STOULTON
Stoltun (ix and xi cent.); Stulton (xv cent.);
Stowton (xvii cent.).
Stoulton is a small parish lying between Worcester
and Pershore and covering an area of 1,959 acres,
of which the greater part is arable land, 961 acres
being permanent grass and 16 woodland. (fn. 1) The soil is
chiefly clay, gravel and sand, and the subsoil Lower
Lias, producing crops of wheat, beans, barley, turnips
and fruit. The ground varies in height from 79 ft.
above the ordnance datum in the south-east near
Stonebow Bridge to about 200 ft. on the borders of
White Ladies Aston in the north.
The parish is watered by the Bow Brook, which
divides it from Peopleton, and by two of its tributaries,
one of which, known as the Saw Brook, forms the
boundary between Stoulton and White Ladies
Aston. The village is situated on rising ground on
the main road from Worcester to Pershore. (fn. 2) A
wooden bridge and 'causey' over the stream near
Hawbridge, where the road enters Holy Cross, were
built in 1625 by George Allen, curate of Stoulton,
with £5 given by the Dean and Chapter of Worcester
and 5s. 4d. of his own money. (fn. 3) The main road
from Worcester to Evesham forms the north-eastern
boundary of Stoulton for some distance. The Great
Western railway passes through the parish and has a
station on the south-eastern boundary.
The village is composed of scattered houses and
cottages, many of half-timber and brick dating
from the 17th century. On the north side of the
church, which stands a little distance to the east of
the main road, is the vicarage; the nucleus of the
house appears to be of the 17th century, but there is
an early 19th-century addition on the west. At the
corner where the by-road to the church joins the
main road is a square 18th-century plastered brick
house of three stories with a tiled roof and a large
central chimney stack, and off the main road, about
a quarter of a mile to the west, is a two-storied
half-timber house, dating probably from the 16th
century, with 18th-century brick nogging. The plan
is L-shaped, and there are projecting chimney stacks
in the end walls. The roof is partly thatched and
partly tiled. Inside are the original heavy ceiling
beams and rafters and three wide fireplaces. A projecting beam on the east has the letter W cut on its
face and a date, which may be intended for 1710,
probably the date of the brickwork. About half a
mile south of Stoulton station is a good three-story
brick house of the 18th century, now tied with iron
bolts and glands, and at Wolverton Magna is a
16th-century half-timber house with later brick
nogging and modern chimney stacks. Wolverton
Hall, the property of Mr. William Walter Acton, a
descendant of the Thomas Acton who in 1637
neglected to repair the road at Stonebow, and now
occupied by Mr. Anthony H. Lechmere, D.L., stands
about a mile north-east of the station; it is a plain
square three-story house of the first half of the 18th
century built of brick with stone rusticated quoins,
brick string-courses and a plain parapet. On the
garden front the string-courses are of stone and the
windows have keystones of the same material.
Cookes Holme, formerly part of Stoulton, was
transferred to Norton by Kempsey in 1885. (fn. 4)
Among the many complaints brought against the
last Abbot of Pershore in 1533 is one by the tenants
of Stoulton of 'great injuries, wrongs and oppressions' done to them in driving their cattle from the
heaths of Thornton, Wolverton, Wadborough,
Mucknell and Over Wolverton. The abbot's
answer shows that the matter had already been submitted to arbitration. (fn. 5)
MANORS
The first mention of STOULTON
occurs in 840, when Bertwulf, King of
the Mercians, is said to have restored it
to the Bishop of Worcester, who had been unjustly
deprived of it. (fn. 6) Before the Conquest Stoulton was
a berewick belonging to the Bishop of Worcester's
manor of Kempsey and was assigned with Mucknell
and Wolverton, two other berewicks of the same
manor, to the support of the monks of Worcester, the
three berewicks together containing 7 hides. At
the time of the Domesday Survey these 7 hides were
in the possession of Urse the Sheriff. (fn. 7) The overlordship belonged to the Bishops of Worcester until
it lapsed, probably in the 15th century. (fn. 8) In 1280
William Earl of Warwick, then lord of the manor,
acknowledged that he owed 6 marks yearly to Godfrey,
Bishop of Worcester, and agreed to pay it to the nuns
of Wroxall, (fn. 9) giving a bond to the bishop for the payment of the same in 1298. (fn. 10) No later mention of
this rent has been found, and there is no trace of it
among the possessions of Wroxall at the Dissolution.
