Dodford, Worcestershire
Encyclopedia
Dodford is a village in the Bromsgrove district
of Worcestershire
, England, approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Bromsgrove
, officially founded on 2 July 1849 by members of the Chartist movement. It was one of five settlements created in the land scheme and retains a characteristic grid street plan, along with narrow lanes and many plum and pear trees from its market gardening past. The civil parish
of Dodford with Grafton has a population of 731.
, when its boundaries were extended hugely by Henry II
, to encompass much of North Worcestershire, including Dodford and Chaddesley Corbett
. The area was removed from forest law in 1301 in the reign of Henry III
, when the boundaries were moved back.
, and held lands around Bromsgrove. It is recorded as owning an advowson
(right of appointment) at a Chantry at St. Nicholas Chapel, Elmley Lovett in 1327.
It was not wealthy,earning £4 17s in 1291 according to tax records. By 1464 it was “so near dissolution that for a long time only one canon has remained there” so was ordered by Edward IV
to be absorbed into the Premonstratensian
monastery of Halesowen
.
Revenues increased to be worth £7 from demesne
lands and £17 13s. 1d. from rents and woodlands in 1535. It was dissolved
in 1536 or 1538.
The site was triangular, measuring 240 by 180 metres, and a moat – or more likely, series of fishponds – is still visible and waterlogged today. Some of the remains are also visible and the listed building on the site may include part of the refectory, in particular “a chamfered pointed doorway” on its south west side.
in 1845 to settle working class families on four, three and two acre plots, where it was hoped they would be able to make a reasonable income. Around 70,000 members paid subscriptions in the hope of gaining a plot, which were allocated by the drawing of ballots. Five settlements were made, at Herringsgate, Minster Lovell
, Snig's End, Lowbands and lastly, Great Dodford.
Chartist leader Feargus O'Connor
bought the site of Dodford Priory and 273 adjacent acres from a wealthy local farmer Benjamin Bomford
for £10,546 (2011: £) in January 1848, hoping to settle 70 families. Equipment and horses were moved from Snig’s End to prepare the site that summer. 5,000 Midlands Chartists met at Dodford in July, where O'Connor assured them that the settlement would be completed, despite interference from a Parliamentary select committee and a “lying and slandering press”.
The Select Committee ruled that allocating plots by ballot was a violation of the Lottery Acts, so allocation of plots at Dodford was made to those who paid the largest advance deposits:
‘Location Day’, when settlers were welcomed to their new plots, was 2 July 1849. Unlike other ‘Location Days’ it was not celebrated in the Chartist Northern Star
, which instead began to print the complaints of settlers. The settlement’s 44 plots were ill-prepared, with open wells and no water pumps. Crops of wheat had not been planted:
The company – now known as the national Land Company – was dissolved, in part because no rents were paid from Dodford residents. The tenants were given the chance to buy out the ground and avoid rent, or to continue paying it to a new owner.
Chartists from the West Midlands lent practical help with tools and regular visits in the early, difficult years. A special 'Dodford digging fork' was made in Stourbridge to deal with heavy red soil.
However, unlike other Chartists settlements, which continued to do badly, largely because the plots were too small, Dodford could access the growing Birmingham
and Black Country
markets.
The small holders sold market garden
products, particularly strawberries, but also flowers, peas, beans and shallots. Orchards of pears and plums were planted. An annual ‘Strawberry Wake’ was held on the second Sunday of July, where visitors could eat as many as they liked for 6d, until 1922. Garlic was also sold to Lea and Perrins in Worcester. The plot holders also continued with other trades to supplement their incomes, such as nailmaking, making gunlocks and running a grocers' shop. One of the plot holders, John Ward, a butcher from Bolton, ran a pub, now the Dodford Inn.
Because Dodford enjoyed success, it became used in 1880s campaigns by Jesse Collings
and others, calling for land reform:
The Dodford settlements remained prosperous, and retained their radical character, until the 1890s. Ironically, the advocates of land reform successfully established allotments at Catshill
which grew strawberries earlier, on lighter soils, pushing prices down. Dodford experienced a brief moment of prosperity during the First World War as strawberries were sold to Cadbury's for jam, but the tradition died post war, for a number of reasons. Plots were bought as rural retreats. Strawberries suffered lower quality due to disease and the use of artificial fertilizers. Better wages could be found in the Austin
factory at Longbridge
, and the cheap labour force of pickers disappeared as the Bromsgrove nailmaking industry rapidly declined.
