Elmley Castle Worcestershire Family History Guide
Elmley Castle is an Ancient Parish in the county of Worcestershire.
Netherton is a hamlet, a quarter of a mile N. of Elmley Castle and 2 miles S. of Cropthorne (from which it was separated for ecclesiastical purposes in 1864). There are still to be seen some interesting ruins of a chapel here, now used as a barn and stable. This chapel is mentioned as existing in the time of Henry III. The hamlet is assessed to the county rate at £881; population in 1861 was 91; in 1871, 105, with 16 inhabited houses. Kersoe is a small hamlet; the population is returned with Elmley.
Parish church: St. Mary
Parish registers begin: 1612
Nonconformists include:
Table of Contents
Adjacent Parishes
- Bricklehampton
- Cropthorne
- Great Comberton
- Overbury
- Ashton under Hill Gloucestershire
- Little Comberton
- Sedgeberrow
- Hinton on the Green Gloucestershire
Parish History
The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales 1870
ELMLEY-CASTLE, a village and a parish in Pershore district, Worcester.
The village stands near the boundary with Gloucester, under Bredon hill, 4 miles E of Eckington r. station, and 4½ SW by W of Evesham; has a post office, of the name of Elmley, under Pershore; and was once a market-town.
The parish comprises 2,057 acres. Real property, £2,922. Pop., 373. Houses, 75. The property is divided among a few. Elmsley Park is the seat of the Davieses. A castle stood within the parish on Bredon hill, and belonged to the D’Abitots, the Beauchamps, the Savages, and others.
The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Worcester. Value, £112. Patron, the Bishop of Worcester. The church contains some old monuments, and is good. Charities, £5.
Source: The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales [Wilson, John M]. A. Fullarton & Co. N. d. c. [1870-72].
A Topographical Dictionary of England 1848
ELMLEY CASTLE (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Pershore, Middle division of the hundred of Oswaldslow, Pershore and E. divisions of the county of Worcester, 4 miles (E. S. E.) from Pershore; containing 403 inhabitants.
This place takes its name from a castle erected on one of the Bredon hills, at the time of the Conquest, and which was destroyed in the reign of Henry III.; who gave to the inhabitants a weekly market, and an annual fair on the festival of St. Lawrence. A chantry or college, for eight priests, was subsequently founded here by Grey Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, in honour of the Virgin Mary.
The parish comprises 2040a. 2r. 31p., and is partly bounded on the south by Gloucestershire: nearly one-half of the surface is on the brow of the hill, and has a light but fertile soil; in the vale, the soil is a stiff wet clay. Great varieties of fossil shells are found.
The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king’s books at £5. 6. 5½.; net income, £112; patron and appropriator, the Bishop of Worcester. The church, which stands on the south side of the village, is an ancient edifice with a vaulted roof; it contains some handsome monuments to the Savage family, and one to an earl of Coventry, erected by the countess, his widow.
The site of the ancient castle, and the moat by which it was surrounded, are all that remain. Bishop Bonner is said to have been born here. The place gives the inferior title of Viscount to the Earl Beauchamp.
Source: A Topographical Dictionary of England by Samuel Lewis 1848
Worcestershire Delineated C. and J. Greenwood 1822
Elmley-Castle – a parish in the hundred of Oswaldslow, middle division, 4 miles W.S.W. from Evesham, and 99 from London; on the declivity of Breedon hill; containing 66 inhabited houses. The living is a vicarage; the Rev. Hugh Bennett, incumbent; instituted 1800; patron, Bishop of Worcester. Population, 1801, 296 – 1811, 300 – 1821, 316.
Source: Worcestershire Delineated: Being a Topographical Description of Each Parish, Chapelry, Hamlet, &c. In the County; with the distances and bearings from their respective market towns, &c. By C. and J. Greenwood. Printed by T. Bensley, Crane Court, Fleet Street, London, 1822.
