A History of Edvin Loach

This is the story of a small rural parish. It traces the lives of the people who lived there and worked the land, and the impact on them of manor, church and landlord.  In exploring these three authorities it solves two puzzles, revealing why the parish until 1893 was a tiny island of Worcestershire within Herefordshire and that there were in fact two separate manors, not one.  Troubled times, notably after the Black Death and later after the Civil War, are shown to lead to murder, the settling of old scores, and unscrupulous land grabbing. The main story ends with an account of the 150-year-life of the Barneby family’s Saltmarshe Castle Estate which came to own the entire parish, ending with its sale in the 1950s; but an outline of late 20th century developments including the ownerships of the farms and other dwellings brings the account up to date, here and throughout with maps and many photographs.