MADRESFIELD
Medeleffeld, Metheresfeld (xii cent.); Mederesfeude, Medresfeld (xiii cent.); Maddersfyld (xvi cent.).
Madresfield is a small parish lying between Powick
and Great Malvern. Madresfield Court, the seat of
Earl Beauchamp, with its park and dependencies,
occupies most of the parish. The area is 883 acres,
of which the greater part is pasture land. (fn. 1) The soil
is loamy marl, suitable for wheat and beans; hops are
grown, also apples and pears for the manufacture of
cider and perry. The subsoil is Keuper Marl. The
eastern part of the parish, which is near the Severn, is
low, reaching a height of only about 64 ft. above the
ordnance datum. The land rises gently towards
Malvern on the west, but nowhere exceeds a height
of 162 ft.
Madresfield Brook flows from Howsell in Leigh
along the northern edge of Madresfield Park and
empties itself into the Severn in Powick parish.
Near the river it is joined by another brook which
rises near North End in Great Malvern and flows
through the south of Madresfield parish. The high
road from Great Malvern passes through the southwest corner of the park and through the village, to
the north of which it divides, one branch going to
Newland, the other to Powick.
Madresfield Court, though much restored and
added to during the 19th century, still retains a good
deal of 16th-century work and the general disposition of the plan has not been very materially altered.
The site, which is about 3 miles to the west of the
Severn, is an ancient one entirely surrounded by a
still perfect moat. The house was probably erected
or rebuilt when the Lygons came into the possession
of the manor in the mid-15th century. Portions
of this house remain in the cellars and in the lower
part of the walling along the north-west and southwest sides. The house is built round two courtyards
with the great hall between and is approached by a
bridge over the moat from the south-west. Its axis
lies roughly south-west and north-east, but the plan
is very irregular and some considerable portion of the
original internal arrangement, especially in the eastern
wing, has been lost in successive rebuildings.
The panel over the entrance with the date 1593
and the initials of Sir William Lygon and Elizabeth
his wife, though not in its original position, indicates
approximately the year of the completion of the
house. The building followed to a large degree the
plan of the older structure, and a large part of the new
building was apparently erected on the old foundations. The hall occupies the middle part of the
house with the screens at its north-west end, and the
kitchen and offices in the wing beyond extended
practically along the whole length of the building on
that side. The living rooms occupied all the eastern
and south-eastern wings with the long gallery on the
upper floor between the hall and the south-west
corner of the building overlooking both the courtyard
and the garden. The bake-house, brew-house and
other offices were grouped round the inner courtyard.
The only entrance to the house was by the bridge
already mentioned, and this continued to be so down
to the middle of the last century.
The 16th-century building was a picturesque red
brick structure with crow-stepped gables, tall chimneys
and mullioned windows. The south-west or entrance
front is shown in a drawing of c. 1775, (fn. 2) but even at
that time tall sash windows had been introduced in
both floors. A great deal of alteration appears to have
been done before the middle of the 19th century, but
no exact record has been kept.
On the accession of the fifth earl in 1863 the
repair of the house was determined on, but upon
examination by the architect, Philip Charles Hardwick, it was found necessary for the most part to
substitute reconstruction for repair, the principal lines
of the old building, however, being followed. (fn. 3) Hardwick did away with a corridor across the courtyard,
which, however, he covered in with a glass roof supported by iron pillars. The hall was enlarged and
rebuilt, the long gallery with the rooms under it
(comprising ante-room, billiard room and library)
was reconstructed, and on the site of the larger
dining room were erected two sets of bedrooms of
four rooms each. Before its rebuilding the great hall
possessed all the usual mediaeval features with the
screens or passage-way at the lower end leading to the
butteries and kitchen, and at the other a small dining
room, above which was the upper drawing room and
solar which communicated directly with the long
gallery and with the hall by two small galleries. In
the course of the rebuilding the old house was found
to have been to a large extent constructed of timber
filled in with wattle and daub, encased in some parts
with brick and in others with rough-cast. (fn. 4) This first
work of reconstruction, which comprised the rearrangement of the offices, was completed at the end
of 1865. On the death of the fifth earl in the following March his successor began the restoration of
the front of the house, replacing the then existing
wooden window frames with stone mullions and improving the internal arrangements on that side of the
building. The drawing room and small dining room
at the upper end of the hall were pulled down and a
new block, consisting of the music room, drawing room
and book room, with bedrooms and dressing rooms
above, was erected during 1866–7. The restoration
and reconstruction of the house was proceeding continuously from 1866 to 1875 and included the
erection of the chapel at the east end of the southwest front, completed in 1867. The bedroom immediately over the entrance porch and the room used
later as a schoolroom were the only rooms which
were left substantially unchanged, and in these
new stone-mullioned windows were inserted, a bay
window was added to the long gallery and the panelling taken down and rearranged. The bell-turret
with its fleche and vane dates from 1875. The only
mode of exit at the back of the house over the moat
had been by an uncovered plank with handrail, itself
a comparatively modern arrangement, but new offices
comprising a game larder and brew-house were erected
in 1870 on the other side of the moat and connected
with the house by a covered wooden bridge.
