ELMLEY LOVETT
Ælmeleia (xi cent.); Almelega Ricardi de Portes
(xii cent.); Amelegh, Aumleye Lovet, Auneleg
(xiii cent.).
The parish of Elmley Lovett, situated 5 miles
north-west of Droitwich, has an area of 2,365 acres,
which includes 664 acres of arable land, 1,443 acres
of pasture and 49 acres of wood. (fn. 1)
The land is undulating at a height of 150 ft. to 200 ft.
above the ordnance datum. The soil is clay and the
subsoil marl, except in the north of the parish, where
it is sandstone, and the chief crops raised are wheat,
beans, oats and barley. The population is almost
entirely engaged in agriculture, but sandstone quarries
near the church are worked. The Elmley Brook
runs through the parish and forms part of the eastern
boundary. The main road from Kidderminster to
Droitwich, dividing Elmley from Stone on the north,
passes through the east of the parish. The village
lies a little west of the Kidderminster road on the
Elmley Brook. It consists only of the rectory, a
fine red brick house of the Queen Anne period, and
a few cottages. Elmley Lovett Lodge, said to have
been built in 1635 by one of the Townshends and
afterwards the seat of the Forresters, formerly stood
to the south-east of the church, but was pulled down
about 1890. It was a half-timber gabled house
approached by an avenue of elms. Part of the
inclosing walls only remain. Between it and the
church is an early 17th-century dovecote of red brick
with stone dressings. It is rectangular in plan with
a pedimented doorway on the south and has a
pyramidal tiled roof crowned by a timber lantern.
Below the cornice on the south, east and west sides
are square stone sundials. To the north-east of the
church is an early 17th-century stone cottage, while
opposite the rectory is a good house of similar date
and material with mullioned windows and diagonal
brick chimney stacks. The elementary school and
post office are both at Cutnall Green, a mile to the
south-east of the village. A second early 17th-century
dovecote remains at a farm at the junction of the
Hartlebury Road with that from Elmley Lovett to
Kidderminster. It is a half-timber building on a
brick base. The nearest railway station is at Hartlebury, 2 miles north-west of the village.
The Lodge, Elmley Lovett (now destroyed)
The inclosure award for the commons of Cutnall
Green, part of which is in Elmbridge and Hampton
Lovett, Sneads Green and Broad Common, is dated
1874. (fn. 2) A detached part of the parish, consisting of
about 5 acres of meadow land more than 2 miles from
the nearest boundary of Elmley Lovett, was transferred to Hampton Lovett in 1884. (fn. 3)
Among the place-names are Appeloure, Boycote (fn. 4)
(xiv cent.); Snede Blamorfield (fn. 5) (xv cent.); Polefield,
Middil Rilande, Hynkesfield, le Stockyng, le Furriland, (fn. 6)
Bawckryge, Jones Wodde, (fn. 7) Sapercotes (fn. 8) (xvi cent.).
MANORS
In the reign of Edward the Confessor
Alwold held ELMLEY LOVETT of
Queen Edith, but by the time of the
Domesday Survey the overlordship had passed to
Ralph de Toeni, (fn. 9) standard-bearer of the Dukes of
Normandy. He came over to England with the
Conqueror, and, according to the Roman dc Rou, when
called upon to bear the standard at the battle of
Hastings, excused himself from doing so in order that
he might take a full share in the actual fighting. (fn. 10)
He died in 1101–2, and was succeeded by his son
Ralph, his eldest son Roger
having died unmarried in
1093. (fn. 11) Ralph died about
1125, (fn. 12) and his son and
successor Roger was holding
this manor in the time of
King Stephen. (fn. 13) Ralph de
Toeni, who was holding Elmley in 1210, (fn. 14) was probably
grandson of this Roger. (fn. 15)
Matthew Paris relates that
when this Ralph heard that
his brother Roger lay at the
point of death at Reading he
hastened there to see him for the last time, but
arriving too late he called upon the dead man with
such vehemence that he returned to life to warn his
brother of judgement to come. Thereupon Ralph
vowed to found a religious house for the safety of the
souls of his ancestors and his brother. (fn. 16)
Toeni. Argent a sleeve gules.
