Bretforton
Encyclopedia
Bretforton is a rural village in Worcestershire
, England
. Bretforton is 4.4 miles (7.1 km) east of Evesham
, in the Vale of Evesham. It is the largest farming village around Evesham
. At the 2001 census, Bretforton had a population of 1,023 in 428 households. The area of the parish is 7.33 square kilometres.
There is a post office and shop, a village hall, a garage, a sports and social club and a Royal British Legion club.
Bretforton is also home to the Bretforton Silver Band that can trace its roots back to 1895 when it was known as Bretforton Temperance Band. Unusually for a village of its size, Bretforton has three substantial large gentry dwellings with large Jacobean manor house, a Gothic hall and a grange.
of 709
, records it as as Bretforton, the Saxon 'Ton' a modern spelling of the Saxon (Germanic) 'tun' which meant enclosure or village. It has also been recorded as Brotfortun in a Saxon deed from 714
, which states the town's name as 'Brotfortun', meaning 'the ford with planks', possibly referencing the footbridge which stands alongside the ford.
The village was owned as outlaying farmland of Evesham Abbey
.
The settlement is distinguished historically by an unusual system of land ownership. In the sixteenth century following the dissolution of the monasteries (and Evesham Abbey
) in the 1540s, the Manor was sold to the tenants and a new class of land-owning yeomen was set up. Some of them built the houses still standing here, either of stone with mullioned windows or timber-framed. One of the yeomen became Auditor to Catherine of Aragon
.
Other noteworthy features of the settlement are several dovecote
s, one dating to 1630 and another containing some 800 holes.
There are two schools in Bretforton: Bretforton Pre-School and Bretforton First School. Opened in 1877 as Bretforton Board School by Fanny Patterson, and extended in 1984, Bretforton First School (pupils aged 4–10) is a local authority school with no ex-officio governorship responsibility. There is also a pre-school nursery group held in the village hall.
, The Fleece Inn
was originally built in the early 1400s as a longhouse by a prosperous yeoman farmer called Byrd. A longhouse is an early type of farmhouse which incorporated accommodation for livestock on the ground floor, alongside the family's living quarters. This particular longhouse later became a pub and was rebuilt in the 17th century, but remained in the Byrd family until 1977 when Lola Taplin bequeathed it to the National Trust
. Lola was a direct descendant of Mr Byrd and lived her entire life at the Fleece. She died at 83, having run the pub on her own for the last 30 years of her life. The Inn suffered serious fire damage in February 2005 and has now been completely restored.
A curious mediaeval tradition also survives at the Fleece, preserved in accordance with Lola's wishes. This is the practice of chalking "witch circles" on the floor in front of each hearth to prevent witches from getting in through the chimneys. There are "witch marks" on the inside of the door as well to ward off evil spirits,
The BBC has also used The Fleece Inn
and the surrounding village green for its 1993 £5 million production of Charles Dickens
' Martin Chuzzlewit
where the pub was renamed the "Green Dragon" for the duration of shooting.
Reputedly Oliver Cromwell’s pewter dinner service was exchanged on the way to the battle of Worcester
and this is on display at the pub. Even if this account is not true, it is an example of 17th century Jacobean English Pewter
ware.
It also has a secret priest-hole in the library. Popular legend describes the panelling in the hall to a Spanish galleon wrecked in the Armada of 1588.
Bretforton Manor has four reception rooms, six bedrooms, five bathrooms and a flat for staff. Its estate covers 7.3 acres (29,542.1 m²) of grounds next to the church with outbuildings including; stabling, a dovecote from the 15th century, a cider house and an indoor swimming pool.
headed windows, and battlements.
, the Grade I listed church building dates from the late 13th century onwards with medieval and some later additions; it seats 140. There is a band of bell ringers and a flower guild and a church and brass cleaning rota.
Some of the most striking features are Victorian Glass but fragments of medieval glass also survive. One window was designed by Frederick Preedy, one of the most renowned of Victorian
church architects. He was born in 1820 at Offenham, near Evesham, and worked in Worcester before moving to London.
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Bretforton is 4.4 miles (7.1 km) east of Evesham
Evesham
Evesham is a market town and a civil parish in the Local Authority District of Wychavon in the county of Worcestershire, England with a population of 22,000. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon...
, in the Vale of Evesham. It is the largest farming village around Evesham
Evesham
Evesham is a market town and a civil parish in the Local Authority District of Wychavon in the county of Worcestershire, England with a population of 22,000. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon...
. At the 2001 census, Bretforton had a population of 1,023 in 428 households. The area of the parish is 7.33 square kilometres.
There is a post office and shop, a village hall, a garage, a sports and social club and a Royal British Legion club.
