Читать книгу History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Shropshire [1851] - Samuel Bagshaw - Страница 180

Table of Contents

is a small parish, pleasantly situated three and a quarter miles N.N.E. from Shrewsbury, which contains 1,008a. 0r. 3p. of land, the whole of which is the property of Andrew William Corbet, Esq., of Sundorne Castle. In 1801 there was a population of 83 souls; in 1831, 70; and in 1841 there were 14 houses and 64 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,008. 6s. 8d. The name is derived from the battle fought here on the 21st of July, 1403, between Henry IV. and the forces under Percy, Earl of Northumberland, and generally denominated the battle of Shrewsbury, which will be found noticed in a preceding page. The king afterwards built a collegiate church for secular canons, upon the spot where the battle was fought, and “endowed it with a piece of ground, with all the buildings on it, within the lordship of Albrighton Husee, in the field called Battlefield, which piece of ground was ditched in, and contained in length and breadth two acres of land, together with two inlets and outlets along the lands of Richard Husee, one twenty feet wide and the other fifteen feet wide.” No doubt appropriate buildings for the residence of the canons and servants of the establishment were erected on the land inside this ditch: these probably were demolished at the period of the dissolution of monasteries, but no remains of them are now to be seen.

The Church, a venerable fabric dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene, consists of nave, chancel, and embattled tower ornamented with pinnacles; the nave, however, has long been roofless, the windows are destroyed, and the tower is in a dilapidated state. Divine worship is now performed in the chancel, which has been neatly fitted up, and a new font recently added. The fine east window was formerly richly adorned with stained glass. In a recess on the south side of the altar is a mutilated carving of the Virgin Mary, with a small figure of the dead Saviour on her lap. A beautiful monument of the white Grinshill freestone, enriched with Gothic tracery, remembers John Corbet, Esq., Emma Elizabeth, his wife, and John Kynaston Corbet, their son. About half a century ago, when the vault was made in which rest the remains of Mr. Corbet, the workmen discovered an ancient stirrup and bridle bit, which had lain among the ashes of the slain since the period of the battle which gave origin to the church. Near the chancel wall, surrounded by pallisades, is the tomb of the Rev. Edward Williams, incumbent of this parish and Uffington, who died on January 3, 1833, aged 70 years. The living is a perpetual curacy, returned at £233, in the patronage of A. W. Corbet, Esq.; incumbent, Rev. J. O. Hopkins, who is also the perpetual curate of Uffington.

Albright Hussey, an ancient moated residence, situated about half a mile from Battlefield church, was formerly the seat of the Husseys, a family of consequence in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. The mansion, in the reign of Charles I., became the seat of the Corbets, who resided there for more than one hundred years. One of the rooms has a fine oak chimney piece, most elaborately carved. Near to the mansion formerly stood a chapel, the remains of which, and the old font, are still to be seen. Roger Roe, rector of the chapel of St. John the Baptist, at Albrighton Husee, by his will, dated 1444, ordered his body to be buried near the high altar of Battlefield church, and bequeathed to the five chaplains in the college three silver chalices, one paxbrede of silver gilt, two silver cruets, three brass bells hanging in the belfry, two cases after the manner of Sarum, otherwise called lyggers, three gilt copper crosses, two new missals, two new graduals, three old missals covered with old leather, one old case, one processional, one executor of the office, one book of collects, four placebo and dirage, one pair of vestments of red velvet, one red velvet cope, two velvet dalmatics, one pair of vestments of white silk, one white silk cope, and four pair of other vestments. Mrs. Margaret Jones, in 1773, left £50, and directed the interest to be given to the poor of the parish on Easter Sunday.

Directory.—Henry Colley, farmer, Huffley; Edward Moreton, farmer, Allbright Hussey; Martha Winnall, farmer, Battlefield farm