Acton Burnell Shropshire Family History Guide
Acton Burnell is an Ancient Parish in the county of Shropshire.
Other places in the parish include: Acton Pigot, Ruckley and Langley.
Parish church: St. Mary
Parish registers begin: 1568
There are a Roman Catholic chapel, a national school, and a school for the children of Roman Catholics.
Table of Contents
Adjacent Parishes
Parish History
Acton Burnell
The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales 1870
Acton-Burnell, a township and a parish in Atcham district, Salop. The township lies 4 miles ENE of Dorrington r. station, and 8¼ SSE of Shrewsbury; and it has a post-office under Shrewsbury, and is the meet of the Wheatland hounds. Pop., 283. Houses, 56. The parish contains also the townships of Ruckley and Langley. Acres, 3,141. Real property, £3,839. Pop., 361. Houses, 72. Acton Park is the seat of Sir C. F. Smythe, Bart., the only landowner. A ruin on Acton hill, with very thick walls and curiously carved pointed windows, is part of a castle which was built in the 13th century, and belonged to the family of Burnell. The lords of Edward I’s parliament of 1283, which passed “Statutum de mercatoribus,” sat in a hall of the castle, while the commons sat in an adjacent barn. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Lichfield; and includes the chapelry of Acton-Pigott. Value, £350. Patron, Rev. R. Meyricke. The church contains a canopied brass of a Burnell, and is good.
Source: The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales [Wilson, John M]. A Fullerton & Co. N.d.c. [1870-72]
The Parliamentary Gazetteer of England and Wales 1851
Acton-Burnell, a parish and township in the hund. of Condover, union of Atcham, Shropshire; 7½ miles south of Shrewsbury. It includes the chapelries of Acton-Pigott, and Ruckley with Langley. Living, a rectory in the archd. of Salop and dio. of Lichfield; rated at £6 10s.; gross income £350. Patron, in 1835, Sir Edward Smythe. There is a National school here. Here are the remains of an ancient castle, built in the 13th century, which belonged to the family of Burnell. The walls are very thick, and adorned with five battlements and rows of curiously carved windows. A parliament was held here by Edward I. in 1283, on which occasion the lords sat in the castle, and the commons in a barn, which was in existence lately. The hall of the castle, where the lords sat, was 183 feet long by 41 broad. It was in this parliament that the statute, known by the name of the statute of Acton-Burnell, was made for the purpose of enforcing the statutum de mercatoribus. It appoints the mode in which a statute-merchant is to be made, and by whom; fixes the manner of seizing and valuing goods for the payment of debts; in what cases the debtor shall be imprisoned, and how maintained in prison; when sureties shall be compelled to pay the debts of their principals, and when they are to be exempted, &c. Pop., in 1801, 272; in 1831, 381. Houses 61. Acres 2,650. A. P. £1,824. Poor rates, in 1837, £179
Source: The Parliamentary Gazetteer of England and Wales; A Fullarton & Co. Glasgow; 1851.
Leonard’s Gazetteer of England and Wales 1850
Acton-Burnell, 7 m. N.E. Church-Stretton. P. 394
Source: Leonard’s Gazetteer of England and Wales; Second Edition; C. W. Leonard, London; 1850.
Lewis Topographical Dictionary of England 1845
Acton-Burnell (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Atcham, hundred of Condover, S. division of Salop, 7 miles (S.) from Shrewsbury; containing, with Ruckley and Langley, 394 inhabitants. This place, which is of considerable antiquity, is on a branch of the Roman Watling-street, which passes through it; it takes the adjunct to its name from the family of Burnell, of whom Robert, Bishop of Bath and Wells, and Lord High Chancellor in the reign of Edward I., had a castle here, of which there are still some remains. In 1283, a great council or parliament was held here, at which was enacted the law of “statute merchant:” the king and his court were accommodated in the castle, the lords assembled in a great hall erected for them in the park, and the commons met in a very large barn belonging to Shrewsbury Abbey, of which the gable ends have been preserved to the present time. Besides the Watling-street, a causeway passes through the parish; and there is a Roman bridge, and an early specimen of Saxon antiquity called the Moat. The parish comprises by computation 2400 acres. The living is a rectory, with the chapelry of Langley, valued in the King’s books at £6. 10., and in the gift of Sir E. J. Smythe, Bart., with a net income of £350; the glebe consists of about 70 acres, with a good house. The church, which is cruciform, was built in 1264, and is a splendid specimen of ecclesiastical architecture; its internal decorations are of a highly ornamental character. There are a Roman Catholic chapel, a national school, and a school for the children of Roman Catholics. Nicholas Burnell, a distinguished warrior in the reign of Edward III., was born and buried here; and Langley Hall was the birth-place of Sir Humphrey Lee, the first baronet created in the county, in 1629.
