A brief 'thumbnail' history of Chaddesley
A flint tool once used to cut and shape arrows was found near the village of Chaddesley Corbett.
Archaeologists have dated this tool and it is thought to originate from between 2000 to 5000BC.
Further proof of early settlement can be found at a prehistoric burial mound at nearby Barrow Hill.
There was certainly some form of Roman settlement here as pottery and coins have been found
over the years.
The earliest documentary evidence of today's village is in a Saxon charter dated 816AD in which
King Coenwulf of Mercia granted land and privileges to Bishop Denibert of the Priory of Worcester.
The name of the village in this document is Ceadesleaghe and, again, is of Saxon origin and means
'The clearance belonging to Ceadda.' This latter word is thought to be a corruption of the Celtic word
'cader' or hill-fort.
Chaddesley had become quite an important settlement by the time of Domesday and the population
numbered 300-400.
At the time of the Domesday survey, the manor of Chaddesley was held by a Saxon lady called
Eddeve. This was unusual for, under William the Conqueror, she was allowed to retain the land.
However, after her death the manor passed to the Crown and later, as a result of a marriage,
was gifted to the Corbett family in the 12th century. The family's name was added to the settlement's title during the 200-year period in which
they resided here. It is unclear to what extent the Corbett's were responsible for the rebuilding of the church
during the 12th century but they were certainly responsible for the highly-praised 14th century chancel.
Chaddesley passed into the estate of the Beauchamp family of Warwick in the mid-14th century and
there is some evidence to suggest they attempted to elevate the village into a market town.
Ownership of Chaddesley changed again in the early 15th century when the Earl of Warwick gave
the village and part of the manor to St.Mary's Collegiate Church. A map from their stewardship was produced by James Fish in 1697 and many of the house's
boundaries remain the same today which demonstrates great continuity. In fact, Warwick's St.Mary's Church still owns some houses in Chaddesley including The Swan Inn.
The Pakington family bought the estate of Chaddesley in 1529 and they later moved into the moated
manor house of Harvington Hall - just up the road from Chaddesley ( a visit to this old house is highly
recommended). It has had quite a turbulent history. Elizabeth Holt, daughter of Sir Thomas Holt, took
refuge here when their family home at Aston Hall was occupied by the Roundheads.
Indeed, she died here and her memorial can be found at the church in the St.Nicholas Chapel.
Following the restoration, Lady Mary Yate (nee Pakington) fell foul of the authorities for
remaining true to her Catholic faith. She gave shelter to many Catholic priests and, in particular, to Father Wall.
He was eventually caught at nearby Rushock Court and became the last Catholic martyr in England.
Following Lady Mary's death in 1696, the estate passed by marriage by the Throckmorton family
of Coughton Court near Alcester. During the 19th century they stripped the house of furniture, panelling and
even the staircase which are all to be found at Coughton. However, following the restoration of the building, the house is one of the best glimpses
into Elizabethan times that there is. The house still has many of the original wall paintings.
The priest holes are ingenious and the work of Nicholas (alias Little John) Owen, who in 1606,
was arrested at Hindlip House near Worcester and tortured to death in the Tower of London.
Agriculture formed the basis of Chaddesley's economy and the farmers here were quite innovative.
Part of an early irrigation scheme can still be found nearby. The expertise was collected by Chaddesley-born, John Broad, who published 'The Worcestershire Farmer
or Young Farmers Guide' in 1778. The industrial revolution offered more diverse employment opportunities - the saw mills at
nearby Cakebole are thought to be the first steam-powered mills in the county and
a carpet factory emerged at Hill Pool which was also in the parish. An excellent booklet detailing the village's history and buildings has been published by
the local history society. You can buy this and a corresponding book on St.Cassian's inside the church.
The booklet provides information on most of the buildings in the main street a few
of which we will highlight here.
The main street is a treasure of old buildings the oldest of which date from the 15th century.
Here you will find a diverse collection of architectural styles in a street Nikolaus Pevsner
called 'one of the most attractive in the county.' The name of Tudor House (pictured left) may be slightly amiss but was once a substantial
timber house. The rear of the building is much older than the frontage which dates from the mid-18th century.
The building, with ogee headings on the gables and Venetian Gothic windows, was probably
red brick at some time but stucco has been added since. The Golden Lion at Bromsgrove was of a very similar design.
The house was once owned by James Rose who was the architect of the tower and spire of
St.Cassians. However, the house has traditionally been the home of the village doctors.
It is not clear whether Dr.Thomas Attwood lived here but he certainly once practised in
the village. He achieved some notoriety as an occultist and is believed to have treated Dr.Samuel Johnson
as a child. On the corner of Fisher's Lane is the old Malt House. Records of this timber-framed building can be traced back to the 16th century.
However, it was burned down in the 18th century and had to be rebuilt by Sir Robert Throckmorton.
The present shop window dates from around the 1960's but the building has seen many uses
over the centuries. For many years it was a malthouse but some of the older villagers have fond memories of it
being a cycle shop up until the Second World War. The Old Malthouse has even been used as a youth hostel.
The adjacent Georgian house next door was probably built as a result of the fire here but
it marked the introduction of classical architecture to this part of the village.
You'll notice that the end walls project above the roof line which was a fashion attributed to
London building regulations of that period.A little further along the road are Batch Cottages.
Nikolaus Pevsner described these as 'the best timber-framed cottages in the street.'
The name Batch relates to a stream or valley. It is thought that part of the cottages date from the 16th century.
In the early years of the twentieth century they formed seven individual cottages but,
although the frontages remain the same, they have now been converted into four houses.
Just down the road is the old workhouse of the village. Harkaway House dates from 1795 but was largely rebuilt in the 1960's.
It was used as a workhouse until 1838 when it's role was taken by the Union workhouse
in Blakebrook, Kidderminster.
Here we have only mentioned a few of the buildings. We urge you to buy the booklet and do the whole tour - it really is quite wonderful.
The church is also very interesting and, unusually in these days, is open throughout the week.
