Oswestry

Tuesday, 01 January 2013

Olympic Torch Relay through Morda, Oswestry, Shropshire 2012

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A483 road
The A483 is a major road in the United Kingdom, running from Swansea in Wales to Chester in England, although the official title is the Swansea to Manchester Trunk Road.
From the M4 motorway Junction 42, just east of Swansea, it travels west along the Fabian way towards Swansea where it turns to a northwesterly direction towards the M4 motorway junction 47 at Penllergaer after which the route is multiplexed with the A48 along Swansea Road, Bryntirion Road, Bolgoed Road to Pontarddulais.
After Pontarddulais, the route continues along Heol Fforest and Carmarthen Road. The A483 diverges from the A48 at the final M4 motorway junction, Junction 49, where it continues via Ammanford, Llandeilo and Llandovery.
The A483 continues through Llanwrtyd Wells, Builth Wells (where it crosses with the A470) and Llandrindod Wells. It then reaches Newtown where it passes under the Cambrian Line at the Dolfor Road Railway Bridge. This bridge, being 13' 3" has been hit by high vehicles on many it occasions. The road then continues to Welshpool before entering England.

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Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes (Greek: Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Δάφνῃ, "Antioch on Daphne"; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ Μεγάλη, "Antioch the Great"; Syriac: ܐܢܛܝܘܟܝܐ Anṭiokia; Hebrew: אנטיוכיה, antiyokhya; Georgian: ანტიოქია; Armenian: Անտիոք Antiok; Latin: Antiochia ad Orontem; Arabic:انطاکیه, Anṭākiya; also Syrian Antioch) was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.
Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the Near East and was a cradle of Christianity. It was one of the four cities of the Syrian tetrapolis. Its residents are known as Antiochenes. Once a great metropolis of half a million people, it declined to insignificance during the Middle Ages because of repeated earthquakes, the Crusaders' invasions, and a change in trade routes following the Mongol conquests, which then no longer passed through Antioch from the far east.

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Battle of Maserfield
Coordinates: 52°51′36″N 3°03′14″W / 52.860°N 3.054°W / 52.860; -3.054
The Battle of Maserfield (or Maserfeld), (marsh(border) field) Welsh: "Maes Cogwy", was fought on 5 August 641 or 642, between the Anglo-Saxon kings Oswald of Northumbria and Penda of Mercia, ending in Oswald's defeat, death, and dismemberment. The battle was also known as Cogwy to the Welsh, with their countrymen from Pengwern participating in the battle (according to the Canu Heledd), probably as allies of the Mercians. Bede reports the commonly accepted date given above; the Welsh Annales Cambriae is generally considered incorrect in giving the year of the battle as 644. The site of the battle is traditionally identified with Oswestry; arguments have been made for and against the accuracy of this identification.
Since the death of Oswald's uncle Edwin of Northumbria at Hatfield Chase in 633, the Mercians under Penda had presented an obstacle to the power of Northumbria over the lands of Britain south of the Humber. Oswald had defeated the Britons under Cadwallon ap Cadfan (Penda's ally at Hatfield) at Heavenfield in 634, and subsequently re-established Northumbrian hegemony across much of Britain; although it is thought that Penda recognized Oswald's authority in some form after Hatfield, he may nevertheless have been hostile to Northumbrian power or at least perceived by Oswald as a threat.

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Bridgnorth
Coordinates: 52°32′02″N 2°25′04″W / 52.534°N 2.4179°W / 52.534; -2.4179
Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England, along the Severn Valley. It is split into Low Town and High Town, named on account of their elevations relative to the River Severn, which separates the upper town on the right bank from the lower on the left. The population of the town of Bridgnorth was 11,891 at the 2001 Census and a 2008 estimate puts it at 12,216.
Bridgnorth is named after a bridge over the River Severn, that was built further north than an earlier bridge at Quatford. The earliest historical reference to the town is in 895, at which time it is recorded that the Danes created a camp at Cwatbridge, and subsequently in 912, Æthelfleda constructed a mound on the west bank of the River Severn, or possibly on the site of Bridgnorth Castle, as part of an offensive against the Danes.
After the Norman Conquest, William the Conqueror granted the manor of Bridgnorth to Roger de Montgomerie. The town itself was not created until 1101, when Robert de Belesme, the son of Roger de Montgomerie, moved from Quatford, constructing a castle and church on the site of the modern-day town. The castle's purpose was to defend against attacks from Wales. On Robert's attainder, in 1102 the town became a royal borough. Bridgnorth's town walls were initially constructed in timber between 1216 and 1223; murage grants allowed them to be upgraded to stone between the 13th and 15th centuries. By the 16th century, the antiquarian John Leland reported them in ruins and of the five gates, only one survives today.

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Broseley
Coordinates: 52°36′44″N 2°28′55″W / 52.612357°N 2.481945°W / 52.612357; -2.481945
Broseley is a small town in Shropshire, England with a population of 4,912 (2001 census). The River Severn flows to the north and east of the town. Broseley has a town council and is part of the area controlled by Shropshire Council. The first iron bridge in the world was built in 1779 to link Broseley with Coalbrookdale and Madeley. This led to the development of the Ironbridge Gorge, which is now part of a World Heritage Site.
A settlement existed in 1086 and is listed as Bosle in the Domesday Book.
The town is located on the south bank of the Ironbridge Gorge and so shares much of the history of its better known, but more recent, neighbour, Ironbridge.
In 1600, the town of Broseley consisted of only 27 houses and was part of the Shirlett Royal Forest. The area was known for mining; some of the stone used to build Buildwas Abbey was taken from Broseley and there is evidence that wooden wagonways existed in Broseley in 1605 [1], giving Broseley a serious claim to the oldest railways in Britain. The wagonways were almost certainly constructed for the transport of coal and clay and it was these resources that led to the huge expansion of the town during the Industrial Revolution.

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Chirk
Coordinates: 52°55′49″N 3°03′01″W / 52.93026°N 3.05025°W / 52.93026; -3.05025
Chirk (Welsh: Y Waun) is a small town and local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It has a population of over 4,000.
It is situated between Wrexham and Oswestry and has been part of the County Borough since local government reorganisation in 1996. The border with the English county of Shropshire is immediately south of the town, on the other side of the River Ceiriog.
The town is served by Chirk railway station.
Chirk Castle, a National Trust property, is a medieval castle. Two families are associated with the town and its castle, the Trevor family of Brynkinallt and the Myddletons.
Attractions in the town apart from Chirk Castle include a section of Offa's Dyke and the Chirk Aqueduct on the Llangollen Canal, built in 1801 by Thomas Telford. The Glyn Valley Tramway operated from here.
The Parish Church of St Mary's is a Grade I listed building. The current church building was begun during the 11th Century by the Normans, although it is believed that an older llan, dedicated to St Tysilio, had existed on the site. Indeed, the current church was known by the dedication of St Tysilio until the late 15th or early 16th century, after which it was re-dedicated to St Mary. Today, the church is a member of the Open Church Network and participates in the Sacred Space Project.

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Church Stretton
Coordinates: 52°32′20″N 2°48′29″W / 52.539°N 2.808°W / 52.539; -2.808
Church Stretton is a small town and civil parish in Shropshire, England. The town lies entirely in the Shropshire Hills AONB, on the A49 road approximately 13 miles (21 km) south of Shrewsbury, the county town, and 15 miles (24 km) north of Ludlow. The population of the town was recorded as 2,789 in 2001, whilst the population of the wider parish (including the adjacent settlements of All Stretton and Little Stretton) was recorded as 4,186.
The town was nicknamed Little Switzerland in the late-Victorian and Edwardian period, due to its landscape and development as a health resort. The local geology is complex and incorporates some of the oldest rocks in England - a notable fault is named after the town. Today, Church Stretton continues to be a busy market town, as well as being a destination for visitors to the surrounding natural landscape, with the Long Mynd situated immediately to the west of the town and the Stretton Hills to the east.

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Cleobury Mortimer
Coordinates: 52°22′43″N 2°28′56″W / 52.3785°N 2.4821°W / 52.3785; -2.4821
Cleobury Mortimer is a small rural market town in Shropshire, England. The town's parish has a population of 1,962 according to the 2001 census. It is the third smallest town in Shropshire (after Clun and Bishop's Castle), having been granted a town charter in 1253.
Several pronunciations of the town's name are in use. In Cleobury itself "Clib-bree" is commonly used, while in surrounding areas such variations as "Cleb-bree" and "Clee-bree" are used.^{[citation needed]}
The name is believed to derive from the contraction of the Old English clifu meaning a steep place and bury meaning fortified settlement. Mortimer comes from Roger de Mortimer of Normandy to whom the land was granted after the Norman conquest. He founded the Mortimer dynasty of Marcher Lords who held power in the Welsh Marches throughout the Middle Ages and were closely involved with power struggles with successive English monarchs and other powerful Lords. Cleobury has a significant entry in the Domesday Book, and is the site of at least two castles. Cleobury Castle was destroyed in 1155 and only earthworks remain today.

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Clun
Coordinates: 52°25′17″N 3°01′47″W / 52.4214°N 3.0297°W / 52.4214; -3.0297
Clun ( /ˈklʌn/) is a small town in Shropshire, England. The town is located entirely in the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The 2001 census recorded 642 people living in the town. Research by the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England suggests that Clun is one of the most tranquil locations in England.
The town's name is taken from that of the River Clun (Welsh: Colunwy), which flows from west to east through the settlement. The Clun Valley is dominated by agriculture, though some areas of woodland remain. The River Unk joins the Clun just to the west of the town.
The A488 and B4368 roads cross in the town of Clun. Craven Arms, Bishop's Castle (6 miles (10 km) to the north) and Ludlow are the neighbouring Shropshire towns, and Knighton, which is in Wales, is 7 miles (11 km) to the south. Nearby is Offa's Dyke and the Offa's Dyke Path. Clun Forest is to the west of the town, further upstream of the Rivers Unk and Clun. The Jack Mytton Way passes through the town as does the Shropshire Way and further significant historic routes pass through the area.

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Craven Arms
Coordinates: 52°26′24″N 2°50′06″W / 52.440°N 2.835°W / 52.440; -2.835
Craven Arms is a small town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, on the A49 road and the Welsh Marches railway line, which link it north and south to the larger towns of Shrewsbury and Ludlow respectively. The Heart of Wales railway line joins the Welsh Marches line at Craven Arms and the town has a small railway station. The town is enclosed to the north by the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and to the south is the fortified manor house of Stokesay Castle.
Craven Arms is a market town for the surrounding rural area, with a number of shops, banks, estate agents, a supermarket, an abattoir and many commercial/light industrial businesses. It is also a visitor destination, being home or nearby to a number of attractions, and being central for visitors to the area of outstanding natural beauty. It describes itself as the "Gateway to the Marches".
Craven Arms is a relatively new town (for Shropshire), being only a small village "Newton" on a map of 1695. The settlement grew when the railways came during the mid to late 19th century, making it a railway town. Newton or Newtown is still the name for the southeastern part of the present day town, while the northern part is called Newington or New Inn (another small village which existed prior to the town). The town takes its name from the Craven Arms Hotel, situated on the junction of the A49 and B4368 roads, which in turn is named after the Lords Craven (who owned nearby Stokesay Castle).

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Dawley
Coordinates: 52°39′50″N 2°28′04″W / 52.6638°N 2.4677°W / 52.6638; -2.4677
Dawley is a small town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. Today it forms part of the new town of Telford (which was originally, in 1963, going to be named Dawley New Town before it was decided in 1968 to name the town Telford instead after the engineer and road builder Thomas Telford). Dawley is however one of the older settlements in Shropshire, being mentioned in the Domesday Book. It is divided into Dawley Magna ("Great Dawley") and Little Dawley (also shown as Dawley Parva ("Little Dawley") on older maps). The town's main parish is officially called Great Dawley - Dawley Hamlets is a separate parish, which covers Little Dawley and other neighbouring villages/suburbs.
The nearest railway station is Telford Central. Historically, the Great Western Railway maintained a line that passed through the parish, going through the tunnel at Heath Hill. This is currently part of Telford Steam Railway's expansion project

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Diocese of Lichfield
The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, England. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Chad in the city of Lichfield. The diocese covers 4,516 km² (1,744 sq. mi.) of the counties of Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands.
The Diocese of Mercia was created by Bishop Diuma in around 656 and the see was settled in Lichfield in 669 by the then bishop, Ceadda (later Saint Chadd), who built a monastery there. At the Council of Chelsea, Bishop Higbert was raised to the rank of archbishop and given authority over the dioceses of Worcester, Leicester, Lincoln, Hereford, Elmham and Dunwich. This was due to the persuasion of King Offa of Mercia, who wanted an archbishop to rival Canterbury. On Offa's death in 796, however, the Pope removed the archiepiscopal rank and restored the dioceses to the authority of Canterbury. In 803 the Council of Clovesho accepted this decision.
During the 9th century, the diocese was devastated by the Vikings. Lichfield itself was unwalled and had become rather poor, so Bishop Peter moved the see to the fortified and wealthier Chester in 1075. His successor, Robert de Limesey, transferred it to Coventry and the diocese was renamed the Diocese of Coventry and Lichfield. At this stage it also covered Derbyshire and most of Warwickshire.

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England
England ⁱ/ˈɪŋɡlənd/ is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, while the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separate it from continental Europe. Most of England comprises the central and southern part of the island of Great Britain in the North Atlantic. The country also includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.
The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Palaeolithic period, but it takes its name from the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in AD 927, and since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century, has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world. The English language, the Anglican Church, and English law—the basis for the common law legal systems of many other countries around the world—developed in England, and the country's parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the world's first industrialised nation. England's Royal Society laid the foundations of modern experimental science.

