BECKFORD
Beckford lies 6 miles east of Tewkesbury, on the
southside of Bredon Hill. (fn. 1) Becca's ford, from which
the parish takes its name, (fn. 2) was presumably on the
Carrant brook. The ancient parish covered 2,778
a., (fn. 3) and included the hamlets of Grafton, Bengrove,
and Didcot. Didcot lay in Tewkesbury hundred. (fn. 4) In
1931 Bengrove (357 a.) was transferred to Teddington parish and Didcot (431 a.) to Dumbleton parish;
the remaining 1,990 a. of Beckford (including
Grafton) were transferred to Worcestershire. (fn. 5) In
1965 c. 140 a. were transferred from Beckford to
Teddington, and c. 102 a. from Teddington and c.
127 a. from Dumbleton were transferred to Beckford. (fn. 6)
The ancient parish stretched across the wide
valley of the Carrant between three hills; Beckford
and Grafton tithings in the north reached the 625 ft.
contour on Bredon Hill, Bengrove in the south-west
reached the 600 ft. contour on Oxenton Hill, and
Didcot in the south-east lay on the lower slopes of
Dumbleton Hill. The shape of each tithing was
narrow on the hill slopes and widened as it reached
the valley floor. The resultant three-legged shape of
the parish was emphasized by the detachment from
Beckford of Great Washbourne in 1177. (fn. 7) The
western boundary of the ancient parish was marked
by a stream running down Bredon Hill, the Carrant
brook, the road from Overbury to Teddington
Hands, and a stream running down Oxenton Hill.
The southern and eastern boundaries mainly
followed field boundaries. The way in which the
parish narrowed to a point on Bredon Hill in the
north, in the same way as the neighbouring parishes
of Conderton and Ashton under Hill, (fn. 8) resulted from
the division of the pasture on the top of the hill.
For the same reason, presumably, the boundary
between the tithings of Beckford and Grafton
divided the northern wedge of the parish into two
narrow fingers on the side of Bredon Hill. Bengrove's
boundary with Beckford in part followed the road
running east from Teddington Hands. (fn. 9) Didcot was
divided from Ashton under Hill by the TewkesburyEvesham road and from Grafton by a hedge to the
east of the buildings at Saberton. (fn. 10)
The parish lies mainly on the Lower Lias; there
are large patches of river gravel around Beckford
village, a stretch of boulder clay between Beckford
and Grafton, and alluvium along the banks of the
Carrant. A fault line runs along Bredon Hill above
Grafton; below it are fallen masses of Oolite and
above it are the successive strata of the Middle and
Upper Lias and the Inferior Oolite. (fn. 11) The parish is
well supplied with springs. Before 1907, when
Winchcombe R.D.C. laid water on to Beckford and
Grafton from a spring above Grafton, many
inhabitants used wells sunk into the superficial
sand. (fn. 12)
The landscape is dominated by Bredon Hill,
which is studded with tree-lined hedges, small
copses, and orchards. There is some woodland on
the hillsides around Didcot Farm and Bengrove. At
Didcot there were numerous oaks and ashes in the
mid-16th century, (fn. 13) and the Wakeman estate in
Beckford had a 'fine display of old timber' in the
18th century; (fn. 14) elsewhere in the parish there seem
to have been only small areas of woodland. (fn. 15) William
Wakeman (d. 1836) felled many of his trees, (fn. 16) but
the land immediately north of Beckford village
retains, to some extent, the character of park-land.
On the valley floor, where the common fields
survived longest, (fn. 17) there are fewer trees. There is
deeply-marked ridge and furrow in some parts of the
parish, particularly in areas of old inclosure near
Didcot Farm, south-west of Grafton village, and east
of Beckford Cross. There are many old quarries and
sandpits on Bredon Hill.
The earliest known settlement in the parish was
on gravel east of Beckford village, (fn. 18) where there
were many inclosures used for stock-raising. The site
went out of use c. A.D. 70, perhaps because the
coming of the Romans caused a change from stockraising to arable cultivation. (fn. 19) Bredon Hill may have
been used for corn-growing: the remains of what
may have been a corn-drying building (fn. 20) and of 2ndand 3rd-century pottery have been found. (fn. 21) On the
gravel west of Beckford village, just outside the
parish boundary, there was a cemetery, dating
largely from the 6th century, containing at least 107
graves. (fn. 22)
By the late 8th century there was a minster church
at Beckford. (fn. 23) It presumably stood in or near
Beckford village, which stands on sand and gravel
on the north bank of the Carrant. The centre of the
village lies a furlong from the brook, and although
only 5 of the 26 houses assessed for tax in 1662 (fn. 24)
have survived, its plan, a main street closed at each
end by a cross-road, is probably ancient. The chief
houses, Beckford Hall, the Court House, and the
vicarage, stand on the north side of the street close
to the church. A 16th- or 17th-century house stands
at the east end of the village by the site of the
pound. (fn. 25) At the west end of the street is a Victorian
stone cross. Near the entrance to the churchyard the
street widened out to form a small square where, in
the early 19th century, stood a slate-roofed cross;
the square, then called the market-place, and
bordered on the north side by thatched, timberframed houses, (fn. 26) was probably part of a village
green. Houses were built on the west and south
sides of the square in the 18th century. The cross
has been removed, the timber-framed houses
replaced by brick buildings, and most of the square
made into a paved courtyard. The Manor House,
an old house but not a manor-house, (fn. 27) stands alone
on the south bank of the Carrant. It is probable that
other houses besides the surviving Malt-House
Cottages stood on the lane running past the Manor
House from the west end of the village, which led
across the bridge into Beckford open fields. The
mill (fn. 28) may have stood just west of the bridge.
The appearance of the main street changed
significantly in the 1860's, perhaps, as local tradition
records, after a serious fire, (fn. 29) but also through the
activities of a progressive landlord, Robert Timbrill,
and through the opening of Beckford station (1865;
closed 1963) on the Ashchurch-Evesham branch of
the Midland Railway. (fn. 30) Most of the old houses in
the main street were replaced by brick houses built
'in the style of villadom'. (fn. 31) Robert Timbrill built
the Towers, a massive brick house later called
Beckford Grange, in 1865; the school and near-by
cottages were built on land given by his father; (fn. 32)
a number of other brick houses, detached and semidetached, with names such as 'Eastville' and 'Westville' date from the same period. Timbrill provided
gas for the village from works built on the Carrant
west of Beckford. In 1870 the village was described
as 'remarkably clean and interesting'. (fn. 33) Whereas the
Towers and Beckford House, another brick mansion
built c. 1840 at Little Beckford, (fn. 34) were both the
centres of landed estates, other villas built in the
later 19th century were not connected with the land,
and in 1905 the village was described as 'curiously
suburban and uninteresting'. (fn. 35) A sewage works was
built c. 1906. (fn. 36) A village club was built at the west
end of the main street in 1937. (fn. 37) In the mid-20th
century new houses were built by the R.D.C. south
of the village at Little Beckford, and by private
builders on the road between Little Beckford and
Beckford, in the village street, and on the Grafton
road.
Apart from Beckford Hall (fn. 38) the most notable house
in Beckford is the Court House, so called because
manorial courts were held there in the 19th century. (fn. 39)
It may be the rectory house occupied by Richard
Wakeman in the mid-16th century. (fn. 40) It survives as
an H-shaped house, largely rebuilt, but the original
plan probably comprised a timber-framed hall and
a cross-wing on the north. The cross-wing, which is
also timber-framed, retains its early internal doorways and chimney. There are indications that the
hall once extended further south. The plan might be
that of a medieval house, but no fabric survives that
is clearly earlier than the 16th century. Dalton
House, on the west side of the square is an 18thcentury brick house of two stories with dormers; it
has sash windows and a wrought-iron porch. The
Nind family's house on the south side of the square, (fn. 41)
derelict in 1965, is an 18th-century brick house of two
stories, with a modillion eaves-cornice, sash
windows, and three-quarter columns and an entablature to the doorway.
