BISHOP'S TACHBROOK
Acreage: 3,575.
Population, 1911, 578; 1921, 552; 1931, 525.
The parish lies just south of Warwick, on either side
of the road from that town to Banbury, its northwestern corner, which adjoins the River Avon for a
short distance, lying within the Castle Park. Here and
on the south-west edge of the parish at Oakley Wood,
in which is a large earthwork inclosure of uncertain
date, (fn. 1) are the only notable blocks of woodland, most
of the parish being open country undulating between
170 ft. on the north and 300 ft. on the south. There
are several small streams, one of which divides Bishop's.
Tachbrook proper from the hamlet of Tachbrook
Mallory. This hamlet, which was manorially divided
in 1510 between the Abbey (formerly Priory) of
Kenilworth and William Medley (see below), was by
them then inclosed, 8 messuages and 310 acres of
arable, employing 10 ploughs, being put out of cultivation and 60 persons ejected; and, though apparently
some of the land and inhabitants had been replaced by
1518, it remained depopulated, there being only four
houses in Dugdale's time (c. 1640). (fn. 2) Where the Banbury road enters the parish on the north The Asps was
also mentioned as a hamlet in 1316. (fn. 3) It occurs, as
Aspes or Naspes, as a place-name from 1195 onwards, (fn. 4)
and there are references to the common waste and field
of Naspes in deeds of the time of Henry VI, (fn. 5) but it is
now only a farm. Under an Act of 1731 (fn. 6) some 688
acres of the parish were inclosed.
A little to the north of the church is Windmill Hill,
and there is reference to a windmill belonging to the
manor in 1557. (fn. 7) The same record also mentions two
water-mills, and there were two mills here in 1086. (fn. 8)
The small village is a very picturesque one lying
mainly about an oval loop off the west side of the road
running south from Warwick, and in a road from the
loop passing westwards south of the church. Most of
the buildings are cottages, some sixteen of which are
wholly or partly of 17th-century or earlier timberframing. Many have been reconditioned or partly
altered: the infilling is generally of brickwork, but some
retain the original wattle and daub. About half of the
roofs are still thatched, the remainder are tiled. East
of the church is an old barn. The old Rectory to the
south-west of the church is a late-18th-century brick
house.
'Savage's House', (fn. 9) the reputed manor-house, stands
about 100 yds. east of the main road and loop. It was
later the home of the Landors, including the author
Walter Savage Landor, to whom there is a memorial in
the church. The house is said to date from c. 1558, but
if so it has since been much altered. The plan is
H-shaped, facing west, and to the north are large
modern additions. The fabric of the west front is
hidden by plasterwork, but the south side is of 17th-century brickwork. The front entrance has a sixpanelled door with moulded framing and panels
carved with lozenge ornament, and it is surrounded by
a collection of 17th-century wood-carvings of terminal
figures, grotesque masks, &c. The porch covering it
and the entrance hall forming the north half of the
main block are lined with early-17th-century panelling.
The room in the south half has a three-sided baywindow in which is some old glass, including the Savage
arms dated 1577 and another quarterly coat of 'Onby'
(recte Olney). This bay-window and two out of three
similar windows in the long room occupying the south
cross-wing have been restored, except for the external
friezes above the lights. These are variously carved,
one with small half-figures (human) and scrolled foliage,
another with a running vine pattern, and the third with
a series of putti and dogs, apparently hunting, all of the
16th century. Other bay-windows are plain or modern.
The staircase behind the entrance hall is partly of
the 17th century with turned balusters, &c. The lower
rooms have some old ceiling beams. Both the long
rooms in the upper story of the cross-wings have coved
plastered ceilings going up into the roof-space. None of
the fire-places shows original detail, except the remains
of the wide fire-place in the dining-room in the north
wing (the former kitchen); but the chamber above this
room has been fitted with a large oak chimney-piece
which came either from the demolished mansion of the
Peto family at Chesterton or else from Kenilworth
Castle. It is a richly carved specimen of late-16thcentury work with an overmantel of three bays having
round-headed panels and pairs of Ionic shafts supporting
an entablature, the frieze of which is carved with scroll
ornament. The roofs are tiled. The central chimneystack is a plain rectangle; that over the dining-room
fire-place is of two conjoined square shafts.
