ROUS LENCH
Lenc, Biscopesleng (xi cent.); Lench Randulf,
Lelenz (xii cent.); Randulves Lench (xiii cent.);
Lench Rondolf (xiv cent.); Rouslench, Randolphs
Lench (xvi cent.).
The parish of Rous Lench lies in the east of the
county. Piddle Brook forms its northern and an
unnamed stream, a tributary of Whitsun Brook, its
western boundary. The road from Worcester to
Alcester passes through the north of the parish, and
from it a road runs north to Radford and Inkberrow,
crossing Piddle Brook by a ford. A second branch
road runs southwards to the village of Rous Lench
Rous Lench Court from the North-west
The area of the parish is 1,494 acres, (fn. 1) and the land
is chiefly arable, the principal crops being cereals.
Fruit and flower farming are carried on to some extent,
and the women were employed in glove-stitching in
the middle of the 19th century, but the industry has
now died out. The soil is sand and marl and the
subsoil Keuper Marl and Lower Lias.
The village of Rous Lench is situated on a plateau
about 200 ft. above the ordnance datum. To the
east the land rises to 300 ft.; to the west and north
it is undulating and lies between 170 ft. and 200 ft.
above ordnance datum.
The village lies on a branch road from the Worcester
and Alcester high road. The houses, many of which
are half-timbered and some still thatched, are built
round a triangular green, formerly crowned by a
magnificent group of elms, of which only one now
remains. To the north of the green lies the church,
in a churchyard an acre in extent, bounded on one
side by an ancient stone wall and on the remaining
sides by the moat and park. A little way off on the
Fladbury road is the now ruinous pound. At the
south-west angle is a picturesque red brick building
built by Sir Charles Rouse-Boughton as a public-house
on the site of an earlier one. It was closed as an
inn by Dr. Chafy, and enlarged and opened by him
in 1882 as a parish-room and workmen's club, now
known as Chafecote.
Rous Lench Court. the property and residence of
the Rev. William Kyle Westwood Chafy, D.D.,
situated on the northern slope of a hill to the south
of the village, is a much-modernized two-storied halftimber house of the early 16th century. The original
house appears to have been a large building, inclosing two quadrangles, divided from each other by
a great hall. The greater part of the house was pulled
down about a hundred years ago, and the buildings
on the south and west sides of the western or entrance
quadrangle, forming an L-shaped block, alone survive.
Remains of the lesser quadrangle were standing within
living memory, and traces of the demolished servants'
wing and of the flagging of the great hall were found
by Dr. W. K. W. Chafy in the course of laying out
the grounds on the east side of the house. The
existing remains seem to have contained the private
apartments; the kitchen and offices seem to have
adjoined the quadrangle on the east side of the hall.
In the west wing is the original entrance gateway,
with the porter's lodge on the north side giving access
to the former servants' wing. On the first floor is a
large room known as the 'matted gallery,' with two
fireplaces contemporary with the earliest building,
one having its original moulded jambs and a fourcentred head. The walls are lined with Elizabethan
panelling. Practically no other original detail of
interest remains internally, and modern additions
have been made at the eastern and western ends of
the southern range. Externally the timbering has
been much restored and the chimney shafts are mostly
new. The terraced gardens with their clipped yew
hedges, laid out under the direction of Dr. W. K. W.
Chafy, form an almost unique example of topiary
art. The splendid yew ring surrounding a summerhouse on the south-east side of the house, together
with a few single trees here and there and a fine
avenue, remain as survivals of the original gardens,
which could never have been large. The whole now
covers about 7 acres. In the park is still to be seen
the moat which surrounded the old manor-house.
It incloses an area of about half an acre in extent.
About 1647 Richard Baxter, the Nonconformist, wrote
part of his 'Saint's Everlasting Rest' while staying
here. (fn. 2) In 1646 he says in Reliquiae Baxterianae,
'my quarters fell out to be at Sir Thomas Rous' at
Rous Lench, where I had never been before. The
Lady Rous was a godly, grave, understanding woman,
and entertained me not as a soldier but a friend.' (fn. 3) A
tree in the garden, which has now disappeared, was
known as Baxter's Tree.
Radford is a hamlet to the north on the Worcester
and Alcester road, and in the east of it is a brick and
drain pipe works.