Parish Records
FamilySearch
Directories
Online Directories
Bentley’s Directory of Elmley Castle 1840 – Archive.org
Directory Transcriptions
Elmley Castle (with Kersoe and Netherton) Littleburys Directory 1879
Elmley Castle is a village and parish 4 miles S.E. of Pershore, 4 S.W. of Evesham, 9 N.E. of Tewkesbury, and 12 ½ S.E. of Worcester; is in the eastern division of the county and hundred of Middle Oswaldslow; in the union, petty sessional division, polling, and county court district of Pershore, and highway district of Evesham; annual rateable value, £3,019; area of parish, 2,057 acres; population in 1861 (exclusive of the hamlet of Netherton, which belonged to Cropthorne till 1864, when it was added to Elmley Castle by Order in Council), 464; in 1871, 486, with 82 inhabited houses and 102 families or separate occupiers. Joseph Jones, Esq., of Abberley hall, who is lord of the manor, Lady Hampton, and Lieut.-Colonel Henry Fanshawe Davies, are the principal landowners. The soil is clay and marl; subsoil, gravel and clay; chief crops, wheat, barley, and beans. Elmley Castle is in the diocese and archdeaconry of Worcester and rural deanery of Pershore; living, a vicarage, value £300, with residence; patron, the Bishop of Worcester; vicar, Rev. Edward James Rhoades, M.A., Pembroke College, Oxford, who was instituted in 1878. The church of St. Mary is capacious, and has chancel, nave with aisles, and tower, chiefly Perpendicular work. The chancel was restored in 1863 at the cost of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, and Lady Hampton, Rev. W. Parker, and Mr. Hill contributed largely to other portions of the work. Through the exertions of the former vicar (Rev. Hugh Bennett, now of Pirton rectory), the church was completely restored in 1878 at a cost of £1,700 raised by voluntary contributions. The nave, aisles, and chapel were reroofed, and the bells rehung. F. Preedy, Esq., of London, was the architect. A stained-glass window in the chancel (by Powell) was presented by Colonel Davies. There are splendid 17th-century monuments here to the Savages, Coventrys, and others. The earliest register is dated 1665. The national school is a red brick building with stone dressings, erected in 1869. A curious sun-dial is in the churchyard. A strong castle was erected on one of the Bredon hills in the time of William the Conqueror; it was destroyed during the reign of Henry II., but was afterwards rebuilt. In 1309, Guy Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, founded in it a college or chantry for eight priests, in honour of the Blessed Virgin. Traces of the castle are still to be found. The shaft of the village cross remains to mark the site of the ancient fairs and markets. It bears date 1148. Elmley Park, the seat of Lady Hampton, is now in the occupation of Lieut.-Colonel Henry Fanshawe Davies, J.P. It is a handsome mansion with extensive grounds, pleasantly situated on the east side of Bredon hill. Netherton is a hamlet, a quarter of a mile N. of Elmley Castle and 2 miles S. of Cropthorne (from which it was separated for ecclesiastical purposes in 1864). There are still to be seen some interesting ruins of a chapel here, now used as a barn and stable. This chapel is mentioned as existing in the time of Henry III. The hamlet is assessed to the county rate at £881; population in 1861 was 91; in 1871, 105, with 16 inhabited houses. Kersoe is a small hamlet; the population is returned with Elmley.
POSTAL REGULATIONS. – Henry Rance, Sub-Postmaster. Letters arrive by messenger from Pershore at 8.15 a.m.; despatched thereto at 5 p.m. Pershore is the nearest money-order and telegraph office and post town.
Parish Church (St. Mary’s). – Rev. Edward James Rhoades, M.A., Vicar; Messrs. Henry Moore and Thomas Blizard, Churchwardens; Thomas Heeks, Parish Clerk.
National School (boys and girls). – Miss Jane Blackford, Mistress.
PRIVATE RESIDENTS.
Crosse Rev. A. B. (curate in charge of Bricklehampton)
Davies Lieut.-Colonel Henry Fanshawe, J.P., Elmley park
Hill Rev. Rowland, Kersoe
Rhoades Rev. Edward James, M.A. (vicar), The Vicarage
AGRICULTURAL & COMMERCIAL.