Bretforton is also home to the Bretforton Silver Band that can trace its roots back to 1895 when it was known as Bretforton Temperance Band. Unusually for a village of its size, Bretforton has three substantial large gentry dwellings with large Jacobean manor house, a Gothic hall and a grange.
History
The village name has changed little over the centuries: the earliest documented record of the town, a charterCharter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
of 709
709
Year 709 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 709 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Saelred becomes king of Essex.* Ceolred...
, records it as as Bretforton, the Saxon 'Ton' a modern spelling of the Saxon (Germanic) 'tun' which meant enclosure or village. It has also been recorded as Brotfortun in a Saxon deed from 714
714
Year 714 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 714 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Asia :* February 28 – An earthquake strikes...
, which states the town's name as 'Brotfortun', meaning 'the ford with planks', possibly referencing the footbridge which stands alongside the ford.
The village was owned as outlaying farmland of Evesham Abbey
Evesham Abbey
Evesham Abbey was founded by Saint Egwin at Evesham in England between 700 and 710 A.D. following a vision of the Virgin Mary by Eof.According to the monastic history, Evesham came through the Norman Conquest unusually well, because of a quick approach by Abbot Æthelwig to William the Conqueror...
.
The settlement is distinguished historically by an unusual system of land ownership. In the sixteenth century following the dissolution of the monasteries (and Evesham Abbey
Evesham Abbey
Evesham Abbey was founded by Saint Egwin at Evesham in England between 700 and 710 A.D. following a vision of the Virgin Mary by Eof.According to the monastic history, Evesham came through the Norman Conquest unusually well, because of a quick approach by Abbot Æthelwig to William the Conqueror...
) in the 1540s, the Manor was sold to the tenants and a new class of land-owning yeomen was set up. Some of them built the houses still standing here, either of stone with mullioned windows or timber-framed. One of the yeomen became Auditor to Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon , also known as Katherine or Katharine, was Queen consort of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII of England and Princess of Wales as the wife to Arthur, Prince of Wales...
.
Other noteworthy features of the settlement are several dovecote
Dovecote
A dovecote or dovecot is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be square or circular free-standing structures or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pigeonholes for the birds to nest. Pigeons and doves were an important food source historically in...
s, one dating to 1630 and another containing some 800 holes.
Local legends
The village has several local legends of ghosts.- Spot Loggins Well is an old water well, about four hundred years old and is named after a cattle driver called Spot Loggins who drowned in a cattle spring in the 17th century. Local legend states that any who runs around the well three times while blindfolded will lose anything they are carrying. The Water Well is located on the old Bretforton House Farm of the Appleby family and the Spot Loggin ghost is celebrated locally in November at the local Fleece Inn.
- The ghost of Lola Taplin, former landlady of the Fleece Inn, is said to haunt the bar, throwing food and other objectsPoltergeistA poltergeist is a paranormal phenomenon which consists of events alluding to the manifestation of an imperceptible entity. Such manifestation typically includes inanimate objects moving or being thrown about, sentient noises and, on some occasions, physical attacks on those witnessing the...
. - A phantom funeral procession arrives at the church, though for whom it represents is a mystery.
- Fields on either side of the church are said to be haunted by a decapitated woman, carrying her head under arm.
Murders
- Murder of Ann Cormell, on 4 February 1707 by John Allen of Bretforton, Giles Hunt, Tom Dun, Thomas Palmer and Thomas Symonds. John Allen was later hung in a gibbet in Bretforton at what is now known as "Allen's Barn". This story is also the source of local couplet "Allen, Symounds, Palmer and Dun, the four biggest rogues under the sun".
- Murder of a black US Soldier Private Walter F. Shaw on the night of June 16/17th 1945. Albert Leslie Tomkins, Dennis William Tomkins and Royston Hay were later acquitted on the lesser charge of manslaughter.
- Murder of Brenda Dawn HironsMurder of Brenda Dawn HironsThe murder of Brenda Dawn Hirons took place in the village of Bretforton in the English county of Worcestershire on 5 January 1976. Her husband, Frederick Thomas Hirons, was convicted of her murder.-Victim:...
in January 1976. Hirons was bludgeoned to death at Fallon Bank by her husband Fred Hirons.
Education
Dating from the late 19th century, the village school faces the churchyard and has a bellcote.There are two schools in Bretforton: Bretforton Pre-School and Bretforton First School. Opened in 1877 as Bretforton Board School by Fanny Patterson, and extended in 1984, Bretforton First School (pupils aged 4–10) is a local authority school with no ex-officio governorship responsibility. There is also a pre-school nursery group held in the village hall.
