or SALOP, an inland county of England. It is bounded on the N. by Cheshire and the Welsh counties of Flint and Denbigh; on the W. by the Welsh counties of Denbigh, Montgomery, and Radnor; on the S. by Herefordshire and Worcestershire; and on the E. by Staffordshire. It is of an oblong figure, extending from N. to S., and contains a variety of projections and indentations. Its greatest length is about 48, and its greatest breadth 40 miles. Its superficial contents are 1343 square miles, or 859,520 statute acres.

The face of the county is very much diversified. On the western side it has the wild appearance of the adjoining principality of Wales. Several of the Welsh mountain-chains extend across the frontier of that country into Shropshire. Such are the Berwyn Hills in the north, which rise to the height of 1300 feet; the picturesque Breiddin Hills, on the right bank of the Severn; and a long range of smooth, rounded hills, extending from Radnorshire into Shropshire, and known under the name of Clun Forest. Throughout the rest of the county the land is rather undulating, tolerably wooded, and with many beautiful rivulets meandering along the different valleys. The whole tract of country in the east and north, from Wellington to the termination of the county between Oswestry and Chirk, exhibits the mild beauties of a fertile and cultivated district, enclosed by well-formed hedges into fields, of dimensions well calculated for advantageous husbandry, and ornamented with several seats of noblemen and gentlemen, which present a most pleasing succession of pictures to the traveller. In the portion south and west of the Severn, there are three principal chains of hills, extending from S.W. to N.E. These are on the west the Longmynd, in the centre the Caradoc Hills, and on the east Wenlock Edge. The last of these rises abruptly out of the valley on the west, but has a very gradual slope towards the east. The Caradoc Hills extend across the Severn, and terminate in the well-known hill called the Wrekin.

That singular insulated mountain, rising from a plain to the height of 1320 feet, exhibits its sugar-loaf form over the tops of the smaller elevations in its vicinity, and increases the interest of the scenery. In the southern division of the county, the Brown Clee Hill and the Titterton Clee Hill rise to greater elevations than the Wrekin, and produce much picturesque variety. These two are the highest summits in the county; the former reaching the height of 1805, and the latter that of 1750 feet.

