Overview of Ryton

Ryton is a village and civil parish in Shropshire, England in the district of Bridgnorth. It lies about one mile north north west of Beckbury. The civil parish originates during Norman times, and appears as "Ruitone" in the Domesday book of 1086. Ryton was part of the Saxon parish of Shifnal, but became separate at some point during the 12th century because there is mention of a priest at Ryton named Bernard in 1186. In 1643 John Craven was created Baron Craven of Ryton, named after this village, but the title died out with his death in 1648. It is believed Reverend Robert William Eyton (1815–1881), author of The Antiquities of Shropshire, was Rector at Ryton. Colonel William Kenyon-Slaney (1847–1908), sportsman and politician, whose family home, Hatton Grange, is in the parish, is buried in the churchyard. Italian Romolo Piazzani is also buried here. He is credited with building Ryton Hall, and as well as being a landscape gardener, he has a portrait in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. The hall was for a time a boarding school, and is now apartments, with houses built in the garden. Ryton is home to St Andrew's church, in which records first appear of its existence in 1710 as well as a popular public house, named "The Fox Inn" (Not to be confused with the small village of Great Ryton, which also is in Shropshire.)