Birtsmorton Explained

Country:England
Coordinates:52.0176°N -2.2911°W
Official Name:Birtsmorton
Population:257
Static Image Name:Birtsmorton churcht.jpg
Static Image Width:250
Static Image Caption:Birtsmorton Church
Shire District:Malvern Hills
Shire County:Worcestershire
Region:West Midlands
Civil Parish:Birtsmorton
Constituency Westminster:West Worcestershire
Postcode District:WR13
Postcode Area:WR
Post Town:MALVERN
Dial Code:01684
Os Grid Reference:SO799355
London Distance:100miles

Birtsmorton is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills of Worcestershire, England, which at the 2021 census had a population of 257.[1] It is in the south-west of the county, not far from the borders with Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.

History

See also: History of Worcestershire. The church is dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul and dates from the 14th century.[2] There is a large manor house, Birtsmorton Court, which is used today as a wedding venue.[3] It was the home for many centuries of the Nanfan family, some of whose tombs are in the church.

In 1703, the Rev. Samuel Juice, a former rector, endowed a village school in Rye Street. [4]

Birtsmorton was the birthplace of the chairmaker Philip Clissett who lived in the parish from his birth in 1817 until about 1842.[5]

Toponymy

The village belonged to the Le Bret family from the 12th century onwards. Bret means Breton. The same family name is associated with Westonbirt House near Tetbury, Gloucestershire.[6]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Birtsmorton . City population . 14 April 2023.
  2. Web site: St Peter & St Paul, Birtsmorton - a church near you . 2010-01-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100513205023/http://www.achurchnearyou.com/birtsmorton-st-peter-st-paul/ . 2010-05-13 . dead .
  3. http://www.birtsmortoncourt.com/site/index.cfm Birtsmorton Court
  4. British History Online "Birtsmorton". Online reference
  5. Web site: Rowell. T.A.. Philip Clissett, Chairmaker 1817-1913. 6 July 2013.
  6. Book: Ekwall , Eilert . Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names . 3rd ed., reprinted with corrections . Oxford University Press . 1951 . 316, 485.