BODDINGTON
The parish of Boddington lies 4 miles north-west
of Cheltenham beside the road from Cheltenham to
Coombe Hill, which marks its north-east boundary.
The parish formerly included a peninsulated part
on the south, stretching south of the GloucesterCheltenham road (fn. 1) and comprising 208 a.; in 1882
that part was transferred to Staverton, (fn. 2) leaving
Boddington a compact but irregular area of 1,982
a., (fn. 3) and it is that reduced area that is the subject of
the account here printed. On the west side of the
parish, where Boddington Moor provided a large
area of meadow common to Boddington and Leigh
parishes, the boundary between the two parishes was
not defined until Boddington was inclosed in 1803. (fn. 4)
Apart from Boddington the parish includes three
hamlets: Hayden in the south-east, partly in
Staverton parish, Withy Bridge in the north-east,
and Barrow — locally known as the Barrow — on
the west side. The greater part of Hayden and
Withy Bridge, belonging to Westminster Abbey,
formed a separate tithing, in Westminster hundred,
while Boddington and Barrow formed a tithing in
Tewkesbury hundred. (fn. 5)
The parish is flat, lying mainly at c. 50 ft., rising
to 150 ft. on the south-east side, and to 100 ft. at
Barrow Hill, which despite a tradition that it is an
ancient burial ground (fn. 6) is reliably thought to be a
natural feature. (fn. 7) The River Chelt crosses the north
part of the parish, and marks parts of the north-east
and north-west boundaries. In the 17th century the
river was known in the parish as Boddington brook. (fn. 8)
The Leigh brook also forms part of the north-west
boundary, and it was probably this that in 1691 was
called Deane brook. (fn. 9) Small tributaries of the Chelt
intersect the parish. It was one of them that was
called the Mill brook in the 18th century, (fn. 10) and
another that was crossed by a bridge at Barrow where
there was a lake or marsh. (fn. 11) The parish is on the
Lower Lias, which is partly overlain with gravel.
Several springs rise from the Lower Lias, (fn. 12) and
springs at Barrow and Hayden have saline waters
which were used medicinally in the 18th century. (fn. 13)
The land has been used mainly for arable farming,
and open fields covered the greater part of the parish
until inclosure in 1803; (fn. 14) there was also a quantity of
rich pasture. (fn. 15) Barrow Wood, a large area of wood on
the west side of the parish, (fn. 16) had been greatly
reduced by the 20th century. Boddington Park in
the north-east of the parish was made by the owners
of Boddington manor probably c. 1237, (fn. 17) and by 1316
was stocked with deer. (fn. 18) In 1652 the close called the
Great Park comprised 46 a. (fn. 19) By the 18th century
the park had become farm-land. (fn. 20) Before 1924
Cheltenham Borough built a sewage works in the
south-east corner of the parish. (fn. 21) A small army
camp was built at Barrow in 1939 and enlarged in
1953. (fn. 22)
Boddington village was probably the earliest
settlement in the parish, for the names of the other
hamlets are not found earlier than the 13th century,
while the name Boddington was in use by 1066, (fn. 23)
apparently to describe an area which included the
hamlets. (fn. 24) The name Boddington suggests that the
settlement was originally a single farmstead, (fn. 25) and it
never became a nucleated village. The pattern of
settlement was perhaps dictated by the proximity of
the Chelt and its tributaries. Although Boddington
hamlet had the church and the principal manorhouse (fn. 26) it remained small. About 1700 Boddington
had some six houses, (fn. 27) and the number remained
about the same. Two groups of cottages, built in
1898 by the owner of Boddington manor, (fn. 28) probably
replaced earlier ones; a large brick farm-house next
to the church, built in the early 19th century by John
Arkell, replaced an older farm-house. (fn. 29) Those
houses, with the manor-house and its buildings,
and a few more 19th-century cottages, were the
only houses in the hamlet in 1964.
Barrow in Boddington may have been the origin
of a personal name recorded in 1200. (fn. 30) As a placename, occurring in 1209, it may have been used not
of a settlement but only of a wood or grove. (fn. 31) It was
not mentioned in the tax-assessment of 1327, (fn. 32) but
may have been included with Boddington, as it
usually was later. (fn. 33) About 1700 Barrow was said to
have nine houses, almost a quarter of all the houses
in the parish. (fn. 34) Barrow Court, at the southern end
of the hamlet, was built in the 18th century. It is a
large brick farm-house, called Whitehouse Farm in
the early 19th century, (fn. 35) which in 1964 was being
extensively rebuilt. The Barrow Court estate in 1873
included also a small house and five labourers'
cottages. (fn. 36) By the early 19th century Barrow was a
scattered village along a road leading from Boddington hamlet. (fn. 37) Barrow was then apparently the
biggest settlement in the parish, (fn. 38) and it was there
that the school was held in the 19th century. A row
of timber-framed cottages was pulled down in the
early 20th century. (fn. 39) Most of the remaining houses
are of the 19th century or later, comprising groups
of brick cottages and a few farm-houses. Some
houses were built at Barrow in the mid-20th century,
and more were being built in 1964, when Barrow was
the largest and most concentrated settlement in the
parish.
