Bromfield Shropshire Family History Guide
Bromfield is an Ancient Parish in the county of Shropshire.
Other places in the parish include: Priors Halton, Lady Holton and Dinchope.
Parish church: St. Mary
Parish registers begin: 1559
Nonconformists include:
Table of Contents
Adjacent Parishes
Parish History
Bromfield
Lewis Topographical Dictionary of England 1845
Bromfield (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Ludlow, hundred of Munslow, S division of Salop; containing 655 inhabitants, of whom 531 are in the township of Bromfield, 3 miles (N. W. by W.) from Ludlow. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king’s books at £6; net income, £334; patron and impropriator, Hon. R. H. Clive. The church was rebuilt a few years since: the old edifice was part of a larger conventual church that belonged to a Benedictine priory, established as a cell to the abbey of St. Peter at Gloucester, about 1155, on the site of a college of prebendaries, or Secular canons of earlier foundation: its revenue, at the Dissolution, was £78. 19. 4. A school is endowed with £100 three per cent. consols.
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
Bromfield. A parish in the lower division of the hundred of Munslow, a vicarage remaining in charge, in the diocese of Hereford, the deanery of Ludlow, and archdeaconry of Salop. 123 houses, 674 inhabitants. 2 miles north-west of Ludlow.
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.
Dinchope
Gregory Shropshire Gazetteer 1824
Dinchope. A township in the parish of Bromfield, and in the lower division of the hundred of Munslow. 12 houses, 83 inhabitants.
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
Lady Holton
Gregory Shropshire Gazetteer 1824
Lady Holton. A township in the parish of Bromfield, and in the lower division of the hundred of Munslow. 2 miles west of Ludlow.
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.
Bromfield Parish Registers
Bromfield Parish Registers 1559-1812
Transcriptions
Bromfield Marriages 1807 to 1812
Bromfield Marriages 1800 to 1806
Bromfield Marriages 1790 to 1799
Bromfield Marriages 1775 to 1789
Bromfield Baptisms and Burials 1810 to 1812
Bromfield Baptisms and Burials 1807 to 1809
Bromfield Baptisms and Burials 1804 to 1806
Bromfield Baptisms and Burials 1800 to 1803
Bromfield Baptisms and Burials 1797 to 1799
Bromfield Baptisms and Burials 1795 to 1796
Parish Records
FamilySearch
Poll Books
Bromfield Shropshire Poll Book 1865
Below are the names of those that voted in the election of July 1865 between Col. The Hon. P. E. Herbert, Sir Baldwin Leighton, Bart., and R. Jasper More, Esq.
Poll Book of the Election, July 1865 for the Southern Division of Shropshire.
Ludlow Polling District
Bromfield, Parish of
2283 Blockley Edward
2284 Bluck Samuel, see 2718
2285 Craig Robert
2286 Frail Charles Simpson
2287 Fletcher Henry, dead
2288 Hinckesman Henry Charles
2289 Hodnett George
2290 Holmes Charles
2291 Longworth Thomas James
2292 Lippett Henry
2293 Murray John
2294 Mellichamp Richard
2295 Nightingale Vaughan Edward
2296 Pitt George, see 2595
2297 Salway Humphrey
2298 Swift William
2299 Towers John, see 2452
2300 Urwick Edward
2301 Vaughan Henry, dead
Shropshire Historical Directories
Directory Transcriptions
Bromfield Kellys Herefordshire and Shropshire Directory 1941
Bromfield is a parish and township on the road from Ludlow to Shrewsbury, with a station on the Shrewsbury and Hereford joint Great Western and London, Midland and Scottish railway, 3 miles north-west from Ludlow, in the Ludlow division of the county, Lower division of Munslow hundred, Ludlow rural district, petty sessional division and county court district, rural deanery and archdeaconry of Ludlow and diocese of Hereford. A church and a religious house containing 12 secular canons stood here in the reign of Edward the Confessor (1042 – 1066): it is mentioned as the church of St. Mary in the Domesday Book of William the Conqueror. Of this church the arches in the north and east walls of the chancel are probably the only remains: in 1135 the college of secular canons was transformed into a priory of regulars, who affiliated themselves in 1155 to the great Benedictine Abbey of St. Peter at Gloucester. In common with all other religious houses it was dissolved in the reign of Henry VIII. The tower is of the Early English style of architecture and contains a peal of six bells cast by Abel Rudhall of Gloucester in 1737, and returned and rehung in 1890: the clock was erected in 1887 to commemorate the Jubilee of Queen Victoria: the nave, which is probably the parish church of monastic times, has an oak roof erected in 1577: the font dates at least from the 14th century: high up in the east end of the church can be seen from the outside a blocked Tudor-styled bedroom window.
