Upton Bishop is a small village in

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

, England. The population of the village at the 2011 census was 602. Upton Bishop was featured several years ago on TV when Phil and Alison Clarke chose their home on the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

programme ''

Location, Location, Location ''Location, Location, Location'' is a British reality property programme that has aired on Channel 4 since 17 May 2000 and is presented by Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer. The show follows Allsopp and Spencer as they try to find the perfect ...

'' with Phil Spencer and Kirsty Allsop advising them.

History

The

manor Manor may refer to: Land ownership *Manorialism or "manor system", the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of medieval Europe, notably England *Lord of the manor, the owner of an agreed area of land (or "manor") under manorialism *Man ...

of Upton Bishop formed a part of the possessions of the

Bishops of Hereford The Bishop of Hereford is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Hereford in the Province of Canterbury. The episcopal see is centred in the Hereford, City of Hereford where the bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is in t ...

from the time of the

Saxon Kings The House of Wessex, also known as the Cerdicings and the West Saxon dynasty, refers to the family, traditionally founded by Cerdic, that ruled Wessex in Southern England from the early 6th century. The house became dominant in southern England aft ...

to the accession of

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

The Havergal family

Francis Tebbs Havergal Francis Tebbs Havergal (1829–1890), author and editor. The youngest son of William Henry Havergal was born 27 Aug. 1829. He was a bible-clerk of New College, Oxford (B.A. 1852, M.A. 1857); he became vicar-choral in Hereford Cathedral, 1853–1 ...

was

vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

of Upton Bishop from 1874. He wrote music, books on the history of

Hereford Cathedral Hereford Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Hereford in Hereford, England. A place of worship has existed on the site of the present building since the 8th century or earlier. The present building was begun in 1079. S ...

and a most comprehensive treatise on Upton Bishop in 1883, entitled "Records Historical and Antiquarian of The Parish of Upton Bishop". His sister

Frances Ridley Havergal Frances Ridley Havergal (14 December 1836 – 3 June 1879) was an English religious poet and hymnwriter. ''Take My Life and Let it Be'' and ''Thy Life for Me'' (also known as ''I Gave My Life for Thee'') are two of her best known hymns. She also ...

also wrote many books including

travelogues Travelogue may refer to: Genres * Travel literature, a record of the experiences of an author travelling * Travel documentary A travel documentary is a documentary film, television program, or online series that describes travel in general or t ...

, poetry,

children's books A child (plural, : children) is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers ...

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

s, and

religious text Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual prac ...

s. She died at the early age of forty-two. A

bell A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inter ...

was cast as a memorial to her that still hangs in the church.

Upton Bishop, Herefordshire

:Description from ''Littlebury's Directory and Gazetteer of Herefordshire'', 1876–1877. Transcription by Rosemary Lockie (2003) UPTON BISHOP, WITH CROW HILL, UPTON CREWS, AND PHOCLE GREEN. Upton Bishop is a large parish and village situated on the borders of

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

, on the upper road between

Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. With a population ...

and

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

, and on the main road from Ross to

Newent Newent (; originally called "Noent") is a market town and civil parish about 10½ miles (17 km) north-west of Gloucester, England. Its population was 5,073 at the 2001 census, rising to 5,207 in 2011, The population was 6,777 at the 2021 Census. ...

; is distant north east of Ross, west of Newent, south east of Hereford, and west north west of Gloucester; is in Greytree hundred, Ross union, petty sessional division, and county court district, and Linton polling district. The population in 1861 was 716; in 1871, 716; inhabited houses, 150; families or separate occupiers, 166; area of parish, ; annual rateable value, £5,069. Courtenay Connell Prance, Esq., of Hatherley court,

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

, is

lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or ar ...

of the manor. The Right Hon.

Lord Ashburton Baron Ashburton, of Ashburton in the County of Devon, is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of Great Britain and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since 1835, the title has been held by members of the Baring f ...

, Lady Lindsay, Mrs. Chellingworth, Thomas Powell, Esq., and William Jones, Esq., are the principal

landowners In common law systems, land tenure, from the French verb "tenir" means "to hold", is the legal regime in which land owned by an individual is possessed by someone else who is said to "hold" the land, based on an agreement between both individual ...

. The soil is a red loam; subsoil, clay and rock; chief produce, wheat, barley, roots, &c. Upton Bishop is in the

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

and archdeaconry of Hereford and

Rural Dean In the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion as well as some Lutheran denominations, a rural dean is a member of clergy who presides over a "rural deanery" (often referred to as a deanery); "ruridecanal" is the corresponding adjective. ...

ery of Ross; living, a

vicarage A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically own ...

; value, £225, with residence and 202 acres of glebe; patrons, the Dean and Chapter of Hereford; vicar, Rev.

, M.A., of

New College, Oxford New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as its feeder school, New College is one of the oldest colleges at th ...

, who was instituted in 1874, and is also one of the chaplains to the Lord Bishop of Hereford. The church, dedicated to

St. John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

, ranks among the most interesting in the county. It was reopened on 25 July 1862, after having been restored under the superintendence of Mr. (now Sir)

George Gilbert Scott Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he started ...

