NAUNTON BEAUCHAMP
Niuuantune (x cent.); Newentune (xi cent.);
Newynton Beauchamp (xiv cent.).
Naunton Beauchamp lies on the right bank of the
Whitsun Brook, which forms part of its southern
boundary and joins the Piddle Brook flowing through
the west of the parish. The land is low, the greatest
height being about 100 ft. in the east and the lowest
73 ft. at Sea Ford in the extreme south. The village
is 3 miles north of Pershore station on the West
Midland section of the Great Western railway. It
includes a number of black and white cottages.
Naunton House is a red brick building with timberframed outbuildings and pigeon-house. The old
rectory opposite the church is a black and white
house, probably of the 17th century. Naunton Court,
now a farm-house with the remains of a most, stands
some distance west of the village. It dates from
about 1600, and now consists of the hall block
facing west with a large wing at the south end which
is stone built to the first floor level and timberframed above. The hall is much altered and has a
fireplace on the east and a fine old table. To the
south of it is a large room, the old great chamber;
at the east end is a fine semi-octagonal bay window
of stone carried up two stories divided by a moulded
cornice and finished with Jacobean cresting and
pinnacles at the angles; it bears a carved shield with
the arms of Lyttelton differenced with a crescent impaling a cross between four caltraps, for Westfaling.
The window is of four lights in front and two on
each return. The great chamber has three ceiling
beams with vine ornament and the room over is
partly panelled and has a window-seat. At the west
end of this wing are two rooms, both panelled and
the upper having the hearth paved with mediaeval
slip tiles, probably brought from Pershore Abbey;
they bear shields with the Berkeley arms, the keys of
St. Peter saltirewise with the sword of St. Paul in
pale, and France and England with a label.
Prattinton wrote of Naunton Beauchamp in 1812
that it was called Dirty Naunton, and that its
inhabitants, though civil, seemed little accustomed to
strangers. (fn. 1) The soil, chiefly clay, with a subsoil of
Lower Lias, produces wheat, beans, barley and fruit.
The parish has an area of 1,030 acres, of which about
one-third is arable land and two-thirds permanent
grass. (fn. 2)
In 1770 an Inclosure Act was passed, (fn. 3) and the
award is dated 9 January 1771. (fn. 4)
Among place-names have been found le Homme,
le Brounelonds (fn. 5) (xiv cent.); Crakam Leyes, Shortcroft, le Brekewey, Penylands (fn. 6) (xvi cent.).
MANORS
King Edgar, in 972, is said to have
restored to the abbey of Pershore 10
manses at NAUNTON said to have
been previously granted to it by King Coenwulf at
the request of the ealdorman Beornoth. (fn. 7) By the
date of the Domesday Survey this 'great manor,' as
Habington describes it, had passed with the manor of
Pershore, by grant of King Edward the Confessor,
to Westminster Abbey, and then contained 10 hides. (fn. 8)
The overlordship of Westminster (fn. 9) is last recorded in
1436. (fn. 10) It was said to be held of the king in chief
in 1438–9, but the service due for it was not known, (fn. 11)
and in 1446 its tenure was unknown. (fn. 12)
Before the Conquest Naunton had been held by
three under-tenants of the abbey, Ælfward, Saulf
and Elward, freemen, who rendered services like the
other freemen. (fn. 13) They had been replaced before
1086 by the sheriff Urse. From Urse the manor
passed to his grandson William Beauchamp, (fn. 14) and it
seems to have followed the descent of Elmley Castle (fn. 15)
until nearly the end of the 14th century, (fn. 16) when
Thomas Beauchamp Earl of Warwick gave it to his
brother William, afterwards Lord Bergavenny, and
Joan his wife, in tail-male, with remainder to the
earl. (fn. 17) William died in 1411, leaving a son Richard, (fn. 18)
who died without issue male before his mother, (fn. 19)
by whom the manor was held until her death in
1435. (fn. 20) It then reverted to Richard Earl of Warwick,
son of Thomas mentioned above. This was one of
the manors settled by Richard upon his daughters in
case of failure of his issue male, (fn. 21) and on the death
of his son Henry Duke of Warwick without issue
male in 1446 (fn. 22) it must have passed to Anne, afterwards Countess of Warwick, one of these daughters,
who, on the death of her husband, Richard Nevill
Earl of Warwick, the King-maker, in 1471, was dispossessed of her estates. (fn. 23) This manor seems to have
passed to her daughter Isabel, wife of George Duke
of Clarence, for George gave it before 1472 as the
manor of 'Beechamp's Norton or Sherof's Naunton'
to the chantry of Elmley Castle. (fn. 24) After George's
death in 1478 the manor seems to have been claimed
by his son Edward and the other representatives of
the daughters of Richard Beauchamp Earl of Warwick. (fn. 25)
The manor must, however, have remained with the
