Lea Marston
Encyclopedia
Lea Marston is a village and civil parish on the River Tame
in Warwickshire
, England
, about 7 miles (11.3 km) south-west of Atherstone
. Lea Marston is close to the county boundary with Birmingham
and about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) east of Sutton Coldfield
.
of 1086 records that Robert Despenser held estates of nine hides
at "Merston" and one hide at "Leth". By 1235 Robert Marmion of Tamworth Castle
held Marston and by 1253 the de la Launde family held Lea. By the early part of the 16th century the two manors were referred to together and were generally held together.
The Adderley family acquired Lea Marston in the first half of the 17th century when Charles Adderley married Anne Arden of Park Hall in Castle Bromwich
. It descended in the family to Charles Bowyer Adderley, who was created 1st Baron Norton
in 1878 and still held Lea Marston in 1905. Adderley manor house
was remodelled for the Adderley family in the 18th century and was called Hams Hall
.
of Saint John the Baptist
seems to have existed by 1252, when it was a dependent chapelry of Coleshill
parish church and was granted to the Benedictine
Markyate Priory
. The south wall of the nave
and possibly the north wall date from this era. Two windows in the north wall are early 14th century in style. The nave was extended 9 feet (2.7 m) westwards in the 15th century for the addition of a bell-cot
. The south porch is another addition that seems to date from the 15th century.
In 1876-77 the chancel
was rebuilt and the north-west tower was added. The tower has three bells, the oldest of which was cast by John Rudhall of Gloucester
in 1791. The other two were cast by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough
in 1855 and 1873. The church contains numerous monuments to members of the Adderley family, including one from 1784 made of Coade stone
.
Rev. Thomas Bray
was briefly vicar of Lea Marston in about 1693. Bray founded the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge in 1699 and the Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts
in 1701.
in the parish in the Domesday Book of 1086, and again in 1291 and 1703.
In 1909 a section of the Midland Railway
was built through Lea Marston parish linking and to bypass . The line passes immediately south-east of Lea Marston village but there is no station.
In the 20th century there were three Hams Hall Power Station
s in the parish. Hams Hall A was built in 1927-29, Hams Hall B in 1949 and Hams Hall C in 1958. They were decommissioned in 1975, 1981 and 1992 respectively and each was demolished within a few years of closure. The site has since been redeveloped as Hams Hall Distribution Park.
Lea Marston has a four-star hotel (the Lea Marston Hotel) and a public house
(the Clay Pigeon).
River Tame, West Midlands
The River Tame is the main river of the West Midlands, and the most important tributary of the River Trent. The Tame is about 40 km from source at Oldbury to its confluence with the Trent near Alrewas, but the main river length of the entire catchment, i.e...
in 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 7 miles (11.3 km) south-west of Atherstone
Atherstone
Atherstone is a town in Warwickshire, England. The town is located near the northernmost tip of Warwickshire, close to the border with Staffordshire and Leicestershire and is the administrative headquarters of the borough of North Warwickshire.-History:...
. Lea Marston is close to the county boundary with 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 about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) east of Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield is a suburb of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Sutton is located about from central Birmingham but has borders with Erdington and Kingstanding. Sutton is in the northeast of Birmingham, with a population of 105,000 recorded in the 2001 census...
.
Manor
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...
of 1086 records that Robert Despenser held estates of nine 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...
at "Merston" and one hide at "Leth". By 1235 Robert Marmion of Tamworth Castle
Tamworth Castle
Tamworth Castle, a Grade I listed building, is a Norman castle, located next to the River Tame, in the town of Tamworth in Staffordshire, England....
held Marston and by 1253 the de la Launde family held Lea. By the early part of the 16th century the two manors were referred to together and were generally held together.
The Adderley family acquired Lea Marston in the first half of the 17th century when Charles Adderley married Anne Arden of Park Hall in Castle Bromwich
Castle Bromwich
Castle Bromwich is a suburb situated within the northern part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English county of West Midlands. It is bordered by the rest of the borough to the south east, North Warwickshire to the east and north east; also Shard End to the south west, Castle Vale,...