Source: A Topographical Dictionary of England by Samuel Lewis Fifth Edition Published London; by S. Lewis and Co., 13, Finsbury Place, South. M. DCCC. XLV.
Gregory Shropshire Gazetteer 1824
Acton Burnell. A parish in the Cound division of the hundred of Condover. A rectory in charge, in the diocese of Coventry and Lichfield, the deanery of Salop, and archdeaconry of Salop. 62 houses, 305 inhabitants. The residence of Sir Edward Smythe, bart. 7 miles south-east of Shrewsbury.
Source: The Shropshire Gazetteer, with an Appendix, including a Survey of the County and Valuable Miscellaneous Information, with Plates. Printed and Published by T. Gregory, Wem, 1824
Complete Pocket Gazetteer of England and Wales 1807
Acton Burnel, (Salop) a village about 3 miles west of Cressage. It derives its name from the Burnels, who had a castle here, some part of which remains in the present mansion. A session of parliament was held here in the reign of Edw. I. when the statute merchant for the recovery of debts was enacted in a barn belonging to Shrewsbury Abbey
Source: Complete Pocket Gazetteer of England and Wales; Crosby Rev. J. Malham; 1807.
Acton Pigott
The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales 1870
Acton-Pigott, a chapelry in Ruckley township, Acton-Burnell parish, Salop; 1 mile NE of Acton-Burnell.
Source: The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales [Wilson, John M]. A Fullerton & Co. N.d.c. [1870-72].
Lewis Topographical Dictionary of England 1845
Acton-Pigot, a hamlet, in the parish of Acton-Burnell, union of Church Stretton, hundred of Condover, S. division of Salop, 6 ¾ miles (W. N. W.) from Much Wenlock, comprising 391 acres, and containing 40 persons. There was formerly a chapel, the remains of which still exist.
Source: A Topographical Dictionary of England by Samuel Lewis Fifth Edition Published London; by S. Lewis and Co., 13, Finsbury Place, South. M. DCCC. XLV.
Gregory Shropshire Gazetteer 1824
Acton Pigott. A township in the parish of Acton Burnel, and in the Cound division of the hundred of Condover.
Source: The Shropshire Gazetteer, with an Appendix, including a Survey of the County and Valuable Miscellaneous Information, with Plates. Printed and Published by T. Gregory, Wem, 1824
Langley
Gregory Shropshire Gazetteer 1824
Langley. A parish in the Cound division of the hundred of Condover, a chapel to Acton Burnel, in the diocese of Coventry and Lichfield, the deanery of Salop, and archdeaconry of Salop. 6 miles west of Wenlock.
Source: The Shropshire Gazetteer, with an Appendix, including a Survey of the County and Valuable Miscellaneous Information, with Plates. Printed and Published by T. Gregory, Wem, 1824
Parish Registers
Transcriptions
Acton Burnell Parish Registers 1800 to 1812
Acton Burnell Baptisms and Burials 1775 to 1812
Acton Burnell – Roman Catholic Register
Parish Records
FamilySearch
FamilySearch – Birth Marriage & Death records, Census and Military records – Free
Acton Burnell Shropshire Parish Documents 1902
Documents in the custody of the Parish Meeting. – Kept by the Chairman, viz: –
Parish Meeting Minute Book.
Documents in the custody of the Rector. – Kept in a safe in the Rectory, viz :-
General Register, 1568 – 1667
General Register, 1693 – 1754 – then Baptisms and Burials only to 1813.
Register of Baptisms, 1813 – in use.
Register of Marriages, 1754 – 1812.
Register of Marriages, 1813 – 1838.
Register of Marriages, 1838 – in use.
Register of Burials, 1813 – in use.
Tithe Map and Award, dated 7th January, 1846, kept at the Rectory.
Source: Shropshire Parish Documents published 1902. A report of the Inspection of Parish Documents made to Salop County Council under section 17 of the Local Government Act 1894. Note: The location of the documents listed in this transcription are as cited in the book published in 1902 and should be used as a guide only. It should not be assumed that the documents are still kept at the stated location. Interested parties should perhaps contact Shropshire records office to ascertain the documents current whereabouts.