In 1239, on the eve of a journey to the Holy
Land, (fn. 17) he granted the marriage of his eldest son
Roger to Humphrey Earl of Hereford and Essex,
who married the boy to his daughter Alice. (fn. 18) Ralph
died before reaching his destination. (fn. 19) On the death
of his son Roger in 1277 the latter's son Ralph
succeeded, (fn. 20) and, dying in 1294–5, (fn. 21) left two
children, Robert and Alice. Robert succeeded to
the manor and came of age in 1297, when seisin was
given to him of his father's lands, (fn. 22) but he died without issue in 1309, when the overlordship of Elmley
Lovett with his other estates passed to his sister and
heir Alice, widow of Thomas de Leybourne, (fn. 23) who
afterwards married Guy de Beauchamp Earl of
Warwick.
After the earl's death in 1315 (fn. 24) Alice married
William la Zouche of Ashby, (fn. 25) and in 1318 during
the absence of the latter at the Scotch wars the overlordship of Elmley Lovett seems to have been held by
Hugh le Despenser Earl of Winchester. (fn. 26)
In 1321 Roger de Mortimer of Chirk seized the
manor from William la Zouche and held it until the
following year, when it was taken into the king's
hands with his other property and restored to
William. (fn. 27) In 1326 William la Zouche acquired
from Eustace de Chapman and Alice his wife, the
under-tenants, all their right in the manor, and his
successors then held it of the king in chief, who is
last mentioned as overlord in 1478. (fn. 28)
Walter, the tenant under Ralph de Toeni at the
time of the Domesday Survey, (fn. 29) was represented in
the time of King Stephen by Richard de Portes, after
whom the manor was called 'Almelega Ricardi de
Portes,' (fn. 30) and who is probably to be identified with
the Richard who held Elmley in 1166–7. (fn. 31) Although
the Portes continued to hold property in Elmley at
least as late as 1327, (fn. 32) the branch of the family who
held Elmley Lovett failed in the male line early in
the 13th century, possibly on the death of Walter
de Portes (fn. 33) in 1201, when Simon de Ribbesford
received seisin of Walter's Worcestershire estates,
having married Walter's heir. (fn. 34)
It would seem that this heir was Agnes de Portes, and
that she married secondly a member of the Lovett
family, for Henry Lovett, who is described as son
and heir of Agnes de Portes, apparently held the
manor. (fn. 35) Henry died before 1254–5, (fn. 36) and his
widow Joan afterwards married Robert Stocumbe. (fn. 37)
Henry and Joan had two sons, John, who died
young, apparently without issue, and Henry, who
succeeded his father, (fn. 38) but died a minor before
1260–1, leaving a widow Isabel and a son John, a
minor. (fn. 39)
In 1260–1 Robert Stocumbe and Joan his wife
sued Roger de Toeni and others for two-thirds of the
manor of Elmley, of which they claimed part as
Joan's dower and the rest in compensation for a third
part of the stewardship of Roger de Toeni's land,
which had been settled on Joan at her marriage. (fn. 40)
Roger de Toeni, however, pleaded that Joan merely
held the manor as custodian
of Henry son of Henry Lovett.
The result of the suit is not
known. John son and heir
of the younger Henry Lovett
was still a minor in 1266,
when his wardship passed
from Walter de Mucegros to
Roger de Clifford. (fn. 41) John
Lovett recovered seisin of twothirds of the manor against
Roger de Clifford and the
Prioress of Aconbury in 1274–5. (fn. 42) The other third was no
doubt held by his mother Isabel, who, then the
widow of William le Blount, presented to the church
in 1316. (fn. 43)
Lovett. Argent three wolves passant sable.
John Lovett in 1285 obtained possession of a
messuage and a virgate of land at Elmley Lovett,
which had belonged to John le Ken, a felon. (fn. 44) He
apparently died soon after. According to Habington,
Nash and Betham he left two co-heirs, Cicely and
Alice, (fn. 45) but no confirmation of this has been found,
and it appears more probable that he died without
issue. (fn. 46) After this date the descent of the manor
becomes obscure. It seems to have passed to coheirs, (fn. 47) and in 1326 Alice wife of Eustace le
Chapman made good her claim as great-great-grand-daughter of Agnes de Portes (fn. 48) against John de
Wolrinton and Stephen de la Lee and Alice his wife
to two-thirds of the manor, (fn. 49) and in the same year
granted the manor to William la Zouche of Ashby
and Robert his son, (fn. 50) Lucy wife of Richard de
Hodinton releasing her claim to the manor at the
same time. (fn. 51)
It is probable that this purchase was made by
Lord Zouche on behalf of his stepson Thomas de
Beauchamp Earl of Warwick, who was then a minor,
for the earl was holding land in Elmley Lovett in
1344–5, (fn. 52) and presented to the church in 1349. (fn. 53)
In 1361 he settled the manor upon himself in tailmale. (fn. 54) His eldest son Guy predeceased him, and
on his death in 1369 the manor passed to his second
son Thomas. (fn. 55) From that time the descent of Elmley
Lovett is identical with that of Elmley Castle (fn. 56) (q.v.)