. It descended in the family to Charles Bowyer Adderley, who was created 1st Baron Norton
Baron Norton
Baron Norton, of Norton-on-the-Moors in the County of Stafford, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1878 for the Conservative politician and former President of the Board of Trade, Sir Charles Adderley. He was succeeded by his elder son, the second Baron. Two of his...
in 1878 and still held Lea Marston in 1905. Adderley manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
was remodelled for the Adderley family in the 18th century and was called Hams Hall
Hams Hall
Hams Hall is a place near Lea Marston in North Warwickshire, England, named after the manor house which formerly stood there.-Hams Hall Rail Freight Terminal:http://www.hamshallrailterminal.co.uk...
.
Parish church
The Church of England 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 John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
seems to have existed by 1252, when it was a dependent chapelry of Coleshill
Coleshill, Warwickshire
Coleshill is a market town in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England, taking its name from the River Cole. It has a population of 6,343 and is situated east of Birmingham.-Location:...
parish church and was granted to the Benedictine
Order of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
Markyate Priory
Markyate Priory
Markyate Priory was a Benedictine priory in Bedfordshire, England. It was established in 1145 and disestablished in 1537.-History:The priory of Markyate was founded in the year 1145, in a wood which was then part of the parish of Caddington, and belonged to the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's...
. The south wall of the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and possibly the north wall date from this era. Two windows in the north wall are early 14th century in style. The nave was extended 9 feet (2.7 m) westwards in the 15th century for the addition of a bell-cot
Bell-Cot
A bell-cot, bell-cote or bellcote, is a small framework and shelter for one or more bells, supported on brackets projecting from a wall or built on the roof of chapels or churches which have no towers. It often holds the Sanctus bell rung at the Consecration....
. The south porch is another addition that seems to date from the 15th century.
In 1876-77 the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
was rebuilt and the north-west tower was added. The tower has three bells, the oldest of which was cast by John Rudhall of Gloucester
Rudhall of Gloucester
Rudhall of Gloucester was a family business of bell founders in the city of Gloucester, England, who between 1684 and 1835 produced over 5,000 bells. The business was founded by Abraham Rudhall and the earliest ring of bells he cast was for St Nicholas' Church, Oddington in 1684. He came to be...
in 1791. The other two were 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 1855 and 1873. The church contains numerous monuments to members of the Adderley family, including one from 1784 made of Coade stone
Coade stone
Lithodipyra , or Coade stone, was ceramic stoneware that was often described as an artificial stone in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It was used for moulding Neoclassical statues, architectural decorations and garden ornaments that were both of the highest quality and remain virtually...
.
Rev. Thomas Bray
Thomas Bray
The Reverend Dr Thomas Bray was an English clergyman, who spent time in Maryland as an Anglican representative.-Life:...
was briefly vicar of Lea Marston in about 1693. Bray founded the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge in 1699 and the Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts
USPG
The USPG or United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel is a 300-year-old Anglican missionary organization, formed originally as the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts in 1701...
in 1701.
Economic history
There are records of a watermillWatermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
in the parish in the Domesday Book of 1086, and again in 1291 and 1703.
In 1909 a section of the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
was built through Lea Marston parish linking and to bypass . The line passes immediately south-east of Lea Marston village but there is no station.
In the 20th century there were three Hams Hall Power Station
Hams Hall Power Station
Hams Hall Power Station refers to a series of three, now demolished coal-fired power stations, situated in Warwickshire in the West Midlands of England, from Birmingham.-Hams Hall A:...
s in the parish. Hams Hall A was built in 1927-29, Hams Hall B in 1949 and Hams Hall C in 1958. They were decommissioned in 1975, 1981 and 1992 respectively and each was demolished within a few years of closure. The site has since been redeveloped as Hams Hall Distribution Park.
Lea Marston has a four-star hotel (the Lea Marston Hotel) and a 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...
(the Clay Pigeon).