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Gobowen
Gobowen is a large village in Shropshire, England, of population 3,927 (according to the 2001 census).
The village was previously called Bryn-y-Castell, but the name in time changed to Gobowen. The name Gobowen is believed to originate from Gob (a pillow) and Owen (Owain Glyndŵr) who was believed to have rested his weary head there. However, this name may also originate from a man named Owen who starting mining there, and the old Welsh word for mine is 'gob' hence Gobowen (Owen's mine). The mines were filled in during the Second World War by displaced persons and prisoners of war by hand, and were in a camp at the nearby village of St.Martins, which is now called Bank Top Industrial Estate.
The population of Gobowen, however, grew up around the railway. The mainline route between Chester and Shrewsbury was diverted through Gobowen after permission was denied to route the railway through the local historic town of Oswestry. The village's main primary school was opened in 1907 with local educational provision previously being offered at the school hall attached to Preeshenlle Church. The Anglican church of All Saints was consecrated and opened in 1928.

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Llanyblodwel
Llanyblodwel is a village and civil parish in Shropshire, England; the spelling "Llanyblodwell" was commonly used in the past, and the village was sometimes simply referred to as "Blodwell". It lies 7 miles west of the nearest town, Oswestry, in the valley of the River Tanat.
The parish had a population of 817 at the time of the 2001 census. It was formerly in the Llanyblodwel and Pant ward of the borough of Oswestry. The village is located in a scenic rural area, with attractive views of the Welsh hills across the border. There were formerly several limestone quarries around Llanyblodwel, and limited quarrying still takes place.
The name is possibly a mixture of English and Welsh. Llan translates as "church" or "parish", so Llanyblodwel means "the church at Blodwel": a tributary of the Tanat was formerly known as the Blodwell, a name with a probable Old English root.
The church itself may have Norman origins. The parish, on which the boundaries of the current civil parish were based, included the townships of Blodwell, Abertanat, Bryn, Moreton, and Llynclys.

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Llanymynech
Coordinates: 52°46′53″N 3°05′25″W / 52.781339°N 3.090279°W / 52.781339; -3.090279
Llanymynech is a village straddling the border between Montgomeryshire/Powys, Wales and Shropshire, England about 9 miles (14 km) north of the Welsh town of Welshpool. The name is Welsh for "Church of the Monks". The village is on the banks of the river Vyrnwy, and the Montgomery Canal crosses through it.
The border runs for the most part down the centre of the village's main street, with the eastern half of the village in England and the western half in Wales. The border also passed right through the now closed Lion pub, which had two bars in Shropshire and one in the former Welsh county of Montgomeryshire. At one time Welsh counties were referred to as "wet" or "dry" depending on whether people could drink in pubs on Sundays. When Montgomeryshire was dry it was legal to drink on Sundays in the two English bars of the Lion but not the Welsh bar. Two of the remaining open pubs in the village are entirely in England and the third is entirely in Wales.

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Ludlow
Coordinates: 52°22′05″N 2°43′03″W / 52.3681°N 2.7176°W / 52.3681; -2.7176
Ludlow is a market town in Shropshire, England close to the Welsh border and in the Welsh Marches. Located along the A49 road about 12 miles north of Leominster, it lies within a bend of the River Teme, on its eastern bank, forming an area of 350 acres (142 ha) and centred on a small hill. Atop this hill is the site of Ludlow Castle and the market place. From there the streets of the medieval walled town slope downward to the River Teme, and northward toward the River Corve. The town is in a sheltered spot beneath the Clee Hills which are clearly visible from the town. With a population of around 10,000, Ludlow is the largest town in South Shropshire and home to the southern area committee of Shropshire Council.
Ludlow has nearly 500 listed buildings. They include some fine examples of medieval and Tudor-style half-timbered buildings including the Feathers Hotel. The parish church, St Laurence Church, is the largest in the county.

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Market Drayton
Coordinates: 52°54′16″N 2°29′05″W / 52.9044°N 2.4848°W / 52.9044; -2.4848
Market Drayton is a small market town in north Shropshire, England. It is on the River Tern, between Shrewsbury and Stoke-on-Trent, and was formerly known as "Drayton in Hales" (c. 1868) and earlier simply as "Drayton" (c. 1695). Market Drayton is on the Shropshire Union Canal and on Regional Cycle Route 75. The A53 road by-passes the town. The counties of Staffordshire and Cheshire are both close by.
In 1965, sausage maker Palethorpe's built a new factory employing 400 people in the town. Purchased by Northern Foods in 1990, the company was merged with Bowyers of Trowbridge, Wiltshire and Pork Farms of Nottingham to form Pork Farms Bowyers. The sausage brand was sold in 2001 to Kerry Group, but the factory remains open to this day as the town's largest employer. It produces various meat based and chilled food products, under both the Pork Farms brand and for third parties, including Asda.
Müller Dairies have a factory making yogurts. The town is also the home of Tern Press, a highly respected and collectible small press publisher of poetry. Image on Food also makes local gingerbread.

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Montgomery Canal
The Montgomery Canal (or Montgomeryshire Canal), known colloquially as "The Monty", is a partially restored canal in Powys, in eastern Wales, and in northwest Shropshire, in western England. Originally planned to run from Llanymynech to Newtown via Welshpool, the canal is today considered to run 33 miles (53 km) from the Llangollen Canal (at Frankton Junction) to Newtown.
Originally known as the Montgomeryshire Canal, after the former county of Montgomeryshire, along with the adjoining Llanymynech Branch of the Ellesmere Canal, the canal fell in to disuse following a breach in 1936, and was officially abandoned in 1944. With the revival of canal use in the late 20th century, the canal became known as the Montgomery Canal, which was considered to include the Llanymynech Branch of the Ellesmere Canal.
At present only 7 miles (11 km) of the northern section, from Frankton Junction to Gronwyn Wharf, a short stretch at Llanymynech, and a central section of the canal around Welshpool are navigable, though restoration work continues to expand this. The canal does not, and never did, go to the town of Montgomery.

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Much Wenlock
Coordinates: 52°35′48″N 2°33′29″W / 52.5966°N 2.5580°W / 52.5966; -2.5580
Much Wenlock, earlier known as Wenlock, is a small town in central Shropshire, England. It is situated on the A458 road between Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth. Nearby, to the northeast, is the Ironbridge Gorge, and the new town of Telford. The population of the town's parish, according to the 2001 census, was 2,605.
The "Much" was added to the name to distinguish it from the nearby Little Wenlock, and signifies that it is the larger of the two settlements. Notable historic attractions in the town are Wenlock Priory and the Guildhall. The name "Wenlock" as found in Much Wenlock and Little Wenlock (And also Great Wenlock, a now obsolete name, but found in some historic sources) is probably derived from the Old English *Wenan loca meaning "Wena's Stronghold" (wéna being feminine and meaning "hope") The town was recorded in the Domesday Book as Wenloch.
The town grew around an abbey or monastery founded around 680 by Merewalh, a son of King Penda of Mercia. King Penda installed his daughter Milburga as abbess in 687. Milburga of Wenlock was credited with many miraculous works. The abbey flourished until around 874 when a Danish Viking attack occurred. In the 11th century another religious house was built on the same site by Leofric, Earl of Mercia and Countess Godiva his wife. In the 12th century this was replaced by a Cluniac priory, established by Roger de Montgomerie after the Norman Conquest, the ruins of which can still be seen and which is now in the hands of English Heritage. It prospered until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539.

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Norfolk
Norfolk ( /ˈnɔrfək/) is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The city of Norwich is the county town at Norfolk which is fifth largest ceremonial county in England, with an area of 5,371 km² (2,074 sq mi).
Of the 34 non-metropolitan English counties, Norfolk is the seventh most populous, with a population of 850,800 (mid 2008). However, as a largely rural county it has a low population density, 155 people per square kilometre (or 401 per square mile). Norfolk has about one-thirtieth the population density of central London, the tenth lowest density county in the country, with 38% of the county’s population living in the four major built up areas of Norwich (195,000), Great Yarmouth (67,000), King's Lynn (41,000) and Thetford (22,000).The Broads, a well known network of rivers and lakes, is located towards the county's east coast, bordering Suffolk. The area has the status of a National Park and is protected by the Broads Authority. Historical sites, such as those in the centre of Norwich, also contribute to tourism.

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Oakengates
Coordinates: 52°41′42″N 2°27′04″W / 52.695°N 2.451°W / 52.695; -2.451
Oakengates is a town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, and now forms part of the new town of Telford. The parish's population was recorded as 8,517 in the 2001 census.
The name has nothing to do with Oak or Gates but is derived from the Ancient Brythonic name for the valley which was Usc-con, meaning The Lake(Usc(water) and the confluence(Cond) of two streams (see Cartlidge), and from the Old Norse gata, path; see gh- in Indo-European roots. meaning boundary or Road. So Usc-con gait is at the Road at the vale of Usc-con. A history of Oakengates was written by local historian Reverend Cartlidge whose name is commemorated in the name of the retirement home Cartlidge House.
The Shrewsbury to Wolverhampton railway line runs through the town and there is a station and a tunnel (Oakengates Tunnel).
In the late 18th century the Ketley Canal was constructed to carry coal and ironstone from Oakengates to Ketley works. The canal has long since fallen into disuse and little trace of it can be found today. The first boat lift in Britain was an experimental one built at Oakengates in 1794 by Robert Weldon of Lichfield. A full scale version was to be built on the Somerset Coal Canal at Rowley Bottom near Combe Hay, but the lift jammed and failed while being demonstrated and the construction was abandoned.

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Old Oswestry
Old Oswestry is a large and impressive early Iron Age hill fort in the Welsh Marches near Oswestry in north west Shropshire.
It was designated as a scheduled monument (number 27556) in 1997 and is now in the guardianship of English Heritage. After the hillfort was abandoned it was incorporated into Wat's Dyke, and two sections of this are adjacent to it.
It was occupied between the sixth century BC and the Roman conquest of Roman Britain, probably by the Cornovii tribe.
The complexity of its defences suggests several phases of development. The site was originally occupied by a few undefended round huts. These were then enclosed by a double bank and ditch enclosure spreading over 52,000 square metres (1.3 acres). Entrances were placed through the enclosure at the east and west ends where the inner bank was pulled back inwards to create a more impressive gateway. These defences were later rebuilt and a third bank added on all sides except the south east where the hill's steep slope made further strengthening unnecessary. The western entrance was then remodelled with unusual rectangular hollows separated by ridges dug out and defended by outworks. Finally two further circuits of banks and ditches were added to the outside and a flanking bank placed alongside the eastern entrance.

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Oswestry
Coordinates: 52°51′35″N 3°03′14″W / 52.8598°N 3.0538°W / 52.8598; -3.0538
Oswestry ( /ˈɒzwəstri/; Welsh: Croesoswallt) is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads.
The town was the administrative headquarters of the Borough of Oswestry until it was abolished on 1 April 2009 and is the third largest town in Shropshire, following Telford and Shrewsbury. The 2001 Census recorded the population of the civil parish as 15,613, the urban area as 16,660, and a 2008 estimate suggested that the latter figure had grown to 17,116. The town, located just five miles from the Anglo-Welsh border, is known for its mixed Welsh and English heritage, and is the home of the Shropshire libraries' Welsh Collection.
The area has long been settled. Old Oswestry is the site of a large Iron Age hill fort with evidence of occupation dating back to the 550s BC^{[citation needed]}.
The Battle of Maserfield is thought to have been fought here in 642, between the Anglo-Saxon kings Penda and Oswald. Oswald was killed in this battle and was dismembered; according to a legend, one of his arms was carried to an ash tree by a bird, an eagle, and miracles were subsequently attributed to the tree (as Oswald was considered a saint). Thus it is believed that the name of the site derived from a reference to "Oswald's Tree". The spring Oswald's Well is supposed to have originated where the bird dropped the arm from the tree. Offa's Dyke runs nearby to the west.

wn.com/Oswestry
Oswestry School
Coordinates: 52°51′22″N 3°03′48″W / 52.85618°N 3.06338°W / 52.85618; -3.06338
Oswestry School is a co-educational independent school, located in the town of Oswestry, Shropshire, England. Founded in 1407 by David Holbache, Member of Parliament for Shropshire & Shrewsbury, and his wife Gwenhwyfar ferch Ieuan, it is one of the county's oldest schools. It is the second oldest non-denominational school in England as many other public schools of the time were established or affiliated with the Church of England.
The senior school is located on Upper Brook Street while the junior school is based at Bellan House on Church Street. Bellan House Preparatory School was a completely separate institution until its amalgamation in the 1970s. The original school building, dating from 1407, is also on Church Street and is currently used as the town's visitor and information centre.
Established in the ancient half-timbered building close to the great Parish Church of St. Oswald in 1407, the School would later attract the attention of Oliver Cromwell and Queen Elizabeth I; the former dismissed the current headmaster for being a "delinquent" (too "Royalist") whilst the latter gave to the School an endowment of "forty shillings per annum" to help with its running. Early archive records show that a small percentage of the subsidized school-fees was set aside to pay for cock fighting, the pupil entertainment of that time.

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River Corve
The River Corve is a minor river in Shropshire, England. It is a tributary of the River Teme which it joins in the town of Ludlow, and which joins the River Severn at Powick near Worcester. The valley it flows through is known as the Corvedale.
During heavy flooding in 2007 when the river rose 1.6m in three hours, a house collapsed into the river and the Burway Bridge collapsed severing the connection of the B4361 Coronation Avenue, a major access route, with the town centre of Ludlow. A new, modern bridge designed by the Environment Agency constructed by the Shropshire County Council, was completed in 2008. A temporary Bailey bridge had been erected to reduce disruption in traffic flow during the construction.
In 2006 as a result of pollution by slurry from a nearby livestock farm in Brockton, fish were found dead in the river.
Corvedale is an electoral division for electing members to Shropshire Council. It covers a large rural area, consisting of 13 civil parishes, and encompassing more than that of the familiar Corvedale area.