Walter Whinfield. The architect was Arthur Bartlett who constructed it in the Arts and Crafts
style, with decoration work created by the Bromsgrove Guild
. Bartlett was recommended by Walter Gilbert
. Much of the woodcarving, including the pulpit, altar rails and organ case is credited to Celestino Pancheri.
Its listing document states: “The church is one of the best of its date in the county. Its plan form and tower are of an unusual and most effective design and the understated but thorough attention to the decorative detail of the interior is particularly interesting”. Simon Jenkins
relates that the ceiling ribs represent “the fruits of Dodford” and the front bench-end features “John Bungay, the first child born in the Chartist village in 1849”.
, with a number of listed buildings, including a number of Chartist cottages and the Church of the Holy Trinity and St Mary. Rosedene, an example of a Chartist cottage at Dodford, is owned and maintained by the National Trust
and is open to visitors by appointment.
Bromsgrove (district)
Bromsgrove is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in the town of Bromsgrove.It borders the built up area of Birmingham to the north...
of Worcestershire
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, approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Bromsgrove
Bromsgrove
Bromsgrove is a town in Worcestershire, England. The town is about north east of Worcester and south west of Birmingham city centre. It had a population of 29,237 in 2001 with a small ethnic minority and is in Bromsgrove District.- History :Bromsgrove is first documented in the early 9th century...
, officially founded on 2 July 1849 by members of the Chartist movement. It was one of five settlements created in the land scheme and retains a characteristic grid street plan, along with narrow lanes and many plum and pear trees from its market gardening past. The civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Dodford with Grafton has a population of 731.
Medieval and early modern Dodford
Dodford was the site of Dodford Priory. Dodford for a time fell within Feckenham ForestFeckenham Forest
Feckenham Forest was a royal forest, centred around the town of Feckenham, covering large parts of west Worcestershire and Warwickshire. As such, it was not entirely wooded, nor entirely the property of the King. Rather, the King had legal rights over game, wood and grazing within the forest, and...
, when its boundaries were extended hugely by Henry II
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
, to encompass much of North Worcestershire, including Dodford and Chaddesley Corbett
Chaddesley Corbett
Chaddesley Corbett is a village and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England. The civil parish also includes the settlements of Bluntington, Brockencote, Mustow Green, Cakebole, Outwood, Harvington, and Drayton....
. The area was removed from forest law in 1301 in the reign of Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
, when the boundaries were moved back.
Etymology
Place-name scholars argue that it is derived from Old English Dodda’s Ford, although there is no evidence of pre-Norman settlement in the area.Dodford Priory
Dodford Priory was a small Augustine monastery founded in 1184, probably by King Henry IIHenry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
, and held lands around Bromsgrove. It is recorded as owning an advowson
Advowson
Advowson is the right in English law of a patron to present or appoint a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a process known as presentation. In effect this means the right to nominate a person to hold a church office in a parish...
(right of appointment) at a Chantry at St. Nicholas Chapel, Elmley Lovett in 1327.
It was not wealthy,earning £4 17s in 1291 according to tax records. By 1464 it was “so near dissolution that for a long time only one canon has remained there” so was ordered by Edward IV
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
to be absorbed into the Premonstratensian
Premonstratensian
The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré, also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines, or in Britain and Ireland as the White Canons , are a Catholic religious order of canons regular founded at Prémontré near Laon in 1120 by Saint Norbert, who later became Archbishop of Magdeburg...
monastery of Halesowen
Halesowen Abbey
Halesowen Abbey was an abbey in Halesowen, England of which only ruins remain. It was located in an exclave of the historic county of Shropshire until 1844...
.
Revenues increased to be worth £7 from demesne
Demesne
In the feudal system the demesne was all the land, not necessarily all contiguous to the manor house, which was retained by a lord of the manor for his own use and support, under his own management, as distinguished from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants...
lands and £17 13s. 1d. from rents and woodlands in 1535. It was dissolved
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
in 1536 or 1538.
The site was triangular, measuring 240 by 180 metres, and a moat – or more likely, series of fishponds – is still visible and waterlogged today. Some of the remains are also visible and the listed building on the site may include part of the refectory, in particular “a chamfered pointed doorway” on its south west side.
