Ellesmere Genealogical Records
Ellesmere Birth & Baptism Records
An index to births registered throughout England & Wales. Provides a reference to order copies of birth certificates from the national registrar of births, marriages and deaths – the General Register Office.
Digital images of baptism registers, searchable by a name index. They list parents' names - their occupations, residence and sometimes other details.
Digital images of baptism registers, searchable by a name index. These records may help trace a family as far back as 1867.
A name index, connected to digital images of baptism registers. These records may help trace a family as far back as 1663.
A transcription of an Independent baptism register for a chapel in Ellesmere.
Ellesmere Marriage & Divorce Records
An index to marriages registered throughout England & Wales. This is the only national marriage index that allows you to search by both spouse's names. Provides a reference to order copies of marriage certificates from the national registrar of births, marriages and deaths – the General Register Office.
Digital images of marriage registers, searchable by a name index. Details given on the bride and groom may include their age, father's name, marital status, residence and signature.
Banns registers list the names of people who intended to marry by the system of calling banns, in which the bride and groom's name were called for three weeks at church. At these callings objections could be made to a marriage. Thus they record any intended marriages that didn't occur.
Digital images of marriage registers, searchable by a name index. They are the primary marriage document before 1837. They typically record residence and marital status, though may contain age, father's name and other details.
An index to and images of around 200,000 records submitted to the Diocese to obtain a license to marry. Records often list details not found in marriage registers, such as age, residence, occupation and parents' names.
Ellesmere Death & Burial Records
An index to deaths registered throughout England & Wales. Provides a reference to order copies of death certificates from the national registrar of births, marriages and deaths – the General Register Office.
Digital images of burial registers, searchable by a name index. They may detail the deceased's name, residence and age.
A searchable database of 800,793 records, linked to original images of burial registers. The records may include date of burial and/or death, residence, age and other details.
Transcripts of burial registers for over 100 parishes in Shropshire.
Covering around 100 Shropshire parishes, these records essentially record deaths. The residence of the deceased is often given. Occasionally their age, occupation and names of relatives may be given.
Ellesmere Census & Population Lists
An index to and digital images of records that detail 40 million civilians in England and Wales. Records list name, date of birth, address, marital status, occupation and details of trade or profession.
The 1911 census provides details on an individual's age, residence, place of birth, relations and occupation. FindMyPast's index allows searches on for multiple metrics including occupation and residence.
The 1901 census provides details on an individual's age, residence, place of birth, relations and occupation. FindMyPast's index allows searches on for multiple metrics including occupation and residence.
The 1891 census provides details on an individual's age, residence, place of birth, relations and occupation. FindMyPast's index allows searches on for multiple metrics including occupation and residence.
The 1881 census provides details on an individual's age, residence and occupation. FindMyPast's index allows for searches on multiple metrics including occupation and residence.
Newspapers Covering Ellesmere
An English-language newspaper that covered news in and around Llangollen. Each edition has been indexed and digitised.
This fully searchable newspaper will provide a rich variety of information about the people and places of the Wrexham district. Includes family announcements.
A record of births, marriages, deaths, legal, political, organisation and other news from the Shrewsbury area. Original pages of the newspaper can be viewed and located by a full text search.
A Welsh newspaper that circulated throughout most of Wales and The Marches. Editions can be searched and images of pages viewed.
A searchable newspaper providing a rich variety of information about the people and places of the Shropshire district. Includes obituaries and family announcements.
Ellesmere Wills & Probate Records
Searchable index and original images of over 12.5 million probates and administrations granted by civil registries. Entries usually include the testator's name, date of death, date of probate and registry. Names of relations may be given.
An index to wills, administrations and inventories proved by the Diocese of Lichfield and Coventry. Copies of wills can be ordered or viewed at the record office in Lichfield.
An index to estate administrations performed by the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. The index covers the southern two thirds of England & Wales, but may also contain entries for northerners.
A searchable database providing brief details of surviving probates and administrations granted by the Diocese of Lichfield, which covered parts of Derbyshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and Warwickshire. Contains a reference to order the original documents.
A searchable database of mid-17th Century probates performed by the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. Supplies details of testator and executor.
Ellesmere Immigration & Travel Records
A name index connected to original images of passenger lists recording people travelling from Britain to destinations outside Europe. Records may detail a passenger's age or date of birth, residence, occupation, destination and more.
A full index of passenger lists for vessels arriving in the UK linked to original images. Does not include lists from vessels sailing from European ports. Early entries can be brief, but later entries may include dates of births, occupations, home addresses and more. Useful for documenting immigration.
An index to and images of documents recording over 1.65 million passengers who arrived in Victoria, Australia, including passengers whose voyage was paid for by others.
Details on over 600,000 non-British citizens arriving in England. Often includes age and professions. Useful for discerning the origin of immigrants.
Details on thousands of 17th century British immigrants to the U.S., detailing their origins and nature of their immigration.
Ellesmere Military Records
The names of Shropshire militia men who were buried in Great Yarmouth.
A searchable list of over 100,000 British Army POWs. Records contains details on the captured, their military career and where they were held prisoner.
Details on around 165,000 men serving in the British Army, Navy and Air Force who were held as prisoners during WWII.
Index and original images of over 5 million medal index cards for British soldiers It can be searched by individual's name, Coprs, Unit and Regiment. Due to the loss of many WWI service records, this is the most complete source for British WWI soldiers
This rich collection contains contains records for 1.9 million non-commissioned officers and other ranks who fought in WWI. Due to bomb damage in WWI, around 60% of service records were lost. Documents cover: enlistment, medical status, injuries, conduct, awards and discharge. A great deal of genealogical and biographical documentation can be found in these documents, including details on entire families, physical descriptions and place of birth.
Ellesmere Court & Legal Records
A searchable transcript of Shropshire legal records. They include matters relating to militias, alcohol, agriculture, coroners' inquests and much more.
Transcriptions of pleas brought before a court. They largely concern land disputes.
An index to names and places mentioned in act books of the Province of Canterbury. It records various licences and conferments, such as marriage and physician licences.
Translations of pleas brought before a court. They largely concern land disputes.