In 1885 the middle portion of the front, comprising the entrance porch and recessed portions on
either side, was raised a story, though the design of
the original gables was repeated in the new work.
The effect of this has been materially to alter the
proportion and skyline of the 16th-century elevation,
the middle part of which now stands up well above
the roof of the chapel on the one side and the old
two-story gabled corner wing on the other. In
1887–8 the glass roof was removed from the courtyard, the elevations of the house towards which were
reconstructed in timber and plaster, and a mosaic
pavement was laid. (fn. 5) Further structural alterations of
a minor kind have since been made. The result of
all this reconstruction is to a large extent a modernlooking building, with which, however, the original
portions of the house have been successfully blended,
the whole forming a picturesque irregular mass of
brick and timber gables and red roofs and chimneys
of mixed Elizabethan and modern Gothic character.
'Up to 1866 the pleasure grounds were unimportant in character and circumscribed in extent,' (fn. 6) but
they were altered and remodelled by the sixth earl.
The old kitchen garden was removed to the north
side in 1867, and in the following year the flower
garden and bowling green were finished. The reconstruction of the grounds was in progress till 1881,
and was made possible by the fourth earl having previously obtained permission to stop up a highway
which led from the village of Madresfield by the old
manor mill to Woodsfield Green. The approach from
the west from Malvern Link passes by four fine elm
trees marking the site of the manor pound, (fn. 7) the
entrance to the park being by a lodge erected in
1872. (fn. 8) An old avenue of oak and elm, probably
planted after the Civil War, which had been much
choked up at either end, was opened out in 1866,
and to mask the side of the house containing the
offices a straight walk of cedars was planted, leading by
a sharp angle from the avenue. The materials of the
old lodge have been used in the construction of a
summer-house in the form of a Greek temple. The
iron gates now forming the entrance to the home
farm from the gardens, but formerly opposite the
stables on the south side of the house, are of 17thcentury date and were originally in the north porch
of Worcester Cathedral. A larger pair of gates, purchased in 1871 and erected ten years later, have since
been removed to the Newland almshouses; they are
said to have been the quire gates of Cologne Cathedral. 'The removal of the old church in 1866 was
the means of obtaining greater privacy for the
grounds on the west side of the house, and the old
church footpath was legally extinguished.' (fn. 9) On the
south-west side of the house are two pieces of water,
probably fish-ponds. (fn. 10)
The chimney-piece in the hall and other woodwork was brought from a farm-house on Newland
Green, the marble pillars to the fireplace being added
later, and two other chimney-pieces brought from a
farm-house at Kempley (Gloucestershire), are placed
one in the long gallery and the other in the room to
the east of the gateway on the first floor. (fn. 11) The
former bears the date 1610 and the initials of Henry
and Anne Finch. The room immediately over the
entrance known as the Bridge Room has a fine
original plaster frieze and ceiling in three panels, and
another first-floor room (Lady Beauchamp's bedroom) has an original plaster ceiling with vine, rose
and acorn ornament. With these exceptions the
interior of the house may be said to be modern.
The Court was occupied in turns by both parties
in the Civil War. (fn. 12) Colonel Lygon, the holder at
that date, was in the Parliamentarian army. When
his troops were turned out before 1646 (fn. 13) the place was
garrisoned for the king, but was surrendered when
Worcester was taken in 1646, (fn. 14) and then had
honourable terms allowed it. (fn. 15)
The village is small and the houses are chiefly
clustered round the park gates near the high road; the
population in 1901 was 173. (fn. 16)
At Penn Farm there is a circular dovecot restored
by the late Norman Shaw in 1867. It has a modern
top on old foundations. (fn. 17)
The following place-names occur: Wodemonsbrok,
Venebrok, Cuttecroft, Raveleslond, Lydley, Aslahardesbrugge, le Lyth, Bruesmedue, Huysselych, Makken
Moysew, Hathyelleslone, Westmererudyng, Holandesplace, Holynbrok, Orpodeswey, Osbauerslake,
Perkynesley, Rolves, Stilemanesweie, Cockesdich,
Plaesset Wode, Hereswode, Fesauntsplace, Barlinggesplace (fn. 18) (xiv-xv cent.).
