PIRTON
Pirigtun (viii cent.); Pyritune (x cent.); Peritune (xi cent.); Periton (xiii cent.); Pyryton,
Puriton (xv cent.); Pyrton, Pyerton (xvii cent.).
This parish lies between the roads from Tewkesbury and Pershore to Worcester. Branch roads connecting these two pass through Pirton. The ground
slopes from north to south, the highest point being
194 ft. at the extreme north, and the lowest about
90 ft. on the southern boundary. The village is a
mile south-west of Wadborough station on the Bristol
and Birmingham branch of the Midland railway.
The soil is strong clay, the subsoil marl, sandstone
and clay; the chief crops grown are wheat and
beans. The parish has an area of 1,690 acres, of
which 205 are arable land, 700 permanent grass
and 252 woods and plantations. (fn. 1) The latter are
mainly at the southern end of the parish.
The church stands on the top of a hill with the village
to the north of it. The rectory is some distance
to the west and to the south of it is Pirton Court,
formerly the home of the Folliotts, and known as
Folliotts Court, now the residence of Viscount Deerhurst. It is a mere fragment of the original structure
and was long used as a farm-house, and in consequence has lately been extensively added to and
restored. The existing building formed the western
wing of the old house and probably adjoined the
great hall, though that apartment has entirely gone.
The house is apparently of the early 17th century,
of two stories, and is of half-timber work except
the ground floor of a western annexe, which is in
stone. The main west wing contains on the ground
floor the drawing room with the study behind it.
The former apartment has a massive but clumsy fireplace on the west side with a cornice and a curved
pediment, entirely filled with a large scallop shell;
at the sides are small panelled pedestals carved with
the Tudor rose, &c. The panelling to the dado is
old work cut down. The study has a ribbed plaster
ceiling, also ornamented with the Tudor rose. A
blocked door in the east wall probably communicated
with the hall. In the western annexe is the staircase, mostly modern, and the dining room, which
has old panelling brought from elsewhere, and a sixlight window with oak mullions. Built into the west
wall of the drawing room, externally, is a panelled
15th-century stone. The out-buildings are timberframed with brick filling and the site was moated,
but of the moat little remains save on the north and
west sides where the ditch closely adjoins the house.
An Inclosure Act was passed in 1762, and the
award is dated 20 September 1763. (fn. 2)
Among place-names have been found Bukenhull,
Shurnehulle, and Stockyng (fn. 3) (xiv cent.); Suttongate, (fn. 4)
Wryghts, Bromptre Hill, Sidelyngdowne, Lonynge,
Asteforde, Janynsheyre subtus Perywode, Wallecrofte (fn. 5)
(xv cent.); Pinchenes Thomas Meadow (fn. 6) (xvii cent.).
MANORS
Ten manses at PIRTON were included with the lands said to have been
previously granted to the abbey of Pershore by King Coenwulf, which were restored to that
abbey by a charter ascribed to King Edgar and dated
972. (fn. 7) By 1086 the abbey had again lost Pirton,
which had been granted with the manor of Pershore
to the abbey of Westminster by Edward the Confessor. (fn. 8) Pirton was included among the knights' fees
held of the abbot's manor of Binholme or Pershore
until the 15th century. (fn. 9) It was held in chief by
one-sixtieth of a knight's fee and rent in 1588 (fn. 10) and
1618. (fn. 11)
Pirton was held of the abbey of Westminster in
1086 by Walter Ponther, ancestor of the Poer family,
who had succeeded Godric here as at Clevelode.
