THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES iy •a V H I S T 11 Y OF THE HUNDRED OF CARHAMPTON, IN THE COUNTY OF SOMERSET, l-nO.M THE BEST A L'THOBITIES, By JAMES SAVAGE, AUTHOR or THE HISTORY OF TAUNTON. The GiKeway, Dun-sler Castle BRISTOL: WILLI AiM STRONG, CLARE STREET, AND ALSO BY LONGMAN, REES, ORME, BROWN, & GREEN; AND NICHOLS AND SON, LONDON. MDCCCXXX. LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. The Most Noble the Marquis of Bath, K. G. Lord Lieutenant of the County of Somerset, lar(/e paper. Acland, Sir Thomas Dyke, Bart. M. P. for the County of Devon, /ar(/e paper Abraham, Thomas, Esq., Taunton Castle Abraham, Thomas, Esq. Dunster, I. p. Abraham, Mr. ^\'m., Dunster, I. p. Arch, Messrs. J. and A., I. p. The Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Batli and Wells, I. p. The Rt. Hon. Charles B. Bathurst, Lydney Park, I. p. Babhage, Mr. James, Monksilver Ball, Ricliard, Jun. Esq., The Elms, Taimton, I. p. Ball, Henry, Esq., London, I. p. Barratt, Joseph, Esq., Chiu'ch Street, Bathwick Bawden, Mrs., Chard, I. p. Bcadon, Rev. G., Axbridge Bedford, Wm., Esq., F. S. A., El- hurst, I. p. Bcrc, Rev. W. B., Taunton, I. p. Bernard, Colson, Esq., Bristol, /. p. Bernard, H. J., Esq., Surgeon, W^ells, Bernard, Rev. Wm., Rector of Clat- worthy Billet, Mr., Surgeon, Taunton Blackburro, Mr., Ridge House, Stoc- land, Dorset Blackmore, Mr. Robert, Croydon Blake, M., ]'sq , M. D., Taunton, tiro copies, I. p. Bobn, M., Bookseller, Loudon, one I. p. and one s. p. Boone, Messrs. T. and W., I. p. Boucher, Mr. W., Court Place, Wi- thycombe, I. p. Bower, Rev. H., M. A., Vicar of Taunton St. Mary, and Chaplain to tVie Earl of Roscbury Bowles, Charles, Esq., Shaftesbury Braikenridgc, George Weare, Esq., F.G.S. & F.S.A.,Brislington, /.;;. Bridport, The Viscountess, /.p. Bristol Lil)rary, King Street, l.p. Britton, John, Esq., F.S.A.jM.R.S.L., l.p. Brodic and Dowding, Messrs., Book- sellers, Salisbury, one I. p. and one s. p. Brown, Mr., Booksoller, Bristol, one I. p. and otie s. p. Browne, Mr., Academy, Brislington, l.p. Bryant, Mr., Bookseller, London, l.p. Bryant, Mr. James, Burcott, Car- hampton Buck, Rev. Joseph, Wiveliscombc Buckland, Mr. John, "\Ml!iton Bucknell, W., Esq., Crocombe Buncombe, John B., Esq., Solicitor, Taunton, l.p. Buntcr, Mr., Taunton, I. j). Burn, Air., Bookseller, London, two l.p. ■ Burridge, Rev. W., Vicar of Brad- ford. Byam, E., Esq., Cheltenham, l.p. Byam, Rev. Richard Burgh, \'icar of Kew and Petersham, Surrey Case, Mr. James, Withj'combe Cardew, Rev. J.H., Rector of Curry- Malet Carcw, Miss, Crocombe Court, I. p. Champante, J. J., Esq., Belmont, Taunton, /. p. Cha|)man, Richard, Esq., MountTer- I'ace, Taunton Chichester, Mr. Giles, Roadwater Chilcott, .Mr. John, Printer, Wine Street, Bristol, l.p. Chorley, Mr. James, Surveyor of Taxes, Bridgwater Chorley, Mr. W., Sen., Exton. Chorley, Mr. C, Surgeon, AMlliton Clarke, W. L., Esq., Belle\'ue, Clifton, l.p. Clulow, Mr. Edward, Draper, &c., Taunton Cochran, Mr., Bookseller, London, one I. p. and one s. p. Codrington, Robt., Esq., Bridgwater, Coles, Edward, Esq., Taunton, Clerk of the Peace for the County of Somerset, /. p. 658523 LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. Ceilings, Mr., Bookseller, Bath, one I. p. and one s. p. Collins, Capt., Minehead Constable, Cliarlcs Stanley, Esq., Taunton, I. p. Copp, Mr. James, Sandhill, Withy- combe, I. p. Corner, ^Ir. John, Dnnster Corner, Mr., Auctioneer, Culmstock Cox, J. H., Esq., Merchant, King- ston, Jamaica, I. p. Cox, Mr. W. C . , Land Surveyor, Car- hampton, I. p. Darch, Rev. W., Vicar of Huish- Champflower Daubeny, Robt. H., Esq., London, Lp. Daubeny, Geo. M., Jun., Esq., Wel- lington Cottage, Clifton, I. p. Davey & Muskett, Messrs., Book- sellers, Broad Street, Bristol, one I. p. and one s. p. Davies, Rev. H., LL. D., Academy, Taunton, /. p. Davis, W., Esq., Taunton, L p. Daw, Mr., Castle Street, Bristol Devon and Exeter Institution, Library of the, /. ;;. Dickinson, Wm., Esq., M.P. for the County of Somerset Diot, Mr., Taunton, I. p. Duncan, Mrs., Wild Oak, Taunton, I. p. Dyer, Mr. G., Bookseller, Exeter, I. p. DjTnock, T. F., Esq., I. p. Edbrooke, Mr. Nathaniel, Luxbo- rough, /. p. Edwards, Rev.W., M.A.,Winford, l.p. Edwards, Mr. John, Bristol Elford, Jonathan, Esq., Oakhamp- ton-House Elton, Henry, Esq., Winford- House, Winford, 1. p. Elton, H., Esq., Pulteney Street, Bath, hp. Elwyn, Wm. Brame, Esq., D.C.L., Regent's I'ark, London, /. p. Fmra, Mrs., St. George's, Glouces- tershire Escott, Mr. B., Kitswall, Dunster J'^scott, Rev. T. S., Hartrow House Evans, Thomas Muliett, ICsq., Soli- citor, Bristol, /. ]). Eve, Edward Bassett, Esq., M. D., Crescent, Taunton, /. p. Pveleigh, Mr., Stogumber, l.p. Everard, John,Esq,,Barrister at Law, Bridgwater Everard, Capt. Grey, Hill House Falvey, Mr. George, Dunster, /. p. Fcatherstone, Mr. W., White Hart, Taunton Fisher, J., Esq , Langford, l.p. Follett, Rev. R., Master of the Col- lege Grammar School, Taunton Ford, Mr., Bookseller, Bath, one I. p. and one .v. jj. Foster, Rev. A., Vicar of Kingston Foster, Mr. William, Bradpole, near Bridport Fox, Edward, Esq., Rock Vale Cot- tage, Dartmouth, l.p. Gardiner, Robert, Esq., Wellisford- House Gatchell, Mr. Joseph, Woodadvent, Xettlecombe Geeves, Mr., Bookseller, 141, Regent Street, London, /. p. Giles, Mr. James, Vellow Farm, Sto- gumber Godwin, Mr., Bookseller, Bath, two copies Golding, Capt., 2nd Somerset Militia, Wells Goodden, Robert, Esq., Compton- House, I. p. Goodford, John, Esq., Chilton Can- tclo, near Vcovil, l.p. Gordon, Thomas, Escj , Charmouth Gordon, Jas. A., Esq., Naish House Gould, Rev. R. F., Rector of Luc- combe, /. p. Gould, Thomas Wentworth, Esq., Thorverton, Devon, /. p. Gould, John, Esq., Amberd House, near Taunton, /. p. Grant, H. R., ICsq., Surgeon, Queen's Square, Bristol, l.p. Greenly, Rev. J., Salisbury, l.p. Gribble, Rev. Charles, L3mpstone, Devon Guteh, John Matthew, Esq., Bristol, l.p. Hagley, Mr. Charles, Billbrook, /. p. Hales, Miss, Brymore House Halliday, Mrs., Chapel Cleeve House, l.p. Ham, Mr. Ralpli, Land Surveyor, Taimton Harding & Lepard, Messrs., London, one I. p. and one s. p. Harris, Mr. Robert, Old Cleeve, /. p. LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. Hartnell, Mr. A., Royal Fort, Bristol, I. p. Harvey, Mr., Dunstcr Haviland, John, Esq., M.D., Regius Professor of I'hysic in tlie Univer- sitj' of Camhridge Ha%vkes, Mr. Thomas, Land Sur- veyor, Williton Helyar, AAilliara, Esq., Colicr Court, Lp. Hewlett, Henry, Esq., Great James s Street, liedford Row, London, I. p. Hoare, Sir Richard Colt, Bart., F.R.S., &c., &c., I. p. Hood, Sir .\lex., Bart., Wootton, l.j). Hole, James, Esq., Knowlc Hole, Robert, Esq., Harewood, I. p. Hole, Robert, Esq., Timberscombe, l.p. Hole, Wm., Esq., Solicitor, Crescent, Taunton Holmes, G., Esq., Bristol Hope, Benjamin, Esq., Wells, I. p. Hurford, Mr., Blue Anchor Inn, near Watchett, /. p. James, Rev. William, Binder, near Wells Jeanes, Mr. Edwin, Exeter, l.p. Jones, Mrs., Plume of Feathers, Mineliead Kinglake, William, Esq., Deputy Registrar of the Archdeaconry of Taunton, l.p. Kinglake, R., Esq., M. D., Taunton, l.p. Langdon, Mr., Dunster, l.p. Lasbury, Mr., Bookseller, Bath, one I. p. and one s. p. Law, Charles, Esq., Staplecjrove-Lodge Laycock, Mr., Bookseller, London, one I. p. and one s. p. Lean, Jas., Esq., Banker, Clifton, l.p. Lean, John, Esq., Wiveliscombe Lee, Miss, Stogumber Leigh, H. J., Esq., Solicitor, Taunton Leigh, Robert, Esq., Taunton, l.p. Leigh, Robert, Es([., Uardon Leigh, W., Esq., Bardon, I. p. Leigh, Mr., Harewood Lethbridge, Sir T. B., Bart., M. P. for the County of Somerset, jft-e/.y;. Lettey, Mr. W., Dunster, High Con- stable of thcllundrcd of Carhamp- ton Lettey, Mr. James, Dunster, /. p. Lettey, Mr. John, George Inn, Dun- ster Longman and Co., Messrs., Book- sellers, London, six I. p. and six s. p. Lucas, Stucley Tristram, Esq., Ba- ron's Down Park Ludlow, Mr. Serjeant, Town Clerk and Clerk of the Peace for the City of Bristol, I. p. Luttrell, John Fownes, Esq., Dunster Castle, M. P. for Minchead, I. p. Luttrell, Rev. T. F., Vicar of Mine- head, l.p. Luttrell, F. F., Esq., Quantoxhcad, l.p. Lyddon, Mr. John, Carhampton, /. p. Lyddon, Mr. J. S., Surgeon, &c., Minchead Maitland, Rev. R., Gloucester Meade, Richard, Esq., Solicitor,Taun- ton, I. p. Merchant, Mr. N., Timberscombe, Moore, John, Esq., "ieo%nl, l.p. Moore, Mr. W., Bookseller, London, Nattali, Mr., Bookseller, London, one I. p. and one s. p. Necld, Joseph, Esq., Kilstone Park, Somersetshire, l.p. Newton, Rev. W., Rector of Old Clecve Newton, Miss, Rodhuish, /. p. Nicholl, Mr. J., Spirit Merchant, Dunstcr, I. p. Nornuvn, S., Esq., Wilton, near Taimton Norman, Mr. S., Wood, Upton, Lp. North, Mr. Thomas, 'i'aunton, /. p. Norton, Mr., Bookseller, Bristol, one I. p. and one s. p. Nurton, John, Esq., Milvcrton, /. p. Oatway, Mr. T., Priory Farm, Dun- ster Oatway, Mr. W., Oaktrow Ogborn, Richard, Esq., Bath, l.p, Paige, Mr., Dunster, l.p. Paul, Mr. John, Dunster Pcarse, W., Esq., Bratton Court, /. p. Pearse, Mr. AV'., Gujiworthy, A\ ithy- combe LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. Penny, Mr. William Webb, Printer of the Sherborne Mereury, Slicr- bornc, /. p. Phelps, Mr. Henrv, Surgeon, Porlock Philipp-^, Rev. W/r.,B.D., Portland Scuuue, Bristol. Phippcn, — , Esq., Ba(lg^vorth-coll^t, near Cross, /. p. Pi2;ott, John Hugh Smyth, Esq., Brockley Hall, I. p. Pile, Mr., Printer, Norton-Fitzwa- rine, tico copies Pinchard, W. P., Esq., Solicitor, Taunton, /. p. Poeock, Chas.Innes, Esq., Bristol, /.ji;. Ponstbnl, Mr. S., Dunster, I. p. I'onsfonl, Miss, Dunster, I. p. Poole, Charles, Esq., Banker, Taim- ton, /. p. Poole, Thomas, Esq. , Nether-Stowey, I. p. Poole, Mr., Bridg\v?ter, I. p. Porter, Mr., Bookseller, Yeovil Powell, Mr., Duke of ANellington Inn, Minehead Pursey, Mr. R. P., Land Surveyor, Monksilver Quantock, John, Esq., Stoke-under- Hanidcn, I. p. Radford, Capt., Bristol Reed, .Mr., Tiverton Reeves, Mr. Thomas, West Buekland Richards, T. M., Esq., St. Michael's Hill, Bristol, I. p. Riekard, Mr. John, Dunster Ricketts, Henrv, Esq., Brislington, Ridlcr, Mr. John, Withycombe Mills Risdon, Mr., Hicconibe Rodbard, Samuel, Esq., Evercrecch, l.p. Rogers, F. N., Esq., Barrister at Law, Temple, London, l.p. Ross, Rev. .\lr., Luccond)e, l.p. Rowclifle, Mr. Wni., Runnington Rutter, Mr., Bookseller, Shaftesbury, three I. p. Sampson, Edward, Esq., Henbury, near Bristol Sandford, F.dward Ayshford, Esq., Nynchead Court, /. p. Savage, Mr. W., Printer, London Scott, Rev. C. L., Rector of Woot- ton Courtenay Searlc, Richard, Esq., Collector of his Majesty's Customs, Minehead, l.p. Searle, J., Esq., Surgeon, Bristol, l.p. Setchell, Mr., Bookseller, London, Seymour, Henry, Esq., London, M.P. for Taunton, sLv I. p. Sherry, John H., Esq., Solicitor, West Lanibrook Shipton, Rev. John Noble, B. D. Baliol College, Oxford, l.p, Silke, Mr. Edward, Bristol. Simonds, Mr. G., Printer of the Dorset Chronicle, Dorchester Skelton, Mr., Oxford, l.p. Slade, Lieutenant-General, Mansell- House, tiro copies Smith, Mr. John, Bristol Snow, N., Esq., Lord of the Manor of Oare, /. p. Snow, Mr. John, Higher Marsh, Dunster, I. p. Somerset and Taunton Institution, Library of the, /. p. Southcombe, Rev. John, Minehead, l.p. Starkey, Mr. A., Abbey Mills, Old Clecve Stephenson, Rev. Joshua, Rector of Selworthy, l.p. Stevenson, Mr. John, Bookseller, Edinburgh, /. p. Sully, IL, Esq., M'. D., Wiveliscombe Sully, Mr. John, Withycombe, l.p. Summers, Mr. Charles, Surveyor, Ilton, /. p. Sutton, Mr., Wyndham .\rms, Wil- liton Tapscott, iMr. S., Coal Merchant, Minehead Ta])scott, Mr. John, Drajjcr, &c. Alinehead, l.p. TayliT, Mr. R., Rodlniish, /. ;;. Tavlor \ Son, Messrs., Booksellers, London and Brighton, one I. p. and one s. p. Taylor, .Mr., Spirit Merchant, Exeter Thorne, Mr. John, Townsend, Car- hampton Thorne, Mr. Thos., Escott Farm, Carhampton, /. p. Thorpe, Mr., Bookseller, London, l.p. LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. Th}'nne, The Rt. Hon. Lord John, M . P. , Vice Lieutenant of the County of Somerset, /. p. Timmins, Mr. Thomas, ^\^litc Rock Cottage, Exnioor, /. p. Toller, Richard, Esq. South-Petherton Townsend, Mr. H. J., Taunton Tremlett, Mr., Bookseller, Bristol, Trevclyan, Sir John, Bart., Nettle- comtic Court, /. p. Tuckfiekl, Mr. Geo., Stogumber Turle, Mr. W., Taunton Turner, Rev. W. H., Clifton Tynte, Charles Keniys Kemys, Esq., "Halsewcll-House,"M. P. for Bridg- water, I. p. Tynte, Charles Kemys Kemys, Jun., Esq., Halsewell-House, 1. p. Tj'son, Mr. W., Bookseller, Clare Street, Bristol, /. p. Unwin, Rowland, Esq., Chargott Lodge, Luxhorough, I. p. Upcott, W., Esq., London Institution, l.p. Upham, Mr., Bookseller, Bath, one I. p. and one s. p. Waldron, Mr. J. S., Hotwells, Bris- tol, /. p. Waldron, Mr. James, Solicitor, Wiveliscombe Wardon, Mr. T., Solicitor, Bardon Warne, Rev. J., Clifton Warner, Rev. R., Rector of Great Chalfield, Wilts., and Prebendary of Timberscombe Warre, H., Esq., Solicitor, Bishop's Lydeard Webb, Miss, Clifton Down Webber, Rev. E., Rector of Kun- nington Webber, Mrs., Dean's House, Bi- shop's Lydeard Webl)er, Alexander, Esq.. Chelsea Wedlake,Thomas,Esq., llornchurch, Essex, I. p. Wescombe, Mr. T., Luttrell Arms Inn, J3unster, /. p. Weston, James Willis, Esq., Wey- mouth White, Mr. J., Stogumber, /. j:>. White, W.L., Esq , Veovil ^Vhite, Mr. II., Solicitor, Stogumber AMiite, Mr. J. E., Brewery, Taunton ^^'hiting, James, Esq., West-Monk- ton, I. p. Williams, Rev. John, Marston Magna Williams, Rev. Thomas, Rector of Cameley, Somerset Williams, Rev. D., Bleadon, I. p. ^^'illiams, George, Esq., Limington Williams, Mr. John, Jun., Minehead, l.p. Williams, Mr.G. A., Bookseller, Chel- tenham, one I. p. and one s. p. Withycombe, Mr. W., Marshwood, Carhampton, I. p. Withycombe, Mr. James, Carhamp- ton, l.p. Withycombe, Mr. Robert, Dunster Wrentmore, Mr. Tliomas, Lower Marsh Wyndham, Rev. J. H., Corton, I. p. Yea, Henry Lacy, Esq., PjTlandHall, Taunton, I. p. Young, G. Esq., College of Arms CONTENTS. PA.Gb. Introduction i. to xxiii. Acknowledgments for communications xxii. Corrections and alterations [viii] I. — Topography. General history and description of the Hundred of Carhampton ] Parish of Oare 53 Culbone 69 Porlock S3 Luccombe 147 Sel worthy 1 82 Stoke-Pero 200 Cutcombe 207 Luxborough 247 Treborough 263 Withycombe 273 Carhampton 286 Wootton-Courtenay 334 Dunster 377 Exford 535 Timberscombc 549 Minehead 578 II. — Family History. Poraeroyj lords of Oare 58 Aure, or de Aurc 64 CONTENTS. [v.] PACE. Geoffrey, bishop of Coutauces 80 Earls of Mercia 92 Redvers, carls of Devon ]23 King, Lords King, of Ockham 133 Arundel, Lords Arundel of Trevice 1 CO Byam, of Luccombe 1/1 Edith, queen of Edward the Confessor 193 Ralph de Limesi 1 94 Strange, of Knokyn 220 Pym, lords of Cutcombe 229 Hales, of Brymore, Baronets 237 Everards, of Luxborough 255 Basinges, of Treborough 267 Fitz-Urse, lords of Withycorabc 280 Courtenay, of Wootton-Courtenay 343 — 5 14 Bretesche, of Thrubwell 300 Le Tort, of Oule, Knowle 306 Durborough, of Heathfield • , , 282 Hadley, of Withycombe • • id. Arundel, lords of Timberscombe 569 Biccombe, of Biccombc 573 Mohun, Lords Mohun, of Dunster 458 Mohun, of Ham-Mohun , 484 Mohun, of Fleet , 487 Mohun, barons of Oakhampton 489 Langdon, of New-Hampshire, note • 484 Luttrell, barons of Irnham 590 Lnttrcll, of East-Quantockshead 507 Luttrell, of Chilton , 512 Luttrell, of Dunster Castle 514 in. — Biography. ' John Bridgwater, rector of Porlock 1 40 Dr. Stephen Hales , ,..,... 142 [vl.] CONTKNTS. PAQB. John Pyra, esq 23 1 Rev. John Nicolls 283 Right Hon. H. B. Legge 349 Richard Montague^ bishop of Norwich 372 Rev. Robert Crosse 453 Henry de Bracton ... 626 Richard Brocklesby, M. D 644 IV. — Illustrations of Domesday Book, Account of Domesday Book, introd v. the Exon Domesday vii. Hundreds, division of a county 4 Leuca, a measure of length 66 Custom of paying sheep as rent in kind ib. Tenures , ,. viii. Tenure in Villanage ix. Villani ib. Cotarii xiii. Bordarii - xv. Tenure in Frank Almoigne 198 of ancient demesne 325 by castle guard 303 Servi — Slaves — Slavery xviii. Silvce M'lnutcB, coppice woods 206 Vttluit et Valet, value of manors 218 MUites — soldiers 222 Pannage — Porcarii 224 Manors 271 The Ore, history of, as a weight 328 V. — Historical Illustrations. Commencement of parish churches. — Tithes 36 Chantries ...,,.. 110 CONTENTS. [vii.] PAOB. Church-yards. — Yew Trees 112 The Cross, — Crosses Ill — 410 — 419 Cross-legged monuments 103 Table monuments. — Altar tombs 1 08 Painted glass 1 64 Beacons 8 Ancient Mills. — Tithe of Mills 35 Camps. — Intrenched residences 13 Pope Nicholas's taxation, 129 1 40 Orchards of Somersetshire 9 Mountain-ash 72 Yew trees 113 Trial by jury, history of 311 History of the appropriation of the several parts of parish Churches 415 The Chancel 416 The Nave 417 The Screen j5. The Rood Loft 418 The Font 420 The Porch 421 [viii.] CORRECTIONS AND ALTERATIONS. Page. 12, line 8, dele the before factitious. 75, note, for Culbone read Porlock. 84, line l(j, after built add either. Ill, See more relating to Crosses, under Dunster, pages 418, 419. 126, line 5, Lysons (History of Devon) calls this Thomas Peyncr, Thomas Peyrre. 161, line 9, Sir Nicholas S'/amfw^r, should be Sir Nicholas Slanning. 264, line 20, after imaginary, add portraits of. 169, the Quarry of new red Sandstone, mentioned as being at the AoUage of Horner, is at West Luccombe. 7, line 3 from the bottom, for for a imrticular, read from a particular. 208, line .3 from the bottom, for Short-honse, read Steart-house. 208, last line, dele which. 209, line 13, for farms, read farmers . INTRODUCTION. " Histories of Counties, if properly written, become works of entertainment, of importance, and universality. They may be made the vehicles of much general intelligence, and of such as is interesting to every reader of a liberal curiosity. \Vhat is local is often national." Rev. T. WARTo^f. JLHERE is a natural curiosity in the mind of man to become acquainted with the history of the neigh- bourhood in which he first drew his breath or has fixed his residence; and if any particular place should have been rendered memorable by vestiges of antiquity, or the remains of ancient magnificence, his curiosity is excited in a still higher degree. But in proportion to the distance of time in which those remains existed in a perfect state, the paucity of writers, and the want of authentic documents, increase the difficulty of ob- taining information, and too often after extensive reading and laborious research, the mind of the inquirer is throwqi into the wide regions of conjecture and uncertainty. b IV. INTKODUCTION. The general and increasing interest which the pubhc take in literary works that have for their object the illustration of the antiquities and topography of the kingdom, is sufficiently apparent from the great in- crease of books of this description. Little has, how- ever, been done in the county of Somerset, since the publication of Mr. Collinson's History in 1791, if we except the Rev. R. Warner's History of Bath, the same author's History of Glastonbury, and the new edition of the History of Taunton. The great mass of materials brought forward by the Commissioners of Records, during the last twenty- five years, has thrown so much new light on the an- cient state and succession of property in this county, that every topographical historian is bound to express his most grateful acknowledgments to those honour- able persons for the zeal, industry, and research, which have been displayed in the numerous volumes on the Records of the Realm that have been given to the public under their auspices. To mention the *' Hundred Rolls," the Placita de Quo Warranto," the *' Testa de Nevill," the " Calendars to the Inqui- sitiones postmortem," and the "Patent and Charter Rolls," the "Parliamentary Writs" and "Writs of Mili- tary Summons," is enough to shew the nature of such an immense collection of information as is here de- veloped to the curious inquirer into our provincial history. INTRODUCTION. V. DOMESDAY BOOK. (the exchequer DOMESDAY.) The foundation of every English topographical work must rest upon that venerable record Domesday Book. This survey of England was undertaken by William the Conqueror; and from a memorial of its completion, inserted at the end of the second volume, it is evident that it was finished in the year 1086, the twentieth of the Conqueror's reign. The order generally observed in compiling the Sur- vey, was to set down, in the first place, at the head of every county, except Chester and Rutland, the king's name, Reo Henry's Hist, of GreatBritain, vol.i. p. 479. — Chalmers' Domestic Econ. of Great Britain, p. 20. >i Hist, of Leicester, vol. i. p. xliij. "Hist, of Essex, p. 27. IXTRODUCTION. XIX. the pure villans in gross, who without any determinate tenure inland, were, at the arbitrary pleasure of their lords, appointed to servile works, and received their maintenance of the lord. Willis*^ says that the servi were predial servants, who performed such services and works as their lords required, and had nothing but what they gained by the good- will of their lords, who fed and kept them. The female slaves are called in Domesday Book anciU(X, and appear to have been women servants, under circumstances nearly similar with the servi, or male slaves. The Anglo-Saxons kept a great number of indivi- duals in a state of slavery, and their humane treatment was provided for in the laws made by the Saxon mo- narchs. A law of King Ina's appears to have been intended as a mild and equitable provision for the ease and comfort of the slaves, that they might not be worn out by unceasing labour ; by this law it was ordained, that if a servant by his master's command should work on Sunday, he should be made free. This was one favourable step gained by that unhappy race of men, through the mild and benevolent precepts of Christianity, which had then gained some ground in the kingdom of the West-Saxons. The Anglo-Saxons were also great dealers in slaves, and carried on that inhuman traffic on a large scale. The Northumbrians in particular were famous for their 1^ History of Buckingham, p. 360. C XX. INTRODUCTION. exportation of slaves, and this continued amongst them, according to William of Malmsbury,^* for some time after the Conquest. The people of Bristol were much employed in the trade of slaves, which they pursued with great eager- ness. The description of the Bristol slave-market as given in the life of St. Wulfstan, bishop of Worces- ter,^^ who filled that see at the time of the Conquest, and died in 1095, is an exact picture of the negro commerce as carried on in the West Indies, previous to the abolition of that nefarious traffic. *' There is a town called Brickstow (Bristol) oppo- site to Ireland, and extremely convenient for trading with that country. Wulfstan induced them to drop a barbarous custom which neither the love of God nor the king could prevail on them to lay aside. This was the mart for slaves, collected from all parts of England, and particularly young women, whom they took care to put into such a state as to enhance their value. It was a most moving sight to see in the pub- lic market, rows of young persons of both sexes, tied together with ropes ; of great beauty, and in the flower of their youth, daily prostituted, daily sold. Exe- crable fact! wretched disgrace! men unmindful even of the affections of the brute creation ! delivering into slavery their relations, and even their very offspring." Chester, it appears, was one of the places from i< Script, post Bedam, p. 17. is Anglia Sacra, vol. ii. p.-258. INTRODUCTION. XXh which slaves were exported in the time of the Saxons. Its vicinity to Wales, and the frequent wars carried on with the Welch, furnished a constant supply; but if that were wanting, their neighbours of the Northum- brian kingdom were ready to dispose of their nearest relations. ^° There seems to have been a mart for slaves at Lewes, in Sussex; for in Domesday Book it is said that in that borough, fourpence was to be paid to the port- reeve for every man sold there. This unhappy race of men seems to have been longer perpetuated on the estates of the monasteries than elsewhere, for the monks were forbidden by an ancient canon to manumit their slaves. In the Sur- vey of Glastonbury Abbey, taken after the dissolution, there is mention of *' two hundred and seventy-one bondmen, whose bodies and goods were at the king's highness's pleasure." In this county slavery sub- sisted so late as the reign of Queen Elizabeth. There is a commission still extant issued by her in 1574, for inquiring into the lands and goods of all her bondmen and bondwomen in the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, and Gloucester, in order to compound with them for their manumission or freedom, that they might enjoy their own lands and goods as freemen." We have the authority of Bracton for asserting, 16 Peuuant's Tours in Wales, vol. i. p. 174. 17 Lord Karnes's Sketches of Man, vol, i. p. 300, note. " The •laves," sayg Mr. Chalmers, (Domestic Econ. of Gr. Brit. p. 20.) XXU. INTRODUCTTON. that however unhappy the condition of the servi of those times was in other respects, yet their hves and limbs were under the protection of the laws ; so that if the lord killed his bondman or slave, he was subject to the same punishment as if he had killed any other person. ^^ In concluding this volume, it only remains for me to acknowledge my obligations to those gentlemen \\\\o have obligingly communicated information upon various subjects connected with the History of the Hundred of Carhampton. From the resident clergy of the respective parishes I have received every facility in regard to my inquiries. Where all have shewn themselves equally desirous of contributing information, it would be invidious to mention the names of any particular gentlemen. To John Fownes Luttrell, esq. M. P. I am indebted for his allowing many interesting extracts relating to " had happily departed from the land before the reign of Henry III. This we may infer from the statute of Henrj' III. eh. 14. declaring in 1225, ' how men of all sorts shall be amerced ;' and it only mentions villans, freemen, though probably not in the modern sense, merchants, barons, carls, and men of the church." How erroneous Mr. Chalmers's inference is, relating to the termination of slavery in England, is manifest from the commission above-mentioned, as having been issued by Queen Elizabeth, for the purpose of inquiring into the actual state of her bondmen, iu the year 1574. Besides, it is not likely that the statute ever contemplated amercing men in a state of slavery. When they committed offences they were punished in a more summary manner. " Nichols's Leiceatersh. vol. i. p. xlUj. INTRODUCTION. XXlll. the manor and castle of Dunster, and the families of Mohun and Luttrell, to be made for the use of this work, from Prynne's Index to the Muniments pre- served in Dunster Castle. Also to William Leigh, esq. of Bardon, for several valuable communications relating to the manors of Dunster and Minehead, and for various other parti- culars connected with the history of this hundred. To John Hugh Smyth Pigott, esq. of Brockley Hall, in this county, for the drawing of the town and castle of Dunster, from which the engraving of the frontispiece to this volume has been made. To Mr. William Collard Cox, of Carhampton, Land Surveyor, I owe the preliminary descriptive account of the several parishes inserted in this work, and also much other local information, which his residence and observation have enabled him to acquire. I am also indebted to him for the drawing of the map of the Hundred of Carhampton, and for that of the gateway of Dunster Castle, given in this work. , To Edward Samuel Byam, of Cheltenham, esq. I owe the account of the family and descendants of the late eminent and loyal Dr. Byam, rector of Luccombe. To William Davis, of Taunton, esq. for many par- ticulars relating to the trade and other local matters, connected with the borough and port of Minehead. In the account of Dunster, I have been indebted for some extracts from a communication to the XXIV. INTRODUCTION. Gentleman's Magazine, by William Hamper, of Bir- mingham, esq. containing a brief description of that town. I am also under many obligations to Mr. Strong, of Clare Street, Bristol, Bookseller, for the loan of many scarce and valuable books, to which I have had occasion to refer, in the course of compiling this work. JAMES SAVAGE, Jan. 1, 1830. ■ I I IK imim^mt*>*9»m' HISTORY HUNDRED OF CARHAMPTON. EXTENT AND BOUNDARIES. DIVISION OF COUNTIES INTO HUNDREDS. SCENERY AND FEATURES OF THIS HUNDRED. DUNKERY BEACON. HISTORY OF BEACONS. ORCHARDS OF SOMERSET- SHIRE AND THEIR HISTORY. ANCIENT CAMPS. ENTRENCHED RESIDENCES. SEA-COAST OF SOMERSET. CULBONE COVE. POBLOCK BAY. MINEHEAD CLIFFS. REMAINS OF ANCIENT FORESTS. WATCHET PIER. BLUE ANCHOR BAY. POPULATION OF THIS HUNDRED AT THE CONQUEST, AND IN 1821. POPU- LATION RESULTS. POSSESSORS OF LAND IN CARHAMPTON, IN THE REIGN OF EDWARD THE CONFESSOR, AND AT THE CONQUEST. ANCIENT MILLS IN CARHAMPTON. — TITHE OF MILLS. ECCLE- SIASTICAL JURISDICTION. DEANERY OF DUNSTER. VALUATION OF LIVINGS, 1291. LELAND's DESCRIPTION OF THE HUNDRED OF CARHAMPTON. NOMINA VILLARUM OF THE HUNDRED. The Hundred of Carhamptonis situated in the south- west part of the County of Somerset, and is bounded on the north by the Bristol Channel ; on the east and south by the Hundred of Wilhton and the Free Ma- nors ; and on the west by the County of Devon. This hundred contains two market towns, Dunster B 2 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. and Minchead, and in all sixteen parishes, namely, Carhampton, Culbone— -anciently called Kitnore — Cutcombe, with Luxborough annexed, Exford, Luc- combe, Oare, Porlock, Sel worthy, Stoke-Pero, Tim- berscombe, Treborough annexed to Nettlecombe, Withycombc, and Wootton-Courtenay. In the Exeter Domesday, there is the following account of this hundred : — " In the Hundred of Carhampton there are forty hides and one virgate, and three ferlings and a half of land. The king has thence his geld, amounting to ^10 lis. 6d. for thirty-five hides and one virgate, and the king's barons have in their demesnes five hides want- ing one ferling. Of these, Ralph de Limesi has a hide and a half; Ralph de Pomaria half a hide ; William de Faleise one hide and a virgate and a half ; two nuns half a hide ; William, the sheriff, three virgates ; and Roger Corcelle half a virgate."^ In the Testa de Nevill, there are the following particulars relating to the Hundred of Carhampton: — " Reginald de Mohun holds Dmisfer, with its ap- purtenances, in capite of the king, from the time of the Conquest of England, by the service of forty knights' fees and a half. " Henry de Douvcra holds Hor of the king, in capite, but it is neither known by what service, nor of whose gift. > Exon. Domesday, fo. 69. HUNDRED OF CARHAMPTON. 6 " Robert tie Mandeville liolds JVinemersham, which is in his Barony of Marshwood. "WarineFitz-Gcrold holds IVootUm, which belongs to his Barony of Stoke-Courcy. "Abel de Hunecot holds half a virgatc of land in Hunecote {WoXnicot) of the king, which William, king of England, gave to Edith, in pure and perpetual alms, because her husband was slain in the king's service."" In the fourth year of king Edward I. (1276), the following inquisition, relating to encroachments made upon the property of the crown in this hundred, ap- pears among the Hundred Rolls : — " The Jurors of the Hundred of Carhampton say, That John de Mohun, has the return of writs, and has a gallows, and the assize of bread and heer, belonging to his Barony of Dunster. " That the baihff of John de Mohun, in the Hun- dred of Carhampton, before the time that Nicholas Pauncefoot Avas sheriff of Somerset, now twenty years past, was accustomed to summon, distrain, attach, and levy the debts of our Lord the King, in the manor of Winsford, but the same sheriff did not permit the said bailiff to do the things aforesaid, neither has any sheriff since that time. ^ "They say also that John de Mohun, Warine de Seccheville, Simon Fitz-Rogo, Simon de Meriet, Robert Martin, and Nicholas Fitz-Martin take and 2 Testa de Nevill, p. Ifi2. ^ Rot. Himd. vol. 2. p. 125, 126'. HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. retain all cattle found straying, but they know not by what authority." * Hundreds, says Lambard, (under the word Centuria) were first ordained, or more properly introduced by King Alfred. They seem to have obtained in Denmark at an early period j and we find that in France a regulation of this sort was made above two hundred years before, (hundreds being mentioned in the Salique Law) with a view of obliging each district to answer for the robberies committed in its own division. These divisions were, in that country, as well military as civil ; and each contained one hundred freemen, who were subject to an officer called the Centcnarius, a number of which Centenarii were themselves subject to a superior officer called the Count or Comes? And indeed something like this institution of hundreds may be traced back as far as the ancient Germans, from whom were derived the Franks, who became masters of Gaul, and the Saxons who settled in England j for both the thing and the name, as a territorial assemblage of persons, from Avliich, afterwards, the ter- ritory itself might probably receive its denomination, were well known to that warlike people. " Ccnteni ex singulis pagis sunt, idque ipsum inter suos vocautur j et quod primo numerus fuit, jam nomcn et honor est."'' The word hundred is not only used for the division itself, but for the levy or contribution paid to the Hundrcdanus, or Chief Constable of every hundred for the better support of his office. From which imposition some persons were exempted by special privilege. Secti Hundrcd'i, or suit to the hundred, was to pay a personal attendance, and do suit and service at the hundred court held in some places once in three weeks, and in others once a month. By the statute of the 14ih of Edward III. the hundred court is 4 Rot. Hund. vol. 2. p. 140. * Montesq. Sp. of Laws, .'50. 17. <"> Tacitus de Mor. Germ. 6. HUNDRED OF CARHAMPTON O merged in the county court ; yet some few hundreds have their old Franchises remaining. 7 The Hundrcdarius is termed in Domesday Book Custos, Prefectus, or Prepositiis de Hundret. The place of assemblage in Scotland was called the Parle-Hill, a hill generally fortified with a vallum, and situate with a champaign around, lest they should be exposed to danger ; and the privilege of asylum was granted to the hill. Tinwald, in the Isle of Man, is a perfect specimen of this kind of court. Our hundred courts were also held in conspicuous spots, and an assimilation to both will be found in the Druidical Gorsedds. Deeds were read over in these courts for the sake of evidence.^ In the Exeter Domesday there is a list of the hundreds in the County of Somerset, among which we find " Carentone," now Car hampton ; " Codecoma and Manehefue," now Cutcombe and Mine- head ; "Codccoma," now Cutcombe, "Manehefue," now Minehead] all of which are consolidated in the present Hundred of Carhampton. The scenery of this hundred is mountainous and romantic in a high degree. Its principal feature is Dunkery, a very large and high mountain, lying ahout eidit miles south from Minehead. From the church at Wootton-Courtenay the ascent to its summit is three miles, and is very steep. Its base is about twelve miles in circumference. The highest part is stated in the Report of the Ordnance Trigonometrical Survey, to be sixteen hundred and sixty-eight feet above the level of the sea, and with the exception of 7 KenneVs Glossary, under Hundredus. 8 Du Cange, v. Parle-Hill.^Grose, Suppl. p. 161.— Fosbroke's Ency. of Antiq. vol, 1. p. 404. 6 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Cawsand Beacon, in the northern part of Dartmoor forest, which is stated in the same report to be seven- teen hundred and ninety-two feet, is, it is believed, the highest land in the west of England. A part of the base of this mountain, in the parish of Cutcombe, was inclosed under an act of parliament a few years since. The remainder affords pasturage for sheep ; and turf, the principal fuel of the labouring classes in the neighbourhood. In many places it is covered with the whortleberry plant, several species of erica, and some rare bog and other mosses. Dunkery affords such an extensive and noble pros- pect as to merit a particular description. In a clear day, the view extends on the south-west to the high lands near Plymouth ; and on tlie north to the Malvern Hills, in Worcestershire : two parts of the country, which are more than two hundred miles distant from each other. On the west and north-west, the Bristol Channel, for nearly one hundred and thirty miles in length, lies under the eye, with the greater part of South-Wales from Monmouthshire down to Pem- brokeshire, rising in a fine amphitheatre beyond it. To the cast and south, the greater part of Somerset- shire, Dorset, and Devon, with some parts of Hants and Wilts, appear in view. When the air is clear and serene, and not too bright, the line which bounds the horizon, cannot be less than five hundred miles in circumference, circumscribing fifteen counties. On the top of Dunkery, there is a vast collection DUNKERY. of rough loose stones, from one pound to two hundred pounds in weight each ; and among them, the ruins of three large fire-hearths, about eight feet square, and built of rough unhewn stones. These fire-places form an equilateral triangle, and in the centre there is ano- ther hearth considerably larger than the rest. At the distance of nearly a mile, and more than two hundred feet lower, the vestiges of two other hearths are visi- ble, with great quantities of rough loose disjointed stones scattered round them. These are the remains of those beacons which were formerly erected on this elevated spot, in order to alarm the country in times of civil discord, or foreign invasion. Hence the highest point of this hill is called Dunkery Beacon.^ To the north, south, and east of the ridge on which the beacon stands, the mountain slopes down for a long distance ; but on the western side, it joins the high lands which connect it with the forest of Ex- moor. Upon this ridge, west of the beacon, are three barrows, formed by collections of stones, called Great Rowbarrow, Little Rowbarrow, and Whitebarrow. The beacon is often covered with clouds, and then be- comes a stupendous local barometer ; for on such oc- casions rain is certain speedily to follow. 9 In a ciirious old map of East Quantock's Head, drawn from a survey in 1687, and now in the possession of William Leigh, Esq. of Bardon, the bear- ings for a particular point are given of Watchet, Dunster- Castle, Minehead Quay, and Dunkery Beacon ; on the top of the latter is a representation of a small round tower. 8 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Beacon^ from the Auglo-Saxon, Beacn, the same as the Latin S'lgnum, to she^v by signs, to beckon 3 Belgic Baecke, the same as the Greek Pharos, Latiu Pharus, Anglo-Saxon Beacn-Torre, a Fire- Tower, Signal-Tower, Light-House. Different methods have been taken in different countries, both anciently and in later ages, for imparting notice of danger 3 and no signals have more generally prevailed than those of fires in the night. VV^e find from the poems of Ossian, that Beacons were familiarly in use among the ancient Britons and the western Highlanders of Scotland. The besieged capital of the northern Caledonian Islands in the third century having lighted a fire upon a tower, Fingal instantly knew "the green flame edged with smoke" to be a signal of attack and distress.'*^ And there are to this day several cairns or heaps of stones upon the heights along the coasts of the Harries, on which the inhabitants used to burn heath as the signal of an ap- proaching eneray.'i Signals, by means of lighted torches, called <^pvKTot, or by smoke, on the approach of friends or enemies, were in use among the Greeks 3 but their use is more particularly described in the Agamemnon of ^schylus, where by means of these beacons, by a communication from Mount Ida to the promontory in Lcmnos, thence to Mount Athos, and so on, Clytemnestra receives notice immediately of the taking of Troy. There is also a description of them in the first book of Barclay's Argenis, where the scene lies in Sicily 3 and he calls them Angerl, which is the name the Persians gave their mes- sengers of state.'2 The Beacon was always placed upon high ground, sometimes on a tumulus, and sometimes, as in the present instance, on a mountain. From Lord Coke we learn (fourth Inst.) that before the time of Edward III. Beacons were but stacks of wood set up on high places, which were set fire to when the coming of an enemy was descried 3 but in his reign pitch-boxes were set up instead of them. In time '" Ossian, vol. 1. p. 198. " Ency. Brit. v. Beacon. 12 Hutchins's Dorset, vol. 1. Introd. p. lix. BEACONS. 9 of danger a watch was kept at these beacons, and horsemen, called hobbelcrs, were stationed by most of them to give notice of the approach of an enemy. The erection of beacons, light-houses, and sea-marks, both for alarming the country in case of the approach of an enemy, and for the direction and safety of ships, is a braucli of the royal prerogative. It must, however, be understood, that the power of erecting beacons was occasionally given to individuals, and limited by grants from the crown ; whence, or for some achievements performed in times of danger, the beacon is worn as a crest in the armorial bearings of several families, as Belknap, Butler, Montfort, Sudley, and Shelly of Michelgrove ; one or two of whom obtained special grants which em- powered them to erect and maintain beacons at their own expense. The care of these, when erected by the crown, was committed to one or more of the adjacent hundreds ; and the money due or pay- able for their maintenance, called Bcconag'ium, was levied by the sheriff of the coimty upon each hundred. By Statute of the eighth of Elizabeth, ch. 13. the Corporation of the Trinity- House are empowered to set up any beacons or sea-marks wherever they shall think them necessary 3 and if the owner of the land, or any other person, shall destroy them, or shall take down any steeple, tree, or other known sea-mark, he shall forfeit 56 1 00, and in case of not being able to pay that sum, shall be ipso facto outlawed. The orchards of this part of the county, from the fruit of which much cider is made of good quaUty, must not be passed by unnoticed. The best fruit- trees delight in a strong clayey soil ; but unless great attention is observed in making, the labour is in vain ; for cider requires much greater nicety of management in its fermentation than malt-liquor. The apples are suffered to fall off the trees, or when thoroughly ripe, 10 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. are picked with great care. They are tlieii phiced in heaps to ferment, and remain in that state for three or four Aveeks : after they are ground, and the hquor expressed, it is suffered to remain in tubs, from thirty to forty hours, when a scum or froth will arise on the top ; this they narrowly watch, and when it breaks, they rack for the first time into vessels ; after which unremitting attention is necessary, by early and fre- quent rackings, to prevent excessive fermentation. It is highly proper to mention, that if any lead be employed in the presses or mills used for the extrac- tion of cider, or in pans or other vessels, to receive it, that metal is immediately acted on by the malic acid, and produces the most deleterious effects on the li- quor, impregnating it with the most deadly qualities. Farmers will therefore do well to abstain altogether from the use of leaden pans and vessels in the prepa- ration of cider, and have their presses and mills made of wood only. It may here also not be unnecessary to caution farmers possessing orchards, not to fall in with the usual custom of beating down the apples with sticks and long rods. Early in the autumn, the buds for the succeeding year are formed, and being tender, arc soon destroyed. To this violent attack on the branches, where practised, may, in a great degree, be attributed the incapacity of trees to bear fruit two years in suc- cession. The names of the same apples, used in making ORCHARDS. 11 cider, are different in different places. The principal cider apples are here called the Kingston Black Apple, Cadbury, Latkins, Devonshire Red Streaks, Poor-man's Profits, Sheep-noses. There are also many varieties of the Pippin and Bitter-sweets. The principal apples used in the vale of Taunton for the making of cider, are there called the Kingston Black Apple, wliicli is said to make the best cider 3 the Court of fFick Pippin, and a variety called Frys Pippin ; the Monday Apple, an excellent one, but it is going out ; the old Jersey 3 tlie Buckland j and the Red Streak ; all good cider apples. Formerly there were the Royal Wilding, the White Styre, and the Black Pit Crab, but it is understood that the trees are exhausted and the fruit worn out. There are also the Pounset or Cadbury, the Mediate or South Ham, the Royal Jersey, the Woodcock, and the Red Hedge Pippin ; but they arc either not much liked, or at present but little known or cultivated. The orchards of Somersetshire are as ancient as the Celtic period of the British history. The Applets seems to have been originally imported into Britain by the first colonies from Gaul, and in par- ticular by the British Hcedul, a Celtic tribe,i4 who settled in the northern and eastern parts of the county. Hence we find the site of the present Glastonbury to have been distinguished, before the Roman advent, by the discriminating title of Avallonia, or "The Apple Orchard." And the soft keen relish of the fruit so strongly recom- mended it to the Britons, that another Avallonia arose in the north 13 In the Welsh, the Cornish, the Armorican, and the Irish languages, all of them dialects of the Celtic, this fruit is invariably denominated the Avail, Aball, or Apple. 14 Several nations of the primitive Britons appear to have retained the names of the tribes of which they were originally members, and from which they migrated in colonics to Britain. Such were the Haedui of Somersetshire, who were descended from the ^dui of Gaul. 12 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. of England. And before the third century the fruit appears to have been disseminated over the island, and to have even stocked the distant and uuroraanized regions of Shetland with large plantations of the Trees. 15 The scarcity of the native, and the dearness of the foreign wines in Italy, several ages before the conquest of Britain by Agricola, had called out the inventive faculties of the Roman mind, and occasioned the original discovery of the factitious wines. These were still con- tinued by the Romans and naturally taught to the Britons. They were made of almost all the products of the orchard and garden ; the pear, the apple, the mulberry, and other fruits. Two of them, therefore, were those agreeable liquors which we still extract from the apple and the pear, and which we still denominate cider and perry. The latter must have been called pyrum by the Romans, and was therefore called per-ui, perry, or pcar-ivater, by the Britons. The former actually received the appellation of s'wera among the Romans, the word l)cing pronounced by them " s'ldera^' as the same pronunci- ation among the present Italians satisfactorily evinces, and retained therefore the appellation of " cider " among the Britons. i** Eugene Aram, in his "Collections for a Dictionary of the Celtic Language," says that the name of the ajiple-trce is a corruption of "Apollo's tree.'' And that this is its original, will be easily deducible from a little reflection on the proofs in support of it. The prizes in the sacred games were the olive crown, apples, parsley, and the pine. Lucian, in his Book of Games, affirms that apples were the reward in the sacred games of Apollo ; and Curtius asserts the same thing. It appears also that the apple-tree was consecrated to Apollo before the laurel J for both Pindar and Callimachus observe that Apollo did not put on the laurel until after his conquest of the Python, sxnd that he appropriated it to himself on account of his passion for Daphne, to whom the laurel was sacred. The victor's wreath at first was a bough witli its aj)ple3 hanging upon it, sometimes with a branch of '5 ^VTutaker's Hist, of Manchester, p. 321 ^^ ibid. p. 312. CAMPS. 13 laurel 5 and antiquity united these together as the reward of the victor in the Pythian games. In this hundred, there are numerous ancient camps or intrenchments, which are generally attributed, but without any good or sufficient reason, to the Romans. The north and north-eastern part of the county, it will be recollected, was, in the earliest period of our history, the frontier between the Belgae and the Cel- tic Aborigines of the island, and the vicinity of the great boundary called Wansdike, — from its entrance into Somersetshire at Bath-hampton, to its immersion in the channel at Portishead Point, — may be expected to have been the seat of numerous conflicts between the two nations. It may be supposed that the Belgae who resided on the southern side of that boundary, would fortify and strengthen their places of residence, which were always placed on high and commanding; situations, by ramparts and ditches. Five or six cen- turies after the period here alluded to, the same boun- dary divided the kingdom of the West Saxons from that of Mercia ; and we may naturally look for many similar fortifications erected by the former people in these parts. I owe the following judicious observations on this interesting subject to the Rev. S. Seyer's " Memoirs of Bristol." " One observation will be necessary concerning the general use and intention of these British fortifications. 14 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. They arc frequently called camps, but it mnst not be supposed that they were constructed, according to the modern notion of a camp, for the occasional protection of marching armies. The military discipline of the Romans, with the regular payment and subsistence provided for their troops, enabled them to form camps for this purpose, Avherever they moved ; but the policy of the Britons had not yet assumed a form so regular: their warfare Avas tumultuary, their campaigns of short duration ; they had not yet learned to fortify the place where their army was to make a temporary stay. It was on an occasion which happened two years after his British expedition, that Caesar said, that " the Gauls then for the first time undertook to fortify a camp." "The camps, as they are improperly called, of which we are now speaking, were certainly intended as fortified towns, where probably the chief with his immediate dependents and some few others resided; and into which the inhabitants of the neighbour- hood might retreat, when attacked by banditti or any of the bordering tribes, and defend themselves with advantage. CcEsar says this distinctly : " the Britons call it a toAvn, when they have fortified any woods difficult of access with a ditch and rampart ; where it is their practice to take refuge, in order to avoid the assault of their enemies:" which description is perfectly suitable to one of our fortresses on the Avon. The whole country seems to have been full of CAMPS. 15 them. When Caesar attacked the Britons at his second hmding, "tlicy retired into the woods, and took possession of a place excellently fortified hy art and nature, which tliey had provided hefore, apparently for the purpose of domestic war." Into these hill- forts they also drove their flocks and herds, Avhere they might find security, until the danger should be overpassed, or the strength of the country might come to their relief: when Cassivellaun's town was stormed by Caesar, a number of cattle, as well as men, were taken there. Their resident inhabitants were probably few; the main part of the population lived in wooden huts covered with straw, scattered through the coun- try, for the purpose of attending to their flocks and herds, their only property, wdiich were dispersed in the woods and uninclosed pastures. "Another kind of fortified towns the Britons had, described by Strabo, Avhicli was nothing more than a number of trees felled, and so piled and arranged as to inclose a sufficient space of ground ; within which, they built their huts, and folded their cattle. Such towns were in the woods, and being only temporary, no vestiges of them can remain." The sea-coast of Somersetshire, or more properly, the southern shore of the Bristol channel, is extremely irregular; in some parts projecting into large, lofty, and rocky promontories, and in others receding into 16 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. fine bays, with flat and level shores. The extreme point of the coast westward, towards Devonshire, presents a grand scene of craggy, romantic, and inac- cessible rocks, extending from the limits ofthatconnty to Porlock Bay, a commodious road for shipping ; this bay terminates eastward in Orestone Point, an immense headland, from which there is a continued range of high cliffs to Minehead. Part of these rocks are insulated at high w^ater, and the rest rise in the boldest manner from one hundred to more than three hundred feet high. In spring tides, when the wind sets in strong from the west, the fury of the sea is here so violent, that it has washed vast caverns in the solid rock, some of which are eight feet within the rock, sixty feet wide, and nearly one hundred feet high. On the coming in of the tide in a storm, the roaring and dashing of the waves, and the echoes from these caverns are really tremendous. At low water, the shore exhibits a striking scene of rocky fragments which have from time to time been broken from the cliffs above, and lie widely scattered, or piled on each other, in wild magnificence. The cliffs on the east side of this point to Greenaleigh or Minehead hill, hang over the beach with awful sublimity and gran- deur. The rocks are impregnated with iion ore, and there is also some copper, but not in a sufficient quan- tity for working. In many of the roads pyrites are frefjU(nitly found in large lumps. The sea-pebbles are mostly large, and washed up by strong tides from the CAMPS. 