East of the Leamington road about 3/8 mile north-east
of the church are the remains of a medieval chapel
which now forms the back wing and outbuilding of a
small farm-house. It is about 13 ft. wide internally and
about 40 ft. long but was probably longer originally.
The walls, about 2 ft. thick, are of cream-stone ashlar
without plinths. About midway in the south wall is an
original buttress 10 in. deep, and on the north side the
scar of another, required to resist the thrust of a former
cross-arch which sprang from corbels, of which the
north corbel still remains in place; on it are the springing stones, of two hollow-chamfered orders with
broach-stops. This would have made the chancel or
sanctuary about 20 ft. long. The gabled east wall
retains the chamfered jambs of a window, probably of
the 14th century, of two lights; it now has a wood lintel
supported by two reset stones as 'shoulder corbels'.
The rear-arch is pointed. The sill is about 5 ft. above
the ground. In the south wall are the remains of three
plain square-headed lights about 10 in. wide, two east
of the buttress, of which the nearest is blocked and the
eastern retains the lintel only, being altered for a wider
wood-framed window. The third, west of the buttress,
retains its east jamb and head and is widened westward
for a modern window. In the north wall is the head of
another, opposite the blocked window; this is left above
a modern wide window and is cut to form an arch.
Creeper hides the west part of the wall but there appears
to be another blocked window beneath it. There is no
trace of an original doorway; it may have occupied the
place of the modern doorway at the west end of the
north wall or of the modern window opposite, or it may
have been in the former west wall. There is another
modern doorway near the east end of the north wall
within a small outbuilding of brick. An upper floor was
inserted late in the 16th century; the west half has a
chamfered beam with moulded stops, and exposed
joists. The east half has a plainer beam. The roof is a
much later one of queen-post type.
The west end of the chapel was cut off when the house
was built. This is of late-17th-century brickwork with
end chimney-stacks, of which the northern has a wide
fire-place. Otherwise the house has been modernized.
Grove House, said to have been once a residence of
the widow of the Reverend Charles Kingsley, stands
¾ mile east-north-east of the church at the fork of two
main roads. It is of two stories and attics. The building
has been very much renovated and its development is
confused by the 'rough-cast' that conceals the material
of which the walls are built. It is probably a timberframed house in the main, but parts may be of brickwork or masonry. The plan is comprised of a range
facing east with gabled ends, and two long ranges
extending westwards from the north and south ends of
it, having a narrow courtyard between them. There is
also a short gabled wing to the north of the north range.
It may be assumed that the east range with short wings
behind (west of) it is of Elizabethan origin (c. 1570)
and that the wings were lengthened in 1609, the date
that appears on the chimney-stack of the south range:
these ranges have stone foundations. The short gabled
projection on the north front, which has brick foundations, is probably a later addition. The south gable-head
of the east range preserves the original 16th-century
moulded barge-board with carved pendant posts at the
apex and kneelers. The range consists of two rooms
on each floor divided by an original heavy chimneystack, which on the ground floor has moulded stone
Tudor fire-places back to back. The brick diagonal
shafts above it have been rebuilt.
The principal entrance is in the north front and has
an Elizabethan moulded oak doorway with moulded
base-stops, and a plain nail-studded door. The entrance
hall is lined with Elizabethan oak panelling with raised
mouldings and has a chimney-piece made up of similar
material. Behind the entrance hall is a good staircase of
c. 1630 with panelled newels having ball-heads, and
with turned balusters. The long room west of the
entrance hall that includes the later north short wing
has no ancient features, but the chimney-stack above its
south end has three ancient diagonal shafts of brick.
