SHREWSBURY, the county town of Shropshire, a market-town, municipal and parliamentary borough, and the seat of a Poor-Law Union, is situated on the Severn, in 52° 43' N. lat., 2° 45' W. long., distant 153 miles N.W. by W. from London by road, and 161 miles by the North-Western sod Shrewsbury and Birmingham railways, vii Trent Valley. The boroush is governed by 10 aldermen and 30 coun cillors, one of whom is mayor; and returns two members to the Imperial Parliament. The population of the borough in 1851 was 10,631. The livings are in the archdeaconry of Salop and diocese of Lichfield. Shrewabury Poor-Law Union comprises six parishes, with an area of 18,032 acres, and a population in 1851 of 23,104.
It is supposed that a stronghold was established by the Britons at this place, when they found Wroxeter (the Uriconium of the Romans) no longer tenable against the Angles. The Welsh name was Pengwern. On the conquest of the town by the Anglo-Saxons, it received the name of Scrobbes-Byrig, and of this name the modern Shrewsbury is a corruption. Ethic-Riede, 'the Lady of the Mercians,' daughter of Alfred the Great, founded the collegiate church of St. Alkusund; Athelstane established a mint here, and it soon became the chief town of the shire.
The town was included in the earldom of Shrewsbury, granted by William the Conqueror to his kinsman Roger de Montgomery, who erected a maths at the entrance of the peninsula on which the town stand.. The castle and town were surrendered to henry I. by Robert de Beleame, the third earl, who had risen in arms in favour of Robert, Henry'. brother. After being held for several years by the crown, the earldom was granted by Henry, in 1125, to his second wife. The town received a charter from Henry 11., but the earliest charter extant is of Richard L In 1215 the town was taken by the Welsh under Llewellyn the Great, prince of North Wales, who had joined the insurgent barons against John, but was not held long by him. In the war of Henry !IL with his barons, Shrewsbury was taken, in 1264, by Simon de Montfort, the leader of the insurgent barons, and Llewellyn, grandson of Llewellyn the Great, prince of but the battle of Eeeeharn, in 1203, restored it to the crown. In 1233 a parliament was assembled at Shrewsbury for the trial of David, the last I rues of Wales, who was executed as a traitor. In the reign of Richard IL a parliament was held here, iu 1397.98, at which the Earl of Hereford (afterwards Henry IV.) brought a charge of treason against the Duke of Norfolk. In the early part of the reign of Usury IV., in 1402, the king assembled sn army here to march against Owen Giyndwr, and the year after he fought the famous battle of Shrewsbury against the insurgent Percies and their alike, when tho insnrgents were defeated with great /laughter. In the war of the Rose s, Shrewsbury supported the Yorkist., and Edward IV. showed much favour to the townsmen. Ilia second son Richard, the younger of the two princes murdered in the Tower, was born here.
In the civil war of Charles I. the king came to Shrewehnry, where he received liberal contributions of money and plate from the neigh bouring gentry, and largely recruited his forces. The Earl of Denbigh and Colonel Mytton, the parliamentary commanders, having approsohod Shrewabury (July, 1043), were repulsed by Sir Fulke Hunkcs, an officer of the royalist garrison, of which Sir Francis Otticy was governor. The town was however surprised and taken by the Parliamcutariana in February, 1041. Shrewabury is a borough by prescription, and has sent two members to Parliament since the 23rd Edward I.
The town stands chiefly on • peninsula formed by the Severn. It has gradually extended beyond the Severn ou the east and west sides, forming the suburbs of Abbey-Foregato and Colehans on the east, and of Frankwell on the west ; and on the north extending beyond the isthmus or neck occupied by the castle, forming the suburb of the Caatle-Foregate. The town contains an usually large number of picturesque old half-timber houses, several of which are of a superior chars/elms 1 he streets are lighted with gas cud paved ; and the town ma supplied with water from the river, and from A spring two miles distant. There are two bridges over the Severn : the English
bridge (built in 1774), a handsome freestone structure of seven semi circular arches, connects the Abbey-Foregate with the town ; and the Welsh bridge, a neat plain structure of five arches, connects it with Fraokwell. There are some remains of the castle and of the ancient walls. There are also remains of monasteries of the Augustinian and Franciscan friars, and of the Benedictine abbey founded by Roger de Montgomery, in 1083. The Abbey church, a cruciform structure, was in great part demolished at the dissolutiou ; the nare, western tower, and north porch now constitute the church of Holy Cross parish. St. Alkmund's church has been rebuilt in modern times, with the exception of the tower and spire (184 feet high), which belonged to the more ancient structure. St. Chad's has also been rebuilt ; it is a Grecian structure, of circular form, with a tower 150 feet high. A small part of the old church of St. Chad now remains, and is used as a schooL St. Julian's was rebuilt about the middle of the last century ; but the tower, which is of Norman architecture, belonged to the old church. St. Mary's is an ancient large and fine cruciform church, with a tower and spire 220 feet high. The church has been in part restored, the rich antique stained windows have been repaired, and new ones inserted. The Independents have two chapels ; the Wesleyan, Primitive, and New Connexion Methodists, tho Baptists, Uuitarians, Roman Catholics, Quakers, Welsh Independents, and Calvinistic Methodists, have each a place of worship. The Royal Free school of Edward VI. has an income of 3100/. a year, and numerous exhibitions to both universities; the number of scholars in 1850 was 105. There are also a British school, a Diocesan school, the Blue Coat or Bowdler's Charity school, and several National and Charity schools. There are a mechanics institute, the Shropshire Agricultural society, did the Shropshire and North Wales Natural History and Antiquarian society, with a museum and library. The hospitals and charitable institutions are numerous. Among them are the sick man's charity ; the house of industry ; the lying-in hospital, and the Salop infirmary, a plain Grecian structure with a Doric portico, rebuilt in 1830 at a cost of nearly 10,0001.
Among other buildings may be mentioned the town- and shire-hall, a spacious and handsome stone building; the Publio Rooms, a fine Grecian structure, including the post-office, music-hall, and subscription news-room, erected in 1849; the ancient market-houso of the age of Elizabeth; a spacious butter-market, built by the corporation iu 1844; the town and county jail and house of correction ; the mili tary depot, a handsome brick building near the Abbey-Foregate; the lunatic' asylum; the public baths ; the circus ; the column in honour of Lord Hill, at the entrance of the town from London ; the public subscription library; the theatre ; and the assembly-rooms. Of the ancient edifices of the town, the white-hall, and the council-houso, with its richly-ornamented wooden gateway, are worthy of notice. On the south-west side of the town is 'the Quarry,' believed to be the site of a Roman theatre, which has been formed into a handsome publio walk planted with lime-trees; it comprises about 20 acres, extending along the bank of the Severn.
The trade of the town is considerable, especially in Welsh cloths and flannel ; thread, linen-yarn, and canvas are manufactured, and there are iron-works at Cela:nu. The town hors long bean famous for brawn and 'Shrewsbury cakes.' There is an excellent salmon fishery in the Severn. The river is navigable for boats of 30 or 40 tons, and there is a canal to near Wellington, which opens a cont. mimic:Won with the Staffordshire collieries. On the banks of the river are extensive quay. and warehouses. The town is connected by railway with Chester, Birmingham, and Hereford. Markets are held on Wedneeday and Saturday, the latter for grain. Cattle markets are held monthly. Races are held iu the second week of May. The county assizes, sessions for the county and town, and a county court, are held in Shrewsbury.
SHREWSBURY.[NEw JEaSar.)