Berrow St Faith, Worcestershire

AT the south-east extremity of the Malvern chain lie the two interesting parishes above-named. (Berrow and Birtsmorton.) They were formerly in the ancient forest, which extended many miles round and up to the hills, and were among the earliest clearances or disafforestings. The beautiful seclusion of the district has at length been broken into by the spade of the "navvy," as the railway projected from Monmouth through the Forest of Dean to Worcester will pass through Berrow, and a station is to be erected near the Rye Cross, on the borders of the two parishes. (Noake’s Guide to Worcestershire 1868.)

Noake need not have worried so for the “navvies” never arrived and the line was never built, but it does serve as a perfect illustration of the timeless attitude that is summed up by the modern acronym, Not In My Back Yard!

Berrow (population a little over two hundred in 2011) is, despite the curmudgeonly grumblings of John Noake, a very pleasant hamlet scattered across lush agricultural lands centered on a splendid medieval church dedicated to the 3^rd century St Faith of Conques,  and a nearby half-timbered vicarage that dates from the 17^th century.  It was opposite this rambling building that I parked to visit the church on a bright and warm day.  As I walked towards the lychgate I noticed a man sitting outside a rear door of the vicarage reading a newspaper and sipping from a mug.  With dark trousers and black shirt open at the neck I assumed that he was a man of the cloth who had removed his collar and was taking a few moments to relax in the sun.  Yet my loud “Good Afternoon!” went unnoticed.  He simply turned the page and read on.

Ominously the clouds started to gather as I walked up the church path, but it was only a fleeting shadow.  My first impressing was that, given the small number of people who lived in this parish, this is a large building.  The 15^th century tower is of irregular shape with a parapet with gaps, or crenels.  (The marauding Welsh again?) And the doorway and north wall is old, very old.  Probably 12^th century with impressive and (later) scalloped capitals.  Sheltering  the door the blackened timber is late 14^th century.

St Faith’s is light and spacious.  (I checked later and Mee used that word also! [1]) There is a fine Norman font, and a “Leper’s Window” in the north wall.  The nave pews belong to a Victorian restoration but there are examples of older furniture and decoration – notable a few side benches, the Jacobean altar (yes, I lifted up the frontal to get a peek!)  and rather impressive pulpit panels.

I was particularly taken by the colours of the 1836 east window lights.  Dedicated to the Thackwell family of nearby Birtsmorton Court (sadly now one of those ghastly wedding venues) the left light depicts Jesus as a boy being taught to write; the center shows us the Christ-child in the arms of his mother – yet already holding the cross-bearing orb; and the right light has the risen Christ appearing to Mary Magdalene.  All rather subdued and tasteful.

I will not suggest three gems in this church.  It was a delightful visit but one in which I had to hurry because the afternoon was running away.  Instead I invite the patient reader to consider this other, gruesome subject.  There is a memorial stone on the outside wall of the church marking the grave of the Gummery family.  And further digging (metaphorical not actual) revealed the entry in the Berrow parish registry:

Gummery
Edward - husband
Elizabeth - wife
Anne - daughter
This is the record of the celebrated murder at the Murder House; May 11, 1780

And now you may read on by clicking this link:

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gomery/murder.html

[1] The King’s England – Worcestershire.  Arthur Mee.  New Edition Revised 1968.  P 24.

OS Grid Reference:  SO794342