MANOR
MADRESFIELD is not mentioned in
the Domesday Survey, and was in 1086
part of Powick, a large manor held of
the abbey of Westminster by various holders, of whom
the chief was Urse the Sheriff, (fn. 19) I virgate and
2 carucates of his estate being at Madresfield. (fn. 20) His
descendant William Beauchamp, in the time of
Stephen, held of the abbey a hide in Madresfield
pertaining to his holding in Powick. (fn. 21) Madresfield
formed part of seven fees in Worcestershire which
were returned as abbey lands in the 13th century, (fn. 22)
and the Beauchamps of Elmley continued to hold of
the Abbots of Westminster until the 15th century. (fn. 23)
The interest of William Beauchamp passed to his
descendants the Earls of Warwick, the manor being
held of the honour of Elmley Castle (fn. 24) until the end
of the 17th century. (fn. 25)
Bracy, Gules a fesse or with two molets argent in the chief.
Lygon Earl Beau-champ.Argent two lions passant gules with forked tails.
Madresfield was probably held by the Bracys as
early as the time of Henry I, for William Bracy in
1166 held half a knight's fee in Worcestershire of
William Beauchamp of the ancient feoffment from
the time of Henry I. (fn. 26) He appears to have been
alive in 1175–6, (fn. 27) but had been succeeded before
1192 by Robert Bracy, against whom Walter de
Baldenhall claimed half a knight's fee in Madresfield (fn. 28)
as his share of the inheritance of three knights' fees
which six sisters had divided between them. (fn. 29) In
1196 Walter gave up his claim in exchange for other
land. (fn. 30) Robert Bracy is again mentioned in 1204 (fn. 31)
and 1205, (fn. 32) and it was perhaps this Robert, a coroner
of Worcestershire, who died in 1220. (fn. 33) He was
apparently succeeded (fn. 34) by William Bracy, lord of
Madresfield about 1250. (fn. 35) He was exempted in
1253 from being put on assizes and juries (fn. 36) ; about
1280 he paid a subsidy of 10s. for his lands in
Madresfield. (fn. 37) In ill-health in 1282 (fn. 38) he lived till
1289, when he died and was buried at Great
Malvern. (fn. 39) Robert Bracy was appointed one of the
commissioners to perambulate the forest of Feckenham
in 1297, (fn. 40) and was Sheriff of Worcestershire in
1298. (fn. 41) In 1300 and again in 1301 and 1305
he was returned as knight of the shire for Worcester. (fn. 42) He was appointed one of the assessors of
two subsidies in the county of Worcester in 1308, (fn. 43)
and held various other offices in the county. (fn. 44) In
1316 he was seised of three knights' fees in Warndon,
Madresfield and Brace's Leigh, (fn. 45) and in that year
settled the manors of Madresfield and Warndon on
himself for life, with remainder to Robert son of
William Bracy and the heirs of his body. (fn. 46) A grant
of free warren in his Worcestershire lands was made
to Robert Bracy in 1328, (fn. 47) in which year he was
appointed keeper of the manor of Hanley Castle and
the chase of Malvern (fn. 48) ; in 1345 Robert Bracy,
probably he to whom the reversion had been granted
in 1316, was lord of Madresfield. (fn. 49) Robert Bracy
was knight of the shire for Worcester in 1361, 1365
and 1366. (fn. 50) He appears to have been succeeded
before 1370 by William Bracy, (fn. 51) who apparently died
about 1390, in which year the Lady Joan Bracy,
probably his widow, held her first court for the
manors of Madresfield and Brace's Leigh. (fn. 52) William
Bracy presented to the church in 1415, 1419, 1420
and 1433, (fn. 53) and in 1431 he was returned as holder
of the manor of Madresfield. (fn. 54) Joan, heiress of the
Bracys and probably daughter of this William,
married Thomas Lygon; the date of the marriage is
given by Habington as 1419–20. (fn. 55) There seems no
doubt that it took place before 1428. (fn. 56) Thomas
Lygon, probably their son, (fn. 57) died on 10 April 1507
seised of the manor of Madresfield (fn. 58) ; he was
succeeded by his eldest surviving son Richard, who
died at Madresfield on 1 May 1512, having previously settled the manor on his wife Anne daughter
and co-heir of Richard Lord Beauchamp of Powick. (fn. 59)
This Richard was succeeded by a son Richard (fn. 60) who
was knighted at the coronation of Anne Boleyn in
1533. (fn. 61) He was Sheriff of Worcestershire in 1548 (fn. 62)
and died in 1556. (fn. 63) His son and successor William,
sheriff in 1550 and 1560, (fn. 64) died about 1567, (fn. 65) when