The name Hayden occurred as a personal name in
1220, (fn. 40) presumably indicating the existence of a
settlement. The oldest surviving buildings in
Hayden are near Hayden's Elm, (fn. 41) where the road
from Withy Bridge meets the former main road from
Gloucester to Cheltenham. Hayden Farm (fn. 42) and a
house which was a blacksmith's and wheelwright's
shop until the 1930's are 17th-century timberframed buildings, and three cottages of the same
period were demolished in the 20th century. (fn. 43) An
inn was opened at Hayden's Elm by 1755. (fn. 44) It was
known as 'The House in the Tree' because there
was in the branches of a large elm growing near the
inn a small wooden house said to have been built
c. 1720. The house and tree were part of the inn in
the late 19th century, (fn. 45) and in 1964 the base of the
tree could be seen in the garden of the inn. Hayden
developed mainly as a scattered settlement along the
road running south-east from Hayden's Elm. About
1700 half the houses in the parish were in Hayden
and Withy Bridge tithing. (fn. 46) A small group of houses
had been built at Hayden Green, south of Hayden's
Elm, by 1803, (fn. 47) and more houses were built there in
the mid-20th century. Whitehall Farm, formerly
called Ballinger's Farm, a large farm-house near the
east boundary of the parish, was built before 1803. (fn. 48)
A few houses were built at Hayden Hill on the road
to Cheltenham in the late 19th century, and a few
more in the mid-20th century.
The small settlement at Withy Bridge comprised,
apparently, only the manor-house (fn. 49) and buildings
associated with it. Though they were physically
distinct they were usually associated with Hayden
as a single township. (fn. 50) Two 16th- or early 17thcentury cottages survive at the end of the drive to
the manor-house, Butler's Court. The cottages were
faced with plaster in the early 1950's, covering their
square-framed timbers. (fn. 51) A few cottages nearer the
house were pulled down. The surviving brick
buildings of Withy Bridge Mill are of the 17th
or 18th century, as are Withy Bridge Farm and a
few other cottages. Scattered houses beside the
Cheltenham-Coombe Hill road were built in the
20th century.
Indications of the size of the population of
Boddington before 1801 are so inconsistent that they
are unlikely all to refer to the whole parish, and often
the population of Boddington was given jointly with
that of Staverton. In 1327 27 people were assessed
for tax in Boddington and its hamlets, and the
assessment of £2 12s. suggests a relatively high
population. (fn. 52) While the indications of numbers from
the 16th century to the 19th are unreliable, if only
because of differing notions of the boundary between
Boddington and Staverton, the figures of c. 100
communicants in 1551, (fn. 53) and c. 180 people in the
early 18th century (fn. 54) are borne out by the combined
figure of 140 communicants in Boddington and
Staverton together in 1603. (fn. 55) The record, however,
of 26 households in 1563 (fn. 56) seems too small, and
that of 139 adults in 1676 (fn. 57) too great. In the mid18th century there were said to be c. 70 households, (fn. 58)
and the later statement that there were only 95
people in the parish (fn. 59) is belied by the Census Reports.
The population was 273 in 1801 and 413 in 1821. It
fluctuated during the 19th century, and the boundary
change of 1882 transferred 76 people to Staverton.
The population remained fairly constant during the
20th century, showing a slight increase after the
Second World War, and in 1961 was 263. (fn. 60)
By 1777 a road joined Staverton and Boddington
villages. (fn. 61) The road going north-east through
Hayden was the main road from Gloucester to
Cheltenham until the new road further south was
built in 1809. (fn. 62) In 1667 the inhabitants of Hayden
and Boddington were presented for not repairing
the road, (fn. 63) which was turnpiked in 1756. (fn. 64) The
Tewkesbury-Cheltenham road runs along the northeast boundary of the parish; it was called Knightsbridge road in 1691 (fn. 65) from the bridge by which it
crosses the Chelt at the north-east corner of
Boddington. The bridge over the River Chelt which
gave its name to the hamlet of Withy Bridge was so
called by 1327 when the name was in use for the
hamlet. (fn. 66) Barrow Bridge, mentioned in 1662, (fn. 67) was
probably the bridge at Barrow Lake that was out of
repair in 1549. (fn. 68)
The parish was noted for the Boddington Oak, an
unusually large tree growing in the grounds of
Boddington Manor. The base of the trunk was said
to have a circumference of 18 yards c. 1783, when it
was hollow. The tree was destroyed by fire in 1790. (fn. 69)
A small parliamentary garrison occupied Boddington manor-house in 1643, where it was besieged by
Sir William Vavasour. (fn. 70)
Manors and Other Estates.