Inclosure of the parish in 1774 led to the building
of outlying farms, notably Brook Farm to the south
and Home Farm to the east of Beckford village.
Court Farm, north of Beckford Hall, may have been
built after earlier, private inclosure. (fn. 42) Inclosure also
facilitated the development of housing along the
road from Teddington Hands to Evesham; rows of
brick houses and a few isolated villas were built
throughout the 19th century beside and close to the
road. The area was known as Little Beckford by the
late 19th century. (fn. 43) The Beckford Inn, known in
1774 as New Inn (fn. 44) and in 1965 as the Beckford
Hotel, was probably the earliest building on the
road. The 'Red Lion', the only inn in Beckford in
1715, (fn. 45) presumably stood in the village street and
may have been the inn kept by Samuel Freeman in
1637; (fn. 46) it was mentioned in 1789 (fn. 47) but not in 1856. (fn. 48)
The hamlet of Grafton lies between the 200 and
250 ft. contours on Bredon Hill 1½ mile north-east
of Beckford, and its name indicates a woodland
settlement. (fn. 49) The plan is irregular, a number of
farms and cottages lying on a steep lane running
between Middle Farm and Upper Farm, while
another small group of houses stands further west at
Lower Farm. Sunnybrook, in orchards west of
Grafton, is the only outlying farm-house. The hamlet
was well established by the 12th century when it had
its own chapel. (fn. 50) Grafton is small and isolated, and
the hamlet has changed little: 15 houses were
assessed for tax in 1662 and, in contrast with
Beckford, many have survived. In 1662 only one
house had as many as 4 hearths, (fn. 51) and Grafton has
never had a wealthy resident landowner. There has
been no modern building.
Thatched roofing survives on several buildings in
Grafton, including the weather-boarded barns at
Lower Farm and Middle Farm. Lower Farm itself
is timber-framed and faced with rubble and weatherboarding; immediately south of it is a framed house
with decorative curved timbers; the lower story is
faced with rubble and has a stone-mullioned
window with dripmould. Middle Farm is of rubble,
with an earlier timber-framed wing at the rear. A
row of timber-framed and thatched cottages above
Middle Farm is partly faced with rubble and brick,
and incorporates a five-light stone-mullioned
window with dripmould.
Bengrove lies in a hollow below the 200-ft.
contour on the north side of Oxenton Hill. The
name is first recorded in 1287. (fn. 52) The settlement
appears always to have been small. Only 4 houses
were recorded there in 1662 and 1672, but each
had 3 hearths. (fn. 53) The relative prosperity of the inhabitants there in the 17th century, when they were
freeholders, is also expressed in the additions made
then to two of the houses — rubble facing, stonemullioned windows, and massive stone chimneys.
Bangrove Farm, T-shaped with timber-framed
extensions, has a chimney with the date 1658 and the
initials of John Hale; a wall incorporates a stone
from a demolished house with the date 1655 and the
initials of John Roberts. Bengrove Farm is also
timber-framed with 17th-century additions, and has
the date 1628 and the initials of John Morris and
his son John. (fn. 54) In 1965 the old site of Bengrove had
only the two farm-houses and a modern cottage,
with ponds and other signs of former dwellings.
A few more cottages were built after the 18th
century by the road running east from Teddington
Hands.
Didcot hamlet, reduced by the 17th century to a
single farm, (fn. 55) lay on the lower slopes of Dumbleton
Hill. The name is first recorded in the 11th century. (fn. 56)
The hamlet declined after the fields were inclosed
for sheep-farming in the late 15th century, (fn. 57) but it
had been large enough to have a chapel, belonging
to Tewkesbury Abbey, that survived into the 16th
century; (fn. 58) the chapel probably stood immediately
south-east of Didcot Farm, where in 1840 there was
a small rectangular inclosure between Great and
Little Chapel Hay. (fn. 59)
The parish was crossed at its widest point by the
road from Teddington Hands to Evesham, which in
part at least was an old route, for it marked the
parish boundary for a short distance. (fn. 60) It was a
turnpike road from 1789 to 1877. (fn. 61) Two lanes linked
it to Beckford, one running north from what in 1774
was called Pinson's Cross, at Little Beckford, the
other running north from Beckford Cross (formerly
New Inn Green). (fn. 62) In 1794 the lane from Beckford
Cross through Beckford to Conderton was turnpiked, and in 1826 the road from Beckford Cross to
Alderton; both were disturnpiked in 1872. (fn. 63) Beckford was linked to Ashton under Hill by a lane
referred to as ancient in 1774; Grafton, standing
to the north of the lane, was linked to it by two lanes
which met at Middle Farm, of which the eastern
one, called Stonebridge Lane in 1774, (fn. 64) continued
past Didcot towards Dumbleton. The road running
east from Teddington Hands between Beckford and
Bengrove was a turnpike from 1726 to 1747 and
from 1755 to 1872. (fn. 65) North of that road the old
direct route from Beckford to Bengrove shrank to a
footpath. In 1774 at least two roads ran up Bredon
Hill to the pastures and quarries there; Hill Lane
ran from Beckford probably on the line of the
modern lane past Court Farm, and the other ran
from Grafton. (fn. 66) In 1789 a road society, formed by
gentlemen in the Bredon Hill area and meeting at
Beckford, aimed to improve the roads in the area
and encourage the surveyors of highways. (fn. 67) A
charity for the upkeep of the public roads originated
in an allotment of 3 a. at inclosure in 1774. It
yielded c. £2 in 1927 and was in existence, though
not used, in 1965. (fn. 68)
In 1086 81 inhabitants were enumerated, of whom
12 were in Didcot. (fn. 69) In 1327 74 people were assessed
for tax, 29 in Beckford, 28 in Grafton, 10 in Didcot,
and 7 in Bengrove. (fn. 70) In 1381 178 parishioners were
named, 112 from Beckford, 57 from Grafton, and 9
from Bengrove. (fn. 71) There is no figure for Didcot in
1381, but it was said that 30 people left their homes
there on inclosure in the late 15th century. (fn. 72) There
were said to be 41 households in the parish in 1563, (fn. 73)
and 50 families in 1650. (fn. 74) In the late 17th century it
was estimated that there were c. 25 families in
Beckford, c. 20 in Grafton, and 4 in Bengrove. (fn. 75) In
1727 and 1728 the parish seems to have been affected
by disease: there was a total of 86 burials, far more
than in normal years. (fn. 76) The population rose, nevertheless, from c. 250 in the early 18th century to 403
c. 1775. (fn. 77) In 1801 the total was 459, 281 of whom
lived in Beckford, 178 in Grafton and Bengrove.
Throughout the 19th century the population varied
little, except for a sudden rise between 1861 and
1871, the period of Beckford's rebuilding, from 473
to 545. Numbers had fallen to 461 by 1881, and
remained fairly constant until the boundary changes
of 1931. (fn. 78)
In the early Middle Ages Beckford was dominated
by an alien priory established c. 1128 as a cell of the
Priory of Ste. Barbe-en-Auge (Calvados). (fn. 79) Beckford
Priory was a flourishing conventual house in the
12th century; because of its prosperity it became a
centre for scribes who sent their work back to the
mother house. (fn. 80) Before 1153 the canons built their
own oratory, (fn. 81) but the elaborate Norman architecture
of Beckford church may have owed something to
their influence. (fn. 82) Beckford Priory suffered during
the wars with France; (fn. 83) by 1374 only two canons
were living there, (fn. 84) and in 1399 it was said to be no
longer conventual. (fn. 85) Some of the priory's successors
as lords of Beckford manor achieved a more than
local repute, and Beckford Hall remained a major
influence in the life of the parish. (fn. 86)
An ancient custom called 'Thomasing', whereby
aged women perambulated the parish on St.
