The History of Acton Scott: Clues to the past

There is evidence in the landscape, all around, of how people have lived and worked here. We are planning improvements to help visitors to explore this history.

The landscape, buildings and plants, even bumps in the ground, can tell much about what went on here. Once you get used to spotting these clues it is easier to make out similar things elsewhere.

Clues from names

Even names can provide clues. People have lived in the area now known as Acton Scott for over 2000 years. The name comes from the Saxon for oaks (ac) and settlement (tun). The Scott part was added at the end of the 13th century after Reginald Scott who had owned a portion of the parish a few decades earlier.

Clues from the air - Prehistoric Farmers

The first known settlement here was an Iron Age farmstead. Aerial photographs show the outline of the ditch that would have enclosed a farm consisting of large timber and thatch roundhouses.

Early investigations - Roman Times

In the top left of the photograph you can see the outline of where a rectangular building once stood. This is the site of a Roman villa. The villa would have been an important residence and may have stood at the heart of a Roman Farm. This villa site was uncovered in 1817 and excavated in 1844 by Mrs Stackhouse Acton. Pottery and other finds from the site suggest that the villa was inhabited in the 2nd Century AD. The fact that the villa was built on the site of the earlier Iron Age settlement suggests that people have continued to live here over a long period. There have always been great advantages to living here.

The main road in the valley below Acton Scott, the A49, follows part of the route of Watling Street, an important road in Roman times which linked Wroxeter in the North East Shropshire to Leintwardine and then on to St Albans in Hertfordshire.

To date little evidence can be found in the landscape for what happened after the Roman villa was deserted. However, historic documents suggest that the area may have later become part of Edric the Wild’s property. Edric is famous for his fierce opposition to Norman rule following the Battle of Hastings in 1066. In 1070 his possessions were taken from him. This may be how Acton Scott passed into the hands of the Norman Earls of Montgomery.

Clues from documents - Medieval Settlement

The Domesday Survey of 1086 tells us that the village of Acton Scott consisted of 3 hides which pay tax, land for 4 ploughs, 2 villagers and 2 riders with 3 ploughs. The village was valued at 15 shillings.

At this time Acton Scott was situated on the edge of the Long Forest which covered most of South Shropshire. Here the king controlled hunting and collection of wood for fuel and building. Until the 14th century Forest Law enforced strict controls on what could be done here. Punishments were enforced for anyone caught hunting or chopping wood without permission.

Clues beneath our feet- Bumps and hedges

Until the 17th century Acton Scott had 3 sets of open fields including meadows and woodland. Evidence of these times still survives in certain fields where the remains of ridge and furrow remain. The ridges mark the boundaries between strips of land cultivated by different people. It is often difficult to see these features but they are visible at Henley Common nearby.
The open fields were later broken up into smaller hedged fields creating the landscape we see today.

We do not know precisely where the medieval farm buildings were located on the site but it likely that they were nearby.

Clues from buildings and bricks

The Hall was built in the late 16th century. Acton Scott Hall was one of the first significant brick buildings in Shropshire. At the time brick was a very prestigious building material. A nearby field is still called ‘Brickfield’ as the clay was dug there to produce the bricks.

By the end of the 16th century the Acton Scott estate was in the sole possession of the Acton family. During the late 18th and 19th centuries the Acton family made many improvements to the estate. The School House was built in 1866, the church extended in 1867 and many of the estate cottages were built.

The census return of 1881 records some 175 people living in the parish in 40 households. (In 1991 there were some 115 residents in 44 households.) The Bailiffs cottage in the farmyard was home to 8 people.

By the 1930s small scale farming was in decline. The School House was closed in the 1950s due to lack of pupils and at various times both Home farm and the Hall became deserted.

Roads and railways

Acton Scott is a quiet, peaceful place that feels far from anywhere. However, Church Stretton is only 4 miles away (some 20 minutes in a horse and trap). In 1881 Church Stretton was a busy market town. The main railway had arrived in 1852 and Church Stretton, promoted by some as ‘Little Switzerland’, was encouraging visitors to come and sample the local mineral water and walk the Stretton Hills. A branch railway line, built in 1867, passed through the Parish of Acton Scott, near the hamlet of Henley, carrying limestone from Wenlock Edge, you can see the famous escarpment from the car park. It finally closed in 1952.

The Estate today

In more recent times, before the museum was established in the early 1970s, a tenant farmed the land.

The Acton Scott Estate today covers some 480 hectares (1200 acres). Much of it still farmed by tenant farmers. It includes the woodland areas on Castle Hill, down to the A49. The Hall is still the home of the Acton Family. The village today is a working community with the majority of the buildings still owned by the estate. Some of the properties are now available as holiday lets.

Enjoy exploring the village and the new walks around the parish but please respect the privacy of local residents. There are no litter bins so we would be grateful if you could take things you don’t need back to your car. Leaflets to guide you along the Waggoners Wander and the Acton Scott Amble are available from the admission point. Please feel free to leave your car in the car park.