chantry, for on its dissolution in 1545 Naunton Beauchamp Manor was granted with its other possessions
to Sir Philip Hoby. (fn. 26) He, however, exchanged it
with the king in 1546, (fn. 27) and in 1560 it was granted
to William Garrard, (fn. 28) but the patent was afterwards
cancelled and the manor given to Hugh Holinshed. (fn. 29)
In June 1562 Hugh Holinshed leased a messuage
and land in Naunton Beauchamp to William Cowper
for 2,000 years, (fn. 30) and this was followed by other leases
of parcels of the manor, (fn. 31) which in 1567 Hugh
received licence to alienate to William Sheldon of
Beoley. (fn. 32) After this date it descended with Beoley
(q.v.) in the Sheldon family (fn. 33) until the end of the
18th or early in the 19th century, when, according
to Prattinton, it was purchased of (Thomas) Sheldon
by Humphrey Lyttelton. (fn. 34) Humphrey died in 1801,
and was succeeded by his brother Sandys, who died
in 1829. (fn. 35) In 1830 the manor was held by Richard
Frances and Eliza Sandys his wife. (fn. 36) It then descended in the Frances family, and was recently
purchased of Edward Vernon Frances of Natal by
Mr. George Clarke, the present owner. (fn. 37)
Naunton Court, Naunton Beauchamp
The manor of SHERIFF'S NAUNTON (Shirrevesnewenton, xv cent.; Shyreves Nauntton, Shrevis
Naunton, Naunton Aldebury, xvi cent.) was held
of the manor of Naunton Beauchamp by knight
service. (fn. 38)
Three hides and 1 virgate of Urse's 10 hides
were held of him in 1086 by Herbrand, (fn. 39) who may
have been the ancestor of the Guy de Naunton
(Newynton) who granted a virgate of land to Maud
daughter of William in 1234–5. (fn. 40) Thomas de
Naunton paid half a mark to the subsidy about
1280, (fn. 41) but seems to have died before 1291. (fn. 42) In
1315 Thomas son of John, (fn. 43) also called Thomas de
Naunton, (fn. 44) was holding a third of a knight's fee in
Naunton of Guy Beauchamp Earl of Warwick. In
1327 Thomas de Naunton paid 3s. to the subsidy, (fn. 45)
and in April 1339 he or a namesake received
licence to have a chaplain to celebrate in the oratory
within his house of Naunton Beauchamp. (fn. 46) There
is nothing to show what was the connexion between
Thomas de Naunton and Roger Aldbury of Sheriff's
Naunton, who was holding a quarter of a knight's
fee in Sheriff's Naunton in 1431, (fn. 47) but it seems
probable that Roger had succeeded the Nauntons in
their property, which was later known as Sheriffs
Naunton Manor. At this date a rent of £12 out of
Sheriff's Naunton Manor and lands in Elmley Castle
and elsewhere was granted to Anne daughter of
William Morgan and wife of John Aldbury by John
Huband and John Hanbury. (fn. 48) John Aldbury was
possibly the father of John Aldbury, who settled the
manor on his wife Avice (who survived him) and his
own heirs, and died on 4 July 1500 seised of the
manor, his heir being his kinsman, Roger Norton,
aged seventy-two. (fn. 49) Shortly after the manor was
claimed by James son of William Aldbury, as nephew
and heir of Roger Aldbury, and he stated that the
title-deeds of the manor were
detained by Roger and Thomas
Norton. (fn. 50) He evidently failed
to make good his claim, for
the manor was sold by Thomas
Norton before 1532 to John
Lyttelton of Frankley, who
died in that year, leaving it
to his younger sons Edward,
Gilbert, Anthony and Roger. (fn. 51)
Edward apparently sold his
interest to his cousin George, (fn. 52)
son of Roger Lyttelton, (fn. 53)
who on 1 May 1600 settled
it on himself, with contingent remainder to William son of his brother
Francis. He died childless at Bromsgrove on 28 May
following, and the manor passed to his nephew
William, (fn. 54) who on 23 May 1608 settled it on his
father's youngest brother Humphrey Lyttelton of
Groveley, and on Edward son and heir-apparent of
Humphrey. (fn. 55) On 15 November 1618 William
Lyttelton died at Bristol, (fn. 56) when he was succeeded
by his uncle Humphrey, (fn. 57) who died on 31 July
1624 at Sheriff's Naunton (fn. 58) and was buried in the
church of Naunton Beauchamp. (fn. 59) He was the
personal friend of Habington, who wrote of him as
a 'gentellman of nobell and worthy descent, with
whom althoughe in hys lyfe I had discontentment,
yet before hys deathe theare was between us, eaven
with expressyon of teares, that true reconcilyation
as I intreate all myne eaver to love hys.' (fn. 60) He
was succeeded by his son Edward, who was dealing
with the manor in 1629 (fn. 61) and died on 2 December
1634, (fn. 62) his heir being his year-old son Humphrey,
who was holding the manor with Sandys Lyttelton
and others in 1656. (fn. 63) It was possibly this Humphrey
who died in 1665. The manor was probably held
by Henry Lyttelton in 1686 and by Phillips Lyttelton in 1740 and 1758. (fn. 64) In 1790 Phillips and John
Lyttelton sold the manor of Cowsden to Humphrey
Lyttelton, (fn. 65) and Sheriff's Naunton probably passed
to him at about the same time, being now merged in
Naunton Beauchamp Manor.