In 1066
Westminster Abbey had two estates in Boddington,
one of 2 hides held by the radknight Wluvi, and
another of 3 hides; in 1086 both were held by Girard
the chamberlain. Another 3 hides, part of the manor
of Kemerton held by Brictric with his Tewkesbury
estate in 1066, were also held in 1086 by Girard. (fn. 71)
In the mid-13th century the two 3-hide estates were
again held by one tenant and were treated as one
manor of BODDINGTON. (fn. 72) The overlordship of
the part held by Brictric was linked with that of
Kemerton; (fn. 73) it passed to the Earls of Gloucester,
and on the division of the de Clares' estates descended
through the Audleys to the Staffords. (fn. 74) The Abbot
of Westminster's overlordship of another part of
Boddington manor was recorded up to 1351. (fn. 75) From
1254 until 1351 part of the manor was said to be held
of Deerhurst Priory. (fn. 76) In 1281 parts of the manor
were said to be held of Nicholas Archer, Walter
Sturmey, and Grimbald Pauncefoot, (fn. 77) and in 1351
20 a. were held of Thomas of Berkeley and his wife
Joan, the heirs of the Archer family. (fn. 78)
Between 1125 and 1137 Frederick de Mucegros
held land in Boddington, later called Boddington
manor, which passed to his son Robert de Mucegros,
and then to Robert's son Richard. (fn. 79) Richard's estate
of 3 hides in Boddington was confirmed to his son,
also Richard, in 1200. (fn. 80) In 1205 Patricia and
Euphemia, daughters of Robert de Fécamp, claimed
3 hides in Boddington against Richard de Mucegros, (fn. 81) and in 1212 Euphemia Talbot (presumably
the daughter of Robert de Fécamp) conceded £4 rent
in Boddington to Richard. (fn. 82) Richard was dead by
1237, in which year his son Robert was granted free
warren in his demesne at Boddington. (fn. 83) At his death
in 1254 (fn. 84) Robert held Boddington manor of the Earl
of Gloucester, the Abbot of Westminster, and the
Prior of Deerhurst. His son and heir John, (fn. 85) said to
hold one knight's fee in Boddington and Kemerton
of the Earl of Gloucester in 1263, (fn. 86) died c. 1275
holding 7 plough-lands in Boddington. (fn. 87) John's son
Robert (d. 1280) left an infant daughter Hawise as
his heir. (fn. 88) Hawise married first, c. 1297, William
Mortimer who died shortly after, seized of the manor
of Boddington. She married secondly John de
Ferrers, and thirdly Sir John de Bures (d. 1350). (fn. 89)
Her heir was said to be John de Ferrers, grandson
by her second husband, (fn. 90) but in 1329 Boddington
manor had been settled on Katherine, daughter of
Hawise and John de Bures, and her husband Giles
Beauchamp, (fn. 91) who had possession of the manor in
1351. (fn. 92) John de Ferrers was unsuccessful in claiming
the manor, (fn. 93) but his descendants retained a small
estate in Boddington. (fn. 94)
From Giles (d. 1361) and Katherine Beauchamp
the manor passed in turn to their son Sir John (d.
by 1401), (fn. 95) to Sir John's son Sir William (fn. 96) (d. by
1431), to Sir William's son, John, Lord Beauchamp
of Powicke (d. 1475), (fn. 97) and to John's son Richard,
Lord Beauchamp (d. 1503), who was said to hold
the manor in chief as part of his honor of Elmley
Castle (Worcs.). Boddington manor was divided
between Richard's three coheirs — his grandsons,
Edward Willoughby (d. c. 1518) and Richard Read,
and his daughter Ann, widow of Richard Lygon. (fn. 98)
Richard Read (d. 1547) (fn. 99) apparently acquired the
whole manor, and from him it descended in turn to
his sons William (d. 1570) and John Read, (fn. 100) and to
John's daughter Dorothy and her husband Oliver
St. John, Lord St. John of Bletsoe (fn. 101) (d. 1618). In
1620 Oliver's son and heir, Oliver, (fn. 102) sold Boddington
manor to Elizabeth Craven (fn. 103) (d. 1624) (fn. 104) and her son,
William, later Lord Craven, (fn. 105) who sold it in 1678 to
Matthew Lock. (fn. 106)
Matthew Lock or his son of the same name died in
1708 or 1709, to be succeeded by a widow Dorothy
(fl. 1713) and another Matthew Lock (fl. 1720).
From 1728 until his death c. 1766 John Lock held
the manor. He was succeeded by his widow Mary,
who by her will dated 1774 devised the manor to her
cousin, the Revd. Edward Ford (fn. 107) of Norton-subHamdon (Som.), who was lord of the manor in
1782. (fn. 108) Under Mary Lock's will the manor passed,
before 1790, to John Blagdon, (fn. 109) son of John Blagdon
and his wife Anne, formerly Ford. In 1803 the
younger John Blagdon was a lunatic, and his
property was held in trust by his brother Edward and
by John Neale, (fn. 110) who was Vicar of Staverton and
had married into the Blagdon family. (fn. 111) After disputes
with Neale, his father-in-law, Edward Blagdon's son
John got custody of the estate in 1835, and succeeded
as lord of the manor on his uncle's death in 1840.
The younger John Blagdon died in 1853, and his
trustees sold the estate in various parcels during the
next 20 years. They sold the manor in 1863 to the
Revd. Thomas Purnell, (fn. 112) who in turn sold it in 1880
to John Skipworth Gibbons, a noted sporting
squire. (fn. 113) On Gibbons's death in 1942 Boddington
manor passed first to his eldest daughter, Mrs. Edith
Stacey (d. 1962), and then to a younger daughter,
Maud, wife of Canon R. E. Grice-Hutchinson. (fn. 114)
John de Bures and Hawise were living at Boddington in 1334, when they had licence to crenellate their
house there. (fn. 115) It may have been they who built the
house called a 'fair manor place' in the 16th century, (fn. 116)
and later described as belonging to 'the first style of
building after castles were no longer necessary'. (fn. 117)
In 1652 the house consisted of a hall, parlour, and
offices, with rooms over, built of stone and covered
with stone tiles. It occupied a moated site of 2 a. (fn. 118)
After the manor passed to the Craven family it was
occupied by a lessee, (fn. 119) and appears to have become
a farm-house. About 1700 it was said that there was
formerly a 'fair manor place and park'. (fn. 120)
Boddington manor was largely rebuilt in the mid19th century. The new building incorporated part
of an earlier, perhaps 17th-century, house, and
during later alteration part of an ancient wall was
uncovered, bearing the arms of Tewkesbury Abbey
and the Earls of Gloucester. The earlier wing is
two-storied with attics, of stone with a Cotswold
stone roof. The windows, apparently altered when
the house was extended, have stone mullions and
dripmoulds, with Gothic lights. The 19th-century
wing, running east from the south end of the older
building to form an L-shape, is an embattled Gothic
building of stone, two-storied, and of the same height
as the earlier building. A large ballroom and a twostoried porch with turrets were added in the late 19th
century. (fn. 121) A farm-house was built behind the house
before the 19th century; in 1885 extensive farm
buildings were put up near the house, and stables
and kennels were built a few years later. The kennels
were built for the Boddington Harriers, (fn. 122) and in
1964 housed the pack of the Cotswold Vale Hunt.
