THE

PARISH OF HABBERLEY.

BY THE REV. C. H. DRINKWATER, M.A.

IT cannot fail to be a matter of regret that so little is known respecting the early history of many of our country parishes; in not a few cases we have reason to suspect that there was something peculiarly important connected with their first settlement. This is apparently the case with Habberley. In that "Liber Censualis," generally called Domesday Book, a fact is recorded which raises questions of more than ordinary interest. At this distant date we may not expect to solve many of them at all satisfactorily, but we may, by putting our scanty materials together, at least pave the way for future explorers. The fact to which I refer is the earliest notice found anywhere respecting this place, yet it is only an indirect reference. In the Customs and Laws of Sciropescire occurs this very significant passage: "One ancient custom was, that when the (Saxon) King resided at Shrewsbury, the Sheriff used to send thirty-six footmen to the (hunting) stand (ad stabilitionem) but at the Park of Marsetelie they used to find thirty-six men for eight days." Of Marsetelie we only know that it was within the limits of the parish now under review-that of Habberley. This record is scanty enough, only sufficient to excite curiosity respecting the park of Marsetelie and its King-lord. How often did he reside there? What kind of a residence did he possess? Why did he need a special body-guard? Was his stay limited to eight days? What is the meaning of Marsetelie? The following incident mentioned by Henry of Huntingdon, and confirmed by William of Malmesbury, affords the only VOL. VIII.

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information we possess on the subject. Meanwhile," says the former" King Ethelred (the unready) lay in sorrow and perplexity at his manor in Shropshire, where he was often wounded by rumours of these disasters." This manor was probably Marsetelie, for if Shrewsbury, a British city, had been intended, it would scarcely have been styled a manor. Shrewsbury was indeed the occasional residence of King Ethelred's son-in-law and vicegerent, the infamous Edric Streone, Earl of Mercia, for here it was that he caused Ælfhelm, the Ealdormian, to be treacherously assassinated; this murder may have been the reason for the King's requiring a body-guard at Shrewsbury, but we must seek for some other reason for it at Marsetelie, and that probably will be found in the proximity of that manor to Wales and its turbulent inhabitants. Marsetelie is now represented by a solitary farm house, which bears the name of Marstley or Marsley, situated about midway up the valley south of Habberley, from which it is distant about three quarters of a mile. The other sides of the valley are shut in by hills of low elevation abutting on the loftier ranges of the Long Mynd and the Stiperstones. In this neighbourhood for centuries after Saxon times was a famous forest or chase called Huckstow (Hockestow or Hogston). The present house at Marstley is small, but it occupies a commanding position in the middle of the valley on a knoll, which slopes rapidly to the south and east. There are no ancient remains, nothing to indicate that this was ever the site of a royal residence. The house is of timber and brick, of two stories, the stable only is of masonry, the stones of which may have formed the walls of some older building, which has been demolished. The original manor house would no doubt have been a timber building wattled, as was the custom in early times, and the park may very well have consisted of the undulating portions of the valley, which, to serve its purpose, would have been surrounded by a stockade of timber; while, beyond, on the higher

1 The Inroads of the Danes.

ground to the west and south, lay the Royal Forest of the Stiperstones, access to which was obtained by a road running direct from Marstley through the gap below the Upper and Lower Vessons to a spot overlooking the mines of Snailbeach, which is even now called Lord's Hill, while further to the south, in the parish of Ratlinghope, are two places called respectively Hunters' Wood and Hunters' Dingle. The hill to the north of the Vesson, now densely wooded, bears the name of the Estridge, an old name for a species of large falcon, mentioned by Shakespeare, Ant. and Cleop. iii. 11.

To be furious

Is to be frighted out of fear, and in that mood

The dove will peck the estridge.

To the fact of its being in the vicinity of the Saxon King-Lord's Manor House we may fairly ascribe the erection of Habberley Chapel as a dependent upon the original Collegiate Church of Minsterley. This foundation must have been a considerable time before the compilation of Domesday, as in that book the collegiate status is found to have been transferred to Westbury, and so Minsterley itself became that which Westbury had been beforetime, merely a chapelry of the Collegiate Church.

