Situated about a mile from Oswestry, to the right of the road leading to the race-course, is the seat of William Ormsby Gore, Esquire, M.P. for North Shropshire. This delightful estate is associated with some of the most interesting incidents in the history of North Wales, and has for years been viewed as one of the great land-marks of the chequered history of the Welsh border. It derives its name from “Castell Brogyntyn,” a fortress of the celebrated Owen Brogyntyn, a natural son of Madog ab Meredydd ab Bleddyn, Prince of half of Powys, and who, as a gift from his father, enjoyed the title of Lord of Edeirnion and Dinmael. He flourished in the latter part of the twelfth century. The site of the ancient fort still remains in the shrubberies of Porkington, the moat filled up serving as a gravel walk, surrounded by plantations. Owen resided at Brogyntyn, whence he assumed his surname. According to a drawing in the Mytton collection, the fort was of a circular form, surrounded by a large earthen dyke and a deep foss, that had two entrances close to each other, projecting a little from the sides, and diverging, the end of each being guarded by a semi-lunar curtain. The name of the fortress and house (for Owen Brogyntyn resided there) was soon altered into one closely resembling the present, as we find that in 1218 Henry III., in an address to Llywelyn, Prince of Wales, informs him that, among others, “Bleddyn FiliusOeni de Porkinton” had performed the service he owed to the English Crown. The house was formerly known also by the name of “Constables’ Hall.” The precise date of the change of name cannot be ascertained.
Porkington
Porkington is also historically connected with the distinguished royalist Sir John Owen, of Cleneney, Caernarvonshire, a man whose history reveals unshaken fidelity to the unfortunate Charles I., and a courage undaunted amidst the most trying reverses. A short biography of this eminent man will not be deemed out of place in these pages. Sir John Owen was the eldest son of John Owen, Esq. of Cleneney, and was born in 1600. His father had been secretary to the great Walsingham, and had amassed in his service a fortune of £10,000, a large sum in those days. He married Ellen Maurice, the heiress of Cleneney and Porkington, about 1597. Their son John entered the army, and soon distinguished himself. At the siege of Bristol he greatly signalized himself, and was severely wounded in that engagement. Throughout indeed the wars against the Common Wealth he proved himself a faithful and valiant commander on behalf of the king. At the famous battle of Llandegai, near Bangor, Caernarvonshire, fortune declared against him, and he was taken prisoner. This victory was considered by the Cromwell party of so much importance that Captain Taylor, who communicated the intelligence to Parliament, was rewarded with £200 from Sir John’s estate. He was conveyed to Windsor Castle, where he found incarcerated four of his gallant compatriots, namely, the Duke of Hamilton, the Earl of Holland, and Lords Goring and Capel. All these prisoners were put upon trial, and Sir John Owen maintained a firm and heroic spirit during the enquiry that eventually saved his life. On being asked by the Court for his defence, he said “he was a plain gentleman of Wales who had always been taught to obey the king; that he had served him honestly during the war; and finding many honest subjects endeavouring to raise forces whereby they might get him out of prison, he did the like.” He was condemned to lose his head, and at the conclusion of the sentence he bowed to the Court and gave his humble thanks. A bye-stander, marking his intrepid conduct, asked him what he meant, when Sir John replied—“It was a great honor to a poor gentleman of Wales to lose his head with such noble lords, for he was afraid they would have hanged him.” Strong remonstrances were made in Parliament on behalf of the duke and noble lords, but, finding no one speak in favour of Sir John Owen, Ireton rose as his advocate, and told the house “there was one person for whom no one spoke a word, and therefore he requested that he might be saved by the sole motive and goodness of the house.” Ireton’s appeal was effectual, and Sir John was pardoned after a few months’ imprisonment, and permitted to return to his native country. He died in 1666, and was buried in Penmorfa Church, Caernarvonshire, where a monument is erected to his memory. The estates of Sir John Owen are possessed by his lineal descendant, Mrs. Ormsby Gore, and many interesting relics of the gallant knight are preserved at Porkington. Among these are his official seal as Vice Admiral of North Wales, and a sword given him by Lord Capel with the following inscription:—“Lord Capel, the day before his execution, presented this sword to Sir John Owen, by whom, he said, he was convinced it would be worn with honour.” His portrait is also preserved at Porkington, from which the engraving, in Pennant’s quarto edition of his tours, was made.
Porkington is chiefly indebted to the wife of Mr. Ormsby Gore (daughter and heiress of Owen Ormsby, Esq., who married the daughter of William Owen, Esq., and Mary Godolphin), for its present beautiful appearance. The mansion having been built at three several periods presented a confused mass, until the alterations made by Miss Ormsby conferred on it a correct Grecian elevation. The present worthy owner assumed on his marriage the name of Ormsby, prefixed to his own, and has added largely to the demesne, and to the well-timbered and romantic appearance of the hills which environ the rear of the building, the sight from the north-east and south giving extensive views over the counties of Denbigh, Chester, and Salop.
On the pediment of the portico are the arms of the present possessors inalto-relievo. The principal stair-case is lighted by a dome of stained glass, exhibiting the names and arms of different proprietors, with the dates of their occupancy, and the names and arms also of various heiresses connected therewith, namely, Laken, Maurice, Owen, Anwyl, Wynne, Godolphin, Ormsby and Gore. The reception rooms are furnished with remarkable elegance and taste. In the saloon is the full-length portrait of Mrs. Siddons, a singularly-faithful likeness, and also a curious painting on panel, being the only portion saved of the Altar-piece of Valle Crucis Abbey.
