Prestwood, Kinver

Prestwood is a hamlet now in the parish of Kinver, but in the Kingswinford until the creation of Brierley Hill Urban District in the 1930s.

The name is derived from priests' wood, because it was part of the estate of Haswic, which was confirmed to Lady Wulfrun and used by her to endow the priests of Wolverhampton, but in 1086, it was waste, because of the king's forest.

Haswic became Ashwood Hay, one of three hays (hedged hunting areas) of Kinver Forest. The hay was managed by a bailiff, who occupied the farm of Prestwood by the sergeanty of keeping the bailiwick of Ashwood Hay. This belonged to a family who took their name from the estate, and owned the estate for over a century until Richard de Prestwood granted it to William son of Adam de Chetwynd in 1292. William granted it to Agnes widow of Roger de Somery of Dudley Castle and her son. On the death of John de Somery in 1322, it was described as half a carucate and some meadow, but on the death of Roger de Hilary in 1357, it consisted of a messuage, a virgate and 10 acres of meadow, though it is not clear why it should have been his, as it long continued to be the property of the lords of Dudley Castle. It thus came into the hands of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, the Lord Protector to Edward VI, but was attainted of high treason following the accession of Queen Mary.

In 1554, the estate was granted by the queen to Edward Hastynges, who quickly sold it to Sir John Lyttelton (1520–90). In 1597, there was a dispute between his son Gilbert Lyttelton and Edward Sutton, 5th Baron Dudley, as owner of Ashwood Hay. This seems to have related to the boundary between Ashwood Hay and Prestwood Hill (which was open to it) and whether Lyttelton had the right to graze cattle on Ashwood Hay (by then a common. This resulted in Star Chamber proceedings and was part of a political dispute between the two families at the same date.

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