BEARLEY
Acreage: 998.
Population: 1911, 211; 1921, 174; 1931, 156.
The parish of Bearley is bounded on the north by
Wootton Wawen and Langley, on the east by Snitterfield, and on the south and west by Aston Cantlow.
The western boundary is formed by a stream running
out of Edstone Lake; this may perhaps be the Chellewellesiche mentioned in the 12th century as one of
the bounds of land given to Reading Abbey. (fn. 1) If so,
it would seem that the land, now part of Edstone in
Wootton Wawen, between the stream where it flows
west from the lake and the road running east from
Bearley Cross, was originally included in Bearley.
The land within the parish rises gradually from a
height of 216 ft. in the north-west at Bearley Cross to
about 370 ft. at the south-east corner of the parish, and
is open except along its eastern boundary, where part
of the extensive wood known as Snitterfield Bushes is
included in Bearley.
At Bearley Cross the road running west to Alcester
and east to Warwick is crossed by the main road running north-west from Stratford-on-Avon to Henley-inArden. The Great Western Railway to Warwick runs
through the north-west corner of the parish, the lines
from Stratford and Alcester joining close to Bearley
station, opened in 1860. (fn. 2) A little south of the Cross and
the station a road runs south-east from the Stratford
road, passing the Grange and the Manor House, to
the church. This seems to be the Saltereswey which in
1249 formed one of the limits of the demesnes of
Bearley, (fn. 3) the others being the high road from Stratford
to Henley and the Lochamwey, which may be identified with the road, passing the Methodist chapel,
connecting the other two roads.
The Manor House, north-west of the church, is a
much altered and enlarged building with remains of
timber-framed walls and open-timbered ceilings of the
16th or 17th century in its eastern half. One room,
formerly the kitchen, has a wide fireplace. A barn east
of the house is also of 17th-century framing.
Three cottages between the church and Manor
House have visible remains of 17th-century framing;
one is thatched.
A loop-road south of the church contains several
ancient buildings. Stone House on the west side of the
loop is, as its name implies, partly of stone, and is without any ancient features. The deeds of the site go back
to 1660, when it was known as Hall End Yard. (fn. 4) A
reconstructed wing of close-set framing has been added
to its north front by the late owner: this was originally
in Church Street, Stratford-on-Avon, and was displaced by the present offices of the Farmers' Union.
Two cottages south of it show some 17th-century
timber construction; and a farm-house farther south, of
T-shaped plan, has one wing of similar square framing.
Another to the east is mostly of red brick, but shows
some framing in a gable-head.
From the village one road runs north to Edstone,
becoming a bridle path after it sends off a branch eastwards to Snitterfield. Another runs south towards
Pathlow in Aston Cantlow.
Under an Act of 1775, (fn. 5) at which time less than onesixth of the land in the parish was inclosed, Bearley was
included with Wootton Wawen for inclosure; the 740
acres were held by 13 freeholders, of whom 8 possessed
over 50 acres each. (fn. 6) The uninclosed lands lay in seven
common fields—Bushes Field, Cade Hill and Cadehill
Field, Frankmill, Henthill, Holding, Mill, and Smith's
Fields.
Manors
At the time of the Domesday Survey
the 5 hides of BEARLEY were held in
two portions: 1 hide was among the lands
of Robert de Stafford, of whom it was held by Ailric,
who had held it before the Conquest. (fn. 7) About 1175
this was in the tenure of Hervey de Stratton, who with
his son Richard remitted his rights therein to his overlord Robert de Stafford, (fn. 8) grandson of the Domesday
Robert. By Robert it was granted to the Abbey of
Bordesley. (fn. 9)
The other 4 hides were held in 1086 by William
son of Corbucion. They had been held in the time of
the Confessor by Ernewin and his mother; and a house
in Warwick was attached to this estate. (fn. 10) The overlordship came to the Earl of Warwick, of whom
Bearley was held as one knight's fee by John de Cantilupe
in 1235 and 1242. (fn. 11) In 1278 it was stated that for the
last twenty years John de Cantilupe had withdrawn the
services of the inhabitants of Bearley from the hundred
court to the court of his manor of Snitterfield, (fn. 12) and his
son John in 1316 was lord of Bearley, which then
ranked as a hamlet of Snitterfield, (fn. 13) and the two places
jointly constituted a knight's fee in 1428. (fn. 14) It then
followed the descent of Snitterfield (q.v.), being held
in 1509 by the King. (fn. 15)
The manor was possibly held in fee by a family who
derived their name from the vill and certainly held
a considerable estate there. Towards the end of the
12th century William de Burle gave to Bordesley Abbey
20 acres which he held of Walter Cumin in Claverdon, (fn. 16)
and he is said to have also given in 1189 his rights in
the chapel of Bearley and 1 virgate of land, which was
confirmed to the monks by his son John; (fn. 17) but in fact
the latter gave the chapel to the Priory of Wootton
Wawen in 1221. (fn. 18) John had been succeeded before
1249 by his son William, who in that year granted the
next ten crops of his demesnes in Bearley to Bordesley
Abbey. (fn. 19) His eldest son was probably John de Burle, (fn. 20)
who was living in 1262 (fn. 21) and seems to have had a son
John, (fn. 22) but to have been succeeded by his brother
William. (fn. 23) This William son of William de Burle (fn. 24) in
1290 conveyed to Nicholas de Warrewyk a messuage,
a carucate of land, and rents in Bearley. (fn. 25) William son
of Nicholas de Warrewyk and Margaret his wife made
a settlement of lands in Bearley and elsewhere in
1313, (fn. 26) and two years later sold the 'manor' of Bearley
to Robert Moryn of Snitterfield and Margaret his
wife. (fn. 27) After Robert's death Margaret married John de
Cumpton, (fn. 28) and in 1334 John son of Robert Moryn
granted the manor to John and Margaret for their lives,
with reversion to himself; (fn. 29) but no more is heard of it,
and Dugdale is probably correct in his surmise that it
was 'swallowed up amongst divers petty Freeholders'.