The views from the Terrace at Porkington are extensive and highly picturesque, displaying a variety of rich landscape scenery. In the foreground (now attached to the Porkington estate) isOld Oswestry, theHen Dinasof the Welsh, (and in still more ancient periods Caer Ogyr-fan, from Ogyr-fan, a hero contemporary with Arthur,) a densely wooded hill, and supposed to have been a strong fortification of British or Roman origin. It is situated on the range of Watts’ Dyke, which served as a boundary to the neutral ground on the Welsh side. It is surrounded by three deep entrenchments, one above the other, in which are two passes, north and south, to ascend to a very extended plain on the top of the whole, encompassed with fortifications &c., comprising upwards of forty-two acres of land. The sides of the entrenchments are closely wooded, and carefully preserved by Mr. Ormsby Gore, who has also planted an adjacent hill on the other side of the valley.
The parish of Selattyn, in which Porkington stands, is divided into two townships, deriving their names from the same source, namely,Upper PorkingtonandLower Porkington.
Or Sylattin, is a parish in the upper division of Oswestry, a rectory remaining in charge, in the diocese of St. Asaph andthe deanery of Marchia. The village is situated about two miles from the Great Western Railway Station at Preesgwene, and three miles north-west of Oswestry. The population of the parish has greatly increased within the last forty years, much land, hitherto waste, has been brought into a profitable state of cultivation, and many neat and convenient cottages have been built. During the long residence in the parish of the late Rev. G. N. K. Lloyd, rector, who died in his sixtieth year, on the 17th January, 1846, the social condition of his parishioners was greatly improved, as he was constantly engaged for their benefit in every “good word and work.” In October 1846 a water-ram was erected at the expense of his nephew, the Rev. Albany R. Lloyd; by which means the water is forced up, from a fine spring some distance off, to the rectory, and on towards the village, for the convenience and comfort of the inhabitants.
Selattyn Church
The village is romantically situated. The church and school, the small collection of dwellings, with the littlepicturesque valley leading to it, and the brook, which empties itself into the Morlas, rolling its limpid stream over a rocky and pebbly bed, are all delightful features of the scene. In the church-yard some beautiful and aged ash-trees expand their immense arms over the precipice beneath, while a noble avenue of lime trees adorns the northern side, and several lofty firs enrich the southern. There are also several ancient yews, which add solemnity to this interesting spot. On the hills above Selattyn are two large carneddu, with lesser ones near to them.
The erection of the steeple of the church was commenced upon in 1703. In 1821 a north transept was added to the fabric, and in 1828 the south transept was built. A new organ, built by Bryceson, was placed in the church in 1847.
A whimsical derivation of the name of the place is given by the late John Davies, Esq., Recorder of Oswestry:—“A schoolmaster having set up here, and finding that few pupils attended, imagined that people did not know of him, but passed on to Oswestry, wrote over his door, ‘I sell Latin!’” Whether this was veritably the origin of the name we are unable to prove, but, as Mr. Davies adds, “if not the best, it is not worse than some derivations which may be found.”
We subjoin a list of the rectors of the parish since 1537, including the appointment of the fiery meteor Sacheverell, whose career we have noticed in preceding pages:—
John ap Robert
—
Robert Stanley
1537
T. Thomas
1556
Robert Powell
1557
Richard Price
1578
Thomas Topperly
1587
William Horton (Vicar of Oswestry)
—
Rowland Thackerly
1592
Henry Jones
1600
James Wilding
1610
Thomas Wilding
1666
John Jones
1681
Henry Sacheverell, D.D.
1713
William Daker
1713
Thomas Hammer
1719
William Roberts
1780
John Robert Lloyd
—
Whitehall Whitehall Davies
1801
George Newton Kynaston Lloyd
1810
Charles Arthur Albany Lloyd (Rector of Whittington)
1846
Henry James Lloyd
1852
John Husband
1853
In the parish of Selattyn, is situated about two miles north of Oswestry, and has derived much interest from the recent erection of a neat and convenient church, dedicated to St. Barnabas, built chiefly at the expense of the Rev. Albany Rossendale Lloyd, the present much-respected Incumbent, aided by a few subscriptions. The foundation-stone was laid by the Rev. A. R. Lloyd, Aug. 16th, 1849; the church was opened for divine service June 11, 1850; and was consecrated by the Right Rev. Dr. Thomas Voule, Bishop of St. Asaph, August 15th, 1853. A district, with a population of about 650 persons, has been legally assigned to this church, and was duly gazetted January 31st, 1854. An excellent Sunday-school is attached to the church, and was originally used, until the present church was completed, as a place for divine worship.
The amount rated to the poor for the parish of Selattyn, for the year ending 25th March, 1855, was 1s. 3d. in the pound. The annual rental of the land and buildings is fixed at £6,974; rateable value, £6,501 6s. 8d.; and the estimated extent of acreage, 5,434a. 3r. 13p.
