DIRECTORY.] "TORCESTERSHIRE. COOKLEY. 65 LITTLE COMBERTON is a village and parish, 4' bur:als, 1586. The living is a rectory, net yearly value miles east from Eckington station on the Worcester and £210, arising from 143 acres of glebe, in the gift of the Gloucester section of the Midland railway, 4 west from trustees of the Rev. William Parker, and held since 1898 Hinton station on the Birmingham, Evesham and Ash- by the Rev. "Yilliam Dobson Lowndes M.A. of Christ·s church branch of that line, 2 south from Pershore and 6 College, Cambridge. One acre of land is let by the west from Evesham, in the Southern division of the churchwardens, and the rent applied in payment of church county, upper division of Pershore hundred, petty ses- expenses. In the village are two large timber-framed sional division, union and county court district of Per- houses, one of which, near the church, has a ceiling sup­ -shore, rural deanery of Pershore, and archdeaconry and ported by numerous richly-moulded beams: a timber­ iiocese of Worcester. The church of St. Peter is an framed parish room was added in 1890 to this house, ~ncient building of stone, consisting of chancel with north which is now used as a Working Men's Club and Reading aisle and organ chamber, nave, transept, north porch and Room; to the other old house is attached an ancient cir­ -an embattled western tower of Early Perpendicular date, cular dovecote. Several coins of the Christian and earlier with pinnacles, and containing a clock and 6 bells; the Roman emperors, including one of Julian the Apostate, 'Porch bears the date 1639. but the north doorway is and a small coin of Edward the Confessor have been found Norman and has an interesting tympanum, exhibiting a in the parish. In 1884 some remains of Roman pottery lJlain cross surrounded by eig-ht conical shell-like orna- were also found here by the sexton while digging a grave ments: the chancel retains a trefoiled piscina, and in the in the churchyard, and others have since been found. -south wall of the nave is a square piscina of the Norman The principal landowners are William Henry Bagnall, of period: the windows, some of which are decorated, con- Bafford House, Cheltenham, who is lord of the manor, tain fragments of old glass: the south wall of the nave was Thomas Stevens Shekell eso. of Pebworth, the trustees 'rebuilt and some new windows inserted in 1B36, and in of the late Mr. 'Villiam Godwin Yeend Pitcher, Mrs. 1886-7 the church was generally restored at a cost of Edward Spencer Lowndes, Miss Parker, Robert Hinshaw £2,IIO, under the direction of William "Yhite esq. F.S.A. esq. and the rector. The soil is marly; subsoil, gravel, -architect, of London, when the chancel roof was reno- sand and c~ay. The chief crops are wheat, barley and 'vated, a new chancel arch of oak erected, with six small beans, and extensive apple and pear orchards. The area windows above it, the roof of the nave renewed. a north is 759 acres; t'ateable value, £1,3°7; the population in -aisle and organ chamber added to the chancel and a 1891 was 252. transept erected; the chancel was also refloored with tile~ '1'0 the south is the Bredon Hill. reproducing the ancient patterns, at the cost of R. >::\. Par:sh Clerk, Edmund Salisbury. Bagnall esq. of the Manor House, all the orig-inal tiles Post Office.-"Valter 'Villiam Taylor, sub-postmaster. being collected and laid down at the east end, and thp navp was reseated; three Early Norman windows, recovered Letters received through Pershore arrive at 7 a.m. & -during the progress of the work, were placen in the 4 p.m.; dispatched at 5·55 & 6.30 p.m. & sundays, north wall, and the tower was repaired and a new roof 1I.55 a.m. Postal orders are issued here, but not paid. fixed, at the cost of F. Parker esq. of 'Vnrcester; the Elm:ey Castle is the neares~ money order & telegraph whole restoration was carried out as a memor:al to the office Rev. William Parker M.A. rector 1826-84, to whose Parish School (mixed), erected in 1860 at the sole expense memory several stained windowB have also heen erected. of the late Rev. William Parker & enlarged by him in The communion table and plate were presented by T. 1870 ; a cloak room & porch were added in 1891; the Byrche Savage esq. whose family were formerly patrons school will hold 80 children; average attendance, 20; ()f the living': there are ISO sittings. The re15ister of Miss Winwood, mistress 'baptisms dates from the year 1591; marria,ges and Carrier.