Bearley
Encyclopedia
Bearley is a village and civil parish
in the Stratford district
of Warwickshire
, England
. The village is about five miles (8 km) north of Stratford-upon-Avon
, bounded on the north by Wootton Wawen, on the east by Snitterfield, and on the south and west by Aston Cantlow. The western boundary is formed by a stream running out of Edstone Lake; it would seem that the land, now part of Edstone in Wootton Wawen, between the stream where it flows west from the lake and the road running east from Bearley Cross, was originally included in Bearley.
The land within the parish rises gradually from a height of 216 ft (65.8 m). in the north-west at Bearley Cross to about 370 ft (112.8 m). at the south-east corner of the parish, and is open except along its eastern boundary, where part of the extensive wood known as Snitterfield Bushes is included in Bearley.
At Bearley Cross the road running west to Alcester and east to Warwick is crossed by the main road running north-west from Stratford-on-Avon to Henley-in Arden. To the south of the Cross and the station a road runs south-east from the Stratford road, passing the Grange and the Manor House, to the church. This seems to be the Saltereswey which in 1249 formed one of the limits of the demesnes of Bearley, the others being the high road from Stratford to Henley and the Lochamwey, which may be identified with the road, passing the Methodist chapel, connecting the other two roads.
As of the 2001 census the population was 758.
Bearley is recorded in the Domesday Book
where its 5 hides were split, 4 being held by William son of Courbucion who holds "in Bearley 4 hides. Land for 4 ploughs. In Lordship 1; 2 slaves; 9 villagers and 6 smallholders with 5 ploughs. Meadow, 4 acres; in Warwick 1 house which pays 8d. The value was 60s; now 40s. Ernwin and his mother held it freely." and 1 hide as part of the lands of Robert of Stafford " Alric holds 1 hide in Bearley. Land for 1 plough. 1 villager and 1 slave. Meadow 1 acre. The value was 20s; now 10s. He also held it (before 1066)."
About 1175 this 1 hide was in the tenure of Hervey de Stratton, who with his son Richard remitted his rights therein to his overlord Robert de Stafford, grandson of the Domesday Robert who granted it to the Abbey of Bordesley.
Upon the dissolution of the monasteries
it came to Clement Throckmorton who later sold it William Walter who passed it to Mr Fanshaw.
of the Conservative Party
.It is included in the West Midlands
electoral region of the European Parliament and the six members are; Mike Nattrass
(UK Independence), Liz Lynne
(Liberal Democrat), Malcolm Harbour
(Conservative), Michael Cashman
(Labour), Philip Bradbourn
OBE (Conservative) and Nicole Sinclaire
(UK Independence).
There is limited local employment: light industry, retail, a nursing home, agriculture and livestock farming. Most of the working population has jobs further afield in Stratford-upon-Avon, and in the conurbations of Redditch, Birmingham and Coventry.
The village shop and post office closed in 2001. The nearest facilities are in Wilmcote
dates probably from the end of the 12th century and the chancel
with its thinner walls may be of the 13th or 14th century. Much of the upper part of the walling is modern, also all the windows. The nave was lengthened about 10 ft (3 m). and the western porch and bell-turret was added early in the 19th century. The plan is a plain rectangle about 55½ ft. long inside, of which about 20½ ft. is the chancel, by 15½ ft. The chancel walls are 2 in 3 in (0.6858 m) thick, built of lias rubble, mostly squared in the lower parts and with sandstone angle-dressings. It is probable the north wall has been partly rebuilt. The east window is a single light set high up, but there is a patching for a former lower window. The north and south windows are of two lights and were also formerly lower in the walls. About a yard east of them are short straight joints and pieces of sandstone that may indicate former windows. The nave has side walls 2 in 9 in (0.8382 m) thick; the lower halves of them are of early shaly rubble with wide jointing, and above this are medieval sandstone courses. The north and south windows are of two lights and both have patchings below them for lower windows. In the north wall are the remains of a 12th century doorway of sandstone, now blocked: it has jambs of two orders, the inner with an edge-roll; the outer is square and had nook-shafts, which have disappeared except for the western capital; this is of cushion form with cheveron ornament. The head is pointed and of one square order, probably a later alteration. In the south wall is another blocked doorway with square pilaster-jambs and pointed head, perhaps of the 13th century but difficult to date. The two buttresses to each wall are medieval. The west wall and porch-tower are of red brick. The bell-cote is of wood. The main roof is tiled. One of the three bells is medieval.
for many residents. An active WI, a thriving Garden Club (Bearley Gardeners), an energetic Indoor Short Mat Bowls Club (Snipes) and the popularity of the village cricket and football teams centred around the sports club are perhaps the only groups doing something positive to try and reverse this trend.
