SHELSLEY WALSH
Caldeslei (xi cent.); Scheldesley, Sildeley, Sceldesley
Waleys (xiii cent.); Scheldesley, Scheldeslegh, Sheldesle Wales (xiv cent.); Sheldesley Waleys, Shellesley
(xv cent.); Sheldesley Walsh, Shellesley Gildon, or
Gyldon (xvi cent.); Shelsley, Sheldesley Welch,
Little Shelsley (xvii cent.).
Shelsley Walsh is a small scattered parish containing some 17th-century half-timber cottages. The
church stands a little to the west of the Stanford road.
The Court House, now the residence of Mr. William
Walker, formerly the home of the Walshes, from whom
the parish takes its name, lies immediately west of the
church. It is a half-timber and brick house, probably
of the late 16th century, with 18th-century and later
alterations, and modern brick additions on the east
and south. The interior, which has been modernized,
contains some early 17th-century oak panelling in
one of the western ground floor apartments. According to tradition it was once haunted by the ghost of a
Lady Lightfoot, who was imprisoned and murdered
in the house. (fn. 1) To the north of the church is a halftimber and plaster two-story house with thatched
roofs, said to be the former rectory.
The ground is 500 ft. above the ordnance datum
in the south-west of the parish, but falls in the north
and east to the valley of the Teme, which forms its
eastern boundary, the land along its banks being
liable to floods.
It has an area of 495 acres, of which more than
half is permanent grass, rather less than a third is
arable, and there are 82 acres of woods and plantations. (fn. 2) The soil, which is very rich, is light loam and
clay, the subsoil Old Red Sandstone with alluvium near
the river. The chief crops grown are wheat, hops and
fruit. The woodland lies principally to the south and
west.
MANOR
Before the Conquest SHELSLEY was
held by a certain Simon under grant from
the monks of Worcester, to whom he
rendered the appointed service, until the 'French'
arrived and seized his property. (fn. 3) He is clearly identical
with the Simon who, in the Survey, is described as a
thegn of Earl Eadwine, and as having held Shelsley
in the time of King Edward. (fn. 4) In 1086 Shelsley was
included among the lands of Osbern Fitz Richard,
and the manor became part of the honour of Richard's
Castle, (fn. 5) the overlordship being mentioned for the last
time in 1540. (fn. 6)
The family which gave its second name to Shelsley
Walsh appeared there as early as 1211–12, when
John Walshe (Walensis) was
holding half a fee in Shelsley. (fn. 7) John Walshe, probably
the same man, seems to have
forfeited his land in 1216,
when it was granted to William
de Fifield. (fn. 8) In 1225–6 John
Walshe acquired of Henry
son of Ingram a messuage
and land in Shelsley. (fn. 9) Joan
Walshe was holding the manor
in 1235, and must have been
succeeded shortly after by
John Walshe. (fn. 10) Henry Walshe
contributed 1 mark to the
subsidy about 1280, (fn. 11) and was holding the manor
as half a knight's fee in 1287. (fn. 12) He died about
1308, (fn. 13) and was followed by his son William, who
in 1311 obtained a grant of free warren in all his
demesne lands of Shelsley and Clifton. (fn. 14) William
presented to the church in 1313. (fn. 15) The manor was
settled in 1325–6 (fn. 16) on Henry Walshe and Mary his
wife, and Henry contributed to the subsidy in 1327
and again in 1332–3. (fn. 17)
Walshe. Argent a fesse between six martlets sable.
In 1346 Henry de Hughley was holding the
manor. (fn. 18) His relationship to the Walshes is not known,
but he appears with the two brothers Henry and
Percival (fn. 19) Walshe in 1349 among certain wrongdoers who broke into the park at Abberiey. (fn. 20) A
certain Margaret de Shelsley presented to the church
in 1361, (fn. 21) and was probably then in possession of the
manor, as John de Peyto, who presented in 1370, (fn. 22) may
also have been. In 1382, however, John Walshe died
seised of the manor, (fn. 23) leaving an infant son Richard, (fn. 24)
who died in the following year, his heir being his
father's brother Thomas. (fn. 25) Thomas Walshe was still
holding the manor in 1418, when he presented to
the church, (fn. 26) but had been succeeded before 1428 by
John Walshe. (fn. 27) John Walshe, grandson of this John
and son of Richard Walshe, (fn. 28) died seised of the manor
in 1510, and was succeeded by his son John. (fn. 29) John
bequeathed the manor to his wife Alice for seven
years for the 'setting forth' of his daughter, and died
in 1541, when his son Francis succeeded, (fn. 30) having
livery of the manor in 1546. (fn. 31) He married Anne
daughter of Richard Cornwall of Burford, (fn. 32) and died
19 July 1596. (fn. 33) He was succeeded by his son Sir
Richard Walshe, (fn. 34) high sheriff at the time of the Gunpowder Plot, who was very active in apprehending the
offenders. (fn. 35) He died between 1606 (fn. 36) and 1615, (fn. 37)
leaving two daughters, Anne wife of Sir Thomas
Bromley of Shrawardine Castle, co. Salop, and Joyce,
wife of Sir Roland Cotton of Alkington, co. Salop. (fn. 38)
The manor was conveyed to Humphrey Salwey by
Sir Thomas Bromley and Ann in 1616 (fn. 39) and by
Sir Roland Cotton and Joyce his wife in 1618. (fn. 40)
Humphrey was perhaps acting as trustee for his
brother-in-law, Sir Edward Littleton of Pillaton, co.
