England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Ruyton of the Eleven Towns St John the Baptist

The Parish

The parish of Ruyton of the Eleven Towns lies in northwestern Shropshire not too far from its border with both Wales and the Welsh county of Montgomeryshire. Ruyton of the Eleven Towns is located about 8 miles northwest of the county town of Shrewsbury and sits a couple of miles east of the A5 road which connects Shrewsbury through to Oswestry and onward to Holyhead, the B4397 connects the village with the A5. The unusual name of the village comes from its foundation from a collective of 11 12th century farmsteads or "towns" which unified into a single manor. Ruyton was formerly a market town and borough, that status having been won by the owners of Ruyton Castle the Fitzalans. That status and, indeed the annual sheep fair, has lapsed as market functions have been absorbed into nearby Oswestry & Shrewsbury. Ruyton is today a large village gathered around the rocky outcrop on which sits both church & castle. The economy of the parish would have been varied, underpinned by traditional Shropshire pastoral farming, the presence of copper ore and good building stone lead to some extractive & processing industries. Ruyton is drained southwards, the short distance to the nearby River Severn, by the River Perry, the Severn traces its long journey to the Bristol Channel through Shrewsbury, Tewkesbury & Gloucester. Ruyton is sited at around 80 metres above the sea in fairly gentle terrain which is dominated by the isolated outcrop of The Cliffe which reaches close to 160 metres. Western Shropshire parishes tend to echo the larger ones of nearby Wales, Ruyton of the Eleven Towns parish was equally extensive, covering close to 4,500 acres it would have supported a population of almost 1,100 parishioners. In Domesday times Ruyton was a much smaller place, held by one Odo de Bernieres it was dominated by a series of 5 fisheries which augmented a meagre 3 ploughs and a small wood.

The Church

St John the Baptist's church sits on the northern side of the B4397 to the east of the main village centre. The church is also known as "the Church around the Cliffe" because of its elevated setting on a low outcrop of bare rock. The church has its origins coherent with the building of the nearby castle and the earliest portions are Norman Romanesque in style of the late 12th century. Despite later restorations clear evidence, in both nave & chancel, show a 12th century date. Small squared sandstone blocks survive from the 12th century and the southern doorway shows a style similar to the dated feature within Lilleshall Abbey. Some minor changes of the 13th century are evident but the major addition was the western tower in the Perpendicular style of the late 14th century. Significant restorations occurred in Victorian times, the nave & chancel restored in the 1860s and a replacement southern porch built in the 1890s to arrive at today's church. The B4397 carries significant traffic and parking is best sought in nearby side roads, the church sits high above the street level on its outcrop with a rising pathway leading to the lychgate augmented by steps climbing up more dramatically. The churchyard is a narrow oval in shape which does cause a few issues to the best photographic angles.