The views from the hill behind Cusop must rival any in the West of England, with no break in the vista until the eye reaches the hills of the Cotswolds.

William Seward – Methodist Martyr

Cusop churchyard is famous for a wonderful Yew tree which measures some 40 feet round the base.  Close to the Yew trees is an interesting memorial stone, inscribed “sacred to the memory of William Seward, gentleman of Bengeworth, Evesham”

William Seward was the first Methodist martyr who was converted in the great Methodist revival under John Wesley, and he went out to preach the gospel.  At Hay he was attacked by the parson and his followers, and stoned to death.  Burial was refused for his body, so sympathisers carried him to Cusop and buried him there where his memorial stone is regularly visited.

Churches of Cusop

• St. Mary's Church - Cusop

  The church of St. Mary dates from around the 12th century, but has been much rebuilt.  

  On 1st June 1858, the parishioners of Cusop celebrated the reopening of their church, which had been under repair for some considerable time.

  The ancient building had fallen into disrepair, and restoration became an absolute necessity.

  The Curate of the parish, Rev. T. Kearsey Thomas, set about drumming up the funds required, with the assistance of many local gentlemen.  The parishioners happily agreed to a parochial rate of 1s 6d in the pound, and in addition to this, some of the wealthier residents gave generous donations to the pot.  Grants were also obtained, but still the £600 required had not been achieved, until some benefactors came to the good and wiped out the outstanding debt.

  The church sits on the slope of a high hill, with outstanding views, and the following is a description of the restoration:

  “The rude design of the original builder has been modified and enlarged upon;  the western end of the church, with its bell turret and windows, the Gothic porch, the east window and the vestry with its arched entrance, are entirely new;  and in addition to this, the flooring has been raised and levelled and the walls neatly plastered and colour washed.”

  The new building was able to accommodate 120 people,

  

  Read More >

News from the Past Cusop

• Cusop News from the Past

  June Fair revelry and horse theft

  1851 – Desertion of Newborn Baby

  In early June 1851, a baby aged just a few hours was found in Cusop by some lads. The child was wrapped in a handkerchief and some underclothes of a woman “about the middle size” and lying in a brake or dingle called Baynam’s Dingle.

  The baby was taken straight to the Workhouse, where one of the inmates who was feeding her own child, immediately took it to suckle, whereupon it very quickly revived.

  Superintendent Kentish and his assistants tried very hard to find the mother, but without success.

  1851 – Transportation for Horse Theft

  Thomas Gwillim, a horse dealer, pleaded guilty to having stolen at Cusop a chestnut mare which belonged to Thomas Howells of Hay.

  He was sentenced to be transported for seven years.

  1858 – A Good Time had at June Fair

  Henry Winstone, a labourer living at Cusop, along with “Stumpy” of Hay and John Williams also of Hay, were charged by Sergeant Basham with being drunk at Hay on 14th June 1858. They were each fined 5s with costs.

  William Jenkins, a labourer from Cusop, was also charged with drunkeness on 15th June, and he too was fined 5s with costs.

  1861 – Death of a Distinguished Painter at Cusop

  In January 1861, Mr. Thomas Lindsay of Cusop was “attacked by paralysis”, and he died some two weeks later.

  He was a distinguished member of the “New Society of Painters in Watercolours in London”, and he was a frequent and successful exhibitor. His scenes of Welsh landscapes were very well received. He was also an accomplished musician.

  A hugely popular man, he was to be very sadly missed.

  1874 – Quadruplets for Cusop Woman

  The wife of an impoverished toll keeper gave birth to four babies – an incredibly rare event for the time – but only two survived.

  It was said that the father was happy but more than a little confused!

  1894 – Death after Excessive Drinking

  John Altree, a 64 year old farmer had been attending the Hay market along with two other farmers.

  All of them had been drinking heavily throughout the day and then climbed on their horses to ride home to Cusop.

  A Mr. Williams was coming along the road in his farm cart, and at various points picked the three men up from the ground and put them in his cart – all were extremely drunk, but it later transpired that John Altree had been out of sorts for a few weeks and had in fact not eaten anything that day.

  Some way along the road, it was discovered that John had died and he was removed from the cart and put at the side of the road where a Surgeon later made an examination.

  A verdict of death by natural causes was returned.