Chartist Dodford
The Chartist movement set up the Chartist Co-operative Land SocietyNational Land Company
The National Land Company was founded as the Chartist Cooperative Land Company in 1845 by the chartist Feargus O'Connor to help working class people satisfy the landholding requirement to gain a vote in county seats in Great Britain. It was wound up by Act of Parliament by 1851.-Chartism:The...
in 1845 to settle working class families on four, three and two acre plots, where it was hoped they would be able to make a reasonable income. Around 70,000 members paid subscriptions in the hope of gaining a plot, which were allocated by the drawing of ballots. Five settlements were made, at Herringsgate, Minster Lovell
Minster Lovell
Minster Lovell is a village and civil parish on the River Windrush about west of Witney in Oxfordshire.Minster Lovell village has three parts: Old Minster, Little Minster and New Minster. Old Minster includes St. Kenelm's Parish Church, Minster Lovell Hall and the Old Swan Inn and Minster Mill Hotel...
, Snig's End, Lowbands and lastly, Great Dodford.
Chartist leader Feargus O'Connor
Feargus O'Connor
Feargus Edward O'Connor was an Irish Chartist leader and advocate of the Land Plan.- Background :Feargus O'Connor was born into a prominent Irish Protestant family, the son of Irish Nationalist politician Roger O'Connor...
bought the site of Dodford Priory and 273 adjacent acres from a wealthy local farmer Benjamin Bomford
Benjamin Bomford
Benjamin Bomford was a prominent Worcestershire farmer in the mid-19th century. He joined the Royal Agricultural Society in 1847 while living at Great Dodford which he later sold to the Chartist National Land Company....
for £10,546 (2011: £) in January 1848, hoping to settle 70 families. Equipment and horses were moved from Snig’s End to prepare the site that summer. 5,000 Midlands Chartists met at Dodford in July, where O'Connor assured them that the settlement would be completed, despite interference from a Parliamentary select committee and a “lying and slandering press”.
The Select Committee ruled that allocating plots by ballot was a violation of the Lottery Acts, so allocation of plots at Dodford was made to those who paid the largest advance deposits:
members would in effect have to outbid each other to gain plots. O'Connor proposed this system reluctantly and really wanted one that would be legal and at the same time would not rule out the acquisition of plots by the "blistered hands, fustian jackets, and un-shorn chins."
‘Location Day’, when settlers were welcomed to their new plots, was 2 July 1849. Unlike other ‘Location Days’ it was not celebrated in the Chartist Northern Star
Northern Star (chartist newspaper)
The Northern Star and Leeds General Advertiser was a chartist newspaper published in the United Kingdom between 1837 and 1852.-Foundation:Feargus O'Connor, a former Irish MP forging a career in English radical politics, decided to establish a weekly newspaper in 1837...
, which instead began to print the complaints of settlers. The settlement’s 44 plots were ill-prepared, with open wells and no water pumps. Crops of wheat had not been planted:
The first year at Dodford was very hard for the settlers: one of them, John Wallace, said that they had had only dry bread to eat. For some years afterwards they did badly too, growing cereals and potatoes. Many supported themselves at their old trades, at home or in Bromsgrove, and hired labourers to work their plots.
The company – now known as the national Land Company – was dissolved, in part because no rents were paid from Dodford residents. The tenants were given the chance to buy out the ground and avoid rent, or to continue paying it to a new owner.
Chartists from the West Midlands lent practical help with tools and regular visits in the early, difficult years. A special 'Dodford digging fork' was made in Stourbridge to deal with heavy red soil.
However, unlike other Chartists settlements, which continued to do badly, largely because the plots were too small, Dodford could access the growing Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and Black Country
Black Country
The Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton. During the industrial revolution in the 19th century this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation...
markets.
John Wallace realized that with careful treatment the heavy soil was suitable for the cultivation of strawberries and other market-garden crops: early in the 1860s their growing was begun at his suggestion. From then until about 1920 strawberries were the staple crop at Dodford; 'Joseph PaxtonJoseph PaxtonSir Joseph Paxton was an English gardener and architect, best known for designing The Crystal Palace.-Early life:...
' was the favourite variety.
The small holders sold market garden
Market garden
A market garden is the relatively small-scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops, frequently sold directly to consumers and restaurants. It is distinguishable from other types of farming by the diversity of crops grown on a small area of land, typically, from under one acre ...
products, particularly strawberries, but also flowers, peas, beans and shallots. Orchards of pears and plums were planted. An annual ‘Strawberry Wake’ was held on the second Sunday of July, where visitors could eat as many as they liked for 6d, until 1922. Garlic was also sold to Lea and Perrins in Worcester. The plot holders also continued with other trades to supplement their incomes, such as nailmaking, making gunlocks and running a grocers' shop. One of the plot holders, John Ward, a butcher from Bolton, ran a pub, now the Dodford Inn.
