RADFORD SEMELE
Acreage: 2, 123.
Population: 1911, 556; 1921, 578; 1931, 532.
The parish forms roughly an inverted triangle, with
a northern base of 1½ miles and a depth of 2½ miles to
its apex in the south. Its boundary on the north is the
River Leam, a tributary of which bounds it on the
west, meeting at the southernmost angle the Fosse
Way, which is its eastern boundary for a distance of
just over a mile. Close to its northern edge the parish
is crossed by the Warwick and Napton Canal and by
the Rugby and Leamington branch of the L.M.S.
Railway. The road from Leamington enters the parish
at its north-west angle and leads to Radford Church
and Hall, but most of the village lies farther to the
south-east along a branch road running south past the
Baptist Chapel to end at Pounce Hill Farm. Most of
the land lies between 200 ft. and 250 ft., but the
Leamington road on its way towards Southam reaches
300 ft. on Radford Hill, and Crown Hill, just east of
Pounce Hill Farm, is also slightly over 300 ft. There
are no large blocks of woodland, but there are spinneys,
particularly near the village, and a good deal of timber
in the hedgerows.
The village contains, at present, a number of picturesque cottages, mostly timber-framed with brick
nogging and thatched roofs, dating probably from the
early part of the 17th century. Radford Hall, west of
the church, is a red brick house with stone dressings
and mullioned windows; it dates from the early 17th
century, to which period the panelling in the hall
belongs, but has been considerably modernized. In
the surrounding wall is a 17th-century stone doorway
with cornice and pediment. The Manor House is
mainly modern but contains a 16th-century timberframed nucleus, now part of the servants' quarters.
In 1086 there was a mill worth 6s. 8d., (fn. 1) and this
was held by Geoffrey de Simely in 1279. (fn. 2) It was conveyed to Kenilworth Priory in 1325 by John Lok and
Roger de Boyvill, clerks. (fn. 3) A water-mill was still
attached to the manor in 1606 (fn. 4) and as late as 1653. (fn. 5)
It does not appear to be mentioned after this, but
fishing rights in the River Leam belonged to the manor
in the 18th century. (fn. 6)
Manor
In 1086 the 5-hide vill of Radford was among the
estates of Turchil. It had belonged before
the Conquest to Edwin, but had later been
bought from Chetelbert (brother of Turchil (fn. 7) ) by Ermenfrid, who at the time of the survey
held it from Turchil, though it was alleged that he
ought to hold directly of the king. (fn. 8) The overlordship
came to the earls of Warwick,
being held of them as half a
knight's fee. (fn. 9) The first earl,
Henry de Newburgh, is said to
have given the manor to Geoffrey
de Clinton, who enfeoffed Henry
de Simely, (fn. 10) who also succeeded
Ermenfrid at Ashow and Calcutt
in Grandborough [q.v.]. From
this family the manor took its
name of RADFORD SEMELE.
Henry de Simely, at the request
of his wife Emma, agreed to the confirmation of
Geoffrey de Clinton's gift of the church of Radford
to Kenilworth Priory. (fn. 11) He was followed by his
son William Simely, who allowed William Pludieu
to assign lands here to the Templars at some date
shortly before 1185. (fn. 12) Geoffrey de Simely, son
of William, (fn. 13) was holding the half-fee of the Earl of
Warwick in 1242 (fn. 14) and gave to the Hospital of
St. John in Warwick 2s. rent payable by Roger de
Cherlecote for leave to put one end of the dam of his
mill at Whitnash on Geoffrey's land in Radford. (fn. 15)
William de Simely held the manor in 1267 (fn. 16) and his
son Geoffrey in 1279 held it, with a water-mill and 2
plough-lands, of Simon Basset, (fn. 17) who held of the Earl
of Warwick. (fn. 18) Geoffrey was still lord in 1316, (fn. 19) and
his son John, who had succeeded by 1323, (fn. 20) conveyed
the manor and 4 plough-lands, worth 19 marks, to the
Priory of Kenilworth before 1367, in which year the
canons were pardoned for having received the property
without licence. (fn. 21)
Simely. . . . three cinquefils .... (fn. 10a)
In 1279 the Prior of Kenilworth was one of the
lords of Radford; he was said to hold of Richard
Corbisson, (fn. 22) who held of Geoffrey de Simely. (fn. 23) During
