ARROW - Extract from National Gazetteer, 1868

"ARROW, a parish and suburb of Alcester, in the hundred of Barlichway, in the county of Warwick, 1 mile from Alcester, its post town. It is situated on the river Arrow, which works several mills, and contains the hamlet of Oversley. The living is a rectory* in the diocese of Worcester, value £248, in the patronage of the Marquis of Hertford. The church, which is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, is ancient and has a tower, which was rebuilt in 1760. Ragley Hall, a mansion erected by Lord Conway, about 1750, is the seat of the Marquis of Hertford: it is a magnificent pile, three stories high, with four faces of great architectural beauty, and contains a dining hall of 60 feet by 40, together with a library of 30,000 volumes, and many ancient paintings by Rubens, Vandyke, and others. It is at present unoccupied, and is open for the inspection of visitors on every day except Sundays."

"OVERSLEY, a hamlet in the parish of Arrow, Stratford division of the hundred of Barlichway, county Warwick, half a mile S.E. of Alcester, which place is partly encompassed by the river Arrow. The Warwickshire hounds meet in the neighbourhood. The union poorhouse is also situated here."

"RAGLEY, a hamlet in the parish of Arrow, Alcester division of Barlichway hundred, county Warwick, 1½ mile S.W. of Alcester. Its chief attraction is Ragley Hall, the seat of the Marquis of Hertford. The mansion, which has four fronts, is surrounded by an extensive demesne laid out with oak trees."

[Description(s) from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868)
Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]