Thomas's Day calling on the principal residents for
alms, survived until 1925. (fn. 87)
Manors and Other Estates.
The Bishops
of Worcester held an estate at Beckford and Didcot,
first mentioned in the period 757–796, and again in
967 when Bishop Oswald leased land in Didcot to
one of his thegns. (fn. 88) In 1066, however, Beckford was
held by Rotlesc, a housecarl, which suggests that the
bishop's rights had passed to the king. (fn. 89)
After 1066 William FitzOsbern, Earl of Hereford
(d. 1071), joined Rotlesc's estate of 11 hides with
one of 8 hides at Ashton under Hill to form
BECKFORD manor. Possibly William held without
royal consent, for the Domesday jurors had seen no
writ granting the manor to him and he paid no
farm. (fn. 90) William's second son, Roger d'Ivry (usually
surnamed de Breteuil) inherited the earldom, taking
Beckford at a farm of £30 a year. By conspiracy in
1075 Roger forfeited the manor, which had no
further connexion with the Earldom of Hereford. (fn. 91)
Instead Henry I granted it to William de Tancarville, his chamberlain (d. 1129); during William's
lifetime it was held by his son Ravel the chamberlain,
who claimed to hold not at farm but freely in
demesne. (fn. 92) When c. 1128 Ravel granted Beckford to
the canons of Ste. Barbe-en-Auge, the king after
some delay (fn. 93) confirmed the grant in free alms. (fn. 94)
Ste. Barbe's right to the manor was subsequently
disputed. During the Anarchy William de Beauchamp, who claimed Beckford 'in time of war . . . by
hereditary right', twice evicted the canons from
Beckford. (fn. 95) After papal intervention William de
Beauchamp was forced to make restitution of
damages and later released all claim to the manor. (fn. 96)
Under Henry II the yearly farm of £30 was claimed
from Beckford manor because, as the canons alleged,
at the time of the grant to William the chamberlain
the king's roll had been negligently left unaltered. (fn. 97)
The claim apparently lapsed, for from 1158 the
sheriff deducted the £30 from the farm of the
county, (fn. 98) and before 1162 the king confirmed Beckford to Ste. Barbe in free alms. (fn. 99) The sheriff's
deduction was challenged on the grounds that the
£30 had never been part of the farm, and not until
1179 was it allowed. (fn. 100) Between 1185 and 1189 Henry
II again confirmed Ravel's grant of Beckford to Ste.
Barbe. (fn. 101)
The priors of Ste. Barbe appointed priors of
Beckford, (fn. 102) who held the manor, with some interruptions, until the end of the 14th century. When in
wartime the king took the temporalities of the priory
into his hands, he normally regranted them to the
prior at a high rent. (fn. 103) In 1358, after the prior had been
accused of waste at Beckford, the farm was granted
for life to Giles Beauchamp; it was restored to
another prior in 1361. (fn. 104) When, in 1374 and 1379, it
was again granted to laymen, there were contingent
payments for the maintenance of the prior and
canons. (fn. 105) In 1379 the priory was committed to Sir
John Cheyne, Speaker of the House of Commons,
at an annual farm of 100 marks. (fn. 106) Sir John made
Beckford his principal residence; by 1383 he held
the priory rent-free; in 1389 the Prior and Canons
of Ste. Barbe granted it to him, his wife, and his son
in survivorship. Sir John obtained both papal and
royal confirmation of his rights in Beckford, and
also persuaded the king that the priory was not
conventual. (fn. 107) He died in 1413 or 1414, his son Sir
John in 1420, and his wife Margaret in 1437.
Margaret's heir was Anne, daughter of the younger
Sir John and wife of Sir Thomas Roos. (fn. 108) In 1438 the
king granted the issues of the manor for life to Sir
Robert Roos, (fn. 109) whose relationship to Sir Thomas is
not clear.
In 1444 the manor was granted in free alms to
Eton College, and a grant of 1441 to Sir John Beauchamp of the reversion after Sir Robert Roos's
death was revoked. Sir Robert surrendered his lifeinterest in 1445. (fn. 110) In 1462 Edward IV transferred
the manor to the Yorkist foundation, Fotheringhay
College (Northants.), which retained it until 1547. (fn. 111)
It was then granted by the king to Sir Richard Lee of
Sopwell (Herts.), (fn. 112) who settled it at one time on his
eldest daughter Anne and her husband, Edward
Sadler, and later on another daughter Mary and her
husband, Humphrey Coningsby. (fn. 113) Sir Richard Lee
was dead by 1577 when Humphrey and Mary settled
the manor on themselves for life, with reversion to
the heirs of Mary. (fn. 114)
The manor was then partitioned, the estate
broken up, and some of the copyhold land sold to
the tenants. (fn. 115) In 1582 part of the manor, including
the manor-house, was sold by the Coningsbys to
John Wakeman, whose father Richard (d. 1597) had
been tenant of the rectory estate since 1547 and was
already tenant of the manor-house in 1582. (fn. 116) John
Wakeman also acquired before 1614 lands and rights
from the Franklin family, purchasers of the other
part of the manor. (fn. 117) The Wakemans' estate continued
to be called Beckford manor. (fn. 118) John Wakeman, lord
in 1608, was succeeded in 1625 by his son Edward. (fn. 119)
During the Interregnum two-thirds of Edward's
Beckford estate was sequestrated for recusancy: at
Edward's death in 1659 it passed to his son, Richard,
who had raised a troop of horse for the king, and
who was living at Beckford Hall in 1662, the year
of his death. (fn. 120) Thereafter the manor descended in the
Wakeman family until the 19th century: Richard
was succeeded by his son Benedict (d. unmarried
1729), Benedict by his nephew William Plowden
Wakeman (d. 1765), and William Plowden by his
son Benedict (also d. 1765) and his brother Henry
(d. 1787). Henry's son William lived at Beckford
Hall until his death, unmarried, in 1836, when he
was succeeded by his great-nephew, Walter Wakeman. (fn. 121) Walter was still lord of the manor in 1856,
though the house was occupied by a tenant. Before
1863 both house and manor were purchased by
Hattil Foll (fn. 122) (d. 1881), whose son Hattil E. Foll (d.
1936) was a minor novelist. The father sold Beckford
Hall and the estate in or before 1881 (fn. 123) to Capt.
Henry Ashton Case, who was the owner until his
death in 1935. In 1936 Beckford Hall and 45 a. of the
estate were bought by the Salesian Society; (fn. 124) most of
the land was added to the Overbury estate. (fn. 125)
Beckford Hall is a building of stone and rubble
standing in park-land on the north side of the
church. The central range of seven bays has two
stories, attics, and a basement. On the western
elevation are seven gables between which are elaborate rainwater-heads bearing arms; the windows
have stone mullions and continuous dripmoulds,
and there is a central doorway. The range, which
is one room deep, probably dates from the mid17th century. Early 19th-century prints (fn. 126) show
that behind the central range was a second range
with a gable at the southern end, and that the central
doorway had a segmental pediment. In 1662 the
house was assessed on 22 hearths. (fn. 127) The oak
panelling of the dining-room was added by Benedict
Wakeman (d. 1729). The house was in poor condition in 1836; (fn. 128) it was restored in the late 19th
century, and a tower and wings were added, by
Capt. Case. A new entrance was made in the south
side. The chapel in the east wing was designed by
Ion Price; it replaced an earlier chapel in the servants'
rooms. (fn. 129) There is an ancient avenue of box trees in
the grounds.
