St John the Baptist is a church in
White Ladies Aston
White Ladies Aston is a village in the Wychavon local government district of Worcestershire, England, United Kingdom, and also lends its name to the Civil Parish in which the village is located. The village is located to the east of the A44 which ...
, Worcestershire, England. It has been designated as a
Grade II* listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
building by
Historic England
Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked wit ...
.
It is a building of Norman origin, dating from 1204 when Robert de Everay made a gift of two
palfrey
A palfrey is a type of horse that was highly valued as a riding horse in the Middle Ages. It was a lighter-weight horse, usually a smooth gaited one that could amble, suitable for riding over long distances. Palfreys were not a specific breed a ...
s to the
Bishop of Worcester
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
. This action won Robert the right to present a candidate for the office of vicar to the parish of Aston Episcopi and it was understood he intended to build a stone church. Today the stone church stands with a wooden spire. The doorway is Norman and the font is probably of the 13th century.
In 1255 Aston was renamed White Ladies Aston as linked to Whistones Priory and
Cistercian Nuns
Cistercian nuns are female members of the Cistercian Order, a religious order belonging to the Roman Catholic branch of the Catholic Church.
History
The first Cistercian monastery for women, Le Tart Abbey, was established at Tart-l'Abbaye in t ...
. Details of the endowment to the nuns included 51 acres of arable land and 2 acres of meadow at Aston Episcopi, or White Ladies' Aston, together with the tithes of the demesne lands at
Northwick and Newland (Worcester), and lands in
Claines
Claines is a small village just to the north of Worcester, England, Worcester, England, on the east bank of the River Severn. Claines is situated in the heart of Worcestershire on the A449 between Worcester and Kidderminster. It has a church which ...
. A further grant was made by
Bishop Giffard in 1283 of the
tithe
A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques or more r ...
s of the chapel of Aston Episcopi, or White Ladies' Aston. The church's links with the White Ladies ended in 1536 when
Whistones Priory was closed in the
Dissolution of the Monasteries an action authorised by
King Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disag ...
during the Reformation of the Church in England from Roman Catholic to Protestant.
The oldest timbers in the tower and spire date back to the 15th Century and in 1410 a new bell was purchased for the church.
The 17th century, during the time of the
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
, there was the growth of extreme religious groups which caused problems in the country, even in the Church of John the Baptist. In 1652 the curate, John Moseley was ejected from the church over anti Quaker sermons; in 1656 Robert Brown, a
Fifth Monarchy Man caused trouble in the congregation and in 1661 this curate was ejected from the church over pro Commonwealth sermons at the time of the Restoration of
King Charles II.
The Reverend Henry Martyn Sherwood (son of
Mary Martha Sherwood
Mary Martha Sherwood (née Butt; 6 May 177522 September 1851) was a nineteenth-century English children's writer. Of her more than four hundred works, the best known include ''The History of Little Henry and his Bearer'' (1814) and the two seri ...
19th-century English children's writer and Captain Henry Sherwood of the
53rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot
The 53rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot was a British Army regiment, raised in 1755. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 85th (King's Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot to form the King's Shropshire Light Infantry in 1881.
History E ...
) served the Church of White Ladies Aston from 1839 - 1910, the second longest serving vicar in the Church of England. He was active in creating changes in the village, extending the church, providing education, improving roads and providing the Parish Room.
In 1848 the church was described by
John Noake
John Noake (1816–1894) was an English journalist and antiquary, known for his writings on Worcestershire.
Life
The son of Thomas and Ann Noake, he was born at Sherborne, Dorset on 29 November 1816. He came to Worcester in 1838 to work on ''Be ...
, as being in a poor condition with "broken glass", "the
chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse.
Ove ...
is divided from the nave by a thick wall … with a large square opening"
and as Nash observed, the high pews were so high that "when I sat down …. the congregation and the World entire, were totally shut out."
