St Cassian, the parish church
Chaddesley
Corbett is a large parish covering over 6,000 acres. Agriculture has
been the principal occupation over the centuries, but many villagers
now commute to work in the nearby West Midlands conurbation.
Chaddesley
was of some importance as far back as 1086 when it contained 25 hides
(10 free) with eight berewicks and was valued at £12. It was
then held by Eddeve, a certain woman, who had held it from before
the Conquest. Two priests are also recorded in Domesday indicating
the existence of a church at that time.
The manor
of Chaddesley came to the Corbett family, by marriage, at the end
of the 12th century and remained in their hands for some 200 years
before passing to Thomas de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick. The village
lies to the north of the Bromsgrove to Kidderminster road lining a
branch road to Stourbridge with many red-brick and brick and timber
houses and cottages of varying dates.
The church,
dedicated to St Cassian, stands on the west side, at the junction
of the Stourbridge and Kidderminster roads, opposite the Talbot Inn
(c. 1600), a timber and brick house built on sandstone.
St Cassian
consists of a chancel, north chapel, north aisle, nave, south aisle
and west tower with a modern vestry to the east of the north chapel.
The arcade
of the north aisle is early 12th century and is all that remains of
an earlier building. At the end of the century the west wall was removed
for the nave to be lengthened and a south arcade and aisle were added.
The north
chapel was built in the 13th century. The original chancel was replaced
by the present one early in the 13th century and this, with a plaster
barrel ceiling with wood ribs, is a very attractive and richly appointed
structure. The tower with embattled parapet and tall spire was built
in the 18th century and has a peal of eight bells.
The church
contains monuments to Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Holte of Aston
(d. 1647), Humphrey Pakington (d. 1631), and his wife and daughter.
