Prehistory and Roman era The area now known as Wem is believed to have been settled prior to the
Roman Conquest of Britain, by the
Cornovii,
Celtic Iron Age settlers: there is an
Iron Age hillfort at nearby
Bury Walls occupied over into the Roman period, and the Roman Road from
Uriconium to
Deva Victrix ran close by to the east at
Soulton. It is understood a lost Roman camp may have been in the area, called Rutunium.
Post-Roman period The Wem Hoard, a collection of coins deposited in the post-Roman period, was found in land in the Wem area in 2019. The
Arden family owned the manor of Wem prior to the Conquest.
Norman and late medieval periods Weme was an
Anglo-Saxon estate, which transitioned into a planned
Norman castle-town established after the
conquest, with
motte-and-bailey castle,
parish church and
burgage plots. The town is recorded in the
Domesday Book of 1086 as consisting of four manors in the
hundred of
Hodnet.
Stafford Castle and Wem were granted to him with a further 28 manors in the area bounded by
Clive,
Ellesmere,
Tilley and
Cresswell, with some of the manors within this area belonging to other lords (
Prees to the
Bishop of Lichfield, and
Soulton to the King's Chapel in
Shrewsbury Castle, for example). Pantulf refused to participate in an 1102 rebellion against
King Henry I led by
Robert de Belesme and assisted the crown defeating it, by marching with the king on
Shrewsbury, during which the roads in the area were found to be bad, thickly wooded, providing cover for archers: 6000 foot soldiers cut down the woods and opened up the roads. Hugo Pantulf, a descendant of William, was Baron of Wem in the mid 1100s: he attended the court of
Richard the Lion Heart, was
Sheriff of Shropshire, and likely attended the
Crusades with the king, certainly paying
scutage to towards his ransom. in 1986: noting the Plantho and Arden family links to the townIn 1986, the BBC's national celebrations for the 900th anniversary of the Domesday Book focused on the town of Wem. This was because Wem was unique in having direct, unbroken male-line descendants of both its pre- and post-Conquest Manorial Lords: Pierre de Panthou and Dr. George Arden. The respective heirs were brought to the town for a special event, which was recorded for television and presented by historian
Michael Wood. The Norman town was probably enclosed by an earthwork: there is a record from the lord's steward of repairs to the town's enclosure in 1410, in which year the town had been "totally burnt and wasted by the
Welsh rebels". The supposed route of the walls or earthworks follows Noble Street, Wem Brook, the Roden and crossing the High Street between Leek Street and Chapel Street. There were bars at the three entrances to the town, and a 1514 record exists of four men being employed to keep the bars on market days. but
King John certainly granted a charter in 1202. The manor was held by some of the great baronial families: including the
Earls of Arundel, and the
Lords Dacre,
Bradford and
Barnard and, after the 14th century the lord of the manor was not resident.), was engaged in
rebellion against
Richard III with
Henry Tudor. By October of that year Buckingham's army were in the Hereford area, and fighting for survival and the campaign was unravelling in deteriorating weather; Buckingham's army deserted. Disguised as a simple labourer he fled north to Shropshire and went into hiding at Lacon Hall, the house of a local retainer, Ralph Bannister who betrayed him for £1000. An account of the capture of the Duke is as follows: "he was disguised and digging a ditch at the time of his arrest; and on the approach of Thomas Mytton the sheriff, who came to apprehend him, he knelt down in the orchard wherein he was taken, and solemnly imprecated vengeance upon the traitor and his posterity, which curses are said to have been signally fulfilled...shortlie after [Bannister] had betrayed the duke his master, his sonne and heyre waxed mad, and so dyed in a bore's stye: his eldest daughter, of excellent beautie, was sodainly stricken with a foule leperye; his second sonne very marvellously deformed of his limmes and made decrepit; his younger sonne in a small puddel was strangled and drowned; and he, being of extreme age, arraigned and found gyltie of a murder, and by his clergye saved: And as for his thousand pounds, kyng Richard gave him not one farthing, howbeit some say he had a small office or a ferme to stop his mouth." Buckingham was subsequently tried, convicted and executed for treason at
Salisbury. This incident is referred to by
William Shakespeare in the play
Richard III, in Act IV, scene iv:
Third Messenger The news I have to tell your majesty Is, that by sudden floods and fall of waters, Buckingham's army is dispersed and scatter'd; And he himself wander'd away alone, No man knows whither.
