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Great Alne takes its name from the River Alne but in
mediaeval times was called Ruwenalne or Round Alne. The first part of the name does not
mean 'round' but 'rough'. The manor, dating from A.D.809, belonged to the Abbey of
Winchcombe and remained so until Henry VIII's dissolution. Since that time it passed
through the hands of a number of commoners, as well as Sir Nicholas Throckmorton' 5. In
1876 Great Alne Hall was built, the presumption being that it took the place of an
original manor house. The hall was replaced by a smaller house in the late 1930's but
today the site is covered by the Maudslay Engineering Works.
Another manor named 'Woodhouse I appeared from the 15th to 17th centuries but this had
been taken from the manor of Round Alne. Today's Woodhouse Farm stands on the site of the
manor house.
Ecclesiastically, Great Alne Church (St. Mary Magdalene) belonged to Winchcome Abbey in
1175: but soon became a chapel attached to Kinwarton Church, where it has remained ever
since.
Great Alne Mill has been in working order for many centuries but the mill mentioned in
Domesday (1086) is likely to have been on a site nearby. Part of today's mill is used for
residential purposes.