the Blunts, a name very famous in these parts, denoting their golden locks. This is a very ancient and honour- able family, and hath spread its branches far.” Kinlet is now the seat of Capt. C. B. Childe, and is re- markable for the fine oak timber in the park. The ch. (recently restd.) is near the house in the grounds. It consists of nave, chancel, S. porch, and transept, on the outside wall of which are some blocked arches — and contains tombs to the Blount and Childe families, including a canopied tomb with kneeling effigies to Sir G. Blount (ob. 1581), and some good stained glass. The rector of Kinlet was also Abbot of Wigmore. In Wigmore ch. documents is an ex- tract, showing that “ he supplied corn and fuel for baking bread to Bp. Swinfield’s suite, when he visited Kinlet in 1290, besides forage and litter for 36 horses of his t^ain. Their purveyor paid Id. to the guide, and 4d. for crossing and recrossing the Severn at the ferry.” It was at Kinlet that this Bp. wrote his famous letter to Pope Nicholas IV., alleg- ing the miracles which had been performed at the tomb of his prede- cessor Cantilupe, and soliciting his canonisation. Earnwood, a manor in the parish of Kinlet, was originally a forest residence (with a park at- tached) of the Mortimers. On Feb. 13, 1225, King Henry III. commands Hugh de Neville to let Hugh de Mortimer have 10 fallow deer from the royal forest of Feckenham, which the King has given him towards stocking his park at Earnwood. The geologist will find here an instruc- tive outbreak of Plutonic rock, con- sisting of hornblende greenstone, containing crystals of augite. To the N. of Kinlet is Billingsley, where, in 1636, was born Dr. Hyde, a cele- brated Oriental scholar, and keeper of the Bodleian Library. The rly. now ascends a steep incline to 6J m., Highley Stat., whence there is a charming retrospective view of the river. 8J m. Hampton Load Stat. On the opposite bank is a small wharf for the unloading of coals and lime. 2 m. 1. is Chelmarsh, the ch. (re- stored recently) of which belonged to Wigmore Abbey in 1179. The male line of the Mortimers of Chelmarsh expired with Hugh de Mortimer at the battle of Shrewsbury in 1403. Higher up, on the 1. bank, are the village of Quatt, where is the S.E. Shropshire District School, capable of accommodating 220 pauper chil- dren, and Dudmaston Hall (Bev. F. H. Woolrych Whitmore). 11m. Eardington Stat., 2 m. S.W. of which is Woodlands (T. W. Browne, Esq.) Emerging from some heavy cuttings, the traveller gains a lovely view of 13 m. BRIDGNORTH,# than which few towns are more picturesquely placed. Originally called Brug, it seems to have acquired the suffix of North, in distinction from an an- cient bridge lower down Severn at Quatford. (Cf. Sutton (or South Town), near Hereford.) It is divided by the Severn, which here flows through a valley bounded by pre- cipitous rocks covered with wood, into 2 portions — the Upper and Lower towns. The former is perched on the top of a cliff (180 ft. above the river), the descent to which is by a singular passage hewn out of the rock, at least 20 ft. Indeed, most of the cellars of the houses are excavated in the same way. Overlooking the 27 Route 4 . — Bridgnorth. town are the scanty remains of the Castle, around which a terrace walk has been formed, remarkable for the extent and beauty of the landscape. The castle was built in 1098 by Robert de Belesme, son of Roger de Montgomery. He was the third and last Norman Earl of Shrewsbury, and one of the most turbulent of the Norman barons. This earldom he had obtained from William Rufus, but on his supporting Robert Duke of Normandy he was outlawed, and the castle underwent a siege of 3 weeks’ duration, at the end of which it was taken by Henry I. (1102). The chief relic of Robert’s Castle is a leaning tower. It would appear, however, that the existing ruins on the Castle Hill have nothing to do with the castle originally built by iEthelfleda, daughter of Alfred the G-reat, to repress the Danes ; the site of which Mr. Eyton has happily divined at Pampudding Hill, in the parish of Oldbury (Old burg or beorg), about 200 yds. westward of the Castle walk. In the Pipe Roll is a charge of Id. a day for the living of the porter of Brug (as Bridgnorth was then called) in the time of Henry II., who visited it when in a state of siege, with Thomas & Becket in his train, as also did John and Henry III. subsequently. King John gave the town a charter, and it has returned a member to Parliament ever since Edward I.’s reign. It is recorded that Henry II. had a narrow escape of his life while besieging the castle, which was being held against him by Mor- timer. An arrow was discharged at him by an archer from the wall, when Hubert de St. Clare, stepping forward, received it in his own breast. It was in this loyal borough, too, that the unfortunate Edward II. found refuge, until discovered and dragged a prisoner to Kenilworth and Berkeley castles. In the Civil War it received several visits from Charles I., and further stood a long siege of a month, when it was finally demolished. Ac- cording to the Blakeway Papers in the British Museum, Oliver Cromwell narrowly escaped being shot by a brace of musket bullets on July 15, 1645, while riding within range of Bridgnorth. Bridgnorth possesses 2 churches. St. Mary’s, rebuilt in 1796, is a Grecian building, with a tower and cupola, and has a fine altar-piece. St. Leonard’s, a fine spacious ch., was formerly collegiate, and is said to have once possessed 7 chapels. It was situated within the castle wall, and suffered greatly by fire, as did most of the town and its public buildings during the siege in the Civil War. It has been completely restored, and a new figure of St. Leonard bearing chains in his hands has been placed on the W. front of the tower. There is a fine modern font. The E. window is to the memory of Dr. Rowley, many years head master of Bridgnorth School, and was erected by the subscriptions of former pupils and friends. A valu- able divinity library bequeathed by Dean Stackhouse is preserved in a room adjoining the organ-chamber. In this ch. is suspended the sword of Col. Billingsley, who was killed in the ch.-yd. by the Parliamen- tarians, 1646, he being then in com- mand of the Town Regiment. He was buried at Astley Abbotts. The reredos is a memorial of the Rev. G. Bellett, through whose instrumen- tality the restoration of the ch. was undertaken and carried out. This parish was R. Baxter’s first charge (1640), and he resigned it to go to Kidderminster. One of the editions of his “ Saint’s Rest ” is dedicated to the people of Bridgnorth, “ in testimony of his unfeigned love to them, who were the first to whom he was sent to publish the Gospel.” Ten alms- houses for poor widows, founded by Francis Palmer, on the S. side of St. Leonard’s ch.-yd., commemorate the death within its precincts, at the siege of Bridgnorth, of his uncle, Col. Francis Billingsley, late of Astley Abbotts, a staunch Royalist. The pre- sent town-hall , built in the place of that destroyed in the Civil War, bears the date of 1652, and is a half-tim- bered building on the original stone arches. There are some old “ black- and-white ” houses in the town, with other ancient and interesting build- ings, such as the parsonage, the gram- mar school, and the Swan Inn. Bishop Percy, of Dromore, the anti- quary and author of “ Reliques of Ancient Poetry,” was born in 1728 in another of these houses, which bears the date of 1580. His father was a grocer in the town, and the house, at the bottom of the Cartway and ad- joining Underhill Street, but best reached from the bridge, has been restored by its owner, Mr. Austin, of Birmingham. The Hospital of the 28 Route 4 . — Bewdley to Shrewsbury . Holy Trinity, or St. John’s, stood in the Lower town, so as to command all the roads eastward. St. James’s Leper House stood outside the town on the Quatford road. The Lower town, which is con- nected with the Upper by a hand- some bridge of 7 arches, does not possess much of interest. From this bridge, indeed, the town has obtained its name ; for it superseded another and much more ancient one, 1 m. to the S., which crossed the river most probably at Quatford. With the exception of malting, Bridgnorth has not much trade, though, as the centre of a large agricultural district, it is a pleasant halting-place. The Gram- mar School, an Elizabethan build- ing, founded by the Corporation in 1503, has a good standing amongst educational establishments. On the Worfield road is a cave cut in the red sandstone, known as the Hermi- tage, the hermit having been sup- posed to be a brother of King Athel- stan. Documentary evidence proves that it bore a Saxon name, meaning Ethelward’s Bock, in the time of Edward III. It has rudely sculp- tured piscinas, arches formed out of the sandstone, and some steps leading to a pulpit ; but the hermitage is now devoted to such base uses as swine- feeding. Some remains of a House of Grey Friars, established here in the middle of Henry III.’s reign, are to be seen by the Severn side, on a site occupied by Southwell’s carpet manu- factory — viz. the Befectory, with its panelled ceiling and stone fireplace. Excursions : — (a) To Quatford and Morf Forest (8J- m.) can be taken from Bridgnorth, through the district formerly occu- pied by the Forest of Morf, crossing the bridge, ascending the hill, and leaving the Quatford road on rt. 1 m. is Quatford, the ancient Cwthbriege of the Saxon Chronicle. A fortress was built here in 913 byj ^Ethelfleda, and subsequently a col-l legiate ch. by Adelisa, wife of Earl Boger de Montgomery, as a romantic memorial of her first meeting with her husband on this spot. In 1085 followed the castle and bridge re- corded in Domesday Book as the New Berg of Earl Boger. Some indi- cations of the site of a keep occur on the river side of a precipitous rock overhanging the Severn, with a fosse in its rear, about J m. below the village. The whole of the district was then completely covered with wood, Quatford being the capital of the Forest of Morf until the foundation of Bridgnorth by Earl Bobert de Belesme, “ who,” says Ordericus, “ removed the people and the houses hither.” The ch. is of the date of the 14th cent., except a small window on the N. side of the chancel, which is earlier. The chancel arch and font are Norm. Quatford Castle (Bev. H. E. J. Be van). Morf Forest was 8 m. in length by 6 wide, and existed for some 2 cents, after the Conquest. The Danes paid it a visit, when they were de- prived of their fleet on the Thames by King Alfred, and lay entrenched within its recesses for more than a year. 3 m. a road on 1. branches off to Claverley, 2|m., passing 1. Chicknell (H. C. Cavendish, Esq.) Claverley Ch. y Norm, trans. date, was for- merly adorned with a fine series of armorial bearings. The font is Norm., having arcades, the piers of which are of different mouldings. The visitor should notice the grotesque heads forming the capital of one of the arches. Claverley, with Worfield, Nordley, and Alveley, and with Morfield Forest, were, under Edward the Confessor, a fruitful estate, bounded to the W. by the Severn. Given by the Conqueror to the first Norm. Earl of Shrewsbury, he pro- bably built the ch., and gave its tithes to the collegiate ch. at Quatford. When, however, Henry I. expelled the younger De Belesme, it again became Crown property. 5 m. on 1., 1J m., close to the 29 Route 4 . — Morville ; Aston Eyre. Staffordshire border, is Oatacre Park , the seat of Capt. E. W. F. Acton, whose family has been settled here since Charles I. The house is modern, but the old building was celebrated for its curious rooms and landing-places. All the offices were some distance off, but were connected by underground passages opening into the country at a considerable distance. It is supposed that Charles II. was concealed here on his flight to Bos- cobel. The road now crosses the border to 8^ m. Enville Park, the seat of the Earl of Stamford and Warrington {Handbook for Staffordshire). (b) To Morville, Aston Eyre, and Upton Cressett. 3 m. on the Wenlock road is the village of Morville, which possessed a ch. in the days of Edward the Confessor. This was succeeded by one built by the monks of Salop in 1118. - It then became a cell, and remained subject to Shrewsbury Abbey till the Reformation. The architecture is of the 12th cent. The tower has very thick walls and flat buttresses. The nave and aisles are separated by semicircular arches with mouldings of trans. date. There are Norm, details in the N. chancel door— notwithstanding the date of 1683 over it — in the string-courses, the eurious and interesting font, and in the fine chancel arch. Near the ch. is Morville Hall (Miss Warren). Aldenham Hall , adjoining the village, is approached by a fine avenue, and is the seat of Lord Acton. 4 m. Aston Eyre has a small ch. with trans. Norm, chancel arch. There is a remarkably fine piece of Norm, carving, of unusually deep relief, in the tympanum of the door- way, representing the triumphal entry of our Lord into Jerusalem. A footpath through the farm oppo- site the ch. leads to 5 m. Upton Cressett. The ch. has a nave and chancel of the 12th cent. The S. aisle is of later date. The E. window is remarkably small. The chancel arch is Norm, and has five orders of moulding. The font is shaped like a jar and ornamented with round-headed arches. There is a brass to the memory of William Cressett, his wife, 2 sons, and 3 daughters, 1640. Upton Hall , now a farmhouse, is Elizabethan, has several oak-wainscoted rooms, a solid oak staircase, and the remains of a private chapel. From this point the tourist can re- turn to Bridgnorth (4 m.) by Meadow- ley and the Lye, reaching the Wenlock road beyond Morville. From Bridgnorth Stat. the rly. tun- nels under a portion of the town, and resumes its course by the river-side, passing 1. Stanley Hall , the seat of Sir R. R. Tyrwhitt-Wilson. Near it is AstleyAbbotts Ch ., dedicated to St. Calixtus. Part of it is of Norm, date, but the chancel was rebuilt in 1633, and the nave and steeple in 1857. 17 m. Linley Stat. Apley Park , on the opposite side of the river, the seat of W. Orme Forster, Esq., is one of the most beautiful places in the county, or, for the matter of that, in the kingdom. It is a fine mansion built of Grinshill stone, with a lofty square tower, overlooking the Severn, which here makes a graceful bend. On the S.E. front is a groined arch- way, under which is the principal entrance. But the chief beauty of Apley is the wooded park of 245 acres and the Terrace, an elevated drive of more than a mile in length, and of sufficient breadth to allow 6 car- riages abreast. The view from it is exceedingly fine, embracing a pano- rama of 60 miles circumference. Apley formerly belonged to the Lucys of Charlcote (Shakespeare’s prosecutor), from whom it was pur- chased in the reign of Elizabeth by an ancestor of Mr. Whitmore, the late owner. The approach to Apley from Bridgnorth is by the Shiffnal Road on the opposite side of the river, which road runs past the chs. of Stockton, and Sutton Maddock to the 30 Route 4 . — Bewdley to Shreivsbury. 1., and, except as being well wooded, is somewhat uninteresting. Linley Church (1 m. to 1.) is of the date of the 12th cent. The S. doorway is semicircular, and the tympanum is occupied by a curious herring-bone pattern. There is some beautiful carving on the upper portion of the font, which may be compared with those of Morville and Stottesden. Linley Hall (Mrs. Wooler) was for- merly the seat of the Lacon family. 2% m. to the W. is Willey Park , the seat of Lord Forester, also built of Grinshill stone, from designs by Wyatt. The front of the house is nearly 303 ft. long, and has a fine Corinthian portico in the centre. The park is charmingly undulating and wooded, and is ornamented by a series of small lakes. This park is mentioned by Leland as being on the bounds of the Eoyal Hay or Forest of Shirlot. Hence it is only 3 m. to Much Wenlock. (Ete. 6.) The valley of the Severn now becomes narrower and more con- tracted, and signs of manufacturing industry begin to appear at 19J m. Coalport Stat., where the Shropshire iron district may be said to commence. The London and North-Western Ely. has a stat. here on the other side of the river, whence their line runs to Madeley and Wellington (Ete. 7). The former place, which contains ironworks, was the residence of the Eev. W. Fletcher, whose life was written by John Wes- ley. Although the natural beauty of the river valley is very great between Coalport and 21 m. Ironbridge # Stat., it is terribly spoilt by the forges and foundries, the banks of slag and re- fuse that run down to the water’s edge. Tiers of dirty cottages rise on the hill-side, which is very steep ; advantage being taken of each little dingle to carry a turnpike road or a railroad through it. Very near the stat. the Severn is crossed by an iron bridge of one arch, of 120 ft. span, the history of which is ex- ceedingly interesting, as being the first iron bridge on record. It is due to the energy of Abraham Darby, of the Ooalbrookdale Works, in 1779, who , perceiving the want of communication be- tween the brick, pottery, and iron works of Madeley and Broseley , determined to bridge the Severn over at this point, where the banks are steep and slippery. “The con- struction of a bridge of iron was an entirely new idea. An attempt, indeed, had been made at Lyons to construct such a bridge more than 20 years before ; but it had entirely failed, and a bridge of timber had been erected instead. It is not known whether the Ooalbrook Dale masters had heard of that attempt ; but, even if they had, it would have been of no practical use to them. Mr. Pritchard, an architect of Shrewsbury, was first employed to prepare a design of the intended structure, which is still preserved. Although he proposed to introduce cast iron in the arch of the bridge, it was only as a sort of key, occupying but a few feet at the crown of the arch. This sparing use of cast iron indicates the timidity of the architect in dealing with the new material ; his plan ex- hibiting a desire to effect a compromise between the tried and the untried in bridge construction. But the use of iron to so limited an extent, and in' such a part of the structure, was of more than questionable utility ; and if Mr. Pritchard’s plan had been adopted, the problem of the iron bridge would still have remained unsolved. The plan, however, after having been duly con- sidered, was eventually set aside, and another, with the entire arch of cast iron, was pre- pared, under the superintendence of Abraham Darby, by Mr. Thomas Gregory, his foreman of pattern-makers.”— Smiles. The bridge ex- cited so much curiosity in the country that in 1788 the Society of Arts gave Mr. Darby their gold medal ; and Robert Stephenson says of it, “ If we consider that the manipula- tion of cast iron was then in its infancy, a bridge of such dimensions was doubtless a bold as well as an original undertaking, and the efficiency of the details is worthy of the boldness of the conception.” The skill of the builders is shown by the fact that when a thorough examination of the bridge was made in 1862, after nearly 80 years’ daily wear and tear, it was found that the abutments had not moved, nor were the ribs out of their proper right line. There had been merely a strain on the land-arches and the road-plates, which the main arch had effectually resisted. The town of Ironbridge contains no features of interest. Nearly opposite the iron bridge, but a little higher up the river, is the ravine of Coalbrook Dale, in which are situated the celebrated ironworks of that name. The valley is singu- larly beautiful ; and, although to a Route 4 . — Coalbrook'Dale. 31 certain extent disfigured by forges and furnaces, it is free from the dirty and squalid appearance of Ironbridge. This is due to the care of the masters and the neatness of and architectural attention paid to the residences, offices, and schools. Coalbrook Dale, although now excelled in size by hundreds of establishments, is his- torically interesting as the cradle of the iron trade, and the first place where iron was regularly smelted by means of coke and coal. Previous to that time, viz. the 18th cent., ironmasters had always used wood for that purpose, and particularly in Sussex, the then headquarters of the trade. But such havoc was played with the timber, that grave alarm was expressed lest England should become disforested, and severe enactments were passed in 1581 against the use of wood in iron-smelting. This had the effect of para- lysing the trade for many years, and of com- pletely putting a stop to it in Sussex : and it was not until the time of Dud Dudley, son of the Earl of Dudley, that attention was turned to the application of coke or “ pit-coal ” for smelting instead of charcoal (1620). Efforts, more or less successful, were made by him and others to carry on the manufacture in this way"; but it was reserved for the Darbys, in 1700, to apply it on a large and systematic scale. Abraham Darby, the first of the iron- masters, was the son of a farmer near Dudley, who established a brass and iron foundry near Bristol, where he succeeded in obtaining from Holland the method of making cast- iron pots, then a profound secret. But his partners being unwilling to embark more capital in the trade, he removed to Coalbrook Dale in 1709, and there first commenced a furnace supplied by wood. Here he obtained a great country reputation for the excellence of his castings of pots, kettles, and other hollow ware. The smelting by charcoal con- tinued till about 1747, when, the timber having become very scarce, pit-coal appears to have been introduced by Mr. Ford, the then manager, who had married Darby’s daughter. Abraham Darby died in 1763, and was succeeded by Richard Reynolds, who had married another daughter, and in whose time the works were greatly extended, coal- mining becoming an important part of the concern. In his time, too, the reverberatory furnace for refining the iron was invented by two of the foremen, named Cranage, and adopted by him. Their ingenuity, however, was soon improved upon by a later process for puddling, carried out by Henry Cort. A still greater step was taken at Coalbrook Dale by Mr. Reynolds, in the use of iron instead of wooden rails for their tramroad. In 1784, when the Government sought to impose a tax upon pit-coal, the works at Coalbrook Dale were the largest in the king- dom, and the proprietors successfully pro- tested against such an impolitic step. In 1316 Richard Reynolds died, after a long and useful life, in which he had not only secured the fortunes of his family, but done a vast deal of good to all around him, and to the country at large ; and since that period the Coalbrook Dale Works, which, with certain changes of partners, have always been in the Darby family, have maintained a very high place in the ranks of the iron trade. Al- though many others in Wales and Stafford- shire exceed them in extent, they yield to none for the excellence of their castings, and worked iron gates of their manufacture were in the Great Exhibition of 1851. For further particulars of the Darby family, the reader is referred to Mr. Smiles’s excellent account in his “ Industrial Biographies.” The works consisted, in 1866, of 5 furnaces at Dawley, Lawley, and Lightmoor, with 35 puddling furnaces at Horsehay. The town is neatly laid out, and bears evident tokens of that supervision which masters should give to those places connected with them, but which is so often wanting. The Church, of Dec. style, was built in 1854 in a very pretty situa- tion, and contains a stained-glass window of the Last Supper, brought from Flanders. On the opposite eminence of Limekiln or Lincoln Hill, there are pleasant walks, laid out by Richard Reynolds during his lifetime for the enjoyment of those employed in the works, and known as “ The Workmen’s Walks.” The interior of the hill is hollowed out into vast caverns, caused by the extraction of the limestone of Wen- lock (Upper Silurian) date. They are occasionally lighted up, when fine effects are produced. The Great Western Ely. has a stat. at Coal- brook Dale, from which the traveller can join the Severn Valley Ely. at Build was Junct. (see post), or make his way to Wellington, passing Horsehay, Lawley Bank, and Ketley stats. As soon as the line emerges from the wooded dingles of Coal brook Dale it passes through an un- interesting country, as far as regards scenery, with^the exception that the Wrekin and^its outlines are con- spicuous on the 1. The greater part of the district between Coalbrook Dale and Wellington is occupied by furnaces, forges, collieries, and brick- yards, brilliant enough at night-time, but black, dirty, and dusty in the day. An additional feature of dreari- ness is caused by the dismantled 82 Route 4 .- — Bewdley to Shrewsbury eolliery stacks and engine houses, showing that the mineral treasures underneath have been exhausted. In fact, so much is this the case that the colliers have gradually left the west of the coalfield and migrated to the eastern outcrop. The Coal- brook Dale coalfield has a triangular form, with its base in the valley of the Severn and its northern apex at Newport. Along its western side it is bounded partly by a great fault, which brings in the New Red sand- stone, and partly by the Silurian rocks of the Wrekin, which rises with its smooth and arched back to a height of 1,335 ft. above the sea, and . half that amount above the general level of the country around. Along its eastern side the coalfield is bounded by Permian strata, under which the carboniferous beds pass. The general dip of the strata is east- ward ; and in making a traverse to the foot of the Wrekin we cross in succession the base of the coalmea- sures,the millstone grit, carboniferous limestone, a bed of basalt, and at length reach the Silurian and older rocks which form the general founda- tion of the carboniferous formations in this district. There are about 6 seams of work- able coal, giving a thickness of 27 ft. altogether ; but the field is much broken by faults, the principal of which, the Lightmoor fault, runs from N. to S., and has a throw of 100 yds. The fossil collector will have great success here in coalmeasure fossils, and particularly in fish re- mains and shells ( Introduction , p. 12) ; but for particulars he should consult Mr. Prestwich’s exhaustive memoir in “ Geol. Transactions,” 2nd Series, vol. v. Climbing the steep bank on the 1. of Ironbridge, the road leads 1J m. to Broseley, an unattrac- tive town, principally dependent on its potteries and brickyards. To- bacco-pipes are also largely made. The town, though ancient and men- tioned in old documents as Bur- wardesley, contains very little of interest, except the ch. which is of Perp. date, and was restored in 1845. It is subject to the mother ch. of Wenlock. There is an E. Dec. fountain of Grinshill stone, erected as a memorial to Mr. Pritchard, a native of Broseley, and once High Sheriff of Salop. “ A spring of petroleum was discovered here in 1711. The burn- ing well, as it was called, was shown as a curiosity for several years, when the supply of petroleum failed. The spring broke out again in 1747, and yielded about 3 or 4 barrels a day; but in 1752 the spring was cut into in searching for coals, and the quantity yielded since has been but small.” 1 m. W. of Broseley is Benthall, where are the celebrated encaustic tile works of Messrs. Maw, who have a large establishment, employing a number of hands ; and adjoining it is Benthall Hall (R. Bateman, Esq.), an Elizabethan building of the date 1535, and built by William Benthall on the site of an earlier mansion. Benthall Ch. contains monuments to the families of Browne and Benthall. The neighbourhood is particularly interesting to the geo- logist. The lowland to the W. of Coalbrook Dale, looking towards Buildwas, is Silurian (Wenlock Shale) ; and the lofty ridge including Benthall Edge and Lincoln Hill is Wenlock limestone, with millstone grit reposing on it. On Benthall Edge fossil collectors have found beautiful specimens of Favosites as- pera , F. gothlandica , F. multipora , Halysites catenulatus , &c. Tyke's Nest , the highest point of Wenlock Edge, is 417 ft. above the Severn valley. The Birches , between Coal- brook Dale and Buildwas, was in 1773 the scene of an extraordinary convulsion, which altered the whole aspect of the country and turned the bed of the Severn. Following the river bank, the rly. receives the Coalbrook Dale and Wellington branch, which crosses the valley, joining it, together with 33 Route 4 . — Buildwas Abbey. the Craven Arms and Wenlock Line (Rte. 6), at 23 m. Buildwas Junct.# Close to the rly., and | m. beyond the stat., are the picturesque ruins of BUILD- WAS ABBEY * (from beild, a “ shel- ter,” and was, “an alluvial flat;” cf. Sugwas and Moccas, and Rother- was, Herefordshire), once one of the finest chs. in the West of Eng- land, founded for monks of the Cis- tercian Order in 1135, by Roger de Clinton, Bp. of Chester, and Cru- sader, though Leland attributes it to Matilda de Bohun, wife of Sir Robert Burnell. It is probable that an earlier building existed here, for a tradition narrates that “there was one of the ancient Bishops of Lich- field that was in Offa, King of Merce’s tyme, that lived an Hermite life at Buldewas, after such tyme as the pall of the Archbishop of Lichfield was taken from Lichfield and restored again to Canterbury.” It was a cru- ciform building, with a massive tower rising from the intersection, and the existing remains comprise the greater part of the walls and the chapter- house. “ The chancel has been al- tered in the 13th cent., but not rebuilt ; the nave has not been altered, but its two sides are not quite of the same date. It is evi- dent that, as usual, the choir was built first, and the nave by degrees afterwards ; the latter has Pointed arches, but the character of the work is not late, probably about 1150. The arches are merely recessed and not moulded, and the capitals are scolloped only. The clerestory win- dows are round-headed.” — Rickman. The ch. is 163 ft. long by 26 ft. 8 in. broad ; the nave, 70 ft. long, includ- ing 5 bays ; the choir, with 2 bays and crossing, 62 ft. ; the square-ended presbytery, 34 ft. by 26 ft. ; and the transept, with 2 chapels in each wing, 84 ft. The chancel is lighted by a 3-light Norm, window, and contains on the S. side 3 E. Eng. sedilia, divided by slender pillars, and the capitals and arches having the [H. B. Shrop.] violet ornament. The Chapter-house is in good preservation, and is oblong in shape, vaulted in 9 com- partments, and supported by 4 slender columns ; those N.E. and S.W. oc- tagonal, those placed diagonally to them circular. It contains several 13th-cent. stone coffins, with beauti- ful crosses. The chapter-house, over which was the dormitory, formed the eastern boundary of the cloisters, which stood on the N. of the ch. Opposite the chapter-house door was a beautiful gateway, which fell down in 1828. The abbot’s house (restd.) contains the ambulatory, the chapel, and a large hall of the 13th cent., with some interesting doorways and carved stones. There is also a curious series of underground passages, said, by a customary but most improbable tradition, to communicate with Wen- lock. The ceiling of the hall is of oak and Spanish chestnut. It is en- tered by a good Norm, doorway, and lighted by beautifully moulded Norm, windows, one being on either side the door. The renovated “ Buildwas Abbey ” is the seat of the Misses Moseley, and necessarily renders many ancient features of the Abbot’s Lodge and other details undistin- guishable. The establishment at Buildwas was very wealthy, and pos- sessed no fewer than 9 granges in different parts of Shropshire, 2 in Staffordshire, and 1 in Derbyshire, besides the parsonages of Leighton, Buildwas, and Hatton. The abbey also held jurisdiction over the Sa- vigniac House of St. Mary’s, Dublin, over the Abbey of Basingwerk, in Flintshire, that of Dunbrody, in county Wexford, which was so waste and bare, that they transferred the seigneury ; and the Montgomeryshire abbey of Strata Marcella. In Henry II.’s reign the abbey was celebrated for possessing a cope worked by the hands of Fair Rosamond, which was doubtless an object of much curiosity, and, probably, no little gain; but in 1406 Hugh Burnell was fain to give the advowson of Rushbury to the convent, to compensate for the losses D 34 Route 4 . — Beivdley to Shrcivsbury. which the burning of the abbey by the Welsh had caused. This was chiefly confined to the roof. After passing Buildwas, the line still keeps close to the Severn, which now, how- ever, winds through a level, well-culti- vated district. The hills have fallen back to a considerable distance, the Wrekin being the most conspicuous object some 4 m. to the rt. On 1., amidst wooded hills, is Biiildivas Park (W. W. G. Phillipps, Esq.), and on rt., across the river, Leighton village and Hall (T. F. Kynnersley, Esq.) Leighton Ch. contains the recum- bent effigy of a knight in mail armour, supposed to be Sir Titus de Leigh- ton, 1315, and to have been brought from Buildwas at the Dissolution. “ Sir Richard, who was an ancestor of Sir Baldwin Leighton of Loton, reserved to himself in a certain deed of feoffment a power to make a park in his manor of Leighton.” — Shirley . 26 m. Cressage Stat. The river is here crossed by a timber bridge. Cressage obtained its name from a famous old oak (Cpir te r ac — Christ’s oak), under which, tra- ditionally, Christian missionaries preached Christ to the pagan Saxons. This tree, said to have been in the centre of the village, has long disap- peared with the village cross, which succeeded it ; but there are still the remains of another large tree, called the Lady Oak, within view of the rly. on the 1., which has been propped and clamped with iron, and with the scant foliage of which that of a young tree, planted by the villagers, mingles. 28| m. Cound. On 1. is Cound Hall (A. C. McCorquodale, Esq.), and on rt., nearly 3 m., is Wroxeter, the ancient Roman-British city of Uriconium (Rte. 8). Cound Ch. contains an E. Norm, font with carvings round the upper portion. It consists of a fine old tower, nave, chancel, and side aisles, N. and S., divided by pointed arches resting on columns having plain lined capitals. On the S. side is a piscina. 