Is a parish situated about five miles from, and in the hundred of Oswestry. It is a vicarage discharged, in the diocese of St. Asaph, and deanery of Marchia. The great tithes weregiven by one of the Fitz-Alans to the Monastery of Oswestry,Album-Monasterium. They afterwards became the property of the Duke of Powis, and now belong in part to Viscount Dungannon. The living is a vicarage, and is valued at £9 8s. 8d., but, having received Queen Anne’s Bounty, is discharged from payments. The church is dedicated to St. Martin. The tower is a handsome building of freestone, but the body of the church is of rubble stone, and very inferior in appearance. In 1811 the church was new pewed, when a gallery was also erected, and the same year the late Lord Dungannon made a present of an organ. In the roof of the chancel were several beautiful wood-carved images, but they were destroyed by some merciless churchwarden. The Bishop of St. Asaph had a palace here, but Owen Glyndwr burnt it when he laid waste the county of Salop. In the Mostyn library is a Welsh manuscript on parchment, of the life of St. Martin. It was translated from the Latin by John Trevor, a writer who flourished between 1430 and 1470. In the parish are two schools, one founded by William ab Royd, Merchant Taylor, for fifteen poor children, and the other by the late Viscountess Dungannon, on the Lancasterian plan, for twenty poor girls. The poor-rate return for the year 1855 shows that the acreage of the parish is 5,315; the gross rental, £10,016 13s. 9d.; and the rateable value, £9,534 4s. 3d. The present Vicar is the Rev. William Hurst.
In the village calledThe Lodge, in this parish, a school was erected in the year 1851, and has been productive of much good among the humbler portion of the inhabitants.
In the parish of St. Martin’s there are several beautiful residences, among which may be enumeratedPreesgwene,The Quinta,Tyn-y-Rhos, andGreenfield Lodge.
Preesgwene Houseis historically connected with the Border Lands. It is the property and residence of J. R. Powell, Esq., is a neat mansion, embosomed in rich foliage,and situated four and a half miles from Oswestry. The house was built in the sixteenth century, by E. Phillips, Esq., an ancestor of the present possessor. The Rev. Robert Williams, in his “Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Welshmen,” states that “Gwên, the most valiant of the twenty-four sons of Llywarch Hên, was slain on the ford of Morlas, a brook which rises in Selattyn mountain, near Oswestry, and flows into the Ceiriog. The name of Gwên is preserved in Prys Gwên, a gentleman’s residence near the Morlas, in the parish of St. Martin’s.” Llywarch Hên is said to have died in the parish of Llanvor, near Bala, where a secluded place calledPabell, or the cot of Llywarch Hên, is still pointed out. He was a British Prince by birth, and a distinguished bard, as already stated. [See pp.8and9.]
The Quintawas for many years the residence of the late Hon. Frederick West, (a gentleman whose virtues and honour endeared him to all who had the privilege of his acquaintance,) by whom it was greatly improved. This delightful estate was purchased by Thomas Barnes, Esq., M.P., for Bolton, Lancashire, one of the most successful manufacturers of that county. In his hands the property has undergone still further improvements.
Tyn-y-Rhos, the seat of the Rev. John Croxon Phillips, is an ancient mansion. In 1164, the reign of Henry II., Owen (or Owain) Gwynedd, Prince of North Wales, slept at this house, and granted to the owner certain privileges already described. [See p.24.]
Greenfield Lodgeis a pleasantly-situated villa, the property, and formerly the residence of F. W. Smith, Esq., Agent to F. R. West, Esq., M.P. The house is approached by a remarkably fine avenue.
Parish comprises many beautiful residences, includingPradoe, the seat of the Hon. Mrs. Kenyon (widow of the late Hon.Thomas Kenyon, third son of Chief Justice Lord Kenyon);Woodhouse, the fine old mansion of W. Mostyn Owen, Esq.;Tedsmere, a house belonging to T. B. Bulkley Owen, Esq.; and “The Nursery,” formerly the residence of J. F. M. Dovaston, Esq., but now possessed by John Dovaston, Esq., the inheritor of the Poet’s estates. The parish church is dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel, and is of great antiquity, the nave being of Norman date. Within the last few years a new aisle on the north side, in the early English style, has been erected. At the east end of it there is an elegant triplet filled with stained glass of early English character, displaying scriptural subjects in medallions. Other improvements have been made in the church from designs by Mr. G. G. Scott. Near Haughton, in this parish, large quantities of earthenware have been discovered, of various colours, blue, red, green, and yellow, and highly glazed. Their origin or purpose remains a mystery, but is still worthy of antiquarian investigation. Sandford Hall, in this parish, was formerly the residence of the celebrated “Bumper Squire Jones,” the hero of the once popular song of that name.
The present rector is the Rev. T. Hunt. According to the poor-rate return for 1855 the acreage of the parish is 5,989 acres 2 roods; the gross rental £10,048 10s.; and the rateable value assessed to the relief of the poor, £7,948 6s.
Is a charming village, possessing all the beauties which give pleasure to the lovers of inland rustic scenery. Picturesque cottages, neat dwellings for people in retired circumstances, good-looking farmers’ homesteads, the village church, in silent repose, surrounded by its grave-yard, and finally, the vestiges of its ancient Castle, once the baronial and stately residence of the renowned Norman Chief Fitz-Gwarine, and the scene of many a romantic story, give to Whittington village a lively interest in which all who can leisurely view it mustparticipate. It is situated upon the turnpike-road from Oswestry to Ellesmere, and two and a-half miles from the former, and five and a-half from the latter. The Great Western Railway passes through the village, where there is also a station, the trains stopping there several times a day.
