Claverdon
Encyclopedia
Claverdon is a village
and civil parish
in the Stratford district
of Warwickshire
, England
, about 5 miles (8 km) west of the county town
of Warwick
.
Claverdon's toponym
comes from the Old English for "clover hill". The hill is near the centre of the scattered parish which includes the township of Langley to the south, and formerly comprised the manors of Claverdon, Langley, Kington (to the south-west), and Songar (in the south-east). There are hamlets near the church and at Yarningale, Kington, Lye Green, and Gannaway and there is also a group of houses near the school. It has modern development along with interesting older buildings: the forge; The Stone Building; St Michael's Church; and 16th and 17th century half-timbered cottages.
as part of the lands of the Count of Meulan, Robert of Beaumont
who had inherited Meulan
through his mother. It states; "In Ferncombe Hundred, (Clavendone) Claverdon, Bovi held it; he was a free man. 3 hides
. Land for 5 ploughs. In lordship 1. 12 villages with a priest and 14 smallholders have 5 ploughs. 3 slaves. Meadow, 16 acres; woodland, 1 league; when expoited, value 10s. The value was 40s; now £4." The estate passed to the Earls of Warwick when Robert's brother, Henry
, keeper of Warwick Castle
since 1068, was created Earl of Warwick
soon after 1086 and was granted Robert's Warwickshire lands, shortly after supplemented again by those of Thorkell of Arden
.
It was forfeited in 1397 by Thomas de Beauchamp, 12th Earl of Warwick
, for treason and granted, to Thomas, Earl of Kent, but restored to the Earl on the accession of Henry IV
. In 1487 it came to the Crown and passed through various hands until December 1547 when the lordship was granted to John Dudley, Earl of Warwick, after whose execution the manor was assigned, in June 1554, to his widow Joan for life. Ambrose Dudley, fourth son of the Duke of Northumberland, was created Earl of Warwick in 1561 and received the Warwick estates, including the manor of Claverdon, which he sold in 1568 to Sir John Spencer, a member of a branch of the Spencer family
, from whom Diana Princess of Wales was descended. They remained Lords of the Manor
until 1716.
Sir John died 8 November 1586, having settled the manor on his second son Thomas, who died in 1630 and Claverdon passed, to his greatnephew Sir William Spencer of Yarnton
,Oxfordshire, Baronet. Sir William in 1635 married Constance daughter of Sir Thomas Lucy of Charlecote, and dying in 1647 was succeeded by his son Sir Thomas Spencer, Baronet, M.P. Sir Thomas died on 6 Mar. 1685 at the age of 46 years without surviving male issue, his widow Jane survived till 20 April 1712 as lady of the manor, but after her death the manor was sold about the year 1716 by the four surviving daughters, to Andrew Archer of Tanworth
. Upon the death of Andrew Archer in 1741 the larger portion of his estate including the manor of Claverdon and the chief farms therein known as Park, Lodge, Breach, Gannaway, and the Reddings descended to his eldest son Thomas
, created first Baron Archer
of Umberslade in 1747.
The village shop was closed in 2007 and the butcher's shop, which also houses the Post Office, broadened its range of items, however it could not offer newspapers. Eventually, after a long wait, the community shop was created replacing the village shop but not housed in the former premises. It was originally housed in a steel hut next to the Dorothea Mitchell Hall, the Surgery and the Tennis Club. A permanent structure has now been built for it in the same place, adjoining the Dorothea Mitchell Hall.
, whose current Member of Parliament is Nadhim Zahawi
of the Conservative Party
. It is included in the West Midlands
electoral region of the European Parliament and the six members are; Mike Nattrass
(UK Independence), Liz Lynne
,(Liberal Democrat), Malcolm Harbour
(Conservative), Michael Cashman
(Labour), Philip Bradbourn
OBE (Conservative) and Nicole Sinclaire
(UK Independence).
of Saint Michael
and All Angels since the 1150s with the oldest parts of the present structure dating from the 14th century. The Perpendicular Gothic bell tower
is 15th century and was restored in either 1830 or 1930. The church was rebuilt in 1877-78 to designs by the Gothic Revival architect
Ewan Christian
.
The tower has a ring
of six bells. Three including the treble were cast by Lester and Pack of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
in east London in 1757, two including the tenor were cast by John Warner and Sons of Cripplegate
in London in 1892, and one was cast by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough
in 1914.
