Shelvock Manor
Encyclopedia
Shelvock Manor is a house and grounds in a township
of the same name near Shrewsbury
, Shropshire
, England
. It was once a place of local importance, and was for more than two centuries the seat of the Thornes, a leading family in Shropshire
. The first recorded spelling of Shelvock
was Shelfhoc (1175), and later Sselvak & Schelfac (around the year 1270). The name is most likely derived from the Saxon
"ac" meaning oak
, prefixed by its location on a shelf
or hill
.
. This manor was owned in Edward the Confessor
's time by Edwin, Earl of Mercia
. In William the Conqueror's time it was owned by one Odo, who owned also Hordley
and Ruyton, but held them all under Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury
.
The earl's son Robert rebelled and forfeited his property in 1102, and Wykey, as with many other of his manors, was given to Alan Fitz Flaald
, hereditary Sheriff of Shropshire and ancestor of the Stewart
Kings of Scotland
. Flaald's son, William Fitz Alan, gave Ruyton and Wykey to John Le Strange about 1155, to hold under him. Le Strange gave Shelvock and all its appurtenances to one William Fitz Walter and his heirs to hold of himself and his heirs.
Sometime between the Domesday Book
and 1175, Shelvock became the head of the Manor which was originally the Domesday Manor of Wykey.
were most likely the three Berewicks of the Domesday Manor of Wykey. Philip must have derived his title to the property from William Fitz Walter to account for the Lord of Shelvock having the right to hold a Court and to amerce (punish by fine) the township of Shotatton.
About 1301 the Le Strange family sold Ruyton, with all its homage
s and fees, to their suzerain Edmund Fitz Alan, Earl of Arundel
, which would include all their rights over Wykey and Shelvock; however about 1325 John, Lord of Shelvock gives to the Abbot of Haghmond a quit claim as to certain lands at Balderton
. Apparently, Shelvock had not passed with Ruyton into the immediate possession of the Earl of Arundel, but was still held by an under-tenant, presumably a descendant of the William Fitz Walter to whom it had been granted in 1175.
The under-lords of Shelvock were still in possession in 1397, when the grandson of Edmund Fitz Alan forfeited his lands. Around the year 1354, during the reign of Edward III
, William le Yonge was Steward of the Manor of Ruyton, and on 20 November that year, Richard, Earl of Arundel, granted to him and Alice his wife settlement of lands "in the vills of Shelvak, Atton & Erdeston".
In 1357, Geoffrey, son of John Loyt of Kynardeston, took relief of half the village of Shelvock, and paid 2 shillings and 8 d (£0.13). In the same year the townsmen of Shelvock asserted an immemorial right of pasturing their cattle on the Wigmarsh Common.
John le Yonge succeeded his father William, and was living at the time of the execution of the Earl of Arundel in 1397, when he was returned as holding "Shelfake & Wyke by service of a quarter of a Knight's fee
of the Honour of the Earl of Arundel". The manors appear to be separated shortly afterwards. A Thomas le Younge, who was Steward of Ruyton Manor in 1426, may have been the son of John and owner of Shelvock. John's daughter and eventual heiress, Cecilia, married Robert Thornes, son of Roger de la Thornes who resided on his estate at Thornes, in the parish
of Shenstone, Staffordshire
.
In 1381 the Earl of Arundel interfered to appease some dissensions among the burgesses of Shrewsbury which had become very acute, and induced them to commit the government of the town to a committee of 12 persons, one of whom was Robert of Thornes, son of Robert Thornes. Either this Robert or his son Thomas succeeded John or Thomas Yonge as owner of Shelvock, in right of the marriage with Cecilia Yonge. Thomas had two sons. The eldest, Robert, succeeded to Shelvock and the other property in Ruyton, while the younger, Roger, succeeded to Thornes. Robert's son, Robert, succeeded his father and married Ellen, widow of Roger Seresby, but in 1473, he released all his interests (including Shelvock) to his first cousin, Thomas Thornes, son of Roger. Thomas Thornes, grandson of the Alderman, is described as of Shelvock in 1476 when he married Mary, daughter of Sir Roger Corbet of Morton Corbet.