Its antiquity extends so far back as the year 590, when, as the Welsh poet Llywarch Hên states, it was known by the name of theWhite Town(Drev-Wen.) In the reign of Rhodri Mawr (Roderick the Great,) king of all Wales, A.D. 843, a British Chieftain (Ynyr ab Cadfarch) built the Castle, which was afterwards possessed by his son, Tudor Trevor, subsequently Earl of Hereford. Tudor Trevor’s mother was grand-daughter to Caradog Vreichvas, who fell in the memorable battle at Rhuddlan Marsh, A.D. 795. The descendants of Tudor continued in possession of the Castle for many generations, and several of the leading families in North Wales can trace their origin to him. At the conquest Whittington became the property of Pain Peverel, and afterwards of Roger, Earl of Shrewsbury. The Castle and lordship next passed into the hands of Hugh, and subsequently of Robert, both sons of Roger, the before-named Earl. On the defeat and forfeiture of Robert, by an Act of Henry I., the property was restored to the Peverels, in the person of Sir William Peverel, distinguished for his noble and valiant enterprises. He had two daughters; the youngest, named Mellet, of martial spirit, resolved to wed no one but the knight greatest in valour, and her father published this declaration, promising Whittington Castle as her dower. This announcement attracted the attention of many a gallant youth, and soon afterwards Peverel’s domain at the Peak, near Castleton, Derbyshire, was the scene of contention for the fair prize. Among the combatants were a son of the King of Scotland, the Baron Burgoyne, and a noble Lorrainer, Gwarine de Metz, (Sheriff of Shropshire, and chief Counsellor to the Earl of Shrewsbury,) the latter of whom appeared with a shield ofsilver, and a proud peacock on his crest! To him the spirited Mellet was sincere, he having been declared victor. The son of this chivalrous pair was “famed for deeds of arms,” and their posterity, for nine generations, assumed the christian name of Fulk, and the common name of Fitz-Gwarine. The Castle of Whittington was possessed by the family from the end of the reign of Henry I. till the reign of Henry VIII. Gwarine de Metz died in the reign of Henry I. at Alberbury, the Abbey of which place he had founded, and there he was interred, his wife, the famous Mellet Peverel, and her son, the first Fulk Fitz-Gwarine, being present on the affecting occasion.
This youth was as distinguished, in the arts of love and war, as his father. He became desperately enamoured with Hawys, the daughter of Sir Joos, of Normandy; rescued the father from impending death, while in the hands of Walter Lacy and Sir Arnold de Lis, two inveterate enemies, and, as a reward for his gallantry and courage, received the hand in marriage of his beloved Hawys. Fulk Fitz-Gwarine was heroic in all his achievements, was knighted by Henry I., made steward of the King’s Household, and Lieutenant of the Marches. In a skirmish with the Welsh, under Grufydd ab Cynan, he was defeated, and Whittington Castle fell into their hands. In the reign of Henry II. peace was made with Owen Gwynedd, the succeeding Prince of North Wales: the Castle was retained by Owen; and as some compensation for his loss, Fulk had the manor of Alston, in Gloucestershire, bestowed upon him. It is recorded, says the Rev. W. Davies, in his interesting “History of Whittington,” that “Fulk Fitz-Gwarine, and John, son to Henry II. (afterwards King John,) were playing at chess together, when it happened that they disagreed, and the Prince gave Fulk a severe blow upon the head with the board, which the latter returned in such a violent manner as almost to kill the young Prince, a circumstance, had it happened, not much to be regretted, were it not in consideration of the glorious Magna Charta afterwardsobtained from him.” Dovaston, in his fine descriptive poem, entitled “Fitz-Gwarine,” makes his hero describe the quarrel in the following lines:—
“Enough to name our last affray,The Prince his temper lost at play,The chess-board swung with coward sway,And hurl’d my head upon;Ill could the wrong my bosom brook,I sent him first a furious look,Then firm with knuckles clench’d I strookThe pate of royal John.”
“Enough to name our last affray,The Prince his temper lost at play,The chess-board swung with coward sway,And hurl’d my head upon;Ill could the wrong my bosom brook,I sent him first a furious look,Then firm with knuckles clench’d I strookThe pate of royal John.”