Half-Timber Cottage, Naunton Beauchamp
Lyttelton. Argent a cheveron between three scallops sable.
A water-mill was held with the manor of Naunton
Beauchamp in 1297, (fn. 66) and in 1325, when it was in
a ruinous condition, being only able to grind at
flood-time. (fn. 67)
CHURCH
The church of ST. BARTHOLOMEW
consists of a chancel and nave without
structural division (51 ft. 6 in. by 15 ft.
6 in.), south porch and west tower 10 ft. 6 in. square.
The measurements are internal.
The church, with the exception of the 14thcentury tower, was pulled down and rebuilt above the
plinths in 1896, but some of the old work was
re-used. The chancel has a modern three-light east
window, in place of a debased one of two lights
existing before the rebuilding. In the north wall of
the nave are two windows from the old church, both
of two lights; the windows in the south wall, with
the doorway and the timber porch, are all modern.
In the north wall of the chancel is fixed an old
moulded bracket on a head corbel. The tower is
three stages high and has a pointed tower arch of two
chamfered orders with moulded capitals to the responds. The 15th-century west window is of three
lights with a traceried head. The second stage is lighted
by square-headed windows and the bell-chamber
has a pointed window of two trefoiled lights in the
east, north and south walls; the window in the west
wall is square-headed. The tower is ashlar-faced
with diagonal buttresses, two stages high, a moulded
plinth and a plain parapet.
The monuments are unimportant, but include a
tablet on the north chancel wall to Francis Robinson,
rector, died 1667, and a Jacobean tablet with a
shield of arms on the north nave wall to Humphrey
Lyttelton, who died in 1624. There are also
floor-slabs to Humphrey Lyttelton, who died in
1665, to Sarah wife of Thomas Frank, 'minister,'
who died in 1656, and Edward Dineley, who died
in 1686.
The font has a massive octagonal bowl and a
moulded base. The communion table and rails are
Jacobean, the former having turned legs and the latter
turned balusters and posts surmounted by balls; the
pulpit of the same date is a semi-octagon with carved
panels round the top. There are also an old parish
chest and two old oak benches in the nave.
There are three bells: the tenor inscribed, 'Richard
Serman, John Serman Churchwardens, 1675'; the
second, 'John Morris, William Black C.W. 1683,'
with the founder's mark I.M. (for John Martin) and
three bells; the treble, dated 1674, was recast in 1897.
The plate includes a cup and paten, both of 1663
(London), and a paten given in 1906.
The registers before 1812 are as follows: (i)
baptisms and burials 1696 to 1812, marriages 1696
to 1752; (ii) marriages 1755 to 1812.
ADVOWSON
The advowson followed the same
descent as the manor of Naunton
Beauchamp, (fn. 68) being included in the
grant to Hugh Holinshed in 1562. It was not sold
by him with the manor to William Sheldon, and
though the presentation was made by Edward Sheldon
in 1624, (fn. 69) and the advowson was included in a conveyance of the manor in 1736, (fn. 70) it seems in reality
to have reverted to the Crown before 1587. (fn. 71) It
was held by the Crown until 1908–9, when it passed
to the Bishop of Worcester.
CHARITIES
The church lands, containing 9 a.
or thereabouts, were acquired in or
about 1767 under an allotment made
in respect of certain lands of which the parish had
been in possession from time immemorial. They are
let at £5 a year, which is applied towards church
expenses.
In or about 1775 Dr. Chambers, by his will, gave
26s. a year to six aged persons, to be laid out in
penny loaves. The bread is distributed at Whitsuntide and Christmas.