In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Astley like this:
ASTLEY, a parish in Martley district, Worcester; on the river Severn, 3 miles SW by S of Stourport r. station. Post Town, Stourport. Acres, 2,958. Real property, £6,862. Pop., 864. Houses, 198. A Benedictine priory, subordinate to the abbey of S t. Tanrinus in France, was founded here, in the time of William the Conqueror, by Ralph de Todeni; suffered frequent seizure by the Crown during the wars with France; passed, in the time of Richard II., to John Beauchamp, and in that of Edward IV. ...
to the college of Westbury; and was given by Henry VII. to Sir Ralph Sadleir, the compiler of the state papers. A hermitage was cut out of the solid rock at Astley Cliff, near Redstone ferry; was a place of great resort for devotees in the Roman times; and is now an alehouse. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Worcester. Value, £623.* Patrons, the Trustees of the Rev. D. J. J. Cooks. The church stands on an eminence; is Norman; and has a font and some monuments. An endowed school has £20, and other charities £6.
Astley through time
Astley is now part of Malvern Hills district. Click here for graphs and data of how Malvern Hills has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Astley itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Astley, in Malvern Hills and Worcestershire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/9592
Date accessed: 26th April 2024
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