Collections for a History of Worfield by William Hardwicke (William Salt Library 351/40) William Hardwicke was born at Allscote Jan 12 1772, articled to W. J. Smith of Wolverhampton and worked as a solicitor in Bridgnorth Hardwicke says that Worfied used to be called Worfield Holme. the etymology of the name is difficult to ascertain. It was also known as Wolphenisford and generally known by this name in the early Saxon. Worfield is a combination of weorth, or weord and the saxon veld or feld. To the ancient word Masserdine at which we are struck by its singularity, the saxon intruders added feld or veld, ...now written Masserdine field. This is to the south of Hallon and adjoining to the NE the castle hill and its opposite ford called Wolpherensford. the name taken from Wolpher (now called Wulfhere), King of Mercia who began his reign in 659, died 675, a reign of extermination, bloodshed and robbery in conflict with the Britons. Wolpher’s palace was at Darlaston near Stone and that is correct but there follows in Hardwicke speculation over the origins of Kingslow, Stanlow, Rowley and the Lowe and the fact that there would have been interments there at that time given rise to the place names. Origins of the Lord of the Manor of Worfield The lordship formerly belonged to a branch of the Talbot family, who disposed of it to John Warter, solicitor to the admiralty from whose daughter it vested in the Boycot family. the ancestors of the Boycotts took a very active part at the Battle of Worcester in favour of the exiled king who granted them the manorial bearings they now use. Thomas Boycott esq the present lord of the manor has a neat mansion there standing on an eminence extremely interesting and beautiful for its picturesque scenes. (I assume this is Rudge Hall) Hardwicke describes the scenery in Worfield Parish including Churle Brook which falls in to the the Worfe. It becomes Churle Brook after the conjining of Hilton Brook and another stream. Pasford, he says the name comes from the pass leading through it from Kingslow to Pattingham. Wash Stones pool on Rudge Heath is the boundary between Hilton and Rudge townships. Stretford Brook WH says is Saxon. Guithling became Watling street. Hardwicke talks about the the Irish passing through the parish from SE to NW. The Romans were supposed as well as having the camp at Chesterton, to have had a station at Stableford. There were 3 mills mentioned in domesday times including Badger. The other two were Worfield and Rindleford Rindleford at about 1720 was converted into an oil mill but lately disused, being now altogether used for grinding corn, a large portion of this structure being purchased from the lord of the manor in 18.... Worfield Mill has been lately rebuilt and continuing as the property of the lord of the manor. The 3 mills were soke mills called the lord’s mills. Also in domesday there was mention of a fishery and this must have been on the Worfe. there is also noticed a wood 3 miles long and one wide. This, I conceive must have been from Rudge Heath across the late Chesterton Common, through the ground at the NW point called the folly which was Collections for a History of Worfield by William Hardwicke (William Salt Library 351/40) the waste to the extent of Cranmere heath, the Brand heath, Winscote hills and Sowdley common. the 1st and 2 last have been lately inclosed. At the period of the domesday survey there were 3 Englishmen with 5 carrucates of land, with 18 villeins and 5 bondsmen or husbandmen, making 23 families. Hardwicke surmises that these englishmen must have been saxon chieftains. Again he suggests there must have been 5 large houses at the time of domesday. Hallon was the head of the seignory and held by the crown, having been an occasional residence of British and Saxon Kings. Portions of this were granted out as copyhold which must have been after the conquest. The other houses were Ewdness, Oldington, Cattestree and Ackleton. The Forest of Morfe after Robert de Bellesme’s rebellion in 1088 went back to the king as the Bellesme’s land was confiscated. The Forest of Morfe was so held until 12 James 1 1613. In the reign of Edward the Confessor, Algar Earl of Mercia held the manor. Hardwicke says that there can be little doubt of a castle on the perpendicular eminence opposite Hallonsford,he says that British sovereigns used this castle from time to time and this was the reason why the Romans had settlements at Chesterton and Stableford. (Note. There is no source material given from which he makes this deduction. I can’t at the moment see the link