Shropshire Historical Directories
Directory Transcriptions
Acton Burnell
Acton Burnell Cassey Shropshire Directory 1871
Acton Burnell is a parish and village, with the hamlet of Acton Pigot, 8 miles south-east from Shrewsbury, and 9 from Much Wenlock; situated near the Roman or Watling Street road, in the Southern division of the County, Cound division of Condover hundred, union of Atcham, and diocese of Lichfield. The Church of St. Mary is an old building in the Early English style. The living is a rectory, yearly value £400, with residence and 9 acres of glebe land, in the gift of Sir Charles Frederick J. Smythe, Bart. Here are a National and a Catholic School.
The charities are of £1 10s yearly value. Sir Charles Frederick J. Smythe, Bart., D.L., is lord of the manor. In the Hall is a Catholic Chapel. The ruins of a castle, near to the Church and Hall, claim attention, from the many interesting and historical facts connected with it; it is recorded a Parliament was held here in the year 1283 by Edward I., on which occasion the Lords sat at Shrewsbury, and the Commons in the banqueting hall of the castle here, the gable ends of which still remain; here it was that the statute known by the name of the Acton Burnell statute was passed. The Conqueror took the Saxon Godric’s manor from him and gave it to the Norman Earl of Shrewsbury, who in turn conferred it on Roger Fitz-Corbett. It is supposed that Roger, the Domesday tenant of Actune, was ancester of those Burnels, from whom afterwards the manor took its distinctive title of Acton Burnell. The soil is loamy; the sub-soil, sandy. Sir Charles Frederick J. Smythe, Bart., and J. Coates, Esq., are chief landowners. There is a charity of 30s. distributed in bread. The area of Acton Burnell parish is 3,141 acres, and the population in 1861 was 283, besides a population of 78 in Ruckley and Langley parish. Gross estimated rental of the parish, except Ruckley and Langley, £2,408; rateable value, £2,250.
Acton Pigot is 1 miles north-east from Acton Burnell.
Letters arrive at 7 25 a.m.; despatched at 5 45 p.m.
Carrier to Shrewsbury. – Richard Bould, Wednesday and Saturday.
Acton Burnell
Giles Rev. Francis S. (Catholic)
Serjeantson Rev. William, M.A., Rectory
Smythe Sir C. F. J., bart. D.L.
Bould Richard, bricklayer
Edwards John, gardener
Foreman Robert, bailiff to Sir C.F.J. Smythe, bart.
Harvey John, shoe maker
Jukes Thomas, farmer
Perks Thomas, shopkeeper
Pinches Richard, carpenter
Reynols Ann, butcher
Southern Matilda, Stag’s Head
Wainwright Humphrey, farmer
Acton Pigot.
Perry Graddon, farmer and maltster
Vickridge Joshua, shopkeeper
Source: Edward Cassey & Co’s, History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Shropshire 1871
Acton Burnell Kellys Shropshire Directory 1863
Acton Burnell, in the Cound division of Condover hundred and union of Atcham, county court district of Shrewsbury, is a township, parish, and very neat village, with the hamlets of Acton Pigot and Ruckley, 9 miles south-east from Shrewsbury, and 9 from Much Wenlock ; it is situated near the Roman or Watling Street road, in the rural deanery of Condover, archdeaconry of Sulop, and bishopric of Lichfield. The church of St. Mary is an old stone building in the Early English stvle, with nave, chancel, porch, and tower with 3 bells. The living is a rectory, value £300 per annum, with residence and 80 acres of glebe land, in the gift of Sir Charles Frederick Smythe, Bart., who is a Roman Catholic; the Rev. William Serjeantson, M.A., is the incumbent. Sir Charles Frederick Smythe, Bart., J. P., is lord of the manor, and resides at the Hall, a spacious white mansion with large park stocked with deer; near to the house the pleasure grounds are extensive, tastefully laid out, and well filled with a variety of American and other flowering shrubs. The ruins of a castle, near to the church and Hall, claim attention, from the many interesting and historical facts connected with it: it is recorded a Parliament was held here in the year 1283 by King Edward 1., on which occasion the Lords sat in the Castle and the Commons in a barn, the gable ends of which only remain: here it was that the statute known by the name of the Acton Burnell statute was passed. In the Hall is a spacious and beautifully adorned chapel, at which the family and servants, with a numerous congregation from the surrounding Villages, attend divine worship. Here is n National and Roman Catholic school for boys and girls. The charities are of £5 yearly value. The area of Acton Burnell township is 1,579 acres; and the population in 1861 was 283, besides a population of 78 in Ruckley and Langley township. The soil Is of a loamy nature; the subsoil, sandy. Sir Charles Frederick Smythe, Bart., and J. Coates, Esq., are chief landowners.