In 1861 extensive building work completed. A complete new North Aisle and Vestry were built, the Early English stonework and timbers were completely overhauled. New pews were installed and the seating accommodation increased from 73 to 155. An avenue of 22 Yew Trees, one for each year the Rev. Sherwood was Vicar, were planted on each side of the approach path. The costs of the work were met by private subscription and a £50 grant was given by the Incorporated Society for Building of Churches. A large donation, which covered much of the cost of the repair was made by Mr. Perrins of Worcester to honour a longstanding Family Debt of Gratitude.
Mr. Perrin's grandfather who owned a chemist's shop, made up an Indian Sauce to a recipe left by Lord Sandys of Ombersley's housekeeper in 1812. Capt. Sherwood, on leave from India, purchased a bottle and suggested to Mr. Perrins that he should produce it commercially. This he later did, in company with Mr. Lea, and the firm prospered so well that Mr. Perrin's father promised a reward to Capt. Sherwood's son, the Rev. Sherwood. An annual renewal of the offer became a tradition between the Perrins and Sherwood families but it had been repeatedly declined until the present occasion.
In 1864 a new porch was added, in 1938 East Window installed and in 1985 repairs were completed on the wooden spire.
Exterior
The church lies within a secluded churchyard to the north of the village approached via a yew tree lined path. Entrance is via a timber porch of 1864 to a Norman doorway into the south side of the nave. The western wooden tower has an elegant splay-footed spire, the main timbers of which are as old as the 'Mary Rose i.e. circa 1545. The chancel roof is slightly lower than the nave and on the north side there is an aisle of 1861 and an adjoining vestry to the east. The stones are a mixture of uncoursed
lias
Lias may refer to:
Geology
* Lias Formation, a geologic formation in France
*Lias Group, a lithostratigraphic unit in western Europe
* Early Jurassic, an epoch
People
* Godfrey Lias, British author
* Mohd Shamsudin Lias (born 1953), Malaysian ...
rubble with Cotswold dressings on the corners. The Victorian work stands as a contrast, it being coursed lias stone. The west wall of the nave was rebuilt in 1861 with a pair of widely spaced lancets and a small quatrefoil window above. Three buttresses support this wall.
Interior
Within the church presents a light and welcoming appearance as the walls are rendered and painted pale cream. The arcade is of three bays of moulded flatly pointed arches and alternating light and darker stone. Their capitals are well moulded with octagonal shafts. The tower is supported on the south side by massive timbers to the floor assisted by an iron column but on the north the timbers come down only to the top of the arcade. Between the arches are trefoil decorative mouldings, one dated 1861, the date of the restoration. Either side of the plastered nave roof is a row of vertical struts supporting the roof rafters assisted by a pair of tie beams. The ceiling is plastered. The chancel roof has two tie beams with queen posts, but its rafters are half exposed the remainder being plastered. The chancel arch is a depressed or three-centred type.
There is a doorway from the north wall of the chancel to the vestry The windows are Norman narrow round-arched type in the chancel with restored square-headed Perpendicular windows on the south side of the nave and chancel The west wall has two lancets mentioned before with a two-light Victorian window to the aisle. On the north side is a pair of two-light windows within a wide segmental arch and a renewed Norman doorway between them best seen from the outside.
Fittings
The fittings mostly date from the 1861 restoration including the seating The pulpit is of wood and lozenge pattern panels The book for supporting the tester or sounding board from the old three decker pulpit still hangs on the wall nearby.
The
font
In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a typeface. Each font is a matched set of type, with a piece (a "sort") for each glyph. A typeface consists of a range of such fonts that shared an overall design.
In mod ...
is twelve-sided and of uncertain date but thought to be mediaeval. It has well-cut mouldings down the sides and damage where the old hasps were positioned so that it could be locked when not in use.
Tablets
The 18th century saw England becoming a global power fighting wars in Europe, North and South America, the Middle East, India and South East Asia. Individuals from White Ladies Aston were involved in these areas of action and witnessed important events in the growth of the British Empire. Some of these individuals and their careers are recorded on memorials inside the church.
