MANOR AND OTHER ESTATES.
It is possible that 'Styrcleage', left by Wulfric Spot to
Burton abbey in his will of c. 1003, is to be
identified with Stirchley, particularly as Longford, with which Stirchley was connected in the
12th century, was also included in Wulfric's gift. (fn. 51)
No later connexion with Burton has been found.
STIRCHLEY is not mentioned by name in
Domesday Book but the later descent of the
overlordship of the manor suggests that it was one
of the four unnamed berewicks of Longford recorded in 1086. (fn. 52) The Brimpton family, lords of
Longford, were recorded as overlords of Stirchley
from 1185 to c. 1285 (fn. 53) but no later evidence of the
connexion with Longford has been found. By
1375 the overlordship of Stirchley had passed to
Richard, earl of Arundel and Surrey, with whose
son, Earl Richard (d. 1397), it remained in 1382. (fn. 54)
Stirchley 1838
In the late 12th century Stirchley was held of
Robert of Brimpton's widow Eve by Bartholomew
son of Peter FitzToret. (fn. 55) The mesne lordship
passed, presumably by Bartholomew's daughter
Joan, wife of Richard Corbet (II) (fl. 1195-
1217), (fn. 56) successively to the Corbet and Burgh
families of Wattlesborough. It descended with
Wattlesborough (fn. 57) until the partition of Sir John
Burgh's estates in 1501, when Stirchley was
assigned to his daughter Isabel, wife of Sir John
Lingen. A few days later, however, their son John
and his cousins John Newport and Thomas Mytton conveyed (inter alia) interest in the wood of
Stirchley to their cousin Sir Thomas Leighton of
Wattlesborough. (fn. 58)
The undertenant of Stirchley between 1167 and
1180 was Osbert of Stirchley. (fn. 59) He was probably
succeeded by Richard of Stirchley, who was
recorded from 1203 to 1207 (fn. 60) but was presumably
dead by 1208 when the manor was disputed
between Osbert, son of William, and Walter of
Stirchley. In settlement Stirchley was assigned to
Walter for his life with reversion to Osbert and his
heirs. It was agreed in 1227 that ½ virgate of land,
an assart, and a croft were to pass to Walter's
heirs, who would pay a token rent to Osbert in
lieu of all services. (fn. 61) Walter died in 1232 and the
manor reverted to Osbert (sometimes styled
Osbert of Stirchley or parson of Diddlebury). (fn. 62)
Osbert granted a plot of land in Stirchley to
Wombridge priory, (fn. 63) ½d. rent in the vill to
Lilleshall abbey, (fn. 64) and by two separate grants of
c. 1243 and 1247 he released the whole manor
to Buildwas abbey, (fn. 65) which may have had land
at Holmer since the 1220s. (fn. 66) Buildwas continued
to hold the manor until its dissolution in
1536. (fn. 67)
By the end of the 15th century most land in
Stirchley was in three large holdings, which descended as separate freehold estates after the
Dissolution, Grange farm and Holmer farm being
the abbey's granges and Stirchley Hall farm being
held freely of the abbey. In the 16th and early
17th centuries both the Grange (fn. 68) and the Stirchley
Hall estate (fn. 69) were described as manors; the descent of each is treated separately below. Between
1747 and the 1890s the properties were united in
the same hands and their owners were styled lords
of the manor of Stirchley. (fn. 70) In 1964-5 all three
ancient estates were purchased by Dawley development corporation, which thus became owner
of almost the entire ancient parish.
STIRCHLEY GRANGE
contained 285 a. in the
18th century (fn. 71) but was more extensive before the
separation of Brands farm in the mid 17th
century. (fn. 72) In 1537 the freehold of the estate was
bought, with most of Buildwas abbey's other
property, by Edward, Lord Grey of Powis. (fn. 73) Grey
settled parts of his estate, including Stirchley
Grange, on his illegitimate son Edward Grey of
Buildwas, who conveyed them c. 1576 to Sir John
Throckmorton, on whose death in 1580 they
passed to his son Francis, the Catholic
conspirator. (fn. 74) Francis's estates reverted to the
Crown on his execution in 1584 and Stirchley
Grange was acquired from the Crown c. 1587 by
Daniel Rogers, the diplomatist, (fn. 75) on whose death
in 1591 they passed to his widow Susan. (fn. 76) Their
son, Francis, who held the estate by 1610, (fn. 77) sold it
in 1620 to John Careswell of Shifnal. (fn. 78)
The estate had been let on long lease by
Buildwas abbey before 1500; in 1534 it was leased
in reversion to Richard Cleobury for 95 years. (fn. 79)
Cleobury's lease passed to his daughter Margaret,
wife of Richard Spenser, and was bought in 1556
by John Forster of Sutton Maddock. The Grange
remained in the hands of the Forsters until 1611
or later, despite protracted lawsuits by which the
freeholders attempted to gain possession. (fn. 80)
In 1621 John Careswell sold the estate to
William Cookes of Snitterfield (Warws.), (fn. 81) with
whose descendants it remained until Richard
Cookes gave it by his will dated 1725 to his godson
the Revd. Richard Phillips. (fn. 82) Phillips sold Grange
farm in 1747 to Thomas Clowes, owner of Stirchley Hall, on whose death next year the combined estate passed to his sister Elizabeth, wife of
Thomas Hodgetts of Ashwood Lodge (Staffs.).
