Cleobury Mortimer
Encyclopedia
Cleobury Mortimer is a small rural market town
in Shropshire
, England
. The town's parish has a population of 1,962 according to the 2001 census
. Although sometimes regarded as a village
, it is in fact the second smallest town
in Shropshire (after Clun
), having been granted a town charter in 1253.
Several pronunciations of the town's name are in use. In Cleobury itself "Clib-bree" is commonly used, while in surrounding areas such variations as "Cleb-bree" and "Clee-bree" are not unusual.
to whom the land was granted after the Norman conquest. He founded the Mortimer dynasty of Marcher Lords who held power in the Welsh Marches
throughout the Middle Ages
and were closely involved with power struggles with successive English monarchs and other powerful Lords. Cleobury has a significant entry in the Domesday Book
, and is the site of at least two castles. Cleobury Castle
was destroyed in 1155 and only earthworks remain today.
The central section of the town was laid out in burgage plots, the lines of which are still evident. With the decline of the Marcher Lords, and peace along the Welsh border, Cleobury's importance declined during the Middle Ages, leaving it as an undistinguished market town, with a long history, a market, and a dependent hinterland. In the 16th century, exploitation of local iron ores became important, and when Elizabeth I granted the town to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, his familiarity with modern ironworking technology led to the establishment of an important iron industry, with at least two furnaces (in which iron ore was converted to pig iron
) and two water-powered forges (in which pig iron was converted to wrought iron
). For a while, Cleobury's iron industry was an important part of the general industrialisation in Shropshire (seat of the Industrial Revolution
), and iron from Cleobury's forges was valued as a high-quality material. However, poor transport connections led to the decline of Cleobury's iron industry in the early 19th century, and soon the town reverted to being an agricultural hub, although a large water-powered paper mill survived on the River Rea until a catastrophic fire towards the end of the century. By 1900, the town was an important civic centre, with a railway station, union workhouse, magistrates' court, police station, Agricultural College, Infants' School and Primary School. Since the start of the twentieth century, Cleobury lost many of these facilities, although its population has grown. It thus exemplifies a common pattern for rural settlements, where centralisation and the rise of road transport have seen a decline in the local provision of services, despite a rising population.
Two literary figures have strong connections with Cleobury: William Langland
and Simon Evans. Langland, a contemporary of Geoffrey Chaucer
, was almost certainly born in the vicinity in the 14th century, and is commemorated in the very fine and intricate (Victorian) East Window of St Mary's Church, as well as in a local road name. Simon Evans is a 20th-century writer, who fought throughout the First World War, and suffered from being gassed
. He had been a postman on Merseyside before the war, and after the war sought a rural postal round, to soothe both nerves and body. Cleobury suited him well; here he blossomed, took a correspondence course in English, and became a successful writer and radio broadcaster in the 1930s. Heath Cranton published five of his books, and he married 'Auntie Doris' (Aldridge), a radio performer, but his new life was cut short in 1940, when the effects of WWI gassing finally caught up with him. His legacy is visible in the naming of a local street, a plaque on the old Post Office, and a dedicated local walk - 'The Simon Evans Way' - which the CM Footpath Association has created in recent years.
runs to the east of the town. The land gradually rises from 110 metres above sea level near to the river, to 150 metres in the west of the town. The Clee Hills
, the highest hills in Shropshire, are nearby and the Wyre Forest
lies between the town and Bewdley
. The border with Worcestershire
is a mile to the south.
The A4117
Kidderminster
to Ludlow
road runs through the centre of the town and crosses the River Rea at Mortimer Bridge. The B4363 runs between Cleobury Mortimer (its junction with the A4117 being immediately east of Mortimer Bridge) and Bridgnorth
. Cleobury Mortimer was formerly served by two now-defunct railways: the Tenbury & Bewdley Railway and the Cleobury Mortimer and Ditton Priors Light Railway
. The opening of the latter in 1908 elevated Cleobury's station to the status of a 'Junction'. Today the nearest railway stations are at Highley
and Bewdley
on the Severn Valley Railway
, with mainline trains at Ludlow
and Kidderminster
.
To the north lies the village of Neen Savage
and to the southwest lies the small village of Neen Sollars
. "Neen" was the name of the River Rea in the past.
, the combined result of the warping of its oak timbers, and damp-induced rot where the timber spire sits on the masonry tower. Across the road from the churchyard is The Wells, fed from a local spring and for centuries serving as a public water supply. To the west of the church is the recently refurbished Market Hall, which now houses a number of facilities including the Tourist Information Centre. There are 8 public house
s in Cleobury Mortimer, as well as a secondary school
and primary school, library, fire station, and police station.
