KINGTON
Chintune (xi cent.); Kinton, Kyneton (xiii cent.);
Kynton (xiv cent.); Keynton (xvii cent.); Kington
or Kineton (xix cent.).
Kington is a small parish covering an area of
1,071 acres, of which 264½ are arable land, 574½
permanent grass and 57 woods and plantations. (fn. 1) The
subsoil is clay and sand, the chief crops raised being
wheat, oats, beans and roots. The parish is watered
by the Piddle Brook and two small tributaries which
rise in Kington. The main road from Worcester to
Alcester crosses the southern part of the parish, and
on a branch road from it the village of Kington
is situated. The land, like that of most of the
Worcestershire parishes, is undulating, rising gradually
from the banks of the Piddle Brook to a height of
200 ft. and more above the ordnance datum.
MANORS
Before the Conquest KINGTON was
held as three manors by Ælwig, Eilaf
and Tori. (fn. 2) In 1086 there seem to
have been only two manors, held by two knights
of Roger de Lacy. (fn. 3)
The overlordship of one of these manors appears
to have been given by one of the Lacys to Roger
Pichard, (fn. 4) one of his tenants, (fn. 5) for at the beginning of
the 13th century Kington was said to be held of the
barony of Roger Pichard. (fn. 6) In 1290 John Pichard
conveyed certain of his estates in Hereford to Philip
ap Howell, (fn. 7) and the overlordship of Kington may
have been included in this conveyance, for in 1315–16
it belonged to Philip ap Howell. (fn. 8) In 1578 a moiety
of the manor was held of the queen as of the late
dissolved monastery of Evesham. (fn. 9)
This manor had passed before 1212 to Robert
Pipard, (fn. 10) who was still holding it in 1225, (fn. 11) and was
succeeded by Guy Pipard, probably his son. (fn. 12) The
latter left two daughters, Ivetta and Maud, between
whom the manor seems to have been divided. (fn. 13)
Ivetta's half passed to her only daughter, also called
Ivetta, wife of William Kardiff, (fn. 14) who was holding it
c. 1280. (fn. 15) It passed with Queenhill in Ripple to
Joan wife of John Wincote, who was holding her
share of the manor in 1331, (fn. 16)
but seems to have sold it
before 1346 to John de
Somerville, (fn. 17) in whose family
it remained until the 16th
century. A pedigree of the
family is given by Dugdale in
his History of Warwickshire. (fn. 18)
William Somerville presented
to the church in 1434, (fn. 19) and
in 1491 Thomas Wolmer
purchased the use of the mill
stream in Kington of Thomas
Somerville. (fn. 20) John Somerville,
grandson of Thomas, died
seised of the manor in 1578. (fn. 21)
His son and heir John was arrested in 1583 for his
share in a plot to kill the queen and committed to
Newgate, where he was found strangled a few days
after. (fn. 22) In 1609 James I granted his property in
Kington to George Salter and John Williams, (fn. 23) who
sold it in 1611 to William Turner and William
Canning. (fn. 24) Turner gave up his right to Canning, (fn. 25)
who in 1612 conveyed this half of the manor to
Edward Canning of Enstone, co. Oxford, (fn. 26) and he
with Richard and Robert Canning sold it in 1627
to Abel Gower. (fn. 27) By his will proved November
1632 the latter left it to his wife Mary, who seems
to have settled it on Timothy Stampe, her son by a
former husband. (fn. 28) In 1658 Timothy Stampe and
Ann his wife conveyed it to Edward Heath and
Thomas Yates, (fn. 29) apparently as a preliminary to its
sale to William Bickerton in the following year. (fn. 30)
Somerville. Argent a fesse between three rings gules with three leopards' heads argent on the fesse.
