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History of the Parish of Hordley.
Hordley is a large rural civil parish based in North Shropshire. It comprises of the two townships of Hordley and Bagley.
Hordley is believed to have gained it’s name from a Scandinavian family of the name of Hoord in the middle ages.
In early years the Parish would have been virtually an island formed by glacial moranes surrounded by water and marshy land, with the River Perry forming its western boundary and The Tetchill Moor and Bromley Brook largely its eastern boundary. A plentiful supply of food and a high degree natural fortification would have been afforded by the marshes. Since the 17th. century there have been many schemes to drain the marshes surrounding the area so their prior existence is no longer visible apart from the dark peaty land where they once existed. During the most recent deepening of the River Perry in 1985/86 a very ancient iron age dug out canoe was found in the river indicating peoples existence in the area in that time.
For many years the Weston arm of the Montgomery Canal formed a long section of the Parish eastern boundary until the Parish Boundary Review of 1986 when land was added to the Parish mostly from the parish of Cockshutt.
There is further known evidence of habitation prior to 300 AD.
The Parish retains a Norman church dating back to at least 1160AD, dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin. It is reputed that monks lived at or near the church in early years The church is now part of the benefice of Baschurch and Weston Lullingfields. There were two non-conformist chapels in the Parish, one located in Bagley and the other in Lower Hordley.
The population is recorded at about 290 people in 2011.
The village hall remains active and is used for various functions and is available for hire.
The village primary school closed in 1957. It was converted into a shop and two dwellings, unfortunately the shop has now been closed for a number of years.
The Parish’s industry is predominately agriculture although a large meat packing plant is sited in the Parish.