Description
Oswestry, a market-town, a municipal borough, and a parish in Salop. The town stands adjacent to Watt's Dyke, 2 miles E of Offa's Dyke, 3 WSW of the Shropshire Union Canal, 3 E of the boundary with Wales, 7 W of Ellesmere, 12 S of Llangollen, 15 S of Wrexham, 18 NW of Shrewsbury, and 183 1/4 from London. It has stations on the Cambrian railway and the G.W.R., the latter at the terminus of a short branch from Gobowen. Oswestry dates from ancient British times; it was known to the ancient Britons as Croes Oswallt; to the early Saxons as Maserfield, by corruption of Macs Oswallt, signifying " Oswald's field;" and to the later Saxons as Oswaldstre, signifying " Oswald's town," and afterwards corrupted into Oswestry, or popularly Osestry; and it took all these varieties of names from St Oswald, king of Northumbria. A great battle was fought at it in 642 between that king and the pagan Penda, king of Mercia, and resulted in the defeat and death of Oswald. The town, with the territory around it, was then annexed to Mercia; it afterwards became a post of much importance in the Border wars between the Saxons and the Welsh; and at the construction of the great W bulwarks of the Mercian kingdom it was placed on the neutral ground between Watt's Dyke and Offa's Dyke, 2 miles to the W. A castle is supposed to have been built at it some time before the Norman Conquest, and either that castle was restored or an entirely new one was built on the same site about 1150. Welsh historians ascribe the new castle to Madoc ap Meredydd, Prince of Powys; while English writers assign it to the family of Fitzalan, and suppose that family to have got a gift of the town from William the Conqueror. The town was the headquarters of Henry II. in 1164 in his expeditions against the Welsh; was burnt in 1212 by King John, and again in 1235 by Llewelyn. Walls were constructed around it about 1277; were pierced with four gates, called Black Gate, New Gate, Willow Gate, and Beatrice Gate, and were taken down in 1782. The plague made devastations in 1559 and 1585. The Royalists garrisoned the town in 1644, but were dislodged by the Parliamentarians, who dismantled the castle. Public recreation grounds have been formed on the site of the castle. An ancient well, erected to the memory of St Oswald, exists at a short distance from the church, and some small vestiges of the castle may still be seen, but other remains of antiquity are remarkably few. A fine ancient British fortification, defended by a high triple rampart, is about a mile to the N; encloses an area of about 16 acres, and occupies a total area of about 45 acres; and bears properly the name of Caer Ogran or Caer Ogyrfan, but is popularly called Old Oswestry, and traditionally regarded as the site of the original town. Another ancient British entrenchment of circular form and surrounded by a dyke is on the W border of Pork-ington Park, 1 1/2 mile to the NW; bears the name of Castell Brogyntyn; and is supposed to have been formed by a natural son of Owen Madoc, Prince of Powys.
The town is situated at the foot of prettily-wooded hills, and presents a good appearance. Some of the houses are interesting timber structures. New municipal buildings, comprising municipal offices, a free library, and science and art class-rooms, were erected in 1893. The Powis Market-Hall and Corn Exchange forms one side of Bailey Head. The Victoria Rooms in Victoria Road, at the S end of the town, contain a large room for assemblies and public meetings. The Public Hall in Oswald Road contains a large assembly-room. The Cross Market was enlarged in 1883. The Cambrian railway workshops were erected in 1865, stand in the town at a focus of the Cambrian railway system, and give employment to about 300 men. St Oswald's parish church occupies the site of an ancient monastery. It is a large, venerable-looking edifice, ranging from Transitional Norman to Decorated, and was restored in 1873. It consists of chancel with S chapel, nave of five bays, transepts, S porch, aisles, and a massive tower. Holy Trinity Church was built in 1837, restored in 1894, and is in the Decorated style. There are Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational, Calvinistic and Primitive Methodist, and Wesleyan chapels, some of which are fine buildings. The cemetery is on the Salop Road, extends over 4 acres, and has a mortuary chapel. The grammar school was founded in the time of Henry IV. by David Holbech ; has £225 a year from endowment, and was rebuilt in 1871. There are a dispensary, a cottage hospital, and alms-houses. The workhouse is in Weston township, about a mile from the town. The Chapel of St Anne's, erected in 1883 chiefly for the inmates of the workhouse, is adjacent Extensive drainage and waterworks have been constructed under the Oswestry Water and Sewerage Acts of 1865 and 1885. The town, on the whole, has undergone very great improvement; and, though always a pleasant place as compared with many others, it is now much better entitled than before to the eulogy written on it by Churchyard-" This towne doth front on Wales as right as lyne, So sondrie townes in Shropshiere doe for troth, As Osestri, a prettie towne full fine, Which may be lov'd, be likte, and praysed both. It stands so trim, and is maintayned so cleane, And peopled is with foike that well doe meane, That it deserves to be enrouled and shryned In each good heart and every manly mynd."