Abell James, farmer, Netherton
Aldington Mrs. Ann, shopkeeper
Aldington Benjamin, hurdle maker
Aldington Mrs. Susannah, blacksmith
Bishop Edward, boot and shoe maker
Blackford Mrs. Rebecca, baker, miller, and beer retailer
Blackford Miss J., mistress of Nat. school
Blizard Thomas, beer retailer
Heeks Thomas, parish clerk
Hodgetts William, wheelwright
Mann Stephen, police officer
Moore Charles, farmer, The Hill
Moore Henry, farmer, landowner, churchwarden, waywarden, overseer, tax collector, &c.
Pitcher William Godfrey Yeend, farmer
Rance Hy., frmr., shopkr., & sub-postma.
Righton Daniel, farmer, Netherton
Rogers Thomas, gardener
Smith John, farmer, Kersoe
Smith Mrs. Martha, beer retailer (Plough)
Summers James, hurdle maker
Summers Richard, shopkeeper
Source: Littlebury, Littlebury’s Directory and Gazetteer of Worcester & District, Third Edition. Printed by Ballantyne, Hanson & Co. 1879.
Elmley Castle (with the Hamlet of Kersoe) Billings Directory 1855
Elmley Castle is a village and parish, 4 miles from Evesham, 3 from Pershore, and about 9 from Tewkesbury, containing 2057 statue acres, and a population in 1851 of 385 inhabitants.
A strong castle was erected on one of the Bredon Hills in the time of William the Conqueror, but it was destroyed during the reign of Henry III. Guy Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, founded in it a college or chantry for eight priests, in honour of the Blessed Virgin. Traces of the castle are still found. Elmley Park, the residence of J. H. Hill, Esq., is a splendid mansion, with extensive grounds, pleasantly situated on the east side of Bredon Hill. Henry III granted a weekly market and fair, but they have long since fallen into disuse. There is a small stone cross standing in the village.
Kersoe is a small hamlet, consisting of only a few farms; the population is returned with Elmley.
The Church, dedicated to St. Mary, is a very handsome stone building. There are several well-executed monuments in various parts of the church, which is altogether and interesting edifice. The living is a Discharged Vicarage, in the gift of the Bishop of Worcester. Rev. W. Bennett, Vicar; Revs. John and William Parker Curates; Mr. Thomas Hicks, Clerk. Service – 10 45 a.m. and 3 p.m.
The National School is supported by contributions and the children’s payments. Anne Willmott, Mistress. Average number of scholars, 30.
DIRECTORY
Hill J. H., Esq., Elmley Park
Parker Rev. John
Blackford Thomas, miller, baker, maltster, and beer retailer
Blizward Mary, beer retailer
Bluck Henry, farmer
Deakins Elizabeth, shopkeeper
Faulkner John, boot and shoe maker
Grove George, tailor
Haines Charles, butcher
Hawkes Joseph, farmer
Hicks Thomas, Parish Clerk
Hodgetts James, wheelwright
Hodgetts John, carpenter
Hollington Susannah, blacksmith
Mitton William, farmer
Moore Henry, farmer
Phillips Benjamin, boot and shoe maker
Rance Henry, grocer and brick maker; and at Cropthorne
Smith John, farmer, Wordin Farm
Summers Albert, boot and shoe maker
Summers Emanuel, carpenter
Summers Hannah, shopkeeper
Willmott Mrs., Sub-Postmistress
Kersoe
Deakins Mrs. Mary, farmer
Haines John, farmer
Hawkes Daniel, farmer
Smith Hubert, tailor
Post Office – Mrs. Willmott, Sub-Postmistress. Arrival, 9 45 a.m.; despatch, 3 30 p.m.
Source: Billings Directory of Worcestershire 1855
Maps
Administration
- County: Worcestershire
- Civil Registration District: Pershore
- Probate Court: Court of the Bishop of Worcester (Episcopal Consistory)
- Diocese: Worcester
- Rural Deanery: Pershore
- Poor Law Union: Pershore
- Hundred: Oswaldslow
- Province: Canterbury