The Fleece Inn - Bretforton - Worcestershire
Bretforton is a small village just outside of Evesham in Worcestershire. In a Saxon document from 709, Bretforton was spelled pretty much the same apart from a ‘u’ in the tun, meaning an enclosure or a village. The village was owned by Evesham Abbey and was used as farmland. Evesham Abbey was founded in 710 by Saint Egwin after hearing of a vision near the river Avon.
Egwin had noble ancestry, descending from the Mercian Kings. As a child he was forced to practice combat to make him ready for battle when he became old enough, a duty for one with Royal blood. Egwin was reluctant to do this as he prefered to spend time with his tutor, a monk who would teach him about the life and miracles that were performed by Christ and the Saints, Egwin would daydream about performing miracles and being a saint.
Egwin had noble ancestry, descending from the Mercian Kings. As a child he was forced to practice combat to make him ready for battle when he became old enough, a duty for one with Royal blood. Egwin was reluctant to do this as he prefered to spend time with his tutor, a monk who would teach him about the life and miracles that were performed by Christ and the Saints, Egwin would daydream about performing miracles and being a saint.
At the age of 14, Egwin’s father gave him to the local monastery as a novice, as he would have been no good in a battle. Egwin loved monastery life. He enjoyed the strict timetable and studying more about Christianity. As he became older, Egwin decided to live as a hermit in the deep woodlands of Worcestershire. Word soon spread about this hermit of the woods and he gained a reputation for his holiness. People would flock to him to listen to what he had to say and to perform miracles. In 693, the bishop of Worcester died and the Mercian King Ethelred demanded that Egwin should take his place as the 3rd bishop of Worcester.
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Egwin was very distressed and reluctant to take this roll as he was happy in the woods but he didn’t have a choice. After becoming bishop, he noticed that the people of Worcestershire were still following many of the old pagan ways and that it was time for them to learn and follow the morals of Christianity. Egwin was so harsh to the people that he drove them all away, including some nobles, who sent word out to the pope who requested that he should take a pilgrimage to Rome. Before he left for Rome, he paid a blacksmith to create shackles for his legs to make it a struggle to walk to make the journey more difficult. He then threw the key into the river Avon and said that only when God proves his innocence will the shackles be removed. When he finally reached Rome, he visited the tomb of St. Peter to pray whilst his companions fished in the river Tiber. One of them caught a salmon, and when gutting the fish, a key fell from its belly. They tried it on Egwins shackles and they came loose, freeing him from his chastity. This was seen as a sign from God and the Pope forgave him. When Egwin returned to Worcestershire, he was given land by the newly crowned King Kendrid who succeeded King Ethelred. The land he was given was called Heathume and he placed four herdsmen to form the land. The area became known as Eofshomme, meaning Eof’s home or Evesham, Eof being the name of the leader of the herdsmen.
One day, Eof approached Egwin claiming that he’d seen a vision of the Virgin Mary at the bank of the River Avon in the same place that Egwin had thrown the key for his shackles. Upon visiting the site, Egwin experienced the same vision of he Virgin Mary. Egwin ordered that an abbey should be built on that spot.
The abbey prospered and acquired much farmland in the area, including Bretforton.
After the great plague of the fourteenth century, 50% of England’s population had died. Up until this point, the country had been run by a feudal system known as serfdom, where people worked for food and shelter. Due to the loss of so many lives from the plague and the high taxes to fund the hundred years war, the people of England rebelled and marched to London to demand lower taxes and freedom to work for themselves and not just for local Baron’s. It is from this situation that the small cottage that became The Fleece Inn came into being.
The first inhabitant of the cottage is unknown as records were only kept for nobles, the rest of the population were unimportant. The first people recorded as living at the cottage was Henrie and Mary Byrd with here son, also called Henrie who was baptised at the local church of St. Leonards on th 6th of April 1628. The surname was recorded in 1543 with the baptism of Micheall Byrd, the son of William Byrd but it wasn’t recorded where they lived. Henrie Byrd was the sixth great-grandfather of Lola Taplin who was the last of the family to own the Fleece Inn until 1977 when she died and the building was left to the National Trust.
