History Shifnal

1 history

1.1 medieval time
1.2 norman
1.3 plantagenet period
1.4 tudor times
1.5 18th , 19th centuries
1.6 20th century

history
early medieval time

the town, once known idsall (relating potential roman links), began anglian settlement, established end of 7th century.

shifnal thought place named scuffanhalch in 9th-century charter, possession of monastery @ medeshamstede (later peterborough abbey). though seems dubious claim, , ancient charter in fact 12th-century forgery, full picture more complex. sir frank stenton considered scuffanhalch , along costesford (cosford) , stretford , formed part of list of places had once been connected medeshamstede; , charter purports have been issued king Æthelred of mercia, during of reign bishop of mercia sexwulf (or saxwulf ), founder , first abbot of medeshamstede.

the first part of name shifnal reckoned personal name, scuffa , while second part, halh , means valley, describing town s topography.

unusually, name of town has alternated through centuries between idsall , shifnal. idsall mentioned in 9th-century charter iddeshale , meaning idi s nook or corner. nook said area of land of approximately 20 acres (81,000 m). conjectured 2 names of idsall , shifnal names of settlements on east , west sides respectively of wesley brook, brook runs through town, , tributary of river worfe. in 19th century, j. c. anderson, in shropshire history , antiquities, wrote idsall means hall of ide , , shifnal hall of sceafa .

a key english place-names has entry shifnal reads *scuffa s nook of land . known iddeshale, *idi s nook of land .

the oldest part of town said area around st andrew s church, church street , innage road excavations have turned evidence of ancient buildings.

norman

the village, have been in 1086, recorded in domesday book within hundred of alnodestreu. initial part of entry states:

robert, son of theobald, holds of earl roger iteshale. earl morcar held it.

this entry records possession lost saxon earl morcar when rebelled against norman conquerors.

the church of st andrew has norman chancel , built on site of earlier church. collegiate church or minster chapter of priests ministering needs of congregations in outlying settlements. st andrew s lost collegiate status when given shrewsbury abbey c. 1087.

plantagenet period

in 1245 walter de dunstanville, lord of manor, applied king henry iii for, , granted, market charter town. walter laid out broad market street broadway, bradford street, market place , park street markets. area east of stream known shifnal , gradually name superseded idsall town s name.

tudor times

old idsall house, church street, shifnal , blue plaque inset.



idsall house, park street, shifnal

shifnal had of industrial revolution during late 16th century construction of charcoal fired blast furnace near manor house.

a fire swept through town on 7 july 1591, setting alight roof of church. fire thought have been started maidservant s candle accidentally set fire hanging flax. fire devastated many, if not all, of buildings east of brook known wesley brook. church , timber-framed old idsall house @ foot east (a listed building), said 2 buildings have survived fire destroyed rest of settlement. commemorated blue plaque fixed wall of house. after fire, elizabeth sent money rebuild town.

18th , 19th centuries

thomas beddoes, well-known physician, born in 1760 @ balcony house, named room projecting above roof line, on east side of market place. building later became star hotel.

aston hall, built 1720 @ east side of town, home tobacco plantation , slave owners - george austin , john moultrie – latter rising acting governor of east florida.

austin born in town in 1710, son of mercer , went south carolina became involved in developing tobacco plantations, 1 of named shifnal, 1,415 acres next next ashepoo river , had 85 slaves. austin became 1 of wealthiest men in colonies, following disputes business partner, henry laurens, returned england in 1762 , settled @ aston hall.

his daughter eleanor stayed in carolina , married john moultrie, of charleston, wealthy tobacco farmer , slave owner. after spain ceded florida britain in 1763 moultrie became member of new established council of east florida, , president. bought 14,000 acres , active in encouraging florida’s agricultural , commercial development, experimenting new crops such sugar, rice, oranges , indigo.

