The people of Castlemorton

By Worcestershire Life on June 6th 2011

The editor’s brief was clear and simple: “Meander around Castlemorton and chat to some interesting people about the area”.

Castlemorton is situated in south west Worcestershire below the eastern flank of the Malvern Hills. On the day of my visit in early spring, the bright sunshine and azure sky showed the rolling countryside, flora and fauna in the best possible light.

First things first! Castlemorton – where is, or rather, where was the castle? And Morton? All that remains of the castle, or more precisely the motte and bailey, is a large mound surrounded by a long-since dried-up moat in a field beside St Gregory’s church. The castle was apparently built in Norman times. The accepted meaning of Castlemorton harks back to the 14th century and refers to the place with ‘a castle in marshy ground (mõr) with a farmstead (tõn)’.

I met Mary Weaver, originally from Welland, and her neighbour, Castlemorton-born and bred, Roger Jakeman; each has a long association and fond memories of the area. First, I asked them about the changes that have occurred in their lifetime.

“Years ago, the village was virtually self-sufficient,” said Roger. “The villagers either worked on the land or at the quarry. There was nothing else. People had smallholdings and they ate what they grew and lived off the land. Most had a small orchard, kept a few sheep and a pig. A lorry came from Pershore to take fruit and vegetables to market at Evesham to get the best prices. The men who came back from the Great War were allowed allotments – extra plots of 3 acres –to help them get a business started. Otherwise, there was always work to be had at the quarry due to the number of roads that were being built. After the Second World War, some people got jobs at the Radar place that is now Qinetiq.”

The quarry, known as Gullet Quarry, was blasted out of Swinyard Hill. Excavations ceased in the 1970s and the site now presents an impressive sight. The 200ft high crags provide ideal nesting places for birds of prey.

Mary lives on the farm started by her husband’s family at the turn of the last century. However her late husband ran the farm as an agricultural merchant business and sold animal feed and fertilisers. Today, Mary and her son concentrate on the preparation of cider apples.

“We don’t make the cider, but we buy fruit from various growers in the three counties, pulp the apples – or pears for perry - and sell the juice to the smaller cider or perry producers,” she said.

“We used to employ six permanent hands and took on seasonal casual labour. Today, there’s just me and my son.”

For centuries, local residents have had grazing rights on the Common, but few bother to do so today. Apart from their livestock being allowed to chew and chomp without hindrance, commoners also had the right to collect firewood off the sprawling Castlemorton Common. Today this area, designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, is the last vestige of Malvern Chase, which itself was part of the much larger royal forest that once stretched into Warwickshire.

Matthew Gardner grazes 150-odd sheep on the common in the traditional way. He and Max, his six-year-old Border collie, watch over a flock of Cheviots.

“They are ready to lamb in about three weeks,” said the young shepherd, “I need to check them morning and night.”

Matthew can count on one hand the number of fellow shepherds nowadays; Jakeman can remember when there were more than 40. Besides tending his flock, Matthew ekes out a living by coppicing, pleaching, hedge-laying and other skills he acquired during his time of employment with the Conservators. He plans to teach woodland management skills, increase his flock fourfold and sell meat to local restaurants.

As I drove south beyond the common, I spotted a sign advertising ‘Peacocks for Sale’. Cas and Roger Guest have been breeding the birds for six years.

“It started when a peacock, who we later named Percy, claimed squatter’s rights on our roof. I traced his owner, who was quite happy for us to keep Percy,” said Cas.

“We acquired a couple of peahens and what started as a hobby has become a small business,” her husband, Roger added.

“We have never advertised, apart from the roadside sign, but we shall soon have a website!” said Cas, who is very protective of her birds and vets every prospective customer. To date, the couple have sold over 50 birds to grace properties all over the country.

“I am no expert, as I am learning all the time,” the enthusiastic breeder added with undue modesty.

Roger Jakeman recalled that during the war, every piece of land was under the plough to provide food for the war effort. Today, the land has reverted to its natural ways and is much the same, as it ever was. However, the spring of 1992 still haunts the memories of many local people.

Over the May Bank holiday, the common was taken over for an altogether different purpose. Upwards of 20,000 hippies and hangers-on descended on this quiet, rural community and stayed for a week. It was anything but peaceful! Roger Jakeman recalled: “They created any amount of damage. They stripped trees, broke fences and burnt every piece of wood for their fires. There was not a stick left on the hedges! I had 13 lambs on the bottle and lost them all during one night – they had been attacked by the dogs.”

Mary was shocked by the quantity of drugs on sale during the week-long invasion.

“For years afterwards, we kept finding needles all over the common. It was a very bad time for Castlemorton.”

On the other side of this sprawling village, Paul Thompson works from home as a web designer. He moved here from Malvern with his young family five years ago. Their home is the former post office and general store. The property has changed little since 1960 when it was photographed for the Francis Frith collection. Mail is still collected daily from the post box in the front wall.

“I believe I am entitled to receive a rent for providing the facility,” Paul confided. “As it’s only £1 a year, I haven’t bothered to pursue my children’s inheritance!”

“There are few, if any, second homes here, which have killed community spirit in so many other places,” Mary Weaver observed. “It’s still a very pleasant place to live.”

At the end of my morning’s meander, I heartily agreed.

The people of Castlemorton

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