Herefordshire Through Time
Herefordshire Through Time
(Taken from an article in the Herefordshire Archaeological News, No. 74, 2003 by Rosamund Skelton of the Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club Archaeological Research Section)
There have been a number of suggestions as to the identification of the boundary set out in the Charter of Staunton-on-Arrow. The first was by Lord Rennell of Rodd; the second by Frank Noble; and a third by Beryl Lewis in a lecture to the Woolhope Club in 1998.
"The mill ford" is the first location mentioned and looking at the Arrow there is a possible mill site at OS grid reference SO 369 600, although this is fed by a leat and is not on the river, so it probably is a much later location than the one we are looking for. However, even the earlier mill ford was probably on the river in the vicinity of either this mill or another slightly further downstream at SO 371 596, where the modern parish boundary joins the river.
"Washford" is the next site and the tithe map of 1839 records a field called "Upper Wash Croft" at SO 360 603. It seems feasible that there may have been a ford somewhere near, particularly as a footpath leads down to the river by this field (although its destination now is a footbridge over the river further down). The relocation of the bridge away from the fording place is probably at a narrower crossing place.
"From Washford along the Arrow around the top of Holneig". Holneig could be interpreted as "island lying in a deep hollow" or possibly "a deep hollow island". The southern portion of the parish lies on an area of boulder clay and the ice has created some interesting land forms here, one of which is a deep, broad-bottomed basin west of Denby Hall at SO 345 607, almost entirely surrounded by steep slopes. Because it is not a normal valley created by running water it is still inclined to be marshy with poor drainage. It is a very striking feature but does lie a long way from the river, unless the feature gave its name to the whole area around it.
"From Holneig top onto the top of the oak edge, then along the top of the oak edge to the forward line of the snæd way". The oak edge is probably where the parish boundary follows the 230m contour around the hill leading to Weobley Ash Wood. Snæd can mean a detached piece of ground, so presumably the road led to a detached piece of ground. There is an old track along the north side of Green Lane Wood and Burcher Wood, and vestiges of this track are discernible as it comes down a ploughed field to cross the B4355; this is in an appropriate location for the snæd way and is also along the line of the parish boundary.
"From the snaed way around Heanlege (Hanley) to the oak bridge". Heanlege may mean either the high or the long clearing in a wood. The similarity of the name to that of the modern farm at Highland makes it seem likely that the Heanlege lay to the north and west of the modern Highland. Finding an "oak bridge" near here is not so easy; there are two possible locations which would allow a logical link to the next section of the boundary. One is at the bridge by Broadford or alternatively higher up the same stream at SO 336 615, a point to which a footpath is heading on the north side of the B4355. This stops short before reaching the stream because of the building of the railway beside the watercourse, however there is evidence on the tithe map of a track way continuing up to Highland on the same alignment before the building of the railway.
"Up along the brook then to the dyke". If the dyke is a bank rather than a water-filled ditch then a suitable bank is still partially visible in the landscape, lying on the south side of fields called Near Brink, Far Near Brink and The Brink on the tithe map. To make the boundary as described connect with this dyke requires a small brook flowing off Wapley Hill. Nowadays it is likely that this has been culverted or drained through field drainage as nothing is visible on the map.
"Along the dyke to Tanesbaec". Stansbatch, an existing settlement, seems to offer a good identification for this location and the bank south of The Brink leads to it. However the meaning ofTanesbaec is not clear; tan is either a twig, shoot or sprouting, while baec maybe either a stream or a valley. The later conversion of baec to batch in the surviving name suggests that "valley of the shoots" (coppice growth?) might be an appropriate interpretation.
"From Tanesbaec along the boundary fence then to the boundary of the community of the Lene". Frank Noble identified the land of the community of Lene as Osbern son of Richard's manor ofWapeltone, which "lay in Leominster before 1066" - that is, it was part of the lands of Leominster Abbey before it was dissolved in 1046. Bruce Coplestone-Crow lists later spellings of Wapeltone asWappelyth (1304) and Wapelethe (1399) and suggests that this name incorporates the Old English hilth used in Shropshire and Herefordshire for a distinctive type of concave hill-slope. He also suggests that the name wapol is variously interpreted as "marsh" or "spring". The south-east slopes of Wapley Hill still have a scattering of ponds which probably represent "kettle holes" surviving from the Ice Age in this glaciated landscape. This two hide manor had a population of one riding man, one villager and 22 smallholders with a total of 6 ploughs in 1086. The site of the settlement of Wapletone has been lost, although in this remote location it may be that these people lived in scattered dwellings but its proximity to the Welsh Border would make it dangerous. In 1086 Osbern son of Richard also owned the neighbouring 4 hide manor of Staunton, identified in the 12th century Balliol manuscript of the Domesday Book as Vure Stanton' et Maldelega (later Over Staunton and Mowley). As a result the boundary between Wapley and Staunton is difficult to identify. In the field there is a curving bank still partially identifiable where the field boundaries have not been ploughed out, which can also been seen on the tithe map running south of field numbers 129 (Godding's Wood), 128 and 129 (Bosley Fields) and 125 (Well Piece). This just might represent an ancient boundary such as the Lene community's boundary.
Frank Noble has suggested that the 4 hide manor of Over Staunton and Mowley combined with the 2 hide manor of Nether Staunton and Stocklow held by Ralph Mortimer in 1086 represents the original "6 manentes" of the Anglo-Saxon Charter. Interestingly, the division between these two manors has survived because each manor lay in a different medieval Hundred and the hundred boundary is shown on the tithe map. Nether Staunton and Stocklow had a listed population of 6 villagers, 4 smallholders with 4 ploughs, 4 slaves and 2 ploughs in lordship. It seems strange that the more marginal 2 hide manor of Wapley had as many ploughs as the 4 hide manor of Over Staunton and a far greater number of smallholders, making a larger number of people on the ground. It would be interesting to know what additional jobs the smallholders did - were they charcoal burners or perhaps woodmen?
"From the Lene community's boundary then the Aethelwold's hedge. Form Aethelwold's hedge to heanoldan". A suggested interpretation for heanoldan is the "high place of the deer", and the field name Henley Bank on the tithe map may give a rough indication of its location.
"From heanoldan to the boundary thorn". Frank Noble considered the boundary thorn was likely to be at the meeting place of the modern parishes of Pembridge, Byton and Staunton. The only other meeting point of boundaries is where Over Staunton and Nether Staunton meet on the Byton parish boundary.
"From the boundary thorn along the fence to the swing gate". This seems to be a somewhat enclosed landscape with fences and it may well be where the parish boundary passes in a series of right-angled bends close to the site of Stocklow Manor, the swing gate no doubt being located where the enclosed cultivated land ended on the "street".
"From the swing gate along the street to the dyke gate". Street is a term usually applied to Roman or paved roads, and the dyke gate is perhaps the most securely identified point in the whole charter boundary, being the point where the Rowe Ditch crosses the Roman road. In order that the swing gate may be on a street the Roman road would have to continue straight up to Stocklow Manor along the present parish boundary.
"From the dyke gate to the third gate. Then along the street then back to mill ford". I would suggest that the boundary follows the Rowe Ditch to the third gate on the second Roman road which comes south-west from Milton Cross, because if it had continued as the modern parish boundary does down the street to Milton Cross it would have said so. A long stretch of Roman road brings the boundary near to the River Arrow and a side road leading to various mill sites on either side of the modern Gig Bridge. The convergence of two paths from the south side of the river on Gig Bridge may indicate that this is an old crossing point and a possible location for "the mill ford" as there is a mill nearby.