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River Onny
Coordinates: 52°34′16″N 3°02′20″W / 52.571°N 3.039°W / 52.571; -3.039 The River Onny is a river in Shropshire, England. It is a major tributary of the River Teme.
The river has its sources in the Shropshire Hills at White Grit, located in Mid and South-west Shropshire. It has two branches, the East Onny and West Onny, which converge at Eaton, to the east of Lydham. The River Onny then flows in a South-easterly direction, through Craven Arms and Onibury, before it finally has its confluence with the River Teme just upstream of Ludlow at Bromfield. The River Teme is itself a tributary of the River Severn, confluencing just south of Worcester city centre. The River Severn then flows south-west meeting the sea at Bristol. The Onny has the type section just west of Craven Arms of the Caradocian series of the Ordovician system and there is a trilobite genus Onnia.

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River Tern
The River Tern (also historically known as the Tearne) is a river in Shropshire, England. It rises north-east of Market Drayton in the north of the county. The source of the Tern is considered to be the lake in the grounds of Maer Hall, Staffordshire. From here it flows for about 30 miles (48 km), being fed by the River Meese and the River Roden, until it joins the River Severn near Attingham Park, Atcham.
At Longdon-on-Tern, the Tern is spanned by the world's first large-scale cast iron navigable aqueduct, designed by Thomas Telford to carry the Shrewsbury Canal. The 62 yards (57 m) long structure still stands today, but is marooned in the middle of a field.
Coordinates: 52°41′N 2°39′W / 52.683°N 2.65°W / 52.683; -2.65

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River Vyrnwy
The River Vyrnwy (Welsh: Afon Efyrnwy, pronounced [ɛˈvərnʊɨ]) is a river which flows through northern Powys, Wales, and Shropshire, England.
The river used to be sourced from the many rivers and streams running off the mountains surrounding the Vyrnwy valley. However, since the Lake Vyrnwy dam was built in the 1880s, the river has flowed directly from the base of the dam. The river runs for 39.7 miles (63.9 km), and the last 8 miles (12.9 km) form part of the Welsh/English border between Powys and Shropshire. It eventually joins the River Severn near the village of Melverley.
The early stages of the river are predominantly Grade II white water with a few Grade III sections, most notably the Vyrnwy Gorge near the village of Dolanog. The river is paddled frequently by Kayakers and Canoeists. The other most prominent feature of the upper river is Dolanog Falls, a 20 feet (6 m) high man-made weir that requires a portage by both kayaks and canoes.
Much of the lower river below Pontrobert is Grade I and a good touring river.

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River Worfe
The River Worfe is a river in Shropshire, England.
It rises at Crackleybank on Watling Street, just north of Shifnal. It then forms the boundary of that parish with Tong, Donington, and Albrighton. It then passes through Ryton (where it is joined by Wesley Brook), and Beckbury. There it is joined by Mad Brook, which presumably takes its name from rising near the river Severn, but flowing away from it. Soon after, it forms the boundary between Stockton and Badger, before flowing through Worfield to join the river Severn.
The river has two effluents to the river Severn, of which the southern emerging at Fort Pendlestone was formerly the mill leat serving Pendlestone Mill, the ancient corn mill of ther town of Bridgnorth and long belonging to Bridgnorth Corporation.

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Shelf Bank
Coordinates: 52°51′43″N 3°02′50″W / 52.86196°N 3.04711°W / 52.86196; -3.04711
This large hill in the centre of Oswestry is a 3 hectare area consisting of acid grassland and naturally regenerated areas of woodland and scrub.
The site occupies the majority of a knoll which offers views across Oswestry town and the wider Shropshire countryside. For that reason during WWII anti aircraft guns and lookout posts were established on the summit. Along the southern edge of the site there can be found a section of Wats Dyke, an earth bank structure dating back to the Dark Ages. On the North side, it is surrounded by a vast desolate area of old railway sidings of the Oswestry Branch Line (closed many years ago) and a huge Victorian engineering works, now being converted into a new Health Centre. On the rare occasions when snow falls in the town, it provides the local populace with superb sledging opportunities.
Local legend had it that the land was donated to "the children of Oswestry" by a long-forgotten landlord and as a result of its disputed ownership has proved very difficult to redevelop, despite occupying valuable land just outside the town centre.^{[citation needed]}

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Shifnal
Coordinates: 52°39′55″N 2°22′23″W / 52.6653°N 2.3731°W / 52.6653; -2.3731
Shifnal is a small market town in Shropshire, England. It forms part of The Wrekin constituency, and is about 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Telford. It has a railway station on the Shrewsbury-Wolverhampton Line and is near to the M54 motorway.
The town, also once known as "Idsall", most probably began as an Anglian settlement, established by the end of the 7th century.
Shifnal is thought to be the place named "Scuffanhalch", in a 9th century charter, as a possession of the monastery at Medeshamstede (later Peterborough Abbey). Though this seems a dubious claim, and the ancient charter is in fact a 12th century forgery, the full picture is more complex. Sir Frank Stenton considered that "Scuffanhalch", along with "Costesford" (Cosford) and "Stretford", formed part of a list of places which had once been connected with Medeshamstede; and the charter purports to have been issued by King Æthelred of Mercia, during much of whose reign the bishop of Mercia was Sexwulf (or "Saxwulf"), founder and first abbot of Medeshamstede.

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Shrewsbury
Coordinates: 52°42′28″N 2°45′15″W / 52.7077°N 2.7541°W / 52.7077; -2.7541
Shrewsbury (ⁱ/ˈʃruːzbri/ or ⁱ/ˈʃroʊzbri/) is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a borough home to some 96,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council. It is the second largest town in the ceremonial county of Shropshire, after Telford.
Shrewsbury is a historic market town with the town centre having a largely unaltered medieval street plan. The town features over 660 historic listed buildings, including several examples of timber framing from the 15th and 16th century. Shrewsbury Castle, a red sandstone castle fortification, and Shrewsbury Abbey, a former Benedictine monastery, were founded in 1074 and 1083 respectively, by the Norman Earl of Shrewsbury, Roger de Montgomery. The town hosts one of the oldest and largest horticultural events in the country, Shrewsbury Flower Show, and is known for its floral displays, having won various awards since the turn of the 21st century, including Britain in Bloom in 2006.

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Shropshire
Shropshire ( /ˈʃrɒpʃər/ or /ˈʃrɒpʃɪər/; alternatively Salop; abbreviated, in print only, Shrops) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Wales to the west, Cheshire to the north, Staffordshire to the east, Worcestershire to the south-east and Herefordshire to the south. A unitary authority (Shropshire Council) was created on 1 April 2009, taking over from the previous county council and 5 district councils, and covers most of the county. The borough of Telford and Wrekin, included in Shropshire for ceremonial purposes, has been a separate unitary authority since 1998.
The county's population and economy is centred on five towns: the county town of Shrewsbury, which is culturally and historically important and is located in the centre of the county;Telford, a new town in the east which was constructed around a number of older towns, most notably Wellington, Dawley and Madeley, which is today the most populous; and Oswestry in the north-west, Bridgnorth just to the south of Telford, and Ludlow in the south. The county has many further smaller towns, including Whitchurch in the north, Newport just to the north-east of Telford, and Market Drayton in the north-east of the county.

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Telford
Coordinates: 52°40′36″N 2°26′49″W / 52.6766°N 2.4469°W / 52.6766; -2.4469
Telford ⁱ/ˈtɛlfərd/ is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, about 13 miles (21 km) east of Shrewsbury, and 30 miles (48 km) west of Birmingham. With an estimated population of 162,300 in 2009, Telford is by far the largest town in Shropshire, and one of the fastest growing towns in the United Kingdom.
It is named after Thomas Telford, the famous civil engineer. The town was built in the 1960s and 1970s as a new town on previously industrial and agricultural land. Like other planned towns of the era, Telford was created from the merger of other, smaller settlements, most notably the towns of Wellington, Oakengates, Madeley and Dawley. Telford Shopping Centre, a modern shopping mall, was constructed at the new town's geographical centre, along with an extensive Town Park. The M54 motorway was completed in 1983, connecting the town with the West Midlands conurbation.

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The Marches School
Coordinates: 52°51′10″N 3°03′41″W / 52.85284°N 3.06142°W / 52.85284; -3.06142
The Marches School is a school located in Oswestry, North-West Shropshire, England. It is the first and at present, the only academy in Shropshire and the only one in the West Midlands region. It has an enrolment of around 1400 pupils, in year groups 7-11, key stages 3 and 4, ages 11/12 to 15/16. It has one of the highest achieving records in the United Kingdom.
Pupils come from primary schools in the town and neighbouring villages.
The academy offers GCSEs in English, Maths, Science, History, Geography, Religious Education (RE), Physical Education (PE), Art, Drama, Music, Textiles, Graphics, Resistant Materials, Food Technology, French, Spanish, German, ICT, Media Studies and offers a diploma in ICT.
The school runs a comenius project, which enables students to go, and visitors to come from all over the world. The latest trip was to South Africa where six students and 10 teachers went to visit schools in South Africa and set up several projects.

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United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain) is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea.
The United Kingdom is a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system, with its seat of government in the capital city of London. It is a country in its own right and consists of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. There are three devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff, the capitals of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Associated with the UK, but not constitutionally part of it, are three Crown Dependencies. The United Kingdom has fourteen overseas territories. These are remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in 1922, encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface and was the largest empire in history. British influence can still be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former territories.

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Wales
Wales ⁱ/ˈweɪlz/ (Welsh: Cymru;Welsh pronunciation: [ˈkəm.rɨ] ( listen)) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain,bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km² (8,023 sq mi). Wales has over 1,200 km (750 mi) of coastline, including its offshore islands; the largest, Anglesey (Ynys Môn), is also the largest island in the Irish Sea. Wales is largely mountainous, with its highest peaks in the north and central areas, especially in Snowdonia (Eryri), which contains Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), its highest summit.
During the Iron Age and early medieval period, Wales was inhabited by the Celtic Britons. A distinct Welsh national identity emerged in the centuries after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century, and Wales is regarded as one of the modern Celtic nations today. Gruffydd ap Llywelyn was recognised as King of Wales in 1057. Llywelyn ap Gruffydd's death in 1282 marked the completion of Edward I of England's conquest of Wales. The castles and town walls erected to ensure its permanence are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Owain Glyndŵr briefly restored independence to what was to become modern Wales, in the early 15th century. Wales was subsequently annexed by England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542 since when, excluding those matters now devolved to Wales, English law has been the legal system of Wales and England. Distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century. Welsh Liberalism, exemplified in the early 20th century by Lloyd George, was displaced by the growth of socialism and the Labour Party. Welsh national feeling grew over the century; Plaid Cymru was formed in 1925 and The Welsh Language Society in 1962. The National Assembly for Wales, created in 1999 following a referendum, holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters.

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Welshpool
Coordinates: 52°39′35″N 3°08′50″W / 52.65966°N 3.14725°W / 52.65966; -3.14725
Welshpool (Welsh: Y Trallwng) is a town in Powys, Wales, or ancient county Montgomeryshire, 4 miles (6 km) from the Wales-England border. The town is low-lying on the River Severn; the Welsh language name Y Trallwng literally meaning 'the marshy or sinking land'. Welshpool is the fourth largest town in Powys.
In English it was initially known as Pool but its name was changed to Welshpool in 1835 to distinguish it from the English town of Poole. It has a population of 6,269 (United Kingdom Census 2001), contains much Georgian architecture and is just north of Powis Castle.
Welshpool served briefly as the capital of Powys Wenwynwyn or South Powys after its prince was forced to flee the traditional Welsh royal site at Mathrafal in 1212. After 1284 Powys Wenwynwyn ceased to exist. The Long Mountain plays as a backdrop to most of Welshpool, which once served as the ultimate grounds for defence for fortresses in the times when the town was just a swampy marsh.

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Wem
Coordinates: 52°51′20″N 2°43′30″W / 52.8555°N 2.725°W / 52.8555; -2.725
Wem is a small market town in Shropshire, England. It is the administrative centre for the northern area committee of Shropshire Council, which has its headquarters at Edinburgh House in the centre of Wem.Wem railway station is on the Shrewsbury to Crewe railway line. Nine miles south of the town is the county town of Shropshire, Shrewsbury.
The civil parish which constitutes the town is Wem Urban - see also Wem Rural.
The area now known as Wem is believed to have been settled prior to the Roman Conquest of Britain, by the Cornovii, Celtic Iron Age settlers. The town is recorded in the Domesday Book as consisting of four manors. In 1202, Wem became a market town.
The town supported the Parliamentarians in the English Civil War, and was subject to an attack by Lord Capel, in which the town held off the attackers. In 1677, a fire destroyed many of the wooden buildings in the town.
Within the town the sweet pea was first born, under the name the Eckford Sweet Pea, after its inventor, nursery-man Henry Eckford. He first introduced a variety of the sweet pea in 1882, and set up in Wem in 1888, developing and producing many varieties. There is a road to signify the Eckford name, called Eckford Park (within Wem). Each year, the Eckford Sweet Pea Society of Wem hold a sweet pea festival. In Victorian times, the town was known as "Wem, where the sweet peas grow".^{[citation needed]}

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Whittington Castle
Coordinates: 52°52′24″N 3°00′09″W / 52.873326°N 3.002623°W / 52.873326; -3.002623
Whittington Castle is a castle in northern Shropshire, England, owned and managed by the Whittington Castle Preservation Fund. The castle was originally a motte-and-bailey castle, but this was replaced in the 13th century by one with buildings around a courtyard whose exterior wall was the curtain wall of the inner bailey. As a castle of the Welsh Marches, it was built on the border of Wales and England very close to the historic fort of Old Oswestry.
Whittington Castle is unique in that it is the only castle in the UK which is owned and managed by a community of local residents. Today, it is a popular castle for tourism for its physical attraction. Whittington castle resides on a 12-acre (49,000 m²) property in the village of Whittington, in the district of North Shropshire, in the county of Shropshire in England. It abuts Castle Road.
In 2003, a historical and archaeological investigation by Peter Brown and Peter King identified that the outer bailey of the castle had been two elaborate gardens and surrounded by water in the 14th century. This discovery was significant in that it proved the advanced state (as compared to those of the French or Flemish) of English gardening habits. The "lavish" garden was installed by one of the FitzWarin family. The viewing mound in the centre may be the oldest of its type yet discovered in England.

