56 BREDICOT AND TIBBERTON.

Bredicot and Tibberton.

ABOUT an hour's walk eastward from Worcester brings you to these two parishes, neighbours geographically, and still more closely united spiritually. The two livings being but of small value, and Bredieot having a parsonage house while Tibberton had none, the Dean and Chapter of Worcester, who are the patrons, some years ago caused them, to be united in perpetuity under the powers of a most useful Act of Parliament giving facilities for consolidating the smaller and dividing the larger livings. Moreover, for educational purposes, Bredicot was some time ago made the centre of a district, having a National School for the poor children of Spetchley, White Ladies' Aston, Broughton Hackett, Church Hill, Upton Snodsbury, Bredicot, Tibberton, Whittington, and a small portion of the parishes of St. Peter and St. Martin, Worcester. These schools are well attended, considering that new schools have been built and opened in some of the neighbouring parishes. The Ecclesiastical Commissioners, as managers of the Dean and Chapter's property, are now lords of the manor. The Rev. W. M. Kingsmill is the vicar of the united living, the value of which is about £250; populations, under 400. There were twenty-three families in the time of Elizabeth. Bredicot belonged ab antique to Worcester Priory, and the inhabitants, not having the right of burial, were compelled to carry their dead to the churchyard of Worcester Cathedral - a long distance over a hilly country; the consequence of which was that in winter time, owing to the horrible state of the road in those days, dead bodies frequently remained unburied for such a period as brought disgrace and scandal upon a Christian community - "Sepeque contigit ut premissorum pretextu corpora ibidem morientium ultra tempus