At the dissolution of the monasteries in 1538 the Priory church and buildings were handed over to Charles Foxe. The story is told that he incorporated the chancel into a spacious house, of which the ruins remain; the chancel formed the dining room, with a bedroom above: after 100 years it is supposed the house was destroyed by fire, and the owners, taking it as “an act of God,” gave back the chancel to its present use, and put up the present painted rounded ceiling, with suitable texts, in 1672: the whole church underwent a thorough restoration in 1890 at a cost of £5,000. The lych-gate at the entrance of the churchyard was erected by the late Mrs. Selwyn, to the memory of the Right Rev. G. A. Selwyn D.D. first Bishop of Lichfield and father of a former vicar: in the churchyard is the tomb of Henry Hill Hickman, the first known pioneer in anaesthesia by inhalation, born here in 1800. The register dates from the year 1559 and incorporates the register of baptisms and burials of Halford chapel from 1597 to the time when Halford was detached, about 1845. There is a list of priors and vicars in the vestry from the year 1135. The living is a vicarage, net yearly value £350, including 8 acres of glebe, with residence, in the gift of the Earl of Plymouth P.C. and held since 1940 by the Rev. Arthur Lowndes Moir M.A. of Trinity College, Oxford, F.R.Hist.S. The ancient Prior gatehouse stands, with old studded doors, and a black and white gable and an oriel window added centuries later; for a time this was the village school, and is now used as a recreation and reading room. The church and the gatehouse are on a peninsula formed by the rivers Teme and Onny, which join a short distance from the church. The township is of historic interest. On the Old Field are ancient tumuli, probably pre-Roman. In 1884 the remains of a Norman chapel, with a semicircular apse, and a skeleton, were discovered in a tillage field of the Rye Felton farm, and a funeral urn in the Old Field close by. Oakly Park, the property of the Earl of Plymouth P.C. and residence of Lt.-Col. George Windsor-Clive C.M.G., M.P. is a Georgian mansion surrounded by pleasure grounds, groves of trees and a park of about 400 acres, containing many venerable oaks and through which the river Teme flows. A handsome war memorial, designed by the 1st Earl of Plymouth, constructed of stone from his estate in South Wales, was erected Sept. 25th, 1921; it stands facing the main road. In this parish is the Ludlow racecourse, on which two meetings are held annually; the course is also used as the Ludlow golf links. The Plymouth Estates Ltd. are the principal landowners. Electricity is available. Main water is supplied. The soil is gravely and clay; the subsoil is clayey and gravel, resting on sandstone formation. The chief crops are wheat, barley, oats and roots; the larger part of the parish consists of fair pasture land. The area is 5,973 acres of land and inland water; population in 1931, 534.
By the Shropshire Review Order, 1934, part of this parish was transferred to the borough of Ludlow.
Post, M.O. & T. Office. Letters through Ludlow, Shropsh.
Railway Station (G.W. & L.M.S. joint).
Private Residents.
(For TN’s see general list of Private Residents at end of book.)
Brigg Capt. John Haggas, Priors Halton
Moir Rev. Arthur Lowndes M.A., F.R.Hist.S. (vicar), Vicarage
Molyneux-Seel Miss Dorothy, Burway house
Norton John, The Mill
Sansom Wilfred, Broomclose
Venables Lt.-Commdr. Arthur George R.N. (ret), Onny cottage
Windsor-Clive Lt.-Col. Geo. C.M.G., M.P. Oakly park; & 35 Cadogan square SW1 & Carlton & Guards’ clubs, London
Commercial.
Marked thus * farm 150 acres or over.
Berry Jas. head gardener to Lt.-Col. G. Windsor-Clive C.M.G., M.P.
