Parishes: Bolehall and Glascote

BOLEHALL AND GLASCOTE

Acreage: 658.

Population: 1911, 4,711; 1921, 5,278; 1931, 2,330.

The parish lies to the south and west of Amington, its western boundary being the Anker and then the Tame as far south as the Kettle Brook, which divides it from Wilnecote. The road from Tamworth crosses the Anker by Bole Bridge and branches north-east through Bolehall village to Amington and south-east uphill through Glascote to Atherstone. At Glascote is a colliery and large terra-cotta works, connected by rail with the Coventry Canal and the L.M.S. Railway from Birmingham to Derby, and a road runs south past Kettlebrook Colliery and the disused Dumolo's Colliery to Wilnecote. The parish formerly extended west of the Anker to include part of Tamworth and the district of Perry Crofts, between the river and the Tamworth—Ashby de la Zouch road, but in 1934 most of this portion was assigned to Tamworth and Staffordshire.

The parish church of St. George, Glascote, was erected in 1880 from designs by the late Basil Champneys, in the 14th-century style. It consists of a chancel, gabled central tower, nave, north porch, and south aisle; the walls are of red brick with Bath stone dressings, and the roofs are tiled.

Bole Hall is situated on the south bank of the Anker close to Bole Bridge. It dates from about 1720, is of two stories, attics and basement, and is built of red brick with stone dressings. The plan is rectangular, being two parallel ranges with gabled east and west ends. The south and principal front has a slightly projecting middle bay, in which is the square-headed entrance with rusticated stone jambs and voussoirs and a curved pediment. Near each end of the front is a brick pilaster with a moulded stone base and Doric capital, and the wall has a stone plinth, moulded string-course and cornice, and a plain brick parapet. The windows have flat gauged arches of bricks with stone key-blocks. In the roof are hipped dormers. The back is similar but plainer, being entirely of brick. The ground-level here is much lower (close to the river-bank) and the basement has a vaulted covered way with round arches, projecting so that the top forms a wide balcony to the ground floor. The east side also has brick pilasters with stone caps, and the gables have moulded stone copings. The west side is plainer and windows have been altered. The entrance opens into a hall which extends to the east wall and is lined with original bolection-moulded panelling. The staircase off the west end of the hall has shaped brackets to the ends of the steps, but its original balusters are replaced by plain iron standards. The rest of the interior has been modernized but the north-west room retains a moulded marble fire-place of the period.

The forecourt is entered by a middle gateway with brick posts having moulded stone caps and cone finials. The wrought-iron gate and overthrow are said to have come from a mansion belonging to the Marquess of Donegal. In the overthrow is a doubled monogram, apparently A.L.F., for Arthur (Chichester) created Lord Fisherwick in 1790 (and Marquess of Donegal in 1791).

MANORS

BOLEHALL

BOLEHALL was presumably originally part of Amington. In 1198 Osbert de Clinton made an agreement with Hawise Burdet and her son Ralph about the site of his mill of Bolebridge in Amington; (fn. 1) but nothing appears to be known of the manor of Bole Hall until 1390, when it was settled by Sir John de Clinton on himself and his wife Elizabeth. (fn. 2) After his death in 1396 she continued to hold it, with her then husband Sir John Russel, (fn. 3) until her own death in 1423, when it was held of the Earl of Warwick. (fn. 4) One third of the manor was held in dower by Margaret (St. Leger) widow of Sir John's great-grandson John, Lord Clinton, when she married Walter Hungerford. (fn. 5) The John, Lord Clinton, who died in 1515 allowed the manor-house to fall into ruin, (fn. 6) and settled the manor on his son Thomas and his wife Joan, who in 1515 leased it for forty years to Lady Dorothy widow of Sir John Ferrers. (fn. 7) In 1539 Edward, Lord Clinton and Say, sold the manor and water-mill to James Leveson, (fn. 8) a merchant of the Staple, who gave it with his daughter to Walter Aston. (fn. 9) He died in 1589, having settled the manor on his son Edward, (fn. 10) who died seised thereof in 1597. (fn. 11) From his son Sir Walter Aston, bart., it was bought by William Anson, (fn. 12) who sold in 1615 to William Comberford. (fn. 13) William's widow Anne died seised of the manor, of which the manor-house was then in the tenure of James Ramsbotham, in 1626, (fn. 14) and their son William Comberford in 1650 conveyed the manor to Francis Curzon. (fn. 15) After this the descent of the manor is obscure. In 1749 Samuel Hill of Shenstone Park, Staffs., was apparently lord of the manor; (fn. 16) and by 1782 it had been acquired by Viscount (later Marquess) Townshend, (fn. 17) after which it descended with Tamworth Castle and was bought by the Corporation of Tamworth in 1897. (fn. 18)

