BELBROUGHTON
Broctune (ix cent.); Brotune (xi cent.); Bellenbrokton (xiv cent.).
The parish of Belbroughton has an area of 4,748
acres, comprising, in 1905, 2,012¾ acres of arable
land, 2,195½ acres of permanent grass and 321½
acres of woodland. (fn. 1) It occupies the lower slopes of
the Clent range, its height varying from 332 ft. on
the western border to 700 ft. in the extreme northeast. The village is situated close to the western
border of the parish. The church stands on high
ground on the west side of the by-road running
south out of the settlement. Immediately opposite
is the rectory, a plain three-story red brick building
of the late 18th century, to the north of which
stands the old tithe-barn, now in a very dilapidated condition and shortly to be pulled down
to make room for a parish hall. The cottages
are of no great antiquity and are mostly of red
brick, although half-timber construction is also
to be seen; they are generally roofed with tiles.
At the northern extremity of the village, at the
junction of the roads from Holy Cross and Bell
End, is the 'Talbot,' a small late 17th or early
18th-century inn built of red brick and having
a tiled roof. It is of no architectural interest,
but the stables which are attached to the building on the east, and are of the same date (though
built of stone), merit attention on account of the
attempt at symmetry displayed in the design of
their elevations.
The greater part of the Bell Inn at Bell End
was rebuilt late in the 17th or early 18th century, though parts are of much earlier date. It
is of L-shaped plan, two stories high, and is built
of red brick with a tile roof; the older walls
are, however, of half-timber construction. The
interior has been completely modernized. The
windows are divided into lights by wooden transoms and mullions. This is one of the many
inns in which King Charles is incorrectly said to
have rested in his flight from Worcester.
Moor Hall, now a farm-house, is situated a
little way off the east side of the Bromsgrove and
Stourbridge road. It was surrounded by a moat,
now filled in on the north and east sides. The
house, which was erected late in the 17th century, is of two stories and built of red brick with
a tiled roof. It is of little architectural interest, having
been added to on the north-east and completely
modernized in the 19th century. Over the entrance
doorway is a small stone panel inscribed with the
following: 'Non Domus Dominum sed Dominus
Domum Honestat, I[.] T[.] [E ? / L ?] 1680.'
Fairfield Court stands back on the west side of the
Bromsgrove and Stourbridge road, about 5 miles
north of the latter town. It is now a farm-house,
and until recent years was entirely surrounded by a
moat, access to the house being obtained by a drawbridge, but all traces of this have now disappeared
and the moat along the north side of the building
has been filled in. The principal front of the house,
with the porch, faces north and two wings project
southward from the rear of the building. To the
original house, probably erected early in the 16th
century, belong the whole of the east end of the
building and the central chimney stack in the middle
of the western portion, but most of the remainder of
the structure was entirely rebuilt in the early part of
the following century and remains in a good state
of preservation. In the 18th century the ends of
the east wall of the eastern wing were refaced with
red brickwork and about the same time the dairy
(adjoining the south-west corner of the house) was
erected, while the modern work consists of the outhouse at the end of the dairy and various minor
alterations.
Belbroughton: Doorway of Bell End Chapel at Bell Hall
The plan of the original house is now a matter of
conjecture, but from the disposition of the chimneys
it does not seem to have been very dissimilar from the
existing arrangement. The projecting porch in the
middle of the Jacobean part of the north front opens
into a large hall extending in length entirely across the
building with windows at both ends. In the centre of
the west wall is the old chimney stack, against the south
side of which, rising to the first floor and the attics
in the roof, is a fine Jacobean staircase of oak. The
strings and handrail of the stair are moulded and the
balusters turned, while the square newel posts are
surmounted by shaped finials of a pleasing design.
In an irregular-shaped room on the west of the hall
is an original square-headed doorway, still retaining
its 17th-century nail-studded door and a blocked-up
three-light window. The east wall of the hall marks
the division between the 16th and 17th-century
work, and to the former belong the two original
stacks, built against the external east wall. Round
the walls of a room to the east of the hall, known as
the 'oak room,' is some late 16th or early 17thcentury panelling, but this is not in situ, though it
was no doubt taken from some other part of the
house. A partition on the west of the room is
likewise made up of 16th-century panelling. It
screens off a passage from which the hall is entered.