, R.A., the eminent church-architect, at an expense of £1,800, raised by voluntary contributions and church building society grants. The church consists of

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

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 ...

aisle An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, certain types of buildings, such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parl ...

porch A porch (from Old French ''porche'', from Latin ''porticus'' "colonnade", from ''porta'' "passage") is a room or gallery located in front of an entrance of a building. A porch is placed in front of the facade of a building it commands, and form ...

, and square tower containing an excellent

peal In campanology (bell ringing), a peal is the special name given to a specific type of performance of change ringing which meets certain exacting conditions for duration, complexity and quality. The definition of a peal has changed considerably o ...

of five bells. The pavements are of Godwin's

encaustic tile Encaustic tiles are ceramic tiles in which the pattern or figure on the surface is not a product of the glaze but of different colors of clay. They are usually of two colours but a tile may be composed of as many as six. The pattern appears inla ...

s. An organ, by Nicholson, of Worcester, was erected in 1874 on the north side of the church, at the sole cost of the present vicar. There are several

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

memorial windows. The east window is by Hardman; subject, "Jesus appearing to Mary in the garden", to the memory of the Rev.

James Garbett James Garbett (1802-1879) was a British academic and Anglican cleric who became the Archdeacon of Chichester. He was a Fellow of Brasenose College, Oxford. He was an Evangelical and an opponent of the Oxford Movement. He was the anti-Tractaria ...

, formerly vicar of the, parish. North chancel, by Wailes; subject, "Zacharias and Elizabeth", to the memory of Dr. Gretton and his wife, formerly dean of Hereford and vicar of the parish. North nave, by

Clayton & Bell Clayton and Bell was one of the most prolific and proficient British workshops of stained-glass windows during the latter half of the 19th century and early 20th century. The partners were John Richard Clayton (1827–1913) and Alfred Bell (1832 ...

; subject, "Raising of Jairus's daughter", to the memory of Maude, daughter of the late Henry Chellingworth, Esq., of Grendon court. East aisle, by Hardman; subject, " The Good Samaritan", to the memory of Mr. Charles Prosser. South aisle, by Hardman; memorial window and brass plate, erected in 1868. South chancel, by Clayton & Bell; subject, "The institution of the Eucharist by our Lord", to the memory of the Rev. T. B. Power, the late vicar. A brass plate, with inscription, is placed immediately beneath. A beautiful brass tablet (by Hardman) was placed in the church in 1872, to the memory of Henry Chellingworth, Esq., and his son and daughters. The ancient monumental stone in the

churchyard In Christian countries a churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church, which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language and in both Scottish English and Ulster-Scots, this can also ...

has been carefully placed on a slightly raised stone base. The parish register goes back to the year 1571. There are two schools for boys and girls in the parish, with an average attendance of about 100 conjointly. The Church of England school at Gayton was built in 1871–1872 at a cost of £700, the site and stone being given by Lord Ashburton. The Baptist chapel was erected in 1860. There are several handsome residences in this parish. Just on the edge of the four parishes of Upton Bishop, Ross, Brampton Abbotts, and Weston-under-Penyard, is the old manor-house of Rudhall, once the seat of the family of that name, but now the property of Lord Ashburton, and in the occupation of Miss Mortimer; Grendon Court is the residence of Mrs. Chellingworth and the property of Henry Chellingworth, Esq., of Trimpley, near Kidderminster; Gayton Hall, the Misses Lawson; Manor House, Captain E. Mynde Allen; The Baches House, Captain A. R. F. Onslow; and The Vicarage (which has lately undergone considerable improvement), Rev. F. Tebbs Havergal, M.A. Crow Hill is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

distant west; Phocle (or Focle) Green is south west.; Upton Crews is near the village. POSTAL REGULATIONS.-William. Smallman, Sub-Postmaster, Crow hill. Letters arrive by messenger from Ross at 7.50 am; despatched thereto at 5.50 pm. Money orders are granted and paid, and post office savings bank business transacted. Ross is the nearest

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

office and post town. The

letter box A letter box, letterbox, letter plate, letter hole, mail slot or mailbox is a receptacle for receiving incoming mail at a private residence or business. For outgoing mail, Post boxes are often used for depositing the mail for collection, althou ...

, near the school, is cleared at 5.40 p.m. Parish Church (St. John the Baptist).-Rev. Francis Tebbs Havergal, M.A., Vicar; Francis Hamp Adams, Esq., and Mr. John Powell Bennett, Churchwardens; George Taylor, Parish Clerk; Charles Davies, Sexton. National School (boys and girls), Upton Bishop.-Miss Sarah Owen, Mistress. St John the Baptist Church was restored by Sir

in 1862.''The Buildings of England: Herefordshire'', Nikolaus Pevsner, 1963 p. 304 The village has one public house called "The Moody Cow" that is listed in the Michelin Red Guide. It also has an excellent village hall paid for largely by the National Lottery, fund-raising events and a government loan paid for by an increase in the Parish Council's council tax. The village is spread over several separate settlements.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Herefordshire