In addition to the hide which Robert de Stafford
had given to Bordesley Abbey (see above) the monks
acquired a number of small properties in Bearley.
Many of these were given by members of the de Burle
family; (fn. 30) other donors (fn. 31) include, in 1280, Ralph Geri. (fn. 32)
He was descended from Geri, from whom William de
Burle in about 1180 claimed ½ hide, which he subsequently obtained from Richard son of Geri; (fn. 33) Richard
died in 1221 (fn. 34) and was succeeded by his brother
Thomas. (fn. 35) By 1291 the abbey's estates in Bearley
amounted to 2 carucates. (fn. 36) They constituted the 'manor
or grange' of Bearley which was leased at a rent
of £3 to John Hyll for 40 years in 1535. (fn. 37) At the
Dissolution this manor came to the Crown, and in
1545 it was granted to Clement Throckmorton and
Alexander Avenon. (fn. 38) Throckmorton sold it in 1549 to
William Walter. (fn. 39) It then descended with Binton
(q.v.) to Sir Simon Fanshawe, who in 1658 sold a
moiety to Francis Warner. His grandson Francis in
1720 sold it to William Mortiboys, whose niece Mary
sold it in 1776 to John Lloyd of Snitterfield. (fn. 40) The
other moiety was probably sold by Sir Simon with
Wagperton to Sir Thomas Rawlinson, as 'Mr. Rawlinson' was said to be lord of the manor in 1730. (fn. 41)
The titular lord of the manor of Snitterfield and
Bearley, however, from at least as early as 1763 was
the Earl of Coventry, by whom it was sold in 1816
to Robert Phillips, since which time it has descended
with Snitterfield (q.v.) and is now held by the trustees
of the late Lady Trevelyan. (fn. 42)
Lands in Bearley (fn. 43) were closely associated with
Edstone (fn. 44) which is called 'the Manor of Edston and
Bereley' in 1578, when John Somervile died seised
thereof. (fn. 45)
Reading Abbey in about 1170 received from John
de Kinton land in Bearley and 'Azceals' or 'Echles'
which he had of the gift of William, Earl of Warwick;
its bounds are given as from Chelewellesiche to Pauenhale, thence to Allrensiche, thence to the road coming
from Warwick, and by the road to the cross and
Codesturne (in Preston Bagot). (fn. 46) The grant was confirmed by Earl Waleran. (fn. 47) Gerard son of William de
Burle also gave land here, his gift being confirmed by
his father and by John de Burle, (fn. 48) his uncle. (fn. 49) These
holdings probably became attached to the abbey's
manor of Rowington (q.v.).
Church
The parish church of ST. MARY THE
VIRGIN has been largely rebuilt in
modern times, but the nave dates probably
from the end of the 12th century and the chancel with
its thinner walls may be of the 13th or 14th century.
Much of the upper part of the walling is modern, also
all the windows. The nave was lengthened about 10 ft.
and the western porch and bell-turret was added early
in the 19th century. The plan is a plain rectangle
about 55½ ft. long inside, of which about 20½ ft. is the
chancel, by 15½ ft. The chancel walls are 2 ft. 3 in.
thick, built of lias rubble, mostly squared in the lower
parts and with sandstone angle-dressings. It is probable
the north wall has been partly rebuilt. The east window is a single light set high up, but there is a patching
for a former lower window. The north and south windows are of two lights and were also formerly lower in
the walls. About a yard east of them are short straight
joints and pieces of sandstone that may indicate former
windows. The nave has side walls 2 ft. 9 in. thick; the
lower halves of them are of early shaly rubble with
wide jointing, and above this are medieval sandstone
courses. The north and south windows are of two
lights and both have patchings below them for lower
windows. In the north wall are the remains of a 12thcentury doorway of sandstone, now blocked: it has
jambs of two orders, the inner with an edge-roll; the
outer is square and had nook-shafts, which have disappeared except for the western capital; this is of
cushion form with cheveron ornament. The head is
pointed and of one square order, probably a later alteration. In the south wall is another blocked doorway
with square pilaster-jambs and pointed head, perhaps
of the 13th century but difficult to date. The two
buttresses to each wall are medieval. The west wall
and porch-tower are of red brick. The bell-cote is of
wood. The main roof is tiled.
One of the three bells is medieval. (fn. 50)
The register of baptisms begins in 1549, of marriages in 1550, and of burials in 1552.
Advowson
In 1221 John de Burle granted the
advowson of the chapel of Bearley to
the Prior of Wootton Wawen. (fn. 51) From
this time Bearley was attached to the church of Wootton
Wawen (q.v.). After the estates of the suppressed
priory had come to King's College, Cambridge, it
became a perpetual curacy in the gift of the college as
rectors. The great tithes were paid to King's College, (fn. 52)
and about 1730 they were leased to Lady Carrington,
who paid £4 to the curate; in addition he had certain
'privy tithes' worth £5, (fn. 53) and the curacy was subsequently augmented by grants of £600 from Queen
Anne's Bounty and £200 from private benefactors,
being worth £64 yearly in 1850. (fn. 54) During the
later 19th century the incumbent was, as in the case
of most perpetual curacies, usually styled vicar. In
May 1929 Bearley was ecclesiastically united with
Snitterfield, (fn. 55) and the patronage of the living is now
vested jointly in the bishop and the vicar of Wootton
Wawen.