Dawley Court, Middlesex In 1929
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Dawley ( ) is a former mining town and
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in the borough of
Telford and Wrekin Telford and Wrekin is a Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough and unitary authority in Shropshire, England. In 1974, a non-metropolitan district of Shropshire was created called the Wrekin, named after The Wrekin, a prominent hill to the ...
,
Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...
, England. It was originally proposed be the main centre of the 'Dawley New Town' plan in 1963, however it was decided in 1968 to name the new town as 'Telford', after the engineer and road-builder
Thomas Telford Thomas Telford (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scotland, as well ...
. Dawley is one of the older settlements in Shropshire, being mentioned in the
Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
(1086). It is divided into ''Dawley Magna'' ("Great Dawley") and Little Dawley (also shown as ''Dawley Parva'' ("Little Dawley") on older maps).


Etymology

The name Dawley comes from
Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...
meaning ''woodland clearing associated with a man called Dealla''.


Local government

The town's main
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
is officially called Great Dawley – its parish council is officially Great Dawley Town Council.
Dawley Hamlets Dawley Hamlets is a civil parish in the Telford and Wrekin district, in the ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. The parish covers Horsehay, Doseley, Little Dawley (also traditionally known as Dawley Parva), Lightmoor and Aqueduct, Shropshi ...
is a separate civil parish, which covers Little Dawley and other neighbouring villages/suburbs. In 1894 Dawley became an
urban district An urban district is a division generally managed by a local government. It may also refer to a city district, district, urban area or quarter Specific urban districts in some countries include: * Urban districts of Denmark * Districts of Germa ...
, the urban district contained the parish of Dawley Magna or Dawley, on 1 April 1974 the district was abolished to form Wrekin, the parish was also abolished. In 1961 the parish had a population of 9558. On 1 April 1988 a parish called "Great Dawley" was formed.


Railways

Unlike the other towns in Telford and Wrekin, Dawley never had its own railway station to serve the town itself. Two railway stations served the town despite being some distance from Dawley itself. The nearest station to the town was Dawley and Stirchley, located roughly 1 mile to the southeast of the town under Stirchley Lane and also served the neighboring village of Stirchley. It opened in 1860 on the Coalport branch line but closed in 1952 along with the line. The trackbed including the platform now form part of the Silkin Way. The other station is in nearby
Horsehay Horsehay is a suburban village on the western outskirts of Dawley in the Telford and Wrekin borough of Shropshire, England. Horsehay lies in the Dawley Hamlets parish, and on the northern edge of the Ironbridge Gorge area. Horsehay used to hav ...
, located 1 mile to the southwest of the town. It is on the former Wellington to Craven Arms Line and originally closed in 1962, before being reopened by the
Telford Steam Railway The Telford Steam Railway (TSR) is a heritage railway located at Horsehay, Telford in Shropshire, England, formed in 1976. The railway is operated by volunteers on Sundays and Bank holiday, Bank Holidays from Easter to the end of September, an ...
. It now serves as a heritage railway station. The nearest mainline station for the town is Telford Central.


