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diff --git a/40355-8.txt b/40355-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 73d921f..0000000 --- a/40355-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8464 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Nooks and Corners of Shropshire, by H. Thornhill Timmins - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Nooks and Corners of Shropshire - -Author: H. Thornhill Timmins - -Release Date: July 27, 2012 [EBook #40355] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NOOKS AND CORNERS OF SHROPSHIRE *** - - - - -Produced by Annie R. McGuire. This book was produced from -scanned images of public domain material from the Internet -Archive. - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration: Book Cover] - - - - -NOOKS AND CORNERS OF SHROPSHIRE - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration: Butcher Row. Shrewsbury.] - - - - -Nooks and Corners -of -Shropshire. - - -BY -H. THORNHILL TIMMINS, F.R.G.S., - -AUTHOR OF 'NOOKS AND CORNERS OF HEREFORDSHIRE,' 'NOOKS AND CORNERS -OF PEMBROKESHIRE.' - - -_WITH MAP AND NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS_ -_BY THE AUTHOR._ - - -LONDON: -ELLIOT STOCK, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C. -1899. - - - - -PREFACE - - -My work completed, I may be permitted to add a few words by way of envoi. - -'Nooks and Corners' is the outcome of many prolonged sketching rambles -in Shropshire, where, as I roamed about the County, in search of -subjects for pen and pencil, I succeeded in gleaning a good deal of -original information anent the places I visited; and I was greeted by -all sorts and conditions of Salopians with that hospitality for which -they are proverbial, and which has left me their grateful debtor. - -Though the more important places here illustrated are probably familiar -to many of my readers, there are certain scenes and objects in the -course of this work which have never been pictured or described before, -and which will, I trust, prove of interest to Salopians. Amidst such an -embarras de richesses, I have of necessity been obliged to pick and -choose the subjects dealt with; for in matter antiquarian the locality -is well-nigh inexhaustible. - -But if the gentle reader, in perusing the following pages, should share -in some degree my own pleasure and interest in compiling them, I shall -have the satisfaction of feeling that I have not rambled in vain amidst -the Nooks and Corners of Shropshire. - - H. THORNHILL TIMMINS. - HARROW, - _November_, 1899. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - A GENERAL SURVEY. THE TOWN OF SHREWSBURY 1 - FROM SHREWSBURY TO PITCHFORD, ACTON BURNELL, AND CHURCH STRETTON 21 - STRETTON DALE AND THE LONGMYND. A VISIT TO STOKESAY CASTLE 42 - FROM CRAVEN ARMS TO BISHOP'S CASTLE AND CLUN 60 - ROUND ABOUT CLUN FOREST. TO KNIGHTON AND LUDLOW 79 - ROUND ABOUT LUDLOW 94 - THE CLEE HILLS, CORVE DALE, AND WENLOCK EDGE 108 - WENLOCK, WROXETER, AND THE WREKIN 135 - TO LILLESHALL ABBEY, TONG, AND BOSCOBEL 153 - ROUND ABOUT BRIDGNORTH 171 - BETWEEN SEVERN AND CLEE 194 - WESTWARD HO! TOWARDS THE WELSH BORDER 214 - - - - -INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS - - - BUTCHER ROW, SHREWSBURY _Frontispiece_ - SHREWSBURY SCHOOL 5 - OLD COUNCIL HOUSE, SHREWSBURY 7 - REMAINS OF BENNETT'S HALL 11 - A BYEWAY IN OLD SHREWSBURY 12 - OLD MARKET HOUSE, SHREWSBURY 14 - OLD HOUSES IN WYLE COP 15 - ANCIENT PULPIT AT SHREWSBURY 17 - OLD WINDMILL AT LYTH HILL 20 - STAPLETON CHURCH 22 - CONDOVER HALL 23 - THE HOUSE IN THE TREE, PITCHFORD 25 - PITCHFORD HALL 26 - ACTON BURNELL 28 - NICHOLAS DE BURNELL 29 - KENLEY CHURCH 31 - LANGLEY 33 - FRODESLEY LODGE 34 - OLD BRIDGE ON 'DEVIL'S CAUSEWAY' 35 - PANEL AT CHURCH PREEN 36 - PLASH 37 - CARDINGTON 38 - LEIGHTONS OF PLASHE 39 - CHALICE AT HOPE BOWDLER 40 - SIR RALPH DE PITCHFORD 41 - CHURCH STRETTON 42 - CHURCH STRETTON CHURCH 43 - ADAM AND EVE 44 - CHURCH STRETTON AND THE LONGMYND 45 - WOOLSTASTON CHURCH AND RECTORY 46 - FONT AT WOOLSTASTON 47 - ACTON SCOTT HALL 50 - ALCESTON 51 - HALFORD CHURCH AND MILL 52 - STOKESAY CASTLE 53 - THE GATE HOUSE, STOKESAY 54 - STOKESAY CHURCH 57 - CARVED PANEL AT STOKESAY 59 - PLOWDEN HALL 61 - LEA CASTLE 66 - BISHOP'S CASTLE 68 - BISHOP'S CASTLE 69 - GARDE DOLOREUSE 73 - OLD LYCH GATE AT CLUN 75 - CLUN HOSPITAL 77 - SEAL OF CLUN HOSPITAL 78 - BETTWS-Y-CRWYN 82 - CHALICE AT BETTWS-Y-CRWYN 83 - THE CANTLIN CROSS 84 - STOWE 86 - STAIRCASE, HEATH HOUSE 89 - HOPTON CASTLE 90 - BRANKS AT LUDLOW 93 - LUDLOW CASTLE 95 - LUDLOW CASTLE AND CHURCH 95 - PALMER'S GUILD, LUDLOW 103 - FEATHERS HOTEL, LUDLOW 105 - A 'MISERERE' AT LUDLOW 107 - HAUNTED HOUSE, BITTERLEY 109 - CROSS AT BITTERLEY 110 - CROW LEASOW 111 - STANTON LACY 113 - DELBURY CHURCH 116 - CHURCH-PORCH, MUNSLOW 118 - TUGFORD CHURCH 120 - THE HEATH CHAPEL 121 - INTERIOR OF THE HEATH CHAPEL 121 - UPPER MILLICHOPE 125 - RUSHBURY 126 - NORMAN DOORWAY, HOLGATE CHURCH 128 - SHIPTON HALL 129 - HOUR-GLASS, EASTHOPE CHURCH 132 - HINGE AT STANTON LONG 134 - CHAPTER-HOUSE, MUCH WENLOCK 137 - MUCH WENLOCK 138 - OLD INN-SIGN AT BROSELEY 140 - BUILDWAS ABBEY 142 - MADELEY COURT 144 - THE LADY OAK, CRESSAGE 146 - URICONIUM AND WROXETER 148 - ATCHAM 150 - THE SIGN OF THE RAVEN 152 - LILLESHALL ABBEY 153 - SHIFFNAL 155 - SHIFFNAL CHURCH 156 - TONG CASTLE 158 - TONG CHURCH 158 - WOOD-CARVING AT TONG 159 - A TREASURE FROM TONG 160 - SIR ARTHUR VERNON 161 - HUBBAL GRANGE 162 - BOSCOBEL HOUSE 163 - BOSCOBEL 163 - DAME PENDEREL 164 - AT WHITELADIES 166 - ALBRIGHTON 168 - WELL-COVER AT PEPPERHILL 169 - THE ROYAL OAK 170 - BRIDGNORTH 171 - ANCIENT HOUSE, BRIDGNORTH 172 - MARKET-PLACE, BRIDGNORTH 174 - MARKET-DAY AT BRIDGNORTH 175 - COTTAGE IN THE ROCK, BRIDGNORTH 179 - WORFIELD 180 - LUDSTONE 182 - CLAVERLEY 183 - DUNVALL 187 - TYMPANUM, ASTON EYRES 189 - UPTON CRESSETT CHURCH 191 - UPTON CRESSETT HALL 192 - STOCKS AT STOCKTON 193 - THE BUTTER CROSS, ALVELEY 197 - ALVELEY CHURCH 198 - KINLET HALL 200 - KINLET CHURCH 201 - CLEOBURY MORTIMER 205 - DOWLES MANOR HOUSE 207 - BURFORD 209 - ANCIENT CROSS AT HIGHLEY 213 - CHIMNEYPIECE, MOAT HALL 214 - MITCHELL'S FOLD 217 - VIRGIN AND CHILD, CHIRBURY 221 - ANCIENT SUNDIAL AT MARRINGTON 223 - MARCHE MANOR FARM 227 - OLD THOMAS PARR 228 - BRAGGINGTON HALL 229 - ALBERBURY CHURCH 232 - WATTLESBOROUGH CASTLE 234 - THE SHELTON OAK 235 - A MAIDEN GARLAND 237 - SHREWSBURY SEAL 238 - MAP OF SHROPSHIRE _At end_ - - - - -NOOKS AND CORNERS OF SHROPSHIRE - - 'On this side whiche the Sonne doth warm with his declining beames, - Severn and Teme in channell deepe doo run, too antient Streames; - These make the neibor's pasture riche, these yeld of fruit greate store; - And doo convey thro out the Shire commodities manie more. - Here hilles doo lift their heades aloft, from whence sweete springes - doo flow, - Whose moistur good doth firtil make the vallies coucht belowe. - Here goodly orchards planted are, in fruite which doo abounde; - Thine ey wold make thine hart rejoyce to see such pleasant grounde.' - - - - -A GENERAL SURVEY. THE TOWN OF SHREWSBURY. - - -Southern Shropshire whose nooks and corners we are about to explore is a -pleasant, fertile country, where breezy heather-clad hills alternate -with cornfields, orchards and pastures, and rich umbrageous woodlands. -Goodly rivers such as the Severn and the Teme, besides brooks, rivulets -and trout-streams, enrich the meadows in the sunny vales, or wake the -silence of the lonely hills where the curlew and the lapwing make their -homes. - -Situated upon the confines of England and Wales, this border district -forms part of the March-lands which in olden times sundered the realm of -England from the Principality, and hence one may enjoy within its -comparatively moderate compass the diversified scenery peculiar to -either country. As regards its physical features, therefore, Southern -Shropshire presents in some sort an epitome or microcosm of England -itself. - -A glance at the map will show that the whole south-western corner of -Shropshire is occupied by the wild hill-country known as Clun Forest; -whence a succession of lofty ridges, such as the Stiperstones, the -Longmynd, the Caradoc Hills and Wenlock Edge, ramificate towards the -north, in shape not unlike the fingers of a hand, whereof the Clee -Hills, lying a little apart to the eastward, may be taken as -representing the thumb. - -This hilly region is classic ground to the geologist. The extreme -diversity of its rock structure early attracted the attention of -students; and has been so thoroughly elucidated by Murchison, Ramsay, -Salter, Lapworth, and other eminent scientists, that nowadays as the -saying goes 'he who runs may read.' - -The Severn is _the_ river par excellence of Shropshire. With its -important affluent the Teme, this noble river, in its course of more -than fifty miles through the county, receives the waters of the entire -district. After parting company with the rugged hills of Wales, the -Severn emerges upon the plains of Shropshire, and sweeps in a bold curve -around the town of Shrewsbury. Thenceforth the ever-widening river -glides onward in placid reaches past the time-honoured ruins of Roman -Uriconium, and lingers beside lush green water meadows, where the ruddy -kine stand knee-deep in the rippling shallows, and the salmon fisher -drifts by in his coracle as he spreads his nets athwart stream. - -Anon the Severn, changing its character, plunges along in eddying rapids -beneath the limestone escarpments of Benthall and Wenlock Edge; then, -taking a southerly trend, it skirts the groves and terraces of Apley -Park, washes the walls of picturesque old Bridgnorth, and finally the -big river takes leave of our county amidst the rough holts and heaths of -that ancient woodland which goes by the name of Wyre Forest. - -Owing to the lie of the land, the more important streams of Southern -Shropshire flow, not into the Severn itself, but into its tributary the -Teme. The northern Rea, the Cound and the Worf, it is true, find their -way direct to the former river; but the waters of the Clun, the Onny, -the Ledwych and the southern Rea, go to swell the tide of the Teme. - -Dividing the county of Salop from its neighbour Herefordshire, the river -Teme pursues a devious course through some of the most delightful -scenery in all these broad March-lands. From its lonely source amidst -the hills, away beyond the Welsh border, the infant Teme comes tumbling -and prattling along beneath the rolling heights of Clun Forest, and, -passing onwards to Ludlow, meanders beside the castle walls, and flows -in a graceful arc around the rocky slopes of Whitcliff. Near Tenbury the -Teme travels into Worcestershire, which it does not quit again until it -merges its waters in those of the Severn. - -With all these varied attractions, its picturesque rural landscapes, its -old-world towns and villages fraught with memories of the past, and the -thousand-and-one sights, scents and sounds, that go to make up the -indefinable charm of an English countryside, the visitor to Shropshire -may find ample opportunity to gratify his particular taste, or pursue -his favourite hobby, be it that of an artist, a sportsman, a botanist, -or a votary of the 'gentle art'; while for the cyclist, and in a still -greater measure for him who fares afoot, there lurks many a secluded -nook in the unfrequented byways, or amidst the hollows of the silent -hills; nooks where he may enjoy to heart's content the harvest of the -quiet eye. - -From the antiquarian point of view, Shropshire is exceptionally -interesting. Britons, Romans, Danes, Saxons and Normans, have all played -their parts in moulding its early history, and have graven upon the -natural features of the country indelible traces of their former -domination. - -That Shropshire shared to the full in the drum and trumpet history of -mediæval days, is attested by the ruined castles and strongholds to be -met with on every hand. These we shall have occasion to refer to in the -course of our rambles; so turn we now to the famous old town which forms -the centre and focus of Salopian life. - - * * * * * - -Just about the middle of the county, islanded almost by a bold southward -sweep of the Severn, stands Shrewsbury, the Pengwern of the old Welsh -days, the Saxon Scrobbesbyrig; an ancient borough town and the capital -of the district. Shrewsbury is a clean, cheerful, yet withal -picturesque-looking city, where the tide of modern progress rolls to and -fro along the steep old streets beside its ancient castle, past -venerable parish churches and the quaint, half-timbered mansions of the -ancienne noblesse. - -Hotels and lodging-houses are not far to seek, while highroads and lines -of railway ramificate from Shrewsbury throughout the county; so the -traveller who intends to explore the nooks and corners of the -surrounding district cannot do better than take up his quarters for a -time in the proud old city upon Severn side. - -The topography of Shrewsbury is tolerably simple. Encompassed on all -sides save the north by the noble river Severn, the town spreads away up -a gentle hill to the walls of its guardian castle. 'The Towne of -Shrewesbury,' says John Leland, 'standeth on a Rocky Hill of Stone of a -sad redde Earth, and Severne soe girdeth in all the Towne that, saving a -little Peice, it were an Isle.' - -Right through the centre of the city, from south-east towards the west, -runs the ancient highroad, or 'reddie way,' from London to North Wales; -entering by way of the English Bridge, passing through the town under -the names of Wyle Cop, High Street and Mardol, and emerging by the Welsh -Bridge. At right angles to this thoroughfare lies Castle Street, leading -up to the gates of the old Norman stronghold, and nowadays familiar to -travellers as the road to the railway-station. Castle Street leads on to -Pride Hill, one of the busiest arteries of the city, which in its turn -is prolonged down St. John's Hill to the Quarry, a public park shaded by -avenues of lofty lime trees, affording a pleasant stroll by Severn side. -Here, some three centuries ago, Churchyard the Shropshire poet beheld: - - 'A space belowe to bait both Bull and Beare: - For players, too, great roume, and place at will, - And in the same a Cockpit, wondrous fayre, - Besides, where men may wrestle in their fill.' - -[Illustration: SHREWSBURY SCHOOL.] - -Across the river rises Shrewsbury School, the handsome modern prototype -of the older foundation in the town, encompassed by spacious demesnes -and cricket fields, the scene in bygone times of the far-famed -'Shrewsbury Show.' Abbey Foregate, with its venerable monastic church, -occupies what may be called the English side of the city; while the -ancient suburb of Frankwell climbs the hill in a westerly direction, -away beyond the Welsh Bridge. - - * * * * * - -We now set forth on a peregrination of the town, keeping an eye lifting -for such relics of the past as may lie upon our road, and remarking the -quaint nomenclature of some of the older streets. Immediately as we step -outside the railway-station, the old city gives us a taste of its -quality; for yonder rise the ruddy sandstone walls and round-towers of -Shrewsbury Castle, 'built in such a brave Plott,' as an old writer -observes, 'that it could have espyed a Byrd flying in every Streete.' - -Originally erected by the all-powerful Roger de Montgomery, all that now -remains of the feudal castle is a Norman gateway, two massive -drum-towers of the Edwardian keep, and some remnants of the inner ward -or bailey. So long ago as Henry the Eighth's time, John Leland found the -fortress 'nowe much in mine,' and although its ancient walls were -furbished up, and a garrison put in charge to hold the place for King -Charles, it was delivered by treachery into the hands of the -Parliamentarian forces, and so escaped demolition. - -Turning up-hill into Castle Gates, we espy a flight of steps leading to -a sort of raised passage, called the Dana, whence the visitor, if so -minded, may survey a large portion of Shropshire. Returning now to -Castle Gates, we bend our steps towards a dignified-looking pile of grey -stone buildings, standing a little back from the roadway. - -This is the Free Library and Museum, a building that for some three -centuries did duty as the Grammar School of Shrewsbury; a school founded -by King Edward the Sixth, enlarged by Queen Elizabeth, and numbering -among its masters men like Dr. Samuel Butler and Kennedy of Cambridge, -and made famous by such scholars as Philip Sidney, Fulk Greville and -Darwin, not to mention in the same breath the execrable name of Judge -Jeffreys. - -Before the entrance gateway, which is adorned with the effigies of two -scholars in quaint Jacobean costume, stands the recently erected bronze -statue of Charles Darwin, the world-renowned scientist, an alumnus, and -a native of Shrewsbury. - -The interior of the building proves quite in keeping with what the -outside would lead one to expect, for the low-ceiled rooms, with their -dark oaken panelling and doors carved with the names of long-forgotten -schoolboys, seem redolent of scholarly ways; and these studious -traditions are in some sense maintained by the purposes which these -quiet chambers now serve. - -Once more we steer a diagonal course athwart steep, crowded Castle -Street, and, rounding the end of a modern chapel, find ourselves -immediately vis-à-vis the object of our search. An ancient archway, -surmounted by a pair of timbered gablets, admits us to a small paved -courtyard, around three sides of which extends a group of buildings, -which in bygone days formed the Council House, and occasional abode of -no less a personage than the Lord President of the Council of the -Marches of Wales. Many a stately ceremony has doubtless graced these -venerable precincts, which still impress the visitor with their look of -faded dignity, though fallen in these latter days from their honourable -estate, and converted to the purposes of private dwelling-houses. - -[Illustration: OLD COUNCIL-HOUSE SHREWSBURY.] - -The picturesque Gate House, however, which figures in our sketch may -very well have witnessed that memorable incident in Shrewsbury's -corporate history, when the sturdy burgesses refused Charles the First's -offer (while staying at the Council House in 1642) to create their town -a city, an occasion that earned for them ever after the title of 'Proud -Salopians.' This fine old Gate House has been but little altered, and -bears upon its ancient timbers the date A.D. 1620. An old hall to the -rear still retains its original oak panelling and chimney-piece, charged -with fantastic devices, and dated 1634; while an upper chamber contains -a massive oak tester-bedstead, whose richly carved top is supported by -moulded pillars. - -Pushing onward past Plimmer's, formerly Palin's, home of the famous -cake-compounder whose praises have been sung by Thomas Ingoldsby Esq., -we come to the trim façade of the Raven Hotel, a commodious hostelry -whose fame goes back far into the old coaching days. Then, espying a -lofty steeple peering over the nearer housetops, we cross the head of -the lane by which Cromwell's men made their way into the town, and enter -the little green close where stands St. Mary's Church. - -Built of mellow-hued, weatherworn sandstone, St. Mary's proves to be a -noble cruciform edifice, with an early south porch and parvise, and one -of the finest spires in all England. The interior, too, presents a -charming diversity, from the variety of architectural styles employed, -and is spanned by a panelled oaken ceiling richly and beautifully -wrought; while the spacious 'Jesse' window in the chancel, brought from -old Grey Friars monastery, affords a combination of sweetness and light -truly pleasant to behold. Indeed, the ancient glass in St. Mary's Church -forms quite a feature of the building; and amidst its quaint imagery St. -Bernard may be detected in the act of sweeping the excommunicated flies -out of church, and a representation of the Last Judgment with Satan -figuring as a blue boar! - -Amongst other interesting monuments of greater or less antiquity, we -notice a memorial to that skilled and daring seaman Admiral Benbow, a -renowned Salopian hero, and 'true patterne of English courage,' who died -at Jamaica from honourable wounds in 1702. - -Beneath the shadow of St. Mary's Church nestles a group of lowly -almshouses, a charity established some time prior to 1648. Yonder -ancient half-timbered gable, overlooking the churchyard, is the -erstwhile Hall of the Drapers' Guild, where, upon passing within, we -find ourselves in a spacious, low-ceiled chamber, entirely wainscoted -with oak, and having massive oak tables, benches and lockers, coeval -with the room. Upon the wall hangs a dark old panel-picture, commonly -supposed to be the portrait of Degory Watur, the founder, and his lady -wife, who, it is recorded, used to attend with the ministers 'dailye in -Our Ladye's Churche, and kneele with them in a long Pewe, in the guise -made for them and himselfe.' And the old bedesman who does the honours -also displays one or two ancient charters connected with the foundation, -which are jealously preserved here under lock and key. - -Passing on to Pride Hill--so named from a local family of that ilk who -lived in a mansion hard by--we presently descry a narrow thoroughfare, -looking for all the world like a bit of some mediæval city. This is -Butcher Row, a quaint, old-time byway, whose ancient timbered houses -lean this way or that, in sociable good-fellowship, above the little -shops that flank the lane. A sketch of Butcher Row forms the -frontispiece to this volume. - -'There they stand, crowding together, with overhanging gables, queer -dormer windows, and panelled fronts; a curious chequer-work, wherein the -broad black lines are displayed upright, horizontal and diagonal, with -varied artifice. And here and there a bracket catches the eye, or a -pent-house roof and railed recesses, and breadths of ornament on fascia -and cornice. The ground-floors recede, and shops are gloomy, and -ceilings low; and upstairs you find the same want of height and breadth -of window, by which the olden time contrived to favour at once the -picturesque, and the plague.' - -Far aloft soars the graceful spire of St. Alkmond's Church, -('Stalkmun's,' in the vernacular), the nave whereof was pulled down in a -panic a century ago, after its neighbour St. Chad's had fallen, and -rebuilt in the contemptible 'style' of that period. - -'In the yere 1533,' as an old chronicler tells, 'uppon Twelffe daye, in -Shrowsburie, the Dyvyll appearyd in Saint Alkmond's churche there, when -the preest was at High Masse, with great tempeste and Darknesse, soe -that as he passyd through, he mountyd upp the Steeple in the sayd -churche, tering the wyers of the clocke, and put the prynt of his Clawes -uppon the 4th Bell, and tooke one of the pynnacles awaye with hym, and -for the Tyme stayde all the Bells in the churches within the sayde -Towne, that they could neyther toll nor ringe.' - -The corner building at the farther end of Butcher Row is an excellent -example of a mediæval town-house; and the beautiful though sadly defaced -carvings about its door-jambs, windows and gables, are as good as they -are rare of their kind. There is reason to suppose the Abbots of -Lilleshall made this their city abode, and that the chantry priests of -the Holy Cross found shelter in its ancient chambers. - -Be that as it may, we now direct our steps towards a mere slit of a -passage, aptly designated Grope Lane; getting a passing peep of Fish -Street, and its quaint inn-sign the Three Fishes, the cognizance of the -Abbots of Lilleshall, with St. Julian's Church-tower beyond. A queer -nook indeed is this Grope Lane, just such an one as might have inspired -the author of 'A Legend of the Dark Entry'; so narrow that one may -easily touch both sides at once, and so closely overhung by the rafters -of the adjacent premises that but a strip of sky is seen. - -Having weathered the intricacies of Grope Lane we enter High Street, and -turn right-about to look at the quaint old half-timbered buildings by -which it is flanked--small but very characteristic specimens of old -Salopian house-fronts, with their quatrefoil panels, twisted pilasters, -and grotesquely carved heads. Close at hand is High Street Church, a -chapel originally erected in the days of the Act of Uniformity, and -noteworthy from the fact that for a brief space of time Samuel -Coleridge, the celebrated author of the 'Ancient Mariner,' ministered -therein. - -Strolling along High Street, we soon pass the entrance to The Square, -giving a passing glance at the old Market House that rises so -picturesquely there--whereof more anon,--and pausing beneath Clive's -statue to scan the determined features and stalwart bearing of that -renowned Salopian. Then we turn our attention to a group of Fine old -black-and-white gables that rise upon the opposite side of the street, -the doorway of one handsome façade bearing the inscription, ERECTED BY -RICHARD OWEN THE ELDER, GENTELMAN, ANO. DM. 1592. - -Few towns in the kingdom can boast such stately survivals as these; yet -a few yards away appears a still more striking specimen of the mediæval -builder's art. Originally the town-house of the Irelands, this noble old -fabric is still known by their name, and bears upon its ancient front -the family cognizance. Four storeys high it rears its chequered walls, -topped by tall, beetling gables, and broken into play of light and shade -by ranges of oriel windows. Bits of quaint carving are seen here and -there upon bargeboard, lintel and bracket, for the old place has happily -suffered but little from modern innovations. The nicely restored -black-and-white front of Lloyd's Bank hard by keeps its venerable -neighbour well in countenance. - -[Illustration: Remains of Bennett's Hall] - -Finding ourselves once more on Pride Hill, we step across that busy -thoroughfare, and, passing to the rear of Mother Noblett's Toffee Shop, -with its huge, comical signboard, we see before us the pretty Gothic -doorway that figures in our sketch. Though much the worse for neglect, -and fallen sadly into disrepair, this ancient sandstone structure is -clearly the work of at least two periods. The shaft and capital on the -left, with the broken archway above it, are of the style known as Early -English; while the graceful pointed arch, with its floreated cusps and -traces of ball-flower ornamentation, are evidently a later insertion, -and probably date from the latter part of the thirteenth century. A wide -stone arch, part of which may be noticed above the passage-way, supports -the floor of the room within; and a small arched recess, near the head -of the steps, appears to have been used as a holy-water stoup. - -From these indications it is considered probable the little building -before us was at one time the private chapel of Bennett's Hall, the city -residence of the Abbot of Haughmond, who, according to the custom of -those days, had a town-house in the capital of the county. - -Portions of ancient domestic buildings may be traced at the back of the -chapel, including the stonework of a good-sized hall, and some -indications of a large window. There is a tradition that these buildings -were at one time used as a mint; and the fact that a kind of oven, or -hearth, formerly existed here gives colour to the story. - -[Illustration: A Byeway in Old Shrewsbury.] - -Laying a course towards the tall clock-tower of the new Market Hall, we -now descend Pride Hill and turn to the right into Mardol, a steep, -oldfashioned street, boasting several half-timbered house-fronts dating -as far back as the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. About half-way -down we strike into a byway called Hill's Lane, at the corner whereof -rises an ancient frontage whose oaken beams display the date 1440. This -narrow lane, zig-zagging through one of the oldest quarters of the town, -is frequented on market-days by country folk, when the mother-tongue of -old Salopia may be heard in all its pristine purity. - -After passing one or two oldfashioned inns of the humbler sort, we -stumble unexpectedly upon a lordly dwelling, standing somewhat aloof -from its dingy neighbours, and presenting an air of dilapidated -gentility, like an out-at-elbows aristocrat making shift to maintain his -dignity amidst a crowd of tatterdemalions. - -Built of dark-red brick, with stone mullions, quoins and copings, this -fine old Tudor mansion is believed to have been erected by one William -Rowley, draper, and sometime alderman of Shrewsbury, about the beginning -of the seventeenth century, and is still called Rowley's Mansion. Sad it -is to see the woful plight into which the stately old fabric has fallen, -the beautiful porch that once adorned its entrance torn away and -destroyed, its mullioned windows yawning wide to wind and rain, and each -delicately-traceried ceiling thrown down, or utterly defaced. By -strolling into the yard of the old Ship Inn, we get another glimpse of -Rowley's mansion; its soaring gables and chimney stacks grouping -picturesquely, from this point, with the meaner outhouses and dwellings -by which it is surrounded. - -[Illustration: Old Market House Shrewsbury.] - -We next thread our way through several rather intricate lanes, until, -crossing Mardol Head, we soon find ourselves once more in The Square, -the very heart of this ancient city. Here the old Market House at once -claims our attention; a venerable sandstone structure supported, as our -sketch will show, upon a series of semicircular arches, and buttressed -at the angles. Overhead its time-stained walls are pierced with -mullioned windows, and relieved against the skyline by quaint, fantastic -battlements. That clock aloft in the gable is _said_ to occupy the place -of the one Falstaff referred to when declaring that, against tremendous -odds, he had 'fought a long hour by Shrewsbury clock.' Be that as it -may, we are on surer ground when considering the figure in the canopied -niche below; for an inscribed panel alongside announces that 'This -statue was removed by order of the Mayor from the tower on the Welsh -Bridge in the year 1791.' The effigy, that of a knight in full armour, -has a stiff, archaic appearance, and is usually supposed to represent -Edward IV., father of Richard, Duke of York. Below this figure, in -antiquated characters, are the words: THE XV DAY OF IUNE WAS THIS -BUYLDING BEGONN, WM JONES AND THOS. CHARLTON GENT. THEN BAYLIFFES, AND -WAS ERECTED AND COVERED IN THEIR TIME. The opposite gable has a similar -niche, with the figure of an angel bearing a shield charged with the -Arms of England and France, and a half-obliterated sundial. A richly -carved canopy upon the western front encloses the arms of Queen -Elizabeth, and the date of the erection of the building, 1596. - -Over against the old Market House, on the eastern side of The Square, -rises an ancient timbered dwelling which goes by the name of Lloyd's -House. Its rugged beams are curiously carved; grotesque faces leer upon -the passer-by from finial and bracket; and the builder's initials are -ingeniously interwoven amidst the ornamentation of the weatherworn -bargeboard. Glancing backwards from the adjacent lane, we notice how the -nodding gables and chimneys of Lloyd's mansion, one end of the old -Market House, and a good eighteenth-century building beyond, combine to -form a characteristic street scene. Then we push onwards again in search -of other quarry. - -Traversing a disused cemetery, we come to the Lady Chapel, and only -relic, of old St. Chad's, a venerable church which collapsed suddenly in -1788, after surviving the changes and chances of time, it is said, for -over a thousand years. - -An odd little alley now beguiles our footsteps, where an oldfashioned -inn, its prominent signboard overtopped by St. Julian's church-tower, -appears as set in a frame beneath an ancient archway. Thence we turn to -the right, and pass a handsome new building on the site of Shearmen's -Hall, an ancient foundation that in its time had played many parts, as a -theatre, a chapel, a warehouse and a shop! - -Thus we enter Wyle Cop,--how runs the verse? - - 'They hew, and they hack, and they chop; - And, to finish the whole, they stick up a pole, - In the place that's still called the Wylde Coppe, - And they pop - Your grim, gory head on the top!' - -Several attractive-looking old structures confront us as we descend the -steep pavement, prominent amongst them the ancient abode that figures -upon page 15. This picturesque façade, with its blackened timbers and -pretty traceried window adorned by coats of arms, has an added interest -from the fact that it is 'Ye auncient house in which King Henry the VII -loged, when he went to Bosworth Field, Augst 1485.' So at least the -panel beneath the window has it, though Henry, of course, was but Harry -of Richmond until that fateful battle had won for him the crown. - -[Illustration: Old Houses in Wyle Cop. Shrewsbury.] - -While exploring the vicinity of Wyle Cop, many another bit of old -Shrewsbury is brought to light, notably the nicely restored frontage of -the Unicorn Hotel; and, hidden away amidst some poor cottages by Severn -side, a few scanty relics of Grey Friars' monastery, in its time one of -the stateliest religious houses in Shrewsbury. Thenceforward we hug the -river brink until, coming to the English Bridge, we traverse it, and -find ourselves in the broad thoroughfare called Abbey Foregate-- - - 'A long greate streate, well buildid, large and faire, - In as good Ayre as may be wisht with wit; - Where Abbey stands, and is such ringe of Belles, - As is not found from London unto Welles.' - -These lines by Churchyard, the old Shropshire poet, still hold good in -the main, though railway encroachments have much to answer for. But the -pièce de résistance is happily still there, and the ruddy, timeworn -tower of the Abbey Church now rises before us, while its mellow-toned -bells speak for themselves, pealing out a quaint, merry chime upon the -springlike air as we draw near. - -Originally amongst the noblest and wealthiest Abbeys of the Benedictine -order in England, this venerable edifice remains to this day one of the -few ancient religious houses in everyday use as a parish church. It was -founded by no less a personage than Roger de Montgomery, William the -Conqueror's kinsman and vicegerent in the Welsh March-lands; who, life's -fitful fever ended, lies buried here in his own Abbey Church of St. -Peter and St. Paul. - -Earl Roger's foundation was probably cruciform in shape, and the central -portion of the church is part of the original fabric, displaying the -thick, massive pillars and rounded arches, characteristic of the Norman -period. In pleasant contrast with their rude simplicity rises a group of -gracefully proportioned, pointed arches of a later date; while the tall, -slender traceries of the Perpendicular windows, lend a certain air of -lightness to the whole. A flat oaken ceiling spans the lofty interior, -which cannot fail to impress every beholder by its air of spacious and -reposeful dignity. - -In the south aisle we notice a recumbent and much defaced stone effigy, -which, according to a brass plate upon the adjacent wall, represents -'Sir Roger de Montgomery, Second in command of the army of his kinsman, -William the Conqueror, at the Battle of Hastings, the First of the -Family of Montgomery in England. He was advanced to high honour as the -Over-lord of many counties, and created Earl of Shrewsbury. He founded -this church and abbey, wherein he, as a Brother of the Benedictine -Order, died the 1st of August, MXCV.' The monuments in the Abbey Church -will reward a close examination. - -[Illustration: Ancient Pulpit in Shrewsbury.] - -In the course of a walk around the outside of the church, we remark the -noble proportions of the great west window, surmounted by a canopied -niche, with its mailed figure reputed to represent King Edward III., a -picturesque two-storied north porch, and the lofty walls of Mr. -Pearson's new chancel. Thence we pass across the street, where, a -pathetic object amidst such grimy environments, stands the ancient -stone pulpit shown in our sketch, in the midst of a railway coal-yard! - -This graceful structure dates from the early part of the fourteenth -century, and its cusped and richly moulded arches are charming examples -of Decorated work. The panels below are adorned with delicately -sculptured figures representing St. Peter, St. Paul, and other saints; -while the groined ceiling inside the arches is crowned by a large carved -boss, or keystone, emblematical of the Crucifixion. - -Very picturesque looks this gem of Gothic art, its grey old stones -scored and wrinkled by the tooth of Time, whose ravages are but -partially concealed by a mantle of fresh green ivy. At one time the -Abbey precincts appear to have extended far and wide in this direction, -but the exigencies of modern travel and traffic have played sad havoc -with the old, monkish habitation. - -This beautiful pulpit is the last remnant of the old monastic buildings, -that once nestled beneath the adjacent Abbey Church. It was attached to -the refectory, and was doubtless intended for the use of the monk whose -duty it was to read to the brethren at meal-times. Its other side gave -upon the courtyard of the monastery, and we may suppose that open-air -sermons were occasionally delivered from it. - -Our sketch completed, we now turn aside from Abbey 'Forrit,' to visit -the large red sandstone mansion, paradoxically dubbed 'Whitehall.' It is -recorded that Richard Prince, its builder, commenced the erection of his -house in the year of grace 1578, but that it was not completed until -1582, 'soe was it iiij yeares in buyldinge, to hys greate chardge, with -fame to hym and hys posteritie for ever.' Prince's 'fame' in the matter -is somewhat discounted, however, by the fact that he built his dwelling -with stones torn from the fabric of the ancient Abbey, then but lately -disestablished; and, in order to disguise them, caused the walls to be -whitewashed, which gave rise to its name of Whitehall. - -The building is a very fine specimen of an Elizabethan mansion, with -mullioned windows, high-peaked gables, and the tall, detached -chimney-stacks one knows so well. The gatehouse and dovecot are -interesting features, and the lawn at the rear of the mansion is -overshadowed by a magnificent walnut tree, as old, we should suppose, as -Whitehall itself. - -We now push on to St. Giles's Church, turning aside to climb to the -summit of Lord Hill's Column, and enjoy the wide and varied prospect -over hill and dale, town and river, that its balcony affords. - -St. Giles's is considered to be one of the oldest churches in -Shrewsbury; yet, owing to repeated restoration--'a name that,' as has -been well said, 'covers more sins than charity itself,'--a casual -observer might easily mistake it for a brand-new edifice. The church -owes its foundation, we believe, to King Henry I., who established here -a hospital or asylum for lepers, of whom St. Giles was regarded as the -special patron. A Norman doorway admits us to the interior, which, -though rigorously swept and garnished, still retains one or two of its -original windows filled with scraps of ancient stained glass, and a -richly moulded archway of rather later date. - -Out in the churchyard stands a curious octagonal stone, with a -good-sized square recess, several inches deep, in its upper side. It is -known as the Pest Basin, and dates from the days when the plague was -raging in Shrewsbury, during the seventeenth century. The custom was for -the townsfolk to cast their money into the water in this basin, whence -it was taken out by the country people in payment for the 'loaves and -fishes' they supplied, thus avoiding in some sort the risk of actual -contagion. - -One of the tombstones here is inscribed with the following laconic -legend: - - 'Here Charles Rathbon hee doth lie - And by misfortun hee did dye - On the 17th of July--1751.' - -Through the quiet of the gloaming we now wend our way townwards again, -the roofs and steeples of old Shrewsbury showing darkly silhouetted -against the golden west as we cross the English Bridge. Thereafter, over -a pipe in the chimney-nook of our hostelry, we fall to 'babbling o' -green fields' and poring over Ordnance maps, intending on the morrow's -morn to quit these scenes of our 'daily walks and ancient -neighbourhood,' and fare forth into the open country. - -[Illustration: Old Windmill at Lyth Hill.] - - - - -FROM SHREWSBURY TO PITCHFORD, ACTON BURNELL, AND CHURCH STRETTON. - - -A silvery mackerel sky, serene and calm, gives promise of a bright Spring -day, as, drawn by the iron horse, we spin along betwixt fields and -hedgerows en route for Dorrington Station. - -Half-way out we skirt the wooded slopes of Lythwood, once upon a time a -royal forest, whence Henry the Third permitted the Hospitallers of St. -Giles's to draw wood for their firing. Presently the gently-flowing -river Cound is seen, travelling Severn-wards through a pleasant, -agricultural country; and then, detraining at the next station, we -shoulder our knapsacks and trudge away in the direction of Stapleton. - -Old hawthorn hedges fling their scented sprays athwart the dusty -highway, and the verdant wheat-fields beyond them are fringed with -feathery cow's-parsley, looking for all the world like green carpets -edged with white lace. The oaks are beating the ash trees this Spring in -their race for precedence, and in yonder grounds a copper beech rears -its magnificent purple dome against the deep blue of the sky--a sight -for sair e'en! - -[Illustration: Stapleton Church] - -Arrived at Stapleton church, we notice that it appears to consist of two -separate and distinct churches, the one superposed upon the other; the -two having been at some past time united by removing the floor of the -upper one, giving to the interior somewhat the appearance of a college -chapel. - -The lower portion of the fabric, with its thick, massive walls and -curiously narrow windows, mere loops, appears to be of early Norman -date; while the plain lancet lights above might belong to the early part -of the thirteenth century. On the south side of the chancel is a pair -of two-light windows filled with simple tracery, and between them is -seen the door that formerly gave entrance to the upper church. Near to -the latter is an arched recess, which it has been conjectured was -originally a nativity grotto. Farther east upon the same wall rises the -pretty sedilia, surmounted by the double cusped arch seen on the right -in the adjoining view. There are little trefoil lights under these -arches, but they are later insertions. - -Upon the pulpit hangs an antipendium, worked in gold and silver thread -with a beautiful scrolly pattern, which, if we are to credit the local -tradition, was wrought by the hands of Mary, Queen of Scots. An Easter -sepulchre, invisible in our sketch, is in the wall beyond; and the two -tall processional candlesticks on either side the altar are exotics -here, having been brought, it is said, from Nuremberg, in Germany. They -are excellent specimens of Gothic wood-carving, and are richly coloured -and gilt. - -Returning into the highroad, we follow it for about a mile, and then -strike away to the right through leafy by-lanes that land us eventually -at Condover, a pleasant, rural-looking village, almost encircled by the -waters of the little river Cound. - -Near the entrance to the village stands a very ancient dwelling-house, -built after the manner of a ship turned keel upwards; the huge oak beams -that support both walls and roof curving upwards from the ground, and -passing through both storeys to meet at the ridge-pole. - -Presently we come to the parish church, a large stone edifice surrounded -by luxuriant foliage, and espy, hard by the churchyard wicket, an old -derelict font doing duty as a flower-vase. The transepts are evidently -of Norman date; while the nave and the fine west tower, though they look -considerably older, were built no longer ago than the middle of the -seventeenth century. - -[Illustration: Condover Hall. Shropshire.] - -From the church we pass on to Condover Hall, a noble structure of the -Elizabethan period, situated on the outskirts of the village. Viewed -through the tall entrance gateway, the old mansion, with its picturesque -gables, stone-mullioned windows and clustered chimney-stacks, presents -a delightfully old-world appearance, which is enhanced by the quaintly -clipped shrubs flanking the broad carriage-drive. - -The west front, shown in a neighbouring sketch, overlooks a wide tract -of park land, studded with gnarled hawthorns and ancient oaks, and -watered by the meanderings of the stream whence the place derives its -name. - -The estate of Condover having been originally purchased by his father, -Thomas of that ilk, Sir Roger Owen, in the year 1598, erected the -existing mansion; calling in master Walter Hancocke, a celebrated -craftsman of that period, to assist in planning his residence. - -Condover passed in after years to the Cholmondeleys, an ancient family -in whose hands the estate continued for many generations, having only -recently been disposed of, and its interesting treasures dispersed. - -[Illustration: Pitchford Hall] - -We now push on for Pitchford, striking the main road at a place called -Cantlop Cross, and following it until we get a glimpse of the old -mansion itself, seated on a verdant slope amidst masses of shadowy -foliage. A winding pathway, overarched by beech trees and ancestral -oaks, meanders through the park, and leads us down to a low stone -bridge, where we pause awhile to enjoy the charming view of Pitchford -Hall, which our artist has portrayed. - -Built by William Ottley, Sheriff of Shropshire, in the early part of the -seventeenth century, Pitchford Hall remains a beautiful and interesting -example of an old English homestead of that period. Nothing can exceed -the picturesqueness of this venerable house, its weather-stained walls -chequered by oaken timbers, its solid stone-tiled roofs carpeted with -lichens and moss, and surmounted by huge crumbling chimney-stacks of -curious design. Embosomed amidst tall trees and luxuriant shrubberies, -with a lordly peacock taking the air upon the sunny terrace, and a clear -stream whimpling along at our feet, the scene is one to be remembered; -such an one, indeed, as this rural England of ours alone can shew. - -But let us take a nearer look at the old Hall. The building, after the -custom then in vogue, is fashioned like a capital E, the shorter member -being represented by a central gable of very unusual appearance, -containing a curious clock. By the courtesy of Lieut.-Colonel Cotes, the -present proprietor, we are enabled to examine the interesting features -of the interior, which contains some notable ancestral portraits, and a -singular sort of picture-map showing the Hall and grounds as they -existed in 1682. In one wainscoted chamber our attention is directed to -a secret closet, or hidie-hole, ingeniously disguised by a sliding panel -very difficult to detect; indeed, every corner of the mansion has its -interest for the antiquary. - -After having been the seat of the Ottley family for considerably more -than three centuries, Pitchford Hall passed in the year 1807 into the -possession of the late Lord Liverpool, who had the honour of -entertaining Her Majesty here when, as Princess Victoria, she visited in -this locality with the Duchess of Kent, in the year of the great Reform -Bill. - -[Illustration: The House in the Tree Pitchford] - -Before taking leave of Pitchford, we pass out into the grounds to visit -the so-called House in the Tree. As shewn in the picture here, this -consists of a small chamber, about 9 or 10 feet square, and covered with -a peaked roof--not much in itself, yet curious from the fact that it is -built, high and dry, aloft in the fork of a huge old storm-rent lime -tree, and is approached by a crooked flight of steps. Tradition avers -that a 'house' has existed in this tree any time these two centuries -past, having been formerly used as a dwelling; and the broken stump of -more than one huge limb shews how severe have been the gales this -venerable lime tree has weathered. - -Upon a slight eminence hard by the mansion rises Pitchford church, a -plain, simple structure, evidently of great antiquity. Built into its -southern wall we notice a rude stone slab, apparently older than the -church itself, with a raised cross enclosed by a circle cut in low -relief upon its surface. An otherwise ordinary-looking interior is -relieved by the handsome, recumbent effigy, of which a sketch will be -found on p. 41. This remarkable monument is entirely composed -of oak, black and smooth as ebony from lapse of time. The figure, some 7 -feet in length, is that of a Crusader, habited in chain-mail, the hands -clasping a sword, and the spurred feet resting upon a couchant dog, or -talbot. Upon the base of the structure are seven trefoil arches, -enclosing shields charged with armorial bearings, all excellently -wrought, and in a good state of preservation. From its general character -there can be no doubt this monument is of very early date; indeed it is -supposed to represent Sir Ralph de Pitchford, who died in 1252. - -Retracing our steps to the bridge, let us turn aside there for a moment -to look at the ancient Pitch Well, a feature probably unique of its -kind, whence the adjacent Hall derives its name. - -The Well proves to be a largish shallow affair of an oval shape, and -about 2 feet in depth, while the surface of the well (which is almost -dried up this drouthy season) has little 'pockets' of semi-liquid pitch, -oozing up from below and partially caked on the top. This bituminous -spring appears, indeed, to have altered but little since Marmaduke -Rawdon visited the spot, during a tour in the seventeenth century. 