William Bickerton sold a moiety of 'the manor'
of Kington in 1711 to Thomas Carpenter, (fn. 31) but in
1763 it seems to have belonged to Ann Millard,
John Benton and John Haynes. (fn. 32) In 1814 it was
advertised as being for sale. (fn. 33) Later in the same
year John Jordan Haynes and Rebecca his wife sold
it to Benjamin Littlewood of Amblecote. (fn. 34)
Maud, the other daughter of Robert Pipard, seems
to have married Henry de Somery, (fn. 35) and her share of
the manor followed the same descent as the Somerys'
manor of Bishampton, (fn. 36) passing to the chantry priests
of Hampton Lovett, (fn. 37) and after the Dissolution to the
Scudamores and Keyts. (fn. 38) The last mention of it which
has been found in original deeds occurs in 1662,
when it belonged to Sir John Keyt. (fn. 39)
Nash does not mention the owner of this estate in
his time, but a property in Kington which had
formerly belonged to the Keyts was held in 1811 by
a Mr. Freeman of Pedmore Hall.
The other manor of KINGTON was held of the
manor of lnkberrow, (fn. 40) the overlordship of this manor
having probably passed from Roger de Lacy to the
Earls of Pembroke, lords of Inkberrow, in the same
way as Himbleton and Spetchley (q.v.). It belonged
in 1225 to William de Kington, (fn. 41) and seems to have
passed successively to Nicholas Kington, who was in
possession in 1327, (fn. 42) and the latter's son William and
grandson Nicholas, (fn. 43) the last of whom was holding it
in 1331. (fn. 44) In 1346 Hugh de Cooksey and Nicholas
Somery were holding half a
fee in Great Cooksey and
Kington which had been the
property of William de Kington. (fn. 45) The manor then seems
to have passed to the family
of Toky, Thomas and Joan
Toky being called 'of Kington' in 1361. (fn. 46) Henry Toky,
who settled land in Kington
on his wife Isabel in 1392–3,
perhaps succeeded Thomas. (fn. 47)
It then went to his son John
Toky, (fn. 48) who was holding the
estate in 1431 (fn. 49) and died without issue male. His
daughter and heir Maud brought the manor to the
Wolmer family by her marriage with Thomas
Wolmer, (fn. 50) whose son Thomas seems to have held it
in 1491. (fn. 51) John Wolmer, grandson and heir of the
last-named Thomas, died seised of the manor in
1518, leaving a son John, (fn. 52)
whose grandson Anthony
Wolmer was holding it in
1595 (fn. 53) and died before
1603. (fn. 54) In 1635 the manor
belonged to Thomas Wolmer,
grandson of Anthony, and
Lucy his wife, (fn. 55) and their son
John held it in 1659. (fn. 56) He
died without issue, leaving
the reversion after the death
of his widow Philadelphia to
his nephew Thomas Wolmer, (fn. 57)
who by his will, dated 1707,
left it to a cousin Thomas
Wolmer. (fn. 58) The latter, with
Philadelphia, widow of John Wolmer, sold it in
1714 to Thomas Vernon of Hanbury. (fn. 59) It then
passed with Hanbury (fn. 60) (q.v.)
until about 1857, when
Thomas Bowater Vernon sold
it to William Laslett of Abberton Hall, (fn. 61) M.P. for Worcester 1852–60 and 1868–
74. (fn. 62) He married in 1842
Maria daughter of Dr. Carr,
Bishop of Worcester, but died
without issue in 1884. (fn. 63)
Toky. Argent three cinqfoils sable.
Wolmer. Gules a cheveron between three scallops argent with a ring sable for difference.
Vernon of Hanbury. Or a fesse azure with three sheaves or thereon and a crosslet fitchy gules in the chief.
By his will this estate,
which now seems to be the
capital manor of Kington,
passed to the Rev. Robert
James Baker, who was succeeded in 1886–7 by Mrs.
Baker Carr. The manor was
purchased about 1905 by Mr. Lawrence C. Tipper,
the present owner.
CHURCH
The church of ST. JAMES is small,
consisting of a chancel 16¾ ft. by 12½ ft.,
and nave 28¼ ft. by 17½ ft., with an
additional western portion below the tower 7 ft.
deep by 12 ft. wide. These measurements are all
internal. The original church appears to have been
erected in the 13th century and to have been a
plain rectangular building, about 44 ft. by 12 ft.
