The name 'Billingsley' is a
Saxon name and is said to mean 'the clearing of the sword'. It is argued that it was called this due to the shape of a wood clearing by Saxons who first settled there in the 7th century. Billingsley is not named in the
Domesday Book because it was actually a detached portion of the Manor of Morville. It was granted to the Abbey of
Shrewsbury by
Earl Roger de Montgomery. Then in 1147, it passed hands from
Shrewsbury Abbey to the
Abbey of Seez in
Normandy. After this it passed to the de Beysin family, Morehall family, the Clopton family and the Harewell family. Billingsley was predominately an
agricultural village whose inhabitants led a fairly relaxed rural life. However, there is evidence to show of
iron working. In the 17th century, the woods were being occupied for the making of
charcoal. In the 18th century, coal and
ironstone were being mined. In the mid-1790s, Billingsley was exchanged hands to
Sir William Pulteney who was the MP for
Shrewsbury. He owned many estates throughout the country and was particularly interested in exploiting the mineral reserves that lay in Billingsley. The colliery struggled and in 1802, MacNab (one of Pulterney's associates) fled the country for fear of his creditors. Then in 1811, Billingsley's industrial period ended with the bankruptcy of George Stokes. A brick works opened in Billingsley in the late 1860s and this continued until the
First World War. There were further prospects for coal and as a result, some housing was built for the miners. However, most of the miners were housed in
Highley. This was the beginning of the Billingsley Colliery Company but this also suffered from ill-success and closed in 1921. ==St. Mary’s Church==