Edgton
| Edgton | |
 Half-timbered houses in Edgton |
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  Edgton |
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| OS grid reference | SO386857 |
|---|---|
| Civil parish | Edgton |
| Unitary authority | Shropshire |
| Ceremonial county | Shropshire |
| Region | West Midlands |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CRAVEN ARMS |
| Postcode district | SY7 |
| Dialling code | 01588 |
| Police | West Mercia |
| Fire | Shropshire |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| EU Parliament | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | Ludlow |
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Coordinates: 52°27′58″N 2°54′11″W / 52.466°N 2.903°W
Edgton is a small village and civil parish in Shropshire, England.[1] It is also an ecclesiastical parish and a chapelry.[1] It lies in a rather remote and very rural area, south of the River Onny.[2] The nearest market towns are Bishop's Castle, Craven Arms, Clun and Church Stretton, while the larger village of Lydbury North lies a few miles to the west.[1] It is located 4 miles west of Craven Arms and is positioned on the former stagecoach route from London to Bishop's Castle.[2]
The village
The village of Edgton contains 3 farms and approximately 20 dwellings.[3] It has very few services as the school (built in 1872), the shop and the village public house were all closed down.[3] The school is currently used as a pottery.[3] The village is fairly compact as it is centred on the 3 farms and the church.[3]
Edgton is home to St Michael’s church which was established in the early 13th century.[4] It was rebuilt in 1985-6 and is now a grade II listed building.[4] Before the church was renovated it had fallen into a state of disrepair. Reverend Jones spent £250 of his own money on the repairs and £50 was contributed from the Ecclesiastical Commission.[3] It is a small and intimate church, containing traditional carved box pews and a recently renovated chamber organ.[5]
Instead of a parish council it has a parish meeting;[6][7] this is due to the very small population of the parish.
Edgton is believed to mean a "settlement on a hill with an edge or brow".[3]
History
Edgton was part of Clun registration district, Clun and Bishops Castle registration district, Lydbury registration sub-district and the Purslow hundred.[1] Edgton used to belong to the ancient monastery of Wenlock Priory.[3] The Reverend Humphrey Sandford bought Edgton in 1812 for £235, so this is when it became a state parish.[3] At the edge of the village there is the Anglo-Saxon church, which in the past allowed travellers to rest at night without disturbing the residents.[3] There is a road which runs nearby the village at Edgton Cross, which has a 19th-century milestone showing that London is 154 miles away and that Bishop’s Castle is 5 miles away.[3] There are many milestones along this road, which suggests that it was an important access route in the past.[3]
Conservation Area
On 16 December 1993, the central part of Edgton was designated a conservation area.[3] Edgton is located within the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.[3] The area is made up of a large amount of woodland and arable and pasture land.[3] The natural features of the village such as the mature trees, hedges, stone walls and historic boundaries are very important and need to be preserved.[3]
The following buildings and landmarks are regarded as monuments in the Edgton Conservation Area:[3]
- The Church of St Michael
- The Sundial 2m south west of Church of St Michael
- The pedestal tomb 6m south west of Church of St Michael
- Manor Farmhouse
- Church Farmhouse (former malt house)
- The Barn 5m south east of church Farmhouse
- The Cowhouse 10m south west of Church Farmhouse
- The House on the Green (a 1 storey cottage)
- Edgton Farmhouse
- Villa Farmhouse
- Lower House Farmhouse and attached cowhouse
Almost all of these places are Grade II listed to help to protect them.[3]
Occupational structure
This pie chart shows the occupational structure of Edgton in 1831. It clearly shows that over half of the population at this time worked as agricultural labourers.[8] 24% of the population worked in retail and handicrafts.[8] 15% of the population worked as farmers and the other 7% worked in labour.[8] There were no Professionals or Capitalists in the parish at this time.[8]
Demographics
This graph shows that in 1801, Edgton had a population of 188.[9] This gradually increased each year until 1831, when the population reached its highest with 232 people.[9] The population then begins to decrease, however, there is an increase in people from 1851 to 1881 from 191 people to 223 people.[9] There is a large decrease in the population between 1891 and 1901.[9] The population drops from 185 to 134, which is a loss of 51 people.[9] From 1911, the population of Edgton continues to decrease until there are only 86 people in 1961.[9] Overall, the population has decreased significantly from 1801 to 1961.[9] This indicates that many people wanted to move away from the rural village.[9]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Unit History". Vision of Britain.
- 1 2 "Edgton Village". Retrieved 1 March 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Edgton Conservation Area" (PDF). South Shropshire District Council. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
- 1 2 "Church of St Michael". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
- ↑ "St Michael's Church of England". The Church of England. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
- ↑ Shropshire Council Map of Local Joint Committee 19
- ↑ CPALC Edgton Parish Meeting - details
- 1 2 3 4 "Historical Statistics – Industry". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Historical Statistics – Population". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
External links
Media related to Edgton at Wikimedia Commons
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