Little Witley
Encyclopedia
Little Witley is a village and civil parish
in the Malvern Hills District
in the county of Worcestershire
, England
.
, Bronze Age
and Iron Age
finds have been made in neighbouring Holt
.
Field-walking has produced evidence of Roman
occupation to the west of Little Witley village. More recently two brooches have been discovered in the vicinity of the village. A Roman milestone survived into the eighth century at the boundary between Holt and Little Witley parishes. It was located on the military road, Herepathe in Anglo-Saxon
charters, known as Straete that led from Worcester, through Hallow
and Grimley
, to an as yet unidentified western fort or outpost. Further evidence of the presence of the Roman military in the area is found in Shrawley
, where three circular crop-marks mark the position of a marching camp overlooking Shrawley Brook.
, roughly bounded by the Rivers Severn and Teme
and a line through Broadwas
, Martley
, Wichenford
, Little Witley and Shrawley Brook. The manors (later parishes) within Wick Episcopi where defined during that period. Whitlega = bend of a stream with a clearing (Witley) was first recognised at that time. Other locations named in the Wick Episcopi grant of 775 include, Ecles Broc (stream from Warford Pool) and Doferic (Shrawley Brook). The Buttinge tribe or family occupied the area that was later to become Witley Park.
Other locations in Holt named in the Wick Episcopi grant of 775 include Heafuchrycg (Ockeridge), Doferic (Shrawley Brook), Saeferne (the Severn) and Baele Broc (Babbling Brook = Grimley Brook). Hallow, in 816, was one of the first single manors to be granted to a tenant lord by the Bishopric of Worcester. Before that it had been part of a larger estate, Worgorena league (the clearing of the people of Worcester), which also included Little Witley. The clearing concerned would have been in the southern portion of the still extensive but retreating Wyre forest. Slades, ridges and copses mentioned in the grant would have been around Witley Park and to the west of Little Witley village.
Bishop Oswald of Worcester
(961-992) decided to reform the financing of the church by leasing more of its lands. He formed Oswaldslow Hundred
, a 'triple hundred', in 964 by the authority of King Edgar
. Oswaldslow was created by the merging of Cuthburgelow, Winburgetreow and Wulfereslaw Hundreds. Witleage (Little Witley) was mentioned in the charter.
Eadmaer received a further grant in 969 when he took on four 'mansi', or hides, at Witleah (Little Witley). The boundaries included all of Witley and the remaining part of Bentley, probably in the area of Ockeridge Wood. This association of the two manors was repeated on subsequent grants. Little Witley's prefix was unnecessary as Great Witley did not come into existence until much later (post Domesday survey). The charter of 969 describes Witley as forested with open-fields, the latter presumably in the stream valleys.
of Worcester granted the six hide
Beonetleah (Bentley in Holt) with Witley manor to his brother, Aelfwige.
Earnig/Ernwy, a Dane and priest of Edric the Wild, acquired the manor of Witleaege (Witley) sometime before the Norman Conquest. Ralph de Bernay forcibly removed the estate from Earnig but it did not return to the church on his imprisonment. Little Witley was mentioned in the Domesday Survey of 1086 when Urse d'Abetot
, Sheriff of Worcestershire, held one hide (30 acres. He let one plough to Walter Ponther. There was a resident priest, two smallholders and a second plough in the manor. The woodland was three by two furlongs (60 acres). Both before the conquest and in 1086 the taxable value was 10s(15s in another contemporary source).
The history of Little Witley church is somewhat obscure. It was not a parish church at the time of the Conquest but a chapelry of St. Helens in Worcester. It apparently did not have a font or burial ground until 1375 when application was made to the mother church, as the parish church of Holt was 2 miles (3.2 km) distant and the road, especially in winter, 'watery and muddy'. The church that stands today was rebuilt in 1867, although a blocked doorway in the north end of the nave is said to date from the early thirteenth century. Some of the foundation courses of the current building may be equally as old. The ‘new’ church was designed by Abraham Edward Perkins, Worcester’s church architect.
Little Witley manor passed to the Beauchamp
family when Emeline de Abitot, the daughter and heiress of Urse d'Abetot, married Walter de Beauchamp then owner of Elmley Castle. Walter’s father Hugh (Hugue) de Beauchamp, had been the companion in arms of William the Conqueror and obtained large estates in Hertfordshire
, Buckinghamshire
, and Bedfordshire
. He was the founder of the house of Beauchamp.
