ABBERTON
Eadbrihtinctune (x cent.); Edbritone, Edbretintune (xi cent.); Edbrighton, Edburinton, Eadbriston
(xiii cent.); Aburton (xvi cent.).
Old Chimney Stack, Abberton Hall
Abberton lies to the south of the main road from
Worcester to Alcester, a branch from which runs
through the parish from north-east to south-west. The
village, which is very small, is 5 miles north of Fladbury
station on the Oxford and Worcester section of the
Great Western railway. To the east of the church
are the remains of a moat. Abberton Hall, the seat
of the lord of the manor, Mr. Alline Bushell, stands
high in a fine park, with extensive views over the
Bredon Hills and Vale of Evesham. It was originally
an early 17th-century timber-framed building, but is
now cased with brickwork and stands on a stone base,
At one side is a fine old chimney stack, dated 1619,
the lower part being of stone with shafts of brick set
diagonally upon it. None of the internal fittings of
the house are original, but the stables are of old black
and white construction.
The village stands at about 200 ft. above the
ordnance datum, and from it the land slopes away to
the north and south, the
southern boundary of the parish
being formed by the Whitsun
Brook. (fn. 1) The parish has an
area of 999 acres, of which in
1905, 443 were arable land
and 525 permanent grass. (fn. 2)
The soil is sand and clay, the
subsoil Lower Lias and Keuper
Marl. The principal crops
grown are wheat, beans, barley,
turnips and fruit. Limestone
and coal are supposed to exist,
and there are springs similar
to those at Epsom and Cheltenham. In the south of the
parish is an old clay pit.
There was a vineyard here in
1554. (fn. 3)
The inclosure of the parish
took place in 1776, but not
by Act of Parliament. (fn. 4)
Among ancient place-names
have been found: a cottage
called Calley, 1462 (fn. 5) ; Tytington Hill, 1527 (fn. 6) ; Caldwell
Land, Tuddington's Lees and
Abbot's Hill, 1544. (fn. 7)
MANOR
Four manses at
Abberton
were among the
possessions said to have been
confirmed to the abbey of Pershore by King Edgar in 972. (fn. 8)
At the date of the Domesday
Survey two berewicks, Edbritone and Edbretintune, both
probably identifiable with the
modern Abberton, belonged to
the abbey of Pershore's manor
of Pershore. (fn. 9) The manor of
Abberton was described as 3
carucates of land, worth 3
marks yearly, in 1291. (fn. 10) It was held by the abbey
of Pershore until the Dissolution, when it passed to
the Crown. (fn. 11)
The manor was granted on 16 January 1544 to
William and Francis Sheldon. (fn. 12) Ralph Sheldon was
then lessee of Abberton, which he also held in
1540, (fn. 13) and it appears that he had been preceded
here, as in his Beoley property, by his brother
William, who died childless in 1517, and who is
entered in the Visitation of 1569 as William Sheldon
of Abberton. (fn. 14) John Sheldon, father of William and
Ralph, was also seated at Abberton. (fn. 15) William and
Francis Sheldon, grantees of the manor in 1544,
were sons of this Ralph. (fn. 16) The manor was settled on
Francis Sheldon and Mary his wife, with remainder
to their children, William, Thomas, Francis and
Lucy. (fn. 17) The William Sheldon to whom the grant
of 1544 was made died on 24 December 1570,
when William son of Francis was of full age and
residing at Abberton. (fn. 18) This William was succeeded
in 1608 by his son Francis, (fn. 19) a grant of the benefit
of whose recusancy had been made to Henry Mynours
in the previous year. (fn. 20) Francis Sheldon and his wife
Elizabeth were holding the manor in 1625 (fn. 21) and
1632. (fn. 22) Francis Sheldon, who was dealing with
the manor in 1699, (fn. 23) died in the following year, his
son and successor Francis dying in 1711. (fn. 24) Francis
Sheldon, probably son of the latter, was holding
the manor in 1720. (fn. 25) In 1733 an Act was passed
for discharging the estate at Abberton of Francis
Sheldon, a lunatic, from the trusts of a former Act
of Parliament, made for the payment of his debts,
and for vesting other of his estates in trustees for
the same purpose. (fn. 26) The manor was held by Thomas
Sheldon in 1776 (fn. 27) and by Thomas and his wife
Margaret in 1798, (fn. 28) when it was conveyed by them
to John Hardcastle. Thomas died in 1804, and
in 1821 the manor was in the hands of Samuel
Lesingham and Lucy his wife. (fn. 29) Samuel Lesingham, who was probably a connexion of the Sheldon
family, by the name of Samuel Sheldon heretofore
Samuel Lesingham, with Lucy his wife, conveyed the
manor in 1829 to William Laslett. (fn. 30) Abberton
then followed the same descent as Kington (fn. 31) to
Mrs. Baker Carr. It was put up for auction on
7 September 1905, but was withdrawn. (fn. 32) It passed
in 1907 into the hands of Mr. Alline Bushell, (fn. 33) who
now holds it.
