Shropshire (Detached)

Last updated

Flag of Shropshire Flag of Shropshire.svg
Flag of Shropshire
Map of Shropshire (Detached) marked as blue DudleyTraditionalDetail.jpg
Map of Shropshire (Detached) marked as blue

Between the late 11th century and 1844, the English county of Shropshire (or Salop) possessed a large exclave within the present-day Black Country and surrounding area. [1] This territory was gained from neighbouring Worcestershire, [2] and the exclave's border corresponded with the medieval Manor of Hala (or Halas, Hales). Shropshire (Detached) contained the townships of (what are now known as) Halesowen, Oldbury, Warley Salop, Ridgacre, Hunnington, Romsley and Langley. The exceptions were Cradley, Lutley and Warley Wigorn, which were exclaves or enclaves still aligned with the original county. [3] [4] Bounded entirely by Staffordshire and Worcestershire, Hala was part of Brimstree hundred, [5] and totally detached from the rest of Shropshire. Bridgnorth, the nearest town within the main body of Shropshire, is 16.8 miles (27.03 km) away from Halesowen, [6] whilst the county town of Shrewsbury is 34.6 miles (55.62 km) away. [7]

Contents

In 1844, following enactment of the Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844 , Shropshire (Detached) was reunited with Worcestershire and remained within the original county until 1974. [8] Halesowen and Oldbury are currently part of the metropolitan County of West Midlands, [9]

History

The old Worcestershire-Shropshire border is still marked at Lutley. The Old Worcestershire-Shropshire Border - Lutley - geograph.org.uk - 961083.jpg
The old Worcestershire-Shropshire border is still marked at Lutley.

Prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, the Manor of Hala formed a northerly arm of the fledgling county of Worcestershire, within the hundred of Clent. [10] By the time of the Domesday Book in 1086, the manor was listed as under the control of Roger de Montgomerie, first Earl of Shrewsbury and his ally 'Roger the Huntsman', [11] although integration into Shropshire had not yet taken place. [12] The Domesday Book also states that the Earl had an estate within the Manor, with "four ploughs at work on his home farm and 36 tenant farmers cultivating the remaining land with 41 ploughs between them. He also had a separate estate in Halesowen, leased to Roger the Huntsman, who had one plough on his own farm and six sub-tenants employing five more ploughs" [13] As a close ally of the King, the Earl of Shrewsbury was granted most of Hala by William the Conqueror, [2] although the remainder of the land was gifted to others, such as Ansculf de Picquigny (his son William Fitz-Ansculf inherited the land). [14] De Picquigny was a French baron who became Sheriff of Buckinghamshire and founded the Barony of Dudley to administrate his lands across eleven counties of England. [15] Warley was divided into two; the Barony of Dudley's lands were known as Warley Wigorn (Warley Worcestershire) and remained in Worcestershire, whilst Earl Roger's segments became integrated into Shropshire, known as Warley Salop (Warley Shropshire). [16]

Part of the complex boundary of Warley Wigorn (in green) and Warley Salop. Langley Green complex county boundaries.png
Part of the complex boundary of Warley Wigorn (in green) and Warley Salop.

Cradley was also a possession of the Barony of Dudley and thus remained in its original county, along with the hamlet of Lutley which was held by the Canons of Wolverhampton. [17]

The Shropshire territories of the Manor remained in the hands of Earl Roger's descendants until 1102, when Robert de Belesme led an unsuccessful rebellion against Henry I and Hala was confiscated by the Crown as a consequence. Henry II gave the Manor to his half-sister Emma who had married Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd in 1174. She restored it to Richard I, although her son Owen still had claims on it. The Manor's name was altered to Hales Owen in the 1270s. [18]

Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844

The Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844 was an Act of Parliament which abolished many of the exclaves of counties in England and Wales for civil purposes. [19] The precursor to this legislation was the Reform Act 1832 and Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832, which redefined the boundaries for Members of Parliament. [20] These acts changed the status of many exclaves and enclaves, thus starting the process of incorporating these 'outliers' into their surrounding county. Halesowen was to be incorporated into Worcestershire for Parliamentary purposes, [21] although the Justices of the Peace of Shropshire still held jurisdiction until 1844. [22] The Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844 placed all of what was the medieval Halesowen parish back into Worcestershire, under the 'Lower' division of Halfshire hundred. [23] Warley Wigorn was unified with Warley Salop to form the new parish of Warley in 1884. [24]

Modern local government era

In 1889; Halesowen and Oldbury formed part of the new administrative county of Worcester, due to enactment of the Local Government Act 1888. The county retained Halesowen (and Oldbury through the County Borough of Warley) [25] until adoption of the Local Government Act 1972, which established the Metropolitan County of West Midlands in April 1974. [8] Dudley County Borough along with Stourbridge and Halesowen formed Dudley Metropolitan District (later to become Dudley Metropolitan Borough), whilst Warley County Borough merged with West Bromwich to create Sandwell. [9] The 'top tier' West Midlands County Council was abolished in April 1986 via enactment of the Local Government Act 1985. [26] Romsley, Hunnington and Frankley are part of the administrative Worcestershire, within the Bromsgrove District. [27]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worcestershire</span> County of England

