Woolston

The Hamlet of Woolston has played a slightly 'semi-detached' role in Maesbury's heritage. It was within the Hundred of Mersete, of which Maesbury was the principal settlement, then went a separate way for about 800 years before becoming part of the modern Maesbury and Aston Ward of the Oswestry Rural Parish.

The road between West Felton, Woolston and Osbaston (all of which are mentioned in the Domesday Book) is probably a very ancient 'ridgeway' providing a route above the large area of marshland bewteen Woolston and Maesbury.

The Domesday Book, of 1086, included Woolston in the Hundred of Mersete [with further explanations in italics]:

The same Reginald [de Baieul, the occupant of the castle which became Oswestry, with Reginald as the Lord] holds WOOLSTON [recorded as Osuluestune] and a knight holds it from him. Woolfric held it TRE [in the reign of King Edward, before 1066] with 1 Berewick [an outlying estate]. There are 1 1/2 hides [households with land paying tax]. There is land for 3 ploughs. 4 Welshmen there have 1 plough. It is worth 6s.

Clearly not a very big place.

The next reference we have is a story that in 1138, on the way to Shrewsbury Abbey, the monks carrying the remains of St. Winifred rested at Woolston, whereupon a spring arose, which was reputed to be excellent for sore eyes and healing wounds, bruises and broken bones.

Of course we have no way of verifying the story, but the route from Holywell to Shrewsbury probably followed the ridgeway through Woolston.

You can still visit the well today; the mediaeval building, shown right, is owned by the Landmark Trust and rented out as a retreat. It was made famous by the Brother Cadfael books of Ellis Peters (and the successful TV series) which mention the well many times as a resting place for monks.

The route the monks followed appears to have become a well trodden pilgrimage trail which probably followed Wat's Dyke, the northern end of which is at Holywell, down as far the modern Gobowen (not in Domesday), then diverted through a series of settlements which were all listed in the Domesday Book: Whittington, Wootton, West Felton, Woolston, Osbaston, Kinnerley, Kynaston, Shrawardine, then on to Shrewsbury.

But the Normans also seem to have used it travel between their Castle Luvre (later Oswestry) and their main Castle at Shrewsbury, by adding a route from Castle Luvre to West Felton, and building motte & bailey castles along the road at Hisland, West Felton, Knockin, Kinnerley and Shrawardine. Plus more castles on the northern part of the route at Whittington and Chirk.

By the 18th century the modern route, which became the A5, was in use from West Felton, through Nesscliffe, thus by-passing Woolston and returning it to a quiet backwater.

However the peace was somewhat disturbed when the canal arrived through Maesbury in 1795. Woolston was back on the trade route again and probably had a lot of passing traffic for most of the 19th century. The map below is Woolston in 1890 - no houses at the top of the very straight, road to Maesbury Marsh (now called Woolston Bank), just the original hamlet along the ancient lane to West Felton.

As the railways took over from the canal the road became quiet again, until the modern commuters and tourists arrived in their motor cars. Today, Woolston, and St. Winifred's Well, are within the Maesbury and Aston Ward of the Oswestry Rural Parish, the rather odd boundaries of which are below (the red dot being St. Winifred's Well) :