'Thir -is in this Well,' he observes, 'foure littel Hooles about a halfe yard -diep, out of whiche comes lyttle lumpes of Pitche, but that which is att -ye tope of ye Well is softish, and swimes uppon the water like Tarr, -butt being skym'd together itt incorporateth, and is knead together like -untoo soft wax, and becometh harde.' - -Sketches completed, we now make for the village, and pace on through the -quiet, weedgrown street, where the martins are nesting under the lee of -the old stone-tiled roofs, and the still, sunny air is redolent of lilac -and early honeysuckle. Yonder gable-end with its rough yellow -plasterwork, Venetian shutters, and mantle of purple wistaria, greets -the eye with a pleasant scheme of colour, calling up visions of far-away -Italy. - -Thus we take the road again, until, coming to a green, grassy lane--part -of the ancient Watling Street--we proceed to follow it up. At a point -where the lane crosses a streamlet between hollow, sandy banks, we find -unmistakable traces of a very ancient stone bridge, which, though -undermined by rabbit burrows and damaged by tangled roots and brushwood, -still shews the springing of a massive arch, apparently of semicircular -form, while tumbled blocks of mossy sandstone cumber the stream below. - -'Yo' mun tek along yonder bonky piece till yo' come to th' foredraught, -and then foller it all the way; but 'tis a terr'ble weedy road,' says a -country lad of whom we ask a direction. So away we go once more, with -the blackbirds and thrushes warbling in every hedgerow; until ere long -the homely house-roofs of Acton Burnell come in sight, backed by the -rolling woodlands of the park, which spreads away in gentle undulations -up the slopes of a neighbouring hill. - -[Illustration: Acton Burnell.] - -A pretty, rustic spot is Acton Burnell, its comely thatched cottages, -half submerged amidst oldfashioned country flowers, extending crosswise -along the lanes, and never an inn to be found in all the place! Yet, -despite its present bucolic aspect, Acton Burnell has figured in the -annals of English history, as we shall presently see; so let us now go -in search of records of those far-away times. - -After passing the cosy-looking rectory, with its cedar trees and -sweet-smelling lilac, we soon come to the church, a beautiful structure -replete with interest to the lover of old-world scenes; for Acton -Burnell church was built just at the time when Gothic architecture had -attained its high-water mark, and, though of modest dimensions, so -perfect is every detail, that the little edifice is worthy of close -examination. The annexed sketch shows the fine geometrical east window, -and a beautiful three-light window in the north wall of the chancel. The -tower, though modern, harmonizes well with the older work beside it, and -contains a peal of very sweet-toned bells: - - 'A nut and a kernel! - Say the Bells of Acton Burnell.' - -There is much to be seen in the interior. Near the porch we observe an -elegant font, with small, well moulded arches supporting it. Overhead is -a good oak roof, though not so massive as that of the chancel. A curious -feature of the latter is a small square window low down in the north -wall, supposed to be a leper's, or anchorite's, window, as it appears -probable that an anchorite had his dwelling here in very early times. Or -may not this have been what was known as a 'dead-light,' a little window -whence a light was shown into the graveyard to scare away the ghosts! - -Passing into the north transept, which has ancient tiles upon the floor, -we are at once attracted by the very handsome and well preserved marble -monument of a knight clad in rich armour, a ruff around his neck, a lion -at his feet, and a quaint little figure supporting a helmet above his -head. Near the right hand lies a gauntlet, and within it crouches a -diminutive dog, the emblem of fidelity. Alongside the knight reposes his -lady consort, her costume of ruff and stomacher, girdle and flat -head-dress, bespeaking the time of Queen Elizabeth; while in the -background appear their nine children, habited in the stiff, formal gear -of that period. Beneath the enclosing arch are inscribed the words, 'HIC -IACET CORPUS RICHARDI LEE ARMIGERI QUI OBIIT 27° DIE MAII ANNO DONI -1591.' This fine monument is carved in alabaster, and is surmounted by a -knightly helmet and squirrel crest, and coats of arms with supporters. - -[Illustration: Nicholas de Brunell.] - -In the angle of the adjacent wall is another marble tomb, less elaborate -than the last, but considerably older. Its arcaded sides are wrought -with consummate skill, while the upper surface is inlaid with a handsome -brass effigy of Nicholas de Handlo, who in the year 1360 married the -heiress, and assumed the name, of the Burnell family. A glance at the -sketch will show how well this fine old brass has withstood the wear and -tear of more than 500 years. The knight's head is crowned by a peaked -hauberk, and the soldierly face, with its long, flowing moustache, looks -out from a richly cusped and crocketed canopy. A leather jerkin is worn -over the tight-fitting coat of chain-mail, and a jewelled belt supports -the long-handled sword and dagger. The legs are encased in greaves; and -huge spurs, flexible foot-gear, and gauntlets upon the uplifted hands, -complete the tale of this warrior's battle harness. A couchant lion, or -griffin, keeps ward beside the feet, and upon a brass plate at the head -we read the following inscription: - - Hic iacet diis Nichus Burnell miles dus - De holgot qui obiit xixo die Januarii Anno - Dni Mmo CECmo Lxxxiio Cui aie ppiciet ds am. - -We have by no means exhausted the attractions of this interesting -interior, but, to make a long story short, will merely remark, en -passant, there are numerous objects worthy of note in other parts of the -church. - -A stone's throw distant from the sacred edifice, overshadowed by stately -trees, rise the ivy-mantled walls and turrets of Acton Burnell Castle, -originally founded by Sir Robert Burnell, sometime chaplain and private -secretary to Prince Edward, afterwards King Edward I. It is recorded -that in the year 1284 Burnell received the royal license to crenellate -his castle at Acton, and the picturesque ruin now before us is a work of -that period. - -The castle stands four-square, its length from east to west somewhat -greater than the width, a slender turret rising at either corner. The -moat is conspicuous by its absence, which goes to confirm the theory -that Acton Burnell was rather an early embattled mansion, like its -neighbour of Stokesay, than a military castle of the usual mediæval -type. These massive old ruddy-grey sandstone walls are pierced with -mullioned windows, whose vacant cavities still retain fragments of -geometrical tracery; while a pathetic-looking wooden turret, in the last -stages of decay, peeps out from the mantle of ivy that envelopes the -western front. One or two noble old cedar trees, rising close at hand, -fling their cool, dappled shadows athwart the level greensward; and -beyond them we catch a glimpse of richly timbered park land. - -Out there beneath a clump of elms, where the rooks are making merry, -certain fragments of grey crumbling stonework are seen, so thither we -now bend our steps. These prove to be two lofty massive gables of early -Edwardian, or perhaps Norman, date, the last survivals of the hall of -the original castle, or manor-house, of Acton Burnell. This secluded -spot has become famous from the fact that here, for the first time in -history, Lords and Commons sat in council, under the presidency of King -Edward I., and proceeded to enact what is known as the 'Statutum de -Mercatoribus,' or Statute of Acton Burnell. That took place in the year -of grace 1283, just a year before Sir Robert Burnell began the erection -of the later mansion, whose ruins we have just visited. - -So, before taking leave of the place, we call to mind that when John -Leland the antiquary journeyed this way, early in the sixteenth century, -he found at Acton Burnell 'a goodly manor Place, or Castel, iiii myles -from Shrewsbyri, wher a Parliament was kepte in a greate Barne. It was -first made,' he adds, 'by one Burnell, a Byshope.' Robert Burnell, whose -name is so closely identified with this his native place, seems to have -found favour in the sight of his Sovereign, for Edward I. advanced him -to the see of Bath and Wells, and created his faithful liege Lord -Treasurer, and Chancellor of the realm. Burnell was frequently employed -by the king in affairs of state, especially in connection with the Welsh -Marches; and, dying in 1292, was buried in his own cathedral of Wells. -His descendants dwelt subsequently at Holgate, in Corve Dale, and the -family appears to have finally died out some time in the fifteenth -century. - -On the brow of a hill two miles away to the eastward stands the -diminutive village of Kenley, the birthplace of Sir Archibald Alison, -the historian, whose father was incumbent of this parish. The road -thither leads past Acton Burnell Hall, a large, white, stone-built -mansion, vastly fine with porticoes and pediments, such as our ancestors -loved, and seated in a broad, tree-shaded park, very pleasant to behold. - -[Illustration: Kenley Church.] - -The little church of Kenley is ancient and interesting, having an -aisle-less nave, south porch, and broad, low, western tower, with walls -thick enough for a fortress, and narrow, deeply-splayed loops by way of -windows. The lofty old pulpit, with its sounding-board and curiously -carved oak panels, is a pretty feature of the interior; and the chancel -window, we notice, is of rather uncommon character, having elegant -flowing tracery, and minute sculptured heads outside at the springings -of the hoodmould. - -Out in the churchyard grows a gnarled old yew tree of immense girth; and -from beneath its sombre branches we obtain a glorious prospect over a -wide stretch of picturesque, broken country towards the west, with many -a familiar Salopian height belted with woods and pastures, and the wild -Welsh hills, cloud-capped and blue, rising far away beyond all. - -Returning to Acton Burnell, we now put the best foot foremost, and push -on again in a southerly direction through a hilly-and-daley country. -Just outside the village our attention is arrested by a pair of -patriarchal oaks rising close beside the roadway, excellent specimens of -the 'Shropshire weed,' which, the rustics will tell you, date from just -after the Deluge! Anon we coast beside a belt of woodland all flushed -with the shimmery blue of wild hyacinths; and then pause at the crest of -the bank for a glance at the distant hills, and the steeples of Salop -rising from the vale beneath. - -[Illustration: The Old Gate House. Langley. -Deserted Chapel at Langley, Shropshire.] - -A turn to the left, and yonder is Langley Chapel, standing ruinous and -deserted in the midst of a weedgrown meadow, its weather-stained walls -and broken roof presenting such a lamentable spectacle of neglect and -desecration, that the very genius loci must shed tears, one would -suppose, to behold its sorry plight. The exterior is simple, not to say -severe, a crazy wooden bell-cot above the western gable alone relieving -the skyline of the solid old stone-tiled roof, while wooden shutters, -all awry, obscure the ancient windows. - -Even worse, if possible, is the state of affairs within; for the sacred -edifice presents all the appearance of having been used as a cattle -stall or sheep pen. Yet amidst all the dust, mildew and litter, a sharp -eye may still discover here and there traces of better things. Opposite -the door by which we enter rises the old canopied Reader's pew that -figures in our sketch, its panelled roof set about with the nests of -house-martins, the little denizens twittering to and fro while we -sketch. And yonder beneath the broken east window are ranged the desks, -tables and benches, just as they were left by the old Puritan -worshippers, a curious if not unique feature of the church; while on the -opposite side may be noticed some of the original seventeenth-century -oak pews, with their bits of finely executed carving, quaint hinges, and -nicely turned finial knobs. The date 1601, cut on one of the tie-beams -of the roof, gives a clue to the age of the building. - -'Scarce a myle from Acton Burnell,' says John Leland, 'standeth Langley -Hall, seated very low and flat in a Parke full of woodds, the dwelling -place of the Lees, whiche may well challendge to be ranged among the -families that are of the better worthe and greater antiquitie in the -tract.' Langley Hall is now, alas! no more, but the Gatehouse seen in -our sketch conveys some idea of the appearance it must have presented. -This fine old structure probably dates from about John Leland's time, -and, though fallen sadly into disrepair, still delights the eye with its -rough, mossy roofs, huge chimney stacks, and ancient, weather-stained -gables. A tall pointed archway constructed of stone formed the approach -to the original mansion; and part of an embattled wall that surrounded -the demesne does duty nowadays as a cartshed. - -Langley was, as we have seen, for many generations the paternal abode of -the Lees, a family of much repute in this locality. Richard Lee, whose -handsome monument we saw in Acton Burnell church, was a scion of this -house, which at a later period claimed some distinguished sons in -America, Colonel Richard Lee having emigrated to that country in 1641. -General Henry Lee served under Washington, and his son Robert became -famous as the leader of the Confederate armies during the Civil War in -America. - -[Illustration: Frodesley Lodge] - -So much, then, for Langley. Sketches completed, we now shoulder our -knapsacks, and push briskly onwards again, dropping into a secluded lane -that runs between low, wooded hills, in the direction of the south. Away -upon the crest of the ridge to our right stands Frodesley Lodge, a -singular looking pile of Tudor brickwork, with a great stone staircase -running from top to bottom, and several large oak-panelled chambers. -Down in the vale beyond lies Frodesley village, where Sir Herbert -Edwardes, the hero of Mûltan, first saw the light, his father being -rector of Frodesley at that time. The church was rebuilt in 1809, and is -a fair sample of the dismal 'style' then in vogue, about the only relic -of antiquity that has survived being the ancient parish register, the -oldest in this county, dating from 1598. - -A mile or two to the westward lies Longnor, a pretty village with -thatched, half-timbered cottages, rising with nonchalant irregularity -beside the highway. Longnor Hall, a substantial red-brick structure, -stands in the midst of a finely timbered park, in one corner whereof -rises the early eighteenth-century chapel, a curious little edifice with -the pigeon-hole pews of the 'churchwarden' era, and gates carefully -locked lest, perchance, the lover of old things should spy out the -nakedness of the land! - -[Illustration: Ancient Bridge on the "Devil's Causeway."] - -But we digress. Upon overhauling the Ordnance sheet, the name 'Devil's -Causeway' whets one's curiosity, and puts one upon the qui vive for what -may lie in store. Nor do we have long to wait, for, coming to a brook in -the bottom of the vale, our lane is carried across it by a little -round-arched stone bridge, showing unmistakable signs of antiquity. The -lane, too, becomes as we proceed a veritable causeway, both it and the -ancient bridge being rudely paved with large, thick, roughly squared -flagstones, partly hidden beneath grass and weeds, and forming a kind of -kerb above the ditch by the laneside. - -Tradition has it that this causeway marks the track of an old, old road, -that in prehistoric times ran across country from the Watling Street, -near Acton Burnell, to the Roman encampment at Nordy Bank, on the -shoulder of Brown Clee Hill. - -Anent the origin of the bridge itself, an old countrywoman -good-naturedly comes to our aid, and solves the riddle by explaining, -'It was the Devil as builded un up in one night, and when cock-crow come -er dropped they stwuns down in a hurry out of's apern, and flew away to -his own place.' - -Thus enlightened we go our ways, and, breasting the hill, come by-and-by -to Chatwall, a large, antiquated farmhouse, approached through a sort of -cutting in the solid limestone rock. Though ignored by the guidebooks, -Chatwall is evidently a place that 'could a tale unfold,' had its old -grey stones but tongues wherewith to tell it. The house, a big old -structure, solidly built of timber and stone, with rough, stone shingled -roof, and low-browed, mullioned windows, was for many a day the home of -the Corfields, a family of distinction in these parts, whose initials -appear upon the carved oak panelling, with the date 1659. The -farm-kitchen inside might have served as a subject for Van Ostade, so -rude and primitive it is, with its great oaken settle in the ingle nook, -and mighty Jacobean table, inches thick, so constructed as to well-nigh -double its length when fully extended. - -[Illustration: Panel at Church Preen] - -Through crooked byways, abloom with bluebells and gay pink campion, we -now make our way to Church Preen, a tiny hamlet set in a romantic dell, -'far from the madding crowd.' Overshadowed by a gigantic yew, the little -church stands as a sort of appendix to Norman Shaw's handsome, -half-timbered manor-house, the residence of Mr. Sparrow, the lord of the -manor. Dedicated to St. John the Baptist, this church is a singular one, -being only about 12 feet wide, though as much as 70 feet in length. It -has neither aisles nor transepts, and is of early character, having -formerly been used by Cluniac monks as a cell or chapel to Wenlock -Priory. Though plain and simple to a degree, the interior looks bright -and well-cared-for, and boasts a richly carved lectern and pulpit, with -the date 1641 cut upon a panel. - -Once more afoot, half an hour's walk through shady lanes, with scarce a -cottage in sight, leads us past a large, curious-looking old farmhouse -at Holt Preen, and so up the hill to Plash. - -[Illustration: Plash. Shropshire.] - -Seated upon a gentle eminence within its own walled demesne, the -Manor-house of Plash is one of the most remarkable and interesting -places in all this countryside. The mansion is a large, substantial -brick structure, whose tall, twisted chimney stacks, and lofty mullioned -windows, indicate that it was built in the days of Henry VIII. or -Elizabeth, the low screen wall and ogee cupolas being additions of a -later period. - -Inside there is a noble sixteenth-century banqueting hall, with open -timbered roof, and minstrels' gallery, supported by a massive oak screen -of Jacobean character, at one end; and several fine wainscoted -apartments with enriched plaster ceilings. An elaborate old fireplace of -_cast-iron_, dated 1574, is a noticeable feature. Altogether the old -mansion remains pretty much as originally built, affording an -interesting study to the antiquary. - -The manor of Plash, or Plaish, was held for many generations by the -Sprencheaux family, the last of whom, Sir Fulk Sprencheaux, died in -1447. His portrait, and the armour worn by him, may be seen hanging upon -the panelled wall in the banqueting hall at Plash. After them came the -Leightons, by one of whom the existing mansion was probably erected; -while a later scion of the same stock was a certain William Leighton, -whose sumptuous monument we shall presently see when visiting Cardington -church. - -But the day wanes, and it is still a far cry to our night's bivouac at -Church Stretton. So pushing merrily onwards, we call no halt this side -of Cardington, our lengthening shadows bringing up the rear, and a -cuckoo rehearsing his tedious lay from a solitary wych elm in the -hedgerow. - -[Illustration: Cardington. Salop.] - -The village lies high on the hills, in an out-of-the-way locality, and -very picturesque the old place looks as we draw near, its weatherbeaten -grey church crowning a gentle rise, a group of children playing -'hide-and-seek' about the churchyard wicket, and half a dozen antiquated -cottages clustering loosely around--rough old stone-built structures -most of them, with moss-grown roofs, and diamond-paned windows blinking -from beneath the deepset eaves. - -But let us step into the church. Entering beneath a seventeenth century -timbered porch, its round-arched doorway and the two small Norman lights -on either side the nave shew that the fabric is of ancient origin, -although its more striking features date from a much later period. The -panels of the oak pulpit are effectively carved, while some of the older -pews bear the names of local manors, or townships, cut upon them. - -[Illustration: Leightons of Plashe.] - -In the chancel stands the rich, sumptuous monument of Sir William -Leighton and his lady, with their children grouped in a panel of the -substructure below. 'THIS MONUMENT WAS MADE,' as the inscription runs, -'IN THE YEAR 1607, AS A MEMORIAL TO WM LEIGHTON OF PLASHE, ESQ., OF -NORTH WALES, ONE OF THE COUNCELL IN THE MARCHES OF WALES FOR ABOVE -FORTIE YEARES.' Then comes the moral, 'NEMO ANTE OBITUM BEATUS.' A very -quaint monument this. Curious, too, are the Bell-ringers' Laws set up on -the tower wall. - -Bidding farewell to Cardington, we have a good half-mile of collar work -before us, ere the brow of the hill is won close to a singular mass of -tumbled rocks called the Sharpstones, whence the view opens out towards -Wenlock Edge, with Brown Clee peeping over it. - -Plunging into a steep stony lane, a likely-looking field path suggests -the possibility of a short cut; but, calling to mind the Spaniard's -proverb, 'No hay atajo sin trabajo'--no short cut without trouble--we -consult an old fellow who happens along just now. 'Yon's a weedy road,' -is the best he can say for our byway, 'the medders be all-of-a-pop -(boggy) down that-a-way.' - -[Illustration: Chalice at Hope Bowdler.] - -So we stick to our last, and push forwards again along the stony lane; -and half an hour later find ourselves at Hope Bowdler, a lowly hamlet -seated in a sheltered vale, in the lap of the Cardington hills. Passing -the wheelwright's shop, with its fascinating jumble of rough timber and -derelict carts, we turn through the old lich-gate and take a peep at St. -Andrew's church, a poorly-restored edifice with a carved oak Jacobean -pulpit, and a plain but well-proportioned silver chalice, bearing the -date 1572 upon its lid. - -Up, up we go once more, with the hills folding in as we advance, and the -curious Gaerstone rock sticking up, like a miniature Matterhorn, high -above the roadway. Diverging to the right, we soon drop into a sweet -secluded 'cwm' beneath the shadow of giant Caradoc, whose rugged crest -fairly bristles with huge rocks, as though Titans had been playing bowls -up there. Anon we are footing it athwart the open hillside, pushing -through gorse and breast-high bracken, and inhaling the odours of wild -thyme and the thousand scents of summer. - -Grandly the Longmynd bulks ahead as we descend into Stretton Dale, his -massive shoulders rising purple against the amber light that still -irradiates the western heavens, while the shadows of evening enfold as -with dusky wings each nook and recess of the mountain. The lights of -Church Stretton twinkle out through the gloom as we beat up for quarters -at last, and a certain snug hostelry to which we now make our way proves -a welcome haven after our long day's cross-country tramp. - -[Illustration: Sir Ralph of Pitchford.] - - - - -STRETTON DALE AND THE LONGMYND, A VISIT TO STOKESAY CASTLE. - - -Church Stretton is 'a pretty uplandish Townelett, the cheifest Building -that is in Stretton Dale.' Thus wrote John Leland in the time of King -Henry VIII., and his description holds good to-day. Lovers of Nature -will congratulate themselves on the fact that the 'cheifest Building -'scarce attains the dignity of a town, which is seated in the midst of -one of the most charming localities in all Shropshire, an excellent -centre for anyone bent upon exploring the heather-clad hills and upland -valleys by which the place is surrounded. - -The railway train that carries the traveller thither climbs steadily -up-hill all the way from Shrewsbury, halts for breath, so to speak, at -Stretton station, and then starts away upon a downward grade, following -for many a mile the southward flowing streams. Lying thus high and dry, -Church Stretton is one of the healthiest places imaginable, thanks to -pure water, and mountain breezes fraught with an invigorating tang from -their journey over leagues of gorse, heather and bracken. - -Right through the vale, from north to south, runs the ancient green lane -still known as Watling Street, rubbing shoulders as it goes with the old -winding coach-road, and with that modern parvenu the railway track. For -this Stretton valley has time out of mind been the great main artery of -travel for man and beast, whether faring towards the cities of the -north, or journeying into South Wales. - -[Illustration: Church Stretton.] - -Church Stretton village--or should we say town?--rambles in by no means -unpicturesque fashion alongside the old highroad, half way or -thereabouts between Shrewsbury and Ludlow. Just off the street, at the -rear of the Buck's Head Inn (formerly the manor-house of Church -Stretton), stands the parish church of St. Lawrence, a fine cruciform -structure shaded by noble old elms, amidst whose green foliage its -venerable grey tower, adorned with the image of the patron saint, rises -with charming effect. - -[Illustration: Church Stretton.] - -[Illustration] - -The chancel is evidently the work of Norman hands, but an archaic little -image, carved above its southern door, looks like an insertion from some -earlier edifice. And there are other features well worth looking at in -the nicely-proportioned interior; notably a fine thirteenth century -roof, some curiously carved oak panelling round about the altar, and -groups of heads peering out with odd effect upon the sculptured capitals -of the pillars. - -Bonham Norton's fine old timbered market house, built in the year 1617, -has, unfortunately, been stupidly destroyed not so very long ago--'it -was politics as did it' is the dark saying of an old inhabitant; and its -place is now usurped by a sorry red-brick substitute of the meanest -character. Though the tide of modernization has already set in here, -there are still a few ancient timbered gables with lattice-paned windows -shewing here and there about the village, and they appear all the more -venerable, perhaps, in contrast to their spick-and-span neighbours. - -Overlooking Church Stretton upon its western side rise a series of tall, -green, rounded hills, outposts of the broad backed Longmynd. In and -between these run deep, hollow dingles, or 'gutters,' as they call them -hereabouts. - -Such is the Carding Mill valley, by which we may climb to the crest of -the ridge, whence a shrewd walker may push on to the solitary pole that -marks the top of the Longmynd, some 1,700 feet above the sea. If by good -fortune the day be clear, the wanderer may reckon on a widespread view -from the summit of the Longmynd; tumbled blue hills shewing all around -the horizon, like waves on a stormy ocean. An ancient grass-grown -trackway traversing these highlands is referred to in old documents as -the 'King's hie waie on Longemunde.' - -Wayfarers are few on these upland byways, where the hill ponies are -often the only signs of life, and no sound breaks the stillness save the -whirr of a startled grouse, or the plaintive pipe of the curlew; 'there -the winds sweep, and the plovers cry.' - -[Illustration: Church Stretton & the Longmynd.] - -Bright and exhilarating looks the Longmynd in its summer panoply of -heather and golden gorse; and picturesque in the extreme when Autumn -brings the 'whim berry' gatherers, with their camp-fires and steaming -kettles, and merry shouts of children. But very different is the scene -when this vast, unenclosed moorland falls under the stern sway of -winter, and every landmark is obliterated by a mantle of untrodden snow. -At times like these the Longmynd bears an eerie name, for lives not a -few have been lost in attempting to traverse its trackless wastes, and -places here and there bear ominous names such as Deadman's Hollow, -Devil's Mouth, Deadman's Beach, and the like. Moreover the last fair of -the year, held at Church Stretton on St. Andrew's day, has acquired the -title of 'Deadman's Fair,' as men returning from it have been known to -perish while endeavouring to reach their homes beyond the hills through -the wild, mid-winter night. A remarkable if not unprecedented experience -was that which befell the Rev. Donald Carr, the present rector of -Woolstaston, who was lost in the snow upon Longmynd for a night and a -day, in January, 1865. - - * * * * * - -Extending our rambles somewhat farther afield, a few minutes' run by -train beneath the steep, wooded slopes of Caer Caradoc, brings us to -Leebotwood, the first station Shrewsbury-wards on the railway. The -village itself lies a quarter of a mile away, under a smooth green hill -called the Lawley, but is worth a detour for the sake of its pretty -thatched cottages, with their flowery garden plots and wealth of -creepers, and its quaint oldfashioned inn yclept The Pound, which bears -the date 1650, and does duty also as village post-office. - -Past Leebotwood church, a small stone edifice overarched by umbrageous -beech trees, we push on along the dusty highway, which, gradually -ascending, affords fine views over the countryside, and a glimpse of a -round green 'tump' called Castle Hill, a prehistoric camp keeping ward -over the ancient Portway, which extends hence along the brow of the -Longmynd to Billing's Ring, near Bishop's Castle. - -[Illustration: Woolstaston Church, and Rectory.] - -A turn of the road reveals the village of Woolstaston, with its -diminutive church overshadowed by three gigantic yew trees, and snug -timbered rectory house, home of the Rev. Donald Carr, whose marvellous -adventures, when snowed up on the Longmynd, have been recorded in an -interesting little work entitled 'A Night in the Snow;' adventures which -seem to confirm the old adage that 'truth is stranger than fiction.' - -[Illustration: Font at Woolstaston.] - -Woolstaston church, despite its small size, is well worth a passing -visit. The chancel is entered through a doorway of true pre-Norman type, -its semicircular head being fashioned from one single stone, while the -jambs retain the holes for a wooden cross-bar. But the most notable -feature of the church is a singular pair of fonts, one standing within -the other, as depicted in our sketch. Both are evidently very ancient, -and of archaic simplicity, the lower and seemingly older one being -supposed to have originally belonged to a chapel, long since destroyed, -that stood not far from here. - -Woolstaston Hall, now a large farmhouse, stands near the church. It must -have been a fine place in its time, if we may judge from a noble -panelled parlour, with a polished oak floor fit to make young people's -feet itch for a dance, and a massive stone portal, fronting upon the -garden to the rear, evidently the main entrance to the mansion in its -original state. - -In the secluded country to the north of Woolstaston one stumbles upon a -bunch of out-of-the-way villages and hamlets, anent which runs the -following quatrain: - - 'Cothercot upo' the Hill. - Wilderley down i' the Dale, - Churton for pretty Girls, - And Powtherbatch for good Ale!' - -In the same quarter lies Beatchcott, a place boasting a history of its -own, having been granted by Henry III. to Haughmond Abbey, an oratory -being in existence here at that time. Beatchcott subsequently passed to -the Ireland family, coming eventually into the possession of the -Wildings, who have held the estate for over three hundred years. - -At Ratlinghope, a few miles away, the Black Canons of St. Augustine had -a small cell, or priory, founded in John's reign, and affiliated to -Wigmore Abbey. - -Returning from Woolstaston to Church Stretton, we pass by Womerton, -where the older of the two fonts in Woolstaston church was found; and -then, skirting the unenclosed uplands, we drop into the highroad at or -about All Stretton. - -Anent these names of Stretton hangs a tale that runs somewhat as -follows. King Charles II. (or was it James?), journeying one day towards -Shrewsbury, came in due course to Little Stretton. 'How call you this -place?' inquired the Merrie Monarch. 'Stretton, an it please your -Majesty,' was the countryman's reply. '_Little_ Stretton, methinks, were -a fitter name for so small a place,' said the King; and set forth again -towards Shrewsbury. Upon arriving at the next village, Charles again -asked where he was. 'At Stretton, sire,' someone answered. Espying the -parish church, whose bells were making music in the old grey steeple, -his Majesty exclaimed: 'Call it rather _Church_ Stretton,' and went his -way once more. Finally the King came to All Stretton, and being again -informed he was at Stretton, 'Stretton!' cried Charles in astonishment, -'why it's _All_ Stretton about here!' The story, if not absolutely true, -is at least 'ben trovato.' - - * * * * * - -The road from Church Stretton to Craven Arms traverses a pleasant, -smiling vale, with the Quenny brook wimpling along amidst water meadows, -and broad breezy hillslopes stretching up and away beyond the rich, -rolling woodlands that nestle around their flanks. - -A short mile out of the village we strike up an isolated knoll, whose -summit is seamed with the green ramparts of Brockhurst Castle, an -ancient stronghold keeping ward over the Watling Street, of whose -history very little is known. Brockhurst was a royal foundation, and in -Henry the Second's reign was held by Engelard de Pitchford, the famous -Hubert de Burgh being Castellan in the year 1226. As early as Queen -Elizabeth's time the place, it is evident, was already deserted; for -Camden, writing at that period, finds there 'are still remaining the -ruins of an ancient castle, called Brocard's castle, surrounded by -verdant meads which anciently were fishponds.' But the site is an ideal -spot for the genus picnicker, by whom its bowery nooks and secluded, -fern-clad dingles are often-times frequented. - -On descending to the highroad, we notice the level strath where -doubtless the fishponds lay. Soon afterwards we come to Little Stretton, -a tranquil hamlet charmingly located in a nook of the Longmynd, over -against the beautifully-wooded hill of Ragleth. The cottagers, we -observe, take a curious delight in garnishing their doorways with -derelict cannon-shot, which they find in the neighbouring gullies after -artillery practice on the Longmynd. Blackleaded and brightly polished, -they stand sentinel on either side the rustic porch; an innocent billet -indeed for these truculent bullets! - -At the farther end of the village two humble inns, the Green Dragon and -the Crown, stand vis-à-vis on either side the highway; and, in these -modest hostelries, visitors may possibly identify the rival 'houses' -that figure in Beatrice Harraden's story of Shropshire life, entitled -'At the Green Dragon.' - -Pushing on now to Marsh Brook, we turn sharp to the left at the rural -post-office, and work our way up-hill to Acton Scott, a high-lying place -some 700 feet above sea level--'Acton-super-Montem' it is called in -ancient documents. - -Passing through the churchyard wicket, we pause beneath an enormous -hollow yew tree to scan the rare prospect over the rolling Stretton -hills, and a glimpse down the vale towards Ludlow. Of the church itself -there is little to be said, save that it has a good plain old oak -roodscreen; so we stroll on beneath an avenue of noble beech trees, and -presently come in sight of Acton Scott Hall. - -[Illustration: Acton Scott Hall.] - -As may be seen in our sketch, the mansion is a simple, massive brick -structure, with stone quoins at the angles, mullioned windows, and -clustered chimney shafts; altogether a very fair specimen of an -ancestral abode of the gentlefolk of a bygone period. And the place has -an added interest for all local antiquaries, as the home of the late -Mrs. Stackhouse-Acton, author of 'Castles and Mansions of Shropshire.' -Acton Scott Hall was in all probability erected by a certain Edward -Acton, who flourished about the middle of the sixteenth century; and it -has been noticed that the mansion bears a considerable resemblance to -its contemporary, the so-called 'Whitehall' at Shrewsbury. - -A steep 'pitchy' lane, descending the hill past the cosy-looking -vicarage, now leads us across a stretch of rough common-land, where the -cottagers' geese seem disposed, more suo, to contest our right-of-way. -Thence by narrow lanes draped with ferns and wild flowers we travel on -to a place called Alceston, and at an elbow of the road come -face-to-face with the old derelict homestead that figures below; its -weather-stained roofs tufted with green mosses and house-leeks, and -overshadowed by a few ragged fir trees; while the black old timbers upon -its faded front are wrought into balusters and quatrefoil patterns. - -[Illustration: Alceston.] - -In its palmy days Alceston seems to have been a place of some -consequence, having been built by Humphrey Hill (a connection of the -Hills of Court-of-hill), who died here in 1585. The house was originally -much larger, great part of it having been pulled down many years ago. - -Over against this ancient dwelling rises a very large and happily quite -unrestored old barn, entirely constructed of oak both inside and out; a -pleasing contrast to those modern monstrosities of galvanized iron, that -too often stare one out of countenance amidst these rural byways. - -Through a pleasant, well-tended country, relieved by scraps of -common-land, we win our way to Wistanstow, a comely-looking village -extending along a quiet road, on the line of the ancient Watling Street. - -Close beside the highway rises the old grey tower of its parish church, -a fine cruciform structure dating from 1180, A.D. Upon the nail-studded -south nave door hangs a so-called 'sanctuary' ring, and the great -wooden lock with its iron letters I.P.C.W., and date 1696. The walls of -the south transept bear well-executed writings of the Creed, the Lord's -Prayer and the Decalogue, of early seventeenth century date; while the -north transept retains its old original oak roof. The chancel door shews -the characteristic round arch and quaintly-carved capitals of the Norman -style. - -[Illustration: Halford Church & Mill] - -We have now but to steer a straight course for awhile, as the Watling -Street fares forward between its trim, green hedgerows. But anon we go -astray once more in order to get a nearer look at Halford church, which -peeps invitingly out from a leafy nook on the opposite bank of the Onny. -The little church, though considerably modernized, bears traces of no -mean antiquity, and with an old flour-mill down in the vale below is -reflected in the stream at our feet, affording as pretty a coup d'oeil -as anyone could wish to see. - -So having 'bagged' a sketch of this pleasant scene we take it easy -awhile, lying prone amidst the clover-scented grass and the buttercups -under the shade of an old pollard willow, and watching the troutlets as -they rise at the silly gnats, and the swallows flashing by in the -sunlight. Then, giving Craven Arms village the go-by for the present, we -tramp the dusty half-mile of highroad that leads to Stokesay Castle. - -[Illustration: Stokesay Castle. Shropshire.] - -Presently the old grey-green walls and mossy roofs of castle and church -come into view beyond a clump of trees upon our right, arousing great -expectations of matters antiquarian; for, as Dr. Jessop truly remarks, -'when a man is bitten with a taste for old castles and earthworks, it is -all over with him.' - -Half fortalice, half manor-house, Stokesay Castle rears its ancient -turrets in the midst of a green, sylvan vale, the luxuriantly wooded -heights that rise on either hand giving a sense of restful seclusion; -while one or two farmsteads, nestling beneath the old ivy-mantled walls, -lend a home-like air to this pleasant, rural scene. - -Making our way around to its south-western side, we obtain what is, -perhaps, the best general view of the castle; its hoary towers and -gables appearing from this point mirrored in the placid surface of a -large pool, which in olden times supplied water to the moat. - -The venerable structure that now rises so picturesquely before us is -regarded by antiquaries as an almost unique example of a -thirteenth-century mansion which has been fortified at some period -subsequent to the erection of the domestic portion of the buildings, -thus reversing the usual order of things. - -Hence the tall crenellated tower that figures conspicuously in our -sketch is not, as would at first sight appear, the oldest part of the -castle, but was built at a later period in order to protect John de -Verdon's already existing mansion, whose mossy gables and tall mullioned -windows are seen farther away to the left. The curious-looking bastion -beyond, with its quaint, overhanging upper story, is a remarkable -feature of the edifice; its lower portion, pierced with loops for -archery, being probably older than any other part of the castle, though -the half-timbered gable above is a comparatively modern addition. - -In the background rises the low grey tower of the parish church, an -interesting old edifice untouched as yet by restoration, whereof we -shall see more anon. - -[Illustration: The Gate-House Stokesay Castle.] - -We now proceed to the Gatehouse, a beautiful structure of timber and -plaster dating from Tudor times. Grey, worn, and weather-stained as they -are, its solid old oaken timbers bid fair to outlast many a long year -yet; while the huge angle corbels and the spandrils above the gateway -are boldly carved with the quaint, humorous conceits of the mediæval -craftsman. The story goes that in the last century this Gatehouse used -to be frequented by a fugitive, outlawed in the days when forgery was a -capital crime, who hid snugly away in some secret closet of the interior -until the hue-and-cry was well on its way elsewhere. - -Let us now make our way within. A substantial oak door, nail-studded, -and loopholed for the use of muskets, admits us into the courtyard; -beyond whose level greensward rise the picturesque gables of the ancient -Banqueting Hall, its mullioned windows flanked by massive buttresses, -and surmounted with a wavy old stone-slated roof beautified by lush -green mosses and splashes of golden lichen. - -Passing within, we find ourselves in a nobly proportioned hall, whose -open-timbered roof is supported by sturdy oaken beams springing from -stone corbels of elegant design. Upon either side rise lofty traceried -windows; and in the floor we see the stone slab which supported the -brazier, whose smoke has blackened the rafters overhead. - -At one end of the hall a rude sort of staircase, composed of solid oak -steps, gives access to other rooms in the northern wing of the castle; -and in the opposite wall is a shouldered doorway, leading to storerooms -and nondescript cellars. High up in this wall are seen two tiny, -shuttered lights, which give upon the Banqueting Hall from an upper -chamber. - -To this apartment, known as the Solar, we now make our way; climbing -thither by a flight of stone steps out in the open courtyard. With its -magnificent carved oak mantelpiece and handsome wainscoting, the Solar -must have been far and away the most sumptuous chamber in the castle, -and was probably used as a kind of parlour, or withdrawing-room, for -ladies, and guests of the better sort. This view is strengthened by the -presence of the two 'peep-hole' windows before mentioned, whence the -occupants of the Solar could, themselves unobserved, keep an eye upon -the festive scenes that went forward in the Banqueting Hall below. - -The mantelpiece above mentioned is quite a marvel of elaborate -ornamentation, of that rich, florid style, in vogue towards the close of -the seventeenth century. The base of the structure, surmounting a plain -stone fireplace, is effectively carved with bold, conventional foliage, -and a pear pattern in the spandrils; while the upper portion is divided -pilaster-wise, by grotesque figures, into panels enriched with masks -surrounded by intricate strapwork. A sketch of one of these panels may -be seen by turning to p. 59, where it forms a tailplate to the -chapter. - -Both wainscoting and chimney-piece retain remnants of colour and -gilding; and the chamber is lighted by traceried windows bearing a -general resemblance to those of the adjoining hall. - -Old records tell of historical portraits at 'Stoke,' as it was then -called; and we can well imagine they adorned the walls of this very -apartment. Here was 'ye Picture of Charles ye Fyrst'; there, 'ye Picture -of Charles ye Seconde'; and yonder, 'Theodoric Vernon, alias Vernon with -ye redde Hand, alias the Proud Vernon, with a gold Chaine about hys neck -with a Medall at the bottom.' What with its panelled dadoes, handsome -chimney-piece, old portraits looking down from the walls, and armorial -quarterings in its stained-glass windows, the Solar must have afforded a -seductive retreat from the amenities of those rough times. - -A climb to the summit of the great tower is rewarded by a capital coup -d'oeil of the castle and its pleasant environs; so now, before taking -leave of this interesting spot, let us travel back for a moment into the -domain of history. - -In the Conqueror's time 'Stoke' was held by the famous Roger de -Montgomery, passing subsequently to the de Lacys, until it was bestowed -by Walter of that ilk on the family of Say, whose ancestors had fought -by Duke William's side at the Battle of Hastings. Having reverted to the -de Lacys, the last of that line bestowed the castle upon his son-in-law, -John de Verdon, who about 1240 A.D. erected the present Banqueting Hall. - -Half-a-century later, we find a certain Lawrence de Ludlow obtaining -permission to 'crenellate his Castle at Stoke-Say,' at which time the -courtyard wall, and possibly the southern tower, may have been erected. -John Leland, passing this way on his 'Laborieuse Searche for England's -Antiquities,' tells us, with scant regard for topographical accuracy, -that 'Mr. Vernon hath a place not farre from Oney, aboot iiij miles out -of Ludlo, in the waye betwixt Ludlo and Bishop Castle. Stoke-Say -belongeth sometime to the Ludlo's, now the Vernons, builded like a -Castell.' These were the Vernons of Haddon Hall fame, from whom Stokesay -passed by purchase to the Earls of Craven. - -During the Civil Wars the castle was held by Sir Samuel Baldwyn, of -Elsich, and was garrisoned for King Charles; but after a short -investment fell into the hands of the Parliamentarians, who defeated and -routed a troop of Royalists, 200 strong, close to a place called -Whettleton, in the meadows below Norton Camp, on the eastern side of the -vale. Thereafter the castle was 'slighted,' or rendered incapable of -defence. - -Stokesay Castle is now the property of H. J. Allcroft, Esq., by whom the -old place has been put into a reasonable state of repair, and its -ancient features carefully preserved. Those who care to know more about -this interesting fortified Manor-house, may obtain at the Gatehouse an -excellent little guidebook to Stokesay Castle by the Rev. J. D. la -Touche, the late vicar of Stokesay. - -[Illustration: Stokesay Church.] - -Stokesay Church, though originally Norman, was in large measure rebuilt -in the seventeenth century, as recorded upon the keystone of the tower -arch, 'Ano. Dom. 1654, this church was rebuilt by the pious oversight -of George Powell, Gent., and George Lambe, Churchwarden. This Arch was -given by John Cheshire, Joyner.' A tie-beam of the chancel roof bears a -date of ten years later. - -Since those times the sacred edifice has remained practically untouched, -and consequently presents an appearance of rural simplicity, very -grateful to look upon in these 'restoration' days. The oak pulpit, with -its curious sounding-board above, and the beautiful double canopied pew -in the chancel, are excellent examples of Jacobean carpentry; while some -of the old high-backed pews retain their original wrought-iron hinges, -and touches of carved work here and there. - -Recent researches have revealed, beneath the whitewash of the -'churchwarden' era, certain scriptural texts upon the walls, whose -quaint, appropriate sentiment will not be lost upon the beholder. -Alongside the pulpit, for example, runs the legend, 'As new born Babes -desire ye Sincere milk of ye Word, that ye may grow thereby.' There, -too, is the Credence, with the name 'Ponce Pilate,' after the olden -fashion. - -A primitive west gallery partially obscures the well-proportioned Early -English arch opening into the tower, which latter is broad, low and -massive, and part of the original church. Outside are some very fair -seventeenth-century table tombs, one of them having its fluted pillars -scooped away in an unaccountable manner. - -Before retracing our steps towards Craven Arms, we strike up into the -woods above Whettleton, in order to visit Norton Camp, an early British -earthwork altered and adapted, as is supposed, by the Romans, which -commands both the ancient Watling Street, and the Castle road going into -Corve Dale. Its mounds are large and lofty, especially upon the western -side, where the hill falls steeply to the plain, and we obtain glimpses -through the twinkling foliage of far-away heights, extending fold upon -fold to the horizon. Yonder rise the wild hills of Wales, their purple -crests shewing clear and sharp against the glowing sunset sky; while the -full moon climbs above the sombre woodlands of Corve Dale, and beams -adieu to the departing lord of day. - -Then we plunge down through the twilight woods, and, traversing an -ancient suburb paradoxically called Newton, with its fine old -half-timbered mansion house, once the vicarage of Stokesay, come soon to -Craven Arms, where we take up our night's lodging in one of the -comfortable hotels for which the place is noted. - -[Illustration: Carved Panel at Stokesay Castle] - - - - -FROM CRAVEN ARMS TO BISHOP'S CASTLE AND CLUN. - - -Our general objective to-day is the broken, picturesque country lying -around the quiet market towns of Bishop's Castle and Clun; an -out-of-the-way, rural district, less frequented, perhaps, than any other -portion of Shropshire. - -The Bishop's Castle railway, commencing at Craven Arms, affords the -readiest means of approach to the locality. Away to the south as we -jaunt leisurely along we get a glimpse of Cheney Longville, a pretty -secluded hamlet hidden away amidst copses and pasture fields, with never -a highroad near it. Some slight remains of the old fortified manor-house -of Cheney Longville still exist, incorporated with an antiquated -farmhouse containing much fine carved oak furniture. - -The Cheney family, whence the place derives its name, is a very ancient -clan. Roger Cheney was Seneschal to Edward, Earl of Arundel, Sheriff of -Shropshire in 1316. A second Roger held 'Cheney Longfield' in 1341; -while yet another of the same name received license from the King, 1395 -A.D., to embattle his house at Cheney Longville. - -After a while we join company with the little river Onny, as it meanders -through a picturesquely wooded vale, getting delightful glimpses of the -Longmynd as we draw near to our destination, his lower flanks dotted -with old stunty oaks and ancient hawthorns, while gorse and heather -brighten the foreground. - -Coining to Plowden station, we shoulder the knapsacks and bear away to -the southward. - -Crossing the Onny beside a rushing weir, we get a direction for Plowden -Hall from an old fellow in charge of a timber-waggon. 