Habberley is not indeed recognised as a parish in either 1291 or 1341. In the Valor of 1534-5, it is, however, found to be independent; the preferment of Roger Jenks, then rector of Habberley, in the Deanery of Pontesbury, was valued at £4. Os. 2d. per annum in glebe and tithes, less 6d. paid to the Archdeacon for synodals. The barons of Caux presented, their right to do so being derived from having, at the Conquest, become possessed of King Edward's manor of Menistrelie. In one of Mr. George Morris's MS. books the name Habberley (Habburleg or Hatburleg) is derived from the Welsh Habur, a goat, and leag, legh, a meadow; but to this fanciful derivation it may be objected that there is no such word as Habur in the Welsh language. Hafr does occur, but with the strict meaning of the

Latin caper, and besides, names in which British and Saxon words are compounded are too rare to permit this conjecture to pass. It is more probably altogether of Saxon origin, and formed either to point out the pasture (leag) of some Habur or Hatbur, or else it may take its name from Haver, formerly used for cultivated oats, but now in several districts for wild oats only. Haver cake is an oat cake, Haver sack an oatmeal bag, an dso Habberley would be synonymous with Oatley. The earliest spelling is Hatburleg.

In Testa de Nevil, a work compiled about A.D. 1284, we find under-Baronia Thom Corbet". Aď de Arundel dim' feod' in Hatburleg and Rad' de Ree iij. p'tem in Ree. In "Calend' Inquis' post mortem" 21mo Edw'. 1mo (A.D. 1347-8) Beatrix uxor Petri Corbet (dies seized of) Haberlegh in Com' Salop'. In 49th year of Edwd iij (1375-6) Rob'tus Corbet Ch'r (dies seized of) Haberley maner' in Salop' et March' Wallia. Haburleye is also found. In the Calend' Rot' Pat' anno 5to Regis Richardi secundo (A.D. 1381-2) 'Rex concessit Fulconi Corbet militi pro vitâ su visum franci pleg' ac wayf, stray, infandtheof' &c. in maneriis suis de Yoculton et Haburley in Com' Salop.'

Habberley was, in fact, an early feoffment made soon after the Conquest by one of the Barons of Caux. Adam de Arundel was, about A.D. 1180, fined 10 merks for some misdemeanor. He was the ancestor of another Adam de Arundel, who, as we have seen, held, about A D. 1240, half a fee at Habberley, under Thomas Corbet. Habberley came to the Corbets probably through the marriage of Matilda, heiress of the Arundels, to Robert Corbet. She died in A.D. 1309. Her son and heir, Thomas Corbet, was born December 25th, 1281.

Habberley was anciently held by the service of one Knight's fee (but at a later period than that just now mentioned) of Hugh, Earl of Stafford. No entail is stated. A family named Coudray had an interest here about

Early in the 14th century, William, son of Sir Roger, Parson of Habberleye, gives for a consideration of money to William fitz-Madoc, of Pontesford, a messuage and nokate within the vill of Habberleye.

The modern Habberley has been described, and no doubt correctly, as "a parish in the Pontesbury division of the hundred of Ford, a rectory discharged, in the diocese of Hereford, Archdeaconry of Salop, containing 27 houses and 135 inhabitants. It is situated about 9 miles S.W. of the county town. It is rated in the King's Books at £4. Os. 21d. The living is in the patronage of Frederick Turton Sparrow, Esq., a resident landholder. There are a few small freeholders." The village is pleasantly situated in the midst of an undulating district, on a small stream, which, in part, serves as the eastern boundary of the parish, but is apparently nameless. The scenery is bold and diver

sified.

The Church is said by some to be dedicated to S. Mary, by others to S. James. In the parish books nothing is said about the dedication. The wakes are held on the first Monday after the 5th August; this would seem to point out S. Lawrence as the patron saint, whose festival occurs on the 11th. The Church consists of a nave only, to which is added on the northeast what is called in the parish books a side-chancel, now used as a vestry, and separated from the body of the church by a modern wooden screen. This was probably a hantry-chapel. The building no doubt, was, originally Norman. The north and south doorways are fine specimens of early work, but all the windows are of the decorated period, except one in the south wall near the holy table, which is Elizabethan, probably inserted in the place of a lancet at the time when light to read the Book of Common Prayer became necessary. The other window in the south wall is a lancet window decorated, divided by mullions into two compartments. The two north windows are also lancet, single lights, deeply splayed. The east window is filled with stained