30 m. Berrington Stat.; 1| m. on rt. the Severn is crossed at Atcham Bridge. The Church contains the mutilated and unidentified effigy of a knight in wood wfith crossed legs. He is locally known as “Owd Scriven of Brompton,” but there is no reason to suppose that the name is correct. The font has faces as large as life carved on it. It closely resembles the carving at Stottesdon, and - is probably also of pre-Conquest date. At 33| m. a junction is made with the Ludlow and Hereford line, and at 34 m. the traveller enters the joint stat. of Shrewsbury. ROUTE 5. CLUN AND DISTRICT. Road. Places. Craven Arms 3 m. Aston on Clun 4 m. Clunbury m. Clunton 9 m. Clun 13 m. Newcastle 19 m. Anchor Inn Clun abt. 12 m. Walk over hills to Castell Br Ami Clun 6 m. Bishop’s Castle 4 m, Lydbury North Clun abt. 10 m. Walk over hills to Knighton The district of Clun is one of the least accessible and most beautiful portions of Shropshire. It may best be reached from Craven Arms Junct., where (or from the Inn at Clun) a conveyance may be obtained. For the first 2 m. the road lies close to the Central Wales br. of the L. & N. W. Rly. 3 m. Aston on Clun. 4 m. In the valley to the 1. Clun- bury. Route 5 . — Glun: Castle; Church , 35 5 m. Purslow Hundred House. Here the road branches to Walcot Park on rt. and to Hopton Castle, 1. 6J m. Clunton. 9 m. Clun,# one of the very quietest and most out-of-the-way of Shrop- shire towns, situated on the river Colonne or Clone, which is crossed by an ancient bridge of unequally sized arches. In fact, the “ sleepy hollow” -ness of the district is de- scribed in a popular doggrel : “ Clunton and Clunbury, Clungunford and Clun, Are the quietest places Under the Sun.” But it was not always so, having been, as a border town, the scene of continual forays and incursions. The Castle, of which sufficient is left to show its former importance, was built by Fitzalan, afterwards Earl of Arundel, in the reign of Stephen. After a long siege and many a fierce assault, it was stormed by the Welsh prince Rees (circ. 1196) and committed to the flames. It is believed to have been the original of the “G-arde Doloreuse” to which Raymond Berenger invited Grwenwyn, the Prince of Powys ; which Sir Walter Scott has thus described in his “ Betrothed ” : “ A place strong by nature and well fortified by art, which the Welsh Prince had found it impossible to conquer either by open force or stratagem, and which, remaining with a strong garrison in his rear, often checked his invasions by rendering his retreat precarious. The river washes on three sides the brow of the proud eminence on which the Castle is situated, curves away from the fortress and its corresponding village on the W., and the hill sinks downwards to an extensive plain, so extremely level as to indicate its alluvial origin.” Clun Castle was dismantled first of all by Owain G-lyndwr in his rebellion against Henry IV., and afterwards blown up by the Parliamentary forces. It is now the property of the Duke of Norfolk, who takes his first title, that of Baron Clun, from the place. Mary, daughter and co-heir of Henry Fitz- alan, married Thomas Howard, Duke of Nor- folk, and carried the earldom of Arundel and the barony of Clun into that family in the person of her son Philip, Earl of Arundel, who died 1595, under an attainder. The earthworks are 4 in number, viz. a conical mound about 60 ft. above the river, with very steep sides, having a diameter of 40 ft. at top, on which the keep is placed, and 3 others separated from it and from one another by ditches. These are of Anglo-Saxon origin, and date from the 9th or 10th cents. The keep, of which a considerable portion remains, is an exception to the rule that shell and not rectangular keeps are placed on mounds. It will be noticed that the works of this rectangular keep are carried to the foot of the mound on the N. side. It possessed B stages. The remainder of the mound was encircled by a curtain wall, of which fragments, including a semi- circular tower or bastion, remain. There are no traces of walls on any of the other platforms. The Church (restd. G. E. Street, R.A., archt.) has a Norm, nave and E. Eng. chancel. The Norm, tower is low, square, of great strength, and probably served as a place of refuge in trouble. The gable of the N. door is half timbered, and there is a fine old lych gate. There is a singular 15th-cent. wood canopy suspended over the E. end of the chancel. The N. aisle has a good roof, and at its E. end is a small but elaborate brass to Robert Howard, ob. 1653. There is here an Almshouse, the Hospital of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, founded 1614 by the Earl of Northampton for the support of 18 poor men, who receive 10s. weekly, together with a hat and gown. Excursions : — (a) Clun Valley to Anchor Inn „ Cross the bridge and turn off at once to the rt. As the road ascends a slight eminence an excellent view of the Castle is obtained, and the strength and importance of its position can be estimated. The road keeps to the 1. of the stream, passing a hollow oak tree of great age. At 1J m. a side road on the r. leads to Whitcott Keysett , a small hamlet. The tourist should turn down here and will see a stile on the 1. immediately after crossing the Clun. Entering a field by this stile, he will find a very remarkable Menhir or standing stone. It is 36 Route 5 .- — Clun and District . 8 ft. 6 in. in height, 6 ft. in extreme breadth, and from 8 to 12 in. in thickness. It is so set that its edges are nearly due E. and W. and its surfaces N. and S.. Returning to the road, at 8 m. a large farm, Lower Spoad , is reached on the 1. Offa’s Dyke crosses the valley by this farm, and can be well seen on either side. It was constructed by Off a, King of Mercia, 758-796, who conquered the land between the Severn and the Wye and formed the boundary of the Welsh territory. Any Welshman found bearing arms on the English side of the dyke was liable to lose his right hand. On the W. side of the dyke and on the N. of the valley on the top of a round hill, at the foot of which is Newcastle Ch ., is a round earthwork, Vron Camp. 4 m. Newcastle. A small hamlet of scattered houses situated in a most exquisite valley. The scenery here is most beautiful and practically un- visited by tourists. The road now gradually ascends, still following the river through a lovely valley to 7 m. Hall of the Forest , a large farm, deriving its name from having been the most important holding in Clun Forest, which in the reign of Henry VIII. contained 1,700 acres, a good amount of timber, red deer, and roes, according to Leland. 10 m. The Anchor , a small road- side inn by which the Clun rises, is a few yards from Rhuddwyr brook, which forms the R. Teme and the boundary of Shropshire. (See Note at end of Excursion b.) (b) By the hills to Castell Bryn Amlwg. Cross the bridge, take the road to the rt. of the ch., and then take the first turning to the rt., the road passes Llwyn. At the cross roads, take the footpath through a gate on the rt., which leads over the moor to a farm called Burfield. Pass through the farm buildings, turning to the r. in front of the farm and re- gain the moor at the edge of the clearing. Keep close to the fence until Offa’s Dyke is reached ; the structure of this remarkable earth- work can here be well studied. Keep straight on, passing about 1 m. farther through cross roads. The road leads over Doivke Hill (1,366 ft.), where there is a charming view of Newcastle and the Clun valley to Bettws-y-Crwyn, where there is an exceedingly isolated ch., rectory, and farm. Take the rt. at the fork \ m. farther on, go through the next cross roads, the road is then joined by another on the 1. About f m. beyond this junction, turn sharp to the 1. through a gate beside a planta- tion which stands in the fork. Fol- low the path thus entered until Castell Bryn Amlwg is reached. This remarkable frontier earthwork is surrounded by a high vallum, in which there is an oblique entrance on the E. The mound exhibits, where the turf has been removed, courses of masonry, but there are no walls still left standing. This earth- work is traditionally associated with the campaign of Caractacus. In the hollow to the W. is the Rhuddwr brook, on the opposite side of which is Radnorshire. The pedestrian is now 1 m. from the Anchor Inn. (See Excursion a.) [Note. — This excursion can well be combined with the first by arrang- ing for a vehicle to meet the tourist at the Anchor. A trap can also pos- sibly be hired there.] Distance to Castell Bryn Amlwg about 12 m. (c) To Bury Ditches, Bishop’s Cas- tle, Lydbury North, and Walcot Park. [This route is about 25 or 30 m. It can be shortened by omitting the latter part and taking train at Bishop’s Castle to Craven Arms. The latter part may form a separate excursion, returning from Lydbury by Brockton and Colstey.] Take the Bishop’s Castle road, a little beyond the first milestone the pedestrian will take the first turn on the rt. and pass through Guilden Down. At the fork take the 1. road, which leads to a wood. This must 37 Route 5. — Bishop's Castle ; Lydbury North . be traversed and Bury Ditches will come in sight. They are elliptical in form, and enclose within 3 very lofty valla, covered with trees, mostly pines of great age and huge size, an area of 3 or 4 acres which is uncovered by trees. The only origi- nal entrance appears to have been on the E. The hill on which this earth- work stands is a large knoll, very steep on all sides except the N.E., where the approach is more gradual. There is a magnificent view from the summit, especially on the E. towards the Longmynd and the Stiperstones. Botanists have found the oak fern and the prickly shield fern (Poly- stichum aculeatum) ; also Fedia olitoria (lamb’s lettuce), Dianthus caryophyllus (wild clove pink), and Bidens cernua (nodding sun-mari- gold). If the tourist is driving, he can regain his carriage at Acton by gaining the N. side of the wood, and taking a footpath which passes to the 1. of a" small pool of water. The detour is about 4 m. If walking he may descend to the road on the E. of the ditches, having reached which he will turn to the 1., and having passed a tumulus on the 1. will reach Brockton . About f m. beyond this he turns to the 1. for Colebatch, where he will regain the main Bishop’s Castle road. Turn to the rt. and pursue the road for 1| m. to BISHOP’S CASTLE ^ which is as quiet a little town as Clun, and with less of interest. It was originally called Lydbnry Castle, and founded by the Bp. of Hereford before 1127, for the protection of the dwellers on the border, where that prelate would have con- trol over 18,000 acres of territory, and become of necessity a Lord Marcher. It was not a popular residence, however, as appears from a letter of Prince Edward in 1263, from Shrewsbury to the King, desiring him to compel Bp. Aquablanca to abide in the Castle of Lydbury. Bp. Swinfield passed 4 nights there on his visitation in May 1290, and his castle had a dovecot and garden, a range of forest, woodland, and a park for deer. Its situation is picturesque on the summit and slopes of a hill, at the bottom of which, and almost outside the town, is the Church, originally a Norm, building, which has been re- built, saving the tower. There is a tradition that Bishop’s Castle ex- tended much farther to the S., pro- bably arising from the position of the ch. Of the Castle, which be- longed to the Bps. of Hereford, there is no trace beyond the walls of the keep, a few fragments of which are to be seen on the site of a bowl- ing-green attached to the inn. There is an excellent view from this green. At Bishop’s Castle was bom Jeremiah Stephens, 1664, a prebendary of Big- gleswade, and colleague of Sir Henry Spelman in his work on the English Councils. The tourist should return to the ch. and take the road leading past it, which crosses the main road by which he reached Bishop’s Castle. Go straight on up the hill to a fork and take the rt. lane, which leads directly to Lydbury. (If driving it will probably be better to go round by Totterton Hall (W. H. Whittaker, Esq.), turning to the rt. immediately beyond the house.) Lydbury North has a very interest- ing Church, the tower is squat and massive, with exceedingly thick walls, well fitting it to be used for defensive purposes. The fabric of the ch. has been much altered at various times. The rood screen remains, and on the wall over it are a well-preserved set of Commandments etc., dated 1615, an excellent example of the kind. The chancel possesses some Norm, windows, and the E. wall has 2 stone brackets, on each of which there is a large carved and gilt wooden candlestick (17th cent.) There is a Norm, font and a Norm, door on the S. of the chancel. The N. chapel is the property of the Plowden family, and contains many of their memorials, together with the original stone altar. The S. chapel, which has a large room over it, is that of the Walcot family. [1 m. E. is Plowden Hall, seat of W. F. Plowden, Esq., whose family has been settled here since the siege 38 Route 5.— Clun and District. of Acre. “ There is an old tradition that an ancestor who was taken pri- soner at the siege of Acre vowed that if he ever obtained his liberty, he would build a chapel when he re- turned to Plowden. He recovered his freedom, and built the chapel adjoining the parish ch. of Lydbury North, which has long been used as the burying-place of the family.” — Walford. Near here is a small R.C. ch. and schools, built and main- tained by the Plowden family.] Follow the road through Lydbury to the W. until the inn is passed. Turn to the 1. round this, and the gates of Walcot Park are seen. The traveller may pass through here on his return to Clun. This is the resi- dence of the Earl of Powis, whose ancestor bought it from the Walcots in the last cent. The house is rather plain, of red brick, but the grounds are charming, and are ornamented with an artificial lake of considerable length. The road winds through the park, which it leaves near Kempton. The tourist will keep straight on, re- joining the main Clun road at Pur- slow Hundred House, 5 m. from Clun. (d) To Knighton. Take the Craven Arms road, and at the end of the village cross the river by a wooden bridge. A field path in front and to 1. leads to a road, which should be followed to the 1. until Woodside is reached. Turn to the rt. up a well- wooded valley. The wood on the rt. is Lord's Wood , in the centre of which is an outcrop of stone, the Bock of Woolbury , visible from the hills above. Arrived at the summit of Pen-y-Wern, there are to the rt., in a clump of fir trees, some traces of a stone circle. Keep straight on along the side of Black Hill, the road then works round the side of Hodre Hill, until Pentre Hodre is reached. Take the road to 1. leading to Bryn- caled , and thence to the main Buck- nail road. From Bryncaled onwards fine views of the Bed Lake Valley will be obtained. Cross the main road and take a field path on the rt. which leads up Stow Hill by a gradual ascent past a farm called Fron, until the summit is nearly reached, whence the path proceeds along the ridge. From here a good view of the Clun Caer Caradoc can be obtained lying nearly due N. This mountain is extremely interesting to antiqua- ries, on the score of its pretensions to be the scene of the last battle and defeat of Caractacus, King of the Silures, by the Romans under Osto- rius. Here, however, there is neither the “ amnis vado incerto ” of Tacitus, nor yet the higher mountains in the rear for the Britons to fall back upon. It is, however, a fine, almost circular camp, trebly defended to the W., its most accessible quarter, and having two lines of defence on the E. Its entrances are on E. and W., and it commands a fine outlook. It is ap- proached from the Clun road, on the rt., over two or three enclosures. By others Coxwall Knoll, some 3 m. E., is considered to have been the site of Caractacus’s camp ; but it is difficult to believe that either this, which lacks higher ground to retreat upon, and has no vestige of stone defences, or Caer Caradoc, was the real scene of the struggle in which the British chief’s wife and children were taken prisoners. The path along the ridge should be followed until a well-defined cross footpath is reached. Turn to the 1. down this, it leads in a winding man- ner past Holloway Bocks, down to Stow . A road from here joins the main Ludlow and Knighton road, which passes Kinsley Wood to Knighton Stat. on the Central Wales br. L. & N. W. Rly. [Length of this excursion about 10 in.] 89 Route 6 . — Coxwall Knoll; Corve Dale. ROUTE 6, FROM KNIGHTON TO WELLINGTON, BY CRAVEN ARMS, WENLOOK, AND COAL- BROOK DALE. Rail. Road. Places. Knighton 4 m. Bucknall 7 m. Hopton 9^ m. Broome 12£ m. Craven Arms 5 m. Delbury 7 m. Munslow 15 m. Brocton 20 m. Wenlock Craven Arms 1(H m. Longville 12£ m. Easthope 18 m. Wenlock From Knighton (Rte. 5) to Craven Arms the journey is performed by the Central Wales Ely., thence by the Great Western to Wenlock and Wellington. The Central Wales Line, which runs to Llandovery and Swansea (Handbook for South Wales) leaves Knighton and keeps close to the Teme, the valley of which is very charming. On 1. is Stow Hill and the Holloway Rocks (Rte. 5), and 3 m. on rt. are the woods of Stanage Park in Radnorshire. There was formerly a “ Haye ” or enclosure maintained here, “ and as appears by an inquest taken in Feb. 1295, on the death of Brian de Brompton, there was a park called Ammareslit. The writ ordering an inquest taken in Dec. 1308 had directed the jurors to value the late Brian deBrompton’s manor of Ambreslyth, but the jurors explained that Ambreslyth was no manor, but only a park pertaining to the manor of Stanegge, separately worth 20s. per annum.” Crossing the Teme the line reaches 4 m. Bucknall Stat. Overlooking it is the wooded eminence of Coxwall Knoll, which has always been a fruitful source of discussion with antiquaries, as a possible locale of the last battle of Caractacus with the Romans under Ostorius. The proximity of Caer Caradoc (Rte. 5) renders it tolerably certain, at any rate, that the fiercely contested re- treat of Caractacus before Ostorius was through this line of country. Moreover, spear points and stone balls, evidently projected from en- gines, have been found under the N.W. of the hill, and the site of a Roman camp is only some 4 m. dis- tant at Brandon (Brando vium), near Leintwardine. Strong objections to Coxwall, however, are the shallow reach of the Teme at its base ; the narrowness of its singular eminence ; and the isolated position of the whole knoll. Tacitus also says, “ Ostorius transfert bellum in Ordo- vices ” — whereas all these localities are in the country of the Silures. Still, as the historian was not an eye- witness, but wrote his account from hearsay, this point is not necessarily conclusive. Passing the village of Bedstone, and under the wooded brow of Hopton Hill (1.), the line reaches 7 m. Hopton Stat. [Hopton Castle, see p. 10]. On rt. Broadward Hall (C. Cope, Esq.), and further on (rt.) Clungunford village and House (J. C. L. Rocke, Esq.) and Ferney Hall (W. Hurt-Sitwell, Esq.) A tumulus was opened some years ago close to Clungunford ch. by the late Rev. J. Rocke, who found bones and pottery in it. 9| m. Broome Stat , 12J m. Craven Arms Junct. (Rte. 1). Near the village of Wistanstow, between Craven Arms and Marshbrook, the Great Western Rly. branch to Wenlock turns off to the rt., running up the valley of the Eaton brook, and at the foot of the wooded terrace-like ridge of Wenlock Edge, which divides Apedale from Corve Dale. The lover of quiet, pastoral scenery will do well to ascend Corve Dale to Wenlock, the distance from Craven Arms being about 20 m. The anti- quary will find much to interest him in the quaint country chs., be- sides some interesting fortifications and earthworks. The road passes 40 Route 6 . — Knighton to Wellington . immediately under Norton Camp (seep. 13), and enters the Dale, leaving to the rt. the village of Culmington on the Corve Eiver, the ch. of which has a double piscina. Culmington and Siefton are associated in their Saxon ownership as well as sub- sequent history. Culmington Manor House (Edward Wood, Esq.), Corf ton Hall (H. Champion, Esq.) Still farther to the rt. is Sutton Court (Mrs. Powell), at the foot of Sutton Hill. 5 m. Diddlebury or Delbury, the restored ch. of which contains some E. Norm, details. On the opposite bank of the Corve are some earthworks known as Cortham, or Corfham, Castle, which, with the manor, was given to Walter de Clifford, father of Fair Eosamond, it is sup- posed, as some compensation for her frailty. Here is a well bearing her name. Between Cortham and the Brown Clee Hill is the Heath. The ch ., or rather the chapel, is a singular old Norm, building with a nave and chancel, but no tower or bell-turret. Externally the buttresses are very characteristic of the Norm, era, and there is a good Norm, doorway with circular-headed arch and moulding. The E. end is lighted by 4 very small Norm, windows, one of which pierces the buttress. 7 m., at Munslow, the road and river approach each other. The ch. has an E. Eng. chancel and nave with a chapel attached, a S. porch, and a low W. tower. A little farther on is Millichope Park (F. St. B. Sladen, Esq.), formerly the seat of the Mores, as far back as Henry VIII. ; and in the garden is a memorial temple to 2 members of this family, who died in the last cent, in the naval and military services. The old mansion was taken down about 40 years ago, and the deer park destroyed. The present house is in the Grecian style. 12 m. To rt. F| m. is Holgate,* the former site of a castle of the same name. Helgot was an obscure Norm, chief, who owned sway in this upper part of Corve Dale between the Conquest and the year of the Domes- day Survey, 1078. He appears to have given a hide of land near the Severn, with the fishing rights in the river, to the abbey of SS. Peter and Paul at Shrewsbury on its foundation. The Church has a beautiful Norm, door on the S. with 4 series of mould- ings, the innermost being of the beaked head type. The font is also Norm, and is ornamented with inter- laced mouldings and figures of birds. The tower is very solid, and possesses a peculiar unglazed opening looking into the ch. There are two finely carved oak seats near the E. end of the nave. Beyond the ch. is a steep conical mound, evidently artificial in its origin, and now overgrown by trees, which was probably the earthen keep of some pre-Norm, settler. Beyond the mound is a farmhouse, in one angle of which is incorporated a circular tower in excellent preservation, the only remnant of the former castle. Altogether Holgate forms an excellent instance of an early Norm, settlement in England. Keeping on the 1. side of the Dale, the road passes Shipton Hall (E. J. .More, M.P.), an exceedingly fine Elizabethan mansion of stone with mullioned windows and a tower. 15 m. Brockton, whence the anti- quary can diverge to the hill above the road to inspect the circular fortification of the Ditches. 2 m. rt. of Brockton is Oxenbold, the ancient residence of the Priors of Wenlock, granted to them by Eobert de Girros about 1244. 20 m. Wenlock.] The rly. takes a course on the other or northern side of the Wenlock Edge, passing 6 m. Harton Stat ., and 8^ m. Rushbury Stat. It is a charm- ing walk of 2 m. to Cardington (where the Knights Templars possessed pro- perty), and thence to Church Stretton over Cardington and Hope Bowdler Hills. 10| m. Longville Stat. 2 m. to 1. is an old house called Plash, of Tudor date, chiefly of brick, with fine stacks of moulded chimneys. Some of the 41 Route 6 . — Much Wenlock : Priory. rooms are oak-panelled and picked out with gold stars. The kitchen has some fine oak carving, and the hall an open timber-work roof. Saxton mentions that there was a park here. 12J m. Easthope is passed. Over- looking the rly. is Lutwych Hall , the beautiful seat of E. B. Benson, Esq., placed on the edge of the hill, and or- namented with quaint terrace gardens. On the hill above is the circular camp known as The Ditches. It in- cludes 8 acres, and is nearly a circle in shape. It is surrounded by an outer and inner fosse and 2 valla, and is in immediate view of Nordy Bank, besides coming within the observation of the Caer Caradoc, Bury Ditches, and the Wrekin defensive stations. 15 m. Presthope Stat. 18 m. * MUCH WENLOCK,* ac- cording to Camden “ famous for lime- stone, but formerly in King Eichard II.’s time for a copper mine,” is situated on high and exposed ground near the northern end of Wenlock Edge, and this position obtained for it, as we are informed in the “ Monas- ticon,” the name of “ Winnica ” or winding place. It is now little more than a village, which would scarcely be noticeable, were it not for the beautiful ruins of the Priory , once one of the richest and most important priories in England. But previous to this date Wenlock was a place of much renown, from its having been the seat of a nunnery and the burial- place of St. Milburgh, granddaughter of Penda, and daughter of Merwald, Kings of Mercia, whose name is also preserved in Stoke St. Milborough. Whatever might have been the extent of this establishment, all traces were destroyed (it was supposed) by the Danes in the 9th cent., although 200 years afterwards it was again chosen for a ch. by Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and his wife Godiva, of Coventry fame, in the time of King Edward the Confessor. But this second Saxon foundation scarcely lasted above 30 years, and we find that its priories were placed at the disposal of Eoger de Montgomery, one of the Conqueror’s followers, who about the year 1080 founded the present Priory for Benedictines, which was affiliated as a cell or dependency upon the great mother Abbey Church of Clugny. The con- ventual ch. was formerly dedicated to the Holy Trinity, but subsequently to St. Milburga, whose relics were translated here in 1101. From that time the priory (for the Cluniacs had no abbeys, only priories, in England, dependent on foreign mother churches) increased in riches and importance till the reign of Edward III., when it was seized by the Crown. In Eichard II.’s reign it was declared denizen and ceased to be dependent on any foreign house. At the Dissolution the body con- sisted of a prior, 21 friars, and 11 monks. The ruins, which include 30 acres, are close to the parish ch.-yd., and consist of a portion of the S. side of the nave, a fragment of the N. transept, a larger portion of the S. transept, the chapter-house, and the prior’s apartments. Sufficient of the foundations remain to show that the total length of the ch. was 401 ft. Of the W. front, which is E. Eng., the great W. window is gone, and there only remains one small one of geometrical style, “ that is, a single arch, enclosing two lancet lights, the head filled with an open circle, the jambs of the windows furnished with slender columns, and the arch divided into mouldings.” The remains of the nave (S. side) are 3 pointed arches, with a triforium of lancet arches, and above them again a row of clerestory windows. The pillars of the nave support a groined roof, the floor of one apartment lighted by the W. window just mentioned. The S. transept has also 3 arches with clustered columns, and a tri- forium above. Of the centre tower only the bases of the 4 piers remain, at the intersection of the nave and transepts. In length the minster more than equals Hereford, and ex- ceeds Eochester among our old 42 Route 6 . — Knighton to Wellington. cathedrals. In point of structure and symmetry it must have rivalled our noblest churches. The dimen- sions were 332 ft. ; the nave 117 ft. x 38 ft., or, with aisles, 61 ft. 3 in. ; the side walls being 60 ft. high. The tower occupied a square 48 ft. x 46 ft. ; the transept was 144 ft. from N. to S. ; the aisleless Lady Chapel 41 ft. x 23 ft. (M. Walcott). The chapter-house — the richest building now extant — was entered from' the cloister by a circular-headed doorway, which with the windows on either side are ornamented with chevron mouldings. The most per- fect portion is the N. and S. wall — “ at about 3 ft. from the floor is a projection having a chevron mould- ing, from which rise two clusters of 6 small round shafts which divide the space into 3 compartments of 15 ft. These columns are 5 ft. high, and have capitals variously orna- mented, from which issue a corre- sponding number of ribs which formed the groined roof. In the spaces between the clusters of columns are 5 small circular arches, resting on columns consisting of 3 shafts, above which, up to the groining of the roof, the space is covered by rows of inter- secting arches, each springing from the intersecting point of the arches beneath them. The capitals display every variety of fanciful design on the S., but on the N. the sculptures have never been completed, and the decoration is scanty, except on the groups of pillars from which rose the broad ribs of the vaulting, which have elaborate carvings in a continu- ous pattern on their capitals. This beautiful specimen of Norm, archi- tecture is probably the work of Boger de Montgomery, and from the bases of 6 plain Norm, pillars which a few years ago were to be seen in the choir, it is probable that it also was of the same date.” — E. S . A., “ Arch. Cambrensis.” In the S.W. angle of the cloister garth is a beautiful lavabo, with the exception of that at Durham the only one in England of the kind ; this has been comparatively recently discovered. It was originally covered by a roof supported by marble columns, the bases of some of which remain, whilst 2 perfect and com- plete specimens are in the prior’s house. The lavabo appears to have been a circular trough with a hole in the centre into which the water trickled. This is still thickly en- crusted with lime salts which were deposited during its period of use. On the exterior are two carved tab- lets, one of which represents our Lord’s call to St. Peter. To the S. of the chapter-house is the Prior’s Residence * (now in- habited by C. Milnes Gaskell, Esq., D.L.), one of the most beautiful and interesting buildings in England, and preserving, thanks to the care which has been bestowed upon it and a judicious absence of restoration, pro- bably more of its original character- istics than any similar building else- where. It seems to have occupied part of a quadrangle, of which two sides are now left. One side consists of what was probably a Norm, hall lighted by windows on the first floor, which are still perfect, with foliage and Norm work. The other consists of a building of 2 stories surmounted by a very high roof, and contains some of the principal apartments. Its whole length is about 100 ft., and it has a light and elegant open cloister extending throughout and communi- cating with the rooms on either floor. The cloister or gallery is divided into compartments by large buttresses at regular intervals, and these again are subdivided into 2 compartments by smaller buttresses, the space between being filled in with 2 trefoil-headed lights, and divided horizontally by a transom. The arrangement is the same for the lower story. Notice the water-drains from the upper rooms, carved with lions’ heads and gro- tesque figures. On the ground floor is also the kitchen, and opening into it is a garderobe , such as often occurs in mediaeval buildings. Next to this is what may once have been Route 6 . — Much Wenlock: Church. 43 the bakehouse, now the house- keeper’s room. At the end is the oratory or prior’s private chapel, which contains an altar, open under- neath for the reception of relics, and a stone reading-desk, carved with E. Eng. foliage. The prior’s Hall is a fine room of 3 bays, lighted by 4 windows of 2 lights each, on the first floor, over what is now the kitchen. This was not the refectory of the abbey, but merely a private dining- room. It contains a fireplace of 17th cent, date, and a drain at the N.E. angle, ending in a lion’s head. A flowered cornice runs round the top of the wall, and the roof is of oak, of great beauty of construction and design. Adjoining the Hall is the prior’s parlour. Mr. Blore con- siders the age of the building to be about the middle of the 15th cent., although “ the roof indicates an age anterior to the date of the building of which it forms a part.” A detached building- to the S.W. of the prior’s house, the use of which is un- known, has 5 corbels on the side next to the ch., which seem to indi- cate the former existence of a room on that side. A large portion of the Priory was pulled down many years ago by a vandal -in the shape of a house agent, but further ruin was stopped by the then Sir W. W. Wynn, from whom, by an interchange of property, it passed to the late W. Milnes Gaskell, M.P. The parish Church, which closely adjoins the abbey ruins, is of mixed style, from Norm, to Perp., and con- sists of chancel, nave, and aisles, with a low tower and spire. On the N. of the chancel is an ambry and piscina; on the S. are sedilia. On either side of the E. window are niches for a figure, under Dec. cano- pies. There are 3 brasses. In the ringing chamber there is a remarkably fine piece of late Norm, work in connection with the window of what was the W. face wall of the ch. This must have been covered shortly after it was built by the erec- tion of the Norm, tower. A half- timbered building contains in its first room the Petty Sessions Court ; here is some good carved oak and the ancient stocks on wheels. Behind this, and also containing some fine oak furniture, is the Council chamber, for, notwithstanding its small size, Wenlock is a corporate borough, a charter having been granted to it by Edward IV. Amongst other interesting build ings the following should be espe- cially noted : (1) The almoner’s house, which is the oldest domestic building in the town. The back of this house is worthy of observation. (2) A pair of half-timbered houses, dated 1682, with balcony and twisted balustrade. (3) Ashfield Hall, a fine half-tim- bered house with a gateway, now a common lodging-house. This build- ing formerly possessed another wing on the 1. similar to that in the rt. Here Charles II. slept on his way to Boscobel. Wenlock has also a Corn Market and Agricultural Library, and an almost unique annual festival of “ Olympic Games,” for the encourage- ment of field sports and athletic exercises, founded in 1850. Ely. from Wenlock to Craven Arms, 18 m., and to Buildwas Junct. 3 m., there meeting the Severn Valley line. 2 m. E. of Wenlock is Barrow, the (restored) ch. of which is also Norm., although very plain. The windows are semicircular and deeply splayed. At the restoration, a fresco was dis- covered under the plaster, of a full- sized knight on horseback. Tom Moody, a well-known huntsman of Lord Forester, was buried here in 1796. Barrow is about 1 m. from Willey Park, the seat of Lord Forester (Rte. 4). From Wenlock the rly. passes several lime -works and begins its descent through a pretty wooded country to Buildwas Junct. [The remainder of this route is described in Rte. 4.] 