Birtsmorton is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills of Worcestershire, England, which at the 2021 census had a population of 257.
History
The church is dedicated to Saints
Saint Peter and
Saint Paul and dates from the 14th century.
There is a large manor house, Birtsmorton Court, which is used today as a wedding venue.
[ Birtsmorton Court ] It was the home for many centuries of the Nanfan family, some of whose tombs are in the church.
In 1703, the Rev. Samuel Juice, a former rector, endowed a village school in Rye Street. [British History Online "Birtsmorton". Online reference]
Birtsmorton was the birthplace of the chairmaker Philip Clissett who lived in the parish from his birth in 1817 until about 1842.
Toponymy
The village belonged to the Le Bret family from the 12th century onwards.
Bret means
Breton people. The same family name is associated with
Westonbirt House near
Tetbury,
Gloucestershire.
The name Morton derives from the
Old English mōrtūn meaning 'settlement on the
moorland'.
