48 BIRLINGHAM.

tayne of heaven. This church (Birlingham) being anciently but a chapel, is, by the fall of her mother church, Nafford, grown to parochial greatness, comprising the inhabitants of Nafford and Birlingham."

Sic transit! By an Act passed in 1773, entitled "An Act for dividing and enclosing several open and common fields, common meadows, and other commonable lands and places within the parish of Nafford and chapelry of Birlingham, in the county of Worcester," it is recited that the Right Hon. George William, Earl of Coventry, is lord of the manor of Birmingham, and Benjamin Booth, Esq., claims to be lord of a certain tract of land within the parish of Nafford aforesaid ; and Robert Berkeley, 'Esq., Eleanor Handford, spinster, and Charles Welch, gentleman, co-trustees and devisees named in "the last will and testament of Edward Handford,Esq., deceased, make the like claim in right and respect of their manor of Nafford. In the said Act it is also stated that Peter Cocks, gentleman, was seized of the right of patronage, &c, of " the rectory of Nafford, with the chapelry of Birlingham thereunto annexed." This, therefore, I take it, must be the title of the living. By this Act it was enacted that the Commissioners named in it should allot unto Lord Coventry four acres of land in lieu of his manorial rights (except trees growing on waste lands), and further allotments to him in lieu of heriots, &c., and also to the lords of track in Nafford one-sixteenth of waste lands in same track, and certain lanes within the parish, in lieu of their rights, except as aforesaid. Under this Act all the lands in Birlingham and Nafford were enclosed except a common meadow called Asham Meadow. This contains somewhat over sixty acres, and has ever continued commonahle after the gathering of the hay in each year. It continued open to the Tewkesbury turnpike road until 1824, when it was fenced off to keep the cattle from straying, but it is still treated as commonable. The date of the award was 10th of January, 1774. In Nash's time Nafford was thought to be a part of Eckington, although the