44 Route 7 . — Wolverhampton to Nantwich . ROUTE 7. FROM WOLVERHAMPTON TO NANTWICH, BY SHIFFNAL, WELLINGTON, AND MARKET DRAYTON (GREAT WESTERN RLY.) Eail. Koad. Places. 6 m. W olverhampton Albrighton 4 m. Boscobel m. Tonge 11 m. 3 m, Shiffnal 15 m. Oakengates 18 m. Wellington Junct. Walk to Wrekin 30 m. Wellington Hodnet 35 m. Market Drayton 24 m. Moreton Say 7 m. Ightfield 10 m. Whitchurch 39 m. Market Drayton Adderley 41* m. Audlem 47 m. Nantwich Quitting Wolverhampton by the Great Western Ely. (Low-level Stat.), the traveller passes 4^ m. Codsall Stat. (Handbook for Staffordshire ) , and enters the county of Salop a little before reaching Albrighton Stat. 6 m. Albrighton, which closely adjoins Donington, the 2 chs. being within a stone’s throw of each other, is a place of considerable antiquity and is supposed to derive its name from the Saxon Lord, Albericus. However this may be, it is certain that mention is made of Nicholas, priest of Alberitone in the year 1186, which is about the date of some por- tions of the ch. It has a low Norm. W. tower, the upper portion of later date than the lower, and on each side the window is perforated by a singular circular opening. The E. window is Dec., with good tracery, but nevertheless has a tran- som. There is a S. aisle with a 3-light window, and a rose-light above it. On the N. side of the chancel is a fine altar-tomb, discovered during the operation of lowering the floor of the S. aisle, and doubtless re-erected here at the restoration of the ch. The legend around it describes it as the resting-place of John Talbot of Grafton, Knight, and his wife, Frances, daughter and heiress of a Clifford of Chelmarsh ; and this John appears to have been the son of another John Talbot, of whom Leland mentions the connection with this place by marriage with the heiress. Leland’s reference is as follows : “ Syr John Talbot that married Trouts beks heire dwelleth in a goodlie logge in the hy toppe of Albrighton Parke, it is in the very egge of Shropshire, 3 m. from Tunge.” There was an- other fine marble altar-tomb ; but that has disappeared since 1700, and was probably broken up. Albrighton Hall (A. C. Lyon, Esq.) 3 m. to the S., just within the bor- ders of Staffordshire, is Patsliull, the beautiful seat of the Earl of Dart- mouth. This property belonged in the 17th and 18th cents, to the family of Astley, who erected the house in the Vanbrugh style, but afterwards sold it to the Pigots, who in their turn disposed of it to the late Earl of Dartmouth. The house was greatly improved under Burn , and now consists of a centre and wings of red stone, the latter carried up so as to overtop the former. The gar- dens are charming, and the park contains most picturesque scenery and 2 lakes, the waters of one of which fall in a cascade of 30 ft. From the situation of the house on a raised mound in a very elevated portion of the park, it commands an extensive view over Shropshire and Cheshire. Above it is a belt of woodland, surrounding the old half- timbered hall, now a farmhouse ; in the yard behind is a curious stone font. Patshull Church is an Italian build- ing of the close of the 17th cent., and is entered by a portico, with an armed figure in one corner. It has 2 Route 7 . — White Ladies ; Boscobel, 45 altar-tombs : 1. To Sir John Astley and his wife (temp. Henry VI.), with panels of his 7 sons and 8 daughters. 2. Sir Richard Astley, recumbent be- tween his 2 wives. A squadron of horse is depicted on this tomb. There are also monuments to the Pigot family. The ch. is filled with stained glass, memorials to former Earls of Dartmouth. To the S.E. of Pats- hull is Pattingham, a fine old ch. of dif- ferent dates. The nave is Norm., the chancel E. Eng., and the S, aisle Dec. It has been restored by Scott. [A most interesting Excursion can be made from Codsall or Albrighton stats, to Boscobel and White Ladies, N. of the rly., returning by Tonge. From Codsall the way to Boscobel (4 m.) lies through a pretty open country, skirting the woods of Chil- lington to 8 m. Langley. In the dis- tance on rt. is Brewood spire. From- Albrighton the visitor may pass Donington, the ch. of which has some good stained glass, or he may proceed direct from the stat. to Shakerley Hall (the Misses Burne), 1 m. beyond which, to the 1., is White Ladies, in the wooded district formerly known as Brewood Forest. Here are the ruins of an ancient convent for Cistercian nuns, a Norm, structure, founded in the reign of Richard I. Contemporaneous with it was the monastic establishment of the Black Ladies for Benedictine nuns, near Brewood, in the adjoining- county of Stafford. The ruins of White Ladies are not large, and con- sist principally of a wall, a portion of which belonged to the Norm, chapel, and some circular-headed arches. “ On the N. side is an open round arch, which might have led into a transept or chapel.” The visitor will soon come in sight of the ancient though altered mansion of # BOS- COBEL* “ the scene of such romance, heroism, loyalty, . and other noble qualities, as will always command admiration even from those who condemn the cause in which such virtues are exercised.” Hither it was that after the sanguinary battle of "Worcester in 1651 the unfortunate monarch, Charles II., rode up, closely pursued by Cromwell’s troopers, who were scouring the country in all directions. In Boscobel wood lived William Penderel, a woodcutter, while his brother Richard lived at Hobbal Grange, about 1 m. to the W. To these rough and uneducated peasants was the fugitive King committed by the Earl of Derby, who had before now been sheltered in this district, and no men could have carried out these instructions with greater loyalty or at greater personal risk. As Col. Ashen- hurst’s troop was quartered at Codsall, no time was to be lost, and the King, having disguised himself in a coarse country suit, cutting off his locks and rubbing his hands against the chimney, was conducted by Richard Penderel into the fastnesses of Bos- cobel woods, while his other brother acted as scout. “ The heavens wept bitterly at these calamities, insomuch that the thickest tree in the wood was not able to keep his Majesty dry, nor was there anything for him to sit upon ; whereupon Richard went to Francis Yates’s house (a trusty neighbour who married his wife’s sister), where he borrowed a blanket, which he folded and laid on the ground for his Majesty to sit on. At the same time Richard spoke to the goodwife Yates to pro- vide some victuals and bring it into the wood at a place he appointed her. She pre- sently made ready a mess of some milk and some butter and eggs, and brought them to his Majesty in the wood, who, being a little surprised to see the woman (no good concealer of a secret), said cheerfully to her, ‘Good woman, can you be faithful to a distressed cavalier ? ’ She answered, ‘ Yes, sir, I will die rather than discover you ; ’ with which answer his Majesty was well satisfied.” — Blount. That night the King was conducted by Richard to the Severn to endeavour to make his escape into Wales ; but finding the roads guarded in every direction, it was thought advisable to return to Boscobel. At three in the morning they reached it, and there found Col. Carless, a fugitive loyalist ; but it being deemed too hazardous for the King’s shelter, he was taken to the wood and raised into the oak-tree, when “ the Colonel humbly desired his Majesty (who had taken little or no rest the two preceding nights) to seat himself as easy as he could in the tree, and rest his head on the Colonel’s lap, who was watchful that his Majesty should not fall ; and in this posi- tion his Majesty slumbered away some part of the day, and bore all these hardships and - afflictions with incomparable patience.” The tree now known as Charles’s oak, which stands in front of the house within an iron fence, is held by some to be a descendant of the original, which must, it is argued, have been much farther from Bos- cobel House than the present one — but the whole of Boscobel Forest is a thing of the past, and it would 46 Route 7 . — Wolverhampton to Nantwich. be difficult for anyone, be he king or peasant, to conceal himself here now- adays. If we reflect that, according to tradition, the forest then came close to the precincts of the house and stood thick and dense, as well as that the oak, if vigorous, is not more hale than other sylvan giants of like reputed longevity, the question of originality as against scionship may be well left “ sub judice.” A pro- fessional writer who visited and measured the oak in July 1878 found that in 21 years it had in- creased in girth 11 inches, or about J an inch annually, since a former visit. Arguing that it would have increased much faster in its prime or even its 2nd cent., he reckons that this tree would have been very small, if not an acorn, in 1651. (See ‘ Gardeners’ Chron.,” N. S., vol. x. p. 497.) The house is the property of Canon Carr, of Holbrook Hall. It is not shown after 5 o’clock p.m., nor on Sundays. In the dining-room, which is panelled with oak, is a portrait of the King ; the mantel- piece also of black marble has some sculptured scenes of his escapes. Here also is a portrait of Cromwell. Beyond this room is a small chamber which was an oratory. It contains a curious oak chest made just after the King’s escape, and a copy of the con- temporary portrait of Dame Penderel. In the garret is the hole, concealed by a trap-door just at the top of the stair- case leading thereto, in which the King took his rest after it was thought prudent for him to leave the protection of the wood. This hole is sufficiently large to hide a modest- sized man in a standing position, especially as there was then no flight of steps or ladder to cramp the ingress, and in one of the bedrooms is a small chamber, in the thickness of the chimney, which communicates with the garden outside. The latter hiding-place had been used aforetime for Jesuit priests, whom the Pen- derels, staunch Catholics, were au fait in hiding; and doubtless the Earl of Derby, and probably many other loyal fugitives, had taken advantage of it in the Civil War troubles. The garden is well kept in all its quaint formality, and har- monises with the old-fashioned timber house. In it still stands the “successor and locum tenens” of the arbour where the King sat and read on the Sunday while waiting the return of John Penderel, who had been sent to Moseley to apprise Lord Wilmot of what had happened, to which place his Majesty was con- veyed that very night. From Boscobel the tourist can pro- ceed eastwards to Brewood ( Handbook for Staffordshire ), or return in the opposite direction for 3J m. to the village of Tonge, passing at the foot of Tonge Knoll, on the summit of which is a clump of Scotch fir- trees. From the knoll is a very charming view looking over the wooded park of Weston , or Weston- under-Lezard, the seat of the Earl of Bradford. The house is a large cheerful building, with no particular architectural features of interest ; but the grounds and gardens are very pretty, and contain a conspicuous domed conservatory. Not far from the house is the ch ., in which are several monuments to the family of Bradford. At Tonge Norton the road falls into the high-road from Wolver- hampton to Newport, near a large sheet of water called Norton Mere, prettily covered with water-lilies. From the 1. towards the rly. and in about J m. the visitor reaches the village of TONGE, celebrated for the beauty of its ch. and its modern castle , which has probably seen more changes than any place of the sort. “It is stated to have been anciently the seat of Hengist, the Saxon, whom Vortigern called in to his assistance, and having been successful in his warlike engagements, he afterwards begged of Yortigern as much land as an ox-hide could enclose. On his request being granted, he cut the hide into strips, and had as much land as it encom- passed, whereon he built the castle.” — Burke. It afterwards came into the possession of the Pembrugges, and subsequently the Vernons, by marriage of William Vernon, of Haddon, 47 Route 7 . — Tonge : Church. with Benedicta, sister and heiress of Sir Fulke Pembrugge. The Stanleys were the next possessors by intermarriage with the Vernons, and it was purchased from them by Sir Thomas Harris, a lawyer, whose daughter married William Pierrepoint, and thus brought the property into the ducal family of Kingston. Evelyn, last Duke of Kingston, sold it in 1764 to George Durant ; but that family, after a residence of nearly 100 years, has become extinct, and Tonge passed by purchase to its present possessor, the Earl of Bradford. George Durant was Paymaster of the Forces at the time of the capture of the Havannah in 1761, and is said to have amassed an enormous fortune by. plunder, a great part of which he laid out in the pur- chase of this property. He demolished the old castle and erected the present one from his own designs — one of those fantastic build- ings of mixed Gothic and Moorish, with conspicuous Turkish domes. The incon- gruities, however, are partially softened by the warm red of the stone. The place is to a great extent surrounded by water, carried in artificial canals of great depth, and ap- parently cut for the double purpose of defence and irrigation of the park. On the S. side, however, the river is dry, and picturesquely overgrown with timber and brushwood. Tonge Church * has been described as a miniature Westminster Abbey on account of the number and beauty of the tombs which it con- tains. It is a fine example of E. Perp., consisting of nave with very broad aisles, and a central octa- gonal tower with low spire. The under stage of the tower is on a larger base than the middle, and is bevelled off at the sides. On the N. side of the chancel is the vestry, and there is a S. porch. On this same side is the golden chapel. The ch. is said to be the one described by Dickens in his story of “ The Old Curiosity Shop,” as that near which little Nell was buried, and was certainly drawn as such by Cattermole. It was restored in 1892 at a cost of about 5,00(P., and at the same time the great bell, weighing 48 cwt., which had cracked, was recast. This was originally pre- sented by Sir H. Vernon, who also gave “ a rent out of his manor of Norton for tolling it when any Vernon came to town.” In the vestry is preserved a curious and highly embroidered purple velvet altar-cloth. Here is also preserved a magnificent and unique ciborium (temp. Henry VIII.), said to have been the work of Holbein, which probably belonged to the ancient College of Tonge. The glass in the E. windows of the chancel was found under the floor of the golden chapel during the re- storation. There is much well- carved woodwork in the chancel screen and seats, and especially in the misereres. Note that belonging to the first stall on the rt., the Annunciation with lily in pot bearing a crucifix, which is particularly fine. The following tombs should be examined before the golden chapel is visited: (1) An alabaster monument to Sir Richard Vernon and his wife Eliza- beth. He was Treasurer of Calais, inherited the estate and arms of Pem- brugge, and died in 1451. (2) A similar monument to Sir Fulke Pem- brugge and his wife. He died 1408-9, and his widow founded this colle- giate ch. in his memory. Connected with this monument is a curious custom noticed by a writer in the “ Gentleman’s Magazine,” at the end of the 18th cent., of the presenta- tion of a fresh garland of roses every midsummer’s day, round the effigies of the Lady of Fulke de Pembrugge. This custom is still maintained, though, owing to a mistake, Lady Vernon had the benefit of the garland for a number of years. (3) Brasses to the Skeffingtons on each side of altar. (W. Skeffington, ob. 1550, S. side.) (4) A fine altar-tomb with inlaid brasses to Sir William Vernon and his wife Margaret, with effigies of their 12 children. (5) A renaissance tomb, the de- tailed ornamentation of which is well worth studying, to Sir Thomas Stanley, who married Margaret Vernon, sister and co-heiress of Doro- thy Vernon. His son’s effigy is in the lower part of the monument. The inscription on the E. end of this tomb is said, on doubtful authority, to have been written by Shakespeare. The dramatist was not 13 years of age when Sir Thomas Stanley died. 48 Route 7 . — -Wolverhampton to Nantwich. The Golden Chapel, on the S. side of the ch., was erected in memory of Arthur Vernon, whose brass is in the floor (ob, 1517) and whose bust is on the W. wall. Unlike the remainder of the ch., which possesses a wooden roof, it has fan-vaulting of beautiful design, which still retains much of the colour with which it was origi- nally decorated. On the walls are the consecration crosses of the chapel itself, as opposed to the church, and also many vestiges of a frescoed pomegranate pattern in red and black. At the E. end is the original altar slab with 7 consecration crosses instead of the usual 5. It is pos- sible that 2 additional crosses may have been added, when the original pair at the back were covered by a super-altar or reredos. Behind the altar are the remains of a fresco of the Crucifixion. In an arch between the chapel and ch, is a monument to Sir H. Vernon and wife, the parents of Arthur Vernon. Adjoining the demesne of Tonge Castle is Neachley (Col. Hon. F. C. Bridgeman). The whole round from Albrighton to Boscobel and back by Tonge will be about 11 m.] Continuing the route by rly., the traveller passes on 1., 2 m. from Al- brighton, the pillar, 180 ft. high, of the Wolverhampton Waterworks, erected at Cosford Bridge for the purpose of forcing the water up from the river Worf. It is taken to the reservoir at Tattenhall and thence to Wolverhampton. On rt. is Neachley and Tonge. 9 m. rt. Ruckley Grange (Sir E. L. Durand, Bart.) The house is mo- dern, but is supposed to have been built on the site of an old “ grange,” or granary, belonging to Buildwas Abbey, to which it formed a sort of halfway house between Buildwas and Brewood Forest, where the monks had extensive rights of feeding swine and cutting timber. On 1. 1| m. is Hatton Grange (Col. Kenyon Slaney), the grounds of which contain some magnificent beech trees, and are adorned with deep picturesque pools, formed by the damming up of the Twy brook before it joins the Worf. The high ground to the rt. overlooking Ruck- ley and Shiffnal is Lezard Hill, be- longing to Lord Stafford, of Cossey. 11 m. The rly. now runs over a lofty bridge overlooking and dividing the quaint-looking town of Shiffnal # (formerly called Idsall). The Church,* which has been com- pletely restored, is a cruciform build- ing of several architectural dates. It consists of nave, with aisles, N. and S. transept, chancel (added to which is a S. chapel, called the Moreton chapel), a central tower, and S. porch. There are two good Norm, windows in the N. wall of the chan- cel, the carving of the pillars to which externally should be noted. On the S. side externally is a recessed tomb containing an inserted female effigy of earlier date. The S. porch is E. Eng., and has a singular parvise which extends into the ch., and is separated on its E. side from the S. aisle by a screen only instead of a wall. The nave has a hammer-beam roof ; the tower is supported by 4 plain E.Eng. arches. Beyond that to the E., and close to it, is a fine late Norm, arch with many mouldings which belonged to the Norm, tower. In the chancel is the recumbent effigy, in full Eucharistic vestments, of Thos. Forster (ob. 1526), a former vicar of the ch., who was also Prior of Wombridge and Warden of Tonge. The Dec. tracery of the E. window is of remarkable beauty. The Moreton chapel possesses re- mains of sedilia. Here are monu- ments to the family of Brigges of Haughton and Ernestry, bearing dates 1596 and 1625, which were re- moved from the chancel at the re- storation. Amongst the celebrities of Shiffnal were Tom Brown, a licen- tious poet of the 17th cent., and Dr. Beddoes, a noted chemist and man of science, 1754. There are many 49 Route 7 . — Wellington; Apley Castle. good residences immediately adjoin- ing Shiffnal : Aston Hall (Mrs. How- ard Maclean) ; Decker Hill (Rev. W. Garnett-Botfield) ; Haughton Hall (J. T. Brooke, Esq.), of which records remain from the date 1268, when it was called Haleston, and was the property of Sir Hugh de Halestone. An excursion should be made to Brimstree Hill, 1 m. to the S., from the summerhouse on which, though the elevation is not great, one of the finest views in this part of the county is to be obtained, extending into Wor- cestershire, Staffordshire, and Wales. From Shiffnal the tourist can proceed by a branch line to Coalbrook Dale, through Madeley, where formerly existed a park belonging to the Prior and Convent of Wenlock, and licensed by King Edward I. in 1283. At 13 m. the rly. ascends the hilly district between Shiffnal and Wel- lington, at the northern portion of the Shropshire coalfield. On rt. is Priorslee Hall. It obtains its name from once being the residence of the Prior of a house of Augustine Canons, founded at Wombridge (a little to the N.) in the reign of Stephen. On 1. is Malins Lee, where are the remains of an E. Norm, chapel, with 3 narrow deeply splayed windows. Its founder is not known. Although naturally the dis- trict is broken and hilly, it is far from inviting, owing to the dreary aspect of the collieries, many of which are worked out, and the squalid, tumbledown look of the houses. 15 m. Oakengates Stat. Here the L. and N.-W. branch from Coal- port crosses the line on its way to join the Shropshire Union Rly. This place, which now reeks with the smoke of collieries, occupies the site of the Roman station Uxacona. A little farther on (rt.) is Wom- bridge. In a garden here are slight remains of the monastery of Canons Regular, founded by William Fitz- Alan of Clun in the 12th cent. 18 m. Wellington Junct., where the latter line from Stafford (Rte. 8) [H. B. Shrop.] joins the Great Western, both using the same rails from Wellington to Shrewsbury. Hence also the Market Drayton and Nantwich br. is given off. The town of WELLINGTON# in itself does not possess very much to detain the tourist, although there is an evident attempt to accommodate modern improvements to the narrow and crooked streets of former days. These include a fair proportion of half-timbered houses. It was noted during the Rebellion for being the first place of rendezvous of Charles I., who marched his forces here Sept. 19, 1642, and then and there delivered an address. The ch. is modern, and is only noteworthy for its extreme ugliness, and for containing a good deal of iron in its composition. Wellington has become a place of considerable trade of late years, it being the metropolis for all the northern district of the Shropshire coalfields and for a considerable agricultural population to the N. and W. It has iron foundries, corn mills, a tannery, a glass factory, and several nail and agricultural implement manufactories. 1 m. N. of the town is Apley Castle, the seat of Col. Sir Thos. Meyrick, Bart. The house is plain, of the beginning of the present cent., but it is situated in a finely wooded park. Slight remains exist of the old castle, which underwent a siege by the Parliamentary forces in the Civil War. It is thus mentioned by Richard Baxter, who married into the Charlton family : “ But it being in the heat of the civil war, Robert, her brother, being for the Parliament, had the advantage of strength, which put her (his wife’s mother) to seek relief at Oxford from the King, and afterwards to marry one Mr. Harmer, who was for the King, to make her interest that way. Her house, being a sort of small castle, was garrisoned for the King. But at last Robert procured it to be besieged by the Parliamentary soldiers, and stormed and taken when the mother and chil- E 50 Route 7 . — Wolverhampton to Nantwich . dren were there, and saw part of their building burnt and some lye dead before their eyes, and so Robert got possession of the children.” The great attraction of Wellington is of course the WREKIN,# which raises its huge dome some 2 m. to the S. Although of no very great height — only 1,260 ft. above the Severn, and 1,385 above the sea — it is conspicuous far and wide, and forms an unmistakable landmark in every phase of Shropshire scenery. Such a vast tract of country comes under its ken that the old Shropshire toast of “ All round the Wrekin ” has become a proverb. To ascend the Wrekin the tourist should make for the Watling Street beyond the workhouse. Take the turn to the 1. which leads along the side of the Ercall , the lesser hill to the N. of the Wrekin. This should be followed to the Forest Pavilion , a place of refreshment. Here turn through a gate and follow the path round the hill, until a cottage is reached where refreshments are also sold. Then climb the strip of green turf which leads up the hill, between two banks, Hellgate, the opening in the outer vallum of the camp, the outlines of which are much oblite- rated by the trees. It then passes between two other banks, Heavengate , the opening in the inner vallum. A mound, marking the highest point of the hill, will next be reached. Be- yond this is a large outcrop of rock, the Bladder Stone, from which there is an extensive view. Nearly due W. is Plinlimmon, slightly *N. of which is Cader Idris. Still farther towards the N. are the Breiddens, and beyond them Aran Fowddy terminating the Berwyn range. The elevations to the N. are in Cheshire. S. of Plinlimmon is Corndon, then the Stiperstones, Long- mynd, Caradoc, and Lawley in order. Still farther S. are Radnor Forest and the Brecon Beacons. The Clees and Malverns are W. and E. respectively of S. To the E. of Malvern are Abberley, Cleeve, Bredon and the Cotswolds, Clent and Edge Hill in order. The Rev. Mr. Butt is the author of an excellent chart of the horizon from the Wrekin, which can be purchased at the Forest Pavi- lion. Below the Bladder Stone and between it and another smaller mass of rock is a narrow fissure known as the Needle’s Eye. In another rock S. of the Bladder Stone is a small pool of water, the Raven’s Bowl. Instead of returning by the same path the tourist can (a) descend the E. side and make his way by Little Wen- lock to Coalbrook Dale or Buildwas, the distance to either being between 3 and 4 m., or (b) descend by a very steep path on the S.W. face (a con- tinuation of the path from the cot tage), entering at the foot a trackway which runs straight to Wroxeter (p. 62), whence it is about 3 m. to Upton Magna Stat. (p. 63). The Wrekin is stated by geologists to be the oldest mountain in England, if not in Europe. “ It is chiefly com- posed of rocks of a pink, red, or grey colour, rich in silica, and deficient or wanting in iron, lime, and magnesia. This rock, so far from being disruptive, was deposited in beds not only before the Caradoc period, but long anterior to the much older Cambrian strata. Mr. Allport has shown, by both chemical and microscopic analysis, that the rocks of the Wrekin are identical with the modern eject- ments of volcanoes. Certain changes have taken place during the lapse of ages by the action of infiltrated at- mospheric waters, but it cannot be doubted that originally the volcanic rocks of the Wrekin were essentially the same in composition and in mode of formation as the materials of modern volcanoes. The Wrekin is chiefly composed of a great bedded series consisting of alter- nations of felstones (felspathic lavas) and felspathic tuffs. At the N.E. end are beds of volcanic breccia alternating with fine-grained ashes. Underlying these are pink and white felstones, displaying a distinct banded structure, due, it is supposed, to the 51 Route 7. — Hodnet ; flowing motion of the rock in its ori- ginal form as molten lava. Towards the summit of the mountain we come again to a hard pink breccia : and at the summit the rock is a compact purple felstone. On the S.W. flank of the hill is another exposure of tuff.” — Callaivay. A number of rare plants have been noted on the Wrekin and in the bogs at its base. Leaving Wellington the Great Western Ely. line turns off from the main line to the rt. soon after leaving the stat., and passes 1. the village of Admaston, where there are two springs, chalybeate and sulphur, which have a local reputation for the cure of rheumatism. On rt. is Apley Castle (ante), (Col. Sir Thos. Meyrick, Bart.) 3 m. rt. is the village of Eyton, J theTfti. of which contains some good stained glass and monuments to the memory of the E^fon family! The Hall (T. R. S. Eyton, Esq.) J The line now crosses the Shrews- bury and Stafford Canal, and enters the valley of the Tern at 5 m. Crudgington Stat . The country is pastoral and pretty, but contains no special feature of interest. At Kin- nersley (3J m. rt.) was buried Dr. John Bridgman, Bp. of Chester, 1619-52, and father of Sir Orlando Bridgman, Lord Chief Baron and Chief Justice. The Bp. was ex- pelled at the abolition of episcopacy under the Commonwealth, and his palace and furniture sold for 1,059Z. At Bowton, near High Ercall (2 m. 1.), was born Richard Baxter, the Nonconformist, in 1615. 9 m. Pep- low Hall (F. Stanier, Esq.) 12 m. Hodnet Stat., the nearest to Hawkstone Park, which, as it is usually visited from Wem, is de- scribed in Rte. 12. The wooded hills of Hopley and Bury Walls form a very pretty feature in the landscape to the 1. of Hodnet. Near the ch.-yd. is a picturesque group of half-timbered houses, one of which is dated 1585. The eh., restored in 1883, is a handsome building with a very massive octagonal W. tower, Market Drayton . said to have been built for purposes of defence. It contains an excellent Norm, font, and some chained books on a desk. There is a slab to Bp. Heber, who was rector here for 15 years, and whose daughter married A. Heber Percy of Hodnet Hall ; also a recumbent alabaster figure of her daughter. These are in the N. chapel. The chancel was originally the Vernon chapel, and contains the armour of a member of that family. The ancient manor of Hodnet was held by the service of being “ steward of the honour of Montgomery.” The * lords of Hodnet were bound to keep that fortress in repair. By the marriage of the heiress of the De Hodenets, it passed to the Ver- nons, then to the Hebers. “ Saxton makes a park here, midway between Cheswardine and Wem : it was an ancient park, recognised as early as the year 1257, when it was held by the family who assumed their name from it .” —Shirley. The present Hall (A. C. Heber Percy, Esq.) is a pictu- resque irregular building, embosomed in trees. 1J m. rt. of Hodnet is Stoke-upon- Tern, the ch. of which, of Tudor date, contains a monument to Sir Reginald Corbet, Judge of the Com- mon Pleas in the reign of Elizabeth. The following inscription is upon a pew : “ God prosper long ,y e ldnge in this lande, And grant that Papystrie never have y® upper haude.” 5 m. to the S.E. of Hodnet is Child’s Ercall, the ch. of which has an octagonal font, with the lower half of each angle bevelled. A little far- ther E. is Hinstock, formerly a great haunt of freebooters. The Barons of Wem used to exact toll from travel- lers for guarding passes in the neighbourhood. Passing rt. Bunt- ingsdale Hall (J. Tayleur, Esq.), the rly. reaches 17 m. Market Drayton Junct. with the Silverdale and Stoke-upon-Trent Rly. The town of MARKET DRAY- TONS is a quiet little place, close to the e 2 52 Route 7 . — Wolverhampton to Nantwich. Staffordshire border, dependent on the neighbouring agricultural population, a paper manufactory, and one of horsehair seating. But it can boast of considerable antiquity, being men- tioned in Domesday Book as Draitune, the Manor of which was possessed by the Abbot of St. Ebrulph, in Normandy, and after him by the Abbot of Combermere. The grammar school was founded by Sir Rowland Hill, Lord Mayor of London in the reign of Mary. There are some good half-timbered houses with quaint carvings. The ch. has been restored, and consists of a nave, aisles, chancel, and square tower with buttresses and pinnacles. The W. door is Norm. In the neighbourhood are many pretty seats, such as Sty che (Lady Mary Herbert), Pellwall (W. L. Chew, Esq.), Tunstall (Mrs. Broughton), and Peatswood (F. R. Twemlow, Esq.) Excursions : — (a) To Audley Cross, situated 3 m. on the Stafford Road on Blore Heath. Here was fought the famous battle, in 1459, between the factions of Lancaster and York, when Lord Audley and a number of the Cheshire gentry, who fought on King Henry’s side, were killed. Drayton thus speaks of it : The Earl Neville, Earl of Salisbury, “ As hungry in revenge, there made a ravenous spoil : There Dutton Dutton kills ; a Done doth kill a Done ; A Booth a Booth, — and Leigh by Leigh is overthrown. A Venables against a Venables doth stand ; A Troutbeck fightetli with a Troutbeck hand to hand ; There Molineux doth make a Molineux to die, And Egerton the strength of Egerton doth try.” Polyolb. Song 22, vv. 620-8. Audley Cross is supposed to mark the place where Lord Audley fell. It is said that Margaret of Anjou wit- nessed the fight from the tower of Mucklestone ch., 1J m. to the N. (b) To Whitchurch by Moreton Say and Ightfield. Moreton Say (2| m.) The ch. was rebuilt in brick in 1783, but retains the Norm, tower doorway. It contains the tomb of Lord Clive, to whose memory there is a tablet ; a recumbent effigy of Jane, daughter of Sir T. Yernon (ob. 1623), between those of her 2 husbands ; and a carved and coloured wooden tablet to the 3 daughters of Sir T. and Dorothy Yernon, dated 1624. 5 m. on rt. Cloverley Hall (A. P. Heywood Lonsdale, Esq.), and near it a ch. built in memory of John Pemberton Heywood, formerly of Cloverley Hall. 7 m. Ightfield. In the ch. are 2 good brasses : (1) to W. Mainwaring, 1498, the head restored ; (2) to Dame Margaret Evelyn, daughter of Wil- liam Mainwaring of Ightfield Hall, and afterwards wife of Philip Egerton, Esq. (14 — ), with children, under tabernacle work. Ightfield Hall. 10 m. Whitchurch (p. 82). From Market Drayton the line pro- ceeds to 21 m. Adderley Stat. To the 1. is Adderley Hall (H. R. Corbet, Esq.) the park of which was enclosed by Walter de Dunstanville, by agree- ment with the Abbot of Shrewsbury, between 1175 and 1190. Cloverley and Shavington are seats of A. P. Heywood Lonsdale, Esq. In the grounds of both places there are some remarkably fine sheets of water. Shavington ch. has nave with aisles, chancel, transept and a chapel used as a mausoleum for the Kilmorey family. The interior contains monu- ments to the Needhams. A little before reaching 23J m. Audlem Stat. the rly. enters Cheshire, and runs through a flat well-cultivated district, passing rt. Coole Pilate, Hankelow, Batherton, and Austerton Halls, now all farm- houses, to 29 m. Nantwich Junct. (Rte. 12). By this line, therefore, the traveller has a through route from Worcester and Wolverhampton to Crewe and Manchester. 