The first reference to inns in Worcestershire come from documents referring to inns maintained by Ecclesiastic authorities. They all had religious signs, sheltering near the walls of great abbeys, offering refreshments and lodgings to pilgrims.
To the great and noble, accommodation was given withing the abbey itself, where elaborate fare was available for people of note. A letter exists from Abbot Lichfield of Evesham Abbey, dated 1539, addressed to Thomas Cromwell. He was trying to stave off the impending doom, the destruction of the Abbey, and ends:
'Furthermore, humbly advertising your Lordship that the said towne of Evesham is well inhabited and likewise well repaired at the only cost and charge of the said Monasterye, whereas there are few inns and not able to receive and lodge all such noblemen as shall repair and resort to the same towne...'