   

  1900 – Vicar Dies During Service at Cusop

  The Rev. George Dermer Pagdon, aged just 47, was conducting Sunday service and had just climbed into the pulpit to deliver his sermon when he staggered and fell.

  He was taken to the vestry but a doctor pronounced him dead.

  George Pagden  had been ordained in 1877 and had been Rector at Cusop for six years and had made many good friends there during that time.

  The post mortem revealed that he had a “fatty heart” and a distended stomach, but no direct cause of death found.

  A verdict of death from natural causes was returned.

  Read More >

1851 – Desertion of Newborn Baby

In early June 1851, a baby aged just a few hours was found in Cusop by some lads. The child was wrapped in a handkerchief and some underclothes of a woman “about the middle size” and lying in a brake or dingle called Baynam’s Dingle.

The baby was taken straight to the Workhouse, where one of the inmates who was feeding her own child, immediately took it to suckle, whereupon it very quickly revived.

Superintendent Kentish and his assistants tried very hard to find the mother, but without success.

1851 – Transportation for Horse Theft

Thomas Gwillim, a horse dealer, pleaded guilty to having stolen at Cusop a chestnut mare which belonged to Thomas Howells of Hay.

He was sentenced to be transported for seven years.

1858 – A Good Time had at June Fair

Henry Winstone, a labourer living at Cusop, along with “Stumpy” of Hay and John Williams also of Hay, were charged by Sergeant Basham with being drunk at Hay on 14th June 1858. They were each fined 5s with costs.

William Jenkins, a labourer from Cusop, was also charged with drunkeness on 15th June, and he too was fined 5s with costs.

1861 – Death of a Distinguished Painter at Cusop

In January 1861, Mr. Thomas Lindsay of Cusop was “attacked by paralysis”, and he died some two weeks later.

He was a distinguished member of the “New Society of Painters in Watercolours in London”, and he was a frequent and successful exhibitor. His scenes of Welsh landscapes were very well received. He was also an accomplished musician.

A hugely popular man, he was to be very sadly missed.

1874 – Quadruplets for Cusop Woman

The wife of an impoverished toll keeper gave birth to four babies – an incredibly rare event for the time – but only two survived.

It was said that the father was happy but more than a little confused!

1894 – Death after Excessive Drinking

John Altree, a 64 year old farmer had been attending the Hay market along with two other farmers.

All of them had been drinking heavily throughout the day and then climbed on their horses to ride home to Cusop.

A Mr. Williams was coming along the road in his farm cart, and at various points picked the three men up from the ground and put them in his cart – all were extremely drunk, but it later transpired that John Altree had been out of sorts for a few weeks and had in fact not eaten anything that day.

Some way along the road, it was discovered that John had died and he was removed from the cart and put at the side of the road where a Surgeon later made an examination.

A verdict of death by natural causes was returned.

1900 – Vicar Dies During Service at Cusop

The Rev. George Dermer Pagdon, aged just 47, was conducting Sunday service and had just climbed into the pulpit to deliver his sermon when he staggered and fell.

He was taken to the vestry but a doctor pronounced him dead.

George Pagden  had been ordained in 1877 and had been Rector at Cusop for six years and had made many good friends there during that time.

The post mortem revealed that he had a “fatty heart” and a distended stomach, but no direct cause of death found.

A verdict of death from natural causes was returned.

On 1st June 1858, the parishioners of Cusop celebrated the reopening of their church, which had been under repair for some considerable time.

The ancient building had fallen into disrepair, and restoration became an absolute necessity.

The Curate of the parish, Rev. T. Kearsey Thomas, set about drumming up the funds required, with the assistance of many local gentlemen.  The parishioners happily agreed to a parochial rate of 1s 6d in the pound, and in addition to this, some of the wealthier residents gave generous donations to the pot.  Grants were also obtained, but still the £600 required had not been achieved, until some benefactors came to the good and wiped out the outstanding debt.

The church sits on the slope of a high hill, with outstanding views, and the following is a description of the restoration:

“The rude design of the original builder has been modified and enlarged upon;  the western end of the church, with its bell turret and windows, the Gothic porch, the east window and the vestry with its arched entrance, are entirely new;  and in addition to this, the flooring has been raised and levelled and the walls neatly plastered and colour washed.”

The new building was able to accommodate 120 people,