BROUGHTON HACKETT
Broctune (x and xi cent.); Broctone Inardi,
Brocheton (xii cent.); Brocton Haket (xiii cent.);
Brouton or Broghton Haket (xiv cent.); Haggetts
Broughton (xvi cent.).
This small parish, not 3 miles in circumference, lies
on the road from Worcester to Alcester. The village
includes several timber-framed cottages, some black
and white and others with brick filling; attached to
Manor House Farm is a square timber-framed pigeonhouse of the 17th century. The houses are scattered
along heavily-wooded lanes to the north of the main
road.
The parish lies in the valleys of the Bow Brook,
which bounds it on the east, and of one of its tributaries, which forms the northern boundary. The
highest ground is near the church, but even there does
not reach 200 ft. The parish has an area of 386
acres, of which the greater part is pasture land. The
soil is rich and lies on a subsoil of Lower Lias.
A valuable bluish limestone is found here. An Inclosure Act was passed in 1807, (fn. 1) the award being
dated 17 September 1808. (fn. 2)
Ancient place-names include Foxoll's Gate, the
Hyde, (fn. 3) Harnell and Sperte (fn. 4) (xvi cent.).
MANOR
Three manses in BROUGHTON were
among the property restored to the abbey
of Pershore by the doubtful charter of
King Edgar in 972, (fn. 5) but by the date of the Domesday
Survey Broughton was again lost to the abbey, having
been granted by Edward the Confessor with Pershore
to Westminster Abbey. In 1086 3 hides at Broughton
formed part of the abbey's great manor of Pershore, (fn. 6)
and the abbot retained the overlordship until the
15th century, (fn. 7) the owners of Broughton Hackett
owing suit at the abbot's court at Binholme.
Urse was tenant under the abbey in 1086, the
estate having been previously held by Bricsmar. Urse's
interest passed with the rest of his estates to the
Beauchamps and followed the descent of Elmley
Castle (fn. 8) until the 15th century. (fn. 9) In the 16th century
Broughton Hackett attended the view of frankpledge (fn. 10)
at Naunton Beauchamp. In 1570 it was not known
of whom the manor was held. (fn. 11)
Aiulf was holding Broughton of Urse in 1086, (fn. 12)
and in the 12th-century survey of Pershore Hundred
the Beauchamps' under-tenant was probably Isnard or
Inard of Hampton Lovett, the place being then called
Broughton Inardi. (fn. 13) Apparently Isnard did not hold
the whole of Broughton, and the descent of his estate
will be found below.
An entry in the Pipe Roll of 1196 that Maud,
Margaret, Eufemia, Juliana, Eddusa, Agnes and Alice,
sisters of Ranulf Armiger, received seisin of half a
hide of land at 'Brocton' (fn. 14) may refer to an estate at
Broughton Hackett. It is, however, not very probable,
as in 1194 Walter Hacket and John de Brauton and
Richard son of Guy had a suit as to half a knight's fee
in Broughton. (fn. 15) In 1240–1 Walter Hacket granted
half a knight's fee in Broughton to Robert de Pendock. (fn. 16) In 1274—5 John de Northwick mortgaged
his lands in Broughton Hackett and the advowson of
the church to Eustace de la Hache and Thomas de
Naunton, (fn. 17) and the latter presented to the church
in 1274. (fn. 18) Eustace de la Hache seems to have had
some estate in the manor in 1276, as he then paid
7s. to the Subsidy Roll. (fn. 19) By 1292 the manor had
apparently passed into the hands of Sir Philip Burnell,
who then presented to the church. (fn. 20) It had probably
been acquired by him from the Beauchamps, for
Walter Beauchamp was returned in 1297–8 as a
former holder of the manor, (fn. 21) and in 1315 Maud
Beauchamp, possibly the widow of a former Beauchamp owner, was holding the manor. (fn. 22) This estate
then became annexed to the Burnells' manor of
Upton Snodsbury, (fn. 23) which had also been formerly
held by the Beauchamps. It was sold by Sir Hugh
Burnell in 1417 to Joan Lady Bergavenny, (fn. 24) and was
probably, like Upton Snodsbury (q.v.), claimed by
her heirs, the Earls of Ormond, but finally reverted
to the Lovels, (fn. 25) the heirs of Sir Hugh Burnell, and
followed the descent of Upton Snodsbury until 1528,
when it is mentioned for the last time in deeds. (fn. 26)
From Habington's account, however, it evidently still
continued to pass with Upton, which was granted in
1590 to William Walshe, (fn. 27) and sold by his nephew
William to Lord Coventry in 1632. (fn. 28) Nash wrote
that in his day the manor was in dispute between
Lord Coventry and Sir John Pakington. (fn. 29) The
Earl of Coventry is still a landowner at Broughton
Hackett.
