Culmington

Medieval

At the time of the Domesday Book (1086) the parish was located within the hundred of Culvestan. The Book recorded that at the time the manor of Culmington belonged to Earl Roger of Shrewsbury at an estimated price of £6. The area was entrusted to the Earl by his cousin, King William. There were said to be 12 villagers, with a total of 4 slaves within the parish. Prior to the control of the Earl, the area of Culmington and much of the Shropshire county belonged to Edric the Wild. He is reputed to have held the Welsh border with a heavy hand. The Domesday Book records the name as 'Comintone'. The Saxon border Thane, Edric the Wild, held the areas of Sireton, Comitome and Elsich. Known today as Serifton, Culmington and Elsich respectively. The Saxon hundred of Culvestan was replaced in the reign of Henry I by the hundred of Munslow, which Culmington then became part of.

The names of Culmington and the hundred of Culvestan are similar but it is not clear whether the two share a common toponymy, with Culmington's name possibly deriving from "the estate of Cuthhelm". The meaning of the first element of Culvestan is also not certain, and may derive from another personal name, possibly Cuthwulf. The Domesday Book recorded two slightly different spelling variants of the hundred's name – twice as Colmestan(e) and once as Comestane – which are more similar to Culmington (which was spelled as Comintone). However this is believed to be the possible result of assimilation to the name of Culmington by the scribe.

The Black Death of 1348 killed three successive Church rectors. These deaths occurred over the duration of the plague. The surviving rector, William Bykerton, survived his post until 1360.

18th to 20th centuries

In 1770, the Earl of Stafford owned the estate of Comitome. The estates of Comitome and Sirefton that were owned by the Earl were sold to Gideon Bickerdike.

Bickerdike left the estates to his nephew Benjamin Flounders who in 1838 during recession, built a tower that conjoined the four estates. It was hoped this would provide employment to the people.

The Manor House that exists was thought to be built in 1856 by Edward Wood whose family had also bought the nearby Diddlebury Hall. According to Frederic Kelly, His Majesty's Inspector of Inland Letter Carriers, the principal landowners in 1891 were Edward Wood Esq. and John Derby Allcroft Esq. The chief crops grown on the land were wheat, barley, oats and turnips. This was due to the 'gravelly, clay loam' that the soil consisted of.

In 1929, Frederic Kelly completed another survey of Culmington and noted changes to the area. A tablet was added to the rear wall of the church bearing the names of all that fell during the Great War. By 1929, Culmington had attained a post office and laundry. A district nurse also visited the parish. A bus service was initially provided by Evans of Aston, that travelled to Ludlow.

Demographics

The 2011 census revealed that Culmington had a total population of 423. The population time series shows a gradual increase in the parish's population post-1945. Prior to this, the population was steadily declining. At its highest total, Culmington's population was 569. That was in 1821. At the peak of the time series graph, the population was 556. The steady decline could be due to a multitude of factors, including the emergence of industrial towns over the late 19th and early 20th century.

The majority of the village's population is of White British descent. 417 residents of Culmington's total population are White British. This is to be expected of rural townships such as Culmington. 211 of Culmington's population, aged from 16–74, are employed. This equates to almost half the total population of Culmington. Within this, the largest sector for employment is that of technical and professional occupations. 54 people hold employment of this kind. This is followed by 50 residents working within blue collar, skilled employment that includes many professions that would encourage self-employment.

A large proportion of the residents of Culmington do not work as they are retired. Culmington's population is diverse in terms of age, however there is a concentration of elderly people who are beyond the age of work. The parish is also home to a large number of children, who up to the age of 16 would not be within employment. There are a total of 65 dependent children within the parish. The population of Culmington has high attainment with regards to qualifications, with only 76 people having no qualifications and 110 having qualifications from Level 4 and above.

Places of Interest

All Saints Church dates back to the 11th century but the tower, from which you enter the church today, was added in the 14th century. The tower has a unique aluminium structure that was added in 1970. The building is Grade 2 Listed and contains fragmented wall art of the ten commandments.

Culmington Camp Ring is a Motte and Bailey site that survives in excellent condition as it has a preservation order upon it. The land today is used for the grazing of cattle.

Culmington Manor is a 100-acre estate that is today used for various events and residential trips, providing exceptional facilities in 'an area of outstanding natural beauty'. The park dates to the 19th century when the Manor was 'surrounded by a small park, with two lodges at the entrance to drives'.