The 19th-century hall at the rear was built over
the undercroft of the medieval priory. The undercroft was discovered and restored in the mid-20th
century. It consists of a stone-vaulted chamber, later
divided, four bays long from east to west and four
bays wide. Two 12th-century circular columns
support the vault and there are massive buttresses;
one of the columns has a cushion capital, the other a
square capital with chamfered abacus. The work
may be part of the oratory built by the canons of
Beckford between 1135 and 1153. (fn. 130)
The other part of Beckford manor, conveyed by
the Coningsbys to John Franklin, came to be known
later as the manor of ASHTON UNDER HILL
AND GRAFTON. (fn. 131) John died seised of the estate
in 1596, and his brother and heir Richard (fn. 132) in 1615,
by which time certain rights and lands formerly
attached to it had been sold to John Wakeman.
Richard's son and heir John was a minor; (fn. 133) in 1615
or 1616 Sir Thomas Glover, probably as guardian,
obtained with Edward Wakeman royal confirmation
of their rights in the whole manor, with a view to
final settlement of the two parts, and apparently
surrendered all manorial rights except over the
demesne. (fn. 134) John Franklin was succeeded by his son
Richard, created a baronet in 1660, who died c. 1685.
Sir Richard's son, also Sir Richard, died in 1695, (fn. 135)
and his widow Anne was lady of the manor in 1701. (fn. 136)
Sir Richard was succeeded as baronet by his brother
Thomas (d. 1728), (fn. 137) but a Sir Robert Franklin was
said, perhaps erroneously, to be lord c. 1710. (fn. 138) In
1712 John Twisleton and his wife Anne conveyed the
estate to Henry Bridges, from whom it passed before
1718 to James Bridges, Earl of Caernarvon. (fn. 139) By
1753 it was in the hands of George, Lord Carpenter
of Killaghy, who was created Earl of Tyrconnel in
1761. (fn. 140) He was lord of the manor in 1774 and
retained an interest in the manor until 1786. (fn. 141) The
manor then passed to John Blackburn, who was
succeeded by Edward Blackburn before 1810. (fn. 142)
William Baldwyn, who owned an estate and Lower
Manor Farm in Ashton, was recorded as lord of the
manor in 1870. He died in 1898, (fn. 143) and successive
owners of Lower Manor Farm were regarded as lords
of the manor: John Collins in 1902, Arthur Roberts
in 1906, and Henry Bailey in 1923. (fn. 144)
An estate at Didcot held in the Middle Ages by
Tewkesbury Abbey came to be known later as
DIDCOT manor. (fn. 145) It originated in a grant of 3
hides out of Beckford manor, made shortly after the
Conquest by William FitzOsbern to Ansfrid de
Cormeilles. (fn. 146) Ansfrid died before 1101 and was
succeeded by Thurstan de Cormeilles, probably his
son. (fn. 147) In the reign of Henry I Thurstan's son
Alexander granted the estate to Tewkesbury Abbey,
which retained it until the Dissolution. (fn. 148) In 1526
it was granted to William Cartwright and his four
sons in survivorship. (fn. 149) In 1544 the Crown granted
the reversion in fee to Richard Tracy of Stanway, (fn. 150)
who held Didcot at his death in 1568. Tracy was
apparently successful in defending his title c. 1556
against John Throckmorton, who claimed the
reversion under a grant by Tewkesbury Abbey. (fn. 151)
In 1608 Richard's son, Paul Tracy (d. 1626), was
holding the manor; he settled it on the marriage of
his son Richard to Anne, daughter of Sir Thomas
Coningsby, and Sir Richard Tracy held Didcot at
his death in 1637. (fn. 152) Thereafter Didcot descended
with Stanway manor until at least 1798, when Francis
Charteris (fn. 153) still had an interest in it. In 1800, however, Richard Stock, formerly the tenant, was said to
be owner. (fn. 154) By 1840 the manor was held by Edward
Holland, lord of Dumbleton manor, with which
Didcot was afterwards owned. (fn. 155) In 1937 the lady of
the manor was Caroline, Viscountess Monsell,
daughter of Henry William Eyres of Dumbleton.
She died in 1959 and was succeeded by her son, the
Hon. H. B. G. Eyres Monsell. (fn. 156)
A freehold estate in Beckford was held by the
Freeman family from the Middle Ages until the
First World War. (fn. 157) In 1469 John Freeman held a
house and 2 yardlands, by knight service, of the
Prior of Beckford. (fn. 158) In the late 17th century William
and Edward Freeman were armigerous. (fn. 159) Richard
Freeman, owner in 1698, was succeeded by William,
and William by his son William (d. 1764). The heir
to the estate, another William, was a minor, and at
inclosure in 1774 Mary Freeman, perhaps his
mother, (fn. 160) received an allotment of 53 a. and also
had 26 a. of old inclosures. (fn. 161) On the death of
William Freeman in 1827 the estate passed to his
nephew John. (fn. 162) The last of the family to hold the
estate, Capt. William Freeman (d. 1934), was in possession by 1879. In 1889 the ancestral house was
known as the Manor House; (fn. 163) it was later leased
until sold with the estate c. 1926 to Capt. Arthur
Davey. The owner in 1965 was Lt.-Col. J. GarnetLawson. (fn. 164)
The Manor House stands in its own grounds on
the south of the village. The original building is a
16th- or 17th-century L-shaped structure of rubble
with a Cotswold stone roof. There are gables, stonemullioned windows, and dripmoulds. In 1662 the
house had 4 hearths. (fn. 165) Large-scale additions were
made in the 20th century.
The rectory estate, appropriated to the Abbey of
Cormeilles in or after 1235, (fn. 166) originated in the grant
to the abbey by William FitzOsbern of his demesne
tithes, 3 yardlands, and the churches of Beckford
and Ashton under Hill. (fn. 167) From 1177 the tithes of
Tewkesbury Abbey's estate in Didcot were included
in the rectory. (fn. 168) Until the rectory was put to farm in
the mid-13th century it was administered through
Newent Priory, a cell to Cormeilles. (fn. 169) In 1247 it was
granted to the Prior of Ste. Barbe at an annual farm
of 60 marks, (fn. 170) and was held by the priors of Beckford, along with Beckford manor. During the wars
with France the rectory was at times taken into the
king's hands and regranted to the Prior of Beckford. (fn. 171) The rent, however, was a heavy burden, and
shortly before 1370 the Prior of Beckford surrendered the rectory to Newent Priory without
licence. The Crown then granted it to Thomas
Hervey, a royal official, (fn. 172) but it was restored in 1372
to Newent Priory and Hervey received a pension of
£40 a year from Newent. (fn. 173) In 1396 the farm of the
rectory was granted to William Longbrook, clerk,
and in 1399 to Sir John Cheyne and Thomas
Horston, clerk. (fn. 174) In 1411 the rectory passed with
Newent Priory to Fotheringhay College, and so in
1547 to Sir Richard Lee, at a fee-farm rent. (fn. 175) From
1548 it was leased to Richard Wakeman. (fn. 176) With the
manor, the rectory was later divided between the
Wakemans and the Franklins, (fn. 177) who each held the
tithes over their own lands; the tithes of most of
Bengrove were held separately by the Morris family
and later passed to the Baldwyns. (fn. 178) At inclosure in
1773 Henry Wakeman received 198 a. and the Earl
of Tyrconnel 134 a. for the tithes of Beckford and
Ashton under Hill, and John Baldwyn 31 a. for those
of Bengrove. (fn. 179) The tithes of Didcot were commuted
in 1840, when the impropriator, Charles Ranken,
was awarded a rent-charge of £42 a year. (fn. 180)
Economic History.
