Ryton

is a parish, in the Shiffnal Division of the Brimstree Hundred, which embraces 1,390 acres of fertile land, yielding fine crops of wheat, barley, and turnips. The village is pleasantly situated, three miles S. from Shiffnal, and the same distance W. of Albrighton. The river Worf, which is celebrated for the excellency and abundance of its trout, intersects the parish. At the census in 1801 there were 160 inhabitants; 1831, 154; and in 1841, 41 houses and 195 souls. Rateable value of the parish, £2,507. The principal landowners are William Angeworth, Esq., Charles Head, Esq., Rev. Robert William Eyton, M.A., and R. A. Slaney, Esq.; there are also several smaller proprietors. The Church is a neat structure of free-stone, erected in the year 1710, to which additions have from time to time been made. It consists of nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a square tower, in which are three bells and a clock; the interior has a neat and orderly appearance: the pews are of oak, and the east window is beautifully ornamented with stained glass, with figures illustrative of Scripture history. There are some neat tablets and memorials to the Hardings, Heads, Sansoms, and others. The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s book at £5. 12s. 1d., now returned at £508, in the patronage and incumbency of the Rev. Robert William Eyton, M.A.; curate, Rev. Richard Seddon, B.A. The tithes for Royton parish are commuted for £445. The Rectory is a handsome modern residence, pleasantly situated a little south from the church, and was built on the site of the old rectory. The National School, a neat Elizabethan brick structure, situated a little east from the church, was built in the year 1850. The average attendance of children is about forty. Not far from the National School the stream of the Worf is crossed by a small stone bridge.

Directory.—Robert Bradley, farmer; John Candlin, farmer; Edward Corbett, blacksmith; Elizabeth Corbett, schoolmistress; Samuel Dalloe, schoolmaster; Rev. Robert William Eyton, M.A., The Rectory; Charles Head, farmer, Atchley House; Thomas Hodgkiss, shoemaker; William Holloway, shoe and patten maker; John Knight, wheelwright; William Miles, farmer and beerhouse-keeper, Grindle; George Powell, farmer, Grindle; John Roberts, butler; Rev. Richard Seddon, B.A., curate, Ryton Bank; Thomas Wheeler, farmer, Atchley; John Yates, farmer, Grindle.