The bedrooms are of little interest; they generally
communicate with a passage running along the south
side of the building.
The exterior of the house is picturesque. The oldest
part is of half-timber and brick construction, though
this on the south is covered by an 18th-century brick
facing. The whole of the old framing is built with
horizontal and vertical timbers, the panels being tall and
narrow. The first floor on the south side of the east
wing overhangs, and is carried on long curved braces
projecting from the main uprights at the end of the side
walls. The east block is gabled towards the north
and south. The northern stack on the east wall is
built of stone up to the eaves, but above this point are
two square brick chimneys, carried up independently
of one another, but joined by an oversailing brick
coping at the top. Both chimneys have an angular
rib of brickwork carried up each face. The central
stack, above the roof, is of the same design, but the
coping is modern. The walls of the 17th-century
addition are built of red sandstone up to the level of
the first floor, while the upper part is of red brick
with red sandstone quoins and dressings to the
windows. Round the base of the walls is a slightly
projecting plinth. All the original windows in this
addition are low and divided into lights by sandstone
mullions. The windows lighting the hall are, however, higher than the others and transomed. The
porch is carried up two stories high and finishes with
a pointed gable. The entrance archway is roundheaded, with a slightly projecting keystone and impost
blocks. The west end of the house has a pointed
gable of half-timber construction, and the south front
of the west wing is also gabled. All the roofs are tiled.
Moor Hall, Belbroughton
The Ram Alley Brook flows through the parish
westward. At intervals it has been widened into
ponds, which furnish the motive power for several
mills, as in the 17th and 18th centuries all the small
streams in this part of the county were utilized for
forges. As early as the 16th century we have a
reference to a Blade Mill in Brian's Bell in this
parish. (fn. 2)
The main road from Stourbridge to Bromsgrove
runs south-eastward through the parish, the village,
situated close to the western border of the parish,
being connected with it by several branch roads.
Nash states that the parish was in the forests of
Feckenham and Piperode (fn. 3) and some of the large
woodlands, the survival of the forest in Chaddesley
Corbett and Bromsgrove, run into this parish. In
the 17th century Morehall Bell and Brian's Bell
were looked upon as being 'in the King's Holt.' (fn. 4)
The surface soil is loamy and the subsoil varies
from the bunter pebble beds of the eastern part of
the parish to Keuper Marl in the south-west and
Keuper Sandstone in the north-west.
One industry of the neighbourhood is the manufacture of scythes, hay and chaff knives and edge tools
of all kinds for agricultural purposes. This industry
was carried on at Belbroughton at least as early as
1564, when 'John Smythe, sythesmythe,' was the
defendant in a suit respecting a messuage called
'Hollies.' (fn. 5) There used to be a good deal of nailmaking, but this has died out.
There are brickworks near Bradford and glass is
made on a small scale at Fairfield.
Agriculture, especially on allotments and small holdings, furnishes employment for a number of the inhabitants. Wheat, barley and oats are the chief crops
raised on the farms, while vegetables and fruit are grown
on the small holdings. Part of the land is under pasture.
