The Estates and Owners of them for several Ages.

enjoyed it for four generations. Mr. Gyles, who married the widow of the last Garlands, sold the muck off his estate for seven years together, so that it has great need of improvements. The house which he erected after the fire, was bought of Mr. John Hinton, and formerly stood on Wolverley Yard, being the messuage that belonged to my tenement in that township.

It is observable that Richard de Sleap and his men are not obliged to attend the courts leet and baron of Wem, nor does it appear that they who claimed from him ever did. The constable of Sleap is sworn at the Duke of Bridgewater's court at Middle. The reserved rent of 16s. is still paid, but pannage ceased with the forest, the repair of the castle at its demolition, working at the mill upon its alienation, the serving the king in his wars, upon the change of all tenures by knights service into common socage.

ASTON.

The Boundaries, Extent, Soil, Tenure and Valuation of Aston.

HERE are about forty towns in England called Aston, a corruption of the word Eastune or East Town, this lying eastward from Wem. Thus,

The Township of Aston.

other towns take their name from their situation, as Weston, Norton, &c. This town is bounded on the north by those of Edstaston and Lacon; on the east by Soulton; on the south by Lee Brockhurst and Preston Brockhurst; and on the west by Tilley and Wem. Its length from Astley's of the Brook to Lee Wear, at the foot of the Hill-cop-bank, is near two miles; and its breadth from Coteman's Wear to Soulton Mill is above a mile and a half. The soil beyond the River Roden, towards Hill-cop-bank, Preston Brockhurst, and Panton-hill, is clay; ou the other side of the River, towards Wem, is a mixture of mold, gravel, and sand. The clay ground bears excellent wheat, but must be marled for barley; the sandy and gravelly ground bears muncorn, rye, barley, &c. muck and marle are the common manure, some little lime is used; but the dairy turns to greatest account. At the survey in 1561, there was only one estate that was freehold, and belonged then to John Astley, gentleman, and now to Mr. Lloyd, of Crowsmere. Playters and Onslow enfranchised Moreton's, now Walford's tenement, In respect to the land-tax, this township is valued at £263, 6s. 8d. per annum, which at 2s. in the pound, the assessment would be £26, 6s. 8d.

THE LORD'S DEMESNE IN ASTON, 1651. It consisted only of one meadow and two pastures, viz. The Lady Meadow, lying up to Lacon, then es

The principal Estates in Aston.

timated to be eight acres, and rented at 2s. does now belong to William Taylor, of Wem.-A Pasture of eight acres, lying next the lord of the manor's meadow, called the Cross Meadow; and another of six acres adjoining the former, were then set at one pound per annum,

THE PRINCIPAL ESTATES, IN 1753.

Aston Hall, with a large copyhold estate, in the reigns of Henry VII. and part of Henry VIII. beJonged to Sir Gilbert Talbot, third son of John, second Earl of Shrewsbury, and son-in-law to Ralph, Lord Greystock, baron of Wem, who made him chief steward of the barony. On the landing of the Earl of Richmond, this gentleman met him at Newport, in Shropshire, with the whole power of the Earl of Shrewsbury, then in ward: and the battle of Bosworth, wherein King Richard the III. was slain, he had the command of the right wing of the army, and was then knighted for his valiant behaviour; he died September 19, 1517, the ninth Henry VIII, and was buried at Whitchurch, where his younger brother, Christopher, was rector. At Sir Gilbert's death, this estate devolved on his son Sir Gilbert Talbot, of Grafton; and at his decease, 1543, on Mary, daughter of this second Sir Gilbert, married to Sir Thomas Astley, of Pateshed, who gave it to his youngest son John, married to Mary,

daughter of

The principal Estates in Aston.

Hoorde, of Northwood Hall; from whom are descended the Astleys, of Aston. At the time of the survey, this John Astley was settled here, in 1588 he was foreman of the homage extra barram; in 1597 he died; his son Richard paid to the subsidy in 1642, and died in 1645. Edward, son of Richard, married to Mrs. Cicely Hill, of Soulton, was one of the first feoffees of Wem school, and died in December, 1675; his son Thomas, on account of the suit depending between Mr. Wycherley and the copyholders, was not admitted to the estate until 1682, when he paid a fine of £70. though £16. 13s. 4d. had been taken in the first and second of Philip and Mary, when the estate was much larger than at this time. This gentleman lived with his cousin Thomas Hill, of Soulton, esq.; in 1684, sold the estate to Robert Wilkinson, of the Hornspyhe, and survived the sale but a little above a year. Before 1680, Lord Chancellor Jeffreys purchased this estate of Wilkinson; and since this time it has gone along with the manor of Wem,

Andrew Corbet, of Moreton Corbet, esq. has a copyhold messuage and estate on the other side of the road; they belonged to the Menloves in the reign of Henry VII. and perhaps long before; at the survey in 1561, Thomas Menlove was of the jury; and it continued in his family for five generations; the last whereof was William Menlove, who

The Fields, the Green, and Lanes of Aston.

married Mrs. Margaret Jebb, and died in 1697; his widow enjoyed the estate until her death in 1706: but in her life-time, Richard Menlove, of Wem, innkeeper, nephew and heir of her late husband, sold the reversion of it to Richard Corbet, of Moreton Corbet, esq. who granted a lease thereof to Andrew Downes, of Preston Brockhurst, attorney, which is now enjoyed by his daughter, Mrs. Marigold, of Lee-Gomery, near Wellington. This estate cost Mr. Corbet £1150. and as soon as it came into his possession he made £500. of the wood, had £500. for the lease, and afterwards one hundred pounds for putting in a new life, besides twenty pounds a year for rent.

On the other side of the River Roden, near the bridge, is the freehold messuage and estate of the Talbots, and afterwards of the Astleys for many ge nerations; Thomas Astley, gentleman, the last of this line, mortgaged this estate to Robert Badeley. Mr. Richard Allen, who had married the sister of the said Thomas, first redeemed, and sold it in 1711, to Mr. Lloyd, of Crowsmere, whose son is the present proprietor. The whole estate is valued at fifty-four pounds per annum, but the remote part of it being set with a different tenement, I shall have occasion to mention it in another place.

The copyhold messuage of William Watkiss, of