The west end of the long range shows a former square
bay-window of ashlar stonework with a chamfered
stone plinth: it has been altered subsequently.
The south range also has stone plinths. There are
no noticeably old features internally, but the central
square chimney-stack has four old diagonal shafts and
has a sundial affixed to it above the tiled roof with the
date 1609. This front has a middle doorway opposite
the chimney-stack, and another gable-head besides that
at the end of the east range. All the windows have been
modernized and the roofs are of the ordinary 17th-century purlin type without any visibly distinctive
trusses.
West of the house is a mid-17th-century outbuilding
with blocked windows. The upper story of it is a long
gallery. The stables north-east of the house, also of
brick, contain 17th-century turned posts to the partitions between the stalls. Near by is a small brick inclosure, which according to local tradition once served
as a bear pit.
Hill Farm, ½ mile south-west of the church, has some
17th-century timber-framed farm buildings.
Manors
The manor of Tachbrook, rated at 7 hides,
had been given to the church of St. Chad
at Lichfield before the Conquest and was
therefore held in 1086 by the Bishop of Chester. (fn. 10)
It continued to be held by the bishops, the seat of
whose bishopric was later moved to Coventry and
Lichfield, and was therefore known as BISHOP'S
TACHBROOK. When Bishop Hugh de Nonant
incurred the displeasure of Richard I it was seized into
the king's hands in 1195, but was restored in the
following year. (fn. 11) Henry III in 1259 granted to Bishop
Roger and his successors free warren in this and other
manors. (fn. 12) In 1285 the bishop established his right to
hold view of frankpledge and the assize of bread and ale
here. (fn. 13) In 1549 Richard Sampson, Bishop of Coventry
and Lichfield, with the assent of the Dean and Chapter
and of the king, sold the manor to Thomas Fisher. (fn. 14)
He died in 1578 (fn. 15) and his son Edward was dealing
with it in 1592. (fn. 16) Ten years later it was in the hands
of Edward's son John, (fn. 17) who seems to have sold it to
Edward Ferrars of Baddesley Clinton, as the manor
was said to have been 'lately purchased' from the latter
by Timothy Wagstaffe, who died seised thereof in
December 1625, leaving a son Thomas, then 10 years
old. (fn. 18) Thomas married Mary daughter and coheir of
William Combe of Stratford-on-Avon, and their son
Sir Combe Wagstaffe died unmarried in 1668, leaving
his estates to his cousin (Sir) Thomas. On his death in
1709 the manor passed to his daughter Frances, wife of
Sir Edward Bagot of Blithefield, Staffs. (fn. 19) After her
first husband's death in 1712 she married Adolphus
Oughton (fn. 20) (created a baronet in 1718), and he was lord
of the manor in 1719. (fn. 21) The manor then returned to
Frances's son Sir Walter Wagstaffe Bagot and his son
William, who was created Baron Bagot in 1780.
Immediately after his death in 1798 it was sold to
George, Earl of Warwick, (fn. 22) with whose representatives
it still remains.
See of Lichfield. Party gules and argent a cross potent between four crosses formy all counterchanged.
Wagstaffe. Argent two bends engrailed sable the lower cut short.
