The architect was F.R. Kempson of Hereford, and the contractors were Messrs. Collins and cullis of Teewkesbury.

The organ chamber on the north side;  the entrance porch on the south and the roof of the chancel and nave were completely replaced, and the church was re-seated with open oak sittings with neat cushions;  the floor was laid with Godwin’s celebrated encaustic tiles.  The pulpit was removed from the north to the south side of the church, and the original gallery at the west end was removed so that the tower was open to the body of the church.  The new tower and spire were much admired.

During restorations, the remains of a Saxon structure were discovered, but the present building was erected in the 12th century.

Font

The bowl of the 13th century font in All Saints, Coddington, is a modern replacement due to extensive damage.

Memorials

Edward Martindale Vale, Francis Villiers Vale

Edward Martindale Vale who died at sea on 21st January 1880 aged 24. Also Francis Villiers Vale, Chief Officer of the “Melbourne” who drowned at sea on 20th September 1886 aged 27 by capsizing of the ship’s lifeboat whilst he was gallantly try to rescue a sailor who had fallen overboard. They were the 2nd and 3rd sons of Major H. E. Vale

There are many old and interesting buildings in Coddington, including Church Cottage which dates back to the mid sixteen hundreds, and which until fairly recently was the village Post Office. Coddington Court was built around 1770 and was originally known as Coddington House. There were two pubs  – The Plough Inn and the Golden Cross, but sadly for the locals both of these are now private houses.

Churches of Coddington

• All Saints Church - Coddington

  This church was extensively restored in 1865, the cost being born by Mrs. Hope whose brother in law was Rev’d Edward Higgins of Bosbury Manor. Apparently he suffered a nasty riding accident, and was nursed in Coddington Rectory until better. Mrs. Hope was so grateful (and wealthy) that she paid £1832 for the restoration.

  The architect was F.R. Kempson of Hereford, and the contractors were Messrs. Collins and cullis of Teewkesbury.

   

  The organ chamber on the north side;  the entrance porch on the south and the roof of the chancel and nave were completely replaced, and the church was re-seated with open oak sittings with neat cushions;  the floor was laid with Godwin’s celebrated encaustic tiles.  The pulpit was removed from the north to the south side of the church, and the original gallery at the west end was removed so that the tower was open to the body of the church.  The new tower and spire were much admired.

   

  During restorations, the remains of a Saxon structure were discovered, but the present building was erected in the 12th century.
  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Font

  The bowl of the 13th century font in All Saints, Coddington, is a modern replacement due to extensive damage.

   

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Memorials

  Edward Martindale Vale, Francis Villiers Vale

  Edward Martindale Vale who died at sea on 21st January 1880 aged 24. Also Francis Villiers Vale, Chief Officer of the “Melbourne” who drowned at sea on 20th September 1886 aged 27 by capsizing of the ship’s lifeboat whilst he was gallantly try to rescue a sailor who had fallen overboard. They were the 2nd and 3rd sons of Major H. E. Vale

   

   

   

   

  

   

   

  Read More >

Buildings in Coddington

• The Old Rectory

  In the centre of Coddington is the Old Rectory which dates back to 1585 and is built of local stone.

  There have been many extensions during the 17th century and during the 19th century. From 1921 this was a private school which was founded by Mrs. Gladys Marsham primarily to look after children between three and seventeen whose parents were serving in the armed forces in India. This school was originally in Coddington Court, but was moved to the Rectory in 1921. Amongst the pupils were Sarah Churchill, niece of Winston; Michael Bentine, and former Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe. Two of the girls there went on to work on ENIGMA, the codebreaking machine at Bletchley Park.
  Since 1957 the Old Rectory has been a private house.

  Read More >
• Moorfields/Coddington Court History

  This large mansion house has been renamed twice, being initially Moorfields, then Coddington House/Court and latterly Adhisthana, and was built in 1796 on a farming estate at Coddington near Ledbury by Thomas Holder who also formed a garden and park around the house.

  In 1839 the house was put up for indefinite let, and was described thus:
  With 200 acres of arable and meadow land, the mansion sat in a lawn of 20 acres and comprised an entrance hall; dining, drawing and breakfast rooms; ten bedrooms; a servants hall; two kitchens and scullery; a butler’s pantry and large dairy, with spacious vaults under part of the house.
  There were two stables of four stalls each, a coach house and other useful outbuildings.
  The walled garden contained fruit trees, and there was a lake and several well stocked ponds.
  Moorfields was marketed with Gentlemen in mind who were fond of field sports.

