When conservation work was done in 2005 the workers discovered a penny dated 1806 in the bottom of one of the supporting pillars. This was carefully put back under the new wood, and a £1 coin was added to show future generations when conservation work was carried out. Most of the timbered buildings, and the Church with its bell tower plus the Market Hall are listed because of their architecture and age.

The River Arrow runs through the town

The village shop – a lovely black and white building called “The Olde Steppes” – has been in existence for over 200 years, although before the late 1700s it was a rectory.

Churches of Pembridge

• St. Mary's Church - Pembridge

  The original building dates from early 13th century, but it was restored in 1898 and then again in 1957, when the structure was strengthened.

   

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  The Bell Tower

  In 1899, the whole belfry was thoroughly restored, with three of the five bells being recast.  The dedication service took place at the end of April 1899, with the ceremony being performed by Archdeacon Stanhope.

  The bells rang out all afternoon, and afterwards the ringers and choir were given sustenance.

  In 1983 the Department of the Environment paid for a total restoration of the bell tower so that now only one of the main wooden corner posts remains – this wood has been ring dated and is from around the early 11th century, and may have come from a manor house or castle which originally stood close to the church. Originally, the tower would have been used as a bolt hole of safety for the parishioners, and there are holes in the door which it is said were made by shot. There are five bells, one of which is dated 1658, and also a tiny Sanctus Bell in the very upper part of the belfry. This little bell was restored in 1978.

   

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Part of the structure of massive interior beams of the Bell Tower

   

   

   

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Joan of Genville

  In this lovely Norman church on 20th September 1301, pretty 15 year old Joan of Genville married 14 year old Roger Mortimer. The couple enjoyed a harmonious marriage, producing 12 children, many of which were born before she reached 20. Joan was born in Ludlow, and her wealthy grandfather left all the family estate to her after his son died tragically young, so lucky Roger Mortimer not only had a lovely wife but also much financial security. They lived at nearby Ludlow Castle and also Wigmore, but they travelled extensively together to other castles and also the royal court at Westminster where Joan was chosen to meet the French Queen Isabella on her arrival in England. Isabella was only 12, and clearly the pair hit it off – when later on, Joan was imprisoned, Queen Isabella fought for better conditions for her, and referred to her as “our dear and well beloved cousin”. Roger meanwhile, was appointed the King’s Representative in Ireland and Joan spent some years there with him, returning from time to time to check on her children in Ludlow.
  Her life was as good as it gets it seems, until the fateful rebellion in 1321 of her husband and his uncle….they were both thrown into the Tower of London, and Joan was put into prison in Southampton and then Yorkshire for nearly five years. Roger escaped and fled to France, whereupon he embarked on an affair with Queen Isabella – what a kick in the teeth that must have been for poor Joan; not only was her pampered life in tatters (prison must have been dreadfully hard for her) her husband was with her very good friend of many years.
  Roger and Isabella returned to England to take charge, and he frequently visited Joan (history does not record her reaction to this!!!), and in 1328 she was made Countess of March. Her daughters marriages to Sir James Audley, Sir Peter de Grandison, Lord Berkeley, and the Earl of Warwick made sure that they were financially secure. Roger fell from power and was executed, following which Edward lll made certain that Joan’s possessions and considerable treasures were intact, and for the following 26 years she was the Lady of Ludlow before her death in 1356.
  It seems that Pembridge church was rebuilt after 1320 – it is considered likely, and evidence points to the fact, that Joan never forgot her happy marriage there and paid for the new church.

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  Memorials

  The Gours, Lords of Marson

  Part of a stone tomb bearing four effigies. Blount, a local historian attributed these to the Gours who were Lords Of Marson, a Parish of Pembridge. Two of the early 14th century figures are a gentleman and lady, whilst the other pair are later in the same century and are of a priest and a lady in mourning dress…..she could be the second wife of Gour.

   

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Edward Croxhall Whitehead

  Edward Croxhall Whitehead, Captain of the 10th Grenadiers Indian Army. Son of the Rev. Francis Whitehead sometime Rector of this Parish, who died of fever at Bannu whilst on active service on the NorthWest Frontier of India. 18th June 1922

   

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  There are some interesting memorials, one of which is on the floor and is inscribed to the memory of Alice Trafford who paid for the Almshouses in East Street in 1667. She was Dr. William Sherborne’s daughter and widow of Dr. Thomas Trafford who were both Rectors of the parish.
  The oldest floor tablet is for Dorothy who was the mother of Thomas Trafford……… she died in 1621

  Read More >

News from the Past Pembridge

• Pembridge News from the Past

  Royal Christening celebrations,  suicides and the Agricultural Society

  1842 – Royal Christening Celebrations at Pembridge

  The church bells starting ringing joyfully at an early hour as preparations were made for the roasting of three fat sheep.