Berkeley of Spetchley. Gules a cheveron between ten crosses formy argent.
The estate at Broughton held by Isnard Parler of
William Beauchamp in the 12th century evidently
became annexed to Isnard's manor of Hampton
Lovett (fn. 30) (q.v.), following the descent of that manor
to the Lovetts, (fn. 31) and reverting, on the failure of that
line, to the Cornwalls, (fn. 32) heirs
of Brian de Brompton, to
whom Isnard Parler had bequeathed the estate. It was
sold in 1544 with Hampton
Lovett by George Cornwall
to John Pakington as land at
Haggett's Broughton. (fn. 33) In
1571 the estate is called the
manor of Haggett's Broughton, (fn. 34) and it evidently followed
the descent of Hampton Lovett
until 1808–9, when Sir John
Pakington sold it to Samuel
Brampton. (fn. 35) On 18 January
1816 the manor was advertised for sale as the property of Samuel Brampton, a bankrupt. (fn. 36) In 1828
the Broughton Hackett estate was purchased of Joseph
Ellis Viner by Robert Berkeley, (fn. 37) whose grandson
Robert Valentine Berkeley of Spetchley Park is now
lord of the manor of Broughton Hackett.
CHURCH
The church of ST. LEONARD is
a small building consisting of chancel
and nave without structural division,
measuring internally 45 ft. 9 in. by 17 ft. 3 in., and
a south porch.
There is little indication of the date of the building, but the nave is probably of the 14th century,
while the chancel is perhaps of the 15th, there being
a break in the building of the north wall. The
south wall and porch are modern.
The chancel has a modern three-light east window
of 15th-century character and only the lower part of
the wall itself is ancient. The roof has a flat plaster
ceiling. The nave has a modern square-headed twolight window in both the north and south walls and
a modern south door. The blocked north door is
narrow and has an oak lintel, and the west window is
of the 14th century, with two trefoiled lights and a
quatrefoil over. The roof is four-centred and ceiled
in plaster, with two modern beams at the west end
supporting a square weather-boarded bell-turret with
a pyramidal roof containing two bells probably cast
at Warwick about 1350, inscribed respectively 'Ave
Maria gracia' and 'Ihesus Nazarenvs Rex Ivdeorum.'
Below the west window is a blocked opening. The
octagonal font is modern, but the communion table
with twisted legs dates from the late 17th century. There
are also an old parish chest with five padlocks and staples,
and a table of benefactions dated 1725. In the
sacrarium are slabs to Thomas Moule, M.A., rector,
1647, and Mabel Moule, to Abigail Sanders, 1683,
and to Susanna Sanders, 1674.
The plate consists of a small Elizabethan cup and
cover paten of 1571, with maker's mark 'HW.' There
are also an almsdish and a pewter flagon.
There is only one early book of registers, containing all entries 1761 to 1812.
ADVOWSON
The first reference to the church
occurs in 1274, when the advowson was mortgaged with the manor
by John de Northwick to Eustace de la Hache and
Thomas de Naunton, (fn. 38) the presentation being made
in the same year by Thomas. (fn. 39) The advowson was
evidently held with that manor of Broughton Hackett
which belonged to the Burnells, and followed the
same descent, the presentations in the 15th century
being made by the executors, and later by the heirs,
of Joan Lady Bergavenny, and afterwards by the
owners of the Lovels' interest in the manor, (fn. 40) reflecting the confusion which clearly existed as to the
ownership of the two manors of Upton Snodsbury
and Broughton Hackett. The advowson was still
held with the manor in 1547, when Sir Anthony
Kingston presented, (fn. 41) but George Winter presented in
1576 by grant of Dorothy wife of Sir John Bourne. (fn. 42)
In 1590 the advowson was in the hands of the
sovereign, (fn. 43) and has ever since so remained. (fn. 44)
CHARITIES
In 1613, as appeared from the
church table, Thomas Gould and
John Cross, then churchwardens, by
deed conveyed a tenement, known by the name of
the Church House, and certain lands to the use of
the parish for the repairing of the church and bridges
and the highways, and also for the relief of the poor.
The trust estate now consists of about 2¼ acres of
land let in allotments, two cottages and a tenement,
the whole producing about £11 a year. The net
income is applied in repairs of the church.
The other charities recorded on the same tablenamely, the charities of William Yardley, will 1715,
and of Thomas Cross, for the poor, and the charity
of the Rev. William Hurt, a former rector, for a
schoolmaster in Crowle—have been lost through the
insolvency of the holders of the principal sums.