between Hallon Castle and Chesterton and Stableford) A deep hollow avenue called the Portway led out of the public road from Cranmere to Hallon beween Masserdine field and this fortress down to the ford from whence it proceeded to Chesterton and was most likely the principal and nearest road of connection between their station at Stableford and their camp at Chesterton. (I can’t see this reasoning as I thought there was a Roman Road roughly being the line of the current B4176) Ancient Find. About 1787, 8ft down, on a field at Rowley and contiguous to Wolpheresford, near Hallonsford. it resembled the skin of an animal as a thong with small round pieces of gold attached,with a variety of hieroglyphics eg sun, moon, battle axes, chariot wheels, depicted. It was found by a man employed digging drains and the man gave it to the vicar, the Rev Henry Bromwich who didn’t know what it was and gave it back to the man. it was years after that Bromwich found out that the sun was the year, the moon the month. the vicar tried to get it back but the man, thinking it to be of no value, gave it to some children ? of the hayens to play with and that was that.. it was called a memory belt. John Lye lived in a cottage next to st peter’s well and that area was called walstone There were 2 pieces of land which according to Hardcastle show the royal connection - King’s Yard at Hallon and Bury lands. A bury was a British fortification Hardwicke talks about circular fortifications in a line between The Walls and the Hallon fortification, on the north side of the road between Rowley and Bradney. Alfred decreed that the Danes should restore the lands to the Saxons. Hardcastle surmises that Ethelflaeda lived at Hallon for some time while she oversaw the building of fortifications against the Danes eg Panpudding Hill Collections for a History of Worfield by William Hardwicke (William Salt Library 351/40) Ancient families: Rowley of Cattstree, Cattstree of Cattstree, Saddlers and lately purchased by Edmund Sherrington Davenport from James Marshall of Roughton (the devisees of) Evidence for a castle at Hallon • On Castle Hill. several small strips were granted to the lower peasantry. It continued to be mentioned up to the time of the first court rolls in the reign of Edward III • 2 Edward III (1329) Matilda of the castle died seized of a cottage here. Matilda took her surname from this place (presumably called castle.) • 7 Edw III (1334) Robert ? New was presented to the court for unjustly throwing up a certain ditch at the castel in hale for which he was amerced by the jury • About 3 years later (1337) Thomas de Rowlowe was admitted to a pleck of land on castel hul 40 ft long and 30 ft wide. • in 14th of same reign (1341) Johillus? de Wynneswanstone and Alice his wife surrendered a cottage and curtilage in a place called haleon the castel hul to the use of Simon de Whiteby. • 1 Henry 4 (1399/1400) Dawkeyn de Oken and Avis his wife surrendered 2 cottages in Hallon near to the fortification. (the castle thus being noticed) to the use of Roger Jones and Edith his wife, probably their daughter. • 6 June 20 Charles 1 (1644) John Cox gent, then deceased surrendered, in his lifetime, amongst other lands, a messuage, yard land and three nooks of land in Hallon of the demesne lands, half a nook, five selions and two cottages and a dole of meadow, in a meadow called Hall Meadow and Pillingshall in Hallon, a weir near Burcot Pole and a croft of land adjoining to the Castle Hill in Hallon with a cottage thereupon erected, except that said part of the croft, upon which the common Pinfold was lately erected, to the use of William Rowley gent of Rowley, Roger Rowley esq his son and heir apparent and Thomas Billingsley in trust who were admitted. This John Cox died 15 May 20 Charles 1 1644. Also seized in his demesne as of fee and in a messuage called Catstree and a yard of free land, held of the lord of the manor by fealty, suit of court, four shillings rent per annum and a heriot ?mountier, a horse, saddle and bridle lance and armour for the use of a man and 3 doles of land , called Chelsmore, by fealty, suit of court and twelve pence rent per annum, which were settled to the same use. The Castle and the Pinfold Hardwicke seems to be suggesting that the site of The Pound is the site of the castle. Long has its solitary site been enclosed with a rugged and pitiful stone wall, after the repeated and unheeded outrages and expoliations of ignorance, and apathy had been committed upon it, being now consigned to the ignoble, debased and brutal purpose of the parish pinfold.