17 Welsh coast; great quantities of them are burned into lime, which is the principal manure used by the farmers in this neighbourhood. The following account of the southern coast of the Bristol Channel, westward from Bridgwater Bay, is taken from Captain Nicholls's Report on the projected Ship Canal for the Junction of the English and Bris- tol Channels. " The whole of the south coast of the Bristol Chan- nel, westward of Bridgwater Bay, is bold and safe to approach, and the tide ranges fairly along it; so that a vessel leaving any part of it, will enter immediately into the open channel. The shore recedes a little, so as to form a slight curvature between Little Stoke, or Lilstock Point, on the east, and the high land about Minehead, on the west ; and nearly in the centre of this line stands the town and pier of Watchet. " The present pier at Watchet is tolerably spacious. The water rises in it to about seventeen feet on the spring tides; and at neap tides, vessels drawing eight feet, may generally enter it at high water, if the wea- ther is moderate. The tide ebbs out on the springs to half, and sometimes to three quarters of a mile with- out the pier ; and it does not rise so as to flow up to the present pier-heads, until three hours flood ; nor is there nine feet water within the pier till three quarters flood, or until the tide has flowed four hours and a half on the springs. " Watchet stands on nearly a straight line of coast ; c 18 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. its roadstead is therefore perfectly open, and can afford shelter to shipping only when the wind is off the land; that is from about south-east to south-west. The beach opposite to Watchet, and for several miles to the east of it, and as far to the westward as Blue-An- chor Bay, is composed of firm ridges of Lias rock, and of detached masses of the same material. This rocky beach extends down to about low water-mark, which seems indeed to define its boundary, as the bottom there gradually shelves away to two fathoms water, at about half a mile without it, mud and sand ; and along this whole coast there is good clear anchor- ing ground in the offing. When there is a fresh wind from the northward, and during the prevalence of our winter gales, a very heavy sea is thrown in over the rocky beach at Watchet. "Blae-Anchor Bay is situated midway between Watchet and Minehead, about three miles distant from each, and to both places it serves as a roadstead. It is open on the east, but on the south and west sides it is completely sheltered by hills of considerable eleva- tion, which approach towards the back of the bay, and continue up past Minehead, terminating at Greenaleigh Point. It is sheltered from all winds from west-north-west, round to south and south-east; and even with the wind at north-east, which blows directly in, so good is the ground for holding, it being a stiff blue clay, that if a vessel is well provided with ground tackling, she may ride out a gale here in safety. BLUE-ANCHOR BAY. 19 "The shores of Bhie-Anchor Bay, consist of loose shingle at high water-mark, and a little without it ; heyond which, along the whole centre of the hay for a mile in width, tliere is a flat ground on which ves- sels may lie aground in moderate weather. There is neither danger nor difhculty of any kind in entering this bay, or departing from it ; and the general velo- city of the tides in the Bristol Channel is here much lessened by the sudden turn of the coast to the north- ward. " The spring tides in the Bristol Channel rise full thirty-six feet at the mouth of the river Parret, and flow with an astonishing velocity." In a narrow cove, in the north-west corner of the county, close by the Bristol Channel, stands the little village of Culbone, about four hundred feet above the level of the sea. On each side this cove, the hills rise almost perpendicularly more than twelve hundred feet. That on the west is conical, and considerably higher. The back of the cove is a noble amphitheatre of steep hills and rocks, which rise near six hundred feet above the church, and are covered with coppice woods to the top. The trees which compose these vast plan- tations, set by the hand of nature, are oaks, beech, mountain-ash, and poplars, mingled together in wanton variety. The woods are the habitats of some rare plants, and they abound with whortleberries, and a variety of tine polypodies, lichens and other mosses ; 20 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. among which is some of the yellow rein-deer mosSj very bright and scarce. Many wild deer, foxes, bad- gers, and marten-cats, inhabit these woods. In the hack ground of this cove, through a steep and narrow Avinding glen,' a fine rivulet rushes down a narrow rocky channel overhung with wood, and passing by the church, forms a succession of cascades in its descent down the rocks into the sea. This spot is perhaps as truly romantic as any which the kingdom can exhibit. The magnitude, height, grandeur of the hills, rocks, and woods ; the solemnity of the surrounding scene, the sound of the rivulet roaring down its craggy chan- nel; the steep impassable descent from Culbone church down to the beach; the dashing of the waves on a rough and stony shore at an awful distance below ; the extent of the Bristol Channel; and the finely-va- ried coast and mountains of Wales beyond it ; form altogether a scene peculiarly adapted to strike the mind with rapture and astonishment. The situation of Porlock is finely romantic, being nearly surrounded on all sides, except towards the sea, by steep and lofty hills, intersected by deep vales and hollow glens. Some of the hills are beautifully wooded, and are inhabited by numbers of wild deer. The valleys are deep and picturesque; the sides being steep, scarred with wild rocks, and patched with woods and forest shrubs. Some of the valleys, how- ever, arc well cultivated, and studded with villages, or single farms and cottages. FOREST OF EXMOOR BLUE-ANCHOR BAY. 21 West of the village of Exford, is the ancient royal forest of Exmoor ; it was, a few years since, a wild uncnltivated waste, intersected by deep winding val- leys and romantic hollows, through most of which, generally over rocky channels, ran many small streams. It used to afford pasturage for a particular sort of horned sheep, and a breed of very small but excellent horses, called " Exmoor Poneys." It has been purchased within these few years of the crown by that public-spirited individual, J. Knight, Esq., a gentleman of large fortune, who has inclosed and cultivated a considerable part of it, and is still con- tinuing his improvements. A full account of this forest will be given in a separate article when we come to treat of the Hundred of WiUiton and the Free Manors. Between Minehead Point, called Greenaleigh, ano- ther high promontory, rising six hundred and ninety feet above the level of the sea, and Blue-Anchor rocks, in the parish of Old Cleeve, a distance in a right line of about four miles, the shore is flat^ and forms a curve of about seventy degrees of a circle, cpn- stituting the Bay of Blue-Anchor. In some parts of this bay, many hundred yards below high water-mark, after a raking tide, the lower parts of the trunks and the roots of many trees are to be seen ; they all appear to have been felled with the axe.^^ There are some 17 Collinson says that "this old wood, when broken parallel to the grain, contains a number of shells and oak-Ieavcs within its very substance. The 22 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. good places for bathing on the shores of this bay, par- ticularly at Minehcad and near Blue-Anchor rocks, where there is an excellent inn for the accommodation of visitors. At sun-rise, the view from the lawn and windows of this house is grand and beautiful; directly in front is Minehead Hill, whose northern side over- hangs the sea, whilst on the south and south-east it gradually slopes down to a plain ; some distance up this slope stands the church and part of the town of Minehcad ; another and the best part of the town is in the plain below; and at the foot of the precipice on the northern side is the quay-town and c(uay, where some vessels arc always to be seen; to the left the eye ranges along a fine amphitheatre of hills with Dun- kery and its lofty beacon in the back ground ; be- tween these hills and the sea, a distance of from two to three miles, is a finely-wooded and cultivated tract of land, studded with single houses and villages ; near its centre stand conspicuously Dunster Castle and Conygar Tower, with their hanging woods; below and between them is the town of Dunster ; to the right of Minehcad Hill is the Bristol Channel, upon whose blue and glassy surface the white sails of many a vessel, from the small skift' to the hu'ge merchant- man, with the smoke of some steamer, each pursuing shells .arc of the dottle kind, and in a semi-fossil state; but no recent shells of tliis kind arc now found on tliis part of the coast." I am informed, however, that tlicrc is some reason to doubt the accuracy of this statement. — .). S. BLUE-ANCHOR. ^O its trackless course, may generally be seen ; still further to the right, and as far to the north-west as the eye can reach, is the high bold shore of South Wales. Near the above-mentioned house, which is called the Blue- Anchor Inn, some very convenient lodging- houses have been lately built by some gentlemen of the neighbouring town of Wiveliscombe, where every accommodation for persons wishing to reside near the sea during the bathing season, may be had on mode- rate terms. The prospect from Minehead Hill at sun-set is equally fine. This coast abounds with the common bladder fucus, which is burned into kelp for the Bristol market. The tide ebbs nearly a mile below high water-mark ; and the rocks about Minehead and Por- lock produce great quantities of laver, sea-liverwort, (itlva lactuca). This is gathered from the rocks and pickled, and sent in that state to Bath, Bristol, Exe- ter, and London, where, at the tables of the more respectable part of the community, it is eaten as a great delicacy. On the hills and desert wastes of this district, grow the dwarf juniper, (jimiperus communis), the cran- berry, (vaccinhmi oxycoccus), and the whortleberry, (vaccinium vit'is idcea). The latter produces a most agreeable fruit, which is carried in large quantities to Taunton and the neighbouring market towns in baskets and carts, and sold at three-pence and four- pence a-quart ; and when made into pies is the delight 24 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. of the children. The berries grow singly, like goose- berries, on little plants, from a foot to eighteen inches in height. The leaves are ovated, and of a pale green, growing alternately on the branches. Miller, in his Gardener's Dictionary, says, the " best use of this fruit is for making a rob or jelly, which is eaten with all kinds of roast meat in Sweden, and is far prefer- able to that of the red currant as a sauce for venison. It is also said to be an excellent medicine in colds and sore tliroats." The whortleberry is the summer-food of the black game ; and the demand for this fruit hav- ing become so great in the large towns, may be assigned as the principal reason for the decrease of that species of game on the Quantock and Brendon Hills. The cultivated lands of this hundred may be di- vided into the high and the low lands ; the latter comprises the greater part of the parishes of Withy- combe, Carhampton, Dunstcr, Minehead, Luccombe, Selworthy, Porlock, Wootton-Courtenay, and Tim- berscombe. Entering the hundred by the turnpike road on the east, you pass through a level tract about three miles wide, until you come to Dunster; here Grabhurst, a hill whose acclivity is nearly forty degrees, divides it into two parts ; the one narrow and deep, runs on the south of that hill, and between it and another high hill, called Croydon Hill, nearly two CULTIVATED LANDS. 25 miles and a half, when it becomes wider ; here in a bend on the left is the village of Timberscombe ; from hence it passes on undulating through Wootton- Courtenay to Porlock, where it joins the other which passes down on the northern side of Grabhurst, and between it and the highlands on the coast, whose ex- treme points are Greenaleigh and Orestone, thus isolating that hill ; this tract is called the Low-country and generally produces good crops of corn, pulse, &c. besides having a fair proportion of good grazing lands. The principal mannre used is lime, some of which is found in the neighbourhood, and of which from four- teen to twenty hogsheads are carried to an acre ; the rest is brought from Wales in its natural state and here burnt ; this is of a better quality than the other, and from ten to twelve hogsheads of it is considered good dressing. The general course of agriculture in this district is, to break up the ground after one or two years lea, manure it well, and take one crop of wheat and another of barley, with which latter grass seeds are sown ; or the ground is spring-fallowed, manured well with dung, &c., and a crop each of turnips and barley taken ; the latter being seeded out, as it is here termed, for grass. Another course is breaking up, as in either of the two former courses, and taking a crop of turnips and wheat, or wheat only, and then a crop of peas or vetches, when the ground is again manured, and a crop of wheat and another of barley taken ; the latter being seeded out for grass as before mentioned. 26 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Another and a better course is, to have a turnip crop between the corn crops. The cattle are generally of the North-Devon breed, though larger than in their native county ; for if cat- tle from the neighbourhood of Barnstaple be brought here and bred from, they increase in size for several generations. Some farmers in this district have fine flocks of sheep, in the breeding and crossing of which they are very particular ; others do not keep breeding flocks, but towards the fall of the year purchase lambing ewes, as good and as early in season as they can get them; these are kept very well, and the lambs come early to market, after which some of the youngest and best ewes arc drawn out to lamb the next season, and the rest are soon fit for the butcher. The long wools of this neighbourhood are very good, in con- sequence of the sheep being kept so well in the winter and spring. The high lands, or hill country, as it is called in the neighbourhood, are mostly laid out in breeding or dairy farms, very little wheat or barley being grown on them for sale, but a great many oats. In some places the ground is so steep that carriages cannot be used, and the corn is brought home in long crooks, and the manure carried out in wooden vessels called dosscls. A more particular account will be given when we come to speak of the different parishes in this division of the hundred. ROADS. 27 The roads in this country some years since were very bad; but since the passing of the first act of parhament for making a turnpike road to Minchead, they have gradually improved. At the present time, the bye ways are generally good, and the turnpike roads excellent, for which the public are indebted to the present commissioners and their efficient officers. The turnpike road from Taunton terminates at Mine- head in that direction,but a branch of it passes through Dunster to Timberscombe, whence, until within five years past, it passed up a long steep ascent to Lipe Hill, where the acclivity is very great, and proceeded towards Dulverton; but since that time, by virtue of an act of parliament, a new road has been made from Timberscombe to Exbridge. This is trotting ground all the way, and being cut through hanging woods in some places, and carried along the banks of the river Exe in others, it is perhaps the finest and most ro- mantic drive of the kind in the kingdom. There is a good road, though not turnpike, which branches off from Alcombe, and after meeting another from Minehead goes on to Porlock, from whence it is continued to Lymouth, Linton, and the Valley of Rocks, in Devonshire. There was a Priory at Dunster, in this Hundred, for Benedictine Monks, which was endowed by the Mohuns with considerable possessions, and annexed 28 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. as a cell to the Abbey of Bath. This cell consisted of only four or five monks, besides the prior, who was generally sent hither from the Abbey of Bath/^ In 1814 the estimated annual value of the real pro- perty in the several parishes and tithings of the Hundred of Carhampton, as assessed to the Property Tax, was .£34,800. The county rate charged on this hundred by the new assessment is £36 5s. Od. POPULATION OF THE HUNDRED OF CARHAMPTON, A. D. 1086. [From Domesday Book.] Carhampton — 10 : Priest 1 Villan 1 Bordars 8 Rad/mish — I : Bordar 1 Kitnore — 4 : Villans 2 Bordar 1 Bondman 1 Cufcombe — 49 : Villans 22 Bordars . . ... 11 Swineherds . . . , 6 Miller 1 So\d[ers( 3IiltfesJ 3 Bondmen 6 OaJdrow — 2 : Villans 2 Dunstcr — 17 : Bordars 15 Millers 2 Avill—7 : Villan 1 Bordars 5 Miller 1 " Sec under Dunster. POPULATION. 29 Stanton — 7 : Villans.... *... 2 Bordars 3 Bontlnicii 2 Alcomle — 11 : Villans 3 Bordars 4 Bondmen 4 Exford—l : Villan I Liiccombe — 37 : Villans 26 Bordars 7 Bondmen 4 Dover-Hat/ — 3 : Villans 2 Bordar 1 Luxhoroifgh — 12 : Villans 6 Bordars . r . . . . 3 Bondmen 3 Knowle — 6 : Villans 4 Bordar 1 Bondman 1 Easthury — 21 : Villans 6 Bordars 12 Bondmen 3 Langham — 15 : Villans 5 Bordars 8 Miller 1 Bondman 1 Minehead — G2 : Villans 27 Bordars 22 ^Miller , 1 Bondmen. . , . , , 12 Bratton — 7: Villans 2 Bordars 4 Bondman 1 Oare — 16: Villans 7 Bordars 5 Bondmen 4 Porlock — 15: Villans 6 Bordars 3 Bondmen 6 Bossington — 8 : Villans ...... 5 Bordars 2 Bondman 1 Selworthy — 15 : Villans 7 Bordars 5 30 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Selworthj (continued.) Miller 1 Bondmen 2 Holmcot — 7 : Villans 4 Bordar 1 Nuns 2 Allerford — 11 : Villans 6 Bordars 2 Miller r Bondmen 2 Stohe-Pero—S : Bordars 8 Timherscombe — 15 : Villans 3 Bordars 10 Bondmen , 2 Biccomhe — 9 : Villans 3 Bordars 6 Trehorougli — 1 : Villan 1 Brown — 1 8 : Villans 13 Bordars 3 Bondmen 2 JVithycomhe — 27 : Villans 14 Bordars 7 Bondmen 6 Wootton Courtenay 25 : Villans 10 Bordars 8 Miller 1 Bondmen 6 Total 447. From this number of four hundred and forty-seven persons, must be deducted the two nuns at Ilohiicot; and the remainder, four hundred and forty-five, will be the heads of the male population of the Hundred of Carhampton, at the time of compiling Domesday Book, in the year 1086, (20th Will. Concj.) Sup- posing that all these four hundred and forty-five persons had families, we may, in that case, without any violence to probability, reckon that each family consisted of four persons; which will make the ac- POPULATION. 31 tual number of souls in the Hundred of Carhampton, twenty years after the Norman Conquest, to he seven- teen hundred and eighty. There is only one church and a priest mentioned as being in this hundred, at the period of which we are writing. This church and priest were at Car- hampton. In 1821, the population of this hundred stood as follows : — Houses inhabited 1333 Houses uninhabited 45 Houses building 6 Families ' 1499 Of whom there were employed In agriculture 838 In trade and manufactures .... 377 All others 284 Persons : — viz. Males 3613 Females 3709 Total 7322 From the several parish registers, it appears that the number of baptisms in this hundred, in 1820 was, males, 120; females, 123; total, 243. — Burials, males, 52; females, 58; total, 110. — Marrias^es, 46. 32 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. COMPARATIVE STATEMENT AS TO AGE OF THE POPU- LATION OF THE HUNDRED OF CARHAMPTON, LIVING 1821 : Males, Females. Persons 3613 3709 (Or as 57 males to oQ females) Under 5 Years of Age . . 544 530 From 5 to 10 486 478 10 to 15 411 367 15 to 20 318 317 20 to 30 498 560 30 to 40 414 370 40 to 50 322 362 50 to 60 251 270 60 to 70 213 251 70 to 80 126 157 80 to 90. 28 35 90 to 100 2 2 100 and upwards .... From the preceding numbers, the following results are obtained : — 1. The number of persons living to each family is nearly five ; the actual proportion being fifty-seven persons to every twelve families. 2. Nearly one-seventh of the whole population is under five years of age. 3. Half the population is under the age of twenty- one years. POPULATION. 33 4. One person in twenty-one lives to be upwards of seventy years of age. 5. Only four persons out of seven-thousand three- hundred and twenty-two attain upwards of ninety years. 6. Women after twenty years of age live longer than men. 7. The annual average number of deaths for ten years is one-hundred and three; so that one in seventy dies yearly ; it would therefore take seventy-years to bury a number equal to the present population of the hundred of Carhampton. 8. There are seven females die for every six males. 9. The annual average number of births for ten years is two-hundred and fourteen ; so that there are two-hundred and fourteen persons born for every one- hundred and three that die. 10. The births are in the proportion of one-hundred and nine males to one-hundred and four females. 11. The annual average number of marriages for ten years is forty-four, making an average of five births to each marriage. POSSESSORS OF LAND IN THE HUNDRED OF CARHAMP- TON, IN THE REIGN OF EDWARD THE CONFESSOR: ^Imer Cutcombe. Algar, Earl of Mercia . Minehead, Porlock, Al- combe^Timberscombe, &Wootton-Courtenay. D 34 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON Athelney Abbey Bossington. Abiod Withycombe. Aliierd. Timberscombe. Aluric Dunster, Avill, Rad- hiiisb, and Brattoii. Aluric and Brictuin . . Holnicot. Brismar Luxborougb. Donmo Exford. Eddida (Queen) Manor in Luccombe. Selwortby, Stoke-Pero. Edric Oare, Alleiford, Tre- borougb. Edwold Brown. Fitel or Fitalis A manor in Luccombe. Manno Oaktrow. Nuns (two) Manor in Selwortby. Osmond Culbone. Sarpo Exford. Thanes (two) Luxborougb. Thanes (two) Biccombe. Thanes (three) Langbam. fValU Stanton. POSSESSORS OF MANORS AND LANDS IN THE HUNDRED OF CARHAMPTON, 1086, AS ENTERED IN DOMESDAY BOOK: L King William, Carharapton. 2. Bisbop of Coutances, Culbone, — Withycombe. POSSESSORS OF MANORS AND LANDS. 35 3. Baldwin de Redvers, Pollock. 4. Roger de Curcelle, Doverluay, — Holnicot. 5. Roger Arundell, Timberscombe. 6. William de Molinn, Dunster, — Cutcombe, — Oaktrow, — Avill, — Stanton, — Alcombe, — Exford, — Luxbo- rougb, — Eastbur)', — Knowle, — Langhara, Mineliead, — Bratton, — Stoke, — Biccombe and Brown. 7. William de Faleise, Wootton. 8. Ralph de Pomerai, Oare. 9. Ralph de Limesi, Luccombe, — Bossington, — Sel worthy, — Allerford, — Treborough. 10. Aliired de Ispania, Radhuish. 11. Odo Fitz-Gamelin, Luccombe. ANCIENT MILLS IN THE HUNDRED OF CARHAMPTON, FROM DOMESDAY BOOK: Cutcombe 1 Dunster 2 Avill 1 Langham 1 Minehead 1 36 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Selworthy 1 Allerford 1 Wootton-Courtenay 1 Mills more ancient than the ninth year of Edward II. (1316) are, by a statute then passed, entitled" ^rticuli Cleri," cap. 5, impliedly discharged of tithes. If such mill be rebuilt upon the old foundation, exemption shall hold good and revive. But if the materials of an old mill are employed in erecting a new one on a different site, though on the same stream ; or if such new mill is built on land exempt from tithe, as having belonged to a religious house, personal tithes are due ; that is, the miller must account for, and pay to the incumbent where the mill stands, the tenth part of the profits arising from corn, grain, and malt, ground, over and above all incidental charges. The tithe of mills is to be paid as a personal tithe, though strictly speaking it is not such, partaking of a predial nature quia de locis certis perclpitur.^^ The ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Hundred of Carhampton is comprised in the archdeaconry of Taunton, one of the three archdeaconries of the diocese of Bath and Weils. This archdeaconry is subdivided into four rural deaneries ; namely, Dun- ster, Bridgwater, CrewkernCj and Taunton. The Bishop and his clergy first lived together at the cathedral church ; but several churches were soon erected in divers parts of each diocese, for the convenience of those converts who were more re- mote from the cathedral. These were not properly w Vide Toller's Law of Tithes, pp. 44, 45, and the authorities there referred to. PARISHES. 37 parochial churches, nor had they any certain bounds assigned them ; but were in common for the use of those neighbouring converts who pleased to frequent them ; and in our modern phrase were mere chapels of ease. But as kings first founded cathedrals for the good of their whole kingdom, dioceses and those smaller kingdoms being then of the same extent, so great men first founded parochial churches, for the good of themselves and their dependants, their bounds being those of their territories. The parishes into which dioceses were at first divided were but few in number, not more than one church being built for the use of one single territory. After this they were in- creased ; and it is probable that one was built in each manor, as either the necessity or the subdivision of property suggested. Thus each subordinate parish in time became distinct, and so by degrees that parochial division was settled which we now find in England. And that this obtained before the time of Edward the Confessor, appears from Domesday Booh, in which the towns and parishes very nearly agree with the pre- sent division. Churches being thus provided lor the exercise of religion, their endowments, and the provision made for the maintenance of the clergy, come next under our consideration. When Augustin the first Arch- bishop of Canterbury, came into England, King Ethelbert gave him ample possessions for the main- tenance of himself and his clergy. He did the same 38 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. at Rochester and London; and other princes pro ceeded in the same manner in the foundation and endowment of cathedral charches, in other parts of the kingdom. And it is most probable that tithes were included in these endowments, as ours were founded on the model of the Gallican churches, where tithes were paid long before. The first express men- tion we have of tithes is in the constitutions of Egbert, Archbishop of York, a. d. 750. They then belonged to the common treasure of the diocese, and seem to have been paid into the hands of the bishop, and distributed by him amongst his clergy, in such proportion as their services deserved. But when churches were founded, and endowed with glebe or certain portions of land appropriated to the resident minister, the bishops were easily prevailed on to ap- propriate the tithes also ; reserving some share to themselves, and to the ministers officiating within the districts from whence they arose : the necessity of maintaining a number of itinerant priests being now at an end, and their cathedrals, by the munificence of princes and piety of private christians, being amply endowed for the maintenance of themselves and their college of priests, who attended on the service of the cathedral church. Thus tithes have been appropriated to the uses of the church within this realm, for a term of more than one thousand years ; a term in which the whole pro- perty of the kingdom has passed through several TITHES. 39 hands, and been held by different titles and claims ; which those persons would do well to consider who look on the ordinary revenues of the church, as it they themselves were deprived of their just dues by those payments, which their estates were liable to at their first acquisition. This regularly leads us to add something concerning the beginning and occasion of vicarages, which make up almost one half of the parishes in England, to the great impoverishment of the church. Those churches whose advowsons be- longed to monasteries were generally supplied by the monks themselves, and the tithes or profits of them were converted to the use of their monastery. But when they were allowed no longer to serve parochial cures, they presented to the bishop as other patrons, but reserved some pension to themselves to be annually paid by the incumbent. These payments after the Norman Conquest were greatly increased by the Norman Abbots ; the oppression and covetousness of the monks became intolerable; and when any new regulations were made for the redress of grievances, they found out and practised some new mode of oppression. At last, being driven from all their artifices, they fell upon that mischievous design of appropriation, which gave the greatest blow to the secular clergy that they ever received since the first endowment of the church. They obtained from the Court of Rome, bulls of appropriation, whereby they converted the revenues of certain churches, whose 40 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. advowsons belonged to them, to themselves and their successors for ever. When the bishops interfered and would not permit them to serve the cure of these appropriated churches, they appointed vicars, or curates, at a certain annual stipend, which was after- ward improved into a certain portion of tithes, which they now enjoy; and most of the appropri- ations which the secular clergy now possess were originally made to the monks, and after their dis- solution conveyed to them by grant, purchase, or exchange."" There are the following peculiars in the deanery of Dunster, namely, Carhampton, under the juris- diction of the Dean of Wells; Fitzhead and Wivelis- combe, under that of the prebendary of Wiveliscombe ; Timberscombe, under the prebendary of Timbers- combe ; and St. Decumans and Williton, under the prebendary of St. Decumans ; all in the cathedral church of Wells. The churches of St. Decumans, Timberscombe, and Wiveliscombe, in the Deanery of Dunster, give name to Prebends in the Cathedral church of Wells. The following is the valuation of the several churches and benefices in the deanery of Dunster, extracted from Pope Nicholas's taxation, made in the year one thousand two hundred and ninety-one. This '" Hutchiiu's Dorset, Introduct. p. xxxi. TITHES. 41 taxation is a most important record, because all the taxes, as well to our kings as the popes, were regu- lated by it, until the survey made in the twenty-sixth year of Henry VIII. ; and because the statutes of colleges which were founded before the Reformation, are also interpreted by this criterion, according to which their benefices, under a certain value, are exempted from the restriction in the statute of the twenty-first of Henry VIII., concerning pluralities. The origin of this taxation is as follows : — Pope Innocent IV., to whose predecessors in the See of Rome, the first fruits and tenths of all ec- clesiastical benefices had for a long time been paid, gave the same, a. d. 1253, to King Henry III. for three years; which occasioned a taxation in the follow- ing year, sometimes called the Norwich taxation, and sometimes Pope Innocent's valor. In the year 1288, Pope Nicholas IV. granted the tenths to King Edward I. for six years, towards defraying the expense of an expedition to the Holy Land ; and that they might be collected to their full value, a taxation by the king's precept, was begun in that year, (1288) and finished as to the province of Canterbury, in 1291 ; and as to that of York in the following year ; the whole being under the direction of John, Bishop of Winchester, and OHver, Bishop of Lincoln.*^ 31 Mr. Caley's Preface to Pope Nicholas's Taxation, printed by order of the Commissioners of Records, folio, 1802. 42 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. DEANERY OF DUNSTER, A. D. 1291. HUNDRED OF CARHAMPTON. Church of Exford 6 13 4 Church of Doverhay 8 6 8 Church of Luccombe 8 Church of Woolton 4 16 8 Pension of the Prior of Stoke-Courcy in the same (AHen) 10 Church of Selworthy 4 6 8 Pension of the Abbot of Athelney, in the same 2 Church of Minehead 6 13 4 Church of CutcombeandLuxborousrh 6 13 4 Pension of the Prior of Dunster^ in the same 2 4 Church of Dunster 8 Church of Carhampton 3 Pension of the Church of Wells, in the same 5 Vicarage of the same 4 13 4 In this taxation there is no mention of any church as then being (a. d. 1291) at Culbonc, Oare, Porlock, Stoke Pero, Treborough, or Withycombc. VALUATION OF CHURCHES. 43 HUNDRED OF VVILLITON AND THE FREE MANORS. Church of Nettlecombe 8 Church of Wmsford 8 Vicarage of the same 5 3 4 Pension of the Prior of Barlinch, in the same 10 Church of Brushford 6 Church of Dulvcrton 8 13 4 Pension of the Prior of Taunton, in the same 3 Church of Brompton Regis^ with a Chapel 8 Pension of the Prior of Barlinch, in the same 2 Church of Hawkridge and Withypool 8 Church of Skilgate" 4 Church of Exton 6 13 4 Church of Withiel 3 6 8 Church of Stoke Gomer 11 13 4 Pension of the Church of Wells, in the same 5 Pension of Robert de Littlchury, in the same 3 6 8 Pension of the Prior of Dunster, in the same 7 Church of Elworthy 4 6 8 Church of Brompton-Ralph 6 13 4 Church of Clatworthy 5 Church of Huish [Champflower] . . 5 6 8 44 HISTORY OF CAR HAMPTON. Vicarage of St. Decumans 4 13 4 Church of Little Quantock's Head . . 4 6 4 Pension of the Prior of Stoke-Courcy, in the same (alien) 7 In the second volume of Leland's Itinerary, published by Hearne, there is a brief account of the towns and villages in that part of the county of which I am now treating, which I think it will be better to give in this place, rather than in a disjointed manner, under the respective parishes. " The Se is about half a mile from Clife-Chapelle. " From Clif-Chapelle to Dunster a 2. miles. "I passid over a Brooke that cummith thorough Dunestor Park. " Marsch Wood Park bytwixt our Lady of Clyve and Dunestor. "Dunster Toun stondith in a botom. The Paroch Chirch is set in Ground sumwhat rising. " There is a very celebrate Market at Dunstorre ons a Wekes. " There is a Fair privilegid to be at Dunster every Whitsun-Mone-day. "The Toun of Dunestorre makith Cloth. " The Glory of this Toun rose by the Moions that were after Erles of Somersete. " The Moions had jura regalia at Dunster. " The Moions buildid the right goodly and stronge Castellc of Dunestorre. TOWNS AND VILLAGES. 45 " The Dungeon of the Castelle of Dunestorre hath beene fulle of goodly Building. But now there is but only a chapelle in good case. " Syr Hugh Luterelle did of late dayes repaire this chapelle. " The fairest part of the Castelle welle maintenid is yn the north est of the Court of it. " Syr Hugh Luterelle in the tyme of Dame Margarete his wife, sister to the olde Lord Dalbeney, made a fair Tourre by North cummyng into the Castelle. " Syr Hugh had another wife caullid Guinllean, doughter to York of Devonshir. " Syr Andrew Luterelle, sunne to Syr Hugh, build of new a pece of the Castel waul by est. " There be great Hilles on every Side of the Castelle Hille except toward North Est. " There longgith many Privileges and Knightes Ser- ^dces to be doone to this Castelle. "Ther is a praty Park joyning to thest part of the Castelle. " The late Priory of Blake-Monkes stoode yn the rootes of the north west side of the Castelle, and was a Celle to Bathe. " The hole Chirch of the late Priory servith now for the Paroche Chirch. Afore tymes the Monkes had the Est Parte closid up to their use. " In the north part of this was buried undre an Arche by the high Altare one of the Luterelles, or, as I rather thynke, of the Moions, for he had a garland about his 46 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. helmet, and so were Lordes of old Tymes usid to be buried. " There ly ij Images on the South Side of the Chaun- celle of one of the Moiotis and his wife ; and therby lay an Image of one of the Everardes Gentilmen first there set up by the Moions, yn token wherof they had a parte of the Castelle to defendc by Service : the image lyith now bytwixt ij Arches or Boteres in the Chirch Yarde. " The Maner Place of the Everardes was and yet ys at Aller in Carnetun Paroche a mile from Dunster Castelle. " Carntoun is shortely spoken for Carantokes Towne, wher yet is a Chapel of this Sainct that sumtyme was the Paroche Chirche. " Ther lyith one Elizabeth, wife to one of the Luter- elles, afore the high Altare under a playne Stone. " There cummith a praty Brooke by west from the Hilles therby, and so rennith " From Duncstore to Minheved a 2. miles. " Minheved hath ons a Weeke a praty Market. " The fairest part of the Toun standith in the botom of an Hille. The residew rennith stepe up a long the Hille, yn the toppe wherof is a fair Paroche Chirche. " The Toune is exceding ful of Irisch Menne. " The Peere lyith at the North est Point of the Hille. " There was a fair Ptirk by Minheved, but Sir An- drew Lutterelle of late tyme destroyd it. " From Minheved to Aber Thawan yn Glamorgan the nerest traject there into Wales a 18. miles. TOWNS AND VILLAGES. 47 " From Minehcved up along the Seveme Shore to Stoke Gnrcy a xvij. miles, where is a goode village. "Thcns to the Sterte a 3. miles, and there is the mouth of Bridgcwater Haven. "^ From Minheved doune on the Seveme shore to a place caullid Hores-Toun a 3. miles. There begin- nith the Rode that is communely caullid Porlogh Bav, a meatly good Rode for Shippes, and so goith to Com- ban, pcraventure shortely spoken for Columbane, a 3. miles of; and thus far I was adcertenid that Somerset- shir went or farther. " From Comebane to the Sterte most parte of the shore is Hilly Ground, and nere the shore is no store of Wood : that that ys is al in Hegge Rowes of Enclo- sures. " There is great plenty of Benes in this quarter and inward to the Landes. " And of these Beenes ther is }ti a Maner a Staple at Bridgwater when Corne is dere in the Parties beyond the Se. " There is also yn this Quarter great Plenty of Whete and Catelle. " From Dunestorre to Exford Village a 7. miles. " Of these 7. miles 3. or 4. of the first were al hylly and rokky, ful of Brokes in every Hilles botom and meatly woddid. " These Brookes by my Estimation ranne toward the Severne Se. " The Residew of the way to Exford was partely on a 48 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. moorc and sumwhat barcn of Come, and partely hylly, having many Brookes gathering to the hither Ripe of Ex Ryver. " There is a litle Tymbre Bridge at Exforde over Ex Brooke, ther being a smaul water. " Ex risith in Exmore at a place caullid Excrosse a 3. miles of by north weste, and so goith toward Tyver- tun a xij. miles lower, and thens to Excestre a x. miles. Hereabouts is the large Forest of Exmore. " From Exford to Simonsbath Bridge a 4. miles, al by Forest, baren, and morisch ground, where ys store and breading of yong Catelle, but litle or no Corne or Habitation. " There rennith at this place caullid Simonsbath a Ryver betwixt to great Morisch Hilles in a depe Botom, and ther is a Bridge of Woodde over this water. This Water risith by North Weste. " The Water in Somer most communely rennith flat upon stones easy to be passid over, but when Raynes cum and Stormes of Wyntre it ragith and ys depe. " Alwayes this Streame ys a great deale bygger Water then Ex is at Exford, yet it resortith into Ex Ryver. "The Boundes of Somerseteshire go beyond this Streame one way by north west a 2. miles or more to a place caullid the Spanne, and the Toun^es; for ther be Hillokkes of yerth cast up of auncient tyme for Markes and Limites betwixt Somersetshir and Devonshire : and here about is the Limes and Boundes of Exmore Forest. TOWNS AND VILLAGES. 49 " From Simonsbath Bridge I rode up an high Morisch Hylle, and so passing by 2. myles in lyke Ground, the Soyle began to be sumwhat fruteful, and the Hylles to be'ful of Enclosures, ontylle I cam a 3. miles farther to a poore Village caullid Brayforde, wher rennith a Broke by likelihod resorting to Simonsbath Water and Ex." NOMINA VILLARUM OF THE HUNDRED OF CARHAMPTON. Alcombe, in Dunster AUerford, Algarsford, in Selworthy Almsworthy, in Exford Avill, in Dunster Alderman's Barrow Bakers Biccombe, in Timberscombe Bilbrook Blackborough Blackford, in Luxborough Blackford, or Tivington, in Selworthy Bossington, in Porlock Bossington Point Bowerhays, in Carhampton Brandy Street, in Selworthy Bratton, Bracton, in Minehead Briddicot, in Carhampton Broad wood, in Carhampton 50 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Brockwell^ in Wootton-Courtenay Broom Street Brown, in Treborough Bryants, in Treborough Burrow, in Wootton-Courtenay Broomham Carhampton Codsend, in Cutcombe Cowbridge, in Timberscombe Croydon, in Carbanipton Culbone, or Kitnore Cutcombe Dover Hay, in Porlock Dunkery Beacon Dunster Dunster Castle Eastbury, in Carhampton Edgecot, in Exford Embercombc Escott-Farm, in Carhampton Exford Exc River Farland Point Hapcott, in Miuchead TOWNS AND VILLAGES. 51 HIndon, in Minehcad Holiiicot, in Sclworthy Horner, in Luccombe Huntsgate Mill, in Wootton-Coiirtenay Knowlc, in Car Hampton Langham, in Luxborough Lower-Mill, in Exford Luccombe, East Luccombe^, West Luckwcll Bridge,. in Cutcombe Luxborougb Lyncb, West Lype Marshwood, in Carhampton Minehcad Molesmead Bridge Monkham Oaktrow, in Cutcombe Oarc Oulo Knowlc, in Carhampton Ore-stone Point Periton, in Minchead Pool, in Brown Porlock, East 52 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Porlock, West Radhiiish, in Carhampton Ranscombe, in Wootton-Coiirtenay Rodlinch Sandhill, in Withycombe Sel worthy Slade, in Carhampton Sparkshay, in Porlock Stanton, in Dunster Stoke Pero Stowey Farm, in Cutcombe Slowley, in Brown Timberscombe Tivington, or Blackford, in Selworthy Treborough Watercombe, in Cutcombe Whetstone, in Porlock Wichanger, in Luccombe Withycombe Wilmotsham, in Stokc-Pero Wootton Courtenay Wootton-Ford, in Wootton-Courtenay Yearn or, in Porlock. PARISH OF OARE. GENERAL DE8CHIPTI0N. — RECTORY.— CHURCH.— STATISTICAL NO- TICES.— MANOR.— DOMESDAY SURVEY.— FAMILY OF POMEROY.— OF AURE OR DE AURE.— PRESENT STATE OF THE MANOR.— LEUCA, AS A MEASURE OF LENGTH OF PASTURE AND WOODLAND, IN DOMESDAY BOOK. OaRE," or AuRE, is a parochial village, situate at the north-western extremity of the hundred and county, on the borders of Devonshire, twelve miles west from Minehead, and six from Porlock. This parish is bounded on the north by the Bristol chan- nel, on the east by the parishes of Culbone and Porlock, on the south by the ancient royal forest of Exmoor, and on the west by the county of Devon. The coun- try here is wild and romantic, and the village lies in a profound vale ; into which two others run nearly at right angles : all of which are environed by lofty hills. In the principal valley there are some singular-looking mounds, which at a distance appear as if they were 22 This village takes its name from the Anglo-Saxon Om, the same as the Latin Littva, the sea-shore or coast. 54 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. artificial; but on examination they are found to be formed of solid rock, overgrown with heath. The parish of Oare contains about four thousand acres of uninclosed lands, mostly sheep-walks, wdth some oak coppice woods ; and about one thousand acres of inclosed grounds, of which about sixty acres are arable, and the rest meadow and pasture. Several springs rising in the hills to the east and south form a small stream called Oare River, which runs over a rocky channel through the vale by the church; and a little below, it meets another stream, called Badge- worthy or LoNGCOMBE Water ; the latter stream is for some distance the boundary of the forest of Ex- moor ; it then divides the counties of Somerset and Devon, until it passes into the latter county, when, after uniting with several other streams, it falls into the sea at Lymouth. The occupiers of lands in Oare are principally en- gaged in breeding cattle and sheep; the former are of the North-Devon breed, and the latter of the small horned kind, so well known by the name of ''Por- locks." The living is a rectory in the deanery of Dunster, valued in the king's books at £4 16*. 9d. and is dis- charged from the payment of tenths, the clear yearly value having been certified at £31 12*. lid. In 1698, Mary Quirck, widow, presented to this living; in 1745, Peter Spurrier; and in 1790, it was in the gift of Mr. Nicholas Snow. RECTORS OF OARE. §§ The presentation to this living belongs (1829) to Mrs. Pollock, the daughter of the Rev. John OHver, a former rector, who purchased it of the late Mr. Nicholas Snow, about the year 1789. In the Valor Eccleslastkus, there are the following particulars relating to this benefice : — 1535. Roger Haywood, Rector. Annual value of the demesne, or glebe lands 4 Tithes of wool and lamb 1 6 4 Predial tithes 2 4 Oblations and other casualties 1 6 £o 4 Out of which there is annually paid to the archdeacon for synodals ..037 Clear £4 16 9 The rectorial tithes are now considered to be worth £70 annually ; and the value of the living has been augmented from Queen Anne's bounty. RECTORS OF OARE. [From the Parish Register.] 1674. EliasFalvey. 1695. J. Roe. 1700. William Clare. William Clare, Junr., died 1788. 1788. John Oliver. — - John Blackmore, present Rector. 56 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. The parish register commences in 1674, but it is imperfect ; and in some places not legible. The church is dedicated to St. Mary, and is a small building, having a tower with one bell. On the north wall of the nave, there are two mural monuments, thus inscribed : — " Here lieth the body of Peter Spurrier, who de- parted this life Nov. 21st, 1749, in the 68th year of his age. " Under this place lieth the body of Sarah Spurryer, who departed this life Dec. 11th, 1762, aged 73. " In memory of Dorcas Spurryer, of this parish, who departed this life the 24th day of June, 1772, aged 71 years. "^ In Memory of Nicholas Snow, of this parish, who died Jan. 18, 1791, aged 63 years." In 1776, the money expended in this parish on account of the poor, was £5 7s. 6d.; and in 1785, <£22 2*. 5d. In 1803, the money raised by the parish rates, was <£33 2^. \d., at 2^. 11^. in the pound. In 1814, the estimated annual value of the real property in this parish, jointly with part of the hamlet of Yearnor, as assessed to the property-tax, was £463. — In 1818, the county rate was 9^. 7|fl?. In 1801, the resident population of this parish was 64. In the population abstract of 1821, the return for POPULATION, AND MANOR OF OARE. 57 the parish of Oare stands thus: — number of inhabited houses, 11; — number of families, 12; of whom 11 were chiefly employed in agriculture, and 1 in trade. Total number of persons, 66; of whom 37 were males, and 29 females. In the parochial returns relating to the education of the poor made to the House of Commons, in 1818, the Rev. Thomas Roe, the curate of this parish, states that there is not any school here, and that there are not more than six children in the parish. In 1815, there were eight poor here. The principal families here, have been those of Pomeroy, Aure, or de Aure, Spurrier, Quircke, Short, and Snow. In Domesday Book, the manor of Oare, then written Are, is entered as belonging to Ralph de Pomerei, afterward Pomeroy, and is thus described : — " Ralph de Pomerei holds Are. Edric held it in the time of King Edward, and it was assessed to the geld for one hide. The arable land is sufficient for six ploughs. There are two ploughs in demesne and four bondmen ; and seven villans and five bordars have four ploughs. There are two acres of meadow, and fifteen acres of wood. There is a pasture two miles long, and one mile broad. It is worth thirty shillings. " This manor pays by custom twelve sheep annually $8 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. to the king's manor of Carhampton. Ralph de Pomerei retains this custom.""'^ In the Exeter Domesday^ it is added that Ralph has half a hide in demesne, and the villans half a hide. He has there twenty bullocks, and one hundred sheep. When he received this manor, it was worth twenty shillings.*^ This Ralph de Pomerei was one of those persons who came into England with William Duke of Nor- mandy, and was rewarded for his services with many manors, particularly in the county of Devon, where his posterity were seated at a place, called from them Berry-Pomerqy, and where they continued until the reign of Henry V. ; but they had parted with the manor of Oarc before that period. To this Ralph de Pomeroy succeeded WiHiam (2) his son, (called Joel de Pomeroy by Sir W. Pole) who married the sister of Reginald Earl of Cornwall, by whom he had Henry, (3) who, in the twelfth of Henry II. (1166) on the payment of the aid for marrying that king's daughter, certified his knight's fees to be in number thirty-one and a half, a twenty- sixth and twenty-eighth part. He died about the ninth of John, leaving issue by Maud de Vitrei, his wife, one son Henry. Which Henry, (4) on the payment of six hundred marks had livery of his lands, and in the sixteenth ot 28 Excheq. D. vol. i. fo. 96. b, 24 Exon. Domesday, folio 324. FAMILY OF POMEROY. 59 John was joined with John de Erleigh in the gover- norship of the castle of Exeter, and sheriffalty of the county of Devon. In the following year, when the barons took up arms against the king, this Henry preserved his loyalty to that monarch, and obtained a grant of all the lands belonging to Roger de Raymes in Devonshire. After this it appears that he joined the barons against the king, but soon made his sub- mission ; and in the eighteenth of the same reign, on giving security for his future fidelity, the king com- manded that he should have restitution of his lands, which had been seized ; and also he had livery of the lands of Andrew Vitrei in Cornwall. He died in the sixth of Henry IH. leaving issue, another Henry de Pomeroy, (5) who, on coming of age, in the sixteenth of Henry HI., and doing his homage, had livery of his lands, but died in the twenty-first of the same reign; for in that year Margaret [de Vernon] his widow, on the payment of four hundred marks, obtained a grant of the wardship of his heir, whose name was Henry, and also of his lands, and an assign- ment of her dowry. In the forty-second of Henry III. this last-mentioned Henry (6) had summons, amongst other great men of that time, to fit himself with horse and arms, and to attend the king at Chester, to oppose the hostilities of the Welsh. After this it appears that he was in arms against the king in the rebellion under Simon Mont- fort; for in the forty-eighth of the same reign, he 60 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. obtained pardon for his actings therein. But in the following year he was again in arms, in opposition to his sovereign, when his lands were seized under an extent from the crown. In the fifth of Edward I., (1277) he was summoned to perform military service in person against Llewellyn, Prince of Wales ; and to attend the muster before the constable and marshal at Worcester on the first of July, and again at Car- marthen on the fifteenth of the same month ; in pursuance of which summons he acknowledged the service of one knight's fee in Berry, performed by himself. He departed this life in the ninth of Edward I., (1281) leaving issue. Henry (7) his son and heir, then sixteen years of age. His wardship was granted to Geoffrey de Camville, whose daughter, Amicia, he had married, and in the fifteenth of Edw^ard I., on coming of age, he was released from the payment of the scutage of Wales, by reason that he had been personally in the king's army there, namely in the tenth year of that reign, although he was then in his minority. In the twenty-third of Edward I. (1294) he was summoned from the county of Devon to perform military service against the Welsh, and to attend the muster and military council at Worcester, on the twenty-first of November. In the twenty-fifth of the same reign (1297), he was returned from the county of Cornwall as holding lands or rents to the amount of £20 yearly value and upwards, either i?i capite or otherwise, and FAMILY OF POMEROY. 61 as such was summoned to perform military service in person, with horses and arms in the expedition then made into Flanders, and to attend the muster at London on the seventh of July. On the eighth of September, in the same year, he was summoned to appear with horses and arms, at a military council at Rochester, before Edward, the king's son and lieutenant in England. In the year following, he was summoned from the county of Devon to perform military service in person against the Scots, and to attend the muster at York on the twenty-fifth of May. And in the twenty-seventh of the same reign (1298) he was found to be one of the next heirs of Roger de Valletort. This Henry de Pomeroy died in the twenty-third of Edward I. (1305) leaving Henry, his son and heir, then fourteen years of age. None of the descendants of this Henry (who died in 1305) having ever been summoned to parliament, they ceased to be ranked among the barons of this realm. "^ In the "Abbreviatio Placitorum," or Abstract of the Pleadings in the Curia Regis, there is the following 25 By an inquisition taken in the fourth of Edward I. the jurors say that the suit of the half-tithing of Aure had been \vithdra%\-n from the Hundred of Somerton fifteen years before, in the time that Thomas Stikberd was bailiff of the same hundred, to the loss of the king of one shilling annually. [But can this refer to this parish of Care ?] " Dicunt quod di. The* de Aure subtraxit sectam ad Hundr. de Sumerton jam XV. annis claps. & subtracta fuit ista secta tempore Thomaj Stikberd tunc Ballivi de Sumerton ad dampnum dni. R. per ann. de xij. d." — Rot, Hund. vol. ii. p. 122. & 135. 4 Edw. I. Sumers, 62 HISTORY OF CARIIAMPTON. account of certain legal proceedings between the Prior of Merton and this Henry de Pomeroy. In the twenty-sixth of Edward 1. (1298) the Prior of Merton departed from his writ against Henry de Pomeroy in a plea which acquitted him of the service that Ralph, Earl of Gloucester and Hertford, had required from him against the form of a certain line first levied by Henry de la Pomeroy, in the fifty-second of Henry IH. which he sometime exchanged; that is to say, that the Abbot remitted to the said Henry lands in Berry, which manor belonged to the said Henry, except the advowson of the church of Berry and four acres there. And the said Henry, by this acknowledgment, remitted to the said Abbot the manor of Rauntayne, the advowson of the churches of Ashcomb, Clistwick, St. Lawrence of Exeter, and of Berry ; the advoAvson of the church of Aure in the county of Somerset, and the advowson of the Priory of Tregony in the county of Cornwall, all the premises liaving formerly appertained to the Abbey of Valle, in Normandy. 2G Edward I. — Prior de Merton recedit a brevi suo versus Henr. de Pomcray de placito quod acquictct cum de Serviciis que ab eo cxigebat Had. Cora. Glouc. ct Hertford contra formaiu ciijusdam finis prills per Hcnr. de la Ponicraye Icvati anno 52 Hen. HI. niodo cseamb. (vid.) quod abbas remittit dicto Henr. Terras in Bcrye (quod mancrium fuit^ipsius Hcnr.) except, advoc. Eccl. de Beryc et 4 acr. ibidem. Et idem Hcnr. per hac rccogn., etc., remittit dicto Abbi, mancrium de Rauntayne, advoc. Ecclesiarum de Ayscunib, FAMILY OF POMEROY. 