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Barbara Pym
Barbara Mary Crampton Pym (2 June 1913 – 11 January 1980) was an English novelist. In the 1950s she wrote a series of social comedies, of which the best known are Excellent Women (1952) and A Glass of Blessings (1958). In 1977 her career was revived when the biographerDavid Cecil and the poet Philip Larkin both nominated her as the most underrated writer of the century. Her novel Quartet in Autumn (1977) was nominated for the Booker Prize that year, and she was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Barbara Mary Crampton Pym was born on 2 June 1913 in Oswestry, Shropshire. She was privately educated at Queen’s Park School, a girls' school in Oswestry. From the age of twelve, she attended Huyton College, near Liverpool. She went on to study English at the University of Oxford (St Hilda's College).
During World War II she served in the Women's Royal Naval Service.
Pym worked at the International African Institute in London for some years, and contributed to editing its scholarly journal, Africa. This inspired her use of anthropologists as characters in her novels.

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Baron Harlech
Baron Harlech, of Harlech in the County of Merioneth, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1876 for the Conservative politician John Ormsby-Gore, with remainder to his younger brother William. He had previously represented Carnarvon and North Shropshire in the House of Commons. Ormsby-Gore was the eldest son of William Ormsby-Gore, Member of Parliament for County Leitrim, Carnarvon and North Shropshire, and the great-great-great-grandson of William Gore, third and youngest son of Sir Arthur Gore, 1st Baronet, of Newtown, second son of Sir Paul Gore, 1st Baronet, of Magharabag, whose eldest son Paul was the grandfather of Arthur Gore, 1st Earl of Arran.
Lord Harlech was succeeded according to the special remainder by his brother William, the second Baron. He was a former Conservative Member of Parliament for County Sligo and County Leitrim and also served as Lord Lieutenant of County Leitrim for many years. His son, the third Baron, represented Oswestry in the House of Commons as a Conservative and served as Lord Lieutenant of County Leitrim and of Merionethshire. He was succeeded by his son, the fourth Baron. He was a Conservative politician and notably served as Postmaster-General, as First Commissioner of Works and as Secretary of State for the Colonies. His second but eldest surviving son, the fifth Baron, was a prominent Conservative politician and diplomat. From 1961 to 1965 he served as British Ambassador to the United States. As of 2010^[update] the title is held by his second but eldest surviving son, the sixth Baron, who succeeded in 1985. As a descendant of both Sir Arthur Gore, 1st Baronet, of Newtown, and Sir Paul Gore, 1st Baronet, of Magharabag, he is also in remainder to these titles.

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Boaz Myhill
Glyn Oliver Myhill (born 9 November 1982), more commonly known as Boaz Myhill (pronounced /ˈboʊ.æz ˈmaɪhɪl/), is a footballer who plays for Birmingham City, on loan from West Bromwich Albion, and the Wales national team as a goalkeeper.Having started his professional career at Aston Villa he later moved to Hull City establishing himself as first choice goalkeeper.
Born in Modesto, California, as the son of an American father and a Welsh mother from Llangollen, Myhill moved to England at the age of one. He attended the Marches School, Oswestry. He played his youth football invariably in midfield for Oswestry Boys Club.
Myhill's parents originally intended to name him Boaz, a Hebrew name which they encountered and liked while travelling in Israel, but were dissuaded from doing so by relatives. Nevertheless, Myhill has been called Boaz, rather than by his official name Glyn, throughout his life.
Myhill joined Aston Villa at the age of 12, working at Villa Park with Mark Bosnich, David James, Peter Schmeichel and Peter Enckelman. He signed his first professional contract with Villa in November 2000.

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Carl Griffiths
Carl Brian Griffiths (born 16 July 1971) is an English-born Welsh former footballer and manager.
He started his career with Shrewsbury Town in 1988, and after being voted onto the PFA Team of the Year, moved on to Manchester City for £500,000 in October 1993. In August 1995 he transferred to Portsmouth for £200,000, moving on to Peterborough United for £225,000 in March 1996. He joined Leyton Orient for £65,000 in March 1997, where he stayed for four years, interrupted by short spells at Wrexham (on loan) and Port Vale. He played for Luton Town between July 2001 and 2003 following a £65,000 transfer, later dropping into non-league football with Harlow Town, Braintree Town, Brentwood Town, and Maldon Town. He also represented Wales at under-21 level and also for the "B" team. Within his three spells with Leyton Orient he achieved cult status and in 2004 received 9% of the vote for all-time cult hero behind Peter Kitchen and Terry Howard.
Turning to management in 2008, he took charge of Brentwood Town for a year. In 2010 he was made manager of Aveley, before leaving this post the following year.

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David I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim (Modern: Daibhidh I mac [Mhaoil] Chaluim; 1083 x 1085 – 24 May 1153) was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians (1113–1124) and later King of the Scots (1124–1153). The youngest son of Máel Coluim III (Malcolm III) and Margaret of Wessex, David spent most of his childhood in Scotland, but was exiled to England temporarily in 1093. Perhaps after 1100, he became a dependent at the court of King Henry I. There he was influenced by the Norman and Anglo-French culture of the court.
When David's brother Alexander I of Scotland died in 1124, David chose, with the backing of Henry I, to take the Kingdom of Scotland (Alba) for himself. He was forced to engage in warfare against his rival and nephew, Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair. Subduing the latter seems to have taken David ten years, a struggle that involved the destruction of Óengus, Mormaer of Moray. David's victory allowed expansion of control over more distant regions theoretically part of his Kingdom. After the death of his former patron Henry I, David supported the claims of Henry's daughter and his own niece, the former Empress-consort, Matilda, to the throne of England. In the process, he came into conflict with King Stephen and was able to expand his power in northern England, despite his defeat at the Battle of the Standard in 1138.

wn.com/David_I_of_Scotland
Di Jones
David "Di" Jones (1867 – 27 August 1902) was a Welsh footballer who played as a full back for Chirk, Bolton Wanderers and Manchester City in the late 19th century. He also won 14 caps for the Welsh national team.
Jones was Born in Trefonen, Shropshire to Lot Jones, a coal miner and labourer. His nephew was the footballer, Lot Jones. He began his career with Chirk, with whom he won the Welsh Cup in 1887 and 1888, the latter as captain. He was then persuaded to join Newton Heath. However, he soon moved on to Bolton Wanderers in March 1889 after just two friendly appearances for the Heathens. At Bolton, he captained the side in the 1894 FA Cup Final, but finished on the losing side as Notts County defeated Wanderers 4–1. In ten years at Bolton, Jones made a total of 228 appearances and scored four goals, before moving to Manchester City, where his former Chirk team-mate Billy Meredith was a player. He made his Manchester City debut against Luton Town on 8 October 1898. In his first season at City the club won promotion to the First Division, the highest level of English football. He scored one goal in 114 appearances for City.

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Frank Bough
Frank Bough ( /ˈbɒf/; born 15 January 1933) is a retired British television presenter who is best known as the former host of BBC sports and current affairs shows including Grandstand, Nationwide and Breakfast Time, which he fronted alongside Selina Scott.
Bough was born in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, England. He was educated at Oswestry Boys' High School (a Shropshire County Council secular grammar school), Oswestry, Shropshire (not to be confused with the older independent Oswestry School), and at Merton College, Oxford, reputedly being one of the last generation of undergraduates to be awarded a fourth class degree.^{[citation needed]} He played football for the university against Cambridge, and performed his national service in the Royal Tank Regiment.
He joined the BBC as an anchorman and reporter, presenting the new Newcastle upon Tyne based Home at Six. It was known by this title very briefly before changing to North at Six and then in 1963 changing to BBC Look North (North East and Cumbria). In 1964 he began presenting the BBC Sports Review of the Year, which he would host for eighteen years. He also presented Sportsview, and in 1968 the BBC's flagship Saturday afternoon sports programme Grandstand. He was one of the BBC's football commentators for the 1966 World Cup and covered the match where North Korea infamously defeated Italy 1-0. He went on to present the early evening magazine programme, Nationwide. This made him one of the most familiar faces on British television throughout the 1970s.

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George Wynn
George Arthur Wynn (14 October 1886 in Treflach nr. Oswestry – 28 October 1966 in Abergele, Denbighshire) was a Welsh professional footballer who played as a forward for Oswestry United, Wrexham, Manchester City, Coventry City and Halifax Town. He also won 12 caps for Wales. He had a record of being a very astute finisher in and around the box. His seasons tallies laying claim to that.
Wynn made his footballing debut for Oswestry United in 1906 and scored in the final as the club lifted the Welsh Cup in 1906.
Within weeks of the Welsh Cup final, Wynn had been snapped up by Wrexham, who were playing in the Football Combination at the time. Whilst at Wrexham, Wynn made his international debut on 1 March 1909 in a Home Championship match against Scotland at The Racecourse, Wrexham, which Wales won 3-2. He scored his only international goal in a 3-2 victory over Ireland, also at The Racecourse. Several league clubs were believed to be interested in signing Wynn, and in May 1909, he moved to Manchester City F.C for the princely sum of £250.

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Harold Whitfield
Harold Edward Whitfield VC (10 June 1886 – 19 December 1956) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
He was 31 years old, and a private in the 10th Battalion, The King's Shropshire Light Infantry, British Army during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 10 March 1918 at Burj El Lisaneh, Egypt, during the first of three counter-attacks made by the enemy on the position which had just been captured by his battalion, Private Whitfield, single-handed, charged and captured a Lewis gun, killed the whole gun team and turned the gun on the enemy, driving them back with heavy casualties. Later he organised and led a bombing attack on the enemy, again inflicting many casualties and by establishing his party in their position saved many lives and materially assisted in the defeat of the counter-attack.
He later achieved the rank of Squadron Sergeant Major.

wn.com/Harold_Whitfield
Henry I of England
Henry I (c. 1068/1069 – 1 December 1135) was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106. A later tradition called him Beauclerc for his scholarly interests— he could read Latin and put his learning to effective use— and Lion of Justice for refinements which he brought about in the royal administration, which he rendered the most effective in Europe, rationalizing the itinerant court, and his public espousal of the Anglo-Saxon legal tradition.
Henry's reign established deep roots for the Anglo-Norman realm, in part through his dynastic (and personal) choice of a Scottish princess who represented the lineage of Edmund Ironside for queen. His succession was hurriedly confirmed while his brother Robert was away on the First Crusade, and the beginning of his reign was occupied by wars with Robert for control of England and Normandy. He successfully reunited the two realms again after their separation on his father's death in 1087. Upon his succession he granted the baronage a Charter of Liberties, which linked his rule of law to the Anglo-Saxon tradition, forming a basis for subsequent limitations to the rights of English kings and presaged Magna Carta, which subjected the king to law.

wn.com/Henry_I_of_England
Henry IV of England
Henry IV (possibly 3 April 1366 – 20 March 1413) was King of England and Lord of Ireland (1399–1413). He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry (of) Bolingbroke ( /ˈbɒlɪŋbrʊk/). His father, John of Gaunt, was the third son of Edward III, and enjoyed a position of considerable influence during much of the reign of Henry's cousin Richard II, whom Henry eventually deposed. Henry's mother was Blanche, heiress to the considerable Lancaster estates, thus he became the first King of England from the Lancaster branch of the Plantagenets, one of the two family branches that were belligerents in the War of the Roses. The other one was the York branch, initiated by his uncle Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York (see section "Seniority in line from Edward III" below).
One of Henry's elder sisters, Philippa of Lancaster, married John I of Portugal, and his younger sister Elizabeth was the mother of John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter. His younger half-sister Catherine, the daughter of his father's second wife, Constance of Castile, was queen consort of Castile. He also had four half-siblings by Katherine Swynford, originally his sisters' governess, then his father's longstanding mistress, and later his third wife. These four children were given the surname Beaufort after a castle their father held in Champagne, France.

wn.com/Henry_IV_of_England
Herbie Roberts
Herbert "Herbie" Roberts (19 February 1905 – 19 June 1944) was an English football player.
Born in Oswestry, Shropshire, Roberts first played as an amateur for his local club Oswestry Town, whilst working as a policeman. A tall, but quiet and unassuming right half, he was signed by Herbert Chapman's Arsenal in December 1926 for £200 and turned professional. He made his debut against Aston Villa on 18 April 1927, although he was not a regular in his first two seasons at the club, playing just five games.
Roberts' time came when Chapman converted him to a centre half, and he replaced Jack Butler in that position. In the new "WM" formation that Chapman and Arsenal captain Charlie Buchan pioneered, Roberts served as the tall "stopper" centre half in the middle of defence; at the time this was a new tactic, created in response to the 1925 relaxation of the offside law, but soon became a ubiquitous position in English football. Nevertheless, at the time Roberts was often abused and pilloried by opposition fans for what they saw as overly negative play.