Worcestershire is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands county to the north, Warwickshire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south, and Herefordshire to the west. The city of Worcester is the largest settlement and the county town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Midlands (county)</span> County of England

West Midlands is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the larger West Midlands region of England. A landlocked county, it is bordered by Staffordshire to the north and west, Worcestershire to the south, and is surrounded by Warwickshire to the east. The largest settlement is the city of Birmingham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandwell</span> Metropolitan borough in England

Sandwell is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands county in England. The borough is named after the Sandwell Priory, and spans a densely populated part of the West Midlands conurbation. Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council defines the borough as the six amalgamated towns of Oldbury, Rowley Regis, Smethwick, Tipton, Wednesbury and West Bromwich. Rowley Regis includes the towns of Blackheath and Cradley Heath.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oldbury, West Midlands</span> Town in West Midlands, England

Oldbury is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, West Midlands, England. It is the administrative centre of the borough. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 13,606, while the 2017 population of the wider built-up area was estimated at 25,488. Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, which defines Oldbury Town as consisting of the wards of Bristnall, Langley, Oldbury, and Old Warley, gave the population as 50,641 in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hereford and Worcester</span> Former English county

Hereford and Worcester was an English non-metropolitan county created on 1 April 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 from the areas of the former administrative county of Herefordshire, most of Worcestershire and the county borough of Worcester. An aim of the Act was to increase efficiency of local government: the two counties are among England's smaller and less populous counties, particularly after the same Act transferred some of Worcestershire's most urbanised areas to the West Midlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halesowen</span> Town in England

Halesowen is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the county of West Midlands, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Stour, Worcestershire</span> River in the West Midlands, England

The Stour(, rhymes with "flour") is a river flowing through the counties of Worcestershire, the West Midlands and Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England. The Stour is a major tributary of the River Severn, and is about 25 miles (40 km) in length. It has played a considerable part in the economic history of the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Borough of Warley</span>

Warley was a short-lived county borough and civil parish in the geographical county of Worcestershire, England, forming part of the West Midlands conurbation. It was formed in 1966 by the combination of the existing county borough of Smethwick with the municipal boroughs of Oldbury and Rowley Regis, by recommendation of the Local Government Commission for England. It was abolished just 8 years later in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, with its area passing to the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halesowen Abbey</span> Premonstratensian abbey in Halesowen, England

Halesowen Abbey was a Premonstratensian abbey in Halesowen, England of which only ruins remain. Founded by Peter des Roches with a grant of land from King John, the abbey's official year of inauguration was 1218. It acquired two daughter abbeys and a dependent priory. It also acquired a considerable range of estates, mostly concentrated within the region, and a number of churches, which it appropriated after being granted the advowsons. The abbey's manorial court records have survived in large part, portraying a discontented community, driven to many acts of resistance and at one point to challenge the abbey's very existence. The abbey played no great part in the affairs of its order, although it was represented at all levels. At least one abbot attracted serious criticism from within the order, which attempted to remove him. Its canons observed the Rule of St Augustine to a varying degree, with some serious lapses, at least in the late 15th century, when the order's visitor uncovered widespread sexual exploitation of local women. The abbey was moderately prosperous and survived the suppression of the lesser monasteries. It was dissolved in 1538.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Counties Act 1844, which came into effect on 20 October 1844, was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom which eliminated many outliers or exclaves of counties in England and Wales for civil purposes. The changes were based on recommendations by a boundary commission, headed by the surveyor Thomas Drummond and summarized in a schedule attached to the Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832. This also listed a few examples of civil parishes divided by county boundaries, most of which were dealt with by later legislation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunnington</span> Human settlement in England

Hunnington is a village and civil parish in the Bromsgrove District of Worcestershire, England, close to the border with West Midlands, and just south of Halesowen. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 552.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Borough of Dudley</span>

The County Borough of Dudley was a local government district in the English Midlands from 1865 to 1974. Originally a municipal borough, it became a county borough in 1889, centred on the main town centre of Dudley, along with the suburbs of Netherton and Woodside. Although surrounded by Staffordshire, the borough was associated with Worcestershire for non-administrative purposes, forming an exclave of the county until 1966, when it was transferred to Staffordshire after an expansion of the borough boundaries. Following local government reorganization in 1974, Dudley took in the boroughs of Halesowen and Stourbridge to form the present-day Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the newly formed West Midlands county.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cradley, West Midlands</span> Village in Dudley, West Midlands, England

