Market Drayton

"The Devil's Ring and Finger" is a notable site {{convert|3|mi|km|0}} from the town at Mucklestone.Palliser, D. M.,The Staffordshire Landscape,Hodder and Stoughton,1976,{{ISBN|0-340-12994-8}} These are across the county boundary in neighbouring Staffordshire. There are also and several Neolithic standing stones.

Drayton is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as a manor in the hundred of Hodnet. It was held by William Pantulf, Lord of Wem, from Roger de Montgomery, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury. Drayton is listed as having five households in 1086, putting it in the smallest 20% of settlements recorded.{{cite web|url=https://opendomesday.org/place/SJ6734/market-drayton/ |title=Drayton - Domesday Book|first=Anna|last=Powell-Smith}}

Domesday also lists Tyrley,{{cite web|url=https://opendomesday.org/place/SJ7134/tyrley/ |title=Tyrley - Domesday Book|first=Anna|last=Powell-Smith}} which was the site of a castle later ({{Coord|52|54|00|N|2|28|45|W|display=inline}}).

In 1245 King Henry III granted a charter for a weekly Wednesday market, giving the town its current name. The market is still held every Wednesday. To the south-east near the A529 an 18th-century farmhouse stands on the site of Tyrley Castle, which was probably built soon after 1066 and later rebuilt in stone in the 13th century.

File:York victory over Lancaster.svg was fought near the town in the Wars of the Roses]]

Nearby Blore Heath, in Staffordshire, was the site of a battle in 1459 between the Houses of York and Lancaster during the Wars of the Roses. Audley's Cross, Blore Heath is located close by.

{{cite web |title= Blore Heath 1459.

|url= http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/upload/pdf/Blore.pdf?1252376782

|date= 1995

|work = English Heritage Battlefield Reports

|publisher= English Heritage

|accessdate=23 September 2009}}

File:British (English) School - Sir Rowland Hill (1492–1561) - 1298284 - National Trust.jpg

Rowland Hill of Soulton, the first Protestant Mayor of London, came from a prominent ancient local family which had extensive property in the area. He is a possible inspiration for Shakespeare and ran the Geneva Bible{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yzxfAAAAcAAJ&dq=sir+rowland+hill+bible+geneva+bible&pg=PP27 |title=The Holy Bible ... With a General Introduction and Short Explanatory Notes, by B. Boothroyd |date=1836 |publisher=James Duncan |language=en}} translation project. He founded the Old Grammar School, in St Mary's Hall, directly to the east of the church in 1555. It contains a 16th century bust of him. To this day a charity exists in the town to support the education of young people.{{Cite web |title=SIR ROWLAND HILL'S EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION - Charity 528389 |url=https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/528389 |access-date=2023-04-16 |website=register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk |language=en-GB}}

Elizabeth Wriothesley, Countess of Southampton (1572 – 1655) was a daughter of the prominent local Vernon family. Her husband was the supposed inspiration of part of Shakespeare's sonnets.{{Cite web |title=The Mysterious Identity of the 'Fair Youth' |url=https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/blogs/mysterious-identity-fair-youth/ |access-date=2023-04-16 |website=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust|date=14 September 2018 }} She was one of the chief ladies-in-waiting to Elizabeth I in the later years of her reign.

Evidence has recently been found for a skirmish in the English Civil War around 1643.{{Cite web |last=Neal |first=Toby |title=Geoff's fresh eye discovers unknown Shropshire battle |url=https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/features/2021/08/07/geoffs-fresh-eye-discovers-unknown-shropshire-battle/ |access-date=2023-04-16 |website=www.shropshirestar.com |date=7 August 2021 |language=en}}

The great fire of Drayton destroyed almost 70% of the town in 1651.{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Jack N. |date=2021-04-18 |title=History of the Town — |url=https://www.marketdrayton.org.uk/history-of-the-town/ |access-date=2023-04-16 |website=Market Drayton - Eat, Drink, Shop & Explore |language=en-GB}} It was started at a bakery owned by D. MacTavish,{{citation needed|date=October 2022}} and quickly spread through the timber buildings. The buttercross in the centre of the town still has a bell at the top for people to ring if there was ever another fire.

In the 1730s Robert Clive attended the grammar school, and a school desk with the initials "RC" may still be seen. He was expelled from the school,http://www.archivezone.org.uk/subjects/famous-people/clive-of-india/ {{Dead link|date=November 2024|fix-attempted=yes}} and his record is today contested.{{Cite news |last=Mohdin |first=Aamna |date=2021-11-19 |title=Clive of India statue in Shrewsbury should go, says descendant |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/nov/19/clive-of-india-statue-in-shrewsbury-should-be-removed-says-descendant-channel-4 |access-date=2023-04-16 |issn=0261-3077}}

The town has an active arts and culture scene mainly based around the Festival Drayton Centre.{{cite web |title=Drayton Festival Centre |url=http://www.festivaldraytoncentre.com/index.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705184441/http://www.festivaldraytoncentre.com/index.php |archive-date=5 July 2017 |access-date=11 January 2018}} This centre was established in 1984 and is run by volunteers. Over 40 years it has expanded considerably and includes a thriving cinema, theatre, art gallery and a range of meeting rooms that area available for hire. The Festival Drayton Centre also hosts regular live music and comedy and features event cinema beamed in by satellite from the National Theatre and Royal Opera House.

