Feckenham is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

in the Borough of Redditch in

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see H ...

, England. It lies some south-west of the town of

Redditch Redditch is a town, and local government district, in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district has a population of 85,000 as of 2019. In the 19th century, it became the international centre for the ...

and some east of the city of

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engla ...

. It had a population of 670 in the 2001 census and its immediate area is the location of notable royal manors that cover over 1,000 years of English history documented in many royal charters and

Acts of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of parliament be ...

. At its greatest, the historic Forest of Feckenham stretched to the River Avon in the south and to Worcester in the west. In 1389 Geoffrey Chaucer was as Clerk of Works and Keeper of the Lodge. Feckenham in the 21st century is a rural community with a traditional English village green with walking and riding routes, including the long-distance public footpath, The Monarch's Way, that passes about 1.5 miles east of the village.

History

Name

The village name has been recorded as Feccanhom (9th century), Feccheham (11th century), Fekkeham, Fekeham (12th century), Feckeham, Feckaham, Fecham (13th century), Flechenham (16th century), and Feckyngham in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Early and Medieval

In Roman times the village developed from its position on the ancient saltway track between

Alcester Alcester () is a market town and civil parish of Roman origin at the junction of the River Alne and River Arrow in the Stratford-on-Avon District in Warwickshire, England, approximately west of Stratford-upon-Avon, and 7 miles south of Reddit ...

and

Droitwich Droitwich Spa (often abbreviated to Droitwich ) is an historic spa town in the Wychavon district in northern Worcestershire, England, on the River Salwarpe. It is located approximately south-west of Birmingham and north-east of Worcester. The ...

which later became a Roman road (now the modern B4090 road) and on the early stretches of the

Bow Brook The Bow Brook is a substantial brook that flows for through Worcestershire, England. It is a lower tributary of the River Avon which it joins near Defford downstream of Eckington Bridge. Its principal tributaries include the Stoulton, De ...

. In the year 840 Feckenham Manor was given by Ethelric to Wœrferth, and it is mentioned in the 11th century

Domesday Survey Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

as being in the

Hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to des ...

of Esch. The manors of Feckenham and Holloway in Hanbury were surveyed in 1086 under Herefordshire, because they had belonged to the

Earl of Hereford The title of Earl of Hereford was created six times in the Peerage of England. Dates indicate the years the person held the title for. Earls of Hereford, First Creation (1043) * Swegen Godwinson (1043–1051) ''earldom forfeit 1051–1052'' Earl ...

, and though they remained in the hundred of Esch in Worcestershire, the Earl had so far annexed them to his lordship of Hereford that they were surveyed under that county. Changes in land ownership led to the inclusion of Feckenham parish in the hundred of Halfshire in the 13th century. The village once stood in the middle of the ancient Royal Forest of Feckenham. The area was a substantial forest covering much of Worcestershire, and was used by Norman royalty for hunting. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, Feckenham was the administrative centre for the royal forest; and it grew into a thriving town while today's nearby large town of Redditch was still a small village. The forest court and prison building was located near the centre of the village, in an area now used as a sports ground. The village was visited by all the early kings of England, who had a lodge in the park of Feckenham Manor. Several entries in Pipe Rolls and

Patent Rolls The patent rolls (Latin: ''Rotuli litterarum patentium'') are a series of administrative records compiled in the English, British and United Kingdom Chancery, running from 1201 to the present day. Description The patent rolls comprise a register ...

between the years 1166 and 1169 relate to the repair of the king's houses in the manor, and there was a royal hunting lodge near the village. The remains of one ancient hunting lodge are believed to lie beneath the village recreation ground.