Urse's interest passed with the rest of his possessions to the Beauchamps of Elmley, and followed
the descent of Elmley Castle (fn. 11) until the death of
Henry Duke of Warwick in 1446. (fn. 12) It was assigned
in 1447 to his widow Cecily, (fn. 13) and after her death
in 1450 it seems to have passed to Elizabeth wife of
George Lord Latimer, a half-sister of Henry Duke of
Warwick, (fn. 14) for she died seised of the manor of Wadborough, of which Stoulton formed part, (fn. 15) in 1480, (fn. 16)
and the manor remained with her descendants in
spite of the fact that it is included among the manors
which Anne Countess of Warwick granted to
Henry VII, and which were confirmed to Henry VIII
by Act of Parliament in 1536. (fn. 17)
Elizabeth Lady Latimer was succeeded by her
grandson Sir Richard, (fn. 18) who was dealing with the
manor in 1523, (fn. 19) and on whose death in 1530 it
passed to his son Sir John Nevill, Lord Latimer. (fn. 20)
He, by his will dated September 1542, left it to
his eldest son John. (fn. 21) The latter died in 1577,
leaving four daughters, Katherine, Dorothy, Lucy
and Elizabeth, between whom his property was
divided. (fn. 22) Stoulton was assigned to Katherine and
settled on her first husband, Henry Percy Earl of
Northumberland, in 1579, (fn. 23) and on her second
husband, Francis Fitton of Binfield, co. Berks., in
1586. (fn. 24) By the second settlement it was arranged
that the reversion should belong to the heirs of
Katherine, but in 1595 she sold it to Francis Fitton
to increase the portions of her younger sons William
and Jocelyn Percy and her daughter Eleanor. (fn. 25)
Accordingly the manor passed to Sir Edward Fitton,
bart., nephew of Francis, who held it in 1625, (fn. 26) and
he sold it to Samuel Sandys of Ombersley for £7,300
in 1636. (fn. 27) The latter was a prominent Royalist, a
colonel in the king's army, and for a time governor
xof Worcester. (fn. 28) He had to compound for delinquency,
and mortgaged Stoulton, which passed to the family of
Somers, who were solicitors in Worcester and engaged
in mortgage transactions. (fn. 29) It was probably acquired
from the Sandys family by John Somers, who died in
1716, leaving his property to
his two sisters, Elizabeth wife
of Sir Joseph Jekyll, who died
childless, and Mary wife of
Charles Cocks, (fn. 30) who finally
inherited the whole. Her
grandson Charles Cocks was
created Lord Somers of Evesham in 1784, and his son
John Somers Cocks was created
Earl Somers in 1821. (fn. 31) Stoulton has since remained in his
family, (fn. 32) and now belongs to
his great-granddaughter Lady
Henry Somerset, one of the
two surviving daughters of Charles the last Earl
Somers.
Cocks, Earl Somers. Argent a cheveron between three pairs of harts' horns sable.
A water-mill and windmill, together worth 8s.
yearly, belonged to the manor in 1298, (fn. 33) but were
both in ruins in 1315, (fn. 34) and are not mentioned
again.
