An outline of a Celtic hill fort can be found three kilometres north of Hope Bowdler on the summit of Caer Caradoc. It is alleged, by some, that this is where Caractacus made his last stand against the Roman invaders in 43AD. A millennium later another celebrated rebel, Edric Sauvage, a Saxon noble known in legend as ‘Edric the Wild’ led a guerrilla style revolt in this area against the Norman invaders following the Conquest of 1066. The Domesday Book of 1086 refers to some lands once belonging to Edric as laid waste (devoid of cultivation) - presumably as a reprisal for his rebellious activities; however, the land previously owned by Edric in this Manor continued to be worked.

At the time of the Domesday Book Hope Bowdler was known as Fordritishope. Two explanations for the name exist. In an early Saxon era the Manor was known as Hope – (a valley flanked by steep hills) of Forthred. Alternatively, the name Fordritshope refers to a Hope or valley and the ford that once divided the village. Domesday also records, ‘The arable land is sufficient for six ox-teams’ and that ‘four Serfs, two female Serfs, and two Villeins’ resided here. However, confirmation of the decline of the Manor comes with the statement that - ‘In King Edward’s time the Manor was worth 25 shillings (per annum). Now it is worth 15 shillings.’

In subsequent years the Manors of Fordritishope, Chelmick and Wilderley were bestowed on Baldwin de Bollers by King Henry I. Under the control of Baldwin and his descendents, Fordritishope became known as Hope Bollers or Hope Buthlers. In a valuation of 1291, the church is described as ‘Hope Boulers’ in the Deanery of Wenlock. Eventually the Manor became known as Hope Bowdler and consisted of approximately 360 acres, an uneconomic size, so a merger with the Manor of Chelmick and Ragdon followed.

The census of 1841 records that the Parish consisted of 1800 acres and had 34 houses, 4 of which were uninhabited. A total of 184 men, women and children lived in the Parish at that time.

This sparsely populated area has always been devoted to farming and the landscape has encouraged the rearing of cattle and sheep. Today approx. three quarters is grassland, whereas in late 18^th and early 19^th centuries over half of the Parish was arable. Agricultural labouring provided the bulk of the employment but work could sometimes be found by gamekeeping, stone masonry, milling, thatching, forestry, and blacksmithing or by quarrying. The annual Church Stretton Hiring Fair, in May, offered prospects of employment as servants in the big houses or as labourers on local farms. An annual salary was agreed and food and lodging were provided. In 1856 the local Blacksmith hired a young boy to serve him for one year at a cost of £2.0s.0d while a more experienced worker earned the sum of £7.7s.0d. for a years labour. In the 18^th century poverty, poor housing and the annual famine before harvest time blighted the lives of most labourers and their families. Wages as low as one shilling a day plus beer were common, so a strip of land where vegetables could be grown was essential. The few who prospered lived in brick-built houses, the poor lived in small primitive hovels with thatched roofs’, while the destitute likely ended up at the Union workhouse in Church Stretton, which accommodated 110 people. The number of agricultural workers declined dramatically during the 19^th century. A depression within the industry enforced low wages, so an inevitable exodus to the towns began. In the mid 19^th century, the weekly wage for an agricultural worker was little more than 10 shillings a week – this rose to approx. 27 shillings for a 60-hour week by 1918. Increased mechanisation through the 20^th century has seen a further dramatic decline in the numbers of people employed on local farms. Nothing illustrates this better than the following statistics found in Alan Dakers book ‘Fordritishope, History of a Shropshire Parish.’ ‘In 1880 there were 28 houses with a total of 57 men and women regularly working on farms. Today, just over 100 years later, there are 63 houses and just 12 people working in farming.’