The chief river is the Severn, which runs through the whole extent of the county from N.W. to S.E. It is navigable at all seasons to the Bristol Channel downwards, and in wet seasons upwards to Welshpool, in Montgomeryshire. Its whole course through Shropshire is 90 miles, flowing at first towards the east, and then turning to the The fish found in the Severn, in its course through Shropshire, are salmon, pike, flounders, grayling, and eels. There are also some lampreys, but they are less abundant than in the lower parts of the river. The principal tributary rivers are the Camlet, the Vyrnwy, the Tern, the Clun, the Ony, the Teme, the Perry, the Rea, and the Corve. There are, besides, innumerable rivulets and streams, which adorn and fertilize the country. The lakes of Shropshire, though neither numerous nor extensive, form a variety in its landscapes rarely to be seen in the midland counties of England. Adjoining the town of Ellesmere is a beautiful lake of 116 acres, with some others smaller near it. On the western side of the county is Mereon Pool, of 45 acres. On the north of the Severn are Fennymere, Llynclyspool, and Ancot; and at Shrawardine is a fine lake of 40 acres. That side of the county which most abounds in running streams has few or no lakes. The canals of this county, if not equal in extent to those in some others, yield to none in the skill of their construction, in the obstacles they have surmounted, or in the beneficial consequences by which they have been followed. The first canal was a private undertaking by a Mr Reynolds, completed in the year 1788, for the conveyance of his ironstone and coals. It was of no great length, but a descent of 73 feet was conducted by a well-contrived inclined plane and double railroad, by means of which the loaded boat passing down drew up another with a load nearly equal to one third of its own weight. This contrivance was found to be applicable to similar purposes upon a larger scale, and was speedily adopted by a company who, under the power of an act of Parliament, constructed the Shropshire Canal, which passes through the most considerable iron and coal works, till it reaches the Severn. The Ellesmere Canal is a most important undertaking, as by it a communication is opened between the Severn and all the great canals and rivers in the north of England. Bristol and Liverpool are thus become connected by inland navigation; and the rivers Severn, Dee, Mersey, Trent, and Humber, are united for the purposes of conveyance. In other means of communication Shropshire is not deficient. It is traversed by many good roads; that from London to Holyhead, formerly the great route to Dublin, passing through this county. Several railways also afford more rapid means of transit. The Birmingham, Shrewsbury, and Chester line enters Shropshire from the east, and leaves it on the N.W. A branch of this line diverges to Stafford, and another shorter one to Oswestry. A great part of the Shrewsbury and Hereford line also lies in the county, running southwards from Shrewsbury to Ludlow. Besides these main lines, there are many short railways and tram-roads used in connection with the various mines for conveying their produce to the furnace or to the canals. The river Severn nearly forms a line of demarcation between two distinct geological formations which occupy the county; the northern portion, consisting for the most part of red sandstone, and the southern of older formations. The new red sandstone forms a basin round a central deposit of lias, between Whitchurch and Market-Drayton. Around and beneath this, occupying the whole north of Shropshire, and portions also of Staffordshire and Cheshire, lie the deposits of new red sandstone, with the lowest strata nearest the outside. The southern limit of this formation extends south of the Severn in the west of the county, and again at a point near the Caradoc Hills; but further east it does not reach so far as that river, and terminates near Newport on the border of Staffordshire. It is succeeded by various different formations. At some places Silurian rocks extend to the north of the Severn, and the Wrekin is composed of trap; but the most important deposits in this the central part of Shropshire are those of coal. Of these the most valuable is that of Coalbrookdale; but there are also extensive fields about Westbury and Pontesbury in the west; Shropshire, and others completely isolated near Oswestry in the north, and in several places in the south. A large extent of old red sandstone occupies the S.E. portion of Shropshire; and a separate deposit of the same rock forms Clun Forest in the S.W. The remainder of the county, a portion equal to one-fourth of its area, lying in the S.W., consists of the Silurian and Cambrian systems of rocks. Among these are limestone, sandstone, and several varieties of trap-rock.

In a county of such extent the soil must be very varied. On the eastern side, the valleys are flat and warm, and the soil generally of a sandy nature. In the middle part, the soil is most tenacious, and the bottoms of the wider valleys have frequently a stiff but rich clay. On the most western parts, the soil is very shallow, resting upon rocks of varied description; and is better calculated for sheep-pasture than for producing grain. There are some moorlands, but enclosures and drainage have considerably diminished their extent. A very great portion of the soil rests on a limestone subsoil; and almost the whole of the plains are easy to work with light ploughs and two or three horses. The westerly wind generally prevails in the spring, and the westerly in autumn; but the former is more remarkable for regularity than the latter. The whole of the county enjoys a salubrious air; but on the hills, on the western side, the cold of winter is most intensely felt.

The agriculture of the county has made considerable progress of late, though in some parts it is still in a very backward condition. In the west of the county progress is much retarded by the small size of the farms, and the short leases by which they are held. In this portion they frequently do not exceed 20 acres in extent, while in the east their size varies from 100 to 500 acres. Most of the farms are arable, but some depend chiefly on hay, dairy produce, and the rearing of cattle and sheep. The Herefordshire breed of cattle is common in the south, along with various mixed breeds. The most prevailing breed of sheep is one resembling the Southdown, but many of the New Leicesters are to be seen, and in the hilly parts of the county are many of the fine woollen Welsh sheep. The meadows on the banks of the Severn, and on the flat lands contiguous to the smallest streams, afford pasturage for numerous cows, whose milk affords a kind of cheese, commonly sold under the denomination of Cheshire, though much inferior to the genuine article. The corn generally cultivated is either wheat, barley, oats, or pease, and the crops on an average equal in productiveness those of the best districts of the kingdom. Hops are grown in small quantities upon that part of the county which adjoins to Herefordshire. Some small portions of land are appropriated to the growth of hemp and flax. The cultivation of potatoes has been very much extended of late years, and now furnishes a large proportion of the aliment of the labouring part of the population. The growth of hay, and the cultivation of artificial grasses, are more neglected than any other branch of rural economy. On the flat lands the deposits from the overflowing of the streams sufficiently enrich them without any artificial manure; but the hay produced on such situations is liable to be much injured by the floods that frequently occur in summer. This, however, is guarded against by embankments in the upper part of the river.

