Weald Moors
Encyclopedia
The Weald Moors are located in the ceremonial county of Shropshire
north of Telford
, stretching from north and west of the town of Newport
towards Wellington
.
Although the Weald Moors are now largely agricultural land, they were among the last parts of the area to come into cultivation. The word weald (which elsewhere means open uplands or waste) in this context means "wild": the "wild moors". A moor, in Shropshire usage, was a marsh
.
The marshy character of the area was due to an underlying accumulation of peat, leading to waterlogged land; in the mediaeval period most larger settlements had developed on its edges. Between the mid 16th and mid 17th centuries, there were a series of lawsuits as attempts were made to drain and enclose sections of the moor, leading to disputes over parish and township boundaries. Even after heavy draining through drainage ditches, much of the land is suitable only as sheep pasture, being too boggy to bear cattle or grow other crops.
Even now, the villages on the moors are relatively small and isolated, although the northern suburbs of Telford are encroaching onto the area, which is roughly centred on the village of Kynnersley
. The area's name is still referenced in the names of the villages Eyton upon the Weald Moors
and Preston upon the Weald Moors. Some parts of the moors are known by local names, such as the Tibberton
and Cherrington
Moors near the villages of the same name.
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...
north of Telford
Telford
Telford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
, stretching from north and west of the town of Newport
Newport, Shropshire
Newport is a market town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. It lies some north of Telford and some west of Stafford sitting on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border...
towards Wellington
Wellington, Shropshire
Wellington is a town in the unitary authority of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England and now forms part of the new town of Telford. The population of the parish of Wellington was recorded as 20,430 in the 2001 census, making it the third largest town in Shropshire if...
.
Although the Weald Moors are now largely agricultural land, they were among the last parts of the area to come into cultivation. The word weald (which elsewhere means open uplands or waste) in this context means "wild": the "wild moors". A moor, in Shropshire usage, was a marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
.
The marshy character of the area was due to an underlying accumulation of peat, leading to waterlogged land; in the mediaeval period most larger settlements had developed on its edges. Between the mid 16th and mid 17th centuries, there were a series of lawsuits as attempts were made to drain and enclose sections of the moor, leading to disputes over parish and township boundaries. Even after heavy draining through drainage ditches, much of the land is suitable only as sheep pasture, being too boggy to bear cattle or grow other crops.
Even now, the villages on the moors are relatively small and isolated, although the northern suburbs of Telford are encroaching onto the area, which is roughly centred on the village of Kynnersley
Kynnersley
Kynnersley is a village in Shropshire, England.Kynnersley lies in the borough of Telford and Wrekin, in a remote, rural location north of Telford....
. The area's name is still referenced in the names of the villages Eyton upon the Weald Moors
Eyton upon the Weald Moors
Eyton is a village and civil parish in Shropshire, England on the south-west edge of the Weald Moors.-References:*Raven, Michael, 'A Guide to Shropshire', Michael Raven, 2005, 0906114349....
and Preston upon the Weald Moors. Some parts of the moors are known by local names, such as the Tibberton
Tibberton
Tibberton may refer to:*Tibberton, Gloucestershire*Tibberton, Shropshire*Tibberton, Worcestershire...
and Cherrington
Cherrington
Cherrington is a village in Shropshire, England, in the civil parish of Tibberton and Cherrington. It was recorded as a manor in Domesday, when it was held by Gerard de Tournai, and was stated to have been held by a man named Uliet in the time of Edward the Confessor, although it was recorded as...
Moors near the villages of the same name.