There were 6 hides here, and woodland 1 league in
length and ½ league in width. (fn. 12) Pirton was subsequently held as two manors, which probably had a
separate existence at an early date. Walter Poer's
estate at Pirton, afterwards
known as Pirton Power or
Abbot's Pirton, descended
with Battenhall (fn. 13) in the
Poer family. William Poer
of Pirton occurs in 1175, (fn. 14)
and was holding Pirton at
the beginning of the 13th
century, probably being succeeded by a son Roger. (fn. 15) In
1221 John Poer granted
lands here to William son of
Robert the Forester, (fn. 16) and
may possibly have been identical with John son of Walter,
to whom Emma daughter of Robert granted land in
the same year. (fn. 17) Isabella daughter of William Poer
of Pirton granted to Abbot Roger of Pershore (1234–
50) a rent which her father had given her in free
marriage with David de Burton. (fn. 18) In 1274–5
William Poer was presented because he made a warren
at Pirton, but he showed his warrant. (fn. 19) A William
Poer was probably lord in 1295, when he presented
to the church. (fn. 20) He was dead before 20 September 1298, when his widow Margery granted to
Maud Beauchamp, Countess of Warwick, all the
land in Pirton which she held as dower. (fn. 21) The
manor and advowson descended to the daughters and
co-heirs of William, Alina and Joan. (fn. 22) Joan's husband
John de Huntley, son of Sir Thomas de Huntley,
presented to the church in March 1301 as lord of
Pirton (fn. 23) and in the following year granted the manor
and advowson and the reversion of the lands held by
Margery in dower, of his wife's inheritance, to Walter
Beauchamp of Alcester and Alice his wife for their
lives for the yearly rent of a rose. (fn. 24) Walter died in
1303, (fn. 25) and, though his wife survived, the manor
seems to have reverted to John de Huntley, for he
leased it and the advowson to Guy Earl of Warwick,
Walter's nephew, for a rent, during the life of his
wife Joan, of the value of two parts of the manor
yearly, (fn. 26) Joan releasing all her right in the same to
the earl in 1303–4, (fn. 27) as did Margery in 1307 (fn. 28) and
Alina in 1312–13. (fn. 29) Guy Earl of Warwick died
seised of the manor in 1315, (fn. 30) and on 1 November of
that year, when delivered to his widow, the Countess
Alice, in dower, it was valued at £10 1s. 9¼d. (fn. 31) She
died in 1324–5, (fn. 32) and the manor and advowson came
into the hands of the king by reason of the minority
of her son Thomas. (fn. 33) In 1341–2 Thomas Earl of
Warwick granted the manor and advowson at a rent
of 40d. yearly, as long as she could work, to Margaret
de Bulkington for life, for loyal service past and to
come rendered by her to his wife, the Countess
Catherine, this lease to be void if Margaret placed
herself in any other service. (fn. 34) In 1352 the earl
received a grant of free warren in 'Piriton Power.' (fn. 35)
Before his death in 1369 he granted the manor to
feoffees, who on 23 April 1370 gave it to his son
Thomas Beauchamp Earl of Warwick. (fn. 36) The latter,
before 1376, (fn. 37) granted it to his brother Sir William
Beauchamp Lord Bergavenny and his wife Joan. (fn. 38)
The manor then descended with Naunton Beauchamp
to Anne Countess of Warwick, (fn. 39) her husband presenting to the church in 1466. (fn. 40) She lost her estates
on the death of her husband in 1471, and soon afterwards John son of Thomas Hugford, who then represented trustees to whom Richard Beauchamp Earl of
Warwick had granted the manor, claimed it, apparently
successfully, against Richard's co-heirs (fn. 41) and granted it
in 1482 to the Abbot and convent of Tewkesbury, (fn. 42)
presumably in performance of the will of the Earl of
Warwick.
Poer. Gules a fesse or with two molets argent in the chief.
It was held under the monastery by lessees, and on
20 July 1535 the abbot leased it to Francis Folliott
and John his son, and the heirs male of Francis. (fn. 43) At
the Dissolution the monastery was receiving £6 12s. 4d.
