Drakes Broughton in the Parish of Drakes Broughton and Wadborough

St Barnabas Church. Drakes Broughton.
St Barnabas Church. Drakes Broughton.

This church was built in the middle of the 19th century.

We have found no evidence of any previous church on this site but there are records of medieval chapels in different parts of the area. 

 

Scroll down the timeline and you will see how closely this area has been connected to Pershore and Pershore Abbey over the centuries. The land was part of the great estate of the Church in Pershore from early times until the Dissolution of the Monasteries. It was administered as part of the Manor of Allesborough.

 

After the dissolution of the monasteries the Sadleir family were lords of the manor of Allesborough until it passed to the Coventrys of Croome in the 17th century.  The first Lord Coventry took the title of Lord Coventry of Allesborough. The land was sold by the Croome Estate in the late 20th century and then things really started to change!


Discoveries to date.

The Drakes Broughton Timeline

Scroll to the bottom of the page to travel forwards in time.

2015

More land in Drakes Broughton is about to be developed for housing.


1990s

A large village has developed in Drakes Broughton


1987

The Croome Estate is sold. Much of the parish of Drakes Broughton had been part of the Croome Estate since the middle of the 17th century.


1949

The 1949 OS map shows that Drakes Broughton is still undeveloped.

Note Broughton Coppice, the number of houses on Walcot Lane, the two churches,

school, and inns - on Stonebow Road and on the main road. There are scattered farms and houses around the parish - Caldwell, Coppice, Mill, Playthorn Farm.  Gt Blaythorn and Deerfold Wood, Chevington Rough, Chevington Farm, Caddecroft Farm, Brick works, Pigeon House. 

Note the footpath to Gig Bridge Lane Pershore (near Mount Pleasant) it comes out opposite the old workhouse.

Note the Allesborough cottages and Allesborough Farm on Allesborough Hill.  This farm looks like one of the biggest settlements in the area.


1948

Croome Court is sold.  


1922

Drakes Broughton and Wadborough are transferred from the ecclesiastical parish of Holy Cross, Pershore to the new ecclesiastical parish of Stoulton with Drakes Broughton.  

Note On the 1922 map find Wadborough station. Stoulton Station, Ufnell Bridge, Chevington Farm, Crab Common Farm, Abbots Wood Farm, Wadborough Park Farm, Caldewell, Broughton Farm.

Look at the names of the farms on the old parish maps. - Why have some of got smaller and others bigger?


1917

 The Sale of the Stoulton Estate - Abbots Wood, Wadborough,  Blaythorn and Deerfold Wood, Deerfold Cottages Wadborought Fruit Farm were all part of the Stoulton Estate administered at Eastnor Castle.


1912

There was an orchard at the foot of Allesborough Hill


1894

A new Act of Parliament led to the creation of new Civil Parishes. Part of Holy Cross Parish is hived off to create the new civil parish of  Drakes Broughton and Wadborough.


1891

Opening of St Barnabas School, it was built on land conveyed from the Croome Estate.


1887

Mr Martin of Drakes Broughton breeds the Purple Plum


1867

The death of  Revd Williamson.  He was the vicar of Pershore responsible for the building of a church in Drakes Broughton.


1857

Drakes Broughton is described as a township or hamlet of 300 people.

On 12th May  Revd Richard Williamson the  Vicar of St Andrew Pershore and the 2 church wardens  petitioned the Bishop to come and consecrate the church.


1856

1856

23 December. Land from the Croome Estate is conveyed for the building of a church. 

People in the area of Drakes Broughton petition for a church of their own.


1800s

A new house is built at Caldewell.  There is a water mill at Caldewell


1802

The enclosure of land in and around the hamlet of  Drakes Broughton in the Parish of Holy Cross and tything of Broughton (otherwise Drakes Broughton). The land was all part of the Manor of Allesborough and Lord George William Coventry of Allesborough was Lord of the Manor. 

The details of this enclosure can be studied in the records kept in Pershore Abbey.


18th C

A new farmhouse was built in brick at Caddicroft Farm. 


17th C In Chevington  a new farmhouse built

1622

The Sadleir family sell out to agents of the Croome family.  When made Lord Coventry he takes the title Lord Coventry of Allesborough


1546

Ralph Sadleir, secretary to Thomas Cromwell,  buys the Manor of Allesborough from the Office of Augmentations. The Sadleirs are Lords of the Manor of Allesborough  until 1622.  They leased the land to local tenants.


1544

The manor of Allesborough is granted to William and Frances Sheldon who sold the vineyard to Conan Richardson.

All who held land from the Abbey found they had new landlords

All who worked for the abbey found they were working for new masters.


1539

All Change!!   THE DISSOLUTION OF THE MONASTERIES


1389

There was chapel at Thorndon.


13C

Taxes were paid by people in Caldewell, Chivington, Broughton. 

The was the time of the first known record of a chapel at Allesborough.  It was dedicated to St. Giles, the patron saint of lepers.


1216

There was a chapel at Wadborough.


1204

During the abbacy of Abbot Gervase King John visited to Pershore


1200

A family call 'le Drake' held land in Broughton


11thC

1086

After the Domesday Survey there was a survey of the Pershore Hundred.

Domesday Survey.  Abbot of Pershore's lands included the berewicks of Broughton, Chevington, and Wadborough.  There is no mention of Walcot.

The Abbots of Pershore are Tenants in Chief of the new Norman Kings.

Drakes Broughton, Caldewell, Chevington, Walcot and Wadborough are hamlets (probably farms) within 

The Manor of Allesborough in

The Parish of Holy Cross in

The Hundred of Pershore in

The County of Worcestershire


1065

Edward the Confessor endowed the abbey of St. Peter at Westminster with lands that had once been Pershore lands.  This affected the size of the estate belonging to the monks at Pershore but the land around Drakes Broughton remained with Pershore Abbey


early

11C

Viking raids and political unrest led to the monks of Pershore loosing control of much of their lands.  With the death of the Earl of Mercia much of this lost land found its way back into the control of the king.


972

Land around Drakes Broughton is included in the lands confirmed to Pershore Abbey by King Edgar when the abbey was refounded as a Benedictine monastery.

Pershore was a wealthy and important monastery holding a vast area of land, later known as the Pershore Hundred.


709

There is a reference to Pershore with Chevington and Allesborough


681

Land to the north west of Pershore was included in the land was given to establish a Christian centre or monastery in Pershore.  It would have included the area that is today included in the Civil Parish of Wadborough and Drakes Broughton.