From the 16th century the lords of Stoulton had
the right of free fishing in the 'Hymbell Brook'
from 'Fecknam' Pool to the Avon. (fn. 35) 'Hymbell' is
evidently another name for the Bow Brook which
flows through Himbleton. Possibly it is this fishery
which is mentioned in an extent of the manor in
1315. (fn. 36)
WOLVERTON
WOLVERTON (Wulfrintun, x cent.; Uulfrinton,
Ulfrinton, Wlfrinton, xi cent.; Wolferton, xiv cent.;
Wollerton, xvi cent.) may have been included in the
grant of Stoulton to the Bishop of Worcester. It
was certainly in the possession of Bishop Oswald in
984, when he granted 3 manses there to his kinsman
Eadwig and Wulfgifu his wife for their lives and
the lives of two heirs after them. (fn. 37) Before the Conquest and at the time of the Domesday Survey there
were two separate estates in Wolverton afterwards
known as Over and Little Wolverton, both held of the
bishop's manor of Kempsey. One of these, probably
Over Wolverton, was with Stoulton and Mucknell
assigned to the use of the monks of Worcester in the
time of Edward the Confessor, and belonged to Urse
the Sheriff in 1086. (fn. 38) The other is said to have been
granted by Bishop Brihteah to his brother Alric, (fn. 39)
who continued to hold it after the Conquest, (fn. 40) but
he was deprived of it by William Earl of Hereford, (fn. 41)
and at the time of the Domesday Survey it was in the
possession of Aiulf, who held it of Roger de Lacy.
The overlordship of Over Wolverton passed from
Urse to his descendants the Beauchamps, and was
probably included in 7½ hides at Mucknell and Stoulton held by William de Beauchamp in demesne early
in the 13th century. Later it was held under them
by a family called Bruly or Brayly. About 1280
and in 1315–16 it belonged to Walter de Bruly, who
held it by service of keeping the Earl of Warwick's
warren at Stoulton. (fn. 42) He was succeeded by John de
Bruly, who with Joan his wife settled it on his son
John and Alice his wife in 1336. (fn. 43) There appears
to be no later mention of it as a separate holding, but
it evidently came into the possession of the Beauchamps, and was annexed to their manor of Stoulton. (fn. 44)
The 2 hides at Little Wolverton were lost by the
Lacys before 1108–18, when Walter de Beauchamp
held them. (fn. 45) About 1182 it was said that William
de Beauchamp held this land, though Hugh de Lacy
ought to have held it of the bishop. (fn. 46) The rights of
the bishop in this manor were recognized until the
13th century, (fn. 47) and William de Beauchamp's interest
followed the descent of Elmley Castle, Little Wolverton being held of that manor until 1616. (fn. 48)
Aiulf, the Domesday tenant, was followed by a
family who took their name from the manor. Philip
de Wolverton probably held it in 1174–5, when his
name occurs on the Pipe Rolls for the county of
Worcester, (fn. 49) and early in the 13th century William
de Wolverton was holding 2½ hides at Little Wolverton. (fn. 50) The extra half hide was perhaps the half hide
of the demesne of Kempsey given by Bishop Simon
(1125–50) to a certain son of Walter de Beauchamp
called Simon, whom he had baptized. This land
lay near Oswaldslow, and was locally called 'Beane'
because all hernasii (tota hernesse) ploughed it at the
summons of the steward and reeve. (fn. 51) Simon de Beauchamp probably died childless, for about 1182 this
estate belonged to William de Beauchamp, (fn. 52) and was
perhaps given with Little Wolverton to the Wolvertons. This family was succeeded before 1220 by
the Folyes, who were lords of the manor for about
100 years.
