Clent is a village and
civil parish in the
Bromsgrove District of
Worcestershire, England, southwest of
Birmingham and close to the edge of the
West Midlands conurbation. At the 2001 census it had a population of 2,600.
Parish history
The
parishes
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
of Clent and
Broome were once an
exclave
An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
of
Staffordshire
Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...
, completely surrounded by Worcestershire, having been seized by the Sheriff of Staffordshire before the
Norman Conquest. This anomaly was addressed in 1844 when it was belatedly returned to Worcestershire. Clent had, however, always remained part of the
Worcester Diocese.
Geography
Because of the hilly
topography of the
parish the village consists of several distinct
hamlets. These are Upper Clent (Clatterbach and the area around the
parish church of St. Leonard), Lower Clent,
Holy Cross
Holy Cross or Saint Cross may refer to:
* the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus
* Christian cross, a frequently used religious symbol of Christianity
* True Cross, supposed remnants of the actual cross upon which Jesus was crucified
* Feast ...
, Adams Hill and Walton Pool.
The Civil Parish of Clent also included part of the village of
West Hagley
Hagley is a large village and civil parish in Worcestershire, England. It is on the boundary of the West Midlands and Worcestershire counties between the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley and Kidderminster. Its estimated population was 7,162 in 20 ...
, the population of which is about half that of the whole parish. On the first of April 2016, this part of the parish was transferred to the Parish of Hagley. Though in the ancient
ecclesiastical parish of Clent, that area is now part of the
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
parish of Broome.
Part of the parish is an area of agricultural lowland, but to the northwest the ground rises forming the
Clent Hills (now owned by the
National Trust), which is a popular destination for walkers.
Climate
Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The
Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "
Cfb". (Marine West Coast Climate/
Oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...
).
Education
Sunfield Children's Home
Sunfield is an Independent special school, Children's Home and charity on the border of Worcestershire and the West Midlands in England. It was founded in 1930 and now supports boys and girls, aged 6 – 19 years, with complex learning needs, ...
is located in Clent, a charitable school for children with
autism
The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...
and complex learning needs. There is also a small primary school located in Holy Cross, called Clent Parochial Primary School, with just over 100 pupils ranging from Reception (age 4) to Year 6 (age 11), after
which the pupils feed into
Haybridge High School, the local secondary school, in the neighbouring village of
Hagley.
Clent Parochial Primary School
Notable residents
Notable residents of Clent include:
* John Amphlet, High Sheriff of Worcestershire in 1805
* Richard Fowler (5 March 1887 – 27 October 1970), cricketer
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
* James Higgs-Walker
James Arthur Higgs-Walker (31 July 1892 – 3 September 1979) was an English first-class cricketer who played in two matches for Worcestershire, one each side of the First World War.
His first match, and only County Championship appearance, ca ...
(31 July 1892 – 3 September 1979), cricketer
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
* Alan Todd (3 June 1900 – 14 August 1976), barrister
A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...
and Conservative politician
References
Further reading
Clent Parish Council
* – Although not published until much later, Erdeswicke's description of Clent was written during the 16th century. The layout is a little confusing because the text and the notes use a similar font, for example the text in the last paragraph on page 287 should be read together with the text in the last paragraph on page 288 as they are part of the same footnote ("... in 1421, by Joan Beauchamp, ... ").
External links
photos of Clent and surrounding area on geograph
{{authority control
Villages in Worcestershire