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LOCATION
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Shrewsbury History
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Early Days
It is believed the area of
Shrewsbury was settled in the 5th century by
refugees from the nearby Roman City of Wroxeter, but
the first physical evidence dates from the 7th
century Saxons who named the town "Scrobbesbyrig".
The Normans
The next major developments
occurred after the Norman conquest, when Roger de
Montgomery founded the Castle (1074) and the Abbey
(1083). The castle was built on a defensive site
occupying the only land entry into Shrewsbury. The
rest of the town being enclosed by a loop in the
River Severn. Later the settlement was walled for
added protection, the remains of which can be found
throughout the town, most notable remains of the
wall are on the side of the town wall gardens along
the river.
The Welsh Conflicts
Over the next two hundred
years the Welsh made repeated attempts to capture
Shrewsbury. The most notorious being Llywelyn II
who after many years and many battles was killed in
1282. A year later his brother David was also
defeated and brought to Shrewsbury where he was
hung, drawn quartered on the High Cross on Pride
Hill. His body parts were dispersed around the
country and his head sent to the Tower of London.
The First English
Parliaments
Edward I was a regular
visitor to the Shrewsbury area and it is believed
that he convened the first English Parliament at
Acton Burnell Castle in 1263. Further meetings took
place at the Chapter House in Shrewsbury Abbey.
The Battle of Shrewsbury
One of the bloodiest
battles in English history took place just north of
the town. This was, ‘The Battle of Shrewsbury’, in
1403, it saw the death of over 6000 soldiers over a
period of just three hours. Sadly bodies were strewn
over a three mile area. Shakespeare immortalised the
events in his Henry IV plays.
The site has been
designated as a heritage area and can be visited, as
can the nearby memorial church. The best known
fatality of the battle was Harry Hotspur. His dead
body was also brought to the High Cross, beheaded
and quartered. This Cross is a marker for many
slayings, and today you can see on the wall of
Barclay’s Bank a cross, from a replacement cross,
and a plaque telling of all the executions.
The Civil War
In 1642, at the start of
the English Civil War, Shrewsbury was a Royalist
stronghold, but not very well defended and as a
result, was very quickly overwhelmed by the
Roundheads. The town then remained in Roundhead
hands until the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660.
The Industrial Revolution
Despite the proximity of
Ironbridge, the industrial revolution had little
effect on the character of Shrewsbury. It remained
essentially a country market town. Thomas Telford
did leave his mark on the town, for example he
‘modernised’ the castle and drove one of his roads
through the middle of Shrewsbury Abbey grounds. In
1809 Charles Darwin was born in the town and was
educated at Shrewsbury School before moving on to
University. |
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