THE RIVER TEME

The name 'Teme' is one which, with only of slight variations, occurs as the name of in rivers in several parts of Britain. There is the Tamar in Devon; the Tame in Cornwall; the Tema in Selkirk; the Tamesis (=Tame Isis) Tamese or Thames; all of which, it is thought, have their derivation from a Sanskrit word Tarn meaning 'spreading', which seems to be related to the Welsh Taw, and the Gaelic Tav. The Teme is the largest stream in our part of the country, and an important affluent of the Severn. If to our American cousins our English rivers are but 'brooks', we may at least claim for them, as Mr. John Burns once did for the Thames, that they are 'liquid history'. This is true indeed of the Teme. From the times of the Roman invasion, down through all the centuries of the Welsh raiders, and, later on, to the days of the Stuarts, the Teme Valleys have been the cockpits of this part of England. On every hand, ruined castles and strongholds are to be met with. Ludlow, nine miles up the river from Tenbury, was known of course for many generations as 'Lord of the Marches'. The late Mr. Thornhill Timmins, in his Noo^s and Corners of Shropshire (Elliot Stock, 1899) thus describes our river: 'From its lonely source amidst the hills, away beyond the Welsh border, the infant Teme comes tumbling and prattling along beneath the rolling heights of Clun Forest, and passing onwards to Ludlow meanders beside the Castle Walls, and flows in a graceful arc around the rocky slopes of Whitcliff. Near Tenbury the Teme travels into Worcestershire, which it does not quit again until it merges its waters in those of the Severn.'

On its way the Teme gathers the waters of the Dun, the Corve, the Onny, the Ledwych, and the southern Rea; besides innumerable brooks, such as the following:  in our own immediate neighbourhood, the Kyre, Wren, Corn, Bednal, and Cadmore Brook. It has been conjectured, and not without some show of reason, that Milton had the Teme, as a tributary of the Severn, and not Severn herself, in view, when he wrote his beautiful lines in Comus, the 'Ludlow Castle Masque', of 1634. Certainly the Teme it is, and not the Severn, which skirts the scene of Comus. And anyhow, for the rescue of the lost lady in the Masque, the Nymph Sabrina, if Severn was her only domicile, must have come up the Teme all the way from below Worcester, past our own Tenbury, to Hay Park, on the Vinhall Hills, and to Ludlow Castle itself.

There is a gentle Nymph not far from hence, That with moist curb sways the smooth Severn stream : Sabrina is her name, a virgin pure. Sabrina fair, Listen, where thou art sitting Under the glassy, cool, translucent wave, In twisted braids of lilies knitting The loose train of thy amber-dropping hair; Listen for dear honour's sake, Goddess of the silver lake, Listen, and save!

THE TENBURY BRIDGE.

There appears to be no act record as to when the first bridge was built per the Teme at Tenbury. The three northern arches are judged to date from the fourteenth century, the others having been rebuilt in the early part of the nineteenth century. Tenbury itself was undoubtedly from early days one of the principal thoroughfares between London and Wales. But whether or not the fourteenth-century bridge-if that is really a correct date-was a horse-bridge only, appears to somewhat doubtful. In 1615 the inhabitants of Tenbury petitioned that the expense of repairs might be shared by the surrounding parishes. See following extracts from Worcestershire Calendar of Sessions Papers:

In one case, but only in one, is the modern idea of "through traffic" put forward as a ground for relieving the Parish from its legal liability for the whole of the repair of a bridge. The inhabitants of Tenbury in 1615 petitioned that as the great stone bridge and the wooden bridge over the river of Teme (? were) damaged by the sudden flood of water about the middle of March last, the cost of which repair will be very great, amounting to £}o, the Inhabitants of the adjoining Parishes might be ordered to contribute, as it is the great thoroughfare from most places in Wales to the city of London,' clxxi, 1591-1643.

