| Cleeve Prior | |
|---|---|
 | |
Cleeve Prior Location within Worcestershire | |
| Population | 553 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Evesham |
| Postcode district | WR11 |
| Police | West Mercia |
| Fire | Hereford and Worcester |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
Cleeve Prior is a village in the Vale of Evesham Worcestershire, England. It is situated five miles north-east of Evesham, and its population was 553 in 2021.1 There are many picturesque houses made from the local lias stone, including the Kings Arms public house and the 150-year-old school. The church is dedicated to St. Andrew and has 6 bells which are rung for the parish service each Sunday.
History
The name Cleeve, attested in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Clyve, comes from the dative singular form of the Old English word clif ('cliff, bank, steep hill'), referring in this case to the rising ground above the River Avon on which the village is situated. The estate was the property of the Priors of Worcester from early times (recorded in their Latin records as Clyve Prioris) accounting for the Prior element of the name, distinguishing it from nearby Bishop's Cleeve.23
References
References
- "Cleeve Prior (Parish, United Kingdom)". City population. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
- A. D. Mills, A Dictionary of English Place Names (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991), s.v. Cleeve.
- Mawer, A; Stenton, F M (1969). The Place-Names of Worcestershire. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 314.