History

The settlement of Bucknell was first mentioned in the Doomsday Book, 1066 under the name of ‘Buckehale’ or ‘Buckenhill. The boundaries of Shropshire and Herefordshire divided the village at this time.

Land of Ralph Mortimer…….in Leintwardine Hundred [a district within a shire]Bucknell.

Helgot holds from him. 2 hides [unit of land measurement reckoned to be 120 acres]…land for 6 ploughs
It was and is largely waste Woodland, 1 league
Alwyn held it

From the Domesday Book

The Norman knight Roger de Montgomery II, better known as Earl Roger in the Domesday, but officially the seigneur of Montgomery, was the major recipient of Shropshire holdings. An old man of considerable wealth and power, he contributed 60 ships to the invasion fleet and was in command of a wing at the Battle of Hastings. Earl Roger was responsible to Duke William of Normandy as his chief architect in the defence of the middle marches of the border in his defence against the Welsh. He built many castles including Montgomery, Shrewsbury, Ludlow, Clun, Hopton and Oswestry. Over 90% of the lordships and manors of Shropshire were held in Chief at the Domesday by the powerful Earl Roger.

Earl Roger’s under-tenants in this area were Ralph de Mortimer, who held Bucknell (amongst his 123 manors with his chief domain in England being at Wigmore Castle), and William de Picot, (also known as Picot de Say), with his chief domain at Clun Castle, part of a cluster of castles including Richards Castle and Bishops Castle, a line of defence against the Welsh intruders to the west and included Bedstone.

The motte at Olde Farm Bucknell

This earth mound at The Olde Farm in Bucknell is the remains of a Norman (1066-1154) motte castle situated on the banks of the River Redlake, close to a river crossing point and to the Parish Church. The small mound or motte is oval in plan and measures just 22 metres in diameter at its base. Traces of a surrounding ditch have been identified in places though the later farmhouse and farm buildings have largely destroyed this.

The motte is one of the many 11th – 12th century castle mounds in this area, which as a whole could be seen as a sort of security zone about 15 miles wide which lies mostly on the English side of the border, and necessary for the Normans to protect their recently acquired lands from the Welsh.

In 1554-55 an Act was passed transferring the whole of Bucknell into the county of Shropshire.

The Lords of the Manor at that time were the Sitwell family who resided at ‘The Cottage’ when in Bucknell.

The population of the village in 1811 was 226. At the latter end of the century this had risen to 546. Most of the male population were connected with agriculture and timber. The earliest of the existing buildings date back to the 17th century.

Bucknell field layout – taken from the Tithe Apportionment Map 1839

Original image courtesy of: Shropshire Archives Donor Ref: ‘M64(161/4925)

Bucknell 1884 - courtesy of Old Maps Co

Bucknell 2000 from the air - courtesy of Getmapping plc & Multimap.com

The houses were built in a haphazard fashion near the river, and so had easy access to water. The village depended on water from the river and wells until the 1920′s when water was piped into the village from a spring above Chapel Lawn.

The houses at the lower end of the village were very susceptible to flooding, and this hazard continued until the ford was walled up in the 1950′s.

Bucknell had four pubs: The Sitwell Arms, The Plough (just opposite), The Railway Tavern and The Bridge End. The latter three are all now private houses.

The Sitwell Arms early 1900′s

The Railway Tavern c1910

The Old Schoolhouse Shop

The Old School House was built in the 17th century to provide education for those who could pay for it. The school remained until the present one was built in 1865. The Old School House then became a shop and bakery before becoming a private dwelling.

Smith’s Shop c 1906 (L-R) Frank Smith, George Smith, Tom Passant (Baker)

Sam Burgoyne (Roundsman) Charles Smith.

Bucknell also had a shop and bakery in the Square and its own corn mill which was situated at the west end of the village.

St Mary’s Church c1900

Primitive Methodist Chapel

There were three places of worship. St. Mary’s Church, The Methodist Chapel in Dog Kennel Lane (now a private house) and Coxall Baptist Chapel.

Bucknell Post office opened in the mid 19th century. The original post office was just round the corner and still goes by the name of The Old Post Office.

Post Office c1910 when run by the Sherwood family. Miss Ruth  Anthony stands in the doorway.

Post Office 1919 following alterations when owned by the Pickens family

The butcher shop is still on its original site.

The roads through the village were dirt roads, muddy in winter, and dusty in summer. Every autumn the roads were repaired with gravel from the river.

Despite more houses, the number of people living in Bucknell has dropped. In the 1981 census the population of the village was 494; in 1991 the population of the parish (probably including Bedstone) was 601 consisting of some 250 dwellings and in 2001 it was 642 in 294 dwellings.

This decline in the population is due to smaller families, the number of people coming into the village to spend their retirement and the drift away from work in timber and agriculture.