COPY OF A PETITION TO THE WORCESTERSHIRE QUARTER SESSIONS, IN 1615(numbered xxii. 83)

'To the right worshipfulls the Kinges Majestes Justices of peace for the Countie of Wigorn. The humble pedcion of the Inhabitantes of the Towne and parishioners of Teamburie in the said Countie. Whereas right worshipulls by the great and sudden floud of waters happeninge in or about the midest of March last past by force whereof it hath overthrowne and driven downe parte of a greate stonne Bridge and the most part of a wooden Bridge standinge upon arches of stone over the River Teame in Teamburie afforesaid beinge a Market Towne and great Thoroughfare leadinge From the most places of Walks to the Cytie of London the charge for the reedifieing thereof wille (?be) soe greate that your poore peticioners are not able to sustaine as by the sight and Judgement of Massons and Carpenters we are given to understande for that they assuer us that xxx li will not amende and repaier the same againe

May yt therefore please your good worships to take compassion and comiseracion of the premisses and the povertie of your petiticioners that your worships wille (? be) pleased to appointe and comaunde some parishes adjoyninge to Teamburie afforesaid in the same county of Wigorns to be aydinge and assistinge to your petiticioners for the reedifieinge and repairinge of the said Bridges as in your wisdoms shal be thought meete- Otherwise the neclecte of the repairinge thereof will forthwith much damage the Cuntrie as by the Certificate of the Right Worshipulls Sir Edward Pittes Knight and Arthur Sallowey Esquier two of the Justices of peace of the said Countie here under wrytten sent to your worships may appeare-

Thus humly cravinge pardon for our boldness we remaine at your worships services etc. to commande prayeinge for your worships presevacions in all hapiness long to continue.'

The following entry is found in the Account Book of the Tenbury Feoffees Trust (Bailey's Charity):

'March 25,1679.
Delivered to Major Cornwal April 2.8, 1679
wn he went to the Quarter Sessions to press ye County yt ye Horse bridge may be made a wain bridge, £2 oj. od.'

This most likely refers to a bridge over Cadmore Brook. For at the beginning of the Feoffees Book is this note of the same year, 1679:

'The account of the parish of Tenbury and Parish Middleton-Bilding . . . ? Cadmoor's Brook-and Major Cornwall appear at Worcrtr to making of same Bridge from a Horse Bridge to a Wayne Bridge.' .

In the great flood of November 17, 1770, the Shropshire half of Teme Bridge as then existing was carried away; or at least it was much damaged. The Bridge was subsequently rebuilt by Thomas Telford, the famous engineer (born 1757; died 1834). He was appointed County Surveyor of Shropshire in 1787. The Bridge, apparently in
1813, became a county bridge. It was then reconstructed in its present shape, pointing up stream, so as better to withstand the rush of flood water. It is represented in an old print1 as being narrow, with six arches and sharply-projecting angular buttresses, forming refuges for foot passengers, and providing con-venient spaces where the 'Bridge Committees' might meet. This old print shows also the 'Stocks' (? for Burford) by the approach on the Shropshire side. The Tenbury 'Stocks' stood, at all events in later times, by the Churchyard gates. One inhabitant of Tenbury (the late Mr. John Jeff) still survived in 1924, who had seen the Tenbury 'Stocks' occupied. 1 See frontispiece.

Early Twentieth-Century Teme Street from the South End of the Bridge

Again, in the great flood of 1886, the Bridge was very severely damaged. It was thereafter, in 1908, widened and made stronger with reinforced concrete. In that process it has certainly lost something of its old-world and artistic look. But it has gained much of course in the way of convenience, not to say safety. In the latter half of a Tuesday, being Market Day, the 'market-peart' gigs of old time usually required an extra six inches of space between one another.

By the way, as an illustration of the jealousy, or, to say the least, the independence, of County administration, a story is extant that, on one occasion, a poor man was trying to drown himself just below the Tenbury Bridge. A lady passing by called out, in much agitation, to the Master of the Tenbury Union Workhouse, who happened to be standing near, to come quickly and save the man. Proceeding at his leisure to the middle of the Bridge, the Master of the Union - a Worcestershire official - looking down over the Bridge railing, and surveying the exact measurements of the scene, politely declined to interfere:

'No, Madam: it is on the Shropshire side.'

Happily the poor would-be suicide thought better of his resolve.

Tenbury has suffered again and again very severely from floods. A big flood there is an alarming event when it comes. Perhaps the after effects are still more serious, through the damp, the smells, and the consequent disease, which follow the flooding of the cellars, drains, &c. The following may be noted as the dates of some of the chief floods, within the last 300 years, or so: 1615 (March); 1770 (Nov. 17); 1794; 1851; 1886; 1891; 1901; 1924 (June i).