wn.com/Herbie_Roberts
Ian Woosnam
Ian Harold Woosnam OBE (born 2 March 1958) is a Welsh professional golfer.
Nicknamed 'Woosie', 'Woosers', or the 'Wee Welshman', Woosnam was one of the "Big Five" generation of European golfers, all born within 12 months of one another, all of whom have won majors, and made Europe competitive in the Ryder Cup. His peers in this group were Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, and Sandy Lyle.
Woosnam was born in the town of Oswestry, Shropshire in England, and his family lived in the nearby village of St Martin's in Shropshire. He started playing at the unique Llanymynech Golf Club, which straddles the Wales-England border. He is short for a male golfer at 5 ft 4¹⁄₂ in (1.638 m), but he is a powerful hitter. He played as an amateur in regional competitions in the English county of Shropshire alongside Sandy Lyle.
Woosnam turned professional in 1976 and first played the European Tour in 1979. After three modest seasons his career took off in 1982 when he won the Swiss Open and came eighth on the Order of Merit (prize money list). He also finished in the top ten on the Order of Merit every year from 1983 to 1991 and again in 1993, 1996, and 1997, making thirteen times in all. In 1987 and 1990 he was first, and in the former year he set a world record for global tournament earnings of £1,062,662.

wn.com/Ian_Woosnam
Jesse Armstrong
Jesse Armstrong is a British comedy writer, best known for the Channel 4 sitcom Peep Show and the BBC Four political satire The Thick of It. He is from Oswestry in Shropshire, and is a graduate of Manchester University, where he met his writing partner Sam Bain. Before going into comedy writing in the late 1990s, Armstrong worked as a researcher for the Labour MP Doug Henderson.
At the beginning of their writing career, Armstrong and Bain wrote for the Channel 4 sketch show Smack the Pony and the children's shows The Queen's Nose and My Parents Are Aliens. They went on to create and write Peep Show, BBC One sitcom The Old Guys, and most recently Channel 4 comedy-drama Fresh Meat. They also wrote for the Radio Four sketch show That Mitchell and Webb Sound, starring Peep Show's two main actors David Mitchell and Robert Webb, and its BBC Two adaptation That Mitchell and Webb Look. Peep Show has won several writing awards, including a BAFTA for Best Situation Comedy in 2008.
To date, Armstrong and Bain have written two films together - the 2007 comedy Magicians, and, alongside Chris Morris, the 2010 terrorism satire Four Lions.

wn.com/Jesse_Armstrong
Madog ap Maredudd
Madog ap Maredudd (Middle Welsh: Madawg mab Maredud, Madawc mab Maredut; died 1160) was the last Prince of the entire Kingdom of Powys, Wales and for a time held the Fitzalan Lordship of Oswestry.
Madog was the son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn and grandson of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn. He followed his father on the throne of Powys in 1132. He is recorded as taking part in the Battle of Lincoln in 1141 in support of the Earl of Chester, along with Owain Gwynedd's brother Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd and a large army of Welshmen. In 1149 he is recorded giving the commote of Cyfeiliog to his nephews Owain Cyfeiliog and his brother Meurig. The same year Madog was able to rebuild Oswestry castle a fortress of William Fitzalan (rebel). It would seem likely that he had gained both the fortresses of Oswestry and Whittington in 1146.
At this time the King of Gwynedd, between 1149 to 1150, Owain Gwynedd was exerting pressure on the borders of Powys, despite the fact that Madog was married to Susanna, Owain's sister. Madog made an alliance with Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester, but Owain defeated them at the Battle of Ewloe (Coleshill) in 1150 and took possession of Madog's lands in Iâl (English="Yale"]. In 1157 when King Henry II of England invaded Gwynedd he was supported by Madog, who was able to regain many of his Welsh lands. Even so he retained the lordships of Oswestry and Whittington. In 1159 Madog would seem to have been the Welsh prince who accompanied King Henry II in his campaign to Toulouse which ended in failure. Returning home to Wales Madog died about 9 February 1160 in Whittington Castle. He was buried soon afterwards in the church of St. Tysilio at Meifod, the mother church of Powys.

wn.com/Madog_ap_Maredudd
Mark Laff
Mark Laff born (28 November 1955) in Oswestry, Shropshire is an English drummer, and former member of punk rock bands Subway Sect and Generation X.
Laff and guitarist Bob Andrews left Generation X in December 1980, to form the band Empire, along with bassist Simon Bernal, releasing one commercially unsuccessful album which gradually became a cult release and had resonance in America.
Laff also went on to drum for the Twenty Flight Rockers, who released a two singles in the mid 1980s, "Tower Block Rock" and "Johnny 7". He also worked with Rikki Sylvan.

wn.com/Mark_Laff
Normans
The Normans (in French: Normands) were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock. Their identity emerged initially in the first half of the 10th century, and gradually evolved over succeeding centuries.
They played a major political, military, and cultural role in medieval Europe and even the Near East. They were famed for their martial spirit and eventually for their Christian piety. They quickly adopted the Romance language of the land they settled, their dialect becoming known as Norman or Norman-French, an important literary language. The Duchy of Normandy, which they formed by treaty with the French crown, was one of the great fiefs of medieval France. The Normans are famed both for their culture, such as their unique Romanesque architecture, and their musical traditions, as well as for their military accomplishments and innovations. Norman adventurers established a kingdom in Sicily and southern Italy by conquest, and a Norman expedition on behalf of their duke, William the Conqueror, led to the Norman Conquest of England. Norman influence spread from these new centres to the Crusader States in the Near East, to Scotland and Wales in Great Britain, and to Ireland.

wn.com/Normans
Oswestry School
Coordinates: 52°51′22″N 3°03′48″W / 52.85618°N 3.06338°W / 52.85618; -3.06338
Oswestry School is a co-educational independent school, located in the town of Oswestry, Shropshire, England. Founded in 1407 by David Holbache, Member of Parliament for Shropshire & Shrewsbury, and his wife Gwenhwyfar ferch Ieuan, it is one of the county's oldest schools. It is the second oldest non-denominational school in England as many other public schools of the time were established or affiliated with the Church of England.
The senior school is located on Upper Brook Street while the junior school is based at Bellan House on Church Street. Bellan House Preparatory School was a completely separate institution until its amalgamation in the 1970s. The original school building, dating from 1407, is also on Church Street and is currently used as the town's visitor and information centre.
Established in the ancient half-timbered building close to the great Parish Church of St. Oswald in 1407, the School would later attract the attention of Oliver Cromwell and Queen Elizabeth I; the former dismissed the current headmaster for being a "delinquent" (too "Royalist") whilst the latter gave to the School an endowment of "forty shillings per annum" to help with its running. Early archive records show that a small percentage of the subsidized school-fees was set aside to pay for cock fighting, the pupil entertainment of that time.

wn.com/Oswestry_School
Owain Glyndŵr
Owain Glyndŵr (Welsh pronunciation: [ˈoʊain ɡlɨ̞nˈduːr]), or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower (c. 1349 or 1359 – c. 1416), was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales. He instigated a fierce and long-running but ultimately unsuccessful revolt against the English rule of Wales.
Glyndŵr was a descendant of the Princes of Powys from his father Gruffydd Fychan II, hereditary Tywysog of Powys Fadog and Lord of Glyndyfrdwy, and of those of Deheubarth through his mother Elen ferch Tomas ap Llywelyn. On 16 September 1400, Glyndŵr instigated the Welsh Revolt against the rule of Henry IV of England. Although successful in terms of uniting the Welsh against their oppressors, the uprising eventually ran out of pace due to key home ground lost whilst chasing the English army towards London — Glyndŵr was last seen in 1412 and was never captured nor tempted by royal pardons and never betrayed. His final years are a mystery.
Glyndŵr has remained a notable figure in the popular culture of both Wales and England, portrayed in Shakespeare's play Henry IV, Part 1 (as Owen Glendower) as a wild and exotic man ruled by magic and emotion ("at my nativity, The front of heaven was full of fiery shapes, Of burning cressets, and at my birth The frame and huge foundation of the earth Shaked like a coward." — Henry IV, Part 1, Act 3, scene 1). In the late 19th century the Cymru Fydd movement recreated him as the father of Welsh nationalism, revising the historical image of him and joining him in popular memory as a national hero on par with King Arthur.

wn.com/Owain_Glyndŵr
Penda of Mercia
Penda (died 15 November 655) was a 7th-century King of Mercia, the Anglo-Saxon kingdom in what is today the English Midlands. A pagan at a time when Christianity was taking hold in many of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, Penda took over the Severn Valley in 628 following the Battle of Cirencester before participating in the defeat of the powerful Northumbrian king Edwin at the Battle of Hatfield Chase in 633.
Nine years later, he defeated and killed Edwin's eventual successor, Oswald, at the Battle of Maserfield; from this point he was probably the most powerful of the Anglo-Saxon rulers of the time, laying the foundations for the Mercian supremacy over the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. He repeatedly defeated the East Angles and drove Cenwalh the king of Wessex into exile for three years. He continued to wage war against the Bernicians of Northumbria. Thirteen years after Maserfield, he suffered a crushing defeat by Oswald's successor Oswiu and was killed at the Battle of the Winwaed in the course of a final campaign against the Bernicians.

wn.com/Penda_of_Mercia
Per Lindstrand
Per Lindstrand (born September 8, 1948) is a Swedish aeronautical engineer, pilot, adventurer and entrepreneur. He is particularly known for his series of record-breaking trans-oceanic hot air balloon flights and, later, attempts to be the first to fly a Rozière balloon around the Earth - all with British entrepreneur, Sir Richard Branson. He is also the founder of eponymous Lindstrand Balloons hot air balloon manufacturer based in Oswestry, England.
Lindstrand not only flies balloons, but many other aircraft as well, and holds an airline transport pilot's licence for single and multi-engined land and sea aeroplanes and helicopters, and a commercial pilot's licence for auto-gyros, airships and gliders. His long standing dream to make a flight around the world in a hot air balloon (as opposed to a Rozière or gas balloon which requires no constant source of heated air) still remains unrealized. His distance, duration and altitude records have made him one of the best known balloonists and aerostat designers and engineers in the world.

wn.com/Per_Lindstrand
Philip Llewellin
Phil Llewellin (23 October 1940 - 1 July 2005) was a British journalist and writer. Born in Oswestry, Shropshire, he was educated at Oswestry School and Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire.
After a brief career in insurance, he started in journalism on the Oswestry and Border Counties Advertizer , and later moved to the Shrewsbury Chronicle.
In 1969 he became a freelance writer and one of his first commissions was an article on the musician and actor Tommy Steele for The Observer magazine. His work was eclectic and in the 1970s he contributed to a series of travel guidebooks which built upon his wide-ranging knowledge of the UK and made good use of his love of Wales.
But in time his work focussed increasingly on his passion for cars and motoring. From the late 1960s until his death he worked for a large number of publications in the UK and abroad, including The Observer, Car Magazine, the Daily Telegraph, Truck magazine, The Independent, Car & Driver, and Automobile Magazine.
Although, superficially, most of his writing was about cars it often also touched on aspects of military history, travel and engineering (he was an admirer of Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Thomas Telford). His writing was also noted for its humour.

wn.com/Philip_Llewellin
Rainald
Rainald was an abbot of Abbot of Abingdon.
Rainald was a former monk of Jumièges who was King William I's chaplain when he was appointed Abbot of Abingdon by him in 1084. He died in Normandy in 1097.

wn.com/Rainald
Robert Ussher
Robert Ussher (1592–1642) was an Irish Protestant Provost of Trinity College, Dublin and Bishop of Kildare.
The youngest son of Henry Ussher, he was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, being made fellow in 1611, and graduating B.A. 1612, M.A. 1614, viceprovost 1615; B.D. 1621. He was prebendary of St. Audoen's, Dublin (1617); rector of Ardstraw (1617); prebendary of Dromaragh (1624); and rector of Lurgan (1629).
On the death in 1627 of Sir William Temple, there was a disputed election to the provostship. The senior fellows elected Joseph Mead, who declined; the junior fellows elected Ussher (14 April 1627), and he was sworn in the same day. He was set aside by royal letter in favour of William Bedell, who was sworn in on 16 August. On Bedell's promotion as Bishop of Kilmore, Ussher was again elected (3 October 1629), and sworn in 13 January 1630. He owed his appointment to a temperate letter in his favour by his cousin, James Ussher, to whom an appeal had been made.
He was an able preacher, he promoted the study of the Irish language, and he defended the charter rights of the college; but was considered too dovish. On 11 August 1634 he resigned the provostship on being appointed archdeacon of Meath. On 25 February 1635 he was consecrated Bishop of Kildare. He died at Panta Birsley, near Ellesmere, Shropshire, on 7 September 1642, and was buried at Doddleston Chapel, near Oswestry. He married Jane, eldest daughter of Francis Kynaston, of Panta Birsley, and left issue.

wn.com/Robert_Ussher
Thomas Bray
The Reverend Dr Thomas Bray (1658 – 15 February 1730) was an English clergyman, who spent time in Maryland as an Anglican representative.
He was born in Marton, Chirbury, Shropshire, in 1658. He was educated at Oswestry School and Oxford University, where he earned a B.A. degree with All Souls College and a M.A. with Hart Hall.
After leaving the university he was appointed vicar of Over Whitacre, and Rector of St Giles Church' Sheldon in Warwickshire, where he wrote his Catechetical Lectures. Henry Compton, Bishop of London, appointed him in 1696 as his commissary to organize the Church of England in Maryland, and he was in that colony in 1699–1700. He took a great interest in colonial missions, especially among the Native Americans, and it is to his efforts that the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (founded 1701), now known as USPG, owes its existence.
He also projected a successful scheme for establishing parish libraries in England and America, out of which grew the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (founded 1699). Bray envisioned a library for each parish in America, funded by booksellers and stocked with books donated by authors. These libraries were meant to encourage the spread of the Anglican church in Britain's colonies, and as such were primarily composed of theological works. It was a major endeavour, as at the time the only other public libraries in the American colonies were at a small number of universities.

