Westbury, Shropshire

During the Roman settlement of Britain it was an outpost of Wroxeter. The present Shrewsbury to Westbury road is thought to follow the alignment of a Roman road from Wroxeter to forts at Forden Gaer and Caersws. In about 1848, a piece of lead was found with markings of the name of the Roman Emperor Aurelian.[3]

During the early Middle Ages the Rea Valley was of strategic importance in the defence of the Welsh Marches west of Shrewsbury as the main route from Montgomery to Shrewsbury came through the village. Frontier guards are said to have been killed at Westbury in 1053 when Ernui held the manor. About one mile (1.6 km) from Westbury lie the scant ruins of Caus Castle. Built in the late 11th century originally it was used as a border stronghold.[3] Westbury’s strategic importance was diminished after the Norman Conquest when Montgomery Castle was built.

Westbury is recorded in the Domesday Book as the property of Roger Fitz Corbet who held it on behalf of the Earl of Shrewsbury, Roger de Montgomery. Two priests were also recorded as incumbents at Westbury church. After the lapse of the suzerainty of the Earls of Shrewsbury in 1102, the manor was held by the barony of Caus until the end of feudal tenures.

The road to Asterley originated as a field road to the Common Wood of Hinwood, but became of some importance in the 18th century when used by coal wagons from the Asterley Mines. In the Middle Ages the road which passes through Vennington and along the crest of the Long Mountain was the principal route between Shrewsbury and Newtown, and was still used as an alternative route to Welshpool up to the 1820s.

In 1870–72, Westbury was described by John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales like this:

"WESTBURY, a township and a parish in Atcham district, Salop. The township lies on the Shrewsbury and Welshpool railway, 11½ miles W by S of Shrewsbury; contains a village of its own name; and has a post-office under Shrewsbury, and a r[ailway]. station. Real property, £6,174; of which £200 are in mines. Pop[ulation]. in 1851, 1,497; in 1861, 1,655. Houses, 298. The property is not much divided. The parish includes Minsterley chapelry, and forms a sub-district. Acres, 11,274. Rated property in 1869, £16,158. Pop., 2,545. Houses, 476. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Hereford. Value, £766. Patron, R. Cholmondeley, Esq. The church is good. The p[erpetual]. curacy of Minsterley is a separate benefice. There are dissenting chapels, an endowed school with £30 a year, and charities £44."[4]

Total Population of Westbury Civil Parish, Shropshire, as reported by the Census of Population from 1881 to 2011.

Pie chart showing males aged 20 & over, in 9 occupational categories in 1831.[5]

In 1831 the dominating occupation was working in agriculture and farming.[5] There were no manufacturing jobs in 1831.[5] In 2001 there were 80, which decreased to 52 in 2011.[6][7] Several coal and lead mines were being worked near Shrewsbury and Westbury at the former time. Many collieries were closed by 1921, with the last closing in 1941.[8]

Council-built housing in Westbury