Land in Barrow belonged to Boddington manor,
and in 1578 it was distinguished as the manor of
BARROW. (fn. 123) Such a manor is named in Boddington
court rolls of the later 16th century, (fn. 124) but no further
reference to it has been found.
In the reign of Henry III Robert de Mucegros held
land in Hayden which he had from Richard of
Hayden. (fn. 125) That land may have been the 48 a. in
Hayden which Hugh Mustel held at his death in
1325 or 1326 of Hugh le Despenser and John de
Bures. (fn. 126) In 1495 Richard, Lord Beauchamp, was
said to hold the manor of HAYDEN with his manor
of Boddington, (fn. 127) and at his death in 1503 Hayden
manor, valued at £11, was said to be held in chief. (fn. 128)
An estate in Hayden continued to be held with
Boddington manor, (fn. 129) but after the 16th century it
was not usually called a manor. It was probably
the estate called Hayden farm in 1653, comprising
c. 80 a. (fn. 130) A house called Hayden Farm, which had
been owned with Boddington manor in the 18th
century, (fn. 131) and which John Neale held in 1803, (fn. 132)
may be the house of the same name in 1964; it was
built in the 17th century, L-shaped on plan and
timber-framed in square panels, and it has a contemporary timber-framed barn with a thatched roof.
Westminster Abbey's manor of HAYDEN, which
passed to the Dean and Chapter of Westminster (fn. 133)
and was granted to William Dowdeswell in 1650, (fn. 134)
may have comprised the overlordship of the 2-hide
estate held of the abbey by Wluvi in 1066, (fn. 135) and is
perhaps to be identified with the ½ knight's fee which
the abbey had in Boddington in 1402. (fn. 136) Hayden
manor, apparently only an overlordship, was later
held on lease by members of the Dowdeswell family
as part of the manor of Plaistow. (fn. 137) Thomas Dowdeswell, as lessee, received a small allotment at inclosure
in 1803 for his manorial rights in Hayden. (fn. 138)
The 2 plough-lands disputed between Nicholas
of Mitton and Robert de Stuteville in 1270 (fn. 139) may
have been Westminster Abbey's manor of Hayden.
In 1303 the abbey's ½ knight's fee in Boddington was
held by Hugh Mustel as under-tenant. (fn. 140) When
Mustel died in 1325 or 1326 he had not only the land
held of Hugh le Despenser and John de Bures but also
a house and 100 a. in Boddington said to be held of
William Power as ½ knight's fee. (fn. 141) His son, another
Hugh, was recorded in 1346 as holding the ½ knight's
fee that his father had held. (fn. 142) He made a settlement
of his land in Boddington, with remainder to Philip,
son of Thomas Butler, in 1333, and another in 1345
with remainder to Thomas and Alan, other sons of
Thomas Butler. (fn. 143) They may have been connected
with Ralph of Hayden, who in 1242 had been a
groom of the king's buttery. (fn. 144) The Butlers appear to
have held Hayden manor in the late 14th century,
for Ralph Butler (d. by 1419) conveyed both it and
the manor of WITHY BRIDGE to trustees, who in
1419 gave them to Ralph's widow Margaret, then
wife of William Hurte. (fn. 145) Withy Bridge, later called
BUTLER'S COURT, manor and Hayden manor
descended together, and may not really have been
separate: after the 17th century Hayden was not
distinguished as a separate manor from Withy
Bridge. John Butler died seised of Withy Bridge
manor in 1477, when his heir was his grandson,
also John. (fn. 146) The grandson was probably the John
that held Withy Bridge manor in the early 16th
century. (fn. 147) A John Butler held Hayden and Withy
Bridge manors in 1547, (fn. 148) and in the same year
conveyed them to William Partridge (fn. 149) (d. 1578). (fn. 150)
From William Partridge the estate descended to
his son Robert (d. 1600), and then to Robert's son
John, (fn. 151) who in 1621 conveyed it to trustees for
Elizabeth Craven. (fn. 152) The estate descended in the
Craven family, through William, Earl of Craven (d.
1697), (fn. 153) his cousin William, Lord Craven (d. 1711),
that William's sons, William (d. 1739) and Fulwar
(d. 1764), in turn, and their cousin William (d.