By 1066 Beckford was
the centre of a large arable estate, assessed at 11
hides. On the demesne were 3 plough-teams and 16
servi and ancillae; the tenants, 34 villani and 17
bordars, had 30 plough-teams. Before 1086 Didcot,
assessed at 3 hides and carrying with it 5 ploughteams and 12 villani, was taken out of the estate and
thereafter remained a separate agrarian unit. (fn. 181) The
rest of Beckford was united with Ashton under Hill
as a single manor assessed at 16 hides in 1086; there
were then 7 plough-teams on the demesne worked by
28 servi and ancillae. The tenants, 32 villani and 21
bordars, held 31 plough-teams. A small rectory
estate, 3 yardlands with 2 villani, was also in existence
by 1086. (fn. 182)
The demesne increased in size during the 12th
century, partly by the ploughing of new land. (fn. 183)
Later surveys suggest that although the demesne
arable was reduced the number of plough-teams
decreased more slowly: an undated 13th-century
extent valued 10 plough-lands of demesne at 40s.
each, whereas in 1291 and 1371 the demesne was
described as 4 plough-lands in Beckford, worth 30s.
and 32s. 6d. respectively; in 1293-4 the Prior of
Beckford had 7 plough-teams. By the mid-15th
century demesne farming was no longer practised;
the demesne is identifiable with parcels of pennyland
held by tenants in addition to their customary
holdings. (fn. 184) The parcels were held at will for rents
varying in Beckford field from 22s. to 3½d. a year and
amounting to nearly £9. In Grafton field the pennyland was split into c. 40 holdings rented at £11 2s.,
almost as much as the customary land. Although
pennylands were scattered throughout the two
fields, their occasional concentration within certain
furlongs suggests partial amalgamation of demesne
at an earlier period.
In the 13th century 77½ yardlands were held by
villeins at an annual rent of 10s. each; rents of cottars
amounted to 60s. (fn. 185) In 1291 the commuted customary
works were valued at £20. (fn. 186) In 1371 the tenants'
rent was £35, much the same as in 1291; but it
included rent of tenants-at-will and customary
works had decreased in value to c. £11. (fn. 187) The taxassessment of 1327 suggests a wide range of wealth
among the tenants. At Beckford 7 out of 29 were
assessed at 4s. or more, and 11 at less than 2s. At
Grafton 17 out of 28 were assessed at 4s. or more
(one was assessed at 22s.), and only 5 at less than 2s.
At Didcot one of the 10 was assessed at 4s. 0¼d., and
6 at less than 2s. At Bengrove 7 were assessed at a
total of £2 8s. 11d. (fn. 188) In Beckford, Grafton, and
Bengrove, most of those assessed for poll-tax in
1381 were divided evenly between cultores and
servientes. (fn. 189) Whatever that distinction might imply,
in the 15th century there was great diversity among
the tenants. In Beckford in 1469 there were 2 freeholders, John Freeman, mentioned above, (fn. 190) who
paid 16s. rent and 8s. for customary works, and
another who held a house on the rectory estate,
paying only 9d. for works. There were 29 customary
tenants, most of whom also held pennyland. Five
holdings of a house and one yardland survived, at a
rent of c. 25s. each. Of the total rental of £30 more
than two-thirds came from customary holdings.
There were 5 tenants at will who held only small
amounts of pennyland. (fn. 191) At Grafton in 1455 there
was less variety: of the 10 customary tenants 9 held
a house and one yardland, the other 1½ yardland;
the normal rent was 24s. with 20d. for customary
works. (fn. 192) The total rent was £26, the same as in 1471
when there were 11 customary tenants, 11 tenantsat-will, and 7 others who were probably also tenantsat-will. (fn. 193) Thus the combined tenant population of
Beckford and Grafton c. 1470 was 2 freemen, 40
customary tenants and c. 20 tenants-at-will. Of the
customary tenants half were cottagers or crofters.
Seven small tofts in Beckford were vacant.
Although the division of the manor in the late 16th
century coincided with the appearance of several
small freehold estates, most of the land continued
to belong to the two large estates. In 1774 Henry
Wakeman and the Earl of Tyrconnel owned over
two-thirds of the parish. (fn. 194) Besides the 'old estate' (fn. 195)
of the Freeman family in Beckford, which in 1774
was c. 70 a., (fn. 196) the smaller estates lay chiefly in
Bengrove and Grafton. In Bengrove the Roberts,
Hale, and Shewell families each held a yardland in
chief in the earlier 17th century; (fn. 197) the Morris family
also held land there in addition to the great tithes. (fn. 198)
The four estates accounted for most of Bengrove
field. In 1774 the Roberts estate, which had passed
c. 1667 to the Darkes, (fn. 199) was c. 55 a., the Hale and
Shewell estates, amalgamated in the possession of
Samuel Bubb, (fn. 200) were together c. 102 a., and the
Morris estate was held by John Baldwyn, who had
c. 85 a. with a further 31 a. for tithes. (fn. 201) In Grafton
the Baylis and Dobbins families each held a yardland
in chief in the early 17th century; (fn. 202) both had substantial houses there in 1672, (fn. 203) but at least one of the
estates was broken up during the 18th century: in
1774 there was only one sizeable estate, c. 85 a. of
old inclosure owned by William Beckford, apart
from the estates of Henry Wakeman and the Earl of
Tyrconnel. (fn. 204)
Grafton field and Beckford field were recorded in
the 13th century, (fn. 205) and Bengrove field in the 15th
century. (fn. 206) In the 18th century three fields were
mentioned in Grafton and three in Bengrove:
Churchway, Further, and Middle fields in Grafton,
and Whitefield, and Upper and Lower fields in
Bengrove. (fn. 207) It seems, however, to have been normal
to identify ridges in the fields by furlong only, (fn. 208) and
it is not clear whether cropping was based on the
threefold division. Moreover, large inroads on the
common fields by piecemeal inclosure probably led
to frequent regrouping of furlongs. In the Middle
Ages the chief crops sown were the usual cereals,
although no reference to oats has been found. Goods
and chattels belonging to the Prior of Beckford in
1293 included 180 quarters of wheat, 110 quarters of
barley, 48 quarters of dredge, and 70 quarters of
beans, peas, and vetches; extremely low values were
given to each crop. (fn. 209) Flax, onions, and herbs were
grown, and orchards were probably important then
as later. (fn. 210) The manor also contained a vineyard as
well as dovecots and a fishery. (fn. 211) Meadow-land was
located chiefly along the banks of the Carrant. (fn. 212) In
1371 the Prior of Beckford had 60 a. of meadow
valued at £7 10s. (fn. 213) In 1455, however, the tenants of
Grafton held only 21 a. by lot. (fn. 214) By the 16th century
much of the meadow in Grafton and Beckford seems
to have been inclosed. (fn. 215)
There was extensive pasture for sheep on Bredon
hill. In the 13th century it was stated that the manor
could maintain 500 sheep; (fn. 216) in 1293–4 the prior
owned 315. (fn. 217) There were at least 3 shepherds in the
parish in 1381, (fn. 218) and a tithe custumal of 1488 was
chiefly concerned with the tithing of sheep. (fn. 219) In the
16th century the rectory included pasture for 100
sheep on Bredon hill, (fn. 220) and even two relatively small
holdings in Grafton had common of pasture for 130
sheep together. (fn. 221)
At Didcot, where in 1177 the Abbot of Tewkesbury had held 30 a. in demesne and there were 12
villein yardlands, (fn. 222) there was large-scale inclosure for
sheep-farming. In 1500 the abbot's tenant converted
300 a. of arable to pasture; it was later said that 30
villagers left their homes. (fn. 223) Legislation against
inclosure led to the reconversion of the land to
tillage, and a subsequent lease stipulated that if
inclosure was again effected the rent would be
doubled. The hamlet was still uninclosed in 1540, (fn. 224)
but it remained in single ownership and was reconverted to pasture: in 1553 400 sheep were distrained there. (fn. 225) By the 18th century Didcot was
known as Didcot pastures. (fn. 226)
Inclosure in Beckford itself was not only for
sheep-farming. An inclosed park, containing both
pasture and arable, existed by 1470. (fn. 227) When John
Wakeman bought the manor in 1582 much of it was
probably inclosed, (fn. 228) but some of the arable in
Grafton lay scattered throughout the fields. (fn. 229) In
1609 John Wakeman gave some or all of his ridges
there to John Franklin and his copyholders in return
for certain furlongs in Grafton field which he might
inclose. (fn. 230) Although a condition of his purchase in
1582 was that Beckford Farm Hill and Beckford Hill
above the park were never to be inclosed and were
to be used exclusively for sheep-pasture, and that
nothing was to be done that might interfere with the
common rights of others, (fn. 231) the exchange of 1609
provided that Wakeman should surrender 210
sheep-commons in return for c. 60 a. on Bredon Hill
near Elmley Castle; Wakeman already had an
inclosure of c. 10 a. on Bredon Hill, and presumably
the agreement made possible the stone-walled
inclosure of c. 70 a., called Warren Hill, which the
Wakemans owned in 1684. (fn. 232) In 1611 Richard Wakeman was letting a new inclosure of 8 a. called
Saltpits. (fn. 233) Others were inclosing their land or converting to pasture at that time. Six closes of meadow
and pasture, held in chief by Bernard Dobbins in
1626, (fn. 234) included 6 lands described in 1606 as lately
laid down to pasture. (fn. 235) Before parliamentary inclosure the Earl of Tyrconnel held many pasture
closes. (fn. 236) By 1774 935 a. in Beckford township were
already inclosed, mostly belonging to the Wakemans.