KING RICHARD IIII cry thee mercy: There is my purse to cure that blow of thine. Hath any well-advised friend proclaim'd Reward to him that brings the traitor in? Large common fields farmed in strips lay outside the town walls: Pool Meadows (waste ground by the river within the lord's demesne); Cross Field (lying toward Soulton, and thought to have been named for a wayside cross); Middle Field (part of which was later known as Leper Middle Field, giving an insight into medieval life); and Chapel Field (named after a chapel of ease on the Horton Road dedicated to St John which was suppressed in 1548). There was a Manorial Court House at Wem in which a twice yearly
Court leet with the grim privilege of a gallows, hearing pleas including hue-and-cry, bloodshed. During the 1550s
Sir Rowland Hill ("Old Sir Rowland") publisher of the
Geneva Bible, built a headquarters at
Soulton Hall, ranging over to
Hawkstone Follies where his activities are thought to have provided some of the inspiration for Shakespeare's play
As You Like It. Certainly, "Old Sir Rowland" bought both of those manors from
Sir Thomas Lodge, father of
Thomas Lodge, the acknowledged author of the source text. and several copies of Magna Carta, and much other important early document material originate in the Wem area Another important connection of antiquarian note is that the Cotton family, who came to hold the
Cotton Library (a foundational collection of the British Library, including the
Beowulf manuscript and copies of
Magna Carta) originated in the Wem area and by the sixteenth century had the manor at
Alkington nearby, members of this family were early patrons of
Inigo Jones at
Norton-in-Hales. By 1561 the former castle enclosure was held at will by the rector, John Dacre. Manor perquisites noted in 1589 show that there were two annual fairs where the lord took a toll on all goods worth above 12
d. sold by strangers and tenants (but not burgagers) and the profits of the courts. In 1579 the lord's steward ruled that there should not be more than five alehouses in the township; however, unlicensed brewers were not prevented and were fined in number at each
court leet. taking the route via Soulton and
Lee Brockhurst which corresponds to the old Roman Road. However, in September 1643, the town was planted with a
Parliamentarian garrison. Under the supervision of
Sir William Brereton a broad ditch four yards deep and wide and rampart, strengthened by a palisade made from timber cut from a felled 50 acre wood at
Loppington was thrown up around the town to fortify it (some traces of this survive in the town). The route of this fortification was as follows: it began at a wooden tower on Soulton Road, just beyond the present station, from there it ran to "Shrewsbury Gate" crossing Well Walk and the bottom of Roden House garden; it than ran to the "Ellesmere Gate" where the stream crossed road; the earthworks continued along the back of Noble Street to "Whitchurch Gate"; on from there to "Drayton Gate" at 18 Aston Street and then back to the wooden tower. Many of the buildings beyond this rampart were destroyed in fortifying the town, to prevent them being of use to attackers. In October, 1643
Lord Capell, was dispatched by the Royalists to the area to seek to retake Wem. H. Pickering (who served under Lord Capel) writing to the Duchess of Beaufort sets out the engagement as follows: 3 cannon, 2 drakes, one great mortarpiece that carried a 30ln. bullet, had 120 odd wagons and carriages laden with bread, biskett, bare and other provisions and theire armye being formydable as consistynge of neer 5,000. Wem was not ready for the attack: the walls were not finished, the gates were not hinged, some of the guns on the ramparts were wooden dummies and the defending force consisted of only 40 male Parliamentarians; but then the local women rallied round positioning themselves in red coats in well chosen spots to mislead the Royalists. On 17–18 October 1643 Royalist attackers formed up on one side, approaching Wem only from Soulton Road. The commander, Lord Capel, lightheartedly smoking his pipe half a mile from the town on that road. The town was not taken and the manoeuvre lasted less than a day resulting in this couplet: The women of Wem and a few musketeers. Beat the Lord Capel and all his Cavaliers. It has been suggested that Sir Rowland Hill's statecraft involved the accumulation of state papers and culturally important texts at Soulton, which then passed, via the
Alkington Cottons into the
Cotton Library, which includes the
