Oldberrow is a village in the Stratford on Avon District of Warwickshire, England. The parish was part of Worcestershire until 1896, when it was transferred to Warwickshire, into which county it penetrated, between Morton Bagot and Ullenhall, as a narrow strip some long by about ½ mile wide. Population details at the 2011 Census are still maintained under Redditch. The land slopes from at Oldberrow Hill in the north-west to about in the south-east. There is no village, but the church, rectory, and the Court lie at the crossing of four small roads. It is now part of the parish of Morton Bagot, Oldberrow and Spernall which in 2001 had a population of 153.
History
Its name first appears in 709 when Cenred of Mercia gave in Oldberrow to Bishop Egwin towards the endowment of his newly founded monastery at Evesham. The spelling at this time was Ulenbeorge meaning either "the hill of the owl" or "Ulla's hill". It has gone through many variations of spelling, Oleburgh in the Domesday Book, Ullebury in the 1332 Subsidy Roll, then Owlburough, Uleberga, Oldborough, Oldbarrow and Oldburrow. The hill is about from the church and was described by Treadway Nash as an ancient tumulus In 1086, it was still held by the church at Evesham and is recorded; In Fishborough Hundred... In Oleburgh are of land. 2 countrymen, pigmen. Woodland, 1 league. Value 5s.
The church, dedicated to St Mary is a small building of stone rebuilt in 1875 the cost of £1256 largely being borne by the then rector, the Reverend Samuel Peshall who was rector for 60 years and the third generation of his family to hold the post. Despite the rebuilding some earlier features remain, two 12th-century windows, a lancet window of the 13th century and the 14th-century south doorway, the one to north is of the 15th century and is blocked up. In the chancel there is a 12th-century piscina and an aumbury whilst the font has an archaic bowl with octagonal panels sculptured with foliage designs. The east window to the memory of the Reverend Samuel D'Oyley Peshall rector between 1792 and 1859, contains a piece of old glass bearing the arms of Evesham Abbey whilst the west window is dedicated to Canon Warren who became rector in 1933. The small turret contains three bells one of which is of an ancient long waisted type which may be 13th century, the others are by John Martin of Worcester and dated 1674. The puritan "Survei of the Ministrie in Warwickshier" of 1586 has some harsh words for the then Rector; "Geoffrie Heath parson dumbe idle and popish a verie dissolute man of life, he married first another mans wife, got a maide with childe, married a third; a common alehouse haunter and useth in to plaie after a sorte the reconciler amongest the simple; value xx markes by the yeare".