until 1487, when both were conveyed by Anne
Countess of Warwick to Henry VII. (fn. 57)
Elmley Lovett remained in the Crown (fn. 58) until
1543, when it was sold to Sir Robert Acton, kt., (fn. 59)
who settled it in 1557–8 on his younger son Charles. (fn. 60)
Sir Robert Acton died seised of the manor in 1558,
when Charles succeeded. (fn. 61) After the death of Sir
John Acton, son and heir of Charles, (fn. 62) in 1621 the
manor was divided between his four daughters, (fn. 63)
Elizabeth wife of Henry Townshend, Anne wife of
Walter Colles, Helen wife of Thomas Thornburgh,
afterwards kt., and Penelope wife of John Lench. (fn. 64)
From this date the descent of the manor becomes
somewhat involved. According to Nash the whole
manor came into the possession
of Henry Townshend, who
purchased the shares of the
other co-heirs, but, although
from certain fines levied in
1637–8 and 1639 (fn. 65) this would
seem to be correct, in later
documents relating to the
manor he and his successors
are said to have held only
half, and the Lenches are
known to have held an estate
in the parish at least as late
as 1672. (fn. 66)
Townshend. Azure a cheveron ermine between three scallops argent.
Henry Townshend was one
of the garrison of Worcester at the time of its surrender in 1646, and was in the city throughout the
siege. He kept a regular diary, which Nash has
partly printed in his History of Worcestershire. (fn. 67)
Townshend was a commissioner for raising money
for the king's forces and for the safeguarding of
Worcestershire, but in 1646 he proved before the
Parliamentary Commissioners that he had never
borne arms in the was and had paid contributions
to both sides. He was fined £285. (fn. 68) He survived
his wife and died in 1663, (fn. 69) when his son Henry
succeeded. He settled half the manor of Elmley
Lovett in 1677 on his son and heir Henry on his
marriage with Mary daughter of Thomas Vernon. (fn. 70)
The younger Henry succeeded his father in 1685, (fn. 71)
but his only child Ann died in infancy, (fn. 72) and on his
death his property passed to his younger brother
Robert Townshend, rector of Hanbury. The latter
was succeeded by his eldest son Henry, and afterwards
by a daughter Dorothy, who married Dr. Samuel
Wanley, rector of Elmley Lovett, (fn. 73) and settled the
moiety of the manor on him in 1744. (fn. 74) After
Dorothy's death Dr. Wanley settled it on his second
wife, Mary daughter of Sir Whitmore Acton of
Aldenham, Shropshire, bart., but she also predeceased him by a few months. (fn. 75) He died in 1776,
leaving this moiety to his friend the Rev. John
Waldron, rector of Hampton Lovett, for life with
reversion to his fourth and youngest son George
Waldron. (fn. 76) The latter was holding it at the beginning of the 19th century, (fn. 77) but had sold it before
1809 to George Forrester. (fn. 78) Brooke Forrester was
in possession in 1821 and 1828. (fn. 79) The Rev. Robert
Thompson Forrester was lord of the manor in
1850, (fn. 80) and it was purchased of him in 1859 by
William Orme Foster (fn. 81) of Apley Park, the great
Stourbridge ironmaster, who left it to his second son,
Captain James Foster, the present owner. (fn. 82)
The estate at Elmley Lovett which passed to the
Lenches by the marriage of John Lench with Penelope
Acton seems afterwards to have become known as
SNEAD
(fn. 83) or SNEAD'S GREEN. Habington states
that it was added by the Lenches to their estate at
Doverdale. (fn. 84) John Lench and Sarah his wife and
William Lench were dealing with property described
as a quarter of the manor of Elmley Lovett in 1655, (fn. 85)
and in 1672 Elizabeth Lench conveyed 'the manor
of Elme Lovett alias Snead' to Thomas Tyrer and
Richard Avenant. (fn. 86) It was probably this estate which,
under the name of the manor of Elmley Lovett or
Snead's Green, belonged in 1802 to Thomas Lord
Foley. (fn. 87) Three years later 'the manor of Snead's
Green' was sold by Lord Foley to Francis Moule, (fn. 88)
