SHELSLEY BEAUCHAMP with SHELSLEY KINGS
Caldeslai (xi cent.); Sceldeslega (xii cent.); Sendeslega, Segesleg, Scheldeslye Beucamp, Cheldesleye,
Scheldele Beuchamp (xiii cent.); Sheldesleye Beauchaump (xiv cent.); Shellesley Bewchampe or Great
Shellesley (xvii cent.).
This parish lies on the left bank of the River Teme,
which forms its western boundary. The road from
Bromyard to Stourport runs across the north of the
parish, which it enters at Stanford Bridge, and from
it branch roads run southwards. Shelsley Beauchamp
contains two hamlets, Shelsley Kings and Stanford
Bridge. Shelsley Kings, which is situated about
a mile and a half north of the church, contains
several half-timber cottages of the 17th century, and
a square 18th-century two-storied brick house. At
Stanford Bridge, 3 miles north-east of the church,
are several 18th-century brick cottages with tiled
roofs, and a 17th-century cottage of half timber.
The church is pleasantly situated near the east bank
of the Teme, and to the north of it is an old tithe
barn. Brockhill Farm, about half a mile north of
the church, is a brick house of two stories with an
attic, built during the early years of the 18th century,
probably on the site of an older building, some of
the panelling from which has been re-used. The
plan consists of a central block, containing the hall,
with projecting wings on either side, the staircase
being in the south wing. There is an additional wing
on the north, which formerly contained the kitchen,
while a modern addition on the south contains the
present kitchen offices. The stairway, which has a
moulded handrail and slender balusters, dates from
the 18th century, and in the hall, as well as in
the room over the study on the north side of the
hall, are pieces of early 17th-century oak panelling.
Immediately to the north of the house, and contemporary with it, is a square brick pigeon-house of
two stories, the lower story of which was probably
intended for farm purposes, as only the upper one is
celled for pigeons. The Manor House is the residence
of Mr. Francis S. Winnington. Shelsley Grange
in Shelsley Kings is the residence of Agnes, Lady
Hughes.
The land slopes from east to west, the ground
falling from a height of 700 ft. in the north-east of
Shelsley Kings towards the west and south, the land
in the Teme valley being liable to floods.
The hamlet of Shelsley Kings has an area of 1,034
acres, the whole parish containing 2,318 acres. A large
proportion of the total area is permanent grass. In
Shelsley Beauchamp 222 acres are arable land, 751
acres permanent grass and 66 acres woods and plantations; in Shelsley Kings 258 acres are arable land,
769 permanent grass and 55 are woods and plantations. (fn. 1) The soil, which is clay and red marl on a
subsoil of Old Red Sandstone, is very fertile, producing
crops of wheat, beans and hops. The parish contains several quarries. A lease of a freehold estate at
Great Shelsley having a vein of coal running through
it was advertised for sale in 1742. (fn. 2)
There is no Inclosure Award for the parish, and
three commons still remain: Kingswood in Shelsley
Kings, and Ladywood and Southwood commons in
Shelsley Beauchamp.
Woodbury Hill Reformatory in this parish was
established about the middle of the 19th century by
the first Earl of Dudley, (fn. 3) but is now abandoned.
MANOR
In 1086 SHELSLEY BEAUCHAMP
was held under Ralph de Toeni by
Walter, and had been formerly in the
hands of Wulfmar. (fn. 4) The overlordship descended
with that of Elmley Lovett (fn. 5) to the Beauchamps, (fn. 6)
and the manor was held of the honour of Elmley
Castle until 1611, (fn. 7) when the overlordship is mentioned for the last time.
