Cradley (St. James)
CRADLEY (St. James), a parish, in the union of Bromyard, hundred of Radlow, county of Hereford, 3½ miles (W. by N.) from Malvern; containing 1504 inhabitants. The parish is situated on the borders of Worcestershire, which bounds it on the north, east, and south; it is intersected by the road from Worcester to Hereford, and comprises by measurement 5966 acres, of which 1008 are woodland, about 140 hop-grounds, and 90 common or waste. A small stream, running from south to north, divides the district into two nearly equal portions, called East Cradley and West Cradley. At Ridgway Cross are quarries of old red sandstone, excellent for building; and there are also quarries of limestone and of Ludlow rock. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £18, and in the gift of the Bishop of Hereford: the tithes have been commuted for £1001, and the glebe comprises 110 acres, with an excellent glebe-house. The church is a plain edifice with a low tower. There is a place of worship for Lady Huntingdon's Connexion. A free school was founded in the reign of Charles II., and endowed with £20 per annum from the Vinesend estate, in the parish. Several interesting fossils are found among the strata, including asaphus caudatus, the orthoceratites, and the encrinites.
Transcribed from A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858.