63 Clystw^k, Sc. Lanr. Exon. ct dc Bcryc; advoc. Eccl. de Aure in Com. Soracrs. ct advoc. Prior, dc Trcgonye in Com. Cornub, Que omnia premiss, olira spectabant Abbi. dc Valle in Normannia, etc. (Aliquid indc in term. Hill. an. 27. rot. 29. ct term. Pascli. an. 27. rot 1S.)2C 27 Edw. I. — Scire fac. Henr. fil, ct heredi Henr. de Pomeroy qiiare non teneat contencoem. factam inter patrcm suum quer. ct Gilbcrtum Priorcm de Mcrtoune deforc. per fincm levatu. anno 50 Hen. III. pro terris in ^Vorthy Berry que predict, prior recogn. esse jus diet. Henr. per qua recognicoe. idem Henr. recogn. mancrium de Kanuncayne in Com. Devon, ct advoc. ccclesiar. de Ayscomb, Clistwyk, Sci. Laur. Exon. et de Bery, et advoc. cedes, de Aure iu Com. Somers. et advoc. Priori de Tregony in Com. Cornub. esse jus dicti prioris, etc. Et quare distringit dictum Priorem ad respon- dend. in Cur. ipslus Henr. in Bruges, etc.27 Henry de Pomeroy (7) Son of Henry (6) married Joan, daughter of John Lord Moels, by whom he had issne, Henry, (8) William, Nicholas, Thomas, and John, which last-mentioned John had a son named Edward. Henry, the eldest, (8) was living in the twelfth of Edward HI., (1338) and in the forty-second of the same reign. He left issue one son. Sir John de Pomeroy, who married Joan, daughter and heiress of Sir Richard Merton, and relict of John Bampfylde, esq. ; and two daughters, Joan the wife of Sir James Chidleigh, and Margaret the wife of Adam Cole. Sir John died in the first of Henry VI., without issue, 28 Abbrcv. Placitor. 26 Edw. I. rot. 19. p. 238. 27 Abbrev. Placitor. 27 Edw. I. rot. 21). p. 294. 64 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. and in him the eldest branch of this family became extinct.-*^ FAMILY OF AURE, OR DE AURE. After the Pomeroys the manor of Oare seems to have been the inheritance of a family, who assumed their local surname from this village. They appear to have first been brought into notice by John de Aure marrying the daughter and heiress of Odo de Wan- destraw of Wanstraw, near Frome, with whom, accord- ing to the Testa de Nevill, he held half a knight's fee of the King m capite,'^ which half a knight's fee was parcel of the earldom of Moreton. In the fortieth of Henry III., (1254) this John de Aure was sheriff of the counties of Somerset and Dor- set, and keeper of the castle of Sherborne,^" and two years afterward he occurs as witness to a charter. In the nineteenth and twentieth of Henry IIL, the same John de Aure was one of the collectors of the scutage of those years, and paid thirteen shillings and four-pence for half a knight's fee held by him of the King in capife.^^ 23 This account of the family of Pomeroy has been compiled from Sir William Dugdale'p Baronage, vol. i. — Palgrave's Parliamentary Writs, vol. i. — and Sir W. Pole's Collections for Devonshire. -9 John de Aure cum herede Odon de Wandestr. di. fcod. de Rcge in capite. —Testa de Nevill, p. 160. 8" In the Rotulorum Originalia, 40 lien. III., there is this entry : — " R. com.- misit Job. de Aure comitat. Somerset ct Dorset, custod. quamdiu R. placuerit una cum Castro R. dc Shircburn.— Rot. Origin. 40 Hen. III. Rot. 7. 31 Testa de Nevill, p. 16C. MANOR OF OARE. 65 In the Testa de Nevill, it is said that Ralph de Aure holds Staath, which was an ancient memher of the king's demesne of North-Curry, but it is neither known of whose gift, nor by what services.^^ In the eighth of Edward II. (1314) we meet with William de Aure as a witness to a deed. In the thirty-sixth year of Henry VIII. lands here were granted to Francis Byam. About the year 1678, two-fifth parts of the manor of Oare belonged to the family of Spurrier, from whom it passed by marriage into the possession of Mr. Nicholas Snow, about the year 1750, who, at his death, left it to a son of his own name, who, in 1788, purchased the other three-fifths ; and deceasing in 1701, he bequeathed this manor to his youngest son, John Snow, who, dying without issue, left it to his nephew, Mr. Nicholas Snow, the present possessor. The other three-fifth parts of this manor, about the time above-mentioned, belonged to a family of the name of Quircke, and from them passed into the family of Short, of whom the late John Short, esq., was the last possessor ; whose representatives, dis- agreeing about the division of his property, appealed to the Court of Chancery, and under an order of which court, it was sold, and purchased, as we have already mentioned, by the late Mr. Nicholas Snow. »* Rad. de Aure tenet Staath et fuit membrum antiquitus de dominico domini R. de Cury nescimus quo dono vel servicio.— 7V«/a de Nevill, p. 163. F 66 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. A feudatory rent or acknowledgment of seven shil lings and four-pence per annum is paid out of this manor to Dunster Castle. The following gentlemen are owmers of freeholds in this parish, namely, Mr. Robert Griffiths, Mr. Walter Snow, Mr. James Smith, and Mr. Phelps. In the Domesday Survey of the Manor of Oare, it is said that there is a pasture two miles long and one mile broad. The word, which is here translated tuile, is, in Domesday Book, leuca. " The heucal' says Mr. Ellis/- "was most commonly applied to wood-land. [It, however, frequently occurs in Somersetshire, as the measure of pasture land.] The Lcuca, Leuga, Lcuua, according to the Register of Battle Abbey, consisted of four hundred and eighty perches, or twelve quarenteines. Ingulphus, however, who is good authority, speaks of the Leuca as a mile. The ordinary mile of England, it will be remembered, in former times, was more of a traditionary' [or estimated] than an ascertained measure. It was nearly a mile and a half of the present standard." It must not be forgotten that Lcima or Leuga has another mean- ing in a few entries of the Domesday Survey. The Leuua or Lowy, as it is called, of Tunbridge Castle, in Kent, is noticed in Domesday, and meant the district round the manor and castle, which is even at the present day called the Lowy of Tunbridge. See a particular account of the " Leuga S. Wilfridi," in Yorkshire, D. B., vol. i., fo. 303. The " Carucata S. .lohis libera a Geldo Regis," in Beverley, ibid, fo. 304, four hundred and eighty perches, or twelve quarenteines, was the same thing. In Domesday Book it is said, that the manor of Oare pays by custom twelve sheep annually to the king's manor of Carharapton. 32 Introd. to D. B. p. li. ILLUSTRATION OF DOMESDAY BOOK. O/ The custom of paying so many sheep obtained at the same period in the following manors in this county. It would seem that our Anglo-Saxon kings, when they granted a manor or lands to their subjects, reserved in many instances a rent in kind j and that the sheep so paid by custom were a sort of quit-rent or acknowledgment of the tenure by which they held lands of the sovereign. In some instances the rent in kind was so many sheep, and from every freeman in the manor, a blonie of iron 3 but this must pre- suppose some iron-works in or upon the lauds, to enable the freemen to make a return of that metal. These instances are strong proofs of the scarcityof money in the Anglo-Saxon period of our history. There is paid to the king's manor of Williton from Alured de Ispauia's manor of Monk-Silver, by custom, eighteen sheep annually. This custom did not belong to Williton in the time of King Edward.33 The Earl of Moriton's manor of Brushford formerly paid by custom to the king's manor of Dulverton, twenty-four sheep annually} but Malger, who holds Brushford of that earl, now withholds this custom.3^ There is due by custom from the manor of Bickenhall to the king's manor of Curry, five sheep, with all their lambs.^^ The manor of Crevvkerne, in the time of King Edward, paid by annual custom to the king's manor of South Petherton, six sheep, with all their lambs. Turstin holds Crewkcrne of the Earl of Moriton ; but this custom was discontinued after the earl became seized of that manor.s" The Earl of Moriton's manor of Brede owes by custom to the king's manor of Curry, one sheep, with its lamb.^' The same earl's manor of Donyat owes by custom to the king's manor of Curry, five sheep, with their lambs.^^ One of the manors in Hatch [Beauchamp] which Bollo held, owed by custom to the king's manor of [North] Curry, one sheep, with its lamb.39 33 Ex. D. vol. L fo. 86. b. »< Ibid. fo. 86, b. 35 ibid. fo. !)2. 36 Ibid. fo. 86. col. 2. 3:^ Ibid. fo. 92. col. 1. as n,i(i. col. 2. 39 ibid. 68 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. The Earl of Moriton's manor of Bradon owes by custom two sheep, with their lambs, to the king's manor of [North] Curry.*' Ralph de Liraesi's manor of Allerford pays by custom twelve sheep per annum to the king's manor of Carhampton.^i In the time of King Edward, the bishop of Salisbury's manor of Seaborough paid by annual custom to the manor of Crewkerne, twelve sheep, with their Iambs.42 40 Ex. D. vol. 1. fo. 92. col. 2. « Ibid. fo. 97. 42 Ibid, fo. 87. b. CULBONE, OTHERWISE KITNORE. DESCKIPTION. ROMANTIC SITUATION OF CULBONE. WOODS. MOUNTAIN-ASH. LORD KINg's COTTAGE. RECTORY. — CHURCH. — STATISTICAL NOTICES. MANOR. J- HE Parish of Culbone, otherwise Kitnore, lies about nine miles west from Minehead, on the south- ern coast of the Bristol Channel, along which it stretches from west to east ; and is bounded on the land side by the parishes of Oare and Porlock. It contains about four hundred acres of inclosed arable and pasture lands, some sheep-walks in common, and a considerable portion of wood land, mostly oak coppice. The ancient name of this parish is Kitnore,*^ some- times WTitten Kytenore ; that of Culbone having obtained in more recent times, from the name of the Saint to whom the parish church is dedicated. <3 Kytenore, from the Anglo-Saxon Cyta, plural Cytan, the same as the Latin cavum, latebra, a cell, cave, or cavern; and Ore, the same as the Latin littus, the sea-shore ; that is, the place of caves, or caverns, subter- raneous dwellings, or more properly, hiding-places on the sea-shore. 70 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. This is a mountainous country, with a high, bold, rocky shore towards the sea ; in these rocks are deep clefts, forming small valleys, ascending irregularly in- land, and clothed with wood. In the most easterly valley, which is about six hundred feet above the level of the sea, in a very small grassy plain of not more than a quarter of an acre in extent, stands the church, surrounded by hills of considerable alti- tude, on every side, except towards the sea; these hills, covered with wood to their very summits, entirely exclude the rays of the sun from this plain for more than three months in the year. There are three cottages standing just outside the church-yard, and a road, leading from Porlock through this parish to the village of Yearnor, winds round it. This road is now passable for carriages from Porlock-quay to the church of Culbone ; it is in some places very precipitous and highly romantic; ascending from the eastern base of a woody hill, whose northern side rests upon some stupendous rocks over- hanging the sea; this road passes near Ashley Lodge, a summer-residence of Lord King's, in the parish of Porlock, and thence to Culbone church. From this road, w^hich is perfectly safe, are many grand and beautiful views. It has only been passable for carriages a few years, having before been rugged and dangerous. The farmers here are principally employed in breed- ing the same kinds of stock as is described in our CULBONE. 71 account of the parish of Oare. The Oak coppice wood, of which there are many hundred acres in this and the adjoining parishes, is of considerable value, and is generally sold when it has attained about twenty years' growth. It yields from five to twenty pounds an acre, according to its situation and quality ; but about forty years ago, it was worth very little in this parish ; the road above-mentioned was then in so bad a state, that a horse with long crooks could not travel upon it. The bark of these oak trees was at that time made up into bundles, and tied with ropes on the backs of the horses to be brought down. A respectable tanner, of the name of Giles, who resided and carried on his business at that time near Porlock, was in the habit of sending a party of ten or twelve men into these woods, during the bark season, to rip the trees, for which he paid the lord of the manor one shilling a man per day for as many days as they were em- ployed, as a compensation for all the oak bark, which they and his two sons, for whom he did not pay any thing, could strip ofi^. In Warner's Walk through some of the Western Counties, (1800), there is the following glowing des- cription of this romantic village : — '•' After continuing five or six miles on these hills, with a noble view, always before us, of the sea and the coast of Wales, which now began to fade away in the distance, we turned our steps towards the coast, and descended a rapid steep to Culbone. The approach 72 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. to Culbone church is by a small foot-path, narrow, rugged, and so declivitous, that it is with the utmost difficulty a footing can be kept. A gloomy mantle of wood covers this steep, and nearly excludes the light of day. After a descent of about six hundred feet, the path terminated, and introduced to our view Culbone church and church-yard, situated in as extraordinary a spot, as man, in his whimsicaHty, ever fixed on for a place of worship. "A small cove, of an oval form, opened upon us, the bottom of which is formed by a little verdant carpet of two or three acres. Around this hollow, the hills on every side, save on that which is next to the sea, tower iip in a direction nearly perpendicular, to the sublime height of twelve or thirteen hundred feet, fretted with jutting rocks, and laden with venerable woods. Here the solemn shade of the oak is relieved by the bright berry of the mountain-ash ;'*^ and there ** The Mountain-Ash, Sarins aucttparia, mixing with the dark firs and waving birch, produces on these high hills a fine effect. In summer, the light green tint of their foliage ; and in autumn the glowing berries which hang clustering upon them, contrast beautifully with the deeper green of the firs. In ancient days, when superstition held that place in society, which dissipa- tion and immorality now hold, the mountain-ash was considered as an object of great veneration. Often at this day, a stump of it is found in some old burying-place ; or near the circle of a Druid temple, whose rites it formerly invested with its sacred shade. — Gilpin's Forest Scenery, vol- i. p. 38. This tree may, to this day, says Mr. Lightfoot, be observed to grow more frequently than any in the neighbourhood of the Druidical circles, so often seen in North-Uritain ; and superstitious persons still believe that any small part of it carried about them, will prove a sovereign charm against all the effects of enchantment or witchcraft. The dairy-maid will not forget to drive CULBONE. 73 the light satin of the airy birch is chastised by the gloom of the melancholy yew ; whilst the feathering her cattle to the summer pastures with a rod of the mountain-ash (called provincially the Roan, tree, and the Wicking tree ; that is, the Witching tree) , which she carefully lays up, and drives them home again with the same. In Strathspey, they make on the first of May, a hoop with the wood of this tree, and in the evening and morning cause all the sheep and lambs to pass through it. In Wales, says Mr. Evelyn, this tree is reputed so sacred, that as there is not a church-yard without one of them planted in it, so on a certain day in the year, every person religiously wears a cross made of the wood ; and it is reputed to be a preservative against fascinations and evil spirits, whence, perhaps, we call it Witching, or Wicking tree, the boughs being stuck about the house, or the wood used for walking-sticks. — Evelyn's Sylva, c. 15. It is curious to remark how the same superstitions have been driven with the ancient inhabitants into the remote corners of our island so distant from each other as Scotland and Wales. — Miller's Botanical Diet. vol. ii. under Sorbus. It is wonderful to observe the progress and effects of superstition in the different ages of society. Anciently, a legion of wizards and witches could be kept in awe by the sight of a sprig of quick-beam, the wicking (witching) tree ; nay, even Lucifer himself, would keep at a respectful distance if you only wore a sprig of it in your cap, or about your person. But mark the difference in modern times ! On reading over the above note before I sent it to the printer, to a friend who resides at Carhampton, he related the following adventure, which occurred to himself a few days previously : — "'V^Tiilst I was looking over an estate belonging to a gentleman in this neighbourhood, said my friend, attended by a labourer of the adjoining village, before I mounted ray horse, I cut a couple of twigs from one of the quick-beam trees in the hedge, which I meant to use as horse-rods, when the following dialogue took place : — Lab. Lord blessee zur, hot a be gwahing to do we they ? Fr. Going to do with them ? why, to beat my horse with, and I shall carry them home. Lab. Dooantee, zur, dooantee ; why they be quick- beam ! Fr. I know they are ; but what of that ? Lab. Hot a that, zur ! dooantee know they be mortal unlucky." So that the evil spirit, it seems, must now be conciliated, not aflrighted ; for it is dangerous to provoke wizards and witches by the sight of quick-beam, for fear of mischievous consequences ; the charm being lost in the increased liberality, or, if the reader pleases, the march of intellect, of the present day. 74 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. fir and luxuriant beech lend their contrasting foliage to give a wider variety to the enchanting scene. At the mouth of the cove, the land suddenly falls to the shore, in an abrupt descent of four or five hundred feet, rugged with the enormous crags of rock, but enlivened with verdure and foliage ([uite to the beach. " In the centre of the little recess, thus surrounded and defended from the intrusion of the stranger, stands the little church of Culbone ; one of the least, if not the very least, in the kingdom ; a Gothic structure, thirty-three feet in length, and twelve feet in breadth, with a church-yard of proportionate dimensions stretching around it, appropriately ornamented with broken modest grave-stones, and the remains of an ancient stone cross. Two cottages planted just Avith- out the consecrated ground, are its only companions in this secluded dell. "Surely never was a spot better calculated for the indulgence of the meditative faculty than Culbone church-yard. Every circumstance around leads the mind to thought, and soothes the bosom to tranquillity. The deep murmur of the ocean tide rising from be- neath, but softened in its lengthened course, falls gently on the ear, which lists with equal rapture to the broken mysterious whisper of the waving woods above. He will here, in the pure spirit of generous patriotism, breathe an aspiration to Heaven, nearly similar to the beautifully figurative language of Solomon: — CULBONE CHURCH. 75 " Oil ! that tlie winter were past j that the rains were over and " gone ! tliat tlie fig-tree would put forth her green figs ; and the " vines with the tender grape w ould give a good smell ! that the " flowers would appear on the earth ; the time of the singing-birds "come J and the voice of the turtle be heard once more iu our land." " At nobis Pax alma, vcni, spicamque teneto, " Perfluat et homis Candidas ante sinus." " Difficult of access as Culbone church is, it has, notwithstanding, regular service performed in it by the minister of Porlock, who journies thither on a small poney, for no carriage can approach it,^^ by a narrow devious path of frightful declivity, which skirts in a zig-zag direction along the clift that rises from the channel below. His congregation, indeed, is not very numerous, for the whole parish does not contain more than ten houses, and forty-five inhabi- tants; of these none reside near the church at present, owing,itmay be presumed, tothe obvious inconvenience of the situation. Quiet and sequestered as this ro- mantic spot at present is, it has heretofore borne an honourable name in the annals of rustic revelry ; its rocks have echoed to the shouts of multitudinous mirth ; and its Avoods rung with the symphonious music of all the neighbouring village bands ; — in plain English, a revel or fair was wont to be held here in times of yore. 46 When I was at Culbone in September, 1828, with my friend Mr. Strong, the Rev. Mr. Passmorc told us, that on the Sunday morning preceding, two peers of the realm, Lord King and Earl Fortescue, attended divine service in this little church. — J. S. 76 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. "The road to Lord King's cottage, Ashley Lodge, creeps through the woods which clothe the steep cliffs to the eastward of Culbone, and presents at every step, a variety of curious plants, the rare production of these romantic regions; silene amoena,"*^ veronica mon- tana, polypodium aculeatum, poly podium dryopteris, bird's-nest orchis,"*' yellow rein-deer moss, &c. &c., and an immense quantity of whortleberry plants, full of their cool, refreshing, delicious fruit. His lordship's house is placed, like an eagle's nest, in the cleft of a rock. The rough slope that forms the western extremity of Porlock Bay, is the spot chosen for this singular mansion. Half way up this steep, a level platform has been made with great labour and proportionate expense, about a quarter of an acre perhaps in extent, and a small castellated dwelling erected upon it. The thick woods which cover the face of this abrupt descent, are here cleared away, and a beautiful view opened of Porlock Bay, the town, and the Bristol Channel. This, indeed, is the only charm which it possesses. The road to it is difficult and hazardous ; the precipice rising four or five hundred feet behind it, threatens, the first severe frost, to overwhelm it with destruction ; and the abrupt *^ Tlic plant which some of our botanists took for this, and which Linnaeus made to be a variety of his Cticnbalus Behen, is the lychnis maritima repens of Caspar Bauhine and Ray ; and Silene maritima of Withering and Smith. — Miller. «7 Miller says that this plant is a doubtful native of Britain. The whole plant as it appears above ground, is of a violet or deep purple colour. RECTORY OF CULBONE. 77 descent before and on each side of it, matted by im- penetrable woods, confines the inhabitant to a small area of about twenty yards square. Picking our way through these shaggy shades, we descend to Porlock- quay, which stretches close along the shore." Akenside finely alludes to the religious awe, with which woods, boldly stretching up the summit of a high mountain, are beheld by persons of cultivated imagination : — Mark the sable woods. That shade sublime yon mountain's nodding brow. With what religious awe the solemn scene Commands your steps ! as if the reverend form Of Minos, or of Numa, should forsake Th' Elysian seats, and down the embowering glade Move to your pausing eye. Woodcocks are found in these woods in great num- bers at the proper season, but the sportsman should have a great many dogs^ and must stand in some con- venient place and shoot at such birds as come within his range ; to follow the dogs, if possible, would be a work of great toil, and perhaps danger. Game, generally, is plentiful in this neighbourhood ; and the woods we have been speaking of, are noted harbours for the red deer of Exmoor Forest. The living is a rectory in the deanery of Dunster, and is in the patronage of Lord King. It is valued in the king's books at £3 18^. 10|J., and is discharged from the payment of tenths, the clear yearly value 78 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. having been certified at £22 1*. 4d. In 1694, John Fry, esq. presented to this Hving. In the Valor Ecclesiasticiis, there are the following particulars rela- ting to this benefice :— - 1535. John Harry son. Rector. Annual value of the demesne or glebe lands 6 8 Predial tithes 1 18 8 Oblations and personal tithes .... 117 2 4 2 6 Out of which there is paid to the archdeacon of Taunton for syno- dals 3 71 £3 18 lOJ The church is a small Gothic building, thirty-three feet in length, and twelve feet in width, consisting of a single aile, chancel and porch, covered with Cornish slate. It has no tower; but there are two bells hung in the arch of a little pinnacle. The register begins in 1686, but is very imperfect. In 1686, the Rev. EHas Falvey was rector. The present rector (1829) is the Rev. John Boyce. A wake, or as it is called in this part of the country, a revel, used to be held annually in Culbone church- yard; but it has been discontinued many years.^*^ ^3 The reader will find in Warner's "Walk through some of the Western Counties," an account of a humorous adventure of a Somersetshire son of Crispin, in connection with this revel. STATISTICAL NOTICES. 79 In 1776, the money expended in this parish on account of the poor, was £10 Us. 3d.; and in 1785, £13 \3s. lOd. In 1803, the money raised by the parish rates, was £18 18*. md., at 3s. 4d. in the pound. In 1814, the estimated annual value of the real property in this parish, with part of the hamlet of Yearnor, as assessed to the property tax, was £391. — In 1818, the county rate was 8*. 1|^. In 1801, the resident population of this parish was 56. In the population abstract of 1821, the return for Culbone stands thus :— Number of inhabited houses, 10; of families, 11 ; of whom 6 were employed in a2;riculture. Total number of persons, 45 ; of whom 20 were males and 25 females.— Decrease in twenty years, 11. In 1815, there were 3 poor in this parish. In the parochial returns relating to the education of the poor, made to the House of Commons in 1818, the Rev. H. M. Passmore stated that there was no school in this parish for the education of the children of the poor. The manor of Kitnore is thus described in Domes- day Book : — " Drogo holds of the Bishop of Coutances Chete- NORE. In the time of King Edward, it was assessed to the Geld for one hide and one virgate of Land. 80 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. The arable is sufficient for two ploughs. There are two villans and one bordar, who have one plough. There is one bondman ; fifty acres of pasture, and one hundred acres of wood. It is worth fifteen shillings. The two manors of Winemersham (now Winsham) and Chetenore, were held by Osmund in the time of King Edward." In the Exeter Domesday it is added, that Drogo had here one hide and one plough in demesne, and the villans had one virgate. When the bishop of Coutances received this manor, it was worth only five shillings : Osmund, the former owner, is called Os- mund Estramin.*^ GeoftVey, bishop of Coutances, a diocese in Nor- mandy, held seventy manors in the county of Somerset. He was chief justiciary of England, and presided in the county court held at Pinnenden Heath, in Kent, at the great trial between Lanfranc, archbishop of Canterbury, and Odo, Bishop of Bayeux. The bishop of Coutances, is said to have been de- scended from a noble family in Normandy. He was much more skilful in arms than in divinity; in the knowledge of training up soldiers, than of leading his proper flock in the paths of Christian peace. He had a distinguished command in the battle of Hastings; and for his signal services was highly rewarded by the Conqueror; having no less than two hundred and <» Exon Domesday, fo. 129. ^STATISTICAL NOTICES. 81 eighty lordships in England given him by the King. He was likewise in many other battles against the English and Danes, and being always successful obtained immense possessions. He died in 1093, and his estates escheating to the crown were disposed of to different favourites. Pre\dously to the 26th of Edward I., the manor of Culbone, then called Kytenore, had been included by encroachment within the boundary of the forest of Exmoor, but in that year it was disafforested, according to the tenor of the charter of forests, and entirely freed from the oppressive restrictions of the forest laws. In the time of King Edward I. we find the owners of this manor assuming the local surname, for in a commission for perambulating the forest of Exmoor, in the twenty-sixth of that king, the name of William de Kytenore occurs, as lord of the manor of Culbone. After the above-mentioned William de Kytenore, this manor passed into the family of Bratton or Bracton. In the 16th of Richard II., Peter Bratton is certified to hold it of John de Raleghe, as of his manor of Alrington, by military service, and was succeeded in it by Thomas his son and heir. Which Thomas was ancestor of John Bratton, lord of this manor in the time of Edward IV. who was father of several children, of whom John the eldest had Kytenore. To him suc- ceeded John, Simon, and John, all of them possessors of this place. G ^^ HISTORY OF CAR HAMPTON. By an inquisition taken in the 6th of Henry VI., Walter Paiincefoot (the heir of Henry Sydenham) and William Bachell are certified to hold separately half a knight's fee here, which Maurice de Kytenore formerly held. The present owner of this manor is Lord King. PORLOCK/» GENERAL DESCRIPTION AND MODERN STATE OF THE PARISH. IN- VASION OF THE "lIDWICCIANS." INCURSION OF EARL HAROLD. ACCOUNT OP THE EARLS OP MERCIA. RECTORY. CHURCH. MONUMENTS. HISTORY OF CROSS-LEGGED AND TABLE MONU- MENTS. CHANTRY. ORIGIN OF CHANTRIES. CROSSES. CHURCHYARDS. YEW TREES. STATISTICAL NOTICES. MANOR. DOMESDAY SURVEY. FAMILY OF REDVERS. OF FITZ-ROGES. OF LORD KING. HAMLETS. BOSSINCTON. YEARNOR. WEST-PORLOCK. PORLOCK AVEAR. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. JOHN BRIDGWATER. DR. STEPHEN HALES. JL ORLOCK, or as it is sometimes called,. East-Por- lock, is a small sea-port, market-town, and parish, on the southern coast of the Bristol Channel, seven miles west from Minehead, thirty-three west from Bridg- water, and one hundred and sixty-seven west hy south from London. This parish is hounded on the north and north-west by the Bristol Channel, on the east by the parishes of Sel worthy and Luccombe, on the south 50 Porlock, the inclosed Port— from the Anglo-Saxon Port, a harbour; and Loc, the same as the latin claudcrc, to shut up, to surround or encompass. Serenius deduces the latter word from the Gothic Ittkan, and the Anglo-Saxon lucan, to shut up, to close. 84 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON by the parish of Stoke-Pero, and on the west by those of Oare and Culbone. A narrow sh'p of kind, part of the parish of Luccombe, runs across that of Porlock, quite down to the sea, dividing it into two parts, so that the inhabitants of the eastern part cannot go to their parish church without crossing the narrow slip above-mentioned, in the parish of Luccombe. The greater part of the houses form two straggUng streets near the church. Many of the old houses are built with their chimneys towards the street, a mode of building, tradition says, common in this and other parts of Somersetshire, about the period of the civil war in the reign of Charles I. ; and adopted for the purpose of protecting the inhabitants from the prying eyes or secret attacks of evil-disposed persons of an opposite party. Many of these houses are built of rough stones, or of what is called in the west of England, coh; that is, a composition of clay and straw well mixed together, with which a wall is formed, and after it is dry it is made smooth on the surface. The parish of Porlock contains about one thousand six hundred acres of inclosed land, and some very ex- tensive commons. There are four hamlets belonging to it, namely, Bossington, Yearnor, West-Porlock, and Porlock-Wcar ; and it is divided into three tithings, namely, Porlock, Yearnor, and Bossington. The prin- cipal landed proprietors are Lord King, Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, hart, and Admiral Douglas. In this parish there is a beautiful plain, being the roRLocK. 85 inner section of what may becalled a semi-circlej between a plaoe a little below Porlock-Wear and Bossington Point, where the coast is high, bold, and rugged ; the outer section being that part of the Bristol Channel called Porlock Bay. The circumference of this plain, as you enter the Bay, appears to be bounded by high hills : some of them, especially towards the west, are covered with hanging woods ; others are cultivated, and more consist of extensive wilds of heath ; but on land- ing, and proceeding to the interior, you discover that there are several valleys running up between them, some of which contain fine meadows, whilst their sides are cultivated to a considerable height, or are cloathed with oak woods. In the centre of the plain there is a large sheet of water, covering many acres of ground, called the Decoy Pond, which is frequented by wild fowl ; but if ever there was a decoy here, which it may be supposed from the name there once was, there is not one now. The soil of this plain is generally very good and well cultivated ; and the appearance of the town, the hamlets, and the bay, from the hills above, is remarkably pleasing. About forty degrees from the eastern point of the semi-circle, and close under the high lands, where a valley runs up, stands the ancient town of Porlock, and through it runs the road leading from Minehead to Lymouth, a singularly romantic watering place in the county of Devon, about twelve miles west of '^crlock. The trade of the town comprises the usual 96 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON agricultural businesses,, a few shops, some riialt-housef, a tan-yard, and three or four inns; of which the prin- cipal is the Castle, the worthy host of which is a fine specimen of the punning humour of Caleb Quotem of dramatic celebrity. Before machinery was so generally employed in the preparation of our manufactures, a considerable quantity of yarn of very excellent quality, was spun by hand in this parish, and in the neighbourhood, which was carried to the then celebrated market of Dunster, and there sold. Such families as were so employed were here called factors; an appellation which some of them and their descendants still retain. If it be true, as political economists tell us, that our ma- chinery has increased the wealth and political power of the country; it is equally true that it has deprived the industrious inhabitants of this, and many other places, of comparatively great means and comforts, and transferred them and their descendants to the close con- fitiement and diseased atmosphere of some large and crowded factory; and those who have ever seen a large factory pour out its living hives, marked their sickly appearance, and truly considered their wretched state, cannot fail to regret the consequences of the change. There are three markets held at Porlock every year, principally for the sale of store cattle and the small breed of sheep mentioned in our account of the parish of Oare, called Porlochs. The agriculture of this parish partakes both of the high and the low land PORLOCK. 87 systems, according to the local situation of the lands. Some of the farmers keep large flocks of sheep on the hills; but, for want of winter food, are obliged to send them further up the country, to the lawn in front of Dunster castle ; especially many of their lambing ewes to yean. The mutton of a Porlock sheep, well fed, is excellent and much prized. The road from Minehead to Porlock would have been called good, even before Mr. Mac Adam's excel- lent system was introduced; it passes Holnicot, the residence of the Hon. Matthew Fortescue. From Porlock to Lymouth, you ascend a steep hill for nearly two miles ; the road in many places being curved to facilitate the ascent ; after which it runs over a series of hills, deeply indented with valleys, in some of which are small villages, or scattered houses, until it reaches Countisbury CUff, where, at a very great acclivity along the edge of a tremendous precipice, it safely descends into Lymouth, which is situated at the gorge of a deep glen, where a river empties itself into the Bristol Channel. The houses here are built by the side of the river and beach ; and are overhung on the western side by the precipitous hill, on which stands the village of Linton, with its villas, inns, and humble church and tower from whence the spectator looks down on the scene below, as on a map. The ascent from Lymouth to Linton is by a serpentine road, about half a mile in length. Good chaises and horses maybe obtained at the Luttrell Arms Inn, at Dunster, 88 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. to convey travellers to Lymouth and Linton. To a person who has health and means, and who delights in the wild beauties of nature in her softer character, a ride or drive over the hills between Porlock and Lymouth, in a fine spring or summer morning or evening, is delightful in the extreme. The ever vary- ing appearance of the mountain track; the dark waters of the Bristol Channel, with here and there a white sail; the murmurs of the waves, rolling along this rocky coast, at intervals falling upon the ear ; the long irregular coast of South Wales, with the Mont-Blanc- like appearance of the interior; the bay of Bridgwater; the Holmes; the Severn Sea; Dunkeryllill and Beacon; the bleating of the numerous flocks, seeking or an- swering their own companions ; the hum of bees; the lark's gay carol; the blossom-coloured heath; the fine clear fresh breeze wafting on its viewless wings the aromatic odour of millions of fragrant herbs and flowers, combine to invigorate the spirits, cheer the heart, enliven the fancy, humanize the soul, and raise her thoughts " from nature up to nature's God." The dialect spoken by the inhabitants of this wild, but beautiful country, is very broad ; but the people are generally industrious, hardy, kind, hospitable, and open hearted. In Warners " Walk through some of the Western Counties," (1800) the town and neighbourhood of Porlock are thus described : — PORLOCK. 89 " A long descent introduced me into the little sea- port town of Porlock, shut out from the surrounding country by lofty hills, but open towards the sea, on which it safely looks, from the bottom of a recess or bay, about one league from one extremity to the other. Of these points the eastern one rises with prodigious ma2:niiicence from the ocean, whose maddened waves have torn its front into misshapen crags, and scooped its sides into stupendous caverns ; the western extre- mity is of a softer character, and slopes gradually to the shore, sheltering from the prevalent south-westerly storms, the quay, and a small pier, one mile and a half from Porlock, where the little commerce of the place is transacted. " The egress from Porlock to the west is by a steep and fatiguing ascent, drawn out to the distance of at least two miles, and climbing to the summit of the lofty hills which overhang the town on this quarter. Here the swelling downs commence, which spread their undulating surface, like the waves of a solid sea, quite through North Devon, and giving herbage to a small breed of sheep, which produce the most delicious mutton, weighing about eight pounds a quarter. The summits of these hills afford a most abundant supply of heath for fuel. Deep ravines intersect these downy elevations in various directions ; and in their seques- tered hollows small villages, or rather little groupes of farm houses, have their unenvied situation." 90 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. In the year 918, a great naval armament, says the Saxon Chronicle, came here from the "Lidwiccians," that is, from the people of Armorica, now Brittany, in France.^^ Collinson, in his History of Somerset, er- roneously describes this as an incursion of the Danes. This force was commanded by two earls, Ohter and Rhoald. They sailed round the Land's End, and up the Bristol Channel, and spread ruin and devastation along the opposite coast of Wales. They were after- wards attacked by the men of Hereford and Gloucester, and put to flight, Earl Rhoald being slain, and also the brother of Ohter, with a great number of their followers. King Edward having set a guard on the southern coast of the Bristol Channel, the invaders were not able to make good a landing on that side ; nevertheless, says the Saxon Chronicle, they eluded the king's guard in the night, by stealing up twice ; at one time to the east of Watchet, and at another time to Porlock. The inhabitants of those places, however, gave the invaders so warm a reception that the greater part were cut to pieces, and the few that escaped were obliged to swim to their ships, and take refuge on the island of the Flat Holmes, where many of them died of hunger. Those who survived afterwards sailed to Ireland. ^^ *• Lidwkciaiis — from Lid, a ship; and Wkcian, to watch j because they abode day and night in their ships ; or more properly, because they had no residence on land, but lived entirely on board ship. " Saxon Chron. by Ingram, A. D. 918, p. 133. . PORLOCK. 91 In the early history of this part of the county, we find that Porlock had an extensive chace, which probably might, in succeeding times, have been the royal forest of Exmoor. Here also was a palace of one of the Saxon Kings. The latter, in all probability, was destroyed with the town, not many years after, on the following memorable occasion : — Harold, the son of the banished Godwin, earl of Kent, partaking of his father's losses and disgrace, had repaired to Ireland, which it seems had long been the refuge of fugitives, in order to strengthen his party, and to raise troops, with a view of maldng a piratical descent upon the English coasts. It may be proper to mention that at this period the town of Porlock was the property of Algar, the son of Leofric, earl of Mercia, between whom and the family of Earl Godwin there existed great animosity, so that this incursion of Harold's may be considered rather in the nature of making private war upon one of his opponents than of a national invasion. Accordingly about midsummer, 1052, setting sail from that country with nine strong ships, well furnished with men, and arms suitable to his enterprizc, Harold crossed the channel, and entered the bay of Porlock. The town, it is to be supposed, had, since the attempt of the " Lidwiccians" been greatly strengthened both with regard to buildings and population, and the natives being likewise apprised of the approach of an enemy, were on this juncture assembled upon the coast, resolved 92 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. to defend the place. Harold^ however^ secured his landing, and marched bis men up into the country, where he seized every thing that was valuable, and after slaughtering numbers of the inhabitants, and setting fire to the town, returned to his ships with immense booty. A small unfinished encampment of an oval form, in a wood one mile and a half south-west from the church, is supposed to have been thrown up on this occasion. The entrance to it is on the south side, and the upper trenches are very deep. Swords and other instruments of war, have been found within its area. In the reign of Edward the Confessor, the manor of Porlock was the property of Algar, earl of Mercia, who, withhis father, was greatly instrumental in opposing and thwarting the ambitious designs of Godwin the father of Harold. The following descent of Earl Leofric and the earls of Mercia, is given by Camden in his Britannia, at the end of his description of Leicestershire, on the authority of Thomas Talbot, whom he calls an eminent antiquary; and the same descent is also inserted in the Monasti- con,^^ and in Burton's History of Leicestershire.^* It is also given in the same manner by Sir William Dugdale in his History of Warwickshire." " Leofric was Earl of Leicester, in the time of Ethel- bald, king of Mercia, a. d. 716; to whom succeeded in a direct line, Algar I. ; Algar II. ; Leofric II. ; Leof- " vol. i. p. :\0\. '< p. 167. « p. 87. EARLS OF MERCIA. 93 wine ; Leofric III. (earl of Mercia,) who was contem- porary with Harold." " But so easily," says Sir Peter Leycester, in his Antiquities of Cheshire/'' "doth error spread, being once broached, that I will now shew where that descent is defective. "Leofric, earl of Leicester lived a. d. 716, in the time of Ethelbald, king of Mercia, as appears by the charter of the said King Ethelbald, granted to the abbey of Croyland, which is given at large in the chronicle of Ingulphus.^'^ But for this Leofric's wife, issue, or suc- cessor, no history, or record," says Sir Peter, "makes up the wide breach of descents to the time of Algar L above-mentioned, containing the period of one hundred and twenty years, or thereabouts. So that this Leofric could not be the father of Algar L, as mentioned by Camden." Algar L, according to Ingulphus,^^ was living a. d. 836, and was styled Algar, earl of Leicester, senior, under the reign of Wiglaf, king of Mercia. This Algar was a great benefactor to the Abbey of Croyland. Algar IL was styled Algar earl of Leicester, junior, son of Earl Algar. He lived in the time of Burgred, king of Mercia, a. d. 860, and was slain by the Danes in battle, in the parts of Kesteven, in Lincolnshire, A. D. 870. Sir Peter Leycester says, that Ingulphus does not style these two Algars, earls of Leicester, although they may be supposed to have been so, but ** p. 99. »r p. 852. '« p. 860. 94 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. only Earl Algar, senior and junior; neither does he mention of what family they were. There is now another great interruption in this de- scent, namely, from a. d. 870 to a. d. 1000, when Leofwine lived, containing about one hundred and twenty years more, which is filled up by Camden, by only one generation, Leofric the Second. LeofvN'ine, earl of Leicester, flourished in the reign of King Ethelred, about a. d. 1000. He married and had issue, ]. Leofric, afterwards earl of Mercia, and 2. Norman, one of the principal nobles of Edric Streon, duke of Mercia ; which Norman became Pro- tector of Croyland Abbey by covenant, during his life- time; for which he had the manor of Badby given him for one hunched years, in a. d. 1017, according to In- gulphus,^^ and Hoveden.^*' Leofwine had also two other sons, Edwin, slain by Grifiith, prince of Wales, a. D. 1039,*^' and Godwin.'^- Leofric, the eldest son of Earl Leofwine, was the fifth earl or governor of Mercia. He is sometimes styled earl of Leicester, and sometimes earl of Chester. He was witness to a charter granted by King Canute to the Abbey of Croyland, a. d. 1032, when Canute gave that abbey a gold cup ; which charter was subscribed in these words, 'j-Ego Leofricus Comes Concessi. -f-Ego Algarus filius Leofrici Comitis astiti, etc.*"^ Hoveden tells us,^' that in a. d. 1017, when the traitor Edric " p. 891, 898. 60 p. 437, 442. 6i Monasticon, vol. i. p. 134. 82 Ibid. p. 130. " Ingulphus, p. 89. «* p. 437. EARLS OF MERCIA. 95 Streon was put to death by Canute, there suflfered at the same time Duke Norman, son of Duke Leofsvine and brother of Earl Leofric; Ethelward, son of Duke Agelmar, and Brictric, son of Alphege, of Devonshire.*^^ This Leofric is said to have had a sister called Erme- nilda, whom the Monasticon*^^ calls the mother of Hugh Lupus, earl of Chester ; but of the truth of this there are great doubts. Earl Leofric married Godiva, the sister of Thorold de Buckenhall, sheriff of Lincolnshire.'^^ Sir Peter Ley- cester says, that it is probable he was descended from that Thorold who is mentioned by Ingulphus,^^ as Vice Dominus Lincolniensis, a. d. 851. Earl Leofric and his countess Godiva built or greatly enriched the monasteries of Coventry, Wenlock, Wor- cester, and Evesham, and also the monasteries of St. John Baptist and St. Werburgh, in Chester, and en- dowed the church of St. Mary Stow, which had been built by Ednoth, bishop of Lincoln.^^ This is that celebrated lady Godiva, who obtained from her husband a charter, by which the citizens of Coventry were freed from the servile tenure under which they then lived, on condition that she should ride naked upon horseback through the principal streets of that city, which she accordingly did. Camden, in his Britannia, relates this somewhat 65 Saxon Chron. by Ingram, under 1017. «« vol. i. p. 305. «7 Ingulphus, p. 913, 914. «8 p. 861. «» Florence of Worcester, p. 419.— Hoveden, p. 444. 96 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON, difFerently. — Earl Leofric being angry with the citizens, oppressed them with heavy taxes, whicli he resolved not to lessen. His wife Godiva interceded earnestly with him for their relief, but he remained inexorable, saying that he would not reduce their burdens unless she would consent to ride naked on horseback through the most frequented parts of the city, thinking that she would never comply with such an apparently indecent exposure. She, however, if we may credit common report, rode on horseback through the streets of Coventry covered up with her very long hair, unseen of any, and thus delivered the citizens from a number of taxes for ever.^" The Earl Leofric died at his own town of Bromley on the last day of August, a. d. 1057, and was buried at Coventry, in the monastery which he had built there, then the richest in England. He was succeeded by his son, Algar,earlof Mercia,who is mentioned in Domesday Book,'^ as lord of the manor of Porlock in the reign of Edward the Confessor. He is styled by Hoveden,'''' earl of Mercia ; by Huntington,'^ earl of Chester ; and by Ingulphus,'* earl of Leicester. In 1053 the earldom of the East Saxons, which had before been held by Harold the son of Earl (iodwin, was given to this Algar. In 1056 he was banished by Edward the Confessor, but by the assistance of Griffith, prince of Wales, who had 7" Rritan. vol. ii. p. 446. ?• vol. i. fo. 93. ?= p. 444. 7^ p. 366. '* p. 898. EARLS OF MERCIA. 97 married his daughter, he was reconciled to the king and restored to his earklom. Two years afterward lie was again banished, but being assisted by the same Prince Griffith, and the Norwegian navy, he recovered his earldom by force. In Burton's Anti- quities of Leicestershire,'^ it is said that he married the sister of William Malet, by whom he had two sons, Edwin earl of Mercia, and Morcar, earl of Northum- berland ; and also two daughters, Alditha, first married to Griffith prince of Wales ; and secondly to Harold, king of England ; and Lucy, who was thrice married, first, to Ivo Tailbois, earl of Anjou ; secondly, to Roger de Romare, son of Gerald de Romare, by whom she had issue William de Romare, in her right earl of Lincoln ; and thirdly to Randal de Meschines, Viscount Bayeux in Normandy, lord of Cumberland in England, and afterward earl of Chester, by whom she had also issue, and survived all her husbands. Earl Algar died, a. d. 1059, and was buried at Coventry. He was succeeded as earl of Mercia, by Edwin, his elder son, who with his brother Morcar, stoutly op- posed William duke of Normandy in 1066, but the Conqueror prevailing, Edwin lost his earldom, and about four years afterward the two brothers were treacherously slain. The living is a rectory in the deanery of Dunster, and is in the patronage of the crown. It is valued in 75 p. 168. H 98 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. the king's books at .£18 ll*. 6d. The value is given by Collinson, when he wrote, at <£140, and by Bacon at £170. At present (1829) this Hving is worth up- wards of .£350 per annum. In the Valor Ecclesiasticus, there are the following particulars relating to this benefice : — 1535. Robert Brok, rector. Annual value of the demesne, or glebe lands 3 Tithes of lamb and wool 3 2 Oblations and other casualties .... 13 12 6 19 14 6 Out of which there is paid to the archdeacon of Taunton for pro- curations and synodals 1 3 Clear £18 11 6 The church, which is dedicated to St. Dubritius, is an ancient Gothic structure, ninety-six feet in length, and thirty-four in breadth ; consisting of a nave, south aile, chancel, vestry-room, and porch, all covered with slate. The columns are octangular, with capitals in the Saxon style, supporting five bluntly-pointed arches. There is a low tower, at the west end, with the remains of an octagonal spire shingled, the upper part having been blown down in a storm about one hundred and thirty years ago. The tower, with the spire, is seventy feet high, and contains a clock and five bells. Against the north wall of the chancel, and within PORLOCK CHURCH. 99 the rails of the communion table, there is fixed the ancient stone altar of this church. It has a border of roses, and in the centre an escutcheon, on which are sculptured the five wounds of Christ. The earliest register of this parish was found in 1825, concealed in a loft in the house of Mr. H. Phelps; some members of whose family had formerly served the office of churchwarden. In this register the marriages commence in 1G18; the burials, in 1622; and the baptisms, in 1625; from which time it appears to have been correctly kept. It was the custom at one period, to enter into the register the quality and circumstances of persons who were buried or had children baptised in the parish, from which en- tries great changes appear to have taken place in many famihes; some who were once low having risen to great opulence, whilst others, who were once rich, have experienced reverses, and been reduced to a very humble station. RECTORS OF PORLOCK. Adam Bellenden, occurs 1643. Hamnet Ward,^^ 1648. 7« Dr. Hamnet Ward was a native of Dorsetshire, and had the degree of M. D. conferred upon him at Angers, in France, in 164G. He was rector of PorlocTv, vicar of Sturminstcr-Newton, in his own coimty, and one of the prehendaries of the cathedral church of Wells. He published, I. The Protestant Soldier fighting under Truth's Banner, 1642 ; II. Sermon preached at Shaftes- bury, at the primary visitation of Guy, bishop of Bristol, from Ephesians, ch. iii. V. 8. Land. Ifi74. Dr. Ward also wrote some other things. For more relating to him, see the Memoir of Dr. Byam, under Luccombe. 