Records of over 300,000 prisoners held by quarter sessions in England & Wales. Records may contain age, occupation, criminal history, offence and trial proceedings.
Ellesmere Taxation Records
An index to 11,000,000 parcels of land and property, connected to digital images of registers that record their owner, occupier, description, agricultural use, size and rateable value.
This vital collection details almost 1.2 million properties eligible for land tax. Records include the name of the landowner, occupier, amount assessed and sometimes the name and/or description of the property. It is a useful starting point for locating relevant estate records and establishing the succession of tenancies and freehold. Most records cover 1798, but some extend up to 1811.
An index linked to original images of registers recording apprenticeship indentures. Details are given on the trade and nature of apprenticeship. Many records list the parents of the apprentice.
A compilation of records from the Court of the Exchequer primarily dealing with taxes and land. These records are in Latin.
An index to wills and administrations that incurred a death duty tax. The index can be used to order documents that give a brief abstract of the will and details on the duty. It can be used as a make-shift probate index.
Ellesmere Land & Property Records
A sprawling work detailing Shropshire's early historical records. It is particularly useful for the study of medieval Shropshire families.
An account of the Hereford bishopric estates in the 13th century.
An index to 11,000,000 parcels of land and property, connected to digital images of registers that record their owner, occupier, description, agricultural use, size and rateable value.
This vital collection details almost 1.2 million properties eligible for land tax. Records include the name of the landowner, occupier, amount assessed and sometimes the name and/or description of the property. It is a useful starting point for locating relevant estate records and establishing the succession of tenancies and freehold. Most records cover 1798, but some extend up to 1811.
Poll books record the names of voters and the direction of their vote. Until 1872 only landholders could vote, so not everyone will be listed. Useful for discerning an ancestor's political leanings and landholdings. The collection is supplemented with other records relating to the vote.
Ellesmere Directories & Gazetteers
A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key contemporary and historical facts. Each place has a list of residents and businesses. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions.
A directory of settlements in Shropshire detailing their history, agriculture, topography, economy and leading commercial, professional and private residents.
A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key historical and contemporary facts. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions. Also contains a list of residents and businesses for each place.
A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key historical and contemporary facts. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions. Also contains a list of residents and businesses for each place.
Details of a travel through Shropshire, describing towns, monuments and other areas of interest. Contains sketches of buildings, views, interiors etc.
Ellesmere Cemeteries
Photographs and descriptions of Shropshire's most illustrious church monuments, often featuring effigies, medieval inscriptions and heraldic devices.
Images of millions of pages from cemetery and crematoria registers, photographs of memorials, cemetery plans and more. Records can be search by a name index.
Photographs and transcriptions of millions of gravestones from cemeteries around the world.
Profiles of several hundred mausolea found in the British Isles.
Several thousand transcribed memorials remembering those connected with the nautical occupations.
Ellesmere Obituaries
The UKs largest repository of obituaries, containing millions of searchable notices.
A growing collection currently containing over 425,000 abstracts of obituaries with reference to the location of the full obituary.
A collection of 364 obituaries of Quakers from the British Isles. The volume was published in 1849 and includes obituaries of those who died in late 1847 through 1848.
This transcribed and searchable work by Sir William Musgrave contains 10,000s of brief obituaries. The work is a reference point for other works containing information on an individual.
A text index and digital images of all editions of a journal containing medical articles and obituaries of medical practitioners.
Ellesmere Histories & Books
A small collection of mid-20th century photos depicting Ellesmere, Shropshire from the ground and air.
Details of a travel through Shropshire, describing towns, monuments and other areas of interest. Contains sketches of buildings, views, interiors etc.
A detailed history of the county's hundreds, parishes and religious houses.
A sprawling work detailing Shropshire's early historical records. It is particularly useful for the study of medieval Shropshire families.
Photographs and images of churches in Shropshire.
Ellesmere School & Education Records
A name index connected to digital images of registers recording millions of children educated in schools operated by the National Society for Promoting Religious Education. Records contain a variety of information including genealogical details, education history, illnesses, exam result, fathers occupation and more.
A name index linked to original images of registers recording the education and careers of teachers in England & Wales.
A name index linked to original images of short biographies for over 120,000 Oxford University students. This is a particularly useful source for tracing the ancestry of the landed gentry.
A transcript of a vast scholarly work briefly chronicling the heritage, education and careers of over 150,000 Cambridge University students. This is a particularly useful source for tracing the ancestry of the landed gentry.
A searchable database containing over 90,000 note-form biographies for students of Cambridge University.
Ellesmere Occupation & Business Records
Profiles of coal and metal mines in the Midlands region of England.
Short histories of former public houses, with photographs and lists of owners or operators.
An index to and images of registers recording over 3.7 million trade union members.
Books listing doctors who were licensed to operate in Britain and abroad. Contains doctor's residencies, qualification and date of registration.
A rich collection of records documenting those who worked for railway companies that were later absorbed by the government. Records include: staff registers, station transfers, pensions, accident records, apprentice records, caution books, and memos. Records may include date of birth, date of death and name of father.
Pedigrees & Family Trees Covering Ellesmere
A detailed history of the county's hundreds, parishes and religious houses.
Extensive and impeccably sourced genealogies for British, Irish & Manx royalty and nobility. Scroll down to 'British Isles' for relevant sections.
A searchable database of linked genealogies compiled from thousands of reputable and not-so-reputable sources. Contains many details on European gentry & nobility, but covers many countries outside Europe and people from all walks of life.
A searchable book, listing pedigrees of titled families and biographies of their members.
A book containing genealogies and biographies of Britain's titled families.
Ellesmere Royalty, Nobility & Heraldry Records
A detailed history of the county's hundreds, parishes and religious houses.
A sprawling work detailing Shropshire's early historical records. It is particularly useful for the study of medieval Shropshire families.
Photographs and descriptions of Shropshire's most illustrious church monuments, often featuring effigies, medieval inscriptions and heraldic devices.
Extensive and impeccably sourced genealogies for British, Irish & Manx royalty and nobility. Scroll down to 'British Isles' for relevant sections.