'You'm better tek -up the rack acrass yon bonky piece, and goo through the wicket,' says -our friend, 'you'll be apt to find it a gainer road than the one as goes -through the 'ood.' So we breast the upland meadows, and meanwhile our -gaze wanders over a goodly prospect; hill and vale, chequered by tilth -and pasture-land, lying map-like at our feet, while shafts of sunlight, -touching here and there, relieve the contours of a broken, wrinkled -country, or bring into momentary prominence some rustic homestead -surrounded by barns and haystacks. - -[Illustration: Plowden Hall. Shropshire.] - -Plowden Hall lies perdu until we are close upon it, for the old mansion -nestles in a nook of the hills amidst dark, umbrageous woodlands. Its -broad, somewhat low entrance front is pleasantly quaint and simple, with -nothing imposing about it, though the deep-browed portico and massive -hall door beneath lend a touch of character. But a better view is -obtained by passing to the back of the house, whence our sketch is -taken. - -From this point of view the ancient Manor-house rears its yellow -weather-stained gables, slender chimneys and mossy roofs, against the -rich dark foliage that clothes the rearward hill; while the -close-cropped lawns, the trim yew hedges, and gay-coloured parterres of -the oldfashioned garden in the foreground, form an appropriate setting -for this beau-ideal of an old English homestead. - -Within the mansion one finds a congeries of wainscoted and panelled -chambers, whose walls are hung with ancient tapestry, and adorned by -ancestral portraits of the Plowden family. Here is Edmund Plowden, the -eminent lawyer, who was 'accounted the oracle of the law,' and with -whose memory is associated the saying, 'The case is altered; no priest, -no mass; no mass, no violation of the law'; a saying which in course of -time passed into a common proverb. On the death of his father in 1557, -Edmund Plowden succeeded to the estates, and began the building of the -present Hall. He was treasurer of the Hon. Society of the Middle Temple, -in whose church he lies buried; and might have been Lord Chancellor -under Queen Elizabeth, had he chosen to renounce the ancient Faith of -his fathers. - -The hall, with its carved oak chimney-piece and quaint Dutch tiles, its -panelled walls and oaken floors, has a sombre, dignified air about it. -In one wing of the old house is the private chapel, dedicated to St. -Francis of Assisi, with a portrait of the patron saint attributed to -Michelangelo. Set into the wall of this chapel is a curious old brass, -representing Humphrey Plowden and his seven daughters, which was brought -hither years ago from Bishop's Castle church. In an adjacent corner a -sliding panel gives access to a secret passage-way, by which in the -Reformation days, the officiating priest might at a moment's notice -effect his escape from the mansion. The whole place, indeed, is -honeycombed from cellar to roof with hidie-holes, closets and secret -passages, turning and twisting amidst hatchways and bulkheads, or -terminating in breakneck ladders. One of these queer gangways is said to -lead out to a lonely spot amidst the woods known as the Lady's Chair; -and it goes without saying that the old house has earned the reputation -of being haunted. - -One would suppose the builders of Plowden Hall had had in their minds -the Spaniards' proverb: 'The rat that has only one hole is easily -caught.' - -The Plowden family can trace, it is said, an unbroken lineage from Roger -de Plowden, the Crusader, down to Edmund of that ilk, who died no longer -ago than 1838, nearly 700 years. This Roger distinguished himself at the -siege of Acre, in 1191; and, upon being taken prisoner by the enemy, -made a vow that, if ever he returned in safety to his Shropshire home, -he would build a chapel by way of thank-offering; and, as we shall see -by-and-by at Lydbury North, the pious knight was as good as his word. - -From Edmund Plowden the estate passed to his nephew William, whose son, -W. F. Plowden, Esq., is the present owner of the property. - -Farewell now to Plowden. Our onward way leads beneath a green avenue of -oaks and beeches, whose branches, meeting overhead, cast a dappled -shade athwart the lane, and afford a playground for squirrels, -woodpeckers, and many another of Nature's children. - -Turning our backs upon the low hill where Billing's Ring keeps ward over -the ancient Portway, we skirt the shoulder of Oakeley Mynd, Walcot Park -with its big red-brick mansion and hanging woods shewing right ahead, -with a dark clump of trees cutting against the skyline. Yonder lie Bury -Ditches, a fine old British camp whose lofty crest forms a conspicuous -landmark for many a mile around. - -Avoiding a lot of odd turnings we continue to hug the highroad, which, -trending now in a due westerly direction, introduces us to a pleasant, -open vale, with the tower of Lydbury church peeping out from a grove of -trees in the middle of the village. - -Lydbury North is an ancient place, claiming some consideration. In -Norman days the episcopal manor of Lydbury formed an important appanage -to the Bishopric of Hereford, and the martial prelates of that period -had a great stronghold in the vicinity, which, though long since -dismantled and demolished, has given its name to the neighbouring town -of Bishop's Castle. - -But Lydbury church, having remained virtually unaltered by restoration, -is one of the most interesting edifices of its kind in all Shropshire. -It has a nave and chancel, with north and south chapels, a timbered -porch, and broad, massive tower at the western end. - -The primitive old clock upon the tower vaguely points the time with a -solitary hand, and the roofs of the church are still covered with their -original stone slabs, greatly enhancing the picturesque appearance of -the ancient building. The solid nail-studded porch door bears traces of -bullet marks, and has a pair of fifteenth-century hinges. - -The interior of the church wears an antiquated air, as of primæval -repose, and appears to belong mainly to the twelfth and thirteenth -centuries. Many of the high-backed Jacobean pews are rudely adorned with -carving, as is also the oaken pulpit; while one or two of the former -still have the link and staple, used in the 'good old times' when the -worshippers were accustomed to lock themselves up in their pews, a -habit that affords a curious insight into the everyday manners of a -bygone generation. - -The font looks very primitive and ancient. A good fifteenth-century oak -roodscreen divides nave from chancel, and above it appears the -Decalogue, finely written in old English lettering of the date 1615. The -block of masonry projecting from an adjacent wall was probably a -'penance stone.' - -Above the altar are seen two small stone brackets supporting a pair of -gilded wooden candlesticks, which, according to local tradition, -Archbishop Laud caused to be put there, in place of certain images that -had stood upon them before. - -A stone tablet upon the north wall of the chancel is interesting in that -it records the services of the Rev. J. Ambler, who, after being ousted -from this living by the Covenanters, was reinstated at the Restoration. - -North and south of the nave open out two chapels, or short transepts, -called respectively the Plowden Chapel, and the Walcot Chapel. The -Walcots of Walcot are a family of very ancient descent, who have held -estates in this locality from time immemorial. After their day, the -manor of Walcot passed to the ancestors of Lord Powis, and eventually -came into the possession of no less a personage than Robert Clive, Baron -Plassey, K.B., founder of the British dominion in India, who died at -Walcot Hall in 1774. His name may be seen inscribed in some prayer-books -still preserved in this chapel. Upon the wall above the family pew hangs -the Walcot escutcheon, with three black pawns, or rooks, amidst its -quarterings. - -This is explained by the following note in a pedigree of the Walcot -family, compiled in 1643, referring to a certain John Walcot who lived -in the early part of the fifteenth century. 'This John Walcote, plainge -at the Chese with King Henry the fift, Kinge of England, gave hym the -check-matte with the Rouke; whereupon the Kinge chainged hys coate of -armes, which was the crosse with flower-de-luces, and gave hym the Rouke -for a remembrance thereof, by which he and hys posteritie hath continued -to this daye.' - -The Plowden chapel is separated from the nave by a plain oak screen. As -already mentioned, this chapel was built by an ancestor of the Plowdens, -after returning in safety from captivity in Asia Minor. It is lighted by -several well-proportioned windows of early character, and contains a -much dilapidated stone altar of pre-Reformation date, with two brackets -up above it, probably intended for images. - -In one corner stands a curious sort of grille, or iron railed structure, -bearing traces of colour, and surmounted at one end by a gilded iron -cross. It was customary, we understand, to place this railing around a -newly made grave, to protect it from evil disposed persons. - -The tower walls are enormously thick, as though intended to withstand -attack. The fine old panelled oak nave roof is now hidden from below by -an ugly whitewashed ceiling. The bell-frame up in the belfry is -something of a curiosity, being rudely but effectively carved with -dragon-like monsters having foliated tails. - -We now make for the village inn, with appetites sharp-set for such -rustic fare as the place may haply afford. Half-an-hour later finds us -climbing the ascent of Oakeley Mynd, with a fresh westerly breeze -humming through the tree-tops, and the cloud shadows chasing one another -athwart the genial landscape. - -Instead of going direct to Bishop's Castle, we steer a due northerly -course towards a place named Lea. By so doing we not only avoid a spell -of hard highroad, but get into the bargain a rare outlook across a -hilly-and-daley country, with a wisp of blue smoke trailing away upon -the breeze far off on the shoulder of Longmynd. From the top of the -bank, a thousand feet above sea-level, we look across a pleasant vale, -where the brown roofs of Bishop's Castle are seen nestling beneath -tumbled hills, outliers of Clun Forest. - -Then away we go down a rough footpath, or 'rack,' as they call it -hereabouts; making a bee-line for our destination, and skirting the head -of a deep wooded dingle known as Narrow Dale. Guided by the cheerful -barking of dogs, we presently come in sight of a lonely farmstead; and, -upon stepping round to the rear, descry a group of buildings all jumbled -up together in the manner shewn over page. - -'The remains we see,' writes Mr. W. Phillips in 'Shropshire Notes and -Queries,' 'are probably the walls of the old square keep. They are built -of the Wenlock limestone found in the neighbourhood, and are so well -constructed that the lime is harder than the stone, so that, when an -attempt was made some years ago to utilize the material, it was found to -be less trouble to obtain fresh stones from the quarry. We owe it to -this fact that these ruins remain to awaken our curiosity.' - -[Illustration: Lea Castle.] - -The walls of this old keep are extremely massive, and have several -window and door openings in them of various dates from the fourteenth -century onwards. So much has been destroyed that the original dimensions -of the castle cannot now be ascertained; but the moat may still in part -be traced, besides evidences of fishponds near the little rivulet that -filled them. - -The Manor of Lea formed, in early days, the largest feudal Lordship in -Shropshire held by the Bishop of Hereford. Owing to the exigences of his -position, and the turbulence of those remote times, the Bishop was often -called upon to relinquish the crozier for the sword, and to lead his -lieges against the wild Welshmen; for, in connexion with Bishop's -Castle, Lea formed an important link in the cordon of border fortresses. -The tenant of Lea, indeed, appears to have been under obligation of -doing suit and service at Bishop's Castle, when called upon by the -constable of the latter. - -The old farmhouse alongside has evidently been added to and altered at -various times in a very haphazard fashion. On its staircase is a piece -of timber quartering ornamented with a rude shield on which appear the -words anno. do. 1560, proving that the place can boast a respectable -antiquity. - -Amidst a chorus of 'come-back! come-back!' from the galeney-fowls in the -farmyard, we set out once again upon our travels. Giving preference to -the meadow paths, we presently happen upon a huge block of stone, as big -as a good-sized cart, lying stranded in the middle of a grass field. How -it came there is the puzzle, so we take counsel with an old fellow -breaking stones by the wayside, a furlong farther on. 'Oh,' says he, in -reply to our questions, 'they 'ud used to tell us, when we was childern, -as the Devil fell lame one day a-walkin' by here, and throwed that there -old stwun out of's shoe, and then fled away up to Stiperstones yander. -But that was afore my time, like, and behappen there's never a one now -as can tell the rights on it.' And the country folk have a saying that -the Lea Stone, as it is called, turns itself around 'every time the -clock strikes thirteen.' - -[Illustration: Bishop's Castle. From an Old Print.] - -With the shadows lengthening around we draw near to Bishop's Castle, a -place half town, half village, seated upon a southward sloping hill. It -was always called Lydbury Castle in the olden days, on account of the -castle of that name (built by the Bishops of Hereford to protect their -episcopal manor of Lydbury), which stood in a commanding position at the -top of the town. - -When Henry II. mounted the throne, Bishop's Castle was held by Hugh de -Mortimer of Wigmore, but was regained for the see by the energy of -Bishop Gilbert Ffoliot. In the year 1263, the castle was stormed and its -constable slain by the rebellious John FitzAlan and his followers. A -visitation of Bishop Swinfield, about thirty years later, was long -remembered in the locality, on account of the sumptuous style in which -that prelate lived; indeed his Lordship and his retinue seem to have -'eaten the good people out of house and home,' as the saying goes. - -[Illustration: BISHOPS CASTLE.] - -Bishop's Castle is nowadays but a drowsy little market town, yet proud -withal of being the metropolis of an extensive agricultural district, -and renowned for its great cattle fairs, frequented by breeders and 'men -whose talk is of bullocks,' who are attracted hither by the fine race of -cattle for which this locality is noted. Then, on May 1, has it not its -'Mop,' or Hiring Fair, when the farm hands and servant girls 'break the -year,' as the phrase goes; and you may overhear one goodwife complaining -to another, anent some errant handmaid, ''Er's broke 'er 'ear this -marnin', I'm afeared 'er'll allus be a rollin' stwun as'll never gether -no moss!' - -In bygone times Bishop's Castle was (and for aught we know is still) -ruled by a Mayor and Corporation, with fifteen Aldermen or Capital -Burgesses, a Bailiff, and a Recorder. So early as 1572 the town received -its first charter from the Sovereign, which was ratified by Charles I. -in 1648. - -At the very top of the town, where the old coach roads from Wales -converge, stands the Castle Hotel, one of those large, roomy -caravansarys, frequented by wayfaring men in the days before railways -had come to rob the country roads of their cheerful tide of traffic. To -the rear of this inn lies an oldfashioned bowling-green, whose area -marks the site of the keep-tower of the erstwhile Castle of Lydbury, -built to protect the episcopal demesne against the freebooters of the -Welsh border. - -In Leland's time the Castle was 'well maintenid, and set on a stronge -Rokke, not very hi,' but seems to have been already reduced to ruins -before the time of the Civil Wars. - -Perched on a tall green mound, high above the old town, the position is -certainly a commanding one, affording a fine prospect over the adjacent -country, though now somewhat obscured by trees. Close at hand rises the -old Market House, now the Powis Institute and Reading Room, with the -borough arms carved upon its gable, and the date of its erection, 1781. -Over the door of an adjacent shop we espy the curious surname of -Gotobed, a clan which should be widely represented, one would suppose, -in this Sleepy Hollow! Another old lintel retains some ancient -lettering, with the figures 1685. Then, turning down the steep High -Street, we get a backward view of the town; the prim façade of an -eighteenth-century Town Hall, topped by a slender belfry, seeming to -block up the roadway, and some oldfashioned shops and dwellings flanking -the narrow footpath. - -Presently we come to the church at the farther end of the town, though -tradition avers that, once upon a time, the church stood in the very -middle of it; not that the church has moved, but the town shrunk up into -itself--but that is as it may be. An ancient ivy-clad tower is about the -only relic of the older church which has survived, for, during the -troubles of the Civil Wars, the sacred edifice fell a prey to the -flames, and has only within the last forty years been rebuilt and -renovated. There are some very ancient yews in the churchyard: and a -tombstone near the belfry door bears the following inscription: 'A la -mémoire de Louis Paces, Lieut.-Colonel de Chevaux legers, chevalier des -ordres militaires des deux Siciles et d'Espayne. Mort à Bishop's Castle -le 1re Mai 1814, age de 40 ans.' This must have been one of the French -prisoners who, at the time of the Peninsular War, were billeted at -Bishop's Castle. - -Bishop's Castle forms a good starting-point for exploring a -little-frequented, rural country. Northwards lie Lydham and More, Lydham -church standing, as is so frequently the case in this border district, -cheek-by-jowl with a prehistoric tumulus. More is the ancestral home of -the ancient family of that ilk, whose forbears 'came over from Normandy -with the Conqueror.' - -Then there is Linley, with its stately avenues leading up towards hills -which have been mined for lead ever since the Romans were there. Amongst -these hills stands Hyssington, which we will take leave to visit, though -it lies away outside our county, over the Welsh frontier. - -Anent the church at Hyssington there is a curious tradition. Long, long -ago, in the old Popish days, an enormous Bull made his appearance at -Hyssington, and grew bigger and bigger every day, until the good people -of the neighbourhood went in fear of their lives by reason of the -dreaded monster. At last things came to such a pass that the parson made -up his mind to try heroic measures. So with book, bell and candle, he -sallied forth in quest of the Bull, and, by reading of appropriate -texts, managed to reduce the uncanny beast to such dimensions as would -admit of his being driven into the church. But alack! before the -creature could be finally extinguished, parson's candle had burnt out; -and ere morning came, when the reading could be resumed, the Bull had -swelled out again, until his huge body cracked the church walls from top -to bottom! - -Such is the veracious legend; but whether this Bull hailed from the -Emerald Isle, or belonged to that species known as Papal Bulls, history -recordeth not; but the cracks in the church walls long remained to -confound the incredulous. - -Continuing our perambulation we come presently to Church-Stoke, a -pleasant looking village of half-timbered houses seated on the river -Camlad, one of them bearing upon its gable-end the inscription, WHAT . -IS . HERE . BY . MAN . ERECTED : LET . IT . BE . BY . GOD . PROTECTED : -IOHN . MIDDLETON . GENT . AN . DO . 1685 : ÆTATIS . SUÆ . 27 . R . T . C : - -Returning direct across the hills to Bishop's Castle, we pass through -Broughton, where, it is believed, the Romans had a station. Offa's Dyke, -crossing the hills to the westward, runs near to Mainstone, a village -supposed to acquire its name from a large granite stone standing near -the west gate of the churchyard. From time immemorial it has been the -custom for the village youths to test their strength by heaving this -stone aloft, and then casting it backwards over the left shoulder. The -name of Mainstone, it may be observed, shews the tendency to -reduplication in place-names, for Maen is the Welsh for stone. A still -more curious instance is that of Dollymase-meadow, near Gloucester, each -of the three syllables in this case having exactly the same -signification. - -The old road from Bishop's Castle to Clun traverses a rough, hilly -country, with scarce a place big enough to be called a village all the -way. On the outskirts of the town stands Blunden Hall, a timbered -mansion, old, but much modernized. Anon our way lies up-hill, with the -tree-crowned summit of Bury Ditches rising boldly ahead. - -After surmounting a sort of col amidst the dimpled hills, we begin to -drop downwards into the vale of Clun, and the little town, with its grey -old guardian castle, is seen nestling at the foot of dark, heather-clad -hills, where the drifting cloud shadows linger. By-and-bye, as we march -past the castle and enter the town, the westward-looking houses are -painted in crimson and gold by the glow from the setting sun, while we -dusty wayfarers bear away for the Buffalo Inn, whose hospitable roof is -to be our shelter to-night. - -So taking up our quarters in the Blue Room, we will give the benefit of -the doubt to the local legend, and hold that this is the chamber in -which Sir Walter Scott once slept, and yonder table the very one upon -which the 'Wizard of the North' wrote the first three chapters of 'The -Betrothed'--there is nothing like being precise in matters such as -these. - -Seated upon the banks of the river Clun, on the outskirts of that wild, -hilly district to which it gives its name, the quiet market town of Clun -forms the chief rendezvous for such slender commerce as goes forward in -this isolated part of our County, which time-out-of-mind has acquired -the name of Clun Forest. - -In early Norman days this remote inaccessible region became a sort of -semi-independent Barony, called the 'Honour of Clun,' whose over-lords -obtained the royal license to make conquest on the Welsh, and appear to -have done pretty much as they liked with the goods and chattels of their -unlucky vassals. Nay more, in those 'good old times,' the Lord of Clun -claimed the right to inflict capital punishment, for we read of a -certain William Kempe holding a messuage and croft on tenure of carrying -to Shrewsbury the heads of felons, in order to prove that the right -person had been executed. - -Save for its ruined Castle and ancient saddle-backed bridge, the townlet -is featureless enough; indeed its prim, grey, sober-fronted dwellings -look as though they had stepped across from the other side the Welsh -border. Yet in bygone times the town must have been a place of no -little importance, for we read that, at a survey held in 1605, it was -found that 'the town of Clun, through the whole time whereof the memory -of man does not exist to the contrary, is an ancient Borough -Incorporate, with two Bailiffs, and Burgesses; and the Lord of the town -has two Leet Courts, with a View of Frankpledge, held annually by the -Seneschal for the time being.' - -[Illustration: Carde Doloreuse.] - -A bowshot distant from the town rise the ruins of Clun Castle, whose -tall, grey, lichen-clad donjon looks out over a horseshoe bend of the -river towards the dark Welsh hills to the westward; even as in the days -when Raymond de Berenger, Knight of the Garde Doloreuse, entertained -Gwenwyn Prince of Powys in this lonesome fortalice. - -Here, at Clun, the FitzAlans lorded it for many a generation over the -adjacent march-lands. After many changes and vicissitudes, the castle -passed eventually to the present Duke of Norfolk, who from this place -acquires his second title of Baron Clun. - -With the exception of the keep-tower above mentioned, little remains of -Clun Castle save two ruined circular bastions overlooking the river, and -certain tall green mounds that give a clue to the original extent of the -fortress. The outer bailey with its enclosing vallations is a broad, -tree-shaded grassplot, where nowadays the townsfolk go a-pleasuring on -high-days and holiday times. - -Clun Castle formed a very important link in the chain of fortresses -planted by the Normans along the Welsh frontier, to secure their -hard-won territory and control the turbulent natives. Towards the close -of the twelfth century Rhys, Prince of South Wales, swooped down from -his mountain fastnesses, and after many a fierce onslaught stormed and -set fire to the castle. At a later period the place fell a prey to that -scourge of the Welsh Marches, 'the irregular and wild Glendower,' and -was finally dismantled by the Parliamentarians during the Civil Wars. So -early, indeed, as the reign of Henry VIII., when that ubiquitous -antiquary John Leland journeyed this way, 'Clunne Castell' was 'sumewhat -ruinus,' 'though it hath bene,' he adds, 'bothe Stronge and well -builded.' - -The following lines from 'The Betrothed' have been associated with the -Castle of Clun: 'A place strong by nature, and well fortified by art, -which the Welch prince had found it impossible to conquer, either by -open force or stratagem; and which, remaining with a strong garrison in -his rear, often chequed his invasions by rendering his retreat -precarious. The river, whose stream washes on three sides the base of -the proud eminence on which the castle is situated, curves away from the -fortress and its corresponding village on the west, and the hill sinks -downward to an extensive plain, so extremely level as to indicate its -alluvial origin. - -'The bridge, a high narrow combination of arches of unequal size, was -about half a mile distant from the castle, in the very centre of the -plain. The river itself ran in a deep, rocky channel, was often -unfordable, and at all times difficult of passage, giving considerable -advantage to the defenders of the Castle.' - -Over the old bridge in question lies our way towards Clun church; and, -as the local saw has it, 'Whoever crosses Clun Bridge comes back sharper -than he went.' The bridge itself, with its five uneven arches and bold -sparlings, is still a picturesque object, and in former days was a -favourite subject with artists: though the old cordwainer and his -ancient timber dwelling beside the bridge have long since passed away. - -[Illustration: Old Lych Gate at Clun.] - -So we will push ahead to St. George's church, whose massive western -tower and curious louvred steeple are already in sight, peering over an -old lych-gate in the foreground. This lych-gate is a very charming bit -of ancient carpentry, its solid substantial oak beams shewing excellent -workmanship, with just a touch of ornamentation here and there; while -the roof is covered with rough stone-shingles, overgrown with mosses and -lichens. - -Passing through the wicket, we traverse a rustic grass-grown God's-acre, -beneath the shadow of one of those immemorial yews so common in our -country churchyards. Why they were planted in such a situation has -afforded no little matter for conjecture; whether they were intended as -emblems of immortality, or to serve the more utilitarian purpose of -supplying bows for the English archers who in bygone days formed the -backbone of our fighting line: - - 'Oh the crooked stick and the grey goose's wing, - But for which Old England were but a fling!' - -The strong nail-studded west door of the church has its old iron hinges, -and some names cut in bold Roman letters upon it. The roomy north porch -by which we enter has a chamber, or parvise, over it, and stone benches -against the walls upon either side. The interior is large and spacious, -the fine oak roof being borne upon Norman pillars and arches, while -clerestory windows admit light from the southward wall. A modern screen -divides nave from chancel, and beside it rises a tall Jacobean pulpit -with a sounding-board, all carved in the style peculiar to that period. - -The chancel is lighted by well proportioned windows with Purbeck marble -shafts. Suspended from the chancel roof hangs a curious -fifteenth-century canopy, nicely constructed of oak fashioned into -panels, and adorned with three small carved wooden angels. Its purpose -is uncertain, but it bears some resemblance to the canopied structure -called a baldacchino found in some continental churches. - -In the vestry is a mural tablet to Sir Robert Howard: and the rough old -staircase leading up into the tower is worth a moment's notice, for the -rude simplicity of its construction. The Churchwarden's accounts here -shew that, in the year 1741, the sum of ten shillings was paid 'for -whipping the Doggs out of ye church, serviss time, and keeping people -from sleeping in church During divine serviss.' - -[Illustration: Hospital of the Holy & Undivided Trinity at Clunn.] - -In a retired spot upon the eastern side of the town stands the 'Hospital -of the Holy and Undivided Trinity at Clunn,' a refuge for decayed -tradesmen founded by the Right Hon. the Earl of Northampton, in the year -1614. And truly their lines have fallen in pleasant places, these -grey-headed old veterans; each lowly domicile giving upon a central plot -of greensward, with benches set against the wall in sunny nooks, and an -old wooden pump standing in one corner, with its bucket and chain for -drawing water: - - 'The old oaken bucket, the iron-bound bucket, - The moss-covered bucket which hung in the well.' - -'Eh sure, sur,' exclaims an ancient derelict with whom we chance to pass -the time of day, 'you'm makin' a purty picture of th'owd plaace, I'll -warrand, but I canna see well wi'out my speck-tackles. I binna so young -as I was, ye see, but there's several chaps 'ere as is older nor I be, -and I'm turned eighty myself.' - -A tablet upon the wall of a small chapel, dedicated to the inmates' use, -bears a lengthy Latin inscription in memory of Henry Howard, Earl of -Northampton, who established similar retreats at Greenwich and Castle -Rising. - -According to an ordinance duly advertised upon the wall of the dining -hall, each poor man is entitled to receive yearly, on Founder's Day, 'a -gown ready made of strong cloth or kersey, of a sad colour, to wear upon -Week Days; and also every fourth year, upon Trinity Sunday, have -delivered unto him to wear, such a livery gown of blue cloth lined -with bayes, with the Founder's cognizance set on the sleeve, to wear -upon Sundays and Festival Days.' In the dining hall, too, is preserved -an ancient cross-bow, and a large two-handed double-edged sword about -five feet in length. - -Such, then, is the old Hospital at Clun; so now, after a moonlight -stroll around the environs, we turn in for the night at the 'Buffalo'; -and, far removed from the din of railroad shrieks, or bustle of passing -traffic, sleep the sleep of the just until morning looks in at the -casement. - -[Illustration: SEAL of CLUN HOSPITAL.] - - - - -ROUND ABOUT CLUN FOREST. TO KNIGHTON AND LUDLOW. - - -A glance at the map at the end of this volume will reveal, down in the -south-western extremity of the county, a remote outlying cantle of -Shropshire wedged in, as it were, between the Welsh counties of -Montgomery and Radnor. It is a wild, hilly, somewhat inaccessible -district, even in these days; but in Leland's time the 'faire Forest of -Clunne' was 'a great Forest of redde Dere and Roois,' extending over -many thousand acres, with much timber growing upon it, and 'very faire -and good Game' amongst its holts and hollows. - -In and out through this sequestered region wind the clear waters of the -Clun, rippling along past rustic crofts and breadths of gorse and -fernbrake, and giving its name to a group of quiet villages and hamlets -upon its banks: - - 'Clunton and Clunbury, Clungunford and Clun, - Are the sleepiest places under the sun'-- - -as the saying goes, though one may vary the epithet ad lib., and -substitute drunkenest, dirtiest, etc., as fancy dictates. Towards the -south the country falls away to the broader valley of the Teme, which, -flowing past Knighton and Coxwall Knoll, forms the southern boundary of -the Forest, and parts England from Wales. - -Camps, earthworks, etc., dotted plentifully throughout the locality, -bear witness to the days when might was the only right, and every man's -hand was against his neighbour. Tradition avers that Caractacus made his -last stand against the Romans amidst the fastnesses of Clun Forest; and -Offa's Dyke, the ancient boundary of Mercia, traverses the district from -south to north on its way from Severn to Dee: - - 'There is a faymous thinge - Calde Offa's Dyke, that reacheth farre in lengthe: - All kinds of Ware people might thither bringe; - It was free ground, and calde the Britain's strengthe.' - -But it is time to be up and doing, for we must measure many a mile over -hill and dale to-day. Old Sol is already abroad, and a light -sou'westerly breeze is rustling the fresh young foliage as we fare forth -upon our peregrinations; while the thirsty soil emits a grateful smell -after the rain of yesternight. - -Down the village street, then, we take our way, noticing the legend -'Ironmonger, Dahlia Grower and Poultry Breeder,' over an enterprising -tradesman's door. Setting a course up the vale of Clun, we drop into a -meadow path that, keeping company with a hollow, waterworn gipsy lane, -affords glimpses of the ruined castle, and so brings us presently to -Whitcot. Near Whitcot we notice an old grey maenhir, or standing-stone, -eight feet high, nearly as broad, and only about six inches in -thickness. - -With the hills closing in upon either hand we push onwards along the -valley, falling into a leisurely pace as the sun warms to his work. -Another mile and we come to Offa's Dyke, a huge green mound overshadowed -by beech trees, whose course can be easily traced as it crosses the -valley and climbs the shaggy hill slope beyond. 'Aye, that's Awf's -Ditch, right enough,' says an old fellow tilling the hedgerow, 'and now -you be in Wales a'this side, like, but it's a cankersome country to live -in, I can tell yer.' - -At Newcastle we find ourselves in a scattered hamlet overshadowed by -certain round green hills, whose topmost crests are scarped with ancient -camps or earthworks, whereof the name is legion hereabouts. This part of -the Forest, west of Offa's Dyke, was known in olden days as the Manor, -or Honour, of Tempseter, a district of Shropshire won from the Welsh -before Edward I. was King. - -Presently we take leave of the Newtown road, and, crossing the infant -Clun at a place called Dyffryn, march away through leafy lanes en route -for Bettws-y-Crwyn. Our road goes from bad to worse as it straggles up -the bank, degenerating at last into a downright Welsh byway, so that, -like Agag of old, we have to 'walk delicately' amidst the ruts and -rivulets which do duty as a thoroughfare. - -Passing two or three outlying cottages where shock-headed children are -playing around the doorways, we come in sight of Bettws-y-Crwyn church, -a little lonely fane perched so high aloft on its hill-top as to look -down, so to speak, upon every other church throughout the county; indeed -with one or two exceptions it is, we believe, the most loftily situated -church in England. - -The name of this place affords an interesting clue to its history. For -Bettws-y-Crwyn, being interpreted, signifies the Bede-house of the -Skins; having been so called since, in ancient times, the shepherds who -frequented these lonesome hills had a Bede-house or Chapel here, and -paid their tribute of skins or hides to Chirbury Priory. - -Up here in the churchyard we get a wonderful outlook over the hills and -dales of south Shropshire, which are seen stretching away for many a -league in picturesque gradation, with Brown Clee Hill bringing up the -rear beyond the dark ridges of Wenlock Edge. - -We now step inside the church, an ancient timeworn structure whose low -grey stone walls, narrow windows and simple bell-cot, look thoroughly in -keeping with the circumjacent landscape. The old font, once the pride of -the church, was broken into pieces when the church was 'restored' about -half a century ago, and used, it is said, to repair the churchyard -walls! - -[Illustration: Bettws-y-Crwyn] - -By some lucky chance, the ancient roodscreen has escaped the hand of the -spoiler, and forms to-day the most notable feature of the little -edifice. It is massively constructed of oak grown black with lapse of -years, and its gothic arches are wrought into delicate tracery work. - -This lofty screen rises to the tie-beam of the roof, whose curved -principals, moulded brackets and quatrefoil panels are fashioned, as -tradition tells, from Spanish-chestnut wood. Solid oaken benches of the -most primitive construction occupy the nave; their ends displaying the -names of various farmhouses, locally termed Halls, such as -Hall-of-the-Forest, Moor Hall, Cow Hall, etc. - -[Illustration: Chalice at Bettws y Crwyn] - -By favour of the Vicar, we are able to give a sketch of the Bettws -Communion cup. It is of silver, bearing the London hall-mark and the -date 1662, and is ornamented, as may be seen, with a repoussé flower -pattern. Though inferior in design to vessels of an earlier period, such -as the beautiful Bacton chalice, this little cup is a very fair example -of the silversmith's art of the seventeenth century. - -Our way now lies past the vicarage, a modern house standing 'four-square -to all the winds of heaven,' and so loftily placed as to be a landmark -for miles around. Thence we push on due northwards across the high, open -moorlands of Clun Forest, a 'dizzy' country, as they say hereabouts, -whose contours are revealed to our sight by shafts of sunlight radiating -from the western sky. Patches of golden gorse interspersed amidst -bracken and heather fill the air with their warm, rich scent, as we -follow the devious trackway; and a shrewd, pungent whiff of peat-reek -salutes our nostrils while passing a lonely cottage, for coal is a -luxury unknown up here, seven long miles from any railway-station. - -Old ways and antiquated customs linger yet in this 'back'ardly' -neighbourhood, where education has much ado to make headway against -ignorance and ancient prejudice. The time-honoured 'Wake' still holds -its own in Bettws parish; and rushlights, it is said, are in use to this -day in some of the isolated farmhouses towards the Welsh border. - -[Illustration: The Cantlin Cross.] - -Following a bridle track, we descend into a secluded dell which holds -the head waters of the Clun. Then, mounting up through a pine wood, we -come out upon the open braeside over against the Cantlin Cross, or -Cantlin Stone as it is sometimes called, whose counterfeit presentment -appears in our sketch. The cross itself, though handsomely carved, has -no particular claims to antiquity, having been erected, as we are -informed, about forty years ago by the late Mr. Beriah Botfield, -sometime M.P. for Ludlow. The design, however, is evidently an antique -one; and on the ground in front of the cross stands a low, flat slab of -grey limestone, rudely inscribed with the legend W . C: DECSED . HERE : -BVRIED . 1691 . AT . BETVS: - -The initials are those of a certain William Cantlin, who, travelling -through the wilds of Clun Forest in the above mentioned year, met his -death at this spot, and was buried at Bettws-y-Crwyn. It is said that -upon one occasion the stone itself was produced in a court of law, in -order to prove that the place where Cantlin died was situated in the -parish of Bettws. - -Upon passing through a gate in the adjacent coppice our eyes are -gladdened by a vision of folding hills, green fertile vales, and distant -cloud-capped mountains, the giants of Wild Wales--a glorious panorama! - -Presently we hie away once more upon our travels, retracing our steps to -the main road, and swinging along at a good round pace, favoured by the -downward grade. Past Hall-of-the-Forest we go, not much of a place, -despite its imposing name, though originally built by Anne, Lady -Mautravers, some time in the sixteenth century, and hence formerly -called Ladye's Hall. - -At Newcastle we strike up the hills to the southwards, recrossing old -Offa's Dyke and following the crest of the ridge. 'Weather's looking -very brewin',' remarks a brother tramp; for storm-clouds, gathering in -the west, hover grand and gloomily above the darkening ridges of Radnor -Forest; so, putting the best foot foremost, we spin along the -grass-grown bridle-path under the lee of the wind-tossed hedgerow. Out -leaps the lightning, the thunder rolls, and the tempest swoops down in a -whirl of seething rain-scuds; but what care we, for here in the nick of -time is the Buffalo Inn at Clun, with a good meat-tea piping hot on the -parlour table, and a cheery fire sparkling in the grate. - -So while the elements work their will abroad, and the rain drops patter -at the casement, we sit within bien and cosy, canopied like gods in -clouds of tobacco-smoke; 'fighting our battles o'er again,' and -discussing plans of campaign for future excursions amidst 'fresh woods -and pastures new.' - - * * * * * - -The morrow, then, sees us early astir, and taking the road ere the city -man has opened his morning paper. And before the first mile is left -behind, we find reason to congratulate ourselves on having made an early -start, for the way is parlous steep, and the sun already rejoicing like -a giant to run his course. So at a leisurely pace we breast the -ascent--'chi va piano va sano,' as the Italians say--with big, rounded -hills rising upon either hand, one of them having a strange sort of -quarry-like chasm, called the Rock of Woolberry, scored deep in its -wooded flank. This collar-work continuing for a matter of two miles or -more, brings us to a moorland crest about a thousand feet above -sea-level, whence the eye ranges over leagues of broken country, with -the play of shine and shadow chequering its varied surface. - -At a place bearing the euphemistic title of New Invention, we quit the -hard highroad and make a bee-line up the open hillside, until we find -ourselves in the vast, prehistoric encampment, known as Gaer Ditches, or -Caer Caradoc. The camp proves a fine example of an early British -earthwork, being oval, or rather pear-shaped, in form, and protected -upon its most vulnerable western flank by three concentric lines of -entrenchment; while upon the east, where the natural declivity is more -abrupt, there are but two, with traces of an entrance way in each of -these faces. - -Tradition has been busy about this interesting spot. We are to believe -that once, in days remote, Caractacus stood here at bay against his -enemies. Nay, is not the stream at the foot of the hill still called -Redlake river, because for three whole days its waters ran red with the -blood of the combatants? And down yonder in the vale is Lurkinghope, -where tradition tells the vanquished Britons 'lurked in hope' of -retrieving their fortunes, while lying in ambush near the defile at Garn -Gap. - -However that may have been, we now lay our course for Stow, a tiny -hamlet nestling in a wild rocky cirque called Ragged Kingdom. Our route -lies over Stow Hill, whose summit is marked by the blackened cairn of -the 'Diamond Jubilee' bonfire. - -But lusty appetites, begotten of fresh air and hours of steady tramping, -now demand instant satisfaction. So down we sit, and, whilst feasting -our eyes on the beauties of the landscape, we regale the inner man on -more material fare: the pile of sandwiches becoming 'small by degrees, -and beautifully less,' as the moments flit by. A drink of clear water -under Holloway Rocks, and a pipe or two as we lie on the short, warm -turf, and like giants refreshed we go our ways in search of new -adventures. - -[Illustration: Stowe. Shropshire.] - -Coming anon to Stow, we borrow the key from the neighbouring vicarage, -and armed with this 'open sesame' proceed forthwith to the church. - -This diminutive house of prayer has one or two notable features. A good -open-timbered roof spans the nave, traces of a rood-loft being visible -overhead where it joins the chancel, though no approach to it can now be -discovered. A massive oak communion table is about the only remnant of -ancient fittings here. A small wooden bell-cot rises above the western -gable, and the walls of the church, which are unusually thick, are -pierced with modernized windows. - -Bidding adieu to this lofty yet lowly hamlet, we traverse a narrow green -lane where the hedgerows are a-tangle with dog-roses, briony and -'traveller's-joy,' besides many another familiar wayside wildling. In -two miles we find ourselves at Knighton, a pleasant, busy townlet, just -within the Radnorshire border. - -Here we board the first up-train that comes along; the railway line -hugging the frontier, and affording glimpses of the hill country amidst -which we have recently wandered. Near Bucknall station we catch sight of -Coxwall Knoll, an isolated tree-clad monticle surrounded by ancient -entrenchments, where some authorities locate the scene of Caractacus's -last tussle with Ostorius. Bucknall village is close at hand on the -brink of the Redlake river, its grey church tower just peeping over the -trees that clothe the hills in the background. There is a curious old -font in Bucknall church with a sort of interlacing pattern carved around -its bowl, the date whereof is uncertain. - -Running past Bedstone, we alight at Hopton Heath station, shoulder -sketching gear, etc., and trudge away to Heath House, which lies a short -mile to the southward. Heath House, the residence of Chas. Seaton, Esq., -is a large, substantial edifice, dating mainly from the latter part of -the seventeenth century, and seated in a broad park-like demesne. - -[Illustration: Staircase at Heath House, Clungunford.] - -The interior of the mansion contains several handsome, panelled -apartments, adorned with pictures and curios that reflect the artistic -taste of their present proprietor. But the most notable feature of the -house is an elaborate old staircase hung with ancient tapestry, which, -as may be gathered from our sketch, is a marvel of massive construction. -Its huge oaken handrails and newels, and even the twisted balusters, -look as strong and simple as possible, and much of the work has the -appearance of having been fashioned with the axe. The topmost flight of -all, said to have been brought from Hopton Castle, is little better than -a ladder in point of convenience. - -Broadward Hall, the next-door neighbour to Heath House, is a plain stone -building chiefly remarkable from the fact that it is built, so to say, -around a curious circular staircase. In the grounds abutting upon the -river Clun rises an artificial tump, surmounted by a group of lofty elm -trees. Via Broadward Bridge we now make our way to Clungunford; -diverging a little to take a look at Beckjay Mill, in bygone days a -favourite haunt of David Cox, the artist. - -Clungunford village, rambling beside the river Clun, has a well-restored -church, flanked by a prehistoric tumulus. St. Cuthbert's church is well -worth a visit, for its ancient features have been faithfully preserved, -including one of those singular 'leper' windows that have so often -proved a bone of contention to archæologists. - -On a sunny bank overlooking the river Clun stands Clungunford House, the -residence of J. C. L. Rocke, Esq., Lord of the Manor. Half a mile away -upstream is Abcott Manor-house, a large old half-timbered structure now -used as a farmhouse. A big, curiously moulded chimney stack, is a -noticeable object as we draw near; and, being shewn within, we pass -from one old dilapidated chamber to another, admiring its wainscoted -walls and plastered ceilings, which, beautiful even in decay, still -display queer heraldic monsters, lions, stags, unicorns, goats, parrots, -etc., engaged amidst interlacing strapwork. One or two old lattice-paned -windows here retain their original wrought-iron fastenings. - -Abcott was for many generations the abode of the Princes, a family now -extinct in this locality, though there are monuments in plenty to them -in Clungunford church. - -The Rocke Arms at the end of the village is a rustic inn of the homely, -oldfashioned sort, quite equal to providing a pint and a chop, or -finding, at a pinch, a night's lodging for the passing traveller. So -here we call a halt awhile to refresh the inner man, before tackling the -cross-country lanes that are to lead us to Hopton Castle. Pleasant it -is, as one jogs along these rural byways, to see the country children -curtseying to the stranger as he passes, a custom all too rapidly -falling into desuetude in these 'independent' days, when young brains -are crammed with undigested facts, while the character is left to make -shift as best it may. - -[Illustration: Hopton Castle. Salop.] - -In a nook of the hills to the westward stands Hopton Castle, a grey old -Norman keep-tower, seated in a curiously low exposed position near the -banks of a stream. Traces of ruined outworks indicate that the place was -much more extensive in former days, when it figured in some stirring -episodes of March-land history. By Camden's account, Hopton was -presented by Henry II., to Walter de Clifford, of Clifford Castle in -Herefordshire; and towards the end of the thirteenth century we find -Roger, Lord Mortimer, of Wigmore, in possession of the Castle. Passing -later to the Corbets and the Wallops, Hopton Castle held out stubbornly -for the King at the time of the Civil Wars, but in 1644 was captured and -demolished by the Parliamentarians, its garrison put to the sword, and -Samuel Moor the Governor marched off to prison at Ludlow Castle. - -A curious old grant, by right of which the 'Heyres-mayle of ye Hoptons' -held this Manor of William the Conqueror, runs to the following effect: - - 'I, Will, King, the third of my reign, - Give to the Northern Hunter, - To me that art both Luine and Deare, - The Hoppe, and the Hoptoune, - And all the bounds, up and downe, - Under the Earth to Hell, - Above the Earth to Heaven,' etc. - -Returning by a different route direct to Hopton Heath station, we pass -through Broome, 'change' upon arriving at Craven Arms, and run down past -Stokesay Castle to Onibury, whose church has an ancient, possibly -pre-Norman, chancel arch, and one or two other good features. On the -outskirts of the village stands Stokesay Court, the handsome modern -residence of H. J. Allcroft, Esq., Lord of the Manor, and owner of large -estates in this locality. - -Alighting at Bromfield station we make our way to the village, as -picturesque a spot as one could wish to see, situated in a pleasant, -fertile vale, close to the place where Onny and Teme unite. At the end -of the village street we traverse an old, grey, many-arched bridge, -spanning the lively Onny, near which rises a row of lofty, storm-rent -poplars, still known as the 'Twelve Apostles,' though several veterans -have succumbed to the gales in recent years. - -A furlong further on we espy a picturesque old building pierced by a -wide stone archway, and chequered with timber quarterings, over which a -fine elm tree casts its dappled shadow. This was the Gatehouse of -Bromfield Priory, a Benedictine monastery, whose history carries us very -far back into the 'queer old crumpled-up past,' for the annals of -Domesday Book shew that, even in the Conqueror's time, Bromfield was a -place of some consequence. - -Originally a college of secular canons, the monastery became later on an -establishment of Canons regular of the Benedictine order; receiving -benefits at the hands of King Henry II., in whose reign Bromfield Priory -became affiliated to St. Peter's Abbey at Llanthony Secunda, near -Gloucester. - -Bromfield church, whether regarded as a prominent feature in a fair -landscape, or examined in the details of its architecture, cannot but -afford the visitor much pleasant matter for contemplation. Seated upon -one of those waterside meads the monks of old so frequently selected, -its broad, massive tower and weather-stained gables are seen mirrored in -the stream that winds around the churchyard, and with the ancient Priory -ruins, flanked by a group of dark firs rising clear against the sky, -makes a charming study for the artists' brush. - -Internally, too, the church has many points of interest. The chancel -arch of the old Priory church may be discerned in the eastern wall, the -chancel itself having been pulled down when the parish came into -possession. A remarkably handsome modern triptych is a noticeable -feature of the church, contrasting favourably with the plaster ceiling -overhead, whose colour-decorations have been aptly described as 'the -best specimen of the worst period of ecclesiastical art.' - -Crossing the Teme by an old stone bridge, we enter Oakley Park, a -glorious stretch of ferny glades and secluded woodland dingles, boasting -such Druid oaks as it would be hard to match elsewhere. Right ahead rise -the richly timbered slopes of Bringwood Chase, a picturesque range of -hills, whose topmost crests are crowned by three conspicuous clumps of -trees, landmarks for miles around. Oakley Hall, a red-brick Georgian -mansion, lies off upon our left, and is chiefly remarkable for its -uncommonly beautiful situation on the banks of the Teme, overlooking -some of the choicest scenery in the district. - -Away towards Downton lie certain parcels of land known to this day as -'Crawl Meadows,' and thereby hangs the following tale. Once upon a time, -a certain fair maid having plighted her troth with a valiant but -impecunious knight, the angry sire vowed her sole dower should be just -so much land as his daughter could crawl over, on hands and knees, -between sunset and dawn of day. Commencing her journey at Bromfield, the -young lady travelled with such vigour that, by the time old Sol peeped -over the hills again, she was well on her way to Downton, a good four -miles, as the crow flies, from her starting-place at Bromfield. - -But the waning daylight warns us to be astir, while the towers of Ludlow -Castle, rising darkly against the eastward sky, tell we are within a -measurable distance of our journey's end. - -So betwixt fields and hedgerows we now hasten along, exchanging a 'good -e'en' with the cottagers as we trudge through a wayside hamlet, and -coming to a bridge over Teme, where the last of the daylight flickers -upon the waters of a rushing weir. Then up a steep way through Dinham, -passing a dusky old building, now a coach-house, but once a Gothic -chapel, and rounding the outskirts of the castle: the homing rooks in -the elms overhead announcing our arrival in their own vociferous -fashion. - -Thus through narrow, crowded, oldfashioned street, we come to our -night's bivouac at Ludlow; promising ourselves a treat on the morrow in -exploring the memory-haunted precincts of this historic border-town. - -[Illustration: Branks at Ludlow.] - - - - -ROUND ABOUT LUDLOW. - - -Ludlow town occupies a fine, commanding situation upon a sort of knoll, -or promontory of high land, encompassed upon its southern side by the -windings of the Teme, whose waters, flowing through a picturesque defile -beneath the limestone scarps of Whitcliff, here divide Shropshire from -its neighbour of Hereford. - -What the place was like in olden times we may gather from the records of -John Leland. 