Another portion of Tachbrook, containing 8 hides
less 1 virgate, which had been held by Baldeuin, was
in 1086 held of the Count of Meulan by one Rogers. (fn. 23)
This subsequently constituted the manor of TACHBROOK MALLORY. (fn. 24) The overlordship descended
in the Earls of Leicester and came to Edmund, Earl of
Lancaster, (fn. 25) being afterwards absorbed in the Duchy
of Lancaster. (fn. 26) A mesne lordship was held from an
early date by the family of Boteler of Oversley. About
1200 Henry de Clinton was holding a knight's fee here
of Ralph Boteler; (fn. 27) William Boteler held it in 1296 (fn. 28)
and in 1330, (fn. 29) and as late as 1504 the manor was said
to be held of 'the heirs of Ralph Butler'. (fn. 30)
Sir Anchitel Mallory, who as Constable of Leicester
played a prominent part in the rebellion of the Young
King Henry in 1173–4, (fn. 31) forfeited his lands in
Leicestershire and Warwickshire, (fn. 32) which included an
estate in Tachbrook. (fn. 33) He seems to have recovered
most of them by 1177 (fn. 34) and to have been succeeded in
1186 or 1187 by his son Robert; (fn. 35) but the latter's
brother Henry, who had supported John against King
Richard I in 1194, (fn. 36) in 1199 paid a fine to have seisin
of all the lands which his father Anchitel had lost for
supporting the Young King Henry. (fn. 37) At the same time
he established his right to half the vill of Tachbrook
against the canons of Kenilworth and Henry de
Clinton. (fn. 38) Henry's son Gilbert was dealing with land
in Tachbrook in 1227; (fn. 39) but another son, Richard,
seems to have inherited the manor and to have been
followed by his son William and grandson Sir Reynold. (fn. 40)
The latter's son John settled property here on himself
and his wife Margery in 1333, (fn. 41) and had a grant of
free warren in Tachbook in 1335. (fn. 42) Next year he was
described as the king's yeoman and was pardoned for not
having taken up knighthood. (fn. 43) His great-great-grandson, John, died in 1489, (fn. 44) having settled the manor of
Tachbrook Mallory on his son John and Joyce his wife, (fn. 45)
who in 1496 sold it to Benet Medley. (fn. 46) He died in
1503, having settled the manor on his son William and
Elizabeth his wife. (fn. 47) Their son George Medley in
1563 settled the manor on his son Henry at his marriage
with Frances daughter of Clement Throckmorton. (fn. 48)
This Henry died in 1578, leaving a young son Henry, (fn. 49)
father (fn. 50) of Clement Medley of London who sold the
manor in 1613 to Timothy Wagstaffe of the Middle
Temple. (fn. 51) He purchased the manor of Bishop's Tachbrook (see above) about the same time, and the two
have since descended together.
Mallory. Or a lion with a forked tail gules.
Medley. Sable two ginel bars argent and a chief argent with three molets sables thereon.
Henry de Clinton gave the vill of Tachbrook to the
Priory of Kenilworth, (fn. 52) but disputes arose as to the
exact extent of the grant, (fn. 53) and in 1202 it was agreed
that the canons should have one moiety of the vill,
including the chief messuage and a mill and the northern
portion of the demesnes, to hold of Henry de Clinton
as half a knight's fee, the other moiety being held by
Henry Mallory. (fn. 54) Accordingly the half-fee was held
by the prior of William Boteler in 1330, (fn. 55) and in 1465
common in Tachbrook was held jointly by the prior
and John Mallory. (fn. 56) In 1291 the rents in Tachbrook
Mallory and the farm of the mill were worth £3 6s. 8d.; (fn. 57)
in 1532 the monastery's lands were leased for 41 years
to William 'Madeley' (or Medley) at a rent of
£7 9s. 4d. (fn. 58) They were granted by Queen Elizabeth
in 1562 to Bartholomew Brokesbye and Edmund
Downyng, who at once sold them to the tenant, George
Medley; (fn. 59) by which sale the two moieties of the manor
were reunited.
Geoffrey de Clinton gave land in Tachbrook to the
Knights Templars, (fn. 60) and his son Henry gave (or confirmed) to them 1 virgate here, which they apparently
lost in, or before, 1200. (fn. 61) The Abbot of Bordesley had
a carucate, worth £1, in Tachbrook in 1291; (fn. 62) and the
Trinitarian Friars of Thelsford had rents to the value
of 73s. 4d. here at the Dissolution, when they came
into the hands of John Brogden. (fn. 63)
Church
The parish church of ST. CHAD,
which stands north of most of the village,
consists of a chancel with a north vestry,
nave, north and south aisles, south porch, and a west
tower. The building is of mid-12th-century origin, as
indicated by the angles of the nave, blocked windows
in the north wall of the chancel, and a reset doorway in
the north aisle. The north aisle and west tower were
added late in the 14th century, followed by the south
aisle early in the 15th century and then the clearstory.