A great portion of the wealth of this county consists in the mineral productions, which are most profusely found beneath its surface. The chief of these are lead, iron, limestone, freestone, pipe-clay, and coals. The lead is procured in considerable quantities, chiefly from the mines of Stiperstone and Snailbeach. The matrix of the ore is crystallized quartz, sulphate and carbonate of barytes, and carbonate of lime. The quantity of lead ore obtained in the county in 1858 was 3994 tons, yielding 2993 tons of lead, Shropshire, being considerably above the average of the previous ten years. The total amount of ore raised in that period was 35,602 tons, yielding 25,916 tons of lead, or 72,796 tons of metal for every 100 tons of ore. The iron ore is found contiguous to the coal, and frequently close to it. This is especially the case about Coalbrookdale, a division peculiarly rich in those minerals. This district is about 8 miles long and 2 broad, on the banks of the Severn, on the western side of the Wrekin, and running parallel with it, from N.E. to S.W. The whole, but especially the southern part, of the coal district, is considerably above the plain of Shropshire, so that at one part the height is 500 feet above the Severn. The works of the dale supply both iron and coal, as well as limestone, in great quantities; and every part of the process, from digging the ore to the completion of the manufacture, including the conversion of the coal into coke, is performed on the spot. Arthur Young, describing this part of the county, says—“Coalbrookdale is a winding glen, between two immense hills, which break into various forms, being all thickly covered, and forming most beautiful sheets of hanging woods. The noise of the forges, mills, furnaces, &c., with all their vast machinery, the flames bursting from the furnaces, with the burning coal, and the smoke of the limekilns, are altogether horribly sublime.” A bridge of cast-iron, the first, we believe, constructed in this kingdom, thrown over the Severn, gives to the whole scenery a most romantic appearance. Soon after it was ascertained that iron might be made with coals reduced to the state of coke, as well as from wood, the operation of coking was begun here by Lord Dundonald, with a view to obtain the fossil tar in the course of the process. This operation led to the discovery of that gas, extracted from coal, whose brilliant light now serves to illuminate so many of our streets and public buildings. In this dale was discovered, in opening a coal-mine, a copious spring of fossil tar. It yielded, at first, very plentifully, but the quantity diminished in a few years, and although it still runs, its produce is but of small amount. Though the iron-works were first begun on a large scale in this dale, they are by no means confined to it; for in many other parts of the county they are carried on to an extent that is unequalled in any other country but Great Britain. The quantity of iron ore raised in Shropshire in 1858 was 150,500 tons, valued at £38,135. There are in all 32 furnaces in the county, of which 25 are in blast; and these produced in the year above mentioned 101,016 tons of pig-iron. In the same year there were produced from 57 collieries, 749,360 tons of coal. The number of persons employed in the various mining operations in Shropshire, and in manufactures connected with them, amounts to several thousands. The manufacture of iron is here carried on with great care and skill, and with the aid of powerful machinery.

Besides the process of separating the iron from its ore, and bringing it into the state of bar-iron and pig-iron, the other steps in the application of that mineral to general purposes are made within this county. The larger kind of iron goods, whether cast or wrought, are prepared, and many of the iron bridges erected in different parts of the kingdom have been made here. Some of the largest establishments for making porcelain have been formed here, especially that for iron-stone china in Coalbrookdale. Glass, earthenware, bricks and tiles, are also made in the county, as well as coarse linen cloth, carpets, and gloves.

