Season ends for local history group

ON Thursday, March 31, Robina Rand will give a talk entitled The Early History of the Parishes of Ripple and Hanley Castle to the Kidderminster and District Archaeological and Historical Society.

The name of Ripple was first mentioned in a charter of AD 680, but it was already the site of an important river crossing and possible trading post between the hill forts on the Malverns and Bredon Hill. By AD 900 Ripple with its five dependent manors was in the hands of the Bishops of Worcester and was very wealthy. An early minster was probably destroyed by the Danes, but the present church of C.AD 1200 has remained under the patronage of the Bishops of Worcester.

The opposite is true for the church and manor of Hanley Castle and this talk aims to demonstrate how different the historical path can be for two parishes separated only by the river Severn. Ripple is a path of continuity, Hanley Castle of constant change. In Hanley it influenced the administration of Malvern Chase, the Lords of the manor and the patronage of the church.

The account will cover the periods up to the Middle Ages.

Robina Rand was brought up in Hanley Castle, near Malvern, and went to school in Worcester. After a career as a psychiatric social worker she took a break to read archaeology at Reading University, followed by a masters in medieval studies. She and her husband lived in Silchester, the site of Roman ‘Calleva Atrebatum’ for nearly 30 years. After working for the Atomic Energy Authority at Harwell for six years she held a number of parttime jobs. In 2014 Robina and Richard returned to live in Worcestershire, settling in the parish of Ripple. Sadly Richard died in 2018 after becoming churchwarden of Ripple. Since 2015 Robina has been carrying out research into the history of both Ripple and Hanley Castle.

The meeting starts at 2.15pm in the annexe, of St George’s Church, Radford Avenue, Kidderminster, DY10 2ES. The annexe is spacious and well-ventilated with seating that can be moved to accommodate preferences for social distancing. Feel free to wear a mask if you wish to do so.

There is a small charge for visitors, who are very welcome.

This is the last meeting of the current season. The 2022-2023 season will commence in October 2022.

More information about the Society can be found on the website www.kdahs.org.