An Inclosure Act for Rous Lench was passed in
1778, (fn. 4) and the award is dated 27 February 1779. (fn. 5)
Among the place-names are Pittmeade and Le
Widowes End, found in the 16th century. (fn. 6)
MANORS
The manor of ROUS LENCH is probably to be identified with the 'Lenc'
which was acquired by Alfstan the prior,
brother of Bishop Wulfstan, for the church of Worcester about 1062. (fn. 7) This estate became annexed to
the manor of Fladbury, and in the time of Edward
the Confessor the bishop held 2 hides in demesne,
while the rest of the manor, 5 hides, was held by
France, who did all the services due for it. By 1086
the whole manor had passed into the hands of Urse
the Sheriff, under whom it was held by Alvred. (fn. 8) It
was, however, still held under the manor of Fladbury,
and continued to be so held until the end of the
13th century. (fn. 9)
Urse's interest in the manor passed with his other
possessions to the Beauchamps (see Elmley Castle),
and was held by them and their descendants until the
end of the 15th century, when the overlordship of
Rous Lench passed with most of their other possessions into the hands of Henry VII. (fn. 10)
The tenants of the manor under the lords of
Elmley adopted the name Lench. Randolf son of
Roger de Lench held the manor in the time
of Henry II, (fn. 11) and is probably to be identified with
Randolf de Lench, who paid 40 marks in 1175–6
for pardon for trespass in the forest. (fn. 12) Roger de
Lench was the representative of this family early in
the 13th century. (fn. 13) It was probably he who with
Stephen de Lench resisted the claim of the Abbot of
Halesowen to common pasture at 'Hale Lench' in
1230. (fn. 14) Two years later he obtained from the king
a grant of protection against Jews who held his lands
as security for debt. (fn. 15) Peter de Lench paid a subsidy
of 4s. at Lench Randolf in 1280, (fn. 16) and a Peter de
Lench held land in Worcestershire in 1290. (fn. 17) Thomas
de Lench was holding the manor in 1315, (fn. 18) and still
seems to have been in possession in 1329, as he
presented to the church at that date. (fn. 19) In 1346 it
was returned that William
son of John de Lench, Sir
John de Hampton, Richard
de Lench, John de Chester (fn. 20)
of Lench and Henry Norreys
held the manor, (fn. 21) but Richard
de Lench presented to the
church three years later. (fn. 22) In
1366–7 Robert de Derlaston
settled the manor of Rous
Lench on Thomas Snodhull
of Rous Lench and Lucy his
wife and their issue, with remainder in default to Henry
Bruyn and his heirs. (fn. 23) In
1381–2 Thomas and Lucy sold the manor and advowson of the church to John Rous. (fn. 24) John seems
to have granted this manor for life to his father John
Rous of Ragley, for on the death of the younger John
in 1396–7 John Rous and Christina his wife were
holding the manor by their son's gift. Robert Rous
was brother and heir of the younger John, (fn. 25) but the
manor of Rous Lench seems to have passed to Henry,
a younger brother. (fn. 26) Henry was succeeded by his
son Thomas, (fn. 27) who obtained licence in 1445 to have
divine service celebrated in the chapel or oratory in
his manor of Rous Lench. (fn. 28) William son of Thomas
died seised of the manor in 1505–6, leaving Thomas
his son and heir. (fn. 29) Thomas was succeeded by his
son John. (fn. 30) Edward son and successor of John died
in 1611, leaving a son Sir John Rous. (fn. 31) He served
as Sheriff of Worcestershire in 1610 and 1636, (fn. 32) and
died in 1645. (fn. 33) His son Sir Thomas Rous, who had
been created a baronet in 1641, was the friend and
host of Richard Baxter and an ardent opponent of
the Royalists during the Civil War. (fn. 34) He died in
1676. (fn. 35) Sir Edward Rous, his son by his first wife,
followed him and died without issue 5 November
1677, when the baronetcy and estates devolved on
his half-brother Sir Francis Rous. He was succeeded
in 1687 by his brother Sir Thomas Rous, (fn. 36) who died
without issue on 29 December 1721, when the
baronetcy became extinct and the estates passed to
his sister Elizabeth, (fn. 37) who,
dying unmarried in 1729,
was succeeded by Thomas
Philipps, (fn. 38) a descendant of the
last baronet's half-sister. He
took the surname of Rouse
and died unmarried 30
December 1768, leaving his
estates to his distant cousin
Charles William Boughton,
who took the additional surname of Rouse. (fn. 39) He was
created a baronet (BoughtonRouse of Rous Lench) in
1791, (fn. 40) but three years later he succeeded, on the
death of his brother, to the baronetcy of Boughton
and transposed the order of
the name to Rouse-Boughton. (fn. 41)
He died on 26 February
1821, (fn. 42) but the manor seems
to have passed before his death
to his son William Edward
Rouse-Boughton, who was
dealing with it in 1810. (fn. 43) He
died 22 May 1856, and was
followed by his eldest son
Sir Charles Henry RouseBoughton. (fn. 44) The latter sold
the manor of Rous Lench to
the present owner, Dr.