Fulk Fitz-Gwarine was succeeded by his eldest son, who bore the same name, and eclipsed his father by the brilliancy and skill of his military enterprises. He accompanied Richard I. in the Crusades, and was made Lord Marcher of Wales. At the commencement of King John’s reign Whittington was in the hands of Maurice, brother to the Roger to whom Owen Gwynedd had presented it. Fulk Fitz-Gwarine applied to John for the restoration of the ancient property of his ancestors; but John rejected his application. Indignant at this treatment Fulk joined the Welsh sovereign, made battle against Maurice, in which the latter was slain. The English King determined upon having Fulk Fitz-Gwarine put to death, but the latter fled to France, under thenom de guerreof Sir Amice, a wandering knight, and was so much admired by the French monarch for his honourable and chivalrous conduct, that he tendered to him a barony of France. After having performed many acts of valour and renown in France, Fulk returned to England, determined to see King John and propitiate his favour. Fearing discovery, he exchanged clothes with a peasant, and wended his way to Windsor, to confront the monarch. In Windsor Forest they both met, John being out hunting, and Fulk appearing before the King as a peasant. Fulk made known to him his errand, and declared that he was the obnoxious Fitz-Gwarine; with the courage and dignity of his race he menaced the king for the unjust treatment he had received, and forced him to restore to his undisturbedpossession the Castle and lordship of Whittington, his ancestral property. John immediately repudiated his grant, and Fulk was again compelled to leave the kingdom, having been pursued by emissaries of the monarch, charged to slay him. Fitz-Gwarine was still as adroit as he was brave; he killed the man who meditated his assassination, fled to Orkney, where he released a persecuted female from her captivity, and won a hauberk of hard steel, which, with other ancient pieces of armour belonging to his family, hung, till Cromwell’s wars, in the church of Whittington. From Orkney Fulk sailed to Carthage, where he derived much information, his patriotism was inflamed, and where also his enthusiastic desire for the improvement of his native country glowed with increased ardour. Wrapt in these visions of future glory and happiness, he re-embarked for England, arrived safely, appealed again to King John, obtained pardon for all past offences, and with it the restoration of Whittington Castle and all its appendages. Thus once more in possession of his ancient halls, he lived in the state and hospitality which became his princely condition. Then, as the author of “Fitz-Gwarine” so sweetly sings—
“Other guests than yon lone bird,And other music here were heard,In times of better days;Festive revelry went round,The board with blushing goblets crown’d,And costly carpets clad the ground,Where now yon cattle graze.Days were those of splendour high,Days of hospitality,When to his rich domainWelcom’d many a crested knight,Welcom’d many a lady bright,Fitz-Gwarine of Lorraine!”
“Other guests than yon lone bird,And other music here were heard,In times of better days;Festive revelry went round,The board with blushing goblets crown’d,And costly carpets clad the ground,Where now yon cattle graze.Days were those of splendour high,Days of hospitality,When to his rich domainWelcom’d many a crested knight,Welcom’d many a lady bright,Fitz-Gwarine of Lorraine!”
This remarkable man was afterwards sent by the English King to Ireland on an important service, and was distinguished on his return, with the title ofThe Great. He subsequently united with the English Barons in their memorable demandfrom King John of Magna Charta, and so resolute was his conduct on that great occasion at Runnymede, that the Pope actually conferred upon him the honour of excommunication from the papal church.
After various other conflicts and disasters, “by flood and field,” he descended into old age, when he was stricken with blindness. He was buried in the porch of Whittington Church, and his remains were found there in an oak coffin, three inches in thickness, by digging a grave in the year 1796. He left behind him a son who enjoyed his father’s estates and titles, but for no considerable time. He followed Henry III. through all his adverse fortunes, and whilst engaged at the battle of Lewes was drowned in crossing a river, leaving behind him a young son, the fourth Fitz-Gwarine.
Fitz-Gwarine the second was married to Clarice of Abbourville, and he went generally by the peculiar appellation ofProud-homme, as a mark of respect to his nobility.
Whittington Castle, after the battle of Lewes, was bestowed by the Earl of Leicester upon Peter de Montford. Leicester also compelled the captive king Richard II. to deliver it, with other Border Castles, into the hands of Llywelyn ab Grufydd, Prince of Wales, who had just received the entire sovereignty of Wales, and required homage from all the barons under him.
The subsequent history of the Fitz-Gwarines presents but few interesting features. This illustrious race became extinct at the death of Henry, fifth Earl of Bath (who inherited the title of Fitz-Gwarine through the marriage of Elizabeth, sister and heiress to Fulk theninth, with Richard Haukford, Esq.,) and the manor, after various transfers in succeeding ages, was purchased by Francis (or William) Albany, Esq., of London, from one of the Earls of Arundel, it having been granted to him by Queen Mary, but afterwards mortgaged and sold. The manor, advowsons, and estate of Fernhill passed subsequently to the house of Aston, by the marriage ofSarah, daughter and heiress of the said Francis Albany, Esq., to Thomas Lloyd, Esq., of Aston. In the year 1760 the eastern tower of the Castle fell into the moat after a severe frost, and some years afterwards one of the northern towers and the western wall were taken down to repair, it is said, the road leading from Whittington to Halston bridge.
Whittington Castle
The remains of the Castle are still a picturesque ruin, which attracts artists from all parts of the kingdom to sketch its lingering beauties. Our own artist has done justice to the Castle in the sketch he has taken. The towers of the gate-house are still entire, and part of the ancient building is converted into a dwelling, and occupied by Thomas Broughall, Esq. A running brook passes through the moat, which is overhung with fine old trees, casting their shade upon the waters. In the year 1796 three curious bottles, richly gilt, were found, and subsequently, in clearing the bottom of one of the old towers, some huge iron fetters, a gyve of ponderous size, with a number of the heads and antlers of deer. The Castle, from its position on the frontier of Wales, and from the warlike spirit of its lords, was in feudal times a place of great consequence, and, like other border fortresses, alternately the scene of clashing arms and knightly festivity.
