EVESHAM AND THE VALE
_Great Evesham's fertile glebe what tongue hath not extolled._
_As though to her alone belonged the crown of gold_.
--MICHAEL DRAYTON.
Evesham stands on a kind of peninsula formed by a deep loop of the
river Avon on its way from Stratford-on-Avon to Tewkesbury. The broad
vale in which it lies is enclosed by a semicircle of hills, which
provide a background to every varied landscape, and give a sense of
homeliness and seclusion which those who are familiar with unbroken
stretches of level country will at once recognise and appreciate. From
the east to the south-west range the Cotswolds, not striking in
outline but depending for their beauty in great part upon the play of
light and shade and the variety given by atmospheric effects. To
dwellers in the vale the appearance of the hills not only reflects the
feeling of the day but foretells the coming weather. When a delicate,
blue haze shrouds their forms, entirely obliterating the more distant
heights, the pleasure-seeker rests content in the promise of a fair
morn; but no pleasant expectations can be formed when, robed in
deepest purple, they seem to draw in and crowd together, and with
vastly increased bulk to frown upon the darkening vale.
[Illustration: EVESHAM AND BREDON HILL FROM THE PARKS]
At each end of the Cotswold range, as seen from Evesham, stands,
sentinel like, an isolated elevation, and in early times, as present
remains testify, both these were occupied as fortified posts. To the
east is Meon Hill, and to the south-west stands Bredon, the nearest
and most prominent of the group. In the south-east the position of
Broadway is decisively marked by its pseudo-Norman tower, and due
south the level outline ended by an abrupt escarpment to the eastward
is Cleeve Cloud, carrying the range on towards Cheltenham and Bristol.
But the chief glory of the vale, so far as its background is
concerned, is the truly mountainous outline of the Malvern Hills, the
whole length of which is seen bounding the western horizon. The
breadth of the valley here is more than twenty miles from hill to
hill, and includes both the Severn and its tributary stream. To how
many does the thought of sunrise not recall this undulating range
illuminated and glorified by the clear beams of the early sun striking
across the vale and thrown back in glittering fragments by the long
line of houses at its base! And few more beautiful associations will
gather round the sunset than those in which Malvern plays its part,
the rocky skyline standing up sharp and clear against the
ever-changing brilliance. As we recall the scene the dazzling
effulgence fades into a glow, the glow diminishes almost imperceptibly
into twilight, and, as we watch, a line of twinkling lights becomes
visible beneath the hill, and one by one the stars appear in the
deepening sky.
Northward there are no striking elevations, the ground sloping
gradually upward by the Lench Hills and the Ridge Way towards the
great central tableland; but opposite Malvern, continuing the horizon
to the north of Meon, can be seen, when the air is clear, beyond the
flat Stour valley, the outline of Edgehill, recalling as we gaze the
years of civil strife, full of terror and bloodshed, yet round which
Time has thrown his mantle of romance.
So far we have been able to dwell on the broad features of the country
which it takes many ages to change or modify. From the earliest times
we can record the settlers on this chosen spot must have looked out on
the same hills and the same broad valley with its overarching sky. But
then, instead of the "crown of gold" of which Drayton sings, or the
silver sheen which in springtime now glorifies the gardens, the face
of the country was, we are told, one vast thicket of brushwood and
forest trees. In Blakenhurst, meaning black forest, the name of the
hundred in which the town is situated, we have an indication of the
former character of this region. Only here and there was a clearing
with a few huts giving shelter to a scanty population of herdsmen and
hunters. In those shadowy times the river was broad and shallow,
unconfined to one course, here swift and clear, there sluggish and
thick, feeding creeks and marshes by the way, and overgrown with
rushes and water weeds; of no use probably as a water-way but prolific
in fish and fowl.
During historic times the vale has been hallowed by many events, and
is sacred to many memories: there is hardly an acre which does not
bear evidence of the doings of our forefathers through the long ages
of which we have knowledge. The site of the town was apparently
unoccupied by the Romans though their thoroughfares run not far
distant, and their camps are numerous on the neighbouring hills. Not
until Saxon times do we hear of this fertile peninsula being
inhabited, and then we are told by the chroniclers of a village called
Homme near this spot, the home of only a few peasants. Like many other
towns and cities, in England, Evesham is said to have had a monastic
origin, and for a long succession of years it is to the monastery
alone that she owes her existence and celebrity. The monastic
foundation dates from about A.D. 702, and from this time until the
Conquest we know little of the fortunes of the place. Access would
have been difficult in those days to so retired a spot protected on
three sides by a broad river, and though doubtless there was a ford
passable on horseback when the water was not in flood, yet until the
building of the bridge it must have been isolated indeed. More than
once we are told of ravages of the Danes. We know they penetrated far
into the country, and Evesham did not escape their vigilance.
