Stone is a village and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England. Of Anglo-Saxon origin, it lies two miles south-east of Kidderminster on the A448 road to Bromsgrove. It had a population of 793 in 2021.
History
Stone (then spelt Stanes) was recorded in the Domesday Book (1086) as a formerly Anglo-Saxon manor with an associated mill lying within the Cresslow Hundred. Some 24 people then lived in the village.Open Domesday, Stone Immediately adjoining it downhill was the separate but smaller manor of Dunclent.Open Domesday, Dunclent After Cresslow was combined with others to create the larger Halfshire, what was by then the parish of Stone also included the settlements of Dunclent, Shenstone, Stanklin and part of Hoobrook.Noake's guide to Worcestershire, (Worcester 1868), p.328
Stone Common was enclosed under the (3 Geo. 3. c. 33 ), and on its excellent soil were raised crops of wheat, barley, potatoes and beans."Stone Parish" in A History of the County of Worcester (1913), Vol.3, pp.210-13 There were once two mills within the village boundary, one of which spun yarn for the carpet works at Kidderminster.The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Towards the end of the 19th century there were 104 houses in the area, with a population of 475. Included in this number were the large dwellings at Stone House, the Hoo, Dunclent House and Spennell House.John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales 1870-2 At the 2001 census the area had a population of 782.Census 2001
The early 18th-century Stone House, situated just behind the church, is noted for its walled gardens and associated nursery, set up in the mid-1970s.Stephen Lacey, The Garden, April 2018 The property was Grade II listed as a historic building in 1958.British listed buildings On its edge is the steep cleft of Fenny Rough, known locally as a dingle, in which is to be found the Devil's Den, and "concerning which some horrifying tales are told of the fatal results happening to persons who attempted to penetrate therein".Noake’s Guide to Worcestershire (Worcester 1868) p.328
St Mary’s Church A chapel at Stone was dedicated in honour of the Virgin Mary in 1269 but until 1392 it was dependent on the church at Chaddesley Corbett. Presently it lies within the Anglican Diocese of Worcester but is under the patronage of the Lord Chancellor.Stone Parish, "Advowson", A History of the County of Worcester (1913), Vol.3, pp.210-13 After the building was badly damaged by fire, it was rebuilt in 1831–2 with a tower and six bells, and the chancel was enlarged in 1899–1900. One of the windows incorporates some pieces of medieval and 17th-century stained glass; some 17th-century memorial brasses also remain.P. L. Chadwick, Geograph The church has been a Grade II listed building since 1958.British listed buildings
Adjacent to it is Church House, which has also functioned as a school and parish room, and parts of which date from the 16th century.P. L. Chadwick, Geograph Both the church and school were supported by various financial endowments, including income from fields in the parish and "some lands near Stourbridge containing clay for making fire-bricks".Samuel Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of England , London 1831, vol.IV, p.196 In the churchyard is a war memorial using the restored base and steps of a medieval preaching cross.Philip Halling, Geograph Also there is the grave of the racing driver Peter Collins, who came from nearby Mustow Green.
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