Morton Bagot
Encyclopedia
Morton Bagot is a small village in the Stratford-on-Avon
district of Warwickshire
, England
. It lies about 1.5 miles (2 km) east of the Birmingham
-Alcester road, the modern A435
and Roman Ryknild Street, 6.5 miles (10 km) north of Alcester
, 9.5 miles (15 km) from Stratford upon Avon and 12 miles from Warwick
, across the valley of a small brook, flowing south-east to join the River Arrow. A road from Oldberrow to Spernall runs north and south through the middle of the parish of Morton Bagot, Oldberrow
and Spernall
, past the church.
The name means the settlement of the moor, the Bagot element coming from the name of the lords of the Manor who added their name when they came into possession during the reign of Henry II
.
The elevation varies from 200 feet (61 m) to 400 feet (121.9 m), the highest point being at Bannum's Wood.There is no main village and there has been considerable depopulation here since the 18th century. In 2001 the whole parish had a population of 153.
as part of the land of Robert De Stafford as follows " in Ferncombe Hundred, Hugh holds 2 hides
in Mortone (Bagot). Land for 4 ploughs. In lordship 1; 2 slaves; 5 villagers and 5 smallholders with 2 ploughs. Meadow, 3 furlongs long and 6 perches
wide; woodland ½ league long 1 furlong wide. The value was 30s; now 50s. Grimulf held it freely." Dugdale however states that it was part of the possessions of Waga of Wooton Wawen whose lands there were also given to de Stafford. Robert de Stafford was descended from the de Tonei family and had fought stoutly with Duke William against King Harold
as a result he had this and other lands bestowed on him. He made Stafford
his principal seat, where he had a strong castle and assumed his surname from thence.
In 1805 The Times
noted with some amusement that the local priest had dislocated his jaw when attempting a particularly loud Amen.
constituency, whose current Member of Parliament following the 2010 election 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).
, nave
, south porch and a small timbered bell-cote with old oak beams containing two bells, still rung today. These probably date to the early 16th century: the smaller, inscribed 'Sanctae Trinitas', is by an unknown founder; the other is inscribed with the name 'Maria' four times and has crosses, fleurs-de-lis, and king's heads as stops between them; it came from the Worcester foundry, probably by Nicholas Grene (died 1547). In spite of Victorian restoration
s there remain some pre-Reformation
features including window openings and a piscina
with a plain ogee head and a very shallow basin cut off in front dating probably from the 14th century. The east wall may have been rebuilt and the west end of the nave extended in the 15th century, whilst the south porch, tiled roofs and bell-turret are of about 1600. The font is a plain octagonal stone, thickly colourwashed, with a moulding of the 13th century at the top and another at half height. It has a 16th-century flat wood cover with moulded cross-framing and pierced by two holes for the former staples. There are a number of memorials in the church. The Nave contains an oak memorial to Lance Corporal, John Thomas Ross, 4th Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment
who died of wounds in France on 28 March 1918 aged 21 he is buried in Namps-Au-Val British cemetery, in the Department of the Somme, France. He was the son of Mrs. A. Ross, of Chuter Green, Morton Bagot, Studley, Warwickshire.http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=38405 The Chancel contains two memorials, on the South side one to the Holyoake family, landowners in the 18th century, whilst the one on the North side is to Thomas Walker, of Studley Castle
, Lord of the Manor of Morton Bagot, who died in 1887. John Burman noted that the church was lit by candles and this is still true today giving Winter services a very individual spiritual feeling. Details and times of services can be found on the arden marches churches website http://www.ardenmarches.co.uk/#/morton-bagot/4533298608
Behind the church there are earthworks which are believed to be the site of a castle or fortified manor house. Traces of a moat near Church farm may perhaps mark the site of a building described in the 17th century as Lord Carington's Lodge House, which was then the largest house in the village but has now quite disappeared.When assessed for the hearth tax it had 7 hearths. The interior of the earthworks however, are occupied by a 17th century timber framed barn that is contemporary with Church Farm (to the immediate NW). There is no surface evidence of an earlier building so the Victoria County History supposition that the earthworks were connected with Lodge House is questionable, but the position of moat close to the Church does implie a manorial origin. The size and depth of the earthworks suggests that this may be a small ring-motte
. However, the barn standing on the site appears to be constructed out of earlier re-used material, so it is just possible that this could have been the site of Lodge House. The earthworks are a Scheduled Monumenthttp://timetrail.warwickshire.gov.uk/detail.aspx?monuid=WA582
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...