The church, which is dedicated to St. John, is a rectory in the archdeaconry and diocese of St. Asaph, and was originally designed as a chapel to the castle. The body of the church was rebuilt in 1805, from a design by the late Mr. Thomas Harrison, architect, of Chester. It is a large brick building of 60 feet by 50, and cost £1500. To lessen the expense of building the church two briefs were procured that raised £703 15s. 1d., but of this sum only £42 2s. 1d. was received. In 1810 a new organ was erected in the church. In the same year the church-yard wall, being much out of repair, was rebuilt with stone. The Rev. Charles Arthur Albany Lloyd, who had filled the office of Rector for many years, died July 24th, 1851, he being also Rector of Selattyn at the time.
Whittington parish is divided into nine townships, namely,—Whittington to the south; Berghill and Francton (or Frankton) to the east; old Marton (or Martin), Hindford, Henlle, and Ebnall, to the north; and Fernhill and Daywell to the west.
In a manuscript description of the parish we find the following derivation of names:—
Whittington, or White Town, from White Castle, in Welsh,Drewen.
Berghill—Welsh,Byr-Ghill, or Short Hazles.
Hindford—,,Hen-fordd, or The Old Road.
Henlle—,,Hen, old, andLle, Place.
Daywell—,,Fynnon du, ordydd. Day Spring (or well).
Fernhill—,,FwrnandOven, or Hole and Hill.
A tradition long prevailed in the village, that it was the birth-place of the renowned Sir Richard Whittington, “thrice Lord Mayor of London town.” It is now, however, generally understood that he was born in the township of Newnes, (not far from Whittington,) about one mile north-west of Ellesmere. Shropshire claims him for her own; and if Whittington really was “a proud Salopian,” the county has a right to be proud of the honour of enrolling among its worthies so distinguished a name. Another vague tradition prevailed, that the well-known metrical tale of “The Babes in the Wood” derives its origin fromBabins’ wood, (commonly calledBabbys’ wood,) near Whittington. The tradition adds, that the murder of the two children by their cruel uncle was perpetrated at this place. Gough, the historian of Middle, relates particulars of the murder of a child by its uncle, but his account is only from tradition, and therefore mixed up with much error.
The version we now give of this murder, derived from an authentic source, shews that the ballad of theBabes in theWoodcould not have been founded upon it. The scene of the nursery rhyme is laid in Norfolk, and all the circumstances it details differ materially from those of the murder at Knockin heath. The version we have is as follows:—
“1590, 27th March.—A man and woman were executed at Knockin heath, for murdering a child of the age of five years, for his land, being an heir of £5 a-year, or thereabout, which fell after the said child’s death, if he died without issue, to his uncles, being three of them, which uncles procured and imagined the death of the said child ever since his birth. Two of the uncles were executed at Bridgenorth assizes, and the thirdpressedto death there. But the woman being grandmother to the child, and the man named Geffrey Elkes, being hired to do the deed, were executed at the said heath where the said deed was done.” “Elkes, at his execution, affirmed that he did not kill the child, but brought a pail of water to the heath, and left it there with the child and the uncle that waspressedto death, but he confessed that before the deed was done, and after, two ravens usually would meet him, follow him, and cry about him; and when he escaped and hid himself, the said ravens did cry, and flew about the place, and descried him out, and he was found in a cock of hay by their means.”
“1590, 27th March.—A man and woman were executed at Knockin heath, for murdering a child of the age of five years, for his land, being an heir of £5 a-year, or thereabout, which fell after the said child’s death, if he died without issue, to his uncles, being three of them, which uncles procured and imagined the death of the said child ever since his birth. Two of the uncles were executed at Bridgenorth assizes, and the thirdpressedto death there. But the woman being grandmother to the child, and the man named Geffrey Elkes, being hired to do the deed, were executed at the said heath where the said deed was done.” “Elkes, at his execution, affirmed that he did not kill the child, but brought a pail of water to the heath, and left it there with the child and the uncle that waspressedto death, but he confessed that before the deed was done, and after, two ravens usually would meet him, follow him, and cry about him; and when he escaped and hid himself, the said ravens did cry, and flew about the place, and descried him out, and he was found in a cock of hay by their means.”
The parish register is a curious record of odds and ends, and from it we make a few quaint selections:—
“Died March 11th, 1767.—Thomas Evans, parish clerk, aged 72.‘Old Sternhold’s lines, or Vicar of Bray,Which he tun’d best is hard to say.’I do make choice of William Evans, his son, to serve the office of parish clerk, being qualified according to the 91st canon, viz: above twenty years of age, and of an honest conversation, and very sufficient for his reading, writing, and also for his competent skill in singing, tho’ not so clever a piper as his father. This choice was signified to the parishioners in time of divine service, on Sunday, the 15th day of March, 1767.(Signed) by me, W. Roberts, Rr.”
“Died March 11th, 1767.—Thomas Evans, parish clerk, aged 72.
‘Old Sternhold’s lines, or Vicar of Bray,Which he tun’d best is hard to say.’
I do make choice of William Evans, his son, to serve the office of parish clerk, being qualified according to the 91st canon, viz: above twenty years of age, and of an honest conversation, and very sufficient for his reading, writing, and also for his competent skill in singing, tho’ not so clever a piper as his father. This choice was signified to the parishioners in time of divine service, on Sunday, the 15th day of March, 1767.
(Signed) by me, W. Roberts, Rr.”