wn.com/Thomas_Bray
Walter fitz Alan
Walter fitz Alan (died June 1177) was the 1st hereditary High Steward of Scotland (ca. 1150-1177), and described as "a Norman by culture and by blood a Breton". He was the third son of a Breton knight, Alan fitz Flaad, feudal lord of Oswestry, by his spouse Aveline, daughter of Ernoulf de Hesdin.
When The Anarchy took hold in England and civil war between Empress Matilda and Stephen, Walter rallied to the support of the Empress. Her cause lost, Walter befriended David I who was an uncle of Matilda, and became, appropriately, David's dapifer or Steward. Accompanied by his brother Simon, Walter came to Scotland about 1136 and fought for Scotland at the Battle of the Standard at Northallerton in 1138 under the command of David I's son, Prince Henry.
He was subsequently appointed by King David I, Steward of Scotland; in 1157 it was confirmed as a hereditary office. David also granted him for the service of five knights what eventually comprised Renfrewshire: the lands of Paisley, Pollok, Cathcart, and Ayrshire, reconfirmed in a charter in 1157 by Malcolm IV. In 1163 Walter founded, first at Renfrew but shortly afterwards at Paisley, a house of monks of the Cluniac order drawn from the priory of Much Wenlock, in his native county of Shropshire. Walter acquired directly from the Crown the Berwickshire estates of Birkenside and Legerwood on the eastern or left bank of the Leader Water and presented to the monks the church of Legerwood, which they held from 1164 until the Reformation in 1560. The monastery steadily grew and by 1219 became Paisley Abbey.

wn.com/Walter_fitz_Alan
Wilfred Owen
Wilfred Edward Salter Owen MC (18 March 1893 – 4 November 1918) was an English poet and soldier, one of the leading poets of the First World War. His shocking, realistic war poetry on the horrors of trenches and gas warfare was heavily influenced by his friend Siegfried Sassoon and stood in stark contrast to both the public perception of war at the time, and to the confidently patriotic verse written earlier by war poets such as Rupert Brooke. Among his best-known works — most of which were published posthumously — are "Dulce et Decorum Est", "Insensibility", "Anthem for Doomed Youth", "Futility" and "Strange Meeting".
Wilfred Owen was born the eldest of four children in a house near Oswestry in Shropshire called Plas Wilmot on 18 March 1893, of mixed English and Welsh ancestry. His siblings were Harold, Colin, and Mary Millard Owen. At that time, his parents, Thomas and Harriet Susan (Shaw) Owen, lived in a comfortable house owned by his grandfather but, on his death in 1897, the family was forced to move to lodgings in the back streets of Birkenhead. He was educated at the Birkenhead Institute and at Shrewsbury Technical School (now The Wakeman School), and discovered his vocation in 1903 or 1904 during a holiday spent in Cheshire. Owen was raised as an Anglican of the evangelical school, and in his youth was a devout believer, in part due to his strong relationship with his mother, which was to last throughout his life. His early influences included the "big six" of romantic poetry, particularly John Keats, and the Bible.

wn.com/Wilfred_Owen

Thunderstorm and hail, Oswestry 4/8/12

A Thunderstorm broke out near Oswestry on the 4/8/12 resulting in a pretty long and strong...

published: 04 Aug 2012

author: pugman205

Oswestry Muslim Centre

Shropshire BNP hold a day of action in Oswestry opposing the proposed Muslim centre in Osw...

published: 16 Dec 2012

author: NorthShrops

Flying around Chirk & Oswestry

Flying around Trevor, Chirk, The Gledrid, Gobowen, Old Oswestry and East Oswestry....

published: 10 Apr 2012

author: gyroplaneking

Presents for Oswestry

People of Oswestry get to grips with a problem....

published: 24 Dec 2011

author: Oswestry Noise

Oswestry

Walk through town...

published: 18 Apr 2009

author: Tony Sandlin

Oswestry market on a Saturday afternoon

...

published: 20 May 2012

author: liverpoolboxingbaby

Olympic Torch Relay through Morda, Oswestry, Shropshire 2012

...

published: 30 May 2012

author: Adam jermane-Jones

Oswestry - Snowdon

Flying over the Berwyns to Snowdon...

published: 22 Oct 2012

author: gyroplaneking

Giant cardboard robots invade Oswestry

David Lawson in the robosuit, with mad scientists Stuart Morris and Ben Hillidge. Each yea...

published: 02 May 2012

author: tigerfiremedia

Oswestry & border scoobies part 2

the scoobies you see is for shows, meets,driving about, and enjoying the inspirational of ...

published: 26 Dec 2012

author: rustie ruscoe

Oswestry Xmas Lights Switch-On 2012

Oswestry Xmas Lights Switch-On 2012 organised by Oswestry Town Council....

published: 28 Nov 2012

author: TheBestOfOswestry

Oswestry Hail & Thunder Storm - 4/8/12

Had to pull the car over because it was just impossible to see ahead of me, and the windsc...

published: 05 Aug 2012

author: TheTubeOfTubes

Only in Oswestry.

Preview of the oswestrian antics series....

published: 26 Jan 2012

author: coolcarrots95

Oswestry Military Vehicle Show

Denbigh Army Surplus at the Oswestry Military Vehicle, organised by the Powys and Mid-Wale...

published: 17 Aug 2012

author: denbigharmysurplus

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photo: AP / New York City Police Department

In this image provided by the New York City Police Department, a composite sketch showing the woman believed to have pushed a man to his death in front of a subway train on Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012 is shown.

US woman charged with hate crime in subway death

Taipei Times

30 Dec 2012

A woman who told police she shoved a man to his death off a subway platform because she has hated Muslims since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the US and thought he was one was charged on Saturday with murder as a hate crime, prosecutors said ... Menendez, 31, was awaiting arraignment on the charge on Saturday evening, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. She faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted ... On Dec ... ....(size: 3.0Kb)

photo: WN / Bhaskar Mallick

India Bright Moon on the City Sky in Kolkata on Monday 03 July 2012 in Eastern India City

A science news preview of 2013

BBC News

30 Dec 2012

Comet Ison is likely to light up the skies in 2013. David Shukman, science editor, BBC News Continue reading the main story Related Stories. A science news preview of 2012. As the Philippines, New Jersey and Britain count the cost of ferocious flooding, expect another year in which extreme weather exacts a human toll. Partly this is because more and more of us live in harm's way on coasts and flood plains ... ....(size: 9.2Kb)

photo: AP / Felicia Fonseca

File - Ram Herder, 89, is shown on May 22, 2008 in his Sanders, Ariz. home that was provided by the federal government as part of a massive relocation project to move Navajos from land Congress said belonged to the Hopi Tribe.

A New Year's Resolution: An Apology Day?

WorldNews.com

01 Jan 2013

Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling. For good reason Mark Charles, a member of the Navajo Nation, is deeply offended that buried on page 45 of the 2010 Defense Appropriation Act (after pages on the maintenance and operation of the United States Military) is an "official" apology to Native American People ... political leaders and officials find it extremely difficult in expressing remorse for past mistakes ... Escorted by the U.S....(size: 5.6Kb)

photo: AP / John MacDougall

German Chancellor Angela Merkel gestures while posing for photographs after recording her annual New Year's speech at the chancellery in Berlin Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012.

Merkel warns Germans of tough economic times ahead

BBC News

31 Dec 2012

Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that the German economic climate in 2013 will be "even more difficult". In her new year message, she also cautioned that the eurozone debt crisis was far from over. However, she did say that reforms designed to address the roots of the problem were beginning to bear fruit ... In a taped interview to be broadcast later on Monday, Mrs Merkel urged Germans to be more patient ... Voters 'wary' ... ....(size: 2.3Kb)

photo: AP / Shaam News Network

In this image taken from video obtained from the Shaam News Network, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, smoke rises from buildings from heavy shelling in Homs, Syria, on Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012.

Syria risks becoming ‘new Somalia’: UN envoy

Zeenews

30 Dec 2012

London. UN-Arab League envoy to Damascus, Lakhdar Brahimi, has said that a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Syria seemed far away, adding that the country risked being slithering into ‘hell’ ... (ANI). For Zee News’s Updates, follow us on Twitter , Facebook, Google+, Pinterest. First Published ... ....(size: 1.7Kb)

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Shrewsbury Jazz Network, jazz listings January 2013.

The Jazz Mann

31 Dec 2012

SHREWSBURY JAZZ NETWORK LISTINGS.. JAZZ IN SHROPSHIRE January 2013. This is the latest monthly SJN listing for jazz gigs in Shropshire. We try to make sure that all the information we send out in these listings is accurate and up-to-date ... £7 ... The Ironworks, Church St., Oswestry SY11 2SP ... Ironworks, Church St., Oswestry, 01691 679123. Bar 35, 35 Pensons Chambers, Oswestry, 01691 661144. The Griffin Inn, Leg St, Oswestry.  01691 650156....(size: 5.2Kb)

Get help from a Gadget Guru in Oswestry (Shropshire Council)

noodls

21 Dec 2012

Never fear because free help will be on hand when staff, volunteers and representatives from Micro Plus Computers hold a Gadget Guru event on Wednesday 23 January at Oswestry Library ... Appointments can be booked from 3pm up to 7pm by calling the library on 01691 677388 or emailing oswestry.library@shropshire.gov.uk ......(size: 2.0Kb)

noodls

21 Dec 2012

(Source ... Community / My area / Transport. Shropshire Council is offering a free basic cycle maintenance course on Friday 25 January 2013 at Eastern Oswestry Community Centre, 10am to 1pm. It's part of a wider programme of adult cycle maintenance classes planned for 2013 in Oswestry, Shrewsbury and Ludlow, and suitable for cyclists with limited knowledge of how their bike works and limited experience of maintaining their bike ... (noodl....(size: 2.8Kb)

Christmas arrangements at Shropshire Council (Shropshire Council)

noodls

20 Dec 2012

(Source. Shropshire Council) / PermalinkRelated topics ... The council's headquarters Shirehall, and area headquarter buildings - The Guildhall in Shrewsbury, Corve Street in Ludlow, Westgate in Bridgnorth, Castle View in Oswestry, and Edinburgh House in Wem - will close at the end of the day on Friday 21 December 2012 and reopen as normal on Wednesday 2 January 2013. Councillor Keith Barrow, Leader of Shropshire Council, said. ... (noodl....(size: 4.3Kb)

The Men in Black From Wales (FAW - The Football Association of Wales Ltd)

noodls

18 Dec 2012

(Source. FAW - The Football Association of Wales Ltd). Whilst the history of playing for Wales is reasonably well documented, not too much has been written about the 'Men in Black.' The referees and officials who have given so much of their time to ensure that players can flourish on the field of play ... He also became secretary of the FAW during part of this time ... and John Gow ... My email ... EC ... Tom Gough (International Player) - Oswestry (3) ... F....(size: 20.6Kb)

On-street Sunday parking charges set to be introduced in Shrewsbury and Ludlow (Shropshire Council)

noodls

17 Dec 2012

(Source. Shropshire Council) / PermalinkRelated topics. Community / My area ... Simon Jones, Shropshire Council's Cabinet member responsible for parking, said. ... Lower Sunday charges - half the Monday to Saturday charge in Shropshire Council-owned car parks - have recently been introduced in Shropshire Council-owned car parks in Shrewsbury, Ludlow, Oswestry and Bridgnorth, to encourage greater use of these car parks on a Sunday ... (noodl....(size: 4.3Kb)

Transformed look for the Old Racecourse in Oswestry (Shropshire Council)

noodls

14 Dec 2012

(Source. Shropshire Council) / PermalinkRelated topics. Community / My area. Oswestry's Old Racecourse recently underwent something of a transformation when for the first time in many years the bracken on the north common was cut. The Racecourse is managed by Shropshire Council's outdoor recreation service, in partnership with Oswestry Racecourse Management Association (ORMA) ... Some particularly fine ongoing work happening here."....(size: 3.0Kb)

Reminder about Christmas waste collection arrangements (Shropshire Council)

noodls

14 Dec 2012

(Source. Shropshire Council) / PermalinkRelated topics. Community / My area ... Anyone who is in doubt can doublecheck their waste collection dates online at shropshire.gov.uk/binday. ... The household recycling centres in Bridgnorth, Craven Arms, Oswestry, Shrewsbury and Whitchurch will be open as usual over the festive period from 9am to 5pm every day, except for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day when they will be closed....(size: 3.8Kb)

North planning committee decisions – 11 December (Shropshire Council)

noodls

14 Dec 2012

(Source. Shropshire Council) / PermalinkRelated topics. Community / My area. The following planning decisions were made by Shropshire Council's north planning committee at its meeting at Edinburgh House, Wem on Tuesday 11 December 2012. Field At Vantage Farm Bletchley Road Bletchley Market Drayton - 12/01367/EIA ... Decision. ... The Farm Buildings The Firs Ruyton XI Towns - 12/03085/FUL ... Decision ... 9 Roundwood Close Oswestry - 12/04273/FUL....(size: 6.6Kb)

Homework club has moved to The Centre in Oswestry (Shropshire Council)

noodls

11 Dec 2012

Oswestry Library's Homework Club has teamed up with the positive activities team to offer expert help with homework in the recently-opened The Centre in Oswestry. ... For more information contact Debbie Marais at Oswestry ......(size: 1.5Kb)

The Centre in Oswestry’s official opening a success (Shropshire Council)

noodls

11 Dec 2012

Oswestry's new state-of the-art youth centre 'The Centre' was officially opened on Saturday 8 December 2012. ... Bands and DJs played in the hall Saturday evening, arranged by Fusion Arts Oswestry. Vince Hunt, local Shropshire councillor for Oswestry West, said. ... Keith Barrow, Shropshire Councillor for Oswestry South, said. ... The land on which the new building sits has been leased to Shropshire Council by Oswestry Town Council....(size: 5.2Kb)

Launch of new Community Alcohol Partnership in Whitchurch great success (Shropshire Council)

noodls

11 Dec 2012

(Source. Shropshire Council) / PermalinkRelated topics. Community / My area ... Jubilee Park is one of several parks in Shropshire to have secured a share from The Alcohol Fund. Other parks include Caer Glas Park in Oswestry and Crown Meadow in Bridgnorth. The parks had been identified as having seasonal summertime issues around underage drinking and associated anti-social behaviour ... Further information ... Share this page ... (noodl....(size: 6.7Kb)

Free parking in run-up to Christmas (Shropshire Council)

noodls

10 Dec 2012

(Source. Shropshire Council) / PermalinkRelated topics. Community / My area. If you're shopping or celebrating in one of Shropshire's market towns during December 2012, you may be able to park for free at certain times. ... Reduced charges on a Sunday to a half the normal Monday to Saturday tariff in Shrewsbury, Ludlow, Oswestry and Bridgnorth in the council's surface car parks ... Church Stretton - Easthope Car Park ... distributed by....(size: 4.0Kb)

timeline:
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For the former local government district, see Oswestry (borough).