It is said that the 'Great Flood' of 1700, which destroyed the Church, was caused by a mill dam. The mill is believed to have been situated a little way above the Bridge, up stream. There are traces of these old-time mills all along the banks of the Teme. The existence of a mill would mean one or more artificial channels. In time of flood these would become partially, or entirely, dammed up, and so mischief might result. Undoubtedly, the main cause of all the severe floods at Tenbury is the fact that, when the local brooks flood heavily at the same time as the Teme itself is full of water from the Welsh hills - when the local red water and the more distant white water mingle together - the channel at Tenbury Bridge is not large enough to carry the full volume of water coming down.

Especially is this the case with the Kyre Brook. Its proper course is, skirting Tenbury alongside Market Street and the Lower Rochford Road, to fall into the Teme at Dorothy's Rock. 1

1 N. B. 'Dorothy's Rock' is so called, it is said, because a woman of that name fell into the Teme there, on her way home one dark night, and was drowned. In those days there was no fence to safeguard the unwary traveller.


But in time of flood Kyre Brook overflows into Market Street. Then through Church Street, and past the Church, it runs into the Teme at right angles, banking up the larger stream. Thus in the 1770 flood we are told that the water 'threw down the South and Middle Aisles of the Church'. And certainly in the 1924 flood it was the water of the Kyre Brook which first rushed in at the south door, and so flooded the Church before it reached the Teme. In 1886 the water reached up to book desks of the nave and aisles.

The Vaults was established in 1849 by Benjamin Goodhall who opened his grocery business in 1849. When the Vaults was first licensed is not yet discovered but it is said that his first application was refused and that he served beer for a year free of charge. On his second application he told the licensing authorities that he could not continue if they denied him a license - what they said is unknown but he got his license. It was the only house in town to have a six-day license which was not revoked until it passed out of the hands of the Gough family in 1989.

The Bridge Hotel. This is one of the newer Hotels. The first reference to it being a pub was in 1868 when George Page opened it. He carried on with his normal trade of Builder and Mason as well as running the pub until his death in 1877. His wife (Sarah ) carried on as Innkeeper for a few years until it came up for sale in 1883. The Bridge and other buildings was bought by Mr. Edwin Tew Dickins in 1883 and were rented out until 1891, the publican being John Herbert Ward from 1884 to 1892. Then Mr. Dickens pulled down all the buildings and built the present extensive Bridge Hotel. He also renovated his other buildings and turned them into modern shops and residences. He was the Publican of the Bridge Hotel until his death in 1912.

A brass tablet on the wall near the Acton monument records the exact height of this disastrous flood. On that occasion many lives were in danger. One man only, however, was actually drowned. He was a lame tailor, who had always been accustomed to sleep on the board on which he worked by day. In his own little house, just beneath the east end of the Church, his friends came to him at night and suggested that, as the flood was fast rising, he should sleep upstairs for safety. 'No,' he said, 'there on my wall you can see the mark put where the last great flood reached: it will never come higher.' But, alas! it did, and this poor humbler Canute was drowned as he lay on his own work board.

The chief feature of the 1924 flood was its extraordinary suddenness. On Saturday evening, May 31, one sportsman at least was fishing in the Teme, within a mile of Tenbury. On Saturday night, all the townsfolk went to bed under no anxiety. Even very early on Sunday morning, June i, some one who happened to pass over Teme Bridge noticed nothing out of the common. But at 6 a. m. the entire place was in full flood. The Castle meadow and the Burford fields were from 2 to 3 feet under water: the Station Road was impassable: and the cellars in Tenbury and the ground floors of many shops were hopelessly swamped. Goods were much damaged; and the floor of the Church was on this occasion flooded to the height of 9 inches. To return once more to the 'Great Flood' of 1770, the little 'Town in the Orchard' must have suffered severely at that time, in other ways than in the destruction of the Church.

May it have been in this connexion, and with a view to helping some of the more destitute victims of the flood, that we read the following memorandum:-' 1771. At Tenbury a lace manufactory has been recently set on foot by a person from Bath who has fixed some French people there to teach the poor inhabitants the art of weaving that article.

COPY OF MISS FANNY GRIFFIN'S GRAPHIC ACCOUNT OF THE GREAT TENBURY FLOOD IN 1886

The history of the Great Flood in the yeare 1886, May the 14th, Friday.