Side by side with the growth of the abbey the little village sprang
up, and gradually increased in importance. No doubt in times of stress
it was accustomed to look to that wealthy institution for succour. On
the Church the inhabitants would be dependent for all sacred rites and
the fulfilment of their spiritual needs; but occasionally we find them
waxing independent, and even defying the abbot himself. At best,
however, the fight must have been an unequal one, with wealth,
learning, and power on the one side, and poverty and ignorance on the
other. After an honourable career of eight hundred years the monastery
was overthrown. Even this great abbey, with its wealth and power and
integrity, was impotent to withstand the popular prejudice aroused by
the exposure of the degradation and vice prevailing in so many kindred
institutions, the greed of Henry VIII., and the ruthless energy of
Thomas Cromwell. In a few years it was swept away, leaving only a few
beautiful fragments to tell of its former grandeur.
Evesham's next great claim to notice is as the field of the decisive
battle of 1265, ending in the defeat and death of Simon de Montfort,
and the allies still remaining faithful to their leader. This event,
we know, added much to the fame of the monastery, and reacted on the
town by bringing many pilgrims to the grave of that popular hero. The
tomb of the great Earl vied with, or exceeded in popularity, the many
sacred relics already enshrined in the abbey church.
In early days, as has been pointed out, Evesham lay out of the common
beat; the Avon formed a _cul-de-sac_, and the main road from Worcester
to London and Oxford merely skirted the town, ascending Green Hill
from Chadbury, continuing its course by what is now known as Blayney's
Lane, and crossing the river by a ford or bridge at Offenham Ferry. In
consequence of the growing importance of the town, the road was
probably diverted to its present line.
Although in pre-Reformation days the abbey dominated the town and the
abbot's will was practically law to the inhabitants, yet the townsmen
on the whole lived quite apart, doing their own work, managing their
own affairs, and enjoying themselves in their own way. The monastery,
too, was complete in itself, having its own staff of servants and
needing little, if any, outside help. The precincts of the abbey were
as entirely shut in with their high wall and strong gates, all
fortified in the Edwardian times, as any castle; and little of what
went on in this self-contained society would be known to the people
living without. It must be remembered also that the townsmen had their
own church, that of All Saints, and only on special occasions would
they be allowed entrance to the great church belonging to the monks.
It would seem that the second church, dedicated to St. Lawrence, was
principally used by pilgrims, and this was connected with the monastic
buildings by a covered walk of stone.
To Edward the Confessor we learn the town owed certain rights
connected with its market, and during the Middle Ages it was an
important centre for the trade of the district. On account of this
market, and from the fact that the greater part of the abbey lands lay
on the left bank of the river, it would seem probable that a bridge of
some kind was built quite early in the Middle Ages, if not before. In
monastic times there existed a Guildhall, which betokens of itself a
community of active citizens, and social and commercial organisation.
The education of the children was probably looked after by the monks,
and before the dissolution a grammar school was founded by the abbot.
In Merstow Green we have the public pasture and recreation ground.
When the parent abbey was removed, the town was quite able to take
care of itself: in the same century a new and more spacious Town Hall
and Market was built, suggesting that the old Booth Hall was
insufficient for the requirements of the time; and in the early years
of the reign of James I. a Royal Charter was granted to the
inhabitants in the name of Prince Henry, and the little town became a
corporate borough.
In the seventeenth century a revolution was effected by the river
being rendered navigable from the Severn up to Stratford-on-Avon.
Wharves were built, and numerous barges plied their trade up and down
the stream. Through Stratford, Birmingham and the Midlands became
accessible for heavy traffic by canal. In this century the peaceful
vale is once more disturbed by the clang of arms. During the Civil War
Evesham was an important military post, on account of its position
between the Royalist cities of Worcester and Oxford, and the
engagement which took place here will be recounted in due order.
No very notable events took place for many years; the gardening
industry flourished, the town retained its importance as an
agricultural trading centre, but progress was slow, and life free from
incident. But the change from those days of leisure to these in which
we live is great. Now the river has ceased to be utilised for
commerce: two railways connect the town with every other place of note
in the country, and the whole aspect of things is altered. The Evesham
of to-day is with us; over the past a glamour is spread.
It may be that, even if we had the chance, we would not return to the
past, but over many of us few other studies exercise so great a
fascination as the contemplation of the "good old days" which are
gone.