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History of the Castlemorton area from 'A History of the County of Worcester: volume 4 (1924)'
Castlemorton is a large parish comprising 3,701 acres, more than half of which is pasture. It was formerly very well wooded, part of it lying within the forest of Malvern; 'half the forest which belongs to the manor of Morton' was bought by the Abbot of Westminster before 1246; there are now only about 26 acres of woodland. The soil is loam and clay and the subsoil Keuper Marl. In the east, near Longdon, the surface is rather flat, but the land rises rapidly towards the Malvern Hills, which form the western boundary of the parish. The highest point is Swinyard Hill, about 800 ft. above the ordnance datum.
The west of the parish is occupied by about 600 acres of uninclosed common land, known as Castlemorton Common and Hollybed Common,' the last remnant of the once extensive Malvern chase.' On the commons are various quarries and gravel-pits; near Hollybed Common is a corn-mill, worked by a brook which drains the parish and flows through Longdon into the Severn. Castlemorton was known more frequently till the 14th century as Morton Folliott or Folet, taking its name from its early owner. The castle was probably thrown up in the 12th century, possibly during the 'anarchy' of Stephen's reign by a member of the Folliott family. Its position is marked by 'Castle Tump' and its surrounding ditches in the village to the south of the church. Its defences were probably of timber, as was frequent in this type of castle; and being raised possibly for a temporary purpose, it apparently has no history. The castle was bought by Richard de Berkyng, Abbot of Westminster (1222-46), from some of the members of the Folliott family. It was probably this Abbot Richard who appointed a chaplain to celebrate divine service daily in the chapel of his castle here. Early in the reign of Edward I the abbot 'appropriated a carucate of land to his castle of Morton. No other references to the castle have been found.
Hillend Court is situated about a mile east of the village, near the Longdon boundary. It was in the 18th century the home of the Bartlett family, who had, however, lived at Castlemorton for many years before they purchased Hillend. On 21 September 1642 a force of 150 soldiers under Captain Scriven plundered the house of Mr. Rowland Bartlett of Castlemorton, ' a man so well beloved, for his hospitality so dear to all sorts of people, that had not the rebels taken the opportunity of his neighbours being at Ledbury Fair, the force had been too weak to have plundered his house.'They took away much money and linen, but ' scattered Mrs. Bartlett's sweetmeats on the ground, not daring to taste them for fear of poison. ' Mr. Bartlett had his house plundered five or six times during the Civil War. Some traces of this house were left in 1854. In 1609-10 there was a serious outbreak of the plague in Castlemorton.
Some of the common lands in this parish were inclosed by a general Inclosure Act of 1836. The award was made in 1845. The men are employed in agriculture; some of the women were formerly glove-sewers.
To read more please visit the citation link below.
Sponsor: Victoria County History
Publication: A History of the County of Worcester: volume 4
Author: William Page, J.W.Willis-Bund (editors)
Year published: 1924
Pages: 49-53
Citation URL: www.british-history.ac.uk/report
©Hart's of Castlemorton 2010
All Rights Reserved.
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