ASTLEY, a parish in the lower division of the hundred
of DODDINGTREE, county of WORCESTER, 3 miles
(S. W. by S.) from Stourport, containing 784 inhabitants.
The living is a rectory, in the archdeaconry and diocese
of Worcester, rated in the king's books at £15. 13. 4.,
and in the patronage of the Rev. D. J.'J. Cooks. The
church, dedicated to St. Peter, is of Norman architecture.
An Alien priory of Benedictine monks, founded
here by Ralph de Todeni, in the reign of William I.,
was annexed to the college of Westbury in that of
Edward IV. Here is a school, endowed with about
£20 per annum. At Redstone ferry, in the vicinity, is
an ancient hermitage, excavated in a lofty cliff by the
side of the river.