A searchable database of linked genealogies compiled from thousands of reputable and not-so-reputable sources. Contains many details on European gentry & nobility, but covers many countries outside Europe and people from all walks of life.
Ellesmere Church Records
A collection of Ellesmere parish magazines on DVD and latter parish magazines for the area.
A facility to browse digital images of registers recording births/baptisms, marriages and deaths/burials. To search these register by a name index, use the links in the above sections.
Transcripts of baptism, marriage and burial registers for over 100 parishes in Shropshire.
Registers of baptisms, marriages and burials from around 100 parishes in Shropshire.
Lists of the Bishop of Hereford and position holders of its subordinate bodies.
Biographical Directories Covering Ellesmere
A searchable book, listing pedigrees of titled families and biographies of their members.
A book containing genealogies and biographies of Britain's titled families.
A book containing genealogies and biographies of Britain's titled families.
Brief biographies of Anglican clergy in the UK.
A directory containing lengthy biographies of noted British figures. The work took over two decades to compile. Biographies can be searched by name and are linked to images of the original publication.
Ellesmere Maps
Digital images of maps covering the county.
Detailed maps covering much of the UK. They depict forests, mountains, larger farms, roads, railroads, towns, and more.
Maps showing settlements, features and some buildings in mainland Britain.
An index to 11,000,000 parcels of land and property, connected to digital images of registers that record their owner, occupier, description, agricultural use, size and rateable value.
Maps of parishes in England, Scotland and Wales. They are useful in determining which parish records may be relevant to your research.
Ellesmere Reference Works
A beginner’s guide to researching ancestry in England.
Compiled in 1831, this book details the coverage and condition of parish registers in England & Wales.
A comprehensive guide to researching the history of buildings in the British Isles.
A service that provides advanced and custom surname maps for the British Isles and the US.
A dictionary of around 9,000 mottoes for British families who had right to bear arms.
Civil & Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction
Historical Description
Ellesmere is a market-town of Saxon origin, and takes its name from the water, which was called Aelsmere, or the greatest mere, being the chief in this part of the county. This lake is 101 acres in dimensions, and is exceedingly well stocked with fish. The environs have two advantages superior to other lakes: a good town borders on one side; and the fine park of Oatley, the seat of Mrs. Vaughan, is a great ornament to another. This is the ancient seat of the Kynastons. The house appears to be very old, and stands low; but the park is a very fine one, having the greatest quantity of the finest elm-trees perhaps to be seen in any part of England.
This town has little to boast of except its situation. The principal trade is that of malt, the barley of the neighbourhood being remarkably good. Near the Mere is a house of industry for the poor of five parishes, from which is a delightful prospect ; and on the Castle Hill there is one of the finest bowling greens in the kingdom ; nine different counties may be seen from the green. A new canal is cut to this town, called the Ellesmere Canal.
The houses in general are neat, and the streets well paved, in the principal one of which is the church, an ancient Gothic building, consisting of a nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a lofty square tower at the west end, wherein is a ring of eight bells.
Here was formerly a strong castle, but little of its ruins are now to be seen, it having been destroyed during the civil wars, in the 17th.
The market is on Tuesday, and the town consisted, according to the late return, of 1143 houses, and 6056 inhabitants.
The country, from Wem, a town situated to the south-east, is, for the greatest part of the way to Ellesmere, flat, dirty, and unpleasant. On the approach to the town, however, it becomes more agreeable, breaking into most beautiful risings, fertile, and finely wooded. The bottoms are, indeed, destitute of rivers, but frequently filled with little lakes, called here meres, elegantly bordered by the cultivated hills. It is singular that none of them are the parents of streams ; their increase from rain and springs, and their loss by exhalations, keep such equal pace.
ELLESMERE is a market and union town, and parish in the Western division of the county, hundred of Pimhill, Oswestry county court district, rural deanery of Ellesmere, archdeaconry of Salop and diocese of Lichfield, with a station on the Cambrian railway, 8 miles east-north-east from Oswestry, 16 north-north-west from Shrewsbury, 11 miles from Whitchurch, and 177 from London; it is on the north-western extremity of the county, close to Flintshire, on the high road from Shrewsbury to Chester and Liverpool. The town is of Saxon origin, and in part derives its name from the fine sheet of water, or mere, on the east side of the town, which is the largest lake in this part of the country, being about 116 acres in extent and well stocked with fish. Ellesmere formerly gave its name to a hundred, which, with several dependencies, was annexed to that of Pimhill in the reign of Henry VIII.
The town was formerly governed by a bailiff, chosen annually by a jury, at a court leet of the lord of the manor, with a coroner and other minor officers, but a Local Board was formed in 1859, and this has been superseded by an Urban District Council, under the “Local Government Act. 1894” (56 & 57 Vicrt. cap. 73). The Ellesmere canal, which forms a communication between the river Dee at Chester and the Severn at Shrewsbury, is connected with other canals and with various railways, which put this town into communication with all parts of the country. The town was thoroughly drained in 1869 by Earl Brownlow; the houses are in general well built, and the streets are mostly paved with Staffordshire bricks and lighted with gas from works under the control of the Urban Council. This place has given the title of baron (1603) and earl (1846) to the Egerton family.
