Worfield's Ponds
Worfield’s Ponds Worfield has a lot of water, sometimes, as we now from the recent floods in Roughton and Worfield, in all the wrong places. Val Edwards took photographs in Roughton of the water gushing down Brook Lane during the floods of 2012. The brook at this time was not so much a small stream as a torrent. This was not the first time this had happened. In 1936, writing on July 25th, the Vicar noted that Brook Lane from Roughton to Hoccom has once again been a river with sand more than a foot deep carried down into the road and I have heard that three of our parishioners have had to get their cars pulled out with horses. There were also floods in the Lowe meadows and at Chemsull
At the other extreme there have also been drought periods when ponds and rivulets have dried up, although never, as far as I know, has the Worfe dried up as it goes through the Parish of Worfield. There have been worries about the quantity of water taken out of the
Worfield’s Ponds stream and restrictions placed on output but the Worfe has just kept on going. A few weeks ago I was looking at aerial photographs of Worfield and spotted the remains of a pond in a field to the east of The Lowe.* No surprise there since the field name on the 1839 tithe map is Pool Piece. The pond is no longer visible, just an indentation on the ground indicating where the pond was. What was interesting on the aerial photograph were the lines around the pond showing activity around the pond. It made me realise that I understood these lines not one jot so I had better start by finding out a little about the use of pools for fishing.This wasn’t the only use for such ponds of course, they were also used for retting flax and hemp and probably for growing watercress. Even in my lifetime ponds were important for watering livestock and they contained a wealth of plant and wild life. They were so common we took them for granted. Then there was a time, in the sixties I fear, when many were filled in because they were a nuisance and no longer needed. Some have dried up naturally as the water table has gone down. Even the pool at Cranmere, a sink hole, is now much reduced. The map below (Shropshire Archives 5586/13/14) dates from before 1635 when it was endorsed by John Denham.Although it is of the eastern side of the parish it shows pools which no longer exist. Chesterton Pool is now simply a boggy area around the stream known as Nun Brook but in 1600 known as Wall Brook. Wylmore Pools similarly have disappeared and yet were quite large. I imagine they were on the boundary between Rudge and Worfield parishes. Perhaps the Wylmore Pools were created by Edmund Waryng of Leacross in Staffordshire. In 1614-1615 the Lord of the Manor gave Waryng permission to create fishing pools, at Waryng’s own expense, in Hilton and was given a lease to use the same for twelve years. The pools were to be situated on the waste near to the fields of Hilton adjoining the Lordship of Rudge and Waryng was allowed to dig turves in Hilton to create dams. The pools had to be stocked, of course, and I assume some fish came from the stream and some were brought in from elsewhere. (Shropshire Archives 5586/2/258)
Worfield’s Ponds
Nunn Feildes Mr Woullastons Land
Barr Feilde Barr Feilde Cote
Nunn Cote
Chesterton Township Rudge Feilde Chesterton Pole
al W
ro lB
ok
Nunn Hill
e Little Heath
e Th
Brooke Hill
re G en ai W ee Gr
e
Middle Hill
Coppen Hill
New Cote
Wylmore Pooles Broade Hill
Rudge
Heath
Hylton Gate
Sto n
Bradpole Gate
yS
tre
Shipley Mr Thomas Gattacres Land
ate
New Inc losure
Here stood 3 ancient cots
aye er W Chest
Stony Forde
Hylton
Northend Style
New Coneyberries Greenes Cote
New Inn Thomasons Cote Place
Washstones Pole
Ridges Cote
Billingsleys Cote Place
Hopston
Elliotts Cote Yates Cote
Sutton Cote
Sutton
Ludston
Pre 1635 Map of Rudge Heath taken from the Parson’s Map.
e ld He
lad nS
Th e
e Th
New Leasow Mr Talbott
e
The Lodge Bradburne Wyer
Worfield’s Ponds Pools were carefully managed and had to be kept in good repair and not denuded of fish. In 1744 Samuel Fletcher and John Eykyn paid £5 per year to lease for twenty one years from Thomas Whitmore the three Barnsley Pools, Hoccom Pool, two at the Batch and any other pools on Morfe Common for £5 per year. At the end of the lease the pools had to be left in good order and for each acre of pool (pro rata for larger or smaller pools.) no less than twenty brace of store carp six inches or more in length had to remain.(Shropshire Archives 5586/2/1/478.) Fish were prized as an important part of a limited diet and when the Lord of the Manor granted the lease to Edmund Waryng he reserved the right at each drawing or fishing of the pond or ponds to one good and convenient dish of all sorts of such fish and there housed stored or kept or the sum of 10s at the selection of the said Lord Bergavenny I love walking in Worfield Parish and here are some which include pools. • Along the footpath alongside Stratford Brook from Hilton to Bradeney where you can view several fishponds • From Roughton across the fields to Barnsley, Hoccom and returning to Roughton, taking in Barnsley and Hoccum Pools • From Hallon along the road to Allscott passing Mere Pool • From Ackleton to Badger passing Badger pools *Shropshire Archives PRN 28723 -Pit alignments east of Worfield http://search.shropshirehistory.org.uk/collections/getrecord/ CCS_MSA31497/).
