THE HISTORY OF LINDRIDGE IN FOUR OBJECTS
By Stephanie Mocroft
In this look at the history of a Worcestershire parish, Lindridge, I have chosen to confine my attention to four distinct time periods, each represented by a historical object. Each object acts as a hook on which to hang an assessment of life in those times. As such, it is not a comprehensive account, merely an introduction to the fascinating history of our parish.
Lindridge is a parish in the north-west corner of Worcestershire, entirely within the beautiful Teme Valley. With a boundary abutting Shropshire and being within hailing distance of Herefordshire, we have more in common with our neighbours than with the rest of Worcestershire. Prior to 1843 Lindridge was a larger parish, which included two chapelries, Knighton-on-Teme to the west, and Pensax to the east. They are now parishes in their own right.
In summary, I have chosen four objects to illuminate our local history, a polished Stone Age tool, an Anglo-Saxon charter, a tapestry and an estate map. Each of the objects is inaccessible and little known locally. I have thoroughly enjoyed playing detective and visiting libraries, archives and museums to track down the four objects.I hope to have whetted your appetite for local history and demonstrated how much information is available, if you just go and look!
This text is taken from an illustrated talk given in Lindridge Parish Hall in March and October 2013 by Stephanie Mocroft, and updated by her in July 2014.