The church of St. Mary, standing on a considerable elevation, overlooking the mere, is a spacious cruciform building of stone in mixed styles, consisting of chancel with two side chapels, nave of five bays, aisles, transepts and a central tower containing a clock and 8 bells. The old nave was Norman, the tower and north transept Early English merging into Decorated, while the east of the chancel, the south transept, and the two side chapels are Perpendicular; but in 1849 the church was restored and the nave and aisles rebuilt, the church being reconsecrated October 11, 1849; the north transept and the nave were rebuilt in the Middle Pointed style, from the designs of the late Sir G. Scott R. A. at a cost of upwards of £8,000, towards which the late Countess of Bridgwater gave the sum of £3,300; the south, or Oteley chapel, contains a fine altar tomb with two recumbent effigies in marble of Francis Kynaston and his wife, 1590; in 1881 this chapeL was restored at the cost of the late Salusibury K. Mainwaring esq. of Oteley, and a stained window inserted; the west window is a memorial to Thomas Stanton esq. of this town, who died in 1869, and was presented by J. and G. Stanton esqrs.; in the north transept is a memorial window to J. L. Menlove esq. of Elson, who died in 1850; and in the south transept another to the Rev. J. A. Cotton, late vicar of this parish 5 in the south aisle are several smaller windows, given by the Oswell family, the widow of Captain Fowler and Maj. Gen. F. O. Salusbury C. B.; in the north aisle is a window, presented by Miss Mary Edwards, in memory of Elizabeth Maria, widow of Captain Fowler, and another, erected as a memorial of W. K. Thompson esq. of this parish, who died in 1850, by his widow; the organ, which cost 300 guineas, was removed to the north side in 1881; the churchyard is now closed; in 1889 the east end of the chancel was rebuilt at the sole cost of Earl Brownlow P. C. and a fine east window was erected in memory of H. F. C. Cust esq. of this parish, d. 1884, and Sara Jane, his wife, d. 1877, the cost being defrayed by their children; this window takes the place of the former stained east window, destroyed by the sinking of the foundation of the chancel; the sanctuary floor is of Belgian marble; there are Perpendicular sedilia and a piscina of ancient date on the south side, and a brass altar rail was presented in 1889 by Miss James, in memory of Dr. Watson. The register of burials dates from the year 1653; marriages, 1654; baptisms, 1657. The living is a vicarage, average tithe rent-charge £345, net yearly value £225, with residence, in the gift of Earl Brownlow P. C. and held since 1864 by the Rev. John Peake B. A. of Hertford College, Oxford, and surrogate. The vicarage house is in a pleasant situation, on elevated ground near the south side of the churchyard.
Here are Congregational, Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist chapels.
A cemetery of 3 acres, at Swan hill, was formed in 1865, at a cost of £4,000, and has two mortuary chapels; it is under the control of a committee formed from the Urban District Council of Ellesmere and the Parish Council of Ellesmere.
The Town Hall, in the Market place, erected in 1833, is an edifice of brick in a plain style, the principal front being of freestone; the upper storey consists of a spacious room, renovated and decorated in 1878 by Earl Brownlow, in which the petty sessions are held on the first Monday in every month; it is likewise used for public meetings, concerts, balls, lectures and occasional assemblies, and for there purposes will hold 250 persons.
In the ground floor of the Town Hall is a fine reading-room, established in 1884, and supported by subscription; it is free to all residents in the town and neighbourhood from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily, and on Sunday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.; attached is a Reference and Lending Library of about 1,000 volumes.
The Ellesmere Natural History and Field Clubs’ ornithological, botanical, mineralogical, and entomological collections are displayed in a portion of this room, and there is also preserved here in a glass case an ancient British canoe, measuring some 12 feet by 2 ½, which was dug out of the Whattal Moss, when cutting a drain through the moss in 1864.
The Savings Bank, in Scotland street, was erected in 1830.
The trade of the town is chiefly derived from agriculture, and the butter and cheese produced in this part of the county are of the finest description.
The market, which is well attended, is held on Tuesdays and Saturdays; and the fairs for horses, cattle, sheep and pigs are held every alternate, Tuesday in the Smithfield. The Market Hall, in Scotland street, is a large and plain building of red brick, erected in 1879, at a cost of about £2,000, on a site given by Earl Brownlow P. C.
Ellesmere Charities: —Mrs. Higginson, of Whitchurch, left £6, payable once in five years, to the necessitous poor; James Phillips, of London, left £57 10s. to provide the poor with coats annually, and for a sermon to be preacrhed every Thursday; Edward Jeffreys, of Moreton, left £2 6s. 8d. to the distribution amongst the poor at Christmas and Good Friday; Jerome Hanmer, of Kenwick, left £10, the interest of which was to apprentice poor children; John Lyth, of Lyth, left £50, the interest of which was for the poor of the parish; Hugh Dod, of Burrows, left £6, the interest to be distributed in bread to the poor of the townships of Perthy and Hardwick, every Sunday in Lent; William Thorowgood, of Ellesmere, left £20, the interest to be employed in sending poor children to school, which are nominated by the vicar and churchwardens; John Davies, of Kenwickwood, left £10, the interest to be distributed in bread to the poor on the Lord’s day by the vicar; John Powell, of Ellesmere, left £20, the interest of which was to be given to the poor on Good Friday and St. Thomas’s Day, and after the death of his wife, £20, to be applied in the same way; Wm. Pierce, of Northwood, left £10, the interest to be distributed on the 18th December to the poor of Northwood; John Higginson, jun. of Ellesmere, left £10, the interest to be given to the poor of the town; Charles Mason, of Prees, left £5, the interest to be given to the poor by the vicar and churchwardens; Ruth Davies left the interest of £10 to be given in bread to the poor of the parish every Sunday in Lent; Madam Catherine Pennant, of Bagilt, left £50, the interest to provide twelve blue coats for six poor men and six poor women, to be given at the Feast of All Saints, by the vicar and churchwardens; Margaret Eddowes left £10, the interest to be given to the poor of Trench, Northwood and Welsh Hampton; John Higginson, of Ellesmere, left £20, for the poor; William Wenlock, of Colemere, left £3 per annum for the poor of the parish, and his wife, Catherine Wenlock, left the interest of £20 for same end; Thomas Pitchford left £10, the interest to be given to the poor of Trench and Northwood; John Higginson left the interest of £5 to be given in bread to the poor of the parish; Edward Teggin, of Hardwick, left £5, the interest to be distributed in bread on Christmas day; William Pearce, of Tetchill, left £7 the interest to be given to the poor of the parish; Richard Oulton, of Ellesmere, left £100, the interest of which was to be given in coals to poor, decayed housekeepers; John Whettall, of East Greenwich, left £200, at 5 per cent the interest to be given to ten poor housekeepers on the 24th December yearly; Mrs. Penelope Vaughan, of Oteley, left £100 for the benefit of the National schools; Richard Wynn, of Crickett, left £100, the interest to be distributed amongst the poor; John Hinksman left £50, the interest to be given in bread; and Wm. Hawkins, of Ellesmere, left £200 in 1834, the interest for the benefit of the poor; Elizabeth Gough, of Ellesmere, bequeathed three pew sittings, their value to go towards the maintenance of the schools; Mary Hatchett in 1837 left £200, the interest to go towards educating twenty-one poor children; Rev. Edward Edwards, of Ellesmere, in 1840 left £300 in Consols, the interest to be distributed amongst twelve decayed persons of Ellesmere and Ridge on St. Thomas’ Day; Countess of Bridgwater in 1849 left £200 for the benefit of the National schools; Elizabeth Maria Fowler in 1850 left £200, the interest to be given in bread to the poor; Mrs. Anne Ferrall in 1873 left £500, the interest for the poor of the parish; Miss Charlotte Reay in 1877 left £100 for coals for the poor.
