Blockley Worcestershire Delineated C. and J. Greenwood 1822

Blockley – a parish and township of considerable extent, in the hundred of Oswaldslow, upper division, 10 miles S.E. from Evesham, and 86 from London; containing 235 inhabited houses. Previous to the Revolution, the bishops of Worcester had a palace here, and from the many relics of antiquity found in the vicinity, it is supposed to have been a Roman station. Northwick, Paxford, Aston, Draycot, and Dorne, are hamlets in this parish. It formerly had three chapels, now all destroyed. The church is a noble structure, with a handsome tower erected by the Rushout family, now elevated to the Peerage; who have likewise been considerable benefactors to the poor. A number of springs rise here, which supply water for several silk mills, the proprietors of which have realized considerable property. The hills abound with stone quarries, the stone of which is chiefly used for dry-walling, as there are no hedges.

Blockley has 2 fairs annually, one on the Tuesday after Easter week, and the other on the 20th October; neither of which are of any note. The living is a vicarage; Rev. W. Broughton, incumbent; patron, the Bishop of Worcester. Population, 1801, 1569 – 1811, 1654 – 1821, 1647.

Source: Worcestershire Delineated: Being a Topographical Description of Each Parish, Chapelry, Hamlet, &c. In the County; with the distances and bearings from their respective market towns, &c. By C. and J. Greenwood. Printed by T. Bensley, Crane Court, Fleet Street, London, 1822.