58 Route 8 . — Shrewsbury : History. ROUTE 8. FROM SHREWSBURY TO STAFFORD BY WELLINGTON AND NEWPORT. Rail. Road. Places. Shrewsbury 4 m. Atcham 5 m, Wroxeter Shrewsbury 3 m, Battlefield 6 m. Haughmond 84 m. Upton Stat. Shrewsbury 3 m. Condover Stat. 14 m. ,, Village 4 m. Pitchford 5 m. Acton Burnell 10£ m. Hughley Shrewsbury 8 m. Pontesbury Walk. abt. 13 m, to Stiperstones and Minster- ley Stat. Shrewsbury 10 m. Minsterley abt. 13 m. to Stapeley Hill and Lydham Heath Stat. Shrewsbury 3£ m. Upton Magna m. Walcott 11£ m. Hadley 14 m. Donnington 18 m. Newport SHREWSBURY^ (pop. 27,967) is the capital of Shropshire, and a borough town sending one member to Parliament. The antiquity of Shrewsbury is consider- able, and its British name (Pen-gwern, “ the head of the Alderwood ”) indicates its position above the fertile meadowlands, which were then covered with trees and bushes. Its Saxon name, “ Scrobesbyrig,” is evidently of the same derivation. Fortified by a diversion of the Severn, which probably was a work of Cyndelan (Cyndelan Powis porphar, “the purple-bearer of Powis,” as the noble bard Llywarc Hen calls him), it was the capital of the Powis princes between the destruction of Uriconium or Wroxeter, Roxcester (Leland), and the time of King Offa. After the Norm. Conquest it was the earldom of Roger de Montgomery, by whom the castle, commanding the only land ap- proach to the town, was erected. The Par- liament which passed the Statute of Acton Burnell (Rte. 8) was summoned here in the time of Edward I. It subsequently removed to Acton Burnell (see p. 66) with the King and his court. And here, to the Parliament adjourned from Westminster, came “old John of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster,” and Henry of Hereford, his “ bad son” — “Here to make good the boistrous late appeal Against the Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Mow- bray.” In 1403 the battle between the forces of the same Henry of Hereford, the King of England, and those of Hotspur and his con- federates, took place on the plain, about 3 m. distant, under the skirts of Haughmond Hill. The spot is still called Battlefield, and the ch. bears the same appellation. The battle was a desperate one. Hotspur had called for his favourite sword, and on being told that it had been left behind at the place where he had spent the previous night, the village of Berwick namely, he turned pale and said, “Then has my plough reached its last fur- row.” He had been told by a soothsayer that he would die at Berwick, but he had supposed that it was Berwick-on-Tweed. The battle re- solved itself into a hand-to-hand fight. Hot- spur supposed that he had slain the King, but he really killed another man dressed in the King’s armour. Shakespeare’s story of Fal- staff pretending that he had killed Hotspur is well known. Hotspur’s body was brought to Shrewsbury, rubbed in salt, placed between two millstones at the side of the pillory, and then cut in pieces, different portions being sent to different cities. Henry, Earl of Richmond, was, it is said, first proclaimed king on entering Shrews- bury, where he spent some time and re- cruited his army prior to the battle of Bosworth Field, subsequently visiting the town on several occasions. The pestilence called the “ sweating sickness,” so terrible in the 16th cent., broke out first, according to tradition, in this town. In 1642 Charles I. took up for a time his residence with the Princes Rupert and Maurice at the Council House, and it was at this time that Cadogan’s Fort was erected on the mount above Frank- well. In the early part of 1644 the town was captured by treachery by the Parliamentarian forces under Colonel Mytton. Shrewsbury is a corporate town, possessing various ancient charters from the time of William I. to James II., and continues to give the title of Earl to the lineal descendants of the great John Talbot, who was brought from the field of Chastellon to be buried at Whit- church (Rte. 12). Here, at the Raven, Farquhar wrote “ The Recruiting Officer,” Telford, the great engineer, lived, and Charles Darwin was born. Shrewsbury is situated on a penin- sula of rising ground, encircled by the Severn on all sides but the N., and locally termed “the Island:” in fact, so nearly do the windings of the river approach each other, thei-t 54 Route 8 . — Shrewsbury to Stafford. the isthmus is only 300 yds. in breadth : “ Edita Penguerni late fastigia splendent, Urbs sita lunato veluti mediamnis in orbe, Colie tumet modico, duplici quoque ponte superbit, Accipiens patria sibi lingua nomen ab alnis.” The main approaches are by 2 bridges, on the E. and N.W., called respectively the English and Welsh bridges. The former, erected in 1769 at a cost of 15,000Z., is a handsome structure of 7 arches, surmounted by an open balustrade, though the ele- vation is remarkable from the height of the central arch, which was con- structed thus to allow of the great volume of water brought down in rainy weather. On the keystones of either side are heads of Sabrina and Neptune. The Welsh Bridge, across which runs the “ reddie waye ” to Wales, has little remarkable in its architecture, but replaces an old one pulled down in the last cent. On it was a picturesque gateway-tower, of which many engravings are still extant. At the suburb of Coleham the Severn is joined by the Meole Brook , of which Drayton says : “ Mele her great mistress next at Shrewsbury doth meet, To see with what a grace she that faire towne doth greet.” Polyolb. Song viii. 445-6. The Castle stands on the isthmus, and is conspicuous from its lofty po- sition, “ builte in such a brave plott that it could have espyed a byrd flying in every strete,” and from the deep red colour of the buildings, though its architecture, except in some of the walls, is considerably modernised. The square keep, with the round corner turrets (temp. Edward I.), part of the walls of the inner bailey, an inner Norm, arch, and the postern gate are all that are left of the ancient portion. It con- tains nothing remarkable but the tur- ret in the garden that overlooks the river, and first meets the eye of the stranger as he arrives at the stat. This was the work of Telford for Sir W. Pulteney, his early patron, the former proprietor of the place. In the garden below, Capt. Benbow was shot in 1651 by Cromwell’s orders for his desertion of the Parliamentary cause. Here also it was customary for many years for the knights of the shire to be girt with their swords by the sheriff after their election, a cus- tom now discontinued. The castle walls can be well seen by ascending some steps known as The Dana , near the stat. The prospect from the castle is magnificent, embracing the blue ridges of the Norman Mons-gilberti, the Saxon and English Wrekin, in which the name of Vr-ikon, “ City of Iconium,” whose remains lie beneath its slopes, is virtually en- shrined — the South Shropshire hills, along whose valleys and sides went the tide of the last battle of Carac- tacus — the beautiful Breidden, sur- mounted by a pillar in honour of Lord Rodney’s victory— the Berwyns and the Welsh ranges in long ter- races to the W. Nearer home, to the N. and E., are the more modest emi- nences of Grinshill, Hawkstone, and Haughmond, rising from a rich and well-watered country, which rivalled Yorkshire, till within the last few years, in the excellence of its horses. The Town Walls were first com- menced by Roger Belesme, son of Earl Roger de Montgomery, and afterwards finished by Henry III. to protect the inhabitants from the incursions of the Welsh. A small portion of them only remains on the S. side of the town, where they are in good preservation, and form an agreeable promenade. Here also is a square tower of 3 stories, of the same date, the only one remaining out of 20 that formerly strengthened and defended the walls. The for- tifications were for the most part destroyed in 1645, when the town yielded to the Parliamentary troops. The churches are interesting, and particularly that of St. Mary,* a noble pile of building in the centre of the town, whose lofty spire (220 ft.) serves 55 Route 8 . — Shrewsbury : St. Mary s Church. as a landmark for many a mile around. During the restoration, foundations of an older structure were found extending the whole length of the nave. It is a cruciform ch. of various styles of architecture, and contains a nave, side aisles, chancel, transepts, and 2 chantry chapels. The basement of the tower is Norm., as are also the S. and N. porches of the nave and the doorways of the N. and S. transepts, which are orna- mented with lozenge and chevron mouldings. Over the S. porch is a parvise used as a muniment room. The E. Eng. style is visible in the beautiful lancet windows of the tran- septs. Those of the clerestory are Perp., as are also the pointed win- dows in the S. chapel, and the large one of 8 lights at the end of the chancel. The spire is octagonal, and said to be the third highest in the kingdom. Internally, Norm, semi- circular arches separate the nave from the aisles, springing from ele- gant clustered columns of later date, as is not uncommon in 13th-cent. work. Similar arches lead from the aisles to the transepts, and also to the chapels. The ceiling is oak, beauti- fully fretted and carved with flowers and figures ; indeed it is one of the finest examples in England. In the nave is a Dec. pulpit of Caen stone, representing incidents in the Life of Christ — viz. The Sermon on the Mount, the Nativity, Crucifixion, and Ascension. The niches have figures of St. John, St. Peter, and St. Paul. One of the chief beauties of the ch. arises from the profusion of the stained glass. The large E. Jesse window once belonged to old St. Chad’s. The patriarch is reclining in sleep, while from his loins a stem ascends, enclosing in its branches a king or prophet belonging to the series, which numbers altogether 47 figures. At the base on rt. are figures of Sir Owen de Charleton, Sir John, his brother, and Sir John, their com- mon ancestor, Edward III., and Lady Hawys Gadarn, heiress of Powis, 1291, the wife of Sir John de Dharleton. In the N. wall of the chancel is a fine triple lancet window containing scenes from the life of St. Bernard of Clairvaux. This glass originally be- longed to the Abbey of Altenburg, whence it was removed to the ch. of St. Severin of Cologne, where it was purchased by the Bev. W. G. Bow- lands. As there was not room in these windows for the series, part of the glass was placed in the centre window of the S. aisle of the nave. A full account of the subjects treated is given in Mr. Poyntz’s little work, “ Seventeen Scenes from the Life of St. Bernard.” The nave windows contain much German and Flemish glass collected by the Bev. G. Bowlands, M.A., vicar of the ch . 1825-50, to whom there is a monument and window in the S. transept. Of this foreign glass there will be noticed in the centre window S. a Crucifixion (rt. base), St. Peter and the Circumcision (1. base), which do not belong to the St. Bernard series. The W. window on the N. side of the nave is Flemish and contains an inscription commemorating its gift by Mr. Bowlands. The E. window of the N. transept contains a set of Dutch grisailles, figuring the history of Tobit. There are other grisailles in the muniment room. In the Trinity chapel, on the S. side, is some foreign glass, considerably restored, contain- ing figures of the Count and Countess of Horn. The following monuments should be noted : (1) In Trinity chapel a mutilated cross-legged knight on an altar-tomb of the 14th cent., sup- posed to be the effigy of one of the Leybornes, Lords of Berwick. (2) In the N. chapel an incised slab to Nicholas Stafford and his wife, dated 1463. (3) In the same chapel is one by Thomas , to Admiral Benbow, a native of Shrewsbury, who died in Jamaica of wounds received in an engagement with the French off Cartagena, 1702. (4) In the base- ment of the tower a monument in marble to Dr. Butler, head master of Shrewsbury School, and afterwards 56 Route 8 . — Shretvsbury to Stafford. Bp. of Lichfield. It is from designs by Chantrey , but the work was exe- cuted by Baily , in consequence of the death of the former. (5) In the same place a monument of Caen stone, by Westmacott, to Adjt.-General Cureton, who fell in an engagement with the Sikhs, 1848. In the tower-arch is a carved oak screen, to the memory of Rev. J. 0. Hopkins. The town records show how much this church has suffered at the hands of desecrators, as the following extracts prove : “4 Eliz. 1562. Paid for taking down the rood 0 2 0 “ Paid for pulling down the chapels and altars 0 1 10 “ 1584 May 12. Order’d that 3 superstitious images and inscriptions in the North window of the church be taken down by the churchwardens. “ 1584 Sep. 18. Order’d that the stone altar be removed having been sometimes used to idolatry and the stones applied to the use of the parish.” The Vicarage, a half-timbered house, stands near the E. end of the ch. The vicars of St. Mary formerly possessed the advantage of being exempt from episcopal juris- diction. At the suppression of the collegiate ch., its revenues were given by Edward VI. to the main- tenance of Shrewsbury School. A short distance to the S. is St. Alkmund’s Church, also collegiate, and said to have been founded in 912 by yEthelfleda, daughter of Alfred the Great. It was once a venerable cruciform ch., but was mutilated in 1794, leaving only the tower and the graceful spire. The remainder of the building is in the church- warden’s style, or “ modern Gothic,” of the last cent. At the E. end is a window, by Egginton — subject, “Em- blematical Faith.” Almost immediately adjoining St. Alkmund’s is the site of the ancient Norm. ch. of St. Julian’s. It was demolished in 1750, and the present structure erected, though considerably altered in 1846. The most ancient portion of the ch. is the basement of the tower, the main body being also in the churchwarden’s style, an oblong building of brick, with stone dressings. In the interior is a gravestone with an inscription of the 13th cent, on its rounded edge, in memory of Edward Troumwyn, a member of a family living in the time of Edward II. There is also a monument to Archdeacon Owen, the historian of Shrewsbury, and an E. window by Evans — subject, the Transfiguration. ( M U, * i ■>$.«. ) / § ( Old St. Chad’s, situated near the town walls, was originally founded about 780 by one of the Mercian kings, on the site of a palace of a Prince of Powis, and is said to have been a very fine building of the reign of Henry III. It was much damaged by fire in 1293, and finally gave way in 1788, in consequence of some of the pillars yielding. The former catastrophe was owing to a plumber working in the ch., the record of the inquest upon him stating that while endeavouring to flee the con- flagration he had caused, “ contra voluntatem suam demissus fuit in quodam stagno fluminis Sabrinas et sic mortuus fuit.” The small portion which remains was almost entirely rebuilt in 1571, and is now used as a chapel for the cemetery, which con- tains the graves of some of the most distinguished Salopian families, such as the Corbets, Burtons, Owens, &c. Sir Rowland Lee, Bp. of Lichfield, and President of the Marches, 1543, is buried here ; also Captain Benbow, who was shot beneath the castle. New St. Chad’s, some distance to the W., built 1792, is chiefly re- markable for its situation at the head of the Quarry, and for the execrable taste of its architectural details. The body of the ch. is formed by the intersection of 2 circles, at the E. end of which is a Doric portico and tower, the sole feature which prevents the building being taken for a theatre . or exchange. Over the altar is a copy of Rubens’s Descent from the Cross, with the 57 Route 8 . — Shrewsbury : Abbey. Visitation and the Presentation in the Temple on either side. The other windows represent the Baising of Lazarus, Christ healing the Sick, Christ blessing little Children, and the Tribute Money. These windows, with that in St. Alkmund’s, may be examined with interest, as examples of stained-glass windows in the first half of the 19th cent. Across the English Bridge, and on the other side of the Hereford Ely., is the venerable Abbey Church,* built of a deep red stone, and in interest and beauty scarcely surpassed by St. Mary’s. It was formerly a large cruciform ch., having a central as well as the present W. tower, but the E. portion was destroyed at the time of the dissolution of the monas- teries, while part of the clerestory fell at a subsequent date. The base- ment of the tower is Norm., the re- mainder being Dec., and adorned with a magnificent Dec. window, sur- mounted by a rich crocket and finial. Above it and between the two bell- tower windows is a niche containing the statue of a mailed knight, sup- posed to represent Edward III. On the N. side is a porch of 2 stories, with mullioned windows, nearly flat- arched. A great deal of judicious restoration has taken place in the ch., particularly at the E. end and in the S. aisle. “ The choir having been destroyed, the eastern end now terminates in a wall run up be- tween the remains of the two western piers that supported the central tower.” The nave is separated from the side aisles by 5 arches, 2 of which, adjoining the tower, are E. Eng., while the others are Norm., with very thick round pillars, and it is evident that a course of smaller arches was intended to have been carried above them. The tower is divided from the nave by a lofty pointed arch , 52 ft . in height , and, by the removal of the organ gallery and screen, the whole W. window is displayed. It is very fine, and is filled with armorial bearings of kings, nobles, and members of old Shropshire families — amongst them the Dukes of Gloucester, Lancaster, and York ; Earls of March, Chester, Suffolk, Surrey, &c. The E. window is by Evans. Above the altar is a triptych designed by Pearson and executed by Clayton and Bell. In the second bay of the nave from the W., and on the N. side, are the remains of the shrine of St. Winefride, whose relics were translated here from Holy- well in 1136. Monuments. In the S. aisle are a mutilated effigy, on a basement of E. Pointed arches, supposed to be that of Boger de Montgomery, the founder of the abbey, who died as a monk of his own foundation in 1094 — he was second in command to Wil- liam the Conqueror at Hastings ; a cross-legged knight in mail, supposed to be Sir Walter de Dunstanville, circa 1196 ; and opposite to this the tomb of a priest, with chalice, around which is inscribed T.M.O.B.E.V.F. (i.e. T. More, Vicar 1402-25). At the W. end of the N. aisle are 3 altar-tombs, that on the rt. of Aider- man William Jones and wife, 1612 and 1623, brought from St. Alkmund’s; in the centre B. Onslow, Speaker of the House of Commons, ob. 1571, from St. Chad’s. This tomb was repaired in 1742 by Arthur Onslow, Speaker ) of the House, a descendant of this Bichard, who was also the ancestor of / Sir Bichard Onslow, Bart., Speaker in the reign of Queen Anne, and after- wards Lord Onslow. On the 1. is an alabaster tomb to Sir William Charl- ton and wife (1524), brought from Wellington and mentioned by Dug- dale. The Monastic Remains, at one time extensive, have nearly disappeared . in the course of modern improve- ments. The Chapter House, which formerly stood to the S. of the ch., was celebrated as the house of assem- bly for the first English Parliament in 1283. There are some remains in a malthouse (S.W. of the Abbey) of what was probably the infirmary and chapel, and the Abbey House is sup- posed to have been the Hospitium or Guest Hall. In a yard overlooking 58 Route 8 . — Shrewsbury to Stafford. the street, which was once the refec- tory, is a stone pulpit placed on the wall, and used for the purpose of reading while the brethren were at meals. It contains 6 Dec. arches partly filled in by panels, on which are sculptured figures of St. Peter and St. Paul, &c. The ch. of St. Giles, the oldest in Shrewsbury, was built early in the reign of Henry I. for the use of a Leper Hospital. It stands on the Acton Burnell road, and has been almost completely renovated. It con- tains a good Norm, font, with zigzag and chevron mouldings, which was brought from High Ercall ch., and some old glass in a window by the pulpit and in a lancet in the chan- cel. The remaining churches are mo- dern. St. Michael’s has stained glass, representing the Nativity, the An- nunciation, and the Presentation, the two latter copies from Guido and Kubens ; and Trinity has the Cruci- fixion, after Yandyck. The Roman Catholic Cathedral on the town walls, a handsome building (E. W. Pugin, archt.), erected 1856 at the expense of the Earl of Shrews- bury, contains a well-carved pulpit and some good modern glass. The Museum and Free Library occupy the buildings formerly used for the school. The original building was of wood, but was replaced by the present structure, which occupies two sides of a quadrangle. Its prin- cipal features are a pinnacled tower, flanked on one side by what was the schoolroom and on the other by the former chapel and library. The Museum* (closed during Au- gust) contains a very interesting series of objects discovered at Urico- nium, which should be visited after that spot has been explored ; also a fine collection of coins, fossils, and other objects relating to Shropshire. Shrewsbury School, now situ- ated on the opposite side of the river, was founded in 1551 by Edward VI., since whose time many persons of eminence have received their education there. Marmaduke Bawdon of Yorke (17th cent.) says of it — “ Itt haith a faire free schoole of which thir are fowr maisters and thir are sometimes six hundred schollers, and a hansome library thirunto belonginge.” Amongst many well - known alumni may be mentioned Sir Philip Sidney, Judge Jefferies, Charles Darwin, Sir William Jenner, Archbp. Thom- son, Bp. Fraser, Professors Munro, Paley, Mayer, and Kennedy. It is with the name of Dr. Butler and his immediate successor, Dr. Kennedy, the Cambridge Begius Professor of Greek, that Shrews- bury School is most associated in later times, for it was to their suc- cessive learning and talent that it became indebted for its position as an educational establishment. A little above the museum, and on the opposite side of the lmd, is a Presbyterian ch. on the site of St . Nicholas Chapel , formerly erected by Boger de Montgomery as one of 8 chapels for such of his retainers as lived outside the castle court. Just beyond is a fine half-timbered gateway, dated 16*20 on the inner face, leading into a courtyard. This is known as the Council House, or Lord’s Place, and is now converted into private residences. Here Charles I., with his nephew Prince Bupert, took up their quarters when on a visit to Shrewsbury, as also did the unhappy James II., in 1687. The entrance hall is still pre- served nearly in its original condition. It received its name from having been the hall of the Court of the Marches of Wales, which held its meetings alternately here, at Ludlow, and at Hereford. Shrewsbury is rich in ancient HOUSES, according to Lydgate — “ So equally of tymbre and of stone Here houses were raised everich on.” Ireland’s Mansion is a half-timbered gabled building at the corner of the High Street and the bottom of Pride Hill. On the beams of the gables 59 Route 8 . — Shrewsbury : Old Houses. are the armorial bearings of the family of Ireland, which flourished at Albrighton. Opposite, above a shop occupied by Messrs. Maddox, is 0 wen’ s House. A stone found during the al- terations and placed over the doorway bears the inscription, “ Erected by Richard Owen, the Elder, Gentleman, Ano Dni 1592.” A similar date is placed on the gable. A row of timber houses of the 15th cent, still stands in Butcher’s Row, leading out of Pride Hill. The dwellings of the chantry priests of the Holy Cross at St. Alk- mund’s and the town house of the Abbot of Lilleshallare believed to have been situated here. The houses have been altered, but were considered by Mr. Parker to be the most perfect specimens of old shops in England. Lloyd’s House (now Della Porta’s shop), at the corner of the Market Square, is dated 1570 in the gable. Jones’ Mansion in Church Street, where the Duke of York and Prince Rupert-once resided, is much altered, but retains some traces of carving. The Drapers’ Hall, near St. Mary’s Church in St. Mary’s Place, now (1895) undergoing restoration, pos- sesses a fine old wainscoted room and a portrait supposed to be that of Degory Watur and his wife, the founders of the almshouses. Vau- ghan’s Place (in College Hill, behind the museum), of which a portion of the interior, erected in the 14th cent, by Sir Harris Vaughan, is in good preservation, and contains a fine old chestnut roof. Rowley’s Mansion, in Hill’s Lane off Mardol, retains many of its ancient characteristics. It was built by William Rowley, draper, burgess, and alderman, and was, during the residence of Mr. Hill, who married his granddaughter, the scene of much Shropshire old-fash- ioned hospitality. And across the river, out of the Abbey Foregate, is Whitehall, an Elizabethan stone mansion of the same date, standing, according to Churchyard , the Shrop- shire poet — “ So trim and finely that it graceth All the soil that it is on.” It is a very fine specimen of its period and well worth visiting. In a house in the Wyle Cop, now a fish- monger’s, Harry Richmond, soon to be Henry VII., stopped on his way to Bosworth Field. Nearly opposite St. Mary’s ch. the Post Office occupies the site of the Butter Market, close to which once stood the High Cross , where Dafydd ap Gruffydd, brother to Llew- elyn, met his fate by hanging, burn- ing, and quartering, after being dragged at a horse’s tail through the streets. This was the prince whose revolt against King Edward met with the furious and almost rhythmical denunciation : “ Quern nutrivimus orphanum Quem recepimus exulem,” &c. At the bottom of Pride Hill is the new Corn Exchange and Market, a very fine building erected in 1869, at a cost of 40,000L From the centre springs a lofty campanile tower. The Market Square contains Assize Courts and County Hall, Music and Assembly Rooms, and an ancient Market House,* erected 1596, an in- teresting building with ' an open arcade and square mullioned win- dows. Over the W. front are the arms of Queen Elizabeth, and over the N. arch is a statue in armour of Richard Duke of York, which for- merly graced the old tower on the Welsh Bridge, but was removed in 1791, when the new bridge was built. Over the S. arch is an angel bearing the arms of England and France, which was formerly placed over the outer gate of the castle. A prominent object in the square is the Statue of Lord Clive, a full-length bronze figure by Marochetti, on a pedestal of polished granite. Clive, considered the founder of an empire that was extended and upheld afterwards by greater men, invested a large portion of his Indian gains in land and poli- tics in the county of Salop ; he represented the town 8 times in Parliament, and was elected Mayor in 1762. His naive declaration 60 Route 8 . — Shrewsbury to Stafford. (stripped of its expletives) in the House of Commons, when defending himself against the accusation of laying the native princes under con- tribution, “ I wonder, Mr. Speaker, that I did not take more,” will often occur to those who pass by the sombre effigy of this remarkable man, whose mouth bespeaks an iron purpose, and whose family now bear the title of Earls of Powis. Lord Hill’s monument, in the London road, commemorates another Shropshire hero — the hero of Douro, Talavera, Vittoria, Waterloo, and many other battles — who concluded his victorious and honourable life by several years’ service as Com- mander-in-Chief of the British Army. The column, of Grecian-Doric style, and 133 ft. high, was erected at a cost of nearly 6,000Z. in 1816, and is surmounted by a statue of Lord Hill. It is worth while ascending to the balcony at the summit for the sake of the view. Other points worth notice in the town are the Infirmary, a plain but conveniently arranged Grecian build- ing, the front of which overlooks the windings of the Severn. The Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital is a hand- some building in red brick and terra- cotta near the town walls and quarry. The Drapers’ Almshouses, founded in 1461 by Degory Watur, who, it is recorded, used to attend with the ministers “ dailye in our Ladye’s church, and kneel with them in a long pew in the guise made for them and himself.” The Holy Cross Hospital, a modern Tudor building for the reception of parish residents stricken in years. Mil- lington’s Hospital, in the suburb of Frankwell, for the maintenance and education of 50 boys and girls. The County Gaol, a massive brick build- ing close to the stat. The visitor should not omit the Quarry,* a park with public walks of a beauty and extent that few towns can boast. It is bounded on the S. by the Severn (here crossed by a ferry), and lined by avenues of thick-foliaged lime-trees. At the end of the central avenue is a cast in lead, made at Rome, of the Farnese Hercules. The Welsh Bridge, built in 1795, formerly possessed an embattled tower (destroyed 1770), of which pic- tures can be seen in the museum. Crossing it, Frankwell is reached. This was formerly the Welsh part of the town, and contains a number of interesting half-timbered buildings. On the high ground at the end of the street is a large house, the Mount, occupying the site where Cadogan’s Fort, built by Lord Capel (temp. Charles I.), formerly stood. Here, in 1809, was born Charles Darwin. If m. from Shrewsbury, at the point where the Oswestry road di- verges, stands the shell of what was once a magnificent oak, known as Glyndwr’s Oak, from a tradition that he climbed up it to witness the issue of the battle of Shrewsbury. The tree is situate on high ground on the rt. bank of the river, and from its branches Glendower might have seen the royal standard floating in the breeze on Shrewsbury Castle. Like Coventry and Preston, Shrewsbury long retained the glories of its Shore, or pageant, held every year on the Monday after first Sunday in Trinity, when the associated tradesmen, in gay attire, paraded through the town to the suburb of Kingsland, where arbours were erected, one for each guild. Here they spent the rest of the day in fes- tivity* Formerly these proceedings were accompanied by dramatic repre- sentations. “ This yeare, 1568, at Whytsuntyde, was a notable stage playe played at Shrewsbury, the which was praysed greately, and the chyffe actor thereof was one Master Aston, being the heade scoole master at the Free Scoole there.” — MS. Account of the Reception, by Sir H. Sidney , at the Free School. Amongst natives of Shrewsbury may be mentioned Robert of Shrews- bury, Bp. of Bangor, who by his own desire was buried in the Shrews- 61 Route 8 . — Shrewsbury : Excursions . bury marketplace, 1213 ; Thomas Churchyard, the poet, 1587 ; Admiral Benbow, 1650 ; John Thomas, Bp. of Salisbury, 1761; Job Orton, an eminent Nonconformist; Hugh Far- mer, a noted Nonconformist preacher ; Taylor, the translator of Demos- thenes, 1704 ; and Charles Darwin. A striking peculiarity of the streets of Shrewsbury is the retention of so many quaint and ancient names, such as Murivance, Pride Hill, Mar- dol, Shoplatch, Wyle Cop, &c. “ Your trunk thus dismantled and torn, Bloudie Jack, They hew, and they hack, and they chop : And to finish the whole They stuck up a pole In the place that ’s still called the Wylde Coppe.” — Ingoldsby Legends. These names offer curious corruptions of appellations that were once appro- priate : Wyle Cop — Hill Top, it being a steep ascent from the river ; Dog Pole — Duck Pool, in the hollow near St. Mary’s ; Mardol or Mardepol — Dairy Fold or Grazing Ground ; Pride Hill, from an ancient family residing there ; Shoplatch, called in a rental of Henry III. Soet ( = sweet) Place, the seat of an old Salop fa- mily ; Murivance, an open space in front of the walls, &c. The visitor should not omit to pay attention to the famous cakes , ale, and brawn, the former of which, in particular, have been in request since the days of Queen Elizabeth. The Shrewsbury cake is spoken of by Shenstone : “ For here each season do their cakes abide. Whose honoured name the inventive city owns, Rendering through Britain’s Isle Salopia’s praises known.” It is also mentioned in the “In- goldsby Legends,” “ She has given him a roll and a bun And a Shrewsbury cake, of Palin’s own make.” The Simnel cake is of different ma- terial, a quasi-mincemeat, surrounded by a tough, saffron, uneatable paste ; and it is a local institution of Shrews- bury and Ludlow, especially in Mid- Lent, “ I ’ll to thee a Simnel bring ’G-ainst thou goest a mothering.” Herrick. The trade of Shrewsbury is now very insignificant, although it was once the great mart for Welshpool and Newtown flannels. It still pos- sesses a flax-spinning factory, and has one or two iron foundries. The neighbourhood of Shrewsbury abounds in pleasant and beautiful seats, most of which are alluded to in their respective routes. The prin- cipal of these are Sundorne Castle (A. E. Perkins, Esq.), Attingham (Lord Berwick), Longner Hall (J. L. Burton, Esq.), Berwick Hall (Mrs. Watson), Boss Hall, Lythivood Hall, &c. Excursions : — (a) To Atcham and Wroxeter. The English Bridge should be crossed, and, leaving the Abbey on the 1., the Watling Street should be followed past Lord Hill’s column. The Watling Street was one of the 4 national highways, the Quatuor chimini of the Norm, laws, which were for centuries placed under the “ King’s Peace ’ ’ and guarded by special laws from injury. It “ represents the old zigzag route from Kent to Chester and York, and northwards in two branches to Carlisle and the neigh- bourhood of Newcastle. It forms the boundary between Warwickshire and Leicestershire ; it was the line of divi- sion chosen in Alfred’s treaty with Guthrun, the Danes keeping all the country north of ‘ Wathlinga-strete ; ’ the monastic records show that the Priory of Lilleshall in Shropshire was situate, ‘ prope altam viam vocatam Watling Street.’ ” — Elton. Under the name of the Holyhead road in Shropshire, it remains a monument of Telford’s engineering genius. 