17th century

In 1629, after a survey of the royal forests, Feckenham was disafforested in order for the Crown's lands to be cleared, and placed in the possession of rich courtiers close to

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

. Rights of common that had been established by tradition were abolished, causing considerable riots, in which several miles of enclosure fences were broken up in early 1631. The disturbances followed a pattern found in other Royal Forests across the West and Midlands. Three hundred people rioted the following year and were met by the Sheriff, a Deputy Lieutenant and a Justice of the Peace with forty armed men. The rioters "in a most daring and presumptuous manner presented themselves unto us with warlike weapons ( vizt) pikes, forrest bills, pitchforks, swords and the like". On this occasion, the authorities acted to suppress this "flatt

lat Lat or LAT may refer to: Places * Lat, Fuman, village in Gilan Province, Iran * Lat, Rasht, village in Gilan Province, Iran * Lat, Mazandaran, village in Iran * Lat-e Disar, village in Mazandaran Province, Iran * Lat, Qazvin, village in I ...

rebellion", tried to arrest the rioters and injured a number of them. After disafforestation, the previous site of the court and prison building at Bennet's Bower was "planted with tobacco which grew very well, till the planting of it was prohibited by Act of Parliament".'Parishes: Feckenham', in A History of the County of Worcester: Volume 3
(London, 1913), pp. 111–120 ccessed 25 August 2015 Edward Leighton was a major beneficiary of the disafforestation, gaining around 360 acres of lands. The manor lands of Feckenham were sold by Leighton to Lord Coventry in 1632.

Recent

Under the

Local Government Act 1894 The Local Government Act 1894 (56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level un ...

the civil parish was formed out of the part of Feckenham parish that was in the former Redditch Urban District, and was divided into Feckenham Rural and Feckenham Urban Districts, and the communities of Headless Cross and Crabbs Cross became part of Redditch Urban District.

Economy

From around 1790 and during the

industrial revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

, the parish and Redditch were well known for the manufacture of needles and fish-hooks. Cycles and motors have also been manufactured in the area. Agriculture is still a major activity. Feckenham was the corporate headquarters of Barretts of Feckenham, a former nationwide chain of camping and walking equipment stores that ceased trading in 2008. A new chain of stores specialising in camping and outdoor equipment, Winfield's, took over much of the Barrett business and operates from the former premises in Feckenham. Several bed & breakfast guest houses and two pubs represent the village's hospitality industry. There is a garage carrying out motor maintenance and repairs.

Architecture

There are two churches in the village. The Anglican church of St. John the Baptist was built in the mid 13th century and a has a peal of eight bells; the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

church is dedicated to St.

John Fisher John Fisher (c. 19 October 1469 – 22 June 1535) was an English Catholic bishop, cardinal, and theologian. Fisher was also an academic and Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. He was canonized by Pope Pius XI. Fisher was executed by o ...

and St.

Thomas More Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VIII as Lord ...

. The former site of the forest court and jail (Bennet's Bower) is now a sports field, west of the Anglican church. The village also contains several examples of black and white half-timbered work, especially Middle Bean Hall. One of the most notable is the 16th-century Shurnock Court Farm, situated about east of the village. The largest house in the neighbourhood is Norgrove Court, a large red brick two-storey mansion built in the mid 17th century. The massive oak door of a building that housed a former grammar school is recorded on a plaque on the south wall as: 'Erected A.D. 1611. Repaired A.D. 1848.' The village also contains well-preserved examples of Georgian architecture.

Activities and attractions

A range of community activities includes an annual two-day horse show, and a tri-annual Feckenham Flower and Garden Festival that has been held since 1985. There is an annual Summer Fair (called the Wake) which has a Royal Charter and Spring and Autumn Flower Shows which have been held since the mid 1930s. A major refurbishment of the village hall was undertaken in 2003 with grants from the National Lottery and other donations. It is the location of the FeckenOdeon Cinema and many other social and community activities including the village Nursery School. Feckenham's Wylde Moor nature reserve is an area of

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...

managed by the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust and has two bird-watching hides. Local walkways and sections of countryside have been used as locations for films. It is one of three fen wetlands in Worcestershire. The peat is in places 4 metres deep. Within the reserve are 4 meadows, all of which are floristically rich. The southern meadow unusually contains sea club rush due to the saline ground water found in the area. The village has a family owned