Captain Thomas Elrington died in 1809, aged 87, having served for 65 years in the army, taking part in events such as the "
45 Jacobite Rebellion" and the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754†...
(1756 – 63) in North America under
General Braddock
Major-General Edward Braddock (January 1695 – 13 July 1755) was a British officer and commander-in-chief for the Thirteen Colonies during the start of the French and Indian War (1754–1763), the North American front of what is known in Europe ...
and
Lord Amherst
Field Marshal Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, (29 January 1717 – 3 August 1797) was a British Army officer and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in the British Army. Amherst is credited as the architect of Britain's successful campaig ...
.
![Major General Richard Goodall Elrington](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Major_General_Richard_Goodall_Elrington.jpg)
Richard Goodall Elrington was born on 16 June 1776 at Low Hill House,
White Ladies Aston
White Ladies Aston is a village in the Wychavon local government district of Worcestershire, England, United Kingdom, and also lends its name to the Civil Parish in which the village is located. The village is located to the east of the A44 which ...
. He was appointed Major-General on 23 November 1841. He died on 2 Aug 1845 in Pancras, London. He entered the army at the age of 14 during the
French Revolutionary War
The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted French First Republic, France against Ki ...
and served in actions across the world.
![Major General John Montresor Pilcher Plaque](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Major_General_John_Montresor_Pilcher_Plaque.jpg)
Major General John Montresor Pilcher. Born in 1783, he married Elizabeth Mary Elrington of Low Hill House, the daughter of Captain Thomas Elrington. He was involved in numerous naval events between 1801 and 1815 and was present at the death of Napoleon on St. Helena.
Hamilton Thomas Gordon. Born on 15 May 1836, the son of Captain Robert Cumming Hamilton Gordon and Francis. He gained the rank of Lieutenant in 1855 in the service of the Honourable East India Company, Bengal Engineers. He died on 14 February at Calcutta aged 24 and is buried at Diamond Harbour, Calcutta.
A Memorial Plaque has been erected in the North Aisle of the Church to record the names of villagers in White Ladies Aston who gave their lives in the Great War. Four names are listed: David Gould, William Edwin Judd, Daniel Pearce and William Henry Shuck.
On 7 July, Corporal David Gould, aged 31, was killed in action when his 3rd Battalion of the
Worcestershire Regiment
The Worcestershire Regiment was a line infantry regiment in the British Army, formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot and the 36th (Herefordshire) Regiment of Foot. The regimen ...
attacked the German stronghold of the
Leipzig Salient
The Leipzig Salient was the British term for a German defensive position built in 1915 on the Somme in France, during the First World War, opposite the village of Authuille which contained the Leipzig Redoubt on its west face. The position was ...
on the
Thiepval Ridge in the region of the Somme. David was the son of William and Emma Gould having an older sister, Margaret, and a younger brother, Harry. David was an agricultural worker in the village of White Ladies Aston and had volunteered to join the army.
William Judd died on 9 January 1917 at the Casualty Clearing Stations of
Grove Town, aged 23. His parents were Owen and Mary Judd who lived at Greenacres on the Evesham Road. He had an older sister Annie and two younger brothers, Alfred and Horace.
The last 100 days of The Great War were costly for the village of White Ladies Aston. On 29 August 1918, Second Lieutenant Hamilton Stanley Sherwood was killed near
Bethune, aged 19. He was the grandson of Reverend Sherwood who served for a long time at White Ladies Aston Church. On 3 September, Henry John Page, who was linked to the village and whose name appears in the churchyard, was killed in action in Northern France, aged 22. On 8 October, Daniel Pearce, aged 22 was killed near
Vis en Artois, Northern France. His family lived at Aston Hall and on 30 October, William Henry Shuck, aged 30, was killed in Beirut. He lived at Stonebow.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:White Ladies Aston, John the Baptist
12th-century church buildings in England
Grade II* listed churches in Worcestershire
Church of England church buildings in Worcestershire