Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for DRAYTON-IN-HALES, or Market-Drayton

DRAYTON-IN-HALES, or Market-Drayton, a town, a parish, a sub-district, and a district on the mutual border of Salop and Stafford; and a division in Salop. The town stands on the Tern, adjacent to the Liverpool and Birmingham canal, 19 miles NE of Shrewsbury. A railway to it from the London and North-western at Nantwich, 10¾ miles long, was opened in October, 1863; and another railway to it, on a line with this, and to be in connexion with it, from the Great Western at Wellington, 15½ miles long, was in operation previous to 1869. The town occupies the site of a Roman station, and is the Driatune of Domesday; and it had anciently a White priory, founded by Bishop Northborough. It has a head post office, ‡ of the name of Market-Drayton, two banking offices, two chief inns, three dissenting chapels, a workhouse, a grammar school with £39 from endowment, and other charities with £232; and is a seat of petty sessions. The church was built in the time of King Stephen, but has a steeple of much more recent date; and was renovated in 1787. Markets are held on Wednesdays; and fairs on the Wednesday before Palm-Sunday, the Wednesday before 22 June, 19 Sept., and 24 Oct. Manufactures of haircloth, paper, and malt are carried on. Pop., 3, 661. Houses, 803.—The parish includes the townships of Drayton-Magna, Drayton-Parva, Betton, Longslow, Sutton, and Woodseaves, within Salop; and the townships of Almington and Bloore-with-Tyrley and Hales, within Stafford. Acres, 14, 216; of which 7, 526 are in Salop. Rated property, £25, 411. Pop., 5, 242. Houses, 1, 104. The property is much subdivided. The manor belonged to Combermere abbey. A fierce battle was fought, in 1459, on Bloore-heath, about a mile from the town, between the Yorkists and the Lancastrians. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Lichfield. Value, £280.* Patron, Richard Corbet, Esq. The chapelries of Drayton-Parva and Hales are separate benefices.—The sub-district is conterminate with the parish.—The district belongs all to the registration county of Salop; but includes Ashley parish and parts of Drayton-in-Hales and Mucclestone parishes electorally in Stafford and part of Audlem parish, electorally in Cheshire. It comprehends, besides Market-Drayton sub-district, the sub-district of Hodnet, containing the parishes of Cheswardine, Hinstock, Childs-Ercall, Stoke-upon-Tern, and the greater part of Hodnet; and the sub-district of Moreton-Say, containing the parishes of Moreton-Say, Adderley, Norton-in-Hales, Mucclestone, Ashley, and part of Audlem. Acres, 67, 910. Poor-rates in 1862, &4, 836. Pop. in 1841, 13, 950; in 1861, 14, 260. Houses, 2, 961. Marriages in 1860, 102; births, 431, -of which 63 were illegitimate; deaths, 338, -of which 119 were at ages under 5 years, and 8 at ages above 85. Marriages in the ten years 1851 -60, 960; births, 4, 217; deaths, 2, 812. The places of worship in 1851 were 15 of the Church of England, with 6, 780 sittings; 5 of Independents, with 1, 085 s.; 2 of Baptists, with 182 s.; 6 of Wesleyan Methodists, with 470 s.; 13 of Primitive Methodists, with 1, 064 s.; 1 undefined, with 180 s.; and 1 of Roman Catholics, with 24 s. The schools were 20 public day schools, with 1, 398 scholars; 27 private day schools, with 588 s.; 29 Sunday schools, with 1, 933 s.; and 2 evening schools for adults, with 16 s.-The division contains seven parishes and parts of three others. Acres, 54, 595. Pop., 11, 582. Houses, 2, 271.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a town, a parish, a sub-district, and a district"   (ADL Feature Type: "cities")
Administrative units: Drayton in Hales CP/AP       Market Drayton CP       Market Drayton SubD       Market Drayton RegD/PLU       Shropshire AncC       Staffordshire AncC
Place names: DRAYTON IN HALES     |     DRAYTON IN HALES OR MARKET DRAYTON     |     MARKET DRAYTON
Place: Market Drayton

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