1769), to that William's nephew, another William
(d. 1791). The estate then passed to a younger son,
Henry Augustus Berkeley Craven (d. 1836), and
then to the latter's brother, Keppel Craven, (fn. 154) who
sold it c. 1850 to Henry Arkell, the lessee. After
Henry Arkell's death in 1878 the estate was bought
by a younger son, also Henry (d. 1916), and passed
in turn to his son, another Henry, and to that
Henry's son, Mr. P. N. Arkell, the owner in 1964. (fn. 155)
No manorial rights were known to survive in 1964.
The house called Butler's Court included a
building, reputed to have been a chapel, that was
demolished in the 20th century, and from which
small pointed windows of one and two lights were
re-used elsewhere in the house. (fn. 156) John Butler had a
house at Withy Bridge in the early 16th century. (fn. 157)
The house surviving in 1964 was a three-storied
L-shaped building of brick with a Cotswold stone
roof, built in the 17th century. While the Cravens
owned it the house was occupied by tenants. (fn. 158) It
was altered and given sash windows in the 19th
century.
In 1351 John Holloway had a messuage and land
in Boddington, held of Hawise and John de Bures with
reversion to John de Ferrers, Hawise's grandson, (fn. 159)
which may have been part of the estate held by
Robert Ferrers of Chartley at his death in 1413. (fn. 160)
That estate, said to be held of Lord le Despenser,
descended in turn to Robert's son Edmund (d. 1435),
and to Edmund's son William, (fn. 161) but it has not been
traced later.
In the early 12th century the Prior of Deerhurst
granted to Tewkesbury Abbey the tithes of Frederick
de Mucegros's demesne in Boddington; (fn. 162) in 1291 and
1535 that portion of the great tithes belonged to
Tewkesbury Abbey. (fn. 163) The rest of the tithes in 1535
also belonged to the abbey as part of Deerhurst
Priory's property. (fn. 164) The tithes descended with the
rectory manor of Uckington until the early 18th
century. (fn. 165) In 1752 William Norwood sold them to
John Wells, who sold them in 1766 to Thomas
Arkell. (fn. 166) John Arkell received an allotment of 49 a.
for tithes at inclosure in 1803, (fn. 167) and his grandson,
Thomas Arkell, sold the estate to John Skipworth
Gibbons, owner of Boddington manor, in the late
19th century. (fn. 168)
Economic History.
Of five ploughs on the
estate held of Tewkesbury manor two were in
demesne in 1086. (fn. 169) The land of the Mucegros
family, to which the estate passed, continued to
include a fairly large proportion of demesne. John
de Bures had in 1351 120 a. of demesne arable on
his estate held of the Earl of Gloucester, c. 100 a. on
his Westminster Abbey estate, and his two other
estates, of 40 a. and 20 a., were probably all
demesne. (fn. 170) In 1326 the Westminster Abbey estate
in Hayden included 80 a. in demesne. (fn. 171) Some of the
demesne pasture and meadow of the Mucegros
estate was leased in 1463 and c. 52 a. of meadow
remained in hand. The demesne arable does not
seem to have been extensive at that time, and perhaps
it also had been partly let at farm. Not all the work
on the demesne arable and meadow at that time, if
at any, was done by the labour-services of tenants.
In 1463 the demesne included a considerable amount
of woodland and a dovecot, (fn. 172) apart from Boddington
Park. (fn. 173) The 120 a. in Withy Bridge belonging to
John Butler in the early 16th century may have
been the demesne of Withy Bridge manor, but by
that time it was held by a copyhold tenant. (fn. 174) In the
early 17th century the demesne of Boddington
manor, including the park, was let at farm. (fn. 175)
There were several freeholders in Boddington
manor in the Middle Ages, (fn. 176) at least 21 in 1351, (fn. 177)
and 24 in 1620. (fn. 178) Some of the 16th-century freeholders owed heriots, but others only rent and
relief. (fn. 179) The freehold estates varied in size, but,
from the number of them, it seems likely that most
were small. In 1247 one tenant had an estate of 63
a.; (fn. 180) in 1326 and 1352 estates of 48 a. and 36 a. were
recorded; (fn. 181) and in the 15th century one of the
freehold estates comprised two messuages and ½
yardland, and a mill and 8 a. (fn. 182)
Four villani were recorded on the estate held of
Tewkesbury manor in 1086: (fn. 183) no reference has been
found to customary tenure before the 16th century.
Some of the 14 tenants mentioned in 1544 were
copyholders. (fn. 184) In 1585 31 copyholders were recorded
in Boddington, Hayden, Barrow, and Leigh. (fn. 185)
There were 25 copyholders and lease-holders and
8 tenants at will in 1620. The numbers had perhaps
been higher at one time, as several tenants then had
more than one holding. (fn. 186)
Copyholders owed rent in cash and kind — two
hens for each holding in 1552 — and heriots. (fn. 187)
Widows had the right to freebench, (fn. 188) but there was
no right of inheritance. (fn. 189) In 1620 leaseholds were for
two lives or 99 years, and copyholds for one life.