  At lunchtime, the children of Pembridge processed after a wonderful band, carrying banners and flags, to the Rectory House where they were given plum cake and cider (it was ALWAYS plum cake and cider!) as were the parents and friends of the children.

  “Long live the Prince” was drunk in nine hearty cheers, and at three o’clock the sheep were ready to be carved and distributed to the aged and large families.

  A hogshead of cider was tapped and distributed freely, and the old ladies from the Almshouses were given tea, cake and wine at the Rectory.  In the evening, the New Inn held a ball for the respectable tradesmen of Pembridge, and there was not one bit of trouble reported throughout the whole day.

  1846 – Suicide of Thomas Hall

  Thomas Hall, 34,  of Cromes House Farm in Pembridge was found dead under a tree on his farm.

  A post mortem showed that he had ingested arsenic and it was thought it had been self inflicted.

  There was huge shock in Pembridge on hearing the news, because he was a much loved man, but it was known that he had been very concerned about the farm which had been badly neglected for a very long time before he took it over.  He had, however, turned things around by sheer hard work, and the crops in his fields were abundant and healthy – on the verge of a bumper harvest in fact which would have put him back on his feet.

  Thomas also had a truly loving wife and children, which made it doubly hard to imagine what could have made him take his own life.

  1862 – Determination to commit Suicide Foiled

  A woman named only as Rogers tried to hang herself with a string over a bacon hook in her ceiling.  The string was rather long, and she had to lift her legs up to keep them off the ground.

  Because death was a long time in coming, she was discovered by a small child who ran to raise the alarm, and James Carpenter who lived next door ran in to cut her down.

  She was black in the face and her tongue was stuck between her teeth, and despite a doctor attending to her swiftly it was many hours before she came round.

  1867 – Pembridge Agricultural Society

  The Pembridge Agricultural Society was the oldest society of its kind in the county, and the anniversary was celebrated in mid November 1867.

  20 teams competed for various prizes on land belonging to Mr. Pinches of Hardwicke.

  Apart from the ploughing and hedge laying competitions, other classes included the following:

  The labourer who had been employed by the same master for the greatest number of years (won by Thomas Evans employed by Mr. Woolley for 16 years).

  The female under 23 who had been an indoor servant for the most years without changing employers (won by Jane Davies employed by Mr. Bannister for five and a half years)

  The Cowman who was employed the most number of years by the same master (Thomas Mason employed by Mr. Williams for 20 years)

  The Shepherd in regular employment who reared the most lambs from a proportionate number of ewes.  (won by William Webb employed by Mr. Taylor – 185 lambs from 150 ewes.

  The cottager being a farm labourer, living within five miles of Pembridge market hall and never having won first prize in this class, who cultivated his garden in the best manner.  (won by John Williams, employed by Mr. Burlton of Luntley).

  Later in the day, some 35 gentlemen who were supporters of the society, dined at the Greyhound Inn where a splendid feast was provided by the host, Mr. Paine.

  1899 – Pembridge “The worst Parish in North Herefordshire so far as Immorality was Concerned”

  Not my words you understand, but those of the Coroner when summing up a case where the child of a 14 year old girl died in Pembridge.  He said that the action of the mother and father of the girl was scandalous.

  The girl was a mere 13 when she gave birth, and she and her parents made every effort to hush up what followed – the father of the child should, in his opinion, be doing a great deal of time in one of Her Majesty’s Prisons.

  John Ernest Price was the illegitimate child of Alice Price – the fourteen year old daughter of Benjamin Price of Clearbrook.  The father of the child paid the  sum of £20 to buy his way out of further liability.

  When he was around 6 months old, he was being looked after by his grandparents whilst his young mother was out working in domestic service, and he sadly died.

  Rumour abounded very quickly, with the good people of Pembridge claiming that little John Price had been fed in such a way that defied common sense and it was this that had killed the child.  However, a doctor examined the body and declared that in his opinion death was by natural causes.

  In court, the grandparents of the child, Mary and Benjamin Price said that they had had custody of John for five months, and that he was being fed from a bottle initially but was rather small and thin.  Gradually he began to thrive, although at one point he did have a chesty cold for which a doctor prescribed medicine.

  Then one day, Mary noticed a strange noise in John’s throat, which gradually worsened until one day the poor child became quite black in the face and died.  At post mortem it was found that the windpipe was slightly inflamed, and the doctor declared that death was due to spasm of the throat giving rise to asphixia, which was quite rare – it could be likened to something resembling croup.  He did also say that the little boy was well cared for, in fact perhaps too well cared for as he was a tad overweight.