Mother Son and two Daughters were living at the Bath Cottage the Rooms were all on one Floor it comence to rain on the Tuesday dresly rain, Wendsday and Thursday it powerd and the Streets were Flooded with warter longe before dark and we were fore of us sat by the fire and we looked round room was full of water that would be about half pass nine oclock and mother said now youngerstes shift of to bed when we got to the Room we said O mother the Room is full of warter and we got on the bed the three of us and George my brother stood on a Chare at the foot of the bed from ten oclock at night till foure the next marning, it rose Rapparedley We watch it round the brick work of the fire place and then it was at a stand still for some time my mother said Hollo George and let him know we be heare he shouted from fore oclock till eight in the Marning and then we shouted no mare and the people thought we were all drownded about seven in the eveneng we beared a voise at the front of the house call bue all right and how meneny be on u my Brother voise was gone I shouted fore-that was Brother Alfried he was Groom at mr Cookes the Bank Rochford he said to his master we had better fetch them ship out of the lower medow we shall have them drownded thes never mind the ship I am afried theire a warser thing happned at Tenbury he said the report was that all your focks was drownded his master drove him down to the Carte House and he went through the Garden at the Trap House to the edge (? = hedge) and said how menemy be on (? u) and a little time after that we heared voises and it was the men with boot that would be about eight oclock come to fetch us away Mr Barnes and Mr Mitten My brother carried my sister to the door of (= off) the bed I walked to the door up to my waist in warter and then Mr Barnes carred us to the boot and he fetch mother and caried her to the boot Mr Barnes said will you far give me if I drops you she said yes if you take me from heare

My brother George walked through  the warter to the boat we went all up the crow yard right up in to market street Mrs Mattock the Royal oak was on her Balkone and others and said bring um all heare-heares a harty wellcome for um all and we was boated up the yard to the foot of the Club room steps and as we went through the Club room Mr Winton the Vine was theire and he said alow Mrs Griffin I expected to see the little vine come swiming down, didnet ye think ye was going to be dronded No I wanna to be dronded for the perpus my mother had great fath I said no body will come to fetch us away I am sure theire will we shant be heare a nother night and when we was Landed into the Street there was harty chares Hurroh to see us all sot up alive and brought up safe we had nothing to eat for about twenty two houres nor drink our wonts was carefully atended to we were theire three days then we went to the Crow Hotell till we git our house clean and dry to live in again it was reported that we put planks up on the bed steds but it (was ronge we did not the warter was about so high in our [ house as it was in our Parish Church that was level over fthe tops of the pues, it burested the west duble doores i of the Church open and took the assocks and books out, Fthe warter had been as high in our house as in the other iseses we should of been gone we did feel rejoiced en we was fetch away I conot rember about the cots cats) I know my Brother had a basket in his hand he come to the boat to us I know the people remarked about the basket in his hand when he come to the boat to us. I know we had got not rember nothing about him, about sixten years ago (? 1910-12) there was a Goast see in the Church, the Argonest Mr Howard was takeing the boys for theire partise in the Choncle of the Church and all at once the boys on the vicar side stop singing and said plese Sir look he said he gust turned his head and said its the vicar comeing it didner come any farther they started singing again and stop and said plese Sir look now the Argonest saw it he said it come from the font and gided along the tops of the pues and it was in the shap of a man and he saw slap bang through it and to satisfide the boys he went to the place were it disepered and that was in the earner were the heatin harperatus is, before that the stove was got up to lower it down and the men got up a quonty of soil and bones

Mr Howard went round to have a look what they were doing and he asked the men what they were going to do with it they said Chuck it down the enbankment this was done soon after the gost was see in the Church the Argnest told vicar Elliot about it he had the boans got up and they were buried we thought that sprite knew his body had been deserbed the goast wsent seen after the boys wount go to Church for theire pratise for some weeks after, my Brother waded throught the warter in to the kitchen about mid day and said o mother theires sheep and bundles and all gowin down mother said donna tell me hollow and let um now we be heare for some body to fetch us from heare theire was one man drownded he was a Talar and he said if the warter came in his house he shood stay on his board as he work on, and the neighbour heard him when he was drownded he lived in Church street his name was Mr Jones.'

MEMORANDA CONTRIBUTED BY MISS M. S. JOYCE (March 16, 1927)

1. THE FLOOD OF 1886.

It is well to recall the brave way in which the Griffin family were rescued. Mr. Barnes, a butcher in Cross Street, was watching the flood when, coming dowrrtKe torrent, he saw the Burford House ferry-boat, which had broken loose from its mooring, a mile up the river. Having succeeded in hooking it from his window, he and Mr. Hubert Mytton got in and most cleverly guided it towards the Tenbury Bath House, where every one knew that the Griffins must be in deadly peril. As a fact they spent sixteen hours up to their waists in icy cold water. From the boat they had to pull up some gate-posts, to get through to the house. Altogether it was an athletic as well as a brave per-formance.