Cradley is a village in the Black Country and Metropolitan Borough of Dudley near Halesowen and the banks of the River Stour. Colley Gate is the name of the short road in the centre of Cradley. It was part of the ancient parish of Halesowen, but unlike much of the rest of that parish, which was an exclave of Shropshire, Cradley was always in Worcestershire, until the creation of the West Midlands county in 1974. This meant that for civil administrative purposes, Cradley formerly had the officers which a parish would have had. The population of the appropriate Dudley Ward taken at the 2011 census was 13,340.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warley, West Midlands</span>

Warley is a residential area of Oldbury in the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell in the West Midlands of the United Kingdom. Historically in both Worcestershire and Shropshire, the name has been used for both a civil parish (1884–1908) and a county borough (1966–1974). Warley has been the name of a UK Parliament constituency since 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halesowen (medieval parish)</span>

Halesowen was a medieval parish in the West Midlands of England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illey</span> Village England

Illey is a hamlet south of Halesowen in the Dudley district, in the county of the West Midlands, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lutley</span> Human settlement in England

Lutley is a hamlet near Halesowen in the Dudley district, in the county of the West Midlands, England. Lutley Mill is nearby in Halesowen and is also the name of a local pub. Lutley Mill is situated on Puddings Brook. The Lutley Gutter runs through Lutley. In 1951 the parish had a population of 457.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evolution of Worcestershire county boundaries since 1844</span>

The administrative boundaries of Worcestershire, England have been fluid for over 150 years since the first major changes in 1844. There were many detached parts of Worcestershire in the surrounding counties, and conversely there were islands of other counties within Worcestershire. The 1844 Counties Act began the process of eliminating these, but the process was not completed until 1966, when Dudley was absorbed into Staffordshire.

Halfshire was one of the hundreds in the English county of Worcestershire. As three of the five hundreds in the county were jurisdictions exempt from the authority of the sheriff, the hundred was considered to be half what was subject to his jurisdiction, whence the name.

References

  1. ↑ Treadway Russell Nash, Collections for the History of Worcestershire (1781)
  2. 1 2 History of Oldbury, Langley and Warley Story – Retrieved 13 August 2014
  3. ↑ Colin Hinson, UK & Ireland Genealogy – Retrieved 13 August 2014
  4. ↑ Worcestershire Record Office, Tithe award for Warley Wigorn.
  5. ↑ Worcester Branch of the Birmingham & Midland Society for Genealogy & Heraldry Halesowen, Hundred – Retrieved 13 August 2014
  6. ↑ Distance from Halesowen to Bridgnorth – Retrieved 13 August 2014
  7. ↑ Distance from Halesowen to Shrewsbury – Retrieved 13 August 2014
  8. 1 2 H.M. Government Local Government Act 1972 – Retrieved 13 August 2014
  9. 1 2 Local Government Act 1972 (1972) c. 70 SCHEDULE 1 Part III Section 1
  10. ↑ Domesday Map Clent Hundred – Retrieved 13 August 2014
  11. ↑ The Domesday Book Online Worcestershire Page 2 – Retrieved 13 August 2014
  12. ↑ British History History of the County of Worcester Vol III – Retrieved 13 August 2013
  13. ↑ Romsley and Hunnington History Society [http://www.rhhs.org.uk/local-history/3-domesday.html The Domesday Book – Retrieved 13 August 2014
  14. ↑ History of Oldbury, Langley and Warley The Story of Oldbury – Retrieved 13 August 2014
  15. ↑ Ansculf DE PICQUIGNY Sheriff of Buckinghamshire – Retrieved 13 August 2014
  16. ↑ Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council Warley Township Archived 19 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine – Retrieved 13 August 2014
  17. ↑ British History Online A History of the County of Worcester Vol.III – Retrieved 13 August 2014
  18. ↑ Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council 'Town Centre Management' A Brief History of Halesowen Archived 25 January 2017 at the Wayback Machine – Retrieved 13 August 2014
  19. ↑ HM Government Legislation – Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844
  20. ↑ HM Government Legislation – Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832
  21. ↑ History of Parliament Online Shropshire Constituencies – Retrieved 13 August 2014
  22. ↑ Black Country Bugle Independence Archived 14 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine – Retrieved 13 August 2014
  23. ↑ Youngs, Frederic A. – Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Volume II Northern England
  24. ↑ Worcester Branch of the Birmingham & Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry Warley – Retrieved 13 August 2014
  25. ↑ "Warley County Borough". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  26. ↑ HM Government Legislation Local Government Act 1985 – Retrieved 13 August 2014
  27. ↑ HM Government Legislation The Hereford and Worcester (Structural, Boundary and Electoral Changes) Order 1996 – Retrieved 13 August 2014

52°27′N2°04′W / 52.45°N 2.06°W / 52.45; -2.06

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.