The name Wolverley derives from the
Old English Wulfweardlēah meaning 'Wulfweard's wood/clearing'. Wolverley was recorded in the
Domesday Book of 1086 under an ancient spelling of Ulwardelie. The
Worcester Member of Parliament
John Atte Wode is recorded as holding land at Wolverley prior to 1357.
The Legend of the Swan According to ancient legend a crusading member of the Attwood family was rescued from a dungeon and returned to his home Wolverley Court by a swan.
William Sebright Wolverley was the birthplace of William Sebright, who as a
Town Clerk of
London accumulated an estate in
Bethnal Green, which he left in his
will of 1620 for the foundation of a
grammar school in Wolverley. The site of the original Wolverley Grammar School is still in the centre of the village: the grammar school changed its name to Sebright School in 1931 when it moved to a new site. The new school was opened by
Bewdley-born
Stanley Baldwin. Between 1948 and 1970 Sebright was a
public school, and from 1965 to 1969 the sculptor Fritz Steller was the Head of Art. Sebright School closed in 1970 and reopened as Wolverley High School, now called
Wolverley C E Secondary School, a state run secondary school. However, the junior wing,
Heathfield Knoll School, continued in existence and now includes pupils up to 16. Over the years the endowment left by William Sebright has grown to millions of pounds, and the original scope of the educational foundation he set up has been broadened to include grants to local schools, and to former pupils of those schools.
Tinplate Industry Wolverley Lower Mill, which was established in 1670 by
Philip Foley and Joshua Newborough, helped the village play a key role in the early
tinplate industry.
Baskerville the printer The village was also the birthplace of
John Baskerville, the celebrated printer (1706–1775).
Wolverley Camp During the
Second World War the US Army Medical Corps opened its award-winning 52nd general hospital at Wolverley Camp. ==Gallery==