Morton, Abbot's (St. Peter)

MORTON, ABBOT'S (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of Alcester, Lower division of the hundred of Blackenhurst, E. division of the county of Worcester, 5½ miles (W. S. W.) from Alcester, and 12 (E.) from Worcester; containing 234 inhabitants. This place was the residence of Ranulf, brother of Walter, abbot of Evesham, in the reign of the Conqueror; and the site of some conventual buildings here, now called Court Close, with traces of the moat by which they were surrounded, and the remains of gable-fronted buildings of timber frame-work still in the village, are objects of antiquarian interest. The parish is situated on the road from Worcester to Alcester, and on the confines of the county of Warwick; it comprises about 1400 acres, of which two-thirds are arable and the remainder pasture, all fertile land in high cultivation. The surface is elevated; the soil a marly clay, producing good wheat; and the parish is intersected by the river Piddle, its course adding much to the beauty of the scenery. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £8; net income, £146; patron, G. J. A. Walker, Esq., of Norton Villa. The tithes were commuted for land in 1802; the glebe altogether comprises 167 acres, with a house. The church, which belonged to Evesham Abbey, is a cruciform structure of stone, with an embattled tower. In its late restoration and enlargement, the rector, the Rev. Thomas Walker, who is also prebendary of Wolverhampton, expended nearly £500. The east window, which was the gift of the present patron, contains some beautiful stained glass, of the date 1590, representing the history of David and Goliath, &c.; the window of the north transept contains the armorial bearings of the Walker family. The residence of the rector is on the summit of Goom's Hill, adjoining the turnpike-road, and commands fine views of the Morton and Lench woods, Broadway Hill, and other interesting objects. A national schoolroom was built by subscription in 1844, under the auspices of the rector, who presented its site, and who has set out more than 30 acres of land on the allotment system.