a market-town and large parish of the county of Salop, in the hundred of North Bradford, 172 miles from London. It chiefly consists of one large street, with a few smaller. It has a very handsome church, a free school, and two dissenting chapels. There is a good market on Thursday, and three annual fairs. The population amounted in 1821 to 3621, and in 1831 to 3967; but this includes ten small townships, as Wem itself in 1831 contained only 1932 inhabitants.