. After him was a rapid succession to the property of Shelvock.
John Thornes, his son, married Elizabeth Astley of Patishull. Jeffrey Thornes, son of John, married Jane Kynaston of Shardon, by whom he had a several children, including his daughter Jane, baptised at Middle
on February 13, 1545. He later married Anne Fowler of Staffordshire. His Will
was proved at Lichfield
in 1552, and he was succeeded by his second wife's son, Nicholas Thornes, who married Margaret, daughter of Walter Wrotesley of Staffordshire. He was in turn succeeded in 1592 by his son Richard Thornes, who in 1599 bought a third part of the Manor of Ruyton from George Younge, Esq., possibly the heir of Thomas Younge, Archbishop of York
, who had bought the manor in 1567 from the Earl of Arundel and others. Richard Thornes was Sheriff of Shropshire in 1610, but for the first half of the year only, being succeeded during the latter half of the year as sheriff by Richard Mytton of Halston, whose sister Elizabeth Mytton he had married. The initials R.T./E.T. 1606 were to be found on a stable with enormously thick walls still standing at Shelvock.
Francis Thornes, son of the Sheriff, married Beatrice, eldest daughter of Sir Andrew Corbet of Morton Corbet, on December 12, 1625, at Moreton Corbet, when he was 19 and she was 15. When the English Civil War
broke, Thornes actively sided with the King.
Francis Thornes was one of many county gentlemen captured when Shrewsbury was taken on February 22, 1644 or 1645, by the Parliamentary forces under the command of his first cousin, Thomas Mytton
of Halston
, and he had to pay £720 for his estate. After the Restoration
Francis Thornes was one of the Commissioners appointed under an Act of 1661 for administering oaths of allegiance and supremacy to all office holders in Shrewsbury, and for removing from office all disaffected persons.
Thomas Thornes, son of Francis, was the last Thornes owner of Shelvock. He was baptised at Moreton Corbet on September 26, 1630, and in 1653 he married Elinor, his first wife, daughter of Jonathan Langley of the Abbey, Shrewsbury. He later married Catherine Littleton, daughter of Sir William Courteen, of London, and widow of Sir Edward Littleton
of Pillaton, Co. Stafford, Bart., a zealous royalist
, and then Anne, who married after his death George Bold. Thomas Thornes sold Webscott, in Middle, to his brother-in-law Thomas Price. He died without issue, surviving his father by less than two months. While the Thornes ownership of the manor ceased in the middle of the 17th Century, the family remained connected to the lands well into the 18th.
lands belonging to Shelvock, and several properties in Shotatton which were parcel of the demesne lands of Shelvock. After the deaths of the Bolds, the whole of the above were to belong in fee simple, free from encumbrances, to Francis Thornes' four daughters and their representatives. Anne Bold, therefore, and her second husband, George Bold, had possession of Shelvock from 1678; and they were still alive in 1707, but had to let it to some under-tenants.
Lady Corbet (one of the recipients of the estate after Ann Bold's death) settled her fourth part of Shelvock estate on her grandson Corbet Kynaston and in 1702 her sisters Beatrice Thornes and Francis Ironsides transferred their shares (subject to their life interests) to her. In 1707, the remaining fourth was bought from John Price by Corbet Kynaston's trustees for £400. Another deed of family arrangement was executed on August 7, 1707, conveying the manor and manor house
of Shelvock and its demesnes to Corbet Kynaston, and other pieces of land nearby to the Bolds and others in fee. Corbet Kynaston became sole owner of Shelvock on the death of the Bolds some time between 1707 and 1738, when he executed a deed barring his estate tail in a part of the property. He died unmarried June 17, 1740. He left all his real estates, including Sundorne (inherited from his father) and Shelvock, to Andrew Corbet, whose grandmother was his great-aunt; but Andrew Corbet died April 15, 1741 without issue, and was succeeded by his brother John Corbet.
