Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 3.djvu/136

OSWALDKIRK QUARTER. 124 OSWESTEY. OSWALDKIRK QUARTER, a tnshp. in tho par. of Ampleforth, wap. of Ryedale, North Eiding co. York, S miles N.E. of Easingwold. The village is small, and chiefly agricultural. There is a National school. OSWALD, ST. See WALL, co. Northumberland. OSWALD, ST., pars, in the cities of Chester and Durham, which see. OSWALDSLOW, LOWER, a hund. in the co. of Worcester, contains tho pars, of Aston White Lady, St. John Bedwardinc, Borrow, Bredicot, Broadwas, Churchill, Coombo d'Abitot, Coombe Earl's, Coombe- Hill, Grimley, Hallow, Hinlip, Holt, Kempsey, Knight- wick, Lindridge, Little Malvern, Norton-by-Kempsey Oddingley, Omberslcy, Redmarlcy D'Abitot, Spetchley, Stoulton, Warndon, Welland, Wichcnford, Wolverley, and parts of Claines, Hartlebury, St. Martin, St. Peter, and Ripple, comprising an. area of 80,565 acres. OSWALDSLOW, MIDDLE, a hund. in tho co. of Worcester, contains the pars, of Alvechurch, Bishampton, Cropthome, Crowle, Castle-Elmlcy, Fladbury, Hanbury, Harvington, Himbleton, Huddington, Rouse-Lench, Inkberrow, Overbury, Sedgeberrow, Stoke-Prior, Tib- bcrton, and part of Bredon, comprising an area of 58,540 acres. OSWALDSLOW, UPPER, a hund. in tho co. of Worcester, contains tho pars, of Blockley, Cleeve-Prior, Daylesford, Evcnload, Shipston-on-Stour, Tidmington, Trodington, and part of Iccomb, comprising an area of 20,960 acres. OSWALDTWISTLE, a tnshp. in the par. of Whalley, lower div. of the hund. of Blackburn, co. Lancaster, 1 mile from Accrington, its post town, 3J miles S.E. of Blackburn, and near Church Town station on tho East Lancashire railway. The village, "which is of large extent, is situated on the Leeds and Liverpool canal. It is lighted with gas, and well supplied with water. The houses are chiefly of stone. A largo portion of the in- habitants are employed in tho cotton mills and print works. There are also extensive collieries, potteries, and stone quarries. The living is a perpet. cur.* in the dioc. of Manchester, val. 300. Tho church, dedicated to Emanuel, has a tower containing ono boll. The parochial charities produce about 5 per annum. There are National schools for both sexes, also Sunday-schools. The Independents, Wesleyans, Wesleyan Association, Baptists, and Primitive Methodists, have each a place of worship, and the three former have a Sunday-school in connection with their chapels. Sir R. Peel, Bart., is lord of the manor. OSWESTRY, a hund. in two divs., Lower and Upper, in the co. of Salop. It formed part of Wales previous to 1535. Tho Lower hund. contains the pars, of West Pelton, Kiunerley, Knockin, Melverley, and Ruyton-of- tho-Eleven-Towns, comprising an area of 20,230 acres. Tho Upper hund. contains the pars, of Halston, Llany- blodwell, St. Martin, Sclattyn, Whiltington, and parts of Llansillin, Llanymynech, and Oswestry, comprising an area of 42,350 acres. It gives name to a deanery in tho archdcac. and dice, of St. Asaph. OSWESTRY, a par., market town, and municipal borough in the Upper div. of Oswestry huud., co. Salop, 18 miles N.W. of Shrewsbury, and 179 miles from London. It is a station on the Shrewsbury and Chester section of tho Great Western railway, and on the Cam- brian, Newtown, and Welsh Coast railway. It is one of tho chief towns on the borders of Wales, and is situated on high ground on the main road from London to Holyhead. The surrounding scenery comprises the vale of Shropshire, with the Wrekin, and tho Stafford- shire hills on one side; and the views towards the counties of Montgomery and Denlugh on the other. The par., which consists of nearly 16,000 acres, is divided into 16 tnshps., including tho libs, of the town. The town is of great antiquity, and was ori- ginally named by tho Britons Crocs Osical/t, after St. Oswald, King of Northumberland, who lost his life here in a battle, fighting against the heathen king, Penda of Mercia, in 642. The Saxons called it Maserfield, or Mart Oswallt, signifying " Oswald's field," and subse- quently Osicaldslre, or " Oswald's town." Being situated between Ofla's