  The verdict returned a death by natural causes, but the Coroner again showed his distaste of the whole affair by addressing the grandmother and severely reprimanding her for her conduct, and that of her husband, for accepting money for the purpose of suppressing a case which should have been before a Criminal Court.

  He asked Mary, the grandmother why she did it, and she replied that she wanted to stop gossip and disgrace on the family, but the Coroner was not impressed and said that instead of saving disgrace she had made things much worse, and also had protected a man who should have been up before the Criminal Court.

  He was disgusted with the whole affair.

   

  Read More >

1842 – Royal Christening Celebrations at Pembridge

The church bells starting ringing joyfully at an early hour as preparations were made for the roasting of three fat sheep.

At lunchtime, the children of Pembridge processed after a wonderful band, carrying banners and flags, to the Rectory House where they were given plum cake and cider (it was ALWAYS plum cake and cider!) as were the parents and friends of the children.

“Long live the Prince” was drunk in nine hearty cheers, and at three o’clock the sheep were ready to be carved and distributed to the aged and large families.

A hogshead of cider was tapped and distributed freely, and the old ladies from the Almshouses were given tea, cake and wine at the Rectory.  In the evening, the New Inn held a ball for the respectable tradesmen of Pembridge, and there was not one bit of trouble reported throughout the whole day.

1846 – Suicide of Thomas Hall

Thomas Hall, 34,  of Cromes House Farm in Pembridge was found dead under a tree on his farm.

A post mortem showed that he had ingested arsenic and it was thought it had been self inflicted.

There was huge shock in Pembridge on hearing the news, because he was a much loved man, but it was known that he had been very concerned about the farm which had been badly neglected for a very long time before he took it over.  He had, however, turned things around by sheer hard work, and the crops in his fields were abundant and healthy – on the verge of a bumper harvest in fact which would have put him back on his feet.

Thomas also had a truly loving wife and children, which made it doubly hard to imagine what could have made him take his own life.

1862 – Determination to commit Suicide Foiled

A woman named only as Rogers tried to hang herself with a string over a bacon hook in her ceiling.  The string was rather long, and she had to lift her legs up to keep them off the ground.

Because death was a long time in coming, she was discovered by a small child who ran to raise the alarm, and James Carpenter who lived next door ran in to cut her down.

She was black in the face and her tongue was stuck between her teeth, and despite a doctor attending to her swiftly it was many hours before she came round.

1867 – Pembridge Agricultural Society

The Pembridge Agricultural Society was the oldest society of its kind in the county, and the anniversary was celebrated in mid November 1867.

20 teams competed for various prizes on land belonging to Mr. Pinches of Hardwicke.

Apart from the ploughing and hedge laying competitions, other classes included the following:

The labourer who had been employed by the same master for the greatest number of years (won by Thomas Evans employed by Mr. Woolley for 16 years).

The female under 23 who had been an indoor servant for the most years without changing employers (won by Jane Davies employed by Mr. Bannister for five and a half years)

The Cowman who was employed the most number of years by the same master (Thomas Mason employed by Mr. Williams for 20 years)

The Shepherd in regular employment who reared the most lambs from a proportionate number of ewes.  (won by William Webb employed by Mr. Taylor – 185 lambs from 150 ewes.

The cottager being a farm labourer, living within five miles of Pembridge market hall and never having won first prize in this class, who cultivated his garden in the best manner.  (won by John Williams, employed by Mr. Burlton of Luntley).

Later in the day, some 35 gentlemen who were supporters of the society, dined at the Greyhound Inn where a splendid feast was provided by the host, Mr. Paine.

1899 – Pembridge “The worst Parish in North Herefordshire so far as Immorality was Concerned”

Not my words you understand, but those of the Coroner when summing up a case where the child of a 14 year old girl died in Pembridge.  He said that the action of the mother and father of the girl was scandalous.

The girl was a mere 13 when she gave birth, and she and her parents made every effort to hush up what followed – the father of the child should, in his opinion, be doing a great deal of time in one of Her Majesty’s Prisons.

John Ernest Price was the illegitimate child of Alice Price – the fourteen year old daughter of Benjamin Price of Clearbrook.  The father of the child paid the  sum of £20 to buy his way out of further liability.

When he was around 6 months old, he was being looked after by his grandparents whilst his young mother was out working in domestic service, and he sadly died.

Rumour abounded very quickly, with the good people of Pembridge claiming that little John Price had been fed in such a way that defied common sense and it was this that had killed the child.  However, a doctor examined the body and declared that in his opinion death was by natural causes.

In court, the grandparents of the child, Mary and Benjamin Price said that they had had custody of John for five months, and that he was being fed from a bottle initially but was rather small and thin.  Gradually he began to thrive, although at one point he did have a chesty cold for which a doctor prescribed medicine.

