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Discover Oswestry
A short history
In 642 AD the Christian King Oswald was killed by the Pagan King Penda at the Battle of Maserfield. The battlefield is now the playing fields of Oswestry School. King Oswald's body was hung from a tree 'Oswalds Tree' since corrupted to 'Oswestry'.
Now a thriving market town situated just five miles from the Shropshire/Welsh border, Oswestry (population 18,000) has had a long and exciting history. It was claimed by both English and Welsh monarchs but finally fell under English rule in 1535. 'Dual nationality' has definitely left its mark on the town which still boasts streets named: 'English Walls' and 'Welsh Walls'.
The earliest evidence of occupation at Oswestry is at 'Old Oswestry' Iron Age hill fort which is believed to have been occupied from 550 BC until the Romans arrived in 75AD.
Offa's Dyke, (in Welsh, Clawdd Offa) is a massive linear earthwork which runs the whole length of the English/Welsh border and comes very near to Oswestry. The Dyke is thought to have been constructed around the 8th Century by Anglo Saxon King Offa of Mercia to show the border between the Anglian kingdom of Mercia and the Welsh kingdom of Powys. In places, the dyke is up to 65 feet (20m) wide (including its surrounding ditch) and 8 feet (2.5m) high.
The town was a continual victim of borderland fighting and was burnt to the ground on many occasions. The town centre was enclosed by walls until the 18th Century.
In 1860 the Cambrian Railway based their headquarters at Oswestry and the town grew exponentially. There is no longer a rail service in Oswestry, although the Cambrian Railway Society now operates a transport museum near the old railway station and intends to operate steam trains on the old disused line to Gobowen.
Oswestry was the temporary home of many soldiers who visited the Park Hall Camp from the Great War until its closure in 1968. Park Hall Camp was located between Oswestry and Whittington.
In 1920/21, the Shropshire Orthopaedic Hospital, founded by Dame Agnes Hunt and Sir Robert Jones (the Consultant Surgeon), moved from Baschurch, Dame Agnes's home village, some ten miles from Oswestry, to the former military hospital at Park Hall. This has grown and developed to become the world famous Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic and District Hospital. It continues its founders' pioneering work in orthopaedics and rheumatology, and is the Spinal Injuries Centre for the Midlands.
In 1968 the town lost its last historic source of major industrial employment when the Ifton Colliery at St. Martins, the last remaining coal mine in North Shropshire, closed.
Following the closure of the railway workshops, Army camp and colliery, work began on the construction of new industrial estates at the edge of the town. With this new development came the removal of a very active livestock market from the centre of the town to new premises adjoining the industrial estates. This is now the country's largest sheep market and enjoys a substantial trade in cattle.
Unfortunately, Oswestry is also remembered for its two outbreaks of Foot and Mouth Disease, which was the focus of media attention in 1968.
Industrial development received a big boost with the opening of the A5/A483 Oswestry bypass in 1987, relieving congestion in the town and greatly improving access to the motorway network and to the major industrial and business centres.
In 1887, John Bartholornew's Gazetteer of the British Isles listed Oswestry like this:
Oswestry. mun. bor., market town, and par., Shropshire, 18 miles NW. of Shrewsbury and 172 miles from London by rail par., 16,234 ac., pop. 11,923; bor., 1888 ac., pop. 7847; P.O., T.O., 2 Banks, 2 newspapers. Market days, Wednesday and Saturday. One of the chief towns on the Welsh border, Oswestry is a place of ancient British origin. At an early period Oswestry and its neighbourhood formed the battleground of fierce border feuds. In 1212 it was burnt by King John, and 20 years later by Llewellyn. Upon an eminence in the immediate vicinity of the town are a few fragments of a Norman castle. The surrounding country shows varied, picturesque, and beautiful scenery. Trade in Oswestry is mainly connected with malting and the exportation of agricultural produce.
Local and family history resources
As part of the Discover Shropshire project, Oswestry Library will have a designated Local History Centre. Additional resources are being provided and access is being improved through guiding, cataloguing and digitisation.
A guide to local studies at Oswestry Library can be found by following the related link in this section.
Shropshire Archives, in Shrewsbury, is the county repository for original documents.
Related Links on other Websites
- Local studies at Oswestry Library
Other themes
You can find out more about particular aspects of the history of Oswestry by following the related links in this section or in the navigation panel (Related webpages).
Related Links on this Website
Related Links on other Websites
- Oswestry and Shrewsbury compared (Shropshire Routes to Roots)
- Literary connections with Oswestry (Literary Heritage - West Midlands)
- Children in wartime Oswestry (Shropshire Routes to Roots)
- Wartime aircraft crashes around Oswestry (Shropshire Routes to Roots)
- Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, (Shropshire Routes to Roots)
- Trade directories for Oswestry (Shropshire Routes to Roots)
These websites were created by Shropshire County Library Service and Shropshire Archives and therefore conditions of use are the same as for Discovering Shropshire's History and all other Shropshire County Council websites.