Fairs, at which horned cattle, horses and cheese
were sold, were held at Belbroughton in the 19th
century on the first Monday in April and the
Monday before St. Luke's Day. (fn. 6)
Wildmoor, Bromeheath and Madley Heath were
commons belonging to the manor of Belbroughton, (fn. 7)
Bell Heath to Brian's Bell, and Hollis Hill, Gosty
Green and the Sling to Morehall Bell. The commons
all adjoined and had no hedges or fences between. (fn. 8)
In 1799, when an Act was passed for their inclosure, (fn. 9)
the commons at Belbroughton contained about 500
acres. Under the award the lords of Brian's Bell
were always to have the use of the pools on the
common belonging to that manor and of the brook
running from Shuts Mill and Farely Coppice over the
common to Lower Fen Pool and to the Bell Inn,
where there was a mill. (fn. 10) At this time the Earl of
Shrewsbury owned 240 acres of woodland in
Belbroughton which he was entitled to inclose for
seven years after each 'fall' of timber. (fn. 11)
Belbroughton: Fairfield Court from the North
A Roman urn with over 100 coins of various
emperors was found near Fairfield in 1833. (fn. 12)
MANORS
King Coenwulf in 817 exempted the
Bishop of Worcester's estate at 'Beolne,
Broctun and Forfeld' from all secular
services except military service and the maintenance
of bridges and strongholds. (fn. 13) His charter implies
that the bishop was already in possession of these
lands; the means by which he acquired them are
unknown. Subsequently the monastery lost these
manors and they passed to Earl Leofwin, but his son
Leofric promised to restore them to the monks after
his death. (fn. 14) He died in 1057 (fn. 15) 'in a good old age,
a man of no less virtue than power in his time—
religious, prudent and faithful to his country, happily
wedded to Godiva, a woman of great praise.' (fn. 16) She,
on the death of her husband, requested to be allowed
to retain the manors for her life, with reversion to the
priory, on payment of a money rent. To this the
monks agreed, (fn. 17) but it is doubtful whether they ever
obtained possession of the manors, for shortly afterwards the land was ravaged by Edwin and Morcar,
who occupied these manors. (fn. 18) Godiva seems, however,
to have retained possession of BROUGHTON, for
in 1086 2 hides there which she had held belonged
to Urse the sheriff. (fn. 19) A hide which was held under
Urse by Robert in Clent Hundred, (fn. 20) following as it
does in the Domesday Survey immediately after the
entry for Broughton, may refer to land in this neighbourhood. FAIRFIELD (Forteld, ix cent.; Fornelde,
xiv cent.) is not separately mentioned in Domesday,
but was evidently then included in Broughton, which
subsequently became known as the manor of Fairfield
or Belbroughton or Belbroughton and Fairfield. (fn. 21) To
it were appurtenant five salt-pans at Droitwich, which
rendered 100 mits of salt and 5 ounces of silver.
This manor passed with Urse's other possessions to
the Beauchamps and the overlordship followed the
descent of the barony of Elmley. (fn. 22) In 1572–3 the
manor was said to be held of the queen as of her
hundred of Halfshire. (fn. 23)
Belbroughton: Fairfield Court from the North-west
The Beauchamps probably held the manor in
demesne until the reign of Henry II, when on the
marriage of Emma daughter of William de Beauchamp
with Ralph de Sudeley (fn. 24) the
manor was apparently given
to Ralph, for his great-grandson Bartholomew de Sudeley,
who died in 1280, was said
to be holding the manor of
William de Beauchamp without service because it was
given in free marriage to his
ancestors. (fn. 25)
Sudeley. Or two bends gules.
The manor passed at Bartholomew's death to his son
John, (fn. 26) who died in 1336 (fn. 27)
and was succeeded by his
grandson John son of Bartholomew de Sudeley. (fn. 28)
John died in 1340–1, (fn. 29) leaving a son John, but his widow
Eleanor held the manor until
her death in 1361, (fn. 30) when it
passed to John. On his death
in February 1366–7 he left
as his heirs his nephew Thomas
Boteler, aged ten years, son of
his eldest sister Joan, and his
younger sister Margery, aged
thirty years. (fn. 31) In the following year a partition was made
of John de Sudeley's lands, (fn. 32)
and Fairfield seems to have
been assigned to Thomas
Boteler. John and William,
the two elder sons of Sir
Thomas Boteler, died without
issue, (fn. 33) and Alice wife of
Edmund Chesney, who was
holding the manor in 1431 (fn. 34)
and presented to the church
in 1422, (fn. 35) may have been
William's widow, the manor
having been settled on William
and his wife Alice in 1417–18. (fn. 36) The manor afterwards
passed to Sir Ralph Boteler of
Sudeley, third son of Sir
Thomas, who dealt with it
in 1464 and 1467–8. (fn. 37) Sir
Ralph Boteler had an only
son Thomas, who died during
his father's lifetime, probably
between 1449 and 1460,
without issue. (fn. 38) Sir Ralph
died on 2 May 1473 seised of the manor, and, as he
left no surviving issue, John Norbury, grandson of his
sister Elizabeth, and William Belknap, son of his
sister Joan, became joint heirs to his possessions. (fn. 39)
His wife Alice survived him, dying 10 February
1473–4. (fn. 40) On 11 February 1477 Sir John Norbury
and William Belknap had licence to enter into
possession of the lands of Ralph Boteler of Sudeley, (fn. 41)
but it does not appear to which of the two Fairfield
passed. Probably Sir John Norbury held it, as it is
not mentioned in the inquisition taken on the death
of William Belknap in 1484. (fn. 42) In 1496 a partition
took place between Edward Belknap, William's
nephew, and Sir John Norbury, and it is interesting
to note that the manor which for over two centuries
had been known as 'Forfeld' was then called
Belbroughton. (fn. 43) By this partition it was agreed that
Sir John Norbury should hold Belbroughton. (fn. 44) In
1500 the manor was secured
to Sir John Norbury's daughter
and heir Anne wife of Richard
Halliwell. (fn. 45) From Anne it
passed to her daughter Jane,
who married Sir Edmund
Bray, (fn. 46) created Lord Bray in
1529. (fn. 47) Lord Bray died in
1539, and Fairfield was held
by Jane Lady Bray until her
death on 24 October 1558. (fn. 48)
Her only son John Lord Bray
having died without issue in
the previous year, her six
daughters became her heirs.