The nave was probably lengthened about 7 ft. to
the west and the small timber tower erected in the
15th century. During the 16th century the nave
was widened southwards. A complete restoration
took place in 1881, when the chancel was rebuilt with
the old material mixed with new.
The east window is modern, of three lights under a
traceried head, and on either side of it is an ancient
image bracket. Of the two windows in the north
wall the eastern is a pointed lancet, which appears to
be of the 13th century; the other is a squareheaded single light, also old. Between these windows,
inside, is a recess with a two-centred drop arch.
The south-east window is a late 13th-century
trefoiled lancet with a restored head, and the southwest a round-headed light with a four-centred reararch. Between these windows is another recess (presumably an aumbry) with a triangular pointed head.
The entrance to the chancel is spanned by a modern
archway of wood. The north wall of the nave is
thicker than that of the chancel, and on the south
side the building widens out some 5 ft. The first
window in the north wall has two lights with a
quatrefoil above and is largely modern. The north
doorway is old, and the second window, a singlepointed light, is apparently 13th-century work. The
two south windows are similar to the north-east and
mostly modern. Part of the east face of the tower
shows in the nave and has modern wood uprights on
a timber girder. The nave narrows again on the
south side to the space below the tower, which is
lighted by a 15th-century window on either side
with a square head. The west doorway is of a
single chamfered order with a pointed head and the
western angles are strengthened by diagonal buttresses,
both apparently original, but the wall itself has been
rebuilt or refaced. The tower over is of halftimber and plaster work. The sides of the bellchamber are pierced with plain square openings and
the roof is gabled east and west. The walling of the
nave is of large rough ashlar unevenly coursed. The
five buttresses against the north wall are probably
old; a pair near the west end appear to mark the
position of a former west wall. The three buttresses
south of the nave have been considerably renewed.
The roofs are gabled, with modern pointed wagonheaded ceilings.
Plan of Kington Church
The octagonal bowl of the font has been recut.
On the north wall at the entrance to the chancel is a
piece of 15th-century panelling, the cornice moulded
and carved with a running vine pattern. Similar
woodwork, which evidently formed part of an elaborate
screen, is used up in the modern pulpit.
There are three bells, inscribed as follows :
treble, 'W.H. R.D. November 22 1693'; (2) the
same; (3) 'Will: Ocklei Thos Farr, Churchwardens No: the 22 1693.'
The plate consists of a silver cup of 1784, inscribed 'Robert Baker, Robert Payten, churchwardens 1785,' a silver paten of 1875, a modern
plated flagon, and two pewter almsdishes.
The registers before 1812 are as follows: (i)
baptisms and marriages 1587 to 1735, with a gap,
1645 to 1653 ; (ii) baptisms 1735 to 1812,
marriages 1735 to 1754; (iii) marriages 1754 to
1812.
ADVOWSON
The first mention of the church
occurs in 1225, when William de
Kington and Robert Pipard, who
held the manors, agreed to present alternately,
William having the first presentation. (fn. 64) From that
time the advowson belonged in moieties to the lords
of both manors, Robert Pipard's right descending to
the Kardiffs and Somervilles. (fn. 65) After John Somerville's forfeiture in 1583 the advowson was not
granted with his moiety of the manor to Salter and
Williams, but seems to have been bought by Anthony
Wolmer, who was dealing with the whole of the
advowson in 1595. (fn. 66) It has since descended with
his portion of the manor. (fn. 67)
The rectory of Kington was annexed to the
vicarage of Dormston in 1874. (fn. 68) William Tyndal
the antiquary was presented to the rectory of
Kington by Henry Cecil in 1792. (fn. 69)
As early as 1291 the Prior of St. Guthlac near
Hereford had tithes amounting to 13 s. 4d. in Kington, (fn. 70) which after the Dissolution, when they had
decreased in value to 10s., (fn. 71) were granted in 1542
to John ap Rice with the site of the priory. (fn. 72)
He sold them in 1600 to Anthony Wolmer for
£30. (fn. 73)
There are no endowed charities.