Introduction to Middleton Scriven

An introduction to the history of Middleton Scriven

Middleton Scriven is a small parish, bordering Chetton, Stottesdon, Sidbury and Deuxhill. It is called “Scriven” to distinguish it from Middleton Priors in Ditton Priors. The most obvious derivation of the name is from “middle settlement”, perhaps because it lies in-between Chetton and Sidbury.

A worked flint found in the parish indicates the presence of prehistoric activity, but nothing further beyond this statement can be said. By 1066 it consisted of two manors, both held by one Edric. This may be Edric Sylvaticus or Edric the Wild, a descendant of a former Earl of Mercia. Edric joined a rebellion against William the Conqueror in 1069; when this was suppressed his lands were wasted by William’s men. Indeed, the Domesday book records how both of the manors of Middleton Scriven were waste shortly after the conquest. It seems likely that the two manors had originally been part of a large estate in earlier times, possibly Chetton. After the demise of Edric they were given to Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury who in turn, gave them to Reginald, the sheriff of Shropshire. Reginald himself had two undertenants, Alchere and Albert. This pattern of ownership continued long into the medieval period. One of Roger de Montgomery’s sons rebelled in 1102 and his lands were redistributed as a result of this, with Middleton passing to the FitzAlans, one of the most powerful families in Shropshire. Alchere’s descendants, the FitzAers continued to hold his part of Middleton with the FitzAlberts holding the other manor. The FitzAlbert manor passed by marriage to the de Roshales.

As far as can be told, by the early modern period, Middleton was considered to be a single manor, although the parish was not the property of a single landowner. In the middle of the 19th Century there were two main landowners, the Rev Bolton, who owned the manor but also the Rev Dr Rowley, the rector. However, by the end of the century the majority of the parish was owned by the Bunney family. This estate, which also included properties in neighbouring parishes, was split up at a sale in 1919. Dr Rowley was responsible for rebuilding the parish church in the mid 1840s.

Middleton Scriven has always been primarily an agricultural village. In medieval times it acquired a mill that probably fell out of use in the 18th Century.

In the late 1930s, Middleton Scriven was noted as the location of Dingle Lake. This consisted of a club room and dance hall, around the side of lake and was a very popular resort for local entertainment. It closed around 1960.