ACTON BEAUCHAMP
Hactone, Aactune, Actun (viii cent.); Actune,
Acton, ultra Tamedam, Hactona (xiii cent.); Acton
Beauchamp (xiv cent.).
Acton Beauchamp, formerly in Worcestershire, was
transferred to Herefordshire in 1897. (fn. 1) The River
Leadon and its tributaries bound it on the south and
east, and it is also watered by a tributary of Leigh
Brook, on which stands Acton corn-mill. (fn. 2)
The parish lies on high ground. Between the
church and Acton Green a height of 600 ft. is
reached, and on the eastern boundary the land falls
to 300 ft. The area is 1,544 acres. The soil is loam
and the subsoil Old Red Sandstone, interstratified
with cornstone at Pippin's Hill in the north. The
chief crops are wheat, barley and hops. In the west
and south are quarries of building stone which contain numerous fossil fishes. (fn. 3)
The village, which is at Acton Green, about
1½ miles east of the church, at the crossing of the
Bromyard and Worcester roads, consists of some halftimber 17th-century cottages, a square 18th-century
stone house two stories in height, with a plastered
front, on the south side of the road, and some modern
brick cottages. There is an early 19th-century brick
toll-house at the cross-roads, which is now ruinous.
Near Redmarley Farm, where there was formerly
an ancient farm-house, there is a curious periodical
spring known as the Roaring Water, issuing from a
cavity called Hunger Hole. Near it formerly grew
a holy thorn said to have been a scion of that of
Glastonbury, which put forth flowers at night on
Christmas Eve. This attracted so many sightseers
that in the early 19th century the farmer cut it
down, and tradition has it that his sacrilegious act
was followed by the burning of his farm after his
leg and arm had been broken in an accident. (fn. 4)
Names mentioned among the Anglo-Saxon boundaries of Acton Beauchamp given by Heming are
Horsebrook, Hawbridge, Bylyngbrook, Leagesgate,
Bickerafold, Scottaweth, Gislanford, Saltersway, Clacgwyllan. (fn. 5)
MANOR
The manor of ACTON was one of
the properties involved in the great dispute between the churches of Worcester
and Evesham before the Conquest, and its early
history has therefore to be extracted from details of
this quarrel. Both monasteries are suspected of
altering or forging charters in support of their claims,
and a full discussion of the merits of the case as
regards Acton has already been given. (fn. 6)
According to the Domesday Survey Acton had
belonged to the church of St. Mary of Evesham in
the reign of Edward the Confessor, and Urse received
it afterwards from the abbot in exchange for some
other land. (fn. 7) In 1086, however, Urse held it of
Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, and the manor was still held
of the fee of the Bishop of Bayeux in the 12th
century, (fn. 8) but in 1298 and 1316 it was said to be
held of the Abbot of Evesham. (fn. 9)
This manor, with Urse's other possessions, passed
to the Beauchamps of Elmley, and seems to have
followed the descent of Elmley Castle (fn. 10) until about
the middle of the 13th century, (fn. 11) when it was held
by James Beauchamp, a younger son of Walter
Beauchamp of Elmley. (fn. 12) It is uncertain whether
the manor was given to James by his father, or
whether like Sheriffs Lench (fn. 13) he had received it from
his brother William. By an undated charter William
granted to him view of frankpledge and freedom from
suit at shire and hundred in this manor, (fn. 14) and at
about the same time James obtained from Maud,
widow of Robert D'Abitot of Acton, from her son
John and from John le Cur all the land which they
held in Acton. (fn. 15) James was in possession of the
manor about 1280, (fn. 16) and, probably on account of the
failure of his issue, it afterwards reverted to the elder
branch of the family, being held by William Earl of
Warwick at the time of his death in 1298. (fn. 17)
In 1345 Thomas Earl of Warwick, grandson of
William above named, (fn. 18) conveyed Acton Beauchamp
among other manors to trustees for providing portions
for his daughters. (fn. 19) He must shortly afterwards have
given it to Giles Beauchamp of Powick, for Giles
died in 1361 holding it of Thomas Earl of Warwick. (fn. 20)
Acton Beauchamp then followed the descent of
Beauchamp Court in Powick to the Lygons, (fn. 21) and
was sold in 1602 by William Lygon to Rowland
Berkeley (fn. 22) of Spetchley. Rowland's son William,
who succeeded him in 1611, (fn. 23) purchased Cotheridge
Manor in 1616, and Acton Beauchamp then descended with Cotheridge (q.v.) until about 1805, (fn. 24)
when the Rev. Henry Rowland Berkeley sold it to
Mr. Heming. (fn. 25) In 1822 Richard Heming held the
manor with the mansion-house of Sivington, (fn. 26) and
the manor was purchased of his trustees in 1858
by William Hanbury Sparrow of Penn, co. Staffs. (fn. 27)
From him it passed in 1867 to William Mander
Sparrow, who died in 1881 without issue. He was
succeeded by his nephew Mr. William Arthur Brown,
son of Louisa daughter of William Hanbury Sparrow
and wife of George Gwynn Brown of Mitton Grange,
Stourport. Mr. W. A. Brown, who took the name
of Sparrow on succeeding to the estates of his mother's
family, (fn. 28) sold the property in 1912. Mr. George
Holloway of Sivington Farm is now lord of the
manor. (fn. 29)
CHURCH
The church of ST. GILES consists of
a chancel measuring internally 20 ft. 2 in.