The town featured in a series of reports by Declan Curry
on BBC
Breakfast
in June 2006. As part of the series, Curry interviewed a number of local residents and business owners to learn more about the rural economy.
was established in 1993 and moved to its present site at New House Farm, on Tenbury Road approximately 500 metres SE of the town centre, in 1995. The brewery brews and delivers its beer to public house
s within a 50-mile radius, as well as bottle-conditioned
ale to shops in the area. Its regular mild
, best bitter
and strong bitter ("Old Henry") ales have won taste awards in recent years, and the mild was chosen to be a guest beer in the House of Commons bar in 2008. Hobsons produce a bottle-only mild ale, named in honour of Simon Evans
, called "Postman's Knock". In 2009 the brewery installed a small wind turbine
, which generates around a third of the electricity required by the brewery, and the company use other environmentally sustainable technologies. The King's Arms in the town became the "brewery tap" in 2007 and was the first pub to receive a delivery of Hobsons beer in 1993. Hobsons also produce two special beers for the local heritage railway, the Severn Valley Railway
.
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, 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...
. The town's parish has a population of 1,962 according to the 2001 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
. Although sometimes regarded as a village
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...
, it is in fact the second smallest town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in Shropshire (after Clun
Clun
Clun is a small town in Shropshire, England. The town is located entirely in the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The 2001 census recorded 642 people living in the town...
), having been granted a town charter in 1253.
Several pronunciations of the town's name are in use. In Cleobury itself "Clib-bree" is commonly used, while in surrounding areas such variations as "Cleb-bree" and "Clee-bree" are not unusual.
History
The name is believed to derive from the contraction of the Old English clifu meaning a steep place and bury meaning fortified settlement. Mortimer comes from Roger de Mortimer of NormandyNormandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
to whom the land was granted after the Norman conquest. He founded the Mortimer dynasty of Marcher Lords who held power in the Welsh Marches
Welsh Marches
The Welsh Marches is a term which, in modern usage, denotes an imprecisely defined area along and around the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods...
throughout the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
and were closely involved with power struggles with successive English monarchs and other powerful Lords. Cleobury has a significant entry in the Domesday Book
Domesday 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...
, and is the site of at least two castles. Cleobury Castle
Cleobury Castle
Cleobury Castle was sited by the River Rea in the small town of Cleobury Mortimer in Shropshire which lies between the towns of Ludlow and Bewdley .- Mortimer Stronghold :The castle was built in the early 12th century and owned by the Mortimer family...
was destroyed in 1155 and only earthworks remain today.
The central section of the town was laid out in burgage plots, the lines of which are still evident. With the decline of the Marcher Lords, and peace along the Welsh border, Cleobury's importance declined during the Middle Ages, leaving it as an undistinguished market town, with a long history, a market, and a dependent hinterland. In the 16th century, exploitation of local iron ores became important, and when Elizabeth I granted the town to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, his familiarity with modern ironworking technology led to the establishment of an important iron industry, with at least two furnaces (in which iron ore was converted to pig iron
Pig iron
Pig iron is the intermediate product of smelting iron ore with a high-carbon fuel such as coke, usually with limestone as a flux. Charcoal and anthracite have also been used as fuel...
) and two water-powered forges (in which pig iron was converted to wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
). For a while, Cleobury's iron industry was an important part of the general industrialisation in Shropshire (seat of the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
), and iron from Cleobury's forges was valued as a high-quality material. However, poor transport connections led to the decline of Cleobury's iron industry in the early 19th century, and soon the town reverted to being an agricultural hub, although a large water-powered paper mill survived on the River Rea until a catastrophic fire towards the end of the century. By 1900, the town was an important civic centre, with a railway station, union workhouse, magistrates' court, police station, Agricultural College, Infants' School and Primary School. Since the start of the twentieth century, Cleobury lost many of these facilities, although its population has grown. It thus exemplifies a common pattern for rural settlements, where centralisation and the rise of road transport have seen a decline in the local provision of services, despite a rising population.
Two literary figures have strong connections with Cleobury: William Langland
William Langland
William Langland is the conjectured author of the 14th-century English dream-vision Piers Plowman.- Life :The attribution of Piers to Langland rests principally on the evidence of a manuscript held at Trinity College, Dublin...
and Simon Evans. Langland, a contemporary of Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer , known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey...