2. OTHER INCIDENTS OF THE 1886 FLOOD. In Church Street Mr. Venmore and his daughter, owing to the rapid rising of the flood had retired to a bed-room. As they watched the water a barrel of cider floated up the stairs. Having landed it in the bed-room, they managed to tap and plug it there. In Teme Street, at the entrance to the Church Alley, a little pig floated in at an upper window and was duly secured.

3. THE GRIFFIN FAMILY. Mrs. Griffin was a very fine character, a clever, charming old woman. Her husband had been a confirmed cripple, and died when the children were young. There were two sons and two daughters, all more or less afflicted. Curiously enough, the son George had a large patch of white hak among his otherwise very dark locks. This is known of course to be an omen of death by drowning. The Griffins were all much respected. Indeed their whole history may well be regarded as a true romance of humble life, faithful service unnoticed, too often ill rewarded. For thirty-four rears, at a weekly wage of $s. yd. between them, George Griffin and his sister Fanny cleaned Tenbury Church, dusted it, rang the bell, and did all the odd jobs in it. On Sundays George would sit in the Church clad in an old cassock given him by one of the Vicars. /

4. PALMER'S FIELD.

So called because a/man named Palmer was either pilloried or executed there, or perhaps both. It is said that he was many days , dying and that the people used to take him 'rubbish' to eat, lifting it up to his mouth. The old tale was that he kept crying out 'Candles for Palmer', and that he ate them.

5. Cow IN A BEDROOM.


Tuesday in Tenbury is sacred to the Market and the Saleyard. Some few years ago the Tenbury Advertiser edified its readers with the following notice:

'On Tuesday morning last the movements of a cow being driven to market were followed. It was quietly coming down Bettington Road towards Cross Street, until it reached the house occupied by Mr. E. Bolas. Here it stepped in at the entrance to the garden, and walked round to the rear of the house. Finding the backdoor open, it walked into the kitchen, and with becoming politeness closed the door after itself. While precautions were being taken to prevent the animal from doing much damage, the cow, to the amazement of those present, went upstairs, and took up its abode in the front bedroom. Here the animal behaved in a very quiet way, but it took some time for the helpers to persuade the quadruped to leave its cosy surroundings. However, without doing very much damage the distinguishes visitor departed, to the relief of those who had been honoured by the visit '

6. THE TENBURY ELEPHANT.

(Copied from Mr John Barrell's newspaper account in June 1922)
[Please note: This photo is NOT of  the Tenbury  Elephant. Ed.]

The story of an elephant's wonderful memory thus told by Andrew Wilson in his Studies of Life and Sense. The elephant 'Lizzie' belonged to Wombwell's Menagerie.

'In 1874 the Menagerie visited Tenbury, and Lizzie, who had drunk a quantity of cold water when heated by walking, was attacked by spasms and treated by Turley, a local chemist. He applied a large blister to her side, and by that simple method relieved the pain. Five years afterwards the Menagerie came round again, and Lizzie remembered her medical adviser as he stood in his shop door, stepped out of the ranks and greeted him by placing her trunk around his hand. She even drew his attention to the side where the blister had been applied. Two years after the Menagerie came again. This time Lizzie lifted her friend in a gentle manner from the ground. It seemed that she had been led to form a still higher opinion of his merits as a doctor, and even generally to prefer physic to surgery. A veterinary sur-geon had been called in to prescribe for another ailment, and had used the lancet. Accordingly she drew Turley's attention to the limb which had been lanced and did her best to show how much she preferred the milder treatment.' The following is Fanny Griffin's account of the same event. It is added as an illustration of the graphic and descriptive style so often found in illiterate observers: 'An elephant belonging to the Circus took ill. Mr. John Turley, Teme Street, Tenbury, Vet. Surgeon, doctor it, and he gave him [sic] some medicine bottles and whisky. Was taken from a shed joining Mr. Neat's house, the gate watchman at Burford House, in to the Swan yard for more convenience-for several years after the same Elephant came from Bromyard to Tenbury, and coming down Teme Street Mr. Turley was stood at his shop doar, and the Elephant saw him with a loaf of bread and its keeper had hard treble to keep him from Mr. Turley but the Elephant went after all and took the loaf of him and then put Mr Turley on his back and took him to the show ground.'