NORTH PIDDLE
Pidelet (xi cent.); Pydele, Northpiddle (xiii cent.).
North Piddle is a very small parish bounded by
Piddle Brook on the west and south-west. The
surface of the land is flat, the highest point (200 ft.)
being near the eastern boundary. The soil is marl
and loam on a subsoil of Lower Lias, and the chief
crops are wheat, beans and fruit. The area is
797 acres, of which 422 acres are permanent grass
and 152 acres arable land.1 It was inclosed under
an Act of 1813,2 the award being dated 25 August
1830.3
The road between Worcester and Alcester passes
across the extreme north of the parish and a branch
road leads south from this to the village, about a
quarter of a mile distant. The village consists of two
farms and a cottage standing near the church. The farm
to the north-east is a half-timber building, and to the
west is a moated site without any building upon it.
Amongst the old field-names here are Frarye Acre,
Husband Acre, Monck Acre, Le Home, Le Deane and
Gostell Field (possibly Gospel Field), all of which are
mentioned in a 16th-century document.4
MANOR
At the time of the Domesday Survey
two estates in NORTH PIDDLE were
held of the abbey of Westminster by
Urse the Sheriff, the two having been separately
owned in the reign of Edward the Confessor. Toli,
a freeman, had held 5 hides5 and Alfwine had held the
other portion consisting of 4 hides, one of which
did not pay geld.6 The land had increased in value
since the Conquest, the two estates, formerly worth
30s. and 50s. respectively, being valued at 60s. each
in 1086. The overlordship of the abbey of Westminster was recognized until the 15th century.7
William Beauchamp, son of Emmeline daughter
and heir of Urse, owned North Piddle in the 12th
century.8 It must, however, have passed from the
Beauchamps in the 13th century, for it appears that
Richard Fitz John, who was descended from Geoffrey
Fitz Piers Earl of Essex,9 was holding the overlordship
at his death in 1297, and it was assigned in dower in
1299 to his widow Emma.10 His heir Richard de
Burgh Earl of Ulster had seisin in the same year,11
but the overlordship seems afterwards to have reverted
to the descendants of Maud, one of the sisters of
Richard Fitz John, who was the wife of William
Beauchamp, first Earl of Warwick of that name,12
for it belonged to her son Guy,13 and followed the
descent of the honour of Elmley Castle14 until it
lapsed in the 16th century, the overlordship being
mentioned for the last time in 1561–2.15
In a survey of Pershore Hundred taken shortly
after 1086, it is stated that Robert Parler held 5 hides
and 5 carucates between 'Flavell' and 'Pidelet,' and
it is probable that this Robert was Urse's tenant
in North Piddle.16 Habington quotes an undated
document in which Ellis de Piddle conveyed half a
yard-land to William de Selewie, and amongst the
witnesses appears Philip de Piddle.17 In the reign
of Henry III the manor of North Piddle was held by
Stephen de Segrave. Stephen was regent of England
during the king's absence in 123018 and justiciar of
England in 1232.19 North Piddle formed part of
the dowry of his widow Ida after his death in 1241.20
His son Gilbert was his heir,21 and he in turn was
succeeded about 1254 by Nicholas his son.22 Nicholas,
who had fought with the barons against Henry III,
was taken prisoner at Evesham, but was pardoned
under the Dictum of Kenilworth, his three sons John,
Nicholas and Henry redeeming the manor in 1289.23
He was summoned to Parliament in June 1295 as
Lord Segrave and died in the same year.24 North
Piddle was granted for life by John Segrave to his
brother Henry, who was holding it in 1299.25 He
was still in possession in 1315,26 but the manor
afterwards reverted to John. Both he and his son
Stephen died in 1325,27 and the inheritance gave
rise to a dispute between their widows. Christiana,
John's widow, claimed a third of the manor as her
dower, but Alice, Stephen's widow, declared that her
husband held the entire manor of his father's gift.