2 m. Weeping Cross is situated \ m. to rt., up a narrow lane. It is so called because the bodies of the dead were set down there after The battle of Shrewsbury. The name is borne by two other places only — one near 62 Route 8 * — Shrewsbury to Stafford . Stafford, on the Walsall road ; the other at Banbury, in Oxfordshire. “ He that goes out will often lose, At length coming back by Weeping Crosse,” is an ancient proverb. Montaigne (Florio’s transl., bk. iii. ch. 5) says: “ Few men have wedded their sweet- hearts, their paramours, or mistresses, but have come home by Weeping Crosse, and ere long repented of their bargain.” 4 m. the Severn is crossed by an open balustraded bridge. Immedi- ately beyond this on 1. is the classical gateway to Attingham Hall (Lord Berwick). The house, also in the classical style, possesses a picture gallery in which is a fine portrait of Baphael as a young man, by himself ; also other pictures by Bomney, Lawrence, Beynolds, Hoppner, and Angelica Kauf mann. Opposite to the gateway is Atcham Church, charm- ingly situated by the side of the river. The lower portion of the tower is Norm., and in it and other parts of the ch. may be recognised carved stones which have come from Urico- nium. Amongst the list of incumbents of Atcham was Orderic the Priest, who in 1075 baptised and stood sponsor for Ordericus Yitalis, the historian and chaplain of William the Con- queror. 4^ m. the Tern is crossed. The first road to the rt. beyond this point should be taken, which leads to 5 m. WBOXETER,* the Boman Uri- conium , situated at the junction of the main Watling Street and of the smaller western way of the same name which here crossed the Severn. As regards tlie name, Ptolemy’s Geography gives OvtpoKovLov, and the Itinerary lias, among others, the forms viroconio, uiriconio &c. ; but when we take into account the modern name, and that of the neighbouring Wrekin, the preference must be given to uriconio, and the Celtic name must be regarded as having been Vriconion. It may have meant a spot where rods and saplings grew, while it should in Mod. Welsh be G-wrygon, which we doubtless have in Caer Guricon of Nennius. Gwrygon or Guricon appears to have originally been the name of the district in which that caer or town stood, and it has been pointed out to us that it is called Urecon, i.e. Wreconn, in a poem'iii the Red Book of Hengest.— Rhys. The city was founded about the reign of Trajan (as far as can be judged from a medal of that emperor, found in 1841, embedded in a wall), and pro- bably by military colonists from the Asiatic part of the Roman empire. We know that a division of Parthian horse was stationed here, guarding the communica- tions of the Roman i:oads and the passes of the Severn. It was destroyed by the Saxons in the 6th cent., when Romanised Britons alone remained as its defenders, and probably in one of those irruptions so pathetically deplored by Lly warch Hen. Since that epoch the city has never revived, but has remained for cents, in ruins, mostly covered by the soil, and only visited at times by the builders of the Middle A ges, who seem to have used them extensively as a ready-made quarry, whence they might extract materials for the erection of the abbeys and churches in the neighbourhood. The Church is a fine old Norm, building, with later alterations. The tower has decorated bands on the W. face, and in the upper stage are 2 niches, one on each side the window. At the gate of the ch.-yd. are 2 Roman pillars with highly orna- mented capitals, discovered in the bed of the river, which flows close by. The massive font is also made of a hollowed-out Boman capital. There is a small Easter sepulchre with ball- flower decoration, containing remains of a fresco in its interior. There are also 3 remarkably fine altar- tombs, the best of which is to Sir Thos. Bramley and wife, dated 1555. He was Lord Chief Justice of England and executor to Henry VIII. The others are to J. Berkeg' and wife (1618) and Sir B. Newport and wife (1570). The remains of a portion of the ancient fosse can be plainly seen in a field nearly opposite the ch. The key of the enclosure in which the excavations of the ancient TJriconium have been made is kept at a smithy close by. “ The area of the city was considerably larger than that of Pompeii, its walls being 3 m.in circuit, while those of Pompeii are less than 2 m., enclosing only 160 acres, while Uriconium had 223.” The ruins con- sist of a massive wall about 70 ft. in length, of unmistakable Boman masonry — long string-courses of large flat red bricks— and known as the Old Wall, forming one side of a 63 Route 8 . — Wroxeter ; Battlefield . parallelogram composed of a central area and 2 side aisles. “ This was the Basilica, or Government Hall of the city, and attached to it on the E. is an enclosure 26 ft. by 60 ft.* which may have been the chalcidicum, a room usually attached to basilicas. Along the N. side, on the line of the present road from Ironbridge to Shrewsbury, the remains of a Poman roadway have been found, a pave- ment of small rolled stones from the river occupying the central part, with a causeway on either side for foot-passengers, terminated by a kerbstone— the width of the road, including the roadway, being 18 ft.” To the S. of the basilica is a series of courts and hypocausts, supposed by Mr. Wright to have been the public baths. In all the latter the connecting pillars or columns of Roman bricks, as well as the flues, are in high preservation, and afford a clear illustration of the method by which the Romans warmed their houses. In one of the hypocausts 3 skeletons were found, 2 of females and 1 of an old man, by whose side was a box of coins of the reigns of Tetricus, Yalens, Constan- tinus, Julian, Helena, &c., thus show- ing the money in actual circulation at the time of the destruction of the city. These individuals had pro- bably crept into the hypocaust to save themselves from the massacre and conflagration which constituted Uriconium’s summa dies, and had there been suffocated. Other skulls were found near the spot where the Severn was crossed, and where the walls of a square water-tower were uncovered during the excavations. After the excavations and researches begun in Feb. 1859, portions of capitals, bases, column shafts, in- scribed wall stucco (as at Pompeii) and pavements of rather fine but perishable mosaic were discovered, and the continuation of the Old Wall westward was traced to the lower parts of two doorways; and more recently 5 rooms, or ruins of them, have been discovered, which had barrelled roofs, to the S. of the “ Old Wall.” But for a full understanding of the importance of old Uriconium the tourist must visit it personally, and then with risk of disappointment, for the interest in this burnt and ruined city has ever had a tendency to fall asleep and, after all, the visible relics of it are to be found de- posited in the museum at Shrews- bury, such as coins, fibulae, hairpins (upwards of 30 varieties), combs, statues, nails, pottery, Samian ware, glass, charcoal, grains of wheat, bones, and even a bottle of patent eye -water, with the stamp of the nostrum vendor who had concocted it, as at Lydney. From Wroxeter it is about 2J m. to Upton Magna Stat. on the L. and N.-W. and G.W. joint rlys., or a shorter distance (if the traveller can find a boat in which to cross the Severn) to Berrington Stat. on the Severn Valley line. (b) To Battlefield, Albright Hussey, and Haughmond. Take the Whitchurch road, and just beyond the third milestone turn to the 1. under a rly. bridge to the isolated ch. of Battlefield, on the locality of the battle between Henry IV. and the Percies, July 21, 1403. “ When Henry Percy rebelled against Henry IV., and was resolutely bent to attack the walls of Shrewsbury, which that King had made exceed- ing strong, by a turn of fortune he was prevented, and his measures broken in a trice — for the King himself was suddenly at his heels with an army ; whom the rash youth engaging, after a long and sharp dispute, despairing of success, ex- posed himself wilfully to death. The place from this battle was called Battlefield, where the King after- wards built a chapel and settled 2 priests to pray for the soul of the slain.” — Camden. The Collegiate Ch. has been restored by Mr. Pounteney Smith. It consists of a single aisle and chancel. At the W. end is a very fine embattled tower, of which the upper stage is of the 64 Route 8 . — Shrewsbury to Stafford . date of the beginning of the 16th cent. It contains a fireplace. Above the chancel window is a niche with a figure of Henry IY There is a good lych gate. In the interior of the ch. is a good oak figure of our Lady of Pity (15th cent.), placed in the centre of the 3 sedilia. There are 2 good windows in the vestry. A piece of land adjoining the ch. is called the “ King’s Croft,” from its being the place where the king pitched his tent. A short walk across the fields leads to Albright Hussey, where is a curious old moated mansion belonging to the Husseys, and subsequently to the Corbets. There are slight remains of a ruined chapel dedicated to St. John. Keturning to the road, the traveller retraces his path nearly as far as the second milestone from Shrewsbury, where he should turn to the 1., and, passing the edge of Sundorne Park, turns to the 1. again at the school. The road now passes, 2J- m. (from Battlefield), Sun- dorne Castle (A. E. Perkins, Esq.), a somewhat tame and uninteresting Shropshire residence, except as re- gards its associations with Haugh- mond, placed in the midst of a large and well-wooded park, ornamented with extensive sheets of water. The house is castellated, of a warm- coloured red sandstone, and contains a fine entrance hall, oak staircase, and library. On a slope of a wooded hill m. distant are the beautiful ruins of the ABBEY OE HAUGHMOND* (Haut mont, the high mount), which present some very interesting architectural remains. The hill itself is noted as the spot where Lord Douglas was taken prisoner after the battle of Shrewsbury, his horse falling under him as he was being pursued. There is a place on the hill still called “ Douglas’s Leap.” The Priory, afterwards developed into a monastery for canons regular of St. Augustine, was founded in the 12th cent, by William Fitzalan, a great benefactor of Shropshire religious houses. Among the privileges granted to Haughmond was one by Pope Alexander III., 1172, which allowed “that where there should happen to be a general interdict, the monks might perform the divine office in a low voice, with closed doors.” For his adherence to the cause of the Empress Maud, William Fitzalan was banished by Stephen, and did not enjoy any of his estates until the accession of Henry II. to the throne. The favour which this monarch showed to him he also extended to the monks of Haugh- mond, who obtained several advantages thereby. The establishment flourished for many years, with but few drawbacks to its prosperity until the Dissolution, when the monastery and lands were granted to the Littletons of Pilaton Hall, in the adjoining county of Stafford. From them it passed by purchase to Sir Rowland Hill, and then to the Barkers, Kynastons, and Corbets. When in full preservation the abbey must have covered a great deal of ground, but at present there is very little of the ch. left, though a considerable portion of the monastic buildings. From the foundations visible it is evident that the ch. was cruciform, and had a nave, choir and transepts ; and as the ground slopes rather rapidly, it is probable that the floor was elevated into stages. “ During a clearance of the founda- tions, on the north-western side, shallow Norm, shafts were exposed, which followed the wall of the build- ing. At this point there seems to have been an entrance to the ch. by an E. Eng. portal about 11 ft. square, with an ascent of 3 or 4 steps. Several tiles, forming portions of the tesselated pavement, have occasion- ally been found, some of them curious and rare in pattern, and displaying the device of a fish within a vesica.” On the S. side of the ch., open- ing into the cloisters, is a Norm, entrance, on either side of which are figures of St. Peter and St. Paul, which have been placed there subse- quent to the building of the arch. A door close by led to the dormitory, which occupied the upper story to the W. of the cloister. Forming the eastern boundary of what was the cloister is the Chapter House, a very beautiful specimen of trans. date from Norm, to E. Eng. The W. front has a rich doorway with minor arches on either side, both adorned by a profusion of foliage. In the 65 Route 8 . — Haughmond Abbey ; Condover. jambs of the columns are crocketed canopies, occupied by figures, a good deal mutilated, which are said to have been placed there in the 14th cent., but these have suffered sorely from iconoclasts, whose sins are tradition- ally heaped on the Barkers, pro- prietors in the 16th cent. They are the Archangel Michael, St. John, St. Catherine, St. Margaret, St. Mary, and one or two bps. In shape the interior is square, but with the E. wall forms two sides of an hexagon. A fine ribbed oak ceiling, with mould- ings of the 14th cent., seems to denote that there was an upper story. Ex- tending to the S. in a line with the Chapter House is the day-room or locutory, and to the W. of that, form- ing the S. boundary of the cloister, is the Befectory, of which an arched doorway (by which is a mutilated figure of the Virgin and child on a bracket), and a portion of W. window of Dec. date, with good mouldings, are the only portions left. Adjoining the S. end of the day-room is the abbot’s house, whence a door to the W. leads to the Guest Hall or hospitium. A portion of the window in the former remains, but the upper part disap- peared in 1810. The Hall is a re- markably fine apartment, 81 ft. in length, and was lighted partly by a Dec. window, the tracery of which has vanished, partly by other windows. In one of the corners is a newel stair- case into the turret, and on the N. side is a very large fireplace with the Tudor rose and an oak pattern carved over it. The fishponds were situated in a field to the N. by the ch., and the Monk’s Well is behind the Chap- ter House. This is a curious little building of the 15th cent., measuring only 10J ft. by 7J ft., with an angular vaulted roof. Near this are 2 an- cient tombstones, the Norm. French inscriptions on which have been copied on a board placed close by. From the well, which is on a bank above the abbey, there is a charming view west- ward, looking over the park and towers of Sundorne — with the spires and chimneys of Shrewsbury in the dis- [H. B. Shrop.] tance. The background is formed by an amphitheatre of mountains, in which the Berwyns, the Breidden, Moel-y-golfa, the Stiperstones, and the Longmynd are the most con- spicuous. A large park is said by Saxton to have been attached to the Abbey ; “ and its origin may appa- rently be traced to the patent granted by Edward I., in the 24th year of his reign, to enclose 20 acres, and by Edward II., in 1313, to enclose 60 acres of their bosc or wood which lay within the royal forest of Haghmon.” On Ebury Hill, 1 m. to the N., is a circular camp, but so thickly planted that it is difficult to make out. From this side, too, there is a fine view to the N. and E. over the ridge of Hawk- stone, the country round Wem, and a large expanse of agricultural district. On the return to Shrewsbury, the road by which the visitor entered the abbey grounds should be crossed, and the path followed under the hill to Uffington Castle, a small tower, con- taining no interest in itself, but worth visiting for the view, and the pic- turesque slopes and woods all round. By this path the tourist can gain the road leading to Upton Magna Stat., about 2J m. The shortest way back is by the canal (about 3^ m.) (c) To Pitchford, Acton Burnell, Church Preen. The train must be taken to Condover Stat . It is 1J m. from the village of the same name. Condover ch. (restored com- pletely) has good trans. Norm, win- dows in the S. transept. The gable end of the S. transept is half timbered and possesses an elaborately carved barge-board. It contains a monument to Roger Owen (1717) by Roubilliac, also a recumbent effigy of his wife and child, executed by Mr. Reginald Cholmondeley, and another, kneeling, of Mr. Cholmondeley- Owen by the same hand. The parish register dates from 1557. Condover Park (Reginald Cholmon- deley, Esq.), formerly the seat of the Owens, whose ancestor, Thomas Owen, a Judge of Common Pleas, F 66 Route 8 . — Shrewsbury to Stafford . purchased it in the reign of Henry VIII. He also built the house, a fine Elizabethan mansion, on the banks of the Cound Brook. It possesses a charming formal garden, which can be seen from the ch.-yd. Turn to the rt. on leaving the ch., and pass the front of the Hall, which is well seen from the entrance gates. Cross the Cound Brook, and at the fork take the road to the 1. about 1 m. from Condover, and just past 2 cottages there is a stile on the rt. by which Pitchford can be reached, or the road, which is somewhat longer, may be followed. In the latter case the rt.-hand road should be followed at the cross. In either case walk through the park to 4 m. (2J from Condover by fields) Pitchford "Hall,* the residence of Lieut.-Col. C. J. Cotes, whose family acquired it by marriage with the heiress of the Earl of Liverpool. It is a very curious and picturesque old house of timber and plaster-work, built at the commencement of the 16th cent, by William Otley, sheriff of the county, whose sire purchased the estate in 1473, and whose descendants held it till, at the death of the last of the name, it passed, in 1807, to the late Lord Liverpool. Sir Francis Otley, one of its owners, was the loyal governor of Shrewsbury in the Civil War. Her Majesty, when Princess Victoria, and the Duchess of Kent stayed here with the Earl of Liverpool in 1832. The house, which is one of the best of its kind in the county, is E-shaped, with the straight side turned to the ch. The opposite side is a most picturesque piece of work. The house contains many oak-panelled rooms, one of them possessing a good plaster ceiling. There is here a hiding-place of considerable size, ap- proached by a ladder through a closet-floor. An excellent general view of the house can be obtained from the summit of the avenue lead- ing to the village. The Church, which is close to the Hall, and is supposed to have been founded in the reign of Henry I. or Stephen, contains an oak figure of a Crusader, in chain armour, supposed to be the effigy of one of the De Pychfords. Beyond the ch. and Hall is Pitch- ford village, which derived its name from a natural bituminous spring. Marmaduke Rawdon of Yorke, in his tour (17th cent.), mentions it. “ Thir is in this well four little hooles, about halfe a yard diep, out of which comes little lumps of pitch, but that which is att the tope of the well is softish, and swimes upon the water like tarr, but being skimd together itt incorpo- rates and is knead together like soft wax and becomes hard. Of this pitch they brought some home with them, which the inhabitants say is more medicinall then other pitch. In the Holy Land there are some springs that cast up a bitumus stuffe like this.” Follow the straight road for 1 m. to 5 m. Acton Burnell,* a beautifully situated village lying under the slopes of a well* wooded hill, Shadwell Cop- pice (790 ft.) The Hall is the seat of Sir C. F. Smythe, Bart., whose ancestry have held it from Charles II.’s time, when Sir Edward Smythe, Knt., of Durham, married the heiress of Sir Richard Lee, of Acton Burnell. The house is a fine Grecian building of white stone, overlooking a beauti- fully wooded park and the distant hills of the Lawley and the Wrekin. The 1. wing contains a Roman Catholic chapel, and was erected by and for the French Benedictine monks who were received there at the time of the French Revolution. The Benedictine mission here dates back to the end of the 18th cent. Near the house are the ruins of the ancient castle of Acton Burnell, of the date of the latter part of the 13th cent., with geometrical tracery in the windows and mouldings of somewhat later Dec. style. Mr. Parker points out the great resemblance between Acton Burnell and the Bishop’s Palace at Wells, both by the same builder. In shape it is a parallelogram, having a small square tower at each 67 Route 8 . — Acton Burnell; Church Preen. angle. The walls are very thick, and on the W. are lighted by small square windows. On the N. side is the hall, occupying an upper story, and lighted by 3 large transomed windows. In Mr. Parker’s opinion, the private chapel would have stood on the S. side. The principal front and entrance are on the E. “ Here it was that, when King Edward I. held his Parliament in 1283, the nobles were assembled, while the Commons sat in a large barn hard by. The memory of this event still lives in the statutes passed here, properly called ‘ Statutum de Mer- catoribus,’ but more particularly known as the Statute of Acton Bur- nell; of which Lord Campbell says that the subject was as well under- stood in Chancellor Burnell’s days as in those of Lords Eldon and Lynd- hurst. It was passed here on the 12th of October, and provided that debtorsin London, York, and Bristol should appear before the different Mayors and agree upon a certain day of payment, otherwise an execution might be issued against their goods.” Burke. Beyond the castle are the 2 end walls of the tithe barn of the Abbot of the Monastery of St. Peter and St. Paul at Shrewsbury, where the Com- mons sat, which must have been a building of great size. The founder of the castle and estate was Sir Eobert Burnell, some time tutor to the Prince (afterwards Edward I.), who made him Bishop of Bath and Wells, and Lord Treasurer and Lord Chancellor of England, 1292. Prom his experience as a diplomatist, he was much employed by Edward I. in the affairs of the Welsh Marches. Philip Burnell , the Bishop’s nephew and heir, was a spend- thrift, and the family of the Burnells seems to have died out in the 15th cent., when the property came, through a daughter, to the Lovells, by one of whom it was forfeited on account of his loyalty to Eichard III. It then fell to the Crown, and was granted by Henry VIII. to the Earl of Surrey, of Plodden renown. The Church has a graceful E. Eng. chancel in which is a leper window with external stone bench. There is a fine brass to Nicholas de Handlo, who married the heiress of the Bur- nells and assumed their name in 1360. Also an altar-tomb to Sir R. Lee, ob. 1591. The N. transept con- tains many old tiles. Between Acton Burnell and Card- ington is a stretch of Roman pave- ment, about 250 yds. long, known as the Devil’s Causeway. [About 1| m. W. of Acton Burnell is the village of Frodesley, which possesses one of the oldest parish registers in Shropshire, commencing March 25, 1547. Frodesley Hall is an Elizabethan building, dated 1594, and built by Edward Scriven, whose son Richard received from Charles I., on one of his visits to Shropshire, the heirloom of a pair of embroidered gauntlets. The bracketing of the corners of the upper story is un- common. It is now occupied as a farmhouse. The late Sir Herbert Edwardes, of Mooltan celebrity, was born at the Rectory. The ch. is modern.] The road up the hill, with the park and coppice on -the 1., is now to be pursued to Buckley (6J m.) The pedestrian will now have reached the N. end of Apedale, and will find him- self in one of the quietest and most beautiful parts of Shropshire. Taking the road to the 1., and passing a dis- used c/&., he will reach Langley Hall, the gateway of which, a most interesting piece of architecture, still remains. Beyond the farm now representing the Hall, the road turns sharply to the rt. After f m. of narrow lane, the road branches rt. and 1. To the 1. is the village of Kenley, where Sir A. Alison, the his- torian, was born. His father was rector in 1792, and wrote here his “ Letters on Taste.” The road on the rt. should be fol- lowed to 9 m. Church Preen, where there is a Manor House designed by Mr. Norman Shaw, R.A. (A. Sparrow, Esq.) The ch ., which is close by and much hidden by trees, is extra- ordinarily narrow, its inside measure- ments being 69 ft. by 12 ft. 9 in. It contains a good oak pulpit, marked 68 Route 8 . — Shrewsbury to Stafford. The traveller will now cross the park and turn to the 1. on reaching the road to 10§ m. Hughley. The ch. contains the original carved oak rood screen, also an ancient altar-stone with its 5 consecration crosses. From this point it is 1J m. to Presthope Stat. on the Much Wenlock line. [Note. — T his excursion is more suitable for pedestrians, who can shorten the way by foot- paths between Condover and Pitchford and Langley and Preen, than for carriages, as the roads in the latter part are very bad.] (d) To the Stiperstones. [Note. — This is a magnificent but rough and tiring walk, and the pedestrian must take food with him, as the country is quite destitute of inns.] The train should be taken to Pontesbury. The line passes on the 1. the modern ch. of Meole Brace. The next stat. is Great Hanwood ; on the rt. is Cruckton Hall. Passing Plealey Stat. the line reaches Pontesbury, 2 m. from which is a double British camp, on the top of Pontesford Hill. This hill is a prominent feature, standing as it does in the centre of the valley between the Longmynd and the Stiperstones. There are also earthworks on Pontes- bury Hill, due S. of the village. The Church was originally colle- giate, still consists of 3 portions, rectories or prebends, and has a broad nave with aisles and a tower of 3 stages on the N. side between the nave and chancel. It was rebuilt in 1828. From Pontesbury the road must be taken to If m. Habberley . Con- tinue the road to the first turn on the rt. where a lane leads up the hill, enter Eastridge Wood by a gate, and keep along its lower edge. A farm will be seen to the 1. on the lower slope, called Marsley. This has been identified by Mr. Eyton as the park of Marsetalie, mentioned in Domes- day. “It is recorded among the ancient customs of Shrewsbury that when the King visited the town, the sheriff used to send 36 footmen as his body-guard (ad stabilitionem) for so long as he remained there. But for the Park of Marsetalie, he used cus- tomarily to find 36 men for eight days.” The adjoining district is named Hockestow Forest in Saxton’s survey. Leaving the wood by another gate follow the road to the rt. to another farm. To the rt. of this turn up the hill to a sparse but extensive planta- tion of fine hollies. Keep along the lower border of this to a gate in a wire fence, and pass through this on to the moor. Keep to the rt. until a cottage is reached. Passing through the field by this, a spring of good water will be found. Beyond is the first outcrop of rock, Habberley Bock , re- sembling a staircase between two ruined walls. Keep straight along the ridge (there is no definite path), passing successively Pontesbury Bock , the highest point of the range ; the Shepherd's Bock , a square mass ; and the Scattered Bocks to the Devil's Chair , consisting of 3 masses of stone, the largest of which has a natural window in the centre. From this point there is a fine view, some- what similar to that obtained from the Longmynd. The moor here is very wild, being covered with loose stones, amongst which heather, bil- berries and cranberries grow in pro- fusion. Keep straight on to Cran- berry Bock , the last outcrop of stone in this part of the range. Here de- scend to the road on the rt. near the Bogmine , recognisable by 2 patches of water (the Bog) lying near it. Of the range thus traversed Murchison remarks : “ These stony masses ap- pear to the artist like insulated Cyclopean ruins jutting out upon a lofty moorland ridge at heights vary- ing from 1,500 to 1,611 ft. above the sea. On reaching the summit the traveller sees below him to the W. a rapid slope and beyond it a pictu- resque hilly tract, the strata of which are laden with lower Silurian fossils and diversified by a variety of rocks of igneous origin. The Stiperstones are outstanding fragments of a thick band of silicious sandstone. Though 69 Route 8 . — Stapeley in parts veined, altered and fractured, and occasionally passing into ' quartz rock, they yet form an integral por- tion of the outlying schistose forma- tion, while fragments of the shells called Lingulae occur in them. The rock has all the appearance of having been altered by the influence of the heat which must have accompanied the evolutions of those igneous rocks (chiefly greenstone) which occur on both sides the ridge.’ ’ — Siluria. The tourist has now a choice of ways by which to return. He can (a) turn to the rt. at the Bog and follow the road in the valley through Snail- beach to Minsterley, whence he can re- turn to Shrewsbury by train. [Length of excursion, about 12-14 m.] Or (£) he can go straight on, passing on the 1. 2 detached rocks, Nipstone Rock , on the hill above him, until he comes to The Rock , on the E. side of which is a perfect cascade of loose stones. In front is a detached hill with cart tracks leading up it to mines, Black Rhadley Hill. Keeping to the 1. of this, he will follow the road to a gate leading into Linley Drive, a charm- ing valley, between 2 wooded hills, watered by the river West Onny. Traversing this, he will reach the road by Linley Hall (K. Jasper More, Esq., M.P.), in the grounds of which is a tumulus. From this point he will pass through More to Lydham Heath Stat. on the Bishop’s Castle line. The distance is about the same as by the other route. (e) To Stapeley Hill and the Stone Circles. [Distance to Mitchell’s Fold, about 6 or 7 m. Thence by a, to Lydham Heath 6 or 7 more, and by £, about the same. The latter is the prettier walk, if it has not already been taken. The caution respecting food given in connection with Excur- sion d may here be repeated.] The train should be taken to Minster- ley^ Stat. (see Excursion d) ; then take the road through Ploxgreen to Hopesgate (3 m.) There is here a modest wayside beerhouse, the last hostelry of any kind which the tra- veller will see, to which a conveyance Hill ; Stone Circles . sometimes runs from Minsterley. A footpath leads across a field to a large boulder, the Lordstone , in the hedge by the side of the lane, on which is said to be the mark of the Devil’s foot. Turn up the hill to the 1., and keep straight on by Oorsty Bank to a gate which admits to the moor. Two or three hundred yards to the 1. is a stone circle, the Marsh- pool Circle. This is a fairly regular circle, about 70 ft. in circumference, consisting of 27 stones of no great height, with a larger one in the cen- tre. Two of the stones have round holes bored in them to a depth of 2 or 3 in. Beturn to the path and keep straight along to the summit (1,320 ft.) There is a magnificent view of the Welsh mountains, including Snowdon and Cader Idris, which can be well seen on a clear day. Here is also what is apparently a low tumu- lus, surrounded by a ring of stones almost entirely covered by turf. At the S. end of the hill, to the rt. of some marshy ground where Drosera rotundifolia grows, and just beyond some cultivated fields, is Mitchell’s Fold ( = muckle or great fold — Miss Burne devotes a chapter to the folk- lore of this circle), about 90 ft. in cir- cumference, and consisting of 15 stones, the tallest of which is about G ft. high. Beyond this are a few other stones, the Whetstones , which may have been part of another circle. From this point the tourist can re- turn (a) by making for the White Grit Mine, and there turning to the rt. and following the main road for 3£ m., when he can turn to the rt. to Hys- sington, near which is an earthwork known as Simond’s Castle. Before reaching Hyssington he will pass under the E. face of Corndon Hill. From Hyssington he will take the road, passing on the rt. the Rover - ies , a wooded hill with a camp, through More to Lydham Heath Stat. Or (/8) instead of turning to the rt. to Hys- sington, he can follow the main road until the lodge gate of Linley Drive is reached. He will enter here and follow the drive to the river West 70 Route 8 . — Shrewsbury to Stafford. Onny , whence his way will be the same as at the end of Excursion d. Quitting the General stat., the line crosses the Severn immediately, and again about 1J m. farther on. On the 1. is the picturesque hill of Haughmond, crowned by Uffington Castle above and the ch. below. To the rt. is Longner Hall, the seat of J. L. Burton, Esq., whose family has been settled here for many genera- tions. The house is Elizabethan, fronted with Grinshill stone. But the chief interest lies in the grounds, which contain the tomb of Edward Burton, whose opposition to Queen Mary is related in “ Foxe’s Book of Martyrs.” 3f m. Upton Stat. The village of Upton Magna is to the rt., and con- tains a fine ch ., restored by Street. It is 2J m., a walk through pretty country lanes, to Wroxeter. Upton Magna was the largest of the manors bestowed by Earl Roger de Mont- gomery on his favourite Warine, and its history is a good deal interwoven with that of the early sheriffs. Cross- ing the Shrewsbury Canal and the river Teme, the traveller reaches 6J m. Walcott Stat. 1^ m. N.W. is Withington Ch ., which con- tains some brasses of the 15th cent. The Wrekin on the rt. becomes a conspicuous feature in the scenery all the way to Wellington , 10 m. (Rte. 7), where the Nantwich and Market Drayton line comes in on 1. and the Great Western is given off to Wolver- hampton, as well as a branch to Coal- brook Dale. 11^ m. Hadley Stat. The line skirts the northern boundary of the Shropshire coalfield, which is less disfigured on this side than on any other. The furnaces on the rt. in the distance are those of Wombridge and Donnington. 