North Piddle
Encyclopedia
North Piddle is a small civil parish
in the Wychavon
district of Worcestershire
, England. It is located at Piddle Brook.
North Piddle is a historic parish and a few of the parish's structures have been designated as listed buildings by English Heritage
, because they are structures of special architectural and historic interest.
In 1924 797 acres (3.2 km²) of land were designated to North Piddle – 422 acres were grassland
, and the rest was arable land
. The field names that are mentioned in the document dating back to the 16th century include Frarye Acre, Husband Acre, Monck Acre, Le Home, Le Deane and Gostell Field.
At the 1821 census there were 133 inhabitants living in the parish, and in 1851 slightly more, at 149. , there are 80 people living in North Piddle.
. Dugan believes that the word "Piddle" is an old English word for a small stream. North Piddle was named after Piddle Brook, on which it stands.
s records of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales, completed in 1086, mentions two estates in North Piddle, both of which were held for the abbey of Westminster
by Urse d'Abetot
.
Through the ages North Piddle manor
was connected to many notable and colourful figures, including the Dukes of Norfolk
. Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk
, was banished from England and died of the "pestilence
" (bubonic plague) in Venice
in 1399. His son and heir Thomas de Mowbray, 4th Earl of Norfolk
was beheaded
in 1405, and the manor was taken into family ownership and granted for life to Edward Beauchamp. A few years later the manor was once again owned by the Dukes of Norfolk, but the direct line was broken when Anne de Mowbray, 8th Countess of Norfolk
, who was married when she was 5 years old to Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York
, died three years after her marriage. Her husband was murdered in the Tower of London
soon after.
In 1868 the parish was divided into small farms and by 1924 the manorial rights had lapsed.
The Greenwood brothers' Worcestershire Delineated (1822) says of the parish:
The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) says:
St Michael's, the parish church of North Piddle, was originally built in 1289 but almost nothing survives of the old building; the church was rebuilt in 1876.
On 17 December 1896 there was an earthquake
in the region that "exceeded in violence any previous instance of seismic energy there within the present century." The earthquake was preceded by a loud roar "as of thunder" or "a rushing mighty wind", and residents whose windows were facing north saw a "great light", which some attributed to a large meteor
. This was probably an earthquake light.
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...
in the Wychavon
Wychavon
Wychavon is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in Pershore. Other towns in the district include Droitwich Spa, Evesham and Broadway. The district extends from the south-east corner of Worcestershire north and west...
district 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. It is located at Piddle Brook.
North Piddle is a historic parish and a few of the parish's structures have been designated as listed buildings by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
, because they are structures of special architectural and historic interest.
In 1924 797 acres (3.2 km²) of land were designated to North Piddle – 422 acres were grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
, and the rest was arable land
Arable land
In geography and agriculture, arable land is land that can be used for growing crops. It includes all land under temporary crops , temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, land under market and kitchen gardens and land temporarily fallow...
. The field names that are mentioned in the document dating back to the 16th century include Frarye Acre, Husband Acre, Monck Acre, Le Home, Le Deane and Gostell Field.
At the 1821 census there were 133 inhabitants living in the parish, and in 1851 slightly more, at 149. , there are 80 people living in North Piddle.
Origin of the name
William Henry Dugan, in his book Worcestershire Place Names, states that although the word "Piddle" is not listed in any Anglo-Saxon dictionary, it is found in a few places in Anglo-Saxon chartersAnglo-Saxon Charters
Anglo-Saxon charters are documents from the early medieval period in Britain which typically make a grant of land or record a privilege. The earliest surviving charters were drawn up in the 670s; the oldest surviving charters granted land to the Church, but from the eighth century surviving...
. Dugan believes that the word "Piddle" is an old English word for a small stream. North Piddle was named after Piddle Brook, on which it stands.
History
Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
s records of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales, completed in 1086, mentions two estates in North Piddle, both of which were held for the abbey of Westminster
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
by Urse d'Abetot
Urse d'Abetot
Urse d'Abetot was a Norman as well as a medieval Sheriff of Worcestershire and royal official under Kings William I, William II and Henry I...
.
Through the ages North Piddle manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
was connected to many notable and colourful figures, including the Dukes of Norfolk
Duke of Norfolk
The Duke of Norfolk is the premier duke in the peerage of England, and also, as Earl of Arundel, the premier earl. The Duke of Norfolk is, moreover, the Earl Marshal and hereditary Marshal of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the...
. Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk
Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk
Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk, KG, Lord Marshal and Earl Marshal was an English nobleman.-Life:...
, was banished from England and died of the "pestilence
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
" (bubonic plague) in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
in 1399. His son and heir Thomas de Mowbray, 4th Earl of Norfolk
Thomas de Mowbray, 4th Earl of Norfolk
Thomas de Mowbray, 4th Earl of Norfolk, 2nd Earl of Nottingham, 8th Baron Segrave, 7th Baron Mowbray , English nobleman and rebel, was the son of Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk and Lady Elizabeth FitzAlan....
was beheaded
Beheaded
Beheaded is a Death metal band from Malta. They were formed in 1991, by singer Marcel Scalpello, guitarist David Bugeja, and drummer Chris Brincat...
in 1405, and the manor was taken into family ownership and granted for life to Edward Beauchamp. A few years later the manor was once again owned by the Dukes of Norfolk, but the direct line was broken when Anne de Mowbray, 8th Countess of Norfolk
Anne de Mowbray, 8th Countess of Norfolk
Anne de Mowbray, 8th Countess of Norfolk, later Duchess of York and Duchess of Norfolk was the child bride of Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York, one of the Princes in the Tower...
, who was married when she was 5 years old to Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York
Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York
Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York, 1st Duke of Norfolk, 1st Earl of Norfolk, Earl Marshal was the sixth child and second son of King Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville. He was born in Shrewsbury....
, died three years after her marriage. Her husband was murdered in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
soon after.
In 1868 the parish was divided into small farms and by 1924 the manorial rights had lapsed.
The Greenwood brothers' Worcestershire Delineated (1822) says of the parish:
The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) says:
St Michael's, the parish church of North Piddle, was originally built in 1289 but almost nothing survives of the old building; the church was rebuilt in 1876.
On 17 December 1896 there was an earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
in the region that "exceeded in violence any previous instance of seismic energy there within the present century." The earthquake was preceded by a loud roar "as of thunder" or "a rushing mighty wind", and residents whose windows were facing north saw a "great light", which some attributed to a large meteor
METEOR
METEOR is a metric for the evaluation of machine translation output. The metric is based on the harmonic mean of unigram precision and recall, with recall weighted higher than precision...
. This was probably an earthquake light.