Acton-Pigot, 1 mile north-east from Acton Burnell, is a chapelry in Acton Burnell.
Ruckley and Langley form a small village and township in the chapelry of Acton Pigot and parish of Acton Burnell, about 1 mile east from that place, and 5½ west from Much Wenlock. The chapel is a small structure, where divine service is performed only twice a year. The living is a curacy, subordinate to the rectory of Acton Burnell. The population in 1861 was 78. Sir Charles Frederick Smythe, Bart., is lord of the manor and sole landowner.
Parish Clerk, Thomas Perks.
Acton Burnell.
Giles Rev. Francis S. [roman catholic]
Serjeantson Rev. Wm. M.A. Rectory
Smythe Sir Charles Frederick, bart. J.P. The Hall
Bould Richard, bricklayer
Davies Joseph, farmer
Edwards John, gardener
Foreman John, farmer
Foreman Robert, bailiff to Sir C. F. Smythe, bart
Harvey John, shoemaker
Perks Thomas, shopkeeper
Pinches Richard, carpenter
Reynolds Thomas, butcher
Southern Elizabeth (Mrs.), Stag’s Head
Vaughnn William, miller
Acton Pigot.
Onions Joseph, carrier
Perry Graddon, farmer & maltster
Ruckley.
Edwards John, farmer
Granger Paul, farmer
Jones Evan, farmer
Jones Martha (Mrs.), farmer
Perks William, tailor
Williams John, farmer
Langley.
Davies James, farmer, Langley hall
Morris Joseph, farmer
Steadman Richard, farmer, Park gate
Letters are received through Dorrington, Shrewsbury.
Post Oppice. — William Steadman, receiver. Letters from Shrewsbury arrive at 7.25 a.m.; dispatched at 5.45 p.m. The nearest money order office is Shrewsbury.
National School (boys & girls), Miss Margaret Ward, mistrs.
Roman Catholic School, Mrs. Mary Ann Tilley, mistress.
Carriers to Shrewsbury.— Joseph Morris, Wednesday & Saturday; Joseph Onions, Wednesday & Saturday.
Source: Post Office Directory of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire and the City of Bristol, Printed and Published by Kelly and Co., Old Boswell Court, St. Clement’s, Strand, London. 1863.
Bagshaw History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Shropshire 1851
ACTON BURNELL is a parish and pleasant well-built village, seven miles S.S.E. from Shrewsbury, comprising 2,650 acres of land, and in 1801 had 272 inhabitants; in 1841 there were 54 houses and a population of 311 souls. Sir Edward Joseph Smythe, bart., is the land owner and lord of the manor, and resides at the Hall, an elegant mansion of white free stone, approached by a beautiful portico of the Ionic order; the pleasure grounds are tastefully laid out, and the park commands a beautiful prospect of the surrounding country. Near to the Hall are the ruins of Acton Burnell Castle, which is memorable in history for a parliament held here in the year 1283, by King Edward I., on which occasion the lords sat in the castle and the commons in a barn. It was in this parliament that the statute known by the name of the statute of Acton Burnell was made for the purpose of enforcing the statutuno de mercatoribus. It appoints the mode in which a statute merchant is to be made, and by whom; fixes the manner of seizing and valuing goods for the payment of debts; in what case the debtor shall be imprisoned, and how maintained in prison; when sureties shall be compelled to pay the debts of their principals, and when they are to be exempted, &c. Sir Robert Burnell, who lived in the reign of William the Conqueror, had his seat here, and his posterity flourished in this vicinity for a long period. Philip Burnell, in the 54th Henry III., had the grant of a market on Tuesday, and two fairs in the year, the one on the eve, the day, and the day after the annunciation of the blessed Virgin, and the other on the eve, the day, and the morrow of St. Michael the Archangel. Robert Burnell, bishop of Bath and Wells, is said to have repaired or built the castle here in the reign of Edward I. The walls of the castle are of immense thickness, and adorned with battlements and rows of curiously carved windows. A short distance from the castle stood the barn, where the commons are stated to have assembled when the parliament was held here, it is now a complete ruin, and the gables only remain. The Church is a venerable fabric dedicated to St. Mary; the living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £6. 10s., now returned at £350, in the patronage of Sir E. J. Smythe and incumbency of the Rev. Edward Arthur Wainwright. Adjoining the hall is a very beautiful Catholic Chapel, which has recently been considerably enlarged and improved at the cost of Sir E. J. Smythe. The family at the hall and a great portion of the tenantry usually attend divine worship here.