Abberton Hall
Accounts of reeves, bailiffs and collectors for the
manor from 1399 to 1483–4, (fn. 34) and Court Rolls for
1421, (fn. 35) 1462–3, (fn. 36) 1524–5 (fn. 37) and 1533–4 are preserved. (fn. 38)
There was a mill here held by the abbey of
Pershore in 1291. (fn. 39) In 1699 (fn. 40) and 1720 (fn. 41) two
water-mills were held with the manor, and in 1798 (fn. 42)
one water corn-mill. The present Abberton Mill is
on Whitsun Brook in the south of the parish.
Old Cottages and Church Tower, Abberton
CHURCH
The church of St. Eadburgawas
entirely rebuilt in 1881–2 on the site of
the old church, at the sole cost of the
late William Laslett of Abberton Hall. It is a structure in the style of the early 14th century, consisting
of a chancel with north vestry, nave with a timber
south porch and a west tower. It is built of brick
faced with stone and has a timber chancel arch and
three-light traceried east and west windows. In
the north wall of the nave is a window of two trefoiled lights with a quatrefoil in the head, which is
partly of 14th-century work re-used; the other nave
windows are of one light and modern. The west
tower has a moulded arch to the nave and is surmounted by a stone broach spire; it contains two
small bells, one inscribed, the other dated 1686.
Under the tower are a number of slabs of the
Sheldon family, including Samuel Sheldon, 1659,
and Mercy, 1729, son and
daughter of Francis Sheldon;
Susanna wife of Francis Sheldon, 1719, with the arms
Sheldon impaling Dormer;
Francis Sheldon, 1700, with
the arms Sheldon impaling
Savage and several others.
The font has a hemispherical 12th-century bowl with
small upright cheveron ornament round the rim and a
cheveron band lower down.
The plate consists of a cup
and cover paten, both with
the London mark for 1571,
and a large paten of the 18th
century, without date mark,
but bearing the Sheldon arms
—a fesse between three sheldrakes.
The registers before 1812
are as follows: (i) all entries
1661 to 1729; (ii) mixed
entries 1730 to 1812; (iii)
marriages 1759 to 1812.
ADVOWSON
The advowson of
Abberton was
in the hands of the Abbot of
Pershore in 1283, (fn. 43) and was
held by the abbey until its
suppression, (fn. 44) when the rectory was returned as worth
£6 yearly. (fn. 45) The advowson
was granted with the manor
in 1544 to William and
Francis Sheldon, (fn. 46) but when
the manor was settled on
Francis and his heirs the advowson was excepted and
remained with William and
his descendants, the Sheldons
of Beoley. (fn. 47) It followed the descent of Beoley (fn. 48) until
about 1736. It was then held by William Sheldon
of Beoley, (fn. 49) but in 1772 Thomas Sheldon, then lord
of the manor of Abberton, presented to the church, (fn. 50)
and the advowson has since descended with the manor. (fn. 51)
The rector resides at Flyford Flavell, of which parish
he is also rector.
CHARITIES
The parish is in possession of
about 2 a., situate in Flyford Flavell,
let at £1 15s. a year, which is
applied towards the expenses of the church.
In 1804 Thomas Sheldon, by his will proved in
the P.C.C. 19 September, devised a rent-charge of
£5, payable out of the Abberton Hall estate, to be
distributed yearly to the poor during the month of
December.
In 1814 Thomas Sims, by his will proved 2 November, bequeathed £50, the interest to be given
away to the labouring poor in beef on St. Thomas's
Day. The legacy, less duty, was invested in
Government stock, which was paid off in 1824, and
the proceeds became vested in a deceased trustee.
Owing to the costs incurred in the recovery of the
principal sum, the trust fund amounts to £22 only,
which is on deposit in the Post Office Savings Bank.
The interest, together with the annuity of £5
above mentioned, is distributed in doles of money.