A film show entitled 'Bygone Bearley' showing images both old and new of Bearley Village life is held annually in the Village Hall, to raise funds for the restoration and upkeep of the church of St.Mary the Virgin.
Snitterfield bushes, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) managed by the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, lies 2 km east of Bearley.
The longest aqueduct in England, the Edstone Aqueduct, is just outside Bearley on the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal
.
Bearley railway station
is a halt on the Leamington to Stratford Line
, and the Stratford to Marylebone Line.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Stratford district
Stratford-on-Avon (district)
Stratford-on-Avon is a local government district of southern Warwickshire in England.The district is named "Stratford-on-Avon" to distinguish it from its main town of Stratford-upon-Avon where the district council is based, although this name often causes confusion .The district is mostly rural and...
of Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The village is about five miles (8 km) north of Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
, bounded on the north by Wootton Wawen, on the east by Snitterfield, and on the south and west by Aston Cantlow. The western boundary is formed by a stream running out of Edstone Lake; it would seem that the land, now part of Edstone in Wootton Wawen, between the stream where it flows west from the lake and the road running east from Bearley Cross, was originally included in Bearley.
The land within the parish rises gradually from a height of 216 ft (65.8 m). in the north-west at Bearley Cross to about 370 ft (112.8 m). at the south-east corner of the parish, and is open except along its eastern boundary, where part of the extensive wood known as Snitterfield Bushes is included in Bearley.
At Bearley Cross the road running west to Alcester and east to Warwick is crossed by the main road running north-west from Stratford-on-Avon to Henley-in Arden. To the south of the Cross and the station a road runs south-east from the Stratford road, passing the Grange and the Manor House, to the church. This seems to be the Saltereswey which in 1249 formed one of the limits of the demesnes of Bearley, the others being the high road from Stratford to Henley and the Lochamwey, which may be identified with the road, passing the Methodist chapel, connecting the other two roads.
As of the 2001 census the population was 758.
History
The name is first recorded as Burlei in 1086 and is from Old English burh + leah 'woodland clearing near a fortified place.'Bearley is recorded in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
where its 5 hides were split, 4 being held by William son of Courbucion who holds "in Bearley 4 hides. Land for 4 ploughs. In Lordship 1; 2 slaves; 9 villagers and 6 smallholders with 5 ploughs. Meadow, 4 acres; in Warwick 1 house which pays 8d. The value was 60s; now 40s. Ernwin and his mother held it freely." and 1 hide as part of the lands of Robert of Stafford " Alric holds 1 hide in Bearley. Land for 1 plough. 1 villager and 1 slave. Meadow 1 acre. The value was 20s; now 10s. He also held it (before 1066)."
About 1175 this 1 hide was in the tenure of Hervey de Stratton, who with his son Richard remitted his rights therein to his overlord Robert de Stafford, grandson of the Domesday Robert who granted it to the Abbey of Bordesley.
Upon the dissolution of the monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
it came to Clement Throckmorton who later sold it William Walter who passed it to Mr Fanshaw.
Governance
Bearley is part of the Snitterfield ward of Stratford on Avon District Council and represented by Councillor Richard Hobbs, Conservative. Nationally it is part of Stratford-on-Avon constituency, whose current Member of Parliament following the 2010 election is Nadhim ZahawiNadhim Zahawi
Nadhim Zahawi is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Stratford-on-Avon since 2010, after the retirement of previous MP John Maples....
of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
.It is included in the West Midlands
West Midlands (European Parliament constituency)
West Midlands is a constituency of the European Parliament. For 2009 it elected 6 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation. The constituency will also elect a "virtual MEP" who will be able to sit in the Parliament if the Treaty of Lisbon comes into effect...
electoral region of the European Parliament and the six members are; Mike Nattrass
Mike Nattrass
Mike Nattrass is an English politician and Member of the European Parliament, representing the West Midlands constituency for the UK Independence Party , elected for the first time in June 2004 and re-elected in June 2009....
(UK Independence), Liz Lynne
Liz Lynne
Elizabeth Lynne, known as Liz Lynne, is a British politician, and has been a Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands for the Liberal Democrats since her election at the 1999 European election...
(Liberal Democrat), Malcolm Harbour
Malcolm Harbour
Malcolm Harbour is a British politician. He is a Conservative Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands. He is a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group and the Chairman of the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection.-Motor industry:Malcolm Harbour was...
