holiday accommodation ludlow bed & breakfast, guest house ludlow, shropshire england u.k., georgian timbered, ensuite non-smoking, food breakfast, double courtyard, town centre, holiday accommodation ludlow

You may find this relevant information helpful when researching the area prior to your visit

Shrewsbury through the Ages

The Domesday Survey was one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by any government before or since:- In 1085, at Gloucester at midwinter ... the King had deep speech with his counsellors ... and sent men all over England to each shire ... to find out ... what or how much each landholder held ... in land and livestock, and what it was worth ... The returns were brought to him. It was an extremely thorough survey, and the King even sent additional commissioners to double check those who had gone before. Their orders were to check the name of the place, who held it before 1066 and now? The amount of land. The amount under cultivation. How many villagers, cottagers and slaves there were. How much 'industry there was in the form of mills and fishponds. What the total value was and is. Effectively they wanted to know how much could be taxed and could they get even more tax by developing the local industries. These are some of the things recorded about Shrewsbury:-

In the City of Shrewsbury there were 252 houses before 1066 and as many burgesses in these houses who paid £7 16s 8d a year in tribute. If anyone knowingly broke the King's peace as given by his own hand he was made an outlaw, but a man who broke the King's peace as given by the Sheriff paid a fine of 100s. A man who committed highway robbery or house-breaking paid as much.

When the King stayed in this City, 12 of the better citizens protected him by keeping watch. Similarly when he went hunting there, the better burgesses who had horses guarded him with arms. When the Sheriff wished to go into Wales a man, who after being commanded by him did not go, paid 40s In forfeiture. A woman who took a husband in any way, if she was a widow, paid 20s to the King; if a single girl, 10s, in whatever way she took a man. If any burgess' house burnt down through some misfortune, accident or carelessness, he paid 40s to the King in forfeiture and 2s to each of his two nearest neighbours. When a burgess who was in the King's lordship died, the King had 10s in relief. A man who shed blood paid a fine of 40s. In total this City paid £30 a year. The King had 2 parts and the Sheriff the third. In the year preceding this survey it paid £40 to earl Roger. The English burgesses of Shrewsbury state that it is very hard on them that they pay as much tax as they paid before 1066, although the Earl's castle has taken over 51 dwellings and 50 other dwellings are unoccupied and 43 French burgesses (who did not pay tax) hold dwellings which paid tax before 1066 and the Earl has himself given to the Abbey, which he is building there, 39 burgesses who once paid tax likewise with the others. In total there are 200 dwellings, less 7, which do not pay tax.

(I like to think that these objections to the new local government were the first that set a tradition of complaints against the Shrewsbury Borough Council which is still often in evidence today!)