Shrawley History Society are delighted to announce the publication of …
The Society is pleased to offer a special price of only £15 for Shrawley Parishioners who will be given priority for purchasing.
Step into the daily reality of a rural English community across more than five centuries. Moving seamlessly from the Norman Conquest to the dawn of the Stuart era, this definitive history of Shrawley offers a rare, comprehensive look at the social, economic, and spiritual foundations of a single Worcestershire parish.
Drawing on rich archival evidence—including detailed analysis of Account Rolls and the proceedings of the Manorial Court—this study introduces a groundbreaking new perspective on early landscape organization: the existence of a Saxon precursor community defined by its distinct arable and pastoral infields. From this early framework, the book meticulously charts every layer of parish life, exploring:
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- The Local Economy: The vital trades of fishermen, millers, and the complex management of livestock, crops, forage, and the manorial coppices.
- Daily Life and Material Culture: A fascinating look into medieval homes, personal chattels, paths and roads, missing trades, and the universal essentials of bread, ale, fun, and games.
- Faith and Community: The evolution of local worship, centring on the early wooden Lady Chapel and its cemetery, navigating the complexities of faith and superstition, the building of the stone church, and the sweeping transformations of the Reformation.
- The Turning of the Centuries: A detailed examination of manorial management, tracking how individual tenants and families navigated the profound transitions of the 15th and 16th centuries.
- The Local Economy: The vital trades of fishermen, millers, and the complex management of livestock, crops, forage, and the manorial coppices.
Complete with comparative insights into neighbouring manors and early cartographic mapping, ‘Shrawley 1066 to 1603’ bridges the gap between grand historical narratives and the lived experiences of ordinary ancestors. It is an indispensable work for local residents, historians, genealogists, and anyone captivated by the enduring heritage of the English countryside.
The book will be available on Amazon for a cover price of £19.95.
(a link will be added when available)
The Society is pleased to offer a special price of only £15 for Shrawley Parishioners who will be given priority for purchasing.
To purchase a copy please contact Richard on r.s.h.pumphrey@gmail.com.