Corbet Kynaston left debts amounting to between £70,000 & £80,000; suits were instituted by his creditors, and an Act of Parliament
had to be obtained for selling his estates. An arrangement was entered into, by a deed dated December 20, 1748. Anna Maria Leighton and her husband Sir Charlton Leighton were to have the manor, house, and lands of Shelvock, and the furniture there, along with several freehold tenements. In 1757, Sir Charlton let Shelvock for his own life to Richard Madocks, yeoman, and as Madocks is described in the deed as of Shelvock, he was apparently already tenant of it before this time. In 1766, Sir Charlton gave up the property of Shelvock Manor and its grounds, as well as another farm, to his son Charlton Leighton.
The deed of December 20, 1748, mentions lands within the Manor of Shelvock belonging to Edward Thornes. Edward Thornes of Ruyton married Elizabeth Bill of Felton, at Felton on June 23, 1711. In 1779 the land Edward owned had passed from him to Thomas Reynolds.
In 1774, the manor and estate of Shelvock was sold to William Mostyn Owen of Woodhouse, Esq. He died in 1795 and was succeeded by his son William Mostyn Owen, who about 1832 conveyed Shelvock to Thomas Bulkeley-Owen, Esq., of Tedsmore in exchange for lands at Haughton. About 1858, Owen pulled down the old house and erected the farm house, which is a little to the east of the site of the old house. Some of the cellars of the old house still remain into the 21st Century. When the house was pulled down, a quantity of oak panelling was removed to Tedsmore, including an old English mantelpiece which was placed in the entrance hall there.Bulkeley Hatchett Bulkeley-Owen, who died on August 10, 1868, leaving a widow, but no children, was succeeded by his brother, the Rev. T. M. Bulkeley-Owen.
Mr. Thomas Lloyd was the occupier of Shelvock farm which includes the house and almost the whole township in 1894, and Mr. Thomas Bowdler occupied the cottage, which is the only other house in the Township of Shelvock. It is situated on the brook which separates the Townships of Shelvock and Eardiston, and is probably the Gate House mentioned in the Deed of 1766.
In the 1890s, Shelvock was part of the Tedsmore Hall property. The date 1606 was still on one of the stables in 1894, situated, with park-like grounds round it, and a picturesque pool below. In 1894 the Township
of Shelvock included the house and only one cottage. The area was 259 acres 3 rood
s 4 perches
(1.1 km²).
In 2000, as part of a Millennium Year project, a member of the Rogers family recalled that "I once lived at Shelvock and my mum was born there. My grandfather W. E. Lloyd once farmed at Shelvock and I spent a lot of my childhood on the farm". It is likely his grandfather was related to the Thomas Lloyd mentioned above.
Location of Records:
Township (England)
In England, a township is a local division or district of a large parish containing a village or small town usually having its own church...
of the same name near Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
, Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was once a place of local importance, and was for more than two centuries the seat of the Thornes, a leading family in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
. The first recorded spelling of Shelvock
Shelvock
Shelvock is a name of Saxon origins - from the Old English scelf meaning a shelf of level ground, or flat topped hill, and ac meaning oak, taken from the ancient Manor of Shelvock, near Ruyton-XI-Towns, Shropshire, England originally pronounced "shelf'ac", "shelv'ak" or "shelv'oak", but today as...
was Shelfhoc (1175), and later Sselvak & Schelfac (around the year 1270). The name is most likely derived from the Saxon
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
"ac" meaning oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, prefixed by its location on a shelf
Shelf
Shelf may refer to:* Shelf , a flat horizontal surface used for diplay and storage* Shelf , a user interface feature in the NeXTSTEP operating system* Shelf, West Yorkshire, a village in England...
or hill
Hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
.
AD 1000-1200
In the Domesday period (around the year 1086), Shelvock was one of the three Berewicks (a hamlet attached to a manor) of the Manor of WykeyWykey
Wykey is a hamlet in Shropshire, England.It is approximately 2 miles north of the larger village of Ruyton-XI-Towns, and is recognised as one of the "XI" towns....