The cottage has has many changes since it was first built as a single room, medieval longhouse. Originally it was a very basic building with just four walls and a roof with a section to keep cattle. The cottage was extended in many ways but you can still make out the original structure. The farmhouse became an Inn on the 4th of February 1839. When Joseph Byrd died in 1826, his youngest son, Henry took over the farm at the age of 22. Henry married an 183 to Ann Slade and they had seven children, four sons and three daughters. It was Henry who first opened the cottage as a drinking establishment and named it the Fleece after the years of sheep farming. Henry died in 1858 and his widow, Ann took over the pub until her death in 1893 aged 88. Over the next 120 years, the pub was run by the women in the family, all named Ann after Henry’s wife. Henry and Ann’s daughter, also named Ann, married a local man called Owen Phipps, she was widowed after only seven years of marriage. Ann Phipps moved back in with her mother to help run the pub and took over after her mother died in 1983, she remained as landlady until her death in 1930 aged 91. Ann Phipps also had a daughter named Ann who married a man called Alfred Taplin who both lived at the pub and run the pub after her mothers death from 1930 to 1947. Ann and Alfred’s daughter, Lola Taplin then took over the pub, the last in line of Henrie Byrd’s descendants to own the old medieval farmhouse.
Lola was known to be a very stern lady. The pub was well kept, orderly and was always clean and tidy. She served ale, homemade cider and other drinks but always refused to serve food or to allow it into the pub, not even bar snacks. Just like her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother before her, she wouldn’t tolerate any bad behaviour in the pub and any customers who did were soon thrown out.
From the 1950’s, it was fashionable for celebrities to have a favourite country pub away from London. To give it their patronage they would allow there photo to be taken with the landlord and reular customers. The Fleece was one of these pubs and had regular celebrity visitors including, Macdolnald Hobley, Clark Gable, Bob Hope, Francesca Annis and Betty Davies. When Betty Davies was signing an autograph for Lola, Lola said, ‘who ‘s she when she’s left home’.
Lola passed away in 1977 aged 83. She left the pub in the care of the National Trust. Around 20 years before Lola was born in 1894, a vine was planted that stood against a wall in the courtyard. As Lola grew up, she would watch it blossom and grow as the years went by. On the day she was buried at St. Leonards church, like her family before her, the vine was in full bloom. Around a month later, the vine withered and died.
Before the pub reopened after Lola’s death, some repair work needed to be done. It was lunchtime and the workmen sat down to eat. During there lunch break they had a walk around the village to look at the historic buildings. When they returned to the pub, there lunchboxes had been opened and there sandwiches had been thrown around the pub. They knew that they’d locked the door up behind them when they left so no one could have entered the property. It is well known that Lola never let food into the pub.
A landlord who had the pub during the 1980’s and the 90’s experienced a lot of activity. At night he would hear furniture being moved around but when he would investigate with his dog, there was never anyone there but the dog would bark and have his hackles up. The locals believe that its Lola moving the furniture back to where she liked them to be as she was very particular about where they went when she was alive. The clock in the brewhouse would stop at 3am every morning, Lola was believed to have died at 3am. Everytime the dog went into the brewhouse he would put his hackles up and bark. Lola’s rocking chair was placed in the Pewter room , the alarm would go off on regular occasions until the chair was moved which was near the alarm. Lola used to put white flowers on the table everyday, hen he put white flowers out the would wilt. On the hearth in the Pewter room are three painted circles in front of the fireplace. Lola carried on this tradition passed down through the family. They were chalked on every morning, believing to stop witch’s entering through the chimney.
Every November, a traditional ghost is celebrated at the Fleece. Legend tells of a cattle driver named Spot Loggin who fell down a well at Bretforton House Farm in the 17th century. Locals say that if you run around the well three times while blindfolded you will lose any possessions that you are carrying. Spot Loggin is the local name for a ghost, perhaps the name originated in Bretforton. There is a monument in the church to a Robert Loggin who died in 1688 but its not visable anymore.
The fields around the church are known as ‘Woman’s Close’. A legend tells of a ghostly woman who walks around the fields in the night carrying her head under her arm. It is believed that this could have been the site of her murder.
People have reported seeing a funeral procession coming from Weston Sub-Edge to Bretforton churchyard. A phantom coach is also said to be seen travelling from Littleton to Bretforton going across ditches and through hedgerows, maybe taking the path of an ancient trackway.
One day, Eof approached Egwin claiming that he’d seen a vision of the Virgin Mary at the bank of the River Avon in the same place that Egwin had thrown the key for his shackles. Upon visiting the site, Egwin experienced the same vision of he Virgin Mary. Egwin ordered that an abbey should be built on that spot.
The abbey prospered and acquired much farmland in the area, including Bretforton.
After the great plague of the fourteenth century, 50% of England’s population had died. Up until this point, the country had been run by a feudal system known as serfdom, where people worked for food and shelter. Due to the loss of so many lives from the plague and the high taxes to fund the hundred years war, the people of England rebelled and marched to London to demand lower taxes and freedom to work for themselves and not just for local Baron’s. It is from this situation that the small cottage that became The Fleece Inn came into being.
