Astley, Shropshire

Coordinates: 52°45′54″N 2°41′56″W / 52.765°N 2.699°W / 52.765; -2.699

Astley is a small village and civil parish in Shropshire, England. The official 2001 census recorded 454 people living in the parish and 116 in the village itself, falling slightly to 449 at the 2011 Census.

The village lies near to (and between) the A53 and A49 roads.

Upper Astley is a hamlet on the A53 about half a mile to the south of the village of Astley. There is a public house there - the Dog in the Lane.

History

The village was featured in the Domesday Book of 1086 as a small settlement, with no church, but with a manor, and was called "Hesleie". Back then it was part of the Baschurch Hundred.

The village of Astley today is scenic and quaint, and consists of a number of old dwellings of architectural interest. For this reason a Conservation Area covers almost the entirety of the village, including all of the dwellings there. Astley Conservation Area was designated in 1988 and covers and area of 23.5 hectares/57 acres. It is currently being reviewed and the boundaries may soon be altered slightly. The Conservation Area is centred on the church of St Mary's which dates back to the 12th century. During the medieval era the area was partly administered by nearby Haughmond Abbey (now a ruin).

Shropshire

Shropshire (/ˈʃrɒpʃər/ or /ˈʃrɒpʃɪər/; alternatively Salop; abbreviated, in print only, Shrops; demonym Salopian /səˈloʊpjən/) is a county in the West Midlands of England. It borders Powys and Wrexham in Wales to the west and north-west, Cheshire to the north, Staffordshire to the east, Worcestershire to the south-east and Herefordshire to the south. Shropshire Council was created in 2009, a unitary authority taking over from the previous county council and five district councils. The borough of Telford and Wrekin has been a separate unitary authority since 1998 but continues to be included in the ceremonial county.

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 close to 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 market towns, including Whitchurch in the north, Newport north-east of Telford and Market Drayton in the north-east of the county.

Shropshire sheep

The Shropshire breed of domestic sheep originated from the hills of Shropshire, and North Staffordshire, England, during the 1840s. The breeders in the area used the local horned black-faced sheep and crossed them with a few breeds of white-faced sheep (Southdown, Cotswold, and Leicester). This produced a medium-sized polled (hornless) sheep that produced good wool and meat. In 1855 the first Shropshires were imported into the United States (Virginia). This breed is raised primarily for meat.

1800s

In 1859 the breed was officially recognized by the Royal Agricultural Society as being a distinct breed. The popularity of the Shropshire breed grew rapidly in England, and in 1882 Shropshire breeders founded the Shropshire Sheep Breeders' Association and Flock Book Society, the world's first such society for sheep. The same year the Society published the first Flock Book, a record of sheep bred and their breeders. The Society still survives, and still publishes a Flock Book annually.

Shropshire (disambiguation)

Shropshire usually refers to the English county of Shropshire. It may also refer to:

People

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