who in 1809 sold the manorial rights to George
Forrester, then lord of the manor of Elmley Lovett. (fn. 89)
Captain James Foster now receives the chief rents
from the manor of Snead's Green. (fn. 90)
Snead's Green House, the seat of Francis Moule
in 1809, had been in the possession of the family of
Moule or Moyle since 1621, and was retained by
Francis Moule when he sold the manorial rights of
Snead's Green in 1809. On the death of his son,
the last male heir of the family, the estate passed
to his three sisters, and on their death to his niece
Mrs. Stocks, the present owner. (fn. 91)
MERRINGTON
MERRINGTON lay in the parishes of Elmley
Lovett, Hampton Lovett and Elmbridge. (fn. 92) The
first mention of it occurs in 1375, when lands and
tenements there and in several other places were
settled by John Beauchamp of Holt in trust for the
provision of a yearly payment of 12 marks to a chaplain to pray for the souls of the said John and his
ancestors in Holt. (fn. 93)
John Beauchamp was attainted and forfeited all
his possessions in 1387–8, (fn. 94) and in November 1389
the estate was granted by the king to Richard Wych,
parson of Tredington, and others. (fn. 95) It subsequently,
at some uncertain date, passed to the Cassy (fn. 96) family.
It is first mentioned as a manor in 1530, when
Robert Cassy appears to have conveyed it to William
Brace. (fn. 97) In 1569 Henry Cassy and Francis Brace,
who was probably the grandson of William mentioned
above, were dealing with the manor of Merrington, (fn. 98)
and in 1588 Francis Brace settled the manor on his
son Thomas. (fn. 99) The manor then passed with the
part of Doverdale held by the Braces to Ralph
Taylor, (fn. 100) who was in possession in 1684. (fn. 101) In 1722
the messuage or farm called Merrington Farm in the
tenure of Katherine Taylor was conveyed by Ralph
Taylor to John Dovey, apparently for the purpose of
settling an annuity from the estate upon Ralph and
Katherine Taylor, his daughter by his first wife.
By his second wife he had a son Hugh and a daughter
Mary. (fn. 102) Merrington seems, however, to have passed
to the lords of Elmley Lovett before this date, for in
1713 it was included in a conveyance of that manor
made by Henry Townshend, (fn. 103) and it subsequently
seems to have followed the same descent as Elmley
Lovett. (fn. 104) The chief rents from the manor are now
received by Captain James Foster, but the site of the
manor is not known. As the rents are paid by the
tenant of New House Farm, it may be concluded
that Merrington was in that vicinity. (fn. 105)
It was stated in a deposition of 1684 that the
waste grounds or commons called Cutnall Green
and the Broad, which lay chiefly in Elmley Lovett
parish, had always been owned by the lords of
Merrington. Cutnall Green extended from a stone
called Knaven Castle to a place called Black Lake.
The two commons were divided by a ditch or bank,
which formed the boundary between the parishes of
Hampton Lovett and Elmley Lovett. Another
deponent stated that he had never heard Merrington
called a manor, but that it was formerly called
Cutnall Green Farm. (fn. 106)
A park belonging to the manor is mentioned in
1395, when a certain William Porter paid 20s.
yearly for its farm. (fn. 107) The office of parker was granted
in 1446 to the king's servant Richard Frebody, page
of the queen's chamber, (fn. 108) and in 1484 John Huddleston was made master of the game in the park. (fn. 109)
The park, then containing 62½ acres, with its deer (fn. 110)
was granted with the manor to Sir Robert Acton in
1543, (fn. 111) and belonged to his descendants until 1622, (fn. 112)
after which all trace of it seems to have disappeared.
Three mills at Elmley Lovett rendering 109s. 4d.
are mentioned in the Domesday Survey. (fn. 113) In 1260
a mill (fn. 114) passed with the manor, (fn. 115) and in 1543 was
sold to Sir Robert Acton. (fn. 116) It still belonged to the
lord of the manor in 1713, (fn. 117) but is no longer used.
