Noake's Worcestershire Page 299

PEHSHORE. 299

of the tower (fourteenth century) the latter of which Mr. Scott believes was constructed by the architect who built the central tower of Salisbury.

There are some highly interesting monumental remains, stone effigies, and memorial windows (especially one to the late Rev. Dr. Williamson, the vicar) in the Abbey Church, which is now known as the parish church of Holy Cross. The mother church of St. Andrew is an humbler building very near the Abbey Church.

At the Dissolution Abbot Stonewell was glad to compound for a pension of £160 a year, and survived nearly twenty years. The site of the Abbey, the vineyard, with the manors of Old and New Pershore, Abbot's Wood, and Wadborongh, the fair and market, &c., were conveyed to William and Francis Sheldon. Passing through various hands, the manors of Old and New Pershore are now vested in Mrs. Elizabeth Malins, but all rights incident to them have, I am informed, been suffered to fall in abeyance. The Abbey House, on the site of the residence of the abbots, is now occupied by Colonel Scobell.

The town of Pershore is clean and pleasant, has wide streets, respectable inns, and the largest collection of bay windows to be seen anywhere. Population, nearly 3,000. The chief employment for men in the neighbourhood is market gardening; gloving for the women. Mr. E. Humphries employs about 100 hands in the manufacture of agricultural machines; and wool-sorting is carried on to a diminished extent by Messrs. M. Ganderton, T. Burch, T. Cross, and T. Ellis. Messrs. Goodwin and Son also find employment for a considerable number of men at Pershore Mills. Among the other institutions of the place are the Angel and Three Tuns hotels; branches of the Worcester City and County and Gloucestershire banks; a new town hall or music hall, erected by a Co-operative Society; a news room; national, infant, and British schools; a new and handsome police station, with magistrates' rooms, &c., recently erected near the entrance to