the manor passed to his son Richard, sheriff in 1573
and 1583, (fn. 66) who was succeeded in 1584 (fn. 67) by his
son William. In 1590 William settled this manor
on his wife Elizabeth daughter of Edward Harwell. (fn. 68)
He was sheriff in 1592 and knighted in 1603 (fn. 69) ; in
his time many of the family manors were sold. (fn. 70)
He was succeeded in 1608 by his son William, (fn. 71)
who was knighted in 1609–10, and was sheriff in
1646. (fn. 72) Colonel William Lygon, (fn. 73) his son, died in
1680. (fn. 74) His eldest son Richard, sheriff in 1684, (fn. 75)
died without issue in 1687, the estates passing to his
younger brother William, (fn. 76) who died in 1720. (fn. 77) His
only son William having predeceased him in 1716, (fn. 78)
William's lands were inherited by his daughter Margaret,
who married Reginald Pindar. (fn. 79) Their son Reginald
took the name of Lygon, (fn. 80) ; he died in 1788 and his
son William Lygon, (fn. 81) M.P. for Worcestershire 1780–1806, (fn. 82) was created Lord Beauchamp of Powick
in 1806 and Viscount Elmley and Earl Beauchamp in 1815. (fn. 83) He died in 1816. (fn. 84) His son
William was M.P. for Worcestershire from 1806
to 1816, (fn. 85) and dying unmarried in 1823 was
succeeded by his younger brother John, who
died without issue in 1853. (fn. 86) His brother and
heir Henry, M.P. for Worcestershire from 1816
to 1831, (fn. 87) and for West Worcestershire from
1832 to 1853, (fn. 88) was a lieutenant-colonel and
general in the Army. (fn. 89) He died at Madresfield
in 1863 and was succeeded by his son Henry, (fn. 90)
who represented West Worcestershire from
1853 to 1863. (fn. 91) He was a captain in the
Army and died unmarried in 1866, succeeded
by his only surviving brother Frederick, M.P.
for Tewkesbury 1857–63 and for West Worcestershire 1863–6. (fn. 92) In 1859 he was appointed
a lord of the Admiralty in Lord Derby's
ministry. From 1874 to 1880 he was lord
steward of the household, in 1874 he became
a privy councillor, and in 1876 was made lordlieutenant of Worcestershire; he was paymaster
of the forces 1885–7. He was a High Churchman, compiling a hymn-book for Madresfield
Church in 1853; he helped to establish the
Pusey memorial. He died in 1891 and was
buried in Madresfield Church. (fn. 93) His son and
successor William the seventh earl is the present
owner of the manor.
A miller is mentioned as one of the manorial
tenants in 1394 (fn. 94) and again in 1407, (fn. 95) but there is
no special reference to a mill here.
Madresfield Church From The South-West
CHURCH
The original church of ST. MARY
THE VIRGIN stood a short distance
to the north-west of Madresfield Court
and was in plan a simple parallelogram without distinction of chancel and nave externally, but with a
timber porch on the south side and a bell-turret with
short spire and pyramidal roof at the west end. The
building appears to have been of 12th-century origin,
but considerably altered at later periods. An undated
print (fn. 96) in the possession of Earl Beauchamp shows
two lancet windows on the south side and 15thcentury windows at the east and west ends. A 12thcentury doorway 'with its jambs and tympanum' (fn. 97)
is stated to have been built into the church which
succeeded it, but only the tympanum now remains.
It is incorporated with a memorial to the sixth Earl
Beauchamp, which now marks the old site, and is
4 ft. 3 in. diameter, the surface being covered
with scalloping and a series of circles with star ornament. Nash notes some ancient glass in the north
window of the chancel—a Franciscan friar kneeling,
inscribed 'Augustin Simond, rector,' and heraldic
glass in the east and west windows. (fn. 98)
The old building was taken down in 1852 and a
new church erected on its site from designs by
E. W. Pugin. This second church is described as
'a parallelogram with two projections on the north
side, one of which contained seats for the family at
the Court and the other the family vault, to which
the old Norman doorway formed the entrance.' (fn. 99)
Being erected on the surface without foundations, the
building cracked and settled, and was taken down in
1866, when the present church was begun on a new
site further west. It was designed by Mr. Frederick
Preedy in the style of the 14th century, and was
consecrated 10 November 1867. The building
consists of a chancel 24 ft. 6 in. by 17 ft. 6 in. with
north vestry and organ chamber, nave 50 ft. by 24 ft.