100 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. RECTORS OF PORLOCK, Continued. W. Mitchell, 1672. Stephen Hales, res. 1755. William Moggridge, occurs 1755, died 1763. Arthur Hele, 1763. George Pollen, 1763. Rev. John Pitman, present rector, 1829. The present curate, the Rev. H. M. Passmore, is in the habit of entering in the register every event of importance that takes place in the parish ; a practice well worthy of imitation by other clergymen. MONUMENTS IN PORLOCK CHURCH. On the south wall of the chancel there is a mural monument of stone and black marble, much orna- mented with painting, gilding, carved foliage, and scrolls. In the front two detached columns of black marble, with corinthian capitals gilt, support a cornice, at each corner of which is an urn lighted. On the centre of this cornice rises an arched pediment, on which recline two cherubs with wings expanded and gilt. Their left hands support a civic crown, and their right the armorial bearings, namely, sahle, six martlets, ai'gent. On the tablet is this inscription : — "Subtus inhumatur Nathaniel Arundel, S. T. B. parochiae de Ex ford rector, et ver^ pastor ; cujus erga Deum sincera pietas, erga ecclesiam intrepidus zelus. MONUMENTS. 101 erga uxorem amor vix imitabilis, erga pauperes sine ostentatione liberalitas, erga universes sine adulatione iirbanitas : — heu quando ullum invenient parem ! Plura vetat magnarum virtutum comes verecundia. Hoc igitur omnia breve claudat encomium ; vivus amicos habuit homines, moriens conscientiam, mortuus Deum. Ob. 6 id. Feb. salutis humanae, 1705, aetatis suae 70. Jana defunctirelicta charissima, necnon reverendi viri Gulielmi Mitchell, hujus eclesiae rectoris, filia natu maxima, hoc supremum posuit devinctissimi amoris monumentum." Above is this coat ; sahle, six martlets, argent^ impaling gules, a chevron, between three swans proper ; for Mitchell. On the same side of the chancel is a plain mural monument of white marble, thus inscribed : — " Near this place lies interred the Rev. Mr. William Moggridge, who was rector of this place twenty-nine years, and vicar of Minehead fifty-three ; who died March 5, 1763, aged 82. " Also Frances his wife, who died Feb. 6, 1765, aged 69. And Joan their daughter, Avho died July 7, 1737, aged 6 years." In the wall of the south aile, under a canopied arch, resting on a platform, a little above the floor, lies the efl^gy of a knight, in chain armour, or mail, cross- legged, the right leg lying uppermost, his head resting on a cushion, his right hand on the hilt of his sword, and a long shield on the left side, and his feet resting 102 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. on the body of a lion. This monument, evidently that of a crusader, probably represents Sir Simon Fitz-Roges, knt., lord of the manor of Porlock in the reign of Richard I., who gave that king a fine of one hundred shillings that he might be allowed to plead bis right to half a knight's fee in Porlock against Richard de Raleigh; and this half knight's fee was ever after held of the honour of Oakhampton. It is greatly to be lamented that this fine monument should be obscured by a large pew erected in front of it by one of the parishioners, and which ought to be removed. Under a rich arched canopy, supported by four stone columns, raised beneath one of the arches that divide the nave from the aile, there is a table monument bearing two recumbent effigies, a male and female, in white marble. The knight is in complete armour, Avith a military belt and sword, and wearing a curious cap over his helmet, and a richly-sculptured garland, composed of grapes and vine leaves. The lady is dressed in a close boddice, with a loose robe over it, and a kind of mitred head dress, very richly orna- mented in imitation of lace. The knight's feet rest upon a lion, and under his head appears a crest, a lion's head erased on a wreath affixed to his helmet. The lady's feet rest upon a boar. It is much to be regretted that this fine monument is scratched and mutilated in every direction. CROSS-LEGGED MONUMENTS. lOo The cross-legged monument is so denominated from its having the recumbent effigy of the deceased knight with his legs crossed over each other, either placed upon it table-wise, or reposing under a canopied arch in the wall of the aile, a little above the floor, but the latter is the more ancient mode. On contemplating in the ailes of our venerable churches the cross-legged monuments, now the only remaining memorials of those courageous and valiant crusaders who carried dismay into the hearts of their Saracen opponents, the days of chivalry rise before us in awful and splendid recollection. We feel and own the spirit of the place ; and contrast the present solemn tranquillity and mournful silence of the tomb with the clangour of Paynim war. We trace with the eye of fancy the fortunes of the soldier of Chkist, from the joyful moment of his investment with the sacred badge to the hour of his triumph or death. His contempt of a perilous march, and his heroic ardour in the fields of Palestine, awe and command our imagination j while his sacrifice of country and kindred throws an air of sublime devotedness around his exploits, and forbids us from censuring with severity the madness of the enter- prize. As in his life, at the call of religion, he unsheathed his sword, and vowed the destruction of the unbelievers, so in death his marble hand grasps the hilt, and his countenance looks defiance and disdain.''"' During the Norman period of our history, the holy war and vows of pilgrimage to Palestine, were esteemed highly meritorious and praiseworthy. The religious order of laymen, the Knights Templars, were received, cherished, and enriched throughout Europe ; and the individuals of that community, after death, being usually buried cross-legged, in token of the banner under which they fought, and completely armed in regard to their being soldiers, this sort of monu- ment grew much into fashion, and although all the effigies with which we meet in that shape are commonly called Knights Templars, yet there is strong reason to believe that many of those effigies do not represent persons of that community. It will here be proper, by way of illustration of this venerable and ?7 Mills's History of the Crusades, Preface, p. v. xj, 104 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. interesting branch of our monumental history, to give a short descrip- tion of some of the more remarkable specimens which are yet to be foujid in our cathedral, conventual, and larger parish churches. It is necessary to premise that the Order of Knights Templars had its rise but in the year 1118, yet so early as 1 134, we find Robert, duke of Normandy, son of William the Conqueror, represented in this manner on his tomb in Gloucester cathedral. This is one of the earliest specimens we have of the cross-legged monument. It is made of Irish oak, as well the table part, as the effigy. On the pannels are the arms of several of the worthies, and at the foot, the arms of France and England, quarterly, which shew that these escutcheons were painted since the reign of King Henry IV. This monument stood entire until the parliamentary army, during the Cromwell usurpation, having garrisoned the city of Gloucester against the king, the soldiers tore it to pieces, which being about to be burned, were bought of them by Sir Humphrey Tracy, of Stanway, and privately laid up until the restoration, when the pieces were put togetlier, repaired, and ornamented, and again placed in their former situation by Sir Humphrey, who also addeda wire screen for their future preservation. There is an engraving of this monument in Sandford's Genealogical History, which Rudder, in his History of Gloucester, calls a " noble representation" of it. The next monument of this class, in point of chronology, is that of Geoffrey de Magnaville, the first earl of Essex, in the Temple Church in London, who died in 1148. He is represented cross-legged in mail, with a surcoat, and round helmet flattened on the top, with a nose-piece, which was of iron to defend the nose from swords. His head rests on a cushion placed lozenge wise, his right hand on his breast, a long sword at his right side, and on his left arm a long pointed shield, charged with an escarbuncle on a diapered field. This is the first instance in England of armorial bearings occurring on a sepul- chral monument. It may fairly be presumed from the interest which the Templars took in his remains, that this carl was a knight of their order. Being driven to despair by the confiscation of his estates by King Stephen, CROSS-LEGGED MONUMENTS. 105 he indulged in every act of violence, and making an attack on the castle of Burwell, was there mortally wounded, and carried off by the Templars, who, however, as he died under sentence of excommunica- tion, declined giving him christian burial, but wrapping his body up in lead, hung it on a crooked tree in the orchard of the Old Temple, in London. \A'illiam, prior of Walden, having obtained absolution for him of tlie Pope, made application for his body, for the purpose of burying it at Walden, upon which the Templars took it down from the tree, and deposited it in the cemetary of the New Temple. In the Temple Church there still remain, in addition to the above, the cross-legged effigies of ^Villiam Marshall, earl of Pembroke, who died in 1219 5 William his son, who died in 1231 j and Gilbert, another sou, who died in 12-11, and also many others. Henry Lacy, earl of Lincoln, who died in 1312, was also represented in this manner on his fine tomb, which was in St. Paul's Cathedral before the fire of London. But it is believed that not one of these last- mentioned personages, who are represented cross-legged, on their monuments^ were of the order of Templars. Supposing, however, that these monuments were designed to denote at least that the persons to whose memory they were erected, had been in the Holy Land, yet it is certain that all who had been there did not follow this fashion ; for Edmund Crouchback, earl of Lancaster, second son of King Henry HL had been in Palestine, and yet, as it appears by his monument still remaining in Westminster Abbey, is not represented cross-legged. This tomb has been very lofty, and was painted, gilt, and inlaid with stained glass, to imitate Mosaic. The inside of the canopy has repre- sented the sky with stars, but through age it is changed into a dull red. On the base towards the area are the remains of the figures of ten knights, armed, with banners, surcoats of armour, and cross-belted, in- tending by this undoubtedly to represent his expedition to the Holy Land; thenumber of knights exactly corresponding with what Matthew Parish relates, namely, Edmund and his elder brother, four earls and four knights, of whom some may yet be discovered, particularly the Lord Roger Clifford, as were formerly in Waverly's time, William de Valence and Thomas de Clare. This monument is engraved in Sand- 106 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON ford's Genealogical History, in Gough's Sepulchral Monuments, and in Dart's History of Westminster Abbey. It may be observed of the monuments in the Temple church, that Magnaville, William Marshall, junior, and the last figure in the north group have their legs crossed in an unusual manner. They lie on their backs, and yet cross their legs as if they lay on their sides. So were those of Henry Lacy, earl of Lincoln, in Old St. Paul's. The spurs of all are remarkably short, and seem rather straps with rowels. Not above two or three have the long pointed shoe, and two have their surcoats exactly reaching to the knee, vrhereas the others are of different lengths, and fall more easily. The representation of the deceased knight by a recumbent effigy, cross-legged, and placed upon a monument either table-wise, or re- posing on a platform, under a canopied arch in the wall of the aile, a little above the floor, seems to have been the prevailing fashion from the coming of the Knights Templars into England, in the reign of King Stephen, till the dissolution of their order, in the sixth year of Edward IL, 1312, when the Templars fell into the greatest contempt, and their fashions of all kinds were totally abolished. It must, however, be acknowledged, that this sort of monument did not en- tirely cease after the year 1312, for there is one in the church of Leekhampton, in Gloucestershire, which, by tradition, is said to be for Sir John Giffard, who died possessed of that manor in the third of Edward III., 132S. The uncertainty to what order of knights the persons represented on table tombs by across-legged recumbent effigy, belonged, whether of the order of Templars, or of some other religious or military com- munity, has been already noticed ; I therefore propose to conclude these remarks with the observations of Dr. Nash on this description of monument, inserted in his History of Worcestershire. " That these figures were not intended to represent any persons belonging to the Templars, it may be urged, first, that the knights of that order fol- lowed the rule of the Canons Regular of St. Augustin, and as such were under a vow of celibacy. Now there is scarcely any one of these monuments, which is certainly knowTi for whom it was erected. CROSS-LEGGED MONUMENTS. 107 but it is as certain that the person that it represents was a married man. " Secondly, tlie Knights Templars always wore a white habit, with a red cross on the left shoulder. It is believed that not a single instance can be produced of either the mantle or cross being sculp- tured on any of these monuments, which surely would not have been omitted, as by it they were distinguished from all other orders, had these effigies been really designed to represent Knights Templars. " Thirdly, this order was not confined to England only, but was dispersed all over Europe ; yet it will be very difficult to find one cross- legged monument any where out of England ; whereas no doubt they would have abounded in France, Italy, and elsewhere, had it been a fashion peculiar to that celebrated order. " For these reasons, though it cannot be allowed that the cross- legged recumbent effigies were intended solely to represent persons of the order of Knights Templars, yet there is good ground for suppos- ing that they have some relation to them. These monuments are un- doubtedly memorials of those zealous devotees, who had either been in Palestine, personally engaged in what was called the Hol>/ fVar, and in history, the Crusades, fighting under the sacred banner of the cross, and on their death were represented by an effigy cross-legged, or, as in the figures on the sides of the monument of Edmund Crouchback, in Westminster Abbey, in armour with cross-belts, in token of their sincere affection and religious devotion for the symbol of our eternal redemption and salvation ; and that they had offered up their lives in defence of our holy religion. In addition to those so represented as having been personally engaged in the Holy War, it is probable that in some other instances they may have represented persons who had laid themselves nnder a vow to go to Palestine, or who had been signed with the cross preparatory to the voyage, but had been prevented by death from fulfilling their vow. Some few indeed might possibly be erected to the memory of persons who had made pilgrimages thither, merely out of devotion ; and among the latter probably was the lady of the family of Metham, of Metham, in Yorkshire; to whose memory a cross-legged monument 108 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. was placed in a chapel adjoining the once collegiate church of Howden, and is at this day remaining, together with that of her husband, on the same tomb. " As this religious mania lasted no longer than the reign of our Henry III., the seventh and last crusade being published in the year 1268 5 and the whole order of Knights Templars dissolved in the sixth of Edward II., military expeditions to the Holy Land, as well as devout pilgrimages thither, had their period by the year 1312j consequently none of those cross-legged monuments can be of a more early date than the reign of King Stephen, when those ex- peditions first took place in this kingdom, nor later than the reign of Edward II., or the beginning of that of Edward III." It is usual to find in these monuments the feet of the effigy of the knight resting on the body of a lion, which was intended as the symbol of military courage and valour ; whilst the feet of the lady, where a lady is represented, rest on the body of a dog, denoting the symbol of fidelity. The table tomb appears to have been contemporary with the cross- legged monuments. The table tomb has the figures recumbent upon it, with their hands joined in a praying posture, sometimes with a rich canopy 5 and again, some very plain, without any figures. Round the edge of these were sometimes inscriptions on brass plates, which are now too frequently torn off and destroyed. The most ancient table monument that is extant of the sovereigns of this kingdom, is that of King John, in the choir of Worcester cathedral. His effigy lies on the tomb, crowned ; in his right hand he holds the sceptre, in his left a sword, the point of which is received into the mouth of a lion couchant at his feet. The figure is as large as life, and the body was doubtless placed in the coffin, nearly in the same form, and arrayed in such a robe as the figure on the tomb, with his sword in his left hand and booted. On each side of the head, on the tomb, are cumbent effigies in small, of the Bishops St. Oswald and St. Wulstan, represented as censing him." CHANTRIES. 109 In the year 1426/" Sir William Harington, knt., according to Collinson, (the Liber Regis calls him Sir John) founded a chantry in Porlock church, for two priests to celebrate divine service daily, for the health of his own soul, and the souls of his ancestors; which chantry he endowed with lands in Ugboroagh, in the county of Devon; as also with divers messuages in the town of Porlock. The house wherein the priest re- sided, is standing near the church, and is still called the Chantry House. In the I'alor Ecclesiasticus, there are the following particulars relating to this chantry: 1535. William England and Robert Lauraans, chantry priests. Rents of assize as well of the free as the customary tenants in Ug- borough 20 4 1 Rent of a tenement, with the ap- purtenances, in Doverhayes .... 3 2 Perquisites of the courts 10 23 16 1 Out of which there is paid the fee of John Gylbert Seneschal there 13 Carried forward, £0 13 4 23 16 1 7* Rot. Pat. Pro Cantar. de Porlock, in Com. Somersett. 14 Edw. IV. m. 13, 110 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Brought forward, £0 13 4 23 16 1 In alms distributed to di- vers poor persons on the foundation of Sir John Harington, knt 4 6 8 A payment to the rector of Porlock 2 6 A payment to the lord of Luccombe, as a chief- rent 8 To the abbot of Cleve for procurations and visita- tions of the same chan- try priests 10 A payment to the principal lord 5 5 13 7 Clear £18 2 6 Dr. Heylyn informs us that chantries consisted of salaries to one or more priests to say mass daily for the souls of their deceased founders, which, not subsisting of themselves, were generally Incor- porated and united with some church, parochial or otherwise."'-^ As there were forty-seven chantries in the old church of St. Paul at London, and but fourteen altars,^ it was possible for several to be founded at the same altar. From the remaining " Fenestellae" it is not unreasonable to conclude, that at the east ends of the north and 80 Fuller's Church Histor)', p. 350. 79 Heylyn'8 History of the Reformation, p. 51. CHANTRIES. Ill south ailes of many parish churches, two such altars once stood, whose officiating priests were bound by an oath to exhibit due obedience to the curate of the mother church j^i and the four priests appointed to officiate in the chantry of John Holland, duke of Exeter, in St. Katharine's, near the Tower, were bound to the choir every double feast in the year.^ In chantries founded for more than one clergyman, it was usual for each to say a different mass, one of which was always of " Requiem." When a person was not sufficiently rich to endow a perpetual chantry, it was common for an anniversary chap- lain to sing masses for the repose of his soul during a certain space, for which a stipend was left, as appears by the will of Robert Wolsey, father of the famous Cardinal.83 In the church-yard there is a stately stone cross, with three rows of steps, which is kept in good re- pair hy the parishioners. There is also a large and venerable yew tree standing near the cross, casting its shade around to a considerable distance. The cross was under one form or other of it, a kind of monument of art, which very long and very generally subsisted. It was con- structed of various materials, but most commonly of stone, and was intended to answer a variety of purposes, civil and religious. Their general design was to excite public homage to the religion of Christ crucified, and to inspire men with a sense of morality and piety. They were not only placed in church-yards, but were also frequently erected to mark the boundaries of districts, of church property, and of sanctuaiy; some were erected as monuments to the memory of eminent persons. The preaching cross, stone pulpit, or oratory, was 81 Ayliffe's Perergon Juris Canonici, p. 166. 32 Royal Wills, p. 287, 8? Fiddes's Life of Wolsey. 112 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTOX. probably first erected for the purpose of sheltering and accommoda- ting the minister when he preached to a large concourse of people in the open air, or for his convenience in reading the funeral service. There were also market crosses of various shapes and sizes. The crosses of memorial erected by King Edward I. where the corpse of his beloved Queen, Eleanor, rested in its progress from the place of her death to London, were of pecuUar beauty. There were fifteen of these elegant structures, but only three are now remaining, one at Geddington, another at Northampton, and the third at Waltham. Their peculiar beauty, as specimens of architecture and productions of ancient art, serve to excite regret at the destruction of the others. It was not until the days of Pope Gregory II., early in the eighth century, that church-yards had a beginning ; the dead being usually buried either near the highways, as the lloman laws directed, and which practice was followed by the Christian congregations, or else in places remote from the walls of the city or town, set apart for that purpose. But in the time of Gregory II. the priests and monks began to offer prayers for the deceased, and received gifts and offer- ings from the relations for the performance of those duties ; on which they requested the Pope, that the dead might be buried near the places of the monks' abode, or in the very churches or monas- teries ; in order that the relations, coming to the worship and solem- nities used in those places, might see their graves, remember them, and be moved to join in prayer and processions near their remains. Cuthbert, archbishop of Canterbury, in 750, brought over this practice into England, and hence is dated the origin of church- yards in this island used as burial-grounds ; thence it grew into a custom to bury in the church, so much that it gave occasion to a canon, made somewhat before the time of Edward the Con- fessor, de nan sepeliendo in Ecclesiis. Then it was practised in the nave, or body, only of the church, and afterwards under arches by the side of the walls. Lanfranc, archbishop of Canterbury, seems to have been the first who brought up the use of vaults in chancels YEW TREES 113 and under the very altars, when he re-built the church of Canterbury about the year 10/5.^ In the southern counties of England almost every church-yard has its yew-tree, and some have two j but in the northern counties few are to be found. An anonymous writer in the Gentleman's Maga- zine,S5 suggests that the yew afforded branches for the processions on Palm Sunday. In the eastern and northern counties the children gather the branches of the sallow, which is then in flower, and carry them about on that festival. The yew-tree has been considered an emblem of mourning from the earliest times. The more ancient Greeks planted round their tombs such trees only, as bore no fruit, as the elm, the cypress, and the yew. This practice they received from the Egyptians ; the Romans adopted it from the Greeks 5 and the Britons from the Romans. From long habits of association the yew acquired a sacred character ; and therefore was considered as the best and most appro- priate ornament for consecrated ground. The custom of placing them singly is equally ancient. Statius calls it the solitary yew ; and it was, at one time, as common in the church-yards of Italy as it is now in North and South Wales. In many villages of that principality the yew tree and the church are coeval with each other.^ The comparative value of a yew with other trees, in former times, may be seen from the following table, taken from the ancicutlaws of Wales: — A consecrated yew, its value is a pound. An oak, its value is six-score pence, A. misseltoe branch, its value is three-score pence. Thirty-pence is the value of every principal branch in the oak. Three-score pence is the value of a sweet apple tree. Thirty-pence is the value of a sour apple tree. Fifteen-pence is the value of a wood yew tree. Seven-pence half-penny is the value of a thorn tree. Four-pence is the value of every tree after that. »* Rennet's Par. Antiq. p. 592. — Newcome's Hist, of St. Alban's, p. 109. 85 1786, p. 941. 86 Bucke's Harmonies, vol. ii. p. 329. I 114 HISTORY Ol LARHAMPTON. The great value set upon a consecrated yew, in the above table, in comparison with a common tree of the same kind, induces one, among other reasons to think, that the yew was commonly planted in church-yards, rather from motives of superstition, than on account of its utility in making bows, as many have supposed ; for a single tree would have afforded a very scanty supply for this purpose. Our forefathers were particularly careful in preserving this funereal tree, whose branches it was usual to carry in solemn procession to the grave, and afterward to deposit therein, under the bodies of their departed friends. Our learned Ray says, that our ancestors planted the yew in church-yards, because it was an ever-green tree, as a symbol of that immortality which they hoped and believed for the persons there deposited. For the same reason branches or twigs of this and other ever-green trees are even yet carried in funerals and thrown into the grave with the corpse in some parts of England; and in Wales, planted with flowers, upon the grave itself. Formerly, says Mr. Gilpin,'^'' the yew was what the oak is now, the basis of our [national] strength. Of it the old English yeoman made his long-bow, which, he vaunted, none but an Englishman could bend. In shooting he did not, as in other nations, keep his left hand steady, and draw his bow with his right j but keeping his right at rest upon the nerve, he pressed the whole weight of his body into the horns of his bow. Hence arose the English phrase of bending a bow ; and the French of drawing one. So great was the demand for yew in the days of archery, that our own stock could not supply the bowyers ; and they were obliged by statute to import staves of it for making bows, sometimes at a very high price. By the fifth of Edward IV. it was directed that every Englishman in Ireland, and Irishman dwelling with Englishmen, shall have an English bow of his own height, made of yew, wyche, hazel, ash, or auburue, (perhaps alder). But " as for brazcll," says Roger Ascham,^ " elme, wyche, and ashe, experience doth prove them *? Forest Scenery, vol. i. p. 92. ^9 Works, ed. Bcnn. \'M. STATISTICAL NOTICES. 115 to be but mean for bowes 3 and so to conclude, eice, of all oilier things is that, whereof perfect shooting would have a bowe made." All Venetian ships with every butt of malmsey wine, were to import ten bow staves, as the price had risen from forty shiUings to eight pounds a hundred. The eighth of Elizabeth, chap. 10, regulates the price of bows, and the thirteenth of Elizabeth, chap. 14, enacts that bow staves shall be brought into the realm from the Hans towns and the eastward. From the end, however, of the reign of Henry VIII. archery seems to have been considered as a pastime.^ In 1776, the money expended in this parish on account of the poor was £30 13*. 2^.; and in 1785, £61 18*. Qd. In 1803, the money raised by the parish rates, in- chiding the tithings of Bossington, Sparks-Hay, and Yearnor, was £180 \6s. Od., at 2*. 4d. in the pound. In 1814, the estimated annual value of the real property in this parish, as assessed to the property tax, was In Porlock £1435 Bossington 1001 Part of Yearnor 320 £2756 In 1818, the county rate was For Porlock ^1 -^ ^^i Bossington 1 IO4 Part of Yearnor 6 8 89 Arcliseologia, vol. vii. p. 54 to 65 IIG HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. The land tax charged annually upon the tithings of Porlock, Bossington, and Yearnor, is as under : — Porlock £64 10 Bossington 82 1 Yearnor 17 13 6 In 1801, the resident population of this parish was 600. In the population abstract of 1821, the return for Porlock stands thus : Houses inhabited 138 Houses uninhabited 3 Houses building 2 Families 151 Of whom were employed In agriculture 78 In trade 49 All others 24 Persons : — viz. Males 361 Females 408 Total 769 Increase in twenty years ... 169 In the parochial returns relating to the education of the poor, made to the House of Commons in 1818, the Rev. H. M. Passmore, the minister of this parish, states that there is a small day school here, supported by voluntary subscription, consisting of twenty-three CHARITIES. 117 children. The poor are very anxious to have their children educated, and would be thankful for any assistance afforded them. In 1815, there were forty-seven poor here. BENEFACTIONS TO THE POOR. Against one of the pillars in the nave of the church, there is a table containing the following statement of benefactions to the poor: — on the top are the arms of Rogers, namely, argent, a chevron, between three bucks trippant, sable. " Henry Rogers, of Cannington, esq. sometime lord of this manor, by his last will gave the sum of £2350 for the purchasing of lands, the clear rents and profits thereof to be employed towards the maintenance of twenty poor people ; eight of the said poor to live within the manor of Porlock, and to have their pro- portions ; which lands have been since purchased in the names of Sir Edward Wyndham, hart.. Sir Francis Warre, hart., and others, to the number of twelve trustees ; and when any five of them shall die, the sur- vivors are, within six months after, to elect so many more fit and able persons to manage the trust. The vicar of Cannington, for the time being, is appointed to be one, according to a deed of trust, one copy whereof remains in our vestry. William Ruscomb, Steward." 118 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. There is also another charity of £25 a year, being the rent of an estate in Winsford parish, formerly left by Mrs. Rogers. In the fifteenth report of the commissioners con- cerning charities, there is the following account of Mr. Rogers's benefaction : — " Henry Rogers, by his will, bearing date the 8th of May, 1672, bequeathed to his trustees and executors therein named, the sum of £G00 for the parish of Can- nington, in this county ; the trusts whereof he declared in the following words : — * Towards raising a stock and a working-house for maintenance of the poor, such as are now inha])iting within the parish of Can- nington, or hereafter may inhabit there, and whose ancestors have been born there, but not to any new incomers or intruders that shall hereafter come to settle there.' " The said testator then proceeds as follows : — ' Item, I give to the poor of the parish of Porlock, * the like sum of <£600 to be laid out and employed by ' my trustees and executors, for maintaining of the ' poor there, as I have before directed, for Cannington.' " In or about the year 1688, an information was filed in the court of chancery, by his Majesty's then Attorney-General, at the relation of the churchwardens and overseers of the poor of the several parishes of Fificld, in the county of Southampton, and Canning- ton and Porlock, in the county of Somerset, against the several persons therein mentioned to be the trus- CHARITIES. 119 tees of the said Henry Rogers, deceased, defendants, for establishing these charities ; and by a decree made in the said cause, dated •23rd of July, 1689, reciting, that the said several sums bequeathed by the said Henry Rogers, to the said parishes respectively, had been paid by his executors, it was declared, that the said several sums of money ought to be applied according to the will of the said testator, that it should be referred to one of the masters of the said court, to certify the most convenient method of laying out the said several sums of money for the benefit of the said parishes respec- tively, and that the said money should be laid out as the said master should direct." '*By indentures of lease and release, dated re- spectively the 29th and 30tli of January, 1689, and made between Thomas Kent and others, of the first part; Alexander Popham, esq. and others therein named, of the second part ; and Warwick Bampfylde, esq., of the third part ; the said Thomas Kent, and others, in consideration of the sum of £460, which said money was declared to be a part of the said £600 above-mentioned to have been given to the said parish of Porlock, by the will of the said Henry Rogers aforesaid, did convey to the said Alexander Popham, and others, of the second part, their heirs and assigns, all that messuage and tenement commonly called by the name of Nether Staddon, situate at Winsford- Bossing, in the county of Somerset; and all that piece or close of ground, commonly called by the name of 120 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Lower Staddon, situate in Winsford aforesaid; to hold to them, their heirs and assigns, for ever, in trust, that they and the survivor of them, his and their heirs and assigns, should for ever thereafter, dispose of the rents and profits of the said premises, towards raising a stock for keeping such of the poor of the parish of Porlock, as were then inhabiting within the same parish, or should inhabit there, and whose ancestors had been born there ; but not to any new incomers or intruders that should come to settle there ; and upon further trust, that when any three or more of the trustees should die, the survivor should convey the said trust premises to six or more persons, sub- stantial freeholders, leaseholders or copyholders, inhabit- ing in or near the said parish of Porlock to be trustees of the said premises, and so toties quoties; all such new trustees to be from time to time chosen by the minis- ter, or incumbent of the said parish, together with the churchwardens and overseers of the poor, and most sub- tantial inhabitants of the same parish for the time being. " By an indenture, bearing date the 2nd of Decem- ber, 1806, made between John Kent and William Stoate, of Porlock, of the one part; and George Pollen, rector of Porlock, and several other persons therein named, of the other part ; reciting the said will, decree, and indentures, of the 29th and 30th of January, 1689, last mentioned; and also reciting di- vers intermediate conveyances of the trust property to new trustees, whereby the same was become vested CHARITIES. 121 in them the said John Kent and William Stoate, did thereby grant, release and confirm the said trust estates unto the said Georsje Pollen and others; to hold to them, their heirs and assigns, for ever, upon the trusts of the said will and indentures, therein before-mentioned." The present trustees are the Rev. Hugh Passmore, curate of Porlock; William Terrell, John Fry, John Slowley, Robert Griffiths, John Rawle, Thomas Fry, William Stoate, Thomas Parramore, William Fry, John Groves, William Ridler, and William Thomas. The premises called Nether and Lower Staddon, in the parish of Winsford, constitute one form, consisting of fifty or sixty acres of high land, and is now let to William Ridler, a farmer, living in the said parish, as tenant from year to year, at the rent of forty pounds. It was let by the minister and trustees to the best tenant, and for the highest rent that could be obtained for the same. The rent is received by the overseers of the parish of Porlock, and applied by them, together with the monies raised for the support of the poor of the parish, and accounted for by the overseers, together with the poor-rates. This rent appears by the overseers' books always to have had the same application. A moiety of the rents and profits of certain lands in Cannington aforesaid, which were purchased with the sum of £2350, were to be applied towards the main- 122 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. tenance of twenty poor persons, four of whom were to be of the parish of Biirnham, and sixteen of the manor of Porlock. Eight shares of this property belong to the parish of Porlock, and the amount is paid by the treasurer of the trust to an agent at Porlock, for distribution, according to the directions of the decree. The agent so employed for receiving and distributing the shares belonging to the parishof Porlock, is Mr. John Rawle,^*^ a substantial farmer, resident in the parish. He makes the distribution in equal portions to sixteen poor per- sons, nominated by the trustees of the said charity, not receiving parish pay, and living within the manor of Porlock, and continues the payments to the same persons until vacancies occur by death. The minister has hitherto usually been consulted by the trustees, on the appointment of the objects of the charity. Soon after the conc(uest of England by the duke of Normandy, the manor of Porlock was given by the conqueror to Baldwin de Execestre, one of his faithful adherents and followers ; and accordingly we find in Domesday Book, the following description of it : — " Drogo holds of Baldwin de Execestre Portloc. Algar held it in the time of King Edward, and it was assessed to the geld for three hides. The arable land is sufficient for 12 ploughs. There are 6 villans, 3 9" Mr John Rawle, fiincc this Report was made, has left Porlock. FAMILY OF REDVERS. 123 bordars, and 6 bondmen ; 300 acres of" wood, and 500 acres of pasture. When he received it, it was worth four pounds, now only 25 shillings." In the Exeter Domesday, fo. 294, this Drogo is called Rogo Fitz Nigel, and he is said to hold here in demesne one hide and a half, and the tenants in villanage the other land. This Baldwin had various appellations, sometimes being denominated from the place of his birth, from his country, or his residence, and sometimes from his officiary dignity. He is sometimes called Baldwin de Brioniis, from his father having been earl of Bri- enne in Normandy ; at others Baldwin de Molis, from the castle of Mola in that duchy, where he was born ; again Baldwin de Exeter, from the place of his resi- dence in Devonshire, and Baldwin flcecomes, and Baldwin Sheriff', from having the government of that county intrusted to him by the conqueror. He was descended from Richard I. dnke of Nor mandy, whose natural son Geoffrey bore the title of earl of Ewe. The latter had a son Gilbert Crispin, earl of Brienne, whose two sons, Richard Fitz-Gilbert (ancestor of the carls of Clare) and this Baldwin, accompanied William duke of Normady into England. Baldwin had great possessions given him in the counties of Dorset, Somerset, and Devon, in which latter county he held one hundred and fifty-nine lordships, and in Exeter nineteen houses, besides the castle which he built there, and in which he resided. He married 124 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Albreda cousin of the conqueror, and daughter of his aunt; by whom he bad three sons, Richard, Robert, and William. His eldest son and his posterity assumed the name de Redvers, de Ripanis, now Rivers. CoHinson, in his History of Somerset,^^ says that the successors of this Baldwin, earls of Devon, enjoyed this estate, but in process of time enfeoffed the manor on the family of Roges or Fttz-Roges, of which name were many in this county, and also in that of Devon ; but it appears from Domesday Book that the first possessor Baldwin de Exeter, conferred it upon Drogo, the same person who is called Rogo Fitz-Nigel in the Exeter Domesday, and who was probably the ancestor of the family of Roges or Fitz-Roges above-mentioned. In the reign of Henry H. Anthony de Porlock, a local surname assumed from this town, held half a knight's fee in Porlock of Robert Fitz-Roges. And in the first year of Richard I. (1189), Simon Fitz- Roges, lord of this manor, paid a fine of one hundred shillings for impleading his right to half a knight's fee in Porlock against Richard de Raleigh. This half knight's fee was ever after held of the castle of Oak- hampton, the barony of the earls of Devon. And accordingly we find that by an inquisition taken in the first of Richard II. (1377), Hugh de Courtenay, late earl of Devon, held half a knight's fee in Porlock, as of the honour of Oakhampton.^^ 3' vol. ii. p. 36. " Inq. p. m. 1 Ric. 2. No. 12.— Chal. rol. iii. p. 2. FAMILY OF FITZ-ROGES. 125 Previously to the twenty-sixth of Edward I. the town of Porlock, with its woods, heaths, and appurte- nances, then the property of Simon Roges de Porlock, had heen included by encroachment within the boun- dary of the forest of Exmoor ; but in that year it was disafforested, according to the tenor of the charter of forests ; and entirely freed from the oppressive restric- tions of the forest laws. This manor and the advowson of the church con- tinued for many generations in the family of Roges, until the beginning of the reign of Edward III. By an inquisition taken in the thirty-fourth of Edward I. (1306), Simon Roges de Porlock and Isabella his wife were found to hold the town of Porlock.^^ Sometime before 1317, Simon Roges de Porlock being then dead, Herbert de Marisco, who had married Isabel his widow, presented Richard de Birlaunde to the church here. After this the manor of Porlock passed to the family of Stokhay, and after some descents to Sir Nigel de Loaring (de Lotharingia, now Lorraine) knight of the garter. In the thirty-ninth of Edward III., this Sir Nigel de Loaring obtained a charter of the king for a market and fair at Porlock, and also a licence to make a park there.^* He married Margaret daughter of Sir Ralph Beaupel, of Lankey, in the county of Devon, »» Inq. p. m. 34 Edw. I. Simon Roges de Porlock et Isabella uxor ejus, Porlocke villa extent ibidem ampla. — Gal, vol. i. p. 206. 94 Rot. Chart. 39 & 40 Edw. III. No. 10.— Calendar, p. 185. 126 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. by whom he had two daughters, to whom he left this and his other estates. Elizabeth, the elder, (called Isabel by CoUinson) became the wife of Robert Lord Harington ; and Margaret, the younger, first married Thomas Peyner, and secondly, Sir Thomas Poynings, knight. On the partition of these estates between the daugh- ters, the manor of Porlock came to Robert Lord Harington, and in the seventh of Henry IV. this Ro- bert Lord Harington, was found by an inquisition to hold the manor of Porlock, and the advowson of the church, as of the manor of Oakhampton.^^ Afterward this manor and advowson descended to William Bon- ville. Lord Harington, and by Cecily his daughter and heiress, to Henry Grey, duke of Suffolk, by whose attainder it fell to the crown, and was granted to the family of Rogers of Cannington. Edward Rogers died seized of this manor in 1627. Sir Francis Rogers died in the fifteenth of Charles L, and was succeeded by Hugh Rogers, his son and heir, whose wardship and marriage were granted to Sir John Hele and Thomas Smith, esq. It afterwards came to the Blathwaites, and in 1790 was possessed by William Blathwaite, of Dyrham, in the county of Gloucester, esq., and after his death, by marriage with his daugh- ter, by Admiral Douglas. 95 Inq. p. m. 7 Hen. 4. — Robert de Harington, Chivalcr, Porlok Maner. ct advoc. Ecclesie ut de Manerio de Okehampton. — Cal. vol. iii. p. 309. PORLOCK WEAR. 127 The manor bouse has the name of JVorthy,^ a part of it has been pulled down and rebuilt, and is at this time inhabited by Captain Cox. It stands near the Wear, about two miles from Porlock ; and at a little distance from it, there is a small cottage called the oratory, Avhich, tradition says, was formerly a cell to Barlinch priory in this county. The rector of Porlock is also lord of a manor, called " the parson's manor," the whole of which is held by copyhold tenants for Hves. He holds a court baron, and receives arbitrary fines for putting in fresh lives, heriots, &c. The manor of Sparks-Hay, which formerly was a member of the great manor of Porlock, belongs to Lord King. HAMLETS IN THE PARISH OF PORLOCK. PORLOCK-WEAR. The village of Porlock-Wear stands on the sea-shore, about a mile and a half from Porlock, and is properly its port. Here is a good inn, and a small quay. It contains about twenty-one houses. There are three sloops belonging to this place, and many fishing-boats, but few of the latter are ever employed, except in the herring-fishing season, when, in some years, the fisher- men take great numbers. The sloops are principally 9« From the Anglo-Saxon u-eorthirj, the same as the Latin atrium, prcedium, fundus, a dwelling. 128 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. employed in carrying timber, grain, malt, and flonr to Wales; and in bringing back lime-stone, coals, and cnlra. This village is situated at the corner of a beautiful bay, terminating a sort of semi-circular area, which is almost entirely inclosed by hills, and smiles with ver- dure and cultivation. Bossington Point, forming the eastern and opposite corner, presents a grand scene of craggy rocks, some torn from the main land ; others hollowed into caverns by frequent tempests, and the rest elevating themselves in the boldest manner to the height of full three hundred feet. On the eminences above the villages there are hanging w^oods of beech, oak, and elm, which, with the crags peeping above the foliage, have an uncommon richness and luxuriance of effect. Stretching along the mountains that slope towards the severn, and encircling their feet as well as their brows ; this continued thicket tempted us to ramble through the shady mazes, in search of their botanical productions. Several species of the crypto- gamous class, deserve at least in this district, to be ranked among the rarer ones, such as bryum verticilla- tum, hypnum compressum, lichen cochleatus, scrobi- culatus, and apthosus. What a sweet train of peaceful, yet elevated ideas such scenes will naturally excite ! These are the objects which captivate the contemplative man. When recalled to the portal of that wide mansion where "the busy hum" of the more active part of his species is heard, it PORLOCK-WEAR. 129 is not to be wondered at if lie should often look back with emotions of regret and tenderness to the serenity of nature. On the other hand, he, who has been in- volved, during a long period, in the multifarious cares, and inquietudes, and contentions of life, will be in- capable of feeling the refined sensations, which the former fosters with so much ardour; nor will he " Exempt from public haunts. " Find tongues in trees^ books in the running streams, " Sermons in stones, and good in every thing." The road to Minehead lies between several noble emi- nences, the steep sides of which arc either ornamented with broad patches of wood, or covered with excellent herbage for sheep. The valleys are remarkably fertile, being overspread with a strong deep soil, and moistened by numerous rivulets.^^ VVEST-PORLOCK. This is a village containing sixteen houses, about half a mile between Porlock and Porlock-Wear. YEARNOR. This village stands on a hill, in the western part of the parish, and contains only six houses. »7 Maton's Tour in the Western Counties, vol. ii. p. 93, %. K 130 HISTORY OF ( ARHAMPTON. BOSSINGTON.^ The hamlet and tithing of Bossington, in the east- ern division of this parish, lies about one mile from Porlock, under Orestone hill. Before the conquest, this was a manor, and formed part of the possessions of the abbey of Athelney, having been appropriated to keep- ini»the table of the monks. In Domesday ])ook, it is entered as belonging to Ralph de Limesi, one of the conqueror's followers, and is thus described: — " Ralph de Limesi holds Bosintune. The church of Adelingi held it in the time of King Edward, and it was assessed to the geld for one hide. It was appro- priated to the table of the monks. The arable land is sufficient for five ploughs. There is in the demesne one plough and one bondman ; there are five villans and two bordars, who have one plough. There is a pasture one mile in length, and half a mile in breadth. It was and is now worth twenty shillings. When the king gave his land to Ralph de Limesi, the church of Athelney was seized of this manor."^'-* In the Exeter Domesday, the manor of Bossington is entered under the head of " The Land of the Free Thanes, in Somersetshire," of whom Ralph de Limesi appears to have been one.^ S8 Bossington— from the Bclgic BoscJi; Teutonic Bosch, the same as the Latin Silva, a wood or forest— and run, a Town— that is the Forest Tpwn, from its vicinity to Exmoor forest. «'•' Exchcq. D. vol. i. fo. 1)7, col. 1. ' E.von. D. fo. 428. BOSSINGTON. 131 Attej; this the manor was hohlen of the same abbey, by the scnice of oiu; kuights fee and a rent of thirty shillings. In the time of Henry II. Talbot de Hethlield agreed, under his seal, to hold the same of Benedict, abbot of Athelney, and his successors, and l)esides the ai)ove acknowledgment, to assist the abbots against their enemies, under pain of excomnmnication. His descen- dants took the name of Talbot. Previously to the twenty-sixth of Edward I. the manor of Bossington, w4th its woods, heaths, and appurtenances, had been included by encroachment within the bound- aries of the forest of Exmoor, but in that year it was disafforested, according to the tenor of the charter of forests, and entirely freed from the oppressive restric- tion of the forest laws. In the reign of Ed ward I. this manor was held by Henry de Glastonbury. In 1295, (twenty-third of Edw. I.) this Henry ol)tained the remission of the tenth charged upon his own proper goods, by virtue of the grant made ]jy the laity of the kingdom; and in 1300, (twenty-eighth of Edw.I.) he was returned from the county of Somerset, as holding lands, either in capite or otherwise to the amount of £40. yearly value and upwards ; and as such was sunnnoned to perform military service against the Scots, and to attend the nmster at Carlisle, on the 24th of June, in that year. In the reign of Edward III. John Whyton posses- sed this manor, and died in the latter end of that reign, leaving by Joan, his wife, two daughters his co-heiresses, 132 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. namely, Elizabeth the elder, who married Walter Pauncefoot, and was mother of another Walter, who did his homage for half the manor to John Bigge, abbot of Athelney, in the third of Henry VI. and sold his right to John Sydenham, son of Henry, who mar- ried Margaret, the other danghter ; and in the thirtieth of the same king, on an award made by arbitration of Alexander Hody, then steward of the abbey, John Sydenham acknowledged the rent and services above recited for the whole manor, whereof he was possessed of half by purchase of Walter Pauncefoot. Sir Thomas Dyke Acland is the present owner. In 1814, the estimated annual value of the real pro- perty in the tithing of Bossington, as assessed to the property tax, was £1001. — In 1818, the county rate was£1.0s. lO^d. The land tax charged annually upon the tithing of Bossington, is £82. Is. Od- Bossinfi^on contains 24 houses. ASHLEY LODGE. After ascending the hill by the road, described in our account of the parish of Culbone, from Porlock-Wear to Culbone church, at some distance, another road branches off to the left ; this leads to Ashley Lodge, a summer seat belonging to Lord King, where his lord- ship occasionally resides. It stands upon a small plain, of about half an acre, two-thirds of the way up a high and steep hill, entirely covered with wood, except the BARONIAL FAMILY OF KING. 133 spot on which the house stands, and the small lawn about it. The house is castellated, and the view from it is beautiful, especially on a fine evening ; and in a storm it is awfully grand, from its vicinity to the Bristol Channel. GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE FAMILY OF KING, BARONS KING, OF OCKHAM. Labor ipse voluptas. The family of King is said to derive its origin from this county. The study and practice of the laws have, in all ages, been reputed honourable ; and many individuals have been raised thereby to the highest employments in the state. x\mong these may be reckoned Peter, the first Lord King, who was the son and heir of Jerome King, of Exeter, who carried on in that city the business of a grocer. Mr. King, though possessed of considerable property, and descended from a good family, resolved to bring up his son to his own trade, and accordingly confined him to his shop for some years. The son's inclination to learning, how- ever, surmounted his situation, and caused him to devote all his leisure hours to study, by which he became an excellent scholar, before even his friends suspected it. His maternal uncle, the celebrated John Locke, surprised at his prodigious attainments, advised him to perfect his studies at Leyden, and to pursue the law. Mr. King accordingly entered himself of the Inner Temple and soon made a vapid progress in that 134 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. profession ; but not without having, in the interim, distinguished himself by pubhshing "An Inquiry into the Constitution, Discipline^ Unity, and IVorship of the Primitive Church, that Jlourished tvithin the Jirst three hundred years after Christ, faithfully collected out of the extant ivritings of those ages." London, 1691. And a few years afterward he published " The History of the Apostles' Creed.''' London, 1702. In 1699, he was returned member of parliament for the borough of Beeralston, in Devonshire, for which place he also sat during the five succeeding parliaments in the reign of Queen Anne. In the first of George I. in Michaelmas term, 1714, he was appointed lord chief justice of the common pleas; and on the 5th of April following, was sworn of his majesty's privy council. Also in consideration of his great merits, was created on the 29th of May, 1725, a peer of the realm, by the style and title of Lord King, Baron of Ochham, in the county of Surry ; and on the 1st of June, in the same year, was declared Lord High Chancellor of England ; and was one of the lords justices for the administration of the government during his majesty's absence in Hanover. He was again, on the 31st of May, 1727, appointed one of the lords justices; and on the demise of George I. the great seal was, on the 15th of June, 1727, delivered to him by his successor, George II, and his lordship took the oath of lord chancellor. He had likewise a pension of i^6000 a year, payable out of the post-olhce. BARONIAL FAMILY OF KING. 135 Lord King is supposed not to have made sueli a figure as chancellor, as was expected from the character that raised him to that oHice. However, he took ex- traordinary pains in the discliarge of his duties, which, by degrees, impaired his constitution, and brought on paralysis ; and his disorder increasing, he resigned the seals on the 29th of November, 1733, and departed this life on the 22nd of July, 1734, aged sixty-five. His lordship's remains were interred in the parish church of Ockham in Surry, in which there is a monument erected to his memory, with a fine marble statue of his lordship, and an inscription relating these further particulars: — " He was bom in the city of Exeter, of worthy and substantial parents ; but with a genius greatly superior to his birth. By his industry, prudence, learning, and virtue, he raised himself to the highest character and reputation, and to the highest posts and dignities. He applied himself to his studies in the Inner Temple ; and to an exact and complete knowledge in all the parts and history of the law, added the most extensive learning, theological and ci\al. He was chosen a member of the House of Commons in the year 1699; recorder of the city of London in the year 1708; made chief justice of the common pleas 1714; on the accession of King George I. created Lord King, baron of Ockham, and raised to the post and dignity of lord high chancellor of Great Britain, 1725. Under the labour and fatigues of which weighty place, sinking into a paralytic disease. 