SHREWS'BURY, a parliamentary and municipal borough and market t., the capital of Shropshire, stands on the Severn, by which it is nearly surrounded. 163 m. n.n.w. of London by the London and North-western railway. It is irregular in plan, contains many inferior houses, partly built of timber, but often of very picturesque appearance. In the modern quarters the houses are handsome and regular. Two bridges, the "Eng lish" and the " Welsh," cross the Severn. and connect the town with the suburbs of Abbey-Foregate and Colehain on the e., and Frankwell on the west. To the n. is the other suburb of Castle-Foregate. The town contains interesting remains of the ancient walls, the castle, two monasteries, and a Benedictine abbey. The remains of the abbey church now form the church of Holy Cross. There are other ecclesiastical edifices, a free school, with an income from endowment of £3,100 a year, and 22 exhibitions to the universities; a number of other important schools, institutes, hospitals, etc. The town
and county hall, the public rooms, a handsome Greek structure, and the market-hall, erected in 1867-68, in the Italian style, are worthy of mention. Shrewsbury carries on manufactures of linen thread, canvas, and iron-wares, and there is a salmon-fishery on the Severn. The brawn and "Shrewsbury cakes" made here have longbeen held in esteem. The borough returns two members to the house of commons. Pop. '71, 23.406.
Shrewsbury, called by the Welsh Pengwern, was named by the Anglo-Saxons Scrobbes-Byrig, and of this the modern name is a corruption. The town connects itself intimately with the history of the country from the 12th to the 17th century. It was taken by Llewellyn the great, prince of North Wales, in 1215, during the disturbances between king John and the barons; and in 1403 Henry IV. here defeated the insurgent Percies and their allies with great slaughter. It was taken by the parliamentarians in 1644.