Shropshire Archives
Encyclopedia
Shropshire Archives is located in Shrewsbury
, England
and is the archives and local studies service for the historic county
of Shropshire
, which includes the borough of Telford and Wrekin
.
It preserves and makes accessible documents, books, maps, photographs, plans and drawings relating to Shropshire and its people dating from the early 12th to the 21st century.
Shropshire Archives is funded by Shropshire Council
and Telford and Wrekin
Borough Council and is supported by an active friends organisation - the Friends of Shropshire Archives.
Outside the building, in the courtyard, is a mosaic
showing the historic extent of Shropshire with a leopard and the county motto "Floreat Salopia" / "May Shropshire Flourish". The area where the building now stands was formerly "Blower's Repository" and is located just below the main Shrewsbury Library building. Steps lead down from the courtyard to the town's bus station further down the hill. In 2008 a plaque was unveiled at the archive to commemorate the 725th anniversary of the execution at Shrewsbury of the last native prince of Wales, Dafydd ap Gruffudd.
, Bridgnorth
, Ludlow
and Much Wenlock
, court records including quarter sessions
and coroner's records and the records of the King's Shropshire Light Infantry. The service also collects maps, newspapers and photographs, as well as the county's largest collection of books, pamphlets and periodicals about Shropshire. Also available for research are microfiche copies of census returns for Shropshire and microfiche copies of the GRO index (an index of the General Register Office
's birth, marriage and death certificates). The service also holds the archives of many of the great estates in Shropshire including the Hill family of Attingham Park
and Hawkstone Park
,and the Duke of Sutherland
's Lilleshall
estates. The service has an online catalogue containing over 200,000 entries.
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
, England
England
England 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, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and is the archives and local studies service for the historic county
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
of Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, which includes the borough of Telford and Wrekin
Telford and Wrekin
Telford and Wrekin is a unitary district with borough status in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. The district was created in 1974 as The...
.
It preserves and makes accessible documents, books, maps, photographs, plans and drawings relating to Shropshire and its people dating from the early 12th to the 21st century.
Shropshire Archives is funded by Shropshire Council
Shropshire Council
Shropshire Council is a unitary authority in Shropshire, United Kingdom.It replaced the former two-tier local government structure in the non-metropolitan county of Shropshire on 1 April 2009, which involved its immediate predecessor, Shropshire County Council, and five non-metropolitan districts -...
and Telford and Wrekin
Telford and Wrekin
Telford and Wrekin is a unitary district with borough status in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. The district was created in 1974 as The...
Borough Council and is supported by an active friends organisation - the Friends of Shropshire Archives.
History
In 1995 the County Record Office and Local Studies Library were brought together in a purpose built building just off Castle Gates in Shrewsbury town centre. From 1995 to 2003, the building was known as the Shropshire Records and Research Centre. After consultation, in 2003 the name was changed to "Shropshire Archives - gateway to the history of Shropshire and Telford".Outside the building, in the courtyard, is a mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
showing the historic extent of Shropshire with a leopard and the county motto "Floreat Salopia" / "May Shropshire Flourish". The area where the building now stands was formerly "Blower's Repository" and is located just below the main Shrewsbury Library building. Steps lead down from the courtyard to the town's bus station further down the hill. In 2008 a plaque was unveiled at the archive to commemorate the 725th anniversary of the execution at Shrewsbury of the last native prince of Wales, Dafydd ap Gruffudd.
Material held
Records held at Shropshire Archives include parish registers for Shropshire, local government records for the county, school records for the county, records of the boroughs of ShrewsburyShrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
, Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth
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...
, Ludlow
Ludlow
Ludlow is a market town in Shropshire, England close to the Welsh border and in the Welsh Marches. It lies within a bend of the River Teme, on its eastern bank, forming an area of and centred on a small hill. Atop this hill is the site of Ludlow Castle and the market place...
and Much Wenlock
Much Wenlock
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...
, court records including quarter sessions
Quarter Sessions
The Courts of Quarter Sessions or Quarter Sessions were local courts traditionally held at four set times each year in the United Kingdom and other countries in the former British Empire...
and coroner's records and the records of the King's Shropshire Light Infantry. The service also collects maps, newspapers and photographs, as well as the county's largest collection of books, pamphlets and periodicals about Shropshire. Also available for research are microfiche copies of census returns for Shropshire and microfiche copies of the GRO index (an index of the General Register Office
General Register Office
The General Register Office for England and Wales is the section of the UK Identity and Passport Service responsible for the civil registration of births , adoptions, marriages, civil partnerships and deaths in England and Wales and for those same events outwith the UK if they involve a UK citizen...
's birth, marriage and death certificates). The service also holds the archives of many of the great estates in Shropshire including the Hill family of Attingham Park
Attingham Park
Attingham Park is a country house in Shropshire, England, which is owned by the National Trust. It is a Grade I listed building.- Location :It is located near to the village of Atcham, on the B4380 Shrewsbury to Wellington road.- History :...
and Hawkstone Park
Hawkstone Park
Hawkstone Park is an historic landscape park with pleasure grounds and gardens formerly belonging to Hawkstone Hall, near to Market Drayton, in Shropshire, England, UK, one mile east of the A49 road....
,and the Duke of Sutherland
Duke of Sutherland
Duke of Sutherland, derived from Sutherland in Scotland, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom held by the head of the Leveson-Gower family. It was created by William IV in 1833 for George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Marquess of Stafford...
's Lilleshall
Lilleshall
Lilleshall is a village in Shropshire, England.It lies between the towns of Telford and Newport, on the A518, in the Telford and Wrekin borough and the Wrekin constituency....
estates. The service has an online catalogue containing over 200,000 entries.