the first half of the 14th century many small grants of
land in the parish were made to Kenilworth; (fn. 24) in 1291
the monks had 2 plough-lands, worth £2, and 9s. in
rents; (fn. 25) in 1535 the rents from their property, apart
from the rectory, amounted to £33 15s. 6d.; (fn. 26) the
bailiff at this latter date was Henry Yardley, who
received a fee of 26s. 8d. (fn. 27) and the Yardleys continued
to hold property in the parish until at least the middle
of the 17th century. (fn. 28) At the Dissolution the total farm
of the manor was £40 4s. 9½d., including the rectory. (fn. 29)
The manor was granted in August 1546 to Sir Thomas
Darcy, (fn. 30) who, as Lord Darcy of Chiche, conveyed it to
Richard Knyvet and Helen his wife in tail male in
1556. (fn. 31) Richard died in 1559, leaving a son Henry,
then aged 7 months and 15 days, (fn. 32) who in 1589 sold
to John Browne, of Barnham (Sussex). (fn. 33) His son Sir
William Browne died at Radford on 11 March 1637,
having settled the manor on Margaret, wife of his son
George and one daughter of Sir Edward Littleton. (fn. 34)
George died without issue in 1660, his heir being
Elizabeth, wife of Sir William Throckmorton. She
sold to Humphrey Greswold, on whose death in 1671
it passed to his brother Henry, rector of Solihull, whose
son Marshall Greswold was lord of the manor when
Dr. Thomas was writing, c. 1725. (fn. 35) Marshall's three
sons having died childless, the estate passed to their
sister Mary wife of David Lewis (fn. 36) and then to their
son Henry Greswolde Lewis, on whose death in 1829
it passed to Edmund Meysey Wigley, descendant in
the sixth generation from Anne (died 1669) sister of
Marshall Greswolde. He took the name of Greswolde,
as did his uncle Henry Wigley when he succeeded in
1833. Henry's daughter Alice married her cousin
Francis Edward Williams and their eldest son John
Francis Greswolde-Williams, who died in 1892, was
succeeded by his nephew Francis Wigley Greswolde Williams, (fn. 37) who was still lord of the manor
in 1932. (fn. 38)
Greswold. Argent a fesse gules between two running greyhounds sable.
Williams. Gyronny ermine and ermines a lion or sprinkled with drops of blood.
The Prioress of Wroxall held 1½ virgates in Radford,
given by Henry de Simely with the consent of Earl
Roger of Warwick. (fn. 39) In 1535 the priory was receiving
10s. rents from land in this parish. (fn. 40)
Church
The parish church of ST. NICHOLAS consists of
chancel with a vestry on the north, nave
with north aisle and south porch, and west
tower. The history of its development is
obscure, as it has been practically entirely rebuilt within
the last 70 years, with the exception of the tower and
the south wall of the nave, but it was probably built
early in the 12th century and enlarged in the 14th
century, when the tower was built.
The chancel has a three-light east window with
perpendicular tracery; in the south wall are two windows, each of two trefoiled lights; in the north is one
similar single light and the arch into the vestry, which
is lighted on the north by a window of two lights with
a quatrefoil in the head. All this work is modern, as
is also the chancel arch, springing from marble corbels.
The nave (40 ft. by 22 ft. 8 in.) opens into the
north aisle (16½ ft. in width) by an arcade of three
modern pointed arches, the western bay 3 ft. narrower
than the other two, with moulded pillars. There are
three two-light windows in the north wall of the aisle
and a three-light in the 15th-century style in the west
wall, all modern. The south wall of the nave, the
rubble of which contrasts with the ashlar of the modern
work, is the only original part of the body of the church.
It contains two windows, each of two trefoiled lights
under a two-centred head; the jambs are probably
14th-century but the tracery is modern. Between the
two but nearer to the eastern is a small 12th-century
window of which the round head is in one stone and
has a hood-mould with square stops, carved with a kind
of tongue ornamentation. The south doorway has a
two-centred head with two moulded orders and is
probably of the 14th century; but the porch, which
incorporates in its west wall part of an original buttress,
is modern.
