Church Preen, Shropshire, England

Notes:
CHURCH PREEN, anciently Preen Magna, or Great Preen, is a parish and village, situate eleven miles south-east from Shrewsbury and six miles southwest from Much Wenlock, in the Hundred of Condover, rural-deanery of Church Stretton, archdeaconry of Ludlow, and diocese of Hereford. It lies mainly upon a slope, and its high grounds command some beautiful views. Its area is 1,174 acres. The population in 1801 was 84; in 1831, 75; in 1841, 101; and in 1901, 113.



Church Preen must not be confused with Holt Preen, which is a hamlet in Cardington parish, although combined Church Preen and Holt Preen form the Preen estate.



The name may indicate British origin, but the early history of the parish is obscure. At the time of the Domesday Survey Prene was one of nineteen Shropshire manors held under Earl Roger by Helgot, one of his Norman followers, and lord of Castle Holgate. It was a manor of three hides, two of which were held of Helga by Richard (who is believed to be Richard de Belmeis, afterwards Sheriff of Shropshire), and were afterwards known as Great Preen or Church Preen; whilst the remaining hide was held of Helgot by Godebold, and was known as Preen Girros, Holt Preen, or Little Preen (in Cardington parish). Shortly afterwards Charch Preen was held, probably by grant of Richard de Belmeis, by the Priory of Wenlock under the lords of Holgate (as seigneurs' lords), and a small Priory was founded here, subject to Wenlock. At what period the foundation was effected is uncertain, but at least as early as the thirteenth century, possibly earlier. The Church is of that period, and probably, as at the adjacent village of Hughley, was a re-building on an earlier site.



The Burnells, as Lords of Holgate, held lands and rights in the manor of Church Preen from the 13th century until forfeited in the late 16th century by their heir, Lord Lovel. These lands and rights were vested eventually in the Duke of Norfolk, who sold them to Sir John Dudley, and were by him transferred to the King's Commissioners at the same time as the Prior of Wenlock gave the Priory of Preen into their hands. The latter transaction led to confusion in the matter of whether the Prior of Wenlock or the Prior of Preen had the right to dispose of the property.



The priory estate was purchased in 1533 by Giles Coverte, and in 1560 was purchased from his successor by Humphrey Dickens. In 1749 it was purchased by Miss Elizabeth Price, whose sister Sarah, wife of John Windsor, acquired it by bequest in 1750. In 1826 it was purchased by William Webster, from whose family it came by purchase in 1845 to William Hanbury Sparrow. Almost the whole of Church Preen and Holt Preen is now embraced in the possession of the Sparrow family.



The church, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, is a rectangular building of the 13th century, measuring 70 feet long by 12 feet 8 inches wide. The east window has three lancet lights of equal height. On the north is an interesting lancet, the window being divided from a " low-side " window by a transom. The inside splay stops near the bottom of the window and a recess is made below the window, thus forming on either side a stone seat. There is an interesting piscine, with a ledge within the recess for a credence shelf. A single sedile is formed by a recess running down the wall from the south window of the sanctuary. Two plain diagonal brackets at the north east and south-east junctures of the walls are doubtless for statues of St. John the Baptist and the Virgin. The font, rectangular with chamfered corners, is probably contemporary with the church.

City/Town : Latitude: 52.5786446, Longitude: -2.6779245