William Kyle Westwood Chafy
of Sherborne, in 1876. (fn. 45)
Rous of Ragley. Sable two bars engrailed argent.
Boughton. Sable three crescents or.
Chafy. Party gules and azure a griffon argent and a chief engrailed ermine with three lozenges azure therein.
In 1410–11 Thomas Throckmorton and his wife
Agnes were dealing with two messuages and 4 carucates
of land in Rous Lench. (fn. 46) Agnes Throckmorton held
half a fee in Rous Lench jointly with Thomas
Serchesden in 1428, (fn. 47) and John Throckmorton presented to the church in 1433. (fn. 48) It was perhaps this
estate which, as the manor of Rous Lench, was held
by Francis Folliott of Pirton at the time of his death
in 1545. (fn. 49) His son John succeeded him and died in
1578, leaving a son Thomas. (fn. 50) Thomas and his wife
Katherine were dealing with the manor in 1593, (fn. 51)
when it is mentioned for the last time. It possibly
passed to the Rous family and became incorporated
with the capital manor.
In 1243–4 the Bishop of Worcester gave to William
de Norwich and his wife Prudence half a hide of
land in RADFORD. (fn. 52) Geoffrey de Lyttelton and
his wife Eugenie sold messuages and land there and
at Rous Lench to Richard Austin and his wife
Constance in 1274–5. (fn. 53) An estate at Radford called
a manor was held in 1545 by Francis Folliott, (fn. 54) but
seems to have been sold by his son John, as it is not
mentioned among his possessions at the time of his
death. Sir John Rous was dealing with it in 1635, (fn. 55)
and it followed the same descent as the manor of
Rous Lench until 1821 or later. (fn. 56)
There was a mill worth 4s. at Rous Lench in
1086. (fn. 57) No further mention of it has been found
until 1730, when it occurs in a conveyance of the
manor. (fn. 58) There is now a corn-mill at Radford on
the Piddle Brook.
CHURCH
The church of ST. PETER consists
of a chancel about 25 ft. by 16 ft., a
nave 38½ ft. by 18½ ft., a north aisle
12 ft. wide, a north chapel and a vestry. These
dimensions are all internal.
Nearly the whole church has been rebuilt in recent
years, but enough remains to prove the existence of a
church in the middle of the 12th century consisting
of a chancel and nave with a north aisle of about the
dimensions of the present structure. Practically no
additions were made, except the insertion of one or
two windows in the 14th century, until the modern
rebuilding. At a late date the structure was allowed
to get much out of repair and the north aisle was
destroyed, the arcade being filled up. In 1885 the
arcade was reopened, a new north aisle was built, the
nave and chancel walls and arcade repaired and
restored, a north chapel (for the Rous monuments)
and a vestry and sacristy added, and the nave reroofed. A bellcote was also constructed above the
west wall of the chancel.
The east window of the chancel has been removed
to the west end of the north aisle and the opening
filled up. The eastern end of the north wall is built
of brick and at the west end is a modern squint from
the north aisle. In the south wall are two singlelight windows, the eastern showing traces of 12thcentury work in the head. The south-west window
is of the 13th century and is related for a shutter;
east of it is a small rough niche with a shelf and
triangular-shaped head, which may have belonged to
an earlier building on the site. The round-headed
chancel arch is of 12th-century date and of two square
orders, the responds being semicircular with scalloped
capitals. At the present time there is a second chancel
arch east of the original one, of similar detail but constructed of plaster, as a temporary expedient to support
the roof of the chancel.
The nave is three bays long with a 12th-century
arcade to the north aisle having semicircular arches
of two plain square orders and round piers with
scalloped capitals and moulded bases. The whole
arcade is of one date with the exception of the
western respond, which is largely modern, a portion
of the old capital being preserved in the Rous chapel.