  Henry Edward Martindale Vale

  By the mid 19th century Moorfields had been bought by Henry Edward Martindale Vale who further improved the house and changed the name to Coddington House (actually he tried for Coddington Court but this name doesn’t appear on any of the census returns until 1911 although in 1901 it was known as The Court) He added tennis courts and croquet lawns as well as a sweeping avenue and a well stocked orchard.
  Born in 1825 he became Deputy Lieutenant for the County of Hereford and achieved the rank of Major in the 3rd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment.
  1872 he divorced his first wife Elizabeth after having a prodigious number of children with her, and married Frances, remaining at Coddington Court until he died aged 89.

  Coddington Court School

  Opened in 2002, this special needs school catered for up to 40 autistic children aged 8 to 19. It was both a residential and day school and was mostly funded by charitable donations, being owned by the charity Autism West Midlands.
  Sadly just 7 years later it had to close as there were just not enough pupils and some 120 staff were made redundant, by this time the grounds were gradually being reclaimed for agriculture and the gardens were neglected or removed.

  Budhist Retreat

  In 2013 Coddington Court became a Budhist retreat and was renamed Adhisthana.

  1861 – Coddington House Household

  Henry Edward Vale	36	Landowner	b. Sutton, Herefordshire
  Elizabeth Anne Vale	28	Wife	b. Kent
  Harrry Vale	8	Son	b. Tottenham, Middlesex
  Florence Vale	7	Daughter	b. Coddington, Herefordshire
  Helena Vale	4	Daughter	b. Coddington, Herefordshire
  Francis Vale	1	Son	b. Coddington, Herefordshire
  Elizabeth Kendrick	17	Housemaid	b. Worcestershire
  Emma Jones	23	Nurse	b. Weobley, Herefordshire
  James Minett	14	Groom	b. Bosbury, Herefordshire
  Elizabeth Greaves	31	Cook	b. Herefordshire

  1871 – Coddington House Household

  Henry Edward Vale	46	Captain Worcester Militia	b. Sutton, Herefordshire
  Elizabeth Vale	38	Wife	b. Sittingbourne, Kent
  Helena Vale	14	Daughter	b. Coddington, Herefordshire
  Francis Vale	11	Son	b. Coddington, Herefordshire
  Octavius Vale	9	Son	b. Coddington, Herefordshire
  Bower (?) J. Vale	8	Daughter	b. Coddington, Herefordshire
  Harvey A. Vale	5	Son	b. Coddington, Herefordshire
  Hugh C.W Vale	4	Son	b. Coddington
  Elizabeth Sanders	31	Governess	b. Northampton
  Hannah Batten	22	Servant	b. Gloucestershire
  Ann Twenberrow	17	Servant	b. Cradley, Herefordshire

  1881 – Coddington House Household

  Henry Edward Vale	56	Capt. Militia	b. Herefordshire
  Frances E. Vale	44	Wife	b. Isle of Man
  Octavius D. Vale	19	Son, Lieutenant, Militia	b. Coddington, Herefordshire
  Mary A. Higgins	18	Servant	b. Worcestershire
  Elizabeth Brastin	20	Servant	b. Pendock, Worcestershire
  George Jenkins	20	Servant	b. Wellington Heath, Herefordshire

  1891 – Coddington House Household

  Henry E. Vale	66	Dep. Lieutenant Major, Worcs. Regiment	b. Sutton, Herefordshire
  Frances E. Vale	54	Wife	b. Douglas, Isle of Man
  Emily Price	28	Cook	b. Colwall, Herefordshire
  Fanny G. Price	17	Housemaid	b. Coddington, Herefordshire

  1901 – The Court Household

  Henry E. Martindale Vale	76	Major, Retired, Worcester Regiment	b. Sutton Herefordshire
  Frances E. Martindale Vale	64	Wife	b. Isle of Man
  Emily E. Martindale Vale	38	Daughter	b. Coddington, Herefordshire
  Catherine Leighton	28	Cook	b. Peterchurch, Herefordshire
  Annie Paseman	20	House Parlour Maid	b. Yarpole, Herefordshire

  1911 – Coddington Court Household

  Henry Edward Martindale Vale	86	Landowner	b. Sutton, Herefordshire
  Frances Martindale Vale	74	Wife	b. Isle of Man
  Rosa Emily Hicks	52	Widow, servant	b. Much Marcle, Herefordshire
  Margery Beasly	18	Servant	b. Herefordshire

  Read More >

News from the Past Coddington

• Coddington News from the Past

  Tales of Trespass, fire and the perils of gin

  1836 – Sad Event at Coddington Rectory

  At the end of October 1836, the wife of the Rev. John Hughes M.A. gave birth to a son, who survived for just a few hours.

  1847 – The Perils of Gin

  John Parker, a waggoner aged 39 and single, in the employ of Mr. Kendrick, went to plough a field. Mr. Kendrick offered him some gin (eh?? in the morning?) and he accepted, then asked for more which was given. Each measure was in a cup which holds nearly two wine glasses, although the cup was not filled to the top.