and Watt's dykes, and a border town, it was the scene of many severe conflicts, as well between the Saxons and Britons as tho Welsh and Normans. Walter Eitzalan, the founder of the Stewart dynasty, who built a castle here in the reign of King Stephen, also walled in the town and fortified it. Henry II. having been defeated by tho Welsh at Berwyn Hill in 1164 mado Oswestry his headquarters. In tho reigua of King John and Henry III. Oswestry was twice burnt, in the latter reign by the Welsh under Llewellyn. During the civil wars of Charles I. it was taken by the parliamentarian army and dismantled. William Earl of Arundel granted tho first charter to the town in the reign of Henry II., but Richard II, gave the first royal charter to Oswestry, which King Charles II. subse- quently confirmed.' The town has very much improved during the last fifty years. The streets are for the most part spacious, well paved, and lighted with gas, and the houses are generally well built. The sum of 16,000 has lately been expended in supplying it with water, and a complete system of drainage has also been carried out at a considerable cost, while some years ago a large commodious cattle and sheep market was added to tho town. Many of the ancient houses built of wood still exist in parts of tho town. It is divided into two wards, and governed by a mayor, six alder- men, and eighteen coxincillors, with the style of " mayor, aldermen, common councilmen, and burgesses of Os- westry." Tho population in 1851 was 4,817 with 995 inhabited houses, which in 1861 had increased to 5,414 with 1,125 inhabited houses. The Oswestry Poor-law Union contains 14 parishes and townships, and the work- house is situated about a mile from the town. The public buildings are the townhall, situated near the site of tho castle, and forming one side of the principal square called Bailey-head : it contains a statue of King Oswald in stone. The corn market is roofed in with glass, and has a clock tower. There are besides, the borough gaol, a theatre, and the savings-bank. Two large buildings have lately been erected one at the 8. end of tho town, called the Victoria Rooms, for public meetings, assemblies, &c. ; and the other at the N. end, containing a reading-room and a hall for lectures. The ruins of the ancient castle are but scanty; they, however, are sufficient to indicate its primitive strength. JFlower walks have been planted on the site, a lofty artificial mount, from which good views of the sur- rounding scenery may be obtained. The town gates were taken down about 1780. There is a spring of water which bears the name of Oswald's well. Quarter sessions, petty sessions, and a county court are held monthly at Oswestry, which is a polling-place for the northern division of the county. The inhabitants aro chiefly engaged in the malting trade, which is very flourishing. Brickmaking is also carried on to some extent. The linen and woollen manufacture has very much declined of late. The living is a vie.* in the dioc. of St. Asaph, val. 477- The church, which is dedicated to St. Mary, was originally part of an old monastery. It is a commodious structure with a square tower and eight bells. In it are some curious tal and monumental inscriptions. In addition to the parish church there are the district churches of Trinity and Trefonen the former a perpet. cur., val. 150, in Ilic patron, of the vicar; the latter a porpet. cur., val. 175. There is also Morton Chapel, on the immediate boun < of the parish, to which the townships of Morton and (.' heath, and a part of the township of Swcene, have 1 assigned as a district, val. 600, in the patron, of tho bishop. Aston chapel is a private one belonging to Mrs . Lloyd, of Aston Hall, and has no district assigned to it ; the townships of Pentregaer and Cynynion aro assigned to the church at Rhydycroesau. There are also places of worship for Baptists, Calvinistic and Primitive Methodists, Independents, Welsh Indepen- dents, and Wesleyans. The free grammar school was founded and endowed by David Holbeck in the reign of Henry IV. There are also National: and infant schools,