The Plan of the Work embraces a General History and Description of Shropshire, containing the spirit of all that has been previously written on the subject, extracted from ancient and modern authors, and from the voluminous Parliamentary Reports of Public Charities, Population, &c., &c., together with a variety of Agricultural, Commercial, Statistical, Biographical, and Topographical Information; and comprehending a Survey of Antiquities, Roads, Rivers, Railroads, Minerals, Public Buildings, Charities; together with a Chronology of Remarkable Events, from the earliest period to the present time. The Topography of the County commences at page 132, with an Alphabetical Arrangement of the Parishes in their respective Hundreds, and of the Towns, Townships, and Villages, under their respective Parishes; shewing the Situation, Extent, and Population of each Parish, Township, Chapelry, and Extra-Parochial Liberty; the Owners of the Soil and the Lords of the Manors; the Nature and Value of the Church Livings, with their Patrons and Incumbents; the Places of Worship, Public Buildings, Public Charities, and Institutions; Trade and Commerce; Local Occurrences, and Objects of Interest and Curiosity, &c. Each Township is followed by the Addresses of the Gentry, and other principal Residents, with a Classification of Trades and Professions. The Directories of Shrewsbury, Oswestry, and other principal places, in addition to a Classification of Trades and Professions, are accompanied by an Alphabetical List of Persons, so that the address and occupation of any individual may be instantly referred to. The Seats of the Nobility and Gentry are appended to the General History of the County; and the whole is preceded by a copious Index of Places, Persons, and Subjects, affording an easy reference to the page at which every Parish, Township, and Hamlet is to be found; thus giving to the Volume all the advantages of an Alphabetical Gazetteer. The extracts from the voluminous Parliamentary Reports of Public Charities, we trust will be found a useful and valuable portion of the publication. The standard works of Owen and Blakeway, and Phillips, Histories of Shrewsbury, Duke’s Antiquities, Hulbert’s History and Gregory’s Gazetteer of the County, as well as various Local Histories and Guides to the more interesting parts of Shropshire, have been frequently referred to in the compilation of the historical notices. The Work is accompanied with a large Coloured Sheet Map of the County, engraved expressly for this Publication. {ii} SAMUEL BAGSHAW. _Sheffield_, _October_ 25_th_, 1851. GENERAL INDEX. Abbeys, Monasteries, and Priories, 24 — Alberbury, 671 — Buildwas, 371 — Bromfield, 520 — Chirbury, 688 — Haughmond, 137 — Lilleshall, 395 — Malinslee, 376 — Shrewsbury, 72 — Wenlock, 583 — Wombridge, 440 Abcott, 700 Abdon, 517 Abertannat, 153 Ackleton, 494 Acton, 702 — Burnell, 498