. This manor was owned in Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
's time by Edwin, Earl of Mercia
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
. In William the Conqueror's time it was owned by one Odo, who owned also Hordley
Hordley
Hordley is a small and rural village and civil parish in North Shropshire, Shropshire, England.It lies a few miles south of Ellesmere.Hordley takes its name from the Hoord Family of whom Henry de Hoord is the first recorded....
and Ruyton, but held them all under Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury
Earl of Shrewsbury
Earl of Shrewsbury is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the peerage of England.-First creation, 1074:The first creation occurred in 1074 for Roger de Montgomerie, one of William the Conqueror's principal counselors...
.
The earl's son Robert rebelled and forfeited his property in 1102, and Wykey, as with many other of his manors, was given to Alan Fitz Flaald
Alan FitzFlaad
Alan fitz Flaad was a Breton knight who held the feudal barony and castle of Oswestry in Shropshire. His duties as a "valiant and illustrious man" included supervision of the Welsh border.-Family:...
, hereditary Sheriff of Shropshire and ancestor of the Stewart
House of Stuart
The House of Stuart is a European royal house. Founded by Robert II of Scotland, the Stewarts first became monarchs of the Kingdom of Scotland during the late 14th century, and subsequently held the position of the Kings of Great Britain and Ireland...
Kings of Scotland
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...
. Flaald's son, William Fitz Alan, gave Ruyton and Wykey to John Le Strange about 1155, to hold under him. Le Strange gave Shelvock and all its appurtenances to one William Fitz Walter and his heirs to hold of himself and his heirs.
Sometime between the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
and 1175, Shelvock became the head of the Manor which was originally the Domesday Manor of Wykey.
1200-1500
One record from the year 1270 states that Philip, Lord of Shelvock, was also lord of Shotatton. Shotatton, Shelvock, and EardistonEardiston
Eardiston is a village in Worcestershire, England.The village of Eardiston lies in the valley of the river Teme between Great Witley and Tenbury Wells....
were most likely the three Berewicks of the Domesday Manor of Wykey. Philip must have derived his title to the property from William Fitz Walter to account for the Lord of Shelvock having the right to hold a Court and to amerce (punish by fine) the township of Shotatton.
About 1301 the Le Strange family sold Ruyton, with all its homage
Homage
Homage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....
s and fees, to their suzerain Edmund Fitz Alan, Earl of Arundel
Earl of Arundel
The title Earl of Arundel is the oldest extant Earldom and perhaps the oldest extant title in the Peerage of England. It is currently held by the Duke of Norfolk, and is used by his heir apparent as a courtesy title. It was created in 1138 for the Norman baron Sir William d'Aubigny...
, which would include all their rights over Wykey and Shelvock; however about 1325 John, Lord of Shelvock gives to the Abbot of Haghmond a quit claim as to certain lands at Balderton
Balderton
Balderton is a village and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district of Nottinghamshire, England. The parish, which then included Fernwood had a population of 10,298 as of 2001....
. Apparently, Shelvock had not passed with Ruyton into the immediate possession of the Earl of Arundel, but was still held by an under-tenant, presumably a descendant of the William Fitz Walter to whom it had been granted in 1175.
The under-lords of Shelvock were still in possession in 1397, when the grandson of Edmund Fitz Alan forfeited his lands. Around the year 1354, during the reign of Edward III
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
, William le Yonge was Steward of the Manor of Ruyton, and on 20 November that year, Richard, Earl of Arundel, granted to him and Alice his wife settlement of lands "in the vills of Shelvak, Atton & Erdeston".
In 1357, Geoffrey, son of John Loyt of Kynardeston, took relief of half the village of Shelvock, and paid 2 shillings and 8 d (£0.13). In the same year the townsmen of Shelvock asserted an immemorial right of pasturing their cattle on the Wigmarsh Common.
