Oddingley

Coordinates: 52°14′02″N 2°08′02″W / 52.2339°N 2.1339°W / 52.2339; -2.1339

Oddingley
Approaching Oddingley
Oddingley  Oddingley shown within Worcestershire
Population	197 [1]
OS grid reference	SO909595
Parish	Oddingley
District	Wychavon
Shire county	Worcestershire
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	DROITWICH
Postcode district	WR9
Dialling code	01905
Police	West Mercia
Fire	Hereford and Worcester
Ambulance	West Midlands
EU Parliament	West Midlands
UK Parliament	Mid Worcestershire
List of places: UK • England • Worcestershire

Oddingley is a village and civil parish in the English county of Worcestershire, approximately 9 km (5.6 mi) north-east of the county town of Worcester.

History

The church of Oddingley seen from the Birmingham-Worcester canal

Toponymy

Oddingley was recorded in 816 as Oddingalea.^[2] It was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Oddunclei.^[3] The name derives from the Old English for "Woodland clearing of the family or followers of a man called Odda".^[2]

19th century

In 1806, Oddingley became known for the unsolved murder of the village parson, Reverend G. Parker. Parker was shot and beaten to death by a man widely suspected to be Richard Hemming, a carpenter from Droitwich.^[4] Hemming was never apprehended and it was believed that he had escaped the country. In 1830, a body was found which was later identified to be that of Hemming.^[4]

Governance

Oddingley is in the Bowbrook ward of the Worcestershire district of Wychavon. It is part of the constituency of Mid Worcestershire, represented at parliament by Conservative MP Peter Luff.^[5] It is part of the West Midlands constituency of the European Parliament.

Geography

Oddingley lies approximately 9 km (5.6 mi) north-east of the county town of Worcester and about 5 km (3.1 mi) south of Droitwich. Nearby villages to Oddingley include Newland, Dunhampstead, Saleway, Sale Green and Tibberton. It is situated close to the Worcester and Birmingham Canal.^[6]

Demography

The population of Oddingley, according to the 1801 census, was 110. In the 1991 census, the population of the village was recorded as 165. By 2001, this had grown to 197 with 77 households.^[1]

Population of Oddingley[7] Year 1801 1811 1821 1831 1841 1851 1861 1871 1881 1891 Population 110 155 168 157 - - 202 195 193 152 Year 1901 1911 1921 1931 1941 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 Population 130 110 97 113 - - - - - 165 Year 2001 Population 197

Church

Oddingley's church is dedicated to Saint James the Apostle and lies to the south of the village.^[6][8]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "2001 Census Worcestershire" (PDF). http://worcestershire.whub.org.uk/home/cs-research-census-populationreport.pdf. Retrieved 2008-06-07. ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ ^{a b} Mills, A. D. (1998). Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford University Press. pp. 260. ISBN 0192800744. 
3. ^ "Oddingley". Domesday Book. The National Archives. 1086. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?Edoc_Id=7577667&queryType=1&resultcount=1. Retrieved 2008-06-07. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Turberville, T. C. (1852). Worcestershire in the Nineteenth Century: A Complete Digest of Facts. Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans. pp. 123–129. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=07sHAAAAQAAJ. 
5. ^ "UK Parliament - Find your MP". http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/commons/postcode/search/l/WR9+7NF.html. Retrieved 2008-06-07. 
6. ^ ^{a b} A History of the County of Worcester: volume 3. British History Online. 1913. pp. 456–460. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=43153. 
7. ^ "Online Historical Population Reports". University of Essex. http://www.histpop.org/ohpr/servlet/Search?ResourceType=Census&ResourceType=Legislation&ResourceType=Essays&ResourceType=Registrar+General&ResourceType=TNA&SearchTerms=Oddingley&search=Search&simple=yes&path=Results&treestate=expandnew&active=yes&titlepos=0. Retrieved 2008-06-07. 
8. ^ Lewis, Samuel (1848). 'Ocle-Livers - Offwell', A Topographical Dictionary of England. British History Online. pp. 469–472. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51191.