  John then went to get the horses out of the stables, but never returned and was found half an hour later found by Mr. Kendrick lying in the straw. He left John for a couple of hours before going back to check, when he found him with his head tucked into his chest; Mr. Kendrick raised him up but he died in his arms.

  Mr. Griffin, a surgeon from Ledbury, opined that death was caused by suffocation from the position that he was in, coupled with the effect of the gin.

  1848 – Trespass in Pursuit of Game

  Thomas Bowers of Colwall was charged with trespassing on the land of William Calder of Coddington whilst in the pursuit of game. He was fine £1 with 10s costs.

  1857 – Fire at Moorfields House

  Late one Sunday evening in October, the inhabitants of Ledbury were woken by the ringing of the fire bell, an alarm having been brought by messenger that Moorfields House at Coddington, the residence of Henry Vale, was on fire.

  The fire brigade speedily mustered, and two engines set off as fast as they could given the weather. In spite of their lamps, the night was so dark, and the rain came down in such torrents, that galloping was out of the question, and a trot was even dangerous!

  They eventually arrived at Moorfields, to discover only a small fire in an attic room, which they quickly put out.

  The cause of the fire was thought to have originated from a candle which set light to a servant’s dress hung by the side of the bed.

  Henry Vale was not reported in a good light after this incident, as the Hereford Times showed:

  “…….having got a regular ducking in Mr. Vale’s service, most of the parties present (nine tenths of whom had travelled nearly five miles in the wet) had an idea that some sort of refreshment would have been provided for them; and such, indeed, was the case, but it was accompanied by an order that those who required cider were to go and wait in the rain in an open courtyard. Some small beer was also provideed for (as Mr. Vale described them) “those who had worked so as to deserve it”, and to crown all, several of the tradesmen of the town who were in the kitchen trying to make themselves comfortable under such distressing circumstances, with a little tobacco, were ignominiously ordered out of the house.

  The reporter asked whether it was right that those who went with the intention of doing good to their neighbour should have been treated in such a manner. It was said that if ever a fire happened again at Mr. Vale’s house, he would have to ask further afield for aid.

  A most worthy inhabitant of Coddington, in an effort to calm the disgust, directed that those persons “belonging to the lower orders” who had helped with the fire, should be treated with whatever they wanted, and that he would pay for it. This small party of people arrived home in the early hours of the morning, wet, hungry and thirsty without having had any thanks or even acknowledgement of their services from Mr. Vale.

  1867 – Sad Death on the Road to the Workhouse

  John Price aged 70, had been lodging at Coddington when he decided to admit himself to the Ledbury Workhouse.

  A lad named Kendrick obtained a donkey cart in order to take him, and John seemed to be in good health, however just a mile into the journey he got down from the cart and had to be helped back in by the lad and another boy. They put a rug around him, but he became unwell and lay down. At Beggar’s Ash, the lad spoke to him but got no answer, and the old man was found to be dead.

  The body was taken to the Master of the Workhouse, and the surgeon, Mr. Griffin, thought that he died from heart disease with which he had suffered for some time.

  1871 – Centenarian at Coddington

  John Jenkins of Coddington died on 25th March 1871 aged an incredible 107 years.

  John had lived with his daughter (herself 85) in a small mud hut near Coddington Cross and was formerly a farm labourer.  He retained all his faculties up until his death, and was a heavy smoker!

  Read More >

1836 – Sad Event at Coddington Rectory

At the end of October 1836, the wife of the Rev. John Hughes M.A. gave birth to a son, who survived for just a few hours.

1847 – The Perils of Gin

John Parker, a waggoner aged 39 and single, in the employ of Mr. Kendrick, went to plough a field. Mr. Kendrick offered him some gin (eh?? in the morning?) and he accepted, then asked for more which was given. Each measure was in a cup which holds nearly two wine glasses, although the cup was not filled to the top.

John then went to get the horses out of the stables, but never returned and was found half an hour later found by Mr. Kendrick lying in the straw. He left John for a couple of hours before going back to check, when he found him with his head tucked into his chest; Mr. Kendrick raised him up but he died in his arms.

Mr. Griffin, a surgeon from Ledbury, opined that death was caused by suffocation from the position that he was in, coupled with the effect of the gin.

1848 – Trespass in Pursuit of Game

Thomas Bowers of Colwall was charged with trespassing on the land of William Calder of Coddington whilst in the pursuit of game. He was fine £1 with 10s costs.

1857 – Fire at Moorfields House

Late one Sunday evening in October, the inhabitants of Ledbury were woken by the ringing of the fire bell, an alarm having been brought by messenger that Moorfields House at Coddington, the residence of Henry Vale, was on fire.