In 1560–1 they agreed that Edmund Lord Chandos
and Dorothy his wife, the fifth daughter, should have
the manors of Fairfield, Belbroughton and Broomhill. (fn. 49)
In 1574 Dorothy, then a
widow, jointly with her son
Giles Lord Chandos conveyed
the manors of Fairfield and
Belbroughton to Ann Petre, (fn. 50)
widow of Sir William Petre,
kt., Secretary of State to
Henry VIII and Edward VI,
Mary and Elizabeth. Anne
left the manors to her daughter Catherine, who married
John Talbot of Grafton. (fn. 51)
John conveyed them in 1595
to Richard Leveson and John Brooke. (fn. 52) In 1609
Jane Watson, widow, and Sarah Watson conveyed
these manors to Sir Richard Greaves, (fn. 53) who held
them until his death on 10 July 1632, when his son
Thomas Greaves succeeded. (fn. 54) In 1641–2 the latter,
with Martha his wife, conveyed them to Thomas
Rant and Thomas Hammond, (fn. 55) who were evidently
trustees for William Ward, a wealthy goldsmith of
London. (fn. 56) Fairfield and Belbroughton were probably
included in certain manors unnamed which were
conveyed by Thomas Rant and others to William's
son Humble, Lord Ward of Birmingham, in 1649. (fn. 57)
Lord Ward married Frances Lady Dudley, and seems
to have settled Fairfield and Belbroughton on his
third son William Ward, who was in possession in
1700. (fn. 58) John Ward, grandson of William, succeeded
to the barony of Ward in 1740 on the death of his
cousin, (fn. 59) and the manors from that time followed the
descent of Dudley Castle (fn. 60) (q.v.), William Humble
Ward, Earl of Dudley, being the present owner.
Bray, Lord Bray. Argent a cheveron between three eagle's legs sable razed at the thigh.
Chandos, Lord Chandos. Or a pile gules.
In the 16th century a 'manor or capital messuage'
called Fairfield Court belonged to Henry James,
who left four daughters—Elizabeth wife of Humphrey
Perrott, Dorothy wife of Henry Greswolde, Martha
wife of John Perrott, and Anne. It was agreed in
1596 that the capital messuage should belong to
Humphrey Perrott and Elizabeth, and the former
was still holding it in 1610. (fn. 61)
Tradition says there was once a chapel at Fairfield
Court. (fn. 62)
The manor of BELNE (Beolne, ix cent.; Bellem,
Belna, xi cent.), afterwards BRIAN'S BELL (Broynsbelne, Brunesbell, xvi cent.) and BELL HALL,
between 817 and 1057 appears to have followed the
same descent as Fairfield (q.v.). The Danes probably
deprived either Godiva or the monks of Worcester of
this manor, for it was held before the Conquest by
Leofnoth, a thegn of King Edward the Confessor. It
afterwards passed to Ralf Fitz Hubert, who held it
for more than five years. The Domesday Survey
states that he was wrongfully dispossessed of it by
William Fitz Osbern. (fn. 63) William Fitz Ansculf was
in possession of it at the time of the Survey. (fn. 64) The
overlordship passed with Dudley to Fulk Paynel, (fn. 65) and
afterwards descended with the manor of Northfield (fn. 66)
(q.v.). This overlordship is last mentioned in
1428. (fn. 67) In 1491–2 the manor was said to be held
of the Duke of Buckingham. (fn. 68)
The 3 hides which the manor comprised in 1086
were held of these overlords by Robert, (fn. 69) who, from
the fact of Belbroughton being afterwards held by
the Beauchamps, may have been Robert le Despenser,
brother of Urse D'Abitot. (fn. 70) A survey of a later date
than Domesday states that William de Beauchamp
held 8 hides at Belne of the fief of Fulk Paynel. (fn. 71)
The large increase of 5 hides in its extent is not
explained, but possibly the 2 or 3 hides contained in
Belbroughton and Fairfield, also held by William de
Beauchamp, were included in this return, though
they were not of Fulk Paynel's fee.