The date at which the Beauchamps of Bedford (fn. 8) first
began to hold Shelsley Beauchamp as under-tenants
to the Toenis is not known. Simon Beauchamp was
evidently in possession in
1194–5 when he was in controversy with the Abbot of
Cormeilles as to the advowson of the church. (fn. 9) Simon
was succeeded before 1210
by a son William, (fn. 10) who took
part with the barons against
King John, and lost Bedford
Castle and with it the manor
of Shelsley Beauchamp, which
was granted with the rest of
the honour of Bedford in
1216 to Falkes de Breaute. (fn. 11)
The honour of Bedford was
restored to William Beauchamp in 1224, (fn. 12) and
Shelsley probably passed on his death in 1260 (fn. 13)
with the barony of Bedford to his eldest son
Simon. (fn. 14) Both Simon and his daughter Joan must
have died very shortly after this date, (fn. 15) and Shelsley
passed to William brother of Simon. William died
in 1262, (fn. 16) and in the following year the custody of
this manor was granted to Ingram de Fiennes 'for
his long service.' (fn. 17) John Beauchamp brother and
successor of William (fn. 18) was slain at the battle of Evesham
in 1265, (fn. 19) his heirs being his three sisters. Shelsley
was assigned to the second, Beatrice wife of Thomas
Fitz Otho. (fn. 20) Beatrice survived Thomas, who died
about 1273, (fn. 21) and she married as a second husband
Sir William de Monchesney, who survived her and
held Shelsley Beauchamp until his death in 1286. (fn. 22)
He outlived Otho son of Beatrice by her first husband,
and the manor passed to Otho's sister Maud wife
of John Botetourt. (fn. 23) John
Botetourt and Maud sold the
manor (fn. 24) and advowson in
1320–1 (fn. 25) to John de Wisham
of Woodmanton and Hawise
his wife, and John obtained
a grant of free warren there
in 1328. (fn. 26) Shelsley Beauchamp then shared the history
of Churchill in Oswaldslow
Hundred, passing from the
Wishams to the Croft and
Guise families. (fn. 27) John Guise
conveyed his moiety of the
manor in 1550 to Thomas
Nott, Henry Clent and other trustees, (fn. 28) and in
1558 Martin Croft conveyed his share to John
and Anselm Nott, William Clent and others, who
evidently represented the above trustees. (fn. 29) These
conveyances seem to have been made for the purpose
of selling the manor (fn. 30) to Thomas Nott, (fn. 31) who is
called 'of Shelsley Beauchamp' in the Visitation of
1569. (fn. 32) In 1589 his sons John and Anselm settled
the manor on John's son Edward and Penelope wife
of the latter in tail-male, with contingent remainders
successively to John's other sons Martin, George and
Edward. (fn. 33) Edward Nott died in 1608 at Worcester,
and was succeeded by his son John. (fn. 34) John sold the
capital messuage of Shelsley Beauchamp and the
advowson of the church in
1653 to John Travell of
London, (fn. 35) of whose grandson
Thomas (fn. 36) it was purchased in
1677 by Thomas Foley, (fn. 37) and
it descended with Great Witley (fn. 38) (q.v.) until the Foley
estates were sold about 1840
to Lord Ward. Shelsley was
purchased in 1868 by Joseph
Jones, (fn. 39) afterwards of Abberley, and Shelsley has descended
with Abberley to the present
owner Mr. James Arthur Jones
of Ombersley.
Beauchamp of Bedford. Quarterly or and gules a bend sable.
Nott. Azure a bend between three leopards' heads or.
A fulling mill leased for
one mark yearly belonged to
the manor in 1302. (fn. 40) John
Nott held a water-mill in
Shelsley Beauchamp in 1613
and 1638. (fn. 41) There is now a
mill called Butler's mill on
the Teme in Shelsley Kings,
but there is no mill at Shelsley Beauchamp. A fishery
was mentioned in the Domesday Survey. (fn. 42) Fisheries were
held with the manor in the
16th and 17th centuries. (fn. 43)
Shelsley Kings has always
been part of the manor of
Martley. (fn. 44)
CHURCH
The church of
ALL SAINTS
consists of a chancel 25 ft. by 18 ft. 1 in., north
vestry, nave of three bays
39 ft. 8 in. by 16 ft., north
and south aisles 7 ft. 10 in.
wide, south porch, and west
tower 12 ft. 5 in. by 11 ft.
1 in. These measurements are
all internal.
The church was rebuilt in 1846 in the 13thcentury style. The only remaining part of the old
church is the tower, which dates from the 14th
century. It is built of sandstone ashlar and contains
three stories, though divided externally into two
stages only. There are diagonal buttresses at the
angles, and the walls, which rise from a moulded
plinth, are crowned by a plain parapet, with a small
pinnacle at each corner. A semi-octagonal stair
turret projects on the south face and terminates with
a stone roof just above the level of the bell-chamber
windows. The tower arch is pointed and of two
chamfered orders continued down the jambs without
break to the plinths and splayed stops. The west
window is of three cinquefoiled lights under a
two-centred head filled with vertical tracery. The
tracery and mullions are modern. There is a squareheaded light to the intermediate floor on the south
side, and on each side of the bell-chamber is a window
of two trefoiled lights under a two-centred head; these
have been considerably repaired, wood tracery being
used in the east window.
Shelsley Beauchamp Church: the West Tower
The bowl of the font is probably of the 13th
century; it is of light limestone and circular in form
with a plain body slightly diminishing in diameter
towards a bead and splay at the foot; the red sandstone octagonal plinth is perhaps later in date. The
lower part of a 15th-century rood screen, consisting
of six oak traceried panels, has been refixed below
the chancel arch. In the intermediate floor of the
tower are preserved two heavy oak chests, each of
which is carved out of a solid rectangular block and
has a heavy cover, also of a single piece of wood, with
a curved upper face. They are bound with iron, and
one retains the original hinges and has a slot for
coins in the cover; both probably date from the
13th century.
The tower contains a ring of six bells, by John
Rudhall, 1790, and a small call bell, without inscription, in the east window.