The fire brigade speedily mustered, and two engines set off as fast as they could given the weather. In spite of their lamps, the night was so dark, and the rain came down in such torrents, that galloping was out of the question, and a trot was even dangerous!

They eventually arrived at Moorfields, to discover only a small fire in an attic room, which they quickly put out.

The cause of the fire was thought to have originated from a candle which set light to a servant’s dress hung by the side of the bed.

Henry Vale was not reported in a good light after this incident, as the Hereford Times showed:

“…….having got a regular ducking in Mr. Vale’s service, most of the parties present (nine tenths of whom had travelled nearly five miles in the wet) had an idea that some sort of refreshment would have been provided for them; and such, indeed, was the case, but it was accompanied by an order that those who required cider were to go and wait in the rain in an open courtyard. Some small beer was also provideed for (as Mr. Vale described them) “those who had worked so as to deserve it”, and to crown all, several of the tradesmen of the town who were in the kitchen trying to make themselves comfortable under such distressing circumstances, with a little tobacco, were ignominiously ordered out of the house.

The reporter asked whether it was right that those who went with the intention of doing good to their neighbour should have been treated in such a manner. It was said that if ever a fire happened again at Mr. Vale’s house, he would have to ask further afield for aid.

A most worthy inhabitant of Coddington, in an effort to calm the disgust, directed that those persons “belonging to the lower orders” who had helped with the fire, should be treated with whatever they wanted, and that he would pay for it. This small party of people arrived home in the early hours of the morning, wet, hungry and thirsty without having had any thanks or even acknowledgement of their services from Mr. Vale.

1867 – Sad Death on the Road to the Workhouse

John Price aged 70, had been lodging at Coddington when he decided to admit himself to the Ledbury Workhouse.

A lad named Kendrick obtained a donkey cart in order to take him, and John seemed to be in good health, however just a mile into the journey he got down from the cart and had to be helped back in by the lad and another boy. They put a rug around him, but he became unwell and lay down. At Beggar’s Ash, the lad spoke to him but got no answer, and the old man was found to be dead.

The body was taken to the Master of the Workhouse, and the surgeon, Mr. Griffin, thought that he died from heart disease with which he had suffered for some time.

1871 – Centenarian at Coddington

John Jenkins of Coddington died on 25th March 1871 aged an incredible 107 years.

John had lived with his daughter (herself 85) in a small mud hut near Coddington Cross and was formerly a farm labourer.  He retained all his faculties up until his death, and was a heavy smoker!

In 1839 the house was put up for indefinite let, and was described thus:
With 200 acres of arable and meadow land, the mansion sat in a lawn of 20 acres and comprised an entrance hall; dining, drawing and breakfast rooms; ten bedrooms; a servants hall; two kitchens and scullery; a butler’s pantry and large dairy, with spacious vaults under part of the house.
There were two stables of four stalls each, a coach house and other useful outbuildings.
The walled garden contained fruit trees, and there was a lake and several well stocked ponds.
Moorfields was marketed with Gentlemen in mind who were fond of field sports.

Henry Edward Martindale Vale

By the mid 19th century Moorfields had been bought by Henry Edward Martindale Vale who further improved the house and changed the name to Coddington House (actually he tried for Coddington Court but this name doesn’t appear on any of the census returns until 1911 although in 1901 it was known as The Court) He added tennis courts and croquet lawns as well as a sweeping avenue and a well stocked orchard.
Born in 1825 he became Deputy Lieutenant for the County of Hereford and achieved the rank of Major in the 3rd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment.
1872 he divorced his first wife Elizabeth after having a prodigious number of children with her, and married Frances, remaining at Coddington Court until he died aged 89.

Coddington Court School

Opened in 2002, this special needs school catered for up to 40 autistic children aged 8 to 19. It was both a residential and day school and was mostly funded by charitable donations, being owned by the charity Autism West Midlands.
Sadly just 7 years later it had to close as there were just not enough pupils and some 120 staff were made redundant, by this time the grounds were gradually being reclaimed for agriculture and the gardens were neglected or removed.

Budhist Retreat

In 2013 Coddington Court became a Budhist retreat and was renamed Adhisthana.

1861 – Coddington House Household

1871 – Coddington House Household

1881 – Coddington House Household

1891 – Coddington House Household

1901 – The Court Household

1911 – Coddington Court Household

There have been many extensions during the 17th century and during the 19th century. From 1921 this was a private school which was founded by Mrs. Gladys Marsham primarily to look after children between three and seventeen whose parents were serving in the armed forces in India. This school was originally in Coddington Court, but was moved to the Rectory in 1921. Amongst the pupils were Sarah Churchill, niece of Winston; Michael Bentine, and former Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe. Two of the girls there went on to work on ENIGMA, the codebreaking machine at Bletchley Park.
Since 1957 the Old Rectory has been a private house.