Oddingley

Oddingley is a village and civil parish in the English county of Worcestershire, approximately 9 km (5.6 mi) north-east of the county town of Worcester.

Oddingley
Approaching Oddingley
Oddingley Location within Worcestershire
Population	197 [1]
OS grid reference	SO909595
Civil parish	Oddingley
District	Wychavon
Shire county	Worcestershire
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	DROITWICH
Postcode district	WR9
Dialling code	01905
Police	West Mercia
Fire	Hereford and Worcester
Ambulance	West Midlands
UK Parliament	Mid Worcestershire
Website	http://www.oddingleychurch.org.uk

History

The church of Oddingley seen from the Birmingham-Worcester canal

See also: History of Worcestershire

Toponymy

Oddingley was recorded in 816 as Oddingalea.[2] It was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Oddunclei.[3] The name derives from the Old English for "Woodland clearing of the family or followers of [a man called] Odda".[2]

19th century

In 1806, Oddingley became known for the unsolved murder of the village parson, George Parker. Parker was shot and beaten to death by a man widely suspected to be Richard Hemming, a carpenter from Droitwich.[4] Hemming was never apprehended and it was believed that he had escaped the country. In 1830, a body was found which was later identified to be that of Hemming.[4]

Governance

Oddingley is in the Bowbrook ward of the Worcestershire district of Wychavon. It is part of the constituency of Mid Worcestershire, represented at parliament by Conservative MP Nigel Huddleston.[5] It was part of the West Midlands constituency of the European Parliament prior to Britain leaving the European Union in January 2020.

Geography

Oddingley lies approximately 9 km (5.6 mi) north-east of the county town of Worcester and about 5 km (3.1 mi) south of Droitwich. Nearby villages to Oddingley include Hadzor, Newland, Dunhampstead, Saleway, Sale Green and Tibberton. It is situated close to the Worcester and Birmingham Canal.[6]

Demography

The population of Oddingley, according to the 1801 census, was 110. In the 1991 census, the population of the village was recorded as 165. By 2001, this had grown to 197 with 77 households.[1]

Population of Oddingley[7] Year 1801 1811 1821 1831 1841 1851 1861 1871 1881 1891 Population 110 155 168 157 - - 202 195 193 152 Year 1901 1911 1921 1931 1941 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 Population 130 110 97 113 - - - - - 165 Year 2001 Population 197

Church

Oddingley's church is dedicated to Saint James the Apostle and lies to the south of the village.[6][8] In June 2014, the church website was launched to provide more information about the history of the church, its current services and upcoming events.

References

1. "2001 Census Worcestershire" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 March 2008. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
2. Mills, A. D. (1998). Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford University Press. p. 260. ISBN 0-19-280074-4.
3. "Oddingley". Domesday Book. The National Archives. 1086. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
4. Turberville, T. C. (1852). Worcestershire in the Nineteenth Century: A Complete Digest of Facts. Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans. pp. 123–129.
5. "UK Parliament - Find your MP". Retrieved 7 June 2008.
6. A History of the County of Worcester: volume 3. British History Online. 1913. pp. 456–460.
7. "Online Historical Population Reports". University of Essex. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
8. Lewis, Samuel (1848). 'Ocle-Livers - Offwell', A Topographical Dictionary of England. British History Online. pp. 469–472.