The court decided that Alice should hold the estate,
but that the value of one-third of it should be paid
to Christiana out of that part of the heir's property
which was in the king's wardship.28 John son of
Stephen and Alice held the manor in 1346,29 having
settled it in 1344 on himself and his wife Margaret.30
Segrave. Sable a lion argent crowned or.
This John de Segrave, the third Lord Segrave,
married Margaret daughter of Thomas of Brotherton, Earl Marshal and Earl
of Norfolk, one of the sons of
Edward I.31 He granted the
manor for life to Thomas de
Ferrars, who was holding it
at the time of John's death in
1353.32 Margaret, who was
called Margaret Marshal, outlived her husband, afterwards
marrying Walter Lord Manny,
who held the manor of North
Piddle in her right.33 He
died in 1372–3, leaving her
a second time a widow.34 In
1397 she was created Duchess of Norfolk in her own
right, and on the same day her grandson and heir
Thomas Mowbray, son of her daughter Elizabeth,
who had married John Lord Mowbray, was created
Duke of Norfolk.35 He was banished from England
in 1398, and at the time of her death in the spring
of 139936 was still in exile, and his lands were considered forfeit in consequence of his banishment.37
He died of the plague in Venice in the following
September.38 His son and heir Thomas Earl of
Norfolk was executed in 1405, at the age of eighteen,
without trial or attainder, for taking part in the
Scrope conspiracy,39 and North Piddle was granted in
1406 for life to Edward Beauchamp.40 John, brother and
heir of Thomas Mowbray, did
not have livery of his lands
until 1412, nor was the dukedom attributed to him till
1424.41 This John Duke of
Norfolk, who distinguished
himself in the French wars,
was succeeded in turn by his
son42 and his grandson, both
called John,43 and the direct
line finally became extinct on
the death of Anne, his greatgranddaughter, who was married at the age of five to
Richard Duke of York, second son of Edward IV,
and died an infant three years later, 16 January
1480–1.44 The Duke of York was murdered in the
Tower shortly after. The Mowbray estates were
then divided between William Viscount Berkeley,
son of Isabel daughter of Thomas Mowbray Duke of
Norfolk, and John Lord Howard, son of Margaret
the second daughter of Thomas
Duke of Norfolk.45 North
Piddle seems at first to have
been assigned to John Howard,
who was created Duke of Norfolk in 1483, but on a subsequent partition passed to his
cousin William Lord Berkeley,46 who, as his share of the
Mowbray titles, received that
of Earl of Nottingham.47 This
partition was confirmed in
1488,48 and William Earl of
Nottingham conveyed the
manor shortly afterwards49 to
Humphrey Coningsby and Isabel his wife, Edward
Willoughby and Robert Logg acting as trustees.50
Mowbray. Gules a lion argent.
Howard. Gules a bend between six crosslets fitchy argent.
In 1535–6 Sir Humphrey Coningsby, one of the
justices of the bench, died seised of the manor.51
His heir was his grandson, another Humphrey, the
son of Thomas Coningsby, upon whom lands to the
value of £100 had been settled at the time of his
marriage in 1532 with Anne the daughter of Sir
Thomas Englefield, also a justice of the bench.
According to the agreement drawn up between them,
Sir Humphrey bought the wedding clothes of both
bride and bridegroom, while the cost of the meat and
drink was divided between him and Sir Thomas
Englefield.52
Coningsby. Gules three conies argent and a border engrailed sable.
