Shrewsbury [key], city (1991 pop. 57,731), adminstrative center of Shropshire, W England, on the Severn River. Shrewsbury is a road and rail junction with varied manufactures. It was an ancient Saxon and Norman stronghold. The earldom of Shrewsbury was an important marcher lordship (see Welsh Marches). There are ruins of an 11th-century castle and abbey and several old churches. The narrow streets are lined by many oak-timbered, black-and-white houses of the 15th, 16th, and 17th cent. A public garden and park add to the city's beauty. In 1403, Henry IV defeated Henry Percy (Hotspur) on a plain near Shrewsbury and had the body of the rebel displayed to the townspeople as proof. Shrewsbury School, a public school founded in 1552 by King Edward VI, overlooks the Severn. Philip Sidney, Charles Darwin (who was born in Shrewsbury), and Fulke Greville studied there.
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