Staff., (fn. 41) who settled the manor in 1626 (fn. 42) on his son
Edward and his bride, Hester daughter of Sir William
Courteen. (fn. 43) Sir Edward died seised of the manor in
1629, and was succeeded by this son Edward, (fn. 44) who
had been created a baronet in 1627. (fn. 45) Sir Edward
Littleton conveyed the manor in 1651, he being
then a delinquent, to Samuel Baldwyn and Richard
Walcott. (fn. 46) In 1652 Major Edward Smith claimed
half the manor, while the chief messuage was claimed
by Francis Nevill of Chevet, co. York. (fn. 47) The manor
was sold by the Treason Trustees in 1653 to Richard
Knightley of Fawsley, co. Northants, and Richard
Salwey of Westminster. (fn. 48) In 1654, however, Sir
Edward Littleton and his wife Catherine and son
Edward sold the manor to Thomas Foley. (fn. 49) It then
descended with Great Witley (q.v.), until the Foley
estates were sold about the middle of the 19th century,
when it passed with the Great Witley estate to Lord
Ward. (fn. 50) The manor was sold about 1890 by the
Earl of Dudley to Mr. Montagu C. H. Taylor, who
in 1912 sold it to Sir Francis Salwey Winnington
of Stanford Court, the present owner. (fn. 51)
Plan of Shelsley Walsh Church
At the date of the Domesday Survey the manor
contained a fishery rendering 16 stiches of eels. (fn. 52)
A water-mill (fn. 53) belonged to the manor in 1308,
and the rector received tithes from a mill in 1535. (fn. 54)
This mill is again mentioned in 1631, (fn. 55) and in 1654
there were three water-mills in the parish. (fn. 56) New
Mill Bridge evidently marks the site of a former mill,
but there is now no mill here.
In 1653 the iron forge upon the River Teme in
Little Shelsley and a parcel of ground called the
Coal Yard were sold with the manor to Richard
Knightley of Fawsley and Richard Salwey. (fn. 57) This
mill and a forge still existed in 1779, (fn. 58) and the site is
now marked by Forgemill Farm, in the south-eastern
corner of the parish.
CHURCH
The church of ST. ANDREW consists
of a chancel measuring internally 21 ft.
9 in. by 17 ft. 6 in., nave 32 ft. by
16 ft., south porch and timber bellcote at the west
end of the nave roof. The walls are of tufa with
sandstone dressings, and are faced on both sides. The
roof is covered with tiles.
The nave dates from the early part of the 12th
century, but the north doorway is an insertion of
about 1160, when a wide window was opened out in
the south wall and probably the original south doorway
was blocked. The present chancel was built early in
the 13th century, windows being opened at the west
end of the nave at the same period. Late in the
15th century the beautiful oak screens which divide
the chancel from the nave, and inclose a chapel at the
south-east corner of the latter, were constructed. The
church was thoroughly restored in 1859, and the porch
is modern.
The chancel has an east window of three pointed
lights with a rear arch enriched with a filleted edge
roll. In the north wall is a twin lancet window with
a single rear arch, and in the south wall is a similar
window with a single lancet further to the west.
These all have modern external stonework, but the
internal jambs and two-centred drop rear arches are
of the early 13th century. At the south-east is an
early 13th-century piscina with a trefoiled head and
a filleted edge roll, a projecting sill moulded with a
bead and dog-tooth, and a quatrefoil bowl.