The town has a head post office (recently rebuilt) and three banks, is a seat of petty sessions, quarter sessions, and county courts, and publishes a weekly newspaper. Markets are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays; cattle fairs are held every Wednesday, and cheese and butter fairs on the first Wednesday in every month. The manufacture of flannel was formerly considerable. The chief industries now are malting, tanning, currying, fellmongery, and wool stapling; there are also iron and brass foundries, implement works, saw mills, and brickworks. The town was made a municipal borough by Richard II., who visited it in 1397, and is now divided into two wards. and governed by a mayor, 6 aldermen, and 18 councillors. It has a separate commission of the peace and a separate court of quarter sessions. Acreage, 1888; population, 8496. Walter Fitzalan, son of Alan, grandson of Flaad, founder of Paisley Abbey, and ancestor of the royal Stuarts, was a native.
The parish contains also the townships of Aston, Crickheath, Hisland, Llanforda, Llawnt, Maesbury, Middleton, Morton, Pant, Sweeney, Trefonen, Weston Cotton, and Wootton. Acreage, 16,234; population, 12,526. Under the Local Government Act of 1894, the parish is divided into an urban portion, consisting of the borough, and a rural portion, consisting of the parish outside the borough-the latter portion having a rural parish council consisting of fifteen members. The borough also returns two members to the county council of Salop. The manor belongs to the Earl of Powis. Porkington, a beautiful mansion in a fine park, is the seat of the Ormsby-Gore family (Lord Harlech). Aston, Sweeney Hall, Llanforda, Pen-y-Llan, Woodliill, and Park Hall are other chief residences.. The living of St Oswald is a vicarage in the diocese of St Asaph; net value, £490 with residence. Patron, the Earl of Powis. Population of the ecclesiastical parish, 6110. The ecclesiastical parish of Holy Trinity was constituted in 1844. Population, 4299. The living is a vicarage; net value, £280 with residence. Patron, the Vicar of Oswestry. The rural parish also includes the ecclesiastical parish of Trefonen, and part of the ecclesiastical parishes of Morton and Rhyd-y-Croesan.
Oswestry Parliamentary Division, or Western Salop, was formed under the Redistribution of Seats Act of 1885, and returns one member to the House of Commons. Population, 54,192. The division includes The following:-Chirbury- Brompton, Chirbury, Hyssington Mucklewick, Shelve, Worthin; Condover-Acton Burnell, Berrington, Church Preen, Church Pulverbatch, Condover, Cound, Cressage, Frodesley,. Harley, Kenley, Leebotwood, Longnor, Meole Brace, Pitchford, Ruckley and Langley, St Julian's, Sheinton, Smethcote, Stapleton, Sutton, Woolstaston; Ford-Alberbury, Cardiston, Ford, Great Woolaston, Hanwood (Great), Habberley, Minsterley, Pontesbury, St Chad (part of), St Julian's (part of), Westbury, Worthen (part of) ; Oswestry (Hundred of)- Knockin, Kinnerley, Llansilin (part of), Llanyblodwell, Llany-mynech (part of), Melverley, Oswestry, Selattyn, St Martin's, West Felton, Whittington; Pimhill (Hundred of-except The parish of Middle) - Baschurch, Ellesmere, Hordley, Montford, Ness (Great), Ness (Little), Petton, Ruyton-of-the Eleven Towns, Shrawardine, Welsh Hampton; Albrighton (part of)-Fitz; Oswestry, municipal borough.
