ASHOW
Acreage: 1,080.
Population: 1911, 140; 1921, 124; 1931, 152.
The parish lies on the River Avon between Kenilworth and Stoneleigh. The river forms the northern
half of the east boundary of the parish and then turns
abruptly west, with the former hamlet of Bericote (fn. 1)
on the south and the village of Ashow on the north
bank. The village, consisting of a small group of
thatched timber-framed cottages of the late 17th or
early 18th century, lies to the north of the church,
which overlooks the Avon, on a branch from a road
running southwards from Coventry to strike the road
from Cubbington to Kenilworth which forms the
southern boundary of the parish. Most of the parish
lies about the 200 ft. contour, with heights of 260
ft. at the south-eastern and north-western angles.
It is heavily wooded, The Grove, near the Avon
opposite Stoneleigh Abbey, being probably part
of Ashow Wood mentioned in 1200 (see below);
Thickthorn Wood, on the west, and Bericote Wood
on the south of the river, are each of considerable
extent.
At the time of the Domesday Survey there were two
mills (on the Avon) at Ashow, worth 20s., (fn. 2) and one,
worth 4s., in Bericote. (fn. 3) The rights of fishing in the
river were also of value and are often alluded to. Early
in the 13th century the monks of Stoneleigh granted
to Robert de Withlakesford the fishing of a weir in
'Nethlihommes', opposite his grange; (fn. 4) and in 1427
Alice, widow of John Knyveton, had a free fishery in
the Avon between 'Alfredfordbrugge' and Chesford
Bridge, (fn. 5) on the border of Leek Wotton.
Manors
Among the estates of Turchil in 1086
were 2 hides in ASHOW which he had
himself held under the Confessor but were
now held of him by Ermenfrid. (fn. 6) As was the case with
most of Turchil's estates, the overlordship came to the
Earls of Warwick. (fn. 7) A mesne lordship was held by the
family of Verdon from early in the 13th century,
Roese de Verdon holding it in 1242 (fn. 8) and Theobald de
Verdon in 1279. (fn. 9) On the death of Theobald dower
was assigned in 1317 to his widow Elizabeth, including
this fee, (fn. 10) and in 1361 it was assigned to William de
Ferrers, son of Isabel wife of Henry de Ferrers, daughter
and co-heir of the last Theobald de Verdon. (fn. 11) William
Ferrers of Groby died seised thereof in 1371, (fn. 12) and
on the death of his son Sir Henry it was assigned in
1389 to his widow Joan, (fn. 13) on whose death in 1394 it
passed to their son William, (fn. 14) after which time there
appears to be no reference to this mesne lordship.
Ermenfrid, the Domesday tenant of Ashow, held also
in Calcutt in Grandborough (fn. 15) and Radford (Semele) (fn. 16)
and was in each place the predecessor of the family of
Semilly. In 1200 William de Esseho (i.e. Ashow) gave
the king 40s. so that the wood of Ashow, which was
common to him and to William de Semilly, might be
divided so that each should have his share, because of
the waste which William de Semilly had made of the
whole wood. (fn. 17) This William was succeeded here by
Geoffrey de Semilly, (fn. 18) who in 1221 was fined for
disseising of his pasturage rights Master Henry de
Cerne, (fn. 19) who had been presented to the rectory of
Ashow in 1215 by King John, when the Priory of
Kenilworth was vacant and in the king's hands. (fn. 20)
Geoffrey held a half-fee of the Earl of Warwick in
Ashow in 1235 (fn. 21) and in 1242, (fn. 22) when it is said to be in
Ashow and Calcutt and held of Roese de Verdon, who
held of the earl. By 1279 William de Semilly and the
Abbot of Stoneleigh were joint lords of Ashow, holding
of Theobald de Verdon and doing suit to his court of
Brandon. (fn. 23) William's son Geoffrey had succeeded by
1299, (fn. 24) and two years later he alienated to Thomas,
Earl of Lancaster, all his wastes and woodlands in this
lordship between the Avon and the Frith of Kenilworth, called Widenhaye, his deed being confirmed by
Richard Basset and his wife Esylia, Geoffrey's mother. (fn. 25)
Geoffrey left a son John, (fn. 26) who is probably the John
Semilly of Warwickshire mentioned in 1342. (fn. 27) He
seems to have been the last male representative of the
family and to have left several co-heirs, as in 1360 the
fee was held by John de Hokkeley 'and others', (fn. 28) after
which no more is heard of it.