The vicar at the time of the Puritan Survei of the Ministrie in Warwickshire of 1586 was described thus Edward Miller, vicar a dumbe & vnlearned hireling a verie disordered person. A common Jester & alehouse-haunter, a shifter, a buier & seller of lande. He once laied the communion cup to pawne. He serueth at two cures cursorie, videlicet, at Norton & Claredon. The valew of both is knowen to be well worth xxv" by the yeare. What other composition is betweene mr Bucke and him who placed him there that is vnknowen.
Edward Miller was instituted to the vicarage on 29 July 1574 and was vicar until his resignation in 1586.
with trains operated by Chiltern Railways and London Midland giving access to Stratford on Avon, Leamington Spa
, Birmingham
and London
. The M40 motorway
is located nearby giving access to Birmingham, Warwick and London.
Birmingham International Airport is situated 16 miles (25.7 km) to the North, with flights to Europe, Asia and America.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Stratford district
Stratford-on-Avon (district)
Stratford-on-Avon is a local government district of southern Warwickshire in England.The district is named "Stratford-on-Avon" to distinguish it from its main town of Stratford-upon-Avon where the district council is based, although this name often causes confusion .The district is mostly rural and...
of Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, about 5 miles (8 km) west of the county town
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
of Warwick
Warwick
Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, south of Coventry and just west of Leamington Spa and Whitnash with which it is conjoined. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 23,350...
.
Claverdon's toponym
Toponymy
Toponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The word "toponymy" is derived from the Greek words tópos and ónoma . Toponymy is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
comes from the Old English for "clover hill". The hill is near the centre of the scattered parish which includes the township of Langley to the south, and formerly comprised the manors of Claverdon, Langley, Kington (to the south-west), and Songar (in the south-east). There are hamlets near the church and at Yarningale, Kington, Lye Green, and Gannaway and there is also a group of houses near the school. It has modern development along with interesting older buildings: the forge; The Stone Building; St Michael's Church; and 16th and 17th century half-timbered cottages.
History
The Manor of Claverdon is recorded in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as part of the lands of the Count of Meulan, Robert of Beaumont
Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester
Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester, Count of Meulan was a powerful English and French nobleman, revered as one of the wisest men of his age...
who had inherited Meulan
Meulan
Meulan-en-Yvelines is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It hosted part of the sailing events for the 1900 Summer Olympics held in neighboring Paris, and would do so again twenty-four years later.-People:*Mbaye Niang footballer*Ibrahim Sacko...
through his mother. It states; "In Ferncombe Hundred, (Clavendone) Claverdon, Bovi held it; he was a free man. 3 hides
Hide (unit)
The hide was originally an amount of land sufficient to support a household, but later in Anglo-Saxon England became a unit used in assessing land for liability to "geld", or land tax. The geld would be collected at a stated rate per hide...
. Land for 5 ploughs. In lordship 1. 12 villages with a priest and 14 smallholders have 5 ploughs. 3 slaves. Meadow, 16 acres; woodland, 1 league; when expoited, value 10s. The value was 40s; now £4." The estate passed to the Earls of Warwick when Robert's brother, Henry
Henry de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Warwick
Henry de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Warwick was a Norman nobleman. Henry was the younger son of Roger de Beaumont and Adeline of Meulan, daughter of Waleran I, Count of Meulan. He was given by his father the modest lordship of Le Neubourg, in central Normandy...
, keeper of Warwick Castle
Warwick Castle
Warwick Castle is a medieval castle in Warwick, the county town of Warwickshire, England. It sits on a bend on the River Avon. The castle was built by William the Conqueror in 1068 within or adjacent to the Anglo-Saxon burh of Warwick. It was used as a fortification until the early 17th century,...
since 1068, was created Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick is a title that has been created four times in British history and is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the British Isles.-1088 creation:...
soon after 1086 and was granted Robert's Warwickshire lands, shortly after supplemented again by those of Thorkell of Arden
Arden family
The Arden family is, according to an article by James Lees-Milne in the 18th edition of Burke's Peerage/Burke's Landed Gentry, volume 1, one of only three families in England that can trace its lineage in the male line back to Anglo-Saxon times...
.
It was forfeited in 1397 by Thomas de Beauchamp, 12th Earl of Warwick
Thomas de Beauchamp, 12th Earl of Warwick
Thomas de Beauchamp, 12th Earl of Warwick, KG was an English medieval nobleman, and one of the primary opponents of Richard II.- Birth and Marriage:...