Coordinates: 52°51′35″N 3°03′14″W / 52.8598°N 3.0538°W / 52.8598; -3.0538

Oswestry
Welsh: Croesoswallt
Oswestry Marketplace
Oswestry Oswestry shown within Shropshire
Population	15,613 (2001 Census)
OS grid reference	SJ292293
Unitary authority	Shropshire
Ceremonial county	Shropshire
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	OSWESTRY
Postcode district	SY10, SY11
Dialling code	01691
Police	West Mercia
Fire	Shropshire
Ambulance	West Midlands
EU Parliament	West Midlands
UK Parliament	North Shropshire
List of places: UK • England • Shropshire

Oswestry ( /ˈɒzwəstri/; Welsh: Croesoswallt) is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads.

The town was the administrative headquarters of the Borough of Oswestry until it was abolished on 1 April 2009 and is the third largest town in Shropshire, following Telford and Shrewsbury. The 2001 Census recorded the population of the civil parish as 15,613, the urban area as 16,660, and a 2008 estimate suggested that the latter figure had grown to 17,116.^[1] The town, located just five miles from the Anglo-Welsh border, is known for its mixed Welsh and English heritage,^[2] and is the home of the Shropshire libraries' Welsh Collection.^[3]

1 History
2 Landmarks
3 Transport
4 Demographics
5 Healthcare
6 Education
7 Religious sites
8 Sport
9 Notable people
10 References
11 External links

History [link]

Prehistory [link]

The area has long been settled. Old Oswestry is the site of a large Iron Age hill fort with evidence of occupation dating back to the 550s BC^{[citation needed]}.

Saxon times [link]

The Battle of Maserfield is thought to have been fought here in 642, between the Anglo-Saxon kings Penda and Oswald. Oswald was killed in this battle and was dismembered; according to a legend, one of his arms was carried to an ash tree by a bird, an eagle, and miracles were subsequently attributed to the tree (as Oswald was considered a saint). Thus it is believed that the name of the site derived from a reference to "Oswald's Tree". The spring Oswald's Well is supposed to have originated where the bird dropped the arm from the tree. Offa's Dyke runs nearby to the west.

The Conquest [link]

Alan FitzFlaad (d. c1114), a Breton knight, was granted the feudal barony of Oswestry^[4] by King Henry I who, soon after his accession, invited Alan to England with other Breton friends, and gave him forfeited lands in Norfolk and Shropshire, including some which had previously belonged to Ernoulf de Hesdin (killed at Antioch while on crusade) and Robert de Belleme.^[5]

Alan's duties to the Crown included supervision of the Welsh border. He also founded Sporle Priory in Norfolk. He married Ada or Adeline, daughter of Ernoulf de Hesdin.^[6]^[7] Their eldest son William was made High Sheriff of Shropshire by King Stephen in 1137. He married a niece of Robert of Gloucester.^[8] But two of their younger sons, Walter and Simon, travelled to Scotland in the train of King David I, Walter becoming the first hereditary High Steward of Scotland and ancestor of the Stewart Royal Family.

Border town [link]

The town, being very close to Wales, has many Welsh street and Welsh placenames and the town's name in Welsh is Croesoswallt, meaning Oswald's Cross. The Domesday Book records a castle being built by Rainald, a Norman Sheriff of Shropshire: L'oeuvre (meaning "the work" in French) (which was reduced to a pile of rocks during the English Civil War), and the town changed hands between English and Welsh a number of times during the Middle Ages. In 1149 the castle was captured by Madog ap Maredudd, and remained in Welsh hands until 1157. Occasionally in the 13th century it is referred to in official records as 'Blancmuster'(1233) or 'Blancmostre'(1272), meaning "white minster".^[9] Later, Oswestry was attacked by the forces of Welsh rebel leader Owain Glyndŵr during the early years of his rebellion against the English King Henry IV in 1400; it became known as Pentrepoeth or 'hot town' as it was burned and nearly totally destroyed by the Welsh. It eventually became known as Oswald's Tree in English, from which its current name is derived.

Market town [link]

Oswestry - Historic buildings in the town centre, October 2008.

In 1190 the town was granted the right to hold a market each Wednesday.^[10] After the foot and mouth outbreak in the late 1960s the animal market was moved out of the town centre. In the 1990s, a statue of a shepherd and sheep was installed in the market square as a memorial to the history of the market site. With the weekly influx of Welsh farmers the town folk were often bilingual. The town built walls for protection, but these were torn down by the Parliamentarians after they took the town after a brief siege on 22 June 1644, leaving only the Newgate Pillar visible today.

Military [link]

Park Hall, a mile east of the town was one of the most impressive Tudor buildings in the country. It was taken over by the Army in 1915 and used as a training camp. On 26 December 1918 it burnt to the ground following an electrical fault. The ruined hall and camp remained derelict between the wars.^[11] For decades following World War 2, Oswestry was a prominent military centre for Canadian troops, later British Royal Artillery and latterly, a very successful training centre for 16-18 year old Infantry Junior Leaders. This long and proud military connection came to an ignominious end in the mid-1970s, shortly after some local licensed wildfowlers were shot by the young military guard one winter's night, mistaken for an attacking IRA force, as the locals discharged their shotguns at some passing ducks. The area previously occupied by the Park Hall military camp is now mainly residential and agricultural land, with a small number of light industrial units.

Landmarks [link]

Attractions in and around Oswestry include: Whittington Castle (in nearby Whittington), Shelf Bank and the Cambrian Railway Museum located near the former railway station. The town is famous for its high number of public houses per head of population; there are around 30 in the town today, many of which offer real ale. A story incorporating the names of all of the pubs once open in Oswestry can be found hanging on the walls of the Oak on Church Street. Brogyntyn Hall belonged until recently to the lords Harlech.^[12]

Transport [link]

Oswestry - The former station and Cambrian Railways headquarters, later the Cambrian Visitor Centre, October 2008.

Oswestry is located at the junction of the A5 with the A483 and A495. The A5 continues from Shrewsbury to the north, passing the town, before turning west near Chirk and entering Wales. Running near the town is a navigable section of the partially restored Montgomery Canal, which runs from Frankton Junction to Newtown.^[13]

Oswestry no longer has an open railway station, but it was once on the main line of the Cambrian Railways. Opened in 1840, the section from Whitchurch to Welshpool (Buttington Junction), via Ellesmere, Whittington, Oswestry and Llanymynech, closed on 18 January 1965 in favour of the more viable alternative route via Shrewsbury, leaving only a short branch line of the former Great Western Railway from Gobowen to continue to serve Oswestry until 7 November 1966. The GWR branch had once run into a separate GWR Oswestry terminus, now long since disappeared. Trains were switched to the main Cambrian station from 7 July 1924.

The main building of the Cambrian station is still a prominent landmark within the town centre, a large handsome edifice that had once housed the headquarters of the Cambrian Railways company. After restoration, this building was reopened as the Cambrian Visitor Centre in June 2006 but on 11 January 2008 closed due to the terms of the lease not being settled (it later reopened but has since closed again). A single railway track, overgrown and rusting, still runs through the station, and is the subject of an ambitious plan to reopen the line between Oswestry and Llanyblodwel, and eventually Oswestry to Gobowen. Already the main platform at Oswestry station is being reconstructed.

Down stopping train at Oswestry in 1960

View at the south end of the ex-Cambrian station, towards Welshpool in 1960 with a GWR 0-6-0 shunting

Immediately to the south is the Cambrian Railway Museum, while a short distance to the north are former Cambrian railways works, now occupied by a variety of industrial concerns. However, the nearest currently active station is at Gobowen. Local railway preservation societies have plans to reinstate the line from Gobowen station (where it meets the mainline), through Oswestry and into Wales.^{[citation needed]}

Bus services are operated by Arriva Midlands and local independents Tanat Valley Coaches and Bryn Melyn. The town has regular bus routes that link nearby villages and towns including Wrexham, Shrewsbury.

Demographics [link]

Oswestry has had a mixed Welsh- and English-speaking population for centuries. The parish church conducted services in Welsh until 1814.^[14] English is the dominant language today, but there is still a substantial number of Welsh-speakers. Oswestry has one of the few Welsh-language bookshops outside Wales.^[15]

Healthcare [link]

The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust in Oswestry provides elective orthopaedic surgery and musculoskeletal medical services.^[16] The hospital is located towards Gobowen.

Education [link]

As well as numerous primary schools, such as Our Lady's and St Oswald's Catholic Primary School in or just outside Oswestry, there are two independent schools, Oswestry School and Moreton Hall, and a comprehensive secondary school, The Marches School, which is also the only academy in Shropshire. In addition, post-16 education is provided by Walford and North Shropshire College.

Religious sites [link]

Oswestry - St. Oswald's Parish Church, October 2008.

There are a number of places of worship in Oswestry. There are two Church of England churches, which are part of the Diocese of Lichfield - St. Oswald's Parish Church and the Holy Trinity Parish Church. St Oswald's church was first mentioned in the 1085 Domesday book and a tithe document in Shrewsbury the same year.^[17] St Oswald's Church has a Norman tower dating from 1085. There is a new window in the East nave designed by prestigious stained glass artist Jane Grey in 2004.

The town of Oswestry and surrounding villages fall into the parish of Our Lady Help of Christians and St Oswald, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury.

There are two Methodist churches: the Horeb Church on Victoria Road and the Oswestry Methodist Church. Cornerstone Baptist, a Baptist church is on the corner of Lower Brook Street and Roft Street in a modern 1970s building. Other Nonconformist churches include the Albert Road Evangelical Church; the Carreg Llwyd Church, which was founded in 1964 and Cabin Lane Church - a plant from Carreg Llywd Church in 1980, to the eastern expansion of Oswestry.

Another church in the town is Christ Church, now United Reformed Church, but was formerly Congregationalist.^[18] Additionally, there is a Welsh-speaking church the Seion Church, and the Holy Anglican Church a Western Rite Anglican establishment. Coney Green is a Jehovah's Witness' church. The Religious Society of Friends also holds meetings in Oswestry.

Sport [link]

The former local football club, Oswestry Town F.C., was one of the few English teams to compete in the League of Wales. Oswestry Town folded due to financial difficulties in 2003 and merged with Total Network Solutions F.C. of Llansantffraid, a village eight miles (13 km) away on the Welsh side of the border. Following the takeover of the club's sponsor in 2006, the club renamed itself as The New Saints They moved to the redeveloped Park Hall Stadium on the outskirts of the town in September 2007.Also now playing at Park Hall are Oswestry Lions football club who play in the Shropshire county league.

Oswestry Cricket Club compete in the Birmingham and District Premier League which is the oldest cricket league in the country. The club, whose former player Andy Lloyd went on to Captain Warwickshire CCC and also play for England, play at their Morda Road ground to the south of the Town.

Oswestry Cricket Clubs Pavilion, August 2010

Notable people [link]

References [link]

^ "Oswestry". World Gazetteer. http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gpro&lng=en&dat=32&geo=-81&srt=pnan&col=aohdq&pt=c&va=x&geo=514277697. Retrieved 2008-05-14.
^ Shropshire Tourism. "Oswestry & the Welsh Borders". http://www.shropshiretourism.info/oswestry/. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
^ Shropshire Council. "Welsh Collection at Oswestry Library". http://www.shropshire.gov.uk/shropshire/library.nsf/open/D55470EF515E450B80256CD300486C60. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
^ Burke, Messrs., John and John Bernard, The Royal Families of England, Scotland, and Wales, and Their Descendants &c., volume 2, London, 1851, p. xl.
^ Ritchie, R. L. Graeme, The Normans in Scotland, Edinburgh University Press, 1954, p.280-1
^ Round, J. H., Studies in Peerage, p.123
^ Ritchie (1954) p.98n and 280-1
^ Ritchie (1954) p.281
^ E. Ekwall, 'Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names', 4th ed., 1960
^ "Oswestry Market". Shropshire Tourism. http://www.shropshiretourism.info/attractiondetail.cfm?EstID=2842.
^ Shropshire Routes to Roots. "Introduction to Park Hall". Shropshire County Library Service. http://www3.shropshire-cc.gov.uk/roots/packages/war/war_h01.htm.
^ Brogyntyn article and image
^ Lewery, Tony. "The Montgomery Canal". Canal Junction. http://www.canaljunction.com/canal/montgomery.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
^ "Popeth Yn Gymraeg website (Welsh)". http://www.s4c.co.uk/popethyngymraeg/c_diary3.shtml.
^ "Siop Cwlwm Website". http://www.siopcwlwm.co.uk/.
^ "History of Oswestry Orthopedic Hospital". NHS. http://www.rjah.nhs.uk/AboutUs/OurHistory/tabid/65/Default.aspx.
^ http://www.stoswaldsoswestry.org.uk/church-history/
^ "Christ Church - Picture and Notes". http://www.users.waitrose.com/~coxfamily/osxchnew.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-31.