14 m. Donnington Stat., the near- est to Lilleshall Abbey , 2§ m. rt. After emerging from the stat. lane, follow the turnpike road to Newport for 1 m. to the rt., and then, opposite the village ch. of Lilleshall and the first Duke of Sutherland’s monu- ment, turn to the rt., and, passing some 4 or 5 fieldgates on the 1. of the road, you espy the abbey front in the midst of a sequestered group of trees. It is a very pretty walk, the road passing, at no great distance, the village and old hall of Lilleshall. Lilleshall Church has a good Norm. S. door and a font of the same date, a leper window and monuments in the chancel to R. Leveson and his wife Katharine (1661). The name of Lilleshall, or Lilia’s Hill, comme- morates, doubtless, some early Saxon lord. Of the ABBEY,* founded in 1145 for Augustin canons by Richard and Philip de Beaumes, the former Dean of St. Alkmund’s, Shrewsbury, the latter Lord of Tonge, some very beautiful remains are left. Of these Rickman thus speaks : “ The plan of the abbey is very peculiar— a long narrow ch. without aisles, but with transepts, no triforium, but a clere- story high up in the walls to allow for the cloister and domestic build- ings abutting against them ; the nave is divided by transverse walls into 3 portions ; the choir has chapels on either side ; the E. window is Dec. Its chief feature is the round- headed western portal, of 3 orders, with a 4-leaved flower in the outer moulding, the shafts destroyed, but one capital of graceful foliage and moulding still remaining. It is sup- posed to have been surmounted, as at Malmesbury, by a Perp. tower. There are considerable ruins also of the refectory and the abbot’s house,” the connection of the conventual buildings with the ch. being very interesting, especially the rich de- signing of the fine Norm, door on S. side, outside which is a large double ambry surmounted by a Norm. arch. At the demolition, like 3 of the bells of the central tower of Wenlock Priory, the stalls of the choir were removed to Wolverhampton ch., where they now are (Handbook for Staffordshire). To the E. also are traces of the Chapter House, with 71 Route 8. — Lilleshall; Newport . one remaining window of the dor- mitory above it. Although Lilles- hall was a wealthy establishment, the abbots used to complain that from their proximity to the Watling Street, which runs some 3 m. to the S., the number of pilgrims that sought their hospitality was so great that it caused them to be really poor. At the Dissolution the manor was given by Henry VIII. to James Leveson, in whose family it remained till the 17th cent., when Frances, daughter and heiress of Sir John Leveson, brought it by marriage into the family of Gower, and it is still a residence of the Dukes of Suther- land. The hall is a Tudor building, very prettily situated, overlooking the abbey ruins, and has charming terrace-gardens. In the adjoining parish of Preston is the old park belonging to the Abbot of Lilleshall, still called Lubstree Park, but now a farm. As is evident to the traveller, the Lilleshall estate is mostly valuable for its underground treasures in the shape of coal and limestone. Some very interesting and successful ex- periments have been made by the Duke of Sutherland in sinking for coal through the New Bed sandstone, thus increasing to an enormous ex- tent the productive area of the field. About 1 m. from Lilleshall is Wood- cote Hall (J.W. Williams, Esq.) Wood- cote Ch. has an E. Norm. S. door, and contains an incised alabaster slab, dated 1500. 18 m. Newport Stat. NEWPORT# is a pleasant well-built little place, affording a good market for th agricultural district between Welling- ton and Stafford. The ch. is E. Eng., and there is a grammar school, here, founded by one William Adams in 1665. About 1 m. from the town, just outside the Shropshire border, is Aqualate , the seat of Sir Thomas F. Boughey, Bart., in the grounds of which is a very fine mere, from whence it has obtained its name (Aqua lata). 2J m. from Newport, to the N., i the village of Edgmund, the ch. of which contains a brass with effigy in shroud of Francis Yonge, ob. 1533. Adjoining it is the Rectory (Ven. Archdeacon Lloyd), which was formerly a monastic establishment. It is of 14th cent, date, but of its his- tory little or nothing is known. 1J m. to the N. is Chetiuynd Knoll (J. S. B. Borough, Esq.), formerly the seat of the Chetwynds, whose heiress married Sir Bichard de Peshale, Sheriff of Shropshire in 1333. The Pigott family was subsequently seated here for 12 generations. The park contains fallow deer, “ but this is not the original park, for there had been one before, as appears by an inquest on the death of John de Chetwynd in 1281.” Immediately beyond Newport the boundary line between the counties is crossed and the rly. enters Staf- fordshire (Handbook for Stafford- shire). ROUTE 9. FROM SHREWSBURY, BY ALBERBURY, WESTBURY, CHIRBURY, AND CHURCH- STOKE, TO BISHOP’S CASTLE (BY ROAD). Road. Places. Shrewsbury 8^ m. Alberbury 10£ m, Wattlesboro’ 12£ m. Westbury 20 m. Marten 23£ m. Chirbury 26£ m. Churchstoke 32 m. Bishop’s Castle Distances from Bishop’s Castle — Shrewsbury, 20 m. ; Ludlow, 20 m. ; Welshpool, 15 m. The Welshpool road passes through Frankwell, past the lunatic asylum. 3J m. on 1. Onslow Hall (Mrs Wingfield). 5J m. turn to rt. by Benthall Cross, past 72 Route 9 . — Shrewsbury to Bishop's Castle. 7 m. onl. Rowton Castle (J. J. Owen, Esq.), a seat of Lord Rowton, was for- merly in the hands of the Corbets and the Le Stranges, and passed by purchase to the Lysters, one of whom, Sir Thomas Lyster, a zealous loyalist, was taken prisoner at Shrewsbury ; but his wife held the castle so gal- lantly against Col. Mytton, that she succeeded in making good terms for her husband. 8J m. Alberbury, close to which is Loton, the beautiful seat of Sir Bald- win Leighton, Bart. The ch. is a line building, with a massive saddle-back tower. The S. aisle, the E. window of which is blocked, has a good roof with carved beams, a recessed tomb with slab, bearing ball flower, and a little old glass in one window. Adjoining the ch. are the scanty remains of Alber- bury Castle, formerly the property of the Fitzwarines. In this parish are 2 farms called White and Red Abbey, but they were originally por- tions of a priory of the Benedictine order of Grandmont, founded between 1220 and 1230 by Fulke Fitzwarine. The deer park extends for a consider- able distance up the slopes of the Breidden, which for the whole way from Shrewsbury have been most conspicuous features of the land- scape. [Bausley Hill, a portion of the largest ridge of the Breidden range, is still marked by the remains of a camp, to the E. of the old fortress on the Breidden. The ch ., originally a Saxon collegiate ch., contains monu- ments, brasses , and a memorial win- dow to the Leightons, also one to the family of Lyster, and several to that of Lloyd. At 11 m. the Severn is joined by the Yyrnwy, near which, on rt., is a singular conical mound called Belan Bank, probably used to guard the passage of the river, which is crossed by a narrow bridge, at 13 m. the village of Llandrinio, in Mont- gomeryshire.] 10J m. (or 9J if the path through the deer park is taken) Wattlesboro’ Castle, a farm with remains of an old feudal building attached. The remains consist of a single low square Norm, tower and N. wing, with blocke Norm, semicircular windows. Four other towers are said to have existed, and to have been removed to furnish building materials for Alberbury ch. The tower was once higher, and has been finished of with a low roof. The first and second floor rooms pos- sess water-drains, and have garde- robes attached. The building, which is most interesting, is now inhabited by a farmer, but was originally the property of the Corbets, the Mouthes, the Burghs, and the Leightons. [2 m. rt. is the village of Woolas- ton, near which are a few early re- mains in the shape of tumuli and a moat. Winnington, in this parish, was the birthplace of Thomas Parr, commonly called Old Parr, who was born in the reign of Edward IV., and died in that of Charles I., after a life of 152 years. Woolaston is a small chapelry and township of Alberbury to the S.W. The ch., which has a wooden bell-turret, contains a brass in memory of Old Parr. The BREID - DEN, the steep wooded sides of which tower over the road, are a singular group, rising to the height of 1,202 ft., though they appear more, in conse- quence of their isolation. The most precipitous peak is that of Moel-y- golfa, nearest Welshpool, which is divided from the other heights by a deep ravine. The most northerly summit, overlooking the Severn, is crowned with Rodney’s Pillar, erected to commemorate the victory obtained by that Admiral over the French fleet in 1782. At the foot of the magnificent wood-covered escarpment stands the village of Criggion, with its picturesque little red sandstone ch. It is pretty certain that the direct ascent of the Romans could not have been possibly made from the Rhyd Esgyn ford or “ Ferry of the Ascent,” but was rather made by the Outher ford, a mile or two nearer Welshpool, N. of the Old Mills farm, and in direct route for the Moel-y- golfa, past Voel Coppice in Trewern. 73 Route 9.^— Breidden ; Chirbury. On the hill which rises behind the pillar are traces of an ancient fortress, as also of a considerable encampment at Cefn-y-Castell, behind Moel-y- golfa, which last peak ought to be ascended. The view is very charm- ing, and particularly towards theN.W. and W., looking over Oswestry and the red hills of Llanymynach, backed up by the noble ranges of the Berwyns. To the E. the eye glances over the rich champaign flats of the Severn, with Haughmond Hill, the Hawkstone ridge, and the spires of Shrewsbury in the distance. Southward the most prominent feature is the Long Moun- tain, with its monotonous outline, and there is a good look-out over the town of Welshpool on the “ Bed ” or Powis Castle, with its noble and vene- rable oaks and feudal associations. Geologically considered, these moun- tains are interesting, as marking a line of eruption ranging from S.W. to N.E. They are “ a mass of por- phyrinic and amygdaloidal greenstone, which in its protrusion has carried up included portions of slaty rocks, and has thrown off pebble-beds and Upper Silurian (of the Long Moun- tain) to the S.E., and Lower Silurian to the N.W.” — Murchison. One de- rivation of the appellation Breidden avails itself of this characteristic, making it signify Breith Den, the Speckled Camp , from the trap-rock. Botanists have found on the Breidden, the only known locality in Great Britain, Potentilla rupestris , as well as Lychnis viscaria , Geranium san - guineum , Veronica spicata and hy- brida ; and Saxifraga hypnoides, found also in other volcanic forma- tions.] 12J m. Westbury Stat. (Shrews- bury and Welshpool Bly.) 13^ m. Westbury, to the rt. Whit- ton Hall. 15 m., on rt. 1 m., overlooking the valley of the Rea, are the remains of Caus Castle, an old border stronghold, in which traces of keep and wall are still visible, and which Peter Corbet held of the Crown after the Norman conquest for military service. “Exposed to all the turmoil of a hostile position, here dwelt the eldest of two English sons of Corbet the Norman. On the right were the mountain fastnesses of Powisland, and on the three other sides Roger FitzCorbet's position was immediately or remotely backed by the strongholds and manors of his own English vassals, or of his brother the Lord of Longden. Further off in front, looking over Minsterley, and across the valley of the Rea, the eye rested on the Forest of Stiper Stones, over a chace of Saxon kings, but appropriated, with all its rights as a royal forest, by the Barons of Caus. Caus Castle is finely situ- ated on an insulated ridge rising from a ravine which fronts the Stiper Stones. John Thynne, founder of Longleate, who died in 1604, married Jane, daughter of Sir Rowland Hayward, who inherited from her mother Jane, heiress of William Tyllsworth, the manors of Caus Castle, Stretton All, and pro- bably Minsterley .” — Castles of Shropshire , p. 65. 17-| m. Worthen. 20 m. Marton. There is a pretty mere and a tumulus near the ch. The hills on the rt. are well wooded. 22m.on 1. a mine from which baryta is extracted. 23J m. Chirbury a pretty village where is supposed to have once been the site of a castle built by iEthelfled, a Queen of Mercia. However that may be, the celebrity of Chirbury arises from its having been the residence of Lord Herbert of Chirbury, who was born in 1581 at Montgomery Castle. He was one of the most polished ornaments of the Court of James I., and, in addition to his military services in the Netherlands, was, like his brother, George Herbert, a man of mark in literature. It was here that he wrote his work “ De Veritate,” with a view to prove the uselessness of revelation (1624). The ch. was built in 1127 by Humphry de Winsbury, sheriff of the county. S. of Chirbury is Marnington Dingle, a charming and well-wooded valley through which the Camlad runs. On the 1. side of this and about halfway is the British work of Caerbre. Marnington Hall, the grounds of which extend along the W. bank, is the seat of S.D.Price-Davies, Esq. It is a very striking black-and- white timbered structure, of the date circa 1600 a.d., and was built by Richard Lloyd, to whose grandsire the 74 Route 9 . — Shrewsbury to Bishop's Castle . manor passed by marriage with the heiress of the Bowlers. In front of the mansion is a curious sundial, coeval with the building, and bearing date 1595. It is a square stone pillar, on which is the Lloyd crest, and the arms of 6 associated families, with the legend “ From day to day these shades do flee, And so this life passeth away.” Marnington was sold by the son of its builder to the first Lord Craven, and has since repeatedly changed hands. 26| m. Churchstoke, a pretty vil- lage at the junction of the Camlad (said to be the only stream which flows from England into Wales), Caebitra, and Lach brooks, which, still under the name of the former stream, flow due N. Thence the road passes under the S. extremity of Todleth Hill to 30 m. Snead. 32 m. Bishop’s Castle (p. 37). EOUTE 10. FROM SHREWSBURY TO CHIRK (GREAT WESTERN RLY). Rail. Places. Shrewsbury m. Leaton m. Baschurch 13£ m. Rednall 16 m. Whittington 18 m. Gobowen Junct. 20 m. Oswestry Quitting Shrewsbury from the General Bailway Stat., the traveller passes through a pretty wooded country, though not much is visible on account of the extent of cutting. 1 m. 1. is Berwick Hall . 4J m. Leaton Stat. On 1. are Leaton Knolls (G. J. Shakerley, Esq.), and The Isle (H. Sandford, Esq.), prettily situated within a horseshoe bend of the Severn. 7J m. Baschurch Stat. On Berth Hill, 1 m. to the rt., are some ancient fortifications, surrounded by a cir- cular vallum, the whole defended by a deep pool at the bottom of the eminence. Baschurch is the place mentioned as “ the Churches of Basa” by Llywarch Hen, in the elegy on the fall of Oyndelan, and, strange to say, an eminent Shropshire antiquary found proof in this against the authenticity of the poem, for he says, “ Bass ” is a Saxon name, forgetting Martial’s epigram “Ad Bassam,” and that there were no Christian churches in England then. The ch. contains some Norm, work in the tower and S. aisle. There is a series of recessed tombs in the S. aisle, one of which bears the ball flower. There is a chained Bible at the W. end. Between 2 and 3 m. to the rt. of Baschurch are the scanty fragments of Middle Castle, built by the Lords L’Estrange in the reign of Edward III. In the neighbourhood of Baschurch are Walford Manor (F. Hayes, Esq.) and Hall (T. S. Eyton, Esq.) Marton and Fennymere Pools, near this, are of considerable size. 2 m. 1. Ruyton of the XI Towns is thought by many antiquaries to be identical with the Roman station Rutunium. “Here was the seat of the great Le Strange family, which appears to have been imparked by John Le Strange about the year 1195, when he came to the following agreement with Hugh, abbot of Shrewsbury. The abbot conceded to Le Strange a corner of his wood of Birch, extend- ing from the place where Le Strange’s park- fence came down to the water of Peveree to the end of Le Strange’s meadow on the side of Plettebrug Mill. This was to enlarge Le Strange’s park, and he was to pay a rent of one doe yearly in acknowledgment.” — Shirley. The ch. contains some E. Norm, details in the chancel. In the ch.- yd. are a few fragments of the wall of the old castle. 9 m. on 1. is Boreatton Park (Dr. Sankey), and on rt. 3 m. is Petton (Capt. E. B. Cunliffe). 13J m. Rednall Stat., in the neigh- bourhood of which are Woodhouse (A. Mostyn Owen, Esq.), Aston, the beautiful seat of Col. B. T. Lloyd, and 75 Route 10 . — Oswestry ; Brogyntyn. Tedsmere (Rev. T. M. B. Bulkeley- Owen). 16 m. Whittington Junct. for Elles- mere and Whitchurch (Bte. 12). On rt. are the ruins of the Castle. The name Wititone occurs in Domesday, when Earl Roger de Montgomery held it. From him it passed to Robert de Belesme, and was afterwards held in 1165 by Roger de Powys, becoming the property of Fulke Fitzwarine, circa 1200. In his line it remained until 1420. The earthworks consist of a central mound of artificial origin, 80 ft. high and about 150 by 100 ft. in diameter, with 8 other platforms, protected by 8 banks and 8 ditches on the S. and W. The defence on the N. and E. was a morass, the ground still being marshy. The masonry now standing does not date back beyond the reign of Henry III. Vestiges of 8 towers remain, 4 of which are attached to the keep. Near Whittington is Park Hall (A. W. Corrie, Esq.), a magni- ficent Elizabethan gabled timber mansion. At the W. end is the domestic chapel consecrated by Arch- bp. Parker. 18m.Gobowen Junct. for Oswestry, Welshpool, Newtown, and Aberyst- with. The first stat. on this Cambrian section is OSWESTRY#— a pleasant busy Shropshire town of some 9,000 inhab., situated amongst prettily wooded hills in the district lying between Watt’s and Offa’sDykes — the former, indeed, passing close to the N.E. outskirts. Though within the Shropshire border, its neighbourhood to Wales gives it much the character of a Welsh town, and many Welsh names are to be found here. Formerly called Maesdir ( = maes a meadow, and tir land) and afterwards Maserfield, it derived its subsequent name of Oswestry from, the Northern King Oswald and the adjunct “ tre ” or town. Oswald was King of North- umberland, and was slain here in battle in 642, while endeavouring to dispossess Penda, King of Mercia, of his territory. His mem- bers are said to have been hung upon a cross or tree called Croes Oswald. The name was again changed to Blanc Minster (“Album Monasterium ”) on the erection of the Norm. ch. which preceded the present building. Finally the name of Oswestry was returned to and persists to the present day. The first royal charter was granted by Richard II. It was formerly well guarded by a castle, which stood on an eminence to the N., and walls in which were 4 gates, known as Black-gate, New-gate, Willow-gate, and Beatrice-gate. The mound is now prettily planted and laid out with walks. Some fragments of the keep still remain. The Church has been completely restored, but the fine old tower and steeple are little changed. In the interior are kneeling effigies of Hugh Yale and Dorothy his wife under a canopy, 1616. There are several good half-tim- bered houses in the town. Oswestry is a corporate town and holds sessions for its own borough, at which a Recorder presides. It possesses a handsome Town Hall, a House of Industry outside the town, and a Grammar School, founded in Henry IV.’s time by one David Hol- beck. A walk should be taken to Hen Dinas or Old Oswestry, which is less than 1 m. from the town. Turn to the 1. just beyond the G.W.R. stat. After walking \ m. turn to the rt. round a wooded hill, now excavated internally into a kind of quarry, which the traveller should enter, for here he will see the partly removed terminal moraine of one of the great glaciers of the Glacial period. Near a cottage there is a gate lead- ing into the camp. This represents the N. entrance, and the other end of the lane traversing the camp, the S. There are three ramparts of con- siderable height, though now difficult of clear definition on account of the growth of timber and underwood. The total fortifications covered a space of between 40 and 50 acres, exclusive of the area, which is about 16. There is another remarkable earth- work, the Castel or Castell Brogyntyn, situated in Brogyntyn Park (long called Porkington by corruption), the beautiful seat of Lord Harlech. It is of a circular form, about 50 yds. in diameter, and is contained within a bank, from 4 to 6 ft. high, 76 Route 10. — Shrewsbury to Chirk. outside which is a ditch. The cen- tral portion has been levelled for a bowling green. Tradition states that it was constructed by Brogyntyn, a natural son of Owen Madre, Prince of Wales. The heiress of the family of Laken, in whose possession Brogyntyn originally was, conveyed it by marriage into that of Maurice, whose granddaughter mar- ried John Owen. Their son, Sir John, was a devoted Boyalist ; but in a bold attempt to lay siege to Carnarvon, which was then held by the Republicans, he was worsted and taken prisoner. His behaviour, when on his trial at Windsor, was bold and characteristic, and he was condemned by his judges to be beheaded — “ upon which he made a low rever- ence to the court, and with much gravity re- turned them his humble thanks. A by- stander had the curiosity to ask him the meaning of such strange behaviour, and to all appearance so much out of place, when he replied aloud, ‘It is a great honour for a poor gentleman of Wales to lose his head- with noble lords, for I was afraid they would have hanged me.’ But the stout knight had the good fortune to escape the great honour. Ireton proved his advocate in the House of Commons, and so successfully, that he was allowed to die in Heaven’s good time, with his head upon his shoulders.” — Burke. ROUTE 11. FROM OSWESTRY TO SHREWSBURY, BY LLANYMYNECH, KNOCKIN, AND SHRA- WARDINE (BY RAIL AND ROAD). Rail. Road. Places. Oswestry 3 m. Llynclys 5 m. Knockin 8£ m, Nesscliff 16 m. Shrewsbury Distances from Oswestry — Shrews- bury 18 m., Ludlow 47 m., Welshpool 16 m., Wrexham 15 m., Llangollen 12 m., Ellesmere 7 m., Whitchurch 15 m. To Llanymynech by Cambrian Ely. The rly. leaves Oswestry, and runs due S. nearly parallel with Watt’s Dyke, on the 1., leaving on the rt. the turnpike road to Llanymynech. 2 m. Sweeny Hall , and 1. 1 m. Aston (Capt. F. Lloyd). 3 m. Llynclys Stat., near which is a small lake. The name Llynclys means “ the swallowed hall,” and the lake is one of several in Shropshire, in the depths of which is supposed to be a city or palace, submerged on account of the wickedness of its in- habitants. On 1. is the village of Moreton. The line is here crossed by a tramroad, which conveys a large quantity of lim& from the mountain- limestone quarry of Porthywaen to a wharf on the Ellesmere Canal. The abrupt hill of Llanymynech (in a detached portion of Denbighshire) rises with precipitous escarpment on rt., and forms a striking feature in the landscape. It possesses, at Porthy- waen, valuable limestone quarries, producing about 90,000 tons annually. Copper seems also to have been worked here by the Eomans, who have left traces of their excavations in a large cave or Ogo hole, probably a copper mine of the Eoman period (ogof = a cavern in Welsh), at the end of which, in 1761, were found several skeletons, together with some tools, and coins of the reign of Anto- ninus. Offa’s Dyke is carried along the W. brow of the hill, which is worth ascending for the sake of the beautiful view, particularly towards the Berwyns. There are several earthworks situated on this hill. The village of Llanymynech is situated on the line of Offa’s Dyke, and on the 1. bank of the Vyrnwy Biver, which here forms the boundary between Shropshire and Montgo- meryshire. [2 m. to rt. Llanyblodwell, a pretty village on the 1. bank of the Tanat, which soon afterwards joins the Vyrnwy. Its ch. was restored and an octagonal tower erected by the late Eev. John Parker, one of the first of Welsh archaeologists.] By road from Llanymynech to 5 m. Knockin, where is the site and scanty remains of an old castle. Knockin, or Cnuckin, in the Hundred of Oswestry, was the lordship of the L’Estranges, or Bxtranii, who built the town, fixed their seat there, and associated tlieir name 77 Route 11. — Shrawardine ; Ellesmere, with the castle. In the reign of Edward IV. the estate and name of the L’Estranges or Stranges passed with the sole heiress Joan to George Stanley, son and heir toThos. Stanley, first Earl of Derby. 8J m. Nesscliff. On the hill is a camp and a cave in a rock, divided partially into 2 rooms by a par- tition on which is carved H.K. 1564. These are supposed to have been the initials of Humphry Kynaston, surnamed the Wild, who was declared an outlaw, and obliged to leave his residence of Middle Castle, which even then was nearly in ruins. It was a favourite spot for highwaymen, who used to lie in wait there for the Shrewsbury drapers on their way to Oswestry market. In 1583 the Drapers’ Company of Shrewsbury ordered “that no draper set out for Oswestry on Mondays before 6 o’ cl. on forfeiture of 6s. 8 d., and that they should wear tlieir weapons all the way and go in company.” 11 m. on 1. Ensdon House. 11^ m., on rt. 1J m. Shrawardine. Here is the site of an ancient castle , which at one time belonged to the EitzAlans, Earls of Arundel. In the Civil War it was garrisoned for the King by Col. Sir William Vaughan in 1644, but besieged by the Parlia- mentary forces, and surrendered in 3 days to Col. Hunt. It was then pulled down, and the stones carried off to repair the castle of Shrewsbury. Saxton’s survey men- tions a park here, and there is an extensive mere near the modern “ Castle.” In Shrawardine ch. there is a good old stone font. 12J m. the Severn is crossed at Montford Bridge. 16 m. Shrewsbury. BOUTE 12. This line forms a connecting link between the Shrewsbury and Crewe and the Cambrian Rlys., and accom- modates a considerable agricultural district in N. Shropshire. 1 m. Fern Hill (Capt. J. H. Lovett). 3 m. rt. Halston, the ancestral seat of the Mytton family, one of whom, John Mytton, Esq., as sheriff of the county, had the task of receiving into custody Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, surrendered by the treachery of Humphry Banastre, his steward. Of Jack Mytton, the Shrop- shire Nimrod and madcap of the earlier part of the century, the re- membrance is probably dying out, as there was little in it worth preserving. It now belongs to C. H. Wright, Esq. 5 m. Frankton Stat. The ch. (Dec.) was built in 1858, from designs by Haycock. 6 m. 1. Hardwick Hall, once the seat of the Kynastons ; a good house, built in the time and taste of Queen Anne. In the grounds are many beautiful specimens of pines and firs. One of the ancestors of the Kynastons was noted in the time of Charles I. for his translation into Latin of Chaucer’s “ Troilus and Cressida.” 7 m. ELLESMERE Stat., Q placed on the W. bank of a lake of some 120 acres, whence its Saxon name Aels- mere was derived. The town was originally held by Earl Roger de Montgomery, and afterwards by the Crown, who made frequent grants of it, and amongst others one to Prince Dafydd, formerly men- tioned as executed at Shrewsbury. It after- wards passed into the hands of Lord Strange, and finally of the Egerton family. The late Lord Francis Leveson Gower, as one of the representatives of the last Egerton Duke of Bridgewater (the Canal Duke), took the name of Egerton and the title of Ellesmere. FROM WHITTINGTON JUNCT. TO WHIT- CHURCH JUNCT., BY ELLESMERE. Rail. Places. Whittington Junct. 5 m. Frankton 7 m. Ellesmere 11£ m. Bettisfield 15 m. Fenn’s Bank 17 m. Whitchurch Its prosperity depends almost en- tirely on its markets for corn and agricultural produce, which are re- sorted to by dealers from Liverpool and Chester, to supply the manufac- turing districts. Malting is the chief business. The site of the Castle, of which no traces remain, is occupied, as at Denbigh, by a bowling green, ?8 Route 12 . — Whittington Junct . to Whitchurch Junct. which embraces a fine view overlook- ing Chester and the Broxton Hills, Wrexham, and the Caergwrle heights, Castle Dinas Bran and the Berwyns, the Hill of Llanymynech, the Breidden, Pirn Hill, Clee Hills, and the Wrekin". The view is said to extend into 9 counties. The Church (restored) is a cruci- form building with a square central tower and 2 chapels. The N. door is trans. Norm. The piscina in the chancel is in the E. wall, a very unusual position. There is a small window looking from the vestry on to the altar. The S. or Oteley chapel has a good wooden roof, with the Stanley arms amongst the carvings thereon. There is a wooden screen above the arch separating this chapel from the aisle, and another beneath, on the upper part of which the slot for the rood can be seen. In this chapel is a much mutilated tomb with recumbent figures of Sir F. Kynaston and wife, 1590. Also a remarkable stone slab, now affixed to a pillar at the W. end, with a figure carved thereon of the time of Edward IV. The MERES in the neighbourhood are 5 in number, and there are various pretty walks around them. That which is close to the town is the largest, and is known as The Mere. At its S. end is Oteley Park , the modern Elizabethan mansion of C. F. K. Main waring, Esq. “Otley”is mentioned by Saxton as imparked at the beginning of the 14th cent. It now contains 150 acres. The tourist should follow the road beyond the end of the mere. Just before it forks there is on rt. a wicket gate leading to the canal towing path, which he should now take. The Ellesmere Canal, one of Telford’s great works, was considered, previously to the construction of rail- ways, the grand engineering feat of the day. “ It consists of a series of navigations pro- ceeding from the Dee, in the V ale of Llangollen. One branch passes northward, near the towns of Ellesmere, Whitchurch, Nantwich, and the city of Chester, to Ellesmere Port on the Mersey ; another in a south-easterly direction s through the middle of Shropshire towards Shrewsbury on the Severn ; and a third, in a south-westerly direction by the town of Oswestry, to the Montgomeryshire Canal, near Llanymynech; its whole extent, including the Chester Canal, incorporated with it, being about 112 miles. So great was the favour shown to the scheme at the first meeting held in 17 90, that applications were made for four times the disposable number of shares.” — Smiles. Turning to the 1. on the towing path and passing through a tunnel, he will come very shortly to Blake Mere, which, charmingly surrounded by trees, lies on the 1. hand. About ^ m. farther is Cole Mere. At the fork of the road above mentioned the road on the rt. leads to White Mere, and that on the 1. to Newton Mere. [About 4 m. S. of Ellesmere is Ken- wick , “ a large and important park very conspicuously marked in Saxton’s Maps of 1577. This appears to have belonged to Hagmond Abbey, but I have found no mention of the park till the year 1604, when William Penrhyn, writing on the 27th Jan. to Hugh Nanney, observes ; ‘ Sr. Jevan Lloid spent at Kenwik parke fortye markes in takynge of six young Ras- calls.’ ” — Shirley . Rascal deer were lean animals fit neither to hunt nor kill.] 10 m. Welshhampton Stat. The line enters Flintshire near 11 J m. Bettisfield Stat. A little to the N. is Bettisfield Park , an ancient house, the seat of the Right Hon. Baron Hanmer, containing a con- siderable library and many family portraits and pictures. Close by the house is one of the two divisions of the watershed that occur in Flint- shire, the water flowing southward to the Severn, but N.E. and westward to the Dee. The line here, in fact, traverses a small portion of Flint. A little to the N. of Bettisfield is Gred- ington, the seat of Lord Kenyon, containing a library collected by the distinguished Chief Justice, founder of that family, and portraits of him- self and of his contemporary, Lord Thurlow ; and to the N. of this again is the village of Hanmer, mentioned Route 12 . — Hanmet. 79 by Camden in his “ Britannia.” The ch. is of Tudor architecture, com- menced to be rebuilt in the reign of Henry VII., after the destruction of the old one in the York and Lan- caster wars. It was restored by Lord Hanmer at his own cost, and also endowed with the stipend of a minister. It contains some painted windows of modern glass by Clayton and Bel^ a magnificent carved oak ceiling, and various monuments of the Kenyon and Hanmer families, one of whom was Sir Thomas Han- mer, Speaker of the House of Com- mons in the 18th cent. It is pro- bable that Owain Glyndwr was mar- ried in this place, though in the ch. that was afterwards burnt. His wife was Margaret, daughter of Sir David Hanmer, Knt., one of the judges in the King’s Bench in the reign of Richard II., resident here in his day, and ancestor of the present owner. In front of the ch. to- wards the S. extends one of the meres which give so much beauty to this part of the country. The rly. now passes through Fenn’s Moss, a large tract of peaty moor- land, grown up on the site of one of the original woods cut down by King Edward I. to clear the country at the settlement of Wales. There is a certain sombre beauty in this tract of peat, the dark brown purplish hues of which contrast curiously with the light green foliage and silver stems of numerous small birch trees, which enliven it in the spring and summer. At the farther side of the Mere is 15 m. Fenn's Bank Stat. 17 m, the line crosses the border to 8 m. Whitchurch Junct. (Rte. 13). ROUTE 18. FROM SHREWSBURY TO NANTWICH, BY WEM AND WHITCHURCH. Rail. Places. Shrewsbury 4| m. Hadnall 7^ m. Yorton 13 m. Wem 19 m, Whitchurch This is an important line in the through route between South Wales and the North. It very soon parts company with the Great Western Rly. and turns to the rt., running tolerably due N. for some distance. 3 m., pretty close to the line on 1., is Battlefield Ch. (Rte. 8), and 4^ m. is Hadnall Stat . In the ch. (to rt.) is a monument to the first Lord Hill, the Commander-in-Chief of the British forces and the hero of Corunna, Talavera, Waterloo, and many other Peninsular battles. Near the stat. is Hardwicke Grange (T. J. Bibby, Esq.) ; and 2J m. to the E. is the Norm. ch. of Shawbury, on the river Roden. The S. door is circular- headed, and there is a good Norm, doorway on the N. side. Several of •the pillars have niches for figures. At the chancel arch the grooves for the rood screen can be seen, and the capitals of the pillars have here been shorn off to admit its timbers. One window is composed of old glass, and the reredos was carved and presented by Miss Corbet of Acton Reynald. The font, which is remarkably fine, is barrel-shaped, and has 5 rows of mouldings, including cable. It is said to be of pre-Conquest date, but is perhaps more probably E. Norm. Shawbury Park was the seat of Giles de Erdington, who had licence from Henry III. to make a saltory or deer- leap in it. 1 m. to the N. again is Moreton Corbet,* an old ruined, castellated mansion, which acquired its second name, as the possession of the Corbet family, to distinguish it from another place called Moreton Turet. 