In 1220 Nicholas de la Folye surrendered all his
right in half a knight's fee in Little Wolverton to
Richard de la Folye, (fn. 53) and about 1280 the manor
belonged to Robert de la Folye. (fn. 54) Robert appears
to have been succeeded by Peter de la Folye, whose
widow Alice was holding part of the manor in dower
in 1329. (fn. 55) At that date the reversion of the manor
was divided between Sibyl wife of Peter le Harpour
and Joan wife of Henry Bole, the heirs of Peter
de la Folye, (fn. 56) who sold it in 1327–9 to John de
Wysham and Hawisia his wife. (fn. 57) From this time
the manor followed the descent of Churchill in
Oswaldslow, (fn. 58) being divided between the Croft and
Guise families. The moiety held by the Crofts
passed with a moiety of Churchill to William
Cooksey, who purchased the other moiety of John
Guise in 1531. (fn. 59)
By his will dated September 1581 he left the
manor and house at Little Wolverton to his wife
Alice for life with reversion to Anne Croft, widow of
his nephew Martin Croft, for her life, and afterwards
to the heirs male of his sister Alice wife of Humphrey
Acton. The will gives some idea of the size of the
house at Little Wolverton. It mentions the parlour,
the chapel, the old chamber over the porch, the
chambers over the 'compasse windowe' and over the
chapel, the buttery, tavern, kitchen, 'larder howse,
deyhowse, mylnehowse and bakehowse.' (fn. 60) In 1583 a
certain Edmund Croft who had acquired Alice
Cooksey's interest in the manor asserted that the reversion had been settled on the heirs male of Martin
Croft and his wife Anne with contingent remainder
to himself, (fn. 61) but in 1585 he appears to have given up
his claim to John son of
Humphrey and Alice Acton. (fn. 62)
William Acton (fn. 63) son of John
died seised of the manor in
1615, leaving a son Thomas, (fn. 64)
who in 1632 settled it on
Elizabeth daughter of John
Weedon, whom he afterwards
married. (fn. 65) He fought on the
side of the Royalists in the
Civil War and in 1650 his
estates were sequestered. (fn. 66) He
died some time before 1657,
when his son William was
holding Little Wolverton. (fn. 67)
The latter was succeeded in 1679 by a son William, (fn. 68)
whose grandson of the same name, son of another
William, was lord of the manor in 1811. (fn. 69) He died
in 1814, (fn. 70) and his son William Joseph was succeeded
in 1871 by his eldest son William Robert Acton,
whose son Mr. William Walter Acton is the present
owner of Little Wolverton. (fn. 71)
Acton of Little Wolverton. Gules a fesse in an engrailed border ermine.
MUCKNELL
MUCKNELL (Mucenhil, xi cent.; Mokenhull,
xvi cent.), now a farm in the parish of Stoulton, was a
berewick of the manor of Kempsey at the time of the
Domesday Survey. (fn. 72) It afterwards became merged
in the manor of Stoulton and has always followed the
same descent. (fn. 73)
CHURCH
The church of ST. EDMUND consists of a chancel 31 ft. by 19¾ ft.,
nave 51 ft. by 27½ ft., west tower 12½ ft.
deep by 9 ft. wide, and a small timber north porch.
These measurements are all internal.
The history of the church is simple, as it has
never been enlarged since it was built about the
year 1120. Larger windows were inserted in the
south wall of the chancel and also on either side of
the nave in the 14th century, c. 1320. The tower
is about 120 years old; marks of fire on the northwest buttress of the nave suggest that the former
tower was destroyed by fire. The church was restored in 1848, when new windows were inserted
in the east wall of the chancel, the north and south
walls of the nave, and in the west wall of the tower;
at the same time the flat ceiling which then existed
was removed.
The east window is of four lights under a pointed
head, and below its sill externally is a shallow buttress
of 12th-century date. There are shallow clasping
buttresses at the angles, the upper parts being of brick.
The side walls of the chancel are divided into three
bays by similar buttresses; in the first and second bays
on the north side and in the second on the south are
the round heads of the original 12th-century windows, but the jambs have been cut away to widen
the lights at a later period. The first intermediate
buttress on the south side has been cut away and an
early window filled in to make room for the 14th-century window, which is of three lights under a
pointed head. The walling of the chancel is of lias
stone with wide joints plastered over outside. The
former east wall was of brick. The chancel arch is
semicircular, and of two square orders, the rebate being
carried down on the east side only, while the jambs
are plain and square on the nave side, and the simple
abacus is continued to the side walls.
The north-east and south-east windows of the nave
are 14th-century insertions of three lights under twocentred arches. The north doorway is round-headed
and of two square orders with a chamfered string at
the springing; the outer order is set in an ashlar
projection, which is continued up to the old eaves
level. It has an arcade of two round-headed bays in the
upper part, the shafts having scalloped or cushion
capitals. A cross cut in the eastern jamb of the doorway may possibly be a consecration cross. The south
doorway has been filled in with brick; it is of two
round-headed orders; the inner is square and the rollmoulded head of the outer order was carried by
jamb shafts, of which the cushion capitals remain,
but the shafts have gone. Over the doorway is a
similar arcade to that on the north side, but with
lozenge and zigzag enrichments cut on the abaci.