6 in., south porch, and north-west tower open to the
nave, surmounted by a spire 130 ft. in height. The
walls are faced with hammer-dressed Cradley stone,
but red and grey ashlar is introduced to give variety
of colour, (fn. 100) and the roofs are covered with red
tiles overhanging at the eaves. Everything that was
worth retaining in the church of 1852 was made use
of in the new building, including the east and west
windows, part of the reredos, the font and the
pulpit. The roof of the chancel is the entire roof of
E. W. Pugin's church compressed into its present
form. (fn. 101) In the vestry is the marble basin of an 18thcentury font built into the wall and used as a piscina.
There are mural tablets in the nave to the first and
second Earls Beauchamp, and the fifth earl (d. 1866)
is buried in the churchyard to the south-east of the
chancel.
There is a ring of six bells cast by Taylor of
Loughborough in 1867.
The plate is all modern and consists of a chalice,
paten and flagon of 1852–3 of mediaeval pattern, and
a paten, Chester make, of 1832. The flagon is
inscribed round the bottom, 'Mrs. Margaret Biddulph
gave the silver for this flagon 1735.' (fn. 102) There is also
a repoussé silver almsdish by W. B. Reynolds,
London, inscribed, ' In usum Ecc[lesi]ae B. Mariae
Virginis de Madresfield d.d. E. M. M. et M. M.
1899.'
The registers before 1812 are as follows: (i)
baptisms 1742 to 1813, burials 1742 to 1763,
marriages 1742 to 1810.
The road passes by the church on the west side, (fn. 103)
the churchyard being entered by a timber lych-gate
'in memory of Mary Ann Munn 1857.' There is
a well with wrought-iron canopy to the south-west of
the building sunk for the use of the workmen at the
time of the erection of the church in 1866.
ADVOWSON
The church of Madresfield is first
mentioned in 1282, when a dispensation was granted to the rector, 'on
account of the weakness of Sir W. de Bracy, knight,
his progenitor,' to celebrate divine service there till
the octave of the Epiphany, by a fit priest, 'notwithstanding the interdict upon the same church.' (fn. 104)
In 1291 the church was taxed at £4 6s. 8d. (fn. 105) The first
recorded presentation was made by Sir Robert Bracy,
in 1311, (fn. 106) and from that date to the present time the
patronage has belonged to the lords of the manor. (fn. 107)
The rectory of Clevelode was annexed to that of
Madresfield in 1595, the two places both being
small and unable to support two priests and the
churches lying about a mile from each other. (fn. 108)
CHARITIES
Charity of Anna Bull.— This parish
is entitled to one-fifth of the dividends on a sum of £ 2,886 16 s. 1d.
consols, held by the official trustees, arising from the
sale in 1863 of land at Newland originally purchased
with a legacy bequeathed in 1705 by will of this
donor. The annual dividends, amounting to £72
3s. 4d., are applicable in teaching poor children as to
four-fifths in the parishes of Grimley and Hallow. (fn. 109)
and as to one-fifth in Madresfield.
George Dowdeswell, as recorded on the church
table, by his will bequeathed £75, the interest to be
employed in buying bread for the poor. The legacy
was augmented by the Rev. Reginald Pindar, a
former rector. The trust fund with accumulations
is now represented by £ 179 4s. 5d. consols with the
official trustees, producing £4 9s. 4d. yearly.
In 1760 Thomas Dalley, as stated on the same
table, by his will charged an estate in the parish of
Leigh with 10s. a year for ever, to be given in
bread on Good Friday and St. Thomas's Day.
Earl Beauchamp's charities, founded by the will of
the Right Hon. John Reginald Pindar Earl Beauchamp, proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury 22 February 1853, consists of £2,492 2s. 1d.
consols belonging to the educational branch and
£1,000 consols belonging to the eleemosynary
branch. By an order of the Charity Commissioners
16 July 1909 the sum of £62 6s. a year was made
applicable for educational purposes in the ancient
parish of Madresfield and in the civil parish of
Newland, in such manner as may be determined by
the Board of Education, and the sum of £25 a year
for the benefit of the poor of the same areas in one
or other of the modes prescribed in the said order.