Bowling Green Hotel (Gilbt. J. Davies). Ludlow 167
Brayshaw Fredk. organist to Bromfield church
Brigg Capt. John Haggas, agent to the Plymouth Estates Ltd. Priors Halton
Croxton Mervyn, farmr. Whitcliffe frm
Dennis Herbt. J. gamekeeper to Lt.-Col. G. Windsor-Clive C.M.G., M.P. Oakly park
* Downes William C. farmer, The Butts. TN 15
Faulkner Fras. Hubert, farmer, Lodge la
* Gough Tom Edwd. Farmer, The Poles
* Hodnett Ernest Charlie, farmer, Steadvallets farm
* Hodnett Keith Bradley, farmer, Bromfield farm
Hodnett Thos. Gordon, farmer, Hill Halton
Hughes R. & Son, coal dlrs. Railway station
Jones Geo. Harold, blacksmith
* Lewis Geo. Hebt. Farmer, Priors Halton
* Lewis Jn. Farmer, Lady Halton
Ludlow Golf Club (Arth. Pritchard, sec.). TN 5
Ludlow Race Club (Lt.-Col. A. I. Paine C.M.G., D.S.O. hon. sec.)
Marsh Rd. Thos. farmer, Felton farm
* Mellings Jas. farmer, Whitbach. Ludlow 185
* Mellings Rd. farmer, King’s Head farm. TN 13
Mellings Wm. cowkeeper
Morris Jn. Farm bailiff to R. W. Carpenter esq. Burway
Parish Reading Room
Plymouth Estates Ltd. (The) (Capt. John Haggas Brigg, agent), Priors Halton. Ludlow 42
* Reynolds Heber Percy, farmer, High Walton
* Sanders Miriam Eliza (Mrs.), farmer, Cookridge
Teague Albert Sydney, wheelwright
Wadeley Florence S. (Miss), sub-postmistress & shopkpr. TN 1
Source: Kelly’s Directory of Herefordshire & Shropshire 1941, published by Kelly’s Directories Ltd 1941. Reproduced with the kind permission of the publishers Kelly’s Directories Ltd and Reed Business Information
Bromfield Cassey Shropshire Directory 1871
Bromfield is a parish and village, three miles from Ludlow, 13 from Church Stretton, and 25 south from Shrewsbury, in the Southern division of the county, Lower division of Munslow hundred, Ludlow union, and diocese of Hereford. The church of St. Mary is an ancient stone building. Adjoining the church are the ruins of an old priory, which stand on a peninsula formed by the junction of the rivers Teme and Oney. The living is a vicarage, yearly value £340, with residence and eight acres of glebe land, in the gift of trustees of the Clive family. There is a school supported by Lady Mary Windsor Clive. There are charities of £35 7s. 7 ¾ d. yearly value. This township seems to have been occupied by the Romans, and there are many indications of this in the names Bromfield, Cookeridge, High Walton, Whitbatch, and Burway. Oakley Park, the seat of the Clive family, and the residence of Lady Mary Windsor Clive, is an elegant mansion, of modern construction, surrounded by pleasure grounds and by groves and clumps of very ancient oaks. The trustees of the late Henry R. Windsor Clive are lords of the manor and chief landowners. The soil is sandy; the subsoil is clayey. The area is 6,112 acres, and the population in 1861 was 750; gross estimated rental, £8,998; rateable value, £7,771.
Letters arrive at 5 15 a.m.; dispatched at 8 30 p.m.
Assistant Overseer, Richard Millichamp, Lady Halton.
Railway Station, George Harrison, station master.
Clive Lady Mary Windsor, Oakley park
Salway Humphrey, esq., The Cliffe
Selwyn Rev. William, M.A.