'The town of Ludlow,' he observes, writing in the reign of -Henry VIII., 'is very propre, welle walled and gated, and standeth every -way eminent from a Botom. In the side of the Town, as a Peace of the -Enclosing of the Walle, is a fair Castel. Within the Town, even yn the -mydle, is one Paroch chyrch. There be in the Wall 5 gates. Broad gate -leadeth to Broad Street, the fayrest part of the Towne. The Castel -standeth on a strong Rocke, well ditched, between Corne gate and Mille -gate. The Paroch church is very fayre and large, and richly adorned, and -taken for the fayrest in all those Quarters.' - -The town, then, as Leland has it, 'standeth every way eminent from a -Botom,' with the noble old church of St. Lawrence crowning the brow of -the hill, so that its tall, ruddy tower forms a notable landmark to the -good folks of the whole countryside. - -Upon the western flank of the town, just where the declivity is most -precipitous, rise the ruins of Ludlow Castle; that magnificent -stronghold of the Lords Marchers, to which the place owes its ancient -fame. To the Castle, then, let us first of all direct our steps. - -[Illustration: Sir Henry Sydney's Gateway. Ludlow Castle.] - -Approaching by way of Castle Square, we enter upon a broad, smooth -stretch of greensward, encompassed by stone walls and old ruined -structures, the Base court or outer Bailey of the fortress. Before us -rises a noble pile of buildings which constitute the main fabric of the -castle. Grey and weatherworn, shrouded in ivy, and overshadowed by tall -sycamore trees, these venerable ruins compose a scene picturesque to a -degree, whereof the sketch upon the opposite page may convey some -impression. - -[Illustration: Ludlow Castle & Church.] - -In the centre rises the great Keep or donjon tower, a vast substantial -structure of the Norman period, whose massive walls, pierced with -narrow, round-arched openings, little better than loopholes, contrast -strikingly with the mullioned windows and slender, roofless gables that -appear alongside. These latter, as is recorded by an inscription above -the entrance gateway, owe their inception to Sir Henry Sydney, President -of the Welsh Marches in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, whose arms, -conjoined with those of England and France, appear in a panel above the -archway, with the date of erection, 1581. - -An isolated tower away to the left is one of the most ancient portions -of the castle. It is known as 'Mortimer's Tower,' from a tradition that -Hugh de Mortimer was imprisoned within its walls towards the close of -the twelfth century. But that is another story, whereof more anon. - -Let us now pass on to the inner ward, which is surrounded by tall, -irregular structures, whose crumbling walls and battlements have been -brought to a rare state of soft, harmonious colouring, by the mellowing -touch of time. - -Out in the courtyard, detached from all its neighbours, rises a small -circular twelfth-century chapel, whose beautifully enriched, semi-headed -west doorway and curiously carved string-course, bespeak the Normans' -handiwork. This chapel is almost unique of its kind in England. The fine -chancel arch still remains, but of the chancel itself only the -foundations can now be traced. In former days the chapel was hung with -'Armes in colours, sitch as fewe can shewe,' - - 'So bravely wroughte, so fayre and finely fram'd, - That to the Worlde's end their beauty may endure!' - -We now pass out again into the green courtyard. Turning our backs upon -the entrance way we see before us an extensive group of buildings, now -roofless and half in ruin, yet stately in their decay. In the centre, -approached by a sort of sloping gangway, rises a noble hall, a spot -famed in local history as the scene of the earliest performance of -Milton's 'Masque of Comus.' One of the adjacent chambers is pointed out -as that occupied by Prince Arthur, son of Henry VII. - -Beside the Keep-tower are the scanty ruins of the castle kitchen, which, -to judge from the fireplace, an enormous oven, and some rusty iron -utensils of proportionate size, must have been on a scale commensurate -even with the needs of this vast mediæval ménage. Close at hand is the -castle well, which, though not enclosed within the area of the Norman -keep, is not far away from it, and was probably protected by its -adjacent outworks. - -Down in the basement of the keep is a dark, vaulted chamber, far below -the surface of the ground. This was originally used as the castle -chapel, whereof two well-proportioned Norman arches still remain, -supported upon slender pillars with simply ornamented capitals. A -curious arrangement of walls and passages here has given rise to an -obscure myth concerning lions, or other wild beasts, having been kept in -this chamber to devour obnoxious prisoners, when it was used at one time -as a dungeon. - -Well, to make a long story short, a climb to the top of the ancient -Keep-tower forms a fitting finale to our explorations; for the prospect -from its lofty battlements is extremely varied and picturesque. The -castle precincts, lying at our feet, look very green and pleasant amid -their setting of verdant foliage. Beyond a group of tall elms appear the -old tiled roofs of the town, dominated by the stately tower of St. -Lawrence's church, while the bold outline of Titterstone Clee Hill rises -far away in the background. Towards the north lie the Stretton hills, -enclosing a luxuriant vale, followed by the dimpled heights that mark -the whereabouts of Clun Forest. Directing our gaze towards the south, a -goodly scene meets the eye where the Teme, winding through its hollow -gorge, washes the lower slopes of Whitcliff, whose rough, rocky terraces -merge higher up in the rich masses of woodland that clothe the -hillsides. - -Many a time in the dim, forgotten past, have these old walls re-echoed -to the making of history. At the date of Domesday Survey the Manor of -Ludlow was held by Roger de Lacy, by whom the Castle was built. - -Joce de Dinan, 'a strong and valiant knight,' who was Lord of Ludlow in -King Stephen's reign, was constantly at feud with his rival, Hugh de -Mortimer of Wigmore, until, having captured that knight by an ambuscade, -he shut him up a prisoner in the loftiest tower in the third ward of the -Castle, which to this day retains the name of 'Mortimer's Tower.' - -Under King Stephen and his successor the fortress passed through a time -of storm and stress, marked by some stirring incidents. A romantic story -turns upon the adventures of Fulk FitzWarine and Hawyse, daughter of -Joce de Dinan; and the intrigues of Arnold de Lisle with that 'very -gentle damsel,' Marion of the Heath. - -Early in the thirteenth century Ludlow Castle was seized by King John, -who, during his great struggle with the Barons, carried fire and sword -throughout the Welsh Marches. Henry III. visited Ludlow in the course of -his Border wars, and concluded there a treaty of peace with Prince -Llewelyn. During this and the succeeding reign the Mortimers, Lords of -Wigmore, attained to great influence, and eventually secured by marriage -their claim to the English crown. - -Richard Plantagenet, during his chequered career, was often at Ludlow -Castle, where he was besieged by the King in October, 1459. Treachery in -the camp, however, proved the ruin of Richard's cause, and the -Lancastrians captured and plundered the castle. - -After suffering eclipse, the fortunes of York were once more retrieved -at the famous Battle of Mortimer's Cross, fought a few miles from -Ludlow. At a later date Edward IV. sent his two boys for safe keeping to -Ludlow Castle; and Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales, son of Henry VII., -spent a portion of his short life within its precincts. - -The Court of the Presidency of Wales, established about this period, -figures largely in the subsequent history of Ludlow; and by the middle -of the sixteenth century the town and castle had risen to the zenith of -their fortunes. At the time of the Civil Wars Ludlow Castle was held for -the King, and proved a hard nut for the Parliamentarians to crack, being -the last stronghold in Shropshire to fall into their hands. In 1689 the -Court of the Marches was abolished, and as a result the Castle was -finally allowed to fall into a state of ruin and decay. - -A truce, now, to history. Retracing our steps to the castle-garth, we -pass through the outer doorway and fare forth into Ludlow town in search -of antiquarian spoil. Our quest is quickly rewarded, for at yonder -street corner, beyond some tall elms, rises the Castle Lodge, a -picturesque structure of timber and plaster, built by Thomas Sackford, a -burgess of Ludlow, in Queen Elizabeth's reign. Sackford held the office -of Master of Requests under that Sovereign, and in 1572 was appointed -Porter, and Keeper of the Prisoners in the Marches of Wales. The ancient -timber quartering of the upper story has only recently been brought to -light from beneath its coating of modern plaster; a laudable -restoration, which might well be imitated in the case of other old -Ludlow house-fronts. - -In Castle Square, hard by, stands the new Market-house, a spick-and-span -production of the 1887 Jubilee year. Its older prototype was a plain, -unobtrusive brick edifice dating from the time of Queen Anne; of which -period one or two large, roomy houses, overlooking Castle Square, are -fair representatives. - -Threading our way through a narrow thoroughfare, we presently catch a -glimpse of a quaint old structure, surmounted by a clock turret, or -belfry. This is the Butter Cross, a grey stone edifice built, perhaps, a -couple of centuries ago, and, without any great pretensions to -architectural taste, yet a pleasant object to look upon by reason of its -uneven, weather-stained surfaces, and rough irregular contours. Beneath -its old worn arches the country folk foregather of a market day; and it -is worth while to linger near on a Sunday morning to watch the Mayor's -procession, when, accompanied by the black robed mace-bearers, he -marches hence to attend service in the great collegiate church hard by, -as the time-honoured custom is. Let us follow his Worship's lead, then, -and take a look at St. Lawrence's church. - -For this purpose we turn through a short narrow passage-way, which goes -by the curious name of 'Scallens,' or Kalends; at the end whereof we -find ourselves before a large hexagonal south porch with angle -buttresses and embattled parapet, a feature seldom met with in our -English churches. - -St. Lawrence's church at Ludlow is undoubtedly one of the finest -throughout all broad Shropshire. Its ruddy sandstone walls, its serried -buttresses and graceful flamboyant windows, rise in charming contrast -above the sombre yew trees whose foliage enshrouds the quiet graveyard; -while, high overhead, the great central tower soars aloft into the blue, -with the jackdaws wheeling and circling around its topmost battlements, -or holding noisy conclave amidst the intricacies of its great traceried -windows. - -The interior of the church, too, displays that spacious dignity -characteristic of the Perpendicular style: the clerestoried nave, the -chancel with its grand painted windows, and the lofty open lantern -beneath the tower, combining to create an appearance of cathedral-like -magnificence. What with the rich, subdued glow of ancient glass, the -dark oak screens spanning chancel and transepts, and the slender pillars -and arches soaring far aloft, the general effect is extremely noble and -impressive. - -A magnificent canopied oak roodscreen divides the nave from the chancel, -which is flanked on either side by rows of stalls, used in bygone times -by the chantry priests of St. John of Jerusalem, their dark oaken -tracery contrasting beautifully with the old grey stonework around. The -miserere seats here are worth a close examination, being carved with -very quaint emblematical imagery; as, for example, the panel which -figures at the end of the present chapter. - -The great Perpendicular window, which occupies nearly the whole of the -east end of the chancel, is filled with ancient stained glass, -portraying, in the realistic style dear to the mediæval mind, scenes -from the Legend of St. Lawrence, the tutelary saint of the church. - -Some good old glass in the east window of the adjacent chapel of St. -John records the so-called Legend of the King. The treatment is curious -and original, as it often was in those days. Indeed, every window of -this chapel has some beauty of its own. - -But to return to the chancel. Beneath the great window, from wall to -wall, extends an elegant stone reredos, brought to light some years -since in the course of restorations. It is divided up into a series of -canopied and crocketed niches, containing small sculptured statues of -considerable beauty. Behind this screen is a remarkable little chamber -lighted by a single early pointed window, and supposed to have been used -either as the church-treasury, or for communicating with lepers, or -outcasts. - -In the south chancel wall there is a handsome sedilia of Perpendicular -date; and opposite to it a large, arched recess, where the Easter -Sepulchre was displayed in pre-Reformation days. - -The south or Lady-chapel has a fine Jesse window, besides other notable -features. The backs of the stalls, dividing this chapel from the -chancel, are painted in Old English lettering with 'The commandemente of -Almyghty God,' set up, by order of the royal commissioners, in the reign -of good Queen Bess. In olden times it was customary for the Cordwainers -and other honourable companies to hold their meetings in this chapel; as -did the Fletchers, or Arrowsmiths, in the north transept, the gable -whereof is still surmounted by their cognizance, an arrow. An unusually -fine flamboyant window is, unfortunately, hidden from the interior by -the large and very excellent organ that almost monopolizes this -transept. - -Though not so numerous as one might expect, there are several handsome -monuments in Ludlow church. The oldest of these is a much mutilated -table-tomb in the north aisle, reputed to be that of Arthur, Prince of -Wales, son of Henry VII., who died near Ludlow. On the top of this tomb -are piled, and doled out thence every Sunday morning, twelve goodly -quartern loaves for the benefit of as many poor widows. - -Under the before-mentioned arch of the Easter Sepulchre, upon a panelled -table-tomb, repose the effigies of an Elizabethan knight and his lady, -with the ensuing inscription: 'HEARE LYETH THE BODYES OF SYR ROBART -TOWNESHEND, KNIGHT, CHIEF JUSTES OF THE COUNSELL IN THE MARCHES OF -WALLES AND CHESTER, AND DAME ALICE HYS WYFF.' In the panels below appear -their 'VI. SONNES AND VI. DOUGHTERS, LAWFULLY BEGOT.' - -Over the way is a similar but plainer tomb, which, though now lacking -the 'Closet fayre in-wrought, where Lords may sit in stately solemn -wise,' that Churchyard the poet saw, displays still some handsome -hatchments, set into the wall above. 'HEARE LYETHE,' runs the legend, -'THE BODYE OF AMBROSIA SYDNEY, IIIITH DOUGHTER OF THE RIGHT HONORABLE -SYR HENRYE SYDNEY, KNIGHT OF THE MOSTE NOBLE ORDER OF THE GARTER, LORDE -PRESIDENT OF THE COUNSELL OF WALLES, ETC., AND OF THE LADYE MARYE, HYS -WYEF, DOUGHTE OF YE FFAMOUS DUKE OF NORTHUMBERLAND, WHO DYED IN LUDLOWE -CASTELL, YE 22ND OF FEBRUARI, 1574.' - -An adjacent monument to Edmund Walter and his lady, dated 1592, shews -traces of a degenerate style creeping in, Time with his hour-glass -appearing atop of the arch, with scrolls and pediments introduced by way -of enrichments. - -This sort of funereal gear, so much in vogue at a later period, is well -seen upon the eighteenth-century memorial to Theophilus Salwey, Esq., -with its chubby, smiling cherub, placidly seated upon an hour-glass, and -surrounded by skulls, bones, and such-like disjecta membra, a curious -conjunction! Salwey, with equal mind, declares himself by the -inscription, 'Pro Rege Sæpe, Pro Republica Semper.' - -The antiquary may discover much matter of this sort in the course of a -stroll through St. Lawrence's church; but, not to pursue the subject ad -nauseam, we will now sally forth into the town again, and continue our -peregrinations. Before leaving the church, however, let us glance at the -ancient font, a strange, archaic-looking stone vessel, large, plain and -bowl-shaped, and bearing traces of the days when it did duty as a -watering trough somewhere in the vicinity. - -Once more in the open air we turn towards the east end of the -churchyard, where the ancient abode known as the Reader's House raises -its old weatherbeaten gable beside the pathway; a delightful jumble of -rough stonework, carved beams and dim, diamond-paned windows. The low -portal, enclosing an ancient nail-studded door, is beautiful with rare -old Jacobean carving, and a row of plain brick dwellings alongside -contrast not unpleasingly with their venerable neighbour. - - * * * * * - -A terraced walk on the north side of the churchyard occupies the site of -the old town wall, and embraces a fair prospect over the surrounding -country, a goodly, fertile landscape, very pleasant to behold. In -ancient times, before the Normans built their church on the site of the -present edifice, a prehistoric tumulus occupied the western end of what -is now the graveyard. From this monticle the town is said to acquire -its name, the word Ludlow being derived from Leod-hlaw, the People's -Hill, shewing the place is at least as old as Saxon times. - -[Illustration: Palmers Guild, Ludlow.] - -Of the 'fayre House' of the Palmers' Guild 'at the west end of the -Paroche Churche-yard,' there are some scanty remains incorporated amidst -more modern buildings, now not easy to find, nor yet very imposing when -discovered. And as for the 'Hospitall or Almes-house of a 30 poore -Folke,' built by one Hosyer in the year of grace 1468, and noticed by -Leland, its place is now usurped by the gaunt red-brick edifice opposite -the west front of the church. - -We now retrace our steps to the Butter Cross, calling to mind old -Churchyard's lines on Ludlow: - - 'Who that lists to walk the Towne about - Shall find therein some rare and pleasant things.' - -Yonder before us lies Broad Street, a spacious, respectable-looking -thoroughfare still, if not as in Leland's time, 'the fayrest part of the -Towne;' with Butcher Row under the pillars to the left, the Angel Hotel -farther on, and the solitary survivor of Ludlow's seven town-gates -spanning the lower end of the street. - -So down Broad Street we now take our way, pausing beneath the grim old -archway to notice the grooves for the portcullis in its massive masonry. -Two semicircular towers, jutting boldly forth, protect the gateway upon -its outer side, and command the approach from Ludford Bridge. Sober, -antiquated tenements cling like parasites around the ancient gateway, -and the humble Wheat-Sheaf Inn thrusts out its bar-parlour window upon -the site of the old town moat. - -A bowshot farther we come to Ludford Bridge; and, as in Leland's day, -'there be three fayre arches in this bridge over Teme,' though the -'pretty chapel upon it of St. Catherine' is now no more. Huge sparlings, -wider than the bridge itself, afford tempting nooks wherein to linger -and gaze upon the clear tide swirling past the bold cutwaters below, -where house-leeks, ground-ivy and such-like wildlings, have made their -homes in the crannies of the stonework. - -The view hence is delightful, look which way we will; trees, rocks, -bustling rapids and deep, calm pools that reflect the sky, combining to -form a scene of rural harmony. A picturesque old flour-mill and some -dilapidated tanneries still cling to the bank hard by, though Peter -Undergod's ancient fulling-mill is now a thing of the past, having been -swept away in an unprecedented flood a dozen years ago. - -Beyond the bridge rise the church, the ancient manor-house and timbered -cottages of Ludford, a fascinating spot; but Ludford lies without our -province, in shire Hereford. So turning presently to the right-about, we -leave upon our dexter hand the site of an Hospital, founded by Peter -Undergod in King John's reign and dedicated to St. John Baptist, whereof -the name alone now survives. Then, passing through Broad Gate again, we -strike thence into a narrow lane running alongside the old town-wall. - -This brings us to Mill Street, near a row of humble stone tenements -wherein Mr. Oliver Baker discovered, some few years ago, traces of old -work dating back as far as the thirteenth century. These are supposed to -be the remains of Barnaby House, a guest-house where, in mediæval times, -pilgrims used to break their journey when travelling into Wales. - -Arrived in Mill Street, we make for the Grammar School, a long, low, -whitewashed building relieved by dormer windows, and retaining, in a -couple of two-light trefoil-headed windows and a wide arched doorway, -relics of antiquity. It is a place of very early foundation, having been -established by the Palmers' Guild in the thirteenth century, and -afterwards made over to the Ludlow Corporation with the stipulation that -they 'alwayes finde in ye same Towne, at their own charges, a free -Grammar schole, with a schoolmaster and an Hussher, for the erudicion of -youth in the Latine tonge.' Chartered by King Edward VI., the School, -one of the most ancient in the Kingdom, still continues its useful and -prosperous career. - -The Ludlow Natural History Society has a small but well arranged -Museum near the top of Mill Street, which is replete with objects of -interest to the antiquary and the naturalist. - -Here, in the district where they were originally brought to light, the -famous fossils of Siluria may be studied; while birds, fishes, and -shells of various kinds are well in evidence. Then there are the relics -of bygone Ludlow, a curious olla podrida; here a rusty iron-bound -deed-chest, there a quaint money-box with intricate lock; or something -'loathely and grim' in the way of torturing gear, such as the Branks -shewn in the sketch at the end of the foregoing chapter, a horrid engine -used for compressing the heads and branding the cheeks of malefactors. - -Upon the wall above the Museum door hang two big wooden balls, with a -rope's-end attached to each. These were used in olden times upon Shrove -Tuesday, when a kind of municipal tug-of-war took place. At either end -of a long rope (whereof we here see the remnants) the men of Broad and -Castle Wards confronted the champions of Corve Street and Old Street, -each party endeavouring to pull their opponents over to their side of -the town, until the end of the rope went into the Teme or the Corve, as -the tide of contest swayed. - -The Butter Cross is once again our rendezvous. Passing thence towards -the Bull Ring, we notice several fine old timber-framed houses, besides -others that hide their charms beneath a disfiguring mantle of whitewash. -Some of these ancient residences retain their handsome plaster ceilings, -and oaken staircases with massive newels and twisted balusters. - -[Illustration: The "Feathers" Hotel. Ludlow.] - -The Bull Ring itself, where our 'rude forefathers' enjoyed the -exhilarating sport of bull-baiting, is encumbered with some oldish -houses, not bad ones of their kind. But such attractions as they offer -are quite put into the shade by a beautiful half-timbered edifice which -rises but a stone's-throw away, so thitherward let us now direct our -steps. - -This is the Feathers Hotel, an ancient hostelry which, as may be -gathered from our sketch, is a magnificent example of mediæval domestic -architecture. Observe how the venerable house seems to 'stand at ease,' -as it were, in these days of its ripe old age; its tall beetling gables -and quaintly carved beams leaning this way or that, quite regardless of -perspective. With what picturesque effect its diamond-paned oriel -windows jut forth from beneath the deep-browed eaves, and the queer -carven monsters ogle the passer-by from bulging bracket and beam end; -and how charmingly the flowering creepers on the balcony relieve its -grim old timbers. - -Upon stepping within we notice the letters R.I. on the lock-plate of the -door; but whether this refers to King James I., or to Mr. Jones, the -traditional builder of the house, we leave others to decide. The same -letters reversed figure upon the beautiful carved oak chimney-piece in -the coffee-room, which, with its elaborate plaster ceiling, intricately -carved oak panelling, and low, lattice-paned windows, has quite a -mediæval appearance. Hard by is another fine wainscoted chamber, where -some visitor of bygone days has set his signet in the form of a family -hatchment, duly 'erased' and 'impaled,' in true heraldic fashion. - -In point of historic interest, the record of this fine old hostelry is -little better than a 'perfect and absolute blank.' But from the general -style of its architecture, and the presence of the royal arms in its -principal chamber, it has been conjectured that The Feathers was in some -way connected with the Courts of the Marches, which played such an -important part at Ludlow in mediæval days. - -Over the way stands The Bull, another oldfashioned hotel, with one of -those large, rambling inn-yards, familiar to travellers of a bygone -generation. Upstairs in the dining-room are preserved those 'armes in -colours, sitch as fewe can shewe,' which, as we have seen, once graced -the ancient castle chapel; and amongst them may be found the armorial -bearings of many a one who bore a name to conjure with in the brave days -of old. - -Thomas Lane, in the year 1674, established at Ludlow an alms-house for -aged and decayed women. Its habitat in Old Street is still known as -Lane's Asylum, a picturesque structure of timber and stone displaying -the half obliterated letters E.C. upon a gable-end, and a date that -looks like 1621. The house itself is evidently of great age, but has -nothing of interest within, save and except an old coat-of-arms in the -refectory, supported by the lion and winged griffin, and ensigned by a -royal crown and the initials E.R. - -Of the Whitefriars Monastery, that 'fayre and costly thinge' which -Leland noticed on the banks of Corve, scarce one stone has been left -upon another; or, to speak more precisely, one solitary arch stands -tottering to its fall. Being far gone into disrepair, the place was -pulled down about a century ago, and its materials carted away to build -pigstys and the like. - -In the same quarter is to be seen a group of ancient almshouses built by -one of the Foxes of Bromfield, whose coat-of-arms, with the date 1593, -appears upon the low grey stone façade fronting on the highway. - -Thus it will be seen that, hidden away amongst the nooks and corners of -Ludlow town, there are many relics of ancient domestic architecture, -such as lend a quaint, mediæval appearance to its older streets. The -surrounding country, too, is equally favoured, for it is full of the -charm of secluded, rural beauty; while rustic villages and smiling -homesteads are to be met with on every hand. - -So now let us bid farewell to the pavements, and, taking to the leafy -lanes, push forth again into the open country. - -[Illustration: A "Miserere" at Ludlow.] - - - - -THE CLEE HILLS, CORVE DALE, AND WENLOCK EDGE. - - -Away to the north-east, as we turn our backs upon Ludlow, appears a noble -range of hills, whereof we have caught frequent glimpses during our -peregrinations about the old town. And now, as we fare along through a -pleasant, pastoral country, the dark, volcanic-looking crest of -Titterstone Clee Hill looms grandly above the rolling woodlands that -clothe his lower flanks. - -'Cle Hills,' as Leland informs us, 'be holy in Shropshire. The highest -Parte of Cle Hills is cawlyd Tyderstone. In it is a fayre playne grene, -and a fountaine in it. There is another Hill a 3 Miles distant from it -cawlyd the Brown Cle.' - -Geologically these hills are somewhat remarkable. A cap of erupted -basalt crowns the summits of the Clees, having by its harder texture -protected the hills from the effects of denudation, and preserved from -destruction the underlying coal measures that now form the loftiest -coalfield in Britain. Hence it comes to pass that, in these utilitarian -days, the 'fayre playne grene and the fountaine' have given place to -coalpits, and to those yawning stone quarries that yield the famous road -metal locally known as 'Dhu stone.' - -Leaving the old timbered farmhouse of Dodmore upon our left, we descend -into a pleasant vale, cross the Ledwych brook and bear away for -Bitterley; following a narrow, unfrequented lane, with Titterstone -making a brave show in the direction whither we are bound. - -Set amidst green summer foliage, Bitterley village looks attractive -enough as we traverse its one quiet thoroughfare; but in winter-time, as -the name suggests, the district is bleak and chilly: - - 'Bitterley, Bitterley under the Clee, - Devil take me if I ever come to thee!' - -runs a rustic couplet that tells its own tale. - -[Illustration: The Haunted House, Bitterley.] - -At the farther end of the village we turn aside to examine an old, -ruinous pile, rising forlorn and derelict in the midst of an adjacent -meadow. Upon nearer acquaintance this proves to be an ancient, -dilapidated edifice, in the last stages of decay. With its time-stained -brick walls and crow-stepped gables smothered in untended ivy, the -mullioned windows agape to every gale, and roof and chimneys tottering -to their fall, the old place looks a haunted house, every inch of it, as -our sketch will shew. - -A solid oak newel staircase 'corkscrews' upwards in a projecting turret, -but, save a few remnants of elaborate stucco ornamentation above the -fireplace in one desolate chamber, there is little or nothing to repay -the risk of a broken neck. So, remarking certain traces of a moat in the -meadow hard by (restored by 'artist's license' in the sketch), we now -hie away through lanes and fields to Bitterley church. - -[Illustration: Cross at Bitterley.] - -Bitterley church and the old Court-house, with some noble trees in the -foreground and Titterstone towering behind, make a pleasing rural -picture as we draw near; and, upon passing through the wicket and -entering the green sanctuary, we come in sight of the beautiful -churchyard Cross shewn in the adjoining sketch. It dates from the -Decorated period, the slender shaft rising from a flight of worn, mossy -steps, and bearing aloft the four-sided head, or finial, in whose -crocketed niches some mouldering fragments of sculptured work may still -be discerned. This Cross is one of the finest of its kind in England. - -The church itself is of Norman origin, though much altered in later -times. The best features of the interior are a fine arcaded Norman font, -a curious old lectern and iron-bound muniment chest, and slight remains -of a traceried oak roodscreen. - -Beyond Bitterley church the country opens out towards the unenclosed -flanks of Titterstone Glee Hill: - - 'Those mountains of commande - The Clees, like loving twins, and Stitterstone that stande - Transevered,' - ---as the poet Drayton hath it. So, putting the best foot foremost, we -have a lung-expanding tramp for the next half-hour amidst heather and -waving brake-fern, winning our way at last to a fine view point dubbed -the Giant's Chair. The outlook hence on a fine summer's day is a thing -to be remembered. Wide and varied as is the prospect, the gem of it all, -perhaps, is the charming bird's-eye view of old Ludlow town, down in the -vale at our feet, its warm-grey towers and house-roofs nestling beneath -the verdant slopes of Whitcliff, which in their turn are overtopped by -the brindled heights of Bringwood Chase, stretching away towards the -blue Welsh hills where the horizon meets the sky. - -[Illustration: Crow Leasow.] - -Having spied out the land from this lofty eyrie, we plunge down again -through the breast-high bracken, and then, working our way by -cross-country lanes, come presently to Crow Leasow. - -Crow Leasow is a substantial brick farmhouse dating from the early days -of the seventeenth century. Its weatherbeaten front has some good -moulded brickwork about the doorway, eaves and gables, and a bulky -chimney-stack projects towards the northern end. The massive doors and -thick beams and rafters of the interior look quite in character; while a -gigantic oak tree, of enormous girth but hollow within, flings its vast -limbs athwart the greensward before the entrance way. - -In bygone days Crow Leasow belonged to a family of the name of -Shepheard, who lived here for five successive generations, and were -probably the builders of the existing house. - -At Middleton village we find vestiges of a yet more antiquated dwelling, -in the moated manor-place called the Brook House, whereof one -half-timbered gable still survives. From a map made in 1721, the mansion -would appear to have been in good preservation at that time, as the -sites of a summer-house, a large walled garden and a bowling-green, are -all marked upon it. - -Laying a course due west for Stanton Lacy, we have now to negociate some -intricate byways athwart Hayton's Bent, a stretch of shaggy upland -islanded, so to speak, in Corve Dale. Up through the woodlands we go, -getting a fleeting glimpse of Downton Hall, standing in a lonely -situation amidst a richly timbered park. Anon we strike into a secluded -dingle--one of those 'Hopes,' as they are called, so characteristic of a -Shropshire countryside, with a brooklet tinkling along through a tangle -of undergrowth; while the carol of thrush, linnet and blackbird sounds -blithely in our ears. - -Stanton Lacy itself is but a mile farther on; and through that quaint, -quiet village lies our way to the parish church. Stanton Lacy church is -a genuine Saxon edifice; indeed, it is considered to be one of the best -examples of pre-Norman work in this country. Upon its outer walls appear -the narrow buttresses built of long-and-short stones, and the rough, -uneven stonework with its wavy coursing, that mark the Saxon period. - -[Illustration: Stanton Lacy.] - -In the north nave wall is the remarkable doorway shewn in the -accompanying sketch. Here we find the long-and-short work both upon the -jambs and the semicircular head, which is surmounted by a peculiarly -shaped cross, and guttæ, or drops, like those found in classic -architecture. Though now blocked up, this doorway is still in a good -state of preservation. - -The church is cruciform in plan, its massive central tower grouping -prettily amidst a setting of verdant foliage, when viewed from the -south, with the porch standing prominently out, and some curious stone -effigies of the de Lacys under low, cusped, mural arches. - -Inside we find traces of various styles and dates, with scraps of -ornamentation here and there, such as the alternate shields and rosettes -upon the otherwise plain stone font, and the little carved figures that -look down from brackets on a beam of the chancel roof. - -A pretty legend tells how this church first came into existence. -Milburga, the pious daughter of King Penda the Mercian, fleeing one day -from the too pressing attentions of a certain Welsh princeling, managed -to escape across the Corve, near where the church now stands, before her -lover came up. Then the good lady vowed a vow that, if permitted to -escape, she would build a church as a thank-offering; whereupon a mighty -flood swept down the stream and effectually put a stop to all pursuit; -and so it came to pass that the first church arose hard by upon the -banks of Corve. - -So much, then, for Stanton Lacy church. In other ways, also, the place -seems in bygone times to have been of some importance, for Anderson -tells us that 'Stanton Lacy was free from hundredal subjection, and its -seigneural lords claimed to have a gallows, to hold pleas of bloodshed -and hue and cry, and an assize of ale.' - -Upon resuming the onward route we traverse a pleasant vale, the road -following up the course of the Corve, with low, wooded hills on either -hand, and the topmost crests of the Clees peering over their shoulders. -Beyond the fine old timbered farmhouse of Langley the valley broadens -out, and the good red soil of Corve Dale shews rich and ruddy where the -ploughshare has lately passed, and ripening crops by the wayside add a -zest to the general outlook. - -Anon we steer a due northerly course, with first a conspicuous Lombardy -poplar, and then a curious-looking church steeple, by way of -guide-marks. The village to which it belongs lies coyly aside from the -highway, necessitating a slight detour, and the crossing of a brawling -brook. - -Thus we come to Culmington, a bucolic-looking village with several good -cottages of stone, timber and thatch; and the church, whose spire we -have already observed, rising beside the meadows overlooking the Corve. -Thitherward, then, let us now direct our steps. - -Though somewhat plain, the old church has several good features, and its -curiously stunted broach spire is weathered and mildewed to a thousand -tints. The rough, plastered walls of the edifice are only relieved by a -few slender lancet windows, which are narrower and more sharply pointed -than is usual, while one of them looks like what is known as a leper, or -low-side, window. - -Very plain and simple too is the interior of the church, a dark oak -roodscreen alone breaking the monotony of the whitened wall surfaces. A -good Decorated canopy with ball-flower enrichment, an aumbry and -piscina, some old carved oak pews, and the quaint memorial to a -seventeenth-century Rector, are amongst the notabilia that come under -our observation. - -A hedgeside inn at the end of the village now comes handy for rest and -refreshment, both welcome enough to wayfarers who have borne the burden -and heat of the day. Then after a sociable smoke and a chat with mine -host anent 'the weather and the craps,' we proceed again upon our -travels through the byways of Corve Dale. - -The road next takes an upward grade, and, approaching the foothills of -Wenlock Edge, enters upon a rough, broken country, known in olden times -as Siefton Forest. - -Anon we quit the main road, and, turning down a narrow lane, presently -espy a large, handsome old stone-built mansion of the Tudor period, the -ancient manor-house of Elsich. The front towards the road appears to -have been considerably renovated, but the rearward aspect is much more -antiquated-looking, a projecting half-timbered stair turret, roofed with -thick stone slates, rising with charmingly picturesque effect above the -last remnants of the moat. - -Elsich was during many generations the home of the Baldwyns, who are -said to have first settled here in the reign of Richard II. The original -house was probably built about the year 1545 by Richard Baldwyn, whose -brother William was cupbearer to Queen Mary. Thomas Baldwyn, son of the -last named, was committed to the Tower on suspicion of being implicated -in a plot to liberate Mary Queen of Scots, and is said to have written -the following inscription on the wall while in prison there: THOS . -BAUDEWINE . JULIE . 1585 : AS . VIRTUE . MAKETH . LIFE . SO . SIN . -CAUSETH . DEATH. - -Striking across the fields, we now cut off a corner and look in upon -Corfton, where, beside a large tree-covered tumulus, we find a few -scanty, very scanty, traces of The Mount chapel, a little old stone -building of unknown antiquity, which, though now a mere featureless -shell, was still in use, they say, as a place of worship within living -memory. - -Another mile brings us to Delbury, or Diddlebury, to give the place its -full title. Traversing a footbridge where a stream crosses the roadway, -we make our way to the church, whose grey old stunted tower rises above -the hamlet. - -[Illustration: Delbury Church.] - -Dedicated to St. Peter, Delbury church is a fascinating spot to the -lover of old things, for the fabric bears the stamp of its first Saxon -builders, while other hands in later years have added variety of style -in pleasingly blended contrast. - -A large portion of the north wall, including the base of the tower, is -pure Saxon work, built herring-bone wise inside, and of nicely squared -masonry without. A blocked doorway shews the long-and-short -construction, while high up in the wall is seen a small, semi-headed -window, evidently as old as the wall itself. This window bears traces of -having had an internal shutter. - -The old western tower, as may be gathered from the sketch, is a curious -architectural jumble. Owing to superincumbent weight, the original arch -of the west doorway has assumed a squat, horseshoe form, and a later but -still ancient arch has been inserted beneath it. With its rough, -timeworn buttresses, and dilapidated string-courses fringed with moss -and splotched with lichens, this old tower looks exceedingly -picturesque, and forms a capital subject for a sketch. - -Many quaint bits of carved work, both in wood and stone, come to light -as we potter about the interior. In the chancel, upon a brass plate -under the arch of the Easter Sepulchre, appears an inscription which -runs as follows: M . S . CAROLUS . BALDWYN . DE . ELSICH : ARMIGER . HIC -. SITUS . EST : OBIJT . 140 . DIE . FEBRUARIJ . ANO . DNI . 1674 : ANNO -. ÆTATIS . SUÆ . 77. The Charles Baldwyn here referred to held Stokesay -Castle under a long lease from Lord Craven, and his son Samuel was in -command of the garrison there at the time of the Civil Wars. - -The north chapel here has been, from time immemorial, devoted to the use -of the Cornewall family, of Delbury Hall. - -Regaining the highroad we get a pretty rearward view of Delbury, the -tranquil hamlet with its low grey steeple nestling in a wooded vale, -while lofty hills rise away in the background. Thence we push on for -Munslow through an orchard country, where the landscape is brightened by -the flower-laden trees whose fragrance permeates the air. - -A mile short of our destination, the Swan Inn, with its half-timbered -gables, its worn stone steps and swinging sign, makes a comely show at -the crossways; and presently after we find ourselves at the Crown Hotel, -the old Hundred House of Stottesdon, on the outskirts of Munslow -village. At The Crown, then, we will outspan awhile, for, situated in -the very heart of Corve Dale, the house will suit us 'to a T' as a -starting-point while exploring that locality; the more so that, as a -rule, the Dale boasts little accommodation above the hedge-alehouse -character. - -Munslow is a rather scattered village, whose cottages seem to be playing -hide-and-seek with one another about a rough, out-cropping hill. As for -the church, the place seems at first sight not to possess such an -appendage, until, surmounting a steep rocky lane, we presently come upon -it down in a secluded nook, embosomed amidst apple orchards, with the -comfortable-looking parsonage house peeping out from a grove of trees. - -[Illustration: The Old Church Porch. Munslow.] - -Two or three dark yews and a curious wooden erection, apparently an old -lich-gate, lend an air of rusticity to the churchyard. The beautiful old -timbered porch shewn in our sketch is the most pleasing feature of the -exterior: but the window tracery is worthy of notice, being of -excellent though simple character, and original in treatment. The -interior of the church has been a good deal renovated, but in one of the -nave windows we notice a Virgin and Child in fourteenth-century glass, -and a foliated cross cut upon the sill below. - -Some later glass in the aisle windows is remarkable for its quaint -anagrams and inscriptions, and upon an old slab near by may be seen the -following queer effort at rhyme: - - AO 1602: - IN . TE . HOVVER . OF . HIS . POVVER . ONE . DEAD . - BY . CHRIST . DOE . RISE . - AND . VVEE . VVHOSE . BOANES . ROT . VNDER . STONES . - OVR . DVST . HEEL . NOT . DESPISE . - -Some of the original pews in the nave are of massive old moulded oak, -with geometrical patterns incised on their ends of earlier character -than is usually found in such cases. - -Down past the church, from the westward hills, comes a lane that in any -but the best of weather must be a mere mountain torrent, paved with the -naked rock and overarched by ancient yews. Our way, however, lies -through the fields, until, striking the Wenlock road, we diverge to the -right, cross the river Corve by a footbridge, and threading our way -through deep, sandy lanes, come presently to Tugford. This takes us past -Broncroft Castle, a modernized, castellated residence, seated in a -curiously out-of-the-way spot for such an imposing pile. - -[Illustration: Tugford Church.] - -With the ivy wreathing tower and porch, and moss and lichens encrusting -its old plastered walls, Tugford church looks thoroughly in keeping with -its secluded sylvan situation. Low down outside the chancel walls are -certain arched recesses of unknown origin. The small blocked doorway -seen in our sketch has a semicircular tympanum, carved in low relief, of -evident antiquity; and a Norman arch with excellent mouldings is found -inside the ivied porch. Internally, two curious, grotesque little -figures are perched aloft on either side of this door. - -Across the west end, hiding a good pointed tower arch, extends the -musicians' gallery, where, amidst dusty music scores and other disjecta -membra, the old wormeaten band-stand may still be seen. From this same -gallery might be heard, until comparatively lately, those mellifluous -strains of flute, clarionet, melodion and all sorts of music, wherewith -the 'rude forefathers of the hamlet' were wont to wake the slumbering -echoes on a Sunday morning; indeed the present rector himself can still -recall those 'piping' times. - -The very parish bier at Tugford boasts a respectable antiquity, as -witnesses the inscription 'Bartholomew Lutley, Anno Dom. 1617,' carved -upon it. - -From Tugford we climb by rambling footpaths to The Heath, a secluded, -upland district, forming a sort of western buttress to the Brown Clee -Hill. - -[Illustration: The Heath Chapel.] - -Emerging from a tangle of plantations, we traverse a few rough pasture -fields and soon come to the Heath Chapel, a small, ancient edifice, -standing all alone in a green meadow, with sheep browsing leisurely -around its grey stone walls. Simple and unobtrusive as it is, this lowly -chapel is extremely interesting to the antiquary, from the fact that it -has remained practically untouched since the Norman builders brought -their work to completion, seven hundred years ago. - -[Illustration: Interior of the Heath Chapel. Looking East.] - -The fabric consists of nave and chancel, and has a fine south doorway -enriched with nook-shafts and chevron mouldings; while the walls are -strengthened by the flat buttresses characteristic of that early period, -through two of which, curiously enough, the east and west windows have -been pierced. A plain string-course runs inside and out around both nave -and chancel. - -Inside, the old oaken box pews, grey with age, remain in situ, their -timeworn panels bearing touches of carved work and quaint iron hinges; -the walls retain their coating of faded, mildewy plaster; and the whole -wears an air of archaic simplicity, and immemorial repose. Upon the -rough stone-flagged floor stands a plain, bowl-shaped font, evidently -coeval with the building itself, while the beams of the open-timbered -roof look almost equally primitive. - -The chancel arch is quite unadorned, save for a little carving upon the -capitals. The altar table and rails around, though plain, are not bad -specimens of their kind, and inside the western gable is suspended the -solitary bell. - -As may be readily understood, the congregation here is at the best of -times but a scanty one; indeed, it is said that in bygone days the -parson, perceiving but 'two or three gathered together,' would sometimes -adjourn the service to the snug fireside of a neighbourly farmer's -kitchen! The wonder, indeed, is that a church should ever have been -erected in such a sparsely-peopled, out-of-the-way locality. - -Well, let us now bid farewell to the Heath Chapel, not omitting to -notice the old Gothic hinges upon its oaken door, now alas! bereft of -that famous key which, if tales be true, was so fearfully and -wonderfully constructed that the clerk alone could prevail upon it to -'open sesame!' - -The day proving fine and clear lures us onwards towards Brown Clee Hill, -whose broad, bulky mass looms prominently, no great distance away to the -eastward. In about a mile and 'a bittock,' after passing through a gate, -we enter upon a wild, go-as-you-please sort of country, and clamber up -the steep grassy vallum of Nordy Bank, a large Roman encampment in an -unusually good state of preservation. The bank is very high and steep, -with a ditch on its outer side, though much lower, as the custom was, -upon its inner face. - -Hence a fine, wild glen comes into view, running up into the heart of -the hills, Titterstone rears his dark craggy crest away to the right, -and the Wrekin peeps over the shoulder of