There appears to have been a good deal of alteration in
the 18th century, round-headed windows being inserted in the east walls of the chancel and aisles. These
have now been abolished. The chancel is said to have
been rebuilt in 1855, but this applies only to the east
and south walls. The vestry was built in 1898, and
there was a further restoration in 1923.
The churchyard is almost on the crest of the small
hill on which the village stands, and the south and east
sides rise considerably above the roadway with revetting
walls.
Plan of Bishop's Tachbrook Church
The chancel (about 27 ft. by 20 ft.) has an east
window of three lights and tracery and two south
windows, each of one light and tracery, in walls which
are either modern or faced with ashlar and plastered
inside. The north wall is ancient and about 3 ft. thick.
The exterior, now covered by the vestry, is divided into
two bays by 15th- or 16th-century buttresses of white
ashlar stone. The eastern bay is faced, where visible
above the wall-lining, with modern ashlar but retains
an 8½ in. blocked small window of the 12th century in
yellow Edge Hill stone with diagonal tooling: the arched
head is partly concealed by the vestry roof. The
western bay shows the original small, roughly-squared
rubble facing and has a taller 16 in. blocked window.
The head, level with the other, is hidden, but the jambstones are similarly tooled, indicating a 12th-century
light widened in the 13 th or 14th century. There is no
trace of them in the chancel, the eastern being hidden
by a monument and the rest of the wall plastered. At
the west end is a modern exit and approach to the
vestry. The modern roof is of barrel-vault type.
The chancel arch, of two chamfered orders, is
acutely pointed but all of modern stonework.
The nave (41 ft. by 21½ ft.) has north and south
arcades of three bays: the northern, of 12¾ ft. bays, has
pointed arches of two wave-moulded orders that are
continued without break in the piers and responds; the
bases are moulded. It is all of yellow Edge Hill stone
and with small to medium-sized voussoirs. The walling
above is of roughly squared rubble in the haunches with
a course of larger squared stones above the apexes and
over this quite small rubble-work up to the sills of the
clearstory windows. The bays of the south arcade are
of slightly less span and height. Of its two orders the
inner is a large ovolo mould and the outer a sunk
chamfer, both continuous and stopping abruptly on
square plinths. The stone is similar but the voussoirs
are larger. The walling above is of squared rubble,
more evenly set than in the northern. West of the
arcade the wall thickens about a foot on the aisle side
and has good angle-dressings. This thickening is
probably a relic of the 12th-century nave.
The clearstory has three windows on the north side
and four on the south, each of two trefoiled ogeeheaded lights and foiled spandrels in a square head. The
splays are of roughly tooled grey-white ashlar with
some very long large stones. The external wall-faces
are of even ashlar work and above are restored plain
parapets with two old lion gargoyles on the south side.
On the north side is a row of five putlog holes, indicating that the lean-to aisle roof was formerly higher than
now.
The low-pitched roof of the nave is divided into
four bays by hollow-chamfered cross-beams and wallposts of the 15th century, but it was reconstructed
in 1704, the date carved on the westernmost beam.
The curved braces and wood corbels are of the later
period.
