208 INKBERROW.

The church consists of chancel, nave, north aisle, south chapel, and western tower. Style, chiefly Perpendicular. Monuments of the Savages, Egiocks, Gowers; and a curious symbolical font, worth inspecting. Church restored a quarter of a century ago; it has 700 sittings, 200 of which are free. The vicar is the Rev. G. R. Gray, a magistrate for Worcestershire; value of the living, £900. The Dean and Chapter of Hereford are the impropriators, but at the death of Walter Hemming, Esq., the great tithes will fall to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The Baptists have established a chapel at Cookhill, and the Methodists at Inkberrow. As far back as 1720 I find that the house of R. Windle, in this parish, was licensed for Dissenting worship. Clothing clubs, schools, and friendly societies, are also among the institutions of the place. The parish register abounds with curious entries, one of which, describing "ye Gospel places and boundaries in ye parish," states that the boundary terminates in one direction "at John Burston's house, ye end of ye kitchen table at Thorn." In this Thorn farm-house it is said King Charles slept when his army passed through here in 1645, but the same honour is claimed for too many places hereabout to be true. No doubt the King was quartered at Inkberrow (at the vicarage), on Saturday, the 10th of May, in the above year, for it is so stated in Richard Symonds's Diary, in which he says: "This night an outhouse where Sir Henry Bard quartered was burnt and fifteen horses of his. On Sunday the King marched to the rendezvous of the whole army of foot. His Majesty, with his own regiment of foot and horse guards, only marched to Salt Wiche " (Droitwich). At the vicarage is an old book of maps, which it is said the King left behind him on the above occasion.

George Lench, Thomas Hunt, Arthur Bagshawe, Edmund Bearcroft, John Fincher, and Thomas Hames, or Haines, all esquires of Inkberrow, were among the Worcestershire gentlemen whom Charles I fined for not accepting the order of knighthood.