“1776.—Andrew Williams, in Whittington, aged 84, Decoy-man under the Aston family, at the Decoy, in this parish, above 60 years:—“Here lies the Decoy-man, who liv’d like an otter,Dividing his time between land and water:His hide he oft soak’d in the waters of Perry,Whilst Aston old beer his spirits kept cheery;Amphibious his trim, Death was puzzl’d, they say,How to dust to reduce such well-moisten’d clay.So Death turn’d Decoy-man, and decoy’d him to land,Where he fix’d his abode till quite dried to the hand;He then found him fitting for crumbling to dust,And here he lies mould’ring, as you and I must.”
“1776.—Andrew Williams, in Whittington, aged 84, Decoy-man under the Aston family, at the Decoy, in this parish, above 60 years:—
“Here lies the Decoy-man, who liv’d like an otter,Dividing his time between land and water:His hide he oft soak’d in the waters of Perry,Whilst Aston old beer his spirits kept cheery;Amphibious his trim, Death was puzzl’d, they say,How to dust to reduce such well-moisten’d clay.So Death turn’d Decoy-man, and decoy’d him to land,Where he fix’d his abode till quite dried to the hand;He then found him fitting for crumbling to dust,And here he lies mould’ring, as you and I must.”
“Samuel Peate, of Whittington Castle, died, aged 84.“Here lies Governor Peate,Whom no man did hate,At the age of four-score,And four years more,He pretended to wrestleWith Death, for his castle,But was soon out of breath,And surrender’d to Death,Who away did him take,At the eve of our Wake,One morn about seven,To keep Wake in heaven.”
“Samuel Peate, of Whittington Castle, died, aged 84.
“Here lies Governor Peate,Whom no man did hate,At the age of four-score,And four years more,He pretended to wrestleWith Death, for his castle,But was soon out of breath,And surrender’d to Death,Who away did him take,At the eve of our Wake,One morn about seven,To keep Wake in heaven.”
“Nov. 29th, 1780.—Sarah Browne, of Babe’s Wood, widow, aged 76.“EPITAPH.Here lies Mammy Brown,Who oft sung ding and downOver many a brat;And what of all that?Why she sung herself down,So here lies Mammy Brown.N.B.—She nursed many children besides her own.”
“Nov. 29th, 1780.—Sarah Browne, of Babe’s Wood, widow, aged 76.
“EPITAPH.
Here lies Mammy Brown,Who oft sung ding and downOver many a brat;And what of all that?Why she sung herself down,So here lies Mammy Brown.
N.B.—She nursed many children besides her own.”
There are several useful and important charities pertaining to Whittington parish. Jones’s charity of 1670, and Griffith Hughes’s bequest in 1706, provide for the education of theboys of the parish, as that of Elizabeth Probert does for the girls. These bequests are now applied to the National Schools established in the village.
The old National Schools being too small for the increasing population of the parish, a new School House, for the accommodation of Boys and Girls, was erected in the year 1853, on the site of the former Boys’ School, at a cost of £900, after a design by Messrs W. and J. Morris, Builders, &c., of Oswestry, by whom also the structure was erected. The present much-respected Rector is the Rev. William Walsham How, who purchased the living in the life-time, and succeeded to it on the death, of the Rev. C. A. A. Lloyd.
The parish of Whittington contains 8,303a. 3r. 10p.; gross rental, £13,145 5s. 0d.; rateable value, £12,867 10s. 0d.
It is worthy of record in our notice of Whittington, that the admirable Missionary Hymn, from the pen of the late Bishop Heber, “From Greenland’s icy mountains,” was written especially for a public meeting of the friends of Missions, held in the village about the year 1820, at which the poet Heber attended. The hymn was sung on that occasion for the first time; but since then how many thousand voices, in every part of the habitable globe, have been raised in tuneful melodies whilst pouring forth this immortal strain! Heber’s hymn ranks with the sacred songs of our best poets, and has urged many a Christian heart to the heaven-born work of spreading the gospel throughout the heathen world.
Amongst the pleasant retreats in the neighbourhood of Whittington areBelmont, the residence of J. V. Lovett, Esq., an active and intelligent Magistrate for the county;Fernhill, about one mile from Whittington, the seat of Thomas Lovett, Esq., also an able county Magistrate; and theDerwen, the house of John Povey, Esq., a gentleman much respected in the district.
The beautiful seat of Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart., M.P. for Denbighshire, is within twenty minutes’ railway ride from Oswestry. The talent, wealth, and princely hospitality of the Wynnstay family have given to this mansion and its extensive domains a national celebrity. The late Sir W. W. Wynn (father of the present worthy baronet) did much to maintain the high character for hospitality and munificent liberality for which the House of Wynnstay has ever been distinguished, and his memory is embalmed in grateful recollections by hundreds who partook of his bounty and were generously aided by his purse and patronage.