Copyholders and leaseholders owed suit of court. (fn. 190)
A copyhold estate of 60 a. in the late 16th century
seems to have been larger than most. (fn. 191) In 1620
several estates included small pieces of land called
pennyland, apparently former demesne held at will. (fn. 192)
During the 17th and 18th centuries a number of
substantial freehold estates was built up, such as
those of the Arkell family, the Hide family, and the
Leech family. (fn. 193) By the time of inclosure in 1803
about half the occupiers had freehold estates, some
of them being among the largest estates in the
parish, (fn. 194) but copyholds and leaseholds remained
common. In the mid-17th century in Boddington
manor, apart from the tenants of the former
demesne who were said to hold in socage, there
were 18 copyholders and leaseholders; (fn. 195) Withy
Bridge manor in 1654 had four leaseholders and an
unstated number of copyholders; (fn. 196) and Boddington
manor in 1653 had 13 leaseholders apart from the
lessees of the demesne. (fn. 197) Eight tenements were held
by four tenants in Withy Bridge in 1775, (fn. 198) and
Boddington manor had 15 tenants in 1790. (fn. 199)
The conditions of tenure appear to have changed
a little. By 1677 copyholds could be held for three
lives. (fn. 200) In the Westminster Abbey manor of Hayden
copyholds were heritable in the early 18th century. (fn. 201)
Some heriots were owed in kind in 1685, (fn. 202) but in
1737 one tenant paid cash instead, (fn. 203) and this may
have been the general practice.
Among the largest farms in the parish in the 17th
and 18th centuries were the former demesne lands.
Boddington manor farm was c. 190 a. in the early
17th century, (fn. 204) and Butler's Court farm in Withy
Bridge increased from a little over 113 a. in 1654 to
233 a. in 1775. (fn. 205) Of the other holdings in Boddington
manor one was 159 a., 6 were 50 a. or more, and the
rest varied from 45 a. to 3 a. (fn. 206) Westminster Abbey's
manor of Hayden in the 18th century included
holdings of a messuage and yardland or of fractions
of a yardland. (fn. 207) Withy Bridge in 1775 included one
estate of 82 a., most others being between 50 and
20 a. (fn. 208)
Although the parish of Boddington comprised
several separate hamlets and manors, there is no
evidence that it had more than one group of open
fields. Orders regulating the use of the fields were
made both at Boddington manor court and, for
Westminster Abbey's Hayden manor, at Plaistow
court, (fn. 209) but the lands of the separate manors were
apparently mingled in the fields. There may have
been a five-year rotation in the Middle Ages, when
the main crops on the demesne were wheat, barley,
oats, and pulse. (fn. 210) By the mid-16th century there
were at least five fields, called Church field, Moor
field, Harden field, Broad field, and Little field, the
last two apparently stretching into Staverton
parish. (fn. 211) Other field names that occur later are
Picksbury field, Deadfurlong field, and Staple Hill. (fn. 212)
The fields were divided into furlongs, (fn. 213) which were
subdivided into selions varying in size from ⅓ a. (fn. 214)
to 1 a. (fn. 215) There had been some consolidation of strips
by the 18th century. (fn. 216) At inclosure in 1803 the parish
had a large number of old inclosures (fn. 217) which may
have been taken out of the open fields; in 1745
reference was made to a close of arable in one of the
fields. (fn. 218)
In 1086 8 a. of meadow were recorded in the 3hide estate of Brictric. (fn. 219) In the 14th century an
estate of 80 a. had 10 a. meadow, one of 120 a. had
15 a. meadow, and one of c. 100 a. had 10 a. meadow. (fn. 220)
The demesne of Boddington manor in the 15th
century included a large amount of meadow, (fn. 221) and
by the 17th century the same estate was perhaps
half meadow. (fn. 222) Some estates in the 17th century
had more meadow and pasture than arable land. (fn. 223)
On the west side of the parish c. 100 a. known as
Boddington Moor was lot meadow, (fn. 224) used by landholders of Staverton and Leigh parishes also. (fn. 225) A
hedge separated it from Norton Moor in Norton by
the 16th century, and the doles of meadow were
divided by merestones. (fn. 226) Arle Meadow, in the
north-west part of the parish, was also lot meadow. (fn. 227)
The lessee of the demesne of Boddington manor in
1620 claimed common of pasture for 40 beasts in
the meadow and 200 sheep in the fields; there was
horse pasture on Incham common and Upper
meadow. (fn. 228) In the late 18th century the parish was
said to be mainly rich meadow and pasture, (fn. 229) and
in 1801 only 634 a. were returned as sown, mainly
with wheat, barley, and beans. (fn. 230)
The open fields of Boddington, comprising about
half the parish, were inclosed with those of Staverton
by a single Act and award in 1803. The largest
allotment was that of John Blagdon who received
360 a., of which a small part was in Staverton; John
Arkell received 238 a., H. A. B. Craven 173 a., and the
Vicar of Staverton 290 a. divided between the two
parishes. Apart from land in Boddington that formed
part of two medium-sized allotments lying mainly in
Staverton, there were other allotments of 69 a. and
of 35 a., mostly in Boddington, and 51 of under 20 a.,
of which 33 were less than 3 a. (fn. 231)
In 1838 Boddington manor comprised c. 700 a.
divided mainly into four substantial tenant farms.
The largest farms in the parish were Butler's Court
farm, of 318 a., and Boddington farm, belonging to
the Arkell family, of 300 a. Three other farms were
over 100 a., and there was a large number of small
holdings. (fn. 232) Twelve farmers were recorded in the
parish in 1889, and eight in the early 20th century.
Four farms in the parish were said to be over 150 a.
in 1923. (fn. 233) Boddington manor comprised c. 1,000 a.
in 1964, divided into three farms, and there were
about six other substantial farms in the parish.