(Conservative), Michael Cashman
Michael Cashman
Michael Maurice Cashman is a British former actor, now a Labour politician. He has been a Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands constituency since 1999.- Acting :...
(Labour), Philip Bradbourn
Philip Bradbourn
Philip Bradbourn OBE MEP is a British politician, and Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands, for the Conservative Party...
OBE (Conservative) and Nicole Sinclaire
Nikki Sinclaire
Nicole Sinclaire is a European politician from the United Kingdom and is a current MEP.Educated at the University of Canterbury graduating with a Bachelor of Laws qualification. Sinclaire has worked for Lloyds as a 'problem troubleshooter' was employed as a Gateway store manager and worked in...
(UK Independence).
Economy
The village is home to Bearley Vineyard , a three acre, family run vineyard that produces award winning white, rosé and red English wines. It was established in 2005 and has since won numerous regional and national awards including The Best Red Wine in Mercia for the Pinot Noir Précoce 2009, and The Best Rosé Wine in Mercia for the Rosé 2010 . It welcomes members of the local community to help harvest and the owners have given talks to local groups such as the Bearley Gardeners on the running of the vineyard and wine making in the UK.There is limited local employment: light industry, retail, a nursing home, agriculture and livestock farming. Most of the working population has jobs further afield in Stratford-upon-Avon, and in the conurbations of Redditch, Birmingham and Coventry.
The village shop and post office closed in 2001. The nearest facilities are in Wilmcote
Notable buildings
The parish church of St. Mary The Virgin has been largely rebuilt in modern times, but the naveNave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
dates probably from the end of the 12th century and the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
with its thinner walls may be of the 13th or 14th century. Much of the upper part of the walling is modern, also all the windows. The nave was lengthened about 10 ft (3 m). and the western porch and bell-turret was added early in the 19th century. The plan is a plain rectangle about 55½ ft. long inside, of which about 20½ ft. is the chancel, by 15½ ft. The chancel walls are 2 in 3 in (0.6858 m) thick, built of lias rubble, mostly squared in the lower parts and with sandstone angle-dressings. It is probable the north wall has been partly rebuilt. The east window is a single light set high up, but there is a patching for a former lower window. The north and south windows are of two lights and were also formerly lower in the walls. About a yard east of them are short straight joints and pieces of sandstone that may indicate former windows. The nave has side walls 2 in 9 in (0.8382 m) thick; the lower halves of them are of early shaly rubble with wide jointing, and above this are medieval sandstone courses. The north and south windows are of two lights and both have patchings below them for lower windows. In the north wall are the remains of a 12th century doorway of sandstone, now blocked: it has jambs of two orders, the inner with an edge-roll; the outer is square and had nook-shafts, which have disappeared except for the western capital; this is of cushion form with cheveron ornament. The head is pointed and of one square order, probably a later alteration. In the south wall is another blocked doorway with square pilaster-jambs and pointed head, perhaps of the 13th century but difficult to date. The two buttresses to each wall are medieval. The west wall and porch-tower are of red brick. The bell-cote is of wood. The main roof is tiled. One of the three bells is medieval.
Sports and leisure
Like many other rural villages that are within commuting distance of large cities, Bearley has become a dormitory villageCommuter town
A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...
for many residents. An active WI, a thriving Garden Club (Bearley Gardeners), an energetic Indoor Short Mat Bowls Club (Snipes) and the popularity of the village cricket and football teams centred around the sports club are perhaps the only groups doing something positive to try and reverse this trend.
A film show entitled 'Bygone Bearley' showing images both old and new of Bearley Village life is held annually in the Village Hall, to raise funds for the restoration and upkeep of the church of St.Mary the Virgin.
Snitterfield bushes, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) managed by the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, lies 2 km east of Bearley.
Transport links
Stratford-upon-Avon Canal
The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal is a canal in the south Midlands of England.The canal, which was built between 1793 and 1816, runs for in total, and consists of two sections. The dividing line is at Kingswood Junction, which gives access to the Grand Union Canal...
.
Bearley railway station
Bearley railway station
Bearley railway station serves the village of Bearley in south Warwickshire. Once a junction station , today it is an unstaffed rural halt, managed by London Midland although Chiltern Railways provides most of the train services...
is a halt on the Leamington to Stratford Line
Leamington to Stratford Line
The Leamington to Stratford Line is a railway line linking Leamington Spa and Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England. It follows the Chiltern Main Line from Leamington to Hatton before diverging to the south...
, and the Stratford to Marylebone Line.