Wynnstay is situated in the parish of Rhuabon, and is erected on the site of a residence of Madog ab Grufydd Maelor, Prince of Powys, and founder of the abbey of Llanegwest, or Valle Crucis, near Llangollen. The original name of this house wasRhuabon. It was the property of Edward Eyton, Esq., whose daughter Mary, the heiress, married Richard Evans, Esq., son of Thomas Evans, Esq., of Oswestry, attorney-general in the Court of the Marches. Their grandson, Eyton Evans, (son of Thomas, son of Richard,) altered the name toWatt-stay, on account of its proximity to Watts’ Dyke; and Jane, sole daughter and heiress of Eyton Evans, Esq., married Sir John Wynn, who again changed the name toWynnstay, in compliment to his own family, he being grandson of Sir John Wynn, of Gwydir, by his tenth son, Henry, representative for Merionethshire. The above-named Sir John Wynn, of Wynnstay, left that and other estates of great value to his kinsman, the first Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, grandson of Sir William Williams, Speaker of the House of Commons in the reign of Charles II., and in the early part of his career Recorder of Chester. Sir William was one of the most successful lawyers of his time, and was a zealous and eloquent advocate of the popular party in Charles’s reign. The notorious Jeffreys was reprimanded, on his knees, by himwhilst he was Speaker of the House of Commons; who also conducted the prosecution of the Seven Bishops, when solicitor-general; and the “Treating Act,” which still continues one of the safeguards of the purity and independence of Parliament, was introduced by him in the House of Commons. This celebrated lawyer was made a baronet in 1688. He married Margaret, daughter and heiress of Watkin Kyffin, Esq., of Glascoed, in the parish of Llansilin, near Oswestry. He left two sons, and the elder, Sir William, of Llanforda, married another great heiress, Jane, the daughter of Edward Thelwall, Esq., of Plas-y-ward, and was father, as already mentioned, of the first Sir Watkin Williams Wynn. The Speaker’s youngest son, John, was an eminent provincial lawyer, and practised at Chester, and was direct progenitor of the present Sir John Williams, of Bodelwyddan, Flintshire.
Wynnstay
The mansion is a noble pile of building, of fine white stone, and has, recently, under the direction of the present possessor of Wynnstay, undergone much improvement. The interior comprises several noble apartments, which are embellished with paintings by the first masters, portraits of various members of the family, and busts by eminent sculptors, of the distinguished statesmen Lord Grenville, William Pitt, &c. The library consists of a fine collection of books, in ancient and modern literature, with valuable MSS. illustrative of early British history. Among the variety of plate, including elegant race-cups, &c., is a large silver vase, or punch-bowl, presented to the late Sir W. W. Wynn, by his countrymen, on his return from the battle of Waterloo.
The grounds in which the house is situated are remarkable for their sylvan beauty. The avenue leading to the mansion from Rhuabon is formed of fine oak, elm, beech, and other trees, one of which, “The King,” measuring thirty feet in circumference, and with its outspreading arms appearing to bid defiance to its fellows, seems to have a just claim to the monarchical title it bears. A fine sheet of water in front ofthe house adds much to the picturesque and deeply-wooded scenery around. Both the near and distant views from the park are distinct and attractive, those especially towards the Berwyn chain of mountains, with the grand breach in it beyond Llangollen, through which rolls the rapid Dee. An obelisk or handsome free-stone column is erected in the park, after a design by Wyatt, as a tribute of maternal affection, in memory of Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, grandfather of the present baronet. Round the entablature is a gallery, with a circular iron balustrade, nine feet high, in the centre of which stands a handsome urn in bronze. The plinth is wreathed with oak leaves descending from the beaks of eagles. A door-way leads, by a wide stair-case, to a gallery at the top. On the lower part of the Cenotaph is the following emphatic inscription:—
“Filio Optimo.Mater cheu! superstes.”
“Filio Optimo.Mater cheu! superstes.”
Although this column cannot be seen from the house, a glimpse of it may be caught on the left side of the railway, in passing from Rhuabon towards Oswestry. The Nant-y-Bela Tower, in “The Dingle of the Marten,” is another Cenotaph, erected by the late Sir W. W. Wynn, after a design by Sir Jeffrey Wyattville, in memory of his brother officers and private soldiers slain in Ireland during the rebellion of 1798. It stands on an eminence, and commands a view of the Vale of Llangollen, for several miles. The Waterloo Tower, close also to the railway, is another ornament to the park.
In the days of Sir W. W. Wynn, grandfather to the present baronet, theatrical performances were often given during the Christmas Holy days, in a neat theatre near the house, erected for the purpose. David Garrick, “the British, Roscius,” as he was called, frequently superintended these histrionic displays, where wit and revelry prevailed. The surrounding nobility and gentry participated in these festivities, which uniformly passed off witheclât. The late Sir W. W. Wynn divested this Thespian Temple of its ornaments, andappropriated it for an annual agricultural meeting, as an auxiliary to the society at Wrexham. An annual show of cattle was held at Wynnstay, where premiums were adjudged, for the best of every species of stock, for ploughing the greatest number of acres, with two horses a-breast, without a driver, &c. This bucolic fete was generally held in September, when a numerous assemblage of practical agriculturists attended. A dinner at the hall followed, where covers were laid for five or six hundred persons. The tables groaned beneath the weight of viands, including fine samples of roast beef and unctuous venison; “rosy wine” spread its charms along the festive board, and “old October,” from the cellars of Wynnstay, were handed round in huge flagons worthy of the merriest days of Cambria. On these occasions Sir Watkin generally presided, and did the honours of the table with an urbanity and cheerful hospitality that endeared him to all his visitors.
The present Sir W. W. Wynn represents in parliament the county of Denbigh, is Steward of the Lordships of Bromfield and Yale, and is Lieutenant-Colonel of the Montgomeryshire Yeomanry Cavalry.