The two western windows are modern insertions.
The side walls are divided into three bays by shallow
buttresses and have clasping buttresses at the angles,
splayed off below the old roof line. Near the tops of
the buttresses are string-courses variously enriched.
The present eaves of the nave are about 18 in. higher
than the former ones, and on the east faces of the
north-east and south-east buttress is another string,
below the last mentioned, the use of which is doubtful. The tower is of three stages, the lowest of lias
stone, perhaps old material re-used, and the upper
two of brick. The archway opening into the nave
is of the full width of the tower with a semicircular
arch of two square orders springing from a chamfered
abacus. The stair turret rises in the south-east corner. The west window is a three-light insertion
of 1848 and the bell-chamber is lighted by single
lights on the north, south and west. The parapet is
plain and has a stone coping and small angle pinnacles.
The gabled roofs are modern, that of the chancel
being of a lower pitch than formerly. The walls
inside are plastered.
All the furniture is modern except the font, which
dates from the erection of the church; it is cut
from one block 2¾ ft. wide by 2⅓ ft. high, and is round
on plan, with sides tapering to the base. It is
moulded at the base and near the top. There are
several gravestones and monuments in the chancel;
one dated 1679 to William Acton has the words
'Pray for his soule,' an unusual form for the date;
they also occur on the slab to another person of the
same name, dated 1725. Other slabs are to Barbara
Vincent, who died in 1702, and William Acton, 1721.
In the nave passage-way below the chancel arch is a
stone to Alianor Desmasters, who died in 1667, and
outside by the south doorway is a defaced mural slab.
In the tracery of the south chancel window are some
pieces of ancient painted glass. To the south of the
chancel hang a sword and a funeral helmet with the
crest of an arm holding a sword piercing a boar's
head; a hatchment below bears the arms of William
Acton. The same arms are carved on the 1679
gravestone.
Stoulton Church from the South-east
There are five bells, the tenor recast in 1897, the
other four dating from 1799.
The plate includes an Elizabethan cup with cover
paten, hall marked, probably of 1571, a salver paten,
hall marked 1732, and a plated flagon.
The registers before 1812 are as follows: (i)
baptisms 1542 to 1663, burials 1542 to 1651 and
marriages 1542 to 1652; (ii) all entries 1677 to
1707; (iii) baptisms and burials 1707 to 1765 and
marriages 1707 to 1755; (iv) marriages 1755 to
1811; (v) baptisms and burials 1765 to 1812.
ADVOWSON
Stoulton was formerly a chapelry
of the church of Kempsey and is first
mentioned on the appropriation of
that church to the college of Westbury in 1473. (fn. 74) It
was not separately valued for Pope Nicholas's taxation
in 1291, but at the time of the Dissolution was worth
£4 1s. 6d. (fn. 75) The advowson, with that of Kempsey
(q.v.), probably passed on the dissolution of Westbury
to Sir Ralph Sadleir and later to the Dean and Chapter
of Worcester, to whom it certainly belonged in 1683.
At that date the chapel is said to have been endowed
with tithes of hay and other tithes except corn, all of
which had been commuted for money, and the profits
of some meadow ground in Great Wolverton. (fn. 76)
According to Nash (fn. 77) the chapel was in his time
'in many respects independent of the Mother
Church' and elected its own curate and other officers.
In 1814 an Act was passed vesting the advowson in
John Lord Somers, from whom it has passed with
the manor to Lady Henry Somerset. (fn. 78)
CHARITIES
The charity of Thomas Blyzard,
founded in 1859 by declaration of
trust, is endowed with £164 11s. 8d.
consols, producing £4 2s. yearly, which in pursuance
of a scheme 10 May 1907 is applied for the general
benefit of the poor.
In 1886 Miss Ann Hemus by her will left £50,
the interest to be distributed to the poor at Christmas
in coals, blankets and other necessaries. The legacy
is represented by £51 19s. consols, producing £1 6s.
yearly, which is usually applied in clothing.
The sums of stock are held by the official trustees.