History

Badger was recorded in the

Doomsday Book. 'Beghesoure'

as it was then known, was

described like this...

"There is half a hide paying geld. There is land for 2 ploughs. In demesne is 1 plough and 4 bordars with 1 plough. There is woodland for fattening 30 pigs. It was worth 7s; now 10s."

There follows a 'potted' history of Badger for those wishing to read on and alongside are links to more detailed historical information about the village. Please use the arrows at the foot of this text to scoll through.

There was a priest and therefore presumably a church, recorded at Badger from 1174 and from the 12th-century until 1905 it formed, with the adjoining parish of Beckbury, a detached part of the Hereford diocese.

From the early Middle Ages the settlement pattern has changed little with Hall, Church and Rectory lying close together near the centre of the Parish and houses extending east-west along the road to Pattingham.

In the 15th-century the manor and estate of Badger were owned by the Petit family and they were succeeded in the 16th-century by the Kinnersleys. In 1719 John Kinnersley demolished an existing moated and half-timbered house immediately west of the church and replaced it with a new, stone fronted house 150 metres to the north this forming the first Badger Hall.

In 1774 the estate was sold to Isaac Hawkins Browne; essaysist, poet, industrialist and politician - M.P. for Bridgnorth 1784-1812. Browne set about rebuilding Badger Hall to designs by famous architect James Wyatt, incorporating parts of Kinnersley's house as the service wing. Browne also began extensive landscaping around the Hall and in the Dingle, to designs by William Emes, a student of Capability Browne.

The Dingle, a natural steep-sided valley scoured by Snowdon Brook, was designed in the fashionable 'picturesque natural' style of the period. The brook was dammed to create large pools and cascades. Two miles of winding paths and a connecting walk to Badger Hall were laid out, a 'temple' and rotunda designed by Wyatt were built and many trees and exotic, ornamental shrubs were extensively planted.

After Browne's death in 1818 the estate passed to Colonel Edward Cheney and it was during his residency that Badger Hall was visted by the famous artist and author John Ruskin with his wife Effie.

Following the Cheneys into Badger Hall were the Capel Cure family. They carried out further landscaping and building including creation of additional features in the Dingle which became a much admired picturesque landscape and by 1851 it was open to the public.

In the 20th-century the Badger Estate fell into decline. The contents of the Hall were sold in 1945 and the estate was subsequently sold to the Swire family. In 1953 most of the Hall was demolished. Until the mid-20th century Badger village comprised the Hall and its assocaited buildings, the church and rectory (Badger House) and a small number of scattered houses. Since then new housing has been built approximately doubling the size of the village.

Although the country house that for centuries was its focal point has gone, Badger remains a remarkably attractive and picturesque small estate village with a uniqe charm and character.

Badger at British History Online

Use the arrows to scroll through the text.

This web site is owned and operated by Badger Parish Council on behalf of the community. Copyright © Badger Parish Council 2007. Site design by Coach House Marketing