by 14 ft. 9 in., nave 34 ft. 4 in. by
19 ft. 8 in., and a west tower about 11 ft. square.
The plain chancel arch and the east wall of the
nave, which measures about 3 ft. 4 in. in thickness,
are the only surviving fragments in situ of a 12thcentury church. The rest of the building, the walls
of which are only 2 ft. I in. thick, appears to have
been rebuilt at a comparatively modern period, the
south doorway, which dates from c. 1200, being
reset.
Both chancel and nave are lighted by large plain
round-headed lights; the south window of the nave
may have some mediaeval stones in its jambs, but
with this exception the windows are modern, or at
least subsequent to the 17th century. The south
doorway is of two round-arched orders externally.
The outer order is roll-moulded and springs from
jamb shafts with moulded bases of the water-holding
type. The capital of the eastern shaft has boldly
executed human heads carved upon it, while that of
the western shaft is merely scalloped. The inner
order is continuously moulded with a plain deep
chamfer, and the arch stones have been numbered
for resetting. In the walling on either side of the
doorway, at the level of the springing of the arch, are
large pockets, as if there had originally been a timber
porch. A small gallery occupies the west end of the
nave. The tower is undivided externally, and is
crowned by a pyramidal slated roof with wide caves.
In the south wall of the ground stage is a plain doorway with the head formed out of a stone sculptured
with scroll foliage, perhaps an early 12th-century
coffin-lid. The bell-chamber is lighted by small
pointed windows with brick rear arches, and the
intermediate stages by small round-headed lights, the
jambs of which appear to contain some reset stones
from the former church. The walls throughout are
of sandstone rubble plastered in places, and are crowned
by a rough cornice of brick. Both chancel and nave
have elliptical barrel ceilings.
Acton Beauchamp Church From The South-East
The font has an octagonal bowl and stem, and is
probably of the 15th century. In the chancel are
two chairs of the last half of the 17th century. Some
Jacobean panelling remains in the jambs of the doorway to the gallery. The 18th-century box pews
still survive, and on the gallery front is fixed a small
barrel organ made about eighty or ninety years ago
by Benjamin Dobson of London. On the south
wall of the nave is a mural tablet commemorating
Thomas Heming, who died in 1777, Mary his wife,
1776, and other members of his family. On the
north wall is a mural monument to Henry Brace,
1773, his wife Ann, 1767, their son Henry, 1773,
and others of the same family. There are also
several 18th-century floor slabs in the chancel and
nave.
There are three bells; the treble and second, cast
at Worcester, date from the 15th century, and the
maker's mark is a cross saltire with a fleur de lis in each
corner. The treble is inscribed in crowned Gothic
capitals, 'Sancte Gabriel ora pro nobis,' and the second,
'Sancte Petre ora pro nobis.' The tenor has 'Fear
God Honour the King,' with the mark of Abel
Rudhall and the date 1748.
The plate consists of a silver cup and cover paten
of about 1670, with the marks obliterated.
The registers before 1812 are as follows: (i) baptisms 1577 to 1699, burials 1577 to 1700, marriages
1577 to 1695; (ii) baptisms and burials 1700 to
1803, marriages 1700 to 1761; (iii) marriages 1725
to 1812.
ADVOWSON
The advowson of Acton Beauchamp
belonged to the lords of the manor
from the time when it is first mentioned in 1315 until the beginning of the 19th
century. (fn. 30) It was apparently retained by the
Rev. Henry Rowland Berkeley when the manor
was sold, for he presented in 1807. (fn. 31) A manuscript
note of 1822 states that the advowson was sold by
Mr. Berkeley to 'the present incumbent.' (fn. 32) At that
date, however, the incumbent was the Rev. H. Berry,
the patron being H. Wrighte. (fn. 33) In 1829 the
advowson belonged to Miss M. A. Bourne, (fn. 34) who
afterwards became Mrs. Cowpland, and it remained
in her family until 1914, when it was sold by the
representatives of the late Rev. William Epworth
Cowpland to Mrs. S. A. Richings, the present
patron. (fn. 35)
There do not appear to be any endowed charities
subsisting in this parish.