The chancel screen forms the only division between
the chancel and nave. In the north wall are three
single lights, all of which have modern stonework
externally; the two eastern, which have semicircular
heads and rear arches, probably date from the early
12th century, while the westernmost window is 13thcentury lancet with a modern rear arch but original
internal jambs. The north doorway, between this
lancet and the other windows, has a semicircular head
of a single order enriched with cheveron moulding,
quirked and splayed label and abaci, and jamb shafts
with scalloped capitals and moulded bases with angle
enrichments. The tympanum is plain, but slightly
recessed as if for some form of applied decoration, and,
like the jambs, is of tufa, while the other parts of the
doorway are of sandstone; the shafts are modern.
At the east end of the south wall is a twin lancet
under a single slightly pointed rear arch; the outer
stonework is modern, but the internal jambs and rear
arch date from about 1160. To the west of this
is a very narrow semicircular-headed light of the early
12th century, and below it can be seen the lines of
a blocked opening, probably a doorway; at the west
end of the wall is a lancet similar in all respects to
the opposite window in the north wall. The west
window, which is of two modern pointed lights with
a circular cusped piercing above, has an old drop rear
arch and jambs, probably of the early 13th century.
The open timber roof over the chancel is supported
by three heavy trusses with old beams, and over the
nave is an open trussed rafter roof, probably of the
late 14th or early 15th century, with modern matchboarding. The font has an early 12th-century
circular bowl of sandstone; it is plain and somewhat
cuplike in shape, and has a modern moulded base.
The oak pulpit is modern. Between the chancel and
nave there is a fine oak screen of the late 15th
century with linen-fold lower panels, moulded posts,
traceried upper lights and a moulded cornice with
beautifully carved vine-leaf ornament. Above it is a
moulded rood-beam of the same date with a double row
of vine-leaf ornament, also finely carved and with deep
hollows behind; the cross on the beam is modern.
At the south-east of the nave the screenwork is
carried west from the rood screen, and returned to
the south wall so as to inclose a rectangular space
measuring internally about 9 ft. by 6 ft. This
parclose screen is of the same character and date as
the rood screen, and the space inclosed was probably a
chantry chapel, as the part of the rood screen inclosed
by it is left rough, and provision seems to have been
made here for an altar. The oak north door with its
heavy oak lock is mediaeval, but has been repaired.
In the jambs of the doorway are holes for an oak bar.
The central portion of the chancel floor is laid with
15th-century encaustic tiles set in designs consisting of
groups of sixteen and four tiles, each group being
complete in itself. Most of these are in geometrical
patterns; one group has a circle of grotesque animals,
and another a black-letter inscription in Latin of which
'Deo gratias' is decipherable, but the rest is indistinct.
On the chancel floor, in the south-east corner, is a
grave slab which dates probably from the 14th
century. It has an incised calvary cross, with a
zigzag halo at the head and a pentagram in the centre
of the cross, the stone being sunk between the enrichments so as to leave them in relief. At the northeast of the chancel is a painted wood rectangular
tomb with a flat sunk top, having a moulded edge
inscribed both on the inside and outside, and a
panelled face with painted shields on the south and
west, the other sides being against the walls. The
inscription is as follows: 'Heere lieth Fraunces
Wallsh esquire sonne and heire to John Wallsh
esquire and Allice the daughter of Cristepher
Baynham knight which Francis married Anne the
daughter of Richard Cornewhall barron of Barford
and had issue 3 sonns and 6 daughters and departed
this mortale lif the 19 of July in the year of our
Lord God anno Domini 1596.' The shield on the
west side has evidently been repainted; it represents
Walshe with five quarterings, with the crest, a griffon's
head razed and the motto 'Veritaset Virtus Vicinae.'
On the south side of the tomb the westernmost shield
is Walshe quartering Warde, impaling Blount quartering Sodington. The next shield is Walshe and Warde
impaling Cornwall; and the last Walshe and Warde
impaling Baynham.
The bellcote, the framework of which is modern,
contains three bells by J. Warner & Son of London,
1859.
The communion plate consists of a silver cup and
cover paten of the Elizabethan period, not hallmarked, but the paten is dated 1576. There are also
a modern paten and flagon.
There is one small book of registers which contains
all entries from 1729 to 1812.
ADVOWSON
The advowson is mentioned as
early as 1287, when it was held with
the manor by Henry Walshe. (fn. 59) The
advowson has since followed the descent of the manor. (fn. 60)
In 1291 the church was taxed at £4 6s. 8d., and
portions were paid to the Prior of Wotton and the
Prior of Newent. (fn. 61) In 1535 an annual pension of
3s. was paid to the church of Clifton upon Teme. (fn. 62)
In 1655 the rectory, with house, glebe and tithe,
was valued at £17 10s., and it was suggested that it
should be united with Clifton. (fn. 63)
There do not appear to be any endowed charities
subsisting in this parish. The children attend the
school at Shelsley Beauchamp.