Bishops Castle Cassey Shropshire Directory 1871
Bishop’s Castle is a municipal borough, market town, polling place for the Southern division of the county, and parish containing the boroughs of Bishop’s Castle and the out liberties and townships of Colebatch, Woodbatch, Broughton, Lea, and Oakeley, 12 miles west from Craven Arms railway station, 161 west from London, 20 south from Shrewsbury, 20 north-west from Ludlow, and 15 east from Welshpool, in Clun and Purslow hundred, Clun union, and diocese of Hereford, situated on the road between Ludlow and Welshpool. The government of the town is vested in fifteen aldermen or capital burgesses, two of whom are annually appointed bailiff and recorder respectively, the jurisdiction is co-extensive with the borough, and they are annually elected at Michaelmas. Petty and quarter sessions are held, the former once a fortnight, and a county court once a month, for the recovery of debts under £50. In the 20th, Edward I., the bishop of Hereford claimed for his tenants of Bishop’s Castle an exemption for attending the County or hundred Court, and the privilege of keeping a market every Friday, and a fair on the eve and feast of Decollation of St. John the Baptist, and the day following.
The church of St. John the Baptist was once a Decorated or Early English structure; but it was burnt over the heads of a body of the inhabitants while holding it as a place of defence in the Parliamentary wars. The living is a vicarage, annual value £466 15s. 0d. with residence and 10 acres of glebe, in the gift of the Earl of Powis. There is a small endowed school with an income of £48, and a commodions [sic] National school. The Primitive Methodists have a school for boys and girls here. The Independents, Primitive Methodists, and Wesleyans have each a chapel in the town. There is a town hall, market house, and a police station. In 1852 a workhouse for the Clun union of nineteen parishes was erected here. A market is held every Friday. There are several stock fairs held on the second Friday in every month, with the exception of May Fair, for the hiring of servants, which is held on the first Friday after May Day. The Earl of Powis is lord of the manor, and holds a court leet once a year. The principal landowners are the Rev. William Garnett Botfield, the representatives of the Rev. Arthur Oakeley, and the Earl of Powis. The soil is light loam; subsoil, clayey. The population in 1861 was 2,083, the area is 5,630 acres. The gross estimated rental of the borough is £6,055, and of the township £4,410; rateable value, £5,356.
Broughton is supposed to have been a Roman town.
Post Office. – Edward Probert, postmaster. Letters arrive at 6-10 a.m.; dispatched at 7 p.m. Money orders granted & paid from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.
Town Clerk, Thomas Griffiths, Esq.
Public Establishments:-
Clun Union House, George Scales, master; Mrs. Mary Scales, matron.
County Court Office, Uvedale Corbett-Winder, Esq., judge; George Grazebrooke, Esq., treasurer; Thomas Griffiths, Esq., high bailiff; Frederick Pardoe, Esq., registrar.
Inland Revenue Office, Castle hotel, William Lavender, supervisor; Henry Hemstock, officer.
Police Station, George Hayward, sergeant.
Stamp Office, Mrs. Elizabeth Newill, sub-distributor.
Public Officers:-
Clerk to the County Court, to Guardians of the Clun Union, to Commissioner of the Income Tax, & Treasurer of Bishop’s Castle Turnpike Trust, Frederick Pardoe, Esq.
High Bailiff to County Court, Town Clerk, & Clerk to Turnpike Trustees, Thomas Griffiths, Esq.
Bailiff to County Court, Edward Bright.
Superintendent Registrar, Frederick Pardoe, Esq.
Registrar of Births & Deaths for Bishop’s Castle District, John Bowen.
Road Surveyor, William Ferguson.
Bishop’s Castle Railway, Elisha Edwin Owen, superintendent.
Allen Rev. P. S., Prospect house
Bright Mrs. Castle villa
Davies Miss Elizabeth
Griffithes Thomas Jones, esq
Herschel Mrs. Margaret
Jenkins Mr. John Harley
Newill Mr. Henry Starr
Rowland Rev. Wm. Morgan, M.A.
Acton Richard, baker
Bailey Edwin, grocer & draper
Bailey Frederick, Black Lion
Bailey Sarah, shopkeeper
Baker Jane, baker & confectioner
Beddoes John, farmer, Green fields
Beddoes Richard, farmer, Moat hill
Benbow William, farmer, Wood house
Bills Martha, chemist, &c.
Bird Benjamin, carpenter
Bird John, blacksmith
Bluck Mary, White Horse
Bore Alfred, hosier & draper
Bowen Benjamin, plumber, &c.