The nave opens into the tower by a lofty twocentred arch of two chamfered orders, the imposts
being cut back as square pilasters. Externally the tower
is of two stages, not marked by string-courses, and is
faced with ashlar, the lower part being of red sandstone
and the upper of grey. The angle buttresses terminate
just below the parapet. There is a deep plinth with a
heavy chamfer and a torus-moulded string above. In
the west face is a window of three cinquefoiled lights
in a three-centred head, the jambs and mullions hollowchamfered; there is a relieving arch above it but no
hood-mould. The belfry windows are small, each of
two pointed lights with plain tracery under a twocentred head. At the angles of the parapet are crocketed pinnacles; these and the embattled parapet, in
which the torus moulding returns down the sides of
the merlons, are probably of 15th-century date. Internally, the doorway, with four-centred head, to the stairs
has been blocked.
All the roofs, except that of the tower, are modern,
as are the internal fittings, with the exception of a
richly carved 17th-century oak chest standing in the
tower and a late-18th-century vestment cupboard in
the vestry.
In the west window of the tower is a little heraldic
glazing (? 17th-century), including the arms of Greswold.
There are four bells: (fn. 41) two of 1636, one by Henry
Bagley of 1641, and one by Mears of London, 1818.
The registers begin in 1565, but the earlier entries
are incomplete.
Advowson
The church of Radford was given
to his new foundation of Kenilworth
Priory by Geoffrey de Clinton, the
gift being confirmed by Henry I, (fn. 42) and by Bishop
Roger de Clinton (1129–48) with the assent of Henry
de Simely in whose fee it was. (fn. 43) It had been appropriated to the priory before 1291, when it was valued
at £4. (fn. 44) In 1535 the rectory was farmed at £6, (fn. 45) and
the vicarage was worth £5 16s. (fn. 46) The rectory and the
advowson of the vicarage were included in the grant of
the manor to Sir Thomas Darcy in 1546 (fn. 47) and remained
attached to it until c. 1920, when the patronage was
transferred to the Bishop of Coventry.
Charities
Church Land. According to the
printed Parliamentary Report of the
former Commissioners concerning
Charities dated 1827 the lands belonging to the charity
were at the inclosure of the common fields of the
parish allotted to the churchwarden, and the rent is
to be applied to defraying the charges incident to the
office of churchwarden.
Alfred Lythall by will dated 14 April 1921 bequeathed £100 to the incumbent and churchwardens
of Radford Semele, the income to be expended in
keeping in good order the churchyard. The annual
income of the Charity amounts to £3 14s. 6d.
By a Declaration of Trust made in 1942 certain
persons created a trust for the maintenance and repair
of the churchyard at Radford Semele and of the graves
and tombstones therein, and particularly the graves
mentioned in the schedule to the deed, and it was
agreed that other persons may hereafter make contributions to the Trust, stating the graves in which
they are interested. The trust funds are required
to be invested in the name of the Official Trustees
of Charitable Funds and the interest paid to the
vicar and churchwardens so to be applied. The
present annual income of the Charity amounts to
£4 13s.
John Francis Greswolde-Williams by will dated
26 May 1891 bequeathed £1,000 to the vicar and
churchwardens of Radford Semele, the income to be
distributed on 23 October in each year for the benefit
of the poor of the parish in certain ways specified in
the will. The annual income of the Charity amounts
to £25 15s. 4d.
Henry Greswolde Lewis by will proved on 9 November 1829 gave £1,500 and directed that three old men
of this parish and of two other parishes should on
Christmas Day be supplied with a gown of the colour
of the Greswolde livery, a pair of shoes, a pair of
stockings, six pounds of beef, and two pounds of bread
each, and that any surplus income should be distributed
on New Year's day equally among the recipients of the
articles. The charity for the benefit of this parish is
regulated by a Scheme of the Charity Commissioners
dated 9 August 1898. The Scheme appoints a body of
trustees and directs that the income of the charity,
amounting to £14 5s. 4d., shall be applied to the
objects prescribed in the will.