In Grafton there were 305 a. of old inclosure divided
mainly between the Earl of Tyrconnel (107 a.),
Henry Wakeman (80 a.), William Beckford (85 a.),
and William Nind (15 a.); in Bengrove 122 a. had
been inclosed, most of it owned by John Baldwyn
(49 a.), Samuel Bubb (41 a.), and John Darke (24 a.).
By inclosure under Act of Parliament in 1774 the
remaining 474 a. in Beckford township were
awarded chiefly to Henry Wakeman (256 a.) and
Mary Freeman (56 a.); four others received less than
10 a. and the rest of the land was allotted for tithes.
The remaining 454 a. in Grafton were awarded
chiefly to the Earl of Tyrconnel (345 a.); three others
received less than 10 a. The remaining 212 a. in
Bengrove were divided mainly between Baldwyn
(35 a.), Bubb (60 a.), Darke (31 a.), and Wakeman
(19 a.); three others received less than 5 a. (fn. 237)
After inclosure the landowners remained few, but
farms were generally small, except on the Wakeman
estate in Beckford, of which at least half was still
owner-occupied in 1830. (fn. 238) The total arable in the
parish was said to be 878 a. in 1801, of which 376 a.
were under wheat, 220 a. under barley, and 163 a.
under beans; other crops included turnips (57 a.),
peas (34 a.), and oats (23 a.). (fn. 239) The barley yield of 30
bushels per acre was high for the area. (fn. 240) In 1863
there were 8 farms in the parish, and by 1885 11, of
which 5 were in Beckford, 3 in Grafton, 2 in Bengrove, and 1 in Didcot; in addition one man was
described as a grazier. Until the 1930's cattle sales
were regularly held in Beckford near the railway
station. (fn. 241) In 1965 Beckford contained a number of
orchards, and one farm (c. 150 a.) was devoted
entirely to market-gardening.
In 1291 the Prior of Beckford had two mills. (fn. 242)
A 13th-century extent mentioned only one mill in
Beckford. (fn. 243) In 1371 the priory contained one watermill, (fn. 244) which was held by Sir John Cheyne at his
death in 1420. (fn. 245) Mill furlong in Beckford township
was mentioned in 1470. (fn. 246) No reference to Beckford
mill later than 1592 has been found. (fn. 247)
A tailor was named in 1381, (fn. 248) another in 1449. (fn. 249)
A smith was mentioned in 1470. (fn. 250) In 1608 there were
2 tailors, 2 weavers, a butcher, a shoemaker, a smith,
a carpenter, and a cobbler. (fn. 251) In 1703 a mercer was
named, (fn. 252) and in 1716 an exciseman. (fn. 253) In 1811 only
16 out of 105 families were supported by trade,
manufacture, or handicraft. (fn. 254) By 1885 there were
three firms of coal merchants located at the railway
station. (fn. 255) Since the Second World War there has
been extensive gravel working in Beckford. (fn. 256)
Local Government.
By the 13th century
Grafton, Bengrove, and Didcot were established as
separate townships. (fn. 257) In 1279 the Prior of Ste. Barbe
claimed gallows and assize of bread and ale over his
men. (fn. 258) In 1287 his right to view of frankpledge and
waif, and to be quit of suit to the courts of shire and
hundred, was successfully challenged, (fn. 259) but view of
frankpledge belonged to Beckford manor in the 16th
and 17th centuries. (fn. 260) Courts leet were held at the
Court House until c. 1872. (fn. 261)
A continuous series of overseers' and churchwardens' accounts survives from 1660. (fn. 262) There were
two churchwardens; at first one represented Bengrove and Didcot, the other Beckford. In 1729 the
vicar nominated his own warden, though not without
opposition. (fn. 263) Until 1738 Grafton and Bengrove had
a separate surveyor of highways; there were two
surveyors for Beckford throughout. (fn. 264) Usually one
overseer accounted for Beckford and Didcot, the
other for Bengrove and Grafton. The funds at their
disposal came partly from rates, granted by the
vestry in multiples of a fixed sum of £4 13s. 4d.
payable by 28 householders in 1704, partly from a
rent of £9 a year from a piece of charity land. (fn. 265) In
the 17th century expenditure was at times so low
that the rent was sufficient; only one or two people
were on weekly relief, and other payments for the
poor, which included food, fuel, clothing, medical
care, and apprenticing orphans, were infrequent. A
few houses were built at the cost of the parish; (fn. 266)
they were possibly the group of rent-free houses on
the waste mentioned in 1834. (fn. 267)
Expenditure on the poor increased steadily
throughout the 18th century, from c. £47 in 1732 (fn. 268)
to £357 in 1796–7. By 1803 the number of people
on weekly relief was 29; the weekly doles may have
been reduced in 1815 when expenditure fell sharply,
without any marked decrease in the number of
people relieved. Between 1813 and 1815 the average
cost of law-suits was as much as £55 a year. (fn. 269) In
1834 the rate was levied by a select vestry. It seems
that the able-bodied poor were relieved only if they
had a family, an allowance being available for all
children more than two. The roundsman system
was sometimes practised. (fn. 270)
In 1836 Beckford was included in the Winchcombe Poor Law Union, (fn. 271) and in 1864 in the
Winchcombe highway district. (fn. 272) In 1920 a joint
parish council was established for Beckford and
Ashton under Hill. (fn. 273) Beckford was transferred from
the Winchcombe to the Evesham Rural District in
1935. (fn. 274)
Churches.