During the 19th century farming continued to be
mixed, with a predominance of meadow and pasture
which increased towards the end of the century. In
1901 only 391 a. were arable, compared with 1,546
a. of permanent grass. (fn. 234) In 1933 the greater part of
the parish was permanent grass, (fn. 235) and in 1964 the
land was used mainly for dairy and beef cattle, with
some arable.
Brictric's estate in 1086 included a mill worth 7s., (fn. 236)
and it was probably the same mill that was mentioned
in 1200. (fn. 237) In 1413 the estate held by Robert Ferrers
of Chartley included a mill (fn. 238) which his son Sir
Edmund Ferrers held in 1435. (fn. 239) One was perhaps
one of the two mills held in 1620 by tenants of
Boddington manor; (fn. 240) the two mills were presumably
the Lower Mill, standing close to Boddington
manor and later called Boddington Mill, (fn. 241) and the
Upper Mill, (fn. 242) which has not been located. Both
mills were part of the manor in 1653, (fn. 243) but only
Boddington Mill remained in 1790. (fn. 244) It was still
standing in 1924, (fn. 245) and the house survived in 1964.
A mill held by Hugh Mustel c. 1326, (fn. 246) may have
been the Slate Mill, on the River Chelt, at the
boundary between Boddington and Leigh, which
was held at farm in 1585. (fn. 247) By 1707 it was part of
Westminster Abbey's estate, (fn. 248) and was held by
lessees of the abbey in the mid-19th century. (fn. 249) The
Slate Mill was in use until the 1950's, (fn. 250) and in 1964
the brick mill-building and house attached to it,
built about the end of the 18th century, were
standing. There was a mill at Withy Bridge, on the
River Chelt, in the late 19th century, (fn. 251) but it may
have been used only for a short time. It had long
been disused in 1964, when the brick buildings were
in ruins.
Non-agrarian occupations recorded in the parish
include a baker in 1327, (fn. 252) a carpenter and a smith in
1608, (fn. 253) a cordwainer in Hayden in 1663, (fn. 254) and a
blacksmith at Withy Bridge in 1671. (fn. 255) A few other
craftsmen and tradesmen were recorded in the
parish in the late 19th and 20th centuries. (fn. 256) In 1811
only seven families were occupied in trade and
industry compared with 93 in agriculture. (fn. 257) By the
mid-20th century, however, only a small minority
of the population worked on the land, and most
people went to work outside the parish, particularly
to Cheltenham and to the large factories near-by.
Local Government.
In the 16th century
view of frankpledge was held at Boddington for
Boddington, Hayden, and Barrow. Court rolls
survive for the early 1550's, 1563, 1585–1608, (fn. 258)
1660–75, and 14 years in the period 1695–1741, (fn. 259)
and draft rolls survive for 1791–5. (fn. 260) In 1803 it was
said that a court was held at Butler's Court for the
manor of Withy Bridge. (fn. 261) Withy Bridge was sometimes included in the Boddington court rolls in the
17th century; it had its own court in 1661 and 1675,
but to the second no one came. (fn. 262) In the 16th century
a tithingman for Boddington was elected at the
Boddington court, (fn. 263) and one for Hayden and Withy
Bridge at the Plaistow court, (fn. 264) the two separate
tithings corresponding to the division of the parish
between Tewkesbury and Westminster hundreds.
Hayden had its own constable in 1642, (fn. 265) and the two
tithings had each a constable by the early 18th
century, (fn. 266) the one for Hayden and Withy Bridge
being elected at Plaistow court. (fn. 267)
The appointment of a registrar for Boddington
was recorded in 1656. (fn. 268) In the 16th century the
parish had two churchwardens, (fn. 269) but in the early
19th century there seems to have been only one, (fn. 270)
as in 1964, when he was designated chapelwarden. (fn. 271)
Churchwardens' accounts survive from 1732, and
overseers' accounts for 1797–1827. (fn. 272) The tithings
do not seem to have ever had separate overseers,
though in 1718 Hayden had its own highway rate, (fn. 273)
and presumably its own surveyors. The increase in
annual expenditure on the poor between 1776 and
1803, from £68 to £406, was higher than average.
In 1803 over one-third of the families in the parish
were regularly relieved, (fn. 274) and though the number of
people relieved remained high (fn. 275) expenditure afterwards fell. (fn. 276) Boddington became part of the Tewkesbury Poor Law Union in 1835, (fn. 277) and despite a
petition by the inhabitants for transfer to Cheltenham Rural District (fn. 278) it remained part of Tewkesbury
Rural District until 1935 when most of that district
was transferred to the Cheltenham Rural District. (fn. 279)
Boddington has not regularly had a parish council,
and none existed in 1964. (fn. 280)
Church.
