Nothing whatever is known, so far as we could learn, about the history of Bedlam Hall; and little beyond conjecture concerning the Block-house, which formerly meant a place to defend a harbor, a passage, or station for vessels. That the ford above was a passage at a very early time there can be no doubt; and it might have been erected by the lords of the manor to protect such a pass. (The date upon the old house nearly opposite is 1654; and this was built by Adam Crumpton, who owned the ferry and paid duty to the lords of the manor (we presume) on each side.) Some say it was a store for barge tackle; and others that it owes its name to the fact that bargemen here put on a block and reeved their lines to get up the ford. It is quite certain that Madeley Wood bargemen had now begun to carry coals, got by levels driven into the hill side under the Brockholes and Foxholes, and to export them, as old Fuller speaks of more than 200 years ago. The monks of Buildwas however had vessels in the 13th century, as we have shewn in “our History of Broseley” (p.p. 14 and 15); and as early as 1220 obtained a giant of a right of road, through Broseley-Wood to the Severn, over which to carry stone to their barges, which they loaded near what is now Ironbridge. In 1756 there were 39 barges belonging to 21 owners at Madeley-Wood; now there are not half a dozen. From an early period there seems to have been a ferry here; probably boats were kept on either side by the owners of the two old houses which existed near. At any rate there were means of crossing the river when king Charles came down for that purpose and found the passage guarded, during the progress of his flight after his defeat at Worcester. Of roads on this side we fancy there were none, excepting the beds of brooks up which the Wenlock monks scrambled to reach their granary, their mill, their park, and fishponds at Madeley, but of these we shall speak presently.