Because Dodford enjoyed success, it became used in 1880s campaigns by Jesse Collings
Jesse Collings
Jesse Collings was Mayor of Birmingham, England, a Liberal member of Parliament, but was best known nationally in the UK as an advocate of educational reform and land reform.-Background:...
and others, calling for land reform:
these small cultivators are only acquainted with poor rates from the fact that they have to pay them. What I want to see, and what the working classes, if they are wise, will insist on securing, is that there should be three or four thousand Great Dodfords in England.
The Dodford settlements remained prosperous, and retained their radical character, until the 1890s. Ironically, the advocates of land reform successfully established allotments at Catshill
Catshill
Not to be confused with Catshill, WalsallCatshill is a village in Worcestershire about 2.5 miles north of Bromsgrove and 10 miles south-west of Birmingham. The parish of Catshill was formed around the Turnpike Road in 1844....
which grew strawberries earlier, on lighter soils, pushing prices down. Dodford experienced a brief moment of prosperity during the First World War as strawberries were sold to Cadbury's for jam, but the tradition died post war, for a number of reasons. Plots were bought as rural retreats. Strawberries suffered lower quality due to disease and the use of artificial fertilizers. Better wages could be found in the Austin
Austin Motor Company
The Austin Motor Company was a British manufacturer of automobiles. The company was founded in 1905 and merged in 1952 into the British Motor Corporation Ltd. The marque Austin was used until 1987...
factory at Longbridge
Longbridge
Longbridge is an area of Birmingham, England. For local government purposes it is a ward within the district of Northfield.Since 1905, the area has been dominated by the Longbridge plant, which produced Austin, Nash Metropolitan, Morris, British Leyland, and most recently MG Rover cars...
, and the cheap labour force of pickers disappeared as the Bromsgrove nailmaking industry rapidly declined.
Dodford School
Dodford School was founded in 1877. It is now a First School teaching children from across Bromsgrove to the age of nine.Baptist Chapel and Mission Church
A Baptist chapel was founded but has now closed. A Mission Church was consecrated in 1863 and stood on the current site of Dodford’s village hall.Church of the Holy Trinity and St Mary
The Church was built in 1907-8 with money donated by the curate of St John’s Church BromsgroveBromsgrove
Bromsgrove is a town in Worcestershire, England. The town is about north east of Worcester and south west of Birmingham city centre. It had a population of 29,237 in 2001 with a small ethnic minority and is in Bromsgrove District.- History :Bromsgrove is first documented in the early 9th century...
Walter Whinfield. The architect was Arthur Bartlett who constructed it in the Arts and Crafts
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
style, with decoration work created by the Bromsgrove Guild
Bromsgrove Guild
The Bromsgrove Guild of Applied Arts was a company of modern artists and designers associated with the Arts and Crafts Movement, founded by Walter Gilbert. The guild worked in metal, wood, plaster, bronze, tapestry, glass and other mediums....
. Bartlett was recommended by Walter Gilbert
Walter Gilbert
Walter Gilbert is an American physicist, biochemist, molecular biology pioneer, and Nobel laureate.-Biography:Gilbert was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 21, 1932...
. Much of the woodcarving, including the pulpit, altar rails and organ case is credited to Celestino Pancheri.
Its listing document states: “The church is one of the best of its date in the county. Its plan form and tower are of an unusual and most effective design and the understated but thorough attention to the decorative detail of the interior is particularly interesting”. Simon Jenkins
Simon Jenkins
Sir Simon David Jenkins is a British newspaper columnist and author, and since November 2008 has been chairman of the National Trust. He currently writes columns for both The Guardian and London's Evening Standard, and was previously a commentator for The Times, which he edited from 1990 to 1992...
relates that the ceiling ribs represent “the fruits of Dodford” and the front bench-end features “John Bungay, the first child born in the Chartist village in 1849”.
Modern Dodford
Dodford is now a conservation areaConservation Area (United Kingdom)
In the United Kingdom, the term Conservation Area nearly always applies to an area considered worthy of preservation or enhancement because of its special architectural or historic interest, "the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance," as required by the Planning ...
, with a number of listed buildings, including a number of Chartist cottages and the Church of the Holy Trinity and St Mary. Rosedene, an example of a Chartist cottage at Dodford, is owned and maintained by 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...
and is open to visitors by appointment.
Further reading
- From Hamlet to Parish: the Story of Dodford, WL Bond 1972
- The Last Chartist Land Settlement: Great Dodford, 1849 D Poole 1999
- The Church of Holy Trinity and St. Mary Dodford, by Mark Thomas, Bromsgrove Society Newsletter September 2000
- Where Did That Money Go? Rosedene Restoration Fund, by Gordon Long, Bromsgrove Society Newsletter June 2003