Brian's Bell was held by the Beauchamps under the
Paynels for the service of one knight, and descended
with the barony of Elmley, (fn. 72) this mesne lordship
being mentioned for the last time in 1546. (fn. 73)
Under the lords of Elmley, Brian's Bell was held
by the family of Belne. The earliest mention of
these under-tenants in connexion with land in Belbroughton occurs early in the 13th century, when
Hugh de Belne was holding a knight's fee in Belne. (fn. 74)
Hugh was succeeded by a son Simon before 1254–5, (fn. 75)
and at that date made an agreement with William le
Bruyn as to estovers in William's wood of Belne. (fn. 76) The
Bruyns seem afterwards to have acquired this manor, (fn. 77)
as in 1280 Simon le Bruyn and Margery widow of
William Bruyn contributed to the subsidy for the
tithing of Belne Bruyn, (fn. 78) and Simon le Bruyn was
holding the manor in 1299–1300. (fn. 79) From this date
Brian's Bell followed the same descent as the manor
of Ab Lench (fn. 80) in Fladbury (q.v.) until the death of
Edward Conway in 1546. (fn. 81) Sir John Conway, son
and successor of Edward, and his son Edward conveyed it in 1592 to Humphrey Perrott. (fn. 82) It
descended in this family from father to son (fn. 83) until
1776, when John Perrott died, leaving a daughter
Katherine. (fn. 84) By her marriage with Walter Noel of
Hilcote the manor of Brian's Bell passed to the Noel
family, in whose possession it remained until the
death of Charles Perrott Noel in 1908. (fn. 85) He left
this manor by will to his widow for life, with reversion to Sir Neville Lyttelton and remainder in
default of heirs male to Lord Cobham. (fn. 86) Mrs. Noel
is the present owner of the estate.
Perrott. Gules three pears or and a chief argent with a demi-lion sable therein.
Noel. Or fretty gules with a quarter ermine.
At Bell Hall, attached to the modern mansion of
the Noels, are the remains of an ancient chapel. (fn. 87)
This chapel existed in Habington's time, but was
then 'desolate.' (fn. 88)
The manor of MOREHALBENE or MOORHALL
BELL was held of the manor of Brian's Bell for
scutage and suit of court and rent of 20s. (fn. 89) The
earliest tenant of the manor whose name is known
is Richard Rugge, who held it at the end of the
15th century. (fn. 90) It passed from him to his daughter
Joan wife of Sir William Molyneux, (fn. 91) who in
1539 gave the manor to his son Richard. (fn. 92) Richard
and his mother Joan sold it in 1539 to Humphrey
Pakington and Rowland Hill, (fn. 93) who transferred
it in 1540 to John Pakington. (fn. 94) It then descended
with the manor of Chaddesley Corbett (q.v.)
until 1723. (fn. 95) In that year Sir Robert Throckmorton sold it to Joseph Cox, (fn. 96) who some years later
purchased the manor of Stone, and seems to have
settled both manors on his daughter Mary and her
husband Stephen Beckingham. (fn. 97) The latter in 1738
conveyed Moorhall to Robert
Aglionby Slaney (fn. 98) and others,
apparently for settlement on
his son Stephen who was
holding it with him in 1751. (fn. 99)
The manor shortly afterwards
passed to the Tristrams, (fn. 100) who
seem to have resided there at
the beginning of the 18th
century. (fn. 101) John Tristram was
in possession in 1771–2, (fn. 102)
and the manor still belonged to
this family in 1780, (fn. 103) but after
this date there is a difficulty in tracing its descent.
