Madresfield
Encyclopedia
Madresfield is a village and civil parish
in the administrative district of Malvern Hills
in the county of Worcestershire
, England
. It is located about two miles east of Malvern
town centre at the foot of the Malvern Hills
and is less than two miles from the River Severn
. Surrounded by farms and common land
, it has a clear view of the entire range of the Malvern Hills
, and is part of the informal region referred to as The Malverns.
, this could be due to the fact that it was linked with Powick
and paid no taxes in its own behalf.
parish
which includes the neighbouring village of Guarlford
. There is a parish church
in the village (dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin). There have been three churches, the first a small chapel
that was mainly used by the Beauchamps
. A second church, built on marshy ground to the designs of Augustus Pugin, was demolished after only twelve years after becoming unsafe. The present church was built on land donated by the Earl Beauchamp and re-used many items from the earlier church. The church, dedicated to St Mary the Virgin, has a refurbished peal of bells which are on the visiting circuit of regional campanologists
. The bells were rehung in December 2005 following recasting of 1 and 2 from the scrap metal of the old 4th and tenor and retuning the other bells.,The village also has a primary school.
A Roman
kiln
was discovered on ground near Northend Farm, and near to what is now called Roman Way. There is an 800 year old ditch alongside Townsend Way that was once the boundary to the ancient village of Madresfield.
The main road though the village was re-routed in the early 19th century to move it away from Madresfield Court. Many of the village houses were built just after this period.
The village boasted two village green
s, Mathersfield Green near "Byways" and Bunn's Green on the corner of Northend Lane and Rectory Lane.
The first Point to point racing amateur horseback race was held at Madresfield in 1836.
, near the village centre has been the ancestral home for several centuries of the Lygon family, whose eldest sons took the title of Earl Beauchamp
from 1815 until 1979, when the last Earl died. Distinguished collections of furniture and art are housed in the Court, which was rated by Simon Jenkins
to be among the 50 best in his book on 1,000 historic houses. The house is managed by the Elmley Foundation, a British registered charity.
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 administrative district of Malvern Hills
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...
. It is located about two miles east of Malvern
Malvern, Worcestershire
Malvern is a town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, governed by Malvern Town Council. As of the 2001 census it has a population of 28,749, and includes the historical settlement and commercial centre of Great Malvern on the steep eastern flank of the Malvern Hills, and the former...
town centre at the foot of the Malvern Hills
Malvern Hills
The Malvern Hills are a range of hills in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucestershire, dominating the surrounding countryside and the towns and villages of the district of Malvern...
and is less than two miles from the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
. Surrounded by farms and common land
Common land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
, it has a clear view of the entire range of the Malvern Hills
Malvern Hills
The Malvern Hills are a range of hills in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucestershire, dominating the surrounding countryside and the towns and villages of the district of Malvern...
, and is part of the informal region referred to as The Malverns.
Etymology / Name Origin
The name Madresfield derives from 'Mather's Field'. Madresfield is not mentioned 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...
, this could be due to the fact that it was linked with Powick
Powick
Powick is a Worcestershire village two miles south of the city of Worcester and four miles north of Great Malvern, close to the River Teme. It is a civil parish of the Malvern Hills District, and it includes the village of Callow End and the hamlets of Bastonford, Clevelode, Colletts Green, and...
and paid no taxes in its own behalf.
History & Amenities
Madresfield is part of a Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
which includes the neighbouring village of Guarlford
Guarlford
Guarlford is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District in the county of Worcestershire, England. It is situated between the settlements of Barnards Green and Rhydd approximately three kilometres east of Great Malvern, the town centre of Malvern...
. There is a parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
in the village (dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin). There have been three churches, the first a small chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
that was mainly used by the Beauchamps
Earl Beauchamp
Earl Beauchamp was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1815 for William Lygon, 1st Baron Beauchamp, along with the subsidiary title Viscount Elmley, in the County of Worcester. He had already been created Baron Beauchamp of Powyke in the County of Worcester, in 1806,...
. A second church, built on marshy ground to the designs of Augustus Pugin, was demolished after only twelve years after becoming unsafe. The present church was built on land donated by the Earl Beauchamp and re-used many items from the earlier church. The church, dedicated to St Mary the Virgin, has a refurbished peal of bells which are on the visiting circuit of regional campanologists
Campanology
Campanology is the study of bells. It encompasses the physical realities of bells — how they are cast, tuned and sounded — as well as the various methods devised to perform bell-ringing....
. The bells were rehung in December 2005 following recasting of 1 and 2 from the scrap metal of the old 4th and tenor and retuning the other bells.,The village also has a primary school.
A Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
kiln
Kiln
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...
was discovered on ground near Northend Farm, and near to what is now called Roman Way. There is an 800 year old ditch alongside Townsend Way that was once the boundary to the ancient village of Madresfield.
The main road though the village was re-routed in the early 19th century to move it away from Madresfield Court. Many of the village houses were built just after this period.
The village boasted two village green
Village green
A village green is a common open area which is a part of a settlement. Traditionally, such an area was often common grass land at the centre of a small agricultural settlement, used for grazing and sometimes for community events...
s, Mathersfield Green near "Byways" and Bunn's Green on the corner of Northend Lane and Rectory Lane.
The first Point to point racing amateur horseback race was held at Madresfield in 1836.
Madresfield Court
The stately homeStately home
A stately home is a "great country house". It is thus a palatial great house or in some cases an updated castle, located in the British Isles, mostly built between the mid-16th century and the early part of the 20th century, as well as converted abbeys and other church property...
, near the village centre has been the ancestral home for several centuries of the Lygon family, whose eldest sons took the title of Earl Beauchamp
Earl Beauchamp
Earl Beauchamp was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1815 for William Lygon, 1st Baron Beauchamp, along with the subsidiary title Viscount Elmley, in the County of Worcester. He had already been created Baron Beauchamp of Powyke in the County of Worcester, in 1806,...
from 1815 until 1979, when the last Earl died. Distinguished collections of furniture and art are housed in the Court, which was rated by Simon Jenkins
Simon Jenkins
Sir Simon David Jenkins is a British newspaper columnist and author, and since November 2008 has been chairman of the National Trust. He currently writes columns for both The Guardian and London's Evening Standard, and was previously a commentator for The Times, which he edited from 1990 to 1992...
to be among the 50 best in his book on 1,000 historic houses. The house is managed by the Elmley Foundation, a British registered charity.