The ancient castle of Ellesmere, of which not a vestige remains, stood on the hill by the church; it was a frontier fortress during the unsettled period which preceded the final subjugation of Wales, and probably fell out of repair soon after the Wars of the Roses, and was then demolished; the mound is now used as a bowling-green and is kept in good order; from this spot a fine view of the Shropshire, Cheshire, Staffordshire and Welsh hills is obtained, including portions of seven counties; near it lies the mere, from which the town derives its affix.
Ellesmere is much frequented during the summer months, its lakes and scenery making it a favourite spot for picnics, excursions and fishing parties. Excellent pike and other fish abound in the meres, which are six in number and form a peculiar and attractive feature in the neighbourhood, and present a good field for the botanist; as many as fifteen or sixteen different species of ferns are to be met with here, and in one of the meres (that at Colemere, 2 ½ miles distant) moss balls (“con-fervae”) are also found.
Ellesmere House is the residence of Brownlow Richard Christopher Tower esq.
The principal landowners are Earl Brownlow P. C. who is lord of the manor, Charles Francis Kynaston Mainwaring esq. of Oteley Park, and the Rev. W. C. E. Kynaston M. A. of Hardwick Hall.
In 1891 the township of Ellesmere contained a population of 1,870, and the parish 5,507, including 70 officers and inmates in the workhouse; the, area of the parish is 26,457 acres in Shropshire; rateable value, £43,754.
Oteley, Newton and Spunhill form a joint township, extending from half a mile to one mile and a half southeast from Ellesmere; Oteley park is the residence of C. F. Kynaston Mainwaring esq. J. P.; the mansion is a building in the Gothic style, very pleasantly situated on the east side of Ellesmere mere, in a finely wooded park of more than 130 acres, with pleasure grounds' of 20 acres; there are two entrances, and the park is well stocked with deer; an ancient hall, which stood on the site, was pulled down and rebuilt in the early part of the present century; The township area is 1,221 acres.
Wall Letter Box, Newton, cleared at 6. 35 p.m.; no Sunday collection.
National School (mixed), built in 1873, for about 80 children; average attendance, 40:
Pentreceod is a tything, 4 miles north-west from Ellesmere, on the Flintshire border, and will be found under Criftins and Duddleston parishes.
New Marton and Ridge townships in Ellesmere civil parish form part of the parish of Frankton.
Petty Sessions are held at the Town hall, Ellesmere, on the first Monday in every month at 11 a.m.; & at Boreatton Arms hotel, Baschurch, every third Friday. except September & March, when the sittings are held on the fourth Friday, at 10. 30 a.m. The following places are included in the petty sessional division:-Adcott, Alderton, Bagley, Baschurch, Birch, Birch & Lyth, Boreatton, Cockshutt, Cotton. Crosemere, Crickett, Eardiston, Eastwick, Ellesmere, Elson & Greenhill, Ensdon, Eyton, Felton Butler, Fennemere, Forton, Great Ness, Hampton Wood, Hardwick, Harmer Hill, Hopton, Hordley, Kenwick, Stockett & Whettall, Kenwick’s Park, Kenwick's Wood, Kinton, Lee, Little Ness, Marton, Merehouse, Merrington, Middle, Milford, Montford, New Marton Newnes, Newtown, Newton-on-the-Hill, Northwood, Nesscliffe, Oteley, Newton & Spunhill, Petton, Prescott, Preston Gobalds, Ridge, Ruyton-of-the-Eleven Towns, Shelvock, Shotatton, Shrawardine, Stanwardine-in-the-Fields, Stanwardine-in-the-Wood, Stocks & Coptiviney, Tetchill, Trench, Walford, Welsh Hampton, Weston, Lullingfield, Wilcot, Wyke & Yeaton.
Ellesmere Union
There are seventeen parishes in the union, eight of which are in the county of Flint, viz: —Baschurch, Bettisfield (Flint), Bronington (Flint), Ellesmere, Great Ness, Hadnall, Halghton (Flint), Hanmer (Flint), Hordley, Little Ness, Middle, Overton (Flint), Penley (Flint), Petton, Tybroughton (Flint), Welsh Hampton & Willington (Flint). The population of the union in 1891 was 13,824; area 73,830 acres; rateable value in 1895 £120,879.
Schools
Ellesmere College, standing about half a mile from the town, & the foundation stone of which was laid in 1879 by the Countess of Brownlow, was opened in 1884: it is a fine building of red brick, with stone facings, in the Perpendicular style, from designs by Messrs. Carpenter & Ingleow, architects, of London, & cost with site over £30,000: the dining hall, already completed, will seat 500, & the plans include a school room as large as the dining hall, with class rooms adjoining, & a chapel to seat 600; together with a laboratory, museum & two libraries; at present (1895) there is room for 185 boys only: the school is intended for the sons of persons of small means, & sons of the clergy & farmers; it is under the direction of the Provost & Fellows of Denstone College, Uttoxeter, & is the counterpart of Ardingley College, Haywards Heath, Sussex. Head master, the Rev. R. Beviss Thompson M. A. of Worcester College, Oxford; there are 12 assistant masters: chaplain, the Rev. Thomas E. Stevens A. S. N. C.
National (boys), Wharf road, with master’s residence, for 150 children; average attendance, 100.
National (girls), St. John’s hill, with teacher’s house; for 130 children; average attendance, 110.