in 1771, moultrie became lieutenant-governor of florida , encouraged road-building programme. became acting governor when predecessor, james grant, invalided home in 1771 , held position until 1774. 4 brothers key players on opposing sides of revolutionary war:

however , eleanor left in 1784, after florida handed spanish , inhabitants required convert catholicism. selling slaves in bahamas, moultries moved aston hall, had been left eleanor in austin’s will. austin had been opposed marriage , stipulated managed trustees - eleanor had annuity , husband had no access capital. moultire died in 1798 , buried @ st andrew’s church.

a baptist church established in aston street @ end of 18th century, closed down before 20th century.

the old magistrates court, 1843

thomas telford upgraded watling street, turnpike road passed through town, in late 18th century. road carried traffic london shrewsbury, chester , holyhead ireland. reported many 18 coaches day called @ shifnal. passengers rest travels @ 3 coaching inns jerningham arms, star hotel , unicorn.

during period of prosperity many new houses built, lending shifnal georgian air. name idsall still used distinguish area around st andrew s church , manor market , commercial area of shifnal.

there records of parish workhouse in operation in shifnal in 1777 accommodation 40 inmates. new parish workhouse built on park street in 1817. adopted workhouse shifnal poor law union , enlarged in 1840-1 @ £800. number of inmates never more 100. buildings later became part of shifnal hospital before being turned homes.

shifnal scene of 1 of victorian era’s biggest banking frauds. town head office of shrosphire banking company, founded in 1836 amalgamating 4 nearby banks - horden & hill of newport; reynolds; charlton & co of wellington; darby & co of coalbrookdale; , biddle, mountford, pidcock & cope of shifnal.

the bank closely connected local iron , coal industries , fortunes varied performance. gravely weakened internal troubles , suffered major banking fraud, committed employees, in 1850s. bank recovered losses, had absorbed more twice capital, after directors put in large sums , brought accounting under proper control. shropshire banking co prosperous when acquired lloyds in 1874, , office on park street remained bank until closed in 2016.

the railway line london , birmingham holyhead constructed through shifnal @ high level in late 1840s. station built, opening of line on 12 november 1849 brought abrupt end declining coaching traffic. viaducts constructed cast horseley ironworks.

in 1855 house on broadway, used town’s 200-odd catholics mass, burnt down during anti-irish riot. lord stafford replaced in 1860 combination school , church built on land donated @ corner of victoria road , shrewsbury road. school closed 1917, building has continued church. present presbytery on victoria road, original school-master s house, still has lord stafford s coat of arms above door.

the 20th century

church street, shifnal



shifnal (in red) shown telford.

the star hotel demolished after fire in 1911. 8 bells or ring of bells occupied in 1911 pitchford family, descendants of nobility took name area of pitchford in shropshire. herbert james pitchford ran 8 bells among other public houses. served in king s shropshire light infantry, , died in flanders in first world war. name appears on menin gate in belgium , on war memorial in st andrew s church, shifnal, near 8 bells public house. today building occupied oddfellows wine bar.

hinckesman’s brewery co established @ hinnington spring – south of town – in 1897, , changed name shifnal brewery co in 1899. after closing in 1910 name revived in 1927 before being acquired broadway brewery (shifnal) in 1934. in turn acquired banks’s in wolverhampton in 1960.

the railway bridge on market place rebuilt in 1953: open spandrels of original arch replaced plain lined flat panel construction.

the town expanded further during 1960s.

the town s branch of barclays bank targeted robbers on 6 may 1991. drilled strongroom , escaped £50,000. same bank subject armed robberies in march 2013 , march 2017. closure announced few weeks after latter, leaving shifnal without bank first time since 1824.

in 2009 1 of town’s biggest employers, wrekin construction, went administration loss of 420 jobs in shropshire, yorkshire, northamptonshire , cheshire , more £45m creditors. among business’s assets gem of tanzania, valued on business’s balance sheets @ £11m. emerged 2kg uncut stone’s value had been forged , sold £8,000.