In 1287 Little Witley manor was appended to Great Witley
manor, which was under the Cooksey family, as part of a marriage trust agreement.
in 1499, and Great Witley manor remained in Russell hands for over a hundred and fifty years. The Russells replaced the thirteenth century manor house at Great Witley with a grander edifice that was to later develop in to Witley Court
. Little Witley manor followed the descendancy of Great Witley manor until the twentieth century when the estate was broken up and sold off in 1920.
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 Malvern Hills District
Malvern Hills (district)
Malvern Hills is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in the town of Malvern, and its area covers most of the western half of the county that borders Herefordshire. It was originally formed in 1974 and was subject to a significant boundary reform in 1998...
in the county of 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...
, 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...
.
Pre-history
There has been little if any evidence of early human activity in Little Witley, however NeolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
, Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
and Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
finds have been made in neighbouring Holt
Holt, Worcestershire
Holt Fleet is a village in the Malvern Hills District in the county of Worcestershire, England. The church is dedicated to St. Martin, and dates from about the 12th century. Holt Bridge, over the River Severn, was designed by Thomas Telford, and opened in 1830.-Early history:Holt saw archaeological...
.
Field-walking has produced evidence of Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
occupation to the west of Little Witley village. More recently two brooches have been discovered in the vicinity of the village. A Roman milestone survived into the eighth century at the boundary between Holt and Little Witley parishes. It was located on the military road, Herepathe in Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
charters, known as Straete that led from Worcester, through Hallow
Hallow
To hallow is "to make holy or sacred, to sanctify or consecrate, to venerate". The adjective form hallowed, as used in The Lord's Prayer, means holy, consecrated, sacred, or revered.-Etymology:...
and Grimley
Grimley, Worcestershire
Grimley is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District in the county of Worcestershire, England. .It is known for Grimley Gravel Pits , a gravel quarry and nature reserve.-External links:* pages by the West Midland Bird Club.**...
, to an as yet unidentified western fort or outpost. Further evidence of the presence of the Roman military in the area is found in Shrawley
Shrawley
Shrawley is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District in the county of Worcestershire, England. The structure of the current parish church, St Mary, dates back to around 1100....
, where three circular crop-marks mark the position of a marching camp overlooking Shrawley Brook.
Early Middle Ages
Worcestershire has one of the most complete and ancient collections of Anglo-Saxon charters that detail the grants of estates by the church and crown. Wick Episcopi was an area to the Northwest of WorcesterWorcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, roughly bounded by the Rivers Severn and Teme
Teme
Teme may refer to:In geography:* River Teme, located in Wales* Teme River, located in New ZealandIn philosophy:* Teme , a term coined by author Susan Blackmore meaning technological meme.Other:...
and a line through Broadwas
Broadwas
Broadwas or Broadwas-on-Teme, is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills district of Worcestershire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 307...
, Martley
Martley
Martley is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills district of the English county of Worcestershire. It is approximately nine miles north-west of Worcester. The population of the village is approximately 1200 people...
, Wichenford
Wichenford
Wichenford is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District in the county of Worcestershire, England. It lies 6 miles to the north-west of the city of Worcester.-Church:...
, Little Witley and Shrawley Brook. The manors (later parishes) within Wick Episcopi where defined during that period. Whitlega = bend of a stream with a clearing (Witley) was first recognised at that time. Other locations named in the Wick Episcopi grant of 775 include, Ecles Broc (stream from Warford Pool) and Doferic (Shrawley Brook). The Buttinge tribe or family occupied the area that was later to become Witley Park.
Other locations in Holt named in the Wick Episcopi grant of 775 include Heafuchrycg (Ockeridge), Doferic (Shrawley Brook), Saeferne (the Severn) and Baele Broc (Babbling Brook = Grimley Brook). Hallow, in 816, was one of the first single manors to be granted to a tenant lord by the Bishopric of Worcester. Before that it had been part of a larger estate, Worgorena league (the clearing of the people of Worcester), which also included Little Witley. The clearing concerned would have been in the southern portion of the still extensive but retreating Wyre forest. Slades, ridges and copses mentioned in the grant would have been around Witley Park and to the west of Little Witley village.
Bishop Oswald of Worcester
Oswald of Worcester
Oswald of Worcester was Archbishop of York from 972 to his death in 992. He was of Danish ancestry, but brought up by his uncle, Oda, who sent him to France to the abbey of Fleury to become a monk. After a number of years at Fleury, Oswald returned to England at the request of his uncle, who died...