Blockley Henry, farmer, King’s Head farm
Craig Robert, farmer, Cookeridge
Crane Catherine, Whitcliffe inn
Davies Sarah and Fanny, ladies’ school
Fletcher Elizabeth and Jane and Sons, farmers, High Walton
Gray James, joiner
Hinksman Charles, farmer, The Poles
Hodnet George, farmer
Holmes Charles, miller and farmer
Kiddie James, steward to the trustees of the late Hon. R. Windsor Clive, Priors Halton
Lippitt Henry, farmer, Priors Halton
Lowe Thomas, farmer, Bromfield house
Mellings John, farmer, Brick house
Millichamp Edward, farmer, Lady Halton
Millichamp Richard, assistant overseer, Lady Halton
Minton Frederick, blacksmith, and post office
Murray John, Clive Arms Inn
Nightingale John, farmer, Burway
Page James, tailor
Payter Thomas, shoe maker and parish clerk
Swift William, farmer, Hill Halton
Taft William, wheelwright
Towers John, farmer and cattle dealer, Whitbatch
Urwick Edward, farmer, Felton
Vaughan Ann, farmer, The Butts
White Robert, agent
Source: Edward Cassey & Co’s, History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Shropshire 1871
Bagshaw History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Shropshire 1851
BROMFIELD is a parish and pleasant rural village, two miles north-west from Ludlow, formerly distinguished for its priory which was situated near or adjoining to the present church. The parish comprises 5,592a. 2r. of land, the principal owner of which is the Hon. R. H. Clive; the trustees of Ludlow charities are also proprietors. At the census in 1801, this parish contained 540 inhabitants; 1831, 517; and in 1841, 114 houses, and 531 souls. Rateable value, £7,308. 17s. 7d. The few remains of the ancient priory are situated near to the church. The establishment in the time of Henry I. consisted of a small college of prebendaries or secular canons. Osbertus Prior, of Bromfield, is witness to a deed before the year 1148. This priory was greatly enriched by Henry II., who granted to it his church in Bromfield, which was dedicated to the blessed St. Mary, with his royal licence and protection of their extensive possessions of the towns and lands of Haverford, Dinchope, Efford, Felton, Burghey and Lethewick; three prebends in Bromfield, and three in Halton. In the second of Henry II. the prior and brothers of Bromfield subjected themselves, by authority of Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury, to the Benedictine Monastery of St. Peter’s, near Gloucester, called Lanthony Secunda, and became Benedictines, and continued so to the time of the general dissolution of religious houses. At the assizes of Salop, 20th Edward I., the prior of Bromfield claimed free warren in the manor of Bromfield by charter of Henry II., which was allowed. The said charter also comprised a grant of Infangthef; and a jury found one Henry de la Chapele guilty of theft, who was tried and condemned by the prior, and hanged at Bromfield. The yearly revenues of the priory were valued at the dissolution at £78. 19s. 4d. In the 4th of Philip and Mary it was granted to Charles Fox. He was the founder of four families, most of which were in opulence for four generations; but his estate at Bromfield, including what is now called Oakley Park, passed by marriage to Matthew Herbert, whose descendant George, late Earl of Powis, devised it to his nephew, the Hon. Henry Clive, whose representative of the same name now inherits the estate, and resides at Oakley Park, an elegant mansion, mostly of modern construction, delightfully situated on the banks of the Terne. The surrounding grounds are extremely romantic and beautiful, and the pleasure grounds and gardens are tastefully laid out. It commands many fine views in different directions; the meanderings of the river adding much to the effect. The park, which formerly contained nine hundred acres, and included within its circuit the priory to which it belonged, is yet of considerable extent. It is finely adorned with groves and clumps of stately oaks. The lordship of Bromfield is co-extensive with the parish, and the chapelry of Walford and Dinchope, and the township of Ledwich. The manor abounds with game, and is watered by the river Terne, esteemed one of the finest fishing streams in the kingdom.
The Church is picturesquely situated, and consists of nave, chancel, transept and tower: it exhibits some fine specimens of elaborate workmanship, and is said to have formed a part of the structure belonging to the benedictine priory. The interior has a chaste and elegant appearance; the roof is beautifully painted, and the windows are adorned with stained glass. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king’s book at £6, now returned at £350; the patronage is vested in the Hon. R. H. Clive; incumbent, Rev. Thomas J. Longworth. The Court of Augmentation decreed the vicar of Bromfield a yearly pension from the dissolved monastery at Gloucester; and there are, in vellum hooks in the king’s remembrancer office, accounts of several decrees relating to the possessions of the priory and the rights of the vicar of this place.
Directory.—The Hon. Robert Henry Clive, Oakley Park; Samuel Bluck, farmer, Bromfield house; the Misses Davies, ladies’ academy; Peter Davis, farmer, King’s head farm; Henry Fletcher, farmer; George Jacks, cow-leech; Rev. Thomas I. Longworth, vicar; Henry Lippitt, farmer, Priors Walton; Thomas Payter, shoe maker; John Preece, vict., The Clive Arms; William Swift, farmer, Hill Halton; Herbert Titley, farmer, Cookridge; Richard White, agent to the Hon. R. H. Clive; Henry Vaughan, farmer, The Butts.
Source: History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Shropshire by Samuel Bagshaw 1851
Administration
- County: Shropshire
- Civil Registration District: Ludlow
- Probate Court: Court of the Bishop of Hereford (Episcopal Consistory)
- Diocese: Hereford
- Rural Deanery: Ludlow
- Poor Law Union: Ludlow
- Hundred: Munslow
- Province: Canterbury