Cricket
Bretforton also has a Cricket Club which runs two teams on a Saturday in the Cotswold Hills Cricket League (The Cotswold Hills League covers a wide area of Warwickshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire) and one team on a Sunday in the Fearnley Worcestershire Sunday Cricket League. Bretforton Cricket Club won the Cotswold Hills League Premier in 2009. It is their third Premier League title in 3 years (2006, 2007 and 2009) after winning the Cotswold Hills Division One in 2005. The 2nd Team plays in the Cotswold Hills League Division Three title after being promoted in 3 consecutive years (2006, 2007 and 2008).The Fleece Inn
Owned by the National TrustNational Trust
National Trust most commonly refers to an organization dedicated to preserving the cultural or environmental treasures of a particular geographic region. They generally operate as private non-profit organizations, although some receive considerable support from their national government...
, The Fleece Inn
The Fleece Inn
The Fleece Inn is a public house in Bretforton, Worcestershire in the Vale of Evesham: the half-timbered building, over six hundred years old, has been a pub since 1848, and is now owned by the National Trust. The inn was extensively damaged by fire on 27 February 2004 — repairs and...
was originally built in the early 1400s as a longhouse by a prosperous yeoman farmer called Byrd. A longhouse is an early type of farmhouse which incorporated accommodation for livestock on the ground floor, alongside the family's living quarters. This particular longhouse later became a pub and was rebuilt in the 17th century, but remained in the Byrd family until 1977 when Lola Taplin bequeathed it to the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
. Lola was a direct descendant of Mr Byrd and lived her entire life at the Fleece. She died at 83, having run the pub on her own for the last 30 years of her life. The Inn suffered serious fire damage in February 2005 and has now been completely restored.
A curious mediaeval tradition also survives at the Fleece, preserved in accordance with Lola's wishes. This is the practice of chalking "witch circles" on the floor in front of each hearth to prevent witches from getting in through the chimneys. There are "witch marks" on the inside of the door as well to ward off evil spirits,
The BBC has also used The Fleece Inn
The Fleece Inn
The Fleece Inn is a public house in Bretforton, Worcestershire in the Vale of Evesham: the half-timbered building, over six hundred years old, has been a pub since 1848, and is now owned by the National Trust. The inn was extensively damaged by fire on 27 February 2004 — repairs and...
and the surrounding village green for its 1993 £5 million production of Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
' Martin Chuzzlewit
Martin Chuzzlewit
The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit is a novel by Charles Dickens, considered the last of his picaresque novels. It was originally serialized between 1843-1844. Dickens himself proclaimed Martin Chuzzlewit to be his best work, but it was one of his least popular novels...
where the pub was renamed the "Green Dragon" for the duration of shooting.
Reputedly Oliver Cromwell’s pewter dinner service was exchanged on the way to the battle of Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
and this is on display at the pub. Even if this account is not true, it is an example of 17th century Jacobean English Pewter
English pewter
While the term pewter covers a range of tin-based alloys, the term English pewter has come to represent a strictly-controlled alloy, specified by BSEN611-1 and British Standard 5140, consisting mainly of tin , with the balance made up of antimony and copper. Significantly, it is free of lead and...
ware.
Bretforton Manor
Although of earlier, medieval origin, the gabled manor house, listed Grade II, was originally built in the 14th century but was rebuilt of local stone in 1605 and substantially remodelled in 1877 by the long standing Ashwin family. It has since been converted into flats.It also has a secret priest-hole in the library. Popular legend describes the panelling in the hall to a Spanish galleon wrecked in the Armada of 1588.
Bretforton Manor has four reception rooms, six bedrooms, five bathrooms and a flat for staff. Its estate covers 7.3 acres (29,542.1 m²) of grounds next to the church with outbuildings including; stabling, a dovecote from the 15th century, a cider house and an indoor swimming pool.
Bretforton Hall
Built in the 1830 in neo-Gothic style, Bretforton Hall is a Grade II listed property, standing in 3.5 acres (14,164 m²) opposite the manor. Notable features include a full octagonal 3 storey Gothic tower with crenellated parapet, ogeeOgee
An ogee is a curve , shaped somewhat like an S, consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite senses, so that the ends are parallel....
headed windows, and battlements.
St Leonards Church
Partially inspired by the decorations at Wells CathedralWells Cathedral
Wells Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, who lives at the adjacent Bishop's Palace....
, the Grade I listed church building dates from the late 13th century onwards with medieval and some later additions; it seats 140. There is a band of bell ringers and a flower guild and a church and brass cleaning rota.
Some of the most striking features are Victorian Glass but fragments of medieval glass also survive. One window was designed by Frederick Preedy, one of the most renowned of Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
church architects. He was born in 1820 at Offenham, near Evesham, and worked in Worcester before moving to London.