Brown Clee Hill, towards which -we now bend our steps. - -Dropping to a sandy ford across a stream, we slant gradually away -athwart the open furze-clad hillside, and then breast the rough, steep, -rock-strewn bank, called Abdon Burf, which encircles the loftier of the -twin summits of Brown Clee Hill. - -Perched up here beside the cairn, 1,792 feet above sea level, we look -down upon every other height in all broad Shropshire; indeed, to find a -rival to Brown Clee Hill, we should have to travel across the Welsh -border. So let us now turn our attention to the spacious landscape which -lies outspread around; a prospect that embraces the greater part of -west-central England, and a good cantle of wild Wales to boot. - -Away towards the south-east rise the graceful peaks of the Malvern -Hills, with the Cotswolds far beyond them. Then to the left are seen the -Clent and Lickey heights, and the dingy pall of smoke overhanging the -Black Country. Glancing athwart a number of inferior eminences, the eye -is arrested by the great rounded dome of the Wrekin, unmistakable in its -lonely isolation. League upon league extends the broad plain called Yale -Royal, stretching far away into Cheshire, and blurred with a filmy cloud -indicating the whereabouts of Shrewsbury: - - 'Far set in fields and woods the town we see - Spring gallant from the shadows of her smoke.' - -The Berwyns come next, a pale grey stripe silhouetted upon the skyline, -followed by the sharp-peaked Breidden Hills, on the farthest confines of -Shropshire. Quite near neighbours by comparison seem the Stretton -heights, Caer Caradoc, and the spiny Stiperstones; while over those -rolling uplands we can faintly discern the topmost crests of Cader -Idris, in Wales. - -Corve Dale, a chequer-work of ruddy plough lands and varied greensward, -lies like a map at our feet, with the rough holts of Wenlock Edge -fringing its farther side. Radnor Forest and the Black Mountains extend -athwart the south-west, with perhaps a peep of the Brecon Beacons, mere -shadows of a shadow these, upon the remotest horizon. - -Yonder away lies Ludlow, marked by its tall church tower; and, still -following along the skyline, we descry the abrupt form of the Skyrrid -near Abergavenny. Finally our neighbour Titterstone Clee thrusts his -rugged cone aloft; a fine, dark, basaltic crag, around whose crest the -cloud shadows love to linger; fitting throne for the giant who, in days -of old, haunted those lonely heights. - -And overarching all this fair landscape spread the 'infinite shining -heavens,' and the glorious architecture of the clouds; completing a -picture worthy to be stored up in memory's garners for many a day to -come. - -From the carnedd we make a bee-line down through broad reaches of -heather, gorse, and wine-red bilberry shoots, flushing now and then a -hawk or a curlew as we tramp along. Hugging the course of a lusty -stream, we soon find ourselves once more at Tugford; whence by lanes and -field paths we work our way back to Munslow, crossing the Corve at Beam -Bridge, where the blacksmith plies his trade in a curious, nondescript -structure, half smothered in ivy, built, it is said, as a memorial to -some member of the More family who was slain upon foreign soil long, -long ago. - - * * * * * - -In a retired nook of the hills, about a mile and a half, as the crow -flies, from Munslow, lies the old farmhouse of Upper Millichope. - -[Illustration: UPPER MILLICHOPE.] - -The house is considered by connoisseurs to have been built in the -twelfth century, and thus may claim to be the most ancient abode in -Shropshire; in point of age, indeed, it probably has few rivals -throughout the whole of England. - -The oldest, or western, wing of the building, is massively constructed -of the grey limestone of the district, its walls being in places at -least 6 feet thick, while the steep roof is covered with old moss-clad -stone-slates. The original entrance was through the semicircular-headed -doorway seen in our sketch, the arch whereof is enriched with hallflower -ornament, as is that of a small round window of similar character -alongside. The other windows in the lower story are very narrow, mere -ceilets, or loops such as were used for archery, but are widely splayed -within. - -Access to the upper regions was obtained by a stone staircase built in -the thickness of the wall. This staircase, though now partially -destroyed, bears traces of having been protected by no less than three -doors between the basement and the room above. - -Owing to the reduced thickness of the west wall, the chamber on the -first floor is larger than the room below. It is lighted by a pair of -double windows in the northern and eastern sides, each window having an -attached pillar with moulded cap and base, a projecting socket for -inserting a beam across the window, and a stone seat, or bench, in the -wall upon either side. - -This first-floor room was probably the living-room, or Solar, of the -establishment. A small adjacent chamber is supposed to have been used as -a chapel, or oratory. In the roof are one or two rickety, dust-laden -garrets, long since deserted and given over to mice, spiders, and -such-like small deer. - -Huge oaken beams support the floor of the Solar, and the internal walls -are constructed of wattle-and-dab, now much fallen to decay. - -By a 'perambulation,' ratified in 1301, Edward I. declared Upper and -Little Millichope disafforested, in common with other places in the same -neighbourhood. In those days all this part of the country was a vast -tract of woodland, known as the Long Forest; and Millichope was -doubtless at that time the manor house, or hunting lodge, of the King's -Wood-ward, or Forest-ranger. - -Even now the scenery about Wenlock Edge is wild and romantic; but in -early times its thickly timbered dales afforded harbourage to robbers -and outlaws, who, issuing from the tangled thickets, preyed upon passing -travellers as they wandered through its devious, unfrequented trackways. -Nor was it until the reign of Henry I. that a good road was made along -the Edge, in place of the 'hollow way full of great, sharpe stones, and -so narrow as scarcely to admit of two horsemen abreast,' which had -formerly existed. - -[Illustration: Rushbury.] - -But to resume. From Millichope we may extend our ramble to Rushbury, a -pretty village situated in Ape Dale, under the western slope of Wenlock -Edge. - -Though nowadays so insignificant a place, Rushbury has some claim to be -of ancient origin, for it appears probable that the station named -Bravinium, on the Roman road from Magna to Wroxeter, stood here, or -hereabouts; and it is worthy of note that a hill above the village is to -this day called Roman's Banks. - -Rushbury church, too, bears traces of high antiquity, some -'herring-bone' work being visible upon the outer walls; while a noble -hammer-beam roof, very massively constructed and black with age, lends -distinction to the interior, and there are some good oak choir stalls -and bench ends, with 'poppy-head' terminations. - -Retracing our steps to Corve Dale, we travel on by meadow paths in the -direction of Holgate village, whose grey church tower, surrounded by -trees, is seen upon a distant hill-top, a landmark to every wayfarer who -journeys along the Dale. Wild saffron appears to be the bane of the -pasture fields in this locality; but for us they are decked in the -purple and gold of orchids and burnished king-cups, affording a charming -scheme of colour. - -[Illustration: Northern Doorway. Holgate Church.] - -Holgate church is small, and has recently undergone a 'thorough -restoration.' It boasts, however, a grand Norman south doorway, enriched -by a triple series of arches displaying the boldly carved sculpture -peculiar to that period. The font is evidently very ancient, the -interlaced ornamentation around the bowl having a Celtic look, while the -corners of the base are ornamented with rudely sculptured monsters. - -A grove of trees near the eastern end of the churchyard hides a lofty, -moated mound; and just beyond that, incorporated with some farm -buildings, is a large, circular stone tower, built of good ashlar -masonry, and pierced with narrow loopholes of the regulation mediæval -type. - -This is the only surviving fragment of Holgate castle, founded by Helgot -the Norman in William the Conqueror's time. King Henry I., in 1109, -honoured Herbert FitzHolgate with a visit; and six years later Richard -de Belesme, Lord of Bridgnorth, held his court within these walls. -Robert de la Mere, a subsequent owner, died while returning from the -Wars of the Crusades. - -In the year 1222, one Thomas Mauduit obtained license for a weekly -market at Holgate; while the Baron of those days had his own court and -private gallows here! - -About the middle of the thirteenth century Holgate was alienated to -Richard Plantagenet, styled the 'King of the Romans,' by whom it was -conveyed to the Knights Templars. Not long afterwards the castle and -demesne passed into the possession of Robert Burnell, Bishop of Bath and -Wells, and sometime Chancellor of England. - -In Leland's 'Itinerary' we read that 'Holgate castle standeth under Cle -Hilles, hard by Corve Dale, a 6 miles from Ludlowe'; a sufficiently -vague computation, about on a par with others that passed muster in -those easy-going times. Holgate castle appears to have fallen into -disrepair at an early date, being found utterly dilapidated in 1645. - -We now press on to Shipton, not failing to notice the fine Early English -hinges upon its south door, as we rest in the porch at Stanton Long -church. Approaching Shipton village, the old Hall of the Myttons comes -in sight backed by green, wooded heights, making a delightful picture. - -[Illustration: Shipton Hall. Shropshire.] - -As was frequently the case at that period, Shipton Hall follows the plan -of the letter E, and is a very dignified example of the builder's art as -practised in Good Queen Bess's reign. Between the broad, gabled wings -rises a slender stone tower; mullioned windows give back the glitter of -the noonday sun, and tall, curiously twisted brick chimneys soar above -the roof-tree. - -A quaint, oldfashioned garden forms a suitable setting to the mansion, -whose silver-grey stone walls and ivied gables rise with charming effect -above the flowering plants and creepers that adorn the balustrades in -front. Close at hand is an old stone pigeon-cot, covered with a conical -roof of thick, mossy stone tiles. - -This lordly dwelling was for many generations the ancestral home of the -Myttons; having been devised by John Lutwyche to his cousin, Edward -Mytton, of Worcester, in the year 1549, previous to which the Manor of -Shipton had appertained to Wenlock Priory. The place does not appear to -have figured much in local history, but was a veritable treasure-house -of heirlooms and antiquities. Times have changed, however, and the tap -of the auctioneer's hammer has dispersed these household gods to the -four winds. - -As befits an abode of 'the quality,' Shipton Hall stands a little apart -from the village, with the diminutive parish church nestling under its -lee. Thitherward, then, let us now direct our steps. - -Shipton church is a building of various dates, and so far has remained -untouched by restoration. At its western end rises a weather-boarded -bell-turret, while a coating of roughcast of a bright salmon-red tint -lends an air of cheerful distinction to the exterior. - -A plain Norman chancel arch, having a small arched aperture on each -side, gives access to the chancel itself, built, as is recorded in Old -English characters on a brass plate let into the wall, in the time of -Queen Elizabeth: THIS . CHAUNCELL . WAS . REEDIFIED . AND . BUILDED . OF -. NEWE . AT . THE . CHARDGES . OF . IOHN . LUTWICH . OF . LUTWICHE . IN -. THE . XXXJ . YEARE . OF . THE . GRACIOUS . REIGNE . OF . QUEENE . -ELIZABETH . 1589. The name of Mytton figures upon most of the monumental -tablets on these walls. Some scraps of old painted glass may still be -discovered in the window above the altar. - -A by-lane, running up beside Shipton Hall, brings us in about a mile to -Wilderhope, a great, stone-built manor-house of the Tudor period, -standing in a secluded spot amidst the woods and pastures of Hope Dale. - -Here in days of yore lived a family of the name of Smallman, a race that -flourished in this locality during the sixteenth and seventeenth -centuries, Major Thomas of that ilk being the hero in a certain episode -in connection with a spot called the 'Major's Leap,' whereof more anon. - -A spacious stone porch gives access to a large room now used as the farm -kitchen, whose ceiling retains some elaborate plaster enrichments, the -Tudor rose, portcullis, fleur-de-lys, etc., the letters I . E . S . U on -a heart, and certain half-obliterated words, MAL . MEA . DEA . EST, thus -they appear to run. Repeated here and there are seen the initials of -Francis and Ellen Smallman, who about the year 1601 erected the existing -mansion; and a small wainscoted chamber has T . S . 1, 1672, cut above -its fireplace. - -We now hark back to Shipton: noticing a curious sort of grotto, or -cavity in the limestone rock, as we pass through the village. Then -Corfield is left behind, a place that gives its name to an old -Shropshire family; and we get a peep at Larden Hall, an ancient seat of -the Mores, pleasantly situated in a well-timbered park under Wenlock -Edge. - -At Brocton the Feathers Inn affords opportune rest and refreshment; so, -after a spell of dolce far niente, we presently strike across country to -Great Oxenbold, where in bygone times the Priors of Wenlock had a -grange, or residence. - -All that remains of the old place is now incorporated with a farmhouse; -but the lancet windows of the chapel and the corbel-table above can be -detected outside, while a piscina and aumbry, and the brackets that -supported the chapel roof, are visible within; besides traces of a -circular stone stairway leading down to the cellars, whose ceiling is -ribbed with sturdy oaken beams. Evidences, too, are not wanting that a -moat formerly surrounded the whole. - -Beneath overarching groves and moss-clad rocks lies our way from Brocton -to Easthope; ferns and wildflowers decking the laneside, and rustic -children lingering to gather posies, only to throw them aside, as -children will, when some new fancy takes them. - -Before entering the village, Easthope church is seen, standing in a -quiet nook a little aside from the roadway; a small, plain, roughcast -structure, of thirteenth century date. From its southern side projects -an old stone porch, and a timber bell-cot rises atop of the western -gable, all very rustic and simple, and quite innocent as yet of -restoration. Upon the porch door still hangs the 'sanctuary' ring; and -the interior of the church (which is dedicated to St. Peter) has a very -reposeful, old-world air about it, as though time stood still, year in, -year out, within these hallowed walls. - -The stiff, high-backed pews have a little carved work upon them, with -the following inscription: EDWARD . BALL . OF . LONDON . GAVE . THIS . -PULPIT . & . PEWES . TO . THIS . PARISHE . WHEARE . HE . WAS . BORNE . -IUNE . 28 . ANNO . DOMINI . 1623. - -[Illustration: Hour-Glass at Easthope Church.] - -Yonder is the old carved oak pulpit; and upon it hangs the ancient -hour-glass, a relic of bygone days. As shewn in our sketch, the -hour-glass is enclosed in a sort of cage, or basket, of wrought and -twisted iron, from which projects a banner-like sheet of metal -ornamented with nicely fashioned fleurs-de-lys, a heart, and the letters -S, S, and surmounted by the figures 1662, indicating the year it was -made. Hour-glasses were much in vogue amongst the Covenanters; but -although one sometimes meets with the cage, or holder, in country -churches, it is rare to find the glass itself in situ as we see it here. - -A plain, massive oak roodscreen spans the church, which, besides other -antiquated features, has a 'leper' window with fifteenth-century hinge, -a bowl-shaped font, and two good Queen Anne chairs in the chancel. - -A short mile out of the village stands Lutwyche Hall, the beautiful seat -of the Bensons, charmingly situated in an umbrageous nook of the Edge, -and surrounded by terraced gardens set about with noble forest trees. -Though considerably modernized, the mansion is of ancient origin, as is -attested by the date 1587 inscribed upon its front; and there is a rare -old plaster ceiling in the entrance hall. - -The early British camp on a neighbouring hill was probably an outwork, -linking up Caer Caradoc with Nordy Bank. - -Setting our faces toward Wenlock, we now follow a high-lying ridgeway -road commanding fine views in the direction of the west. Anon we strike -into one of the numerous footpaths that zigzag down through the woods, -and make for a sort of cave, or rather cranny, high up in the limestone -rocks of the Edge, amidst tumbled boulders and brushwood. - -This is Ippikin's Rock, the haunt of a robber knight of that ilk, whose -deeds were famous in days of yore throughout all this countryside. Here, -as the story goes, Ippikin was wont to foregather with his merry men -all; issuing forth and levying blackmail on passing travellers, and -hiding the stolen treasure in these rocky fastnesses, where the print of -the knight's gold chain, it is said, may still be seen. Strange lights, -twinkling like Will-o'-the-wisps at dead of night, struck terror into -the hearts of the country folk as they gazed in fear and trembling from -the rustic homestall, while Ippikin and his crew held high revelry in -their unapproachable eyrie. - -Eventually Ippikin himself was slain, and his band dispersed, so that -they troubled the King's peace no more. But if tales be true his ghost -still 'revisits the glimpses of the moon,' and may be summoned from the -vasty deep by anyone who cares to stand atop of the cliff at midnight, -and cry three times: - - 'Ippikin! Ippikin! - Keep away with your long chin!' - -Footing it merrily along the white ridgeway road, we traverse the -watershed of the infant Corve, which babbles away hence towards a place -called Bourton. A large old manor-house with a square stone columbarium -is the most noticeable object at Bourton; unless, indeed, we except the -parish church, a nondescript edifice encompassed by yew trees, -overlooking the village upon the north. - -Presthope with its limestone quarries is left behind; and then, turning -aside near a solitary toll-house, we soon come to a flat-topped rock on -the crest of the Edge, known as the 'Major's Leap.' Tradition tells -that, in the days of the Civil Wars, Major Smallman of Wilderhope was -endeavouring to escape from a troop of Roundheads, when, finding himself -hard pressed as he rode along Wenlock Edge, he took a desperate leap -from the top of this rock down into the woods below. As luck would have -it, a crab-tree broke his fall, though his horse was killed on the spot; -and, under cover of the rocks and brushwood that abound hereabouts, the -Major made good his escape to his own home at Wilderhope. - -Thenceforward, save the goodly outlook upon our left, there is little -worthy of note until we draw near to Much Wenlock; and we seek in vain -for a certain country inn which greeted the wayfarer in this wise: - - 'Now Robin Hood is dead and Gone, - Step in and drink with Little John.' - -Descending from the uplands, our footsteps echo through the quiet -streets of Much Wenlock as we trudge on to our journey's end, while the -arrowy swifts are screaming around St. Milburga's tall church-steeple, -and the waning daylight flickers slowly away beyond the hills on the -western horizon. - -[Illustration: Hinge of Stanton Long.] - - - - -WENLOCK, WROXETER, AND THE WREKIN. - - -Seated in a basin-shaped valley, the town of Much Wenlock lies high on -the hills, a statement which smacks somewhat of paradox, though the -explanation is not far to seek. The fact of the matter is, the place -occupies one of those upland vales, locally termed Hopes, so frequently -found in this part of Shropshire. - -Much Wenlock is a town of very ancient origin, its earliest history -centring around the venerable Priory founded by St. Milburga, daughter -of Merewald, King of Mercia, towards the close of the seventh century. - -Its municipal history, too, dates far away back into the past. Before -Henry the Third's time Wenlock already held its weekly market, and in -1468 Edward IV. granted the first charter of incorporation, so that Much -Wenlock can justly claim to be one of the most ancient boroughs in the -realm. And there is a story, though we know not if it be true, that the -very first member who ever entered Parliament was the Member for the -Borough of Much Wenlock! - -So let us now take a look at the old town, in the centre whereof rises -the ancient Guildhall, 'buildid,' as an old record has it, 'over ye -Prisonne.' Supported upon massive oak pillars, the upper story consists -of timber and plaster, with gables and mullioned windows projecting at -intervals, and a deep tiled roof over all. Upon one of these oak pillars -you may still see the iron staples of the whipping-post, and under the -arches hard by stand the old parish stocks. - -Upstairs we find the Court of Assize; the Bench surmounted by the Royal -Arms, tempore 1589, and the Sword of Justice. Adjacent is the Council -Chamber, a sombre apartment panelled with dark old oak, whose -open-timbered roof bears the appropriate legend, JUDICIUM . VERUM . -JUDICATE : ET MISERICORDIAM FACITE. - -Close at hand rises the parish church, dedicated to St. Milburga, a -spacious edifice whose western tower is surmounted by a tall spire, a -rather unusual feature in this locality. A fine Norman west doorway, -masked by the tower built against it, is only one amongst several good -features to be seen here. In the old parish register we find the -following interesting record: 'Note that upon the 26 daye of June was -service celebrated first in the Englysh tonge, anno primo Elizabethæ, -1559.' - -Upon leaving the church we round a corner beside a queer old timbered -cottage, and, passing the site of the Bull Ring, come full in view of -the tall grey gables of St. Milburga's ruined Priory; while a grim old -stone watch tower, now off duty, is seen rising amidst a children's -playground. - -Wenlock Priory arose from very modest beginnings. Originally a nunnery -stood here, presided over by the gracious Saint Milburga, Wenlock's good -genius. - -Three centuries later--just about a thousand years ago--the Danes -overran all this part of Britain, which probably accounts for an ominous -blank in the local records about that time. - -Earl Leofric, husband of the famous Lady Godiva, rebuilt the ruined -church in the days of Edward the Confessor; but the place fell once more -to decay, until, as William of Malmesbury relates, Roger de Montgomery -took the matter in hand, and, about the year 1071, erected the nucleus -of the present edifice. - -Of Earl Roger's handiwork, except perhaps the ruined Chapter-house, -scarce one stone remains upon another; the slender pillars and pointed -arches of the main fabric dating from about the beginning of Henry the -Third's reign. The west front is much in ruins, but such features as -remain, indicate that it was built during the Early English period. - -[Illustration: The Chapter-House & Prior's Lodging. Much-Wenlock.] - -Entering by the dilapidated west doorway, we see around us, springing -from the clover-scented grass, tall fragments of grey stone walls, -blotched with weatherstains, and tufted with ivy, gillyflowers and -creepers; while flocks of pigeons flit from point to point, or nestle in -the crannies of the masonry. These massive, lofty fragments convey, by -their very isolation, a striking impression of the size of the minster, -which must have been of cathedral-like proportions, and unsurpassed in -the beauty and richness of its architecture. - -Indeed, the more closely we examine these beautiful and enduring -structures, the greater grows our admiration for the cunning -craftsmanship of those old monkish builders: - - 'Firm was their faith, the ancient bands, - The wise of heart in wood and stone. - Who reared with stern and trusty hands - These dark grey towers of days unknown. - They filled these aisles with many a thought, - They bade each nook some truth reveal: - The pillared arch its legend brought, - A doctrine came with roof and wall.' - -Passing through a corner of the south aisle, now the only portion of the -church not open to the sky, we enter upon a beautiful sunny courtyard, -around whose velvety turf arise the grey, crumbling relics of the Priory -buildings. - -Yonder upon the greensward appears the Lavabo, or washing-place of the -monks; a circular stone structure, richly carved with subjects from -Scriptural history. Beyond it rises the Refectory, an important element -in a community which entertained on so lavish a scale; and farther to -the left is seen the picturesque group of buildings that figure in the -adjoining sketch. - -That long, low edifice, with its quaint, trefoil-headed windows, deep -roof and half-timbered turret, is the Prior's Lodging of bygone days; -most interesting in that its internal economy remains much as in -mediæval times, though cleverly adapted to the needs of the nineteenth -century. - -Through those round Norman arches, with their characteristic -ornamentation and damaged effigy of St. Peter, we get a glimpse of the -ancient Chapter House, roofless now, it is true, but otherwise in -tolerable preservation. The walls of this fine apartment are broken up -into arcades of interlacing tracery, each tier of semicircular arches -being superposed upon the one below, giving all the effect of an arcade -of pointed arches. The work on the southern wall is profusely enriched -with carving, that on the opposite side being plainer, as though it had -never been completed. - -[Illustration: Much-Wenlock.] - -There is much else to be seen, for, wander where one will about the -tranquil enclave, some new beauty is ever revealing itself to the -discerning eye; while the sweet, reposeful landscape enfolds the old -ruins with its mantle of midsummer verdure. One pictures to one's self -this rich and sumptuous monastery in the zenith of its fame and -influence, the great Priory church with its crypt and chapter-house, its -library, scriptorium, and picturesque Prior's Lodging. One seems to see -the sober-liveried brethren plying their peaceful toil in cloister, -garden and field, or attending to the crowd of strangers that daily -throngs their gates; for whose benefit refectory and kitchen, vivaries, -columbarium and well-stocked cellars, yield each and all their tale of -good cheer to make glad the heart of man. Then, as nightfall draws on, -the long dormitories fill up with way-worn travellers and pilgrims; -while those in need of the leech's skill make their way to the hospital -hard by. - -There are several good timbered houses dotted about the town, notably -the one seen upon the left in the annexed view. This formed part of -Ashfield Hall, an old abode of the Lawleys, which gave shelter to King -Charles after the Battle of Worcester. The house afterwards became the -Blue Bridge Inn, and has finally degenerated to a common lodging-house. - -In the High Street we notice an old chequered front, relieved by an open -balcony, and inscribed: IOHN . AND . MARY . RAYNALDS . 1682. A still -older tenement in Shineton Street is said to have been the original -gaol-house of Wenlock; though its ancient Gothic doorway and traceried -window have anything but a dungeon-like appearance. - -Some pleasant spots lie within a measurable distance of Wenlock. -Quitting the town by the Broseley road, we glance up at the admirable -little wrought-iron sign of the Raven Inn, as we proceed to Barrow. Our -way lies past an ancient stone grange, now used as a stable and -store-house; and a cottage farther on offers refreshment to the thirsty -traveller in the form of 'lemon aid and jingre bier!' - -Then Barrow comes in view atop of a gentle rise, its old church tower -peering over the straw ricks of a barton; while far away beyond the dark -rolling woodlands of Willey Park spreads a rich, champaign country, -bounded by pale Midland hills. - -Despite its small size, Barrow church proves interesting, having -considerable remains of Saxon work both in the chancel and under the -tower. This tower is a queer, bulky structure, rising in four -diminishing stages, hoary and weedgrown, at the west end of the church; -and a rather curious south porch and sundial keep it in countenance. - -Out in the churchyard, beneath a flat stone slab, rests all that was -mortal of Tom Moody, the famous Whipper-in, who, when his hunting days -were ended, was 'run to earth' at this spot in the year of grace 1796. A -century ago, Tom Moody's was a name to conjure with in all this -countryside; and tradition tells how his sporting comrades, determined -to be 'in at the death,' gathered at the graveside to give their old -friend a parting 'view-halloo!' - -[Illustration: An Old Inn-Stick at Broseley] - -Past a group of seventeenth-century Almshouses we travel on to Broseley, -home of the Broseley Clays, beloved of fireside smokers. The town, with -its mean brick dwellings, has a decayed look about it; but in one of the -streets, outside a public-house, we chance upon a rare example of local -wrought-iron work, which is illustrated above. - -'Fight to the left at the cross-roads, and then you canna miss the way,' -remarks a passer-by of whom we now enquire the route to Benthall. Dumpy, -pot-bellied pottery kilns, bowered in flowering hawthorn, rise by the -roadside, where the brilliant blue Borage is abloom in untended corners. - -A fine avenue of forest trees leads us to Benthall Hall, a stately -freestone mansion of the sixteenth century, its mullioned windows and -projecting porch making a goodly show in the landscape. Close at hand, -its only neighbour, appears the parish church, a curious little -whitewashed edifice, destroyed and rebuilt at the time of the Great -Rebellion, when Benthall was held for the King. Its internal economy is -a survival of the churchwarden period, down to the stiff, penitential -box-pews, and the faded red curtains in the southward windows. - -In olden times an extensive tract of woodland, called the Royal Hay, or -Forest, of Shirlot, covered the rough broken country lying to the south -of Broseley. - -About the centre of this district lies Willey Park, the ancient demesne -of the Foresters; an estate which has never, it is said, been bartered -for filthy lucre since first it was granted by Henry II. to the Keeper -of the Royal Forest. - -The Foresters of bygone days seem to have been a free, open-handed race, -and keen sportsmen to boot. Tom Moody himself made his name famous -amongst the fox-hunting squires and parsons, who rode to hounds in the -train of my Lord Forester. - -Willey Hall, a solid, substantial stone edifice, stands atop of a gentle -rise, overlooking a chain of lake-like pools embosomed amidst shadowy -woodlands. Half a mile east, in a nook of the park, lies Willey church: -near to which we notice a natural curiosity, an oak and an ash tree -enjoying life on the co-operative principle by sharing a single stem -between them. - -Thenceforward our way lies through a reach of old forest land, full of -gnarled timber trees and carpeted with ferns--remains of Shirlot Forest. -In the heart of these woodlands we come upon a tall, ruinous stone -obelisk, known as the Shirlot Monument; whence, after traversing the -gorse-clad uplands of Shirlot Common, we return in due course to Much -Wenlock. - - * * * * * - -Road and rail keep fast company through Farley Dingle, the deep, -picturesque defile, by which one descends from Much Wenlock to the vale -of Severn. A brawling stream, as it winds adown the dingle, has been -ponded in and set to drive some rustic mills upon its banks. - -About half-way down we come to a place called Lawley's, _i.e._ Lawless, -Cross; recalling the wild times when outlaws took advantage of the fact -that this spot, being on the debatable line between the franchises of -Wenlock and Buildwas, formed a sort of No-man's-land, where the arm of -the law scarce reached. - -Emerging from the hanging woods of Farley Dingle, a broad, fertile -valley opens out before us, with the Severn rolling along through rich -pasture meads, and the ivy-clad ruins of Buildwas Abbey seated beside -its banks. So first for a bit of derivation. 'Build' suggests bieldy, or -bield, the Scottish equivalent for sheltered, comfortable; and 'was' is -a termination associated with a low, waterside situation, as for example -Sugwas, near the river Wye, in Herefordshire. - -[Illustration: Buildwas Abbey.] - -After the manner of their cloth, those old Cistercian monks, who erected -Buildwas Abbey, seem to have had an eye to the picturesque in locating -their noble foundation. Rising amidst green, folding meadows, on the -right bank of the Severn, the ruined Abbey forms the central feature in -a beautiful, tranquil scene; and, set amidst rich, dark foliage, with -the river rolling by, and cattle standing knee-deep in the shallows, has -exercised the brush of many a landscape artist. - -Founded by Roger de Clinton, Bishop of Chester, early in King Stephen's -reign, Buildwas Abbey is built in a plain, severe style, offering a -striking contrast to its more elegant rival at Much Wenlock. It was the -home of a wealthy community, owning, it is said, no fewer than nine -granges in Shropshire alone. A beautiful cope, worked by the hands of -Fair Rosamund, the Lady of Clifford Castle, was amongst the most valued -chattels appertaining to Buildwas Abbey. - -The arrangement of the several buildings is simple enough. East and west -extends the great monastic church, fairly intact still, though minus its -roof; a cruciform edifice with substantial circular pillars, slightly -pointed Transitional arches, and round-headed clerestory windows; while -a massive tower of Norman date rises above the crossing. The choir is -probably older than the nave, though the triple sedilia, with its pretty -dog-tooth enrichment, is evidently not earlier than the thirteenth -century. - -Towards the north one can trace the cloister-garth, where the Chapter -House, with its groined roof and slender, elegantly-proportioned -pillars, may still be seen. Beyond this lay the Abbot's dwelling, now a -private residence; with its chapel, ambulatory, and noble dining-hall -spanned by an open-timbered ceiling. In the vale towards the west lay -the vivaries, or fishponds, fed by a stream that runs down from the -neighbouring hills. - -At Buildwas Abbey, the monks of old kept alive the lamp of civilization -in dark, mediæval days. 'Within these walls peace reigned; from their -stately chambers ever arose the sound of prayer and praise; their gates -were open to the pilgrim and the traveller; hospitality, and brotherly -kindness, softened in many ways the harsh incidence of feudal custom.' - -Looking down-stream, as we stand upon Buildwas Bridge, we get a glimpse -of that dun, smoky district, which, like the black patch on a Court -beauty's cheek, seems to heighten by contrast the charms of the fair -landscape around. - -[Illustration: Madeley Court.] - -In the heart of this dingy region stands Madeley Court, a large, -rambling old manor-house of late Elizabethan, or perhaps early Jacobean, -date. At the time of Domesday Survey, the Manor of Madeley appertained -to Wenlock Priory; and in Edward the First's reign the Priors obtained -the King's license to enclose a park from the neighbouring Forest of -Mount Gilbert. - -As may be gathered from our sketch, Madeley Court is an extremely -picturesque old pile; the quaint stone gatehouse in the foreground, with -its turrets and mossy, stone-tiled roofs, contrasting pleasantly with -the mellow tints of the ancient mansion beyond. - -The scene is, unfortunately, much marred by its grimy environment; and -there is little to attract one in the interior of the dwelling, which is -tenanted by several humble workmen's families. The pool at the rear is a -relic of the Prior's fishponds, whence a stream ran away to turn the -wheel at the Manor Mill hard by. - -Beyond the fact that it was used as a country residence by the Priors of -Wenlock, but little is known about the history of Madeley Court. The -Ferrars family, we believe, made it their home at one time; and in -Charles the First's reign the mansion was in the hands of a stout old -Royalist, one Sir Basil Brooke. - -In the grounds upon the west side of the Court stands a very remarkable -sundial, or planetarium, probably as old as the house itself. It -consists of a large block of blackened freestone, supported upon a low -base, with cup-shaped holes scooped upon three of its sides. Each of -these holes originally contained a dial, but the dials themselves have -long since disappeared. This curious astronomical instrument, besides -being used as a sundial, could, it is said, be also employed to find the -position of the moon in relation to the planets. - -But to return to Buildwas. After passing the Abbey Hotel, a large, -oldfashioned hostelry, well known to brethren of the angle, we have a -delightful stroll by Severn side, with the ruins of Buildwas Abbey full -in view across the water, and a lowly church peeping out upon the -opposite side the way. - -Through a country where cornfields and pasture lands alternate -pleasantly, we push briskly on into Leighton, a tree-shaded village -seated beside a wide horseshoe reach of the Severn. Time out of mind has -this noble demesne been an appanage of the knightly family which gives -the place its name; indeed, there was already, they say, a de Leighton -here when Henry I. came to the throne. The little church, close by the -Hall, contains effigies of Sir Richard de Leighton, a fourteenth-century -knight arrayed in full battle harness, and of Sir William and his lady, -who flourished about a century later. - -Life, one would suppose, must be worth the living amidst these quiet, -rural scenes; and several of the villagers who rest in the green -churchyard have, we observe, well outrun a century ere they could tear -themselves away. - -Vorwärts! Anon we descry Eaton Constantine, the 'Etune' of Domesday -Book, a high-lying village held by Constantine the Norman at the rental -of a pair of white gloves, valued at one penny! Richard Baxter, the -puritan Divine, spent his early days up there, where his dwelling may -still be seen. - -[Illustration: The Lady Oak, Cressage.] - -Passing by a timber bridge across the Severn, we travel on to Cressage; -going near a very old manor-house now known as the Eye, or Island, farm. -This pretty village near Severn side derives its Domesday name of -Cristes-ache (_i.e._ Christ's-oak) from a tradition that the Gospel was -first preached in this locality beneath the shade of an oak tree. This -tradition is supported by the fact that a very ancient oak, in the last -stages of decay, standing on the outskirts of the village, has from time -immemorial been known as the Lady Oak ('Our Lady's Oak'), probably a -mediæval perversion of the earlier Saxon name. - -Belswardine House, on the hillside overlooking Cressage, is associated -with Judge Jeffreys, of execrable memory, who lived there for a time. - -Upon regaining the Leighton road we soon come to an elevated spot called -Watch Oak, whence we get a rare view over the plain of Shropshire, and -the towers and spires of the county-town, with the blue hills of Wales -soaring far away beyond the border-land heights. - -Eyton village lies only a mile away now, on a hill overlooking the -Severn. Eyton claims, we believe, to be the birthplace of that -accomplished scholar and author, Lord Herbert of Chirbury. The remains -of Eyton Hall are now incorporated with a farmhouse; it was built by Sir -Thomas Bromley, one of the executors of King Henry the Eighth's will, -and Lord Chancellor of England, in the last year of Edward VI. From the -Bromleys the estate subsequently passed, by the marriage of Sir Thomas's -heiress, to the Bridgman family. - -An obscure, winding lane, brings us in due course to the village of -Wroxeter. Here we are on ground classic to the archæologist, for -beneath our feet lie the ruins of Roman Uriconium. 'The site of this -long-deserted town,' writes Professor Paley, in the _Nineteenth Century_ -magazine, 'probably the most important one between Dover and Chester -(London not even excepted, till the latter days of the Roman -occupation), is of great extent, and it must have formed one of the -chief places of defence against the turbulent inhabitants of Wales. -Probably it was built as a precaution that the extremely strong position -of the Wrekin should not be occupied by the enemy.' - -Towards the close of the fifth century Uriconium was overwhelmed by the -Saxons; when the 'high-placed city of Wrecon,' as Llywarch-Hên, the old -Welsh bard, styles it, was utterly destroyed, and reduced to a heap of -ruins. In mediæval days these ruins doubtless fell a prey to the pious -monkish builder, who was very busy about that period: and, as time still -wore on, meadows and cornfields covered the forgotten site, and the -countryman wondered to see the coins and curious ornaments turned up by -his passing ploughshare. - -Thus matters remained until about the middle of the present century; -when the Shropshire Antiquarian Society opened up so much of the ruins -as funds would allow, though by far the larger portion of the 'English -Pompeii' remains to this day a terra incognita. Some fine day, perhaps, -this fascinating search will be renewed; for, in its glorious -uncertainty, the quest for antiquities is like prospecting for gold. -'You can't tell anything about gold,' a digger once remarked, 'you're -just as likely to find it where it ain't as where it are!' - -A green mound, running across country in a horseshoe form, marks the -limits of ancient Uriconium. Of this wall, the only portion remaining -above ground is a large mass measuring about 20 feet in height, by 3 -feet or so in thickness, and constructed, as was usual in Roman work, -with bonding-courses of thin red tiles, alternating at intervals with -the small squared stones of the masonry. - -Traces of arches with lateral walls between them are visible upon its -southern side; and somewhat farther from the wall, on the south, or -'city' side, may be seen the massive substructure of a building -considered to have been the Basilica, or, perhaps, Government Hall, of -the town. Close at hand appears an elaborate system of hypocausts and -tiled flues that supplied the hot baths, all in a very fair state of -preservation. Several skeletons were discovered in this portion of the -ruins, besides a number of coins, whose superscriptions gave a clue to -the date of the city's destruction. A hut near the entrance contains -many interesting objects brought to light in course of the excavations. - -But for the finer, more perishable objects found here, we must go to the -excellent Museum at Shrewsbury, where one may study at one's leisure the -countless articles of household use, personal adornment or what-not, -that speak, more eloquently than any description, of the everyday life -of Uriconium, sixteen hundred years ago. - -The Watling Street, that great military highway of the Romans, passed -through the city of Uriconium on its way from London to North Wales. -Another Roman road went southwards from the city; running viâ Church -Stretton, Leintwardine and Kenchester, to Abergavenny in Monmouthshire. - -[Illustration: The Ruins of Uriconium, and Wroxeter Church Tower.] - -We now retrace our steps to Wroxeter, and, crossing the line of the -ancient fosse, soon come to the parish church. Its tall, -picturesque-looking tower is relieved by ornamental string-courses, and -small niches with figures in them; while queer, uncouth gargoyles -project from the angles, as may be noticed in the sketch. - -Wroxeter church was originally a collegiate foundation, with four -resident priests, and a chantry dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin. In -1155 William FitzAlan, Lord of Wroxeter, presented the church to the -monastery of Haughmond, to which it continued to belong until the -Dissolution. - -From the Normans onwards, many builders have left their impress upon -this fine old fabric. Good Norman windows and a doorway of the same -period occupy the south wall of the chancel, where are several table -monuments, of which the most interesting, perhaps, is that to Sir Thomas -Bromley, whose house we have lately noticed at Eyton, and an elaborate -table-tomb, with effigies of Sir Richard Newporte, and Dame Margaret his -wife. - -An ancient register chest in the vestry has its surface traceried over -with elaborate ironwork. The font is curious, being fashioned from a -Roman capital; and various architectural odds-and-ends of Roman origin -are preserved in a garden adjoining the churchyard. Even the pillars on -either side the gateway, seen in our sketch, are treasure-trove from the -buried city. - -[Illustration: ATCHAM.] - -Farewell now to Uriconium, and to Wroxeter, its offspring, with their -time-honoured associations. Along the old Watling Street lies our way, -until, entering the Salop road, we cross the Bell brook near the site of -the Roman wall and trudge on past Attingham, serenely seated amidst its -broad demesne, with rich pastures and umbrageous woodlands spreading -away on either hand. Traversing Tern Bridge we presently come to Atcham, -a trim, well-cared-for-looking village, with a fine old church close by -Severn side, a handsome balustraded bridge spanning the broad river, and -memories of Ordericus Vitalis, the historian of William the Conqueror, a -native of Atcham. - -Dedicated to St. Eata, Atcham church is built of a reddish stone, -supposed to have been brought from the ruins of Uriconium. It has a -seventeenth-century timbered porch, and a fine traceried oak roodscreen, -brought, we believe, from Worfield church; while the carved panels of -the oak lectern illustrate the parable of the Prodigal Son. - -The only monument worthy of note is that of Jocosa Burton, an incised -slab brought from Old St. Chad's, Shrewsbury, and dated 1524. In one of -the south nave windows we notice some good stained glass representing -Blanch Parry, one of Queen Elizabeth's gentlewomen, kneeling at her -mistress's feet, with the Parry arms and an inscription recording her -death in 1589. This glass was brought from Bacton Church, Herefordshire, -where Blanch Parry's fine monument is still to be seen. It was -illustrated in 'Nooks and Corners of Herefordshire,' some few years ago. - -Crossing the bridge, we obtain a good view of the church reflected in -the placid river; and thereafter we stretch away along the Watling -Street, Rome's grand Prætorian thoroughfare of days gone by. Presently -Uppington and its ruined castle appear upon our left, looking across -Tern river to Withington, where the curious church brasses are. - -By-and-by we come to Hay Gate, where, as the name suggests, we enter -upon the 'Royal Haye of Wellington,' a tract of woodland emparked by the -Normans from the Forest of Mount Gilbert. This forest was formerly very -extensive, spreading over more than one of the old Domesday Hundreds; -and it was not until John's reign that a charter was obtained to -disafforest the district. - -So now, with the smoke of Wellington lurking upon the rear, we set our -faces southwards, where the dark wooded flanks of the Wrekin swell -upwards to meet the sky. Geologists tell us the Wrekin is the oldest -mountain in England; and, as the typical hill of our county, it has -given rise to the time-honoured Salopian toast, 'To All Round the -Wrekin.' - -Folk-lore, too, has had its say anent this famous hill. 'The Devil,' so -the story runs, 'had an old spite against Shrewsbury, so he determined -to bring a flood upon it: he would stop up the Severn! For this purpose -he came with a great spadeful of earth; but, outwitting himself, as many -of his children do, he lifted more than he could carry. Presently he -became fatigued upon his way to the river, and let some of the mould -fall--that is the Ercal (a smaller hill adjoining the larger). Then he -upset it all--and that is the Wrekin.' - -Beneath the hanging woods of Ercal lies our onward way. After passing -Buckatree, _i.e._ Buck-i'-the-Tree, Hall, we traverse a shady dingle, -and tackle the climb to the summit of old Wrekin himself; an -exhilarating pull beneath whispering fir-trees, and by grassy glades -carpeted with soft moss and springy pine needles, glimpses of blue -distance between whiles whetting one's appetite for the good things to -come. Nor is the scene wanting in animation, the ubiquitous lover and -his lass figuring prominently in every prospect: for Wrekin's brow is a -favourite haunt of picknickers and holiday folk from all the Midland -parts. - -From 'Hell's Gate' we ascend to 'Heaven's Gate,' and so win our way to -the brow of the Wrekin, 1,335 feet above the sea. 