It had passed before 1814 to William Hooper, (fn. 104) and
belonged in 1868 to Miss Durant of Clent. (fn. 105)
Tristram. Argent three roundels gules and a label azure.
The inhabitants of Moorhall and Brian's Bell owed
suit at the hundred court held at Churchill for part
of Halfshire Hundred. (fn. 106) The two villages of Moorhall
and Brian's Bell formed one constablewick, and the
constable was chosen one year in Moorhall Bell and
the next in Brian's Bell, and was elected at the king's
leet at Churchill. (fn. 107)
An estate at BRADFORD is first mentioned in the
13th century. In 1274–5 William de Hurst brought
an action against John son of Simon de Bradford and
Christine his wife for obstructing a road at Belbroughton. (fn. 108) Roger Lord of la More paid a subsidy
of 4s. 8d. at Belne Simonis in 1280, (fn. 109) while William
de la Hurst paid 10s. at Belne Bruyn, (fn. 110) and John and
Christine de Bradford paid subsidy at Belbroughton. (fn. 111)
Robert and Ellen de la Hurst recovered seisin of a
carucate of land at Belne Bruyn against William de
la Hurst in 1292–3. (fn. 112)
Margaret the wife of Henry de Bradford, sen.,
died in 1379 seised of tenements in Belbroughton,
which she held of Thomas le Boteler by knight's
service. Her son and heir William de Bradford
died three years later, and was succeeded by a sister
Margaret. (fn. 113) Possibly the land at Belbroughton held
in 1431 by Edmund Shyne of Droitwich for a sixth
of a knight's fee may refer to this property. (fn. 114) Nothing
further is known of the estate until 1650, when
William Penn of Bradford begged to compound, his
estate being discharged five years later. (fn. 115)
In 1795 Elizabeth Mariana Harris, eldest daughter
of Aston and Mary Harris, both deceased, conveyed
to William Morland and others the capital messuage
or mansion-house called Bradford and lands, &c., in
Belbroughton parish, (fn. 116) as trustees for its sale. The
property had been settled by John Harris on the said
Aston and Mary, and Aston by his will dated
1 March 1794 had left it to Elizabeth in trust that
she should sell it and give £1,000 to each of her
sisters Anne, Harriet and Penelope. (fn. 117) The house
was put up for sale in February 1818. (fn. 118)
The origin of the manor of BROMHILL
(fn. 119) is not
known. In 1473 Sir Ralph Boteler of Sudeley died
seised of land at Bromhill, (fn. 120) which subsequently
followed the descent of Fairfield. (fn. 121) The estate,
called a manor since 1574, (fn. 122) now belongs to the Earl
of Dudley.
CHURCHES
The church of the HOLYTRINITY
is built of stone and consists of a
modern chancel and nave 88 ft. long
and 21 ft. wide, to the south of which are the old
chancel and nave, 90 ft. long and about 19 ft. wide,
with a west tower 10 ft. deep and 9 ft. wide, and a
south aisle 8½ ft. wide. These measurements are all
internal.
The existence of a 12th-century church is clear
from the portions of the south door, the window
west of it, and from various carved fragments at the
rectory of the same or earlier date. The earliest
part of the existing building is the south aisle, which
dates from the 13th century. The old chancel,
which is of the 14th century, would therefore occupy
the position of the 12th-century chancel, to which
the south aisle was added. The modern chancel and
nave are mainly in the 14th-century style, but parts of
the north door of the modern nave, including its ogee
head, are old. Preparations have been made to add
a north aisle and western porch to this part of the
church. The old 14th-century chancel has a threelight window with modern geometric tracery and old
jambs. In the north wall is a large ogee-headed,
moulded recess and on the south are 15th-century
sedilia, a piscina and three 14th-century windows of
two trefoiled lights with a quatrefoil over. Here
also is a door, probably of the same date. In the
south-west angle is the entrance to the rood stair, to
which there is a small trefoil-headed window. The
chancel arch is probably of the 16th century, but has
been much restored. It is of two chamfered orders,
two-centred, with moulded capitals and semi-octagonal responds. The north arcade of the old nave is
of three bays. It is of a curious design, of two unbroken chamfered orders, and has been reconstructed
from the remains of a similar arcade, dating probably
from the 15th century, which were found in the
wall when pierced for the modern part of the church.
