Differing Responses to an Industrialising Economy - eTheses ...

Zone D, The Northern (Needle) District
Beoley - a large parish of 4713 acres in the Arrow valley including the main settlement of
Holt End and also Branson’s Cross and the Portway; Droitwich deanery, Worcester
diocese; upper division of Pershore Hundred, Worcestershire; Bromsgrove Union. Alcester
8, Bromsgrove (post) 7, Birmingham 10, Kings Norton 6, Redditch 2, Henley 7. The
manor of Beoley was held by the Sheldon family until the 1780s when it passed to Thomas
Holmes, who died intestate causing much confusion. Some working colliers called Stanton
claimed the manor, but in 1854 Miss Holmes was the lady of the manor. The soil is chiefly
marl and the subsoil marl, clay and sandstone. No parliamentary enclosure.
Coughton - or Great Coughton, situated on the Arrow, an extensive parish of 4263 acres
including Sambourne which became a more populous settlement than Coughton itself;
Warwick deanery, diocese of Worcester; Alcester Division of Barlichway Hundred,
Warkwickshire and Alcester Union. Alcester (post) 2, Redditch 5, Henley 7, Bromsgrove
10. The soil is keuper red marl, sandstone with pebbles in the river bed. The ford across
River Arrow carries an important, old route from east to west. The ancient Ryknild Street
traverses from north to south. To the west the land rises to the Worcestershire border along
the Ridgeway. The separate manors of Sambourne and Coughton were both held by the
Catholic Throckmorton family of Coughton Court. Some enclosure had taken place before
1600, but enclosure award for Sambourne Heath was in 1773. Some early enclosure; no
parliamentary enclosure for Coughton manor.
382