80 Route 13 . — Shreivsbury to Nantwich. The house was begun on a very large scale by Sir Richard Corbet in 1606, and proceeded with by his brother, who admired the Puri- tans, and gave great protection to them in their hour of need. But the laws becoming very strict against them, he could no longer afford them shelter, which so roused the anger of one of them, that he gave vent to a pro- phecy that Moreton Corbet should never be finished, but should always remain a ruin. This has been verified since 1644, when the castle was garrisoned for the Parliament, and sustained great damage. The house is of Tudor architecture with many classical details. It is of brick, cased with Grinshill stone, resting on a groundsill of red sand- stone. On the string-course, alter- nating with the Tudor rose, lozenges, and filleted ox-skulls, are the elephant and castle and raven, badges of the Corbet family, which will also be seen on the tombs in the Church, which contains a hagioscope. The excel- lent tombs are to Robert and Eliza- beth Corbet, 1573, and Richard and Margaret Corbet, 1566. The latter is a remarkably fine tomb. The Vicarage, a pretty half- timbered house, dated 1652, stands close to the ch. The tourist may rejoin the rly. at Yorton Stat., 7 m., passing Acton Reynold, the beautiful seat of Sir W. 0. Corbet, Bart., which lies very prettily on the slopes of Grinshill, a picturesque and conspicuous hill forming part of the Hawkstone range. At Clive, a village on the northern side, copper mining has been carried on with some success. Close to Yor- ton is Sansaw, the residence of F. Bibby, Esq., and halfway between Yorton and Baschurch Stat. (about 2} m. 1.) are the scanty remains of Middle Castle, built by the Lords Le Strange in the reign of Edward III. It was once the residence of Humphry Kynaston, surnamed the Wild, who, when made an outlaw, betook him- self for shelter to Nesclifi Rock. The ch. contains a brass to one of the Pettons, 1564. 13 m. WEM.^ The town is a pleasantly situated, though dull, little place, dependent almost entirely on the agricultural population around. The buildings are more modern than in most Shropshire towns, owing to a great fire in 1677, which destroyed nearly the whole of it, at a cost of 23,000Z. Among the celebrities of Wem was Judge Jeffreys, who became the possessor of some property here, and was raised to the peerage by the title of Baron Wem. Wem took an active part in the Civil War, declaring for the Parliament, and forming a sort of garrison town, whence Gen. Mytton and his forces issued to ravage and destroy. In a skirmish between Lord Capel on the part of the Royalists and Sir William Brereton, the women distinguished themselves — “ The women of Wem and a few musketeers Beat Lord Capel and all his cavaliers.” Wem was also the birthplace of Wycherley, the dramatist, in 1640, a name still to be found in this district, and author of “ The Plaine Dealer ; ” and of John Ireland, author of “ Illustrations of Hogarth,” in 1786. There is but little to see in the place. The ch. possesses no interest beyond a tower on which is an ancient figure. There is a free school, founded in the 17th cent, by Sir T. Adams, a native of the town and Lord Mayor of London in 1645, in which year his house was searched in expectation of finding Charles I. in it. He accompanied Gen. Monk to Breda, as Commissioner of the City of London, to congratulate Charles II. on his restoration. In 1660 he was created a baronet. He had very high impressions as to pre- rogative, and was therefore called “Prerogative Mayor.” He gave up his mansion to endow the school, and also founded an Arabic Professor- ship at Cambridge, in 1669. 3 m. to the W. is Loppington House (Capt. T. A. M. Dickin), through the grounds of which the river Roden runs. 4|m. from Wem is HAWKSTONE,# the seat of Viscount Hill, which for extent, natural diversified beauty, and landscape gardening, surpasses every- thing in Shropshire. The house, which is partly of the time of Queen Anne, is under the northern slope of the Hawkstone Hills, commanding a very fine view, in which a lake about 2 m. long is conspicuous. The rooms best worth visiting are the Route 13 . — Hawkstone ; Frees. 81 library, the chapel, on the ceiling of which is a curious emblematical painting of Time putting Error to flight by the revelation of Truth, and the museum, in which is one of the most extensive collection of birds in the kingdom. From the rocky and broken character of the ground, great scope has been given for tunnels, sudden surprises, waterfalls, and other pretty conceits. Dr. Johnson visited Hawkstone in 1774, when he described the house as “ magnifi- cent,” while the demesne was “ a region abounding with striking scenes and terrific grandeur.” John- son considered that Hawkstone Park excelled Dovedale ‘-in the extent of its prospects, the awfulness of its shades, the horrors of its precipices, the verdure of its hollows, and the loftiness of its rocks.” Indeed, he said at Hawkstone “ a walk is an adventure, the departure an escape.” Amongst the attractions are Red Castle^ a few ruined walls occupying a precipitous knoll, and the obelisk, which overlooks the greater portion of North Shropshire, and was erected in memory of Sir Rowland Hill, the first Protestant Lord Mayor of London. To say nothing of its legends, Red Castle (so called from the colour of its stone) was probably a fortified mound prior to Henry III.’s licence to Henry Lord Audley to build a castle there. It remained with the Audleys, one of whom was a hero of Poictiers, till after the reign of Henry VIII. A Rowland Hill of Hawkstone was imprisoned here for his loyalty by the Parliamentarians in the Civil War ; and Sir Rowland Hill bought all the demesnes in 8 portions in 1737-56. Amongst the more remark- able of the ruins are the so-called “Giant’s Well,” which with a connect- ing passage, and the adjacent tower to the height of 40 ft., are hewn out of the solid rock. The Giant’s Well is 10 ft. in diameter, and descends to a depth of at least 105 ft. The rubbish in it was cleared away in 1780, when “ no water was found nor any aperture through which it was likely [H. B. Shrop.] to have entered.” A tower on the eft of the southern entrance ; indications of a fosse in supplement of the natural barriers of the position ; and the keep, on the E. side of the rock. An imitation arch or gateway dis- figures the general tout ensemble. About a mile to the S. is an earth- work known as Bury Walls. Of it Camden says, “ Here is a spot of ground where a small city once stood, the very ruins of which are almost extinct ; but the Roman coyns that are found there, with such bricks as they used in building, are evidence of its antiquity and founders. The people affirm it to have been very famous in King ^ Arthur’s days.” The Bury Walls (tlie Burgh) enclose 20 acres with a triple entrenchment ; and Roman remains and relics, bricks, earthenware, spurs, and incised stones, supposed to be “ milliaria,” attest Roman occupation. The park is 1,200 acres in extent, and is said to have been disparked about 1770 and restored in 1830. Few families have given to the service of their country so many men of note as the family of Hill ; for, in addition to the Com- mander-in-Chief, his brother, Sir Noel Hill (died 1832), rose to high rank in the army. Sir Bichard Hill, an ancestor, and M.P. for Salop in 1733, was a famous controversialist, and his laDguage was so Scriptural and quaint that he was called the Scriptural Killigrew. His younger brother again, Rowland Hill, was the famous preacher, of whom there are so many pulpit anecdotes. If the visitor to Hawkstone does not wish to return to Wem, he can leave the park by the E. lodge and proceed to Hodnet Stat., 2 m. on the Market Drayton line (Rte. 7 ). An excellent account of Hawk- stone and the Hills is given in Lord Teignmouth’s “ Reminiscences of Past Years,” c. v. vol. i. (published by D. Douglas, Edinburgh, 1878). Quitting Wem Stat., the line runs northward, leaving the villages of Edstaston (the ch. of which has a noble Norm, doorway) and Whixall to the 1. and Prees to the rt. Prees Ch , stands on a knoll of Lias formation. Jas. Fleetwood, Bp. of Worcester, was vicar here in 1638. The Vicarage (Rev. E. Addenbrooke). Prees Hall (V. F. J. Somerset, Esq.) Near Prees G 82 Route 13 . — Shrewsbury to Nantwich. is Sandford (Mrs. Sandford), the manor of which was granted to Thomas Sandford by William the Conqueror, to be held by the mili- tary tenure of supplying one horse- man for the defence of Montgomery Bridge. Fuller remarks about Ni- cholas Sandford, sheriff of Shrop- shire, temp. Bichard II., “ The an- cient name is still extant, at the same place in this county, in a worshipful equipage. Wellfare a clear token thereof ; for in the list of such as compounded for their re- puted delinquency in our late civil wars, I find Francis Sandford, Esq., paying 459 Z. for his composition.” Leland also says, “ Sandford dwell- eth at Sandforde, wher is only his place, and a parke three miles south from Whitechurch.” An occasional view on 1. is offered of the Peckforton and Broxton Hills in Cheshire. 19 m. WHITCHURCH,^ junct. with the Ellesmere and Aberystwith line (Cambrian system). It is a thriving, busy country place, the me- tropolis of a considerable agricultural district, and possessing the usual in- stitutions. There is little worth see- ing but the Church of St. Alkmond, which, although of heavy Romanesque architecture outside, and characteris- tic of the date of its restoration, after having fallen in Queen Anne’s reign in 1711, was rebuilt in the Grecian style in 1722, and contains a fine and lofty pinnacled tower, an apse, some good stained glass, and inte- resting monuments to members of the Talbot family, Earls of Shrews- bury. Here lies John, the first Earl, a Marshal of the Realm of France, killed at the battle of Bor- deaux, 1453, “who was so renowned in France that no man in that king- dom dared to encounter him in single combat.” His effigy, in a canopied tomb on the S. of the chancel, repre- sents him in full armour, with the mantle of the Order of the Garter, and his feet resting on a hound or talbot. His bones were removed from France, and interred in the old ch. here. At the rebuilding, the urn containing his heart, embalmed, was discovered, and reinterred under the old stone in the S. porch. There is another, to John Talbot, S.T.P., rector of the parish and founder of the Grammar School (date 1550). These monuments have been re- stored : the former by the Countess Brownlow, a descendant ; the latter by the present alumni of the school, in grateful memory of its founder. Whitchurch retains none of those antiquities from which it derived its name of Album Monasterium or Blanc Minster; nor of its ancient castle, ruins of which were visible as late as 1760. The Grammar School has been restored from Eliza- bethan designs. Amongst the natives of the town were Dr. Bernard, the biographer of Abp. Usher, and Abra- ham Wheelock, a celebrated linguist. Distances.— Malpas, 5J m. ; Com- bermere Abbey, 4J; Wrenbury, 5; Nantwich, 9; Shrewsbury, 19 ; Elles- mere, 11 m. Passing on rt. 2 meres close to the rly., named Blake and Oss mere respectively, the traveller enters Cheshire. At Blakemere was once a park, mentioned by Leland. “ From Whitechurch a mile and a half I cam by the pale of the large parke of Blackmer, longying to the Erie of Shrewsbiri, wherein is a very fair place or loge. The parke hath both red deere and falow. In the parke (as I herd say) be iii faire poles of the wich I saw by the pale the largest caullid Blakein, whereof the parke is named.” There was another park at Ightfield, 3 or 4 m. S.E. of Whitchurch, where “ Syr Richard Manoring, chefe of that name, dwellith, having a parke and plenty of woode about him. ’ ’ For remainder of route to Nantwich and Crewe, see Cheshire (Rte. 14). 83 Route 14 . — Wrenbury ; Combermere. ROUTE 14. FROM WHITCHURCH TO STOCKPORT, BY NANTWICH, CREWE, AND ALDERLEY. Rail. Road. Places. Whitchurch 5 m. Wrenbury 9 m. Nantwich 11 m. Willaston 13 m. Crewe 2 m. (from Crewe) Haslington 5 m. ,, ,, Sandbach 17 m. ,, Junct. 25 m, Holmes Chapel 30£ln. Chelford 33£ m. Alderley 35| m, Wilmslow 37 m. Handforth 39£ m. Cheadle Hulme Junct. 42 m. Stockport Soon after leaving Whitchurch Junct. (Rte. 13), and passing the lakelets of Blakemere and Ossmere, both good localities for wildfowl, the rly. crosses the boundary be- tween Shropshire and Cheshire, leaving on 1. Marbury Hall (C. H. Poole, J.P.), very prettily situated, overlooking the mere and village of the same name. To the rt. is Combermere Abbey, to visit which the traveller will have to retrace his steps from 5 m. Wrenbury Stat The ch. (temp. Henry VII.) has nave, side aisles, with clerestory, and chancel. It contains an oak roof, and some monuments by Bacon to the Cottons of Combermere, Mrs. Starkey of Wrenbury Hall, and to Mrs. Jen- nings, 1808. Wrenbury Hall (A. Starkey, J.P.) • Baddiley Hall , a little to the N., is a timber-and-plaster farmhouse, for many cents, the seat of the Malbons. It is about 2 m. to Combermere Abbey, the beautiful seat of Viscount Comber- mere, situated in the midst of very charming woods, and overlooking the mere of the same name. This is one of the most picturesque of the Cheshire meres, an irregular sheet of water, covering some 130 acres, and of great depth. Leland mentions a circumstance respect- ing the subsidence of ground here, which almost looks like an attempt to explain the formation of the lake : “ A mile from Combermere Abbey, in time of mind, sank a pease of a hill, having trees on hit, and after in that pitte sprang salt water, and the abbate ther began to make salt ; but the men of the wichis componid with the abbay that ther should be no salt made. The pitte yet hath salte water, but much filthe is faullen into it.” The “ wich ” mentioned here probably applies to the neighbouring town of Nantwich, the ch. of which belonged to the monastery of Combermere. Of this monastery, founded in the 12th cent, by Hugh de Malbanc for Cistercian monks, no trace is left, but the present Gothic mansion is built on the site, and the library is believed to have been the refectory. It contains some interesting wood- carving, and the heraldic history of the family of Cotton, emblazoned on the walls and ceiling. In the ar- moury is a collection of weapons and trophies brought from India by Sir Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere (died 1865). The family of Cotton has been settled here for several generations, one of its earliest members, George Cotton, having been described in King’s “ Vale Eoyal ” as “ a man of singular accompt for wisdom, integrity, god- linesse, gentlenesse, facility, and all generous dispositions.” At the Dissolution the abbey was given to George Cotton, and the family re- ceived its first honours from Charles II., who created Sir Robert Cotton a baronet. The peerage was granted in 1826 to the late Viscount, Sir Stapleton Cotton, as a mark of ac- knowledgment for his services in G 2 84 Route 14 . — Whitchurch to Stockport. India and the Peninsula. He was the friend and brother in arms of the Duke of Wellington, who fre- quently stayed here, and planted with his own hands an oak, which still thrives under his name. Strangers wishing to obtain access to the grounds of Combermere should write to the agent ; and trout-fishing can be had in a stream in the neighbourhood on application at the inn. Immediately on leaving Wrenbury the line crosses the Weaver in a very early part of its course, and runs through a flat though pleasant dairy- farming district - passing 1. Dorfold Hall, the seat of H. J. Tollemache, Esq., M.P. The estate had been in the possession of the Wilbrahams since the time of Elizabeth, but it was sold to the Tomkinson family in 1754. The house, which is ap- proached from the high road by an avenue, is an interesting Elizabethan brick building of bays and gables ; the drawing-room possesses a fine carved ceiling and chimney-piece, and there are other fine oak -panelled rooms. In the Civil War Dorfold was besieged twice, once in 1643 by Lord Capel, who held possession for one night only, and a little later on by Lord Byron. On rt. is Shewbridge Hall . 9 m. Nantwich Junct. with the Great Western Ely. from Wellington and Wolverhampton (Ete. 7). The traveller is now on the borders of the land of the “ wiches,” that give to the county of Cheshire those special features and characteristics derived from the salt supplies which are so bountifully yielded by Nature from the Triassic or New Eed sand- stone strata. Drayton thus speaks of them : “ The Nant Wyche and the North — whose either brynie well For store and sorts of salts, maketh Weever to excel.” The town of Nantwich# formerly produced more salt than all the Ches- hire springs put together, and though much less is produced, the Old Byott spring, supposed to have been the first discovered, is still used for brine baths. In Camden's time salt was the principal support of the town. “Nantwich, the first that is visited by the Wever, is called by the Welsh Hellath Wen, that is, White- salt-wich, because the whitest salt is made here ; by the Latins, Vicus Malbanus, probably from Wil- liam called Malbedeng and Malbanc, who had it given him upon the Norman conquest. There is but one salt pit (they call it the Brine pit), distant about 14 ft. from the river. From this Brine pit they convey salt water by wooden troughs into the h’ouses adjoining, where there stand ready little barrels fixed in the ground, which they fill with that water ; and at the notice of a bell, they presently make a fire under their leads, whereof they have six in every house for boiling the water. These are attended by certain women called Wallers, who with little wooden rakes draw the salt out of the bottom of them, and put it in baskets, out of which the liquor runs, but the salt remains and settles.” The idea of sanctity attached by the Ger- mans to salt springs obtained here. On As- cension Day the old inhabitants sang a hymn of thanksgiving for the blessing of the Brine. A very ancient pit, called the Old Brine, was in the last cent, decked with boughs, flowers, and garlands on this festival. A few houses still bear the date of the 16th cent. At the extremity of Hospital Street stands “ Church’s Mansion,” a quaint timber-work edi- fice, said to have been a restoration in Queen Elizabeth’s day. It has good oak-panelled rooms, and ceilings and cornices of plaster, and bears the legend : “ Eicharde Churche and Margerite his wyfe, Mai IIII. Thomas Cleese made this work, Anno Dni. MCCCCCLXXVIII. In the 18th year of our noble Queen Elezebeth.” In the square, at a house belonging to Mr. Lovatt, draper, are 2 or 3 finely panelled and ceiled rooms of much interest, though the date is not preserved. Nantwich, although a good deal modernised and improved, still con- tains some narrow streets and Eliza- bethan timber houses, which give it a particularly quaint and old-fashioned air. The principal object of interest is the ch., a very fine red sandstone cruciform building of Dec. and Perp. periods, with a central octagonal embattled tower, nave, side aisles, 85 Route 14 . — Nantwich; Faddiley. transept, and chancel. The choir is vaulted with stone, and contains 25 stalls of carved oak, said to have been brought from Yale Royal Abbey ; also a fine E. window, Trans. Perp. to Dec. There is a stone screen to the chancel, from which steps lead to a stone pulpit standing against the N.E. pillar of the tower. This is not used, the pulpit of oak (1601) being employed instead. The S. porch is vaulted, and has a parvise over it. There are monuments to the Wilbra- hams and Minshalls. In Hospital Street stood the Hos- pital of St. Nicholas, and there are still the almshouses founded by Sir Edmund Wright in 1638. At the end of the Welsh Row are others, founded by Sir Roger Wilbraham, 1613, rebuilt in 1870 ; and in Beam Street those erected in 1767, in ac- cordance with the wishes of Sir T. Crewe (ob. 1633) and Sir J. Crewe (ob. 1711). The Free School in the ch.-yU PARADIS, First Class, high and sheltered position in a Park of 22,000 Metres, close to St. Paul’s Church. Suites with Baths. Hot Water Heating in Every Room. Electric Light, Tennis, Lift. Automobile Omnibus to and from town, 25 c/mes. Open till June. CH, STAEHLE, Formerly also Proprietor of the “ Thunerhof, ” Thun, Switzerland. CANNES. HOTEL DE FRANCE. Agreeably situated. Full South. Large Garden. Lift. Baths. Electric Light. Pension. Radiators. Hot Water in all Bed Rooms. Billiard Tables. MURRAY'S TRAVEL TALK. Price 3s. 6d. CARLSBAD. First-class Family House. Beautiful Situation, facing Stadtpark, and close to Springs and Baths. Verandah. Large Restaurant. Terrace, Splendid View. Reading, Smoking, and Billiard Rooms. Electric Light. Baths. Lift. Telephone. _____ A. WIESINGER, Proprietor. CARLSBAD. WURTTEMBERGER HOF, F IRST-CLASS HOTEL on the Market Place. Opposite the Sprudel and Marktbrunnen. Lift. Electric Light. Baths. Steam Heating. Open alljthe year round. 1908. MURRAY’S HANDBOOK ADVERTISER. 9 CARLSBAD. ROSCHER’S HOTEL. GOLDENER SCHILD AND ZWEI DEUTSCHE MONARCHEN. With Dependence, “Haus Weisser Lowe,” Marktplatz. FIRST-CLASS HOTEL. Finest position in Town. 200 Rooms and Saloons. Concert Garden. Large Promenade Garden. Splendid Dining Room with extensive Glass Verandah. Cafe, with Newspapers in every language. Weekly, three concerts by the Concert Orchestra. Baths. Electric Light. Lift. Telephone. Carriages. Omnibus. M. ROSCHER. CARLSBAD. HOTEL BRISTOL, With Dependance: VILLA VICTORIA. FIRST-CLASS HOTEL. Best location, close to Springs and Baths. Standing in its own grounds. MUCH FREQUENTED BY ENGLISH AND AMERICANS. Dining, Smoking, and Reading Rooms. VERANDAH. LIFT. ELECTRIC LIGHT THROUGHOUT. BATHS. Telegrams: “Bristol, Carlsbad.” CARLSBAD. SAVOY WEST-END HOTEL. Villa Carlton. Villa Cleopatra. Villa Hohenburg. Honoured by H.M. the King of England, H.R.H. The Prince of Wales, H. I. H. Grand Duke of Russia , The Shah of Persia , H.E. The Khedive of Egypt, &c. T HIS HOTEL is constructed and fitted up on the most approved principles of modern high-class Hotels. It is situated on the Schlossberg opposite the American Park, in the healthiest position of Carlsbad, and is central to all the different Springs. First-class Restaurant. Concerts. Ladies’ Saloon. Reading and Smoking Rooms. Garden. Verandah. Terrace. Electric Light. Lift. The new Cleopatra Villa Annexe of the Hotel is beautifully furnished and arranged in large and small apartments. Also the Villa Carlton. Vienna Band. ATJLICn & NUNGOVICJBL (Connected with the Astoria Hotel, Hotel Campbell, and Hotel Beausite, Paris ; Hotel Rochers Noire, Trouville ; and Grand Hotel du Casino, Deauville). CHAMONIX. HOTEL PENSION BALM AT. Highly recommended. Splendid View of Mont Blanc and Alps. Moderate Terms. Good Cuisine. Breakfast, 1 fr. ; Luncheon, 2 fr. ; Dinner, 2.50 fr. Nice Room, 1.50, 2, 3, and 4 fcs. Pension from 6 fcs. Special Terms for a stay. Meal k la carte at all hours. Baths. Electric Light. Telephone, No. 19. English, German, and French spoken.— Mme. C. CAROLINE BALM AT, Proprietress. COLOGNE. DOM HOTEL COPENHAGEN. TURIST HOTEL (Yestre Boulevard). First-Class. Beautifully situated, overlooking the Park, 3 minutes from Station and Tivoli. 100 Elegantly Furnished Rooms. Electric Light. Lifts. Baths. Perfect Sanitary Arrange- ments. Moderate Charges. T. F. HANSEN, Proprietor. MAPS. The best Tourists’ Maps of all parts of the World are kept in stock by Mr. Edward Stanford, 12, 13, & 14, Long Acre, London, W.C. Write stating requirements. 10 MURRAY’S HANDBOOK ADVERTISER. May, COUTANCES. HOTEL D'ANGLETERRE. Refurnished with every comfort. Recmn- mended to Families. Moderate Prices. Omnibus. Storage for Cycles. Correspon- dent English Touring Club. BRIENS. COUTANCES. GRAND HOTEL DE FRANCE. Centre of the town. First - class House. Recommended to Families. Member of the French, Belgian, and English Touring Clubs. Omnibus meets all Trains. DRESDEN 1 HOTEL BELLEVUE Work! Renowned^ Select Hotel. Unique position on the River, facing the Royal Palace, Opera, Cathedral, and Picture Gallery. LIFT . ELECTRIC LIGHT THROUGHOUT. BATHS. Beautiful Garden with Terraces. Private Suites, also Bedrooms with Bath and Toilet attached. Auto-Garages separately locked. The Hotel is under personal management of the Director, R. RONNEFELD. DRESDEN. CONTINENTAL HOTEL. Opposite the Principal Railway Terminus. The Newest and the most Modern Hotel in Dresden. Very First Class. Beautiful Garden. Manager : OTTO KOBERLING, late of Shepheard’s, Cairo. DRESDEN. FIRST CLASS FAMILY HOUSE . !zj WESTMINSTER HOTEL. % ENTIRELY NEW. At the Central Station -Exit Bismarkstrasse. Newest, most up-to-date in Dresden. Suites with Private Bath. FRITZ KUHN. W Charming situation, overlooking Stephens Green Park. Most Central Position. Moderate Charges. Electri c Light, ** HOTEL. Free Garage. Elevators. 1908. MURRAY’S HANDBOOK ADVERTISER. 11 1019 Metres above Sea. Summer Resort, May— Oct. ENGELBERG In centre of Switzerland. Winter Resort, Nov.— March. Hotels Cattani. The two leading Hotels. Latest Comfort. 600 Beds. Private Apartments, with Bath and Toilet Rooms. Splendid new Concert and Ball-room. Own Orchestra. English Church in the grounds of the Hotel. Reduced Terms in May, June, and September. J Please ask for Prospectus. CATTANI BROTHERS, Proprietors. ENGELBERG. NEAR LUCERNE (SWITZERLAND). 3,200 FEET ABOVE SEA-LEVEL. Season May — October. Park Hotel, Sonnenberg. rrHE property of Mr. H. Haefelin. The English Hotel at Engelberg. ? Summer stay. Unrivalled by its grand Alpine scenery, clear bracing air, equable temperature. The Sonnenberg, in the best, finest, and healthiest situation, facing the Titlis and the glaciers, is one of the most comfort- able and best managed hotels in Switzerland.' Own extensive Park. Lawn Tennis. Lift. Orchestra. Hydropathic Establishment and Baths in the Hotel. Specially adapted .for a stay in May and June because of its sheltered position. Terms : May, June, and September, 8 to 12 frs. daily ; July and August, 10 to 16 frs. daily. Resi- dent Physician. EXETER, DEVONSHIRE. POPLE’S NEW LONDON HOTEL PATRONISED BY THE ROYAL FAMILY. Adjoining Northernhay Park and near the Cathedral. A charming 18th Century Hotel, with every modern comfort and luxury. Electric Light. Beautiful covered Courtyard (with fernery and fountain in centre) as Lounge. .Night Porter. Splendid New Motor Garage with lock-up private boxes and inspec- tion pits. Exeter Headquarters of “Royal Automobile Club” and “Road Club.” Posting. Hotel Omnibuses and Cabs at Stations. FECAMP, NORMANDY. HOTEL D’ANCLETERRE On the Plage. Near the Casino. Telephone. Beautiful Sea View. Pensiqn from 9 Francs. English Spoken. NEW EDITION. MURRAY’S HANDBOOK FOR ROME. With Maps and Plans. 10s. FLORENCE REGINA HOTEL AND VICTORIA. Completely Rebuilt. The only Florence Hotel de Luxe of moderate size. Situated in the most Fashionable Quarter. Quiet. Full South. Suites of Rooms with Private Bathrooms. Steamheat throughout. Perfect Drainage and most modern Sanitary arrangements. New Hall. Winter Garden. Garage CAV. F. CHIARI, Proprietor. 12 MURRAY’S HANDBOOK ADVERTISER. May, FRAN KFORT-ON-TH E-MAIN. Opposite the Central Railway Station. FIRST-CLASS HOTEL. Lift. Electric Light. Steam Heating. K. FRANK, Proprietor. FRANKFORT-ON-MAIN. HOTEL GERMANIA. Immediately opposite the Right-hand Entrance to the Railway Station. Beautiful Garden, 60 Rooms, 90 Beds. Every .Modern Comfort. Electric Light, Central Heating, Baths, Lift. Nicely Furnished Rooms from 2.50 Marks upwards, Light, Attendance, and Heating included. Tariff in every room. Managed by the Proprietor, Fred Schmutz, many years Head Waiter at Hotel de Paris, Strassburg, Alsace. FRANZENSBAD, HOTEL POST, Kaiserstrasse. With Private Dependences: VILLA DR. WOLF and VILLA IMPERIAL. LARGEST FIRST-CLASS ESTABLISHMENT. In proximity to the Springs and Bath Houses. Up-to-Date Comfort. Lift. Electric Light. Own extensive Park. Lawn Tennis. Garage. Under the personal management of the Proprietor- MAX WOLF. FRANZENSBAD. HOTEL BRISTOL First-Class Establishment. Situated in the Park. Best and Healthiest Position. Close to the Mud Baths and all Springs. Good Cuisine. Electric Light. Reduced prices in April and September. Telegrams : " Bristol,” Franzensbad. NEW EDITIONS. Just Published. MURRAY’S ROME. 10s. MURRAY’S EGYPT. I4s. GENEVA. HOTEL NATIONAL. HOTEL DES BERGUES. HOTEL METROPOLE. These three First-class Houses, in finest situation on the Lake, have every modern comfort. GENEVA. HOTEL PENSION FLEISCHMANN Rond Point de Plainpalais. Near the Bastion Park. Fine situation. MODERATE CHARGES . Electric Light. Baths. NEW ISSUE. STANFORD’S TOURISTS’ CATALOGUE. A Concise List of the best Maps and Books, with 7 Index Maps. GRATIS ON APPLICATION. GENOA (GENOVA). GRAND HOTEL DE GENES. Full South. Best Part of the Town. Patronised by Royalty and best English and American Families. ALL MODERN COMFORT. 1908. MURRAY’S HANDBOOK ADVERTISER. 13 GENOA, ITALY. HOTEL CONTINENTAL. F IRST CLASS. Modern Installation. Close to Cook’s and North-German Lloyd Offices. Large Garden on *The Fourth Floor, with Splendid Panorama. Quiet Rooms with Dressing-room attached. Apartments with Baths. Restaurant. Garage. L. MELANO, Proprietor. GENOA. MODERN COMFORT. PENSION FROM 8 FRANCS. Central Heating. Restaurant. Electric Light. Lift. Moderate Prices. GENOA, ITALY. TERMINUS SUISSE. Close to the Railway Station and Landing Pier. Modern Arrangements combined with Moderate Prices. GLION above MONTREUX, TERRITET. Grand Hotel du Righi Vaudois Glion. THIRST-CLASS HOTEL, enlarged and entirely renewed, with the best T comfort. 150 Rooms. One of the finest situations in Switzerland. Central Heating. Moderate Charges. Open all the year. Beautiful Garden and Park. F. RIECHELMANN, Proprietor. GLION above MONTREUX, TERRITET. HOTEL BELLE VUE, BELVEDERE Most comfortable English Family Hotel at very Moderate Terms. Unrivalled Situation and View. No Consumptives admitted. Open all the year. F. BUCHS, Proprietor. THE HAGUE, HOLLAND. Specially patronised by the leading members of English and American society. Luxuriously Furnished Suites of Private Rooms with Bath Rooms. 100 Bedrooms, mostly all with Bathroom adjoining. Beautiful Palm Room and Ladies’ Drawing Room. American Bar. Every modern comfort. Service de Luxe and unrivalled Cuisine. Motor Cars always ready for excursions. Tulip season, April— May. Telegraphic Address : “ Haller, Hague.” Write for Illustrated Booklet, “ How to Visit Holland,” to the Proprietor, C. T. Haller. THE HAGUE— THE HUB OF HOLLAND. Attractions : Innumerable Healthy Recreations. Ai t Treasures. Fashionable Society. Magnificent' Trees. Pretty Lakes. Cool and Leafy Promen- ades/ Lovely Wooded Walks and Drives. Many places of interest in the vicinity. A short tram ride to Scfieveningen. c . T . HALLER, Proprietor. Write at once for Stanford’s Concise List of Maps and TO MOTORISTS. Books, &c., for Motoring — Gratis. EDWARD STANFORD, 12, 13, & 14, Long Acre, London, W.C. 14 MURK AY'S HANDBOOK ADVERTISER. May, HANOVER. HOTEL ROYAL. FACING CENTRAL STATION. Patronised by Royalty and best English and American Society. THE QUIET AND DISTINGUISHED HOTEL OF HANOVER, Every Comfort for Travellers. Suites and Single Rooms with private toilet and bath rooms of American model. Motor Car Garage, HARROGATE. rriHIS EIRST-CLASS HOTEL stands in its own extensive Grounds, J- and is situated in the best part of High Harrogate, facing the Stray. South aspect. Tennis and Croquet Grounds adjoin the Hotel. The nearest Hotel to the Golf Links. Motor Garage and Inspection. Petrol. For Terms, apply THE MANAGER. HAVRE. NORM ANDY HOTEL, 109, 108, RUE DE PARIS (Centre). FIRST CLASS. Lift. Central Heating. Electric Light. Restaurant k la Carte. Well-stocked Wine Cellar. Breakfast, 2 fr. 5 c. Table d’Hote, 3 fr. 50 c. Large Smoking Hall. English Newspapers. Music and Reading Rooms. Interpreter speaks all Languages. Omnibus. A. MOREAU, Proprietor. Only Hotel in Havre with Lift and Central Heating. HEIDELBERG. HOTEL EUROPE. T HIS most charming FIRST-CLASS HOTEL stands in its own Park, situated in the best part of town, near the Station. All Modern Comfort, Apartments with bath, Open-Air Restaurant on Terrace. Garden Concerts., Hot Water Heating throughout. Arrangements made for stay. Large Automobile House. Specially patronised by the leading members of the English and American Society. F. GABLER, Proprietor. HEIDELBERG T7IRST-CLA8S in every respect. Beautiful situation. Beautiful Verandah and A large Garden. Central Heating Apartments with Bathroom. Garage. Concert in the “ Stadt Garden ” close to the Hotel every evening in the Summer. Highly recommended. MULLER & PIQUERON, Proprietors. HEIDELBERG. HOTEL METROPOLE. New Modern First-Class House. Quiet Situation. On the Promenade to the Castle. Five minutes from the Station. Lift. Electric Light. Central Heating throughout. Garden. Pension Arrangements. Moderate Terms. H. L. FELLMEDEN, Proprietor. iyo«. MUKMi o MAJNJJiJUUK AD V ERT1SE K. HEIDELBERG. DARMSTADTER HOF. Four minutes from the Station. Rooms from M. 2.20. Electric Light. Bath. Steam Heating. HOLLAND . A YACHTSMAN’S GUIDE TO THE DUTCH WATERWAYS. By.T. E. THORPE, C.B., LL.B„ F.K.S. Price 10s. 6d. net. LONDON: EDWARD STANFORD, 12, 13 &, 14, Long Acre, W.C. —————— ■ 11 — — auuve Beautiful Village, overlooking the Lake of Constance. Exquisite Health Resort, bracing climate FREIHOF and SCHWEIZERHOF, First Class Hotels. E XTENSIVE own Grounds, Shady Park, wonderful view. Affords every Home Comfort. First- rate Cuisine. Sanitary arrangements. Lawns for Tennis, Croquet, Bowls. Dances. Casino with Daily Concerts. English Service. Goats’ Whey. Baths and Hydropathic Establishment. Milk from own farm. Electric Light throughout. Pension from 8.—. Season, May-October. Please write for Pamphlet. Cook’s Coupons. Prop., Altherr-Simond. HYERES. GRAND HOTEL METROPOLE. Situated adjoining a fine Park, and in the most sheltered part of the town. Splendid view over the Sea and Islands of Hyeres. Full South. Large Hall. Five o’clock Tea. Orchestra. Lift. 33aths. Heated by warm air. Garage for Automobiles. Terms Moderate . E. CASTUEIL, Director and Proprietor. Just Published , Eleventh Edition. MURRAY’S HANDBOOK FOB EGYPT and the SUDAN REVISED, LARGELY RE-WRITTEN, AND AUGMENTED. By H. R. HALL, M.A., F.R.G.S., Assistant in the Department of Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities, JBritish Museum. PRINTED ON SPECIALLY LIGHT THIN PAPER. 800 PAGES, 58 MAPS AND PLANS. Crown Svo. 9 14s. TJiis (the 11th) Edition has been thoroughly revised and brought up to date in all its departments. The whole work has been materially remodelled. Many sections have been arranged and re-cast, as the Delta and Fayyum routes ; others have been greatly augmented, as Cairo; and others have been almost entirely re-written, as Thebes and the Oases. In addition, a new section has been specially written on the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. The maps and plans have been augmented, and have all been carefully revised. The English- Arabic vocabulary (now printed separately), has been re-arranged and expanded, and its usefulness for tourists has been increased by the addition of an outline of Arabic Grammar. London : EDWARD STANFORD, 12, 13, & 14, Long Acre, W.C. Geographer to His Majesty the King. munnAi o rLAlNJJJDUUJA AJU V ±LJ Kilo nixi. May, IKTIffSBRUCK. Thirty-one hours from London, via Arlberg, to Innsbruck. Through tickets and luggage registered through. Twenty-three hours from Paris. T HE BEAUTIFUL AND SHELTERED situation of I^.]