National (infants), St. John’s hill, for 100 children; average attendance, 75.
Most Common Surnames in Ellesmere
| Rank | Surname | Incidence | Frequency | Percent of Parent | Rank in Pimhill Hundred |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jones | 412 | 1:14 | 3.13% | 1 |
| 2 | Davies | 186 | 1:30 | 2.67% | 2 |
| 3 | Williams | 167 | 1:34 | 3.57% | 4 |
| 4 | Roberts | 154 | 1:37 | 5.42% | 7 |
| 5 | Edwards | 124 | 1:45 | 3.18% | 5 |
| 6 | Evans | 110 | 1:51 | 1.96% | 3 |
| 7 | Hughes | 77 | 1:73 | 3.35% | 10 |
| 8 | Price | 63 | 1:89 | 2.41% | 8 |
| 9 | Thomas | 59 | 1:95 | 2.63% | 11 |
| 10 | Griffiths | 56 | 1:100 | 2.33% | 9 |
| 11 | Morris | 48 | 1:117 | 1.43% | 6 |
| 11 | Lloyd | 48 | 1:117 | 2.20% | 12 |
| 13 | Owen | 47 | 1:120 | 2.79% | 15 |
| 13 | Edge | 47 | 1:120 | 12.37% | 83 |
| 15 | Morgan | 46 | 1:122 | 3.04% | 17 |
| 16 | Smith | 44 | 1:128 | 2.06% | 14 |
| 17 | Rogers | 43 | 1:131 | 2.92% | 20 |
| 18 | Wilson | 42 | 1:134 | 9.48% | 70 |
| 18 | Powell | 42 | 1:134 | 2.81% | 19 |
| 20 | Richards | 41 | 1:137 | 3.11% | 21 |
| 21 | Hayward | 40 | 1:141 | 6.01% | 39 |
| 22 | Ellis | 38 | 1:148 | 5.21% | 35 |
| 22 | Cartwright | 38 | 1:148 | 5.36% | 36 |
| 24 | Allen | 36 | 1:156 | 10.29% | 91 |
| 25 | Lee | 35 | 1:161 | 6.72% | 54 |
| 26 | Butler | 33 | 1:170 | 9.12% | 89 |
| 26 | Egerton | 33 | 1:170 | 42.86% | 565 |
| 28 | Lewis | 32 | 1:176 | 1.48% | 13 |
| 28 | Phillips | 32 | 1:176 | 3.54% | 24 |
| 28 | Bowen | 32 | 1:176 | 3.75% | 26 |
| 31 | Hopley | 29 | 1:194 | 39.19% | 587 |
| 32 | Drury | 28 | 1:201 | 25.93% | 386 |
| 32 | Brayne | 28 | 1:201 | 22.95% | 347 |
| 34 | James | 27 | 1:208 | 2.88% | 23 |
| 35 | Hodnett | 26 | 1:216 | 29.21% | 486 |
| 36 | Harrison | 25 | 1:225 | 8.47% | 113 |
| 36 | Paddock | 25 | 1:225 | 15.06% | 238 |
| 36 | Evason | 25 | 1:225 | 19.69% | 328 |
| 39 | Parry | 24 | 1:234 | 3.69% | 44 |
| 39 | Rhone | 24 | 1:234 | 100.00% | 1,339 |
| 41 | Barlow | 23 | 1:244 | 17.69% | 318 |
| 41 | Butcher | 23 | 1:244 | 16.20% | 292 |
| 41 | Haynes | 23 | 1:244 | 8.91% | 138 |
| 41 | Wynn | 23 | 1:244 | 10.85% | 181 |
| 41 | Peake | 23 | 1:244 | 16.79% | 299 |
| 46 | Hall | 22 | 1:256 | 2.62% | 27 |
| 46 | Pearce | 22 | 1:256 | 4.02% | 52 |
| 46 | Clay | 22 | 1:256 | 12.09% | 216 |
| 46 | Whitfield | 22 | 1:256 | 8.40% | 136 |
| 46 | Hales | 22 | 1:256 | 17.32% | 328 |
| 46 | Foulkes | 22 | 1:256 | 8.63% | 140 |
| 46 | Bickley | 22 | 1:256 | 21.36% | 418 |
| 53 | Kynaston | 21 | 1:268 | 9.38% | 167 |
| 53 | Chetwood | 21 | 1:268 | 27.27% | 565 |
| 55 | Thompson | 20 | 1:281 | 4.81% | 74 |
| 55 | Martin | 20 | 1:281 | 4.50% | 69 |
| 55 | Dawson | 20 | 1:281 | 23.81% | 526 |
| 55 | Downes | 20 | 1:281 | 3.87% | 55 |
| 59 | Gough | 19 | 1:296 | 2.48% | 34 |
| 59 | Hassall | 19 | 1:296 | 16.10% | 359 |
| 59 | Onslow | 19 | 1:296 | 26.03% | 595 |
| 59 | Urion | 19 | 1:296 | 95.00% | 1,510 |
| 63 | Robinson | 18 | 1:312 | 3.23% | 51 |
| 63 | Holland | 18 | 1:312 | 8.33% | 175 |
| 63 | Beckett | 18 | 1:312 | 22.78% | 555 |
| 63 | Lea | 18 | 1:312 | 10.53% | 229 |
| 63 | Madeley | 18 | 1:312 | 9.89% | 216 |
| 68 | Reeves | 17 | 1:331 | 5.01% | 94 |
| 68 | Bellingham | 17 | 1:331 | 20.00% | 518 |
| 70 | Baker | 16 | 1:351 | 3.90% | 76 |
| 70 | Ashley | 16 | 1:351 | 5.33% | 112 |
| 70 | Higginson | 16 | 1:351 | 7.08% | 166 |
| 73 | Hayes | 15 | 1:375 | 11.11% | 303 |
| 73 | Strange | 15 | 1:375 | 34.88% | 915 |
| 73 | Shone | 15 | 1:375 | 18.52% | 545 |
| 73 | Ralphs | 15 | 1:375 | 5.21% | 118 |