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

, a gastro-pub and a community village shop, "The Village Shop", opened in 2009 and run by the local community. Feckenham Cricket Club was founded in 1959 and its ground at the foot of Mill Lane is one of the most picturesque in the county. Its teams play in the Worcester County League and there is a thriving junior section, accompanied by the ECB-sponsored All Stars program for children of 5–8. In addition to the cricket activities, the club is supported by a fine bar with real ales and ciders, open Wed-Sun during the season, Thu-Sun outside. New members welcome. Feckenham Football Club, affectionately nicknamed 'The Millers', was formed in 1881 by local villagers and played for nearly a century at Mill Lane – the recreational ground known by locals as 'The Playing Fields'. The team moved in 1998 when it had to relocate as the ground could not be brought up to the standard required to play in the Midland Combination Premier Division. Despite the club having moved, the clubhouse is still intact and the pitch maintained, with youngsters enjoying the chance formally to train over summers with the club or informally kick about. Maisie Baker,
former Aston Villa ladies'
an
England U19 footballer currently on scholarship at the University of Miami
hails from Feckenham and cites utilising this area as an important part of her own football development. It also has its own Facebook page – Spotted Feckenham. The Feckenham Forest History Society, founded in 1990, holds meetings and publishes a magazine, the ''Feckenham Forester'', about the local history of Feckenham and the surrounding area.Feckenham Local History Society website
/ref> The village publishes a monthly magazine ''Feckenham News'' and in 2016 a community internet based radio station "Swansbrook Radio" began broadcasting.

Education

Feckenham has a Church of England first school (primary school).

Sport

The village of Feckenham has a cricket ground and a recreation ground (which serves mainly as a football pitch). The latter is affectionately known by locals as 'The Playing Fields'. In 2007, the final match of the five-match series of the India v England Blind Cricket tour was played at the Feckenham Cricket Club ground as the Worcester CC pitch had been flooded by the River Severn earlier that year.

Transport

The A441 is one mile east of the village, and the

M5 motorway The M5 is a motorway in England linking the Midlands with the South West England, South West. It runs from junction 8 of the M6 motorway, M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Brom ...

is about west. The nearest railway stations are Redditch and Evesham. One bus route (354 – Droitwich to Redditch) serves the village with one service in either direction on Tuesdays and Thursdays only. The

National Cycle Network The National Cycle Network (NCN) is the national cycling route network of the United Kingdom, which was established to encourage cycling and walking throughout Britain, as well as for the purposes of bicycle touring. It was created by the cha ...

Route 5 can be reached around north of the village. The nearest airport is

Birmingham International Airport Birmingham Airport , formerly ''Birmingham International Airport'', is an international airport located east-southeast of Birmingham city centre, west-northwest of Coventry slightly north of Bickenhill village, in the Metropolitan Boroug ...

Notable people

John Feckenham John Feckenham (c. 1515 – October 1584), also known as John Howman of Feckingham and later John de Feckenham or John Fecknam, was an English churchman, the last abbot of Westminster. Under Henry VIII and Edward VI Feckenham was born at Feckenh ...

(c. 1515–1584), canonised English ecclesiastic and last abbot of Westminster, was born at Feckenham. * Sir Thomas Cookes (1648–1701) of

Norgrove Court Norgrove Court is a stately home near Redditch in North Eastern Worcestershire built in 1649. It is listed Grade I on the National Heritage List for England. Location Norgrove Court is located on Norgrove Lane, in the parish of Feckenham near ...

. He settled an endowment on Worcester College, Oxford with a preference for students from Feckenham among others. * Suzanne Virdee (b. 1969), is a

News reader News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different media: word of mouth, printing, postal systems, broadcasting, electronic communication, or through the testimony of observers and witnesses to events. New ...

for BBC Midlands Today.

References

External links

Feckenham C. of E. First School

FeckenOdeon Cinema

Feckenham Parish Council web site

Worcestershire Wildlife Trust

Swansbrook Radio
{{authority control Villages in Worcestershire