History

Dawley is mentioned in the
Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
and is therefore one of the older settlements in Shropshire. There was a castle in Dawley, but it was demolished around 1648. The site is unknown, although the Castle Pools (on the old quarry site) and Castle Ironworks (built by the Darby family, one of whom commissioned the world-famous Iron Bridge) possibly indicate the general area where it may have stood. Prior to the landscaping that followed the creation of Telford New Town, extensive ruins were detectable next to the Castle Pools and are shown on old maps as being the location of the castle, but, in the 1980s, the whole area was buried under thick topsoil and planted with trees.
Ironbridge Ironbridge is a riverside village in the borough of Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire, England. Located on the bank of the River Severn, at the heart of the Ironbridge Gorge, it lies in the civil parish of The Gorge. Ironbridge developed beside, ...
is a short distance away. For over three centuries, Dawley was a mining town, both for coal and
ironstone Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical replacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron ore compound from which iron (Fe) can be smelted commercially. Not to be c ...
. Clay extraction, for local industrial-pipe factories, brickyards and the pottery industry, have been major influences on the landscape. Mining had an important impact on the local culture. In 1821, production at Dawley's ironworks of was halted by striking miners in protest at lowering of their wages. Many of the workers in Dawley joined a larger group of protesters in what came to be known as the
Cinderloo Uprising The Cinderloo Uprising took place at Old Park in the Coalbrookdale Coalfield (present day Telford) on 2 February 1821, when the South Shropshire Yeomanry confronted a crowd of 3,000 mostly striking workers who had gathered to protest the contin ...
. In 1872, the
Springwell Pit Disaster The Springwell Pit disaster occurred on 6 December 1872 at Springwell coal mining pit near Dawley, Shropshire (now part of Telford). Miners at the pit would grab hold of a chain running the depth of the mine shaft and be hoisted 150 ft to t ...
resulted in the deaths of eight men and boys. Prior to large-scale levelling as part of the development of Telford New Town, the area was covered by clay mounds and large clay pits that dominated the landscape, to the extent that they formed points of reference for the locals. There is still a local clay-pipe factory in the adjacent Doseley village; grey clay predominates on the immediate outskirts of Dawley. The adjacent village of
Horsehay Horsehay is a suburban village on the western outskirts of Dawley in the Telford and Wrekin borough of Shropshire, England. Horsehay lies in the Dawley Hamlets parish, and on the northern edge of the Ironbridge Gorge area. Horsehay used to hav ...
was the site of a bridge and later a crane fabrication factory that exported around the world. The
Victoria Falls Bridge The Victoria Falls Bridge crosses the Zambezi River just below the Victoria Falls and is built over the Second Gorge of the falls. As the river forms the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, the bridge links the two countries and has border post ...
is wrongly claimed to have been built there.
Telford Steam Railway The Telford Steam Railway (TSR) is a heritage railway located at Horsehay, Telford in Shropshire, England, formed in 1976. The railway is operated by volunteers on Sundays and Bank holiday, Bank Holidays from Easter to the end of September, an ...
trust is located across the road from the former factory site.
Dawley Town Hall Dawley Town Hall is an events venue in New Street in Dawley, Shropshire, England. History The venue was commissioned as a temperance hall for the International Organisation of Good Templars. Their aim was to encourage abstinence from alcohol w ...
opened as a temperance hall, in 1873. On 7 June 2010, Dawley had become subject to a lot of media attention because some locals had recreated the 'Hollywood' sign on a noticeable bank on Paddock Mount but with ''Dawley'' instead of ''Hollywood''. The
Shropshire Star The ''Shropshire Star'' is an English regional newspaper and reputedly the twelfth biggest-selling regional newspaper in the UK. It is based at Grosvenor House, Telford, where it covers the whole of Shropshire plus parts of Herefordshire, Worces ...
had a full-page spread article on that day's evening edition to honour the effort made by the locals. As of midday on 8 June, over 1000 people had joined a Facebook group showing support for the sign, acknowledging the efforts of its creators, and in protest against the controversial redevelopment of the mount to move the Phoenix Academy (now the Telford Langley School) there. Dawley is known for its dialect, which includes some quite unique words, including "bist", presumably from the German meaning "are". However, the dialect is largely lost. Along with the dialect were various conventions and traditions, notably the "pig on the wall". Traditionally, Dawley residents would show their support for The Dawley Prize Band or other civic marches by placing their pigs on their walls. The pig also features in the dialect, with a romantic phrase apparently being "I wudna swop thee for a big black pig!"


Geography

Dawley has a street-market every Friday. Dawley town centre consists of a single pedestrianised street that was previously the main route from Bridgnorth in the south to Wellington in the north. The area around Dawley, not covered by Telford New Town, is rural and provides extensive opportunities for walking. The
Ironbridge Gorge The Ironbridge Gorge is a deep gorge, containing the River Severn in Shropshire, England. It was first formed by a glacial overflow from the long drained away Lake Lapworth, at the end of the last ice age. The deep exposure of the rocks cut ...
and
The Wrekin The Wrekin ( ) is a hill in east Shropshire, England. It is located some west of Telford, on the border between the unitary authorities of Shropshire Council, Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin. Rising above the Shropshire Plain to a height of ...
are both pleasant walks from Dawley. On the northern edge of Dawley is Malinslee where St. Leonards church stands. The design of St. Leonards, a slightly irregular octagon, is said to have been influenced by Thomas Telford. Other churches supposedly influenced by
Thomas Telford Thomas Telford (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scotland, as well ...
during his work in Shropshire are at nearby Madeley and
Bridgnorth Bridgnorth is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire, England. The River Severn splits it into High Town and Low Town, the upper town on the right bank and the lower on the left bank of the River Severn. The population at the United Kingd ...
.


Education

There are seven primary schools in the Dawley area, and a comprehensive secondary school, Telford Langley School. There are two
special school Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual d ...
s in Dawley: Queensway South campus (formerly Mount Gilbert School) and Southall School.


