Malvern Family History Society
Page last updated July 2010
The Parish Church of Cradley
St James the Great
The Church register begins in 1560 and records the names of many well known families in Herefordshire and Worcestershire branches of which were settled in the parish. There was the Hill family of Cradley Hall, Heath Place and Hill House. Cradley Hall once a fine Elizabethan structure degenerated into a farm house and was demolished about 1889. Hill House now the property of Miss Shapland is a very picturesque building and well preserved. The Arms of the Hills of Cradley are Ermine on a fess sable a Castle Argent.Connected with this family was that of Arundel or Arundell. Arms Sable six nirondelles, three, two and one Argent. A Richard Hill married an Arundel before 1651.A John Arundel married Margaret Kynard Nov 6 1581.Thomas Arundel Married Susanna Smith 25th Oct 1592. Thomas Arundell was Guardian of Cradley 1619.
There are numerous entries of the name of Arundell and the name was common until recently among the peasantry in the Frome Valley.
Cradley is in the Hundred of Radlow and Deanery of Frome. The Original Registers are deposited at The Hereford Record Office.
There were about 70 headstones leaning against the west wall of the Church Yard, often stacked three deep. No attempt was made to move these stones and so only those inscriptions that are visible have been recorded. However the Monumental Inscriptions of Cradley recorded in about 1900 are available at the Hereford Record Office. In all 468 inscriptions have been recorded. 361 from Grave Stones, 53 from Cremation Stones, 1 from a plaque on the outside of the Church Wall, 52 Inside the Church and the Inscription on the War Memorial by the Road.
The following abbreviations have been used to describe the monuments:-
Type of Stone
D in front of a monument type indicates a double grave.
A = Altar tomb B = Open Book FS = Floor Stone
C = Coffin Stone H = Headstone K = Kerb stone
X = Cross L = Ledger Stone O = Obelisk
CX = Celtic Cross F = Foot Stone P = Pedestal
T = Table tomb W = Window WT = Wall Tablet
Condition of Monument
IS = In situ D = Displaced FD = Face down
S = Sound E = Leaning FA = Falling apart
L = Laid flat(face up) N = Flaking FG = Front gone
Condition of Inscription
M = Mint. CW = Clear but worn. MD = Mainly decipherable. J = Traces
LL = Lead lettering. D = Destroyed. I = Illegible
Material
LS = Local Sandstone. G = Granite. MA = Marble. R = Brass
Q = Portland stone U = Other. ?? = no material listed
These descriptions may be followed by a note of a symbolic feature or decoration found on the memorial.
We have indexed the surnames that we found on the MI's. To search the index click indexes
There are location charts to enable you to find the MI's. To view them click charts
To view the transcriptions of the Cradley MI's click MI's