Before King Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries, including Evesham Abbey in 1540, he raised revenue by imposing a series of taxes on the clergy. £100,000 was voted to the King by the Convocation of Canterbury in 1531. These payments were made in 1532, 1534, 1535 and 1540. Some records survive, including a set for the Evesham area in 1532. This lists the priests in the local parishes, including Badsey, Bretforton, the Littletons, Offenham and Wickhamford.
In that year, the “Capellanus of Wyckanforde” was Johannes Wylkes. (This literally means Chaplain of Wickhamford.) The priests were listed as “Dominus” or owner of each parish. Their annual income was also recorded in 1535 and in the case of Wickhamford, the then priest, Nicholas Wyke was paid £2 4s 10d gross and £2 2s 3d nett. In comparison, in Badsey, Thomas James was paid £6 1s 8d gross, £5 6s 8d nett. This gives an indication of the relative size of the population in each parish.
Also of interest, the priest in Bretforton in this period was Henricus Wylkes; perhaps a relative of the Wickhamford incumbent.