136 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. he resigned it November 29th, 1733; and died July 22nd, 1734, aged sixty-five; a friend to true religion and liberty. He married Anne, daughter of Richard Seys, of Boverton, in Glamorganshire, esq., with whom he lived to the day of his death in perfect love and happiness. And left issue by her four sons, John, now Lord King ; Peter, William, and Thomas ; and two daughters, Elizabeth, and Anne." John, his eldest son and heir, succeeded him in his title and estates, as second Lord King. He was ap- pointed out-ranger of his majesty's forest of Windsor, on the first of July, 1726; and was one of the members for the borough of Launceston, in Cornwall, in the first parliament called by George II. ; and in the parliament summoned to meet on the 13th of June, 1734, was elected for the city of Exeter, and also for Launceston ; but he succeeded to the peerage before it met for the despatch of business. His lordship, in May, 1726, married Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Fry, of Yarty, in the county of Devon, esq. which lady departed this life in the 23rd year of her age, on the 28th of January, 1733-4, leaving no issue, and was buried at Ockham. His lordship, afterward, being in an ill state of health, was advised, for change of air, to go to Portugal; but in his voyage to Lisbon, departed this life, on board his majesty's ship, the Ruby, on February lOth, 1739-40, and was buried at Ockham. — Whereupon the honour and estate descended to his next brother, Peter, third Lord King, who, on the I8th of April, BARONIAL FAMILY OF KING. 137 1740, was appointed out-ranger of Windsor forest, in the room of the late lord. He died on the 22nd of March, 1754, unmarried, and his remains were interred at Ockham. He was succeeded in the title and estate by his brother William. Which William, fourth Lord King, was cursitor of London and Middlesex, but dying unmarried, on the 16th of April, 1 767, he was buried at Ockham, and the honour descended to his youngest brother, Thomas, fifth Lord King, born the I9th March, 1712, who, in 1734, married Wilhelmina-Catherina, daughter of John Troye, a member of the sovereign council of Brabant, and by her, who died June 3rd, 1784, he had issue, 1. Peter, sixth Lord King. 2. Thomas, born in London, April 11th, 1740; died June 26th, 1779. 3. Ann, born at Delft, January 10th, 1735; died October 3rd, 1797. 4. Wilhelmina, born at the Hague, on the 4th of March, 1738; married in 1784, Admiral George Murray, uncle to the duke of Athol, and died Decem- ber 29th, 1795. His lordship dying April 24th, 1779, aged 67, was succeeded by his eldest son, Peter, sixth Lord King, who was born at the Hague, October 6th, 1 736, and married in December, 1774, Charlotte, daughter of the late Edward Tedcroft, of Horsham, in Sussex, esq. and by her had issue. 138 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. 1. Peter, the present peer. 2. William, born February 24th, 1780; died De- cember 3rd, 1798. 3. George, born January 28th, 1783; married in November, 1808, Miss Tedcroft, daughter of Nathaniel Tcdcroft, esq. of Horsham, in Sussex, His lordship died on the 23rd of November, 1793, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Peter, present and seventh Lord King, who was born on the 31st of August, 1775. His lordship mar- ried on the 26th of May, 1804, Lady Hester Fortescue, daughter of Hugh, present Earl Fortescue, by whom he had issue. 1. A daughter, born the 2nd of May, 1806. 2. Another daughter, born November 27th, 1807. 3. A son, born January 25th, 1811. — ^And 4. A daughter, born September 4th, 1814. His lordship is an ingenious and well-informed man, and has shewn himself eminently versed in the science of political arithmetic; more particularly in a pamphlet entiled " Thoughts on the Restriction of Payment in Specie at the Banks of England and Ireland. London, 1803, 8vo."9^ In the year 181 1, after a determination of the judges had set aside the statute of the fifth and sixth of Edward VI. so far as })ank notes were concerned, it became necessary in the then state of public affairs, that some ^ Sec Edin. Rev. vol. ii. p. 402. BARONIAL FAMILY OF KING. 139 certain provision shonld be made to stop that traffic in coins, which threatened their toUil destruction, and to prevent bank notes from being received or paid for any smaller sum than that specified thereon. This mea- sure was urged forward by a letter which Lord King addressed in the month of June, 1811, to his tenants, in which his lordship says — " In consequence of the late great depreciation of paper money, lean no longer con- sent to receive any bank notes at their nominal value in payment or satisfaction of an old contract." He therefore required payment in guineas, or in Portugal gold coin, ec^ual in weight to the number of guineas due ; or in bank notes with an addition of £14. 12^. 8c?. per cent, such being the difference in the market price of gold, when the agreements were made in 1807, and the market price in 1811. By this measure, govern- ment was reduced to this dilemma ; namely, either to strike immediately a sufficiency of gold coins, or to pro- tect from arrest those who were unable to procure guineas for the payment of demands upon them. The latter was determined upon; and thus the opportunity, at that period, of establishing fairly, a coinage of gold of such a weight as would probably have secured the jruineas in future from the melting-pot was lost, and the government was compelled to make bank notes ap- proach still more nearly than before to a legal tender." The baronial family of King bear for their arms, 3 Ruding'a Annals of the Coinage, vol. iv. p. 101, 105. 140 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Sable, three spears' heads, Argent, the points Gules; on a chief, Or, as many battle-axes. Azure. Crest — On a wreath a dexter arm couped at the elbow, habited, Azure, adorned with three spots, Or, the cuff turned up, grasping a truncheon of a spear. Sable, the head Argent. Supporters — Two English mastiffs regardant, pro- per, each having a plain collar, Gules. JOHN BRIDGWATER, RECTOR OF PORLOCK, 1565. John Bridgwater, or de Bridgwater, rector of Lincoln College, Oxford ; and who, in his writings, calls himself AauA Pontanus, is deserving of a place in this work, on account of his having been rector of Porlock ; and also for having been descended from a Somersetshire family, who assumed the local surname from their residence at the town of Bridgwater. The subject of this article was born in Yorkshire, and was entered a student of Hart Hall, Oxford ; and thence removed to Brazen-Nose College, where he proceeded M. A. in 1556, and about the same time took orders. Although he outwardly complied with the reformed religion in Queen Elizabeth's reign ; yet he lay under the suspicion, which he afterward confirmed, of being more seriously attached to popery. While he pre- served this disguise, he was on the 1st of May, 1562, made rector of Wootton-Courtenay, in this county, and on the 14th of April, 1563, was chosen rector of Lincoln Colletfc. In 1565 he was rector of Porlock, JOHN BRIDGWATER. 141 and on the 28th of November, 1570, was appointed master of Catherine's Hospital, near Bedminstcr, ca- non of Wells ; and archdeacon of Rochester. In 1574, bein^ no longer able to conceal his zeal for popery, he quitted the rectorship of Lincoln College, which Wood thinks he could no longer have retained, without the danger of expulsion ; and after resigning his other pre- ferments, went to the English College at Doway, along with several students whom he had instructed in the principles of popery. Afterward he travelled to Rome, and thence to Germany. He resided at Triers, in 1594, but no further traces can be discovered of his progress, neither is it known when he died. It is supposed that in his latter days, he became a Jesuit; but neither Pits nor Alegambe notice this circumstance. He published 1. " Concertatio Ecclesice Catholicae in Anglia,"' first published by Fenn and Gibbons, at Triers, 1583, octavo, and enlarged by Dr. Bridgwater; ibid., 1594, quarto. It contains an account of the sufferings and deaths of several priests, &c. 2. "Confutatio virulentse Disputationis Theologicae, in qua Georgius John, Prof. Acad. Heidelberg, cona- tus est docere,PontificemRomanumesseAntichristum,'* etc., ibid., 1589, quarto. 3. "An Account of the Six Articles, usually pro- posed to the missionaries that suffered in England.* ■* For the authorities of this article, see Biogr. Diet. vol. vi. — Wood's Athen. Oxon. vol. i. — Dodd's Church History, vol. ii. 142 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Among the rectors of Porlock we find Dr. Stephen Hales, a name illustrious in the annals of botanical science. He was the sixth son of Thomas Hales, esq., of Beaksbourn, in Kent, and grandson of Sir Robert Hales, bart., of Beaksbourn, where he was born on the 17th of September, 1677; and was admitted a pensioner of Benet College, Cambridge, under the tuition of Mr. Moss, on the 19th of June, 1696, where, after taking his first degree in arts, he was admitted a fellow, February 25, 1702-3. He proceeded M. A. at the next commencement, and was admitted B. D. in 1711. The degree of D. D. was conferred upon him by the Univer- sity of Oxford in 1733. Botany and anatomy formed his studies of relaxation while at Cambridge, his companion in which being the celebrated antiquary, Dr. Stukeley. Dr. Hales was advanced successively to the perpetual curacy of Teddington, in Middlesex, and to the livings of Porlock, Somersetshire, and Farringdon, Hamp- shire. He resided to the end of his life at Teddington, where he was visited by persons of rank and taste ; amongst others, by Frederick, late prince of Wales, after whose death. Dr. Hales was made clerk of the closet to the Princess Dowager, who always entertained a high respect for him, and after his decease, erected a handsome monument to his memory in Westminster Abbey, near that of Handel. On this is his bust, in a large medallion, supported by a female figure, repre- senting botany, accompanied by religion. The epitaph is in latin. He refused a canonry of Windsor, that DR. STEPHEN HALES. 143 he might continue to devote himself to his parochial duties and his favourite scientific pursuits; and as piety, truth, and virtue were the principles of his character, he lived in universal esteem to the age of eighty-four, dying at Tcddington, January 4th, 1761, where he was buried under the church tower, which he had re-l)uilt at his own expense. Dr. Hales having been elected a fellow of the Roval Society in 1717, communicated to that learned body his first essay in vegetable physiology, containing an account of some experiments concerning the effect of the sun's heat in raising the sap. In 1727, appeared the first edition of his "Vegetable Staticks," in octavo, illustrated by plates, of which a second edition was published in 1731, follovved after by several others. This work was translated into French by Buffon in 1735; and into Italian by a Neapolitan lady named Ardinghelli, in 1756. There are also editions in the German and Dutch languages. The original book was in fact, the first volume of a work entitled " Statical Essays," of which the second, relating to the circulation of the blood in animals, was called " Hemastaticks,'* and came out in 1733. In this the subject of the urinary calculus also is treated chemically and me- dically. With a laudable view of preventing as well as curing the sufferings and crimes of his fellow-creatures, this good man published anonymously, "A Friendly Admo- nition to the Drinkers of Gin, Brandy, and other 144 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Spirituous Liquors," which has often been reprinted and distributed gratis, by those who consider the tem- poral and eternal interests of their fellow subjects, rather than the increase of the revenue. His invention of the ventilator for mines, prisons, hospitals, and the holds of ships, laid before the Royal Society, in 1741, and ap- plied also to the ventilation and consequent preserva- tion of corn in granaries, has proved one of the most extensively useful contrivances for the preservation of health and human life. His philosophy was not a barren accunmlation for the ignorant to wonder at, or for its professor to repose in sottish self-sufficiency and uselessness ; but an inexhaustible fund, on which his piety and his benevolence were continually drawing. Such philosophy and such learning alone, entitle their possessors to authority or respect, and such are the best fruits of religion. In this instance at least, they were duly honoured, both at home and abroad. The fame of Dr. Hales, was widely diffused throughout the learned world, of which he received a most distinguished testi mony, in being elected one of the eight foreign mem- bers of the French Academy of Sciences, in 1753, in the place of Sir Hans Sloane, who died in that year. He was well acquainted with Mr. Ellis and other natu- ralists of his day, with whose views and pursuits of all kinds he ardently concurred; but it does not appear that his foreign correspondence was extensive. His name docs not occur among the correspondents of Haller, who nevertheless held him in the highest esti- DR. STEPHEN HALES. 145 mation as a philosopher and a man. In 1732, Dr. Hales had heen appointed hy the British Government, a trustee for settling a colony in Georgia. As a vcgctal)le pliysiologist, Dr. Hales is entitled to the highest honour. His experiments and remarks led the way to those of Duhamcl, Bonnet, and all that have followed. His accuracy of observation, and fidelity of relation, have never been impeached; and his ideas in physics, in many instances, went before the knowledge of his day, and anticipated future discoveries; such are his observations relative to airs, and to vegetable secre- tions. One of his more able successors in the study of vegetable physiology, has doubted the accuracy of one of his plates only, (tab. 11.) in which three trees, hav- ing been united by engrafting their branches, the inter- mediate one, by the earth being removed from its roots, is left hanging in the air; but an experiment of the late Dr. Hope's, at Edinburgh, upon three willows, of which Dr. Smith was an eye-witness, and which was conducted with success in imitation of this of Hales, puts his ac- count beyond all doubt whatever.^ A respectable family of the name of Phelps, has long resided at Porlock; many of the individuals of which seem to possess an hereditary talent for draw^ing and painting, and several churches in the neighbourhood * From Chalmers's Biograph. Diet. — Masters's Hist, of C. C. C. C. — Annual Register, 17()4. — Rccs's Cyclopaedia. — Gent. Mag. vol. bcix. — Butler's Life of Hildisley, p. 362, — Lysons's Environs of London, vol. iii. L 146 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. have been ornamented by them. The oldest member of this family, Mr. H. Phelps, Surgeon, was seen by the writer of this article, engaged in painting a head, in the autumn of 1828; though then he was upwards of ninety years of age, nor did he use glasses. A nephew of this gentleman's, is now an artist of some celebrity in London. # LUCCOMBE/ GENERAL uESCRirxlON. — RECTORY. — CHURCH. — STATISTICAL NO- TICES. CHARITIES. MANOR. DOMESDAY SURVEY. FAMILY OF DE LUCCOMBE.— OF ARUNDEL.— OF WENTWORTH.— PAINTED CLASS.— HISTORY OF PAINTED GLASS. HAMLETS. HORNER.- WEST-LUCCOMBE. DOVER-HAY. GENEALOGICAL MEMOIR OF THE FAMILY OF BYAM. The parish of Luccombe is situated at the western junction of the two valleys which pass down each side of Grabhurst Hill ; it is bounded by the Bristol Channel, and by the parishes of Porlock, Selworthy, Wootton-Courtenay, Cutcombe, and Stoke-Pero; and is four miles south-west from Minehcad, and two east from Porlock. This is a fine and well-culti- vated parish, the lands being proportionably divided into arable, meadow, and pasture; the former is ge- nerally better adapted for the production of barley than wheat. The fences being fine quick-set and well- studded with timber trees, add much to the beauty of the country. Many farmers, however, who rent lands, are enemies to the growth of young trees in hedge-rows, alleging that they do more injury by shading the adjoining fields, than the timber when it 6 Luccombe, from the Macso-Gothic luk-an; Sui-Gothic and Islandic, luk-a; Anglo-Saxon belucaii; Belgic Imjcken, the same as the Latin clmidere, inclosed or shut up ; and the Anglo-Saxon Combe, a valley ; that is, the valley shut up or surrounded by hills. 148 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. arrives at maturity is worth ; thus causing their pri- vate interests to clash with that of their landlords, to whom the timber is, when well-managed, a source of considerable profit ; besides adding greatly to the beauty of the surrounding country. Where timber trees stand thickly in hedge-rows, they certainly depre- ciate the value of an estate so far as rent is concerned, and ought always to be so considered by landlords and surveyors ; but that they arc a source of both indivi- dual and national benefit, no one will be hardy enough even to doubt. The village of Luccombe, or East-Luccombe, as it is general called, stands at the foot of Dunkery, part of which hill is in this parish, in a small but beautiful valley, full of fine timber trees, and surrounded on all sides except towards the north by high lands. It con- tains about thirty-eight houses, most of them forming a straggling street near the church. A small stream which rises on Dunkery passes through the village, and after joining another called the Horner, at the hamlet of Bossington in Porlock, falls into the sea near Bossington Point. The Homer flows from several springs on Dunkery, and from others on Ex- moor ; and its course is through a deep winding valley, whose sides for some miles are covered with woods, until it reaches the hamlet of Horner, and thence to Bossington. These streams which are well-stocked with trout, appear in summer to be small rivulets, but in winter, particularly the Homer, whose channel is in LUCCOMBE. .149 lany places filled with large stones and masses of rock, become wild mountain torrents. There are in this parish, three other hamlets or villages; namely, Horner, a mile west of East Luc- combe; West-Luccombe, half a mile further; and Dovcrhay, near the town of Porlock. A small narrow slip of this parish extends quite down to the sea, divid- ing the parish of Porlock into two parts. To the east of the church, there is a large hill, part of which be- longs to Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, hart., and the rest to Francis Worth, of Wychanger, in this parish, esq. whose father, the late Worth, esq. of Worth- House, near Tiverton, in the county of Devon, who occasionally resided here, gave some mining adven- turers from Wales permission to dig for iron ore at Luccombe, and finally granted them a lease, which is yet unexpired. The lessees opened a mine, or rather dug a quarry in part of a field on the top of the hill, and built a small house for a forge, for the purpose of repairing their mining apparatus. Those persons obtained a considerable quantity of iron ore or iron stone ; part of which they sent to Wales, where it was smelted, and yielded a profitable proportion of excellent metal ; but disagreeing among themselves, they ceased work- ing, and the lease granted by the present owner's father not having yet been surrendered, the mining operations have not been resumed. The bed or mass of iron stone here, as far as it has been examined, is on the very top of the hill, and in some places bassets 150 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. out to day, whilst in others it is covered with red sand-^Hk stone. The eastern bed, which has been opened, does^Br not appear to be more than a few feet thick. The living is a rectory in the deanery of Dunster, and is appendant to the manor. In Pope Nicholas's taxation, 1292, it was valued at twelve marks. The church of "Dovery" is also included in the same taxation, being rated at twelve marks and a half. The rectory of Luccombc, is rated in the king's books, at ^14 3s. 6d. In 1757, Richard Lyster, esq. presented to this living, and in 1781, Susanna Wentworth and others. In the Valor Ecclesiasticus, there are the following particulars relating to this benefice: — 1535. John Trevycc, rector. Annual value of the demesne or glebe lands 2 5 Tithes of wool and lamb 3 2 Oblations . . . , 16 Personal tithes and other casualties . 8 12 10 £14 15 10 Out of which there is paid To the bishop for procura- tions 2 8 To the archdeacon of Taun- ton for synodals 9 8—0 12 4 Clear £14 3 6 Tenths 1 8 4^ • LUCCOMBE CHURCH. 151 The living is at present worth about £400 per annum, and has an excellent parsonage-house and grounds, tastefully laid out by the present incumbent, the Rev. Robert Freke Gould, who was presented to this rec- tory by his late brother-in-law, the earl of Strafford. The glebe is about sixty acres. The patronage is now in Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, hart, as lord of the manor. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, is a handsome gothic structure, consisting of a nave, chancel, and south aile, separated by a row of colunnis, their capi- tals beingornamented with flowers and fruit. At the west end there is an embattled tower, eighty-two feet high, with a clock and five bells. Against the north wall of the chancel, there is a stone monument with an inscrip- tion in Latin, in commemoration of the Rev. Henry Byam, D. D. which will be noticed more at length in the biographical sketch of that learned person. On the same wall, there is a marble monument to the memory of the Rev. Thomas Stawel, rector of this parish forty-three years. He died December 22nd, 1 782, aged 84. Elizabeth, his wife, died on the 3rd of August, 1781, aged 73. In the south aile, theie is a mural monument of stone to the memory of Richard Worth, gent, who died August 17th, 1637; also to Mary his wife, and Richard their son. On a brass plate, fixed on a stone in the floor, there is this inscription: — "Hie jacet Guhelmus Harrison, 152 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Gener. qui obiit est obdormivit Domino 18 die mensis Dec. A. D. 1615. Annoque iEtatis suae 76." This William Harrison, gent., on his death, left an only daughter, Mary, married to Richard Worth, who are both commemorated by an inscription in this church. This lady took with her in marriage, the estate of VVychanger, and other property, which has descended to the present Francis Worth, esq. of that place, and his brother John Worth, esq. of Worth- House, Tiverton. There is likewise in the south aile, what appears to be a small table monument, with some ornamental sculpture on one end and one side; but I am inclined to think, it is more properly the ancient stone altar belonging to this church before the Reformation, and which has been removed from its former situation into this aile. A stone cross stands in the church-yard, with three rows of steps. The shaft is unfortunately broken. The parish register begins in 1676. When the author of this work was at Luccombe, in the autumn of 1828, he recovered from a mass of old forms of prayer and proclamations, preserved in an ancient chest, the marriage register of this parish, kept during the Cromwell usurpation, which was deposited by the rector, the Rev. Mr. Gould, amonc^the other re£:isters. In 1776, the money expended in this parish on ac- (^ount of the poor, was £58 14.v. 8d., and in 1785, STATISTICAL NOTICES. ^53 £98 2*. (yd. In 1803, the money raised by the parish rates, was £240 5.. 8^. at 3.. Hd. in the pound. In 1814, the estimated annual value of the real property in this parish, as assessed to the property tax, was £1018. In 1818, the county rate, was £l Is. 2^. Inl801,thcresidentpopulationofthisparish,was457. In the population abstract of 1821, the return for Luccombe stands thus: — Houses inhabited ^^ uninhabited ^ building ^ Families 1^^ Of whom were employed In agriculture ^4 In trade 31 All other 21 Persons : viz. Males 237 Females 244 481 In 1815, there were sixty-two poor in this parish. In 1818, the Rev. Robert Freke Gould, the rector of this parish, states, in his return, that there is only a Sunday School here, and that most of the poor have not the means of education, but would be glad to ob- tain them. In the fifteenth Report of the Commissioners of 154 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Charities, printed by order of the House of Commons, in 1826, there is the following accomit of charities belonging to this parish: — "There are some early entries in the churchwardens' books of this parish, by which it appears that Laurence Byam, clerk, gave £10.; that Mr. George Churchey, gave £10. ; that Richard Welsh, gave £5.; that Mary Yandall, gave <£!.; William Harrison, £10.; Cecil Worth, Jun. £8.; Dr. Byam, £10.; and an unknown person £22. "All the above gifts, exceptthatof Laurence Byam, (which was given for putting out apprentices) appear to have been given to the poor of the parish, generally, making in the whole £88., out of which £5. appears to have been lost long ago. The sum of £50. other part thereof, appears by the parish books, to have been in the hands of the parish, and to have been expended by them in the year 1777, on the repairs of the poor- house, for which the parish now pay interest at five per cent. The sum of £28. is now in the hands of the Rev. R. F. Gould, the rector ; and the sum of £5. in the hands of Mr. Henry Phelps, of Porlock ; who pay the like interest for the same respectively, making the whole interest paid £4 3s. Od. per annum. "This sum of £4 3^. Od. is applied by the minister and churchwardens, for the time being, towards the relief of such of the poor as are not upon the parish books, and as appears with a proper selection of the most industrious and respectable." DOMESDAY SURVEY. 155 At the time of the conquest, Luccombe was divided into two distinct parcels or manors, the one belone^ing to Ralph de Limesi, and the other to Odo Fitz-Gamelin. The former parcel is thus described: — "Ralph himself holds Locombe; Queen Eddida held it in the time of Kin^ Edward, when it was asses- sed to the geld for two hides. The arable land is suffi cient for eight ploughs. There are three ploughs and two bondmen in the demesne; and eighteen villans and six bordars have four ploughs. There are live acres of meadow, and fifty acres of wood; a pasture one mile in length, and half a mile in breadth."'' The Exeter Domesday adds, that Ralph held one hide of land in demesne, and the villan tenants the other hide. Ralph had in his demesne lands here, one horse, six bullocks, six hogs, one hundred sheep, and fifty goats.** The other parcel has the following description: — " Odo Fitz-Gamelin holds Locumbe of the King. Vitalis holds its of Odo. Fitel held it in the time of king Edward, when it was assessed to the geld for one hide. The arable land is sufficient for six ploughs. There is one plough and two bondmen in the demesne; eight villans and one bordar have two ploughs and a half. There are two acres of meadow, twelve acres of wood, and fifty acres of pasture. It was formerly and is now worth forty shillings."^ 1 Exchcq. D. vol. i. fo. 97. 8 Exon. D. fo. 428. » Exchequer. D. vol. i. lb. 98. 156 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. The Exeter Domesday adds, that Odo held half a hide in demesne, and the villan tenants the other half hide. This u'as the only manor which this Odo or Otho Fitz-Gamelin held in the county of Somerset. He had twenty-four manors in Devonshire. The Vitalis, mentioned as holding this manor of Odo, appears to be the same person as the Saxon Fitel or Fitellus, who held it in the time of King Edward ; and that he was one of the few Saxons who were allowed to remain on their own lands. In the reign of King Edward I. these two parcels of land became united, and belonged to Sir Baldric de Nonington, knight, a person very eminent in those days, and one who was entrusted with many important and public offices. In 1297, (twenty-fifth of Edw. I.) he was returned from the counties of Somerset and Dorset, as holding lands or rents to the amount of £'20 yearly value and upwards, either in capite or otherwise ; and as such was summoned to perform military service in person, with horses and arms, in parts beyond the seas, and to attend the muster at London, on the 7th of July. In the same year, he was appointed assessor in the county of Dorset, of the eighth and fifth granted for the confirmation of the charter ; and also assessor and collector, in the county of Somerset, of the ninth grant- ed by that county for the same purpose. In 1300, (twenty- eighth of Edw. I.) he was returned from the counties SIR BALDRIC DE NONINGTON. 157 of Somerset, Dorset, and Southampton, as holding lands or rents, cither in capite or otherwise, to the amount of £40 yearly value and upwards; and as such was sum- moned to perform military service against the Scots, and to attend the muster at Carlisle, on the 24th of June. Ill the following year, he was elected by the community, ( communitas) of the county of Somerset, to be one of the assessors and collectors of the fifteenth, granted in the parliament at Lincoln, in the preceding year, and was empowered accordingly by a royal com- mission, to carry the same into execution/" He died in the third of Edward II. and by an inquisition was then found to be possessed of a moiety of the manor of Lillesdon, held of the honour of Carisbrooke; of certain tenements in Nunnington in the hundred of KiniTsburv-West; of one fardell of land in Maunworth, and twenty acres of land in Horygge, all in the county of Somerset; of lands and tenements in the Isle of Wight; and certain suits of court in Newport.'^ He left issue an only daughter and heiress, Margaret, married to Robert de Pudele. The successors of this Robert de Pudele, assumed the local surname of Luccombe, or de Luccombc, from this place of their habitation. In the thirteenth of Edward II. John de Luccombe died seized of this manor; and in the inquisition taken after his decease, is certified to have held it of the king in capite, by the service of three knight's fees. To him 10 Palgraves's Writs of Mil. Summons, &c. vol i. p. "61. " Inq. p. m. 3 Edw. II. vol. 1. p. 237. No. 45. 158 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. succeeded Hugh de Luccombe, his son and heir ; but he did not hold this manor long, being dead in the sixteenth of Edward II. and leaving one son John, of the age of one year, to succeed him in the estates. This John appears to have died in the nineteenth of Edward II. for in that year, he and Sibilla his wife, were found by an inquisition to hold the manor of Luccombe, as of the honour of Pinkney. To which John succeeded another Hugh, who seems to have died in the same year as the above-mentioned John ; for by another inquisition, he was found to hold the fourth part of a knight's fee in each of the manors of Cloudesham, Dover-hay, Leigh- Woodcock, and Harwood ; the eighth part of a knight's fee in Linch, and the same in Overholt; the twelfth part of a fee in Luccombe, and the sixteenth part of another fee in AUerford, together with the advowson of the church of Selworthy, all in the county of Somerset.^- To this Hugh succeeded another John de Luccombe, which John, is found to hold this manor of the king, as of the honour of Pink- ney, by the service of four knight's fees. He died in the eighth of Edward III. leaving no issue, whereupon his sister Elizabeth, the wife of Oliver de St. John, became the heiress of his possessions. This Oliver de St. John, appears to have been suc- ceeded by Alexander de St. John, for in the thirteenth of Edward III. Alexander de St. John, and Elizabeth 12 Inq. p. m. VJ Edw. II, No. 61. FAMILY OF ARUNDEL. 159 his wife, were found to be possessed of the manor and church of East Luccombe, and the advowson of the church of Selworthy, held of the honour of Pinkney.^^ And by another inquisition in the eighth of Henry IV. Henry St. John was found to hold the manor and ad- vowson of the church of East Luccombe, as of the honour of Pinkney; and also the advowson of the church of Selworthy, leaving Edward his son and heir." After this family, the manor was possessed by that of Arundel. In the twenty-second of Edward IV. Joan, the relict of Nicholas Arundel, of Trerice, died seized thereof, together with the advowson of the church, and the manor and advowson of Selworthy, leaving Robert Arundel, his cousin and heir, of the age of fifteen years. The family of Arundel continued in possession of this manor, and of many contiguous estates for many generations. The last Lord Arundel, of Trerice used occasionally to reside at Allerford. He married Miss Wentworth, daughter of William Wentworth, of Hembury, in the county of Dorset, esq. a branch of the Strafford family, and died without issue in 1768. The noble family of Arundel came into England with William, duke of Normandy; and this branch of it has been seated at Trerice, in the county of Cornwall, from the time of King Edward III. 13 Inq. p. m. 4 Rich. II. No. 48.— Cal. vol. ii. p. 33L X Inq. p. m. 8 Hen. IV. No. 21.— Cal. vol. iii. p. 309. 160 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and also in that of James I., John Arundel, esq., was member in several parliaments for the county of Cornwall ; and on the breaking out of the civdl war in the reign of Charles I., took arms for the king, together with four of his sons, of whom two lost their lives in his majesty's service. He most courageously held out the castle of Pen- dennis, nearly at the very end of those unhappy disputes. Lord Clarendon, in speaking of these transactions, says that "Pendcnnis refused all sunmions, admitting no treaty, till all their provisions were so far consumed that they had not sufficient left for four and twenty hours; and then they treated and carried themselves with so much spirit, that the enemy concluded they were in no straits ; and so gave them the conditions they proposed, which were as good as any garrison in England had accepted. "This castle," says his lord- ship, "was defended by the governor thereof, John Arundel, of Trerice, an old gentleman of near fourscore years of age, and of one of the best estates and interest in Cornwall ; Avho, with the assistance of his son, Richard Arundel, (who was then a colonel in the army and a stout and diligent officer) maintained and de- fended the same to the last extremity." Wliicli Richard Arundel, eldest son of the said John, greatly signalized himself in many battles and sieges on the part of the king ; and although he lost his whole estate through the power and success of that party which supported the parliament against Charles FAMILY OF ARUNDEL. 161 I. yet he did not desert his majesty's cause, but re- mained faithful to the last. In consideration therefore of his great actions and sufferings, and in memory of his father s services, he was in the sixteenth year of Charles II. (IGG4,) advanced to the dignity of a baron of this realm, by the style and title of Baron Arundel, of Trericc, with remainder to his issue male. He married Gertrude, daughter of Sir James Bagg, of Salthani, in the county of Devon, widow of Sir Nicholas Slaming knt. by whom he left issue, John his successor, and died in 1688. Which John was twice married, first, to Margaret, daughter and heiress of Sir John Acland, of Columb- John, knt. by whom he had issue John, who succeeded him, and a daughter, Gertrude, wife of Sir Bennet Hoskins, of the county of Hereford, bart. His lord- ship married secondly, Barbara, daughter of Sir Henry Slingsby, of the county of York, bart. widow of Sir Richard Mauleverer, bart. by whom he had issue one son, Richard. His lordship died in 1697, and his lady surviving was re-married to Thomas, Earl of Pembroke. He was succeeded by his eldest son, John, who married Jane, daughter of Dr. William Beau, Lord Bishop of Llandaff, by whom he had issue John, and departed this life in 1706. John, fourth LordArundel, of Trerice,his only son and successor, died in 1768, when the title became extinct. On the death of Lord Arundel, the manor of Luc- combe passed into the family of Wentvvorth, and on M 16'2 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. the death of Mrs. Wentworth, the relict of the above- mentioned William Wentworth, esq., it became the property of her son, Frederic Thomas Wentworth, esq. who, on the death of his cousin William, second earl of Strafford, of that branch, in the year 1791, suc- ceeded to the title and estates of that ancient family. The noblefamily of Wentworth, were anciently seated in Yorkshire, and trace their descent in a direct line from John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, fourth son of King Edward III. This Frederic Thomas, earl of Strafford, was the son of William Wentworth, esq. of Hembury, and Susanna his wife, and was born in 1732. After pass- ingthrough the usual course of education at Eton, he was placed in the first regiment of guards, where his know- ledge of the theory, and attention to the pi actice of his profession, procured him the esteem of his superior officers, at the same time that his social and friendly disposition more immediately attached him to those of his own rank. He resigned, however, the profession of arms; and about the year 1772, married Eliza, the daughter of Thomas Gould, esq. of Mi Iborne St. An- drew, in the county of Dorset, and sister of the Rev. Robert Freke Gould, the present rector of Luccombe. His residence was then fixed in that county, until the death of his father, in 1776, put him in possession of his paternal estate. It was now more particularly his province to enforce, in an official capacity, the observ- ance of the laws of his country ; and as a justice of the peace, no man ever more assiduously devoted his time PAINTED GLASS. 163 to hearing cases with attention, and deciding them with scrupulous exactness and rectitude. He died at Nottingham, in his way from Hembury-place, to Wentworth Castle, in Yorkshire, on the 7th of August, 1 799. Deceasing without issue, his titles became ex- tinct. The arms of Wentworth are. Sable, a chevron be- tween three leopards' heads. Or. The manor of Luccombe, is now (1829), the pro- perty of Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, hart. ; and in addition to that gentleman, the principal landed proprietors are John Worth, esq., Francis Worth, esq., the Rev. R. F. Gould, Clement Poole, esq., Lord King, and Mr. Abraham Clark. In one of the windows of the south aile of Luccombe church, there is some good painted glass, the figures being executed with much spirit and in good taste. The Virgin and Child, St. John the Baptist with the Paschal Lamb, and St. Christopher passing a river, with the infant Christ upon his shoulder, are the prin- cipal figures. There is a representation, but it is un- fortunately broken, of a king holding in his hand the globe surmounted by a cross. From the armorial bear- ings of the Arundel family being in this window, it is probable that this glass was placed here under the auspices of some person of that family, after coming into the possession of the manor of Luccombe, in the reign of Edward IV. 164 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. The history of painted glass in this country, and of the artists who employed themselves in the numerous and beautiful specimens which yet remain in our cathedral, and many of our larger parish, churches, would form an interesting display of the progress of art and refined taste. We can trace the invention of painted or stained glass to Germany, France, and the Netherlands ; and among the more ancient artists of greater eminence we find the names of Albert Durer and Lucas Van Leyden ; and among the moderns, the two Van Linges, Henry Gyles, the Prices, William Peckitt, Mr, and Mrs. Pearson, Jarvis, Eginton of Birmingham, and others. In the windows of several churches were placed the portraits of a genealogical series of their founders and benefactors 3 some of which have survived the decays of time and the rage of fanatics, but in an imperfect state. Mr. Walpole denominated two crowned heads, which he procured, Henry III. and his Queen 5 and many with curled hair and forked beards, are said to represent the Edwards, Richard II. and Henry IV. from that fashion being prevalent in their reigns, and remarkable on their coins, which circumstance, on a cursory view, may justify the surmise. Generally speaking, the whole length figures, with crowns and sceptres, are imaginary Jewish monarchs, connected with some scriptural history; but when exhibited in pro- file, are universally so. Bishops and Abbots, may, by fair conjec- ture, be supposed to be portraits ; they are discriminated by their holding the pastoral staff in their right or left hand, the former only performing the office of benediction. A difficulty, however, occurs in fixing with satisfaction, the true era of historical subjects on stain- ed glass, which are not absolutely scriptural. Amongst the series of portraits which are known to have existed, or are still remaining, are those of the Clares (engraven in Carter's Ancient Sculpture and Painting), and Despencers, earls of Gloucester, at Tewkesbury; the first knights of the garter, at Stamford, in Lin- colnshire (in Ashmole's History of the Garter) ; the Fitzalans, at Arundel ; and the Beaucharaps, at Warwick. These consist of many individuals, each of whom is characterized by an escutcheon, or sur- coat of arms. For such information, we are chiefly indebted to Sir HISTOllY OF PAINTED GLASS. 165 W. Dugdale and other ingenious heralds, who did not omit to de- lineate all the armorial portraits which they found in their provincial visitations. In the old church at Greenwich was the portrait of Humphrey, duke of Gloucester, with his surcoat of armorial distinction. No other marks can positively ascertain the resemblance of the founders and benefactors, sometimes seen in our parish churches. At Baliol and Queen's colleges are some of the most ancient figures of ecclesi- astics in Oxford; and at All Souls, are some small whole-lengths, well executed, and certainly of the age of the founder, Archbishop Chicheley. In the church of the priory of Little Malvern, in Worcestershire, are the portraits of Edward IV., his queen, their daughter Elizabeth of York, and her sisters, which are likewise seen in a window, con- tributed by that monarch to Canterbury cathedral. Sir Reginald Bray, a favourite of Henry VII., who built the church of Great Mal- vern, placed therein the portraits in stained glass of Henry VII. his Queen, Prince Arthur, Sir John Savage, Sir Thomas Lovel, and himself, all in surcoats of arms, and very richly executed. The window of St. Margaret's, ^A'estraiuster, the subject of which is the Crucifixion, was intended by the magistrates of Dort, in Hol- land, as a present to King Henr^- VII. whose portrait and that of his royal consort are introduced. So excellent is this performance, that five years were spent in completing it. Having been first placed in Waltham Abbey, and removed in 1540, by Henry VIII. to the chapel of his palace, at New Hall, in Essex, it was restored by William Price, for Mr. Conyers, of Copthall, and purchased in 1758, for £400. Stained glass was brought from Rouen, in 1317, for Exeter Cathe- dral, the west window of which was put up in 1390. The Cathedral of Salisbury, is said to have been furnished both with painted and plain glass, even in the thirteenth century, soon after the erection of that splendid pile, and the windows at New College, and Merton, Oxford, are certainly contemporary with Edward III. The great east window at York, so justly celebrated as one of the most splendid specimens of painting on glass, was the work of Thomas 166 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Thompson, of Coventry, in the reign of Henry IV. when it is proba- ble, that the art had existed in England, at least for a century. Glaziers, if they deserve not the name of artists, who composed figures and histories, were established in London, Southvi'ark, Coventry, Bristol, and York. The stained glass in the church of Fairford, in Gloucestershire, has long been the boast of that county. About the year 1492, John Tame, a wealthy merchant, of London, took a Spanish vessel, bound from a Flemish port for South America, laden with this treasure ; and according to the expensive piety of those days, founded a church of very regular gothic, for its reception. There are twenty-five of these highly embellished windows, the best of which is the third, in the north aile. The subject is the Salutation of the Virgin, in which there is a fine architectural perspective of the Temple. The great windows, both east and west, retain their original perfection. Of the first mentioned, the subject is Christ's Triumphant Eotry into Jeru- salem, in which the effect of the crimson velvet and gilding, is truly surprising; and the subject of the other, is the Last Judgment. Gothic fancy has been indulged to the extreme in these designs; and so brilliant are the colours, and so delicate the drapery of the smaller figures in this assemblage, that an equally interesting specimen of ancient art, will rarely be found either in England, or on the Con- tinent. In Italy, the walls of their churches are adorned with mosaic, or with paintings in fresco, and the windows are, in general, small, and a minor part only of internal architecture. At Brussels and Ratisbon, the stained glass is particularly fine. Neither at Rome, nor in other Italian cities, are there any decorations of this kind, which have a great degree of merit, excepting in the convent of Santa Maria No- vella, at Florence, where the stained glass nearly resembles that at Fairford, both in design and execution. There is a tradition that the famous Albert Durer furnished the latter drawings, which however, will not bear the test of chronology, for he was not twenty years of age wlien these windows were put up, nor is it probable that he had then attained to such proficiency. HISTORY OF PAINTED GLASS. 167 It will be deplored by the lovers of ecclesiastical magnificence that during the civil commotions in the reign of Charles I. and to prevent the sacrilegious destruction committed by Cromwell's soldiers, whose rage againstpainted windows was insatiable, that so littleopportunity or skill was found by many, who wished to preserve those venerable decora- tions after the restoration. Some care was taken to replace the frac- tured pieces, or such as had been concealed, in a more perfect state, in their original stations, so as to complete their designs. But it must be confessed, that the persons employed either despaired of success, or were extremely incompetent to the task, and therefore fitted the pieces together in haste, and without ai'rangement. Fortunately for this beautiful art, more taste and more patience have been exerted in our own times, and artists have been found, who under the directions of connoisseurs. Lave succeeded admirably in restoring them to their pristine beauty. After the Reformation in England, we may trace a new era of stain- ed glass, which may be said to have commenced with the seventeenth century. The prejudices of the first reformers, having relaxed in certain points, relative to internal decoration of churches, the in- troduction of so splendid a mass of ornament, and of one so congenial with the architecture still remaining, was no longer proscribed by a positive injunction. Our commercial intercourse with the Nether- lands, where the arts had begun to flourish, and where a school of painting had been established, facilitated the acquirement of stained glass, which emerging from its former rudeness, now exhibited a certain regularity of design. During the reigns of Elizabeth and James I. armorial bearings and small portraits in circles, were the usual decoration of the bay windows in the great mauerial halls ; but complete scriptural histories, in which the figures were well designed and grouped, were rarely seen, excepting iu the private chapels of the houses of the nobility. About the middle of the reign of James I. Bernard Van Linge, a Fleming, is supposed to have settled in England, but was, at ail events, the father of glass painting in its renewed and improved state in this kingdom. It was a popular notion, that before Van Linge's time, the J 68 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. art was totally lost to us^ but this was founded in ignorance of the true fact J it was indeed dormant, but never extinct; for there is no great interruption in the chain of chronological history to the pre- sent day. Upon Van Linge's leaving England, or at his death, the art was certainly dormant. Those who vj^ere employed to refit the mutilated windows after the Restoration, were incapable of any original work ; and the first evidence that occurs of any good artist, is of Henry Gyles, of York, who appears to have established a school of glass painting, in that city, which continued its reputation for more than a century. He finished a window at University College, Oxford, in 1687. William Price, the elder, was his most able scholar and successor, who first acquired fame by his Nativity after Thornhill, at Christ Church, in 1696. His brother, Joshua Price, restored with great success, the windows of Queen's College, which had been broken by the Puritans. \A^illiam Price, the younger, was employed upon the windows in Westminster Abbey, which were voted by Parliament, and put up in 1/22, and 1735, but his chief merit was in his designs and arrangement of mosaic. Of the same school, established at York, was William Peckitt, whose proficiency was inferior to that of his predecessors, and who produced only an extreme brilliancy of colours. During the last reign, a new style of stained glass has been prac- tised, which is the boast and peculiar invention of our own artists. The deviation from the hard outline of the early Florentine or Flemish schools, to the correct contour of Michael Agnuolo, or the gorgeous colours of Rubens, is not more decidedly marked, than the design and execution of the Van Linges and Prices, and the masterly perform- ances of Jarvis. A striking deficiency in the composition of the early artists, was the necessity of surrounding the different colours, of which the figures consisted, with lead, and destroying by that means, the harmony of the outline. Harshness was the unavoidable effect, which they knew not either how to correct or obviate. Among modern artists, Jarvis was first distinguished for exquisitely finishing small subjects. Mr. and Mrs. Pearson, have jointly executed numerous small pieces of very great merit 3 and Forrest, the most sue- HAMLETS. 169 cessful pupil of Jarvis, has finished some very fine works for St. George's Chapel, Windsor. But of modern proficients in this exquisite art, one of the most eminent was Eginton, of Hands worth, near Bir- mingham. His excellence was progressive, and his industry duly encouraged, there being nearly fifty considerable works by his hand. This brief account of an art, not more venerable than splendid, may be concluded by observing, that glass is the most perfect ve- hicle both of sound and colour. How exquisitely refined are the tones of the Harmonica, or Musical Glasses, when touched with delicacy and skill ! And how much have the most expressive tints of the most ce- lebrated painters gained by their being transferred over the surface of the "storied window."^-* HORNER. The hamlet of Horner contains nine houses, and is so called from a considerable mountain stream of the same name.'' The picturescjue and romantic valley through which the Horner winds is bounded by very high hills, clothed with magnificent woods ; it is in some parts narrow, in others expanding into large reaches of flat ground, covered with majestic oak, ash, and forest trees of every description, interspersed with the euonymus, holly, white-thorn, and mountain-ash. This stream is broken perpetually by masses of rock obstructing its channel, and forming it into a series ot cascades. Every tree is a lesson for the pencil. There is a large quarry of the new red sand-stone in the central part of this village. I* Vide Dallaway's Anecdotes of the Arts in England. 15 Horner— from the British Hwmwr, the Snorer, from the peculiar sonorous noise it makes in its course.— Tbwr in Quest of Genealogy. 