\SBRUCK renders it a very agreeable place of residence all the year round. In spring as well as in autumn it is especially to be recommended as a stopping place between the different watering places. It is also to be recommended after a sojourn at the sea-side. INNSBRUCK is the centre from which many splendid excursions can be made in every direction, and of any length. Attractive walks in the immediate neighbour- hood of the town and the different elevations. The climate in Winter— dry, strengthening, sunny, free from cold ivinds and fogs— has attracted many visitors of late years, and among those who have found the greatest relief are weak, convalescent, nervous, appetiteless, and sleepless persons. NiBi — University, Grammar, Music, and other schools. Private Lessons of every kind are available, so that studies can be continued and the education of children carried on. Hotel Tyrol. FIRST CLASS. NEW SUITES OF APARTMENTS, ALL FIREPROOF (Syst^me Hennebrique). HOT- WATER HEATING. TWO LIFTS . liawn Tennis. MOTOR CAR SHELTER, &c. CARL LANDSEE, Proprietor. HOTEL DE L’EUROPE. s First-class Establishment. Affords every Modern Comfort. Electric Light in Evert Room. STEAM AND OTHER BATHS. Anton Hanreich, Proprietor, ~ HOTEL GOLDENE SONNE (Opposite the Station). FIRST-CLASS HOTEL. RENOWNED FOR ITS SUPERIOR CUISINE AND WINE. “Restaurateur” of the South Railway Station. CARL BEER, Proprietor. RICHLY ILLUSTRATED GUIDES of INNSBRUCK sent on application by the Proprietors of above Hotels, free of charge. 1908, MURRAY’S HANDBOOK ADVERTISER. 17 INTERLAKEN. SCHWEIZERHOF — HOTEL SUISSE. First Class. Best position on the Grand Promenade. Splendid views of Jungfrau and Alps. Lift. Electric Light. Central Heating. Apartments and Rooms with private baths. First- class Restaurant. Motor Shed. Personally con- ducted by the Proprietors, E. STRUBIN & WIRTH. INTERLAKEN. Comfortable Family Hotel. Electric Light. Lift. Large Garden. Baths. Situated on the principal Promenade, near the English and Scotch Churches, Kursaal, Mountain Railway Station, and Steamboat Landing Place of the Lake of Brienz. MAURER BROTHERS, Proprietors and Managers. INTERLAKEN. Grand Hotel des Alpes. First-class Old English Pension. Best Position. Opposite the Jungfrau. All Modern Comforts. Moderate Terms. Next- the English Churches. Conducted by the Proprietor, j JVIATTI. Stanford’s Compendium of Geography and Travel (New Issue). In Thirteen Volumes. 15s. each. KISSINGEN SPA. HIGH-CLASS FAMILY HOTEL. Patronised by English and American visitors. Unsurpassed situation opposite the Kurgaiden and in the centre of the attractions. Delightful Garden and Villas. Most perfect Sanitary arrangement?. 140‘ Rooms. Electric Light. Lift arrange- ments made. Tariff sent free on demand. BAD KISSINGEN. HOTEL VICTORIA & KAISERHOF. FIRST-CLASS. OPPOSITE KUNGARDEN, SPRINGS AND BATHS. G. LLEBSCHER, Proprietor. KREUZNACH. HOTEL ORAN IE N HOF (First Class). F INEST and highest situation, in the most extensive private grounds; near the Kurhaus and the Palines. A well-known and extensively patronised Establishment. Visited by Royalty. Own strongest Mineral Well. Mineral Bath. Every modern comfort. Lawn Tennis. Shooting and Fishing. Moderate Terms. Advautageous arrangement. H. D. ALTEN, Proprietor. EDWARD STANFORD is London Agent for the Sale of the Ordnance and Geological Survey Maps, and the Maps published by the Topographical Section, General Staff, of the War Office ; he is also Agent for the Indian Trigo- nometrical Survey Maps, the Admiralty Charts, the Publications of the Royal Geographical Society, the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, the Royal Meteorological Society, the Royal Sanitary Institute, &c. 12, 13, & 14, LONG ACRE, LONDON, W.C. 18 MURRAY’S HANDBOOK ADVERTISER. May, 3KT-2B- THE SUTHERLAND ARMS HOTEL Is beautifully situated, looking up the wide expanse of Loch Shin, and surrounded by the finest scenery. GOOD FISHING ON SE VERAL EXCELLENT LOCHS OFFICIALLY APPOINTED HEADQUARTERS IN SUTHERLAND OF SCOTTISH AUTOMOBILE CLUB. Telegrams: “Wallace, Lairg.” WILLIAM WALLACE, Proprietor. Sutherland Motor Traffic Company Conveys the Mails to and from Lairg to Lochinver, Scourie, Durness, and Tongue, thus ensuring a regular and efficient service. LISBON. BRAGANZA HOTEL. T HIS well-known FIRST-CLASS FAMILY HOTEL, lately renovated by the Royal House of Braganza, and fitted up by the new Proprietor, Victor C. Sassetti, is highly recommendable for its large, airy, and comfortable Aj artments, commanding tbe most extensive and picturesque views of the River Tagus, as well as of Lisbon. Superior Cuisine and carefully selected Wines. LISBON. HOTEL DURAND (English Hotel) LARGO DO QUINTELLA . FIRST-CLASS ESTABLISHMENT. Situated in the most central part of the Town. Recently enlarged and renovated. Terms en pension. Electric Light. Lift. STANFORD’S GEOLOGICAL ATLAS of GREAT BRITAIN and IRELAND. By H. B. WOODWARD, F.R.S., F.G.S. Price 12s. 6d. net. LLANGOLLEN, NORTH WALES. THE “HAND” HOTEL Is one of the most convenient in this “ Lovely Vale,” and second to none for Comfort, Catering, and Situation. 60 Bedrooms, large Private Sitting Rooms, Electric Light throughout, extensive Motor Garage. Telephone No. 7. Address: “Hanl>,” Llangollen. Resident Proprietor, J. S. SHAW. ORDNANCE SURVEY. ORDNANCE MAPS. — A Resume of the Publications of the Ordnance and Geological Surveys of England and Wales, with Index Maps to the 1-inch and i-inch surveys, and a Supplement on Methods of .Map Mounting. 56 pp. demy 8vo., in Wrapper. Gratis on application. LONDON: EDWARD STANFORD, 12, 13, & 14, LONG ACRE, W.C. 1903. MURRAY’S HANDBOOK ADVERTISER. 19 TERMINUS of the-GOTHARD RAILWAY on LAGO MAGGIORE. the GRAND HOTEL LOCARNO. BEST STOPPING PLACE ON THE ITALIAN LAKES. 23 hrs. from London. 15 hrs. from Paris. 4 hrs. from Milan. 6 hrs. from Genoa. 4 hrs. from Lucerne. OPEN the whole year. Most luxurious and comfortable home for all the seasons in Italy or Switzerland. Patronised by all the Royal Families. Unrivalled situation in the finest climate of Europe; without snow, wind, or fog, but with plenty of sunshine. Entirely adapted for winter residence. Pronounced by the body Physician of H.M. The King of Bavaria and University — Prof. Aloys Martin — to be the healthiest and best All Seasons Resort. Beautiful walks and mountain excursions. English Church, Doctor, Society. Lift. Private Steamer and Carriages for visitors. Exquisite Cuisine. Moderate charges. Electric Light in every room. Golf. Tennis. Messrs. BAX.X.I, Proprietors. LONDON. A Pure Solution. For Acidity of the Stomach. For Heartburn and Headache. For Gout and Indigestion. Safest and most effective Aperient for regular use. Sold by Chemists throughout the World. STANFORD’S COMPENDIUM OF GEOGRAPHY AND TRAVEL. Revised and in great part Rewritten, with New Illustrations and Maps. Thirteen Volumes. Large crown 8vo, cloth, 15s. each (sold separately). JUST PUBLISHED. AUSTRALASIA. VOL. 2.— MALAYSIA AND THE PACIFIC ARCHIPELAGOES. SECOND EDITION. By F. H. H. GUILLEMARD, M.D. Revised by A. H. Keane, LL.D. ^ With 16 Maps and Charts, and 47 Illustrations. DINNEFORD’S MAGNESIA. EUROPE. Vol. I. The Countries of the Mainland. Vol. II. The British Isles, Scandinavia, Denmark, and the Low Countries. ASIA. Vol. I. Northern and Eastern Asia, Caucasia, Russian Turkestan, Siberia, Chinese Empire, and Japan. Vol. II. Southern and Western Asia, Afghanistan, India, Indo-China, Malay Peninsula, Turkey in A cio q nH Papciq NORTH ’AMERICA. Vol. I. Canada and Newfoundland. Vol. II. The United States. CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA. Vol. I. South America. Vol. II. Central Ameriba and West Indies. AUSTRALASIA. Vol. I. Australia and New Zealand. AFRICA. Vol. I. North Africa. Vol. II. South Africa. SUPPLEMENTARY VOLUME. Glossary of Geographical and Topographical Terms and Words of frequent occurrence in the composition of such Terms and of Place- Names. By Alexander Knox, B.A., F.R.G.S. 472 pages, large crown 8vo, price 15s. Illustrated List of the Series gratis on application. London: EDWARD STANFORD, 12, 13, & 14, Long Acee, W.O. Geographer to His Majesty the King. 20 MURRAY’S HANDBOOK ADVERTISER. May, LUCERNE. Hotel Schweizerhof AND Hotel Luzernerhof FIRST - CLASS HOTELS. IN THE BEST SITUATION ON THE LAKE AND PROMENADE. 6 0 0 BED S. PRIVATE BATH ROOMS . ARRANGEMENT EN PENSION WITH PROTRACTED STAY (EXCLUSIVE OF JULY AND AUGUST). SCHWEIZERHOF OPEN ALL THE YEAR. WITH GOOD WARMING SYSTEM. Proprietors: HAUSER BROTHERS. LUCERNE. HOTEL DU LAC. FIRST-CLASS HOTEL. Magnificent Establishment, recently enlarged by a New Wing of 100 Rooms. 320 Beds. Splendid situation on the Lake, where the River Reuss issues from it. Next to the General Post Office. Close to the Railway Station and Steamboat Pier. This Establishment has every modern comfort. Lift ; Electric Light ; Central Steam Heating. Baths de Luxe, open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Beautiful Marble Vestibule and Staircase in the Italian Renaissance. PENSION ARRANGEMENTS FOR A LONG STAY. OPEN ALL THE YEAR ROUND. Proprietors: SPILLMANN & SICKFRT. 1908. MURRAY’S HANDBOOK ADVERTISER. 21 LUCERNE. HOTEL SWAN AND RIGI. FIRST-CLASS HOUSE of old reputation, patronised by English and Americans. Best Situation on the Quay. Every Modern Comfort. Private Bathrooms. Hot-Water Heating throughout. Open all the year. Hotel Rigi entirely re-built and newly furnished, connected by bridge with the “ Swan.” HAEFELI BROS., Proprietors. LUCERNE (near). PALACE AND GRAND HOTEL AXEN-FELS. 250 BEDS. Above Lake of Lueerne. 2,200 ft. above Sea. THE LEADING HOUSE FOR ENGLISH AND AMERICAN FAMILIES, F IRST-CLASS HOTEL, quite up-to-date. Most elegant Public Rooms. Large Lounge and Terraces. The Park and Woods of Axen-Fels are of the prettiest in Switzerland, with nearly a mile frontage to the Lake. Electric Railway from Brunnen. Golf Links, Croquet, and 8 Tennis Courts in the Hotel Grounds. P. SCHNACK, Proprietor. LUCERNE. HOTEL BEAU-RIVACE. On the Quai National. Full Panorama of the Lake and the High Alps. Entirely renovated. Meals at Separate Tables. New Hall. Full Pension from 9 francs upwards, early season ; from 12 francs, high season. Central heating throughout. C. GIGER, Proprietor (late Manager of Victoria Hotel, St. Moritz). V LUCERNE. Quite close to Railway and Steam Boat. Splendid View on the Lake and the Alps. Rooms from Mks. 2 to Mks. 2.50. E 12814. CASP. TROXLER, Proprietor. No Winter. JML -A- jLm 3E5 X Jtt -A- (Funchal). 3 i DAYS’ VOYAGE FROM ENGLAND. No Dust. (ESTABLISHED 1850.) By appointment to H.R.H. the late Duke of Edinburgh. REID’S PALACE HOTEL, and ANNEXES.— Situated on the Cliffs to the west of Funchal, on the New Road, overlooking the Sea. Grand view of the Mountains. Sea bathing and boating. Lift. Largest Gardens in Madeira. French Cuisine. Open all the year. CARMO HOTEL. — In sheltered central position. REID’S MOUNT HO i'EL- 2000 ft. above sea. These FIRST-CLASS HOTELS afford every comfort for families and travellers, giving great choice of situation. Electric Light throughout. Tennis Courts, large gardens, baths, reading and smoking rooms. Lounge. English, French, and German newspapers. Billiards. The SANITARY arrange- ments are perfect. All Steamers met. Pension from 8s. 6 d. to £L per diem, according to accom- modation. Pamphlet Free. Apply to Messrs. S. STR AKER & SONS, 22, Leadenhall Street, London ; Messrs. THOS. COOK & SON, Ludgate Circus, London ; HOTEL TARIFF BUREAU, 275, Regent Street, London; Messrs. J. & H. LINDSAY, Ltd., 18, South St., Andrew Street, and MACKAY BROS. & CO., 31. Hanover Street, Edinburgh ; at the STEAMSHIP COMPANY’S “OFFICES, or WILLIAM REID, Madeira. LIEBER.. ABC and Unicode. Telegraphic Address : “REID, FUNCHAL." 22 MURRAY’S HANDBOOK ADVERTISER. May, MARIENBAD. MARIENBAD (BOHEMIA), . The most frequented MUD BATHS in the World . 2,090 feet above sea-level, subalpine Climate, magnificent Avenues through Forest, covered Hills extending over 80 kilometres. 10 Mineral Water Springs. 3 Large Bathing Establishments. Own Mud Baths (80,000 Mud Bathers every Season) Obesity, Gout, Chlorosis, Inflammation of the Caecum, Constipation, Vascular Calcination, Diseases of Women, of the heart, kidneys, nerves, etc., etc. 30,800 under Treatment. 100,000 Tourists. Prospectus Free on application to the Mayor’s Offices . During May, June, September considerable reduction in the price of rooms. Season : May-September. MARIENBAD. FIRST-CLASS HOUSE. Patronised by English. Elevated position, next the Principal Springs and Bath Establishments. Numerous Single and Double Bedrooms. Suites of large and airy Private Apartments. Moderate charges. Arrangements for long stay. Electric Light. Baths. Telephone. Lawn Tennis. Omnibus meets ail trains. T. HAMMEESCHMID, Propr. MARIENBAD. FIRST-CLASS ENGLISH HOUSE. Best Position in the Town. Opposite the Springs “ Kreuzbrunnen ” and the Bathing Establishment. Lift. Electric Light. Vacuum Cleaning. Omnibus at the Station. Best Golf Links. J. a. RTJBRITIUS, Proprietor. MAYENCE-ON-THE-RHINE. HOLL HOTEL. HOTEL DE HOLLANDE. HOLL hotel T HE LEADING FAMILY HOUSE. Open Views on the Rhine and Taunus Moun- tains. Opposite Steamboat Landing Pier and Town Garden. Lift. Electric Light. Steam Heating. Baths. Telegrams: “ Hollanderhof, Mainz.” Omnibus meets all Trains. Tennis. Sports. Rooms with bath. MAYENCE. HOTE l e . HOTEL RHEINISCHER HOF. HOTEL. First-class Family House with new Carlton Restaurant. Opposite Steamboat Landing Place. Electric Light. Lift. Steam Heating. Baths. Omnibus meets all Trains. FRANZ LEHMANN, Proprietor . 1908. MURRAY’S HANDBOOK ADVERTISER. 23 MENTONE. — The Warmest Corner of Europe. GD. HOTEL DE VENISE & CONTINENTAL. The Warmest Corner of Mentone. Slightly elevated in its own Beautiful Large Garden. Electric Light throughout. Bath Room on every Floor. New Hall. Winter Garden. Verandah. Electric Lift. Electric Heating. J. SOMAZZI, Proprietor. J MILAN. PALACE HOTEL. New First-class Hotel. Right opposite the Station. Every modern Home Comfort. French Restaurant. Lifts. Electric Light. Steam Heating throughout. Apartments with Bath Room and Dressing Room attached on every Floor. Railway Office in the Hotel. Branch: HOTEL QUIRINAL, ROME. BU CHER-DURRER, Proprietor. MILAN. Hotel Cavour. The Finest, Quietest, and Healthiest Situation in the Town. Facing the Park. Every Modern Comfort. Railway Booking Office in the Hotel. HEIRS SUARDI, Proprietors. MILAN. HOTEL DE LA YILLE. First-class Hotel, with view on the Cathedral. Every Modern Comfort. Railway Booking Office and Post-Telegraph in the Hotel. S. DEVOUASSOUX & CO., Proprietors. LONDON. STANFORD’S NEW MAP OF THE COUNTY OF LONDON. On the scale o T 4 ins. to 1 mile (1 : 15, 840). In twenty sheets, attractively coloured ; size, separate sheets, 18 by 16 inches, the whole Map joined up, 84 by 57 ins. Thoioughly Revised and brought up to date. Prices : Coloured Sheets, 15s., flat in portfolio, 16s. ; mounted to fold in case in five divisions, 45s. ; mounted on mahogany rollers and varnished, 45 s. ; mounted on spring roller, £6 ; separate sheets, price One Shilling each. Postage, and, where necessary, a packing roller, extra. “ The best and simplest map of the capital published .” — Saturday Review. EDWARD STANFORD, 12, 13, & 14, Long Acre, London, W,C. Geographer to His Majesty the King. MENTONE. Hotel Prince de Galles. Lift. Electric Light. Billiard Room. Tennis Court. Croquet Lawn. Baths. Meals served at separate tables. Terms from 9 fr. CHABASSIERE, Proprietor. MILAN. BELLINIS Hotel Terminu Place Gare Centrale. 24 MURRAY’S HANDBOOK ADVERTISER. May, MOSCOW. FIRST HOTEL BERLIN. 200 GLASS. BEDS. ELECTRIC LIGHT IN ALL THE ROOMS. Highly recommended to English and American Tourists. Guides speaking English at the Hotel. This large well-known Hotel, situated in the best and healthiest part of the City, near the Kremlin and all places of interest, has been entirely rebuilt, enlarged, and provided with all the latest improvements. Latest English Sanitary arrangements throughout the House. Bathrooms on all floois. The only Hotel in Moscow with Apartments on the ground floor and front garden. Suites of Sitting Room, Bedroom, Lavatory, and Private Bathroom. Excellent French and English Cuisine. Splendid Restaurant and Grill Room. Choice Wines. Drawing Room with Piano. Billiard, Smoking, and Reading Rooms. English and Foreign Newspapers. All languages spoken. Telegraphic Address : “ Berlinotel, Moscow.” XAVIER CLAUSEN, Proprietor (Swiss)* NAPLES. EXCELLENT FIRST-CLASS HOTEL, Enjoying the highest reputation among English and Americans. LIFT. ELECTRIC LIGHT IN ALL ROOMS. STEAM HEATING. BAD NAUHEIM. Grand Hotel KAISERHOF, Leading Hotel of Bad Nauheim, Offers every Modern Comfort and Luxury. Numerous Suites with Private Bath and Toilet Room. • Patronised by Royalty and the best English and American Society. H. HABERLAND, Proprietor. NAUHEIM (BAD). PARK HOTEL and annex PARK HOUSE. Both Hotels with every Modern Comfort. Situated in the Finest and Best Open Position in the Brunnen Park. Single Rooms and Suites with their own Private Bathrooms. Prospectus sent on- application. 1908. 25 MURRAY’S HANDBOOK ADVERTISER. NEUCHATEL (Switzerland). GRAND HOTEL BELLEVUE et BEAU — R1VAGE. A. CUENOUD, Proprietor. First-class. Only Hotel situated on the Border of the Lake. Commanding splendid VieWs of the Panorama of the Alps. Lift. Electric Light in all the Rooms. Garage for Automobiles. PENSION PRICES ALL THE YEAR ROUND. N.B.-Besides the Evening Train (direct) a Day Train is running between Neuchatel and Paris, and vice versa, NUREMBERG. GOLDEN EAGLE HOTEL. FIRST-CLASS FAMILY HOUSE. Newly rebuilt. 200 Beds. Most central and best position. Specially patronised by English and Americans. Arrangements made. Baths. Electric Light and Central Heating in Corridors and every Room. Lift. Omnibus meets all trains. Under the personal management of the Proprietor, WILLY SCHLENK. OSTEND. Facing the Sea and Baths. Next to the Palace of the Royal Family. All modern Comforts. Rooms from 6 fr., light and attendance included. Pension. Meals served at Separate Tables. Cable Address : “SPLENDID, OSTEND.” PALERMO (SICILY). WEINEN S HOTEL DE FRANCE, PIAZZA MARINA. Maximum of Comfort. Garden. Pavilion on the Sea Wall belonging to the Hotel. Tariff in every Room. P. WEINEN, Manager and Proprietor. 1 PAU. _ HOTEL DE FRANCE. F. CAMPAGNE, New Proprietor. Entirely Rebui t. Refurnished by Maple & Co. Magnificent Hall and Salons. Apaitrmmts and rooms with Baths. Unsurpassed View of the Pyrenees. Electric Lift. Modern Garage free to Visitors. • Steam Heating throughout. The “Grand Restaurant,” Equa i“ n th a! I b t he ^ a p r r is ' is PERUGIA. Opened 1903. Overlooking a magnificent view of Umbrian Valley. Sumptuously constructed in 1898. Furnished with all modern comfort. Grand Hall. Winter Garden. Post and Telegraph Office in the Hotel. Special Electric Car to meet every train. Restaurant. Moderate charg s. Garage. FORTUNATO CHIARI & G. GAGLIARDI. PETITES-DALLES (Seine Inferieure), GRAND HOTEL DES FRANCE. BAINS. ENTIRELY REFURNISHED. Facing the Sea? Moderate Prices. Excellent Cuisine. Comfortable Rooms. Salon. Garden. Dark Room Gratuitous Garage for Bicycles and Automobiles. Bathrooms. Horses. Carriages. Forest extending to the Sea. Beautiful Excursions. Post and Telegraph Office. English spoken. Communications : London— Dieppe— Cany ; or London— Havre — Cany, LEBLANC, where carriages of the Hotel are waiting every train. Proprietor. PISA. GFAN9 HOTEL & HOTEL DE LONDRES. ONLY HOTEL WITH . . HOT WATER HEATING . PISA. NETTUNO HOTEL, RESTAURANT. Full South. Every modern comfort. Moderate charges. Auto-Garage. Central situation. 26 MURRAY’S HANDBOOK ADVERTISER. May, POITIERS, GRAND HOTEL DE FRANCE, First-cla§£, and recommended to Families and Tourists for its comfort and good manage- ment. The most central of the Town, near the Hotel de Ville, Prefecture, Telegraph and Post Office, Museum, Historical Monuments, and Promenades. Speciality of Fowls and truffled Pfttes of all sorts. Carriages for Drives. Railway Omnibus calls at Hotel. English and German spoken. Baths. Telephone. ROBLIN-BOUCHARDEAU, Proprietor. PRAGUE. HOTEL VICTORIA. FIRST-CLASS FAMILY HOTEL. Electric Light in all Rooms. Very Moderate Pension Terms. OTTO WELZER, Proprietor. ROME. MURRAY’S HANDBOOK FOB ROME. JUST PUBLISHED. 10s. ROME. HOTEL QUIRINAL. Highly reputed and fashionable FIRST-CLASS HOTEL, situated on the VIA NAZIONALE (the finest- street of Rome), in the healthiest and most elevated part of the Eternal City. Every Modern Comfort and Luxury. Apartments with Bath and Toilet Rooms. BUCHER-DURRER, Proprietor and Manager. BRANCH HOUSES: Grand Hotel Mediterranee, Pegli ; Palace Hotel, Milan ; Hotel Stanserhorn, near Lucerne ; Hotel Burgenstock, near Lucerne ; Grand Hotel, Lugano ; Palace Hotel, Lucerne, Open 1900 ; Hotel Semiramis. Cairo. ROME. SAVOY HOTEL 15, VIA LUDOYISI. F ashionable first-class -family hotel, situated in the healthiest and highest part of Home, near the Gardens and opposite Queen Margherita’s Residence. Provided with all Modern Comfort. Omnibus meets all trains. Special arrange- ments for Families. Private Bathrooms. Chauffage Central. Restaurant Francais. j. LENGYEL, Proprietor and Manager. ROME, GRAND CONTINENTAL HOTEL. PATRONISED BY THE ROMAN ARISTOCRACY. One of the Largest and most Magnificent Hotels in Italy. Baths in all Suites and in many separate Booms. 1908. MURRAY’S HANDBOOK ADVERTISER. 27 ROME. GRAND HOTEL MARINI. First Class. Unrivalled for its healthy, quiet, and central situation. Full South. Lift. Electric Light in every Room. APPARTEMENTS WITH STEAM HEATING. ( OPEN ALL THE TEAR.) EUGENE MARINI, Proprietor. ROME. GRAND HOTEL DE RUSSIE, Via Babuino and Piazza del Popolo. THIRST-CLASS HOTEL, with latest Modern Comfort and -L Improvements. Apartments with Bathroom and Toilet. The only one having a very large and entirely Sunny Garden. Unique .Position. Two Winter Gardens. yHF- & L. SILENZI, Proprietors. ROME. HOTEL D’ANGLETERRE, VIA BOCCA DI LEONE. T HIS Hotel is conveniently, healthily, and quietly situated in the centre of the City, between the Corso and the Piazza di Spagna, in the most aristo- cratic quarter of Rome. It offers every possible advantage, and Visitors may rely upon every English comfort. Charges Moderate. Special arrangements for a long term. Open the whole year. Most frequented by English. Patticular attention is paid to the Cookiug and Service. Lift. Electric Light in all the Rooms. Latest English Sanitary Arrangements. Apartments heated by Steam. F. & L. SILENZI, Proprietors. ROME. Grand Hotel do l’Europe, PLACE d’ESPAGNE and PLACE MIGNANELLI. First Class. Healthiest, most Quiet, and Central Position. Full South. EVERY MODERN COMFORT. SUITES OF APARTMENTS WITH BATHS. Warm Water Heating throughout. C. A. COSTANTINO GIORDANO & Co., Proprietors. 28 MURRAY’S HANDBOOK ADVERTISER. May, ROME. HOTEL IMPERIAL. Via Veneto. Ludovisi Quarter, New, Fashionable. Same Management : RIMINI O/ADRIA, Grand Hotel Hungaria. OPEN MAY— OCTOBER. ROME. HOTEL BEAU-SITE. HIGHEST POSITION OF THE LUDORISI QUARTER. FIRST-CLASS FAMILY HOUSE OF OLD REPUTE. E. HAASE, Proprietor. ROME. PALACE HOTEL (December, 1903.) Best position of the Ludorisi Quorto. Opposite Queen Mafgherita's Palace. NEW. COMPLETE. UP-TO-DATE. FIRST-CLASS THROUGHOUT. E. HAASE, Proprietor. ROME. HOTEL BAVARIA AND ALIBERT. F IRST-CLASS HOUSE, with Moderate Charges. In the best, central, and most quiet, position, via Alibert, near Piazza di Spagna. Newly refurnished. Renowned for its good Cuisine. Large and Sunny Rooms. Steam Heating and Electric Light throughout. Large Dining, Ladies’, and Smoking Rooms. Bath. Lift. Special arrangements for long stay. Trams to any part of the town. MULLER, Proprietor (Swiss). ROME. HAYDEN’S HOTEL PENSION . PALAZZO POLI. Up-to-date in every particular. Situation unequalled. Inclusive terms from 9 to 12 frs. per day. ROME. PENSION SCHWABE (Removed from 27 Via Venti Settembre), Pa.la.zzo Odeschalchi, 11 Via Vittoria Colonna. Central position. Electric Light. Lift. Special arrangements for prolonged stay. Open the whole year. Address, MISS M. A. SCHWABE. ROUEN. GRAND HOTEL D’ANGLETERRE First-class Hotel, Corns Boieldieu, close to the “ Theatre des Arts.” Splendid Summer Terrace Restaurant. The finest view on the Seine. Lifts and Baths. Telephone. Electric Light throughout. Motor Garage. Moderate Terms. 1908. MURRAY’S HANDBOOK ADVERTISER. 29 ST. BEATEN BERG. mJ^feet. Delightful Summer Besort, overlooking the Lake of Thun and the grandest part of the Bernese Oberland. GRAND HOTEL VICTORIA, situated in the finest part of this Mountain Village, is chiefly fre- quented by English and American families. Recently constructed First-Class Hotel; Fireproof, Lift, Electric Light. Latest Sanitary Arrangements. English Church. Private Bathrooms (Hydropathic and Electric). Pension terms from 9 fcs. to 16 fcs. Two Tennis Courts. P. MARGUET, Proprietor. ST. PETERSBURG. GRAND HOTEL D’EUROPE, RUE MICHEL. 1906, Entirely Rebuilt and Refurnished with the utmost comfort. Post, Tele- graph, and Sleeping Car Office in the Hotel. 60 Suites of Rooms with Private Baths, &c. The most elegant Restaui ant of the City. Milanese Orchestra. Telegraphic Address: “ EUROPOTEL, PETERSBURG .” Western Union Code used. J. WOLFLISBERG-GIGER, General Manager. Russia. ST. PETERSBURG. Russia. 18 & 20, GOGOL STREET, 18 & 20. GRAND HOTEL. THE MOST CENTRAL SITUATION IN THE CITY. The only house for English Travellers and Tourists. English Papers, English spoken, English Cooking, English Management. OiypNIBUS MEETS ALL TRAINS AND STEAMERS. TH. SCHOTTE, Proprietor. 30 MURRAY’S HANDBOOK ADVERTISER. May, SAN REMO. THE ROYAL HOTEL Most Fashionable. First Class. Large Gardens. Splendid View of the Sea. Private Suites with Bath and Lavatory. Heating by hot water pipes. Motor Car Shed. I Golf Links (9 h). Lieber Code. M. BERTOLINI, Proprietor. FASHIONABLE SEASIDE RESORT ON THE NORTH SEA. SCHEVENINGEN, ..u... Season, June to September 30. PALACE HOTEL. nOTEL KURHAUS. HOTEL D’ORANGE. SAVOY HOTEL. GRAND HOTEL. HOTEL RAUCH. All situated on Seheveningen’s splendid Sea Front. BAD-LANGEN SCHWALBACH, Near Wiesbaden. Most Efficacious Chalybeate. Iron and Mud Baths. HOTEL ALLEESAAU^s. Old renowned first-class Family Hotel, surrounded by its own Park and Curgarden, between the Royal Bath and Curhaus, entirely modernised with every comfort, Steam Heating, etc. Apartments and Single Rooms with Bath and Toilet Rooms. Balconies. Garage. Trout Fishing. Terrace. The Leading Restaurant, patronised by English and American Families. Zn the months of May, June and September reduced terms* SCHWALBACH. HOTEL VICTORIA & PENSION Highly reputed English House with Moderate Prices. Electric Light throughout. Lift to all floors. Every comfort. BAD LANGEN SCHWALBACH, near WIESBADEN. HOTEL METROPOLE mp a e n 4eTces, VILLA METROPOLE, HOHENZOLLERN, ETON HOUSE, AND BRISTOL. rpHE LEADING FIRST-CLASS HOTEL, standing in its own grounds, largely patronised by English and American visitors, close to the Kurhaus, Mineral Springs, and Royal Baths, with all the latest improvements. Steam Heating, 2 Lifts, and Electric Light throughout. Apartments with Baths and Toilet. Large Hall and Restaurant. Roebuck Shooting from May 15th. Excel- lent Trout fishing in the River Aar, preserved only for Hotel Guests, free of charge. Arrange- ments made for a prolonged stay. 75 Balconies. G. HERBSTER, Proprietor. 1908. MURRAY’S HANDBOOK ADVERTISER. 31 8 1 E N N E. GRAND HOTEL & ROYAL FIRST-CLASS HOTEL. Beautifully Situated, overlooking the Lizza Garden. FULL SOUTH. Entirely Renovated with all Modern Comfort. ELECTRIC LIGHT THROUGHOUT. CENTRAL HEATING. LIFT.! OMNIBUS MEETS ALL TRAINS. Proprietor, L. BETTI. SIENNE, ITALY. CRAND HOTEL CONTINENTAL AND PENSION. Electric Light. Only house with Central Heating throughout. Lift. Every Modern Comfort. ALFRED ZAZZERA, Proprietor. EDWARD STANFORD’S ATLAS CATALOGUE, Containing particulars of the best English and Foreign Atlases. Gratis on Application. SPA (Belgium). SPA (Belgium). GRAND HOTEL BRITANNIQUE. T HE leading Hotel and Restaurant at SPA. It stands in its own extensive Grounds, adjoining the English Church, and commanding a splendid View on the Mountains. APARTMENTS AND ROOMS WITH BATH AND TOILETTE. Sanitary Arrangements perfect. Warm Water Heating. Electric Lift. Garage and Stabling. Telegrams Britannique, Spa.” F. LEYH, Telephone : No. 27. Resident Proprietor. SPA. GRAND HOTEL BELLE VUE. First Class^ Magnificent Situation on the Promenade. Near the Royal residence, the Park and Baths. Beautiful Garden. Omnibus at the Station. Modern Comfort. 32 MURRAY’S HANDBOOK ADVERTISER. May, SPA (Belgium). The Oldest Mineral Ferruginous Water Place in Europe. GRAMS HOTEL BE L’EUROPE. First-Class Hotel. Magnificent Situation. Near the Springs, Kursaal, and English Church. Highly recommended. Omnibus at the Station to meet every train. Large Garage for Motor Cars Free. Telephone No. 28. HENRARD-SCHALTIN, Proprietor. HOTEL STUTTGART. Direct Entrance from the Railway Station . FINEST POSITION IN TOWN. SPLENDID NEW BUILDING. FIRST CLASS. 300 ROOMS. Electric Light. Central Heating. Elevators. Vacuum Cleaner. Rooms from 3.90 Marks upwards. Breakfast Included. APARTMENTS WITH BATH. H. & O. MARQUARDT. TOURS. GRAND HOTEL DE L’UNIYERS On the Boulevard, near the Station. Facing the new Town Hall. Newly Furnished. Every Modern Comfort. Lift. Electric Light. Baths. First-class Hotel. Suitable for Families. Special Arrangements for the Winter. MAURICE ROBLIN, Manager. MURRAYS HANDBOOK OF TRAVEL TALK. English— French— German — Italian. Price 3s. 6d. T* I D C ft Central Point of the Bad. Black K I la a 111 i Forest Railway. Climatic Cure Resort. I III &Jr Li 1 1 LI B 715 meters above the sea-level. BLACK FOREST HOTEL & KURHOUSE WALDLUST Considerably enlarged with new buildings. First-class Hotel with the most modern comforts. 2 Lifts. Large covered Terraces. Restaurant with fine view of the Mountains. Summer and Winter seasons. Most magnificent open situation. Close to Forest and Waterfall, in the middle of its own large Park, without street noises. 40 meters above the town. Garage. Pension. Apartments (Flats) with bath and toilet rooms. Illustrated prospectus . K. BIERINGER, Owner. THE POCKET GUIDE TO THE WEST INDIES. By ALGERNON E. ASPINALL. 328 pages, fcap. 8vo. (4J by 6f), rounded corners, limp cloth, 8 Maps, 29 Illustrations, and 3 Folding Tables. Price 6 j. “ Contains a vast amount of general information. . . . Indeed, the shorter way of describing the contents of this guide would be to say what is not there. It is very clear, very concise, excellently arranged.” — Tribune. “ Profusely and beautifully illustrated.” — Dundee Courier. “ An excellent series of maps.” — Scotsman . DETAILED PROSPECTUS GRATIS ON APPLICATION . London: EDWARD STANFORD, 12, 13, & 14, Long Acre, W.C. Geographer to His Majesty the King. 1908. MURRAY’S HANDBOOK ADVERTISER. 83 VENICE (Lido). Unsurpassed sea bathing on the finest beach of the Adriatic. Excelsior Palace Hotel. " • 1 — ■ To be opened 15th June, 1908. 400 Sitting and Bedrooms, the most part of them with private Bath- room and w.c. attached. Stands in an unrivalled position, overlookin g Venice, and facing the sea. Close to the Kursaal and sea bathing. Every comfort. Latest sanitary arrangements. Orchestra plays daily in the magnificent Hall Lounge. Special arrangements for a long stay. Direct communication with the Railway Station. Mo.tor boat attends every train. A. PACHLER, Manager. Hotel Royal Danieli. Situated in the finest part of the town. This First-class Establish- ment enjoys the reputation of being one of the best-kept Houses on the Continent. Recently entirely refitted. Grand Hotel. First-class House, situated on the finest part of the Grand Canal, contains over 300 rooms, several suites of apartments with private bathroom. Spacious Terrace. Hotel Regina, Rome et Suisse. Unrivalled situation on the Grand Canal. Newly refitted. Home Comforts. Lift. Electric Light and Steam Heating throughout. Hotel and Pension Beau Rivage. Splendidly situated, full South, close to the Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Square. Electric Light throughout. Most convenient for a prolonged stay. Hotel Victoria. Situated in the most central part of the town, near St. Mark’s Square. 200 rooms entirely refitted. Lift. Electric Light. Central Heating. Baths. Moderate charges. c 34 MURRAY’S HANDBOOK ADVERTISER. May, VIENNA. HOTEL METROPOLE. FIRST-CLASS throughout. Especially patronised by English and Americans. Apartments and Single Rooms with Baths attached, hot water heating. Lift. WIESBADEN. HOTEL WILHELMA BATHS EVERY MODERN COMFORT. • ' vl [\ aa Standing in its own Magnificent Grounds, adjoining the Kurhaus. Moderate Charges. A favourite resort of English and American families. HERM. EFFELBERGER, Proprietor. Nineteenth Edition. 644 pp., 34 Maps and Plans. Crown 8vo., 10s. Murray’s Handbook for Remodelled and thoroughly Revised . In this Edition the scheme of the Handbook has been entirely recast, and the Text has been thoroughly revised and very largely rewritten by the most competent authority. The work is now comprised in a single volume, which, while being more convenient to handle, contains as much useful matter as the former edition in two volumes. The information regarding Hotels, Railways, Diligences, &c., has been carefully brought up to date ; and the Maps have been revised and increased in number to keep pace with the recent rise in public favour of fresh districts. London : EDWARD STANFORD, 12, 13, & 14, Long Acre, W.C. 1908. MURRAY’S HANDBOOK ADVERTISER. 35 WILDBAD, Black Forest. HOTEL KLUMPP AND KLUMPP’S HOTEL BELLEVUE. Modernised and Equipped with every Modern Convenience . THESE FIRST-GLASS HOTELS, with Reading, Ladies’, and Conversation Rooms, as well as Smoking Room. Beautifully situated in connection with the Old and New Bath Buildings and Conversation House. Five minutes’ walk from the English Church, and in the immediate vicinity of the Park and Pump Room. Well known for their elegant and comfortable Apartments. Excellent Cuisine and Wines. Table d’Hote. Restaurant. Lift. Electric Light. Exchange Office. Correspondents of the Principal Banking* Houses. CAPITAL TROUT FISHING IN THE RIVER ENZ. LAWN TENNIS AND CROQUET . Reduced Terms till middle of June an