The plate consists of a silver chalice and cover
paten of 1570 and a silver flagon of 1634 engraved
with the arms of Jeffreys, and having an inscription
to the effect that it was given in 1635 by Frances
Jeffreys, daughter of William Jeffreys of 'Hame Castle.'
The registers before 1812 are as follows: (i) all
entries 1538 to 1774; (ii) all entries 1775 to 1812.
There are two interesting entries in the first book,
one recording a collection made in the parish of
£1 8s. 9d., and paid to the Bishop of Worcester on
22 April 1671, 'for the redemption of English
captives out of Turkish slavery,' and another a
collection of 11s. 5d. made on 21 October 1678 for
the rebuilding of St. Paul's Cathedral, London.
In the churchyard, to the south of the church, are
the remains of a churchyard cross set upon three
octagonal steps much weathered and decayed. The
base of the cross is also octagonal and has mouldings of renaissance type, a stone sundial being inserted
in the socket; these alterations are probably the
work of the late 16th century.
ADVOWSON
The advowson of Shelsley Beauchamp is mentioned for the first time
in 1194, when Simon Beauchamp
was engaged in a suit against the Abbot of Cormeilles
concerning it. (fn. 45) The abbot may have claimed it as
chapelry of his church at Martley, to which a pension
of 13s. 4d. was paid by the incumbent of Shelsley
until the Dissolution. (fn. 46) Simon was apparently successful, for the advowson from that time followed
the descent (fn. 47) of the manor (fn. 48) until the Foleys parted
with the latter in the first half of the 19th century.
The advowson was purchased in 1842 (fn. 49) by Lord
Ward, and now belongs to William Humble, Earl of
Dudley, twelfth Lord Ward.
A composition was made on 14 September 1420
between the rectors of Martley and Shelsley Beauchamp
as to tithe in the hamlet of Shelsley Kings and the
burials of persons dying in Shelsley Kings and
Shelsley Beauchamp, by which it was agreed that the
rector of Martley should have two sheaves of all tithes
in the hamlet and the rector of Shelsley Beauchamp
the third sheaf, and that all persons dying in Shelsley
Beauchamp and Shelsley Kings should be buried in
Shelsley Beauchamp graveyard; the mortuaries were
to belong to the rector of Martley and oblations to
the rector of Shelsley Beauchamp. (fn. 50)
CHARITIES
The Free School was founded by
the will of the Rev. Owen Plevy, a
former rector, dated in 1681, and
further endowed by wills of Caleb Avenant and
Margaret Crowther, 1716. (fn. 51)
In 1707 the Rev. Thomas Webb, as appeared
from the church table, gave 10s. a year for ever for
the buying of Bibles for poor children of the parish.
The same Thomas Webb, by his will dated in
1703, and by a codicil thereto dated in 1704,
devised an estate in the parish of Abberley for apprenticing donor's relations or others of this parish. The
endowment consists of a farm known as the Lower
Hay Oak Farm at Abberley, containing 75 acres or
thereabouts, let at £62 10s. a year. The administration of the charity is regulated by a scheme of the
Charity Commissioners of 17 November 1876, as
varied by a scheme of 3 April 1900. £5 a year is
expended in books, and the trustees are empowered
to select and train children as pupil teachers.
In 1774 Samuel Parkes by his will left £25, the
interest thereof always to buy for two poor men, or
two poor women, coats or gowns, upon All Saints'
Day every year. The trust fund now consists of
£25 16s. 10d. consols, producing 12s. 8d. yearly.
In 1784 John Pershouse, by his will proved in the
P.C.C. 28 February, bequeathed £100, now represented by £103 7s. 2d. consols, the annual dividends,
amounting to £2 11s. 8d., to be distributed amongst
the poor at Christmas.
In 1886 Miss Marianne Hill, by her will proved
at London 22 June, bequeathed £200, now invested
in £200 5s. consols, the dividends, amounting to £5,
to be applied in providing warm garments for six
poor people on St. Thomas's Day, and, if any overplus,
in coals or blankets, &c.
In 1896 Miss Mary Harris, by her will proved
at London 17 August, bequeathed £92 5s. 3d.
consols, the annual dividends, amounting to £2 5s.,
to be applied in the distribution of Bibles, blankets,
or warm clothing for the poor.
In 1908 William Hyde Cooke, by his will proved
4 November, bequeathed £200, the interest to be
applied in keeping in repair certain monuments in
the church and in distribution of coal to the poor.
The legacy, less duty, was invested in £217 10s. 5d.
consols, producing £5 8s. 8d. yearly.
The same testator bequeathed £300 for promoting
the objects of and to strengthen the work of the
Women's Clothing Club instituted by the testator's
sister, the late Miss Mary Cooke. The legacy, less
duty, was invested in £326 5s. 8d. consols, producing
£8 3s. yearly.
The several sums of stock are held by the official
trustees.