Hi there, 
I was wondering if you could tell me the history of the castle that used to stand in /near Cherington.My family has a farm there and apparently it was built from the remains of a nearby castle which was destroyed...any ideas? I know that at various times in history the borderlands have been in dispute with Wales...at the Zenith of Welsh claims on Salop which areas/parishes were included ?My family has a map from the early 1400's and Shrewsbury and much other land is given as being Welsh.  thanks Morgan Jones

Mmm. This is a tough one as initially my research could find no reference to a castle at Cherrington. However, there is, of course, the connection with 'The House that Jack Built' which you may or may not know about.
mmm Cherrington is an agricultural parish straddling the B5062. It was mentioned as Cerlintone in the Domesday Book, the most likely origin being either Ceorl or Ceorra's farm of enclosure.
mmmmThere is no village as such, instead the few houses are scattered throughout the parish. The house of the most interest is the one that Jack built, Cherrington Manor, which is a handsome timber-framed house built in the early 17th century.

The original rhyme about Jack was first published in 1755, but in a book dated 1820 there is an illustration accompanying the rhyme which look rather like Cherrington Manor. To reinforce the theory that it is Jack's house, there is a former malt house in the grounds where the rats enjoyed the malt that lay in the house that Jack built, and being a rural area there must at one time have been a cow with a crumpled horn and even a maiden all forlorn. What other proof could we ask for?
mmm To be honest, the connection is tenuous to say the least as the story most probably has European origins which predate Cherrington Manor, but it is a nice story, and certainly I would not dispute the claim. Later research has shown that the ilustrator of the book in which Cherrington Manor was shown came from nearby Whitchurch so it is feasible that he had visited Cherrington and drawn it.
mmm Close to Cherrington Manor is a moated site, and the manor also saw action in the Civil War when a skirmish between Royalists and Roundheads took place in a nearby field. Now, it is logical to assume that the materials from whatever stood on the moated site may have been used in subsequent buildings. It is also known that the Roundaheads had a habit of destroying many buildings which had been used by the Royalists and that may be used again by supporters of the Monarchy. Who knows, if Cherrington Manor is where your ancestors came from, you may have connections with more than your thought!
mmm Can any of our readers supply us with more information? - T.C.