John le Yonge succeeded his father William, and was living at the time of the execution of the Earl of Arundel in 1397, when he was returned as holding "Shelfake & Wyke by service of a quarter of a Knight's fee
Knight's fee
In feudal Anglo-Norman England and Ireland, a knight's fee was a measure of a unit of land deemed sufficient from which a knight could derive not only sustenance for himself and his esquires, but also the means to furnish himself and his equipage with horses and armour to fight for his overlord in...
of the Honour of the Earl of Arundel". The manors appear to be separated shortly afterwards. A Thomas le Younge, who was Steward of Ruyton Manor in 1426, may have been the son of John and owner of Shelvock. John's daughter and eventual heiress, Cecilia, married Robert Thornes, son of Roger de la Thornes who resided on his estate at Thornes, in the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Shenstone, Staffordshire
Shenstone, Staffordshire
Shenstone is a village and civil parish in Staffordshire, England, close to Stonnall and between Lichfield and Birmingham. In a recent survey Shenstone was found to be one of the ten worst places in England for finding single women....
.
In 1381 the Earl of Arundel interfered to appease some dissensions among the burgesses of Shrewsbury which had become very acute, and induced them to commit the government of the town to a committee of 12 persons, one of whom was Robert of Thornes, son of Robert Thornes. Either this Robert or his son Thomas succeeded John or Thomas Yonge as owner of Shelvock, in right of the marriage with Cecilia Yonge. Thomas had two sons. The eldest, Robert, succeeded to Shelvock and the other property in Ruyton, while the younger, Roger, succeeded to Thornes. Robert's son, Robert, succeeded his father and married Ellen, widow of Roger Seresby, but in 1473, he released all his interests (including Shelvock) to his first cousin, Thomas Thornes, son of Roger. Thomas Thornes, grandson of the Alderman, is described as of Shelvock in 1476 when he married Mary, daughter of Sir Roger Corbet of Morton Corbet.
1500-1700
Roger Thornes, son of Thomas, was called the "Wise Thornes of Shrewsbury, for that both town and country repaired to him for advice". Though owner of Shelvock, he retained his family connection with Shrewsbury, and seems to have lived principally in the town, where he had a house in Raven Street, just opposite School Lane. He was six times Bailiff. He married Anne, the daughter of Sir Roger Kynaston, with whom he had 7 children. Roger died in 1531, and was buried in St. Mary's Church. ShrewsburySt Mary's Church, Shrewsbury
St Mary's Church, Shrewsbury, is a redundant Anglican church in St Mary's Place, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. It is the largest church in Shrewsbury...
. After him was a rapid succession to the property of Shelvock.
John Thornes, his son, married Elizabeth Astley of Patishull. Jeffrey Thornes, son of John, married Jane Kynaston of Shardon, by whom he had a several children, including his daughter Jane, baptised at Middle
Middle
Middle may refer to:*Centre , the point equally distant from the outer limits.-History:* Middle Ages , several meanings* Middle Stone Age, in African pre-history-Geography:* Middle Creek, various streams...
on February 13, 1545. He later married Anne Fowler of Staffordshire. His Will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
was proved at Lichfield
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
in 1552, and he was succeeded by his second wife's son, Nicholas Thornes, who married Margaret, daughter of Walter Wrotesley of Staffordshire. He was in turn succeeded in 1592 by his son Richard Thornes, who in 1599 bought a third part of the Manor of Ruyton from George Younge, Esq., possibly the heir of Thomas Younge, Archbishop of York
Archbishop of York
The Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
, who had bought the manor in 1567 from the Earl of Arundel and others. Richard Thornes was Sheriff of Shropshire in 1610, but for the first half of the year only, being succeeded during the latter half of the year as sheriff by Richard Mytton of Halston, whose sister Elizabeth Mytton he had married. The initials R.T./E.T. 1606 were to be found on a stable with enormously thick walls still standing at Shelvock.
Francis Thornes, son of the Sheriff, married Beatrice, eldest daughter of Sir Andrew Corbet of Morton Corbet, on December 12, 1625, at Moreton Corbet, when he was 19 and she was 15. When the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
broke, Thornes actively sided with the King.