rents of assize from free and customary tenants,
and £5 6s. 8d. farm of the demesne land. (fn. 44) In July
1545 the reversion of the manor leased as above,
with the rent of £13 6s. and one pound of cummin
reserved on that lease, and the advowson of the
rectory were granted in fee to James Gunter and
William Lewes, (fn. 45) who immediately sold them to John
Folliott, (fn. 46) owner of the manor of Pirton Court, with
which Pirton Power has since descended. (fn. 47)
The second manor of Pirton, known as PIRTON
COURT, FOLLIOTT'S COURT, or PIRTON
FOLLIOTT, was returned in 1588 as being held of
the queen as of her manor of Tewkesbury by service
of a pair of gloves of the value of a penny, and of an
annual rent of a pound of cummin. (fn. 48) In 1618 it was
held of the manor of Tewkesbury by service unknown. (fn. 49)
This property may be to some extent identical
with land in Pirton granted to William son of Robert
Forester in 1221 by John Poer. (fn. 50) Habington quotes
a deed without date by which William Beauchamp
granted to Ralph de Pirton woods, &c., in Pirton. (fn. 51)
Adam de Pirton occurs in 1234, (fn. 52) and John de Pirton
was collector of the aid for the county in 1279. (fn. 53)
Habington also gives Giles son of William de Pirton in
1298–9 and Adam de Pirton in 1307–8. (fn. 54) In 1327
Master Robert de Pirton contributed to the subsidy. (fn. 55)
It seems possible that the property passed from the
Pirtons to the next owners, the Greets, in 1340,
when William de Salwarpe and Thomas de Pirton,
clerks, granted a messuage and 2 carucates of land in
Pirton and Severnstoke to Peter de Greet and his
wife Agnes and their son Peter, with remainder successively to the younger Peter's heirs, and to his
brothers Bernard, John and Nicholas, his sister Agnes,
and the right heirs of Peter. (fn. 56) The Greets also acquired of Thomas Lord Berkeley in 1353 an estate
at Pirton which Thomas had acquired in 1335 of
Thomas son of John de Muneter, (fn. 57) and which in
1346 he was said to be holding as successor to Agnes
de Ludlow. (fn. 58) This was settled in 1353 on Peter and
Agnes with remainder successively to William Folliott
and Catherine his wife, daughter and co-heir of Peter
Greet, and the heirs of the said Catherine, to Thomas
son of Thomas Folliott, possibly William's brother,
and his heirs male and the right heirs of Peter. (fn. 59)
The whole of the Greets' estate seems to have passed
to William Folliott, who on 8 December 1374
obtained licence to celebrate service in his oratory at
Pirton, (fn. 60) from which it may be inferred that he
resided here at the manor-house.
The manor then descended with that of Stone in
Halfshire Hundred to William Courteen. (fn. 61) Under
the Commonweath William Courteen became bankrupt, his Pirton manors being among the properties
sold for the benefit of his creditors in 1651. (fn. 62) He
must have been able to repurchase them, however, as in
1663 he conveyed them with the advowson to George
Lord Coventry, (fn. 63) and the two manors have since followed the descent of Croome D'Abitot. (fn. 64)
Early in the 14th century Richard de Burgh held
with Guy Beauchamp and Agnes de Ludlow the half
fee in Pirton in which Thomas Lyttelton was coparcener with Thomas Beauchamp and Thomas de
Berkeley in 1346, and was probably, therefore, the
predecessor of Thomas Lyttelton. (fn. 65) This estate seems
to have remained in the family of Lyttelton of
Frankley until the 16th century. Sir Thomas Lyttelton
died seised of lands in Pirton on 23 August 1481,
and was succeeded by his son William, (fn. 66) whose son
John was holding a toft in Pirton in 1535. (fn. 67) He
sold all his land at Pirton to Francis Folliott in July
1544. (fn. 68)
A windmill was held with the manor of Pirton
Power in 1315, (fn. 69) when it was worth 6s. yearly, and
in 1324–5, (fn. 70) when it was worth 3s. 4d. yearly. In
1327 it was recorded that there was no rent from the
mill. (fn. 71) Pirton windmill was sold with the manor to
the Courteens in 1623. (fn. 72) The great fish-pond in the
'heathland' is mentioned in 1315 (fn. 73) and 1324, (fn. 74) and
as 'Le graunt viver' en le wast' was granted to
Margaret de Bulkington with the manor in 1341–2. (fn. 75)
The fish-pond yielded a rent of 6s. 8d. in 1315 (fn. 76) and
in 1481. (fn. 77) The great pond still exists as Pirton Pool
and covers 26 acres, though it was formerly 50 acres
in extent (fn. 78) ; around it are some fine cedars.
CHURCH
The church of ST. PETER (fn. 79) consists
of a chancel 24 ft. by 17 ft., nave
52 ft. 6 in. by 19 ft. 9 in. and a timber
tower north of the nave. All the measurements are
internal.
The side walls of the nave date from the early
12th century, when the church had a central tower,
of which the present chancel arch formed the eastern
support. The church remained unaltered till the early
14th century, when the chancel and the west end
appear to have been rebuilt. In the 15th century a
window was inserted in the south wall of the nave and
early in the succeeding century the central tower was
probably taken down. This alteration involved the
removal of the western arch and the construction of a
passage in the wall from the former tower stair to the
new rood loft, which must have stood against the
eastern arch. The timber tower was then erected, and
not long after the brick mullions and tracery appear to
have been added in the side windows of the chancel.
The church has been restored in modern times and
the west wall entirely rebuilt slightly within the old
lines.
