Norton juxta Kempsey Worcestershire Family History Guide
Norton juxta Kempsey is an Ecclesiastical Parish in the county of Worcestershire, created in 1781 from a chapelry in Kempsey Ancient Parish.
Other places in the parish include: Hatfield, Littleworth
Alternative names: Norton by Kempsey
Parish church: St James
Parish registers begin: 1538
Nonconformists include: Wesleyan Methodist
Table of Contents
Adjacent Parishes
- Kempsey
- Worcester St Peter the Great
- Stoulton
- Pershore St Andrew with Pershore Holy Cross
- Spetchley
- Whittington
- White Ladies Aston
Parish History
The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales 1870
NORTON-BY-KEMPSEY, a village and a parish in Pershore district, Worcester. The village stands 1½ mile E of the river Severn, 2 SW of Spetchley r. station, and 3 SSE of Worcester; and is small but picturesque.
The parish contains also the hamlets of Littleworth and Hatfield; and its post town is Worcester. Acres, 1,811. Real property, £3,791. Pop., 661. Houses, 132. Norton Hall is the seat of the Hookes; Norton Villa, of G. J. H. Walker, Esq.; and Wood Hall, of T. Adams, Esq. Bricks and tiles are made.
The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Worcester. Value, £150. Patrons, the Dean and Chapter of Worcester. The church is ancient, small, and plain; has a Norman porch and an embattled tower; and was recently repaired. There are a Wesleyan chapel, and charities £28.
Source: The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales [Wilson, John M]. A. Fullarton & Co. N. d. c. [1870-72].
Worcestershire Delineated C. and J. Greenwood 1822
Norton – a hamlet and chapelry to the parish of Kempsey, hundred of Oswaldslow, lower division, 3 miles S.S.E. from Worcester, and 109 from London; containing 78 inhabited houses. Population, 1801, 337 – 1811, 405 – 1821, 517.
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.
A Topographical Dictionary of England 1848
NORTON-BY-KEMPSEY (St. James), a parish, in the union of Pershore, Lower division of the hundred of Oswaldslow, W. division of the county of Worcester, 3½ miles (S. S. E.) from Worcester; containing 601 inhabitants.
This place, which by the adjunct to its name is distinguished from other Nortons in the county, was during the reigns of Henry IV. and V. the residence of the Gowers of Warwickshire, escheators of Worcestershire, of whose ancient seat, Woodhall, little more remains than the stately avenue of elm-trees, that formed the approach. One of this family married a daughter of the house of Dudley, who was styled Lady Dudley of Woodhall; and in the reign of James I., the estate was sold by William Gower to Mr. Stevens, of Newington, in the county of Middlesex, whose tomb is still preserved in the church.
The parish is situated near the turnpike-road to Pershore, and comprises by measurement 1846 acres, of which 1157 are arable, 600 meadow and pasture, and the remainder woodland, plantations, and roads. The surface is pleasingly varied, and in many places very picturesque.
From the hamlet of Hatfield are obtained beautiful views of the surrounding country, embracing the Bredon and Malvern hills, with the town of Malvern, the Woodbury and Cruckbarrow hills, Worcester cathedral, the spire of St. Andrew’s church, and other interesting objects.
The soil is a rich clay and marl, producing excellent crops of wheat, beans, and peas; and the substratum chiefly blue lias, which is quarried for building, and for burning into lime. The Birmingham and Gloucester and the Oxford and Wolverhampton railways intersect the parish.
Norton Hall, the seat of Benjamin Hooke, Esq., an old mansion previously the residence of Thomas Bird, Esq., has been greatly improved and enlarged by the present proprietor. Norton Villa, the residence of George J. A. Walker, Esq., is pleasantly situated on the north-east side of the road, in grounds tastefully laid out, embellished with thriving plantations, and commanding extensive and finely varied prospects: Newland House, the residence of Thomas Hooke, Esq., is also pleasantly situated.
The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Worcester, valued in the king’s books at £2. 12. 6.; net income, £100, with an excellent house. The appropriate tithes were commuted in 1841 for £460, and the appropriate glebe comprises 41 acres. The church is a very ancient structure with a tower.
There is a place of worship for Wesleyans; a parochial school is supported by subscription, and a Sunday school by Mrs. Walker, who has presented a library for the use of the children attending it. Thomas Knight in 1652, and Elizabeth Stevens in 1668, bequeathed each £100 to the poor.
