This volume contains the histories of twenty-two parishes in central Shropshire, stretching from the Severn valley up into the northern fringes of the south Shropshire hills. Much new evidence is brought forward on landscape history and on the evolution of the distinctive pattern of settlement in this part of England. There are descriptions of such well-known buildings as Acton Burnell Castle, Pitch-ford Hall, and Condover Hall, and attention is paid to many more modest houses. These include a high proportion of medieval date. Though predominantly agricultural the district includes the sites...

Ecclesiastical history, the history of public schools and endowed grammar schools, and sporting history provide the bulk of the content in Volume II. The opening chapter deals not only with the territorial organization of the established church in Shropshire but also with the history of Roman catholic and protestant nonconformist organization. There are separate articles on 40 religious houses including the abbeys of Buildwas, Haughmond, Lilleshall, and Shrewsbury and the priory of Wenlock; an account of the Ludlow Palmers' Guild, which maintained a college of chaplains in St Lawrence's...