Beowulf manuscript and copies of
Magna Carta, and this offers a potential explanation for the battle of Wem in the
English Civil War during which Soulton was ransacked. After this incident it is further recorded the houses of the neighbouring seat(s) of the Royalist Hill family, at Soulton and possibly Hawkstone "[were] pillaged, and ransacked by the rebel [parliamentarians]", and after this that family had to go into hiding in the Hawkstone landscape and caves. Brereton's report claimed Royalist losses in the Wem engagement were heavy. Shortly afterwards he passed by Wem to the west and remarked of it: It was a crow's nest that would not afford each of his men a piece of bread. Prince Rupert also mustered troops a short distance to the east at nearby
Prees Heath. Wem was the seat of the Shropshire Committee until the fall of Royalist Shrewsbury in 1645. The sword of a Cromwellian trooper was dug up at Wem in 1923, and a cannonball of the same period was found during construction work at the Grammar School. Wem was held by
Judge Jeffreys (1645–1689), known as the "hanging judge" for his willingness to impose capital punishment on supporters of the
Duke of Monmouth, who had bought the manor from Daniel Wycherley. His seat was Lowe Hall at The Lowe, Wem. In 1685 he was made Baron Jeffreys of Wem.
Great Fire of Wem On 3 March 1677, a fire destroyed many of the wooden buildings in the town, the event came to be known as the "Great Fire of Wem". Jane Churn dropped a candle, which started a huge fire. The intense heat partly melted the church bells, which had to be recast. A contemporary account of this disaster was as follows: This dreadful fire began on Saturday, between seven and eight o'clock, at a small house near the upper end of Leek-lane, which stood on the same ground which Mr. Phillips's brewhouse now stands. It was occasioned by the carelessness of a girl, about fourteen years of age, called, Jane Churm, who went up stairs to fetch some fuel kept under a bed, in order to make a good fire against the return of her sister, Catharine Morris, of the New-street, who was washing linen at Oliver's well, The inconsiderate girl whilst she was gathering the sticks together, stuck her candle in a twig that encompassed a spar, when catching the thatch, it set the house in flames; which being agitated by a violent tempestuous wind, soon defied all human means to extinguish them. It was a very dry season, and the houses were covered with straw, or shingles, so that the fire spread into several streets, and with such rapidity seized house after house, that in a short time the conflagration became general. A strong easterly wind blew the burning thatch and shingles to a vast distance, and the devouring flames ran along the High-street, Cripple-street, and the Horse Fair, consuming every edifice, the free school only excepted, as far as Burton's pit, or the house of George Groom, when on a sudden the wind turned to the south-west, and carried the raging fire through the Noble-street as far as the Draw-well house. A great number of country people were now come in, who offered to assist Mr. Higginson in carrying out his goods, but he would not suffer any to be removed, being intent on the preservation of his house. His barns and out-buildings were on fire, and the flames caught the pinnacle, the weather boards, and the shingles of his house, but by the care, and activity of the people in pouring out water, and casting off the shingles, an entire stop was put to time fire on that side, but on the other it ran the full length of the street. In the High-street the fire spread eastwards to the same point on the north side; on the opposite no farther than the same place where it began. In the Mill-street it extended to the Rector's barns; in Leek-lane to the house of William Smith, late of John Hales. The church, the steeple, the market house, and seven score dwelling houses, besides treble the number of out-houses and buildings were burnt. In the space of one hour they were all on fire, and the blaze was so great, that at the distance of eight or nine miles it seemed very near, and gave almost as great a light as the moon in full. In the town was a scene of the greatest confusion, and horror. The wind blustered, time flames roared, women and children shrieked. People ran at the cry of fire, to the place where it began, and at their return found their own dwellings burning. In the streets they were scorched with excessive heat, in the fields they were ready to perish with cold. Some striving to save their houses, with them lost all their goods, others despairing to extinguish the flames, attempted to carry off their most valuable effects, and many lost by thieves what they had saved from the fire; one man, and several cattle were consumed in the flames. The man was Richard Sherratt, a shoemaker, who lived on that ground where Sarah Jones now does. Having fetched a parcel of shoes out of his shop, he was seen to go under the market house, which is supposed to have fallen on him. An estimate being taken of the buildings, and the value of the goods consumed by fire, it was computed that the buildings were worth £14,760. l0s. and the household goods £8,916. 