ELLESMERE, urban district, Shropshire, England, situated near the north-west border of the county in a region of indeter minate drainage between the river systems of the Dee and Severn. Pop. (1931) 1,872. It lies on the west shore of the mere—a small lake of glacial origin—from which it takes its name. In the neigh bourhood are other sheets of water, as Blake Mere, Cole Mere and Newton Mere. The manor of Ellesmere was granted by William I. to Roger, earl of Shrewsbury. The castle, of which nothing but a mound remains, was given by King John to Llewellyn. Position on the Welsh border ensured importance, and Ellesmere was granted all the free customs of Breteuil. The market granted to Llewellyn was discontinued in the 16th century, when the population of the town was severely reduced by the plague. Now disused, the Ellesmere canal, one of Telford's works, connects the Severn with the Mersey, crossing the Vale of Llangollen, in Denbighshire, by an immense aqueduct. The church of St. Mary contains some Norman work. Ellesmere is the centre of a dairy farming district, and has fairs and markets. It forms part of the Oswestry parliamentary division of Shropshire.