Acton Pigott is a hamlet with one farm and a few cottages, one mile north-east from Acton Burnell.
Charities.—Several sums of money left to the poor by different donors amounting in the whole to £20, were applied in repairing the workhouse, and the inhabitants agreed to pay 20s. yearly out of the rent of the said house, as the interest thereof, to be distributed in bread. Edward Bayley, in 1789, left a rent charge of 10s. yearly for a distribution of bread. Thomas Smyth, in 1673, left 5s. per annum for a distribution of bread, to be paid “out of his estate to the world’s end, if his estate should so long continue sufficient to make it good.” It does not appear that anything has been paid in respect of this charity for a long period.
Directory.—Sir Edward Joseph Smythe, bart., the Hall; John William Benbow, farmer; Edward Everall, shopkeeper; Eli Charles Moore, bailiff to Sir E. J. Smythe; Thomas Morris, farmer; Peter Perry, farmer and maltster, Acton Pigott; Thomas Reynolds, butcher; William Southall, vict., Nag’s head; Rev. Edward Arthur Wainwright, rector.
Source: History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Shropshire by Samuel Bagshaw 1851
Ruckley and Langley
Ruckley and Langley Cassey Shropshire Directory 1871
Ruckley and Langley form a small township, about 1 mile east from Acton Burnell, and 5 ½ miles west from Much Wenlock. The chapel is a small structure, where divine service is performed only twice a year. The living is a curacy, and the parishioners have the power of electing an incumbent, paying his a stipend of about 30s a year. Sir Charles Frederick J. Smythe, Bart., is lord of the manor and sole landowner. King Charles during his troubles was for a short period concealed at Langley Hall, an ancient mansion, now a farm house in the occupation of Mr. Hayward. The population in 1861 was 78. Gross estimated rental, £1,385; rateable value, £1,320.
Letters through Shrewsbury.
Ruckley
Edwards John, farmer
Perks William, tailor
Powell Thomas, farmer
Vines Jesse, farmer
Langley
Hayward Mr., farmer, Langley hall
Steadman Richard, farmer, Park gate
Source: Edward Cassey & Co’s, History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Shropshire 1871
Bagshaw History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Shropshire 1851
RUCKLEY AND LANGLEY is a small village and chapelry in the parish of Acton Burnell, about one mile east from that place, and five and a half miles west from Much Wenlock. At the census in 1801 there were eighty-two inhabitants; in 1841, fifteen houses and a population of eighty-three souls. The chapelry contains 952 acres of land, which is the property of Sir Edward Joseph Smythe, bart., who is also lord of the manor. The chapel is an inconsiderable structure where divine service is performed only twice during the year. The living is a curacy subordinate to the rectory of Acton Burnell. Langley Hall, an ancient mansion of considerable extent, is now occupied as a farm house, and although much dilapidated it has an imposing aspect, and shows many traces of its former grandeur. King Charles during his troubles was for a short period concealed here; a fine old oak table, elaborately carved, is said to have been in the hall since the time of King Charles, and was used by that monarch as a dining table.
The Farmers are George Carter, Langley; Ellen Evans, Causway wood; Richard Farr, Mere Oak; John Grainger, Langley Hall; James Hartwright, Ruckley; Richard Stedman, Park gate; and Edward Sumner, Ruckley.
Betton and Alkmere is a small township in the parish of St. Chad, in the Condover hundred. The parish of St. Chad is partly returned in the Albrighton division and partly in the Ford division of the Ford Hundred, but is chiefly situated within the limits of the borough of Shrewsbury. The village of Little Betton, or Betton Strange, is pleasantly situated two and a half miles south from Shrewsbury, and was returned at the census of 1841 as having ten houses and forty-eight inhabitants. The land owners are Lord Berwick, and George Jonathan Scott, Esq., the latter gentleman resides at a good house embosomed in foliage usually called Betton Strange.
The principal residents are Joseph Cross, farmer; Thomas Elsmere, farmer; and John Scott, Esq., Betton Strange.
Source: History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Shropshire by Samuel Bagshaw 1851
Maps
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Administration
- County: Shropshire
- Civil Registration District: Atcham
- Probate Court: Court of the Bishop of Lichfield (Episcopal Consistory)
- Diocese: Lichfield
- Rural Deanery: Condover
- Poor Law Union: Atcham
- Hundred: Condover
- Province: Canterbury
- County Court District: Shrewsbury