Hartlebury

Hartlebury is a village in Worcestershire, England. It is a few miles south of Kidderminster and is in Wychavon district. The village registered a population of 2,549 in the Census 2001.

The railway station is about half a mile to the east of the village.

Hartlebury Castle, built in the mid-13th century as a fortified manor house, is the residence of the Bishop of Worcester, and two-thirds of the building is leased out to Worcestershire County Council as the County Museum. Hartlebury Castle is a Grade I listed building. It is about a mile to the west of the village and half a mile to the west of the church.

Hartlebury was formerly the location of Queen Elizabeth I Grammar School. A detailed account is given of the school in "A Concise Description of the Endowed Schools in England and Wales" by Nicholas Carlisle, p757, Pub. Baldwin, Craddock and Joy, 1818 ( [http://books.google.com/books?id=rY-8ceSYvWoC&pg=PA757&lpg=PA757&dq=hartlebury+grammar+school&source=web&ots=A6pzUitiTu&sig=gejL_xPsPw-K6I8rBI5YLiqjbpw] ). Records of the school date back to a mention in the "Domesday Book" of William the Conqueror in 1066, but apart from that, other early accounts date back to 1400, centuries before Eton, Harrow and Rugby were founded. The school was granted a Royal Charter by Queen Elizabeth I in 1557. Whilst originally a private boys school, it was taken over by the State, and was closed when it was merged in 1977 with King Charles I Grammar School, Kidderminster, and The Kidderminster Girls High School. Unfortunately, the historic old school was sold off to become a private residence. The magnificent new building, with its commanding views over the countryside, was narrowly rescued from demolition by the Old Boys Association. It was run as a private school for young boys and girls until 2007, and then as a charitable organisation. Then in 2008 it was re-launched as The New Elizabethan School.

It is also a surname