Earl's Croome is a village and civil parish in the

Malvern Hills District Malvern Hills is a Districts of England, local government district in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in Malvern, Worcestershire, Malvern, the district's largest town. The district also includes the towns of Tenbury Wells and Upto ...

in the county of

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...

, England. It had a population of 243 in 2021.

History

The village is mentioned in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

, 1086, as ''Crumba''. The first part of its name is derived from the

Earl of Coventry Earl of Coventry is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England. The first creation for the Villiers family was created in 1623 and took its name from the city of Coventry. It became extinct in 1687. A decade later, the second ...

who had Earl's Croome Court as a residence opposite the village church. The church is St. Nicholas Church of England. In 1377, or 1378,

Henry de Ardern Henry de Ardern, or Henry Ardern, was a Member of Parliament for Warwickshire in 1377 and again in 1380, and for Worcestershire from November 1381. In 1373 Henry bought Park Hall, near Castle Bromwich, from Sir John Botetourt.Driver, J. T. ''W ...

was granted the manor of Croome Adam (now Earls Croome) by the

Earl of Warwick Earl of Warwick is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom which has been created four times in English history. The name refers to Warwick Castle and the town of Warwick. Overview The first creation came in 1088, and the title was held b ...

for a red rose. Charles Coventry (1867–1929), who played

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

for

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in the first two Test matches they played against

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, is buried in the village cemetery. He commanded the Worcestershire Yeomanry during the First World War and was captured by the Turks at

Katia Katia is a feminine given name. It is a variant of Katya. Notable people with this name Actresses and models * Katia Dandoulaki, Greek actress * Katia Margaritoglou, Greek fashion model and beauty contestant * Katia Winter (born 1983), Sw ...

in April 1916, spending the rest of the conflict as a prisoner of war. For the 2000 millennial celebration a map was produced about the village history called "The Parish of Earl's Croome 2000". A book was also produced.

References

External links

A History of the County of Worcester: volume 3 (1913)
Villages in Worcestershire Civil parishes in Worcestershire Malvern Hills District {{UK-geo-stub