-Smith, passes through to 'Worcester, sat Dayrell Miss, Nash's farm Hawker William, pig killer Stanley William, farri'.er Lowndes Rev. William Dobson M.A. Heeks Martin, shopkeeper Summers Thomas, market gardener (rector) Phillips Benjamin, market gardener Taylor 'Yalter William, shopkeep&" Miller Colonel Pitcher Wm. Godwin Yeend, farmer & baker. Post office Pitchpr Mrs Read Georg-p,· pig- killer Working Men's Club & Reading Room Thackwell Rev. William Henry M.A. Salisbury Richard (Mrs.), laundry (Rev. William Dobson Lowndes Manor house Salisbury William, wheelwright & M.A. president) Falkner George, farmer & fruit dealr blacksmith • • <JOOKLEY is an eccle~iastical district, formed in 1849 here was built in 1814, and rebuilt in 1874; there is a irom the civil par:ih of Wolverley, and a village, on the Primitive Methodist chapel, erected in 1860, but at present Tiver Stour, about a mile from Wolverley and 3 miles north disused. The extensive tinplate and sheet-iron works of from Kidderminster station on the Great Western rail- Messrs. John Knight and Co. were removed in 1886 to way, in the Mid division of the county. hundred of Lower Brockmoor, Brierley Hill. A dispensary for Cookley and ()swaldslow, Kidderminster union, petty sessional divi- Wolverley was established here in 1834. The population sion and county court district, rural deanery of Kidder- in 1891 was I,II4' minster. and archdeaconry and diocpse of Worcester. The Parish Clerk, Samuel Ball Caswell. -ehurch of St. Peter is an edifice of brick in the Early I Post, M. O. & T. 0., S. B., Express Delivery & Annuity ~ Decorated style, consisting of chancel, nave, aisles, north Insurance Office. Thomas Benjamin Pope Griffin, sub- 'Porch and a north-west tower with pinnacles, containing postmaster. Letters receivPd from Kidderminster at a clock and 6 bells: it was enlarged in 1872 by the prec- 7.30 a.m: & 3.45 p.m.; dispatched at 11.30 a.m. & 5.45 tion of an organ chamber, a new organ being presented p.m.; there is no sunday post by William Hancocks esq. and the chancel was refitted S h 1 under the direction of Mr. J. T. Meredith, architpct. of .. .. c 00 s. Kidderminster: there are sittings for 500 persons. The National.(mixed), bUllt m 1867 &; enlarged III 18a~, for t'egister dates from the year 1849. The living is a vicar- 260 children; average attendance, 135; James Hmgley .age, net yearly value £210, with residence, in the gift of Parsons, master William Hancocks esq. of Blakeshall House, Wolverley, Infants', built in 1849, for 155 children; average attend­ -and held since 1876 by the Rev. Marcus .John BickerstafJ I dance, 50; this school is supported from the same source ~I.A. of Trinity College, Dublin. The Wesleyan chapel I as the Wolverley school; Miss Mary J. D'b.wes, mistress "Bickerstaff Rev. Marcus John M.A. Edwards Elizabeth (Mrs.). shopkeeper Mills Tryphena (Mrs.), The Island (vicar), The Vicarage Gilmau Thomas, Park Gate P.H Pool P.H lJullus Joshua, Lion fields Green Wm. beer ret. & glass cntter Perkins Richard, farmer. Caunsall ho DlfWes Miss. Wood view Griffin Thos. Benj. Pope, Post office Pilsbnry John, farmer, White house :\Iarris Charles, Riverbank house Hand William, beer retailer, Caunsall Piper George, coal mer. The Wharf Underhill George, Yew Tree house Harrison Alfd. farmr. Austcliff farm Smith William &; Co. grocers &; bakels. Hickman Martha (Mrs.), brewer &; Post office COMMERCIAL. beer retailer Tflylor WaIter. butcher Anderson John, farmer, Debdale JenningsAlfd.millr.(water),Sleepy mill Th'ur~tons John, farmer. Cannsall "Brown StephenGeo.frmr. Austcliff frm Kidrlerminster Industrial Co-operative Underhill Geo. surgn. Yew Tree ho Caswell Samupl Ball, draper Society Limited (No. I branch) Wflro Thomas. blflchmith, Canmall Cookley &; Wol-verley Dispensaries (WaIter Barber, manager) Wesley William, brass foundr.Cleehall (Percy Holvoake (Kinver). medical JJflvender .John, Rpd Lion P.H Wetherell l\fi~s, !ri,rIs' !trhool. RO!,le viI officer; John Lavender, collector) Lvthflll Stephen, hoot maker "Yhittaker William,farmer, Beech tree Crane Richard. assistant overseer &; Matthews Henry Wm. Bull'sRead P.R Woollev John, cowkeeper registrar of births & deaths for the Ma~'hnTY William. house agent I \Vyer Charles. beer retailer, CaunsaU Wolverley sub-district :\Ierchant J oseph, confectioner I.