Potted Histories 3

A small parish but also a manor. Spernall manor appears in the 1086 Doomsday Book. From the l2th century the lords of the manor, the Durvassals, lived here for several centuries. The Throckmortons of Coughton acquired the estate in l440. Th church of St. Leonard was originally a chapelry of Coughton church and did not become an independent rectory until the 13th century. Not long ago, St.Leonard's became redundant and has been used sinoe as an arts centre.

The manor possed a nunnery up till the middle of the 13th century, when the convent transferred to Cookhill: the area in the north of the parish is still called 'St.Giles'.

To the north east of the parish ran a seam of gypsum, from which plaster was obtained for many centuries and was exported until our own century.. the 'plaster pits' are hardly visible now. Many local farmhouses possess Spernall plaster floors, particularly on loft floors.

The parish has no obvious centre: originally, there were two main settlements - around the church and at Upper Spernall. But today there is no sign of the manor house site near the church and Spernall became, if not a 'deserted' village, then a depopulated one. The Saxons called the place 'bank of chalk' (Spernore); no doubt the gypsum outcrops were mistaken for chalk.