Although Shropshire or Salop as it used to be called is noted as being the “birthplace of industry” most of our ancestors were either carpenters of farmers. Remarkably they mostly lived to be of relatively great age certainly when compared to our ancestors that moved to Liverpool.

Our story begins in Sheriff Hales where Thomas Lockley (the first of many) is born in 1602. Our family remains there for three generations until Thomas Lockley 3rd moves to Clive.
William Pitt describes Sheriff Hales in 1817 as follows –
SHERIFF-HALES is a parish of considerable extent, situated to the west of Blymhill, in the south-west part of Cuttlestone west, and principally in that hundred, though partly in Bradford hundred, Shropshire. This parish contains 154 houses, 157 families; 425 males, 384 females: total population, 809 persons.The village of Sheriff-Hales contains several farm-houses and smaller tenements, and there are also several houses on the different farms in the parish. It also contains the hamlets of Heath-hill, Hilton, and Burleton. The soil of this parish is a light gravelly loam, very productive of barley and turnips. The Marquis of Stafford is the principal land proprietor. The Church is dedicated to St. Mary. It is a vicarage under the patronage of the Marquis of Stafford.

Clives’ sole claim to fame is that of being the birthplace of William Wycherley (a surname that becomes very significant to us later in Liverpool). William Wycherley was a famous dramatist whose most significant works were “The country wife” and “The plain dealer”. Only one generation seems to have lived in Clive, the next move was to Hinstock – here our roots really took hold.

Our ancestors in Hinstock (the Lockley branch) were successful carpenters & wheelwrights who branched out into farming and later even became publicans. Today Hinstock has changed very little compared to the OS map of 1884.
The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales describes Hinstock in 1872 as follows –
HINSTOCK a village and a parish in Market-Drayton district, Salop. The village stands near the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction canal, 3 miles W of the boundary with Stafford, and 5½ S of Market-Drayton r. station; and has a post office under Market-Drayton. The parish comprises 3,036 acres. Real property, £5,774. Pop., 791. Houses, 185. The property is much subdivided. The manor belongs to Richard Corbet, Esq. Hinstock Hall is the chief residence. Building stone is quarried; and there is a mineral spring. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Lichfield. Value, £504. Patron, Richard Corbet, Esq. The church has a tower, and was enlarged in 1851. There are a Wesleyan chapel and a national school. Only the property values seem to have changed.

Not far from Hinstock, on the other side of the Shropshire Union canal lies Cheswardine home of the Forrester branch of our family. Cheswardine is very similar to Hinstock and has also remained little changed since our ancestors left mid 19th century. The church, schoolhouse and local pub must have witnessed many our ancestors going about their daily business. The old farmhouse is still located on Haywood Lane and the farmhouse/pub started by Thomas Lockley is now a thriving establishment and well worth a visit.
A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, 7th edition, published in 1848 describes Cheswardine as follows:
CHESWARDINE (St. Swithin), a parish, in the union of Drayton, Drayton division of the hundred of North Bradford, N. division of Salop, 4½ miles (S. W.) from Drayton; containing 1015 inhabitants, and comprising 5724 acres, of which 96 are common or waste.

The Forresters lived in Edgmond before moving to Cheswardine around 1710.
In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson’s Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Edgmond like this:
EDGMOND, a village and a parish in Newport district, Salop. The village stands near the Newport canal, 2 miles W of Newport town and r. station; and has a post office under Newport, Salop. The parish includes the townships of Cherrington, Chetwynd-Aston, Church-Aston, and Tibberton. Acres, 9, 598. ..Real property, £10, 472. Pop., 2, 598. Houses, 533.