a market-town, parliamentary and municipal borough of England, capital of Shropshire, pleasantly situated on the Severn, 50 miles S. by E. of Liverpool, and 153 N.W. by W. of London. It occupies a commanding eminence which gradually rises from the banks of the river, whose stream gracefully bends in course round three sides of the town, thus forming a peninsula having its narrow isthmus towards the N.E. The general character of the town is antique; its streets are irregular, and many of its houses are picturesque old edifices, built, at least partially, of wood. The town, however, contains not a few very superior stone buildings. The river is crossed by two handsome bridges, the English and the Welsh, the former of which has seven arches, and the latter five. The English bridge leads to the suburb of Abbey-Foregate on the E., and the Welsh to that of Frankwell on the W. Portions of the ancient walls still remain, and also the keep of the castle, but the latter has been modernised. It is a square, solid tower of the age of Edward I. There is also a fine Norman gateway, and some remains of a very ancient British fortress. Many of the public buildings of Shrewsbury are remark- able. Among them are the market-house, which was built in the reign of Elizabeth, and is one of the most richly decorated buildings of the kind in England; the town and county hall, a large commodious edifice; and a fine Grecian structure, containing the post-office, music hall, and news-room. There are also numerous churches, some of which are possessed of much interest. The abbey church is so called because it formerly belonged to a Benedictine abbey, founded in 1083. It was originally cruciform, but was partially pulled down at the time of the dissolution of the abbey. The north porch, nave, and western tower are the portions that still remain. St Chad's is a handsome modern building of a circular form, in the Grecian style; St Alkmund's is also modern, with the exception of the tower and spire of the more ancient edifice, 14 feet high; and St Mary's is a spacious cruciform church in the Norman and early English styles. The last has very rich old stained windows, and an elegant tower and spire, rising to the height of 230 feet. Besides these, there are other places of worship, mostly modern, belonging to the Established Church, and to the Wesleyan, Primitive, and Calvinistic Methodists, Independents, Baptists, Quakers, Roman Catholics, and Unitarians. There are in all 13 churches and 26 dissenting chapels. The royal free grammar school occupies a lofty freestone structure, forming three sides of a court. This institution was founded by Edward VI., and greatly enlarged by Elizabeth. It has an endowment of about £2600 a year, and many scholarships and exhibitions at the universities. In the present century this school rose to great celebrity under its master, Dr Butler, afterwards Bishop of Lichfield; and among its distinguished scholars in former times were Sir Philip Sidney and Fulke Greville. Shrewsbury has also a British school, and several national and charity schools. There are a public library, theatre, assembly rooms, circus, and public baths; a military depot, town and county jail and house of correction, and a lunatic asylum. Near the entrance of the town, from London, stands a Doric column in honour of Lord Hill; and in the corn exchange, under the market-house, is a statue of the Duke of York, father of Edward IV., brought from the old Welsh bridge. To the S.W. of the town, along the river's side, is a place called the Quarry, supposed to occupy the site of a Roman theatre, and now used for a public walk. It has an area of 20 acres, and is planted with lime-trees. Various manufactures are carried on, especially those of thread, canvas, and malt; and the brown and cakes of Shrewsbury have long been famous. There are also in the vicinity important iron-works. Salmon-fishing is pursued with much success in the Severn, and that river is navigable for vessels of thirty or forty tons.

A large trade is carried on with the agriculturists in the neighbourhood, and railways to all parts of England radiate from the town. There are several private and joint-stock banks, and a savings' bank. Weekly and monthly markets are held. The borough is governed by a mayor, ten aldermen, and thirty councillors, and sends two members to the House of Commons. It is believed that a fortress was erected here by the Britons after they found the Roman Uriconium (Wroxeter) no longer tenable against the Saxons. This must have taken place in the fifth century. The fortress was called by the Britons Pengwern, or Alder Hill. But even this at length fell before the victorious arms of the Saxons, who changed the name to Scrobbesbyrigi, or Shrubstown, whence the present name. In the time of Alfred, Shrewsbury was one of the chief cities in England; and his daughter Ethelfleda founded here the church of St Alkmund. After the Norman Conquest it formed part of the earldom of Shrewsbury, given by William to Roger de Montgomery, who built the castle here; but it was subsequently forfeited to the crown. Standing as it does on the confines of Wales, Shrewsbury was the scene of many conflicts between the rival nations. In 1215 Shropshire was taken by the Welsh under Llewellyn the Great, but not long retained; and, in 1264, it was again for a short time in the hands of the Welsh. Edward I., in 1277, strengthened Shrewsbury, and made it his head-quarters; and in 1283 assembled a Parliament here for the trial of David, the last prince of Wales, who was executed as a traitor. The name of Shrewsbury is likewise conspicuous in the Wars of the Roses, and in the historical dramas of Shakespeare. Here, in 1403, the forces of Henry IV. defeated the insurgents under the Percys and Owen Glendower. In the civil war of the seventeenth century, Shrewsbury was held by a royalist garrison until 1645, when it was surprised and taken by the parliamentary forces. After the Restoration, the castle and property attached to it were conferred by Charles II. on the Earl of Bradford, from whom they have been transferred to the Duke of Cleveland, the present proprietor. Pop. of the borough (1851) 19,681.