The first inhabitant of the cottage is unknown as records were only kept for nobles, the rest of the population were unimportant. The first people recorded as living at the cottage was Henrie and Mary Byrd with here son, also called Henrie who was baptised at the local church of St. Leonards on th 6th of April 1628. The surname was recorded in 1543 with the baptism of Micheall Byrd, the son of William Byrd but it wasn’t recorded where they lived. Henrie Byrd was the sixth great-grandfather of Lola Taplin who was the last of the family to own the Fleece Inn until 1977 when she died and the building was left to the National Trust.
The cottage has has many changes since it was first built as a single room, medieval longhouse. Originally it was a very basic building with just four walls and a roof with a section to keep cattle. The cottage was extended in many ways but you can still make out the original structure. The farmhouse became an Inn on the 4th of February 1839. When Joseph Byrd died in 1826, his youngest son, Henry took over the farm at the age of 22. Henry married an 183 to Ann Slade and they had seven children, four sons and three daughters. It was Henry who first opened the cottage as a drinking establishment and named it the Fleece after the years of sheep farming. Henry died in 1858 and his widow, Ann took over the pub until her death in 1893 aged 88. Over the next 120 years, the pub was run by the women in the family, all named Ann after Henry’s wife. Henry and Ann’s daughter, also named Ann, married a local man called Owen Phipps, she was widowed after only seven years of marriage. Ann Phipps moved back in with her mother to help run the pub and took over after her mother died in 1983, she remained as landlady until her death in 1930 aged 91. Ann Phipps also had a daughter named Ann who married a man called Alfred Taplin who both lived at the pub and run the pub after her mothers death from 1930 to 1947. Ann and Alfred’s daughter, Lola Taplin then took over the pub, the last in line of Henrie Byrd’s descendants to own the old medieval farmhouse.
Lola was known to be a very stern lady. The pub was well kept, orderly and was always clean and tidy. She served ale, homemade cider and other drinks but always refused to serve food or to allow it into the pub, not even bar snacks. Just like her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother before her, she wouldn’t tolerate any bad behaviour in the pub and any customers who did were soon thrown out.
From the 1950’s, it was fashionable for celebrities to have a favourite country pub away from London. To give it their patronage they would allow there photo to be taken with the landlord and reular customers. The Fleece was one of these pubs and had regular celebrity visitors including, Macdolnald Hobley, Clark Gable, Bob Hope, Francesca Annis and Betty Davies. When Betty Davies was signing an autograph for Lola, Lola said, ‘who ‘s she when she’s left home’.
Lola passed away in 1977 aged 83. She left the pub in the care of the National Trust. Around 20 years before Lola was born in 1894, a vine was planted that stood against a wall in the courtyard. As Lola grew up, she would watch it blossom and grow as the years went by. On the day she was buried at St. Leonards church, like her family before her, the vine was in full bloom. Around a month later, the vine withered and died.
Before the pub reopened after Lola’s death, some repair work needed to be done. It was lunchtime and the workmen sat down to eat. During there lunch break they had a walk around the village to look at the historic buildings. When they returned to the pub, there lunchboxes had been opened and there sandwiches had been thrown around the pub. They knew that they’d locked the door up behind them when they left so no one could have entered the property. It is well known that Lola never let food into the pub.
A landlord who had the pub during the 1980’s and the 90’s experienced a lot of activity. At night he would hear furniture being moved around but when he would investigate with his dog, there was never anyone there but the dog would bark and have his hackles up. The locals believe that its Lola moving the furniture back to where she liked them to be as she was very particular about where they went when she was alive. The clock in the brewhouse would stop at 3am every morning, Lola was believed to have died at 3am. Everytime the dog went into the brewhouse he would put his hackles up and bark. Lola’s rocking chair was placed in the Pewter room , the alarm would go off on regular occasions until the chair was moved which was near the alarm. Lola used to put white flowers on the table everyday, hen he put white flowers out the would wilt. On the hearth in the Pewter room are three painted circles in front of the fireplace. Lola carried on this tradition passed down through the family. They were chalked on every morning, believing to stop witch’s entering through the chimney.
Every November, a traditional ghost is celebrated at the Fleece. Legend tells of a cattle driver named Spot Loggin who fell down a well at Bretforton House Farm in the 17th century. Locals say that if you run around the well three times while blindfolded you will lose any possessions that you are carrying. Spot Loggin is the local name for a ghost, perhaps the name originated in Bretforton. There is a monument in the church to a Robert Loggin who died in 1688 but its not visable anymore.
The fields around the church are known as ‘Woman’s Close’. A legend tells of a ghostly woman who walks around the fields in the night carrying her head under her arm. It is believed that this could have been the site of her murder.
People have reported seeing a funeral procession coming from Weston Sub-Edge to Bretforton churchyard. A phantom coach is also said to be seen travelling from Littleton to Bretforton going across ditches and through hedgerows, maybe taking the path of an ancient trackway.
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