Maesbury Walks
Route
7b- Redwith Bridge back to Coed y Rae Lane.
Wat's Dyke was where we now have the lane and canal at the top right of this map, and would have been the earliest border with Wales. By the late 9th century, when Offa's Dyke was built a few miles to the West, there was some settlement on the west side of Wat's Dyke - but even by the Domesday Book, compiled by William the Conqueror in 1086, there were only three settlements listed to the west.
One of those was Morton as part of the Hundred of Mersete. The principal settlement of Mersete being Maesbury.
The Morton referred to was almost certainly as shown on this 1890 map - now known as Morton Farm with the modern Morton being a little further west near the church.
The English translation of Domesday says:
IN "MERSET HUNDRED . . .The same Reginald holds MORTON and "AITONE". Siward held them as 2 manors. There are 5 hides. There is land for 8 ploughs. 5 men have 2 ploughs. There is a small laund of woodland. It was waste; now it renders 64d.
The 'Aitone' mentioned no longer exists and its location is unknown.
The men representing Morton in the Hundred of Mersete would have been required to go to Maesbury every month to meet the King's men about tithes and taxes etc. - following the same lane as this walk.
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Further along the lane on the right is Maesbury Hall. The current building, see right, is from about 1830, but there is a corner stone stone an earlier building on the same site dating from 1720. It seems likely that there were earlier building going back many centuries before that.
In 1795, when the canal arrived, a mill was built behind the house, using a mill race diverted from the River Morda as water power, and a private arm of the canal for transport.
In 1890 the mill was converted to steam power and building on the right was the 2nd version of that, after the first burned down in 1911.
The steam wagon in the painting is emerging onto the lane just past the house.
This building burned down in 1971 and the site was used for animal feed production until yet another fire in 2002. It is now mostly used for warehousing.
Just past the nursery school on the left, turn right onto the newly built road for the warehouses, then left alongside the old canal arm, now use as moorings for narrowboats. Walk past the boats to join Coed y Rae Lane.
Walk 7 & 8 - Route 7c - turn right into Coed y Rae Lane