'There is on the Toppe -of this Hill a delicate plaine Ground, and in this plaine a fayre -Fountaine,' wrote Leland, the antiquary, long ago. No water is to be -found there now except such as collects, from time to time, in the -'Raven's Bowl,' a cup-like depression on the top of a conical outcrop of -rock, known as the 'Bladder, (or Balder's) Stone.' At the foot of this -rock there is a deep, narrow, crooked cleft, yclept the 'Needle's Eye.' -Now the fable goes that, if any young maid dips her foot into the -Raven's Bowl, and then 'threads the Needle's Eye,' by scrambling through -the cloven rock, she will be married within a twelvemonth, 'so sure as -there's acherns in Shropshire.' - -Owing to an isolated situation, the Wrekin commands a better all-round -view than some of his loftier compeers. To merely chronicle a lot of -remote hill-tops would, however, convey but a bald impression of a scene -which owes so much to atmospheric effect; so we will only remark that -the prospect embraces hills so wide asunder as Axe Edge, near Buxton, -and the Brecon Beacons in South Wales; Cader Idris, above Dolgelly, and -Bardon Hill in Leicestershire--'a delightfully awful prospect,' as -someone has quaintly described it. - -A goodly cantle of Shropshire lies at our feet, like a map unfurled on a -table; its heights and hollows beautifully diversified by cornfields and -orchards, verdant pastures and ruddy plough-fields; while in and between -the green hedgerows are seen, like the meshes of a huge net. - -Towards the east, the landscape is sadly marred by the smoke of the -Shropshire coalfield; so we turn to the opposite quarter, where the -Wrekin, falling away by Primrose Hill, bathes his feet in the silver -Severn. Yonder in the vale we can just descry the ruined Abbey of -Buildwas, with Wenlock church-steeple peeping over a neighbouring hill. -That high-lying village away to the left is Little Wenlock, 'Wenlock -under the Wrekin,' as it was anciently called. - -After 'boxing the compass' in a final farewell glance, we bid adieu to -the Wrekin, and plunge downhill again by way of 'Hell Gate'--facilis -descensus Averni--until by-and-by we come to Wellington, a place that, -from the diminutive 'vill' of King John's days, has grown to a -smoke-begrimed mining centre, with little attraction for travellers, -like ourselves, in search of the picturesque. - -But near the Watling Street, about a couple of miles away, we find -'metal more attractive,' in the form of a fine old timbered manor-house, -called Arleston. The date 1614, upon one of its gable-ends, is probably -not that of the main structure, which looks considerably older. - -There are some very fine plaster ceilings inside, with fruit and foliage -elaborately interwoven amidst scenes from the chase, etc., and curious -plaster pendants. A small painted figure, let into the wall, is said to -represent King James I. In olden times Arleston was used as a -hunting-box by the Lords Forester; when, no doubt, it was a place of -some consequence. It is now occupied as a farmhouse. - -[Illustration: The Sign of the Raven. Much-Wenlock.] - - - - -TO LILLESHALL ABBEY, TONG, AND BOSCOBEL. - - -From Wellington, a short spin by train brings us to Donnington station. -Here we alight, and, running the gauntlet of some grimy ironworks, we -strike into a cross-country road and make for Lilleshall Abbey. Anon we -espy the graceful ruins, overtopped by a wooded hill, with the stately -grey façade of Lilleshall House shewing up well amidst a setting of -luxuriant foliage. - -[Illustration: Lilleshall Abbey. Shropshire.] - -Turning across the meadows, we now make the best of our way to the old -ruined Abbey. The most striking feature still remaining is the rich, -late-Norman portal of the west front, which, with a fragment of one -slender, ivy-clad tower, figures prominently in our sketch. A beautiful -Norman doorway, with bold chevron ornamentation upon pillars and arch, -gives access to the choir, the oldest portion of the edifice. Eastwards -extends the church devoted to the monks; westwards, the people's church, -built at a later date. - -To the south, around a square cloister court, rise the ruins of the -monastic buildings, the chapter-house, the parlour, the refectory; and -beyond these again lay the large fishponds, the dovecot, etc. - -All is now far gone into a state of ruin and decay, over which Nature -has spread her mantle of luxuriant ivy; while wind and weather have -combined to add their softening touches. Set in the midst of a green, -tranquil landscape, 'the world forgetting, by the world forgot,' this -venerable pile seems redolent of memories from dim, mediæval days, when -life went forward in quite another fashion from these hard-driven, -high-pressure times. - -From an excellent local handbook by the late C. C. Walker, Esq., we -glean the following particulars anent the history of Lilleshall Abbey. -'The Convent of the Monastery of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Lilleshull' -was founded, about the middle of the twelfth century, for monks of the -Order of St. Augustine; Philip de Belmeis, Lord of Tong, being the first -Patron of the monastery. - -The establishment received charters from more than one of our Kings, -besides gifts and benefactions from many pious donors. Yet, in spite of -all these riches, the worthy Abbots had much ado to make both ends meet, -so great was the host of needy pilgrims that daily came clamouring at -their gates, as they journeyed to and fro along Watling Street. - -By-and-by came the Dissolution; when the monastery was abolished, the -Abbey lands leased to Sir William Cavendish, and the reversion of the -whole demesne sold by Henry VIII. to James Leveson, of Wolverhampton, -ancestor of the Dukes of Sutherland, in whose family the estate has -continued ever since. - -About a mile west of the Abbey ruins, at the foot of an abrupt, rocky -hill, whence the place takes its name, stands Lilleshall village, with -its ancient parish church. Lilleshall church, as we now see it, dates -from the early part of the thirteenth century; having in all probability -supplanted an earlier structure, whereof the font, a very old stone -vessel carved in a primitive manner, is perhaps the only survival. - -In the grounds of the old Hall, a stuccoed, gabled house at the entrance -to the village, is a large pool, or lakelet, whose waters formerly -served to turn the wheel of the Abbey Mill mentioned in Domesday Record. - -Lille's-hill, the Hill of Lilla, the Saxon, stands but a bowshot off -from the church. Rising amidst a flattish country, it commands an -extensive panorama in the direction of the west; though itself of so -modest a height that the bulky obelisk, to some defunct Duke of -Sutherland, with which it is crowned, seems quite to dwarf the -monticle. - -[Illustration: Shiffnal. Shropshire.] - -Due south, as the crow flies, from Lilleshall Abbey lies Shiffnal, a -little old market town, whither we now betake ourselves. Emerging from -the mirky Shropshire coalfield, the train runs near the ruins of Malins -Lee chapel, a diminutive edifice of early Norman date; and then, passing -over a tall viaduct, gives us a bird's-eye view of red-tiled roofs and a -ruddy sandstone church, as it enters Shiffnal station. Whether or no -owing to the warm, mellow tints of these antique buildings, there is a -kind of homely air about this quiet townlet; and its principal inn, the -Jerningham Arms, is a model of what a country inn should be; though, -like some members of the fair sex, it conceals its real age, being much -older than the date 1705, inscribed upon the front, would lead one to -suppose. - -There are several ancient houses dotted about the town, of which a good -coup d'oeil is obtained by taking one's stand beneath the big railway -arch that spans the High Street, whence our sketch was taken. - -Notice the substantial-looking house upon the left, a very old building -with an early eighteenth-century brick front, and quaint, glazed turret -atop. Beyond it is seen a group of half-timbered gables, with carved -bargeboards, brackets and moulded beams; while a smaller house of -similar character keeps them in countenance across the way. - -[Illustration: Shiffnal Church.] - -St. Andrew's church, a fine, cruciform structure, begun about 1180 A.D., -rises beside the Bridgnorth road, on the western flank of the town. - -From its southern side projects a wide stone porch, with a curious -chamber, called a parvise, above it. Enshrouded by dark yews, and with -the old, weatherworn tower soaring overhead, this porch makes an -excellent study for the artist's pencil. - -Within, the church wears a somewhat sombre air, owing to the rich, -subdued colour of its ancient masonry. The nave is covered by a handsome -hammer-beam roof; while four lofty, elegant arches span the crossing -beneath the central tower. Eastward of the crossing we get a glimpse of -the original Norman chancel arch, with a bit of carved work above it; -and the tracery of the east window, though simple, strikes us as good in -style. - -Beneath an arched recess in the north wall of the chancel lies the -figure of a tonsured priest, cut in stone, with the following -inscription: HERE . LIETH . THE . BODY . OF . THOMAS . FORSTER . SOME . -TIME . PRIOR . OF . WOMBRIDGE . WARDEN . OF . TONGUE . & . VICAR . OF . -IDSALL . 1526: Idsall, it may be observed, is the olden form of -Shiffnal, and Tongue is the modern Tong. - -A couple of instances of longevity in connection with this place are too -good to be missed. Born at Shiffnal in 1590, William Wakley was buried -at Adbaston in 1714, aged 124. Mary Yates, another veteran, lived to the -ripe old age of 127 years. She is said to have walked from Shiffnal to -London when only seventeen, just after the Great Fire of London, in -1666. - -Southward from Shiffnal the infant Worf ripples along through a quiet, -agricultural country; with a number of old paper mills strung along its -course like beads upon a string, and villages and country seats dotted -about on the neighbouring uplands. - -Overlooking this pleasant vale rises Brimstree Hill, an admirable -view-point within easy strolling distance from Shiffnal. 'Mornin', -sirs,' says a carter, giving us the sele of the day, as he stops to -breathe his team on the brow of the hill. 'Come to look about yer, like? -There's many a one I've seen a-standin' here, same as you be, to look at -the country yander. It's bin plaguey whot a-comin' up the bank, but we -shanna be long now afore we gets to th' Horseshoe.' So, accepting this -pretty broad hint, we drop a coin into friend carter's ready fist, and, -turning over an adjacent stile, proceed to spy out the land. - -And well worth coming to see it proves, for, though our present -elevation is but slight, it gives us an outlook over a lordly landscape. -As George Borrow very aptly remarks, 'What a beautiful country is -England! People run abroad to see beautiful countries, and leave their -own behind unknown, unnoticed, their own, the most beautiful!' - -Returning to Shiffnal, we proceed thence towards Tong: traversing a -broken, undulating country chequered with woodlands, sandy warrens and -cornfields, where the young wheat is shot with the scarlet gleam of the -poppies. In yonder meadow haymaking is in full swing, the women's aprons -fluttering to the breeze, the high-piled waggon half smothered beneath -its big, sweet-scented load, and some labouring men resting under the -hedgerow. Rooks are swaying hither and thither in the wind, and -clustering about the tops of the tall elms in the foreground--altogether -one of those breezy, rural scenes, that David Cox and John Linnel knew -so well how to portray. - -[Illustration: Tong Castle.] - -Presently we traverse a secluded dingle, with regiments of foxgloves -standing sentinel along the laneside, and ferns and wildflowers galore -draping the glades beyond. Then, approaching our destination, the -country opens out, revealing a richly timbered vale where silvery meres -meander in long, still, reed-fringed reaches, and swans sail to and fro -amidst the water-lilies. Hence we get a charming peep of Tong Castle, a -large stone mansion of curiously bizarre architecture, with an old -tree-begirt pigeon-house mirrored in the placid waters of the mere. - -The original castle had a venerable history, if we are to credit the -following tradition. Once upon a time Hengist, the Saxon, having aided -King Vortigern in his wars, was offered by that monarch as much land as -an ox-hide would enclose. Thereupon the wily Teuton hit upon the device -of cutting an ox-hide into narrow strips, wherewith he enclosed a goodly -cantle of land, and upon it built Tong Castle. - -[Illustration: Tong Church.] - -Now Tong Church is seen ahead, crowning the brow of a gentle rise, with -the ivy-clad ruins of the ancient 'College and Almose House,' stretching -down towards the mere below; a place which, as John Leland tells us, was -'an Auncient Foundation of the Vernons of Haddon in the Peke.' - -In 'The Old Curiosity Shop,' Charles Dickens has given us this -fascinating glimpse of Tong Church. "See--here's the church!" cried the -delighted schoolmaster in a low voice; "and that old building close -beside it is the school-house, I'll be sworn." It was a very aged, -ghostly place; the church had been built many hundreds of years ago, and -had once had a convent or monastery attached; for arches in ruins, -remains of oriel windows, and fragments of blackened walls, were yet -standing; while other portions of the old building, which had crumbled -away and fallen down, were mingled with the churchyard earth, and -overgrown with grass.' - -'They admired everything--the old grey porch, the mullioned windows, the -venerable gravestones dotting the green churchyard, the ancient tower, -the very weathercock: the brown thatched roofs of cottage, barn and -homestead, peeping from among the trees; the stream that rippled by the -distant water-mill; the blue Welsh mountains far away.' - -Though perhaps the old church is not now in quite so picturesque a state -of decay, this description holds good in the main to-day; and our sketch -may convey some idea of its outward appearance. - -[Illustration: At Tong Church.] - -Upon stepping within we discern, by the 'dim, religious light' that -filters through traceried windows, a venerable interior crowded with -sculptured tombs, old gothic screens and curiously carved stall work; -all so richly wrought in alabaster, wood and stone, as to repay the -closest examination. The Vernon and Pembrugge tombs, indeed, are -considered the finest of their kind in Shropshire, and a detailed -description of them would fill a good-sized volume. - -A 'leper's' door gives access to the vestry, which contains a library of -rare old tomes, stoutly bound in faded parchment; and a wonderful piece -of ecclesiastical needlework, wrought by the nuns of Whiteladies, Heaven -knows how many years ago. - -[Illustration: A Treasure from Tong.] - -Then there is the beautiful Cup, or Chalice, which figures upon this -page. - -This Cup, which is probably of foreign workmanship, is of silver-gilt, -richly chased with delicate, scrolly patterns, and a small leaf -ornamentation around the middle part, which has crystal in lieu of -glass, and lions' heads upon the three upright supporters. The top is -formed as a removable lid, and is surmounted by a small knop; and the -base is relieved by scrolls, and boldly emphasized mouldings. - -Authorities differ as to the use which this interesting and unique Cup -was originally intended to serve; but it has been suggested that it was -either a 'ciborium,' to contain the reserved sacrament, or a -'monstrance,' for displaying the sacred wafer. It was presented to Tong -church by Lady Eleanor Harries, about 1625, but is supposed to have -previously belonged to the old College established here by the Vernons -in the fifteenth century. - -[Illustration: Sir Arthur Vernon.] - -The Vernon Chantry, or 'Golden Chapel,' as it is called, forms a small -but richly ornamented annexe on the south side of the church. It was -'ffounded,' as an inscription attests, by Sir Henry Vernon, in 1515, -and contains, in a niche upon its western wall, a curious half-length -stone effigy of Sir Arthur Vernon, sometime Warden of Tong College, to -whom there is a brass upon the floor. At the opposite end of the chapel -is the ancient altar stone, with the five consecrational crosses incised -upon it. - -Having paid a visit to the Great Bell, one of the 'lions' of Tong, and -glanced at the quaint bellringers' 'Laws' set up in the tower, we now -bid farewell to Tong church, and, traversing the tranquil village, pause -at the lodge-gate of Tong castle to examine the fantastic devices carved -upon its stonework. - -Then, with the sunshine lying broad on copse and meadow, we set forth -anew into the country lanes; and soon espy an old sandstone quarry -choked up with nettles and bramble bushes, whence, as one may suppose, -the masons drew their stones for the building of Tong church. - -By-and-by a secluded lane receives us, a lane so grass-grown and -untrodden, that haymakers are busy making hay upon its long green track. - -[Illustration: Hubbal Grange, or Penderel's Cot.] - -Thence without meeting a soul en route we come presently to Hubbal -Grange, or Penderel's Cot, as it is sometimes called; a lonely cottage, -with some signs of age about it. Indeed, by all accounts, the place -seems to have been little altered since King Charles II., in the guise -of Will Jones, the woodman, journeyed hither on his wanderings; and was -befriended by Dame Joan Penderel, the mistress of the house, and by -'Trusty Dick,' her son. - -From Hubbal Grange we get a direction for Whiteladies. 'It isn't a very -gain road for a stranger to find,' says the mistress of the cottage, -'but there's huntin' wickets all the way. Keep along by th'urdles, and -follow the rack under th'ood, and you'll find a glatt in the hedge as'll -lead you down to the brook, just by a bit of a plank-way.' - -So off we set across country, coming after awhile to an ivy-clad ruin, -standing in a secluded spot under the lee of a wood. Giving this the -go-by for the present, we now traverse the wood and hasten on to -Boscobel; leaving upon our left the tree crowned monticle, where -Cromwell's troopers entrenched themselves to overawe the neighbourhood. - -[Illustration: Boscobel House.] - -Anon the old Manor-house, or Hunting-lodge, of Boscobel comes in view, -with the royal oak in the foreground, and a belt of dark woodlands -beyond; a scene ever memorable in English history as the refuge of the -unhappy Charles II., after his flight from Worcester field. - -Everyone is familiar with the incidents of that romantic drama; how King -Charles took to flight, with Cromwell's riders hard upon his heels; how, -disguised as Will Jones, a simple peasant man, he wandered through -Brewood Forest, with the trusty Penderels to guide the way; how the -royal fugitive took up his lodging in the hidie-holes of Boscobel House, -until, the hue-and-cry waxing ever more close and keen, the King was at -last forced to seek a precarious refuge amidst the branches of the now -famous oak, while the faithful Dame Joan 'gathered sticks, and diverted -the horsemen from the oak his majesty was in.' - -This oak tree, or rather a scion of the same stock, rises in a meadow -a few hundred yards south from the house, the observed of all observers -when tourists come a-sight-seeing to Boscobel. The pros-and-cons of its -pedigree have proved a fruitful topic of debate among the learned in -forest-lore, and the question is likely to remain sub judice for many a -day to come. So having made our salaam to 'King Charles's Oak,' we now -repair without more ado to the ancient Manor-house itself. - -[Illustration: Boscobel.] - -Opening a green door in the boundary wall, we find ourselves in a -quaint, oldfashioned garden, with formal parterres and neatly paved -pathways, where, traced in white pebbles, we decipher the -half-obliterated legend ... QUINQUE . FRATRUM . DE . STIRPE . PENDEREL . -or some such words as those, and the date 1651. Atop of a raised bank -in the corner yonder stands 'the pretty arbour in Boscobel Garden, which -grew upon a mount, where his Majesty spent some time of the Lord's day -in reading, and commended the place for its retiredness.' - -Very picturesque and sequestered the old Manor-house looks as we draw -near, with its barns and outbuildings, and goodly array of haystacks in -the barton. What tales could the old place unfold, were it but endowed -with the gift of speech to describe the stirring scenes it has witnessed -in days of yore. Deep within that huge chimney-stack was concealed a -secret stair, whence, in times of stress, a fugitive could escape from -the house through a door disguised beneath the ivy; while the windows -above are not windows at all, but mere painted imitations. - -But let us look within. We first enter the 'parlour or music room,' a -large apartment with wainscoted walls, and moulded oak beams in the -ceiling, and a rather curious black marble chimney-piece. Though -considerably modernized, it is a handsome room enough; and upon its -walls hang oil portraits of Charles II. and Oliver Cromwell. - -Dame Penderel Anno Dom 1662. - -Thence we pass on into a small panelled chamber, used by the King as a -study, or private oratory. It is draped with faded tapestry, and -contains a copy of a remarkable portrait of Dame Penderel, whereby -'hangs a tale.' An old canvas, which for many years had been used as a -'drawer' for a kitchen fireplace, proved, upon being cleaned, to be a -portrait of Joan Penderel, mother of the young men who assisted King -Charles in his escape. It was probably the work of some local artist, -and bears the inscription DAME . PENDERIL . ANNO . DOM . 1662. A glance -at the portrait will shew a countenance full of quiet dignity and -character, surmounted by a queer, peaked, gipsy hat, a white coif -falling around the face, and the red rose held between thumb and finger. -Upon the floor of this chamber stands an ancient coffer, carved with a -very quaint representation of the Royal Oak, and the words C . R . -BOSCOBEL . 1651. This coffer is depicted at the end of the present -chapter. - -Upstairs we are shewn the secret closet that opens into the great -outside chimney already referred to. Then, clambering to the garret, a -trap-door is lifted at the head of the stairs, revealing the dark, -narrow hole, into which the unfortunate monarch had to squeeze himself -whenever his enemies drew nigh. A short ladder leads down into it; and, -when Charles was in hiding here, cheeses were rolled over the spot, so -that His Majesty might lurk in security, if not exactly in comfort. -Hence a rude stairway, fashioned in the thickness of the wall, -communicates with the lower hidie-hole, enabling the refugee to escape -outside the house by means of the chimney stair before mentioned. - -Bidding farewell to Boscobel, we now retrace our steps to the old ruin -beside the wood. Here in the depths of Brewood Forest was founded, in -Richard Plantagenet's reign, a Cistercian nunnery, which, on account of -the white habit of the nuns, was called Whiteladies; in -contradistinction to the Black Ladies of the Benedictine monastery, just -across the Staffordshire border. - -The establishment appears to have continued, with more or less -prosperity, until the date of the Dissolution of the Monasteries; but -then John Leland's note of 'Byrwoode, a Priory of White Nunnes, lately -suppressid, in the very Marche of Shropshire into Darbyshire,' tells its -own tale of surrender and spoliation. - -Of the conventual buildings little now remains save the north wall of a -chapel of Norman date, with several circular-headed windows, a good -Norman doorway with a cusp-like ornamentation around the head, and a -large arch opening into a transept, now gone. Such slight fragments of -carved work as remain, upon capital or string-course, are refined in -character. - -[Illustration: At Whiteladies.] - -Dotted about the greensward are seen a number of ancient headstones, -only one of which has any interest for us here. Thus runs the faded -epitaph: HERE . LIETH . THE . BODIE . OF . A . FRIENDE . THE . KING . -DID . CALL . DAME . JOAN : BUT . NOW . SHE . IS . DECEAST . AND . GONE : -ANNO . DOM . 1669: This is that worthy Dame Joan Penderel who, with her -stalwart sons, rendered such yeoman service to Charles II. in time of -need; and whose portrait we have lately seen at Boscobel House. A large, -rambling, half-timbered mansion, which originally formed part of the -monastic building, has long since disappeared, leaving not one stone -upon another. It is illustrated in Blount's 'Boscobel.' - -With sun and wind in our faces we now set out for Albrighton, a -fieldpath helping every now and again to cut off a corner of the road, -and lending variety to the route. - -This summer breeze, sweet from the clover-scented meadows, comes very -welcome to way-worn, travel-stained tramps. Nature's green carpet -underfoot is damasked with buttercups, great white ox-eye daisies, and -many another wildflower; while the hemlock weaves its fairylike fringe -along the skirts of the hedgerow. The soaring lark pours down her melody -as she climbs the sky, and every copse and spinny resounds with the -'charm' of feathered songsters. - -But heaven's artillery now mutters in the distance; the birds soon hush -their voices in the woods; vast cumulus clouds arise, and blot out the -jolly sunshine; the breeze dies quite away, and the sultry air seems big -with coming storm. - -Suddenly down plumps the rain, in splashes first, as large as -sixpenny-pieces; but anon with a steady downpour that drives one into -waterproof gear. The brunt of the battle, however, is not for us; the -cloud-wrack and tempest rolling away over the country in confused, -towering masses, like an army in full retreat; while shafts of sunlight -skirmish athwart the landscape in pursuit of the flying foe. - -The rain ceasing as suddenly as it began, we push on along the lonely -road; with a little, dry, dusty Sahara under each tree overhanging the -pathway, and blue puddles in every wheel-rut, like bits of the sky -tumbled out of their places. The woodlands re-echo once more to the pipe -of thrush, piefinch and blackbird; and the parched foliage renews its -youth in the genial, life-giving moisture. - -Meanwhile, as the hedgerows, all a-sparkle with raindrops, go twinkling -by, we fall to 'blowing the cool tobacco cloud, and watching the white -wreaths pass;' and vowing that, let tarry-at-home folk say what they -will, there's no such thing as bad weather! - -So we jog merrily onward; now meeting a waggoner loading timber at a -farmyard gate, anon passing the time of day with an old country woman -tending her cow by the laneside. Nothing much worthy of note is seen -until, drawing nigh our destination, we come to a place called -Humphreston, where the lane takes a sudden turn. - -Here we find a large old timbered farmhouse, with huge oak beams in the -ceiling of its roomy kitchen, and carved panelling around some of the -better rooms; and doors upstairs that still retain their original -wrought iron hinges and wooden thumb-latches. The place must formerly -have been surrounded by a moat, for a part of it yet remains, besides a -good stone doorway in the adjacent boundary wall--altogether a notable -old house, which looks as if it might have had a history. Who knows but -what it is named after that Humphrey Penderel, Miller of Whiteladies -Mill, whose horse had the honour of carrying, as he declared, 'the price -of three kingdoms on his back'? - -Thence it is but a mile to The Crown at Albrighton, a fine, upstanding -old inn, shewing a ruddy, genial-looking gabled front towards the -village street, and boasting withal one of the best bowling-greens in -the county. So calling in to test the quality of mine host's ale, -half-an-hour slips away in no time as we take our ease in the bar -parlour, before starting forth to investigate our new neighbourhood. - -[Illustration: Albrighton.] - -Guided by the sound of bells, we soon find our way to Albrighton church, -which, overlooking a placid mere, rises beside the highway at the -farther end of the village. - -Though considerably restored, the church is not devoid of interest, a -good rose window in the gable of the north aisle being a noticeable -feature, as also are the curious circular openings on either side the -belfry windows. - -In the chancel, carved in marble, John Talbot of Grafton lies in state -beside his lady wife; while Master Leonard Smallpage of Pepperhill has -to content himself with a bald stone slab, outside in the chilly -churchyard. But he had a goodly dwelling in his time, as we shall -presently see. - -A bowshot away towards the north, beyond the lake-like mere, stands a -rival church, St. Cuthbert's, the parish church of Donington. On the way -thither we turn aside to take a look at St. Cuthbert's well, a perennial -spring of water much resorted to in bygone days as a cure for sore eyes. - -Donington church, like its neighbour across the water, has been largely -renovated in recent times. Its thirteenth-century chancel has some -interesting features; a good oak roof, supported upon carved brackets, -overarches the nave, and some massive oak pews with enriched panels are -to be found in the north aisle. - -We now retrace our steps as far as The Crown at Albrighton, and, -following a by-lane, come presently to Boningale, one of those quiet, -out-of-the-way hamlets on the road to nowhere, whither the echoes of -this eager nineteenth century seem scarce to penetrate, and where one's -footfall in the silent street brings the villagers agape to their open -doors. - -[Illustration: Old Well-Cover at Pepperhill. Albrighton.] - -A handful of antiquated cottages and small farmhouses, and a little -green churchyard with headstones bowered in roses, are soon left behind. -Anon, after passing The Horns, a wayside posting house, we strike into a -lane leading to the south, and hark away through some broken country to -Pepperhill, a curious old dwelling-house standing all by itself, close -upon the Staffordshire border. - -Built upon an outcrop of the sandstone rock, the house occupies a -commanding position, having probably superseded a structure of -considerably greater antiquity. The present edifice, partly constructed -of brick, partly of stone, has a mighty chimney stack projecting from -its southern end; and now affords a home for several cottagers. - -The main building has been tastefully fitted up as a rural residence by -Colonel Thorneycroft, of Wolverhampton. A kind of observatory has been -formed upon the roof, whence a wide and beautiful prospect is obtained -towards the west and south. - -In the garden hard by rises the curious stone structure shewn in the -sketch on p. 169. For want of a better term, it has been called a -Fountain, though amongst the country folk it goes by the name of the -'Pepperbox.' It is hexagonal in plan; of Italian, or classic, design; -much worn and weathered by time, as well as damaged by careless hands; -and appears to be of early seventeenth-century date. Broken, weedgrown -and neglected, this old Fountain is so nicely proportioned and finely -wrought, that it looks picturesque in its decay. The well to which it -originally served as a cover has long since ceased to exist. - -Pepperhill, we understand, was formerly an appanage of the Earls of -Shrewsbury and Talbot; and was afterwards the home of Leonard Smallpage, -whose name we have already seen in Albrighton churchyard. Some scanty -remains of ecclesiastical buildings are traceable at Lower Pepperhill, -but of their history very little is known. - -[Illustration: The Royal Oak.] - -[Illustration: Bridgnorth.] - - - - -ROUND ABOUT BRIDGNORTH. - - -Clinging limpet-like upon the crest and shoulders of a steep, sandstone -crag, on the western bank of the Severn, the ancient town of Bridgnorth -occupies a situation of more than ordinary picturesqueness. 'Where -Severne runneth, Nature hath made a terrible Dike,' wrote John Leland -anent Bridgnorth in the days of Henry VIII.; and to this 'terrible Dike' -the town owes its unique aspect among all the towns of Shropshire. - -Confronting the river rise, tier above tier, the little old brown-roofed -dwellings; so closely packed that the cottager, as he stands in his -rustic porch, can almost peep down his neighbour's chimney and see what -is cooking for dinner! Bits of garden ground with their varied greenery -lend a pleasant, rural air; while in and between wind steep, narrow, -stepped paths; reminding one of Clovelly, and of certain mountain -townlets in northern Italy. - -At the foot of the hill, the Severn is spanned by the old stone Bridge -whence the town derives its name. Beyond this bridge lies the riverside -suburb of Lower Town, occupying a sort of amphitheatre enclosed by the -rocky ridge which flanks the vale upon its eastern side. - -To see Bridgnorth at its best, let the visitor stand, about sundown of -an early autumn day, upon this old bridge; or, better still, take a boat -on the river. Then the old town may be trusted to give one a touch of -its quality; its brown walls and roofage blending with the ruddy rock -into deep, harmonious tints; a ray of light from some cottage pane here -and there reflected in the dark, silent water; while the two tall church -towers on the crest of the ridge still glow in the last warm rays of the -departing day. - -So much, then, for general effect; let us now get to closer quarters. -Turning our backs upon the Bridge, we bear to the right and enter the -Cartway, in olden times the one and only route by which vehicles could -ascend to the Upper Town. - -[Illustration: Ancient House, Bridgnorth.] - -Confronting us as we climb the steep, crooked lane, rises the old -half-timbered mansion which figures in the accompanying sketch; one of -the few of its kind that have survived the ravages of the Civil Wars. -Built in the sixteenth century, its weatherbeaten front shews the -delightful irregularity so often seen in structures of that period. - -The interior, half workshop, half mean tenement, has lost all interest -for the antiquary, the only indigenous feature being a ponderous lintel -stone carved with the ensuing inscription: EXCEPT . THE . LORD . BVILD . -THE . OWSE . THE . LABOVRERS . THERE . OF . EVAIL . NOT . ERECTED . BY . -R . FOR* 1580. The latter part of the sentence is a cryptic rendering of -the name of Richard Forester, secretary to Bishop Bonner, an ancestor of -the family which for generations past has dwelt at Willey Hall. - -But the name most associated with this ancient residence is that of Dr. -Percy, sometime Bishop of Dromore, who was born beneath its roof in -1728. In his day and generation, Bishop Percy was an author and -antiquary of no mean calibre; and his 'Reliques of Antient English -Poetry' was once widely celebrated. - -Mounting upwards again, we pass a group of queer cottages and shops, -oddly mixed up amidst the native rock with which they are incorporated; -and finally we emerge upon an ample greensward, with St. Leonard's -church rising in the middle. - -This church has undergone some remarkable vicissitudes. John Leland, in -1536, found it a 'very fayre one'; but during the Civil Wars it suffered -much damage through an encounter which took place, between Royalists and -Roundheads, in the churchyard; when Colonel Billingsley, commander of -the town regiment, was slain. - -But of late years St. Leonard's has been admirably restored, and is now -worthy of the ancient town it adorns. The original church was mainly of -thirteenth-century date; though its noble tower, built of salmon-red -sandstone, is of somewhat later style, and rich and handsome to a -degree. A fine, open-timbered roof was brought to light during -restoration; and the east window has been filled with stained glass in -memory of the late Dr. Rowley, who, as Head Master, was for many years -the 'bright particular star' of Bridgnorth School. Colonel Billingsley's -sword is preserved in the south aisle, where there are also some curious -old cast-iron memorial tablets. - -In one corner of the churchyard stand Palmer's Almshouses, a series of -low, timbered structures, grouped around a small courtyard approached -through a modernized archway. This charity owes its inception to Francis -Palmer, nephew of Colonel Billingsley, by whom it was established in -1687 for the benefit of ten poor widows. - -Close at hand rise the plain, brown brick gables of the erstwhile -Grammar School, established in Henry the Eighth's time; a -sedate-looking, antiquated edifice, attractive by its very simplicity. A -diminutive black-and-white cottage, whose latticed casements look out -demurely upon the churchyard, was once the home of Richard Baxter, the -divine, ere his name had become famous in the land. - -We now pass on into the High Street, a broad, cheerful thoroughfare, -over whose uneasy, cobble-stone pavement, we make our penitential -progress. Midway adown the street rises the ancient Town Hall, the -centre and focus of Bridgnorth, its plain rounded archways bestriding -the horse-road, and affording a passage way. Overhead, its half-timbered -gable is relieved by oriel windows filled with stained glass; while the -steep, tiled roof is surmounted by a slender bell-turret, terminating in -a weather vane. - -This notable old building dates from the year 1652, having been erected -by the burgesses to replace an earlier Town Hall, destroyed during the -Civil Wars. Here may be seen the Council Chamber, the Court of Justice, -etc., where the town magnates sit in conclave to administer the affairs -of this historic Borough; and the modern stained glass windows of the -various courts, inserted as a memorial of the Queen's Jubilee, afford a -study in the corporate life of Bridgnorth. - -Confronting the Town Hall, across the way, appears the ancient -many-windowed façade of the Swan Inn, a rare specimen of a country-town -hostelry of the spacious Tudor times; and scarcely less effective, -though more modernized, are the chequered gables and quaintly carved -brackets of a neighbouring residence. The North Gate, last survivor of -Bridgnorth's town gates, spans the end of the street with its three -uneven archways. - -[Illustration: Market Place. Bridgnorth.] - -Saturday is market-day at Bridgnorth, as it has been from time -immemorial. The long ranks of tented booths, with the crowds frequenting -them, make an animated scene; for the countryfolk foregather then from -long distances around, and hearty Shropshire greetings are heard on -every hand. As nightfall wears on the fun waxes faster; and lucky the -housewives whose menfolk win their way home at last in no worse plight -than 'market-peart,' to use the Shropshire phrase. - -[Illustration: Market Day at Bridgnorth.] - -We now push on to Castle Hill, the southern horn of the monticle on -which Bridgnorth is located. Before us rises the tall, classic tower of -St. Mary Magdalene's church, which, though designed by Telford, the -celebrated engineer, already shews signs of instability. Despite its -quasi-classic garb, this church is one of the oldest ecclesiastical -foundations in the town; having been transferred to Bridgnorth, from St. -Mary Magdalene's at Quatford, by Earl Robert de Belesme, when he built -Bridgnorth Castle. So old, indeed, is this foundation, that, even in -Leland's time, the church appears to have been in a state of disrepair; -that painstaking chronicler recording, 'there is a college church of St. -Mary Magdalene within the Castle; the church itself is now a rude -thinge.' - -In the reign of Edward III., William of Wykeham, the famous Bishop of -Winchester, held for a time the Prebend of Alveley in St. Mary's church, -which was the head of an ecclesiastical district bearing the imposing -title of 'The Royal Peculiar and Exempt Jurisdiction of the Deanery of -Bridgnorth.' - -A stone's-throw farther on we enter the Public Gardens, where, 'all on -one side, like Bridgnorth Election,' rises the ancient Leaning Tower, -sole remains of Bridgnorth Castle, in its time one of the strongest and -most important fortresses in all Shropshire. For some two centuries and -a half has this massive, grey, limestone ruin, braved the wear-and-tear -of the elements, after Cromwell's men had tried in vain to raze it to -the ground. - -Built by Earl Robert de Belesme, about the year 1100, Bridgnorth Castle -has experienced a chequered and eventful career. Scarcely was the fabric -completed, when the rebellious Earl was besieged by Henry I., who, -having made himself master of the stronghold, converted it into a royal -residence. - -Later on came the Second Henry, with Thomas à Beket in his train, and, -while investing the castle, had a narrow escape of losing his life by an -arrow shot from the wall. In the fourth year of his reign, Henry II. -granted to the town its first Royal charter, which has been renewed and -amplified by several subsequent sovereigns. - -The Castle having been strengthened, and put into a state of defence -against 'that great magician, damnable Glendower,' the armies of Henry -IV. assembled at Bridgnorth on the eve of the Battle of Shrewsbury, as -is recorded in Shakespeare's lines: - - 'On Thursday we ourselves will march; our meeting - Is Bridgenorth: and, Harry, you shall march - Through Gloucestershire; by which account, - Our business valued, some twelve days hence - Our general forces at Bridgenorth shall meet.' - -After a period of comparative tranquillity, Bridgnorth and its castle -became involved in the great struggle between Royalist and Roundhead; -when the old town showed itself trusty to the core, and true to its -loyal motto, FIDELITAS . URBIS . SALUS . REGIS. King Charles I. -honoured the borough with several visits; and his rival, the -'arch-Rebell,' was within an ace of being picked off by a marksman upon -the castle walls, while riding near to view the defences of the town. - -After a stubborn siege, Bridgnorth finally passed into the hands of the -Parliamentarian forces, on March 31, 1646. Taking warning by the tough -resistance they had encountered, the Roundheads did their best to render -further resistance impossible by dismantling and demolishing the castle; -and how effectually they succeeded in doing so is attested by the -battered fragment we see before us. - -Says Leland, chronicling the results of his observations: 'This Castle -standeth on the south Part of the Towne, and is fortified by East with -the profound Valley, instead of a Ditch. The Walles of it be of a great -Height. There were two or three strong Wardes in the castle, that nowe -goe totally to ruine. I count the Castle to be more in Compasse than the -third part of the Towne. There is one mighty gate by north in it, now -stopped up; and a little Posterne made of force thereby through the -wall, to enter into the castle. The castle ground, and especially the -base-court, hath now many dwellinge Houses of tymbre in it, newly -erected.' - -From the adjacent gardens, we obtain an excellent survey of Bridgnorth -and its pleasant environs; a land of smiling meadows, groves and -orchards, encompassed by gently undulating hills: - - 'Such an up-and-down - Of verdure, nothing too much up nor down. - A ripple of land, such little hills the sky - Can stoop to tenderly, and the wheat-fields climb.' - -Yonder is Pampudding Hill, the site of a castle built by Ethelfleda, -daughter of Alfred the Great, well-nigh a thousand years ago. Beyond it -lies the hamlet of Oldbury, the 'Old-Borough'; a place which, as its -name suggests, is older than Bridgnorth itself. - -Then there is the winding Severn, spanned by its grey stone bridge; and -the ancient town clinging to its rocky hold, backed by ruddy heights -and feathery foliage where Apley Park closes in the view. - -So now let us push our explorations farther afield. Proceeding along the -terraced Castle Walk, we descend the Stoneway Steps, and, crossing the -bridge, pass the site of the defunct Hospital of St. John, founded in -the reign of Richard I. A little farther on we come to an old gabled -house standing in an elbow of the road, and known as Cann Hall. In -former times, Cann Hall was the town residence of the Apley family, and -upon one occasion Prince Rupert found here a hiding-place from his -enemies. - -Beyond Cann Hall we follow the Wolverhampton road, which, ascending -between high, rocky banks, brings us in a short half-mile to a point -where the low, red sandstone cliff has been fashioned into a number of -irregular chambers, known from time immemorial as The Hermitage. - -'In Morfe Forrest,' writes John Leland, 'King Athelston's Brother lead, -in a Rocke, for a tyme an Heremite's life.' Prince Ethelwald, who is -here referred to, was the first recorded tenant of this Hermitage, about -the middle of the tenth century. In 1335, Edmund de la Mare was -presented to the Hermitage of 'Athelardeston '; and, eleven years later, -Roger Burghton was 'presented to the Hermitage above the High Road near -Bridgenorth.' - -Time and neglect have played sad havoc with these singular grottoes, but -their main features are still in a measure discernible. The 'Chapel,' an -oblong chamber hewn in the living rock, is now partially open to the -sky, though the 'chancel,' with its rudimentary rounded arch, remains -intact; and there is a shallow, round-topped recess in the eastern wall, -where the reredos usually stands. - -Alongside the chapel we find the Hermitage proper, a low, dark cell, -communicating with it by a small aperture, now blocked by the large, -ungainly brick oven, which defaces the interior of the chapel. - -There is an apocryphal tale that a passage formerly existed, connecting -this Hermitage with Bridgnorth Castle; and that chests full of priceless -treasure lay hidden away somewhere amidst the recesses of the rocks; -but, needless to say, no treasure-trove has ever been brought to light. - -[Illustration: Cottage in the Rock, Bridgnorth.] - -A few paces distant stands a lowly cottage dwelling, which, excavated -like its neighbours from the solid rock, was until recently tenanted by -a family of modern troglodytes, and is still used in the daytime by the -good woman who has charge of the Hermitage. So let us glance within as -we pass. - -Upon entering we find ourselves in the living room, whose roof, walls -and floor, consist of the native sandstone; a warm, weatherproof -covering, though blotched and variegated with many a mottled stain. A -short step-ladder gives access to a small upper chamber, with seats -roughly cut in its rocky walls, and a window pierced through the outer -one. - -A few hundred paces beyond the cottage there is a large projecting rock, -which, for some reason unknown, goes by the name of the Queen's Parlour. - -Upon taking to the road once more we soon quit the highway, and, -following an unfrequented sandy lane, drop to a secluded nook where the -river Worf meanders past a small, ivy-clad water-wheel house, with the -green glades about Davenport House feathering the hill slope before us. - -Through the park we stroll onwards, amidst dappled sunshine and shadow; -the rabbits dashing to right and left as we crush through the -wholesome-scented bracken, and a nuthatch plying his sturdy beak (like -the lusty woodman he is) on the branch of a neighbouring elm. A glimpse -of Davenport House, a substantial eighteenth-century brick mansion, and -anon we descend the hill past an old circular dovecot, and enter -Worfield village. - -[Illustration: Worfield.] - -A pretty perspective of rustic dwellings, each with its narrow strip of -garden aglow with oldfashioned flowers, flanks the quiet thoroughfare -along which we take our way. This brings us to St. Peter's church, a -beautiful edifice whose tall, slender spire is seen soaring far aloft -above the cottage roofs as we draw near. - -Anent this church there is a legend which runs as follows. The old -monks, it seems, intended to erect their church on the top of the -neighbouring hill, so that its lofty steeple might be seen from afar, -pointing the way to heaven. But they had reckoned without their host, -for, built they never so fast each day, the old Enemy set to work at -night and removed every stone to the bottom of the hill, where the -church stands to this day. - -Be that as it may, we will now take a closer look at Worfield church. To -the right upon entering the churchyard appears an ancient, many-gabled -old manor-house, with timber-and-plaster walls, and chimney stacks -planted askew upon its stone-tiled roofs. Of its earlier history we can -say nothing, but in recent times the old place has been put into a state -of much needed repair, and converted to the uses of a parsonage house. - -Passing a great yew tree, shaped like an extinguisher, we have the -church full in view before us; a large fabric of warm red sandstone, -whose diverse styles of architecture lend variety to its appearance. At -the west end rises a fine tower of three stages, surmounted by the lofty -spire, which, some 200 feet in height, has scarce a rival in Shropshire. -Several good geometrical windows embellish the aisles, and a porch of -similar character projects upon the south. - -By this porch we now enter the church; not failing to notice the -exhortation, BEE . SURE . AS . YOU . REMEMBER . THE . POOR : 1683, -inscribed upon the wooden alms-box near at hand. Curiously enough, the -floor of the nave has a downward slope towards the chancel, thus -reversing the usual order of things. - -A tall, richly carved and traceried roodscreen, divides nave from -chancel, which has a plain sedilia and piscina. In the north aisle we -notice two admirable, canopied marble monuments, to the Bromleys, and a -fine old muniment chest covered with scrolly ironwork. - -In the thirteenth century, a certain Henry de Wengham, besides being -Rector of Worfield, Alveley, Kirkham and Preston, was Bishop of London, -Dean of St. Martin's, and ditto of Tettenhall; a notable instance of -pluralism. - -Two miles due north of Worfield lies the village of Badger, best known -for its celebrated Dingle, a deep, rocky, richly wooded ravine, down -which a small tributary makes its way to the Worf. In Badger church are -to be seen some well executed monuments to the Cheneys and the Brownes, -by Flaxman, Chantrey and others. Isaac Hawkins Browne was a poetaster of -some little celebrity in the last century. - -Beckbury, with its fine parish church, dedicated to St. Milburga, lies -away up the vale of Worf. From Badger we make our way to Chesterton, -where are the remains of a prehistoric encampment, half surrounded by -the Stretford brook. From these names, and other local circumstances, it -appears probable the Romans had a station hereabouts. There are traces, -in some neighbouring cottages, of what looks like a desecrated -fifteenth-century chapel. - -[Illustration: Ludstone. Shropshire.] - -Proceeding on our travels, we traverse Rudge Heath; and presently after -come to Ludstone, a stately old moated manor-house, built by one of the -Whitmores about the year 1607, probably on the site of an earlier house. - -It is a charming abode, well preserved, yet not over-restored; its -Jacobean gables and balconies wreathed in ivy and Virginian creeper; and -its antique, pleasantly formal gardens encircled by the moat, where -amidst the water-lilies we get an inverted replica of the old mansion. - -Passing near Danford, or Daneford,--a suggestive name--we descend a lane -hewn deep in the sandstone rock, cross a bridge over a stream, and so -win on to Claverley, 'quite a place,' as our American cousins say, and -the largest village in this part of the county. - -[Illustration: Claverley.] - -Midway along the street we come to the parish church, a spacious -sandstone structure of various periods, crowned by a tall embattled -tower. Unlike its neighbour at Worfield, Claverley church remains -entirely innocent of restoration, and, from the antiquarian point of -view, contrasts favourably with that somewhat spick-and-span edifice. - -Overlooking the churchyard, where the gravestones crowd 'thick as -Autumnal leaves in Vallombrosa,' rises the remarkably fine old -half-timbered house seen in profile in our sketch. This is doubtless the -subject of an ancient deed whereby, in 1659, one Richard Dovey -bequeathed certain tenements, 'over and adjoining to the churchyard -Gates,' on condition that a poor man be paid 'for waking sleepers in -church, and driving out Doggs during divine serviss.' The office has -lapsed; but whether on account of the rousing character of the sermons -in these latter days, history recordeth not. - -Close beside the churchyard path, we notice the broken fragments of an -ancient stone cross. This cross formerly stood in the centre of the -village, and probably dates from about the time of Edward III. It is -supposed to have been put up to commemorate the plague, called the Black -Death, in the fourteenth century. - -What with its lofty, whitewashed walls, its plastered ceilings and -high-backed box-pews, the interior of Claverley church recalls the -Groote-kerk of some Dutch provincial town; the resemblance being -heightened by the peculiar arrangement of the pews, which, turning their -backs upon the east-end, face towards the pulpit in the nave. - -This pulpit is, perhaps, the most striking object in the church. It is a -large structure of the 'three-decker' type, overhung by a great -sounding-board terminating in elaborate pinnacles. High overhead -stretches a fine oak-panelled roof, partially disguised beneath the -ubiquitous whitewash, and adorned with the royal arms. - -There are some quaint carvings upon the capitals of the pillars; the -Norman front is enriched with arcading and sculpture; and the curious -tracery of the chancel windows should by no means be overlooked. - -The south, or Gatacre, chapel, contains a lordly alabaster tomb, with -effigies of Sir Robert Broke and his two wives. A native of Claverley, -Sir Robert was Speaker of the Commons, and Lord Chief Justice of Common -Pleas under Queen Mary; departing this life in the first year of Queen -Elizabeth's reign. Upon the adjacent wall there are two large marble -slabs, with quaint figures in 'graffito,' and inscriptions to the -Gatacres bearing dates in the