There was a minster church at
Beckford in the late 8th century. In 803 it became
the subject of a dispute at the Synod of Clovesho:
Wulfheard, Bishop of Hereford, whose predecessors
had long held Beckford church on lease from the
Bishop of Worcester, refused to pay rent on the
ground that none had been paid for 30 years or
more. Denebeorht, Bishop of Worcester, produced
evidence that it had been paid from Beckford to his
predecessor Waermund (775–7), and accepted a
compromise whereby rent was paid in alternate
years. (fn. 275) It is not known whether the Bishop of
Worcester retained an interest in Beckford church at
the Conquest. (fn. 276) In or before 1071 William FitzOsbern granted the churches of Beckford and Ashton
under Hill, together with demesne tithes and 3
yardlands, to his newly-founded abbey at Cormeilles. (fn. 277) A rector, Silvester, was in possession of
the church in 1177. (fn. 278) In 1235 the Pope licensed the
abbey to appropriate the rectory on the death or
resignation of the rector, Peter the red, son of
Roffridus, a papal doorkeeper. (fn. 279) A vicarage was
established by 1247. (fn. 280)
Beckford church, like other Saxon minster
churches, had a number of dependent chapels from
an early date. Of the chapels, Ashton under Hill (fn. 281)
was still annexed to it in 1965. In 1177 the Rector
of Beckford granted Great Washbourne chapel to
Tewkesbury Abbey in return for tithes at Didcot; (fn. 282)
from 1656 to 1660 Great Washbourne was reunited
with Beckford. (fn. 283) Grafton also had a chapel in the
12th century which survived until c. 1543. (fn. 284) A
chapel at Didcot belonged to Tewkesbury Abbey;
it passed with the Didcot estate to the Tracy family
but had probably been disused since the depopulation of the hamlet. (fn. 285)
During the Middle Ages the advowson of the
vicarage followed the descent of the rectory estate,
although the Crown often presented in the 14th
century on account of the French wars. (fn. 286) In 1386
Sir John Devereux, farmer of Newent Priory,
presented. (fn. 287) In 1547 the advowson passed to Sir
Richard Lee. (fn. 288) The right to present was in dispute
in 1573 between the Crown and two others, both
of whom claimed a turn by grant from Sir Richard
Lee. (fn. 289) By 1577 Humphrey Coningsby held the
advowson, which he later conveyed to John Wakeman; both Coningsby and Wakeman granted turns
to Nicholas Tracy of Kemerton. (fn. 290) Although the
Wakemans held the advowson until at least 1763,
and made presentations in 1593 and 1677, they
were papists whose right was usually exercised by
others. (fn. 291) The advowson seems to have passed to the
Timbrill family, members of which presented in
1797 and 1865. (fn. 292) It passed subsequently to J.
Gough, whose trustees were patrons in 1919. (fn. 293) By
1923 the advowson was held by the Martyrs'
Memorial Trust and in 1964 by the Church Pastoral
Aid Society. (fn. 294)
The vicarage was valued in 1291 at £6 13s. 4d. (fn. 295)
In 1535 the value was £16 16s. 10d. clear. (fn. 296) By that
time the vicar's income came chiefly from the small
tithes; there was no glebe, although the vicar held
land as a tenant-at-will in the 15th century. (fn. 297) By
1488 a prescriptive modus operated, whereby the
impropriator, who was also lord of the manor, paid
a rent in kind for the small tithes of his demesne and
the rectory estate. (fn. 298) At the end of the 17th century the
rent was 8 quarters of wheat, 6 of oats, and 4 of
barley, and £8 in money. (fn. 299) Among the small tithes
recorded in 1488 were customary payments at
Easter for gardens, onions and herbs, colts, and
milk, while tithes of flax, fruit, and pigeons were not
commuted. (fn. 300) In the 17th century the vicar was
receiving the rent of a meadow in Didcot known as
Vicar's meadow, (fn. 301) possibly identifiable with Ston
meadow from which the vicar was receiving tithes in
1704. (fn. 302) The value of the vicarage seems to have risen
little from 1650, when it was said to be £80, (fn. 303) until
inclosure in 1774 when the vicar was awarded 186 a.
for tithes. (fn. 304) When the tithes of Didcot were commuted in 1840 the vicar received a corn-rent of
£39 14s. 3d. (fn. 305) In 1807 he owned a small cottage in
Beckford as well as the vicarage house. (fn. 306) In 1816 the
vicarage was valued at c. £300, (fn. 307) and in 1865 at
£319. (fn. 308) The vicarage house, said to be in great decay
in the 1570's, (fn. 309) was apparently rebuilt in the 17th
century. The back part, a two-story stone structure,
was presumably the house with 4 hearths in 1672 (fn. 310)
and comprising 3 bays in 1704. (fn. 311) The house was
greatly enlarged by the addition c. 1800 (fn. 312) of a new
front block, a three-story brick structure with a
Welsh slate roof.
Simon of Leicester, instituted to Beckford
vicarage in 1279, was declared impotent and infirm
by old age in 1298, when the custody of the vicarage
was granted to another. (fn. 313) In 1324–5 the issues of the
vicarage were committed to the Bishop of Worcester
because the incumbent was a Frenchman. (fn. 314) During
the 14th century most of the incumbents exchanged
the benefice for another after a brief stay. (fn. 315) By
contrast, John Lowthe, instituted in 1428, remained
vicar for over forty years. (fn. 316) William Wilton, vicar
1509–10, was a fellow of King's College, Cambridge; John Russell, 1522–c. 1532, was Master of
Fotheringhay College, (fn. 317) and Thomas Topcliff, c.
1534–1545, (fn. 318) was a fellow there. (fn. 319) Services at Beckford were taken by a curate, paid by the farmer of
the vicarage in 1540 and 1544. (fn. 320)
The incumbent in 1551, John Chamberlain, was
declared satisfactory, as well as distinguished in
learning; he was for a time deprived of the living in
Mary's reign. (fn. 321) Later he lived at Batsford and paid
a curate to serve both Beckford and Ashton under
Hill; he took away with him the only copy of the
Queen's Injunctions and left the vicarage in decay. (fn. 322)
In 1573, because of the dispute over the advowson,
at least three vicars, including Chamberlain, claimed
the living. (fn. 323) The parish was badly served: the curate
served two cures and did not teach the catechism,
and the clerk could not read. (fn. 324) In 1576 the Crown's
presentee was instituted but resigned shortly afterwards. (fn. 325) The disputed presentation may reflect
religious unrest: in 1603 one man refused to come
to church and two to communion. (fn. 326) The incumbent
during the Interregnum was Richard Eedes, a noted
Presbyterian divine. (fn. 327)
In the early 18th century the vicars were
absentees. In 1713 one curate served Beckford,
Ashton under Hill, and Great Washbourne. In 1718
the incumbent was also Rector of Alderton. (fn. 328) Joseph
Biddle, vicar 1768–97, however, lived in Beckford;
his successor, John Timbrill, vicar 1797–1865,
Archdeacon of Gloucester, and a prominent local
churchman, rebuilt the vicarage and, though holding
other livings, lived in Beckford until his death. (fn. 329) In
1825 he was holding one service every Sunday and
4 communion services a year for 35–40 communicants. The average congregation then was about
160; by 1851 the number had not increased significantly. (fn. 330) Archdeacon Timbrill later employed an
assistant curate. (fn. 331)
The church of ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST (fn. 332) is a
building of coursed rubble comprising nave, chancel,
central tower, north vestry, and south porch. The
nave and lower stage of the tower are Norman,
although they appear to be built on earlier foundations. The nave has 12th-century doorways on the
north and south sides. The south doorway, set
within a plain Perpendicular porch which has been
much altered, is of four enriched orders. Attached
shafts supporting the two middle orders have
ornamented capitals. A sculptured tympanum stands
on a richly carved lintel, supported by brackets
decorated with carved heads. The tympanum has
usually been seen as an illustration of animal creation
adoring the Trinity: it shows a crucifix with a bird
perched on the right limb, a disc above the left limb,
and a strange beast on each side. (fn. 333) East of the doorway is a mutilated stoup. The north doorway has
been blocked and much altered. A tympanum
representing the harrowing of hell survives; below
it on the lintel is a leaf pattern. The lintel rests on
brackets decorated with carved heads. One enriched
order survives and there is an attached shaft with a
corbel-head instead of a capital. (fn. 334) The nave contains
an original deeply splayed window on both north
and south sides. An attached shaft with a 12thcentury capital in the south wall may have formed
part of another window. The west end originally
contained two large round-headed windows, which
are visible in the masonry. The Norman chancel
arch, later the tower arch to the nave, is of three
enriched orders supported on attached columns:
carved into the central column on the north side are
two demon heads and a centaur. The southern
columns were not completed and were later
mutilated, probably to accommodate a three-decker
pulpit.
