Upper Bentley
Encyclopedia
Upper Bentley is a village
in Worcestershire
, England
. It is located between the towns of Redditch
and Bromsgrove
. It is near the villages of Elcocks Brook
, Bentley and Callow Hill
.
Maude married a Scotsman named George Cheape. Mrs Cheape (known as the Squire of Bentley) was known for her love of hunting and kept a pack of Beagles in the village. After losing her son, who drowned in 1917, Maude died in 1919 leaving the Estate to her Grandson Leslie.
Colenel Grey Cheape (as Leslie was formally known) died in 1991 and the estate passed into the hands of his son Hamish.
Bentley Manor dates back to before 1300 when it stood in Feckenham Forest
. Rights of warren were granted to a Grimbald Pauncefoote in the manor of Bentley in 1281 for rabbits.
It is believed the one of Colonel Grey's sisters lived here until 1942, when during World War 2 it was taken over by the War Office where prisoners of war were billeted. Unfortunately the building had to be pulled down in the 1950s as the structure had suffered from dry rot.
The village school was built in 1882 and owned by the estate. It closed in 1960 and the children had to be educated at the larger schools in Redditch
. The building was given to the village in 1962 following an extension to include a large hall and kitchen and Colonel Grey Cheape officially declared the Village Hall as open.
In 2009, Bentley Village Hall was refurbished thanks to a TV appeal and money from The People's Millions
. It was officially opened in December by Bentley's longest-standing resident, Diana Gibbs.
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...
in 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 between the towns of Redditch
Redditch
Redditch is a town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district had a population of 79,216 in 2005. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry...
and Bromsgrove
Bromsgrove
Bromsgrove is a town in Worcestershire, England. The town is about north east of Worcester and south west of Birmingham city centre. It had a population of 29,237 in 2001 with a small ethnic minority and is in Bromsgrove District.- History :Bromsgrove is first documented in the early 9th century...
. It is near the villages of Elcocks Brook
Elcocks Brook
Elcocks Brook is a small hamlet located near the town of Redditch, Worcestershire.-Politics:Elcock's Brook is part of the Astwood Bank and Feckenham ward on the Redditch Borough Council...
, Bentley and Callow Hill
Callow Hill
Callow Hill is a village on the outskirts of Redditch in Worcestershire, England. Other villages nearby include Astwood Bank, Feckenham, Cookhill and Webheath-History:...
.
History
The Bentley Estate came into being when William Flemming bought the land from Mr. John Cookes in Approximately 1830. Upon Williams death in 1848 the land and property went to his son Richard. Richard died in 1891, leaving the Estate to his Daughter Maude.Maude married a Scotsman named George Cheape. Mrs Cheape (known as the Squire of Bentley) was known for her love of hunting and kept a pack of Beagles in the village. After losing her son, who drowned in 1917, Maude died in 1919 leaving the Estate to her Grandson Leslie.
Colenel Grey Cheape (as Leslie was formally known) died in 1991 and the estate passed into the hands of his son Hamish.
Bentley Manor dates back to before 1300 when it stood in Feckenham Forest
Feckenham Forest
Feckenham Forest was a royal forest, centred around the town of Feckenham, covering large parts of west Worcestershire and Warwickshire. As such, it was not entirely wooded, nor entirely the property of the King. Rather, the King had legal rights over game, wood and grazing within the forest, and...
. Rights of warren were granted to a Grimbald Pauncefoote in the manor of Bentley in 1281 for rabbits.
It is believed the one of Colonel Grey's sisters lived here until 1942, when during World War 2 it was taken over by the War Office where prisoners of war were billeted. Unfortunately the building had to be pulled down in the 1950s as the structure had suffered from dry rot.
The village school was built in 1882 and owned by the estate. It closed in 1960 and the children had to be educated at the larger schools in Redditch
Redditch
Redditch is a town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district had a population of 79,216 in 2005. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry...
. The building was given to the village in 1962 following an extension to include a large hall and kitchen and Colonel Grey Cheape officially declared the Village Hall as open.
In 2009, Bentley Village Hall was refurbished thanks to a TV appeal and money from The People's Millions
Big Lottery Fund
The Big Lottery Fund is a grant-making non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom created by the Government to administer the funding of "good causes" following the creation of the National Lottery. It has an annual expenditure of £630 million...
. It was officially opened in December by Bentley's longest-standing resident, Diana Gibbs.