sixteenth century. - -But the waning daylight warns us to depart. So, setting our faces -westwards, we bowl along between the dusky hedgerows, until we strike -the main road near a place called the 'Wheel of Worvell.' Here we linger -awhile at the open door of the smithy, whose ruddy gleam of firelight, -dancing sparks, and cheerful noise of hammering, attract one -irresistibly, awakening some slumbering instinct of the primæval man. - -Then putting on the best pace, we spin away along an up-and-down, -switchback sort of road, re-cross the bridge over the Severn, and, -availing ourselves of the 'Lilt,' or Castle Hill Railway, we ascend -swiftly and smoothly to our night's quarters in the 'Faithful' town. - -This time-honoured Borough of Bridgnorth boasts a number of ancient -charters, the earliest of which is the charter of incorporation granted -by King Henry II. in 1157. The handsome regalia comprises a pair of -silver-gilt maces, a marshall's staff, and a corporate seal; and, last -but not least, a modern Mayoral chain bearing the names of the Mayors, -the Borough Arms, and the Town motto, FIDELITAS . URBIS . SALUS . REGIS. - - * * * * * - -A row up the Severn to Apley Park, one of the pleasantest excursions in -this locality, introduces the visitor in a leisurely fashion to the -green, placid landscapes, characteristic of 'gentle Severn's sedgy -banks.' - -Drawing clear of the town, we get a good rearward view of Bridgnorth, -perched on its rocky eyrie; and then we pass beneath Pendlestone Rock, -whose towering crags are draped in luxuriant foliage down to the water's -edge. Hoard's Park and Severn Hall, two ancient timbered houses, are -presently left behind, though not in sight from the river; and then, -skirting the demesne of Stanley, we come by-and-by to a landing-place at -a cool, shady nook, on the eastern bank of the Severn. - -Winding upwards through the woods, the steep path lands the wayfarer at -a spot where a queer little cottage, excavated in the rock, gives upon a -kind of platform, whence one may enjoy a widespreading view over hill -and dale and winding river. - -Another short climb brings us to Apley Terrace, a charming sylvan drive, -which, traversing the crest of a richly timbered upland, introduces one -to a changing panorama of almost unrivalled loveliness. If 'to see is to -possess,' as Beranger affirms, we have here indeed acquired a goodly -heritage. Far beneath our feet, the Severn winds through the vale in a -long, silvery reach, embracing the rich rolling woodlands and smooth, -green, grassy glades of Apley Park; a worthy setting to the old grey -mansion, seated so serenely in its midst. Away and beyond spreads a mazy -landscape, chequered with cornfields and woodlands, all mellowed by the -touch of Autumn; while our old friends, the Wrekin and the twin-crested -Clees, look over the shoulders of their lowlier brethren. Nor is this -all, for, by turning across the drive, we get a peep at the Malvern -Hills; and Clent and Lickey are seen, rising clear and distinct against -the mirky haze that overhangs the Black Country. - -In Henry the Third's time, the Manor of Apley was held by a family -owning the euphonious name of Huggeford; passing subsequently by -marriage to Sir Thomas Lucy, of Charlecote, in Warwickshire. By him the -estate was sold, in 1551, to one of the Whitmores of Aston, Claverley, -an influential family, who remained masters of Apley during some three -centuries or more. For 238 years, it is said, the Whitmores represented -the Borough of Bridgnorth in Parliament; a circumstance which gave rise -to the well-known local adage, 'like Bridgnorth election, all on one -side.' - -From the Terrace, here, as we look towards the east, a large farmhouse -is seen, standing by itself amidst a grove of trees. This is Ewdness, a -fine old brick-and-stone, oak panelled residence of the Tudor period, -deriving its name from the ancient family of d'Eudinas, mentioned in -Domesday Chronicle. Walter d'Eudinas, in 1221, held the estate direct -from the King. Long afterwards it passed into the hands of a Mr. -Fletcher, by whom the existing mansion was erected. Fletcher's daughter -espoused Colonel Berkeley, sometime M.P. for Shrewsbury, who commanded a -troop of horse in the Parliamentary wars. Ewdness now forms part of the -Apley estate. - -Near Ewdness lived, once upon a time, a damsel named Sally Hoggins, -daughter of a local market-gardener. Growing aweary of her patronymic, -Miss Hoggins played her matrimonial cards to such purpose, that she -lived to style herself Sarah, Marchioness of Exeter. - -Beyond Ewdness lies Stockton village, with its interesting Norman -church, dedicated to St. Chad. Half-a-mile farther on, on the Shiffnal -road, is the hamlet of Norton, where, opposite the Hundred House Inn, -beneath a big elm tree, stand the ancient stocks and whipping-post, -which our artist has drawn for us at the end of the present chapter. In -Edward the Third's reign, it will be remembered, the Commons petitioned -the King to establish stocks in every village in the realm. - -Taking a giant's-stride across the Severn, we come to Astley Abbots, a -secluded village composed of about half a score cottages, and pleasant, -rural residences of the gentry-folk. - -St. Calixtus's church, rising a short distance west of the village, is -our next objective; an unobtrusive edifice, topped by a small wooden -steeple above its western gable. Founded in 1138, it is of the Norman -and Decorated styles, and has been reasonably renovated in modern times. -The chancel, rebuilt in 1633, has a little painted glass in its eastern -window; and the Norman font and richly carved Jacobean pulpit are worth -a passing glance. Suspended in a corner of the north aisle we notice a -'Lover's Garland,' a memorial to Hanna Phillips, of this parish, who -died on the eve of wedlock in 1707. - -[Illustration: Dunvall.] - -Upon leaving the church, a meadow path soon brings us to Dunvall, a -remarkable old timbered mansion of the Elizabethan era. Its massive oak -beams display great variety of treatment, and are entirely guiltless of -ironwork, being joined together by long wooden pegs; while many of them -are scored on the surface with curious lines and hatchings, private -marks of the craftsmen who fashioned them, perhaps. - -The hall with its open staircase, oak panelling and wide, lattice-paned -windows, has a delightfully old-world appearance, and probably remains -much as originally built. - -Dunvall formerly belonged to a branch of the Acton family, in whose days -the old house boasted a library of rare and curious volumes, including -a 'Breeches' Bible, dated 1582. But the Actons have long since departed, -their relics and curios have been dispersed, and the place thereof -knoweth them no more. - -So now, having done with Dunvall, we take our departure in a -south-westerly direction; faring along, up-hill and down-dale, amidst -green meadows and golden wheat-fields, where the labourers are plying -their peaceful, rural toil; while the clack! clack! of the -'reaper-and-binder' sounds merrily through the still air. - -Emerging from labyrinthine lanes, we strike the Wenlock road three miles -from Bridgnorth, and march on thence into the village of Morville. -Calling in at the clerk's cottage for the key of the church--a key of -Brobdingnagian size--we push on past the pretty, rustic post-office, and -the village smithy; and then, espying the old grey church and Hall away -in the vale to our left, we climb over a stile, and make our way -thitherwards. - -St. Gregory's church at Morville is an interesting edifice of great -antiquity, though no part of the earlier structure, which stood here in -Edward the Confessor's days, is now in existence. Dating from the early -years of the twelfth century, the present church constituted a cell -subject to Shrewsbury Abbey; and our cherished and most respectable -Leland did not fail to take note of the place, as he journeyed by from -Wenlock to Bridgnorth, describing it as 'a little priory, or cell, at -Morfeilde, on the right hand as I entered the village.' - -Morville church has the long chancel usually seen in collegiate -foundations, the semi-headed chancel arch being curiously depressed, and -having rudely sculptured capitals, and billet mouldings. Large, very -quaintly carved wooden effigies of the four Evangelists, are fixed -against the wall just below the corbels of the nave roof; but they are -probably not now in their original positions. - -The large, cylindrical font is enriched with primitive, arcaded -ornamentation; and two very ancient oak muniment chests stand in the -adjacent aisle. In the course of repairs, some years ago, traces of -colour-decoration, or fresco, were detected under the whitewash on the -south wall. - -Upon regaining the highroad we pass the Acton Arms, a well-to-do-looking -wayside hostelry. Then Morville Hall comes in sight, a grey stone -mansion with projecting wings, occupying the site of the ancient priory, -whose last Prior, Richard Marshall, died in 1558. - -[Illustration: Tympanum at Aston Eyres.] - -En route to Aston Eyres, the tall trees of Aldenham avenue greet the eye -pleasantly, though the Hall itself is hidden. At this diminutive village -of Aston we find a church of proportionate scale, the only feature -whereof that need detain us being the remarkable sculptured panel shewn -in our sketch. It stands above the south door, and, protected by the -projecting porch, is still in an excellent state of preservation, though -evidently of very great antiquity. - -As may be seen, there is much quaint character about the several -figures, which are carved in high relief. In the centre we see the -Saviour, palm-branch in hand, riding into Jerusalem upon an ass, which -is followed by its colt; to the right a seated figure strews branches in -the way, while another man is in the act of casting his cloak upon the -ground. - -It is recorded that Robert Fitz Aer caused this church to be built, -between the years 1132 and 1148; and to his piety we are doubtless -indebted for this interesting piece of sculpture. - -Incorporated with some large farm buildings, on the north side of the -churchyard, we find considerable remains of the thirteenth-century -manor-house of the Fitz Aers; part of the great hall and the two-storied -domestic buildings, with a circular newel stairway, being traceable in -the fabric of a big stone barn. - -In the quiet country towards Wonlock, on the foothills of the Clees, lie -the sleepy hamlets of Monk Hopton and Acton Round; the latter boasting a -restored church, with tombs of the Acton family, and some remains of a -hall of Queen Anne's time, now turned into a farmhouse. - -Retracing our steps to Morville, we plunge into a hollow, sequestered -lane, and, after passing a rustic mill, and negotiating one or two -rather breakneck 'pitches,' we win onwards past Meadowley cover to the -brow of a steep, wooded ridge, whose base is washed by the Mor brook. - -Presently a little grey church and an old ruddy manor-house are seen, -keeping company among the trees that top the hill beyond the narrow vale -at our feet; and that is Upton Cressett. - -[Illustration: Upton Cressett.] - -We now bend our steps towards the church, which, rising amidst the -fields, a stone's-throw aside from the lane, seems part and parcel of -the tranquil landscape. Standing thus alone, enshrouded by trees, under -the lee of the sheltering hill, there is something pensive in the -attitude of this ancient house of prayer; as though the place were lost -in dreams of 'the days that are no more.' - -The westering sun, glinting through the trees, spreads the shadows broad -athwart the quiet green graveyard. The drowsy hum of insects pervades -the autumnal air, the homing rooks make a pleasant sound in the tall -elms beside the Hall, and the distant lowing of cattle comes faintly to -our ears. - -Upton Cressett church is an ancient, stone-built structure, surmounted -at its western end by a low, twelfth-century broach spire, a very good -and early example of that kind of steeple. The wide timbered porch, seen -in our sketch, encloses a fine Norman doorway of three orders, having -carved capitals and a semicircular arch ornamented with chevron -mouldings. - -Of similar but even richer character is the chancel arch, which consists -of four distinct orders, with traces of a fifth; a most unusual -elaboration for a remote village church such as this. - -The thick stone walls are pierced by small Norman and later windows, -the east window itself being curiously narrow, a mere lancet light. -There was evidently a north aisle at one time, its blocked arches being -visible outside the church. The font is of a peculiar shape, like an -urn, with slender, rounded arches incised upon it, and rude cable -mouldings. - -A door in the south wall of the chancel gives access to the Cressett -chapel, which has a high-pitched, open-timbered roof, and contains a -seventeenth-century oak communion table. Traces of faded frescoes are -visible upon the wall; into which is let a small brass, dated 1640, in -memory of Richard Cressett, a member of the distinguished family which -in bygone times lived in the adjacent Hall. - -As 'Ultone,' Upton Cressett figures in Domesday Survey. In 1165, Upton -formed part of the Barony of Fitz Alan, being held for some generations -by the descendants of Alan de Upton. The Cressetts first appear as Lords -of Upton towards the close of the fourteenth century, when, the male -line of the Uptons becoming extinct, Thomas Cressett succeeded to Upton, -and gave his name to the place. Richard Cressett, builder of the -existing house, held the honourable office of Sheriff of Shropshire, as -did many of his descendants in after years. - -[Illustration: Upton Cressett Hall.] - -Let us now stroll across to the Hall. As indicated upon a panel let into -the wall, the house was erected in the year 1580, and the fine chimney -stacks and diapered gables which figure in our sketch date from about -that period. Viewed from the north-east, its chequered gables, bronzed, -lichen-clad roofs, and wrinkled chimneys, rise with charming effect -against the dappled blue of the sky. - -Internally the house has been much modernized, but some of the older -chambers are nicely wainscoted; and the 'chapel room' upstairs is -divided by the great beams of the roof into bays, with arched braces and -a sort of embattled cornice, all as massive and simple as possible. - -Beyond a green courtyard rises the Gatehouse, a curious little building -with ivied gables and quaint angle turrets, apparently coeval with the -mansion, and, like it, constructed of fine, timeworn brickwork, of a -pleasant mellow hue. The gateway passage shews remnants of antique -gothic lettering, now illegible from decay. A stairway in one of the -turrets leads to several small chambers, in one of which Prince Rupert -is said to have slept. Some fine though damaged plasterwork in this room -displays the usual Tudor emblems, and the word . IESV . upon a heart, -all delicately executed. - -The course of the moat, the ancient well, and the site of the drawbridge -can still be identified, a gigantic oak tree marking the outlet of the -former. There is said to have been, in the olden times, a subterranean -passage running from here to Holgate Castle, in Corve Dale; but, as that -is six miles distant as the crow flies, the tradition must be accepted -cum grano salis. - -Bidding farewell to Upton Cressett, we work a course back to Bridgnorth -by a different route. This leads us near to The Hay, a place where, -long, long ago, the Lady Juliana de Kenley owned certain lands, which, -as is recorded, she disposed of for the moderate rental of one pair of -white gloves, value one halfpenny, 'in lieu of all suit of Court and -Halimot.' - -Once more we pace the now familiar 'petrified kidneys' of the old -Severn-side town, and so come at last to our nocturnal lodging place. -Turning in for the night, we quickly lose ourselves in the arms of -Morpheus, our day's adventures are finally 'rounded with a sleep'--and -the rest is silence. - -[Illustration: Stocks & Whipping Post at Stockton.] - - - - -BETWEEN SEVERN AND CLEE. - - -The morning mists hang white and chill about the ghostly landscape, like -a world rolled up in cotton wool, as, turning our backs upon Bridgnorth, -we hie away southwards adown the vale of Severn. The sun, robbed of his -rays, and wan as the moon herself, looks over the low hills of the -Staffordshire border; and a fleecy, mackerel sky, gives promise of a -likely day in store for folk who fare abroad. - -Descending the hill and crossing Severn bridge, we push onward at a good -round pace along Hospital Street, so named from the Leper House, or -Hospital, which in mediæval days occupied the site of yonder old brick -mansion, called St. James's, which now comes in sight among the trees -upon our left. - -A mile farther on, where the road bifurcates, we are within a measurable -distance of the Gallows Leasow, the site of another grim relic of feudal -times. Here, too, is Danesford; a name that carries us still farther -back into the past. - -Towards the close of the ninth century, the Danes, driven out of Essex -by King Alfred, sought refuge in this locality, and entrenched -themselves in the great Forest of Morf, which in those days covered all -this countryside. - -Presently as we travel along, Quatford church-tower is seen overlooking -a bend of the river. Quatford, the Cwth-Briege of the Saxon Chronicle, -is a very ancient place, the earliest records of which take us back to -King Alfred's days. - -In the year 896 the Danes, to quote an old chronicler, 'toke their way -towards Wales, and came to Quadruge, nere to the River of Severne, -where, upon the borders thereof, they buildid them a Castle.' Here, on -the spot overlooking the Severn still called the Danish Camp, they spent -the winter, 'not without dislike of their lodging, and cold -entertainment'; withdrawing eventually into East Anglia again. - -Towards the close of the eleventh century, Roger de Belesme began the -building of his 'New House and Borough,' mentioned in Domesday, which -probably occupied the site of the earlier Danish encampment. After the -death of Earl Roger, his son, Robert de Belesme, removed both castle and -Burgh to the spot where Bridgnorth now stands. 'At Quatford,' says John -Leland, 'yett appeare great Tokens of a Pyle, or Mannour Place, longing -that tyme to Robert de Belesme.' - -Occupying the summit of a rocky standstone knoll, Quatford church is -approached by a long flight of steps, leading up to the south porch. In -accordance with a romantic vow, the church was dedicated to St. Mary -Magdalene, as a memorial of and thank-offering for escape from -shipwreck, by Adeliza, wife of Earl Roger the Norman; and was -consecrated in the year 1086. The chancel arch and adjacent walls, built -of a peculiar porous stone called tufa, or travertin, quite different -from the rest of the structure, may possibly have formed part of that -ancient edifice. - -In a meadow near Hillhouse Farm, a quarter of a mile north-east of -Quatford church, we come to the 'Forest Oak,' a queer old stunted tree -which might be of almost any age, with its two short, gnarled stems, -supporting a head of wrinkled foliage. So let us give this venerable -weed the benefit of the doubt, by accepting the local tradition that -here, beneath its shade, the Countess Adeliza met Earl Roger her husband -after her perilous voyage, and prevailed upon him to erect the votive -church to St. Mary Magdalene, at Quatford. - -Away across the Severn, at Eardington, is (or was) a small farm called -The Moors; a place that gives rise to a quaint ceremony, performed every -year in London. On October 22, a proclamation is made in the Exchequer -as follows: 'Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! Tenants and occupiers of a piece of -waste ground called "The Moors," in the County of Salop, come forth and -do your service!' The tenants in question then proceed to do sergeantry -by cutting two faggots of wood, one with a hatchet, the other with a -bill-hook. - -The fons et origo of this curious feudal custom has long since been lost -in the mists of antiquity; but the earliest recorded instance of the -service was in the reign of King John, 1210. - -Bidding adieu to Quatford, we descend the hill, pass the 'Danery,' or -Deanery, Inn, and the site of Quatford bridge, and plod on between -hedgerows bejewelled with glistening dewdrops. The 'charm' of the birds, -to use the Shropshire phrase, no longer enlivens the byway; but a -solitary songster every now and again wakes the echoes of woodland or -coppice. Atalanta, yonder, taking heart of grace, suns her glossy wings -on a spray of the 'swete bramble floure'; while the rabbits, startled at -our approach, bob off to their burrows in the sandy bank. - -Dudmaston Hall is left away to our right, and anon we come to Quat, a -mite of a place whose name, derived from Coed, a wood, shews it once -stood within the bounds of Morf Forest. - -Some three miles to the eastward, close to the Staffordshire border, -stands Gatacre Hall, the ancestral home of the family of that ilk, which -has been settled here, it is said, ever since the reign of Edward the -Confessor. Major-General Sir W. Gatacre, one of the victors of Omdurman, -is a distinguished scion of this good old stock, having first seen the -light, if we are rightly informed, at Gatacre Hall. - -The existing mansion, a modern, red-brick edifice, seated in a beautiful -locality, has usurped the place of the original house, which must have -been unique of its kind, to judge from the following description. - -'It was built,' writes Camden, 'of a dark grey free stone, coated with a -thin greenish vitrified substance, about the thickness of a crown piece. -The hall was nearly an exact square, and most remarkably constructed. At -each corner, in the middle of each side, and in the centre, was an -immense oak tree, hewed nearly square, and without branches; set with -their heads on large stones laid about a foot deep in the ground, and -with their roots uppermost, which roots, with a few rafters, formed a -compleat arched roof. The floor was of oak boards three inches thick, -not sawed, but plainly chipped.' - -[Illustration: The Butter Cross. Alveley.] - -Beyond Hampton Load ferry we ascend a lane shewing evidences of having -been paved. Coming to a corner where four ways meet, we see, by the -laneside, the old stone Cross illustrated here; a monolith about 5 feet -in height, upon a circular stone base. On each side of the rounded head -a cross is faintly distinguishable; but, as a passer-by truly remarks, -'They've yacked un and yowed un, so as you canna very well make out what -it be all about.' - -When and why the cross was erected there is no record to shew, but it is -evidently of great antiquity, and probably was used as a meeting place -for holding a sort of open-air market. It is sometimes called the Butter -Cross, the lower stone being supposed to represent a cheese, and the -round head a pat of butter! - -A quarter of an hour's walk brings us to Alveley, a rather untidy -village, scattered higgledy-piggledy along a crooked roadway. St. Mary's -church, however, proves interesting enough to make amends for other -shortcomings. - -Many styles of architecture, from Norman to late Decorated, are -represented here. The Norman nave has clerestory windows, in one of -which we espy some good pre-Reformation glass; and a flattish oak roof -spans the whole. - -[Illustration: Alveley Church.] - -At the east end of the south aisle rises a beautiful fifteenth-century -chantry chapel, dedicated to St. Mary, upon the walls whereof -considerable remains of ancient frescoes are still discernible. They -appear to represent, the Fall: the Redemption of Man: the Annunciation: -and the Salutation; but, as they are all much worn and faded, this is -somewhat conjectural. - -Upon the wall of the adjacent aisle is a curious old altar-frontal, -which formerly belonged to St. Mary's chantry. It dates from about 1470, -and is wrought upon coloured silk, depicting the Church at rest in -Abraham's bosom. The figure of Abraham is admirably portrayed, his -countenance being of a decidedly Jewish cast; while the Church, in the -form of a group of diminutive figures, is seen snugly ensconced in a -sort of napkin, held between Abraham's outstretched hands. - -The west tower is early Norman, and in spite of late excrescences, is -probably the oldest part of the church. Nor must we omit to mention the -very ancient 'excommunication' door, now blocked, near the west end of -the north aisle. An inscription of some interest to the Freemason -fraternity appears upon the outer lintel of this doorway; to wit: ano . -domini . 1585 : IHON . DAAIS . FREEMASON : This fine church was well -restored by Blomfield, in 1878. - -From Alveley we make a detour to visit Pool Hall, which is interesting -mainly from its past associations, the present house being a somewhat -shabby, neglected-looking building of no great antiquity. 'Polehous' -first figures in history about the middle of the fourteenth century, -when we find it in the possession of Henry de la Pole. The Manor of -Alveley, in which Pool Hall is situated, formed one of the four manors -held by Algar, Earl of Mercia, before the Normans had penetrated into -this part of England. - -Retracing our steps to Alveley, we drop down to the ferry at Potter's -Load, a pleasant, sequestered spot, where the ferryman's picturesque -cottage is the only habitation in sight. A shady path, climbing steeply -up through the woods, soon brings us to Highley village. The place, as -its name suggests, stands at a considerable elevation, affording -frequent glimpses of the surrounding country, a hilly-and-daley region. - -Conspicuous at the top of the village rises its parish church, on the -south side whereof we find the interesting fragment of a Calvary cross -depicted in the sketch on p. 213. The broken shaft, which has -angle chamfers terminating in small heads, stands upon a massive base -edged with bold cable mouldings, and ornamented with sphinx-like faces -at the corners. On the west side of the base is the curious crocketed -niche seen in the cut; it may conjecturally have been used to display -the Paschal light at Easter-tide. The southern side has a hand and the -letters I . H . C cut upon it. - -The adjacent church, though ancient, is somewhat featureless; and the -Church-house, an antiquated structure of timber and plaster overlooking -the graveyard, seems quite the oldest residence in the village. - -Southward from Highley, the Severn itself forms for several miles the -Shropshire boundary, an outlying elbow of Staffordshire coming in upon -the east, and giving a curious local twist to the frontier hereabouts. - -Until comparatively recent times, there was an isolated cantle of -Shropshire lying derelict, so to speak, far away towards the east, upon -the confines of Worcester and Stafford. The quiet old townlet of -Halesowen, with its ruined Premonstratensian Abbey founded by King -John, was formerly included in Shropshire; as was also the curious -little chapel of St. Kenelm, on the slopes of the Clent Hills, and the -pleasant estate of the Leasowes, with its groves and pseudo-classic -ruined temples, in the taste of the last century, and its memories of -Shenstone the poet. - -But we digress, so now, revenons à nos moutons. - -Laying a south-westerly course from Highley, we set out anon for Kinlet -Hall, a place seated in a wild, secluded locality, on the borders of -Wyre Forest. Our way lies in the main through a country of low, tumbled -hills, thatched with woodland; one or two colliery chimneys, emitting -grimy smoke, seeming out of place amid these green, pastoral landscapes. - -After passing the vicarage we enter Kinlet Park, a tract of undulating -country about 500 acres in area, containing bosky dells and sylvan -glades, where flourish some of the finest oaks and beeches in the -county. - -[Illustration: Kinlet Hall.] - -The Hall and church soon come in sight, the former a fine, spacious -structure of brick, with stone quoins, built in the year 1729 by an -ancestor of the present proprietor; the original half-timbered mansion, -which stood nearer the church, having been pulled down at that time. - -Though lacking the picturesque variety of an earlier style, Kinlet Hall -impresses one by a certain serene dignity as it rises, four-square and -ruddy, and flanked by large arched gateways, from the smooth, -close-cropped greensward of the home-park; a worthy example of an -English country residence of the early Georgian period. Some good -ancestral portraits lend interest to the interior, including likenesses -of the builder of the existing mansion, and his lady. - -[Illustration: Kinlet.] - -At the time of the Norman Conquest, the estate of Kinlet appertained to -Editha, Edward the Confessor's widow, and in after years passed -successively to the houses of Cornewall and of Blount. The Blounts, as -Camden tells us, were 'an antient, illustrious, and numerous family in -these parts, who have extended their branches a great way, and who -certainly have their name from their yellow hair.' Kinlet eventually -came into the possession of the Baldwyns, a widely connected Shropshire -family, and is now the residence of Captain C. Baldwyn-Childe. - -Kinlet church, nestling in a grove of trees almost under the shadow of -the Hall, is a small but interesting cruciform structure. In the Blount -chapel we find monuments to various members of that family, as well as -to the Childes. The finest of these is a richly canopied table-tomb, -with the figures of Sir George Blount and his wife kneeling beneath -niches, a recumbent effigy in the arched vault below, and a quaint Latin -epitaph alongside. This knight was a distinguished soldier, and -sometime High Sheriff of Salop; he died in the year 1581. Against the -adjacent wall there is a curious representation of the Crucifixion, in -stone, and there are one or two sixteenth-century marble monuments in -the chancel. - -Some idea of the exterior of Kinlet church may be gathered from the -little sketch on the previous page, which shews the half-timbered -clerestory, the pretty gable-end of the Blount chapel, and a certain -small stone structure which rises in the churchyard. It is square on -plan, with an arched recess on each side, the one towards the west -having a shallow niche on the inner face. It appears to have been -surmounted by a cross, of which the base-stone may be seen upon the apex -of the roof. - -Dotted here and there about the valley of the Rea, as it comes down from -Brown Clee Hill, are a number of obscure villages and isolated hamlets, -which have remained as primitive, probably, as any in all broad -Shropshire. It is the country, par excellence, of stiff red clay, as the -oft-repeated name of 'Clee' plainly indicates; and its sunny barley -fields, its orchards and bosky woodlands, have given rise to the local -adage: - - 'Blest is the eye 'twixt Severn and Wye, - But thrice blessed he 'twixt Severn and Clee!' - -Ditton Priors, with its interesting old church, carved oak roodscreen, -stalls and lectern, lies under the shadow of Brown Clee, near the -head-waters of the Rea. Cleobury North, on the Ludlow road, had a church -subject to Brecon Priory as long ago as Henry the First's time. One or -two epitaphs in the graveyard here are worth a passing notice. - -Then we come to Burwarton, whose inn, the Boyne Arms, offers bed and -board for the wayfarer in a better style than one is wont to find in -this remote locality, where as a rule the traveller is fortunate who, -like the proverbial Scotsman, is 'contented wi' little, an' cantie wi' -mair.' - -Burwarton church is mainly of Norman date, having a plain, semi-headed -chancel arch of that period, and a little carved woodwork. Brown Clee -Hill, lying due west, may be easily climbed from here; and the view from -the top, described on a previous page, will well repay the scramble. - -A mile south-east is Aston Botterel, where, in the south aisle of the -church, may be seen an altar-tomb with pillared canopy to one of the -Botterels, who held the Manor of Aston of the Earls of Arundel. At the -Bold, hard by, are some slight remains of an ancient building, probably -a chapel. - -Proceeding on our way adown the vale, we come presently to Wheathill, a -place that in the Conqueror's time formed a portion of the vast estates -of Earl Roger de Montgomery. Wheathill church is of Norman origin, -having a fine south doorway with cable moulding, and tympanum with -axe-hewn ornamentation. The Hakets were the great folks here in olden -times, John Haket, Rector of 'Wheathull,' being mysteriously drowned in -the Teme, near Ludlow, in 1342. - -Some forty minutes later we find ourselves at Stottesdon; our way -thither leading by unfrequented lanes across the Rea brook. Here we -happen upon a church which, though restored about thirty years ago, -retains many points of interest to the antiquary. - -Stottesdon church has one of the finest Norman fonts in the county. It -is ornamented with an interlaced border, and other enrichments; and the -carvings of the west doorway are so rude and primitive, they might have -formed part of the earlier church known to have existed here in Saxon -times. The base of the tower is also possibly pre-Norman, while the -Wrickton chantry dates from the fourteenth century. - -In 1085, Roger de Montgomery gave Stottesdon church, with all its rich -endowments, to his great Abbey at Shrewsbury. When visiting Stottesdon -in the year 1290, so poor was this neighbourhood, that Bishop Swinfield -had to send all the way to Kidderminster market for provender, and for -shoes for his coach horses. - -Bestowed by the Conqueror upon Roger de Montgomery, the 'Marquis de -Carabas' of the Welsh border, Stottesdon manor became the caput, or -chief place, of one of the Shropshire Hundreds. Becoming forfeit to the -Crown, the King bestowed the manor, about 1159, on Godfrey de Gamages, -in which family it remained until the year 1230. Thereafter we find de -Plaesto and de Seagrave enrolled as over-lords of Stottesdon; claiming -free-warren, and holding free-courts, with all the rights and privileges -thereto attached. - -Pushing on towards Cleobury Mortimer through a rough, broken country, we -come by-and-by to a farmhouse called Walltown, occupying the site of a -Roman encampment, whose outer lines are still clearly traceable. In -Blakeway's time, the old road from Cleobury to Bridgnorth passed -directly through the centre of the camp, 'entering at the Prætorian, and -passing out at the Decuman Gate,' but its course has since been altered. - -Leaving Neen Savage in the vale upon our right, we cut off a corner by a -lane that drops steeply to the Rea; and after sighting the broken walls -of Lloyd's Paper-mill, looking like a ruined castle, we make our entry -into Cleobury Mortimer, with the tall, twisted spire of St. Mary's -church rising above the housetops, like a crooked, beckoning finger. - -So, while beating up for the 'Talbot,' let us call to mind a few facts -about the history of the town. 'The village of Clebyri,' to quote Leland -once again, 'standythe in the Rootes by est of Cle Hills, seven myles -from Ludlow, in the Way to Beaudeley.' At the time of Domesday Survey -'Claiberie' was held by Queen Editha, and in mediæval days formed, with -the circumjacent country, part of the great Honour of Mortimer. These -haughty Mortimers, indeed, ruled the roost for many a long day at -Cleobury; but their castle was destroyed during the Barons' Wars, and -the site alone, 'nighe the churche by Northe,' was to be seen in -Leland's time. - -Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, Queen Elizabeth's 'sweet Robin,' was -for a while the lord of Cleobury. In the 'Lives of the Dudleys' we read: -'He was a compleat Gentleman in all suitable employments; an exact -seaman, an excellent architect, mathematician, physician, chymist and -what not. He was a handsome, personable man, tall of stature, red -haired, and of an admirable comport; and above all noted for riding -the great horse for tilting, and for his being the first of all that -taught a dog to sit in order to catch partridges.' - -At Cleobury was born in the fourteenth century William Langland, the -'Poet of the Lollards.' About the year 1362, Langland composed those -'Visions of Piers Plowman,' which have caused their author to be -acknowledged as one of the earliest of England's songsters. - -So much, then, for the brave days of old. Cleobury Mortimer as we see it -to-day is a long, straggling, torpid townlet, whose agricultural -proclivities are chequered by the mining industries carried on around -Titterstone Clee Hill, and the woodcraft of the people who dwell in the -neighbouring Forest of Wyre. - -Having secured a night's billet at the Talbot Inn, we sally forth again -and proceed to spy out the land. Out in the High Street is seen a block -of timeworn sandstone, whereon, according to a credible tradition, young -Arthur Tudor's body was laid, he having died while travelling this way -from Ludlow Castle to Bewdley. - -A few yards farther on we come to the parish church, a noble old pile -dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin, the central and dominant feature of -Cleobury town. Its graceful arches and elegant fenestration mark the -Early English period; though the tower, the oldest portion of the -fabric, dates back to Norman times. Far aloft soars the tall wooden -steeple, whose old warped timbers, stripped of their clumsy boarding, -are now being clad in a weatherproof garb of stout oak shingles. - -A large, handsome south porch gives access to the interior, where, inter -alia, we observe a remarkably shapely chancel arch, and some modern -stained glass in the east window, a memorial to William Langland, the -poet, who may be descried therein, dreaming over his 'visions' as he -reclines on a bank, with Malvern Hills away in the background. - -[Illustration: Cleobury-Mortimer, from the Wells.] - -A further ramble about the town introduces us to Cleobury College, a -handsome building in a pleasant situation, erected, as a tablet informs -us, by Sir Lacon W. Childe, of Kinlet, in 1740, and recently enlarged -and improved. Then, down in a hollow of the highway, we stumble across -the quaint view which our artist has here reproduced; the crooked church -steeple soaring heavenwards above a tall Scotch fir, while the -foreground is occupied by an arched grotto enclosing the crystal-clear, -perennial spring, called the Wells, whence the townsfolk draw their -unfailing supply of water. - -From Cleobury Mortimer we will make an excursion towards Bewdley; our -route, for a large part of the way, lying through the heart of Wyre -Forest. The forest is worth a visit, though nowadays the 'tall oaks' of -Camden's time are conspicuous by their absence, having long since been -cut down and carried off to smelt the iron ore of the Midlands, ere -'sea-coal' came into use. - - 'When soon the goodlie Wyre, that wonted was soe hie, - Her statelie top to reare, 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 sister forests bee.' - -Covering a broken, dimpled country, with many quiet sylvan nooks -enlivened by streams and brooklets, Wyre Forest is still a pleasant, -wild, out-of-the-way district to ramble in; and is a favourite haunt of -birds, butterflies, beetles, moths, and similar 'small deer,' as many a -naturalist knows. The former extent and importance of the forest may be -gathered from the fact that the County of Worcester is named after it, -and that to this day it remains one of the largest tracts of woodland in -the Marches of Wales. Old, disused coalpits here and there, shew that -the coveted 'black diamonds' lie underfoot, though of a quality so poor -as scarce to repay the cost of winning--'thank goodness,' one is minded -to say. - -[Illustration: Dowles Manor House.] - -So by cross-country cuts and woodland ways we ramble through the forest, -until, just short of the Bewdley road, we get a pretty peep of Dowles -Manor-house, an ancient timbered dwelling seated in a dell, embosomed -amidst trees, and bearing the date 1560 cut upon one of its old black -beams. Then we come to Dowles church, a fifteenth-century building, -though it doesn't look it, having been encased in brick about a hundred -years ago. - -Strolling along the towing-path by Severn side, we presently catch sight -of - - 'Fair seated Bewdley, a delightful Towne, - Which Wyre's tall oaks with shady branches crown.' - -Situated on the western bank of the Severn, 'the Towne of Beaudley is -sett on the Syde of an Hill, so comely, a Man cannot wish to see a Towne -better,' as friend Leland remarks. 'At the Rising of the Sunne from -East,' he tells us, 'the whole Towne glittereth as it were of gould'; an -observation which shews that the famous antiquary had an eye for the -picturesque. - -Bewdley Bridge, an elegant stone structure, built by Telford about a -century ago in place of an older one, connects Bewdley itself with its -staid old neighbour Wribbenhall. 'To this bridge resort many flatt long -Vessells, to carry up and downe all manner of Marchandize,' writes -Leland; but the railways have driven the traffic from the river, so that -nowadays the merchants' stores and warehouses stand empty and idle -beside the silent highway. - -Time was when this ancient borough of Bewdley drove a thriving trade in -Welsh flannels, and other produce of the border; shipping her wares -down-stream to Bristol, or sending them away on pack-horses by -bridle-paths, such as the hollow way called the Welsh Gate that runs -below Ticknell hill. The old 'George' posting-house, with a handful of -substantial-looking houses, mostly of the Georgian era, lend a -respectable, well-to-do air to the town: but its parish church, at the -top of the main street, is unspeakably ugly; a red-brick abomination of -the true 'churchwarden' type. - -Bewdley has been a borough town ever since the days of Edward IV.; and, -until 1885, returned its own member to Parliament. A quarter of a mile -south of the town stands the old manor-house of Ticknell. - -'Bewdele, the Sanctuary Towne, hath hard by it the Kynge's Maner of -Tikile, stonding on a Hill.' At Ticknell was formerly held the famous -Court of the Marches: and hither, in 1502, the body of Prince Arthur was -brought, after his death while travelling from Ludlow. The earlier -house, mentioned by Leland, was destroyed by the Covenanters, but the -mansion now standing has some pretensions to antiquity. - -The Tenbury and Bewdley railway, as it traverses the valley of Dowles -brook, gives us some interesting glimpses of the Forest, whose russet -foliage glows resplendent in the level rays of this September sunshine. -After passing Cleobury station we run between steep, rocky banks, -fringed with broom, heather and bracken, getting every now and again -wide views of forest land overtopped by distant hills. Then Mawley Hall -is seen, an old-time abode of the Blounts; and running past a large -seventeenth-century brick-and-stone house called Reaside farm, we come -by-and-by to Neen Sollers, a quiet agricultural village with an ancient -cruciform church, whose old grey tower and spire are seen overtopping -the nearer trees. Thenceforward we travel on amidst tranquil, rural -landscapes, where the ruddy apples lie in piles about the orchards, and -the willow-fringed Teme winds along through the vale on her way to meet -Father Severn. - -Arrived at Tenbury station we quit the train, and, passing near the -Castle Tump, a grass-grown mound marking the approach to the ancient -ford, we traverse an old stone bridge and trudge on into Tenbury, a -pleasant little Worcestershire town on the banks of Teme, a famous -fishing river. The Swan Hotel at the entrance to the town looks the -picture of an angler's inn; so there we will rest awhile. - -[Illustration: Burford.] - -A meadow path by Temeside leads us towards Burford, of whose fine church -we presently obtain an effective view, its broad, richly embattled tower -grouping prettily, as shewn in our sketch, with a quaint churchyard -cross, and the feathery foliage of the surrounding trees. - -Burford church is of very ancient foundation, but has been much altered -at various times, and has recently undergone a thorough restoration by -Mr. Aston Webb, the well-known architect. There is much to interest the -ecclesiologist in this handsome, well-cared-for church; but chief among -its attractions is the wealth and variety of its monuments. - -A low table-tomb in the centre of the chancel bears the figure of Edmund -Cornwaylle, clad in plate armour, and wearing the gilded spurs of an -equitis aurati. Beneath a handsome ogee canopy in the adjacent wall -lies the effigy of a female, with the following inscription: HERE LYETH -THE BODY OF THE MOST NOBLE ELIZABETH, DAUGHTER OF JOHN OF GAUNT DUKE OF -LANCASTER, OWN SISTER TO KING HENRY IV., WIFE OF JOHN HOLLAND, EARL OF -HUNTINGTON, AND DUKE OF EXETER; AFTER MARRIED TO SIR JOHN CORNWALL, -KNIGHT OF THE GARTER. SHE DIED THE 4TH YEAR OF HENRY VI. AN DNI -MCCCCXXVI. - -A curious brass in the north-east corner of the chancel, bearing an -inscription in old Norman-French, commemorates Dame Elizabeth, wife of -Sir Elmon de Cornewaylle, a fourteenth-century knight. On the wall above -is a remarkable triptych, a memento of the Cornewall family, said to be -the work of one Melchior Salaboss, a foreign artist. - -There is a fine fifteenth-century font; and in the south chancel wall we -notice two curious little 'heart-shrines,' small circular receptacles -with lids, beneath a pointed arch. The custom was in early times, when a -nobleman died abroad, to embalm his heart, and send it home to be buried -amongst his kinsfolk; under the circumstances a convenient method of -sepulture. - -After the Mortimers, the Cornewalls ruled here for generations as Barons -of Burford, being under service to find five men to fight in Edward the -Third's Welsh wars. The Ledwyche Brook, flowing into the Teme near -Burford church, gives its name to Ledwyche farm, in bygone times the -home of the famous Benbows. - -Retracing our steps to Tenbury station, a two-mile walk brings us to -Boraston, scenes of rural industry enlivening the way. In yonder upland -field the harvesters are busy carting the wheat, the golden shocks -shewing up sharp and clear against the purple background of the Clee -Hills; while the wavering hum of a threshing-machine drones a homely -accompaniment. Then we descend into a vale, and trudge along the green -alleys of a hop-yard, the fragrant bines drooping beneath their wealth -of fruit and foliage, and clinging each to its neighbour with slender, -outstretched tendrils. - -Boraston comprises a handful of rustic dwellings, scattered about a -little church, one or two of the older ones displaying half-timbered -gables towards the road. Boraston church has been much restored, but -retains several early-cusped windows, and an old roof whose rafters are -carried half-way down the southward wall. On either side the nave is a -curious, plain, arched recess, the use whereof is not apparent; and -there are traces of a very ancient doorway, now built up. The apsidal -east end, a south porch, and a shingled bell-turret above the western -gable, are the most salient points of the exterior. - -Nash chapel, a mile or so to the north, is almost a replica of Boraston. -This church has been quaintly described by Mr. Cranage as, 'a -"Decorated" building which is _not decorated_.' Court-of-Hill is the -most interesting house in this locality. - -In the broken country west of Boraston lies the hamlet of Greete, with a -small, aisle-less church, dedicated to St. James, of Norman and Early -English date. The pleasant rural vicarage and oldfashioned Court-house -farm are almost its only neighbours, but about a mile to the west stands -Stoke House, a plain but good example of a brick-built Tudor residence. - -Very rustic and unsophisticated are the country folk hereabouts, even in -these fin-de-siecle days; and it is within living memory that Parson -J----, coming to take up his new duty in a neighbouring parish, walked -into the village driving his cow before him! Time was when some of these -country parsons were mighty hunters before the Lord. There is a story of -one of them who, when about to start for the meet, got wind that his -Bishop was coming to pay him a visitation. Jumping into bed, scarlet -jacket and all, he leaves word with his old housekeeper that he is ill -upstairs, and the tale is repeated to his lordship. 