The south arcade, the greater part of which is modern,
is similar to the chancel arch and has concave octagonal
piers with moulded capitals, but the label appears to
be of an earlier date, though much restored, and the
stops in some cases renewed. The tower arch is of
the 15th century. The windows in the south aisle
are modern, but in the south wall is a 13th-century
piscina. The south door has been restored from
some 12th-century fragments, and has a round head,
double-shafted jambs and two roll mouldings to the
head. The porch and external doorway are modern.
West of the porch is a round-headed single-light
window, partly old and dating from the 12th century.
This window and the fragments of the south door
appear to have been recently discovered and inserted
in this wall.
The 15th-century tower is of three stages, with a
stair turret in the south-east angle, and has angle
buttresses. It has an embattled parapet and the
octagonal spire has ogee-headed lights, with the
remains of crocketed gables.
The belfry windows are of two lights with trefoiled
ogee heads and quatrefoils over. The stage below
has square-headed loophole lights.
The 14th-century chancel has a 17th-century roof
inscribed on the western beam 'Laus Deo This roofe
was new built at the charge of Richard Tristram
Rector 1660.' A part of the nave roof is also old,
the eastern beam being inscribed 'W.T. 1654 G.W.'
On the eastern respond of the south aisle are remains
of a painting showing a female figure with a floral
pattern. The font is of the 15th century with
octagonal bowl and quatrefoiled panels, a stem and
moulded base.
There is a good 17th-century pulpit with dragons
and grotesque corbels, round arches in panels and a
moulded dentil course.
On the eastern exterior of the south aisle is a
monument to Richard Tristram, 1691. Preserved
at the rectory are various fragments of 12th and
13th-century work, including a grotesque animal,
dog-tooth moulding, etc. There is also a piece
of a pre-Conquest cross, with interlacing ornament.
There is a peal of six bells. The first five are by
Thomas Rudhall of Gloucester, 1781, and the tenor
recast by Thomas Mears, 1840. The treble is
inscribed 'The Rev.d Mr. John Wylde gave LS/5 : 5 : 0
1781'; the second, 'The Rev.d M.r Tho.s Tristram
gave LS/5:5:0 1781'; the third, 'Aston Harris Esq.r
gave LS/7:7:0 1781'; the fourth, 'John Tristram
junr. Esq.r gave LS/10:10:0 1781'; and the fifth,
'John Tristram senr. Esq.r gave L/50:0:0 1781.'
The tenor is inscribed 'I to the Church the living call
and to the grave do summon all ./. . ./. T.M. 1840:
W.m Clinton Gent. gave LSD/5:5:0.'
The plate consists of a silver cup of the Restoration
period, the date letter being illegible; an 1809 silver
cup on which is engraved a monogram of the initials
'E.B.'; a 1701 silver salver standing on a foot, and
a modern silver paten and chalice presented to the
parish by the present rector.
The registers previous to 1812 are as follows:
(i) all entries 1540 to 1649; (ii) 1650 to 1738;
(iii) baptisms and burials 1739 to 1800, marriages 1739
to 1753; (iv) baptisms and burials 1801 to 1812;
(v) marriages 1754 to 1812.
BELL END CHAPEL
BELL END CHAPEL stands in the grounds of
Bell Hall. It is a small early chapel, now disused,
overgrown by ivy and in a very dilapidated condition.
It was erected circa 1200, and apart from the
insertion of mullioned windows in the east and west
walls, the addition of buttresses to the west wall and
the re-roofing at a later period, it has been left much
in its original state. It is rectangular on plan, and
is built of red sandstone, the roof being tiled.