The north aisle (8 ft. wide) has a modern east
window of two lights and tracery, set in place of an
18th-century window of which the round head still
remains in place. In the north wall are three late-14th-century windows, each of two trefoiled lights and
tracery in a square head, all of much weather-worn
brown Hornton stone. The splays and segmentalpointed rear-arches are plastered. Between the windows
are two huge modern raking buttresses. The reset
12th-century doorway farther west is walled up. It has
jambs of two square orders with nook-shafts having
moulded bases and scalloped capitals with chamfered
abaci. The round head has a square inner order and
a bowtell-moulded outer, with a hood-mould decorated
with conical nail-head ornament. The west window
is of two lights under a square head. The walls are of
ashlar with a moulded plinth of two courses and there
are old diagonal buttresses at the angles. A broken
vertical seam in the west wall shows the junction
with the nave angle. The lean-to roof, probably of
the 18th century, has also principals dividing it into
four bays.
The south aisle (about 8 ft. wide at the east end and
less at the west end) has a similar modern east window
in place of an 18th-century window, the head of which
remains. Of the three south windows the easternmost,
of two cinquefoiled lights under a square head with a
label, has been restored. The second is of two trefoiled
lights and a foiled spandrel under a square head with
a segmental rear-arch. The workmanship is rather
crude compared with the third, which is of the same
type but narrower and with a higher sill.
The pointed south doorway is modern. The west
window, of two plain square-headed lights, was formerly foiled like the others: the internal splays and the
lintel, similarly splayed, are plastered. The west wall,
inside, has a footing 16 in. high and 6 in. deep, indicative perhaps of a later thinning of the wall. Externally
the wall is of coursed square ashlar with the diagonal
buttress and a little of the south wall where it breaks
joint with the rest of the south masonry. The south
plinth stops short at this break, practically in line with
the internal footing. The masonry to the east of the
porch is more regular ashlar and has a good circular
scratched sundial. A straight joint in the east wall
marks the original south-east angle of the nave. Internally the south wall is faced with thin plaster and
retains ancient wall-paintings, described below. The
lean-to roof is divided into four bays by three plain
principal rafters, the two western having curved braces
and outer wall-posts on wood corbels, probably of the
18th century: the common rafters are exposed. The
south porch, of the 18th century, of stone with a gabled
wall, has a three-centred entrance archway with plain
courses. It was restored in 1931. The roofs of the
chancel and south aisle are tiled; the nave and north
aisle have lead roofs.
The west tower (about 12½ ft. east to west by 11 ft.)
is of three stories, but unbroken by string-courses. The
walls are of ashlar with some very large courses,
especially in the lower half, and have restored embattled
parapets. At the angles are diagonal buttresses of nearly
full height. The eastern pair are set against the north
and south walls to obtain a seating on the nave west
wall, instead of being equally on the angles. The twocentred archway towards the nave is lofty and of two
hollow-chamfered orders continued without a break
from the responds, which have square bases. The west
window is of three cinquefoiled lights and restored
tracery in a two-centred head with an old hood-mould
and roughly carved head-stops. Below it is cut a
modern doorway. The second story is unlighted except
for a later small piercing on the south side, with a
triangular head and sill. The bell-chamber is lit by tall
narrow windows of two trefoiled lights and a quatrefoil
in a two-centred head. Below the southern is a modern
clock.
The communion table is of the 17th century; it is
about 5 ft. 2 in. long, but the top has been lengthened
at each end: the legs are turned and the top-rails are
carved with guilloche ornament.
Two chairs in the chancel, presented in 1841, have
the backs partly made up of 15th-century traceried
panels from old screens or desks.
The font in the south aisle is modern but under the
tower arch is set a much damaged tapering round fontbowl which was replaced in the church in 1928; the
lower edges have been hacked back to form an octagon.
In the south aisle is a framed chest with churchwardens'
names and the date 1747.
On the south wall of the south aisle between the
windows east of the doorway are fragmentary remains
of wall paintings. They are of two periods; the earlier,
of the 15th century, are black letter inscriptions, probably in Latin, below a band of quatrefoils; the later are
probably 16th-century inscriptions in English painted
over the others in panels with new borders of strapwork and foliage patterns: these patterns covered some
of the earlier lettering. The inscriptions are too fragmentary to be made out: a few of the letters were in
red. The earlier letters are larger than the others. The
top band of quatrefoils is in black but it had a later band
of red above it. A band of the later period below
the panels was in blue and yellow as well as black
and red.