, was almost certainly born in the vicinity in the 14th century, and is commemorated in the very fine and intricate (Victorian) East Window of St Mary's Church, as well as in a local road name. Simon Evans is a 20th-century writer, who fought throughout the First World War, and suffered from being gassed
Poison gas in World War I
The use of chemical weapons in World War I ranged from disabling chemicals, such as tear gas and the severe mustard gas, to lethal agents like phosgene and chlorine. This chemical warfare was a major component of the first global war and first total war of the 20th century. The killing capacity of...
. He had been a postman on Merseyside before the war, and after the war sought a rural postal round, to soothe both nerves and body. Cleobury suited him well; here he blossomed, took a correspondence course in English, and became a successful writer and radio broadcaster in the 1930s. Heath Cranton published five of his books, and he married 'Auntie Doris' (Aldridge), a radio performer, but his new life was cut short in 1940, when the effects of WWI gassing finally caught up with him. His legacy is visible in the naming of a local street, a plaque on the old Post Office, and a dedicated local walk - 'The Simon Evans Way' - which the CM Footpath Association has created in recent years.
Geography
The River ReaRiver Rea, Shropshire
The River Rea is a small river that flows through south east Shropshire, England and passes just to the east of the small market town of Cleobury Mortimer, before entering the Teme at Newnham Bridge in Worcestershire. Its waters eventually reach the Bristol Channel, via the Severn. The upper...
runs to the east of the town. The land gradually rises from 110 metres above sea level near to the river, to 150 metres in the west of the town. The Clee Hills
Clee Hills
The Clee Hills are a range of hills in Shropshire, England near Ludlow, consisting of Brown Clee Hill , the highest peak in Shropshire, and Titterstone Clee Hill...
, the highest hills in Shropshire, are nearby and the Wyre Forest
Wyre Forest
Wyre Forest is a large, semi-natural woodland and forest which straddles the borders of Worcestershire and Shropshire, England.The Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire takes its name from the forest, despite the fact that much of the woodland does not lie within the district's boundaries, but...
lies between the town and Bewdley
Bewdley
Bewdley is a town and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England, along the Severn Valley a few miles to the west of Kidderminster...
. The border with Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
is a mile to the south.
The A4117
A4117 road
The A4117 is a major road in England. It branches from the A456 west of Bewdley, and runs westward to Ludlow via Cleobury Mortimer and Cleehill. The pass over Titterstone Clee Hill reaches an altitude of 381 metres, making the A4117 Shropshire's highest A-road...
Kidderminster
Kidderminster
Kidderminster is a town, in the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire, England. It is located approximately seventeen miles south-west of Birmingham city centre and approximately fifteen miles north of Worcester city centre. The 2001 census recorded a population of 55,182 in the town...
to Ludlow
Ludlow
Ludlow is a market town in Shropshire, England close to the Welsh border and in the Welsh Marches. It lies within a bend of the River Teme, on its eastern bank, forming an area of and centred on a small hill. Atop this hill is the site of Ludlow Castle and the market place...
road runs through the centre of the town and crosses the River Rea at Mortimer Bridge. The B4363 runs between Cleobury Mortimer (its junction with the A4117 being immediately east of Mortimer Bridge) and Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England, along the Severn Valley. It is split into Low Town and High Town, named on account of their elevations relative to the River Severn, which separates the upper town on the right bank from the lower on the left...
. Cleobury Mortimer was formerly served by two now-defunct railways: the Tenbury & Bewdley Railway and the Cleobury Mortimer and Ditton Priors Light Railway
Cleobury Mortimer and Ditton Priors Light Railway
The Cleobury Mortimer and Ditton Priors Light Railway was a pre-grouping railway company that served part of south Shropshire.Everard Calthrop was appointed Consulting Engineer in 1900, responsible for surveying the route and preparing the construction plans, and the line opened in 1908...
. The opening of the latter in 1908 elevated Cleobury's station to the status of a 'Junction'. Today the nearest railway stations are at Highley
Highley railway station
Highley railway station is a station on the Severn Valley Railway heritage line in Shropshire, near the west bank of the River Severn and just under a mile south-east of the village of Highley. Highley is the only staffed single-platform station on the line...
and Bewdley
Bewdley railway station
Bewdley railway station serves the town of Bewdley in Worcestershire, England. It is the administrative headquarters of the Severn Valley Railway, and is the principal intermediate station on the line.-History:...
on the Severn Valley Railway
Severn Valley Railway
The Severn Valley Railway is a heritage railway in Shropshire and Worcestershire, England. The line runs along the Severn Valley from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster, following the course of the River Severn for much of its route...