'Dear me, I'm very -sorry; tell him I'll walk up and see how he's getting on,' says the -Bishop. The message is duly delivered, whereupon our Nimrod sends back -his reply, 'No, no, it's quite impossible; I'm down with a shocking bad -attack of _scarlet_ fever!' - -The road ascends as we make our way northwards, with quarries and -lime-works defacing the heights that buttress Clee Hill on this side. -After a stiffish bit of collar work we come to Whitton Chapel, a -simple, solitary building, with a good though plain Norman south -doorway, and a primitive-looking old tower. - -A bowshot farther on we enter the demesne of Whitton Court, a charming, -seventeenth-century mansion, whose ruddy old brick gables, clustered -chimney stacks and mullioned windows, all wreathed in luxuriant ivy and -set against a background of autumnal foliage, make as pleasant a picture -as one could wish to see. Inside and out alike, this venerable abode is -a delight to the lover of things antique and curious, its owners having -displayed rare good taste in such renovations as have been found -needful. Though in the main of Elizabethan style, the oldest portions of -the house date back as early as the fourteenth century; and some richly -carved woodwork, some good pictures and curious old tapestry, are -features of the interior. An admirable sketch of Whitton Court appeared -in Mr. Oliver Baker's 'Ludlow Town and Neighbourhood.' - -Tinker's Hill is full in view towards the west as we push on for Hope -Bagot, its tree-begirt slopes crowned by the old British earthwork -called Caynham Camp, of which the Parliamentarians availed themselves -when besieging the town of Ludlow. In the vale below lies Caynham -church, an ancient but much restored edifice, which has a curious triple -chancel arch of rather unusual character. - -Ashford Bowdler, with its quaint old church overlooking the Teme, lies -but a few miles beyond, in a picturesque nook of the county adjacent to -the Herefordshire border. - -Hope Bagot itself stands high up in the world, looking out across the -pleasant vale of Teme from its 'hope,' or upland valley, among the -foothills of Titterstone Clee. So now we stroll on to the church, which -is seen a short distance away under the shoulder of Knowl Hill. - -It is an ancient place, and, with its grey stone walls and timbered -porch, falls in pleasingly with its rustic environment, tempting the -wayfarer to make a closer acquaintance. Many notable objects here meet -our gaze, a curious sedilia and piscina in the chancel, to reach which -we pass beneath a chancel arch evidently built by the Normans; and the -plain, bowl-shaped font is perhaps of equal antiquity, while the carving -upon the old oak pulpit calls for a passing notice. - -A great dark yew-tree flings its shadow athwart the graveyard, and -yonder is the Holy Well, famed in bygone times as a sovereign remedy for -curing sore eyes. - -But the day wears towards a close, and it behoves us to be up and away; -for it is a far cry yet to our night's bivouac at Cleobury Mortimer. - -So climbing the steep flank of Titterstone, we win our way to the high -road, 'high' indeed at this point, where we stand some 1,250 feet above -the sea. Far and wide extends the bounteous landscape, a maze of hill -and dale, tilth and pasturage; its remoter features veiled in the soft, -warm haze of an autumn afternoon, lending an added charm to everyday, -familiar objects. - -Swinging along downhill we pass Hopton Wafers, a high-lying village, -bowered in trees, beside a rill coming down from Clee. Anon the jolly -moon rolls up above the dusky breadths of Wyre Forest; children, -homeward-bound from blackberry gathering, give us a 'Good-evening' as -they pass; the night wind rustles the silvery willows beside the brook, -and a wandering owl raises his melancholy shout from somewhere in the -vicinity. - -And so beneath the frosty stars we enter old Cleobury again, and, -passing the substantial looking manor-house, come to a late meal at the -Talbot, just as the curfew bell in the steeple hard by tolls the 'knell -of parting day.' - -[Illustration: Ancient Cross at Highley.] - - - - -WESTWARD HO! TOWARDS THE WELSH BORDER. - - -Skirting the south-eastern suburbs of the County-town, the Minsterley -branch line carries us in a devious course beside the Meole Brook, -amidst quiet, rural scenery, calling for no particular notice. It is -worth while, however, to alight at Hanwood station, in order to take a -look at one or two ancient farmhouses that lie not far away. - -[Illustration: Moat Hall. Hanwood.] - -The finest of these is Moat Hall, a place which, though altered by -recent restorations, retains some interesting features. No less than -three very handsome old carved oak chimney-pieces are still to be seen, -the arms of the Beringtons being traceable among their ornamentation; -and the domestic chapel, used in bygone times by those of the 'old -faith,' retains its panelled dadoes and rich plaster ceiling. The place -was of course haunted; but the ghost, with a fine sense of propriety, -none too common amongst such gentry, has departed with a former owner of -the estate. - -At Hanwood we traverse a small local Black Country, where an outlier of -the Shropshire coalfield lies under foot, and where stumpy colliery -chimneys and whimsey-wheels deface the nearer landscape. But all this -soon gives place to the good open country, as the train approaches -Pontesbury station; and tall, cloud-capped hills begin to assert -themselves, in the direction whither we are bound. - -There is not much to detain the traveller here, for 'Ponsbyri,' as John -Leland has it, 'is but an uplandisch Tounlet, 4 miles from Shrewsbyri.' -The church, nevertheless, was originally a collegiate foundation, and -still boasts a fine, massive tower, besides one or two other good -features. Of the 'great Manor Place, or Castelle,' whose ruins Leland -saw 'on the south side of the Chirche Yarde,' not one stone now remains -upon another. To Pontesbury, some six centuries ago, came the famous -Bishop Swinfield; paying, as is recorded, the modest sum of one penny -for the ten-mile journey across the hills from Stretton, which may -stand, we take it, as a record fare even to this day. - -Be that as it may, we now pass on to Minsterley, the terminus of the -line; a place that, whatever attractions it may possess, can certainly -lay small claim to beauty. Even the Miners' Arms Inn, by its -bleak-looking, brick façade, belies the comfort to be found within; and -it is not until we come to the parish church that things take a turn for -the better. - -The little edifice is, perhaps, rather curious than beautiful. Built in -the seventeenth century, it has superseded an earlier church of great -but unknown antiquity, reputed to have been one of the most ancient -ecclesiastical foundations in Shropshire. - -Externally, the red-brick front presents a queer combination of skulls, -hour-glasses, scythes and cherubs' heads, wrought amidst the classic -entablature of the Jacobean portal; a good example of the bad style then -in vogue. There is not much else to detain us here, so let us look -within. - -The interior of Minsterley church is sober, plain and simple; but is -relieved from the commonplace by the rich, dark woodwork of its massive -oak pulpit and chancel screen, and the great sounding-board which -impends above the former. - -Suspended from wooden pegs, near the western end of the church, hang -some half-dozen Maiden Garlands, or Love Tokens, as they are sometimes -called. These curious objects are constructed of ribbons, bows and -rosettes, stretched upon a small bee-hive shaped framework. A Love Token -was intended to commemorate a betrothed lover who had remained faithful -during life, his or her fiancée having died during the time of -betrothal. There is, however, another version anent the use of these -Maiden Garlands. When a young damsel died, a girl of the same age as -the deceased walked at the head of the funeral procession, carrying a -Maiden Garland, with a pair of white gloves attached, as an emblem of -the purity of the departed. These Garlands at Minsterley bear various -dates in the last century, and are among the best preserved of their -kind. - -Quitting the village by the Bishop's Castle road, we espy upon our right -hand the half-timbered gables of Minsterley Hall, a modernized -manor-house of the Thynne family, now the property of the Marquess of -Bath. - -The hills close in as we advance, the road climbing their slopes by a -long, steady ascent. Away to the left rise some great refuse-heaps, -where lead has been mined at least as far back as the time of the Roman -Emperors; for in Shrewsbury Museum may be seen a large 'pig' of lead, -found in this neighbourhood, which bears the inscription IMP . HADRANI . -AUG. - -Pursuing the course of a wimpling brook, our road now leads through the -recesses of Hope Vale, a narrow dingle whose sides present an unbroken -expanse of greenwood, its verdure looking fresh and bright after the -passage of the recent rains, while the carol of many a feathered friend -enlivens our onward march. By-and-by this gives place to more open -scenery as we approach the Gravel Mine, which is believed to be of Roman -origin. - -Half a mile away behind the hills lies Shelve, a village given over to -mining; whence, by cross-country tracks, the Stiperstones may be -ascended. This remarkable range forms one of a series of roughly -parallel ridges, which traverse this portion of Shropshire in a -north-east to south-westerly direction. Huge, timeworn masses of quartz -rock, cropping out here and there upon the skyline, give to these hills -a strange, wild appearance; while such names as Devil's Chair, Nipstone -Rock, and the like, indicate their traditional origin. One story tells -how the Devil, rising up from his chair on the Stiperstones, and taking -a three-mile stride across Hope Vale, planted his foot upon the Lord's -Stone, a conspicuous rock on the hills to the westward, where, it is -said, his footprint may to this day be seen. - -Excelsior! is still the order of the day, on resuming our onward route, -and the landscape assumes a bleaker look as the road slants steadily -upwards. Marsh Pool, a small mere half choked by weeds, appears close at -hand below the fern-clad slopes of Stapeley Hill; while Corndon soars -aloft like a real mountain before us, dwarfing all his lesser -neighbours. At the crossways we bear away westwards, striking presently -into a rough, rambling cart-track, that leads up the unenclosed -hillside. - -[Illustration: Mitchells Fold.] - -Half a mile of this sort of thing brings us to Mitchell's Fold, which, -to compare small things with great, may be called the Stonehenge of -Shropshire. A dozen or more large slabs of stone are grouped into an -irregular circle, most of the stones having long since fallen down, -though three or four of them still remain upright, the tallest standing -about 6 feet above the ground. - -Tradition, the garrulous jade, has her own story to tell of how -Mitchell's Fold first came into existence. Once upon a time, it seems, -there was a great famine throughout all this countryside, so that the -good folk had much ado to 'keep the wolf from the door.' All they had to -live upon was the milk from a white fairy Cow, that, night and morning, -came to this spot to be milked. Thus everybody found plenty of milk, -provided no one drew more than a pailful. - -At length, however, came a wicked old witch, named Mitchell, who -proceeded to milk the good white cow into a riddle, or sieve, which she -carried in her hand, so that presently the cow ran dry. Discovering the -trick that had been played upon her, the cow became highly indignant, -and, kicking over the riddle, vanished from the scene, and was never met -with in these parts again. Indeed, it is said she turned crazy, and -going off into a far country, became transformed into the famous Dun Cow -slain by Guy, Earl of Warwick. As for the wicked old witch, she was -turned into one of these stones on the hill, and the other stones were -set around to keep her safely in; and so it comes to pass that the place -to this day bears the name of Mitchell's Fold. - -With regard to the beneficent fairy Cow, one is minded to conjecture in -what relation she stood to the wonderful Bull, whose exploits we heard -of when at Hyssington. That point, however, we respectfully leave for -antiquaries to decide, and now push on again for Chirbury. - -The west wind greets us lustily, as we tramp in the teeth of the breeze -across acres of heather and bracken; pausing now and then to scan the -wild moorland prospect, or to watch the gyrations of a brace of plovers, -as they circle overhead. - -Calling in for a draught of milk at the first farmhouse on the edge of -cultivation, we pass the time of day with the master, who gives us a -hearty Shropshire greeting. 'You be come to a desprit lonesome place,' -remarks our friend; 'and 'tis tedious work traipsin' about them beggarly -lands such weather as this; but step in and sit ye down, and my missus -'ool bring us summat to drink.' - -So down we sit in the roomy kitchen-place, surrounded by all the homely -gear of the goodwife's daily use; taking occasional pulls at Nature's -wholesome tipple from big blue china mugs, and discussing the affairs of -the countryside like men to the manner born. - -Once more afoot, we traverse a stretch of broken, intricate country, -and, surmounting a ridge of low hills, drop downwards into the lower -reaches of Marrington Dingle, a narrow, picturesque defile watered by -the Camlad, whose 'crankling nookes' we hope to explore later on. - -On the farther bank of the brook rises Heightley Hall, a mere farmhouse -now, though in bygone days it was the ancestral home of the Newtons, an -ancient family of more than local fame. The first to settle here, in -1501, was Sir Peter Newton, builder of the old Council House at Salop; -and ere the last scion died out, in 1681, the family had given many High -Sheriffs to Shropshire. Sir Isaac Newton, the great philosopher, was -connected with the Newtons of Heightley. - -The Hall itself has been much altered and modernized: but in the -terraced gardens, with their rows of old yew trees, a large fishpond, -and some remains of an ancient corn-mill down by the banks of the -Camlad, we seem to see traces of a better state of things. - -Peeping over the nearer tree-tops, the old grey timeworn tower of its -ancient Priory church announces our approach to Chirbury, a picturesque -village which can lay claim to a venerable past. Tradition avers that -the monastery which once stood here was founded early in the tenth -century by Ethelfleda, the 'Lady of the Mercians,' daughter of Alfred -the Great; to whom is also attributed the building of Chirbury Castle, -which stood at a spot known as 'King's Orchard,' on the outskirts of the -village. - -In the eleventh of Henry III., a Priory of Black Canons of St. -Augustine, established at Snead, a few years previously, by Robert de -Boulers, was removed to Chirbury, where it flourished until the -Dissolution. Bishop Swinfield twice visited Chirbury Priory in the year -1285, censuring the Prior upon the first occasion for laxity of -discipline. His strictures, we may suppose, had the desired effect; for -the Bishop subsequently found reason to commend the monks of Chirbury -for their almsgiving and piety. - -Born at Montgomery Castle in the year 1581, the celebrated Lord Herbert -of Chirbury spent much of his time at this place, whence he derived his -title. Lord Herbert was created first Baron Chirbury, one of the titles -still borne by the Earls of Powis. His literary achievements attracted -considerable notice in the reign of James I. - -So now let us turn our attention to St. Michael's church, which makes a -pleasant picture, its massive western tower soaring above a great yew -tree, and roses, ivy and creepers, wreathed about the headstones in the -foreground. - -The existing parish church is all that remains of the great Priory -church of the Austin Canons, 'Llanffynnon-wen,' the 'Church of the Fair -Spring,' to give it its poetical Celtic name. A runnel of pure water -still rises on the outskirts of the village; and some few years ago a -stone water-conduit was brought to light in a garden close to the -church. - -Though shorn of much of its ancient distinction, Chirbury church is by -no means devoid of interest. Owing to neglect and supineness in bygone -times, the fabric was fast falling to decay; but of late years the -venerable building has been put into a state of thorough repair, thanks -to the judicious care of the Rev. John Burd, the present vicar. - -The tower door, by which we enter, is surmounted by a small carved -figure representing the Virgin and Child. Upon the stone door-jamb are -several of those nicks, or scratches, we have puzzled over before--could -yonder old yew tree but speak, perchance it might explain that they were -caused by sharpening arrows, in the days when long-bows were fashioned -from its tough, sinewy limbs. - -The interior of Chirbury church is broad, spacious and lofty; for those -Austin Friars loved a roomy church to preach in. Owing to the -'spreading' of the roofs, the nave arcades and the walls above lean -considerably outwards, though the walls of the aisles are upright; and -there are many evidences that, for some reason or other, the present -church was 'run up' in a hurry. - -There was formerly a fine old roodscreen at Chirbury church; but it was -removed many years since to Montgomery. On the wall near the chancel -arch we notice a curious tablet to 'Ric Lloid, 1589,' with the Lloyd -arms, and a skull, or 'memento mori,' set in a deeply sunk circle. -Another small mural tablet displays a shield and the letters H. M., the -initials of Hugh Myddleton, the last Prior of Chirbury. The font, which -is large and extremely archaic-looking, was rescued some years ago from -a neighbouring garden, where it had long done duty as a water-trough! -From its close resemblance to certain ancient holy-water stoups, -recently exhibited at Shrewsbury, Mr. Burd, the vicar, considers this -font was originally the holy-water stoup of the earlier monastic church. - -There is a curious entry in the Parish Book, for the year of grace 1808, -which goes to shew it cost more in those days to pay for ale, to assuage -the Psalm Singers' thirst, than to defray the cost of their musical -instruction! Payment was made, in 1604, to provide 'a bell and cordes to -kepe the dogge out of the Churche, in tymes of divine service and -preachinge'--autre temps autre moeurs. - -Out in the churchyard, near the vestry door, lie the mortal remains of a -former vicar, his brother, and their two wives, whereof the united ages -amounted to 378 years, or the respectable average of over 94 years each. -A portion of a richly moulded pillar, or rather 'respond,' and some -beautiful thirteenth-century floor tiles in the porch of an adjacent -house, are remains of the old monkish church. - -[Illustration: Virgin & Child, Chirbury.] - -Some few years ago a small bronze matrix, representing the Virgin and -Child, was dug up by chance in Chirbury churchyard, and is now in the -possession of the vicar, by whose courtesy we are enabled to give a -sketch of a cast from it. The late Mr. Bloxam considered, from the -costume and the pose of the figure, that this interesting matrix dates -from about the latter part of the fourteenth, or the beginning of the -fifteenth century. It is of a kind very rare, if not unique, in this -country. - -In Chirbury vicarage is preserved a very valuable Library of Chained -Books, probably the most complete private collection of its kind in this -country: - - 'Antique Books--rare old Books-- - Gathered from many old corners and nooks!' - -The books, 207 in number, treat mainly of theological matters, and are -of various dates from 1530 to 1684; most of them retain the iron chains -and swivels by which they were fastened in the cabinet. They probably -formed part of the library established at Montgomery Castle by George -Herbert, the poet and divine; and were transferred to their present -resting place by the Rev. Edward Lewis, who, during nearly half of the -seventeenth century, was vicar of Chirbury. - -Being a man of strong Puritan leanings, Parson Lewis was badly treated -by the Royalists. One Sunday morning, when the vicar was in the act of -addressing his flock, a troop of horsemen rode into the church, haled -the good pastor out of his pulpit, and carried him prisoner to Captain -Corbet, who at the time was in command of the King's forces in that -locality. - -In the secluded rural district around Chirbury, the oldfashioned rustic -Stage Plays held their own until the early decades of the present -century, long after they had ceased elsewhere; and to this day one may -occasionally meet with an ancient greybeard, who in his salad days has -figured upon the boards. - -These performances generally took place close to some country inn, -which, while providing refreshment for the thirsty audience, formed a -sort of 'green-room' for the actors themselves. The play, in which two -male actors usually took part, was performed, to the scraping of a -fiddle, upon a stage improvised for the occasion, by placing some boards -upon a couple of farm-waggons borrowed for the purpose. - -The plays themselves appear to have been of a simple, not over-refined -character, interspersed with broad jokes and scraps of local badinage, -to suit the taste of the bucolic audience. 'Prince Mucidorus, or St. -George and the Fiery Dragon,' 'Rigs of the Times,' 'Valentine and -Orson,' and a piece entitled 'Doctor Forster,' were the favourites. The -hero of the latter is none other than our old acquaintance Faust, and it -was supposed to be only acted on the sly, being considered such a very -wicked play that something was sure to happen to put a stop to the -performance; and the arrival upon the stage of his Satanic Majesty was -regarded as the signal for an outbreak of thunder, lightning and hail, -if nothing worse. - -A mile or so out of Chirbury, in an undulating, well wooded park, on the -verge of Marrington Dingle, stands the ancient timbered mansion of -Marrington Hall, 'a very noble and sweete place,' as old Pepys would -have said. In early documents the name is Maritune, though it was always -known to the Welsh as 'Hafod-wen,' the 'Fair Summer Dwelling,' a name as -appropriate as pretty, for a more delightful situation for such an -'abode of ancient peace' it would be difficult to imagine. - -[Illustration: Ancient Sundial at Marrington.] - -Embosomed amidst ancestral oaks, under the lee of a range of high, -heather-clad hills, this old Elizabethan homestead faces out towards the -distant highlands of Montgomery, commanding a prospect of rare extent -and beauty. Near one corner of the mansion grows a hollow oak, of -enormous bulk and immemorial age, a veritable patriarch among his -fellows: while upon the adjacent lawn rises the Sundial shewn in our -sketch. - -This curious Sundial, one of the most remarkable of its kind in England, -consists of a stone monolith with chamfered edges set upon a large -square base, the whole structure being about 5 or 6 feet in height. The -figures 1595, cut upon the stone, mark the date of its erection; and -around the base runs the inscription: FOR . CHARITI . BID . ME . ADW . -WHO . WROUGHT . THIS . STONE . FOR . THE . TOMB . OF . R . LL. A queer -figure, carved upon one face of the pillar, may pass for a portrait of -Richard Lloyd, the founder; whose arms, with those of the Newtons and -other local families, appear upon the shaft. - -On the top of the pillar is fixed a sundial, or gnomon; while smaller -dials were inserted into every nook and cranny whither the sun's rays -could penetrate. Upon the shaft are inscribed various suitable mottoes: -THESE . SHADES . DO . FLEET . FROM . DAY . TO . DAY; AND . SO . THIS . -LIFE . PASSETH . AWAIE: DEUS . MIHI . LUX: FINIS . ITINERIS . -SEPULCHRUM: FUI . UT . ES; ERIS . UT . SUM: UT . HORA . SIC . VITA: -etc., besides many devices and emblems more or less appropriate to the -subject. - -In the reign of Henry III., the Manor of Marrington was presented by Sir -Robert de Boulers, founder of Chirbury Priory, to a kinsman, and was -held for many generations by that ancient family. Passing subsequently -to the Lloyds, a Welsh rhymester concocted for the occasion the -following curious couplet: - - 'Lle Bowdler mor ber ar bange, - Yw lle Dafydd Lloyd ifange.' - - 'Where Bowdler so long had spit and board, - Is now the place of young David Lloyd.' - -To vary the route, we will return to Chirbury by way of Marrington -Dingle. Here the Camlad has carved out for itself a deep, narrow gorge, -running in a due northerly direction; a famous place for wildflowers, -ferns and mosses, which flourish amain beneath the cool shade of the -overarching copses, draping with a mantle of luscious verdure the banks -of the winding stream. - -Tranquil and secluded as is the vale to-day, there are evidences that, -in the remote past, Marrington Dingle has proved a bone of contention to -successive races of men. Camps and earthworks are planted upon many a -salient corner and vantage point: and artificial tumuli abound upon the -neighbouring lands. - -Rhyd-y-Groes, on the ancient course of the Camlad, tells a different -tale; for here, there is reason to believe, the monks in mediæval times -stationed their processional cross, while the pilgrims passed through -the rippling shallows at Rhyd-y-Groes, the 'Ford of the Cross.' - -As we make our way thus towards Chirbury again through these quiet, -unfrequented byways, a restful calm, 'hushing the harboured winds,' -overspreads the pleasant landscape. The sun has taken his last look at -Chirbury, ere we re-enter the village and come to our night's lodging at -the Herbert Arms, beneath the shadow of St. Michael's old steeple. - - 'Fresh are the fields, and, like a bloom, they wear - This delicate evening.' - - * * * * * - -Proceeding northwards upon our travels from Chirbury, we cross the -Camlad, and, after joining the Newtown road, surmount a low watershed -and enter the valley of the Rea. Marton Pool, a good broad sheet of -water, comes in view upon the right; and then we pass near Binweston, a -diminutive township with an old, faded manor-house, encompassed by a dry -moat, and retaining a little oak panelling, but not much else to boast -of. Hampton Hall, the seventeenth-century brick mansion of the -Whitakers, lies farther away in the same direction. - -Grand cumulus clouds, marshalled along the horizon, threaten broken, -changeable weather; and a smartish shower now warns us to look out for -squalls. But 'for a morning rain leave not yr journey,' as wise old -George Herbert has it; so we plod steadily on in the brunt of the -breeze, prepared for whatever the Clerk of the Weather may see fit to -send our way. - -Ere long we come to Worthen, a village of which least said, perhaps, -soonest mended; for to our minds the place has little to recommend it. -The large parish church is the only building worthy of note, and its -attractions are soon exhausted. Worthen Hall, at the farther end of the -village, is an early eighteenth-century stuccoed house of unassuming -appearance. - -Thenceforward we travel along with low, tumbled hills upon our left, -while in the opposite quarter we look across the flat Rea valley to the -high, wild ridges of the Stiperstones, whose flanks, still shaggy with -woodland, formed a royal hunting forest under the Saxon kings. - -At Aston Rogers we take a glance at the Pound House, a rather -shabby-looking timbered cottage of late fifteenth-century date, with -remains of a circular moat; and anon we diverge from our route to visit -the site of Caurse Castle. - -A stiff climb through a tangle of brushwood brings us to the steep, -green mounds, whereon the castle stood, though but little of it remains -save a few fragments of rough, weedgrown masonry. So far as one can -gather therefrom, the building took the form of a parallelogram, which -adapted itself to the natural trend of the ridge, and appears to have -had a round-tower at each corner. At the highest point stood the keep; -and a well, supplied by the stream hard by, lay somewhere within the -enceinte. The position must have been a strong one, in days when -artillery was in its infancy; and it commanded the avenues of approach -in every direction. - -Caurse Castle was founded by Roger Fitz Corbet, one of William's Norman -knights, very soon after the Conquest; and, from its exposed situation, -must have formed a salient point in the series of border strongholds, -which the Normans drew around these Shropshire Marches. After having -been taken and burned by the Welsh, the castle was recaptured and -garrisoned for Henry II., in 1165. Long afterwards the place passed to -the Barons Stafford, and was eventually captured, and its defences -'slighted' by the Parliamentarians, in 1645. - -Away to the westward looms a wild, hilly, sparsely peopled region, known -in olden times as Caurseland. 'This Caurseland,' to use John Leland's -phrase, 'sumtyme longinge to the Duke of Buckyngham, crooketh -mervelously about the upper Parts of Shropeshire.' It still maintains -its isolated character, though the forest that once overspread this -portion of the county has long since ceased to exist. - -Leaving Caurse Castle behind us, we next bend our steps towards -Westbury, whose church, though of ancient origin, has been shockingly -modernized. In the churchyard there is a curious epitaph to one Edward -Gittins, a local blacksmith, who probably composed the effusion himself. - -[Illustration: Marche-Manor Farm.] - -Marche-manor Farm, the subject of the adjoining sketch, lies in a -secluded dell, not far from Westbury. It is an ancient place, with a -beautiful oak parlour lighted by long, low, lattice-paned windows; and -contains a richly carved and panelled mantelpiece. Staircase, floors, -rafters, all are of heart-of-oak; shewing how plentiful was the -'Shropshire weed' in the early days of the seventeenth century, when the -house was built. Marche-manor formed part of the great Barony of Caurse -Castle, and was held by the Fitz Corbets under Roger de Montgomery, the -Conqueror's vicegerent; but it is one of those places which are blessed -in not having a history. - -The trees and shrubberies, by which the old place is surrounded, set off -to great advantage its ancient timbered gables. A pretty lakelet close -at hand is a favourite haunt of wildfowl; and the soft fluting of coots -and waterhens, hunting among the reeds, makes a pleasant accompaniment -as we sit a-sketching here. - -Crossing the Welshpool road, as it traverses Wattlesborough -Heath--nowadays a heath no longer--we press on to Great Woolaston; whose -unpretentious, eighteenth-century chapel, otherwise not specially -attractive, contains one memorial of the past familiar to many -Salopians. - -[Illustration: Old Thomas Parr.] - -This is a certain brass plate, set into the wall, and bearing engraved -upon its surface the portrait here shewn, with the following -inscription: 'THE OLD, OLD, VERY OLD MAN, THOMAS PARR, was born at the -Glyn, in the Township of Winnington, within This Chapelry of Great -Willaston, and Parish of Alberbury, in the County of Salop, In the Year -of our Lord 1483. He lived in the Reigns of Ten Kings and Queens of -England (viz.), K. Edwd 4th, K. Edwd 5th, K. Richd 3rd, K. Hen. 7th, K. -Hen. 8th, K. Edwd 6th, Q. Mary, Q. Eliz., K. James 1st, and K. Chas 1st. -Died the 13th and was buryed in Westminster Abby on the 15th of -November, 1635; Aged 152 Years and 9 months.' - -Taylor, the 'Water Poet,' writing in the year 1635, in a work entitled -'The Olde, Olde, very Olde Man,' tells us Thomas Parr was an early -riser, sober and industrious, and thus describes his appearance when -advanced in years: - - 'Though old age his face with wrinkles fill, - Hee hath been handsome, and is comely still; - Well-faced, and though his Beard not oft corrected, - Yet neate it grows, not like a beard neglected.' - -All sorts of tales were current concerning this famous centenarian. It -is said that when the Cockneys, having heard of his renown, came to seek -for Old Parr to carry him before the King, they addressed themselves to -a very aged man whom they supposed to be Thomas Parr; and were not a -little astonished when he replied, 'Oh, it ain't me, Lor' bless yer, -it's my _father_ as you wants!' - -That unfortunate visit to London, indeed, seems to have undermined the -old man's constitution; and who knows but that, had he stayed snugly at -home in his native Shropshire, Thomas Parr might have been alive and -hearty to this day. - -Left a widower at the age of 122, our hero sought consolation in the -arms of a fair daughter of Wales. Yet three years later, we hear of this -ancient Lothario doing penance at Alberbury church, for having broken -his marriage vow in an intrigue with a certain frail maid named -Catherine Milton. - -As the story goes, when brought before Charles I., the King, -congratulating Thomas upon so long outrunning the allotted span, -demanded what else he had done to boast of. Old Parr, taken aback by the -question, could think of nothing better than his affair with Catherine -Milton; whereupon His Majesty exclaimed, 'Oh fie, Thomas, fie! can you -remember nothing but your vices?' - -[Illustration: Braggington Hall. Shropshire.] - -But to resume. Beyond Woolaston, in an outlying nook of the county, we -happen upon the fine old Jacobean mansion called Braggington. As may be -gathered from our sketch, it is a massive brick-and-stone edifice, with -mullioned windows and tall, steep gables, surmounted by stone finials. -From the recessed central bay projects the main portal, with its -weatherworn stone pillars, and architrave displaying the date 1674, and -oak, nail-studded door. Large, elaborately ornamented leaden -spout-heads, are seen on each side below the roof. A broad old oak -staircase, with massive newels bearing the device of some ancient -family, is the most prominent feature inside; the place having gone much -to decay, and being now used as a farmhouse. - -Out in the garden they are hiving the bees, and the beating of kettles -and frying-pans makes a quaint, odd, tinkling sound, like the strains of -a toy symphony, as we take our leave. - -From Braggington we ramble on to Coedway, and soon lose ourselves once -more among cool, leafy corners and crankling nooks, where Nature reigns -untended: - - 'Give to me the life I love, - Let the lave go by me, - Give the jolly heavens above, - And the byway nigh me.' - -Yonder a few miles away rise the Breidden Hills, 'brewing the weather, -like a Lapland witch,' and looking wonderfully mountainous for their -inches; with lights and shadows chasing each other athwart their wooded -flanks, and their summits wreathed in a cope of lowering storm cloud. -These hills, indeed, have a reputation to sustain in the matter of -meteorology, as their name Breith-him, 'Broken-weather,' obviously -indicates. - -Rising abruptly from Severn-side to a height of 1,324 feet, this -isolated range is a conspicuous landmark for many a mile around, keeping -watch and ward over the broad Vale of Shrewsbury, much as Gibraltar Rock -guards the entrance to the Mediterranean. An upthrow of volcanic rock -has here thrust the local strata aside, and by its intrusion has -produced the picturesque, broken scenery, found upon the flanks of the -range. - -Like most of these border heights, the Breidden Hills are crowned by -camps and ancient 'castells'; while some authorities have located the -scene of Caractacus's last battle amidst their rocky fastnesses. -Cefn-y-Castell, near Moel-y-Golia, the highest point of the range, is a -good example of an early British earthwork; and Bausley Hill, an eastern -spur, is the supposed site of a Roman station, in connection with the -ford across the Severn at the western foot of the Breiddens. Offa's Dyke -traverses the country in the same quarter. Rodney's Pillar, a memento of -that hero's naval victories, is a noticeable object from afar, crowning -the summit of an isolated peak. - -Just across the Welsh border, we find the Old Hand and Diamond Inn at -Coedway, a quiet little roadside house, near the junction of Severn and -Vyrnwy, whither fishermen resort for the sport on those well-known -waters. Mine host is himself an ardent devotee of 'the gentle art,' and -a guide and counsellor of no mean calibre in matters piscatorial. - -Close beside the Vyrnwy, a few miles hence, stands Melverley, about the -most un-come-at-able village in Shropshire; 'Melverley, God help us!' is -the local phrase, which sufficiently explains its own meaning. Yet they -say if you ask a native whence he hails, he will reply, 'Whoy from -Melverley, wheer else?' as though not to know Melverley argued oneself -unknown. - -Duly rested and refreshed we now set forth from Coedway, and, passing -the Prince's Oak, a memento of King George the Fourth, we follow a road -that gives us pretty peeps of Loton Park and its handsome red-brick -Hall, the residence of Sir Bryan Leighton, whose forbears have been -seated here since the Conqueror's time. - -Close under the lee of Loton Park nestles the diminutive village of -Alberbury, a quiet, old-world looking spot, innocent of any 'public;' -and where Her Majesty's postal affairs are conducted by the universal -provider who runs the one and only shop. But Alberbury church, the -subject of our next illustration, will well repay a visit. - -[Illustration: Alberbury Church. Shropshire.] - -It is a structure of many different dates, and has all the charm that -such variety lends. The Loton Chapel, seen in the front of the picture, -was built about the year 1340, its windows having the rather intricate -tracery in vogue about that time. Overhead we get a glimpse of the -tower, a work of earlier date, with its curious, steep, saddle-backed -roof, and primitive weather-vane. The east end of the chancel, the -oldest part of the church, is pure Norman work. - -An ancient churchyard cross with tall, slender shaft, backed by the -sombre verdure of some yew trees, adds a pleasing feature to the scene. - -The south aisle, used time out of mind as a chapel by the Leightons of -Loton Hall, has a richly ornamented open-timber roof, with cherubs' -heads cut upon the brackets that support it; and the massive old carved -oak benches, black with age, should not be overlooked. Quite out of the -common, also, are the windows already referred to, with their peculiar -geometrical tracery, and scraps of fourteenth-century glass. - -An ugly barrel-vaulted ceiling evidently disguises the original timbered -roof of the nave, one principal whereof is still visible at the west -end, with its big stone supporting corbels. The chancel is lighted by -two semi-headed windows, surmounted by a circular light, all of Norman -date; and some fine brasses and mural tablets, to the Leightons and the -Lysters, are seen here and there about the interior. - -'By Alberbyri Chirche,' notes Leland, 'appere the Ruines of Fulk Guarine -the noble Warriar's Castel.' The remains of this early, -thirteenth-century stronghold, rise a stone's throw south-westward from -the church; but they are so fragmentary and devoid of detail as to have -little attraction for the antiquary; indeed, one crumbling ivy-mantled -tourelle is about the sum-total of the fabric. - -Alberbury Priory, an establishment of Benedictine monks, founded by Fulk -FitzWarine early in the thirteenth century, is represented by a few -Gothic fragments in a farmhouse called White Abbey, close to the Severn, -a long mile north-east of the village. The principal remains are the -groined ceiling of the chapel, which springs from stone corbels, and has -curious carvings, at the intersections of the ribs, representing the -Agnus Dei, a monk's head, and an angel wrestling with the Evil One; and -one or two good pointed doorways in the lower story. The monastery was -suppressed in Henry the Sixth's reign, when the estate was granted to -All Souls' College, Oxford. - -Turning our backs upon the Severn, which here flows along in easy curves -between low, red, clayey banks, we now pass through a pair of tall iron -gates near Alberbury church, and make our way viâ Loton Deer Park to -Wattlesborough Castle. - -The walk across the Park introduces us to some picturesque bits of -woodland relieved by rough, rocky dingles, where old gnarled hawthorns -and hazel bushes thrive amain; while from the higher reaches of the Park -there is a varied prospect over the neighbouring countryside, half -English in its snug, cultivated lowlands, half Welsh where the shaggy -hills loom stern and wild. - -Arrived at Wattlesborough, our tramp is rewarded by the sight of the -curious old farmhouse shewn in the sketch over page. In the centre, -surrounded by buildings of no particular age, rises a low, massive, -quadrangular tower of good ashlar masonry, with the flat buttresses -characteristic of Norman work, and one or two windows of later date. - -This tower, with portions of a projecting wing, formed part of the -original Castle, and is very solidly constructed, the tower walls -measuring as much as 7 or 8 feet in thickness. A circular stone stairway -leads up to the several stages, some of the chambers retaining their -rude stone fireplaces, and other simple contrivances; while on the -topmost floor is a sort of closet, or prison-hole, and certain slanting -ledges on the wall indicating the position of an earlier and lower roof. - -There are said to have formerly been three other towers at -Wattlesborough Castle, but that they were pulled down to provide stones -for building the Loton Chapel, at Alberbury. Be that as it may, the -Castle certainly seems to have covered more ground at one time; and the -sites of two moats, a watch-tower and drawbridge, are pointed out in an -orchard on the western side of the farmhouse. - -[Illustration: Wattlesborough Castle.] - -Planted upon an outlying spur of the Breidden Hills, Wattlesborough must -have held a position of some strategic importance, controlling with -Alberbury Castle the passes of the Severn, and the road into Wales -between this and Caurse Castle. - -Of its history, so far as we are aware, there is little to be said. A -Fitz-Corbet held Wattlesborough under Roger de Montgomery, at the time -of Domesday Survey. In after years the Castle passed to the de la Poles, -and the de Burghs, coming eventually by marriage to the Leighton family, -whose property it remains to this day. Wattlesborough is reputed to be -one of the few estates which have never been bartered for 'filthy -lucre,' since the days when the Normans first lorded it over English -land. - -With shadows lengthening before us, we now set our faces towards -Shrewsbury. Half an hour's tramp brings us near Rowton Castle, the -Rutunium, as some assert, of Roman days. Then we catch a glimpse of -Cardeston Church away to the south, and presently pass under the viaduct -which carries the defunct Potteries line across the highway. Ford -village, whose church boasts a fine old roodscreen, is but a mile -distant towards the north, with Shrawardine castle-mound keeping it in -countenance on the farther bank of Severn. - -[Illustration: The Shelton Oak.] - -On past Dunthall and Onslow Hall, the erstwhile abode of the renowned -Mr. Speaker Onslow, we bowl along the dusty highway with homeward-bound -Salopians, until, some two miles short of our journey's end, we call a -halt to take a look at the Shelton Oak, one of the 'lions' of the -locality. - -Yonder it stands, a storm-rent relic of the immemorial past, holding its -own bravely yet ''gainst the tooth of time and razure of oblivion,' -though bereft of many a stalwart limb by the gales of a thousand -winters. - -This venerable tree still rears aloft its gaunt, grey, wrinkled -branches, lifeless now, save for some ragged foliage that yet clings -around the lower part of the trunk. The latter has become hollow inside, -where a sort of paved chamber affords standing-room for perhaps a dozen -people. - -As seen in our sketch, a sturdy prop, itself a fair-sized tree, serves -to buttress the old giant upon the side towards which he inclines. - -According to a time-honoured tradition, the Welsh Prince, Owen -Glendower, climbed up amidst the branches of the Shelton Oak, in order -to watch thence how the fortunes of war progressed during the famous -Battle of Shrewsbury: - - 'The bloody rout that gave - To Harry's brow a wreath--to Hotspur's heart a grave.' - -Soon after leaving the Shelton Oak, the towers and steeples of the -County-town put in an appearance ahead; here and there a country house -is seen, overlooking the Severn as it winds through the vale, and bricks -and mortar begin to usurp the place of trim green fields and hedgerows. -That red-brick mansion upon yonder bank is The Mount, birthplace of that -very distinguished Salopian, the late Charles Darwin. - -Anon we descend a hill, and enter the 'antient streete callyd -Fraunckarell this many a daye,' a transpontine suburb of Shrewsbury, -deriving its name from the fact that, in earlier days, its denizens were -exempted from payment of certain tolls levied upon their neighbours over -the water. - -Across the street rises a group of half-timbered houses, whose quaint -congeries of beetling gables, chequered beams, lattice-paned casements, -and dark, timeworn archways, make an old-world picture. More ancient -still, perhaps, is the long, low, two-storied house front a little -farther on; its massive old moulded cornices black with age, and curious -louvred lights in the upper story--a venerable specimen. - -[Illustration: A Maiden Garland from Minsterley.] - -And here at last is the Welsh Bridge, in Leland's time the 'greatest, -fayrest, and highest Bridge upon Severne Streame.' At that period, as -Leland tells us, the Bridge had 'six great Arches of stone, with a great -gate at one end of it to enter by into the Towne, and at the other end -towardes Wales a mighty stronge Towre, to prohibit Enimies to enter into -the bridge.' - -Old paintings and woodcuts shew it to have been an extremely picturesque -structure, with bold buttresses, and narrow, pointed arches; and a tall, -machicolated tower, with frowning gateway, portcullis, and mailed figure -of King Edward IV. keeping guard at the western end of the Bridge--a -subject worthy the brush of a James Holland, or a Samuel Prout. - - * * * * * - -So now, with our arrival at Shrewsbury, we have completed the circuit of -our Shropshire wanderings. The subject treated of is so wide, so varied, -and of such many-sided interest, that one can do little more than -scratch the ground, so to speak, within the compass of a volume such as -this. But we venture to hope that the perusal of these pages may lead -others to explore this pleasant land for themselves; and it only remains -for us to bid farewell to the gentle reader, by whose courtesy we have -rambled thus far together amidst the 'Nooks and Corners of Shropshire.' - -[Illustration: Shrewsbury.] - - - - -[Illustration: Shropshire.] - - - - -INDEX - - - A. - - Abbey Foregate, 5, 16 - Abcott, 89 - Abdon Burf, 123 - Acton Burnell, 28-30 - Acton Round, 190 - Acton Scott, 49, 50 - Alberbury, 231-233 - Albrighton, 167 - Alceston, 51 - Aldenham, 189 - All Stretton, 48 - Alveley, 197, 198 - Ancient Roads, 4, 27, 35, 42, 46, 52, 127, 148 - Apley Park, 185 - Arleston, 152 - Ashford Bowdler, 212 - Astley Abbots, 187 - Aston Botterel, 203 - Aston Eyres, 189 - Aston Rogers, 226 - Atcham, 149 - - - B. - - Badger, 181 - Barrow, 139 - Bausley Hill, 230 - Beatchcott, 48 - Beckbury, 182 - Beckjay Mill, 88 - Bedstone, 88 - Benthall, 140 - Bettws-y-Crwyn, 81-83 - Bewdley, 207, 208 - Billing's Ring, 46, 63 - Binweston, 225 - Bishop's Castle, 67-70 - Bitterley, 109-111 - Bitterley Cross, 110 - Boningale, 169 - Boraston, 210 - Borrow, George, 157 - Boscobel, 162-165 - Bourton, 133 - Braggington, 229 - Breidden Hills, 123, 230 - Brewood Forest, 162, 165 - Bridgnorth, 171-177, 185, 194 - Bridgnorth Castle, 176 - Brimstree Hill, 157 - Bringwood Chase, 92, 111 - Broadward Hall, 88 - Brockhurst Castle, 49 - Brocton, 131 - Bromfield, 91, 92 - Broncroft Castle, 119 - Broome, 91 - Broseley, 140 - Broughton, 71 - Brown Clee Hill, 122, 203 - Bucknall, 88 - Buildwas Abbey, 142, 143 - Burford, 209, 210 - Burwarton, 202 - Bury Ditches, 63, 72 - - - C. - - Caer Caradoc, 2, 40, 45, 86, 123 - Camlad River, 219, 224 - Cantlin Cross, 84 - Caractacus, 80, 86, 230 - Cardeston, 235 - Carding Mill Valley, 44 - Cardington, 39 - Caurse Castle, 226 - Caynham, 212 - Chatwall, 36 - Cheney Longville, 60 - Chirbury, 219, 225 - Church Preen, 36 - Church Stoke, 71 - Church Stretton, 42-44, 48 - Claverley, 183 - Clee Hills, 2, 108, 111, 122 - Cleobury Mortimer, 204-206 - Cleobury North, 202 - Clun, 72-78, 80, 85 - Clun Castle, 73 - Clun Forest, 2, 79 - Clungunford, 88 - Clun River, 3, 79 - Coedway, 231 - Condover, 23 - Corfield, 131 - Corfton, 115 - Corndon Hill, 217 - Corve Dale, 114, 117, 124, 127 - Corve River, 114, 119, 133 - Cound River, 3, 21 - Cox, David, 88, 157 - Coxwall Knoll, 87 - Craven Arms, 59 - Crawl Meadows, 93 - Cressage, 145, 146 - Crow Leasow, 111, 112 - Culmington, 114 - - - D. - - Danesford, 197 - Danford, 183 - Davenport House, 179 - Delbury, 115, 117 - Devil's Causeway, 35 - Dickens, Charles, 159 - Dinham, 93 - Ditton Priors, 202 - Dodmore, 108 - Donington, 168 - Donnington, 153 - Dowles, 206 - Downton Hall, 112 - Dudley, Earl of Leicester, 204 - Dunvall, 187 - - - E. - - Eardington, 195 - Easthope, 131, 132 - Eaton Constantine, 145 - Elsich, 115 - Ercal Hill, 150 - Ewdness, 186 - Eye Farm, 145 - Eyton, 146 - - - F. - - Farley Dingle, 141 - Ford, 235 - Forest Oak, Quatford, 195 - Forest of Brewood, 162, 165 - Forest of Clun, 79 - Forest of Morf, 194, 196 - Forest of Mount Gilbert, 150 - Forest of Shirlot, 141 - Forest of Siefton, 115 - Forest of Wyre, 2, 206, 208 - Forest, The Long, 126 - Frankwell, 5, 236, 237 - Frodesley, 34 - - - G. - - Gaer Ditches, 86 - Gaerstone Rock, 40 - Garn Gap, 87 - Gatacre Hall, 196 - Great Oxenbold, 131 - Great Woolaston, 228 - Greete, 211 - - - H. - - Halesowen, 199 - Halford Church, 52 - Hall-of-the-Forest, 85 - Hampton Hall, 225 - Hampton Load, 197 - Hanwood, 214 - Hay Gate, 149 - Heath Chapel, 121, 122 - Heath House, 88 - Heightley Hall, 219 - Hermitage at Bridgnorth, 178 - Highley, 199 - Holgate, 127-129 - Holloway Rocks, 87 - Honour of Clun, 72 - Honour of Tempseter, 81 - Hope Bagot, 212 - Hope Bowdler, 40 - Hope Vale, 216 - Hopton Castle, 90 - Hopton Heath, 88, 91 - Hopton Wafers, 213 - Hubbal Grange, 161 - Humphreston, 167 - Hyssington, 70 - - - I. - - Ippikin's Rock, 133 - Island Farm, 145 - - - J. - - Jeffreys, Judge, 6, 146 - Jerningham Arms, Shiffnal, 155 - Jessopp, Dr., 53 - Jocosa Burton, 149 - - - K. - - Kenley, 31 - Kinlet Church, 201 - Kinlet Hall, 200 - Kinlet Park, 200 - - - L. - - Langley, 114 - Langley Chapel, 32 - Langley Hall, 33 - Larden Hall, 131 - Lawley Hill, 46 - Lawley's Cross, 141 - Lea, 65, 66 - Ledwyche Brook, 3, 210 - Leebotwood, 46 - Lee Family, 34 - Leighton, 145 - Lilleshall, 153, 154 - Linley, 70 - Little Stretton, 48, 49 - Little Wenlock, 151 - Long Forest, 126 - Longmynd, 41, 44, 45, 60 - Longnor, 35 - Loton, 231 - Loton Deer Park, 233 - Ludford, 104 - Ludlow, 94-107 - Ludlow Castle, 95-98 - Ludlow, St. Lawrence's, 99-102 - Ludstone, 182 - Lutwyche Hall, 133 - Lydbury North, 63 - Lydham, 70 - Lythwood, 21 - - - M. - - Madeley Court, 143-145 - Mainstone, 71 - Major's Leap, 130, 134 - Malins Lee Chapel, 155 - Marche-Manor Farm, 227 - Marrington Dingle, 219, 224 - Marrington Hall, 223 - Marsh Brook, 49 - Marsh Pool, 217 - Marton Pool, 225 - Mawley Hall, 208 - Melverley, 231 - Middleton, 112 - Milburga, Legend of St., 113 - Millichope, 124-127 - Minsterley, 215 - Mitchell's Fold, 217 - Moat Hall, 214 - Monk Hopton, 190 - Moors, The, Ancient Custom, 195 - More, 70 - Morf, Forest of, 194, 196 - Mortimer's Cross, Battle of, 98 - Morville, 188 - Much Wenlock, 135-139 - Munslow, 117-119 - - - N. - - Narrow Dale, 65 - Nash Chapel, 211 - Neen Savage, 204 - Neen Sollers, 208 - Newcastle, 80, 85 - New Invention, 86 - Newton, 59 - Nordy Bank, 35, 122 - Norton, 186 - Norton Camp, 58 - - - O. - - Oak, The Shelton, 236 - Oakley Park, 92 - Offa's Dyke, 80, 85, 230 - Oldbury, 177 - Old Parr, 228 - Onibury, 91 - Onny River, 3, 52, 60, 91 - Onslow Hall, 236 - Ordericus Vitalis, 149 - Owen Glendower, 74, 176, 236 - Oxenbold, 131 - - - P. - - Parr, Old, 228 - Penderel, Joan, 164, 166 - Pepperhill, 170 - Pitchford, 24-26 - Pitch Well, 26 - Plash, 37 - Plowden Hall, 61, 62 - Pontesbury, 214 - Pool Hall, 198 - Portway, The, 46 - Potter's Load, 199 - Presthope, 134 - - - Q. - - Quat, 196 - Quatford, 194-196 - Quatford Oak, 195 - Quenny Brook, 49 - - - R. - - Radnor Forest, 85 - Ragleth Hill, 49 - Ratlinghope, 48 - Rea River, 3, 202, 225 - Redlake River, 86, 88 - Rhyd-y-Groes, 225 - Roman Roads, 127, 148, 204 - Romans in Shropshire, 3, 58, 127, 147, 216 - Rowton Castle, 235 - Royal Oak, Boscobel, 162 - Rushbury, 127 - - - S. - - Severn River, 2, 145, 185, 199, 233 - Sharpstones, 40 - Shelton Oak, 236 - Shelve, 216 - Shiffnal, 155, 156 - Shipton, 129, 130 - Shirlot Forest, 141 - Shrawardine, 236 - Shrewsbury, 4-20 - Shrewsbury Churches, 8, 9, 16, 19 - Shrewsbury School, 5 - Siefton Forest, 115 - Smallman Family, 130, 134 - Stage Plays, 222 - Stanton Lacy, 112, 113 - Stanton Long, 129 - Stapleton, 21-23 - Stiperstones, 123, 216, 226 - Stockton, 186 - Stokesay Castle, 53-57 - Stokesay Church, 57, 58 - Stottesdon, 203 - Stow, 87 - - - T. - - Teme River. 3, 79, 93, 94, 208 - Tempseter, Honour of, 81 - Tenbury, 209 - The Moors, Ancient Custom, 195 - Ticknell, 208 - Titterstone Clee Hill, 111, 124 - Tong, 157-161 - Tugford, 119, 120 - - - U. - - Upper Millichope, 124-127 - Uppington, 149 - Upton Cressett, 190-193 - Uriconium, 2, 146-148 - - - V. - - Vale Royal, 123 - Vernons of Stokesay, 56 - Vernons of Tong, 159, 161 - Victoria, Princess, 25 - Vitalis, Ordericus, 149 - Vyrnwy River, 231 - - - W. - - Walcot Park, 63 - Walltown, 204 - Watling Street, 27, 42, 52, 58, 148, 149 - Wattlesborough Castle, 233, 234 - Wattlesborough Heath, 228 - Wellington, 152 - Welsh Bridge, Shrewsbury, 4, 237 - Wenlock Edge, 2, 127, 131 - Wenlock, Little, 151 - Wenlock, Much, 134-139 - Wenlock Priory, 136-138 - Westbury, 226 - Wheathill, 203 - Whettleton, 58 - Whitcliff, 94, 97 - Whitcot, 80 - White Abbey, 233 - Whiteladies, 165, 166 - Whitton Court, 212 - Wilderhope, 130 - Willey Hall, 141 - Wistanstow, 51 - Withington, 149 - Womerton, 48 - Woolaston, Great, 228 - Woolstaston, 46, 47 - Worf River, 3, 156, 179 - Worfield, 179-181 - Worthen, 225 - Wrekin, The, 123, 150, 151 - Wroxeter, 146, 148 - Wyre Forest, 2, 206, 208 - -THE END. - - - 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