The east window is of 16th-century date and was
divided by mullions into three square-headed lights,
but these are now blocked up with brickwork. In
the north wall are two small round-headed windows
with splayed inner jambs, and to the west of these
is a blocked-up semicircular doorway with an external double-chamfered hood mould. The openings
in the south wall correspond in size and position to
those in the wall opposite, though the windows have
external rebates for shutters and the doorway is far
more ornate. This doorway is of two orders; the
inner one, the edge of which has been rounded off,
is continuous, while the outer, which is stopped at
the springing by moulded abaci now much decayed,
is elaborately moulded, and the jambs below are
worked in a sunk quarter round. The west window is
similar to the east, being of three square-headed lights.
The building has an external plinth, but through
the raising of the ground this is now only visible at
the north end of the east wall. The north and south
walls have been continued westward (probably at the
same time as the insertion of the east and west windows)
to form buttresses. These are now greatly damaged,
and only portions of them remain in situ.
ADVOWSON
There were a church and priest at
Belbroughton in 1086, (fn. 123) and the
advowson was annexed to the manor
of Belbroughton and Fairfield until about 1595, (fn. 124)
when the manor was sold by John Talbot. He
retained the advowson and died in 1607, when it
passed to his son John, (fn. 125) by whom it was sold in
1624 to Thomas Tristram, clerk. (fn. 126) Between this
date and 1731 the presentations were made by various
people, (fn. 127) who were probably feoffees of the Tristrams,
for in 1731 Bridget Tristram presented to the church, (fn. 128)
and in 1733 she sold the advowson to the President
and scholars of St. John's College, Oxford, (fn. 129) with
whom it has since remained. (fn. 130) Dr. Gibbons, of
St. John's College, gave £1,000 and his widow £300
of the purchase money. The advowson is subject to
the condition that 'the person to be presented from
time to time shall be one of the fellows of the college
who has been or is at such time Dean of Divinity in
the said college.' (fn. 131)
St. Mark's chapel of ease was erected at Fairfield
in 1854.
There is a Primitive Methodist chapel at
Belbroughton.
CHARITIES
The parish is in possession of
2 a. 0 r. 16 p. called Breach Farm,
and 2 a. 1 r. 3 p. called Brookfield
Farm, producing a gross rent of £12.
In 1691 Dame Mary Yate by deed gave an
annuity of £2 10s., charged on Cakebold Farm in
Chaddesley Corbett, to be applied in the distribution
of bread.
In 1750 George Garbett by will bequeathed £100,
now represented by £138 8s. 2d. consols, the annual
dividends, amounting to £3 9s., to be applied in
bread and clothes.
Joseph Smith—as appeared from the Church
Table—by will (date not stated) demised an annuity
of £5, issuing out of the Clock House Estate at
Fockbury, to be expended in woollen material for
garments for poor widows, fatherless children and
other poor.
The Rev. Thomas Welsh by will (date not stated)
bequeathed £20 stock, now £23 18s. 8d. consols,
the dividends of 12s. a year to be given to the poor
at Easter.
In 1832 Benjamin Brecknell, by will proved in
the P.C.C. 26 January, bequeathed £1,000, now
£1,134 11s. 2d. consols in the names of administering trustees, producing £28 7s. yearly, to be distributed in money, bread and other articles in
kind.
In 1883 Miss Elizabeth Hunt by deed declared
the trusts of a sum of £497 10s. 3d. consols, producing £12 8s. 8d. yearly, to be distributed in sums
of not less than 5s. each to poor widows, irrespective
of age, and to men of not less than seventy years of
age on 24 December yearly. The income of the
several charities is applied for the benefit of the poor
in accordance with their respective trusts.
The several sums of stock, unless otherwise stated,
are held by the official trustees, who also hold a sum
of £132 18s. consols arising from a legacy of £100
to the Free School by will of George Garbett above
mentioned, and a legacy of £20 to the same school
by will of Thomas Griffen in 1758. The dividends,
amounting to £3 6s. 4d., are applied for educational
purposes.
In 1903 Miss Phoebe Lucy Baker by deed conveyed to trustees three cottages in Wood Lane to be
used as almshouses for aged and infirm women, and
by a deed of trust 18 January 1904 a sum of
£1,045 7s. 7d. consols was transferred to trustees, the
dividends, amounting to £26 2s. 6d. yearly, to be
applied in insurance and keeping the almshouses in
repair.