In 1763 Hodgetts devised the estates that his wife
had owned to his nephew, the Revd. Samuel
Nott, who sold the Stirchley properties to Isaac
Hawkins Browne of Foston (Derb.) in 1777. (fn. 83)
Browne, M.P. and essayist, died in 1818 (fn. 84) having
left the estate to his wife Elizabeth (d. 1839) for
her life with reversion to his kinsman Robert
Cheney (d. 1820). (fn. 85) By Cheney's will the manor
was divided between his children but all shares
descended, after the death of his son Edward in
1884, to his grandson Alfred Capel Cure of
Badger Hall. (fn. 86) Cure sold the Stirchley estate in
1886 to the Haybridge Iron Co., which later sold
Grange farm and Stirchley Hall separately.
Grange farm was bought by William Wall in 1896
and changed hands three times between then and
its purchase by Dawley development corporation
in 1965. (fn. 87)
No remains of the medieval grange buildings
survive. Grange farmhouse contains a 17thcentury brick wing with vestiges of stone mullioned windows, to which a cross wing of brick
with sandstone quoins was added in the 18th
century.
STIRCHLEY HALL
farm, a holding of 208 a.
in the 18th century, (fn. 88) can be identified with the
estate held of Buildwas abbey in the early 15th
century by the earl of Arundel and considered in
the late 15th and the 16th century to be a member
of the Arundels' manor of Dawley. It is not clear
how the family came to hold the estate, but it
appears to have been acquired by Earl Richard
(1330-76), who was overlord of the chief manor. (fn. 89)
It is conceivable that the estate represented the
holding of 3 messuages and 1½ carucate of land
that Walter, son and heir of Walter of Stirchley
(life tenant of the manor in the early 13th century),
recovered in 1288. (fn. 90) Stirchley Hall descended
with the earldom of Arundel until 1560 when it
was purchased by Rowland Hayward (kt. 1570). (fn. 91)
After his death in 1593 it passed successively to
his sons George (kt. 1604, d. 1615) and John (kt.
1619). (fn. 92) Sir John sold the property in 1621 to John
Forster of Sutton Maddock, former lessee of
Stirchley Grange, and his son Francis. Francis
Forster was succeeded by his nephew Francis
Forster, who sold Stirchley Hall to Robert Clowes
in 1683. (fn. 93) By his will dated 1704 Clowes left the
estate to his cousin Thomas Clowes, on whose
death in 1740 it descended to his son Thomas, (fn. 94)
who purchased Grange farm in 1747 and died
without issue in 1748. (fn. 95) Thereafter the estate
descended with Grange farm until both properties
were bought by the Haybridge Iron Co. in 1886.
By 1894 Stirchley Hall had been sold to I. J.
Fletcher. He sold it in 1909, and in 1920 it was
purchased by J. J. Ward, who sold it to Dawley
development corporation in 1964. (fn. 96)
A 'hall of Stirchley' may have existed in the mid
14th century. (fn. 97) The centre of Stirchley Hall's
south front represents the 17th-century stone
house, which was built or remodelled for M.
Forster in 1653 (fn. 98) and then had a three-roomed
plan with two storeys, attics, and cellars. It
incorporates part of an earlier house, from which
the hall ceiling and chimney stack survive. The
initials R P on the central boss of the ceiling have
been attributed to Roger Poyner, tenant of the
house in 1567. (fn. 99) The stack was repaired in 1721 (fn. 1)
and the brick western cross wing may have been
added about then. Later in the 18th century and
early in the 19th century additions were made to
the north and at the east end.
HOLMER
farm, which included 90 a. in Stirchley parish in the early 19th century, (fn. 2) had been
let on long lease by the end of the 15th century (fn. 3)
and was bought with Buildwas abbey's other
possessions by Edward, Lord Grey of Powis, in
1537. Grey's natural son, Edward Grey, sold it to
Francis Newport of High Ercall between 1577
and 1590 (fn. 4) and the property descended with the
Newport estates in Shropshire during the 17th
and 18th centuries, passing to the earl of Darlington (cr. duke of Cleveland 1833) on the division of
the estates in 1808. (fn. 5) It descended to the duke's
heirs and was sold by Lord Barnard in 1920. In
1964 the estate was purchased by Dawley development corporation, (fn. 6) and the farmstead was
demolished to make way for housing development
in the 1970s.
Only two of the late 13th-century
undertenancies (fn. 7) in Stirchley manor seem to have
been sizeable estates. That of Walter of Stirchley's
son and heir Walter, possibly representing the
later Stirchley Hall, has already been referred to.
The estate of the Perton family, of Perton
(Staffs.), (fn. 8) was recorded from c. 1240. (fn. 9) On William
of Perton's death c. 1280 it was variously estimated as 59 a. or 1 carucate. (fn. 10) The Pertons were
connected with Stirchley as late as 1393 (fn. 11) but
definite evidence of their undertenancy there has
not been found after the 13th century. Fields
named Perton Wood were part of Grange farm in
the 18th century, (fn. 12) which perhaps implies that the
estate later reverted to Buildwas abbey and was
absorbed into its grange.