Hello MH, Roobarb and All
That walk sounds absolutely wonderful.
Mrs P and I try to walk each day and essential to our health we feel.
One walk starts by taking a former historic medieval lane (Grange Lane, Galley Common, Stockingford) now an unmade wooded footpath through a modern residential area, then down steps onto a disused railway cutting and walk along through trees. About 1/4 mile onto another Public Footpath through fields on the former Nuns Common (but being developed for housing, despite well over 300 written objections, giving over 200 valid planning points for refusal, that is according to our Planning Department) and up to an 18th Century / C18 Public House on a hill formerly named Blackmans Hill (likely Blackham after Richard Blackham according to a local old Farm Lease Staffs CRO) at the old Pub (formery called the Holly Bush, but its name changed to the Plough in 1813) cross a D road and along a public footpath alongside a field boundary Smith's common (after Richard Smith C17), through a field called Steeple Field, then through a small wooded glade historically called Oat Croft then along through Priests Field onto Hockley, formerly called The Moors in Henry VIII's Valuation when his men seised the Estate from the Nuns. Here you can see a wood called Brett's Hall Wood near the site of Bretts Hall after Le Brett (just noticed this area is another location being put forward by its owners for housing). I was led to believe surnames Le Brett and nearby Hardreshull link with the Norman Conquest.
According to the printed Geanealogy of Harcourt dated M.DC.LXII., regarding Bret-Hall, this history in relation to Bretts Hall, Stockingford mentions William Palmer, William Pouchin (alias William Pigeon), George Harcourt, John Purefoy, Michael Purefoy and a John White of Bulby, Leicestershire. Documents at TNA, Kew C 1/344/17 refer to the Court of Chancery Purefoy v Pygeon, lands included Stockingford, Warwickshire of William and Elizabeth Purefoy, Anne Harcourt, widow, Mary Palmer and Defendant William Pygeon, dated 1504 to 1515 and the Defendant being heirs of Christien Brett (with a reference to C1/219/54). Also C 1/156/62 dated 1486 - 1515 mentioning William Bret and other documents.
From here we go South along a hedged lane (the lane once went North to an ancient Bronze / Iron age lookout, now a Public Footpath) called Hockley Lane, known as The Moors in the ancient Open Field system period. Before reaching the Hicknol Croft (modern day English and Tithe Map calls it Hicklings Field, at Galley Common), Hic or Ick was an ancient leader, it is then back via a lane to the 19th Century village School (land gifted by a landowner who owned a Moiety of the former Manor here) and home to our houses.
An Anglo Saxon Charter says if anyone should destroy the lands of Eatun may he be condemned to Tartarus etc.
Finds are an Iron Age Bronze Terret, Worked Flint and a coin.
The locals interested in history realise that within months of the recent development starting on the former Nuns Common, the area was also struck by a fatal Influenza outbreak, quickly followed by Covid and now the Indian variant is just 3 miles away as the crow flies.
It is a beautiful rural area criss crossed with rural Public Footpaths with its troughs and small hills, but Planners couldn't care less about destroying the area we walk through and enjoy. We even have a map dating from 1590 to outline a small area of 34 acres under dispute before the Court of Queen Elizabeth I and loads of Leases and Documents, including pre 1500 for the Grange, which Henry VIII left desolate.
Mark