The chancel has a pointed east window of the
early 14th century of three lights with net tracery
in the head. In the north wall is a window of
similar date with a brick mullion and a circle in the
head probably inserted in the late 16th or early
17th century. The south wall contains a similar
window and further west a singlelight opening with a trefoiled head.
The piscina has a cinquefoiled head
and two basins, the one behind the
other, the front bowl being broken.
The chancel arch of about 1130
(formerly the eastern tower arch) is
semicircular and recessed in two plain
orders on the west face with a label
chamfered on the underside and
having a creature like a frog carved
on the central voussoir. The outer
order of the jambs has an attached
shaft with scalloped capital and chamfered abacus continued round. The
chancel roof has queen post trusses
with heavy tie-beams and is ceiled
in an arch extending up to the
collar.
The space formerly under the
central tower has walls of great thickness, that on the
north pierced with a 12th-century window deeply
splayed and having a roughly stepped sill; the head
is original, but the external jambs have been widened.
In the south wall is a two-light early 16th-century
window, and east of it is a plain square-headed door
of similar date, formerly opening on to the rood loft.
It communicates by a passage carried along the top of
the wall under the roof with the former tower vice,
which is of unusual size and set in the southern
abutment of the former west arch. The latter has
been entirely removed with the exception of the base
of the northern respond, which remains at the floor
level. It is recessed in three orders on the west and
two on the east, the two outer on the west having
had attached shafts with moulded bases and small
spur ornaments of mid-12th-century date. The
roof of this part of the nave is of wagon form ceiled
on the soffit and having an embattled wall-plate.
The original nave has a single 12th-century roundheaded window and a north door with a roundheaded rear arch, both now opening into the tower;
the door on this side has a square head and an oak
lintel. The door itself is of oak and apparently
retains the original hinges, and above it is a small
sundial fixed inside. In the south wall is a squareheaded 15th-century window of two lights and further
west the south doorway, originally of the 12th century but much restored. It is of three orders set in a
square-headed projection, but only one spring of the
outer order of the arch and the bases and capitals
of the side shafts appear to be original; the abaci
are enriched with cheveron ornament. The door is
mainly old and has 12th-century iron work. In the
west wall is a modern three-light window. The
nave roof is open to the ridge and has plain tiebeams, all the rafters being principals.
The timber tower is built against the north nave
wall near its western end. The ground stage forms
three bays, the side ones being covered by pent roofs
resting against the framing of the central portion,
which rises one stage higher and is covered with a
modern pyramidal roof. The framing of the ground
stage has diagonal braces on each face and a squareheaded door on the north. The bell-chamber has
a small light with a rounded head in each face and
the tower is finished externally in black and white
work.
Plan of Pirton Church
The monuments include a slab on the south
chancel wall to Elizabeth wife of William Sole,
rector, who died in 1664, and floor slabs in the
nave to Rebecca Holdman and Judith Jarret, 1656
and 1660, and to Anne Meadowes, who died in
1640.
The pulpit is Jacobean and of octagonal form
with arched panels in each face and a band of carved
work above; the other fittings include a late
17th or early 18th-century communion table and
rails with turned balusters, a parish chest inscribed
'M.P. 1674,' and several massive oak benches.
The font is of doubtful date, having a shallow round
bowl, an octagonal stem and a square base. Round
the font are several old slip tiles bearing the Berkeley
arms and one with a shield of Valence quartered with
Hastings for Hastings Earl of Pembroke.
There are three bells, the first and second by John
Grene, dated 1633, the third inscribed 'Thomas
Pomer, Thomas Medovs C.W.S. 1680,' with the
founder's initials I.M.
The plate includes a large cup of Puritan pattern,
with the hall mark of 1684, a salver paten, 1685,
and a large tankard-shaped flagon of 1685.
The registers before 1812 are as follows:
(i) mixed entries 1538 to 1750; (ii) all entries
1751 to 1812, marriages to 1754 only; (iii) marriages 1754 to 1812.
In the churchyard to the south of the church is
the base and part of the shaft of a stone cross.
ADVOWSON
The advowson has always been
held with the manor of Pirton alias
Abbot's Pirton. The rectory was
united with the curacy of Croome D'Abitot in
1771. (fn. 80)
CHARITIES
In 1818 Mrs. Susannah Tovey
by her will bequeathed £50, the
interest to be distributed among the
most deserving poor. The legacy, less duty, is now
represented by £45 in the Post Office Savings Bank,
producing £1 2s. 6d. yearly, which is distributed in
small sums to poor women.