Whitchurch, market town and township with ry sta., Shropshire, and par., partly also in Cheshire, 11 miles NE. of Ellesmere and 20 N. of Shrewsbury - par., 15,743 ac., pop. 6395; township, 14,870 ac., pop. 6279; town (Whitchurch and Dodington), 504 ac., pop. 3756; P.O., T.O., 3 Banks, 1 newspaper. Market-day, Friday. Whitchurch is an ancient place, formerly called Blancminster, and has a town hall, a handsome parish church, and an endowed grammar school. There is trade in hops.

(John Bartholomew, Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887))