At the other extreme there have also been drought periods when ponds and rivulets have dried up, although never, as far as I know, has the Worfe dried up as it goes through the Parish of Worfield. There have been worries about the quantity of water taken out of the
Worfield’s Ponds stream and restrictions placed on output but the Worfe has just kept on going. A few weeks ago I was looking at aerial photographs of Worfield and spotted the remains of a pond in a field to the east of The Lowe.* No surprise there since the field name on the 1839 tithe map is Pool Piece. The pond is no longer visible, just an indentation on the ground indicating where the pond was. What was interesting on the aerial photograph were the lines around the pond showing activity around the pond. It made me realise that I understood these lines not one jot so I had better start by finding out a little about the use of pools for fishing.This wasn’t the only use for such ponds of course, they were also used for retting flax and hemp and probably for growing watercress. Even in my lifetime ponds were important for watering livestock and they contained a wealth of plant and wild life. They were so common we took them for granted. Then there was a time, in the sixties I fear, when many were filled in because they were a nuisance and no longer needed. Some have dried up naturally as the water table has gone down. Even the pool at Cranmere, a sink hole, is now much reduced. The map below (Shropshire Archives 5586/13/14) dates from before 1635 when it was endorsed by John Denham.Although it is of the eastern side of the parish it shows pools which no longer exist. Chesterton Pool is now simply a boggy area around the stream known as Nun Brook but in 1600 known as Wall Brook. Wylmore Pools similarly have disappeared and yet were quite large. I imagine they were on the boundary between Rudge and Worfield parishes. Perhaps the Wylmore Pools were created by Edmund Waryng of Leacross in Staffordshire. In 1614-1615 the Lord of the Manor gave Waryng permission to create fishing pools, at Waryng’s own expense, in Hilton and was given a lease to use the same for twelve years. The pools were to be situated on the waste near to the fields of Hilton adjoining the Lordship of Rudge and Waryng was allowed to dig turves in Hilton to create dams. The pools had to be stocked, of course, and I assume some fish came from the stream and some were brought in from elsewhere. (Shropshire Archives 5586/2/258)
Worfield’s Ponds
Nunn Feildes Mr Woullastons Land
Barr Feilde Barr Feilde Cote
Nunn Cote
Chesterton Township Rudge Feilde Chesterton Pole
al W
ro lB
ok
Nunn Hill
e Little Heath
e Th
Brooke Hill
re G en ai W ee Gr
e
Middle Hill
Coppen Hill
New Cote
Wylmore Pooles Broade Hill
Rudge
Heath
Hylton Gate
Sto n
Bradpole Gate
yS
tre
Shipley Mr Thomas Gattacres Land
ate
New Inc losure
Here stood 3 ancient cots
aye er W Chest
Stony Forde
Hylton
Northend Style
New Coneyberries Greenes Cote
New Inn Thomasons Cote Place
Washstones Pole
Ridges Cote
Billingsleys Cote Place
Hopston
Elliotts Cote Yates Cote
Sutton Cote
Sutton
Ludston
Pre 1635 Map of Rudge Heath taken from the Parson’s Map.
e ld He
lad nS
Th e
e Th
New Leasow Mr Talbott
e
The Lodge Bradburne Wyer
Worfield’s Ponds Pools were carefully managed and had to be kept in good repair and not denuded of fish. In 1744 Samuel Fletcher and John Eykyn paid £5 per year to lease for twenty one years from Thomas Whitmore the three Barnsley Pools, Hoccom Pool, two at the Batch and any other pools on Morfe Common for £5 per year. At the end of the lease the pools had to be left in good order and for each acre of pool (pro rata for larger or smaller pools.) no less than twenty brace of store carp six inches or more in length had to remain.(Shropshire Archives 5586/2/1/478.) Fish were prized as an important part of a limited diet and when the Lord of the Manor granted the lease to Edmund Waryng he reserved the right at each drawing or fishing of the pond or ponds to one good and convenient dish of all sorts of such fish and there housed stored or kept or the sum of 10s at the selection of the said Lord Bergavenny I love walking in Worfield Parish and here are some which include pools. • Along the footpath alongside Stratford Brook from Hilton to Bradeney where you can view several fishponds • From Roughton across the fields to Barnsley, Hoccom and returning to Roughton, taking in Barnsley and Hoccum Pools • From Hallon along the road to Allscott passing Mere Pool • From Ackleton to Badger passing Badger pools *Shropshire Archives PRN 28723 -Pit alignments east of Worfield http://search.shropshirehistory.org.uk/collections/getrecord/ CCS_MSA31497/).