13s. 1d, so that the whole loss amounted to about £23,677. 3s. 1d. for which a brief was obtained, dated the 31st of May, 1677. A contemporary response to the disaster was written by Andrew Parsons, called
Seasonable counsel to an afflicted people in a letter to the distressed inhabitants of Wem in the county of Salop, after the dreadful fire, which consumed that market-town, March 3. 1676, part of it read as follows: ...how could I be otherwise affected than Nehemiah was, Chap. 1.4, when he heard Jerusalem lay waste and burnt? He was astonished, wept and prayed to the God of Heaven. ...Wem would be built again, as Jerusalem was; the glory of whose second Temple exceeded that of the first, as did also their own Houses and habitations.. But is Wem burnt indeed? What, Wem! the place that God hath blessed, and where he hath as signally manifested hispower, goodness, forbearance, and mercy, as in any place you or I ever knew? And is this lot and fate at last befallen Wem? The King,
Charles II, gave a commission to Thomas Hill of Soulton to receive and distribute the funds for the relief effort.
1700s By 1740 a
workhouse existed in Wem, by 1777 it could house 20 inmates. During this period, the Old Town Hall, while still the Town Hall, was used for sittings of the
County Court. The farming in this period saw an emphasis on dairy and grains. Other specializations included linen cloth. occupying a building on Noble Street that still stands. In 2008 the town held a 230th Anniversary Celebration of Hazlitt's Life and work for five days, hosted by author Edouard d'Araille who gave series of talks and conference about 'William of Wem'. William Hazlitt moved away from Wem in later life and ultimately died in London. Artist
John Astley, writer
John Ireland, and pugilist Joe Berks all also grew up in the town.
Victorian period In the era of the stagecoach the town was served by two: 'The Hero' called at the Castle and the Union Stagecoach at the White Lion. There is a road to signify the Eckford name, called Eckford Park (within Wem). Each year, the Eckford Sweet Pea Society of Wem have held a sweet pea festival apart from the years 2020 and 2021. In
Victorian times, the town was known as "Wem, where the sweet peas grow".
20th century Several public buildings built in the early 20th century used the Arts and Crafts style: the Morgan Library building, the old post office and the current town hall building are examples.
First World War Fifty-five men of Wem are recorded as having fallen serving their country in the
First World War. The town's war memorial was dedicated in 1920.
Second World War In 1940
Anna Essinger (1879–1960), a German Jewish educator, evacuated her boarding school,
Bunce Court School from
Otterden, in Kent to Trench Hall, near Wem. She facilitated
Kindertransport. The US Army created a storage facility at Aston Park estate on 14 December 1942. The facility was later converted to a prisoner of war camp, and was used for that purpose until 1948. Nineteen men of Wem are recorded to have died serving in the
Second World War. In November 1995 the town hall suffered a catastrophic fire. It reopened after repair, renewal, and redesign in 2000.
21st century From 2002 to 2019 the Morgan Library building was leased to 'Mythstories', which styles itself as the world's first museum of storytelling. Wem is a
Transition Town. During the
COVID-19 pandemic, the
National Youth Theatre of Great Britain were resident in the area and the community built them an emergency performance space. In late 2021 the town, being in the middle of the
North Shropshire constituency, saw heavy campaigning in the
by-election which saw a record swing. In 2023 efforts began to establish a community owned pub in the district. The same year two community members of the town were each presented with
British Empire Medal in a ceremony in the town hall presided over by the
Lord Lieutenant. == Culture ==