GLASCOTE

GLASCOTE seems to have been held in the 12th century by William son of Hugh of Hatton, (fn. 19) possibly in right of his wife Maud. (fn. 20) His daughter Margaret married Osbert de Clinton, (fn. 21) and he gave ¼ knight's fee in Glascote and 'Clingefeld' to Ralph fitz Ralph, (fn. 22) who in 1206 acquired 2 carucates in the same places from Hugh de Culy. (fn. 23) Ralph's son Nicholas fitz Ralph left a son Giles who was under age in 1262, when Thomas de Clinton granted his wardship to Ralph Basset of Drayton. (fn. 24) Similarly Maud de Clinton, widow of Thomas, granted the wardship of Giles's daughter and heir Isabel to Philip Marmion, who married her to his (illegitimate) (fn. 25) son Robert and acquired a life interest in this manor. (fn. 26) On his death in 1291 it reverted to Robert Marmion and Isabel and descended with Nether Whitacre (q.v.) until the middle of the 16th century. By that time it was held in two moieties, one by the family of Longueville, the other by that of Ferrers of Chartley. Sir John Longueville was twice married; by his first wife he had a daughter Anne, who was mother of John Cheyney; by his second wife he had a son Arthur. (fn. 27) Arthur Longueville conveyed Nether Whitacre to John Cheyney, (fn. 28) who in 1544 conveyed lands in Glascote to him. (fn. 29) Arthur's grandson Sir Henry Longueville died in 1621, seised of the moiety of the manor, (fn. 30) which his son Edward still owned in 1636. (fn. 31)

The Ferrers moiety descended in that family and was held by George Ferrers, Marquess Townshend, in 1815. (fn. 32) It was acquired by the Corporation of Tamworth in 1897 with Bole Hall (q.v.).

In the 12th century William le Franceis of Tamworth gave to the nuns of Polesworth all his land in Glascote which he had received from Hugh son of William. (fn. 33) These tenements, which produced 13s. 4d. in rents in 1535, (fn. 34) were given with other estates of Polesworth to Richard, Robert, and Roger Taverner in 1545. (fn. 35)

The manor of PERRY CROFT, which in 1291 was held of the king by service of finding coal and litter for the king's chamber when he should come to Tamworth, (fn. 36) descended with Glascote, being similarly divided into moieties. William de Clinton, Earl of Huntingdon, is said to have acquired the second moiety from Richard de Whitacre in 1342; (fn. 37) and in 1365 John Waryn of Burton Stather (Lincs.) and Hulma his wife conveyed ⅓ of the manor, which was held by Hulma in dower, to Fulk de Birmingham, (fn. 38) from whom it descended to Sir William Ferrers, who held ¼ of the manors of Perry Croft and Glascote in 1450. (fn. 39) Thomas, Lord Clinton and Say, held 'the manor' and leased his farm of Perycrofte to John Jekys shortly before his death in 1517, (fn. 40) and his son Edward sold it with Bole Hall (q.v.) to James Leveson in 1539. (fn. 41)