Beaudesert, Warwickshire
| Beaudesert | |
|---|---|
 St Nicholas Church |
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 Beaudesert
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| Beaudesert shown within Warwickshire | |
| Population | 990 <2011census> |
| OS grid reference | SP1566 |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HENLEY-IN-ARDEN |
| Postcode district | B95 |
| Dialling code | 01564 |
| Police | Warwickshire |
| Fire | Warwickshire |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| EU Parliament | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
Beaudesert (pronounced /ˈbɛlzər/) is a village and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England, half a mile east across the River Alne to the north and west of Henley-in-Arden, to which it is closely associated and shares a joint parish council with. The main village, consisting of the church and a single short street of houses, stands close to the river and directly opposite Henley Church. Behind the village to the east rises the hill, locally known as 'The Mount', crowned with the earthwork remains of Beaudesert Castle of the De Montforts. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 919, increasing to 990 at the 2011 Census.
The village is not mentioned in the Domesday Book but is now thought to have been included in the entry for Preston Bagot, as part of the lands of the Count of Meulan, Robert of Beaumont, who had inherited Meulan through his mother. The portion recorded there appears without doubt to have been the present-day Beaudesert. It was believed to have been anciently known as Donnilee, the name implying the place of a fort; however recent writers such as the Victoria County History have refuted this and Donnelie is now reckoned to be Honiley in the latest editions of the Domesday Book. Cooper wrote, "Beaudesert does not occur in the Domesday Book and Dugdale conjectures that the place Donnele is identical with it, but recent investigation does not support this view".
Beaudesert is the name given to it by the Norman family that settled here, meaning "the beautiful waste". The Domesday Book entry states; "In Ferncombe Hundred, in Prestetone (Preston Bagot), 5 hides. Hugh holds from him. Land for 3 ploughs. In lordship 1/2 plough; 2 slaves; 1 villager and 3 smallholders with 1 plough. The value was 30s; now 40s. Brictnoth held it freely before 1066".
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