A mill-house and remains of a corn-mill with a stone
dated 16— still exist at Elmley Lovett.
CHURCH
The church of ST. MICHAEL consists of a chancel, nave, west tower with
spire, and south porch. It was rebuilt
in 1840, and is of little architectural interest. The
tower is square, with single round-headed belfry
windows, an embattled parapet with corner pinnacles
and an octagonal spire. A 17th-century oak chest yet
remains, and on the interior of the tower walls are
five types of masons' marks. On the south wall of the
chancel is a monument to Dorothy wife of Sir Henry
Townshend, kt., with an inscription to her husband,
who died 9 May 1685, aged sixty-one.
In the churchyard to the south of the church are
the remains of a 15th-century cross with a tapering
octagonal stem, and a base of the same form standing
on two square steps. The cross itself is a modern
restoration.
There is a peal of six bells, inscribed as follows:
treble, 'Heaven fix when you hear us six, John
Hemus, 1697'; (2) 'William Ince Hugh Arden
Churchwardens, Peace to the church, 1696'; (3)
'Sing ye pleasantly unto God. William Baggley
made mee 1696'; (4) 'Edward Best Rector, Thomas
Baskervile, Humphrey England C.W. 16(9)6.
William Baggley made mee'; (5) 'Omnibus gratia
sed Henricus Townshend Armiger dominus mareni
(maneri?) ifact (facti?) causa 1696'; tenor, 'Attend
with diligence and prepare for the service of God
according to the usage of the Church of England
1696. William Baggley made mee.'
The plate consists of a cup, salver, paten and
flagon, all of plated ware.
The registers previous to 1812 are as follows:
(i) mixed entries 1539 to 1730; (ii) baptisms and
burials 1732 to 1804, marriages 1732 to 1753;
(iii) baptisms and burials 1805 to 1812; (iv) marriages 1754 to 1812.
ADVOWSON
A priest is mentioned at Elmley
in the Domesday Survey, and from
this the existence of a church at that
date may perhaps be inferred. The advowson of
Elmley Lovett Church followed the same descent as
the manor (fn. 118) until the middle of the 18th century,
passing to the Townshends after the death of John
Acton in 1621. (fn. 119) Ann Townshend presented Samuel
Wanley to the living in 1742, (fn. 120) but in 1776 the
presentation for that turn was made by Robert Burgis,
who then became the incumbent, (fn. 121) and was said to
be patron in 1808, (fn. 122) though George Waldron presented in 1800. (fn. 123) By 1829 the patronage had
passed to John Lynes, (fn. 124) who sold it probably about
1837 to Christ's College, Cambridge, (fn. 125) to which it
still belongs.
In 1316 a dispute as to the rights of patronage
between Isabel widow of Henry Lovett, Richard de
Hodington and Lucy his wife, and William le Mol
and Lucy his wife, (fn. 126) seems to have been decided in
favour of Isabel, who presented to the church in that
year. (fn. 127)
There was a chapel of St. Nicholas at Elmley in
which a chantry was founded by Sir John Lovett, kt.,
at the end of the 13th or early in the 14th century. (fn. 128)
The advowson of the chapel was said in 1327 to
belong to the priory of Dodford. (fn. 129) No further
mention has been found of this chantry, which was
apparently not in existence in the reign of Edward VI
when the chantries were suppressed. In 1562–3
Cicely Pickerell, widow, received a grant of 'all
those chapels and les chappell yardes and one called
the Rood Chappell yard' in Elmley Lovett. (fn. 130) This
was probably all that remained of the chapel of
St. Nicholas.
CHARITIES
The Charity Estate, the particulars
of the foundation of which are unknown, was formerly regulated by a
decree of Commissioners for Charitable Uses, 1631–2,
and is now regulated by scheme of the Charity
Commissioners, 1871. The trust estate consists of
92 a., or thereabouts, let at £163 15s., also of a rent-charge of 6s. 8d. and a sum of £84 2s. 9d. consols
held by the official trustees. Under the scheme a sum
of £70 is applied for educational purposes, £40 for
church purposes, and the balance distributed in clothes,
&c., for the poor.
The official trustees also hold a sum of £445 3s. 10d.
consols towards the replacement of a loan of
£400.
The amount applied for education is paid to the
Cutnall Green School, which was founded in 1863.