| 73 | Barkley | 15 | 1:375 | 31.25% | 837 |
| 73 | Kesterton | 15 | 1:375 | 93.75% | 1,743 |
| 73 | Woodfin | 15 | 1:375 | 27.78% | 761 |
| 73 | Boylin | 15 | 1:375 | 36.59% | 948 |
| 81 | Cross | 14 | 1:402 | 7.91% | 222 |
| 81 | Howell | 14 | 1:402 | 7.41% | 206 |
| 81 | Pugh | 14 | 1:402 | 1.17% | 22 |
| 81 | Barclay | 14 | 1:402 | 34.15% | 948 |
| 81 | Peel | 14 | 1:402 | 14.00% | 433 |
| 81 | Stockton | 14 | 1:402 | 11.38% | 342 |
| 81 | Boughey | 14 | 1:402 | 11.67% | 351 |
| 81 | Cureton | 14 | 1:402 | 12.28% | 374 |
| 81 | Prodger | 14 | 1:402 | 56.00% | 1,303 |
| 90 | Green | 13 | 1:432 | 1.96% | 40 |
| 90 | Gordon | 13 | 1:432 | 30.23% | 915 |
| 90 | Birch | 13 | 1:432 | 4.47% | 115 |
| 90 | Roe | 13 | 1:432 | 15.85% | 539 |
| 90 | Hampson | 13 | 1:432 | 19.70% | 649 |
| 90 | Colley | 13 | 1:432 | 7.22% | 219 |
| 90 | Speakman | 13 | 1:432 | 61.90% | 1,465 |
| 90 | Mainwaring | 13 | 1:432 | 18.57% | 614 |
| 90 | Coffin | 13 | 1:432 | 92.86% | 1,889 |
| 90 | Steen | 13 | 1:432 | 92.86% | 1,889 |
| 90 | Wycherley | 13 | 1:432 | 8.67% | 266 |
| 90 | Nunnerley | 13 | 1:432 | 26.00% | 817 |
| 102 | Brooks | 12 | 1:468 | 8.96% | 309 |
| 102 | Jennings | 12 | 1:468 | 12.50% | 446 |
| 102 | Stokes | 12 | 1:468 | 3.95% | 107 |
| 102 | Humphreys | 12 | 1:468 | 1.81% | 41 |
| 102 | Vaughan | 12 | 1:468 | 2.04% | 50 |
| 102 | Gleaves | 12 | 1:468 | 100.00% | 2,085 |
| 108 | Moore | 11 | 1:511 | 3.11% | 90 |
| 108 | Cooke | 11 | 1:511 | 4.09% | 131 |
| 108 | Tudor | 11 | 1:511 | 3.37% | 100 |
| 108 | Povey | 11 | 1:511 | 20.00% | 749 |
| 108 | Woodhall | 11 | 1:511 | 33.33% | 1,100 |
| 108 | Jebb | 11 | 1:511 | 10.38% | 398 |
| 108 | Carsley | 11 | 1:511 | 27.50% | 967 |
| 115 | Johnson | 10 | 1:562 | 2.20% | 66 |
| 115 | Clarke | 10 | 1:562 | 2.24% | 68 |
| 115 | Harper | 10 | 1:562 | 2.03% | 59 |
| 115 | Townsend | 10 | 1:562 | 12.05% | 530 |
| 115 | Ellison | 10 | 1:562 | 18.18% | 749 |
| 115 | Wynne | 10 | 1:562 | 10.53% | 448 |
| 115 | Milburn | 10 | 1:562 | 90.91% | 2,205 |
| 115 | Roden | 10 | 1:562 | 5.43% | 212 |
| 115 | Lindop | 10 | 1:562 | 22.73% | 901 |
| 115 | Rodenhurst | 10 | 1:562 | 23.26% | 915 |
| 125 | Adams | 9 | 1:625 | 1.51% | 48 |
| 125 | Murray | 9 | 1:625 | 15.25% | 717 |
| 125 | Bradshaw | 9 | 1:625 | 6.00% | 266 |
| 125 | France | 9 | 1:625 | 2.62% | 93 |
| 125 | Pierce | 9 | 1:625 | 6.62% | 302 |
| 125 | Kirkham | 9 | 1:625 | 10.00% | 480 |
| 125 | Worrall | 9 | 1:625 | 3.53% | 140 |
| 125 | Harry | 9 | 1:625 | 90.00% | 2,352 |
| 125 | Wellings | 9 | 1:625 | 3.08% | 114 |
| 125 | Dicken | 9 | 1:625 | 14.75% | 696 |
| 125 | Tench | 9 | 1:625 | 10.98% | 539 |
| 125 | Stansfeld | 9 | 1:625 | 100.00% | 2,544 |
| 125 | Pouton | 9 | 1:625 | 100.00% | 2,544 |
| 125 | Boliver | 9 | 1:625 | 32.14% | 1,212 |
| 125 | Leightwood | 9 | 1:625 | 100.00% | 2,544 |
| 140 | Hill | 8 | 1:703 | 1.04% | 33 |
| 140 | Cooper | 8 | 1:703 | 1.21% | 42 |
| 140 | Parker | 8 | 1:703 | 1.77% | 67 |
| 140 | Mason | 8 | 1:703 | 1.71% | 64 |
| 140 | Hawkins | 8 | 1:703 | 9.30% | 507 |
| 140 | Simmons | 8 | 1:703 | 6.72% | 354 |
| 140 | Griffith | 8 | 1:703 | 5.84% | 299 |
| 140 | Rowlands | 8 | 1:703 | 3.04% | 134 |
| 140 | Biggs | 8 | 1:703 | 6.90% | 368 |
| 140 | Sparrow | 8 | 1:703 | 26.67% | 1,166 |
| 140 | Lindley | 8 | 1:703 | 57.14% | 1,889 |
| 140 | Bagnall | 8 | 1:703 | 13.11% | 696 |
| 140 | Cheshire | 8 | 1:703 | 7.48% | 394 |
| 140 | Lunt | 8 | 1:703 | 18.18% | 901 |
| 140 | Breeze | 8 | 1:703 | 2.49% | 102 |