, for treason and granted, to Thomas, Earl of Kent, but restored to the Earl on the accession of Henry IV
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
. In 1487 it came to the Crown and passed through various hands until December 1547 when the lordship was granted to John Dudley, Earl of Warwick, after whose execution the manor was assigned, in June 1554, to his widow Joan for life. Ambrose Dudley, fourth son of the Duke of Northumberland, was created Earl of Warwick in 1561 and received the Warwick estates, including the manor of Claverdon, which he sold in 1568 to Sir John Spencer, a member of a branch of the Spencer family
Spencer family
The Spencer family are a British noble family descended in the male line from Henry Spencer, claimed to be a descendant of the cadet branch of the ancient House Le Despencer , male-line ancestor of the Earls of Sunderland, the later Dukes of Marlborough, and the Earls Spencer...
, from whom Diana Princess of Wales was descended. They remained Lords of the Manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
until 1716.
Sir John died 8 November 1586, having settled the manor on his second son Thomas, who died in 1630 and Claverdon passed, to his greatnephew Sir William Spencer of Yarnton
Yarnton
Yarnton is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about southwest of Kidlington and northwest of Oxford and southeast of Woodstock.-Archaeology:Early Bronze Age decorated beakers have been found in the parish...
,Oxfordshire, Baronet. Sir William in 1635 married Constance daughter of Sir Thomas Lucy of Charlecote, and dying in 1647 was succeeded by his son Sir Thomas Spencer, Baronet, M.P. Sir Thomas died on 6 Mar. 1685 at the age of 46 years without surviving male issue, his widow Jane survived till 20 April 1712 as lady of the manor, but after her death the manor was sold about the year 1716 by the four surviving daughters, to Andrew Archer of Tanworth
Tanworth-in-Arden
Tanworth-in-Arden is a small village located in the county of Warwickshire, England. It is located south-east of Birmingham in the Tanworth-in-Arden parish and is administered by Stratford-on-Avon District Council...
. Upon the death of Andrew Archer in 1741 the larger portion of his estate including the manor of Claverdon and the chief farms therein known as Park, Lodge, Breach, Gannaway, and the Reddings descended to his eldest son Thomas
Thomas Archer
Thomas Archer was an English Baroque architect, whose work is somewhat overshadowed by that of his contemporaries Sir John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor. Archer was born at Umberslade Hall in Tanworth-in-Arden in Warwickshire, the youngest son of Thomas Archer, a country gentleman, Parliamentary...
, created first Baron Archer
Baron Archer
Lord Archer, Baron of Umberslade, in the County of Warwick, was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created on 14 July 1747 for Thomas Archer, who had previously represented Warwick and Bramber in the House of Commons. He was succeeded by his son, the second Baron. He sat as Member of...
of Umberslade in 1747.
Economy
Whilst there is no large employers in the area, most residents commuting to larger towns nearby, there are a number of small businesses in the area. Claverdon Cartridges, supplying shooting equipmentand clothing and the 4 star Ardencote Manor Hotel Country Club & Spa providing Hotel Accommodation and fine dining together with facilities for Conferences, Weddings & Civil Ceremonies, and having a Leisure Club & Premier Spa.The village shop was closed in 2007 and the butcher's shop, which also houses the Post Office, broadened its range of items, however it could not offer newspapers. Eventually, after a long wait, the community shop was created replacing the village shop but not housed in the former premises. It was originally housed in a steel hut next to the Dorothea Mitchell Hall, the Surgery and the Tennis Club. A permanent structure has now been built for it in the same place, adjoining the Dorothea Mitchell Hall.
Governance
Claverdon is part of Stratford on Avon District Council and represented by Councillor John Horner, Conservative http://democracy.stratford.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?bcr=1. Nationally it is part of Stratford-on-Avon (UK Parliament constituency)Stratford-on-Avon (UK Parliament constituency)
-By-elections:-Notes and references:...
, whose current Member of Parliament is Nadhim Zahawi
Nadhim Zahawi
Nadhim Zahawi is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Stratford-on-Avon since 2010, after the retirement of previous MP John Maples....
of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
. It is included in the West Midlands
West Midlands (European Parliament constituency)
West Midlands is a constituency of the European Parliament. For 2009 it elected 6 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation. The constituency will also elect a "virtual MEP" who will be able to sit in the Parliament if the Treaty of Lisbon comes into effect...
electoral region of the European Parliament and the six members are; Mike Nattrass
Mike Nattrass
Mike Nattrass is an English politician and Member of the European Parliament, representing the West Midlands constituency for the UK Independence Party , elected for the first time in June 2004 and re-elected in June 2009....