In 1086 Tonne held 2 hides in BERICOTE under
Turchil, whose father Alwin had held it under the
Confessor; the estate included a mill worth 4s. (fn. 29) This
apparently later escheated to the Crown, as Henry II
gave the manor and mill, valued at 100s., to his serjeant
Boscher to hold by service of looking after a white
brachet (hound) with red ears and at the end of the
year returning the brachet to the king, receiving another
to bring up and half a quarter of meal. From Boscher
it passed to his son Henry, (fn. 30) who conveyed it to Stephen
de Segrave. Stephen (who died in 1241) granted
Bericote with its chief messuage, woodland, villeins, &c.
to Stoneleigh Abbey, to be held by a rent of 100s.,
which rent his son Gilbert remitted for the support
of one monk; and these grants were confirmed in 1265. (fn. 31)
The abbey received a grant of free warren here in
1284 (fn. 32) and was returned in 1279 as having 4 acres of
wood inclosed as a park. (fn. 33) The monks had also lands in
Ashow itself. (fn. 34) The whole of their property in the parish
seems to have been included in 1291 under Bericote,
where the monks had a plough-land worth 15s., rents
producing £1 3s. 10d., 8s. from two mills and 10s.
from the fishery. (fn. 35) About the time of the Dissolution
the Ashow property of the abbey was worth some £10
yearly, in addition to £4 13s. 4d. rent for Bericote
Grange, (fn. 36) though the fulling-mill at Bericote had fallen
down by 1547. (fn. 37) The whole of this property was
granted in February 1542 to Charles Brandon, Duke of
Suffolk, who at the same time was licensed to alienate
the water corn-mill in Ashow and Bericote Grange. (fn. 38)
This he did to Mathew Wrottesley, who conveyed the
same to Thomas Marrowe in 1549. (fn. 39) By Marrowe it
was sold to John Harreyoung, (fn. 40) of whom it was bought
in 1582 by Sir Thomas Leigh, (fn. 41) who had already
acquired the abbey 'manor' of Ashow in 1562, (fn. 42) after
which it became attached to the Stoneleigh estate of the
Lords Leigh.
The Priory of Kenilworth also held land in the
parish, their founder Geoffrey de Clinton having given
them a meadow called Ruggenhale. (fn. 43) The canons were
receiving £3 from Ashow in 1291, (fn. 44) but only 49s. 4d.
in 1535. (fn. 45)
Church
The parish church of THE ASSUMPTION OF
OUR LADY, dating from the early part
of the 12th century, is situated on the north
bank of the River Avon, a little to the
south-west of the village. It has a small churchyard
with a wide-spreading yew-tree near the entrance. It
consists of a chancel, nave, and west tower. Both the
nave and chancel have tiled roofs of fairly steep pitch.
The chancel and nave are early-12th-century, and the
square tower was added about the middle of the 15th
century. The tower has a moulded plinth which is
continued round the buttresses. It rises in three stages,
with a battlemented parapet and the broken remains of
pinnacles at each angle. It is built of red sandstone
ashlar with angle buttresses in four stages terminating
at the base of the parapet wall, similar buttresses at right
angles butt on to the west wall of the nave. The west
door has a pointed arch with a deep moulded splay
which continues down the jambs to a splayed stop,
and a label with return ends. Above is a two-light
pointed window with cinquefoil tracery, of two splayed
orders with a hood-moulding. Above this is a looplight to the circular tower staircase, with splayed head,
jambs, and sill, and over it the belfry window, which is
similar to the one below. The belfry windows repeat
on the north, south, and east, that on the east being
blocked with brickwork and partly covered by the
nave roof. There are two loop-lights to the stair on the
south side, and clock faces are on the north and west
sides only. The north wall of the nave is built of red
sandstone in coursed rubble with ashlar dressings and
splayed plinth, and has two small early-12th-century
round-headed windows. In the centre of the wall there
is a blocked late-12th-century doorway, with a segmental head and foliated capitals almost entirely
obscured by thick ivy. The north wall of the chancel is
also of coursed rubble and has one round-headed
window similar to those in the nave wall. Near the
west end is a blocked low-side window with deeply
splayed head, jambs, and sill. The east gable wall is
constructed of ashlar, probably refaced when the 15thcentury window was put in, which is a three-light with
cinquefoil tracery, with a pointed arch and hoodmoulding, all much restored. There is an angle buttress
at the south-east corner only, probably part of the 15thcentury work. The south wall has a square-headed
two-light window of two splayed orders, probably
inserted at the end of the 16th century. Near the
west end is a blocked low-side window, slightly larger
than that on the north side. The south aisle wall has
been entirely rebuilt in light-coloured sandstone ashlar
with wide shallow buttresses at each end, probably late
in the 18th century. There are two windows of two
lights with splayed jambs and four-centred arches
with plain tracery and a central door with a threecentred arch having a plain chamfered edge. The
whole of the interior has been rendered all over with
a thick coat of plaster, lined out as ashlar, which obscures all the details.
