Clent
Encyclopedia
Clent is a village and civil parish
in the Bromsgrove District
of Worcestershire
, England
, southwest of Birmingham
and close to the edge of the West Midlands conurbation
. At the 2001 census it had a population of 2,600.
The parishes of Clent and Broome
were once an exclave
of Staffordshire
, completely surrounded by Worcestershire, having been seized by the Sheriff of Staffordshire before the Norman Conquest
. This anomaly was addressed in 1844 when it was belatedly returned to Worcestershire. Clent had however always remained part of the Worcester Diocese
.
Because of the hilly topography
of the parish
the village consists of several distinct hamlets
. These are Upper Clent (around the parish church
of St. Leonard and Clatterbach), Lower Clent, Holy Cross
, Adams Hill and Walton Pool.
The Civil Parish of Clent also includes part of the village of West Hagley
, the population of which is about half that of the whole parish. Though in the ancient ecclesiastical parish
of Clent, that area is now part of the Anglican
parish of Broome.
Part of the parish is an area of agricultural lowland, but to the northwest the ground rises forming the Clent Hills
(now owned by the National Trust
), which is a popular destination for walkers.
Sunfield Children's Home is located in Clent, a charitable school for children with autism
and complex learning needs. There is also a small primary school located in Holy Cross, called Clent Parochial Primary School, with just over 100 pupils ranging from Reception (age 4) to Year 6 (age 11), after
which the pupils feed into Haybridge High School
, the local secondary school, in the neighbouring village of Hagley
.
Notable residents of Clent include barrister
Alan Todd
and cricket
ers Richard Fowler
and James Higgs-Walker
.
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 Bromsgrove District
Bromsgrove (district)
Bromsgrove is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in the town of Bromsgrove.It borders the built up area of Birmingham to the north...
of Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, 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...
, southwest of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and close to the edge of the West Midlands conurbation
West Midlands conurbation
The West Midlands conurbation is the name given to the large conurbation that includes the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the large towns of Dudley, Walsall, West Bromwich, Solihull, Stourbridge, Halesowen in the English West Midlands....
. At the 2001 census it had a population of 2,600.
The parishes of Clent and Broome
Broome, Worcestershire
Broome is a village and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 338. The village is situated just south of the border with West Midlands and includes the village of Broome as well as the hamlet of Hackmans gate....
were once an exclave
Enclave and exclave
In political geography, an enclave is a territory whose geographical boundaries lie entirely within the boundaries of another territory.An exclave, on the other hand, is a territory legally or politically attached to another territory with which it is not physically contiguous.These are two...
of Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, completely surrounded by Worcestershire, having been seized by the Sheriff of Staffordshire before the Norman Conquest
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
. This anomaly was addressed in 1844 when it was belatedly returned to Worcestershire. Clent had however always remained part of the Worcester Diocese
Anglican Diocese of Worcester
The Diocese of Worcester forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England.The diocese was founded in around 679 by St Theodore of Canterbury at Worcester to minister to the kingdom of the Hwicce, one of the many Anglo Saxon petty-kingdoms of that time...
.
Because of the hilly topography
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
of the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
the village consists of several distinct hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
. These are Upper Clent (around the parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of St. Leonard and Clatterbach), Lower Clent, Holy Cross
Holy Cross, Worcestershire
Holy Cross is a hamlet in Worcestershire, England. It is one of the five hamlets that make up the parish of Clent. The village is mostly housing apart from a pub....
, Adams Hill and Walton Pool.
The Civil Parish of Clent also includes part of the village of West Hagley
Hagley
Hagley is a village and civil parish on the northern boundary of Worcestershire, England, near to the towns of Kidderminster and Stourbridge. The parish had a population of 4,283 in 2001, but the whole village had a population of perhaps 5,600, including the part in Clent parish...
, the population of which is about half that of the whole parish. Though in the ancient ecclesiastical parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Clent, that area is now part of the Anglican
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
parish of Broome.
Part of the parish is an area of agricultural lowland, but to the northwest the ground rises forming the Clent Hills
Clent Hills
The Clent Hills lie 9⅓ miles southwest of Birmingham city centre in Clent, Worcestershire, England. The closest towns are Stourbridge and Halesowen, both in the West Midlands conurbation. The Clent Hills range consists of, in order from north-west to south-east: Wychbury Hill, Clent Hill , and...
(now owned by the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
), which is a popular destination for walkers.
Sunfield Children's Home is located in Clent, a charitable school for children with autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
and complex learning needs. There is also a small primary school located in Holy Cross, called Clent Parochial Primary School, with just over 100 pupils ranging from Reception (age 4) to Year 6 (age 11), after
which the pupils feed into Haybridge High School
Haybridge High School
Haybridge High School and Sixth Form is a 11–18 mixed comprehensive school with approximately 1,250 students in Hagley, serving North West Worcestershire. The school is a Technology College, with the two additional specialisms of Applied Learning and Sports...
, the local secondary school, in the neighbouring village of Hagley
Hagley
Hagley is a village and civil parish on the northern boundary of Worcestershire, England, near to the towns of Kidderminster and Stourbridge. The parish had a population of 4,283 in 2001, but the whole village had a population of perhaps 5,600, including the part in Clent parish...
.
Notable residents of Clent include barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
Alan Todd
Alan Todd
Alan Livesey Stuart Todd was a barrister living at Clent.He was educated at Wellington College and Oxford University. He was elected as a Member of Parliament in the 1931 General Election for the Kingswinford division of Staffordshire as a Conservative, but was not reelected at the following...
and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
ers Richard Fowler
Richard Fowler
Richard Harold Fowler was an English cricketer who played four first-class matches for Worcestershire in 1921....
and James Higgs-Walker
James Higgs-Walker
James Arthur Higgs-Walker was an English cricketer who played two first-class games for Worcestershire, one each side of the First World War....
.