At Little Malvern, the smallest of the seven Malverns is
St. Wulstan's Roman Catholic Church, containing some good modern glass and where Sir Edward Elgar is buried
Little Malvern Priory
Little Malvern Priory is the ruined priory depicted in the opening chapter of John Inglesant, the celebrated historical novel by Joseph Henry Shorthouse, published in 1881, and set mainly in the middle years of the 17th century. The visitor will however look in vain for the alabaster effigy or the curious inscription on the tomb on which the figure was laid.
The Priory owed its origin to two monks of Worcester
"Simon, Bishop of Worcester, granteth, confirmeth and decreeth, that Little Malvern, and the church of St. Giles, there situated, built in the bishop's fees, and enriched with a monastic order, be eternally in frank almoigne and as one inseparable body with the church of Worcester, and be made the same in cohabitation and profession as Worcester church: in such manner as that no person shall be admitted to the monastic habit in Little Malvern without the consent of the bishop, prior and convent of Worcester, but be received with their joint will and benedictions: and thus it shall be lawful for the said priors of Worcester by way of correction to remove the monks of Little Malvern to Worcester, and place monks of Worcester in their stead, and that the prior of Malvern shall be chosen by the chapter of Worcester."
Three centuries later, a successor of the good Simon Bishop Alcock, 1476-86 rebuilt the church and the domestic buildings. Upon the dissolution of the Monastery the property was granted to Henry Russell, of Strensham, in Worcestershire. It passed by marriage to the Berington family, who still hold it. The domestic buildings of the Priory escaped the lamentable destruction that so generally followed the suppression of the religious houses, and they now form part of Little Malvern Court.
Little Malvern Court.
The best view point is near the first of the old Priory fishponds, the locality of which is said to be haunted by a ghost. It is reached by passing through the gate above the house, and following the lane. The house stands on a richly wooded, gentle slope of the Malvern Hills . Eastward from it the great plain stretches almost without a break to the distant Cotswold Hills . A lawn, with remains of the ancient preaching cross of the Benedictines still upon it, comes down to the pools, the ancient fishponds of the Priory, now laid out as a water gardens. Beautiful in the Spring with carpets of bulbs, there is also a fine collection of old-fashioned roses to see in June, while the specimen trees, planted over generations, are worth seeing from Spring through until the Autumn. The ponds that lie among the trees are adorned in due season with fine water lilies and near the eastern side of the old home of the monks is their ruined church. Some of the lime trees by the ponds are of great age, and are supposed to have been planted by the Benedictines.
The original building is mainly work of the fifteenth century, but there are fragments of earlier date, and a picturesque round tower at the south-west angle has probably stood since the Priory was founded. There are also portions belonging to the years that have passed since the monks were expelled. Such are the black and white part of the upper storey of the north-west gable, a stone gable and a low portico on the south-west, and the black and white stables near the entrance gate.
One of the treasures of the house is a large travelling trunk covered with red leather, studded with brass or bronze nails bearing the monogram of Catherine of Aragon, and containing a faded silk quilt. The presence of the chest at Little Malvern is probably explained by the fact that the Russell who received the confiscated property had been secretary to the ill-used Queen.
Of the Priory Church of Little Malvern the only parts intact are the chancel, which now serves as the parish church, and the tower. The Lady Chapel has disappeared, but fragments are left of the nave, transepts and side chapels. Features of interest are an ancient oak screen, with the vine ornament finely carved upon it; old stained glass in the east window, holding remnants of the portraits of Edward IV, his queen and children, and two large hagioscopes, one on each side of the chancel. Note also the quaint carved figure over the western entrance. Among the shrubbery outside the church is a portion of the original altar slab, showing one of the five crosses with which such stones were usually marked.
Little Malvern Priory was the home of the central figure in the legend of the Raggedstone.
According to the legend, a monk of Little Malvern was condemned as a penance to crawl daily, in fair weather and in foul, from the foot to the summit of the Raggedstone Hill and back. One day, in his misery, he cursed everyone on whom the shadow of the hill should fall, and ever since, it is said, premature death or misfortune has been the lot of the hapless individuals who have been within the baneful shade. This has been described as a black columnar cloud rising from between the two peaks of the hill and moving slowly over the valley. Possibly the phenomenon is due to the sun shining between the peaks at a particular inclination. Among those on whom the shadow and its attendant curse are said to have fallen is Cardinal Wolsey, who came under its influence while sleeping in the orchard of Birtsmorton Court , where, as a young priest, he was then living as tutor. The story of the penance and the curse are told in Dr. C. F. Grindrod's Shadow of the Raggedstone.