The Drayton Arts Festival is held every year in October; its 10th anniversary was due in 2023.{{cite web |title=DraytonArtsFest |url=http://draytonartsfest.org/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111171223/http://draytonartsfest.org/ |archive-date=11 January 2018 |access-date=11 January 2018}}

Market Drayton has always been a hotbed for musical talent producing a number of bands who have progressed on to achieve national acclaim. In 1981 the town boasted the ‘second best’ school rock band in the country, TSB National School Band runners up, Monovision (Winners were “Mother Hen”). At the same time the local youth club were represented by the Platinum Needles in the NAYC Opportunity Rocks competition final. In early 1981 the Platinum Needles were also featured on the Stoke Musicians Collective album released on Slip Records “Cry Havoc”. During the late ’70s and early ’80s, Market Drayton also boasted one of the only recording studios in Shropshire,{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/label/165128-Redball-Records|title=Redball Records Discography | Discogs|website=Discogs }} Redball Records.

Landmarks in the area include: Pell Wall Hall, Adderley Hall, Buntingsdale Hall, Salisbury Hill, Tyrley Locks on the Shropshire Union Canal and the Thomas Telford designed aqueduct.

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central. Television signals are received from either The Wrekin or Sutton Coldfield TV transmitters.{{cite web|url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/The_Wrekin|title=Full Freeview on the The[sic] Wrekin (Telford and Wrekin, England) transmitter|date=1 May 2004|website=UK Free TV|accessdate=10 October 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Sutton_Coldfield|title=Sutton Coldfield (Birmingham, England) Full Freeview transmitter|date=1 May 2004|website=UK Free TV|accessdate=10 October 2023}} BBC North West and ITV Granada can also be received from the Winter Hill TV transmitter. {{cite web |url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Winter_Hill |title=Full Freeview on the Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter |date=May 2004 |publisher=UK Free TV |access-date=29 August 2024}}

Local radio stations are BBC Radio Shropshire, Hits Radio Black Country & Shropshire, Greatest Hits Radio Black Country & Shropshire, Capital North West and Wales and Pure Gold, a community based radio station.{{Cite web |url=https://www.puregolduk.net/|title=Pure Gold|access-date=10 October 2023}}

The Shropshire Star is the town's local weekly newspaper.{{Cite web |url=https://www.shropshirestar.com/ |title=Shropshire Star |access-date=25 September 2023}}

File:Market Drayton St. Mary's Hall plaque.JPG

Today, Market Drayton has four schools:

• Longlands Primary School
• Market Drayton Infant School
• Market Drayton Junior School
• Grove School and sixth form college

Grove School is a large secondary school of about 1,100 pupils, all of whom live within {{convert|12|mi|km}} of the town.

File:Tudor House Hotel, Market Drayton - geograph.org.uk - 3106873.jpg

In 1965, sausage maker Palethorpe's built a new factory employing 400 people in the town. Purchased by Northern Foods in 1990, the company was merged with Bowyers of Trowbridge, Wiltshire and Pork Farms of Nottingham to form Pork Farms Bowyers. The sausage brand was sold in 2001 to Kerry Group, but the factory remains open as the town's largest employer. It produces various meat based and chilled food products, under both the Pork Farms brand and for third parties, including Asda.

Müller Dairy have a factory making yogurts. The town is also the home of Tern Press, a collectible small press publisher of poetry.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

The town has been referred to as the "Home of Gingerbread".{{cite web |title=200 Years of Billington's Gingerbread |url=https://www.specialityfoodmagazine.com/content/meet_the_producer/200_years_of_billingtons_gingerbread |website=Speciality Food Magazine |access-date=16 September 2024 |language=en}} The first recorded mention of gingerbread being baked in the town dates to 1793, although it was likely made earlier, as ginger had been stocked in high street businesses since the 1640s.{{cite web |title=BBC - Shropshire - Features - Market Drayton Gingerbread |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/shropshire/food/2003/05/gingerbread.shtml#:~:text=In%20the%20early%20part%20of,It%20was%20probably%20made%20earlier. |website=www.bbc.co.uk |access-date=16 September 2024}}

Supplied by a water source running under the town, two breweries operated in the town during the early 20th century. In 2000, Steve Nuttall started a microbrewery, Joule's Brewery Ltd, a revival of a previous Joule's Brewery at Stone, Staffordshire which had been discontinued in 1974. The new company bought the 16th century Red Lion, a pub that formerly belonged to the earlier company, where the brewery was built, completed in 2010. It produces three core ales on the site as well as a number of seasonal beers.{{cite news|title=Cheers as brewery marks its success, Business with roots in medieval past now one of county's biggest|work=Shropshire Star|date=29 July 2016|page=16}}Report by James Pugh.