Shropshire contains two divisions, a north and a south; and is subdivided into 14 hundreds. It returns in all 12 members to Parliament; two each for the northern and southern divisions; and two each for the boroughs of Bridgnorth, Ludlow, Shrewsbury, and Wenlock. Its ecclesiastical division is into 225 parishes, with parts of 19 others; belonging to the dioceses of St Asaph, Hereford, and Lichfield. According to the census of 1851, the Shropshire county contained in all 679 places of worship, with 145,186 sittings. Of the former, 291 belonged to the Established Church, 262 to Wesleyan Methodists of various subordinate sects, 59 to Independents, 31 to Baptists, 11 each to Calvinistic Methodists and Roman Catholics, 3 to Quakers, &c. At the same period the total number of public day-schools was 247, attended by 18,859 scholars; the number of private day-schools 312, attended by 6395 scholars. There were also 298 Sunday-schools, attended by 22,705 scholars, and 14 evening schools for adults, attended by 175 scholars.

Before the Roman conquest of Britain, the present county of Shropshire was divided by the Severn between the Cornovii on the east, and the Ordovices on the west. Under the Romans the same river formed the boundary between Flavia Caesarisani and Britannia Secunda, the latter comprehending the modern Wales, and the former the centre of England. Numerous remains of old British camps still exist in various parts of the county, especially one called Caer Caradoc, near Church Stretton, and the Gaer ditches near Clun. The latter is believed by some to be the place where Caractacus was defeated by Ostorius Scapula. The chief Roman station was Urriconium, now Wroxeter, where there are extensive remains. There is also a camp near Bridgnorth, and a Roman road known by the name of Watling Street, traverses the county. After the departure of the Romans and the invasion of Britain by the Saxons, this county was the scene of frequent encounters between the natives and the invaders; and many of the half mythical exploits of the celebrated King Arthur are said to have taken place here. Ultimately the Saxons extended their dominion as far as the foot of the Welsh hills, and established in Shropshire and the adjacent county a kingdom called Myrneland, or Mercia, the land of the marchmen or borderers. In order to defend this country from the attacks of the Welsh, Offa, one of its kings, erected a dyke extending from the Dee to the Bristol Channel. Several portions of this fortification may still be traced in the extreme west of Shropshire, and are still known under the name of Offa’s dyke. At a later period the Danes also penetrated as far as this part of the country, and built a fortress on the Severn below Bridgnorth. When they were expelled, and the Heptarchy united under Alfred, Shropshire was made a county, deriving its original name of Scorobesceire from Scorobbesburg, or Shrewsbury, its chief town. After the Norman conquest, almost the whole county was granted to Roger de Montgomery. Our limits do not admit of lengthened descriptions of the numerous remains of ancient architecture which are still existing in this county. The most remarkable are Haughmond Abbey, about 4 miles from Shrewsbury; the walls of Wroxeter, of British and Roman construction; the Abbey of Buildwas, founded in 1135 by Roger bishop of Chester, for monks of the Cistercian order; the Monastery of Wenlock, founded in 680, destroyed by the Danes, and afterwards re-established; the Roman camp, called the Walls, at Quatford; the castle of Ludlow, celebrated for its splendour in the reigns of Henry VIII. and of Elizabeth, during the latter period the residence of the Sidneys, and in the reign of Charles I. immortalized as the place where Milton composed some of his works; Wannington Castle near Oswestry, a house of strength before the Norman conquest; Lilleshall Abbey, near Newport, with one of the most highly adorned Norman arches in the kingdom; and Boscoch House, with the oak in the grounds near it which served as a shelter to Charles II., when, after the battle of Worcester, he was closely pursued by the victorious party. The principal seats of noblemen and gentlemen are Walcot, belonging to Earl Powis; Lilleshall to the Duke of Sutherland; Hawkstone to Viscount Hill; Weston Hall to the Earl of Bradford; Attingham House to Lord Berwick; Burwarton Hall to Viscount Boyne; Shavington Hall to the Earl of Kilmorey; Willey Park to Lord Foster; Acton Burnell to Sir Edward Smythe; Aldenham to Sir John Acton, &c. The population of Shropshire at each of the decennial periods of census was as follows:— in 1801, 182,695; 1811, 199,263; 1821, 215,058; 1831, 230,990; 1841, 241,685; 1851, 244,898.