170 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. WEST LUCCOMBE. The hamlet of West Luccombe contains eight houses. DOVER-HAY. The hamlet of Dover-Hay is situated in the vicinity of Pollock. Its name seems to be derived from the British Dwr, water, to which has more recently been added the French adjunct hay, an inclosure ; that is, the inclosed water. It is thus described in Domesday Book : — " Alric holds of Roger de Corcelle, Douri. Eddeve held it in the time of King Edward, when it was as- sessed to the geld for one virgate of land. The arable is sufficient for one plough. There are two villans and one bordar. It is worth eight shillings. '^^ The Exeter Domesday says '' it is worth seven shil- lings and six-pence ; and when Roger de Corcelle received it, ten shillings ."^^ The manor of Dover-Hay, with those of West Luc- combe and Wichanger, in respect of descent, passed nearly in the same manner as that of East Luccombe. It would appear from Pope Nicholas's taxation, in 1291, that there was then a church at Dover-Hay, as its valuation is included in that of Luccombe, Previously to the twenty-sixth of Edward I. the '6 Excheq. D. vol. i. fo. 94. i? Exon D. fo. 403. FAMILY OF BYAM. 171 villages of Dover-Hay and East and West Luccombe, with their woods, heaths, and appurtenances, had been included by encroachment within the boundary of the forest of Exmoor ; but in that year they were disaf- forested, according to the tenor of the charter ot forests, and entirely freed from the oppressive restric- tions of the forest laws. GENEALOGICAL MEMOIR OF THE FAMILY OF BYAM, OF LUCCOMBE. The family of Byam originally came into Somerset- shire, from the county of Monmouth. They were of an ancient stock in the latter county, and in South Wales ; and, according to a pedigree in the Heralds' College, trace their ancestors as high as the fifth century. In the year 1575, Queen EHzabeth presented the Rev. Laurence Byam to the rectory of Luccombe,^'' and in 1578, he married Agnes, daughter of Henry Ewens, of Capton, in the parish of Stogumber, by whom he had four sons and three daughters, namely, 1. Henry, of whom hereafter; 2. John; 3. Edward; 4. WiUiam ; 5. Anne ; 6. Christiana ; and 7. Mary. 18 There was a Thomas Byam, of this family, who was prebendary of Bromesbury, in the cathedral church of St. Paul, London, in the reign of Queen Mary ; but according to Dr. Bliss's Notes to Wood's Fasti, he was deprived on the accession of Elizabeth, as it would appear, for his adherence to the Roman Catholic creed. He was succeeded in his prebendal stall, by Dr. Matthew Button, afterward archbishop of York. 172 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. This Mary Byam married Francis Pierce, by whom she had several children; and who was the ancestor of Mr. Francis Pierce, now living (1829) at Bratton- Conrt, in the parish of Minehead. Her eldest son, Francis, is named by his uncle. Dr. Henry Byam, together with Thomas Henley, both of whom he de- nominates his " kinsmen," as " overseers of his will." But what relationship there was between the Doctor and Thomas Henley, has not been discovered. 1. Henry Byam, the eldest son was born at Luc- combe, on the 31st of August, 1580; and in 1597, was entered of Exeter College, Oxford, from which, two years afterward, he was elected a student of Christ Church. In both colleges he apphed himself to his studies with so much industry, that he was esteemed among the greatest ornaments of the university ; and when he took orders, one of the most acute and emi- nent preachers of the age. After taking the degree of B.D. in 1612, he succeeded his father in the rectory of Luccombe, and the Rev. William Fleet, his father-in- law, in the adjoining parish of Selworthy. In 1636, he was presented to a prebendal stall in the cathedral church of Exeter ; and on the meeting of parliament, was unanimously chosen by the clergy of his diocese to be their proctor in convocation. In the beginning of the civil war, he was one of the first who were arrested for their loyalty, but making his escape, joined the king at Oxford, where he was, with others, created doctor in divinity. In the king's cause his zeal, and FAMILY OF BYAM. 173 that of his family, could not fail to render him ob- noxious. He had not only assisted in raising men and horses for his majesty's service, but of his five sons, fgur were captains in the royal army. His estate, therefore, both clerical and private, was exposed to the usual confiscations ;^'^ and to add to his sufferings, his wife and daughter, in endeavouring to escape to Wales by sea, from the cruelties of their persecutors, were both drowned. When Prince Charles, afterward Charles II., fled from England, Dr. Byam accompanied him first to the island of Scilly, and afterward to that of Jersey, where he officiated as chaplain, until the garrison was taken by the parliamentary forces. After this he lived in obscurity until the Restoration, when he was made canon of Exeter and prebendary of Wells ; but we do not find that his services were rewarded by any higher preferment. Wood,"'' speaks of him in the warmest terms : " At the Restoration he might have obtained whatever he would have asked, but contented himself only with what his majesty was pleased freely to bestow upon him. However, had not his own modesty stood in the way, it is well known that his majesty's bounty towards him would not have rested here, but he must have died a bishop ; which honour- able function he really deserved, not only for his sanc- '9 In the list of gentlemen in the county of Somerset who compounded for their estates, Henry Byam, of Luccombe, clerk, occurs. The sum which he paid to the sequestrators as composition, was i;49 4*. Sd. "" Athena; Oxonienses, by Bliss, vol. iii. p. 836. 174 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. tity of life, but for his learning, charity, and loyalty, scarcely to be equalled by any in the age in which he lived." He died on the 16th of June, 1669, and was buried in the chancel of the church of Luccombe, where a monument, with the following inscription by Dr. Hamnet Ward, was erected to his memory : — " Non procul hinc sub Marmore congenito, sepultum jacet corpus Henrici Byam, ex antiquissima Byamorura familic^ oriundij sacro- sanctae theologiae doctoris insignissimi, hujus ecclesise et proximae Selvvorthianae rectoris, pastorisque vigilantissime ; ecclesiae cathe- dralis Exoniensis canonici, ecclesiseque Wellensis prebendarii sere- nissimse majestatis Carol! secundi regis capellani et concionatoris ordinarii, necnon ejusdem, (saeviente ilia tpannide, et semper execrandS. fanaticorum rebellione) terra marique comitis, exulisque simul. Ex meliore luto ejus constructum corpus post annos tandem octoginta et novem, anno salutis millesirao sexcentesimo sexagesimo nono, morti non triumphant! quam invitanti placide cessit. Sed extat adhuc viri hujus optirai celebrius multo hoc et ornatifls monu- meutum, non marmore perituro, sed typis exaratum perpetuis, scripta ; scilicet ejus plane divinaj ubi animi vires, etsummum ejus ingenii acumen, intueberis siraul et miraberis. Lugubrem hunc lapidem honoris et reverentise indicera posuit filius ejus obsequen- tissimus Franciscus Byam : Instauratum a Mari^ et Cecilia Wood, Anno Dom. 1713." Arms. — Argent, three boars' heads erased, F'crt. In English thus : — " Near this place, under a kindred marble, lies interred the body of Henry Byam, descended from the ancient family of the Byams — a most eminent divine, rector, and a vigilant pastor of this and the adjoining church of Selworthy, canon of the cathedral church of FAMILY OF BYAM. 175 Exeter, and prebendary of the church of Wells, chaplain and preacher in ordinary to his most serene majesty. King Charles II. ; and more- over, during the raging of that civil storm and ever-execrable re- bellion of fanatics, a companion of the same monarch by sea and land, and an exile with him. After having lived eighty and nine years, in the year of salvation, 1669, he calmly yielded to death, who, however, did not so much triumph over him, as invite him to a calm repose. There is, however, remaining a more celebrated and elegant monument than this of this excellent man, written, not in perishable marble, but in ever-durable materials, namely, his more than human writings, where you will at once behold and admire his strength of mind and the consummate shrewdness of his under- standing. " His most dutiful son, Francis Byam, erected this monument as a mark of honour and respect to his memory. " Renewed by Mary and Cecilia Wood, 1713." His works were "Thirteen Sermons, most of them preached before his majesty Charles II. in his exile, Lond. 1675," octavo. These were published after his death by Hamnet Ward, M, D. vicar of Stur- minster-Newton, in the county of Dorset, with some account of the author.2i They were delivered, as the title imports, before the King in the islands of Scilly and Jersey, at which time Dr. Byam was chaplain in ordinary to his majesty, who was his constant auditor, admiring equally his learning and his loyalty. Among them are these two latin sermons : — Osculum Pacts : Concio ad Clerum habita ExonicB in trien. Plsitat. D. Jos. Hall Episc. Exon. in S. Marc, cap. 9, ver. tilt. — And Nativitas Christi ; Concio in ^d. S. Mar. Ox. habita pro Gradu An. 1612, in Matth. cap. 1. ver. 18. — Also his sermon entitled, " A Return from Argier, preached at Minehead, in Somerset, 16th March, 1627, at the re-admission of a relapsed Christian into our church, on Rev. ii. part of the 5th verse." Dr. 21 Wood's Athen. Oxen, by Bliss, vol. iii. p. 536. — Walker's Sufferings of the Clergy, p. 29.— Chalmers's Biograph. Diet. vol. vii. 17() HISTORY OF CARIIAMPTON. Bvam, continues ^Vood, left at his death other pieces, which were fairly written by his own hand, and ready for the press. Dr. Byam married about 1615, Susan, daughter and one of the co-heiresses of the Rev. WilUam Fleet, rector of Selworthy ; whom, as I have already men- tioned, he succeeded in that living. By this lady he had issue five sons and four daughters, namely, I.William; 2. Henry ; 3. Francis ; 4. John ; 5. Laurence ; 6. Mary; 7. Susan; S.Cecily; and 9. a daughter, whose name is not known, but who was drowned in 1642 with her mother, in attempting to cross the Bristol Channel into Wales, to avoid the persecutions of the republican party. Dr. Byam's will, dated on the 30th of April, 1669, a short time before his death, is in the prerogative court of Canterbury, in London ; and in it, his sons, William and Francis are constituted his executors, and have various lands lying in Luccombe, Por- lock, Stoke-Pero, and other places, bequeathed to them. Francis, the third son, proved his father's will, and erected the monument to his memory, now remaining in Luccombe church ; and was living with his eldest brother William, in 1672; but when or where they died is not known. Henry, the second son, was slain in the king's service at sea; and John, the fourth son, lost his life in the same service, in Ireland. Of Laurence, the fifth son, I am not able to give any account. Susan Byam, the second daughter, married FAMILY OF BY AM. 177 William Dyke, of Kings Broiiipton, Wootton-Coni- tenay and Brush ford, and died in 1648 or lO-l 9, leaving an only son, William, upon whose death, without issue it proba])ly was, that the ancestor on the maternal side of the present Sir Thomas Dyke Aeland, hart., Thomas Dyke succeeded to the estates of his nephew. Cecily Byam, the third daughter, married John Wood, of Luccombe, gent., by whom she had five sons and two daughters ; namely, 1 . John ; 2. Henry ; 3. Charles ; 4. Lawrence ; 5. Byam ; the daughters were Mary and Cecily, both of whom are mentioned as having restored the monument in Luccond)e church of their grand- father, Dr. Henry Byam. There was a Byam Wood, probably a descendant of one of the five sons of John and Cecily Wood, living at Luccombe in 1741 ; for it appears by the register of that parish, that he had a son born in that year ; and either he, or his son, appears to have had large ])roperty in it some years afterward, when, bequeathing what remained to him after an im- prudent course of life to his widow, the latter is said to have left it to a rnaid-servant, one Mary Gillman, about the year 1776, at which time all traces of this branch of the family seem to be lost sight of. I now return to John., the second son of the Uev. Laurence Byam and Agnes Ewens, and next brother to Dr. Henry Byam. He was eutered of Exeter College, Oxford, on the 12th of October, 1599, being then sixteen years of age. He was afterward rector of Clatworthy, in this county, and, like his brother Henry, N 178 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. was a great sufferer on account of his loyalty. At the time that Colonel Edmund Wyndham was governor of Dunster Castle, which he held for King Charles I., that officer resisted for some time the forces sent against hiin by the parliament, and this John Byam being one of his most intimate friends, wrote to him, ex- horting him in the strongest terms to hold the castle to the last extremity against the parliamentary forces ; but at length being obliged to capitulate, this letter was unfortunately found, and Mr. Byam was immediately sent under a military escort to prison at Wells, having been most barbarously treated on the road by an ir- ritated soldiery. Walker, in his account of tlie Suffer- ings of the Clergy, says that he left in writing an account of the outrageous treatment he received, which paper is supposed to be yet in existence, but not known where ; and which, if it could now be found, would probably throw great light on the dormant state of some of the ancient property of this family. This John Byam had two wives ; the first, Sarah, who died in 1627, and the second, Edith, in 1668, by which ladies he had three sons and three daughters. Of the sons, William and John, died without issue, the former in the parish of St. John the Evangelist in London, in 1654: and the latter at Clatworthy, in 1642, in the fifteenth year of his age. Henry the eldest son of the Rev. John Byam left issue three sons, John, Henry, and William, the two first born at Clat- worthy, in 1646 and 1648. John, the eldest, died in FAMILV OF BYAM. 179 India, in 1690, without issue. The daughters of the Rev. John Byam were 1. Anne, married to John Sydenham, of Morebath, son of Thomas Sydenham of Whitstone, in this county ; 2. Susanna, the wife of George Peppin, ancestor of the Peppins of Dulvcrton ; a third daughter married the Rev. Thomas Balch, of the family of that name who afterward resided at St. Audries, and rector of Tavistock, in Devonshire. Edward Byam, third son of the Rev. Laurence Byam and Agnes Ewens, was entered of Exeter College, Oxford, on the 31st of October, 1600, being then six- teen years of age. He was afterward vicar of Dulver- ton, where he married, but what was the name of his wife I am not able to find. He had, however, several sons and daughters, namely, Edward, baptized at Dul- verton, Nov. 19, 1621 ; William, April 7, 1623; John, Nov. 15, 1625; Sarah, Jan. 26, 1616; Margaret, March 26, 1618 ; and Elizabeth, April 30, 1619. The marriages of the daughters are not exactly known, but it is believed that Sarah, the eldest, was the wife of a gentleman named Morley ; and Elizabeth, the youngest, of one of the name of Kingsmill. Edward, the eldest son, died without issue, and was succeeded by his next brother, William. This William Byam, was the founder of the Byams of the island of Antigua. In the time of the Commonwealth, he possessed an estate in the neigh- bourhood of Bridgwater, and commanded a party in that town against the parliament, but the temper and 180 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON, dis])ositioii of the times being adverse to the king, he withdrew to the island of Barbadoes, where he was com- missioner for the king, and obtained very advantageous terms for the inhabitants on the surrender of that island to the parhament in 1651. A considerable body of royalists left Barbadoes in 1654, and established them- selves in Guiana, where they chose this Mr. William Byam as their governor." Here he continued till the restoration of King Charles II. when he came over to England to endeavour to recover the estates which had been alienated on account of the active part which he had taken against the parliament ; but a vicious maxim prevailing at that time, (which has not been forgotten on some occasions since), that the king ought to en- deavour to gain over his enemies by allowing them to enjoy the plunder they had obtained, and that his friends would still be his friends from principle alone, Mr. Byam was obliged to return without being able to accomplish his purpose. He, however, obtainc^d a con- firmation of his office of governor of Surinam and Guiana, which settlements, however, did not much longer belong to the English, being by the treaty of Breda, in 1667, and that of Westminster, in 1673-4, ceded to the Dutch in exchange for the province of New- York in North America. In consequence of this event, Mr. Byam and a part of the colony removed to -- This gentleman is the governor alluded to in Southern's play of " < >roo iioko," whom the profligate Mrs. Bchn endeavoured to stigmatize from feelings of private revenge. FAMILY OF |{YAM. 181 Antigua, where he was still continueil by his majesty as governor of that island ; and where he died in 1 670. By his will, dated in the preceding year, he beqneathcd his " estates in whatever part of the world situated," betwixt his three; sons, William, Wiiloughby, and Edward, to be equally divided amongst them ; but not- withstanding which, being all of them minors at the time of their father's death, and not being properly instructed in their rights, nor subsequently able to pursue them, their descendants have ever since lost sight of the patrimonial estate at Luccombe; to which, on the extinction of the elder branch in the lineal de- scendants of Dr. Hemy Byam, they seem in right reason to be as much entitled as to that which they actually and exclusively enjoyed near Bridgwater, nothing barring their present possession but the effects of the ancient loyalty of the family, for which Dr. Henry Byam was so celebrated, and his brother John not less distinguished. The present representative of the family of Byam, is Mr. Edward Samuel Byam, now living (1829) at Cheltenham, who is the great, great grandson of the Hon. William Byam, governor of Surinam and Guiana, and of the island of Antigua, in the reign of King Charles H. SELWORTHY.^ GKNEBAL DESCRIPTION. AXCIEXT EXCAMPMENT. — BUBY CASTLE. RECTORY CHURCH STATISTICAL XOTICES. — MAXOR. — DOMES- DAY SURVEY. EDITIIA, QUEEX OF EDWARD TUE COXFESSOR. HAMLETS. ALLERFORD. BLACKFORD. WEST-LYNCH. — KXOLL. nOLXICOT. TENURE IX FRANK-ALMOIGNE. XHE parish of Selworthy is bounded on the north by the Bristol Channel ; on the east by the parish of Minehead, and a detached part of that of Timbers- combe; on the south-east and south by the parishes of Wootton-Courtenay and Luccombe ; and on the west by that of Porlock. It is divided into two tithings, Allerford and Blackford^ and contains five hamlets, namely, Allerford, Holnicot, Blackford, West-Lynch, and Knoll. The village of Selworthy is distant from Por- lock two miles, and nearly three west from Minehead. The cultivated lands of this parish are situated on the southern slope of the western part of the high hill, -^ The name of Selworthy seems to be derived from the Anglo-Saxon SalA, Salig, the same as the Latin Salix, a willow, a sallow tree, withy, or osier ; — and worth, the same as the Latin pradium, fundus, atrium, a dwelling ; that is, the dwelling among willows or osiers. SELWORTHY. l^'' the termination of which on that side is Orestone, or Bossington Point, in the parish of Porlock, as Greena- leigh, in the parish of Minchead, is on the eastern side. Generally speaking, the best land here is that which is lowest down the hill, and it gradually decreases in quality and value the higher you ascend. Sir Thomas Dyke Acland has added greatly to the natural beauties of this parish by planting many acres of poor land, of little or no value before, with timber trees, which appear to thrive well. Through some of these plantations, he has caused paths to be made, which command delight- ful views of the vales of Luccombe, Holnicot, and Porlock ; the bay of Porlock, the foreland near Ly- mouth, and the mountainous range of Dunkery and Exmoor. Some way up the slope, by the entrance of a deep glen, which runs up into the hill called here North Hill, stands the church, parsonage-house, and village of Sel worthy; the latter being perhaps the most rural and beautifully-situated village in this very beau- tiful country. Through this glen runs a small stream over a channel, which time and the swelling of the waters which descend from the hills above, have worn into a deep and rocky chasm, where grow many withies and poplars. On both sides of this glen, through which a road runs to Minehead, the hills rise very precipi- tously ; and on the summit of that on the western side there is an ancient encampment of an elliptical form, consisting of a rampart of stones and earth, and on all sides, except towards the glen, it has a deep fosse. The 184 HISTORY or CARHAMPTON. area is about an acre and a half. The ground to the west and south-west of this camp is a plain, and upon it^ at about seventy or eighty yards from the former, another large rampart has been thrown up, which does not seem ever to have been finished; it having the ap- pearance of having been intended to be an out-work in connexion or communication with the principal camp. On the north-east side of this camp a part of the ram- part has been thrown down into the fosse, which it has more than filled, and it now forms a small mound of a barrow-like form. It may be supposed that the principal work had been taken by storm by an enemy, the slain being thrown into the fosse, and a part of the ramjjart heaped upon them. This encampment is called " Bury Castle." The parish of Selworthy contains two thousand and sixty-five acres of inclosed land, besides commons. The principal proprietors arc Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, bait. ; Admiral Douglas ; Beague, Esq. ; the Rev. R. F. Gould, and Mr. Clarke. The living is a rectory, in the deanery of Dunster, and in Pope Nicholas's taxation, (1291) was valued at six marks and a half. The abbot of Athelncy had a pension out of it of three marks, given to that mo- nastery by Richard dc Luccombe, about the year 1200, out of his demesne lands in this parish. The dean and chapter of Eton had also a pension of twenty shillings RECTORY OF SELWORTHY. 185 out of this cliiirch. '* The living is vahied in the king's books at £12 15*. 4d. In the Falor Ecclesiastics there are the following particulars relating to this benefice : — 1535. Richard Denysc, Rector. Annual value of the demesne, or glebe lands 1 " " Tithes of wool and lamb 3 3 4 Predial tithes 8 Personal tithes and other casualties. . 3 15 £16 5 Out of which sum there is paid To the abbot of Athelney .200 dean and chapter of Eton 1 archdeacon of Taunton 9 8 — 3 9 8 Clear £12 15 4 Tenths 1 5 GJ By an inquisition taken in the nineteenth of Ed- ward II. (1326) Hugh de Luccombe, then recently deceased, was found to be possessed of the advowson of this church.-^ And by another inquisition taken in the fourth of 2vf/", a town, and the Anglo-Saxon burhg, so that Tre- Borough seems to be a duplication of words of the same meaning, ex- pressed in different languages. 264 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. sidcring their high situation, and produce fair crops, but the principal source of profit to the farmer is breed- ing. This parish is divided into seven farms ; the most considerable of vi^hich is "Court Farm," which includes a part, if not all, of the ancient manor of Brown. Bar- rows and cairns are found on all the surrounding hills, and an ancient road, said to be British, that must have been once much used, is still discernable. It is highly probable, from its name and otlier circumstances, that this village occupies the site of an ancient British town. The living is a rectory in the dcanei-y of Dunster, and is valued in the king's books at £7 10*. 4^d. It is discharged from the payment of tenths, the clear yearly value having been certified to be £47 11^. l^d. In 1695, Edmund Wyndham, esq. presented to this living, and in 1757, John Trevelyan, esq. The patron- age is now in Sir John Trevelyan, hart. The present rector is the Rev. G. Trevelyan, a son of the Rev. Walter Trevelyan, rector of Nettlecombe and Henbury. In the Valor Ecclesiasticiis there are the following particulars relating to this benefice : — 1535. John Dovell, Rector. Annual value of the demesne, or glebe lands I 8 Tithes of wool and lamb I 14 3 Predial tithes 4 10 7 Casualties 15 0^^ £8 ^ TREBOROUGH. 2()5 Brought up £8 GJ Out of which sum there is paid To the bishop of Bath for procurations 1 To the archdeacon of Taun- ton for synodals 9 2—0 10 2 Clear ,..£7 10 A\ The church is a small building, dedicated to St. Peter, fifty feet long, and fifteen wide. There is a low tower on the south side, and a porch at the west end. The tower contains three bells. The church contains neither monument nor inscrip- tion of any kind. The font is of stone, and the pedestal, column, and basin appear to be of one piece ; the basin is octagonal, and supported by an angel at each angle ; the whole being ornamented in deep relief. In the south side of the chancel there is projecting from a small sculptured arch in the wall a stone basin. In the churchyard there are the remains of a stone cross, the shaft of which is gone. The oldest registers that I was able to see all begin in 1813, since which time there have been three wed- dings, thirty-eight burials, and fifty-nine baptisms; nineteen of the persons buried, and twenty of the chil- dren baptized belonged to other parishes. This seems to be a very healthy parish, as wdthin the period above- mentioned, one of the persons buried appears to have attained the age of ninety-seven years, another ninety- four years, and many between that and seventy years. 2()() HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. In 1776, the money expended in this parish on ac- count of the poor, was £13 4s. lOd.; and in 1785, £17 5s. In 1803, the money raised by the parish rates was £81 19*. 8d. at 35. 6d. in the pound. In 1814, the estimated annual value of the real pro- perty in this parish, including part of the hamlet of Brown, as assessed to the property tax, was £732. In 1818, the county rate was 15*. 3d. In the parochial returns relating to the education of the poor made to the House of Commons in 1818, the Rev. G. Trevelyan, the rector, states that there are eight or ten children here taught to repeat their catechism after divine service. The poorer classes are extremely desirous of further means of educating their children. In 1815, there were seventeen poor here. In 1801, the resident population in this parish was 132. In the Population Abstract of 1821, the return for Treborough stands thus : — Houses inhabited 20 Uninhabited I Building 1 Families 20 Of whom were employed In agriculture 'iO In trade Another TREBOROUGH. 267 Persons 113 : — Males 64 Females 49 Decrease in 20 years 19. In Domesday Book the manor of Treborough is thus described : "^Ralph [de Limesi] himself holds Traberge. Ed- ric held it in the time of King Edward, when it was assessed to the geld for half a hide. The arable land is sufficient for five ploughs. There is in the demesne one plough. There is one villan and thirty acres of wood ; a pasture one mile in length, and the same in breadth. It is worth seven shillings, but it now lies waste [or uncultivated.]^^ In the Exeter Domesday it is said that the Avhole land of this manor is in demesne, except ten acres which are held by a villan.^ After the Conquest, Treborough came into the pos- session of the family of Basinges, or de Basinges, lords of Kentsford, in the parish of St. Decuman's. The first of this family of whom we find any mention is Hamo de Basinges, whose son William was living in the twelfth of Edward I. and then held the manor of Kentsford of John de Mohun, lord of Dunster. He was succeeded in the eighth of Edward II. by John de Basinges ; in the twenty-sixth of Edward I. (1297) this John was summoned to perform military ser\dce 33 Excheq. D. vol. i. fo. 97. i Exon. D. fo. 429. 268 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. in person in Flanders, and to attend the muster at Sand- wich, on the 24th of November; three years afterward he was returned from the counties of Somerset and Dorset, as holding lands either in capite or otherwise to the amount of £40 yearly value and upwards, and as such was summoned to perform military service against the Scots, and to attend the muster at Carlisle, on the 24th of June ; in the twenty-ninth of the same reign, (1301) he was again summoned from the county of Somerset,to perform military service in person against the Scots, and to attend the muster at Berwick, on the 24th of June.^ He was succeeded by another John, who in the forty-third of Edward III. was lord of the manor of Treborough, and had issue Gilbert Basinges, of Kentsford, who was living in the twentieth of Richard II., and in the seventh of Henry V. was succeeded by another Gilbert, then under age. He died in the six- teenth of Henry VI. leaving by Isabella, his wife, Simon de Basinges his son and heir, which Simon dying without issue, Eleanor his sister, married to John Ilamme, became possessed of Treborongh and Kents- ford ; and in conjunction with her said husband, in the twentieth of Henry VI. passed over all her right in these manors to Sir William Bonvillc and others, in trust for Richard Luttrell ; and in the twenty-fourth of Henry VI. being then the wife of John Williams, le- vied a fine to the said trustees. - Palgrave's Writs of Military Summons, p. 418. MANOR OF TREBOROUGH. 269 This Richard Luttrell, wlio was an illegitimate son of Sir John Luttrell, was in the twenty-second of Henry VI. appointed constable of Dunster Castle for life ; and in the following year coroner for the county of So- merset. In the twenty-ninth of Henry VI. he was, with Sir William Bonville, appointed by the duke of York keeper of the king's park at North-Petherton, and the same year steward of all the lands belonging to the duke of York in Somersetshire, and keeper of his castle at Bridgwater. In the thirty-third of the same reign he accounted for timber cut down in the king's manor of North-Petherton, and died the same year without issue, whereupon his estates reverted to Sir James Luttrell, of Dunster Castle. This Richard Luttrell was possessed at the time of his death of the manors of Treborough, Kentsford, Donniford, Vexford, and lands in Stogumber, Huish juxta Highbridge, and Exton, all in this county. On the attainder of Sir James Luttrell, in the first of Edward IV. the manors of Treborough and Kents- ford, with the other lands, were granted to William, Lord Herbert, afterward earl of Pembroke, but on the reversal of that attainder in the twelfth of Henry VII. this manor devolved upon Sir Hugh Luttrell, knt. in whose descendants it continued till in the time of Kins: Edward VI. Sir John Luttrell, grandson of Sir Hugh, sold it to Sir John Wyndham, who gave it to Edward his second son, progenitor of the Wyndhams of Kentsford, Trent, Pillesdon, and Tale. The manor of 270 HISTORY Of CARHAMPTON. Treborough was afterward conveyed into other hands, and is now the property of Sir John Trevelyan, hart. MANOR OF BROWN. Within the parish of Treborough lies the ancient manor of Brown, so called from the British hrynn, the same as the Latin mons, a mountain, from its moun- tainous situation on the Brendon Hills, It is thus described in Domesday Book : — "Durand holds of William [de Mohun] Brune. Edwold held it in the time of King Edward, when it was assessed to the geld for one hide. The arable land is sufficient for six ploughs. There are in the demesne two ploughs and a half, and two bondmen. Thirteen ■villans and three bordars have four ploughs. There is one acre of meadow, eighty acres of pasture, and twelve acres of Avood. It was formerly worth twenty shillings, now it is worth forty shillings."^ In the Exeter D. it is said that Durand has half a hide in demesne, and the villan tenants half a hide. Durand has here two horses, fifteen bullocks, twenty- three hogs, and two hundred sheep wanting ten, and forty-four goats.* The manor of Brown was afterward held of the castle of Dunster by the Martins, progenitors of those of that family of Athelampston, in the county of Dorset. 3 Exchcq. 0. vol. i. fo. 25. b. ■< Exon. D. fo, 3:J(i. HISTORY OF MANORS. *27 1 It now belongs to Sir John Trevelyan, bart. Beach, esq. has some freehold property here, which he lately purchased of Sir Thomas B. Lethbridge, bart. The church of Dunster has an estate belonging to the vicar for the time being, called Blackwells. MANORS. Manors, although in substance, perhaps, as ancient as the Saxon constitution, are considered by our best writers on English antiquities as of Norman introduction. Sir William Dugdale says, the reign of Edward the Confessor is the first in which they are mentioned ; a circumstance which is easily accounted for by the fondness of Edward for Norman institutions. "Tenuit de Rege E. pro M." occurs fre- quently in the early part of the survey. The name is either from the French manoir, or from the Latin manendo, as the usual residence of the owner on his land. The assistance which William the Conqueror obtained in his ex- pedition from the Norman barons was voluntary, and evidently given with a view to the possessions which were afterwards obtained. This accounts for the circumstance in Domesday, that the king's lands are almost uniformly those which Edward, Harold, Earl Godwin, Ghida the mother of Harold, Goda the sister of King Edward, Guert, Tosti, Stigand, Algar earl of Mercia, Earl Edwin, Earl Morcar, Edric, or Editha, the Confessor's queen had held 5 while the lands of the Saxon nobles appear to have been doled out to the officers of the Conqueror's army, apparently either in proportion to their rank in Normandy, or according to the supplies they furnished in the expedition. "Those," says Lord Chief Baron Gilbert,^ " who held their territories immediately from the crown, were said to hold in cap'ite ; but those who held in capite had other officers, subordinate to them j they also granted to hold of themselves. These intermediate persons vj^ere denominated * Law of Tenures, Inti-od. p. 10. 272 HISTORY OF carhampton. the mesne lords, of whom so much is spoken in our laws. Even these divided their lands amongst their followers 3 and every lordship or manor was itself the similitude of the kingdom at large. The lord divided his manor, as the state had divided the kingdom into two parts ; the one he retained for his own support, and was partlj cultivated by his villan [tenants] and copyholders, and was called his demesnes ; the other part was parcelled out among his depen- dants, who returned him their services." Such was the history, and such the multiplication of manors in the times immediately succeeding the Norman Conquest. The statute of Quia Eraptores put an end to their farther increase.^ 6 Ellis's Introd. to D. B. p. Lxxxiij. WITHYCOMBE.^ OEXERAL DESCRIPTION. RKCTORY. CHURCH. STATISTICAL NO- TICES. MANORS. FAMILY OF FITZ-URSE. BIOGRAPHICAL NO- TICE OF THE REV. JOHN NICOLLS. -CiNTERING this hundred by the turnpike road from Taunton, the first parish is Withycombe. It is bounded on the west and north by the parish of Carhampton, on the east by the hundred of WilUton and the Free Manors, and on the south by Carhampton and Lux- borough. From a field survey, taken in the year 1821, it was found to contain seventeen hundred and ninety- three acres, twelve hundred and six of which are in- closed; the remainder is a common called Withycombe Hill, and a sheep walk attached to Gupworthy Farm, called Black Hill. The former measures about one hundred and eighty-four acres, and a considerable part of it has been cultivated, the ridges being still very perceptible ; the highest point of this hill is called the Fire Beacon, and without doubt, has been used as such in former times. On the southern side, near a farm called Higher Dumbleden, there is a circle of stones 7 Withycombe, from the Anglo-Saxon Withig, the same as the Latin Salix, a withy, willow, or osier ; and Comb, a valley ; that is, the Valley qf Willows. T 274 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. which has every appearance of being a druidical remain. Most of the estates in this parish have rights of common on this hillj and as formerly the occupiers of estates having rights of common used in many instances to cuhivate certain parts of the same, there can be little doubt but such was the case here, which accounts for the ridges and the decayed mounds that might have been boundaries, which are still to be seen. Black Hill measures four hundred and three acres, and a part of it is covered with dwarf oak coppice and whortle- berry plants. The inhabitants of the parish have a right to cut this coppice for fuel. On the top of this hill, near Monkham Common, and not fjir from the circle of stones and barrows described in our account of the parish of Luxborough, there are two cairns, one of them large and similar to that class of barrows called by Sir Richard Colt Hoare the bowl barrow. The low lands of this parish are good, and some of them equal, if not superior, to any in the hundred. A stream of water, rising in a deep glen called Retlghts, between Black and Radhuish Hills, passes through this parish, and after turning a mill in the village, and irrigating a con- siderable quantity of land, joins another stream, and both fall into the sea at Blue Anchor. The village, which consists of two straggling streets of mean houses, deep worn roads, and high old-fashioned causeways, is pleasantly situated about a cjuarter of a mile on the south of the turnpike road, at the entrance of a deep valley which runs up between some well-cultivated hills,^ WITHYCOMBE. 275 that surround the place on all sides, except towards the north, Avhere it looks out upon a rich plain that ex- tends to the Bristol Channel, of which it commands a view, as well as of the coast of South Wales. In this parish there is a wood of twenty acres on the left of the turnpike road goinii^ westward ; it covers the sides and top of the northern part of a ridge that passes down to the eastward of the village, and was a very fine object from any part of the neighbourhood before it was cut down, about ten years since ; but it has again been re- planted by J. F. Luttrell, esq. and is now becoming a prominent and conspicuous feature in the face of the country. There is no manor house, though a farm house, still called Court Place, is said to be the site of one ; there is ho^vever a fine estate with a manerial- looking house on it, called Sandell, buih in the year 1588, as appears by an inscription in the great hall ; this was the property and residence of a branch of the Escott family until within these few years, when it was purchased by J. F. Luttrell, esq. and is now occupied as a larm house. It was purchased by one of the Es- cott's of Sir Charles Morgan, of Tredegar. There is a detached part of this parish, of about ten acres, on the shores of Blue Anchor Bay, between the parishes of Carhampton and Old Cleeve, and another detached part entirely within the latter parish, in the Hundred of Williton and the Free Manors. Black game is found on Black Hill, and pheasants, partridges, hares, and rabbits abound in this parish. 276 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. The living is a rectory in the deanery of Dunster, and is valued in the king's books at £10 lis. Ad. In 1715, Lord Carnarvon presented to this living, and in 1767, John Hutton, esq. In the Valor Ecclesiasticus there are the following particulars relating to this benefice : — 1535. John Duller, Rector. Annual value of the demesne or glebe lands 6 Personal tithes with other casualties. . 10 15 £11 1 Out of which sum there is paid To the archdeacon of Taunton for pro- curations 9 8 Clear. ...£10 11 4 The present value of the living is about £250 per annum. The advowson of this living was left by a lady to Mr. Mason and Mr. Hutton, in trust, to present, first, a relation of the testatrix's, but if no such relation should appear to claim it, then to a scholar of the free- grammar school at Beverley, in Yorkshire ; but if not so claimed, then to a member of Sidney Sussex Col- lege, Cambridge. Mr. Hutton is now the surviving trustee. The register begins in 1669, but is imperfect from 1713 to 1720. VVITHVCOMBE. 277 RECTORS OF WITHYCOMBE. 1669. John Uppington. 1670. Thomas CoUard, who built the parsonage house. 1690. John Jenkins. 1743. Samuel Rogers. 1767. Inman. Bowman, A. C. Verelst, present rector, 1829. The church, which is dedicated to St. Nicholas, is a small building, consisting of a nave and chancel, tiled. On the south side stands a square embattled tower, thirty-six feet high, containing four bells. On a brass plate in the chancel there is this inscrip- tion : — " Here lyeth the bodie of Joane Carne, of Sandell, who was thrice married ; first, unto John New- ton, of Sandell, gent. ; next unto Charles Wyndham, esquire; and last of all unto Thomas Carne, of Eweny, in the county of Glamorgan, esq. Shee died on the nine and twentieth day of October, 1612." On a stone : — " Here lyeth the body of Samuel Rogers, M. A. rector of this parish; and under the next stone, on the right hand, lies the body of his dear sister Elizabeth. He died Jan. 26, 1767, aged 79. She died Sept. 2, 1749." On a tablet against the north wall of the nave : — '^ Underneath lyeth the body of Elianor Sully, daughter of Richard »Sully and Margaret his wife, who was wife 278 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. of Henry Chester, and Giles Dawberie, who died Aug. 27, 1730, aged 88. — What is more miserable than a livine: nian without divine assistance ?" In 1776, the money expended in this parish on ac- count of the poor, was £44 3s.; and in 1785, £92 4*. In 1803, the money raised by the parish rates was £225 \2s. Sd. at 9^. 4d. in the pound. In 1814, the estimated annual value of the real pro- perty in this parish, as assessed to the property tax, was £1843. — In 1818, the county rate was £1 18*. 4|J. In the parochial returns relating to the education of the poor, made to the House of Commons in 1818, the Rev. Arthur Charles Verelst, the rector, states that there is not any school in this parish, but that there is one in an adjoining parish, but the distance is too far for very young children, and all the poorer classes are desirous of having a school established in the parish. In 1815, there were twenty -one poor here. In 1801, the resident population of this parish was 283. In the Population Abstract of 1821, the return for Withvcombe stands thus : — Houses inhabited. 44 Uninhabited Building 2 Families 61 MANOR OF WITHYCOMBE. 279 Of whom were employed In agriculture 41 In trade 17 All other 3 Persons 319 : — viz. Males 157 Females 1 62 Increase in 20 years 36 The manor of this place is divided into Withycomhe- Hadley and Withycombe-Wick, but both portions are now vested, and have been for several £:;enerations, in the family of Luttrell, of Dnnster Castle. At the time of the Norman Conquest, the whole manor of Withycombe belonged to the bishop of Cou- tances, and it is thus described in Domesday Book : — '^ Edmer holds of the bishop [of Coutances] Widi- CUMBE. Alnod held it in the time of King Edward, when it was assessed to the geld for three hides. The arable land is sufficient for ten ploughs. There are in the demesne two ploughs and six bondmen. Fourteen villans and seven bordars have eight ploughs. There are ten acres of meadow, five hundred and fifty acres of pasture, and ninety-six acres of wood. It was worth four pounds, but now it is worth six pounds.^ In the Exeter Domesday it is added that " Edmer has one hide in demesne, and the villans two hides. ? Fxchcq. D. vol. i. fo. 8;?. 280 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Edmer has here one horse, three bullocks, ten hogs, forty sheep, and thirty goats. "'^ The family of Fitz-Urse possessed the manor of Withycorabe in very early times after the Norman Conquest. In the reign of King Stephen this family, the name of which in after days degenerated into Fitzour, Fyshour, and Fisher, became possessed of the extensive manor of Williton. They had their descent from that Ursa, or Ursus, who in the time of William the Con- queror held lands in Grittleton^ and other parts of Wiltshire, of the abbey of Glastonbury. The first of the name that enjoyed the manor of Williton was Richard Fitz-Urse, who died before the twelfth of Henry II. leaving issue three sons, Sir Reginald, Sir Robert, and Walter. Sir Reginald Fitz-Urse had his residence at Williton in a house which he afterward gave to his brother Robert, together with a moiety of the manor of Willi- ton. In the twelfth of Henry II. on the payment of the aid for the marriage of that king's daughter, he re- turned his knights fees to be three in number and the sixth part of a fee. He was the principal person con- cerned in the murder of Thomas a Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, in the year 1 1 69, under whom he served as a knight while chancellor of England. The names of the other assassins were William Tracy, Hugh de Morville, and Richard Brito, or Bret, all of them con- » Kxon. D. fn. Vi:,, ' Dt.nicsday B.vol. i. fo. C6, b. col. 2. FAMILY OF FITZ-URSE. 281 nected with the county of ^Somerset, distinguished by nobih'ty of descent, renowned in war, and favourites of the king, Henry II. Soon after the death of Becket, namely in 1171, this Sir Reginald Fitz-Urse bestowed the remainder of his manor of Williton on the knights of St. John of Je- rusalem. The other part, as we have already mentioned, was possessed by his brother Robert, who rebuilt the chapel of Williton, and in consideration of releasing his right to the patronage of it, Savaricus, bishop of Wells and Glastonbury, agreed that the prebendary of St. Decuman's should always find a chaplain to perform divine offices, and to reside in the village of Williton. He was succeeded by John Fitz-Urse, his son, who was living in the time of King John, After him, Ralph Fitz-Urse was lord of Williton in the forty- second of King Henry III. 1257, being then a knight ; he died before the sixth of Edward I. (1277) leaving by Margaret his wife, Ralph Fitz-Urse, also a knight, who in the twenty- eighth of Edward I. (1300) was returned from the county of Somerset, as holding lands or rents, either in capite or otherwise, to the amount of £40 yearly value and upwards, and as such was summoned to perform military service against the Scots, and to attend the muster at Carlisle on the 24th of June ; and in the following year he was again summoned to go in person against the Scots, and to attend the muster at Berwick. 282 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. In the eighteenth of Edward II. be was summoned to attend 'the army in Gascony. He held two parts of a knight's fee in Brompton-Ralph, which village seems to have derived its second name from this Ralph or his father, under Thomas de Tymmeworth and Lucy his wifcj who held the same of Sir John de Mohun as of his castle of Dunster. — This Sir Ralph married Annora, daughter of Sir John de Membury, by whom he had issue two sons, Ralph, and John, parson of Brompton- Ralph, and several daughters. Ralph Fitz-Urse (the third) was also a knight, and died in the thirty-fifth of King Edward III. (1360.) In the twentieth of Edward I. he was possessed of the whole of the manor of Brompton-Ralph, and presented his brother John, in the sixteenth of Edward II. to the living of that place. By Maud his wife he had two dau2;hters, his co-heiresses, the elder of whom, Maud, was married to Sir Hugh Durborough, knt. of Heathficld ; and the other to Fulford, of Fulford, in Devonshire. In the partition of the estates of the family of Fitz- Urse, between the two co-heiresses, the manor of Withycombe was assigned to Maud, the wife of Sir Hugh Durborough. Their issue was Ralph Durbo- rough, and James, who resided at Heathfield; the latter married Alice, daughter of John Bath, by whom he had issue John Durborough, of Heathficld, who died without issue in the first of Henry V. (1412.) Ralph Durborough, the eldest son, succeeded on his FAMILY OF HADLEY. 283 father's death to the manor of Withycombe, and by his wife, Joan, daughter of John St. Barbe, had issue two daughters, his co-heiresses, namely, Joan, married to John Courtenay, who died without issue; and Alice, the wife of Alexander Hadley. Which Alexander Hadley, in right of the said Alice his wife, became possessed of the manor of Withy- combe, and transmitted it to his son, John Hadley, who ha\ing married Joan, the daughter of Richard Stawel, was father of Richard Hadley. This Richard married Philippa, the daughter of Sir Humphrey Audley, knt. and had issue one son, James, and two daughters, Anne and Jane. James was twice married, first, to Frideswide, the daughter of Charles Matthew, of the county of Glamorgan ; his second wife's name was Elizabeth. By his first wife he was father of several children, namely, four sons, Christopher, John, James, and Thomas; and two daughters, Anne and Rachel. Christopher Hadley, his son and heir, was twenty-two years of age in the thirty-first of Henry VHI. and being married, left issue Arthur Hadley, and Margaret. Arthur died without issue in the reign of Philip and Mary, and his sister Margaret, who was married to James Luttrell, esq. succeeded to the estate; which thus passing into the family of Luttrell, of Dunster Castle, has lineally descended to the present possessor. In Wood's Athence Oxonienses there is an account of the Rev. John Nicolls, who occurs as curate of 284 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Withycombe about the year 1570. This gentleman is said to have been a native of Cowbridge, in Wales, and educated at Brazen-Nose College, Oxford, but left the university without taking a degree. Soon afterward he became curate of Withycombe under the Rev. Mr. Jones, then also vicar of Taunton St. Mary Magdalen, from which he removed to White-Stanton, where he exer- cised the clerical functions until 1577. About this period he renounced the doctrines of the church of England, and went to Antwerp, from thence to Rheims, and at length to Rome. He then offered his services to the inquisition, was forthwith received into the bosom of the catholic church, and became a member of the English college in that city. He continued there about two years, and under the pretence of going to Rheims returned to England, and being found at Islington, near London, was arrested and sent prisoner to the Tower, where he recanted his Roman Catholic opinions in the presence of the lieutenant, Sir Owen Hopton, and several persons belonging to the court of Queen Elizabeth. After this he published a book, entitled his " Pil- grimage," and various controversial works, relating to his recantation and religious opinions, which the reader will find fully detailed in Wood, but which have long since "descended to the tomb of all the Capulets." In 1582 he went to France, and was seized and sent to prison at Rouen, in Normandy, where he recanted all that he had formerly written and spoken against the REV. J. NICOLLS. 285 pope and the catholic clergy. Wood gives him the character of being fickle and inconstant in his religion, and in his disposition and temper, timorous, vain-glori- ous, and a mere boaster. What became of him after he was released from prison at Rouen, or where he died is not known."^ 10 Wood's Athenae Oxen. vol. i. p. 172. CARHAMPTON. GENERAL DESCRIPTION, VICARAGE. CHURCH. STATISTICAL NO- TICES. MANOR. DEMESNE TOWN OF THE ANGLO-SAXON KINGS. DOMESDAY SURVEY. HAMLETS. EASTBURY. ALLER. MARSHWOOD. MARSH. OULE-KNOWLE. ALLERCOT. BADHU- ISH. ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF TRIAL BY JURY. ILLUSTRATION OF DOMESDAY BOOK. THE ORE, A MONEY OF NOMINAL VALUE. J_ HE parish of Carhamptoii is situated in the north- eastern point of the hundred to which it gives name. It is hounded on the north hy Timherscombe,Minehead, Dunster, and the Bristol Channel ; on the east by the hundred of Williton and the Free Manors, and the pa- rish of Withycombe ; on the south by Treborough and Luxborough, and on the west by Cutcombe and Tim- berscombe. It is supposed to have derived its name from Carantacus, a British saint, the son of Keredic/^ 11 The monkish legends inform us that this Keredic had many children, of whom the above-named Carantacus or Carantac, discovered at a very early age an uncommon disposition to piety and goodness. That when his father, harassed with troubles and worn out with years, and no longer able to sustain the weight of government, proposed to resign to him the regency of the pro- vince, he declined the honour, and preferred a pilgrim's staff to a prince's sceptre. — Vide Jo. Tinmouth ap. Capgrave, in Carantaco. — Leland's Itin. vol. ii. p. 101. PARISH OF CARHAMPTON. 287 prince of the province of Cardigan, who emigrated from his native land to this place, where he settled, and huilt an oratory, and spent his time in prayer and praise to God. Collinson, in his History of Somerset,^- seems to throw sonic doubt upon this statement ; " that such a person," he observes, "might have retired hither, and erected a small oratory, is not altogether improbable ; but what Leland says, viz. that in his time there existed a chapel of that saint, which sometime was the parish- church, cannot so easily be reconciled." There are, however, reasons for believing that Leland's statement is correct, for he wrote from actual observation, and his account is corroborated by the discovery, within a few years past, of a number of stones and cement which have been dug up in an orchard and garden belonging to the vicarage house, about two hundred yards eastward of the present church-yard; this is supposed to have been the site of the ancient chapel; many human bones were found among the ruins, as have been many more in some parts of the vicarage orchard and garden, and also in an adjoining orchard, belonging to Eastbury Farm, where, in cutting a deep drain, the workmen came across many human skeletons, all lying as if they had been decently buried, and no longer ago than last year (1828) and since this work was begun, some labourers employed in new-laying out the vicarage gardens for the Rev. William Bere, the curate, found some more '2 Vol. ii. p. 2. 