district 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...
. It lies about 1.5 miles (2 km) east of the 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...
-Alcester road, the modern A435
A435 road
The A435 is a main road in England running between Birmingham and Cirencester .-Birmingham to Alcester:...
and Roman Ryknild Street, 6.5 miles (10 km) north of Alcester
Alcester
Alcester is an old market town of Roman origin at the junction of the River Alne and River Arrow in Warwickshire, England. It is situated approximately west of Stratford-upon-Avon, and 8 miles south of Redditch, close to the Worcestershire border...
, 9.5 miles (15 km) from Stratford upon Avon and 12 miles from 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...
, across the valley of a small brook, flowing south-east to join the River Arrow. A road from Oldberrow to Spernall runs north and south through the middle of the parish of Morton Bagot, Oldberrow
Oldberrow
Oldberrow is a village in the Stratford on Avon District of Warwickshire, England. The parish was part of Worcestershire until 1896, when it was transferred to Warwickshire, into which county it penetrated, between Morton Bagot and Ullenhall, as a narrow strip some long by about ½ mile wide. The...
and Spernall
Spernall
Spernall is a remote village north of Alcester in the Parish of Oldberrow, Morton Bagot, and Spernall, in the Stratford on Avon District of Warwickshire, England. In 2001 it had a population of 153. It is situated on the banks of the small River Arrow, the name meaning Spera's border . Early forms...
, past the church.
The name means the settlement of the moor, the Bagot element coming from the name of the lords of the Manor who added their name when they came into possession during the reign of Henry II
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
.
The elevation varies from 200 feet (61 m) to 400 feet (121.9 m), the highest point being at Bannum's Wood.There is no main village and there has been considerable depopulation here since the 18th century. In 2001 the whole parish had a population of 153.
History
Morton Bagot 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 land of Robert De Stafford as follows " in Ferncombe Hundred, Hugh holds 2 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...
in Mortone (Bagot). Land for 4 ploughs. In lordship 1; 2 slaves; 5 villagers and 5 smallholders with 2 ploughs. Meadow, 3 furlongs long and 6 perches
Perch (unit of measure)
A perch is as a unit of measurement used for length, area, and volume in a number of systems of measurement. Its name derives from the Ancient Roman unit, the pertica.-Origin:...
wide; woodland ½ league long 1 furlong wide. The value was 30s; now 50s. Grimulf held it freely." Dugdale however states that it was part of the possessions of Waga of Wooton Wawen whose lands there were also given to de Stafford. Robert de Stafford was descended from the de Tonei family and had fought stoutly with Duke William against King Harold
Harold Godwinson
Harold Godwinson was the last Anglo-Saxon King of England.It could be argued that Edgar the Atheling, who was proclaimed as king by the witan but never crowned, was really the last Anglo-Saxon king...
as a result he had this and other lands bestowed on him. He made Stafford
Stafford
Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14...
his principal seat, where he had a strong castle and assumed his surname from thence.
In 1805 The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
noted with some amusement that the local priest had dislocated his jaw when attempting a particularly loud Amen.
Governance
Morton Bagot is part of the Sambourne ward of Stratford on Avon District Council and represented by Councillor Justin Kerridge, Conservative. Nationally it is part of Stratford-on-AvonStratford-on-Avon (UK Parliament constituency)
-By-elections:-Notes and references:...
constituency, whose current Member of Parliament following the 2010 election 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).