Francis Thornes was one of many county gentlemen captured when Shrewsbury was taken on February 22, 1644 or 1645, by the Parliamentary forces under the command of his first cousin, Thomas Mytton
Thomas Mytton
-Life:Born about 1597, son of Richard Mytton of Halston, Shropshire, by Margaret, daughter of Thomas Owen of Condover, he matriculated at Balliol College, Oxford, on 11 May 1615, aged 18. He became a student of Lincoln's Inn in 1616...
of Halston
Halston
Roy Halston Frowick, also known as Halston was a clothing designer of the 1970s. His long dresses or copies of his style were popular fashion wear in mid-1970s discotheques.-Early life and career:...
, and he had to pay £720 for his estate. After the Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
Francis Thornes was one of the Commissioners appointed under an Act of 1661 for administering oaths of allegiance and supremacy to all office holders in Shrewsbury, and for removing from office all disaffected persons.
Thomas Thornes, son of Francis, was the last Thornes owner of Shelvock. He was baptised at Moreton Corbet on September 26, 1630, and in 1653 he married Elinor, his first wife, daughter of Jonathan Langley of the Abbey, Shrewsbury. He later married Catherine Littleton, daughter of Sir William Courteen, of London, and widow of Sir Edward Littleton
Edward Littleton
Edward Littleton was an administrator of the English East India Company. He served as President of Bengal in the early eighteenth century. From 1685 until 1689, he sat as Member of Parliament for Staffordshire.-References:...
of Pillaton, Co. Stafford, Bart., a zealous royalist
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
, and then Anne, who married after his death George Bold. Thomas Thornes sold Webscott, in Middle, to his brother-in-law Thomas Price. He died without issue, surviving his father by less than two months. While the Thornes ownership of the manor ceased in the middle of the 17th Century, the family remained connected to the lands well into the 18th.
1700-1900
On the death of Thomas Thornes his widow retained possession of Shelvock, and married George Bold, but their right to the property was evidently disputed by the family, for in 1699 a deed of family settlement was executed, dated October 30, between them and several other relatives. By this deed it was agreed that all differences and lawsuits about the land and estate of the late Francis & Thomas Thornes are to cease. The Bolds were to hold for their lives and to keep in repair the capital messuage of Shelvock, the Heath Mill, and the demesneDemesne
In the feudal system the demesne was all the land, not necessarily all contiguous to the manor house, which was retained by a lord of the manor for his own use and support, under his own management, as distinguished from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants...
lands belonging to Shelvock, and several properties in Shotatton which were parcel of the demesne lands of Shelvock. After the deaths of the Bolds, the whole of the above were to belong in fee simple, free from encumbrances, to Francis Thornes' four daughters and their representatives. Anne Bold, therefore, and her second husband, George Bold, had possession of Shelvock from 1678; and they were still alive in 1707, but had to let it to some under-tenants.
Lady Corbet (one of the recipients of the estate after Ann Bold's death) settled her fourth part of Shelvock estate on her grandson Corbet Kynaston and in 1702 her sisters Beatrice Thornes and Francis Ironsides transferred their shares (subject to their life interests) to her. In 1707, the remaining fourth was bought from John Price by Corbet Kynaston's trustees for £400. Another deed of family arrangement was executed on August 7, 1707, conveying the manor and manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
of Shelvock and its demesnes to Corbet Kynaston, and other pieces of land nearby to the Bolds and others in fee. Corbet Kynaston became sole owner of Shelvock on the death of the Bolds some time between 1707 and 1738, when he executed a deed barring his estate tail in a part of the property. He died unmarried June 17, 1740. He left all his real estates, including Sundorne (inherited from his father) and Shelvock, to Andrew Corbet, whose grandmother was his great-aunt; but Andrew Corbet died April 15, 1741 without issue, and was succeeded by his brother John Corbet.