Bowen John, farmer, Bank’s head
Bowen John, shopkeeper
Bowen Richard, farmer, Colebatch
Breese George, baker
Bright Edward, chair maker
Bright Edward, tailor
Bright William, carpenter
Brook Henry, surgeon
Chelmick William, butcher
Chester Thomas, printer & stationer
Cooke George, shoe maker
Cross Richard, beer retailer
Davies Edward, chemist & druggist
Davies James, beer retailer
Davies John, shoe maker
Davies John, farmer, Green bank
Davies Martha, wheelwright
Davies William, shoe maker
Davies William, farmer
Dodd & Sankey, dress makers
Dolby Charles, Three Tuns
Downes Richard, beer retailer
Downs Charles, general grocer
Edwards David, saddler, &c.
Edwards John, butcher
Evans Thomas, machine maker
Farmer Thomas, farmer, Colebatch
Farmer William, farmer, Colebatch
Ferguson William, road surveyor
Freshney William, clog maker
Gough Benjamin, Boar’s Head
Gough Thomas, builder
Green John, farmer, Woodbatch
Greenhouse Howard, Harp Inn
Greenhouse Howard, jun., ironmonger
Griffin William, beer retailer
Griffithes Thomas Jones, land agent
Griffiths The Misses, ladies seminary
Griffiths Edward, nursery & seedsman, Colebatch
Griffiths Lewis, stationer & accountant
Griffiths Thomas, solicitor & town clerk
Griffiths William, shopkeeper
Hamar William, castrator
Hammonds Peter, nurseryman
Harris John, grocer & draper
Harris William, farmer, & wine & spirit merchant
Hemstock Henry, excise officer
Holl Emma, fancy repository
Holl George, brazier & tin plate worker
Home George, stone mason
Home John, carpenter
Home Hannah, shopkeeper
Home Herbert, Red Lion
Home Samuel, butcher
Home William, stone mason
Howard John, cattle dealer
Howard Richard, farmer, Colebatch
Howard Thomas, farmer, The Lea
Hughes Michael, general dealer
James Edward, farmer, The Field
James John, tailor
James Richard, Six Bells Inn
Jones John, carpenter
Jones Thomas, shopkeeper
Kibbert Richd. farmer, Up. Broughton
Lane John William, M.D. surgeon
Lavender William, supervisor of inland revenue
Leech John, carpenter, Colebatch
Legge Edward, draper
Lewis James, shopkeeper
Lewis Richard, blacksmith
Lewis Richard, saddler, &c.
Lloyd Edward, confectioner
Lloyd Thomas, boot & shoe maker
Lucas Wm. painter, plumber & glazier
McMinn David, tea dealer
McNiece John, watch maker
Maddox Isaac, farmer, Owlbury
Matthews Richard, watch maker
Minton Andrew, shoe maker
Minton John, shoe maker
Morris John, farmer, Woodbatch
Newbery James, Castle Hotel
Newill Elizabeth seed dealer
Newill Henry Starr, solicitor (Pardoe & Newill)
Nicholas John, painter & glazier
Norton John, butcher
Norton Mary, tanner
Norton Richard, farmer, Woodbatch
Norton Richard, wine & spirit merchant & ironmonger
Owen Elisha Edwin, draper, &c.
Palmer Francis, tailor
Pardoe & Newill, solicitors
Pardoe Frederick, solicitor
Phillips William, farmer, Lower Oakley farm
Playfair Margaret, shopkeeper
Pritchard James, carpenter
Probert Edward, grocer
Pugh Edward Nicholas, beer retailer
Pugh Maurice, plumber &c.
Pugh Richard, tailor
Pugh Thomas, King’s Head, & carpentr
Pugh William, tailor
Richards John, tailor
Richards Mary, straw bonnet maker
Richards Susan, baker
Richards Thomas, carpenter
Richards William, chair maker
Roberts John, farmer, Lower Broughton
Robinson William, Bull
Robinson William, shoe maker
Robinson William, jun., blacksmith
Sayce James, Cross Keys
Sayce John, shoe maker
Sayce Richard, stone mason
Sayce William, carpenter
Smith John, butcher
Speak Thomas, farmer, The Lea
Thomas Richard, tailor
Vickers John, cooper
Walker Thomas, shopkeeper
Williams Richard, hair dresser
Williams Thomas, baker
Source: Edward Cassey & Co.’s, History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Shropshire 1871