Cotheridge is a village and civil parish in the district of
Malvern Hills in the county of
Worcestershire
Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...
, England. It is west of the city of
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Englan ...
and a mile north-east of the
Leigh Court railway station
Leigh Court railway station was a station in Leigh, Worcestershire
Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom ...
on the
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
on the opposite side of the
River Teme.
The
River Teme flows on the southern and south-western part of the village where the land is low-lying and is susceptible to flooding. The soil content is loam and clay with the
subsoil
Subsoil is the layer of soil under the topsoil on the surface of the ground. Like topsoil, it is composed of a variable mixture of small particles such as sand, silt and clay, but with a much lower percentage of organic matter and humus, and it ...
being
Keuper Marl.
The village is small with most of its residents being widespread. It is noted for its 12th century
St. Leonard's Church and manor house. There have been many variations of the name over the centuries including ''Coddanhrycce'' (10th century); ''Codderycce'', ''Koderie'', and ''Codrie'' (11th century); ''Kodere'', ''Coddarycge'' (12th century); ''Codrigg'', ''Coderigge'', ''Codrugge'' (13th century); Coterugge (14th century); ''Coderych'', Coderiche (15/16th centuries); ''Cotheridge'', ''Cowtrige'', ''Cowderidge'' (17th century).
History
At the time of the
Domesday Book it was known as ''Codrie''. In 1086 it was mentioned as having a church, a mill, and a timber-framed court. The mill descended with the manor until the 16th century.
The manor house known as
Cotheridge Court which dates back to at least the 16th century stands at the south-western part of the village. The 12th-century church of St. Leonard's stands not very far away, and is to this day a visitors centre.
Cotheridge was in the upper division of
Doddingtree Hundred.
Following the
Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 Cotheridge Parish ceased to be responsible for maintaining the poor in its parish. This responsibility was transferred to
Martley Poor Law Union.
[''Worcestershire Family History Guidebook'', Vanessa Morgan, 2011, p68 The History Press, Stroud, Gloucestershire.]
Agriculture
In 1304 there were two vineyards belonging to the manor. In the late 19th century the chief crops were wheat, beans, and hops with some land used for pasture.
References
External links
Cotheridge web site
Villages in Worcestershire
Civil parishes in Worcestershire
Malvern Hills District
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