Notable people

*
Samuel Peploe Samuel John Peploe (pronounced PEP-low; 27 January 1871 – 11 October 1935) was a Scottish Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter, noted for his still life works and for being one of the group of four painters that became known as the ...
(1667-1752), later
Bishop of Chester The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York. The diocese extends across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the ...
, was a native of Dawley Parva, where he was baptised. * Thomas Botfield (1762-1843), metallurgist, geologist and inventor, was born at Dawley. *
William Ball William Ball may refer to: * William Ball (MP) ( 1571), MP for Nottingham * William Ball (astronomer) (1627–1690), English astronomer * William Lee Ball (1781–1824), Virginia congressman * William Ball (Shropshire Giant) (1795–1852), 40 st ...
(1795–1852), the ''Shropshire Giant'', was a nineteenth-century iron puddler and giant. * John Poole Sandlands (1838-1915), clergyman,
naturopath Naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, is a form of alternative medicine. A wide array of practices branded as "natural", "non-invasive", or promoting "self-healing" are employed by its practitioners, who are known as naturopaths. Difficult ...
and
vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...
activist, was born in Dawley. * Captain
Matthew Webb Captain Matthew Webb (19 January 1848 – 24 July 1883) was an English seaman, swimmer and stuntman who became the first person to swim the English Channel without the use of artificial aids. Webb increased the popularity of swimming in Engl ...
(1848–1883), the first man to swim the
English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
– his monument stands on the High Street. Legend suggests that at the parade in Webb's honour that was held on his return, a pig stood up against a wall to watch. Two roads in the town are named after him, ''Captain Webb Drive'' and ''Webb Crescent'', as is the ''Captain Webb Primary School.'' * Albert Stanley (1863-1915), Liberal, later Labour politician, MP for N.W.Staffs, was born in Dark Lane, Dawley. * Joseph Simpson (1909-1968) born in Dawley, was
Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis is the head of London's Metropolitan Police Service. Sir Mark Rowley was appointed to the post on 8 July 2022 after Dame Cressida Dick announced her resignation in February 2022. The rank of Comm ...
, 1958 / 1968. *
Edith Pargeter Edith Mary Pargeter (28 September 1913 – 14 October 1995), also known by her pen name Ellis Peters, was an English author of works in many categories, especially history and historical fiction, and was also honoured for her translations of ...
(1913-1995), using her pen name ''Ellis Peters'', she wrote the
Brother Cadfael Brother Cadfael is the main fictional character in a series of historical murder mysteries written between 1977 and 1994 by the linguist-scholar Edith Pargeter under the name Ellis Peters. The character of Cadfael himself is a Welsh Benedic ...
novels; she went to school in Dawley. She grew up with her family in King Street, Dawley and published her first novel in 1936 while working at a chemist's shop in the town. Numerous roads in Aqueduct, such as ''Cadfael Drive'' and ''Ellis Peters Drive'', are 'themed' after her. *
Paul Hendy Paul Clifford Hendy (born 22 July 1966) is a British script-writer, novelist, director, producer and filmmaker. In his early career, he was a TV presenter hosting the BAFTA nominated ''Dear Mr Barker'' (BBC), '' Don’t Try This at Home'' ( ITV), ...
(born 1966), TV presenter, script-writer, novelist, director and filmmaker was born at Dawley.


Sport

* William Foulke (1874–1916)
goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...
, was born at Dawley, played 355 games mainly for
Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...
. *
Joe Butler Joseph Campbell Butler (born September 16, 1941) is an American drummer, singer and actor. He is best known as a member of folk-rock band the Lovin' Spoonful, where he was their drummer and later lead vocalist, the group had seven top 10 hits ...
(1879–1941), football goalkeeper played 513 games, was born at Dawley Bank. * Graham Bailey (1920-2024), footballer, played 53 games for
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football. Huddersfield Town we ...
and
Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...
, centenarian last surviving professional player from the 1930s, was born at Dawley. * Roy Pritchard (1925-1993), footballer, played 247 games incl. 202 for
Wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though gr ...
and at the 1949 FA Cup Final, was born at Dawley. * Thomas Nicholls (1931-2021), boxer, lived at Brandlee, Dawley when he appeared at the
1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...
and
1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December ...
.Report by Toby Neal. *
Eddie Garbett William Edward Garbett (born 14 September 1949) is an English former professional footballer who scored 40 goals from 200 appearances in the Football League playing on the right wing for Shrewsbury Town, Barrow and Stockport County. He also pla ...
(born 1949), footballer played 200 games mainly for Barrow and
Stockport County Stockport County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in EFL League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton ...
, was born at Dawley. *
Dalian Atkinson Dalian Robert Atkinson (21 March 1968 – 15 August 2016) was an English professional footballer who played as a striker. During his club football career, he played in England for Ipswich Town, Sheffield Wednesday, Aston Villa and Manchester C ...
(1968-2016), footballer, played 246 games, mainly for
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
; was living in Little Dawley when he died.Report by Lisa O'Brien, published following his funeral.


See also

* Listed buildings in Great Dawley *
Listed buildings in Dawley Hamlets Dawley Hamlets is a civil parish in the district of Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire, England. The parish contains 14 Listed building#England and Wales, listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. All the listed ...
* Shropshire Revolution
American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
Team, based in Dawley


References


External links


Great Dawley Town CouncilDawley Hamlets Parish Council
{{authority control Market towns in Shropshire Towns in Shropshire