External links [link]

v t e Ceremonial county of Shropshire

Unitary authorities	Shropshire Council Telford and Wrekin

Major settlements	Bishop's Castle Bridgnorth Broseley Church Stretton Cleobury Mortimer Clun Craven Arms Ellesmere Ludlow Market Drayton Much Wenlock Newport Oswestry Shifnal Shrewsbury Telford (Dawley Madeley Oakengates Wellington) Wem Whitchurch See also: List of civil parishes in Shropshire

Rivers	Clun Corve Onny Perry Rea Rea Brook Roden Severn Teme Tern Unk Vyrnwy Worfe

Topics	Geology Settlements History Museums Parliamentary constituencies Railways

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This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oswestry

This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.

For the Los Angeles Clippers fan, see Clipper Darrell.

The Dancing Man is the name given to the man who was filmed dancing on the street in Sydney, Australia, after the end of World War II. On 15 August 1945, a reporter took note of a man's joyful expression and dance and asked him to do it again. The man consented and was caught on motion picture film in an Australian edition of the newsreel Movietone News. The film and stills from it have taken on iconic status in Australian history and culture, and symbolise victory in the war.

1 Identity
2 See also
3 Notes
4 References

Identity [link]

There has been much debate as to the identity of the dancing man. The identity commonly accepted, though, is that he is Frank McAlary, a retired barrister who claims that he was the man photographed pirouetting in Elizabeth Street, Sydney, on 15 August 1945. A Queen's Counsel, Chester Porter, and a former Compensation Court judge, Barry Egan, both claim to have seen Mr. McAlary being filmed dancing.^[1]

The television programme Where Are They Now, produced by Australia's Seven Network, attempted to solve the mystery of the dancing man's identity. The network hired a forensic scientist who examined the film reel and picture and came to the conclusion that it was indeed McAlary.

The Royal Australian Mint, however, chose to portray Ern Hill as the dancing man on a 2005 issue $1 coin commemorating 60 years since the World War II armistice. Mr. Hill has made a statement that, "The camera came along and I did a bit of a jump around."^[1] The coin, sculpted by Wojciech Pietranik, does not bear any name.

Rebecca Keenan of Film World Pty. Ltd., says the dancer may be one Patrick Blackall.^{[citation needed]} Mr. Blackall has claimed, "I'm the genuine dancing man," and has signed statutory declarations that he is the man in the film.

Notes [link]

^ ^a ^b Macy, Richard. "Who is the dancing man?." Sydney Morning Herald, 8 December 2004

References [link]

http://wn.com/Dancing_Man

This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_Man

This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.

This article is about the guitarist Andy McKee. For the submarine engineer, see Andrew McKee.

Andy McKee
Performing live in February 2008.
Background information
Born	(1979-04-04) April 4, 1979 (age 33)^[1] Topeka, Kansas, U.S.
Genres	Folk, Instrumental, Fingerstyle guitar
Occupations	Guitarist
Instruments	Guitar, baritone guitar, harp guitar
Years active	2001 – present
Labels	Razor & Tie, CandyRat Records
Website	www.andymckee.com

Andy McKee (born April 4, 1979, in Topeka, Kansas) is an American fingerstyle guitar player, currently signed to the American record label Razor & Tie.

His style of playing and his compositions have earned him a considerable international fanbase. In late 2006, a live performance of his signature song "Drifting" became a Featured Video on YouTube and MySpace, achieving over 48 million views on the former to date and remaining one of its highest-rated music clips. A handful of McKee's other songs have experienced notable success on YouTube, such as "Rylynn" with over 22 million views. Similarly, McKee's cover of "Africa" reached over 9 million views before suddenly being removed by Candyrat Records.

1 Life and career
2 Career progression
- 2.1 Response to filesharing
3 Equipment and influences
4 Discography
5 References
6 External links

Life and career [link]

McKee played his first guitar, an Aria nylon string bought by his father, at age 13. Initially underwhelmed by his guitar lessons, McKee's electric guitar-playing cousin inspired him to continue learning, taking him out for his 16th birthday to see a guitarist named Preston Reed perform live at a clinic. McKee later bought an instructional videotape from Reed and began to learn more complex guitar techniques from it, also earning his GED that year in order to quit attending high school. He began to draw influence from guitarists such as Michael Hedges, Billy McLaughlin, Pat Kirtley, and from Passion Session by Don Ross, as he continued studying the instrument on his own.

Nocturne (2001)[link]

File:Andy Mckee Nocturne.jpg

Nocturne (2001)

In 2001, McKee independently released his first album, Nocturne. That same year, he was placed third at the National Fingerstyle Guitar Competition in Winfield, Kansas.^[2] In 2003, McKee toured in Taiwan with Jacques Stotzem, Isato Nakagawa, and Masaaki Kishibe, and earned first place in the Miscellaneous Acoustic Instrument contest of the Kansas State Fiddling and Picking Championships with a Ron Spillers harpguitar he purchased from Stephen Bennett in 2002.^[3]^,^[4] The instrument can be heard in a number of his songs, such as "Into The Ocean" and "Gates of Gnomeria". Only 1,000 copies of Nocturne were ever produced and the album is now out of circulation.

Dreamcatcher (2004)[link]

File:Andy Mckee Dreamcatcher.jpg

Dreamcatcher (2004)

McKee released his second album, Dreamcatcher, in 2004. The album includes his cover of "Africa", as well as "The Friend I Never Met", a song written in tribute to Michael Hedges. McKee used the title track to win the opportunity to perform with bassist Michael Manring, with whom he has since toured. Additionally, he placed second in the Fingerstyle Guitar Competition of the Canadian Guitar Festival that year.^[5] The album was later re-released by McKee's label in response to the popularity he garnered on YouTube.

Art of Motion (2005)[link]

McKee's third CD, Art of Motion, was released on Candyrat Records in November 2005 and earned considerable praise from established acoustic guitarists such as Don Ross, with whom McKee is currently on the same label, and has noted as one of his favorite artists. Most of the songs that McKee is known for on YouTube appear on the album, which has a handful of tracks carried over from Dreamcatcher as well. During the early stages of McKee's success on YouTube in late 2006 and early 2007, Art of Motion was the only album of his carried by Candyrat Records, and saw the most mainstream exposure as a result. In a couple of his songs he plays a harp guitar shown down and to the right.

Gates of Gnomeria (2007)[link]

After his popularity due to his performances on YouTube and touring extensively throughout much of 2007, McKee returned to the studio to record his fourth CD, Gates of Gnomeria. The album contains six new songs, one of which had already been seen on YouTube ("Gates of Gnomeria"), as well as two cover songs. McKee spent the majority of 2008 on tour throughout the world, performing with other Candyrat artists and promoting both Gates of Gnomeria and his collaborative album with Don Ross, The Thing That Came From Somewhere. He released a split DVD that same year with labelmate Antoine Dufour, each artist contributing eight songs to the disc; two of McKee's from Gates of Gnomeria.

Common Ground EP (2009)[link]

In between touring extensively, and helping promote his duo guitar record with Don Ross, McKee recorded an EP of 2 re-recordings of songs from his Dreamcatcher album, and a cover song by Japanese guitarist Masaaki Kishibe. The album was released digitally only, along with videos available on iTunes that include his performance of his 2 compositions, a video each that either does or does not include commentary.

Joyland (2010)[link]

McKee announced in May 2009 that he was intending to finish touring in the second half of the year and concentrate on recording his upcoming album. He stated in July 2009 that it will most likely be titled "Joyland", the title track of the album which originally went under the name "Music For A Vacant Amusement Park". The album was completed in November 2009 and was released in iTunes on March 23, 2010, and in stores on March 30, 2010 on Razor & Tie Records. According to McKee, "On this album I've branched out a bit and included some instrumentation on a couple of songs. There's also a new harpguitar tune and a couple of covers such as "Layover" by Michael Hedges and one of my favorite 80's tunes." (That one is Tears For Fears' "Everybody Wants To Rule The World".) The album also features a DVD full of 75 minutes worth of additional video material, including a documentary called Andy McKee: Joyland, and four new performance music videos. All four music videos have been released on YouTube and can be found at:

The documentary is currently only available for purchase as a part of the Joyland album CD/DVD.

Career progression [link]

Self-described as "just this guy from Topeka, Kansas who kind of blew up on the Internet about a week before Christmas", McKee became one of Candyrat Records' best-selling artists after their video of "Drifting" was massively upvoted by users at Digg.^[6] In the wake of this exposure, he appeared by invitation on Woodsongs as well as Last Call with Carson Daly, and his online store completely sold out of his various guitar tablature books. Due to the increased demand, he began to offer sheet music for nearly all of his songs on his official website. He also contributed to Josh Groban's 2007 Grammy-nominated Christmas album, Noël, playing guitar on the song "Little Drummer Boy". Groban's album went on to become the best-selling CD of 2007 in the U.S.,^[7] hitting #1 on the U.S. Billboard 200.^[8]
In 2010 McKee contributed to Lee Ritenour's highly acclaimed CD 6 String Theory that also features guitarists like Steve Lukather, Slash, Neal Schon, Tal Wilkenfeld, and Mike Stern.

In 2012 McKee supported Prince on his Welcome 2 Australia tour, opening the show with a solo performance. McKee also played with Prince's band during the concert on Purple Rain.

Response to filesharing [link]

File:Andy Mckee comments on ThePirateBay.png

Andy McKee comments on The Pirate Bay.

McKee has, at least once in the past, personally commented on BitTorrent websites hosting his music, chastising downloaders for their actions. Posting to The Pirate Bay under the name "AlteredTuning" (which is the same handle he uses in all his internet message board appearances as well as on his own website's message boards), McKee sarcastically echoed other commenters' thanks to the original uploader of his album and urged people to purchase his work legitimately. His comments were met with approval while some pointed out that the exposure on The Pirate Bay might lead to increased sales.

"Yeah thanks a lot for uploading! It's not like I need to make a living with my music or anything. 8,676 thieves. If you really appreciate what I am doing, buy my CD legitimately so I can continue to compose music rather than work at K-Mart. I'm not Metallica. I don't have hundreds of thousands of dollars, much less millions. Andy McKee"

Equipment and influences [link]

McKee currently uses the following equipment:^{[citation needed]}

Greenfield G4 and GB Guitars
Greenfield HG1.2 Harp Guitar
Lance McCollum Baritone Guitar
Ron Spillers Harp Guitar
K&K Sound Pickups (internal)
DTAR Solstice Pre-Amp
D'Addario Phosphor Bronze Medium Gauge
Shubb Capos

File:Andy McKee.jpg

Andy McKee at Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, Ontario.

McKee's influences include: Eric Johnson, Dream Theater,^[4] Michael Hedges, Preston Reed, Billy McLaughlin, Tommy Emmanuel, Björk, Steve Lukather, Metallica, Joe Satriani, Iron Maiden, Pantera, Steve Erquiaga, Vince Di Cola, Toto, Peter Gabriel, Imogen Heap, King Crimson, Primus, Pat Metheny, and Don Ross,

McKee began listening to metal, such as Dream Theater, at the age of 13. He described on Woodsongs how he was a "metal freak" during childhood, even performing a Metallica song in his high school talent show. It was not until he saw Preston Reed that his influences began to shift towards acoustic songwriters such as Don Ross and Michael Hedges. Both walks of music continue to influence him, though he has stuck with acoustic music in his professional life.

In response to certain comments regarding the source of his creative talent, McKee has proudly admitted to have never taken any recreational drugs in his life—a fact lauded by many of his fans online, including fellow guitarist Don Ross. Commenting on McKee's MySpace, Ross wrote:

"I too have never touched weed, pills, blow or needles. I'm always insulted when people find that hard to believe. 'How can you write such insane music straight?!?' Frick! Some of us are just creative using only the chemicals already present in our bodies. That goes for almost any musician I've had a close association with, contrary to the stereotypes. Hell, Zappa was sober all the time!

Bravo, Andy. I appreciate the fact that when you and I tour together, there's no junk going around, no smokes, no nothing. Keeping it clean. And we always have a fabulous time."

Discography [link]

Album Title	Year
Nocturne	2001
Dreamcatcher	2004
Art of Motion	2005
Gates of Gnomeria	2007
Split DVD with Antoine Dufour	2007
The Thing That Came From Somewhere with Don Ross	2008
Common Ground EP	2009
Joyland	2010

References [link]

^ "The Andy McKee FAQ", Andy McKee official website. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
^ Instrument Contest Winner Archives – Andy McKee, Winfield Valley Festival website.. Retrieved January 17, 2008.
^ 2003 Kansas State Fiddling and Picking Championships – Contest Results.^{[dead link]}. Retrieved January 17, 2008.
^ ^a ^b Biography at McKee's website.. Retrieved January 17, 2008.
^ Andy McKee – Biography, The Canadian Guitar Festival website.^{[dead link]}. Retrieved January 17, 2008.
^ Amazing finger style guitarist Andy Mckee proves why you suck, Digg website
^ Geoff Mayfield, "Groban's 'Noel' Makes Chart History", Billboard.biz, December 18, 2007.
^ Artist Chart History – Josh Groban, Billboard Magazine.^{[dead link]}. Retrieved January 19, 2008.

Persondata
Name	Mackee, Andy
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	April 4, 1979
Place of birth	Topeka, Kansas, U.S.
Date of death
Place of death

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