(961-992) decided to reform the financing of the church by leasing more of its lands. He formed Oswaldslow Hundred
Oswaldslow (hundred)
The Oswaldslow was a hundred in the English county of Worcestershire, which was named in a supposed charter of 964 by King Edgar the Peaceful . It was actually a triple hundred, composed of three smaller hundreds...
, a 'triple hundred', in 964 by the authority of King Edgar
Edgar
Edgar is a common name from Old English words ead + gar . Literally meaning "prosperity-spear" or "prosperous spearman." It may refer to:-Historical:...
. Oswaldslow was created by the merging of Cuthburgelow, Winburgetreow and Wulfereslaw Hundreds. Witleage (Little Witley) was mentioned in the charter.
Eadmaer received a further grant in 969 when he took on four 'mansi', or hides, at Witleah (Little Witley). The boundaries included all of Witley and the remaining part of Bentley, probably in the area of Ockeridge Wood. This association of the two manors was repeated on subsequent grants. Little Witley's prefix was unnecessary as Great Witley did not come into existence until much later (post Domesday survey). The charter of 969 describes Witley as forested with open-fields, the latter presumably in the stream valleys.
Later Middle Ages
In 1017 Archbishop WulfstanWulfstan II, Archbishop of York
Wulfstan was an English Bishop of London, Bishop of Worcester, and Archbishop of York. He should not be confused with Wulfstan I, Archbishop of York or Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester. He is thought to have begun his ecclesiastical career as a Benedictine monk. He became the Bishop of London in 996...
of Worcester granted the six hide
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...
Beonetleah (Bentley in Holt) with Witley manor to his brother, Aelfwige.
Earnig/Ernwy, a Dane and priest of Edric the Wild, acquired the manor of Witleaege (Witley) sometime before the Norman Conquest. Ralph de Bernay forcibly removed the estate from Earnig but it did not return to the church on his imprisonment. Little Witley was mentioned in the Domesday Survey of 1086 when Urse d'Abetot
Urse d'Abetot
Urse d'Abetot was a Norman as well as a medieval Sheriff of Worcestershire and royal official under Kings William I, William II and Henry I...
, Sheriff of Worcestershire, held one hide (30 acres. He let one plough to Walter Ponther. There was a resident priest, two smallholders and a second plough in the manor. The woodland was three by two furlongs (60 acres). Both before the conquest and in 1086 the taxable value was 10s(15s in another contemporary source).
The history of Little Witley church is somewhat obscure. It was not a parish church at the time of the Conquest but a chapelry of St. Helens in Worcester. It apparently did not have a font or burial ground until 1375 when application was made to the mother church, as the parish church of Holt was 2 miles (3.2 km) distant and the road, especially in winter, 'watery and muddy'. The church that stands today was rebuilt in 1867, although a blocked doorway in the north end of the nave is said to date from the early thirteenth century. Some of the foundation courses of the current building may be equally as old. The ‘new’ church was designed by Abraham Edward Perkins, Worcester’s church architect.
Little Witley manor passed to the Beauchamp
Beauchamp
- Surname :* Alphonse de Beauchamp, French historian* Anne de Beauchamp, 15th Countess of Warwick * Bianca Beauchamp, Canadian fetish model* Christine Beauchamp, case study patient...
family when Emeline de Abitot, the daughter and heiress of Urse d'Abetot, married Walter de Beauchamp then owner of Elmley Castle. Walter’s father Hugh (Hugue) de Beauchamp, had been the companion in arms of William the Conqueror and obtained large estates in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, and Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
. He was the founder of the house of Beauchamp.
In 1287 Little Witley manor was appended to Great Witley
Great Witley
Great Witley is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District in the northwest of the county of Worcestershire, England...
manor, which was under the Cooksey family, as part of a marriage trust agreement.
Recent times
A Cooksey heiress was married to Sir William Russell of StrenshamStrensham
Strensham is a village in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire. In the 2001 census, the civil parish of Strensham had a population of 314 across 127 households...
in 1499, and Great Witley manor remained in Russell hands for over a hundred and fifty years. The Russells replaced the thirteenth century manor house at Great Witley with a grander edifice that was to later develop in to Witley Court
Witley Court
Witley Court in Worcestershire, England is a Grade 1 listed building and was once one of the great houses of the Midlands, but today it is a spectacular ruin after being devastated by fire in 1937. It was built by Thomas Foley in 1655 on the site of a former manor house near Great Witley...
. Little Witley manor followed the descendancy of Great Witley manor until the twentieth century when the estate was broken up and sold off in 1920.