File:Fordhall Farmhouse - geograph.org.uk - 1075944.jpg

Fordhall Farm has {{convert|140|acre|km2}} of community-owned{{clarify|date=September 2014}} organic farmland located off the A53 between the Müller and Tern Hill roundabouts. The farm trail is open to the public during farm shop opening hours, and on the path is the site of Fordhall Castle, an ancient motte and bailey structure which overlooks the River Tern valley.

{{unreferenced section|date=October 2022}}

• Market Drayton Hockey Club train & play at Whitchurch Sir John Talbots school, due to a lack of hockey facilities in the town. The club currently had 1 men's team, playing in the Midlands Men's Division 9 North West, along with 1 women's team, who currently play in the Midlands Women's Division 5 Moorland.
• Market Drayton Town F.C. play on Greenfields Sports Ground in Market Drayton, which has capacity for 1,000 spectators.
• Market Drayton Rugby club play at Greenfields Sports ground, on Greenfields Lane, and are in the Midlands Division- Midlands 4 West (North).
• Market Drayton Tennis Club is also based at Greenfields and has three all weather floodlit courts; the club plays in a number of Shropshire leagues.

By road, Market Drayton is served by one major route, the A53 which runs south from Buxton in Derbyshire to Shrewsbury via Leek, Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme.

• {{UK road|A53}} | Southbound: Shrewsbury | Northbound: Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stoke-on-Trent, Leek

Arriva Midlands operates route 64 through Market Drayton between Shrewsbury and Hanley (Stoke-on-Trent), at an irregular service pattern. Beginning on 7 September 2012 Bennett's Travel Cranberry Ltd run an evening service 164 to Hanley on Fridays and Saturdays with a day service to Newcastle-under-Lyme on Sunday.

Shropshire Council ran a number of bus services under the 'ShropshireLink' brand in addition to the regular 301 and 302 Market Drayton Town Services but these were withdrawn due to council cutbacks. Services 301 and 302 are now operated by Lakeside Coaches.{{cite web | url=https://lakesidecoaches.co.uk/local-bus-timetable/ | title=Local Bus Timetable - Lakeside Coaches | date=9 March 2023 }}

Market Drayton had a railway station which opened in 1863 and closed during the Beeching cuts in 1963. The railway station was located on the Wellington and Drayton Railway and Nantwich and Market Drayton Railway of the Great Western Railway network and was also the terminus of the Newcastle-under-Lyme line of the Stoke to Market Drayton Line of the North Staffordshire Railway network.

Market Drayton was struck by an F1/T3 tornado on 23 November 1981, as part of the record-breaking nationwide tornado outbreak on that day.{{Cite web|url=https://www.eswd.eu/cgi-bin/eswd.cgi|title=European Severe Weather Database|website=www.eswd.eu}}

File:StMary's, Market Drayton-geograph-771033-by-Geoff-Pick.jpg from the south]]

The town currently has five churches. The largest is the Church of England parish church which is St Mary's Church; it dates from 1150, although it was largely rebuilt in 1881–1889, and is grade II* listed.{{Cite web|url=https://www.stmarysmarketdrayton.org.uk/|title=St Marys Church Market Drayton|website=www.stmarysmarketdrayton.org.uk}}{{cite web|title=Church of Saint Mary|url=https://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1366835|access-date=10 January 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111052714/https://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1366835|archive-date=11 January 2018}}{{NHLE | num=1366835 | desc=Church of Saint Mary |grade=II* | access-date=13 December 2023}} Christ Church, an Anglican parish church, is in Little Drayton, to the west of the town and grade II listed.{{cite web|url=https://www.littledraytonchurch.com/|title=Christ Church, Little Drayton|website=Christ Church, Little Drayton|access-date=30 April 2018}}{{NHLE | num=1055302 | desc=Christ Church | access-date=13 December 2023}}

The Roman Catholic Church of St Thomas Aquinas & St Stephen Harding dates from 1886 and is grade II listed.{{cite web|title=Saint Thomas and Saint Stephen|url=http://www.ss-thomas-stephen.org.uk/|access-date=10 January 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171027175012/http://www.ss-thomas-stephen.org.uk/|archive-date=27 October 2017}}{{NHLE | num=1416159 | desc=Roman Catholic Church of St Thomas Aquinas and St Stephen Harding and Presbytery | access-date=13 December 2023}} There is also a Methodist Church.{{Cite web|url=http://mdmc.org.uk/|title=Homepage MDMC|website=Market Drayton Methodist Church}}