On the north side of the chancel is a large monument
of veined white marble to Coombe Wagstaffe only son
of Thomas, died 16 January 1667–8. It has Corinthian
shafts supporting an entablature and broken curved
pediment with an achievement of arms.
On the south side is another of similar material to
Sir Thomas Wagstaffe, 22 January 1708–9, and Frances
(Samwell) his wife, 21 July 1706, erected by their only
daughter, Dame Frances Bagot. It has composite shafts
supporting a curved pediment, two cherubs, a flaming
urn and an achievement of arms. On the same wall
another mural monument is to John Wagstaffe, 4 June
1681, and Alice (Stinton) his wife, 4 November 1681.
A tablet in the north aisle is to John, son of Sir John
Rous of Worcester, who married Mary, widow of
Thomas Wagstaffe and died 6 November 1680; she
died 3 March 1686–7. It has a broken curved pediment and achievement of arms.
There are three bells, (fn. 64) the treble of 1653, the second
of 1719 (by Richard Sanders), and the third of 1740.
A paten of 1699 is the only old piece of communion
plate in use at the church: 'ex dono Thos. Wagstaffe
1700'. There is also a chalice and a flagon, not in
regular use, each bearing the same inscription and the
arms of Wagstaffe.
The registers begin in 1538, but there are several
gaps in the early period.
Advowson
There was a priest attached to the
bishop's manor of Tachbrook in
1086 (fn. 65) and the advowson of the
church remained in the hands of the bishops. By the
middle of the 13th century the rectory had been
appropriated to form the corpus of the Prebend of
Tachbrook in Lichfield Cathedral. (fn. 66) In 1291, however, Tachbrook is not named among the prebends, (fn. 67)
and the church is entered as worth £20. (fn. 68) At some
time during the next 30 years a vicarage must have
been ordained, the advowson of which was reserved to
the bishop. (fn. 69) In 1535 the prebend was worth £10, and
the vicarage £5 13s. 4d. (fn. 70) Bishop Richard Sampson in
1549 sold the advowson to Thomas Fisher with the
manor, (fn. 71) to which it remained attached until at least
1702. (fn. 72) By 1717 the patronage was in the hands
of the Prebendary of Tachbrook, (fn. 73) with whom it
remained until 1796, when the advowson was vested
by Act of Parliament in the bishop. (fn. 74) In 1852 it was
transferred to the Bishop of Worcester, (fn. 75) but in 1918
it was conveyed to the Bishop of Coventry, in whose
hands it now is.
In 1336 John Mallory had licence to alienate in
mortmain a messuage, a virgate of land, and 3 acres of
meadow in Tachbrook for a chaplain to celebrate daily
in the chapel of St. James for the souls of himself and
his wife Margery. (fn. 76) The chantry had evidently fallen
out of use before 1493, in which year John Mallory
conveyed to Benet Medley land and 'a former chapel
of St. James and St. Luke' in Tachbrook. (fn. 77) The
remains of the chapel are now incorporated in a farmhouse (see above).
Charities
Thomas Thompson gave in 1784
£100 and ordered two-thirds of the
produce of his gift to be distributed
annually among the poor of Tachbrook and the other
third among the poor of Milverton. The Tachbrook
share is now represented by £59. 5s. 6d. 3 per cent.
Savings Bonds 1955–65, the income from which is
distributed to the poor of the parish.
The Foster Trust. Emma Foster by will proved
18 June 1946 devised to the vicar and churchwardens
of St. Chad's Church, Bishop's Tachbrook, her freehold
house and premises known as 'Westfield' and directed
the rents and profits to be used for the general expenses
of the said church.