Little Witley

Little Witley
Little Witley
Shire county	Worcestershire;
Region	West Midlands;
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WORCESTER
Postcode district	WR6
Police	West Mercia
Fire	Hereford and Worcester
Ambulance	West Midlands
UK Parliament	West Worcestershire;
	List of places UK England Worcestershire 52°16′18″N 2°19′02″W / 52.27166°N 2.317188°W

Little Witley is a village and

Malvern Hills District in the county of Worcestershire

, England.

History

Pre-history

There has been little if any evidence of early human activity in Little Witley, however Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age finds have been made in neighbouring Holt.^{[citation needed]}

Field-walking has produced evidence of

Hallow and Grimley, to an as yet unidentified western fort or outpost.^{[citation needed]} Further evidence of the presence of the Roman military in the area is found in Shrawley, where three circular crop-marks mark the position of a marching camp overlooking Shrawley Brook.^{[citation needed}

]

Early Middle Ages

Worcestershire has one of the most complete and ancient collections of Anglo-Saxon charters that detail the grants of estates by the church and crown. Wick Episcopi was an area to the Northwest of

Teme and a line through Broadwas, Martley, Wichenford, Little Witley and Shrawley Brook. The manors (later parishes) within Wick Episcopi where defined during that period. Whitlega = bend of a stream with a clearing (Witley) was first recognised at that time. Other locations named in the Wick Episcopi grant of 775 include, Ecles Broc (stream from Warford Pool) and Doferic (Shrawley Brook). The Buttinge tribe or family occupied the area that was later to become Witley Park.^{[citation needed}

]

Other locations in Holt named in the Wick Episcopi grant of 775 include Heafuchrycg (Ockeridge), Doferic (Shrawley Brook), Saeferne (the Severn) and Baele Broc (Babbling Brook = Grimley Brook). Hallow, in 816, was one of the first single manors to be granted to a tenant lord by the

Bishopric of Worcester. Before that it had been part of a larger estate, Worgorena league (the clearing of the people of Worcester), which also included Little Witley. The clearing concerned would have been in the southern portion of the still extensive but retreating Wyre forest. Slades, ridges and copses mentioned in the grant^{[citation needed}

] would have been around Witley Park and to the west of Little Witley village.

Bishop

Oswaldslow Hundred, a 'triple hundred', in 964 by the authority of King Edgar. Oswaldslow was created by the merging of Cuthburgelow, Winburgetreow and Wulfereslaw Hundreds. Witleage (Little Witley) was mentioned in the charter.^{[citation needed}

]

Eadmaer received a further grant in 969 when he took on four 'mansi', or hides, at Witleah (Little Witley). The boundaries included all of Witley and the remaining part of Bentley, probably in the area of Ockeridge Wood. This association of the two manors was repeated on subsequent grants. Little Witley's prefix was unnecessary as Great Witley did not come into existence until much later (post Domesday survey). The charter of 969 describes Witley as forested with open-fields, the latter presumably in the stream valleys.^[citation needed]

Later Middle Ages

In 1017 Archbishop

Wulfstan of Worcester granted the six hide Beonetleah (Bentley in Holt) with Witley manor to his brother, Aelfwige.^{[citation needed}

]

Earnig/Ernwy, a Dane and priest of

Domesday Survey of 1086 when Urse d'Abetot, Sheriff of Worcestershire, held one hide (30 acres. He let one plough to Walter Ponther. There was a resident priest, two smallholders and a second plough in the manor. The woodland was three by two furlongs (60 acres). Both before the conquest and in 1086 the taxable value was 10s(15s in another contemporary source)^{[citation needed}

].

The history of Little Witley church is somewhat obscure. It was not a parish church at the time of the Conquest but a chapelry of St. Helens in Worcester. It apparently did not have a font or burial ground until 1375 when application was made to the mother church, as the parish church of Holt was 2 miles (3.2 km) distant and the road, especially in winter, 'watery and muddy'. The church that stands today was rebuilt in 1867, although a blocked doorway in the north end of the nave is said to date from the early thirteenth century. Some of the foundation courses of the current building may be equally as old. The 'new' church was designed by Abraham Edward Perkins, Worcester's church architect.

Little Witley manor passed to the Beauchamp family when Emeline de Abitot, the daughter and heiress of Urse d'Abetot, married Walter de Beauchamp then owner of Elmley Castle. Walter's father Hugh (Hugue) de Beauchamp, had been the companion in arms of William the Conqueror and obtained large estates in Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Bedfordshire. He was the founder of the house of Beauchamp.^{[citation needed]}

In 1287 Little Witley manor was appended to Great Witley manor, which was under the Cooksey family, as part of a marriage trust agreement.

Recent times

A Cooksey heiress was married to Sir William Russell of Strensham in 1499, and Great Witley manor remained in Russell hands for over a hundred and fifty years. The Russells replaced the thirteenth century manor house at Great Witley with a grander edifice that was to later develop into Witley Court. Little Witley manor followed the descendancy of Great Witley manor until the twentieth century when the estate was broken up and sold off in 1920.^{[citation needed]}

Following the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 Little Witley Parish ceased to be responsible for maintaining the poor in its parish. This responsibility was transferred to Martley Poor Law Union.^[1]

References

^ Worcestershire Family History Guidebook, Vanessa Morgan, 2011, p68 The History Press, Stroud, Gloucestershire.

External links

Holt and Little Witley, Worcestershire – history essays

[1] Worcestershire Family History Guidebook, Vanessa Morgan, 2011, p68 The History Press, Stroud, Gloucestershire.

[1]

v t e Settlements in Malvern Hills District
Towns	Malvern Tenbury Wells Upton-upon-Severn
Villages	Abberley Alfrick Pound Alfrick Astley Bank Street Barnards Green Baughton Bayton Berrow Green Berrow Birts Street Birtsmorton Bockleton Bowling Green Bransford Broadwas Bushley Callow End Castlemorton Clevelode Clifton upon Teme Clifton Cotheridge Croome D'Abitot Crowcroft Doddenham Draycott Dunley Dunstall Common Eardiston Earls Croome Eastham Eldersfield Frith Common Frog Pool Great Witley Grimley Guarlford Hallow Hanley Castle Hanley Child Hanley Swan Hanley William Harpley High Green Hill Croome Hillhampton Holdfast Hollybush Holt Heath Horsham Kempsey Kenswick Kerswell Green Knighton on Teme Knightwick Kyre Leigh Sinton Leigh Lindridge Little Malvern Little Witley Longdon Lower Broadheath Lower Sapey Lulsley Madresfield Malvern Wells Mamble Martley Newland Newnham Bridge Noutard's Green Oldwood Orleton Pendock Pensax Poolbrook Powick Queenhill Ripple Rochford Rushwick Ryall Rye Cross Sankyns Green Severn Stoke Shelsley Walsh Shelsleys Shrawley Stanford on Teme Stockton on Teme Stoke Bliss Suckley Upper Broadheath Upper Welland Welland West Malvern Wichenford Wyche
Civil parishes	Civil parishes in the Malvern Hills district