(UK Independence), Liz Lynne
Liz Lynne
Elizabeth Lynne, known as Liz Lynne, is a British politician, and has been a Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands for the Liberal Democrats since her election at the 1999 European election...
,(Liberal Democrat), Malcolm Harbour
Malcolm Harbour
Malcolm Harbour is a British politician. He is a Conservative Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands. He is a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group and the Chairman of the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection.-Motor industry:Malcolm Harbour was...
(Conservative), Michael Cashman
Michael Cashman
Michael Maurice Cashman is a British former actor, now a Labour politician. He has been a Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands constituency since 1999.- Acting :...
(Labour), Philip Bradbourn
Philip Bradbourn
Philip Bradbourn OBE MEP is a British politician, and Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands, for the Conservative Party...
OBE (Conservative) and Nicole Sinclaire
Nikki Sinclaire
Nicole Sinclaire is a European politician from the United Kingdom and is a current MEP.Educated at the University of Canterbury graduating with a Bachelor of Laws qualification. Sinclaire has worked for Lloyds as a 'problem troubleshooter' was employed as a Gateway store manager and worked in...
(UK Independence).
Geography
The village lies chiefly at a height of about 400 ft. above sea-level, the soil being Red Keuper Marl overlaid with pockets of clay, gravel, and sand. With the exception of Yarningale Common, the whole parish is now under cultivation.Notable buildings
The reference to a priest in the Domesday Book may indicate that the village had a church at that time. However, Claverdon has had a parish churchChurch of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of Saint Michael
Michael (archangel)
Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
and All Angels since the 1150s with the oldest parts of the present structure dating from the 14th century. The Perpendicular Gothic bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
is 15th century and was restored in either 1830 or 1930. The church was rebuilt in 1877-78 to designs by the Gothic Revival architect
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
Ewan Christian
Ewan Christian
Ewan Christian was a British architect. He is most notable for the restoration of Carlisle Cathedral, the alterations to Christ Church, Spitalfields in 1866, and the extension to the National Gallery that created the National Portrait Gallery. He was architect to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners...
.
The tower has a ring
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
of six bells. Three including the treble were cast by Lester and Pack of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is a bell foundry in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. The foundry is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain...
in east London in 1757, two including the tenor were cast by John Warner and Sons of Cripplegate
Cripplegate
Cripplegate was a city gate in the London Wall and a name for the region of the City of London outside the gate. The area was almost entirely destroyed by bombing in World War II and today is the site of the Barbican Estate and Barbican Centre...
in London in 1892, and one was cast by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
in 1914.
The vicar at the time of the Puritan Survei of the Ministrie in Warwickshire of 1586 was described thus Edward Miller, vicar a dumbe & vnlearned hireling a verie disordered person. A common Jester & alehouse-haunter, a shifter, a buier & seller of lande. He once laied the communion cup to pawne. He serueth at two cures cursorie, videlicet, at Norton & Claredon. The valew of both is knowen to be well worth xxv" by the yeare. What other composition is betweene mr Bucke and him who placed him there that is vnknowen.
Edward Miller was instituted to the vicarage on 29 July 1574 and was vicar until his resignation in 1586.
Community facilities
The village has its own general medical practice Claverdon-Surgery located on Station Road.Transport
The village is served by Claverdon railway stationClaverdon railway station
Claverdon railway station serves the village of Claverdon in Warwickshire, England.The station sees up to six Chiltern Railways departures in each direction on the Stratford-upon-Avon to Leamington Spa line every day except Sundays, and four of these trains continue to or start from London...
with trains operated by Chiltern Railways and London Midland giving access to Stratford on Avon, Leamington Spa
Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington or Leam to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The M40 motorway
M40 motorway
The M40 motorway is a motorway in the British transport network that forms a major part of the connection between London and Birmingham. Part of this road forms a section of the unsigned European route E05...
is located nearby giving access to Birmingham, Warwick and London.
Birmingham International Airport is situated 16 miles (25.7 km) to the North, with flights to Europe, Asia and America.
Education
Claverdon Primary School is an English mixed primary school located in Breach Lane in the village of Claverdon. It is within the Warwickshire Local Education Authority (LEA) area and has 187 students.| School | Compulsory education stage | School website | Ofsted Office for Standards in Education The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England .... details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claverdon Primary School | Primary Primary education A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,... |
Claverdon Primary School | |