Upton in 1843
Upton, a neatly-built and thriving market-town, in the lower division of the hundred of Pershore, 8 miles south of Worcester. It is situated on the bank of the Severn, in a flat and fertile plain. The river is here navigable for vessels of 100 tons burthen : there is a basin for barges and a wharf for loading and unloading; and a considerable trade is carried on. A market-house, including under the same roof an assembly-room and a court-room for the use of the magistrates, has recently been erected. The stone bridge of six arches and the old church were injured during the civil wars, and in 1756 the latter was taken down and the present edifice erected. The living is a rectory, in the gift of the bishop of Worcester, valued at £917 per annum. There are two day and Sunday national schools, one for boys and one for girls, the former supported by subscriptions and the latter by an endowment. The population of the parish was 2,696 in 1841. Upton is one of the polling-places for the county. |