| 140 | Jeffreys | 8 | 1:703 | 12.12% | 649 |
| 140 | Loyd | 8 | 1:703 | 15.09% | 776 |
| 140 | Wellstead | 8 | 1:703 | 100.00% | 2,782 |
| 140 | Batho | 8 | 1:703 | 11.59% | 627 |
| 140 | Higley | 8 | 1:703 | 14.04% | 728 |
| 140 | Depper | 8 | 1:703 | 100.00% | 2,782 |
| 140 | Woodville | 8 | 1:703 | 88.89% | 2,544 |
| 140 | Leadsom | 8 | 1:703 | 100.00% | 2,782 |
| 140 | Chetta | 8 | 1:703 | 88.89% | 2,544 |
| 140 | Harthem | 8 | 1:703 | 100.00% | 2,782 |
| 140 | Goderick | 8 | 1:703 | 100.00% | 2,782 |
| 166 | Wright | 7 | 1:803 | 1.41% | 58 |
| 166 | Harris | 7 | 1:803 | 0.78% | 25 |
| 166 | Davis | 7 | 1:803 | 0.90% | 31 |
| 166 | Bailey | 7 | 1:803 | 0.86% | 28 |
| 166 | Holt | 7 | 1:803 | 14.58% | 837 |
| 166 | Nicholls | 7 | 1:803 | 2.46% | 121 |
| 166 | Owens | 7 | 1:803 | 2.54% | 126 |
| 166 | Coleman | 7 | 1:803 | 19.44% | 1,046 |
| 166 | Gibbs | 7 | 1:803 | 16.28% | 915 |
| 166 | Austin | 7 | 1:803 | 2.52% | 125 |
| 166 | Walters | 7 | 1:803 | 5.83% | 351 |
| 166 | Horton | 7 | 1:803 | 4.61% | 261 |
| 166 | Garner | 7 | 1:803 | 20.00% | 1,066 |
| 166 | Gee | 7 | 1:803 | 24.14% | 1,189 |
| 166 | Groom | 7 | 1:803 | 2.50% | 122 |
| 166 | Gittins | 7 | 1:803 | 1.72% | 78 |
| 166 | Lowther | 7 | 1:803 | 87.50% | 2,782 |
| 166 | Chase | 7 | 1:803 | 29.17% | 1,339 |
| 166 | Maddox | 7 | 1:803 | 3.29% | 180 |
| 166 | Fowles | 7 | 1:803 | 7.14% | 439 |
| 166 | Speak | 7 | 1:803 | 17.50% | 967 |
| 166 | Done | 7 | 1:803 | 7.14% | 439 |
| 166 | Jenks | 7 | 1:803 | 7.07% | 436 |
| 166 | Hankey | 7 | 1:803 | 35.00% | 1,510 |
| 166 | Woollam | 7 | 1:803 | 12.50% | 741 |
| 166 | Skellorn | 7 | 1:803 | 41.18% | 1,679 |
| 166 | Copnall | 7 | 1:803 | 50.00% | 1,889 |
| 166 | Antley | 7 | 1:803 | 63.64% | 2,205 |
| 166 | Colemere | 7 | 1:803 | 100.00% | 3,088 |
| 195 | Brown | 6 | 1:937 | 0.40% | 18 |
| 195 | Walker | 6 | 1:937 | 0.97% | 46 |
| 195 | Barnes | 6 | 1:937 | 6.82% | 492 |
| 195 | Jenkins | 6 | 1:937 | 2.96% | 189 |
| 195 | Fisher | 6 | 1:937 | 6.90% | 498 |
| 195 | Matthews | 6 | 1:937 | 1.80% | 97 |
| 195 | Burgess | 6 | 1:937 | 3.24% | 211 |
| 195 | Freeman | 6 | 1:937 | 4.51% | 312 |
| 195 | George | 6 | 1:937 | 1.52% | 80 |
| 195 | Pritchard | 6 | 1:937 | 0.77% | 31 |
| 195 | Cunningham | 6 | 1:937 | 42.86% | 1,889 |
| 195 | Law | 6 | 1:937 | 11.11% | 761 |
| 195 | Wyatt | 6 | 1:937 | 40.00% | 1,814 |
| 195 | Goodman | 6 | 1:937 | 7.41% | 545 |
| 195 | Croft | 6 | 1:937 | 9.52% | 682 |
| 195 | Dutton | 6 | 1:937 | 7.69% | 561 |
| 195 | Davenport | 6 | 1:937 | 5.77% | 412 |
| 195 | Downs | 6 | 1:937 | 9.23% | 663 |
| 195 | Finlay | 6 | 1:937 | 100.00% | 3,445 |
| 195 | Pain | 6 | 1:937 | 26.09% | 1,372 |
| 195 | Thwaites | 6 | 1:937 | 100.00% | 3,445 |
| 195 | Kelsall | 6 | 1:937 | 24.00% | 1,303 |
| 195 | Brian | 6 | 1:937 | 25.00% | 1,339 |
| 195 | Judson | 6 | 1:937 | 13.95% | 915 |
| 195 | Pay | 6 | 1:937 | 75.00% | 2,782 |
| 195 | Hanmer | 6 | 1:937 | 6.67% | 480 |
| 195 | Peate | 6 | 1:937 | 7.06% | 518 |
| 195 | Bather | 6 | 1:937 | 8.45% | 606 |
| 195 | Eveson | 6 | 1:937 | 20.00% | 1,166 |
| 195 | Beyer | 6 | 1:937 | 100.00% | 3,445 |
| 195 | Goude | 6 | 1:937 | 100.00% | 3,445 |
| 195 | Rone | 6 | 1:937 | 85.71% | 3,088 |
| 195 | Walcot | 6 | 1:937 | 100.00% | 3,445 |
| 195 | Ledsome | 6 | 1:937 | 100.00% | 3,445 |
| 195 | Kelsal | 6 | 1:937 | 100.00% | 3,445 |
| 195 | Cond | 6 | 1:937 | 100.00% | 3,445 |
| 195 | Latewood | 6 | 1:937 | 66.67% | 2,544 |
| 195 | Ryling | 6 | 1:937 | 100.00% | 3,445 |