Red Hill, Worcester

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Red Hill
Red Hill Lane - geograph.org.uk - 2803397.jpg
Red Hill Lane, Red Hill, Worcester
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Red Hill
Location within Worcestershire
  London 133 mi (214 km)  SE
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Worcester
Postcode district WR5
Dialling code 01905
Police West Mercia
Fire Hereford and Worcester
Ambulance West Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Worcestershire
52°10′58″N2°11′35″W / 52.182803°N 2.193116°W / 52.182803; -2.193116

Red Hill is a southeastern suburb of Worcester in Worcestershire, England. It is on the A44. It has historically been used as a high ground to attack the city and as a place of execution.

History

Red Hill is mentioned regarding King Stephen's attack upon the city of Worcester in 1149. He burnt Worcester and expelled William de Beauchamp, but the castle against which he raised two forts at Red Hill near Digly and Henwicks Hill resisted his attacks. It was said that the remains of this fort could still be seen in 1820. [1]

In the 17th century, it was an area of execution. Edward Oldcorne and Ralph Ashley who had been captured at nearby Hindlip Hall were hanged, drawn and quartered on 7 April 1606. [2] Holy relics of these Jesuit priests are still revered today. The others executed were a tenant farmer named Perkes, Humphrey Littleton and John Wintour. All were executed for involvement with the Gunpowder plot. Franciscan priest John Wall was executed at Red Hill on 22 August 1679 during the time of Titus Oates's alleged plot. [3]

The hill featured also in the Battle of Worcester in 1651 when it was fought over by Royalist forces and Oliver Cromwell's forces. Cromwell used the heights of Red Hill and Perry Wood to hold his artillery and most of his troops on 29 August 1651. [4] At the time Red Hill was just outside the city gates. [5] The Royalist attacks on the guns were turned back because there was a Worcester spy named Guise. He was caught and hanged. [6]

Red Hill continued to be a place of execution for some time. On 16 August 1805, for instance, it is recorded that W. Dalton was executed for two counts of burglary. It was said that "His demeanor was becoming". [7]

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References

  1. A general history of Worcester by John Chambers, p. 16, 1820, accessed 10 July 2008
  2. Alban Butler, Peter Doyle, Lives of the Saints . ISBN   0-86012-253-0.
  3. Duffy, Patrick. "The Forty Martyrs of England and Wales", Catholic Ireland, 25 October 2012
  4. 1651: The Worcester Campaign, british-civil-wars.co.uk. Accessed 10 July 2008.
  5. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Worcester"  . Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 821–822.
  6. Battle of Worcester Archived 5 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine , ScotWars.com. Accessed 10 July 2008.
  7. T. C. Turberville, Worcestershire in the Nineteenth Century: A Complete Digest of Facts Occurring in the County Since the Commencement of the Year 1800.