Then one day, Mary noticed a strange noise in John’s throat, which gradually worsened until one day the poor child became quite black in the face and died.  At post mortem it was found that the windpipe was slightly inflamed, and the doctor declared that death was due to spasm of the throat giving rise to asphixia, which was quite rare – it could be likened to something resembling croup.  He did also say that the little boy was well cared for, in fact perhaps too well cared for as he was a tad overweight.

The verdict returned a death by natural causes, but the Coroner again showed his distaste of the whole affair by addressing the grandmother and severely reprimanding her for her conduct, and that of her husband, for accepting money for the purpose of suppressing a case which should have been before a Criminal Court.

He asked Mary, the grandmother why she did it, and she replied that she wanted to stop gossip and disgrace on the family, but the Coroner was not impressed and said that instead of saving disgrace she had made things much worse, and also had protected a man who should have been up before the Criminal Court.

He was disgusted with the whole affair.

The Bell Tower

In 1899, the whole belfry was thoroughly restored, with three of the five bells being recast.  The dedication service took place at the end of April 1899, with the ceremony being performed by Archdeacon Stanhope.

The bells rang out all afternoon, and afterwards the ringers and choir were given sustenance.

In 1983 the Department of the Environment paid for a total restoration of the bell tower so that now only one of the main wooden corner posts remains – this wood has been ring dated and is from around the early 11th century, and may have come from a manor house or castle which originally stood close to the church. Originally, the tower would have been used as a bolt hole of safety for the parishioners, and there are holes in the door which it is said were made by shot. There are five bells, one of which is dated 1658, and also a tiny Sanctus Bell in the very upper part of the belfry. This little bell was restored in 1978.

Part of the structure of massive interior beams of the Bell Tower

Joan of Genville

In this lovely Norman church on 20th September 1301, pretty 15 year old Joan of Genville married 14 year old Roger Mortimer. The couple enjoyed a harmonious marriage, producing 12 children, many of which were born before she reached 20. Joan was born in Ludlow, and her wealthy grandfather left all the family estate to her after his son died tragically young, so lucky Roger Mortimer not only had a lovely wife but also much financial security. They lived at nearby Ludlow Castle and also Wigmore, but they travelled extensively together to other castles and also the royal court at Westminster where Joan was chosen to meet the French Queen Isabella on her arrival in England. Isabella was only 12, and clearly the pair hit it off – when later on, Joan was imprisoned, Queen Isabella fought for better conditions for her, and referred to her as “our dear and well beloved cousin”. Roger meanwhile, was appointed the King’s Representative in Ireland and Joan spent some years there with him, returning from time to time to check on her children in Ludlow.
Her life was as good as it gets it seems, until the fateful rebellion in 1321 of her husband and his uncle….they were both thrown into the Tower of London, and Joan was put into prison in Southampton and then Yorkshire for nearly five years. Roger escaped and fled to France, whereupon he embarked on an affair with Queen Isabella – what a kick in the teeth that must have been for poor Joan; not only was her pampered life in tatters (prison must have been dreadfully hard for her) her husband was with her very good friend of many years.
Roger and Isabella returned to England to take charge, and he frequently visited Joan (history does not record her reaction to this!!!), and in 1328 she was made Countess of March. Her daughters marriages to Sir James Audley, Sir Peter de Grandison, Lord Berkeley, and the Earl of Warwick made sure that they were financially secure. Roger fell from power and was executed, following which Edward lll made certain that Joan’s possessions and considerable treasures were intact, and for the following 26 years she was the Lady of Ludlow before her death in 1356.
It seems that Pembridge church was rebuilt after 1320 – it is considered likely, and evidence points to the fact, that Joan never forgot her happy marriage there and paid for the new church.

Font

Memorials

The Gours, Lords of Marson

Part of a stone tomb bearing four effigies. Blount, a local historian attributed these to the Gours who were Lords Of Marson, a Parish of Pembridge. Two of the early 14th century figures are a gentleman and lady, whilst the other pair are later in the same century and are of a priest and a lady in mourning dress…..she could be the second wife of Gour.

Edward Croxhall Whitehead

Edward Croxhall Whitehead, Captain of the 10th Grenadiers Indian Army. Son of the Rev. Francis Whitehead sometime Rector of this Parish, who died of fever at Bannu whilst on active service on the NorthWest Frontier of India. 18th June 1922

There are some interesting memorials, one of which is on the floor and is inscribed to the memory of Alice Trafford who paid for the Almshouses in East Street in 1667. She was Dr. William Sherborne’s daughter and widow of Dr. Thomas Trafford who were both Rectors of the parish.
The oldest floor tablet is for Dorothy who was the mother of Thomas Trafford……… she died in 1621