Corbet Kynaston left debts amounting to between £70,000 & £80,000; suits were instituted by his creditors, and an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
had to be obtained for selling his estates. An arrangement was entered into, by a deed dated December 20, 1748. Anna Maria Leighton and her husband Sir Charlton Leighton were to have the manor, house, and lands of Shelvock, and the furniture there, along with several freehold tenements. In 1757, Sir Charlton let Shelvock for his own life to Richard Madocks, yeoman, and as Madocks is described in the deed as of Shelvock, he was apparently already tenant of it before this time. In 1766, Sir Charlton gave up the property of Shelvock Manor and its grounds, as well as another farm, to his son Charlton Leighton.
The deed of December 20, 1748, mentions lands within the Manor of Shelvock belonging to Edward Thornes. Edward Thornes of Ruyton married Elizabeth Bill of Felton, at Felton on June 23, 1711. In 1779 the land Edward owned had passed from him to Thomas Reynolds.
In 1774, the manor and estate of Shelvock was sold to William Mostyn Owen of Woodhouse, Esq. He died in 1795 and was succeeded by his son William Mostyn Owen, who about 1832 conveyed Shelvock to Thomas Bulkeley-Owen, Esq., of Tedsmore in exchange for lands at Haughton. About 1858, Owen pulled down the old house and erected the farm house, which is a little to the east of the site of the old house. Some of the cellars of the old house still remain into the 21st Century. When the house was pulled down, a quantity of oak panelling was removed to Tedsmore, including an old English mantelpiece which was placed in the entrance hall there.Bulkeley Hatchett Bulkeley-Owen, who died on August 10, 1868, leaving a widow, but no children, was succeeded by his brother, the Rev. T. M. Bulkeley-Owen.
Mr. Thomas Lloyd was the occupier of Shelvock farm which includes the house and almost the whole township in 1894, and Mr. Thomas Bowdler occupied the cottage, which is the only other house in the Township of Shelvock. It is situated on the brook which separates the Townships of Shelvock and Eardiston, and is probably the Gate House mentioned in the Deed of 1766.
In the 1890s, Shelvock was part of the Tedsmore Hall property. The date 1606 was still on one of the stables in 1894, situated, with park-like grounds round it, and a picturesque pool below. In 1894 the Township
Township (England)
In England, a township is a local division or district of a large parish containing a village or small town usually having its own church...
of Shelvock included the house and only one cottage. The area was 259 acres 3 rood
Rood
A rood is a cross or crucifix, especially a large one in a church; a large sculpture or sometimes painting of the crucifixion of Jesus.Rood is an archaic word for pole, from Old English rōd "pole", specifically "cross", from Proto-Germanic *rodo, cognate to Old Saxon rōda, Old High German ruoda...
s 4 perches
Rod (unit)
The rod is a unit of length equal to 5.5 yards, 5.0292 metres, 16.5 feet, or of a statute mile. A rod is the same length as a perch or a pole. In old English, the term lug is also used.-History:...
(1.1 km²).
1900-Present
In the late 20th Century, the farm was owned by the family of Mr. D. R. Corbett. There has no doubt been various owners and occupiers (tenant farmers) throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries.In 2000, as part of a Millennium Year project, a member of the Rogers family recalled that "I once lived at Shelvock and my mum was born there. My grandfather W. E. Lloyd once farmed at Shelvock and I spent a lot of my childhood on the farm". It is likely his grandfather was related to the Thomas Lloyd mentioned above.
Selected bibliography
Based on edited Extracts from Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society: Vol. VI of 2nd Series pp. 327–340 (1894) and a subsequent article in Vol. II of 3rd Series pp. 107–116. (c1896); "Shelvock" & "Township of Shelvock" by Robert Lloyd KenyonLocation of Records:
- Parish Registers survive from 1719 at Shropshire Records & Research Centre, Castle Gates, Shrewsbury (Tel + 44 1743 255350).
- Bishops Transcripts are at Lichfield Joint Record Office, Staffordshire.
- Shelvock Worldwide One-Name/Location Study & Resources