288 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. skeletons ; with these as well as with those dug up in Eastbury orchard, there were found other human bones, which, no doubt, had belonged to bodies that had been buried before those to which the skeletons belonged, had been taken out in making the last graves, and again thrown in with the earth in filling them up. From a survey of this parish made in 1821, it was found to contain five thousand one hundred and ninety- three acres; of which three hundred and forty-eight acres are in Dunster Park, eighty-two acres in Dunster Lawn, five hundred and seventy-nine acres in heaths and commons, four hundred and fifty-five acres in timber, wood, and coppice, and the rest in arable, mea- dow, orchard, and pasture; of which J. F. Luttrell, esq. is the proprietor of three thousand seven hundred and ninety-nine acres. This, in an agricultural point of view, is by far the richest and finest parish in the whole hundred ; it is divided into three parts, entirely sepa- rated from each other, namely, Carhampton Lower- Side, Radhuish, (here written Rodhuish) and a tract lying between Dunster and Timberscombc, which with Radhuish is called Carhampton Higher-Side. The first contains the village of Carhampton, through which runs the turnpike road from Taunton to Dunster and Minehead ; from which latter place it is distant about three miles and a half, as it is nearly one mile and a half from the former. The soil is either alluvial earth, or what is here called red-stone rush, under which lies red gravel or a sort of marie, which becomes harder and PARISH OF CARHAMPTON, 289 mixed with stones the deeper we descend ; the greater part of the former, and some of the latter, is either rich pasture or excellent watered meadows; tlic best arable is the stone rush, it is easy and free to work, and yields, if well nianaeod, excellent crops of all kinds of grain and pnlsc, equal in quality to any grown in the kingdom. There is no lime rock worked here, but there is one in the park which appears to have been worked, but it must have been a long time ago from the appearance of the timber growing about it ; the farmers therefore import stones from Wales, and here burn them into lime, with which they manure their lands. The orchards are very fine, and at this moment loaded with fruit. In that part of Dunster Park which is in this parish there is an ancient encampment, in line preservation ; it is of an octagonal shape, with a double rampart and deep fosse ; the rampart is formed of stones, and appears in some places as if it had been terraced like stairs. Two small ramparts run out to the eastward, which appear to have been the entrance, to the principal work. The ditch is quite filled up in two places, with the ruins of part of the rampart, which gives it the appearance of having been carried by assault by an attacking enemy. There is an outwork formed of a single rampart, facing the entrance, at about the distance of two hundred yards from it. There is a fine view of the channel, and the coast of Wales on the north, the camp overlooking a deep glen on the south and west, which runs into the vale of Avill, besides u 290 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. commanding an extensive view of the surrounding country. Besides the lord of the manor the following are free- holders in this parish : — Earl of Egremont ; Sir T. D. Acland ; Sir John Trevelyan ; Robert Hole, esq. of Harewood ; Robert Hole, esc^. of Timberscombe; James Hole, esq.; Charles Beague, esq.; Rev. T. S. Escott; Rev. Bickham Es- cott ; Miss M. Newton ; Miss Honor Kent ; Rev. George B. Warren ; Mr. James Taylor ; Mr. Henry Leigh ; Mr. Phelps ; the heirs of Hugh Blackwell and their assigns ; and Mr. John Lewis. The living is a vicarage in the deanery of Dunster, and is valued in the king's books at £11 8*. It is dis- charged from the payment of tenths, the clear yearly value having been certified at £48 13*. lOJc?. In 1292, this church was valued at four marks and a half, and was appropriated to the priory of Bath. In the Valor Eccleslasticus there are the following particulars relating to this living : — 1535. Rectory of Carhampton, prior and convent of Bath, propr. Annual value of the predial tithes, and other casualties 14 6 8 Out of which there is an an- nual pension paid to the prior and convent of Bath 8 10 VICARS OF CARHAMPTON. 291 And an annual jicnsion to the cathedral clmrch of Wells 5 1535. Vicarage of Carhanipton, Henry Clarke, Vicar. Annual value of the demesne or glelje lands 10 Tithes of wool and lamb 4 10 Predial tithes 5 Oblations and other casualties 1 8 £11 8 The Rev. W. Bere is the present incumbent. The right of presentation and the impropriate great tithes, excepting those of Oule-Knowle, and Robert Hole, esq. of Timberscombe's property, belong to John Fownes Luttrell, esq. by purchase from Sir James Langham, hart. In a survey made of the parish in 1823, for the purpose of equalizing the poors' rate, the sum of <£180 3s. 9d. is given as the net annual value of the tithes and glebe. VICARS OF CARHAMPTON. 1634. Peter Poole. 1677. William Troyte. 1691. John Mayo. 1715. Charles Mayo. 1716. William Lovelace. 1754. Samuel Squires. Richard Abraham. William Bere. 292 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. The church stands in the centre of the village^ and is dedicated to St. John the Baptist ; it consists of a nave, south aile, and chancel; the nave is di\aded from the latter hy a handsome screen. The king's arms bear the date of 1660, the year of the Restoration. At the west end there is a low stone tower, on the top of which is a frame of wood whose sides are boarded up : it is covered with tiles. Tradition says that the tower was once all of stone, but that a part was taken down and the present top substituted for it. In the church-yard there are the remains of a stone cross with three rows of steps ; the shaft is broken. There is a monument in the south-aile to the me- mory of Sarah Trevelyan, of Knoll, relict of Thomas, eldest son of Hugh Trevelyan, of Yarnscombc, in the county of Devon, esq. who died November 26, 1667, aged 37. Near this monument there are some stones on the floor bearing the arms of the Trevelyan family, with some writing in latin which is now illegible ; and on another broken stone the following: " Samuel Gray, a citizen of London, where he lived and died, in the year of our Lord God 163L" And in tlic nave another with this : " Here lies the body of John Knight, sur- geon, who wasburryd the 18th of Sep. 1733, aged 23." And in the chancel one "To the memory of Elizabeth Ann, wife of William Lovelace, vicar, and daughter to John Mayo, late vicar, who departed this life the 7th day of Feb. 1724, aged 33. Nulli pictate secunda;" and STATISTICAL NOTICES. 293 '' Here lies the body of the Rev. William Lovelace, vicar of this church, who dy'd the 29 Dec. 1754, in the 64th year of his age." The register begins in 1634; from 1652 to 1677 it is lost ; the rest is in good preservation and appears to have been well kept. It records " that in 1741, 14 persons died here of the small pox, and in 1784, 14 more died of a malignant fever." In it is entered the burial of the bodies of a child, and a drowned sailor found on the sea shore. And it contains the following: "Bury 'd Grace Blackwell — ObiitFelis morsu rabioste ;" that is, died from the bite of a mad cat." Leland^^ says "there lieth one Elizabeth, wife to one of the Luttrells, before the high altar, under a plain stone." This stone is, however, not in Carhampton church, but in the old part of that of Dunster. The paragraph in the Itinerary seems to have been mis- placed by the transcriber. In 1776, the money expended in this parish on ac- count of the poor was £115, and in 1785, £198. In 1776, there was a work-house here, which would ac- commodate thirty persons. In 1803, the money raised by the parish rates was £465. In 1814, the estimated annual value of the real property in this parish, as as- sessed to the property tax, was £5429. In 1818, the county rate was £5 13*. 1 Id. In the year ending at 1'' Itinerary vol. ii. p. 101. 294 HISTOKY OF CARHAMPTON. lady-tlay, 1827, the money paid for the county rate was £57 I5s. lOcL; and for and to the poor, £478 16.5. 6|rf. In 1801, the resident population of thisparishwasGOl . In the Population Abstract of 1821, the return for Carhampton stands thus : — Houses inhabited 104 Uninhabited Building Families 123 Of whom were employed In agriculture 86 In trade 24 All others 13 Persons 587 : — viz. Males 304 Females 283 Decrease in 20 years 14 In 1815, there were ninety-three poor in this parish. In the parochial returns relating to the education of the poor, made to the House of Commons in 1818, the Rev. John South wood stated that in Carhampton there is an endowed school for eight boys, selected from this and the adjoining villages of Droxford, Namstoke, and Exton, and that there is here no other school. The poorer classes are very desirous of having their chil- dren educated.^* " 1 have copied this statement from the Parliaineutaiy Reports relating to the Education of the Poor; but, on inquiry at Carhampton, I find that there is MANOR OF CARHAMPTON. 295 The town of Carhampton was one of the demesne towns of the Anglo-Saxon kings, as is proved from Domesday Book, and also from King Alfred's will. "First I give," says the king in his will, 'Ho Edward my eldest son, the land at Curhumtune, and at Cylfan- tune, and at Burnhammc, and at Wedmor," Sec- Fifteen towns in the county of Somerset, which had heen the ancient demesne of the Anglo-Saxon kings, are mentioned in Domesday Book as having belonged to Edward the Confessor, of which Carhampton is one. History traces some of these towns to the possession of Ina, king of the West-Saxons ; others to the great Alfred, and others to Athclstan. All of them had been exempt, for this reason, from the tax called Dane Geld, because, if they had been assessed, it would only have been paying with one hand what would have been re- ceived with the other. The arable lands of these manors were therefore never hidated, and the smwey constantly expresses that it is not known what number of hides were contained in them.^^ In Domesday Book the manor of Carhampton is described conjointly with Williton and Cannington, and was then in the king's hands, being ancient demesne of the crown. not nor ever was, any school of this description. The report probably belongs to some other parish, and has been misplaced by those who had the care ot the arrangement of those reports. The then cmatc of Carhampton was not called "John Sonthwood," but John Southcombc.— J. S. 15 Sec King Alfred's will, London, 1S28, 8vo.— Domesday Book, vol. i. under Somerset, Terra Regis, 296 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. ''The king holds Williton, Cannington, and Car- HAMPTON. King Edward held them. They never were assessed to the geld, neither is it known what nunihcr of hides there are. The arable land is sufficient for one hundred ploughs. There are eleven ploughs and a half in the demesne, and eleven bondmen ; and thirty coliberti and thirty- eight villans, and fifty bor- dars, who have thirty-seven ploughs and a half. "There arc two mills which render five shillings; one hundred and four acres of meadow ; a pasture five miles in length and three miles in breadth ; a wood four miles long, and two miles and a half broad. "These manors render 100 pounds and 116 shillings and 16 pence half-pcnny,^^ of 20 in the ore. "In the time of King Edward they rendered the firm of one night." The Exeter Domesday" adds that "in these manors the king has two horses, eleven hogs, and three hun- dred sheep." There is a second entry in the same record relating to the church of this village : — " In the church of Carentone lies one hide and a half of land. There is in demesne one plough and a half,^^ with a priest, and one villan and eight bordars. ' •• The Exchequer Domesday calls this siat een'-pcncc half- penny, but the Exon Domesday, su -pence half-penny. '7 Fo. 81. '* In Dr. Ilcnshalls translation of part of Domesday Book, the author says that the lord's plough was drawn by four oxen, and the plough of the villan MANOR OF CARHAMPTON. 297 There are forty acres of pasture, and fifteen acres of wood. It is worth twenty shillings."^^ From this description, the vicar of Carhampton is entitled to a manor distinct from that above-mentioned. Soon after this the Conqueror gave the manor of Carhampton to WilHam de Mohun, one of his follow- ers, on whom he had conferred the great barony of Dunster, and divers other possessions, which were alienated from this family in the reign of Edward III. to the family of Luttrell, in which it has invariably con- tinued to the present time. By an inquisition taken in the twenty-eighth of Ed- Ward III. (1354) Robert Homond, of Dunster, was found to hold at his death, twenty-four acres of land in Carhampton and Dunster."" And by another inquisition in the thirty-sixth of Edward III. William Taillour and Thomas de Ryvers were found to hold twenty-four acres of land in Car- hampton and Dunster, [probably the same as the last- mentioned.]-^ tenants by tu-o ; therefore the term half a plough, which frcciuently occurs in the survey, means that only half the usual number of oxen were employed in the plough. — Dr. Henshall's Kent, &c. p. 5. I am, however, inclined to think, that wherever half a plough is mentioned in Domesday Book, the land was only half sufficient for one plough ; or, as in the instance before us, that the land was more than sufficient for oneplough, and only half enough for another. — J. S. 19 Exchcq. D. vol. i. fo. Dl. b. col. 1. 20 Cal. Inq. p. m. vol. ii. p. 189. No. 23. 21 Cal. Inq. p. ra. vol. ii. p. 258. No. 52. 298 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. In the thirteenth of Richard II. there is among the inquisitions an appraisement of the lands of this William Taillour, which states that he held annual rents amount- ing to eight pounds in Stoke-Gomer and Preston ; the manor of Almandeworth ; five marks rent in Little Quantock, in the parish of Enmore; one burgage, with a garden, two dovecots, and seventeen acres of land in Dunster, and twenty shillings rent arising out of divers tenements in Carhampton, Boghyncscombe, and Crawedon." By an inquisition in the forty-seventh of Edward III. Robert Bailiff, of Dunster, was found to hold one messuage and thirty acres of land in Carhampton.-^ And by an inquisition in the nineteenth of Henry VI. Robert Ryvers was found to hold two messuages, one pigeon-house, eighty acres of land, and three acres of meadow, in Carhampton, and pasture for six cows and one bull in all the demesne lands of the demesne of Dunster, called Waterletes there, post hlada messa, S^c. and also fifteen messuages, one pigeon-house, twenty- three acres of land, one acre and a half of meadow, and one acre and a half of moor, and four annual rents in Dunster ; also eighteen acres of land, three acres of meadow, and two acres of alders, in Willallcr; also one penny annual rent issuing out of Northcombe, in the ])arish of Cutcombe ; and likewise one messuage, fifty 22 Cal. Iiiq. p. m. vol. iii. p. 121. No. lO.i. 23 Cal. Inq. p. m. vol. ii. p. 3:51. No. 77. EASTBURY. 291) acres of land, and one virgate of meadow, in Ovcr- Stowey.-* In the reign of Queen Elizabeth there were some proceedings in chancery in which William Everwoode (query Everard) was plaintiff, and John Aver, alias Griffith, defendant, on the subject of some deeds re- lating to a barton or capital messuage and land in the parish of Carhampton, late the estate of the plaintiff's father.-^ MARSHWOOD. Marshwood is an ancient manor-house in Carhampton Lower-Side. It was once the residence of some of the Luttrells, and had a fine park belonging to it, which was destroyed about eighty years since. It is now a farm-house. MARSH. Marsh is an ancient manor-house in Carhampton Lower-Side, and lies about a mile north of Dunster. It is now a farm-house, occupied by a descendant of the Everards of Aller. EASTBURY. The manor of Eastbury in Carhampton Lower-Side, 24 Cal. Inq. p. m. VJ Hen. VI. No. 31. 25 Calendar, p. 277. No. 56. 300 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. I consider to be the same which is described in Domes- day Book under the name of " Tetesberge," and was then hchl by Wilham de Mohmi and his under tenant, Hugh. " Hugh hokls of William de Mohun Tetesberge. Six Thanes held it in the time of King Edward, when it was assessed to the geld for two hides. The arable land is sufficient for four ploughs. There is in the demesne one plough and three bondmen ; and six vil- lans and twelve bordars have three ploughs and a half. There are six acres of meadow, one hundi-ed acres of pasture, ten acres of moor, and two acres of wood. It was and is now worth forty shillings."-" In the Exeter Domesday it is said that six Thanes held this manor equally, fpariterj and could chuse what lord they pleased. Hugh held three virgates and one plough in demesne, and the villan tenants one hide and one virgate. He had here three bullocks and one hog."^ The next account we have of this manor is that it was the property of the ancient family of Bretcsche or BritasJic, of Thrubwell, in this county. This family is said to have proceeded originally from a younger branch of the ancient counts of Guisnes, in Flanders ; but they probably derived their English appellation from a small manor in the parish of Street, near Glas- tonbury, called Brutesayslie, where once they had the chief of their possessions. In the twenty-fourth of -6 Exchcq. D. vol. i. fo. 95. b. col. 1. ^^ Exon. D. fo. 331. FAMILY OF BRETESCHE. 301 Henry II. (1178) Richard de Brctesche, then lord of that manor, was fined ten marks for trespasses com- mitted by him in the king's forests. He died in the tenth of Richard I. (1198) leaving issue, John de Breteschc, his son and heir, who married Margaret, widow of Warine do Ralegh, of Ncttlccombc, and daughter of Ralph, Lord Botclcr, of Overlcy. In the third of Henry III. (1219) he is found entering into a composition with Adam Gianne and Anne his wife, concerning certain lands in Crewkerne, part of the dowry of the said Margaret from her first husband. In the same reign he was witness to a charter of Richard earl of Cornwall, the kings brother, whereby that earl granted liberties throughout his whole estate in Corn- wall to the abbot and monks of Cleeve, in this county. In the twenty-third year of the same reign (1238) he exchanged his right of common in Heygrove, with the master of St. John's hospital in Redcliffc, for one yard-land in Thrubwcll, formerly held by Walter Fitz- Norman, and for half a yard-land which the said John held of the gift of Elias Fitz-William, agreeing to pay ten shillings and sixpence to the said master, in lieu of all services due for the said lands. In the twenty- seventh of the same reign, (1243) he is recorded for non-appearance before the justices itinerant, in the hundreds of Chew, Wellow, Portbury, Ilareclive, and Chewton, in all which hundreds he possessed estates. Not long after this he occurs as witness to a deed of Geoffrey de Craucombe, whereby the latter granted his 302 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. manor of Crocombe, in this county, to the church of the blessed Virgin Mary, of Studley, in the county of Oxford. To him succeeded John de Bretesche, his son and heir, lord of the manor of Thrubwell, which he held of Gilbert de Clare, earl of Gloucester, by the service of half a knight's fee. The profits of the court were valued at two shillings. This John, in the forty-second of Henry III. (1258) presented William de Sodden to William Briton, chief justice of the forest, to be his wood-ward of the forest of Winford, who was admitted accordingly. In the forty-seventh of the same reign (1263) he joined with his wife Engeretta in a grant to William Bozun and his heirs, of one messuage and three ferlings of arable land in Heathfield, in this county, as also two ferlings and a tenement in Ford ; reserving an acknowledgment of two barbed arrows, or in lieu thereof one penny, to be paid annually at Easter. He died in the fifteenth of Edward I.-^ (1287) leaving issue one sole daughter and heiress, Joan, married to Roger, Lord Perceval, ancestor to the present earl of Egmont. The said John de Bretesche, at the time of his death, was seized of the manor of Eastbury in Car- hampton, of the manor of Butcombe, and of lands in Thrubwell, which he held by the service of half a knight's fee, all which descended to the said Joan, then of the age of sixteen years, and her husband doing his 29 Inq. p. ni. 15 Edw. I. No. 20.— Calendar, vol. i. p. 93. ALLER. 303 homage had livery of the lands of her inheritance. The family of Bretesche horc for their arms, Sable, a Hon rampant, Argent, double-queued, crowned Or. The Percevals continued in possession of the manor of Eastbury for many successive generations; and it was not severed from that house till about the begin- ning of the last century, when it passed to the Withy- combes of Briddicot, and afterward to the Escotts of Sandell Farm, and by marriage to Mr. R. Leigh, of whom it was purchased by the present John Fownes Luttrell, esq. ALLER. AUer, adjoining Dunster Park, another ancient manor in Carhampton Lower-Side, formerly the property and residence of the Everards, a family, says Leland, set up by the Mohuns. The Everards held Aller of the Mohuns of Dunster Castle, by the tenure of Castle- Guard.-^ 29 The tenure by castle-guard, or ward, was required to be certain, and it was not sufficient to be in general words, to defend the castle,- but it was re- quired to be to defend the gates, a tower, a door, a bridge, or some other certain part of the castle. On this account we frequently find stone seats in large niches in the thickness of the wall at the entrance, for those who by nulitary tenure Icept castle-guard, persons who held lands subject to the tenure by castle-guard, frequently conuuutcd the service by a rent charged upon and payable out of the estate. The gieat charter of Henry TIL ordered that " no constable shall distrain any knight for to give money for keeping of his castle, if he himself will do it in his proper person, or cause it to be done by another sufficient man, if he may not do it himself, for a reasonable cause. And if we do lead or send him in an army, he shall be free from 304 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. It is now the property of Miss Mary Newton, of Radhuish, one of whose ancestors became possessed of a moiety of this estate by marrying one of the daugh- ters of the last Everard of this place. The other moiety was obtained by purchase from Mr. Newton, father of the Rev. W. Newton, the present rector of Old Cleeve, whose great-grandfather married another daughter of the same Everard. There M'as a third daughter mar- ried to a ]Mr. Case, but who does not appear to have had any part of the property. OULE-KNOWLE. The other division of this parish, which lies west of Dnnster, is mostly red stone rush and white rag; most of the former is in the vale of Avill, and lies upon red rock. In it is Knowle, a part of the manor of Avill, and Croydon, two other small farms. Knowle house was built about thirty years since by the late Michael Hole, esq. the father of the present proprietor. It is situated in a lawn at the foot of two knolls, or small hills, which lie under the south-side ot Grabhurst, and shelter it from the north wind. The river which we described under Cutcombe, as coming from Dunkery, swelled by many other streams, passes castlc-ward, for the time that he shall he with lis in fee in our host, for the which he hath done service in our wars." Lands were frequently let out to tenants, on condition that the grantee did castle-guard when called upon, or be amerced in a certain sum. KNOWLE. 305 before it, and here swarms with trout. Tlic knolls at the back of the house are crowned with timber, among which are some very fine old oaks, with very large spreading heads. James Hole, esq. the present owner, who resides here, has very much improved the appear- ance of the house and lawn, which, with the woody knolls and well-cultivated grounds, is a very pleasing object in the natural landscape which the traveller en- joys in going along the turnpike-road between Dunster and Timberscombe. In Domesday Book the manor of Knowle is thus described : — '' Roger holds of William de Mohun Ernole. Pau- linus held it in the time of King Edward, when it was assessed to the geld for one hide. The arable land is sufficient for three ploughs. There is in the demesne one plough and a half, and one bondman; four villans and one bordar have one plough. There is a coppice wood (silvce minutcej one mile in length and half a mile in breadth. It was formerly worth five shillings, now it is worth twenty-five shillings.^" The Exeter Domesday calls this manor Hernole, and states that Roger has here three virgates and one plough and a half in his demesne ; and that the villan tenants have one virgate and one plough. Roger has here seven wild horses, (equus sylvestres)^^ twenty 30 Excheq. D. vol. i. fo. 96. 31 Kelham (D. B. illustrated) translates these words " brood mares, tiu'ned out into the woods." 306 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. bullocks, sixteen hogs, and one hundred and twenty sheep.^^ In the reigns of Edward II. and III. the manor of Oule-Knowle was the property and residence of the fa- mily of Tort. In the first of Edward III. Laurence de Tort, whose sister and heiress Joan had married Simon de Ralegh, of Nettlecombe, levied a fine, by which the whole estates of that family, consisting of the manors of Oale-Knowlc, Cutcombe, (now called Cutcombe-Ra- legh,) Langham-Tort, Bordesley, and Upton, were granted to Simon, a younger son of the said Simon de Ralegh by his wife Joan de Tort. In the fourth of Edward III. William Everard held of John de Mohun the hamlets of Oule-Knowle, Linch, and Langham, by the service of the fourth part of a knight's fee. The manor was afterward the property of the Tre- velyan family, some of whom formerly resided here. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth they w^ere parties in a chancery-suit which ultimately terminated in their fa- vour, but was sold before a master in chancery by a decree of that court, in the reign of William and Mary, and bought by one of the Orchards, of Hartland, in Devonshire, of whom it was purchased by one of Mr. Hole's ancestors, and has been in the possession of his family since 1711. That part of the manor of Avill which is in this 32 Exon. D. fo. 339. PARISH OF CARHAMPTON. 307 division of tlie parish is in the valley to whieh it gives name; the other parts of this manor are in Dnnster and Timherscomhe : but here, at a farm-house called Kitswall, Mr. John Day, of Wellington, SirT. D. Ac- land's steward, occasionally holds a court-haron. This house and farm has been in the possession of the family of the present occupier, Mr. B. Escott, (a branch ol' the Escott family, of Escott Farm and Sandhill, in Withycombe) either as leaseholders for lives, or rack- renters, for the greater part of two centuries. Croydon farm and house and three other farms lie from one to two miles south from the vale of Avill, from which it is divided by a part of Tunberscombe. Croydon House is an ancient brick one ; it is wainscoted all through, and formerly had two wings and detached offices, but since it was converted into a farm-house one of the wings has been pulled down. It formerly belonged to a family of the name of Hall, the last of whom, who resided here, was a Rev. Hall, who at his death gave it to the Clarkes," of Bridwcll House, near Uff- culm, Devon, by whom it was sold about three years since to Robert Hole, of Harewood, esq. the present 33 The family of Clarke appears to have hecn settled above two hundred years at Bridwcll, in the count)- of Devon, late the seat of Richard Hall Clarke, esq. who died in 1821, leaving a son, John Were Clarke, esq. then of Burrington, near PljTnouth, who married in 1810, Frances, sister of Sir Henry Carew, bart. Mr. Were Clarke is descended from the Weres of Halberton, on the female side. The anns of Clarke are Argent, on a bend Gules, between three pallets, as many swans, proper. These arms arc on a monument in Halberton Church.— Lysons's Devon, part i. p. cxli. 308 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. owner. Mere is a wood of about fourteen acres, in which are some of the largest and finest beech trees in the hundred, perhaps in the county. AUercot farm Hes south of Croydon ; here is a con- siderable body of lime rock, and a quarry in full work. This was one of those examined by Mr. Horner, an account of which is given in the third volume of the Transactions of the Geological Society, and from which we shall give some extracts at the end of this volume. The stream that comes from near Beech Tree, in Lux- borough, passes through Allercot and Croydon farms. The soil of these and the other two is white rag upon grauwacke slate. RADHUISH Is an ancient hamlet about two miles south-east of the church ; it is divided from Carhampton Lower Side, by the parish of Withycombe. Here is a chapel in which divine service used to be performed on the first Sunday in every month, by the vicar of Carhampton, on which day there was no service in the parish church, but by a very proper order of the present diocesan, and for which he has the thanks of the parishioners, divine service is now performed in both places once a day on every sabbath. This chapel is kept in repair by a rate on the lands of Radhuish only. It has lately been thoroughly repaired, or rather almost entirely rebuilt. The lands of Radhuish are good, but not equal to those RADHUISH. '^^^ of the Lower-Side. The soil is mostly '^tone rush, or white rag, hoth generally lying upon a bastard slate. Every farmer here works a lime rock ; all ot them are different varieties of a grey lime-stone, found among the grauwacke slate of this hundred. At a short distance from the chapel is Escott Farm, a long time the residence of the principal branch of the Escott family, one of whom, Richard Escott, esq. was a benefactor to this hamlet and chapel. It is now the property of the Rev. Bickham Escott, eldest son of the Rev. Thomas Sweet Escott, of Hartrow House. A small stream that rises a little above the village of Radhuish, passes through it, and after driving a mill in Escott wood, it runs into the hundred of WiUiton and the Free Manors, and is joined by the stream that comes from Withycombe ; it then, for some distance, divides the hundred we are treating of from the one we have just mentioned, and finally falls into the sea at Blue Anchor: it abounds with fine trout and eels. The stream which we described in our account of the parish of Luxborough, as running through Pool Town, skirts the southern bounds of Radhidsh for some dis- tance, and then passes into it, tnrns a mill, and severs from the other part a wood of nearly a hundred acres, called "Langridge Wood." The ground on which this wood grows is the terminating part of a lateral branch of the highland of Treborough, and is, as its names denotes, a " Long Ridge' The timber that grew hero, and which was very fine, was sold about ten 310 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. years since by the present owner, J. F. Luttrell, esq. To haul it out of the wood it was necessary to repair or make roads, and a small cairn on the very top of the ridge, offered the supply of its moss-grown heap of stones, which was immediately laid hold of; on removing them the workmen came to a large stone of irregular shape, which they moved on one side and uncovered a sepulchre, seven feet six inches long, two feet six inches wide, and three feet deep, formed by five stones all of them together, with the covering one of the same kind as the slate of the neighbouring quarry in Treborough, mentioned in our account of that parish ; the inter- stices where the stones did not exactly meet were tilled u]) with other small stones, so very neatly and closely, without cement, as to prevent the intrusion of small insects. Very much to the disappointment of the work- men, who expected to have found some hidden trea- sure, it proved to contain the skeleton of a human being, perhaps, from its proximity to Drucombe, that of some druid. The bones were removed to the neighbouring churchyard of Treborough and re-interred, and the place they had so long tenanted was railed in, and still remains to be seen in almost as perfect a state as the day in which it was first formed. Surely no man can look upon such a monument as this, no doubt that of some man great and illustrious in his day and genera- tion, but now whose time of existence on earth even the most learned anti(juary can only guess, without con- fessing how vain and perishable are all other monu- RADHUISH. 311 njents except those which history erects in her storied pages. "Tlie village of Radhuish," says Mr. Collinson, *' seems to have been of ancient foundation, the name being composed of the Saxon Rod, signifying a rood or cross, and the Belgic w^ord Huifs, a dwelling. This place is called in Domesday Book Radehewis." Mr. CoUinson is greatly mistaken in his etymology of the name of this hamlet. The meaning of it is "the residence or dwelling-place of the radman, or judge, or principal counsellor of the hundred," and it is derived first, from Reed, or Rad, which comes from the Franco- Theotisc Raada; Teutonic Raht; Anglo-Saxon Reed, the same as the Latin Consilium, deliberation, council, advice ; Belgic and Teutonic Reden, the same as the Latin Loijui, to speak, to discourse, to report, to de- clare; — and secondly, Hu'ish, a dwelling-place, from the Belgic Hin/s,the same as the Latin Domus, and the English House.^^ As these Radmen were the original of our present jurors and juries, the reader will probably not be dis- pleased with a few remarks upon them and their ancient office. Among the Anglo-Saxons the Rccd-horan, La/miet?,^^ 3* The word House, for a dwelling-place, sccnis to have run thi'ough nearly all the European languages, ancient and modern ; — thus in the Anglo-Saxon we have Hus; in the Gothic, Hus; in the Danish and Swedish, Hims ; in the Gei-man, Hattss ; Icelandic, Hus and Huus ; Sclavonic, Hisfia,- Hungarian, Haz ; Finn, Honch; Lapland, Honeh; and in the Cantahrian or Basque lan- guage, Ec/ica and Efc/te. '5 In the ancient language of Sweden this word was written Lcpgman. In 312 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. or lawyers,^^ were assistants to the alderman in the county court. These persons were brought up in the study of the written law, and after they had passed an examination as to the knowledge of their profession, some of them were appointed assessors to the aldermen, shire-reeves, and hundredaries, while others acted as advocates and pleaders.^^ In ancient times, when few people had the knowledge of letters, three of these Lahmen were thought sufficient to assist at the judg- ments of the county court ; but as learning increased, their number was at first augmented to seven, and after- wards to twelve.''" Here we have the origin of our jurymen and juries. These assessors took a solemn oath faithfully to perform all the duties of their office, and neither suffer an innocent man to be condemned, nor an offender to escape."''^ Some have attributed the institution of Lalwien, as assessors, to Alfred the Great, but there is sufficient evidence of their higher antiquity.^^ The Lagman had an officer who assisted him in his the Icelandic Lagmadr, judex provincialis summse apud veteres dignitationis, quippe qui non judex tantum erat in Conventibus publicis, sed etiam coram Rege tribunitiam potestatem exercuit. — Ihre voc. Lag. The president of the court of justice in the Orkney Islands was formerly called the Lagman. — See Barry's Orkney, p. 217. 35 Wilkins, Leg. Sax. p. 205. 2^ Hickcsii Dissert. Epist. p. 34. 37 Du Cange Gloss, and Wilkins's Leg. ut supra. 38 Ibid. p. 177. 39 See Henry's Hist. Brit, vol. ii. quarto, p. 246. ORIGIN OF THE JURY. 313 duties, who was called the Lagraetman. " As the chief judge had a council consisting of several members called Raddmen or counsellors, so the inferior ones, the Lag- men, had their council also, composed of members denominated Lagraetmen,'^^ or Law-right-men, who were a kind of constables for the execution of justice in their respective islands. "^^ These are our present by-law-men. The jury appears to have been an institution of progressive growth, and its principle may be traced to the earliest Anglo-Saxon times. One of the judicial customs of the Saxons was, that a man might be cleared after being accused of certain crimes, if an appointed number of lawful persons came forward and swore that they believed him innocent of the allegation against him. These men were literally jurors, Juratores, more properly Compurgators, who swore to a veredictum ; who so far determined the facts of the case, as to acquit the person in whose favour they swore. [This is evi- dently the principle upon which our present grand jury is founded.] Such an oath, and such an acquittal, is a jury in its earliest and rudest shape, and it is remarkable ^0 The word Lagraetraen is deduced fiom the Sui-Gothic lag, law, and raetf, right ; men whose business it was to see that justice was done according to law. — Jamieson's Diet. voc. Lagrnrfinan. The Senatus Consultum dc Monticulis Wallise, is in the preface expressed to be made with the advice and consent of the English Witas, and the Rced-boran of Wales, that is. Counsellors, from Rad, counsel, and Boran, born ; that is, a person born with the privilege of being a Thane, or counsellor to the king, similar to our hereditary nobility. — Gurdon's Hist, of Pari. vol. p. 36". *' Barry's Orkney, p. 217. 314 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. that for accusations of any consequence among the Saxons of the continent, twelve jurors, juratores, were the number required for an acquittal. Thus, as we have already observed, in the earliest times, when few people had the knowledge of letters, three lawful per- sons were thought sufficient to assist at the judgments of the sheriff's tourn ; but as learning increased, their number was at first augmented to seven, and afterward to twelve. Similar customs may be observed in the laws of the continental Angli and Frisiones, though sometimes the number of the jury or juratores varied according to the magnitude of the charge against the accused ; every number being appointed, from three to forty-eight. In the laws of the Ripuarii, we find that in certain cases the oaths of even seventy-two per- sons were necessary to the acquittal of the accused. It is obvious, from their numbers, that these persons could not have been witnesses to the facts alleged. They could only be those, who, after hearing and weighing the facts of the case, proffered their deliberate oaths that the accused person was innocent of the charge ; or in the language of the modern courts of Scotland, that the charge was not proven. The curious reader will find in Turner's History of the Anglo-Saxons,^- some further elucidations of this interesting subject of the early English History. The great Alfred was assiduous in protecting the ■•- \ ol, iii. p. 51)1. ORIGIN OF THE JURY. 315 independence, the purity, and the rights of jurymen. He punished capitally some judges for deciding crimi- nal cases by an arbitrary violation of the light of jury. "He hanged Cadwine, because he condemned Hach- wy to death without the assent of all the jurors, in a case where he put himself upon the jury of twelve men, and because Cadwine removed three who wished to save him against the nine, for three others into whose jury this Hachwy did not put himself." " He hanged Markes, because he adjudged During to death, by twelve men not sworn." "He hanged Freeberne, because he adjudged Harpin to death when the jurors were in doubt about their verdict ; for when in doubt, we ought rather to save than condemn. "^^ In the twenty-ninth chapter of Magna Charta there is an indirect acknowledgment of the jury, which is implied in the words " nor w ill we condemn him (or deal with him) but by lawful judgment of his peers ; the whole chapter stands thus : — " No freeman shall be taken or imprisoned, or be disseized of his freehold, or liberties, or free customs, or be outlawed, or exiled, or any otherwise destroyed; nor will we pass upon him, nor condemn him, but h/ lawful judgment of his j)eers, or by the law of the land. We will sell to no man, we will neither deny nor defer to any man either justice or right." « Mirroir des Justices, p. 296—298. Tmucr's Hist, of the Anglo-Sax. vol, ii. p. 308, 309. 316 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. The Hon. Daines Barrington, in his Observations on Magna Charta/^ says that it is clear by the Regiam Majestatem, which in most particulars is the same with our Glanville, that the trial by jury was in use in Scot- land in civil matters so early as David I. who began his reign in 1 124. " When the twelve royal men com- peer and pass upon the assize, they shall proceed and try qhuilk of the parties, the persewer or the defendant, hath best richt to the londs claimed."^^ It appears from Olaus Wormius,*^ that the trial by twelve men was first introduced into Denmark by Reg- nerus, surnamed Lodbrog, who began to reign in the year 820 ; from whom King Ethelred is said to have borrowed this institution; they are called in the Danish law Sandemcen, which is rendered Viri veracesJ*^ — Pontoppidan says " Desiit apud nos duo decim virale hoc judicium, remanentibus tamen ejusdem vestigiis." The material difference between these twelve judges and an English jury, consists in this; that the English <•• Observat. on the more ancient Statutes, edit. 1796, p. 18. *^ Regiam Majestatem, translated by Skene, b. i. ch. 13. •^K Mon. Dan. lib. i. cap. x. p. 72. 47 Gesta Danorum extra Daniam, Hafniae, 1740. — Stiernhook gives us this account of the term Sandeman in the old Swedish and Gothic laws, which he saj's had the Nembda, or trial by tsvclve men : — " Qui quod deputati assent Namdeman vocabantur, quod duo decim Tofman, quod intcgric vitae, Sanneman, quod sencs Olduarjar." — Cap. iv. p. W^. — Holmia;, 1672, 4to. This trial by the Nembda, or jury of twelve, is now disused in Sweden in all cases, where the point can be proved by witnesses, (see ibid. p. 59.) and indeed when it pre- vailed, the unanimity of the jury was not required, which makes the great singularity of this method of deciding controversies in England. ORIGIN OF THE JURY. 317 is only impanelled for the decision of a particular cause, whereas these twelve judges in Denmark determine all law suits within the jurisdiction of their court. Mr. Barrington thinks it not improbable that our jury for- merly decided all controversies within a certain district, without the assistance of a judge; as questions were not then so intricate as they are at present ; and we are very much in the dark about their manner of pro- ceeding, till the time of Edward II. when the Year Books begin. It is much to be lamented therefore that we have not a collection of the cases, which Chaucer says, his Man of Law carried in his head ; " In termes had lie case and dorays al. That fro the tyme of King Welyam was fall ;" as going further back, they must have necessarily thrown considerable light upon questions of this sort. The unanimity of the twelve jurors in their verdict must be admitted to be a very singular institution. It would seem that the reason for requiring this, at least in criminal prosecutions, arose from compassion to the prisoner ; against whom if the offence was not proved beyond all possibility of doubt in the most scrupulous juror, it was thought to be erring on the merciful side, that the single veto should acquit him. Another reason for this unanimity might possibly have arisen from at- taints being frequently brought in ancient times against juries, to which punishment every juror was liable. As each individual, therefore, might be subject to a con vie- 318 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. tion in such a prosecution, it might he reasonahle that every one shoukl have a power of dissenting, and not he concluded by the opinion of others. The first of these reasons may account for the necessary unanimity in criminal suits, and the latter in those of a civil nature, in which cases only the prosecution of attaint took place. Another cause for the unanimity of a jury might possibly arise from their being unwilling that indivi- duals might be obnoxious to the crown, or perhaps parties, if the opinion of each was separately known. When the verdict was unanimous, Defendit numerus, junctceque umhone phalanges. Fabian, in his Chronicle,*^ gives a very particular account of the mayor and aldermen of London claiming privileges in the reign of Henry III. namely, that for a trespass against the king, a citizen should be tried by twelve of his citizens ; for murder, by thirty citizens ; and for trespass against a stranger, by the oath of six citizens and himself. Mr. Barrington then asks, " Can it be contended after this, that the trial by twelve jury- men was thoroughly introduced, or are there any pas- sages in the old historians, which clearly prove it to have been so established before the time of Henry HI.?" The learned Dr. Hickes was of opinion, from a ^8 Vol. i. p. 10. These privileges claimed by the citizens of London are alluded to in a grant of King John's to the city of Lincoln, in the first year of his reign : — Conccssimus etiam quod dc placitis coronam tangentibus, se possint dirationare, (thatis, clear themselves) secundum consuetudinem civium civita- tis Londoniec."— Rot. Ch. 1 Joh, No. 35, Petyt. MSS.— Vide Fabian's Chron, vol. i. p. 10. ORIGIN OF THE JURY. 319 multitude of instances, that our trial by a jury of twelve, was an early Scandinavian institution, and that it was brought from thence into England. Yet he supposes this to have been at a period later than is necessary for his argument, namely, after the Norman invasion,^'^ or about the time of Henry II. He lays it down, without hesitation, that this method of decision was entirely unknown to the Anglo-Saxons. His authority may be considered the greater because he writes this part of his learned work in a letter to Sir Bartholomew Shower, who may therefore be supposed to have thought in the same manner on this head. Dr. Hickes's supposition relating to a jury of " twelve" is not, however, correct, as the jury at its commencement did not consist of twelve, but gradually fell into that number ; and it previously acted more in the quality of compurgators than as jurymen, as wc now understand that term, their office then only en- abling them to declare upon oath that they did not believe the accused was guilty of the offence charged against him ; but not as our juries decide, guilty or not guiltij. The number twelve was, however, a sacred number among the northern tribes. [This had its origin un- doubtedly, though the Scandinavians were heathens, under the patriarchal dispensation of the twelve tribes '•9 Sec Wooton's Conspectus of Hickes's Thesaur. p. 46. And Hickes's Thesaur. Dissertat. Epistol. vol. i. p. 38. seq. 320 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. of Israel ; and under the gospel dispensation of the twelve apostles.] Odin's judges are twelve, and have TWELVE seats in Gladheim.^" The god of the Edda has TWELVE nanics.^^ An aristocracy of twelve is a well-known ancient establishment in the north. In the dialogue between Hervor and Angantyr, the latter promises to give Hervor twelve men's deaths. He gives her that which is to be the death of twelve men — the sword Tirfing.^- The druidical circular monuments of separate stones erect, are more frequently twelve, than any other number.^^ In Zealand and Sweden, many ancient circular mo- numents, consisting each of twelve rude stones, still remain, which were the places of judicature ; and, ac- cording to Borlase, there are yet monuments of the same sort in Cornwall.^* — These monuments are also found in Persia, near Tauris. There is a passage in Exodus,^^ which seems to confirm this — "And Moses. . . .builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel."^** In Mallet's Northern Antiquities,^'^ we have the fol- 50 Edda. Isl. fab. vij. si ibid. fab. i. 52 Hervavar- Saga apud 01. Verel. cap. vij. p. 9L — Warton's Hist, of Eng. Poetry, vol. i. p. xxxvij. edit. 8vo. 53 See Borlase, Antiq. Cornw. b. iij. ch. ". edit. 1769, fol. And Toland, Hist, Druids, p. 89, 1.58, 160. See also Martin's Hebrid. p. 9. *■» Compare Keysler, p. 93 ; and see Warton's Hist, of Poetry, vol. i. p. xxxvij. edit. 8vo. *5 Chap. xxiv. 4. *6 Sec more of this in Warton, ut avpra. w Vol. i. p. 151. ORIGIN OF THE JURY. 321 lowing account of the administration of justice in Ice- land, which throws considcrahle light on the subject before us : — Superior to all these assemblies of the smaller com- munities and provinces, were the states-general of the whole island, (Alting) which answered to the Alsheriartbig, of the other Scandinavian nations, to the Wittena-Gemot of the Anglo-Saxons, to the Champs de Mars, or de Mai, of the French, and to the Cortes of the Spaniards. These assembled every year, and each citizen of Iceland thought it his honour and his duty to be present at them. The president of this great assembly was sovereign judge of the island. He pos- sessed this office for life, but it was conferred upon him by the states. His principal business was to convoke the general assembly, and to see the observance of tlie laws ; hence the name of Lagman, or " Man of the Laws," was given to this magistrate. He had a power of examining in the presence of the states-general, and of reversing all the sentences pronounced by inferior judges throughout the island, of annulling their ordi- nances, and even of punishing them, if the complaints brought against them were well founded. He could propose the enacting of new laws, the repealing or changing of the old ones ; and if they passed in the General Assembly, it was his business to put them in execution. Afterward this people began to have written laws, and the whole island had adopted one common form of jurisprudence; it was the Lagman or supreme Y 322 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. judge who had the keeping of the original authentic copy, to which all the others were conformable. To his judgment and that of the assembly, lay an appeal from the sentences given in the inferior courts. The bailiffs, or prefects, whose sentence he revised, were obliged to judge the cause over again in his presence, and he afterward pronounced sentence both on the contending parties, and on the judges. The fear of being con- demned and punished before so numerous an assembly was a great check upon all those subaltern judges, and served to keep every magistrate within the bounds of his duty. Commonly the session of these general estates lasted sixteen days, and the people of Iceland shew at the present day the place of their meeting, which began and ended with solemn sacrifices. It was chiefly during that session that the Lagman, or sovereign judge, exercised his authority. Out of this assembly his power seems not to have been considerable ; but he was at all times treated with great honour and re- spect, and was always considered as the oracle of the laws and the protector of the people. The Icelandic chronicles carefully note the year wherein each judge was elected, and the time was computed by the years of his election, as among the Lacedemonians by the Ephori. CHARITIES. In the Fifteenth Report on the subject of charities, printed (1826) by order of the House of Commons, RADHIIISH, 323 there is the following account of a benefaction made to the hamlet of Radhuish by Richard Escott, esq. Richard Escott, esq. by his will, made in 1785, re- citing, that he had given his note of hand to the chapel- wardens of Radhuish, and their successors, in the sum of £100, with interest at five per cent, to dispose of the interest thereof to such charitable purposes amongst the poor of the said village of Radhuish, as he should by will or deed direct or appoint, directed that such interest should be yearly applied by the said chapel- wardens, and their successors for the time being, for and towards teaching the poor children of the said vil- lage to read, and be instructed in the duties of a christian ; and the girls also to be instructed in plain work, spin- ning, and knitting of stockings, and under the direction and control of the person or persons, who should, for the time being, be thereafter in the possession of Escott Farm; and that the said chapel-wardens should account yearly for the expenditure to them of such interest ; and in case the said sum of £100 should be paid unto such wardens, the same should be deposited immediately in the hands of such possessor of his estate aforesaid, for safe custody, until it could be put out on security, at interest, by the consent and direction of such pos- sessor in writing ; and that if the said wardens should, at any time or times, place out the said sum of £100, or apply the interest thereof, without such consent and direction as aforesaid, it should be considered as a wilful breach of trust in them, and they should be responsible. 324 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. and repay such monies to the possessor of such estate for the time being, who might maintain an action at law for recovery of the same. And his will further recited, that he had given to the communion service of Radhuish chapel aforesaid, a chalice and a silver plate, a table-cloth and napkin ; he gave to the officiating minister, each time he should administer the sacrament of bread and wine at the ac- customed seasons, half-a-guinea, in order to revive and continue the good custom, for the comfort and con- venience of such poor old people who conld not go to attend the mother church of Carhampton, or as a per- petual fund for ever, to such officiating minister of the Lord's Supper, according to the established usage of the Church of England, not oftener than four times in the year. And he also gave to the chapel-wardens of Radhuish aforesaid, the sum of £100 in trust, to be placed out at interest from time to time, in the same manner, and under the same power, control, and approbation, as was before-mentioned and directed, of and concerning the first sum of £100 and its interest ; and if any over- plus of interest should remain from either of the said principal sums, after making the applications before- directed, the same should be given away, and distributed to and amongst the poor communicants, not exceeding half-a-crown each at one time, and the rest in bread to the poor of the village at Christmas yearly ; desiring that the poor families in the said village, and the said RADHUISH. 