It is possible that this bay was altered, and perhaps
narrowed, at a rebuilding of the west wall of the
nave, beneath which the capital was found. At the
eastern end of the south nave wall is the rood stair;
this, with the turret containing it, which leaned as
much as 2 ft. out of the perpendicular, was taken
down stone by stone and re-erected when the adjoining nave wall was rebuilt. There are two windows
in the south wall, both of two lights. The westernmost is entirely modern. Beneath the other window
is a piscina-like niche with a plain two-centred head,
but there were no traces of a drain in the old wall,
which was taken down. The south door is a remarkably fine example of 12th-century work of about 1130,
and has a round head decorated with zigzag ornament
and twisted shafts with carved capitals and billetmoulded abaci. Above this is a well-executed 'Majesty'
within an elaborate oval frame formed of wings, the
whole design being inclosed in a round-headed enriched
arch resting on ornate columns with cushion capitals.
The west window of the nave is of early 14th-century
date and has three lights under a two-centred head.
The north aisle is modern and is terminated
towards the east by a semicircular apse with an elaborate arch opening into the aisle. Over the altar here
is a semi-octagonal stone canopy, erected under the
direction of Dr. Chafy in imitation of the wellknown example in the nave of St. Mark's, Venice.
The old north door has been restored and reset, the
shafted jambs being largely modern, while the head,
of two orders, is old. The west end of this aisle is
railed off to form a baptistery and contains the original
octagonal 15th-century font. The reset west window,
which is of two plain pointed lights with a quatrefoil
over, is probably of the late 13th century.
The Rous chapel is also modern, and was built to
receive the monuments of the Rous family removed
from the chancel at the recent restoration. They
include a monument to Edward Rous of Rous Lench,
who died in 1611, his wife Mary (Haselrigg), who
died in 1580, three daughters and one son, with
coloured effigies and an inscription within an elaborately carved cartouche, above which appear the arms:
sable two bars engrailed argent; crest, a Moor's head.
There is also a monument, with a crude Doric entablature, to Sir John Rous, who died in 1645, and his
wife Esther (Temple), and a wall slab to Sir Thomas
Rous, son of the above (the first baronet), who died
in 1676, and his three wives, Jane (Ferrers), Frances
(Murray) and Anne, of whom nothing is known.
There are other wall slabs to Sir Edward Rous, his
eldest son, the second baronet, who died in 1677,
and his wife Elizabeth (Lisle), who died in 1691.
Preserved in the Rous chapel are a number of early
12th-century carved window heads and some capitals
and bases of the same date, also and elaborately carved
stone, already noted in a previous article, (fn. 59) and a
carved window head of an early date.
The bellcote over the west wall of the chancel
takes the place of a former rude wooden belfry built
inside the west end of the nave and contains two
bells, both by John Martin of Worcester, the treble
dated 1661 and the second bearing the inscription
'God be our Speed.'
The church plate includes a cup and paten with
the hall mark of 1570, and inscribed with the date
1571; a paten inscribed as the gift of Thomas Wall
in 1704, but with the hall mark of 1693, a flagon
given by a second Thomas Wall in 1756, with the
hall mark of the previous year, and a three-legged
paten of 1727, given by an unknown donor in
1748.
The registers before 1812 are as follows: (i) containing entries of births in the Rous family from 1513
and all entries from 1539 to 1778 except the marriages,
which end in 1754; (ii) baptisms and burials 1779
to 1812; (iii) a marriage book 1754 to 1812.
ADVOWSON
At the date of the Domesday
Survey Urse had a priest on his
manor of Rous Lench. (fn. 60) The first
recorded presentation took place in 1286, when Sir
Walter de Cooksey presented. (fn. 61) His name has not
been connected with the manor, but it is probable
that he had some interest in it, as the advowson afterwards belonged to the lords of the manor, Thomas
de Lench presenting in 1329. (fn. 62) From that time the
advowson has followed the same descent as the manor. (fn. 63)
John Throckmorton, who was at that time holding a
manor at Rous Lench, presented to the church in
1433. (fn. 64)
In 1291 the church was valued at £4 6s. 8d. (fn. 65)
In 1309 the church for some reason was consecrated
by Bishop Reynolds, (fn. 66) possibly after some desecration
by bloodshed or otherwise.
CHARITIES
The official trustees hold a sum of
£30 15s. 10d. consols, which represents a legacy of £300 by will of
John Pitts proved 19 May 1884. Nearly all of this
was lost in the collapse of a firm to which it had been
entrusted, and only £8 16s. 9d. was recovered. This
was handed to the rector and churchwardens in 1901.
Dr. Chafy has from time to time augmented this sum
to its present figure. The annual dividends amounting
to 15s. 4d. are applicable in the distribution of coals,
bread or other articles in kind among the poor on
12 December in each year.