History

Temple Grafton and Ardens Grafton

Temple Grafton is a village and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England, situated about 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Alcester and 14 miles (23 km) west of the county town of Warwick.

The areas of Temple Grafton, Ardens Grafton, and the adjacent village of Exhall have historically been small, rural communities based on agricultural farming.

In the Domesday book 1086, Grafton was registered in the name of a man named Gilbert who had about 600 acres for 5 ploughs and a meadow of twenty-four acres. Households registered are: “6 villagers. 6 smallholders. 4 slaves. 1 priest” with their families would have totalled a population of about 80.

The Knights Hospitallers were first referenced in 1189, holding a manor and a preceptory under their lordship, presumably to care for the sick as depicted in the West window in the Church. Eventually having their order suppressed in 1540.

Back then the main manor was simply known as Grafton with Ardens Grafton known as Grafton Minor. It is not until 1535 Temple Grafton first occurred (which is a misnomer because the Knights Templar were never the owners) and Ardens Grafton is first mentioned in 1650.

The first parish council was in 1894.

The original Temple Grafton Manor house was replaced in 1876 by the present day Grafton Court.

The Manor was brought in 1867 by Mr James William Carlile he also built the Church in 1875 after he acquired the patronage of the living. His memory is honored in a stained glass window in the Church.

Links to Shakespeare

It is known as one of the Shakespeare villages. William Shakespeare is said to have joined a party of Stratford folk which set itself to outdrink a drinking club at Bidford-on-Avon, and as a result of his labors in that regard to have fallen asleep under the crab tree of which a descendant is still called Shakespeare's tree. When morning dawned his friends wished to renew the encounter but he wisely said:

"No I have drunk with "Piping Pebworth, Dancing Marston, Haunted Hillboro', Hungry Grafton, Dodging Exhall, Papist Wixford, Beggarly Broom and Drunken Bidford’” and so, presumably, I will drink no more."

It is also known for a passage in the Diocese of Worcester records: an entry for 1582 mentions a marriage license being issued to one William Shaxpere and an Anne Whateley of Temple Grafton. The following day, Fulk Sandells and John Richardson, friends of the Hathaway family from Stratford-upon-Avon, signed a surety of £40 as a financial guarantee for the wedding of "William Shagspere and Anne Hathwey," referring to the playwright and poet of the 1590s–1610s, and his wife Anne (née Hathaway), of Shottery.

This has caused speculation; Temple Grafton is only 5 mi (8 km) west of Stratford, and it is speculated that Shakespeare may have wished to marry Anne of Temple Grafton, only to be forced to marry Anne Hathaway (who was pregnant) instead. There is no other "William Shakespeare" known to have been living in the region at that time. Other scholars theorise that "Whateley" is simply a clerical error for "Hathaway;" spelling of English personal names was very variable in the Elizabethan period. Hathaway and Shakespeare married shortly after, and remained married until his death in 1616, having three children; there are no other records of Anne Whateley.

Notable buildings

The parish church of St. Andrew was entirely rebuilt in 1875 to a design by Frederick Preedy on the site of an older edifice. Consisting of a chancel with a north organ chamber and vestry, nave, north aisle, and a south-west tower serving as a porch, it is built of lias stone with sandstone dressings, and has tiled roofs.

The land the parish hall sits on was originally leased by Mrs Alice Gregg in 1934 for the purpose of a village hall with a lease to run initially for 21 years at a peppercorn rent of one shilling per annum. The landowners donated the land in 1953 and the hall is now in trust and run by ‘The Graftons’ Village Hall Association’.

Under the ownership of James Carlile in 1862 the old Manor was demolished and along with the church, school, vicarage and other cottages in the villages was rebuilt along with the new Grafton Court. It then had several residents until 1953 when it was sold at auction and became a Country Club. In 1979 it was sold again and converted into apartments.

The first school was started in the Reading Room on the site of the present church car park in 1838. And the new school was built opposite in 1874. There were 35 children registered in the first school consisting of two classrooms and office and outdoor toilets, it was run by the Head teacher Mrs Mary Kelly and one other teacher. The school struggled with numbers and therefore funding and threats of closure for many years, with bits ‘added’ to the original school until after a lot of hard work by local committees the school finally had planning and funds for a rebuild in 2000 to include a much needed school hall.

The first Temple Grafton WI was registered in 1922.

One of the first recollections of the cricket club was in 1937 but it was invariably played way before then.

Hillborough History

Hillborough is first mentioned in the Cornicles de Evesham in 710, it was a large village with a manor house, Church and a watermill. After the Dissolution the buildings were pulled apart for their ‘profits’.

By 1730 the village consisted of just two farm houses. The old village lies buried beneath the fields. When the plague struck the population diminished and the Lord of the manor forcibly took over common land. Described as ‘haunted Hillborough’ in Shakespeare’s rhyme it is known as one of the lost villages of Warwickshire.

Cranhill

Cranhill is the site of several businesses including Upper Cranhill farm which was formally Upper Common Farm and before that the site of The Mason’s Inn (a public house) and Hostelry. More recently in 1920’s there was Mrs Ellis Tea Shop and B&B and Cranhill Garage.

The villages are rich in history and stories (for to many to mention here) in 1999 the Village Meddlers produced a book called ‘Times Past’ memories of The Graftons, Binton, Exhall and Wixford. A second book ‘Times Past II’ was produced In 2003. The books contain histories, stories and tales from the villages as well as personal accounts from residents past and present and are truly fascinating.

 

The above information has been obtained through the forementioned books and Wikipedia.