Anne survived her husband, who died in 1559,
their eldest son Edward being then under age.53
He died two years later without having attained his majority and his brother Thomas
succeeded.54 Thomas was
knighted by the Earl of Essex
before Rouen in 159155 and
died in 1626.56 His son and
successor Fitz William was
member of Parliament for
Herefordshire in 1620.57 With
the rise of the Commonwealth, however, his prosperity
vanished, and he and his wife
Cecilia, who was a daughter of
Sir Henry Nevill Lord Bergavenny,58 and his children were reduced to absolute
starvation. In 1649 a fine of over £4,000 was imposed on him, and though a fifth of the estate was
reserved to his wife this concession was not put into
effect for some years, if ever. In 1651 FitzWilliam
was ordered to pay £2,000 within a fortnight. A
few weeks later the whole fine was reduced to
£3,600, and in 1653 he petitioned for leave to
compound at one-sixth, pleading the destitution to
which he and his family were reduced. In 1654,
however, no part of the fine had been paid, and orders
were issued that the estate was to be proceeded against
as if there had been no composition.59 At this juncture Sampson Wise, who had married FitzWilliam's
daughter Philippa,60 came to the rescue and bought
the estates,61 undertaking to pay a sum for the relief
of FitzWilliam and his wife and to compound with
the commissioners.62
In 1668 Thomas Powis conveyed North Piddle
to Robert Knightley,63 who was already possessed of
some land at North Piddle.64 In 1683–4 Robert
and Valentine Knightley sold land in North Piddle
to Thomas Yarnold,65 and his descendant, another
Thomas Yarnold, was holding the manor in 1750.66
Mr. Sheldon of Weston was the owner in 1782,67
and it must have been bought shortly after by
Humphrey Lyttelton of Naunton Beauchamp.68
Sandys Lyttelton was the owner in 1812, though his
right was disputed by a Mr. Phillipps of Evesham.69
The manor seems then to have followed the descent
of Naunton Beauchamp to the Frances family,70 Henry
Vernon Frances being lord of the manor in 1880.
As early as 1868 the parish was divided into small
farms,71 and the manorial rights have now lapsed.
Mention is made in 1325 of a windmill worth
10s. yearly in the manor of North Piddle.72
CHURCH
The church of ST. MICHAEL is an
entirely modern building consisting of
chancel, nave, north porch and vestry.
It is in the 13th-century Gothic style with walls of
brick faced with stone, steep-pitched tiled roofs, a stone
bellcote at the west end, containing one modern bell,
and a timber porch. The chancel has a small credence
on the north, the pointed arch over which is apparently ancient. The piscina in the south wall has an
old basin resting on a head corbel apparently of the
13th century. At the west end of the nave are preserved six encaustic tiles of fairly good design, found
in the churchyard to the north of the church in 1896
and indicating an alteration in the site.
Preserved in the vestry is a small uninscribed bell.
The old church72a was a small rectangular structure with
a wooden bellcote and a north porch. Habington gives
the arms of Folliott, Stone of Stone, Tracey and Coningsby as occurring in it. The two old bells were sold
late in the last century. They were dated 1676 and 1745.
The plate consists of an Elizabethan cup and cover
paten and a pewter flagon and plate.
The registers before 1812 are as follows: (i) baptisms
1565 to 1776, burials 1572 to 1775, marriages 1571
to 1749; (ii) baptisms and burials 1776 to 1812,
marriages 1777 to 1812; (iii) marriages 1754 to 1810.
ADVOWSON
The advowson of North Piddle
originally belonged to the lords of
the manor.73 In 1338 Alice de
Segrave presented Thomas de Segrave, a special dispensation being necessary, as he was under the required age, being only twenty-two.74 Throughout
the Middle Ages the advowson followed the descent
of the manor,75 and in 1660 Sampson Wise was the
patron.76 The Coningsbys, however, seem to have
retained a right in it, after they had parted with the
manor, for in 1683 Thomas Coningsby with William
Goold and his wife Alice conveyed it to John Philpott,77
who presented in the following year and in 1704.78
In 1727 it was purchased by Salwey Nash, the incumbent,79 from whom it passed by purchase to
Richard Nash of Clerkenleap,80 who presented in
1756.81 From him it passed with the manor of
Impney82 to John Lord Somers,83 with whose descendants it remained until it was purchased of Lady
Henry Somerset about 1892 by the Bishop of Worcester,84 the present patron.
The living has been united since 1895 to that of
Upton Snodsbury.85
In the 19th century the church of North Piddle
seems to have been much neglected, the incumbent
visiting it only once on a Sunday, and not always
giving it even that attention. The fabric was in a
ruinous condition and Noake states that at one time
it was actually mortgaged to provide the means to
erect pews.86
There do not appear to be any endowed charities
subsisting in this parish.