File:Elizabeth Vernon, Countess of Southampton attributed to Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger.jpeg, ca.1595]]

• Elizabeth Wriothesley, Countess of Southampton (1572 – 1655), lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth I
• Thomas Povey (ca. 1613 – ca. 1705), the colonial civil servant and friend of Samuel Pepys, was a Londoner, but a branch of his family lived at Woodseaves; the most prominent member of which was Sir John Povey (1621–1679), Lord Chief Justice of Ireland 1673–79.
• William Felton (1715–1769), English composer{{Cite DNB|wstitle= Felton, William (1713-1769) |volume= 18 |last= Middleton |first= L.M. |author-link= |pages= 311-312 |year= |short=1}}
• Elizabeth Anne Lewis (1843/48-1924), temperance activist
• Mary Cholmondeley (1859 in Hodnet – 1925), novelist. Her bestseller was called Red Pottage
• Stephen Morrey (1880 – 1921) was an English-born merchant, farmer and political figure in Saskatchewan, Canada. Morrey owned a hardware business in Market Drayton.
• Henry Edward George Rope (1880-1978), poet and editor, served as Roman Catholic parish priest at Market Drayton in 1924-1925.Shrewsbury R.C. Diocesan Archive.
• Brigadier Sir Alexander Beville Gibbons Stanier DSO & Bar, MC (1899–1995), 2nd Baronet of Peplow Hall, a distinguished Army officer

• John Lewis (1855 in Market Drayton{{ndash}}1926), football referee and a founder of Blackburn Rovers F.C.
• Harold Emerton Edge (1892 in Market Drayton – 1944) an English cricketer, a right-handed batsman who bowled medium pace
• Ray Reardon (1932-2004), Welsh professional snooker player, lived in Market Drayton until 1980 and won two of his world titles while living there.Shropshire (county guide, published by Shropshire County Council (1980), p.114. ISBN 0903802-14-7.
• David Gilford (born 1965) is an English professional golfer. He lives in the town
• Andy Cooke (born 1974), former footballer, played 481 games [http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=1625 SoccerBase Database] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225035409/http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=1625|date=25 December 2017}} retrieved December 2017 mainly for Burnley, Stoke City and Shrewsbury Town
• Ben Garratt (born 1994 in Market Drayton) footballer,[http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=55500 SoccerBase Database] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225035235/http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=55500|date=25 December 2017}} retrieved December 2017 played over 350 games incl. over 200 for Crewe Alexandra F.C.

File:Nathaniel Dance-Holland (1735-1811) - Robert Clive (1725–1774), 1st Baron Clive of Plassey, 'Clive of India' - 1180917 - National Trust.jpg

Nearby at Styche Hall[https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1307449 Website of Historic England] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202021635/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1307449|date=2 February 2017}} retrieved Jan 2017 is the birthplace of Robert Clive, first Baron Clive, "Clive of India", (1725–1774), part of whose schooling was in the Grammar School then in Market Drayton.

The Georgian house, designed by Sir William Chambers, the architect of Somerset House, replaced the half-timbered house where Clive was born. It was built for his father and paid for by Clive from the income from his Indian career.

Market Drayton is twinned with:{{Cite web|url=http://www.marketdrayton.gov.uk/Contents/Text/Index.asp?SiteId=788&TopNavId=765&SiteExtra=18930835&NavSideId=15673|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003081608/http://www.marketdrayton.gov.uk/Contents/Text/Index.asp?SiteId=788&TopNavId=765&SiteExtra=18930835&NavSideId=15673|url-status=dead|title=Arlon Twinning on Council site|archivedate=3 October 2011}}

• Arlon, Belgium
• Pézenas, France

Image:DraytonViaduct.JPG|Aqueduct

Clive and Coffyne, Shropshire St - geograph.org.uk - 1323759.jpg|Clive and Coffyne, Shropshire Street

Image:DraytonStMarys.JPG|St Mary's Church

Image:DraytonLocks.JPG|Tyrley Locks

• Listed buildings in Market Drayton

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

{{Wikivoyage}}

• [http://www.marketdrayton.gov.uk/ Market Drayton Council]
• [https://www.marketdrayton.org.uk Market Drayton Online]
• [https://www.academia.edu/2351352/Archaeological_assessment_of_Market_Drayton_Shropshire Archaeological assessment of Market Drayton, Shropshire] Hal Dalwood
• [https://www.francisfrith.com/uk/market-drayton/memories Memories of Market Drayton]

{{Shropshire}}

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Category:Market towns in Shropshire

Category:Towns in Shropshire

Category:Civil parishes in Shropshire