Notable buildings
The parish church of the Holy Trinity is a small building dating from the end of the 13th century, the list of Rectors begins in 1282 with Ralph Bagot. It stands on a mound with a steep bank to the south it is approached by way of a lych gate erected in 1936 by Cannon Warren the then Rector, there are the remains of a post box set into an adjacent wall. The church consists of a chancelChancel
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...
, 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...
, south porch and a small timbered bell-cote with old oak beams containing two bells, still rung today. These probably date to the early 16th century: the smaller, inscribed 'Sanctae Trinitas', is by an unknown founder; the other is inscribed with the name 'Maria' four times and has crosses, fleurs-de-lis, and king's heads as stops between them; it came from the Worcester foundry, probably by Nicholas Grene (died 1547). In spite of Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
s there remain some pre-Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
features including window openings and a piscina
Piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. Roman Catholics usually refer to the drain, and by extension, the basin, as the sacrarium...
with a plain ogee head and a very shallow basin cut off in front dating probably from the 14th century. The east wall may have been rebuilt and the west end of the nave extended in the 15th century, whilst the south porch, tiled roofs and bell-turret are of about 1600. The font is a plain octagonal stone, thickly colourwashed, with a moulding of the 13th century at the top and another at half height. It has a 16th-century flat wood cover with moulded cross-framing and pierced by two holes for the former staples. There are a number of memorials in the church. The Nave contains an oak memorial to Lance Corporal, John Thomas Ross, 4th Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment
Royal Berkshire Regiment
The Royal Berkshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 49th Regiment of Foot and the 66th Regiment of Foot.The regiment was originally formed as The Princess Charlotte of Wales's , taking the...
who died of wounds in France on 28 March 1918 aged 21 he is buried in Namps-Au-Val British cemetery, in the Department of the Somme, France. He was the son of Mrs. A. Ross, of Chuter Green, Morton Bagot, Studley, Warwickshire.http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=38405 The Chancel contains two memorials, on the South side one to the Holyoake family, landowners in the 18th century, whilst the one on the North side is to Thomas Walker, of Studley Castle
Studley Castle
Studley Castle is a 19th century country house at Studley , Warwickshire which is now occupied as a hotel. It is a Grade II* listed building.The manor of Studley was owned by the Lyttleton family and was bequeathed by Philip Lyttleton to his niece Dorothy, who married Francis Holyoake...
, Lord of the Manor of Morton Bagot, who died in 1887. John Burman noted that the church was lit by candles and this is still true today giving Winter services a very individual spiritual feeling. Details and times of services can be found on the arden marches churches website http://www.ardenmarches.co.uk/#/morton-bagot/4533298608
Behind the church there are earthworks which are believed to be the site of a castle or fortified manor house. Traces of a moat near Church farm may perhaps mark the site of a building described in the 17th century as Lord Carington's Lodge House, which was then the largest house in the village but has now quite disappeared.When assessed for the hearth tax it had 7 hearths. The interior of the earthworks however, are occupied by a 17th century timber framed barn that is contemporary with Church Farm (to the immediate NW). There is no surface evidence of an earlier building so the Victoria County History supposition that the earthworks were connected with Lodge House is questionable, but the position of moat close to the Church does implie a manorial origin. The size and depth of the earthworks suggests that this may be a small ring-motte
Motte
Motte may be:*Motte-and-bailey, a type of construction used in castles*Isaac Motte, an 18th century American statesman*La Motte , various places with this name-See also:* Mote * Mott...
. However, the barn standing on the site appears to be constructed out of earlier re-used material, so it is just possible that this could have been the site of Lodge House. The earthworks are a Scheduled Monumenthttp://timetrail.warwickshire.gov.uk/detail.aspx?monuid=WA582