, with mainline trains at Ludlow
Ludlow railway station
Ludlow railway station serves the town of Ludlow in Shropshire, England, on the Welsh Marches Line from Manchester Piccadilly to Cardiff Central. Trains are operated by Arriva Trains Wales....
and Kidderminster
Kidderminster railway station
Kidderminster railway station is the main station serving the large town of Kidderminster, Worcestershire. The station is operated by London Midland.-Facilities:...
.
To the north lies the village of Neen Savage
Neen Savage
Neen Savage is a civil parish and a hamlet in south east Shropshire, England. It is situated north of the small market town of Cleobury Mortimer. The River Rea, which was historically known as the River Neen, flows past the hamlet and a notable ford exists....
and to the southwest lies the small village of Neen Sollars
Neen Sollars
Neen Sollars is a village and civil parish in south east Shropshire, England. It is situated close to the border with Worcestershire, south of the small market town of Cleobury Mortimer. The River Rea, which was historically known as the River Neen, flows by the village.There is a popular public...
. "Neen" was the name of the River Rea in the past.
Landmarks
There are a number of landmarks in the town, the most famous of which is the 12th-century St. Mary's church in the town centre, renowned for its crooked spireSpire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
, the combined result of the warping of its oak timbers, and damp-induced rot where the timber spire sits on the masonry tower. Across the road from the churchyard is The Wells, fed from a local spring and for centuries serving as a public water supply. To the west of the church is the recently refurbished Market Hall, which now houses a number of facilities including the Tourist Information Centre. There are 8 public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s in Cleobury Mortimer, as well as a secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
and primary school, library, fire station, and police station.
The town featured in a series of reports by Declan Curry
Declan Curry
Declan Curry is an Irish journalist, presenter and businessman, currently employed by the BBC and best known as the former Business Correspondent for BBC Breakfast.-Early career:Curry studied chemistry at Imperial College, London...
on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Breakfast
BBC Breakfast
BBC Breakfast is the morning television news programme simulcast on BBC One and the BBC News channel. It is presented live from BBC Television Centre in White City, West London, and contains a mixture of news, sport, weather, business and feature items...
in June 2006. As part of the series, Curry interviewed a number of local residents and business owners to learn more about the rural economy.
Brewery
Hobsons breweryBrewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
was established in 1993 and moved to its present site at New House Farm, on Tenbury Road approximately 500 metres SE of the town centre, in 1995. The brewery brews and delivers its beer to public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s within a 50-mile radius, as well as bottle-conditioned
Bottle conditioning
Bottle conditioned beers are either unfiltered so the final conditioning of the beer takes place in the bottle, or filtered and then reseeded with yeast so that an additional fermentation may take place.-Priming:...
ale to shops in the area. Its regular mild
Mild ale
Mild ale is a low-gravity beer, or beer with a predominantly malty palate, that originated in Britain in the 17th century or earlier. Modern mild ales are mainly dark coloured with an abv of 3% to 3.6%, though there are lighter hued examples, as well as stronger examples reaching 6% abv and...
, best bitter
Bitter (beer)
Bitter is an English term for pale ale. Bitters vary in colour from gold to dark amber and in strength from 3% to 7% alcohol by volume.-Brief history:...
and strong bitter ("Old Henry") ales have won taste awards in recent years, and the mild was chosen to be a guest beer in the House of Commons bar in 2008. Hobsons produce a bottle-only mild ale, named in honour of Simon Evans
Simon Evans (writer)
Simon Evans , a postman with the GPO for most of his short life, also developed a reputation in the 1930s as a writer and broadcaster on country life, particularly in and around rural South Shropshire. He had five books published by Heath Cranton Ltd within a seven-year span before his death in...
, called "Postman's Knock". In 2009 the brewery installed a small wind turbine
Wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
, which generates around a third of the electricity required by the brewery, and the company use other environmentally sustainable technologies. The King's Arms in the town became the "brewery tap" in 2007 and was the first pub to receive a delivery of Hobsons beer in 1993. Hobsons also produce two special beers for the local heritage railway, the Severn Valley Railway
Severn Valley Railway
The Severn Valley Railway is a heritage railway in Shropshire and Worcestershire, England. The line runs along the Severn Valley from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster, following the course of the River Severn for much of its route...
.