The chancel (19 ft. × 17 ft. 6 in.) has an early-12thcentury wall arcade on both sides, of four semicircular
arches supported on corbels which may be capitals with
the shafts missing, as there are traces of attached shafts
at the eastern ends, but all detail is hidden under the
plaster. The 12th-century window has wide-splayed
reveals, the east window is slightly splayed, the pointed
arch following the external one. The south window
has splayed reveals and flat head, as on the outside.
The chancel arch is semicircular and not of the full
thickness of the wall. It has what appears to be a
splayed abacus on the south side and a capital with an
engaged shaft on the north, but here again all detail is
hidden by plaster. The plaster ceiling, of very flat
pitch, has traces of moulded trusses with carved bosses
showing through the plaster. There is one step to the
altar and the floor is paved with stone.
The nave (46 ft. × 21 ft.) has a flat matchboarded
ceiling fixed just below the level of the wall-plate,
concealing an open timber roof. The two 12th-century
windows have widely splayed reveals with semicircular
arches. The south windows have splayed reveals with
arches following the external ones. The tower arch is
lofty, of two splayed orders, and is filled in with a
modern screen to form a west porch. The seating of
box-pews, pulpit, reading-desk, chancel dado, and altar
table are all of late-18th-century workmanship in oak.
The pulpit, placed on the north side of the chancel
arch, is octagonal and supported on a short central
octagonal shaft with a curved splayed capital. It is
panelled with moulded and fielded panels and has
bands of carved fret at the top and bottom. Modern
square legs have been added for additional support.
The font is modern, of gothic design. It is placed near
the west end on the south side. The floor is paved with
stone slabs.
The tower (8 ft. × 8 ft.). The west door has square
reveals with a square head, the south-west angle is
splayed for the tower circular staircase in the thickness
of the wall, its doorway has a pointed arch of a single
splay with moulded stops. The ancient door is made
out of a single plank, two inches thick, with plain straphinges, an iron ring with an octagonal plate and a semielliptical escutcheon with poppy-head in relief at the top.
On the north wall is painted a list of charities, and hung
on the south wall is a painted coat of arms of George III.
The floor is of modern red tiles.
There are several mural tablets, but none earlier
than the 19th century.
The plate, silver gilt chalice, ciborium, and paten
with hall-mark 1638, was given by Alice, Duchess
Dudley. There is also a modern silver chalice.
There are four bells by John Briant of Hertford,
1793. (fn. 46)
The parish registers begin in 1733, the earlier
registers having been converted into spills by a former
parish clerk who was a publican. (fn. 47)
In the churchyard, a little south of the chancel is the
base of a cross with an octagonal shaft and base resting
on two square steps. The base is slightly moulded and
the top step has splayed stops at the corners. Only the
lower course of the shaft remains, with a modern
moulded capital added.
Advowson
The church of Ashow was originally
a chapel of Leek Wotton (q.v.), which
church had been given to Kenilworth
Priory at its foundation by Geoffrey de Clinton. It
became independent in the time of Bishop Geoffrey
(1198–1215), subject to the payment of a pension of
20s. to Kenilworth, (fn. 48) which was still being paid in
1535. The rectory was valued at £3 6s. 8d. in 1291, (fn. 49)
and at £6 2s. in 1535. (fn. 50) The advowson remained
with Kenilworth until the Dissolution, and since
1562 (fn. 51) has been in the hands of the Leighs of Stoneleigh.
Charity
The charity of Alice, Duchess Dudley,
for Ashow and other parishes in the counties of Warwick and Northampton is
regulated by schemes of the Charity Commissioners
dated 13 June 1879 and 6 January 1885. The scheme
of 13 June 1879 appoints a body of trustees and
provides for the income to be divided by the trustees
into seventeen equal parts and remitted to the incumbents and churchwardens of the several parishes for
application by them in accordance with the provisions
contained therein. The share of the charity applicable
for this parish consists of one-seventeenth of the income,
amounting to £37 13s. 4d. annually, to be applied
under various heads for the general benefit of the poor
of the parish.