Boddington formed part of the parish of
Deerhurst in the 12th century. (fn. 281) Architectural
evidence shows that the church at Boddington was
built before the end of the 12th century, but no
documentary reference to it has been found before
1305. In that year Boddington was served by a
chaplain, (fn. 282) and the church was probably built as a
chapel to Staverton. (fn. 283) That would account for the
absence of documentary reference to it in the Middle
Ages. Boddington remained a chapel of Staverton,
being served either by the vicars of Staverton (fn. 284) or
by curates appointed by them. In 1469 a burial
ground was consecrated at Boddington, with the
consent of the Abbot of Tewkesbury and the Vicar of
Staverton. (fn. 285) The church was used for baptisms by
1518 (fn. 286) and for marriages by 1656. (fn. 287)
The great tithes belonged to Deerhurst Priory
and Tewkesbury Abbey, (fn. 288) and the small tithes to the
Vicar of Staverton. (fn. 289) There was no endowment for a
curate for Boddington. (fn. 290) At inclosure in 1803 the
vicar did not receive a separate allotment for his
tithes in Boddington; his allotment of 159 a. in both
parishes was for the tithes of both. (fn. 291)
In 1551 Boddington was served by a chaplain,
later to become Vicar of Staverton, who was found
to be satisfactory. (fn. 292) In 1563 the churchwardens
complained that services were not regular because
the vicar served both Boddington and Staverton, (fn. 293)
and in 1584 sermons were not preached regularly. (fn. 294)
The curate in 1669 and two of the 18th-century
curates were not in priest's orders when they were
appointed. (fn. 295) In the 17th and 18th centuries Boddington usually shared a curate with Staverton. In 1743
services were held alternately with Staverton in the
morning and afternoon, (fn. 296) and they were the same in
the early 19th century. (fn. 297) The 19th-century vicars
who lived at Boddington manor probably took the
services in Boddington church themselves. (fn. 298) In 1964
services were held at Boddington every alternate
week. (fn. 299)
Before 1683 3½ a. had been given to the parish for
the poor and the repair of the church. (fn. 300) At inclosure
3 a. were allotted for Boddington church land, (fn. 301) and
in the 1880's produced £6 rent which was apparently
used only for repairing the church. The rent had
risen to £8 by 1924. Some of the land was sold in
1928, and in 1964 the charity was administered
jointly with Staverton church land and with Jessie
Mary Maud Purnell's charity, founded by will
proved 1937, which was used partly for Boddington
church. (fn. 302)
The church of ST. MARY MAGDALENE is a
stone building, rough-cast on the east and north
sides, with a Cotswold stone roof, and comprises a
long, narrow nave, chancel, south porch, north
vestry, and a low west tower with a pyramidal roof.
The church was built in the 12th century, and the
rear arches of the north and south doorways and
one narrow, deeply-splayed window in the north
wall survive from that time. A second, blocked south
doorway, to the west, was partly visible from inside.
Some of the nave windows were replaced in the 13th
century, and a south doorway in the chancel is
perhaps of the same period.
In the 14th century the west tower of two stages
was added, though the roof may be later. The
chancel, heavily restored in the 19th century, was
rebuilt in the 14th century; the high, pointed chancel
arch, the two-light east window, other windows in
the chancel and nave, and perhaps the south porch,
which retains a water-stoup, are of that period.
The west part of the nave was rebuilt in the earlier
18th century, and it is said that part of the tower
was pulled down, (fn. 303) which may account for its
unusually low appearance. A west gallery, later
removed, lit by a window high in the west wall, may
have been added at the rebuilding. (fn. 304) A vestry was
built in 1865, and the church was restored in the
1870's. The pulpit was inserted in 1876, and the
church was reseated in 1891. (fn. 305) The churchyard was
enlarged in 1930, and a new vestry built in 1957. (fn. 306)
There are several 17th-century monumental
floor-stones in the church, (fn. 307) and mural monuments
for members of the Buckle and Arkell families. Of
the three bells one is medieval, probably cast c.
1410 and bearing the heads of a king and queen, (fn. 308)
another is of c. 1500 by Robert Hendley, (fn. 309) and the
third is dated 1865. (fn. 310) The octagonal font is of the
15th century.
The tower bears a sundial dated 1719. The church
had a silver bowl and chalice in 1680, (fn. 311) but the only
pre-19th-century plate surviving in 1964 was a
chalice and paten of 1723. (fn. 312)
Nonconformity.
Six Protestant nonconformists were recorded in 1676, (fn. 313) one in 1707, (fn. 314) and
a papist in 1735 and 1738. (fn. 315) Houses were registered
for Protestant dissenters' worship in Barrow in 1816
and 1840, in Boddington in 1819, and in Hayden in
1821. (fn. 316) A body of nonconformists in Boddington
calling itself the Protestant Free Church had a
preaching room, owned by John Blagdon, in 1851.
Services were held in the morning and evening with
average attendances of 45 and 80 respectively. (fn. 317) A
Gospel Hall mission in Barrow in 1913 does not
seem to have survived long. (fn. 318)
Schools.
In 1818 a school for 37 children was
kept by the parish clerk, partly at the vicar's expense,
and it was said that the poor had sufficient means of
education. (fn. 319) There was no school by 1833, but a few
young children were taught by some of the poor
inhabitants, and others went to Staverton. (fn. 320) By 1856
an infant school had been opened at Barrow, (fn. 321) but it
had gone by 1884. (fn. 322) After the formation of the
school board for Staverton and Boddington c. 1879
the children of Boddington attended Staverton
school. (fn. 323)
Charities.
The land given before 1683 for the
use of the poor and the repair of the church (fn. 324) is not
known to have been used for the poor. Boddington
shared in the charity of Jessie Maud Mary Purnell,
founded by will proved 1937, for the poor and for
the upkeep of the churches of Staverton and
Boddington, and in 1964 £5 13s. from the charity
was distributed in cash to the poor of both parishes. (fn. 325)