The lower stage of the tower contains deeply
splayed windows in the north and south walls. Their
position east of centre shows that the lower stage was
formerly part of a Norman chancel. About 1300 a
tower of three stages, surmounted by a spire, was
built; relieving arches were inserted in the north and
south walls of the lower stage, and internally the
remains of vaulting are visible. The spire was
removed in 1622, (fn. 335) and a fourth stage added in its
place.
The chancel was added also c. 1300. Originally
both the north and the south wall contained two
two-light windows and one single; the single-light
window on the south side was enlarged as a low side
window during the 14th century but was later
bricked-up to the height of the other windows. The
queen-post roof was also a later addition as is shown
by a blocked window in the west wall of the chancel
above the tower arch. It is possible that the dedication of the high altar by Walter Maidstone, Bishop
of Worcester, in 1315 (fn. 336) marked the completion of
the building of the tower and the new chancel.
Shortly before 1413 a small chapel was built on
the north side of the chancel by Sir John Cheyne. (fn. 337)
The two-light window in the north wall of the
chancel, later blocked by a monument of 1662, may
have been blocked when the chapel was built, for
there is a squint beside it. The chapel was extended
in 1686–7, (fn. 338) and subsequently used as a vestry. Other
15th century additions include the five-light west
window and a window in the south wall of the nave.
The 15th-century font has an octagonal bowl and
pedestal with enriched faces. (fn. 339) Corbels in the nave,
the trussed-rafter roof, (fn. 340) and a surviving fragment of
wall-painting (fn. 341) are also probably 15th-century.
Blocked doorways, one above the other, north of
the tower arch to the nave, formerly gave access to a
rood loft, which was presumably destroyed, as
ordered, in 1551. (fn. 342) The communion rails are
Jacobean. The east window of the chancel, which
has unusual tracery, may have been replaced during
the 17th century. In 1656 the chancel was furnished
with seats for a school by Jonathan and Isaac Blackwell. (fn. 343) In 1660 the royal arms were set up in the
church. (fn. 344)
Throughout the 17th century the church seems
to have been repaired regularly. (fn. 345) In 1750 the roofs
and floors were said to have been repaired at the
request of the archdeacon. (fn. 346) In the mid-19th century
the church was restored at great expense. A gallery,
which had been rebuilt early in the century, was
removed and the old pews replaced by oak pews of a
similar pattern. For 12 years from 1866 the church
was lighted by gas. (fn. 347) In the 20th century the interior
was stripped of plaster and whitewash; (fn. 348) other
additions included a screen in the chancel arch,
which incorporates remnants of a much older screen.
Monuments in the chancel include those of
Richard Wakeman (d. 1662) and William Wakeman
(d. 1836). In the tower are tablets to Archdeacon
John Timbrill (d. 1865) and to members of his
family. Monuments in the nave include tablets to
two vicars of Beckford, John Harper (d. 1754) and
Lebbeus Lunn (d. 1718). There is a small panel of
Flemish glass in the Norman window on the north
side of the nave.
There are six bells, three of 1697, one of 1714,
and two undated. All appear to be by Abraham
Rudhall. (fn. 349) The bells were rehung in 1910. (fn. 350) The
plate includes a chalice and pewter cover (1576), a
pewter flagon (1684), and a credence paten (1720).
Two electro-plated alms plates were presented by
Robert Timbrill in 1871. (fn. 351)
The registers of burials begin in 1538, of baptisms
in 1549, and of marriages in 1573; they are virtually
complete.
The chapel at Grafton stood on the west side of
the main street, where the remains of a chancel arch,
with mouldings, are incorporated in situ in Norman
Cottage; excavation revealed the foundations of a
small rectangular nave and chancel. Comparison
with Great Washbourne chapel suggests that Grafton
chapel was built in the mid-12th century. (fn. 352) About
1543 the chapel was broken into by local men,
robbed, and apparently damaged beyond repair. (fn. 353)
A cottage was built in the ruins in the 17th century.
Roman Catholicism.
The private chapel of
the Wakeman family at Beckford Hall was the centre
of Roman Catholicism in the parish for over two
hundred years. In 1635 the education of Richard
Wakeman 'under a priest' aroused the concern of
the Privy Council. (fn. 354) Chaplains stayed at the house
throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries. (fn. 355) In
the 17th century Roman Catholicism was probably
confined to the family and their servants; only six
papists were returned in 1676. (fn. 356) By 1735, however,
the number had risen to 35, and it was reported that
a bishop had confirmed at the house. (fn. 357) In the time of
William Wakeman (d. 1836) the chapel was open at
stated times for public worship, and Beckford was
the centre of a mission numbering 50 people. After
1840 the Beckford Roman Catholics attended the
oratory at Overbury, and later the Roman Catholic
church at Kemerton. (fn. 358) Beckford Hall again became
a Roman Catholic centre when it was purchased by
Capt. Case in 1883; from 1936 it has been held by
the Salesian Society. (fn. 359)
Protestant Nonconformity.
Although
a Presbyterian meeting-house was registered in
1672, (fn. 360) no Protestant nonconformists were listed in
the 1676 return. (fn. 361) In 1709 and again in 1770 a
Presbyterian meeting-house was registered by a
member of the Baylis family. (fn. 362) There were said to be
16 Independents in 1735 and 1750; (fn. 363) an unregistered
house was used by dissenters in 1822, (fn. 364) but no
meeting was mentioned in 1826. (fn. 365) A Quaker meetinghouse at Grafton, registered in 1692, (fn. 366) has left no
further record. In 1912 the site for a Wesleyan
Methodist chapel was given by Mrs. Jessie Creese
out of the Beckford House estate. (fn. 367) The chapel, built
of wood and iron, was sold in 1940 and removed to
Uckington, to serve as a Baptist chapel. (fn. 368)
Schools.
In 1743 a school in Beckford was
taught by the curate of Great Washbourne. (fn. 369) In
1818 the only school recorded was a Sunday school,
established and supported by John Timbrill, the
vicar, and attended by 87 children. (fn. 370) By 1826 there
was also a day school, attended by c. 17 children at
their parents' expense. (fn. 371) The Sunday school, which
also served Ashton under Hill, was later in union
with the National Society from which it received an
annual grant; other funds came from subscriptions
and from the vicar. The school was held in the
church. (fn. 372) In 1863 John Timbrill built a new school
for the agricultural and manufacturing classes only, (fn. 373)
which was conveyed to trustees in 1864. Its income
in 1875 came from contributions and school pence.
The school, a brick building standing next to the
churchyard gate, was enlarged c. 1873. (fn. 374) A teacher's
house adjoining the school was built in 1864. (fn. 375)
Attendance was 53 in 1875, and 87 in 1907 when
there was a separate infants department. (fn. 376) In 1965
the attendance was c. 35; the school was closed at
the end of the year, the children going to Ashton
under Hill. (fn. 377)
Charities.
In 1539 John Dobbins, Vicar of
Tetbury, gave a house and ½ yardland, (fn. 378) which in
the 17th and 18th centuries was called Church land
and yielded c. £9 a year that was normally used to
augment the rates. (fn. 379) After inclosure in 1774 the
property comprised a house and 5½ a.; it was let for
£22 in 1826. (fn. 380) In 1743 John Harper, Vicar of
Beckford (d. 1754), gave a house and land at
Upton-on-Severn (Worcs.) for a bread charity. By
1826 the estate was let for £23, and the trustees were
the same as for Dobbins's charity. (fn. 381) Elizabeth Hale
of Bengrove (fl. 1735) (fn. 382) by will gave £20 for a bread
charity. (fn. 383) A scheme of 1913 merged the Dobbins
and Hale charities with a small part of the Harper
charity as the Beckford United Charities, and named
the residue the Harper ecclesiastical charity, both to
be used for any suitable charitable purpose. (fn. 384) Thus
in 1927 the Hale charity was distributed in bread,
the Dobbins charity in the form of tickets on Beckford tradesmen. (fn. 385) The United Charities continued
to operate in 1965. (fn. 386)