The Anglo-Saxon boundaries of Upper Arley

There are only a handful of Anglo-Saxon charters that deal with Shropshire; by contrast there are far more for Worcestershire, including one for Upper Arley, adjacent to Kinlet, Alveley, Romsley and Dowles. It was purportedly drawn up in 994 as part of a grant of land to a monastery in Wolverhampton. It is widely considered to be a forgery, drawn up at a later date by the monastery to bolster their claims to ownership of the estates. However, it seems to include much material from a genuine charter. The charter sheds much light on the landscape in Shropshire in this period

The Charter (Sawyer 1380)

Saxon Arley [+]
This shows the likely boundaries of Upper Arley, as described in a late Saxon Charter (based on Hooke, Anglo-Saxon Charters of Worcestershire)

These are the land boundaries which Wulfstan has given to the monastery in Hampton and the estate names for which these privileges speak. First from Arley and Astwood and Bilston and Willenhall and Wednesfield and Walsall and Ogley and Hilton and Hatherton and Kinvaston and the other Hilton and Featherstone.

This is the boundary to Arley.

First, from Eares Brook and the short thorn trees. And from the short thorn trees to Wulfsige’s horse croft and thence to alder piece. And from the piece to Eadwulf’s croft and from that croft to the rye-way. Along the rye-way to the earth briche [perhaps a causeway, possibly a landslip or even an old fort] and thence downward to Lynleie [the flax clearing]. And from the clearing to the swine-pit and from the pit to Heortseges Brook [possible the brook of the hart’s island or the brook of hartsage]. Along the brook to the confluence and from the confluence to Bymning Brook and thence up following the brook to the watercourse and from the watercourse to Sciteresford [Shatterford]. And from the ford to Bromescumbe [Broom valley] and from the valley to Aethelsige’s boundary. Along Aethelsige’s boundary to the Severn. Down along the Severn to the five oak trees. From the five oak trees to the tree stump and from the stump to the road. Along the main road to Winna’s tree and from the tree to Tudeles batch [stream]. Along the batch to the Severn. Up following the Severn to Leofric’s boundary. Along the boundary to Thurulf’s way. From the way to the acre fence. Along the fence into the shepherd’s leie [pasture or wood] and from the leie to Eares Brook where it previously began.

And also a vat belonging to Arley at Droitwich and pasture for 30 swine on Scipricge [Sheep Ridge] also belongs to Arley.

(Taken from "Worcester Anglo-Saxon Charters", Della Hooke, Boydell, 1990, 235-9)

The landscape

The charter takes the form of a perambulation; a description of the boundaries of the estate as they could be observed by a person walking round them. This gives a valuable insight into an Anglo-Saxon landscape. It is likely that the estate described in the charter corresponds to the boundaries of Arley Parish. Detailed identification of places has been undertaken by Della Hooke, a leading authority on the historical geography of this period and the following is largely based on her work. It starts somewhere near where the modern A442 cuts the boundary between Alveley and Arley and largely follows a track called the “rye way” to the modern county boundary with Staffordshire; a footpath still exists along this route. Lenmore in Romsley, (which may be roughly translated as “the moor where flax grows”) may be related to Lynleie in the charter, the flax clearing. The perambulation then follows the modern parish boundary to the River Severn, crossing at a point called five oaks. It then follows the old boundary between Dowles and Arley, using a tree stump as a marker to find its way to a road, what is now the modern B4199 from Bewdley to Kinlet. It followed this to a marker tree, Winna’s tree; Winna may also have given his name to Winwood, now a farm in the south of Kinlet about a mile away. From the tree the boundary turned east to pick up the stream and valley (batch) that divides Kinlet and Arley. In the charter this is called Tudeles Batch. The boundary again ran along the Severn to Leofric’s boundary, now the parish boundary with Alveley. Leofric presumably was the owner of Alveley. A Leofric was Earl of Mercia from 1023 to 1057 and is known to have signed documents as early as 1005. Domesday records how Alveley was owned by Leofric’s son, Algar in 1066; thus it is reasonable to suppose that it is indeed the Earl of Mercia who is referred to in the charter. However, this identification does nothing to inspire confidence in the date of 994, claimed for the charter and is more consistent with it being based on an 11th Century original. Regardless of this, the perambulation follows Leofric’s boundary, past a road called Thurulf’s way, (one or other of the tracks between Arley and Alveley) to the “acre fence”, probably a small piece of enclosed arable land, then to the “Shepherds pasture” and so finally back to its start, close to where a stream called Eares Brook begins.

The charter seems to describe a landscape of scattered crofts set amongst patches of arable, pasture and woodland. This is what might be expected for the boundary of an estate set in what was once woodland. The main area of settlement would be in the middle of the estate, with later clearances and farmsteads on the boundaries. However, the sinuous nature of the northern boundary with Arley suggests that it was drawn up after the crofts and pastures had been established so that the surveyors had to respect existing fences and hedges. It is difficult to judge how much woodland still existed when the charter was drawn up; it is plausible that those parts of the boundary that are heavily wooded today were also in woodland in the 11th Century. However, the boundary with Dowles uses a tree stump as a marker; it is debatable whether this would have been effective had the area been in woodland as it is today. Similarly, the effectiveness of Winna’s tree would have been greater had it been in open country. Whilst by no means conclusive, the charter is consistent with less woodland along the Dowles and Kinlet boundaries than is found today.

The road that is now the B4199 is clearly of great antiquity as it was the western boundary of Arley, through Button Oak. Indeed the word in the charter, strete, is often used of a former Roman road. It is impossible to say if the road is really this old, although it is not impossible. From at least the 12th Century, the land on the other side of the boundary was a detached portion of Stottesdon, called Kingswood. It is possible that this reflects a more ancient division of this part of the Wyre Forest, where it was divided into parcels and given to individuals such as Winna and Cattuc, the person postulated to have given his name to Catsley in Kinlet.

The north-east boundary of Arley extends in a strange tongue pointing towards the Sheepwalks, a ridge overlooking Enville; to a lessor extent the boundary of Alveley shows the same feature. The Sheepwalks might be the Sheep Ridge in the charter; an area outside the estate where there was right of pasture for swine. In this case, the extension of the estate, along the Rye Way would be to give access to this common.

Arley was entitled to the salt produced by one vat from Droitwich. This was a valuable right; salt was essential for preserving meat. The estate may have sent wood to Droitwich for fuel for the vat, where brine would have been evaporated. At a later date, Kinlet acquired a vat.