Source: A Topographical Dictionary of England by Samuel Lewis 1848
Parish Records
FamilySearch
Directories
Online Directories
Lascelles & Co.’s Directory and Gazetteer of the City of Worcester & Neighbourhood 1851
Bentley’s Directory of Norton Juxta Kempsey 1840 – Archive.org
Directory Transcriptions
Norton Juxta Kempsey (with the Hamlets of Hatfield and Littleworth) Billings Directory of Worcestershire 1855
Norton is situated about 2 ½ miles S.E. from Worcester, and contained in 1851 a population of 639 inhabitants.
Hatfield is a small hamlet, about a quarter of a mile S. from the village.
Littleworth is another small hamlet, distant about one mile S.E. The population of both these places is returned with the parish.
The Church, which is pleasantly situated, consists of nave, chancel, and western embattled tower, containing three bells; the doorway in the north wall (now stopped up) is plain Norman, as is the principal entrance on the couth, and portions of the walls belong to the same date. The tower has diagonal buttresses, and the north wall is propped by buttresses of the most unartistical shape.
This church, as well as that of the adjoining parish of Stoulton, was formerly a chapel of ease to Kempsey; but it appears that Norton had its christenings, marriages, &c., long anterior to 1269, for at that period the vicar of Kempsey was enjoined not to deprive the inhabitants of Norton of their ancient custom of christenings.
The living is a Perpetual Curacy, in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Worcester. Rev. H. Faulkner, M.A., Incumbent; Mr. Robert Kings, Clerk. Service – 10 30 a.m. and 3 30 p.m.
Charities – Mr., Thomas Hunt, of this parish, gave £100, to be laid out in land for the use of the poor. Christopher Meredith gave £3 per annum, to purchase Bibles for the Bishop’s poor tenants, for Kempsey free school. Mrs. Elizabeth Stevens, late of Woodhall, gave £100, to be laid out in land for the use of the poor of Norton and Whittington. Mr. William Richards left £10 for the poor, 40s, to be paid annually. Mr. Francis Hunt gave 10s, to be given in bread. Thomas Shead gave £5, the interest to be given to poor widows on St. Thomas’s day.
There are several parcels of land, the rents out of which amount to about £11 7s., to be given to the poor, and for the repairing of the roads.
DIRECTORY
Capel Alfred, Esq., Woodhall
Faulkner Rev. Henry, M.A., Perpetual Curate, Parsonage
Hooke Mrs. S., Norton Hall
Walker George, Esq., Norton Villa
Allington John, farmer, Boulterly
Allington Thomas, jun., farmer, Strain Bridge Farm
Grimley John, tailor
Harber Henry, blacksmith and shopkeeper
Hooke Thomas, se., farmer, Newland House
Hooke Thos., jun., farmer, Norton House
Perratt Thomas, farmer, Pound House
Price James, Wheelwright
Stanton William, farmer, Norton Court
Viner Thomas, carpenter
Wall James, farmer, brick and tile manufacturer, and coal merchant, Lower House; and at Diglis Wharf, Worcester
Watson Geo., lime manufacturer, quarryman, and beer retailer, The Retreat
Hatfield
Hook Mr. John, Hatfield Villa
Allington Thomas, sen., farmer, Lower Hatfield
Griffiths John, farmer
Lewis John, farmer
Lowe Richard, farmer, The Grove
Littleworth
Fleet William, shopkeeper
Walford John, shoe maker
Wootton Samuel, carpenter
Source: Billings Directory of Worcestershire 1855
Norton (near Kempsey) Lewis Worcestershire Directory 1820
Aston Charles, farmer
Boulter Mrs. farmer
Brewer Miss, farmer
Clewer John, farmer
Coney Ann, farmer
Griffiths Ann, farmer
Harris Mrs. farmer
Hooke Thomas. farmer
Hooke Benjamin, farmer
Mathews Thos. farmer
Parker John, farmer
Stanton William, farmer
Walford Thomas, farmer
Watkins William, farmer
Yarnold Thomas, farmer
Source: S Lewis Worcestershire General and Commercial Directory for 1820.
Bankrupts
Below is a list of people that were declared bankrupt between 1820 and 1843 extracted from The Bankrupt Directory; George Elwick; London; Simpkin, Marshall and Co.; 1843.
Watkins Wm., Norton-juxta-Kempsey, Worcestersh., corn dealer, April 30, 1822.
Administration
- County: Worcestershire
- Civil Registration District: Pershore
- Probate Court: Court of the Dean and Chapter of Worcester
- Diocese: Worcester
- Rural Deanery: Worcester
- Poor Law Union: Pershore
- Hundred: Oswaldslow
- Province: Canterbury