325 children to be taught under the means aforesaid, should be first, from time to time, supplied with testaments, psalters, and books of devotion, by the direction of the said possessors of Escott farm, from time to time. It appears that the £200 left by the above will, re- mained with the proprietors of Escott Farm for some years, but it is entered in the chapel-wardens' book of Radhuish, that in the year 1801, Mrs. Mary Escott purchased with the whole sum of £200 stock in the public funds, now £217 6*. Id. new-four per cents., standing in the names of Mary Escott and Thomas Sweet. There is a dame's school in the hamlet of Hartrow,^ to which twenty children are sent under this charity, by Mr. Thomas Sweet Escott. Two guineas per annum are given to the minister for administering the sacrament, and the remainder is distributed in half-crowns, to poor communicants, ac- cording to the directions of the donor. In consequence of the manor of Carhampton being in the crown at the time of the Norman Conquest, it is of that species of tenure called " tenure of ancient demesne." On the introduction of the feudal system, about the time of the general survey, "it became a fundamental maxim and necessary prin- ciple of our English tenures that the king is the universal lord and "In the Report it is printed "Hartrow," but query if it should not be "Radhuish."— J. S. ,S2G HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. original proprietor of all the lands in his kingdom ; and that no man doth or can possess any part of them but what has mediately or im- mediately been derived as a gift from him, to be held upon certain services. "fi^ And this concession on the part of the subject was ne- cessary at that time, as a foundation of the polity then set on foot, for the establishment of a military system for the defence of the realm. In this sense, therefore, and with reference to the king as seigneur, or lord paramount, the whole English territory was, and now is, the land of the king. But the expression " Terra Regis," as used in Domesday Book, in the instance before us, is to be understood as denoting the king's own particular estate, or that of which he was the sole, individual, ultimate proprietor ; having what Spelman calls Fundi Pkoprietatem, the LoKDSHiP over the whole, whether occupied by himself, as was usually the case in part, or granted out in fee, under certain rents and ser- vices reserved thereupon ; or let out to tenants in such manner as to be still resumable according to the terms of the demise. And this is what, at this day, is called Ancient Demesne of the Crown. And such of the tenants hereof as held in villanage, or privileged villanage, that is by villan services, but which were determinate and certain, were called Socmen in Ancient Demesne, whose proper represen- tatives are the customary copyholders of the present time.^^ All those estates which are called in Domesday Book, Terrce Regis, were manors belonging to the crown, being part of its antiquum do- minicmn, or ancient demesne ; a great portion of the lands comprised within those manors was in the hands of tenants, who held the same of the crown by a peculiar species of Socage tenure, that has long been known by the appellation of Ancient Demesne. This tenure can only subsist in manors of ancient demesne. And where a question now arises whether a manor is of ancient demesne, or not, it can oidy be determined by a reference to Domesday. The tenants of ancient demesne, that is, the persons who held *'J Blackstone's Com. b. ii. ch. 4. *" Manning's History of the County of Surrey, vol. i, p. 0. note. ANCIENT DEMESNE. 327 lands^ parcel of these manors, in socage, did the service of cultivating the demesnes, or supplying provisions for the sustenance of the king's household — services of the utmost necessity in those times, when our kings lived on the produce of their own lands. To the end that these tenants might the better apply themselves to their labours, for the profit of the king, they had six privileges j 1. They could not be impleaded for their lands, &c. out of the manor j 2. They could not be impannelled to appear at Westminster, or else- where, upon any inquest or trial 5 3. They were free and quit from all manner of tolls, in fairs and markets, for all things concerning husbandry and sustenance j 4. And also of taxes and talliages by parliament, unless specially named; 5. And also of contributions to the expenses of knights of the shire ; 6. If severally distrained for other services, they might all join in a writ of Monstraverunt. These privileges only extended to the tenants in socage of manors of ancient demesne; not to those who held other parts of such manors by knight's service : for the service of the plough and husbandry was the cause of them. Although in course of time most of these manors were granted by the crown to subjects, yet the socage tenants pre- served their ancient privileges, and continued to be tenants in ancient demesne, though the services were commuted for money reiits. The tenure of ancient demesne is confined to lauds held in socage of those manors which were formerly in the possession of the crown, by the service of cultivating the demesnes of such manors, or by a render of provisions. The manor itself, and such other parts of it as were held by knight's service, were not considered as ancient demesne, but as frank fee. It is therefore inaccurate to say that a manor is held in ancient demesne ; the proper expression being, a manor of ancient demesne, in which the socage lands are held by that tenure. Where a manor of this kind is in the hands of a subject, it is in the power of the lord and tenants to destroy the tenure. Thus if the tenant is impleaded in any of the courts of Westminster, and the lord is a party to the suit, the lands become frank-fee ; the privilege of ancient demesne being established for the benefit of both the lord and tenants, they may by their joint act destroy it. 328 HISTORY OF CARHAMFTON. If the lord enfeoffs another of the tenantcy, this makes the land frank-fee ; because the services are extinguished. So if the lord re- leases to the tenant all his right in the lands ; or if he confirms to him, to hold by certain services at common law. Whenever the manor of which the lands are held in ancient de- mesne, is destroyed, that tenure is also destroyed. For there being no court left, the tenants must sue and be sued in the courts at West- minster.^' In the Domesday account of the value of the manors of Williton, Cannington, and Carhampton, it is said that they " render one hun- dred pounds, one hundred and sixteen shillings, and sixteen pence halfpenny, of twenty in the ore." There have been about as many opinions respecting the ore, as to what it was, whether it was a real coin, a nominal coin, or a money of account, as there have been respecting tenants in villanage, and altogether as satisfactory. I will arrange these opinions in the fol- lowing order, and afterward shew what the phrase " twenty in the ore" really signified. First, as to opinions : — 1 . The ore is universally considered as a money merely nominal, its value is supposed to have been the weight of twenty Saxon pennies, equal to one-twelfth of the Saxon pound,62 2. Spelman and Somner are of opinion that there was no specific coin called an ore, but that it signified the same as our ounce. It differed according to the variation of the standard, and was sometimes valued at twelve pennies, sometimes at sixteen, and at other times at twenty pennies. ^3 3. Camden, with a freedom and openness of mind equal to his other abilities, very honestly confessed that he knew not what to make •' Cruise's Digest of the Laws of England, vol. i. p. 41 — 43. •2 Strutfs Chronicle, vol. ii. p. 234. " See Gloss. X. Scriptores.— Kelham's Notes to Laws of William the Con- queror, p. 13. ORE. 329 of it. " The Danes brought in a reckoning of money by ores, (per orasj which is mentioned in Domesday Book, whether it were as several coins, or a certain sum, I know not : but I collect out of the Abbey Book of Burton, that twenty one were rateable to two marks of silver." 4. Lambarde supposed it a brass coin 5 Somncr that no such coin existed 5 but that it always signified an ounce, of which there were two sorts, the one of sixteen, the other of twenty pence. Dr. Hickes was uncertain whether it was a coin, or only money of account. And Bishop Fleetwood observes, 'there is some dispute whether the pound was made up of twelve or fifteen ounces. In the thirtieth of King Ethelred's laws (as they are in Brompton) you will find these words: " let those who overlook the ports see that every weight at the market be the weight by which my money is received, and let each of them be marked, so that fifteen oree make a pound." And in Sir Henry Spelman's Glossary you will find that ora was also a piece of money valued at fifteen pence, for which he quotes this passage j"^ "the men of Berkeholt, com, Sufiblk, say, that in the time of King Henry they had a custom, that when they would marry out their daughters, they were wont to pay, for leave to do so, two orce, which are valued at thirty-two pence. Now fifteen one make just a Saxon pound j forty- eight shillings, or fifteen times sixteen orce make two hundred and forty pence." 5. In Domesday Book the ora is regularly used for the ounce, or twelfth part of the nummulary pound, and its perpetual valuation is twenty pence 3 an abundant proof, as Du Fresne has well observed, that there were, or had been, several sorts of ores then in use ; and therefore to prevent all ambiguity or dispute between the crown and the subject, the sums payable to the exchequer were fixed at a certain value in their current cash.^ II. As to what the phrase " twenty in the ore" really signified. 1 . It is necessary to premise that the only coin in England during " Plac. coram Rege Term. Mich. 37 Hen. III. Rot. 4. " Nichols's Hist, of Leicestershire, vol. i. p, xxxjx. 330 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON the Heptarchic period, from thence to the Norman advent, and to the reign of Henry III. was the silver penny. This coin was celebrated all over Europe in the middle ages, and almost the only money known in the northern kingdoms. In neatness of fabric such as the arts then were, and in purity of metal, it is superior even to the Italian and French coins of the same period. The commerce of England, which was far more considerable in those early times than is generally imagined, carried her coins into different countries. And after the ninth centry the ravages of the Danes filled the northern kingdoms with English money, drawn from the people in the way of tribute. 2. The late Mr. Folkes''^ discovered that the tower pound, which continued so long in use in the English mints, was the money pound of the Anglo-Saxons. "It is reasonable," says he, " to thinkthat Wil- liam the Conqueror introduced no new weight into his mints, but that the same weight used there for some ages, and called the tower pound, was the old pound of the Saxon moneyers before the Conquest. This pound was lighter than the Troy pound by three-quarters of an ounce Troy," or three hundred and sixty grains. This con- tinued till the year 1527, when that called the tower pound was disused, and the pound Troy substituted in its stead. During the An- glo-Saxon period, and till the reign of Edward III. every tower pound was coined into two hundred and forty silver pennies, each weighing twenty-two and a half of our present Troy grains, and every ounce into twenty pennies. 3. It therefore follows that when we find the phrase " twenty in the ore" used in Domesday Book, it means that the money paid into the royal exchequer should be of full weight and fineness, or as we should now say, sterling money. Strutt's conjecture*'^ seems to have been correct when he asserted that the value of the ore was the weight of twenty Saxon pennies, and equal to one-twelfth of the Saxon pound. Spelman and Somner were equally so in their opinion, that there was no specific coin called an ore, but that it signified the Saxon ounce. And the assertion of Camden, that the ore had its origin with " Tables of Engl. SUver Coins, p. 1, 2. 67 See S. 1. ORE. 331 the Danes, and by which they reckoned their money, is also true, and that it was the same as our ounce. Now the Saxon pound was di- vided into twelve ounces, called by the Danes ores, which word seems to have been naturalized by the Anglo-Saxons, and was equal to five thousand four hundred grains ; but the pound Troy contained five thousand, seven hundred and sixty grains. To corroborate this, we find that the Saxon pennies preserved in cabinets of the present day, weigh twenty-two grains and a half, which is the weight they should be to tally with the Domesday phrase of " twenty in the ore." They were coined at that weight, and they could not be received in pay- ment at the exchequer unless they were of the full weight, " twenty in the ore," or that twenty pennies should weigh one ounce, or one- twelfth of a pound. 4. The small difiference of three hundred and sixty grains, or three- fourths of a Troy ounce, between the tower pound and Troy pound will give the relative proportion of value between the Anglo-Saxon money and our own, namely, that two hundred and forty pennies of the former were equal to sixty-one shillings and ten-pence halfpenny in weight of our present silver money, since the alteration of 1816. 5. But the Norman officers in the king's exchequer had another mode of ascertaining the value of the Saxon pennies. The money might be sufficient in number and weight, yet not in quality or fine- ness ; for it by no means followed that two hundred and forty pennies, which constituted a pound weight, was in fact a pound of silver, be- cause copper or other metal might be intermixed, and without exami- nation be taken as good and of full weight. To detect this imperfect money the assay was instituted, and this is denoted in Domesday by the phrase so many pounds " arsas et pensatas," that is, assayed and weighed, or as it is generally translated, " burnt and weighed." It has been asserted that the bishop of Salisbury instituted the assay, arsura, in the reign of Henry I. ; but this could not have been the case, because Domesday Book shews that it was known and prac- tised in the time of the Conqueror. In that record it appears that the king had this right of assay only in a few places, therefore it is pro- 332 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. bable that the bishop extended that right in a subsequent reign, to all money paid into the exchequer.^^ 6. The following table shews the gradual decrease in weight which the silver penny has sustained since the time of William the Conqueror : — William 1 22i Henry VIII 10 Edward III , . . 20 Edward VI 8 Richard II 18 Elizabeth 7|- HenryV 16 Georgelll. 181G 7\, Henry VI 12 and a small fraction. Henry VII 1 1^ 7. The pound in Domesday Book was actually a pound of silver in weight, and as there was no other coin than "pennies," it contained two hundred and forty of those pieces. The shilling was nominal, for there was not any coin of that name for many centuries after the Conquest, but what is called a shilling in Domesday Book always consisted in reckoning of twelve pennies. 68 Turner's Anglo-Saxons, vol. ii. pp. 607, 608. W0 0TTON-COURTENAY.«» GENERAL DESCBIPTIOX. — BECTORY.— CHUKCH. — STATISTICAL NO- TICES.— CHABITIES.—MAJfOB.— FAMILY OF COCBTENAY.— BIOGBA- PHICAL NOTICE OF BISHOP MOCXTAGUE. WOOTTOX-COURTENAY, a parish on the side of the southern slope of Grabhurst, and in the valley which divides it from Dunkery. It is bounded on the north by Selworthy and Minehead ; on the east by the latter parish, Dunster, and Carhampton ; on the south by Timberscombe and Cutcombe: and by the latter and Luccombe on the west. In it are five hamlets, namely, Ranscombe, Huntsgate, Wootton-Ford, Brockwell, and Burrow. By a recent survey it was found to contain about thirteen hundred acres of inclosed lands, and nearly fourteen hundred acres of commons and furze brake, of which nine hundred and forty acres of common are on Dunkery. The lands in this parish, which are in the vale between Grabhurst and Dunkery, and for « Wootton, from the Anglo-Saxon, Wude, a wood or forest, and Tum, a tou-n, that is wood tovax, or the to-w-n in the wood, from its vicinity to Eunoor forest. Its additional name is from its having been the property of the family of Courtenay. 334 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. some way up the former, are good, the soil being mostly stone rush, or a good kind of red sand. There is very httle timber here except that which grows in the hedge- rows, which is very fine. The village of Wootton- Courtenay is pleasantly situated on the verge of the plain at the foot of Grabhurst, facing the south ; it forms a neat but irregular street, with its pretty neat church, and well kept church-yard. In front, and dis- tant about two miles, towers Dunkery, on the left is Timberscombe and the vale of Avill, and the plain that terminates at Porlock Bay is on the right ; many of the houses are built in the same manner as those we have described in Porlock, with their chimneys towards the street. A fair for cattle and sheep was held here formerly on the 1 9th of September, but it has been discontinued some years. Huntsgate lies about a mile west from the church, on the road to Luccombe; Rans- combe about half a mile east on the road to Dunster ; Burrow about a mile south on the road to Cutcombe ; and Wootton-Ford and Brockwell both lie under Dunkery. The living is a rectory, in the deanery of Dunster, and in 1292 was valued at seven marks, three shillings, and four-pence. It was appropriated to the alien priory of Stoke-Courcy,^° and as parcel of its possessions was '"The priory of Stoke-Courcy was a cell to the Benedictine Abbey of St. Mary de Lonlay, in Normandy. Collinson says that its revenues in 1444 were valued at only £35 a year ; but Bishop Tanner states that they amounted to £58. WOOTTON-COURTENAY, 335 granted by King Henry VI. (1442) when he suppressed the alien monasteries, to Eton College, the provost and fellows of which arc now the patrons. It is valued in the kings books at £16 8*. 7id. In the Falor Ec- cleslasticiis there are the following particulars relating to this benefice : — 1535. Bartholomew Mitchell, Rector. Annual value of the demesne or glebe lands 2 13 4 Tithes of wool and lamb 2 19 4 Predial tithes 16 8 Oblations and other casualties 10 10 8 £17 Out of which sum there is paid To the bishop for procu- rations 3 11 To the archdeacon of Taun- ton for synodal s 7 5i— 11 4i £16 8 7i Here is a very good parsonage house, and more than one hundred acres of glebe land. The present annual value of the living is about £400. RECTORS OF WOOTTON-COURTENAY. Ralph Combes. 1720. Charles Hawtrey, sub-dean and canon-resi- dentary of Exeter. 336 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. 1720. Edmund Bentham, S. T. B. St. John's Col- lege, Cambridge. 1781. George Bryant, A. M. Bennet Coll. Camb. 1800. C. L. Scott, A. M. King s Coll. Camb. The church, which is a very light and cheerful-look- ing structure, is dedicated to All-Saints, stands on the side of the hill behind the village, and consists of a nave, chancel, and north aile, all covered with tiles. At the west end there is an embattled tower, containing a clock and five bells. The aile is divided from the nave by three arches, thirteen feet wide and seventeen feet high. The pillars, which are clustered, are six feet in circumference, and ten feet high to the spring of the arches. On the south side, over two of these pillars, there are niches, embellished with gothic ornaments.^^ On each side of the east window, on the south of the nave, are angels, with the names St. Cabriel and St. Michael on their breasts. There is likewise an ancient octagonal sculptured font, and a handsome gallery, supported by three arches, all of fine old oak. The king's arms by H. Phelps, bears the date of 1766. The following inscriptions are in the chancel, against the wall : — "^ Underneath is deposited the remains of SI CoUinson, in his History of Somerset, says that in the niches over these pillars, were the statues of St. Christopher carrying our Saviour on his shoulder through a river ; the Virgin Mary ; and St. Lawrence with the gridiron. If Mr. CoUinson, or his coadjutor Mr. Rack, saw such statues when the latter surveyed this church, they are not there at the present time. WOOTTON-COURTENAY. 337 Mary Newcombe, spinster, daughter of J. Newcombe, late of Briiiklow, in tbe county of Warwick, esq., and sister to Margaret, the wife of the Rev. G. Bryant, rec- tor of this parish ;" and " near this place is interred the remains of the Rev. George Bryant, many years rector of this parish, and formerly fellow of Ben net Col. Cam. He died 2 June, 1800, aged 51," And on the floor : — " Hie jacent sepulti Thomas Morley, 16 Mar. 1624. Ricardus Morley, 4 Mar. 1 627. Filii Johannis Morley, rectoris hujus Ecclesiae." "The Rev. Ralph Coombes, rector of the parish of Wootton-Courtenay, departed this life the 29tli of May, and was buried June 4th, 1720 ; aged 60." "The Rev. Mr. Charles Snape, rector of the parish of Wootton-Courtenay, died Sept. 12, 1726, aged 40. Charles his son, and Penelope his daughter, died 15th March, 1723. Also Penelope his second daughter, April, 1726." In the nave : — " Here lyeth the body of Mary, the wife of John Siderfin, of this parish, who departed this life Oct. 3, 1717, aged 69 years." " Here lieth the body of Henry Leigh, who died the 31st of May, 1632." The register goes back as far as 1558. It con- tains the entries made during the period of the Crom- well usurpation. The church-yard is kept in excellent order: in it are the remains of a stone cross, with two rows of steps z 338 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. aiul an ornamented sculptured base. There is also a fine yew tree with wide spreading branches. There is no inn in this village ; but on Sundays, in fine weather, before and after divine service, a stranger may see a great part of the population of the parish assembled together in the church-yard, with cheerful looks, recognizing each other with mutual inquiries, and engaged in conversation, in little groups. In 1776, the money expended in this parish on ac- count of the poor, was £61 \5s. lid.; and in 1785, £95 17a". In 1776, there was a work-house here, which would accommodate sixteen persons. In 1803, the money raised by the parish rates was £165 1*. 6d. at 3,9. 2d. in the pound. In 1814, the estimated annual value of the real pro- perty in this parish, as assessed to the property tax, was £2279. In 1818, the county rate was £2 7s. 5f i. In the parochial returns relating to the education of the poor, made to the House of Commons in 1818, the Rev. C. L. Scott states that there are four small day- schools in this parish, in which about forty boys and girls are taught, books being supplied from the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge ; and a few are taught at the minister's expense. The poorer classes are desirous of more sufficient means for educating their children. In 1815, there were 51 poor here. CHARITIES. 339 In 1801, the resident population of this parish was 345. In the Population Abstract of 1821, the return for Wootton-Courtenay stands thus : — Houses inhabited 57 Uninhal)ited Building Families 81 Of whom were employed In agriculture 64 In trade 14 All other 3 Persons 411 : — viz. Males 215 Females 196 Increase in twenty yeais 66 CHARITIES. In the Fifteenth Report of the Commissioners of Charities, printed by order of the House of Commons in 1826, there is the following account of a charity left for the benefit of the poor of this parish : — George Joyce, late of Winsford, in the county of Somerset, by his will, made on or about the 7th day of May, 1652, devised to the poor of the several pa- rishes of Cutcombe, Winsford, and Wootton-Courtenay, all his lands, with a messuage and appurtenances lying in Winsford aforesaid, after the decease of his wife 340 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Eleanor Joyce, to remain to them for ever, the rents and issues and profits to be distributed in Easter week. Eleanor Joyce died October 3rd, 1683, and the will was afterward established by a decree of the court of chancery, in the year 1691. The trust premises consist of a farm, containing about one hundred acres in Wingfield parish, vested in trus- tees, five being appointed for each of the parishes, which number has been kept up ever since by successive ap- pointments, and the lands regularly transferred. The trustees for the parish of Wootton-Courtenay now, are Thomas Greenslade, Robert Hole, sen. Ro- bert Hole, jun. James Hole, and Robert Goodden, and the last feoffment is dated the 1st of May, 1819. The trustees let and manage the farm, which is now held by ■ White, for a term of seven years, com- mencing from lady-day, 1824, at a rent of £38 per annum. The land is for the most part rough poor land, and it is considered that the best rent has been obtained for it. The tenant is under covenants to pay the land tax and poors' rates, and to keep the buildings, gates, and fences in repair. The portion of the rent belonging to Wootton-Cour- tenay last year, was distributed among the poor of the said parish, and amounted to the sum of £10 19^. 4^d. The trustees meet to deliberate upon the proper objects to be relieved, and settle the proportions of the different parishes, about a year before the actual dis- tribution of the money, and the applicants are expected MANOR OF WOOTTON-COURTENAY. 341 to make their claims at this meeting-, in order that the trustees may, in the interval, investigate them, by making the proper inquiries into their characters. After the conquest of England by the duke of Nor- mandy, the manor of Wootton, then called Otone, was given to William de Faleise, one of the Conqueror's followers, of whom little more is known than his name. He was a witness to the foundation charter of Sele priory, in the county of Sussex ; and his posterity ap- pear to have continued mitil the time of King John, for in that reign a William de Faleise was a committee of the honour of Gloucester, and forfeited part of it, if not all his estates, in the time of Edward I. We find a person called Elias de Faleise at Ranston, in the county of Dorset, in that reign ,'*- In Domesday Book the manor of Wootton is thus described : — "William [de Faleise] himself holds Otone. Algar held it in the time of King Edward, when it was as- sessed to the geld for three hides. The arable land is sufficient for ten ploughs. There are in the demesne three ploughs, and six bondmen. Ten villans and eight bordars have three ploughs. There is a mill which renders ten-pence. There are four acres of meadow, a pasture one mile in length and half a mile in breadth ; and a wood of the same dimensions. It was and is worth one hundred shillings."^^ 82 Introd. to Hist, of Dorset, by Hutchins, p. 14. sa Excheq. D. vol. i. fo. 96. b. 342 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. In the Exeter Domesday it is added that "the villan tenants hold two hides of land and three ploughs. William de Faleise has in " Ottona" one horse, thir- teen bullocks, seven hogs, one hundred and fifty sheep, and eighteen goats .^* In the Testa de NevilP^ it is said that Warine Fitz- gerold, who died about the second of Henry III. holds the manor of Wootton, which belongs to his barony of Stoke-Courcy. This Warine Fitzgerold married Alice, daughter and heiress of William de Courcy ; and from the above statement it may be inferred that the barony of William de Faleise merged in that of Courcy. In the latter end of the reign of Henry III. Wootton appears to have been the lordship of Philip, Lord Basset, of Wycombe, in the county of Buckingham, whose daughter Oliva, having married Hugh le de Spenser, carried it into that family. This Hugh was one of the greatest barons of the reign in which he lived, and taking arms, with other nobles, in defence of their an- cient privileges, was among those lords, who in 1258, were appointed to amend and reform what they should think amiss in the kingdom. In the forty-fourth of Henry III. he was advanced to the important office of chief justiciary of England, which at that time com- prehended the jurisdiction of all the present courts of law. In 1264, he appeared in arms against the king, at Northampton, and was in the battle of Lewes, where »* Exon. D. fo. 347. S5 p. 162. FAMILY OF COURTENAY. 343 he behaved in the most courageous manner. After that battle, in which the king was taken prisoner, the insurgent barons made him governor of Orford Castle in the county of Suffolk, and also of four other castles; and in June following, the king sent his writ to all the cities, boroughs, and towns on the coasts of Norfolk and Sutfolk, to be obedient to the directions of this Hugh, his justiciary. After this he forsook the cause of the barons, being disgusted at the haughty behaviour of Simon Montfort, earl of Leicester, and joined the king, on which he was summoned to parliament as a baron. However, he again put himself in arms with the barons, and fighting with great courage at the battle of Evesham, was therein slain on the 5th of August, 1265. By his wife Oliva Basset, he had issue Hugh le dc Spenser, earl of Winchester, called in our his- tories Hugh le de Spenser, senior, celebrated, with his son, Hugh junior, as the unhappy favourites of King Edward H. By the said Oliva, he was also father of a daughter, Eleanor, married to Hugh de Courtenay, father of Hugh, the first earl of Devonshire of that family. This Hugh de Courtenay had in marriage with the said Eleanor le de Spenser, the manor of Wootton, since called after the name of this family, Wootton- Courtenay. In the tenth of Edward I. (1282) he was in the expedition then made into Wales, and afterward in other expeditions. He had many contests with the monks of Ford, relative to certain services, which, as 344 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. patron of that abbey, he required from them, but which his father had rehnquished in their behalf. By his wife the said Eleanor, he had issue two sons and four daughters ; the sons were Hugh, his successor, and Philip, a brave soldier, who was slain in the battle fought with the Scots, near Stirling, on the 24th of June, 1314. He died at his house, which he had built at Coly- combe,in the parish of Colyton,on the28th of February, twentieth of Edward I. (1291.) In the fourth year of Edward I. (1276) during the life-time of this Hugh, an inquisition was taken relating to encroachments made upon the property of the crown, in the hundred of Carhampton, in which there are the following particulars in reference to the manor of Wootton-Courtenay : — "The jurors of the Hundred of Carhampton in re- lation to ancient suits and services, say, that Philip Basset, who held the manor of Wootton, in the said hundred, withdrew his suit from three M'ceks to three weeks, for fifteen years past, without any authority as they believe. And Hugh de Courtenay, who now holds the said manor has withdrawn the said suit in the same way. They say also that the said manor was accus- tomed to answer, before the time aforesaid, to the said hundred as two tithings, but now it only answers for one."^ "« Rot. Hundred. Som. 1 Edw, I. vol. H. p. 140. FAMILY OF COURTENAY. 345 Four years after this, namely in 1280, the same Hugh de Courtenay was summoned in a plea of quo warranto to shew by what authority he had withdrawn, without licence and against the will of the king, the suit which he owes to the king s Hundred of Carhanipton, for the manor of Wootton, which was accustomed to answer as one tithing to the said hundred. "And the said Hugh came, and as to the suit, said, there were some pleadings between the said Hugh and John de Mohun, who is a minor, and in ward to the king, whose the aforesaid Hundred of Carhampton is. Wherefore they agreed between them that the bailiff of the said hundred should make suit for him the said Hugh at the same hundred. And that the king in the name of the said John who is in his wardship, is in seizin of the said suit by the bailiif aforesaid. And that as to the tithing, that himself never had any thing, nor any thing thence had claimed, neither had he thence withdrawn any thing. Therefore the king had thence his seizin."^'^ This Hugh de Courtenay was succeeded in the barony of Oakhampton by his eldest son Hugh, who was the first earl of Devonshire of this family. He was in five expeditions into Scotland, and one into Wales, in the reign of Edward I. He was summoned to all the par- liaments of Edward H. and in the second year of that reign received the honour of a knight banneret. In «7 Placita de Quo Warranto, 8 Edw. I. Som. p. 693. 346 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. the eighth of the same king, he was in the expeditions then made in Scotland ; and in the first eight years of Edward III. was fifteen times summoned to parhament as a baron. In the ninth of the same reign, he was twice summoned to parhament by the name of Hugh Courtenay, earl of Devonshire, being the last earl in the order of precedency, as having been that year only restored to his right to that title. In the tenth of the same reign he was twice summoned to parliament as the fourth earl in order, being then restored to his due place, and to every parliament, enjoying the fourth or fifth place, until the fourteenth of Edward III. (1340) in which year he died. By his wife Agnes, daughter of the Lord St. John, of Basing, he had issue four sons and two daughters; 1. Hugh, his successor, who be- came second earl of Devonshire ; 2. John, abbot of Tavistock ; 3. Robert ; and 4. Thomas. The daugh- ters were Eleanor and Elizabeth. Thomas Courtenay the fourth son, succeeded on his father's death to the manor of Wootton. He was com- monly called Sir Thomas Courtenay, of South-Pole, and was put in commission with his brother Hugh, earl of Devonshire, to lead the Devonshire and Corn- ish men against the French, who had landed in the West, whom they courageously beat off and obliged them to return to their own country. He likewise served King Edward III. in several of his expeditions. He died in the thirtieth of Edward III. (1356) having married Muriel, one of the daughters and co-heiresses FAMILY OF COURTENAY. 347 of John de Moels, a great baron of that period, by whom he had one son, Hngh de Courtenay, who died under age without issue in the forty-second of Ed- ward III. ; and two daughters, Margaret and Muriel. Hugli, the son, was seized at his death of the manors of Maperton, South-Cadbury, Wootton-Courtenay, Cricket, and North am, all in the county of Somerset ; of the manor of King's-Carswell, the hundred of Hay- tor, the manor of Pole, and of Thurleston, Plymtree, and Sutton-Lucy, in the parish of Widworthy, in the county of Devon ; of the manor of Over- Wallop, in Hampshire; and the manor of Overton, in the county of Oxford. On the death of this Hugh de Courtenay, his estates were divided between his two sisters ; Margaret, the elder,having married Sir Thomas Peverell, took with her this manor of Wootton. The other sister, Muriel, became the wife of John, Lord Dinham. By an in- quisition taken in the first of Henry VI. it was found that Margaret Peverell held this manor at her decease, and that her heirs were Catharine, the wife of Sir Walter Hungerford ; and Eleanor, the wife of Sir Wil- liam Talbot, both daughters of the said Margaret and Sir Thomas Peverell, On the partition. Sir Walter Hungerford had this manor, and in the fourth of Ed- ward IV. Robert, Lord Hungerford ; who had been attainted and beheaded for his adherence to the house of Lancaster, and Eleanor his wife, daughter and heiress of William, Lord Molines, were found to hold the manor of Wootton-Courtenay and the advowson of the 348 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. church of that place. Thomas^ Lord Hungerford, his son, who was executed at SaHsbury in the eighth of Edward IV. (1469) left an only daughter, Mary, who on her marriage with Edward, Lord Hastings, ancestor of the earls of Huntingdon and the present marquess of Hastings, carried this manor and very considerable estates into that family.^^ After whom it was possessed by the noble family of Stawel. Mary, daughter and sole heiress of Edward, the last Lord Stawel, having married the right hon. Henry Bilson Legge, fourth son of William, first earl of Dartmouth, that gentleman in her light became lord of this manor, and of whom see a memoir below. On the 20th of May, 1760, King George H. was pleased to advance this lady to the peer- age, by the title of Baroness Stawel, of Somerton, in the county of Somerset, with limitation to her heirs male by the said Mr. Legge, by whom her ladyship had issue one son, Henry Stawel Bilson Legge. On the death of Mr. Legge in 1764, her ladyship married secondly in 1768, the late earl of Hillsborough, afterward mar- quess of Downshire ; and on her death in 1 780, she was succeeded in the barony of Stawel by her only son, above-mentioned. His lordship married in July 1779, Mary, daughter of Viscount Curzon, by whom, who died in 1804, he had issue, a son born in 1785, who died young, and one daughter, Mary, who survived him, and married August 11th, 1803, the hon. John «8 Clcaveland's Hist, of the Courtenays, p. 151. — CoUins's Peerage, by Brydges, vol. vi. — Palgrave's Pari. Writs, vol. i. p. 553. RIGHT HON. HENRY BILSON LEGGE. 349 Dutton, now Lord Sherborne, who is at present the owner of the manor of Wootton-Courtenay, and by his steward, William Leigh, esq. of Bardon, holds here courts leet and baron. There is no manor-house. The following are also freeholders in this parish ; — Lord King; J. F. LuttrcU, esq.; James Hole, esq.; William Hole, esq.; and Mrs. Gooding. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE RIGHT HON. HENRY BILSON LEGGE, [By Dr. John Butler, late Lord Bishop of Oxford.] The reputation of men, who have been distinguished by their parts, virtues, and public services, being can- vassed by many who had little or no personal knowledge of them, and the judgments formed by others being sometimes malicious and generally partial, there remains in most cases, some justice to be done to the memory and real merits of such men. This is but seldom a popular undertaking. The public is more attentive to censure than praise ; and, during the lives of emi- nent men, a true description of them is discredited, by the resemblance it bears to the language of flattery. The character of Mr. Legge, is so circumstanced, that a true account of him may venture to appear, without soliciting attention or credit. It comes too late to be suspected of flattery, and the public is pre- possessed in its favour, which would be considerable 350 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. encouragement to an essay of this kind, even without the farther advantage of an appeal, vrhich might be made to many great and respectable persons, who knew Mr. Legge, and are qualified to attest any truth, or expose any falsehood concerning him. He was so well known, that it seems unnecessary to mention, that he was nobly born. The formal intro- duction of a pedigree is superfluous, in the case of a character eminently meritorious in itself; and his noble family will pardon the liberty of saying, that, however s^reat the honour might be, which he derived from his birth, it became inconsiderable, when compared with his personal merits and excellencies. He was not educated at any of those schools which produce most of the ornaments and supporters of their country ; but he was a remarkable instance, how in- different it is in what nursery a man of strong parts, natural wit, and superior judgment, has been raised. Notwithstanding he entered upon business very early, and applied himself to it with the closest attention, very few of his rank were so well acquainted with the most eminent Greek and Roman classics ; and he was singu- larly happy in the application of passages, which he seemed to have hardly time to consider. He was designed in his younger years, for the service of his country, in the royal navy ; but that service being at that time inactive, he quitted it after one or two voyages, and becoming known to Sir Robert Wal- pole, was received into the family and confidence of RIGHT HON. HENRV BILSON LEGGE. 351 that minister ; and, after having filled the station of his secretary for some years, he obtained a seat in par- liament, and passed through the several offices of secre- tary to the treasurer; secretary to the duke of Devon- shire, father of the late duke, as lord lieutenant of Ireland ; one of the commissioners of the admiralty ; envoy-extraordinary to the court of Berlin; treasurer of the navy ; chancellor and under-treasurer of the ex- chequer, and one of the commissioners of the treasury; and he continued, to the last, one of his majesty's privy counsel. These things are barely, and perhaps not accurately mentioned, because other men have passed through such offices. Eminence of station not being, in every case, an argument of eminent worth, it is, in itself, but a feeble recommendation to posterity, and will prove no more at best, than that the person exalted was fortu- nate. The moderation and equanimity with which Mr. Legge bore his success, was the more extraordinary, as he was one of the few men advanced to high offices, who are not so much obliged to fortune, as to them- selves ; and if his character could be duly represented to future times, his promotion would appear to have done honour to the present age. The characters of persons of distinction are often celebrated by a recital of the vices and failings from which they arc exempt ; and in this view, there are perhaps none, among the most exceptionable, totally excluded from praise. But this would be but a poor 352 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. description of the real virtues and excellencies of Mr. Legge. They were inconsistent with many or great failings, and they so possessed the attention of his oh- servers, and so eifectually concealed the few foibles which he might have, that malice itself appears, from some things which were said of him, to have been quite at a loss, on what part of his character to alight. He did not pretend to be singular in any of his virtues; and it would be a needless exaggeration to re- present him so. But some of the virtues he had, ap- peared so much the genuine result of that happy consti- tution of heart and temper, which distinguished him, that they became characteristical in him ; and a descrip- tion of his person and manner would not present him more strikingly to the memory of those who knew him, than the bare mention of his integrity, candour, and benevolence. But he was distinguished by abilities less common than even his virtues. They might seem to be limited, as having been chiefly displayed to the public, in the last office he filled. But the fundamental qualifications for such offices of business as are not professional, being much the same, it may be said, without derogating from the great men who have excelled in their depart- ments, that Mr. Legge was qualified for any. With a penetrating apprehension, and a memory remarkably tenacious of substantial knowledge, he had a judgment so clear and sound, that it seems hardly possible for any human mind to be more accurate, unembarrassed, RIGHT HON. HENRY BILSON LEGGE. 353 and comprehensive of all the ideas related to the sub ject before him, as well as of all the consequences which follow from comparing them. He assisted these great powers of his understanding by an indefatigable industry, not commonly annexed to extraordinary parts ; and he kept his mind open for the admission of any material instruction, by a modesty of temper natural to men who seem to need instruction least. Though he was never first commissioner of the treasury, yet his office of chancellor of the exchequer obliging him to move for the supplies in parliament, and to propose the ways and means, he seemed to think himself responsible for his knowledge in the business of his office, as well as for his integrity in the discharge of it. He did not, it is well known, solicit, nor acccept the office without reluctance, being discouraged by the distinguished abilities of two great predecessors of his, whose eminence in that branch was particularly known and understood by him. But he was prevailed with to sacrifice his ease and happiness ; and he soon manifested how considerable the sacrifice was in his estimation, by the assiduity with which he applied himself to the study of the whole system of the public revenue, as well as by the grati- tude with which he embraced the aids that books or men could give him; and, by naturalizing in his own mind all the knowledge he could collect, he acquired in a very short space of time as familiar an acquaintance with that complex important business, as if he had been A A 354 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. trained up to it froiu his infancy, and had made it the sole study of his Hfe. He digested in his thoughts, and knew how to deUver with the utmost precision and perspicuity, a methodical account of the produce of every tax ; of its former state ; of its probable future diminution or increase ; of its relation to any other tax, as well as to public liberty; of the condition of every branch of trade and luxury, and of the country in general, to bear the burthens laid upon it ; of the state of public credit, and the due pro- portion between the terms of a loan and the public exigencies ; of the means of alleviating the national burthens, by real economy, in the reduction of the es- tablishment, as well as by practicable unpretending schemes for the gradual discharge of the public debt ; and of the various contingencies which might forward or retard that great work. He has left written evidences of the singular skill and accuracy with which he con- . sidered each of these subjects. Furnished with this knowledge, to a degree appa- rently peculiar to him, he entered upon his office with the additional advantage of a general prepossession in favour of his integrity ; and during the time he served the crown in that department, he executed, without the power of a minister, and without any loss of popularity, the most unpopular, though at that time necessary work of raising more supplies, than had ever been raised, within the same number of years. The popularity of the administration with which he RIGHT HON. HENRY BILSON LEGGE. 355 acted, and the encouraging success of the war, doubtless greatly assisted him ; and it would be improper to de- tract, in any degree, from the merits of an administra- tion which did so much honour to the king and nation. But they who have the spirit to persevere, in admiring the public measures of that time, will do Mr. Legge the justice to confess, that his personal merit, and his credit with parliament and with the public, were always clearly discernable, when he conducted the invidious part of the business of government. Without pretending to eloquence, and with a subject which will not easily admit the exercise of that talent, he was heard with an attention seldom paid to speeches, which must consist principally of arithmetical details. He was sure to keep up that attention, by a precision in his thoughts, which would not permit him, had he been inclined, to be tediously verbose ; and he pre- served his own credit, and, in a certain degree, that of the government, by neither pretending nor promising more than he could perform, with the strictest regard to truth. After his dismission from office, he continued whilst his health would permit, to attend with the same appli- cation and vigilance, to the national finances, as a mem- ber of parliament ; and, in more than one instance, he assisted persons who had no particular claims upon him, rather than the crown or public should suffer by his silence. And this he did at a time when he thought himself personally affronted by the resolution of a great board, to deprive a near relation of his, who was 350 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. not of iin age to be obnoxious to government himself, of an emolument which had with equal propriety and kindness been conferred upon him. With so deep and extensive a fund of knowledge, so precisely arranged in his mind, and most judiciously applied to the service of his country, Mr. Legge was eminently qualified for the more inactive enjoyments of literature. Besides the pleasure he extracted from the best historians, philosophers, and divines, he had a taste for works of imagination, not common even among scholars ; and knew how to relieve his labours and cares, in his few vacant hours with the best writers of that kind, ancient and modern, whose beauties he would relish and assimilate to his own ideas, with all the satis- faction of an ingenious man at perfect leisure. But his friends could not spare him much uninter- rupted pleasure of this sort ; for he had another faculty, likewise foreign to the unentertaining tract of business. He was one of the best companions of his time. His wit was copious, easy, cheerful, chaste and original. He would animate the gravest conversation with some striking image which presented all the essential circum- stances of a subject at once before the mind ; he illus- trated his images by embellishments, wdiich the most fruitful imagination could not produce, without the aid of a most cheerful temper. Having a perpetual supply of this sort of entertainment, he was never tempted to have recourse to the poor expedient of keeping up mirth by excesses of licentiousness. Nor RIGHT HON. HENRY BILSON LEGGE. 357 would his humanity suffer him to display his wit at the expense of any person in company. He could be lively without the aid of other mens' foibles ; or if they pressed upon him so directly, as not to be avoided, his raillery was inoffensive, and even agreeable to the object of it. If any whom he disliked or despised were men- tioned during their absence, he had the happy art of vent- ing his disgust or contempt by some pleasant expression of indifference, which sheltered perhaps an odious or a despicable character from more severe reflections, by only giving it a ridiculous aspect. Had his good sayings been treasured up, as those of much inferior wits have been, they would have descended to posterity ; and many of them would have been relished, without a comment in any age. But he aimed at no reputation of this sort, and was so natural and easy in his manner, that his brightest thoughts dropped from him like com- mon conversation, without the least appearance of any view to the success with which they were delivered. These extraordinary powers, which are seldom united in the same mind, and continued remarkably vigorous in his, to his last moments, were the more amiable as well as solid in him, as they were accompanied by a most virtuous heart. It would be a painful task, and revive the excesses of private grief, to represent the loss of him in his domestic character, where he was in every respect and relation, an illustrious example of fidelity and tenderness. But his benevolence was not limited by any other known boundary, than the extent of 358 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. his power, or the demerits perhaps of particular men. Nor were these, in every case, obstacles to his good- will. He had doubtless penetration enough to discern human failings upon a very slight acquaintance; but he never suffered his mind to dwell upon them, if he could discover, or thought he had discovered a sufficient quantity of that probity and good-nature, which he valued above other accomplishments, and esteemed a compensation for many failings. He seemed more particularly averse to hypocrisy and affectation of every sort, perhaps as being most oppo- site to his own temper and character. Common infir- mities appeared either ridiculous or tolerable to him ; but he could not bear to see the commerce of mutual good-will and esteem interrupted by the frauds of unfair dealers, who give themselves credit for more virtue and ability than they have. He had a better right than most men, to entertain and express a strong dislike of such persons ; not only as he was disposed, in other cases, to make great allowance for the natural desire men have to advance in life ; but as he was known to contribute warmly, to theutmost of his power, sometimes at the hazard of his power, to promote the views of his friends. He would ingenuously con- fess, that he had an end of his own, in conferring such obligations. His state of health, till within a year before lie died, seemed to promise him a vigorous and lasting old age; and he thought a faithful obliged friend would be the most valuable of all the suhsidia senectuth. RIGHT HON. HENRY BILSON LEGGE. 359 His sincerity being like the rest of his virtues, tinc- tured with his natural good-humour, produced in him that amiable candour which sometimes broke out, in the midst of political contests, in a frank acknowledg- ment of truths on either side, which little minds, en- gaged in contests, are studious to suppress. Indeed, he could well afford to be candid on all occasions, being conscious, that the known purity of his intentions would support him in any concession which truth or good-nature impelled him to make. He was as ingenuous in speaking of himself, as upon any other subject ; and, instead of urging his preten- sions with vehemence, or, as is often done, with a dis- regard to truth, he was never known to assume false merit in his conduct, either public or private ; and his friends rather blamed him for not valuing himself suffi- ciently upon the merit he could truly pretend to. But he was of too gentle and easy a mind, to avail himself of all his claims, and trusted to the world, of which he had abetter opinion, than men of penetration generally have, that his conduct, so far as it was understood, would secure to him as much reputation as he desired. Nor was he deceived in his opinion, for the inward re- spect of mankind towards him was as general as he could have wished it to be, had ambition been his ruling passion. The public sense of his worth was signally manifested at one time, by many unsought marks of esteem, and such as have always been thought honour- able. Nor did they appear to be the result of mere 360 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. transient fits of popularity ; for his reputation con- tinued unshaken to the end of his life, and the almost universal regret of men of all parties followed him to his grave. But the hest men cannot pass through life without some censure. His known public conduct, and his ex- emplary private life, seemed to secure him from any attack of this sort. But envy and malice being keen and active, will suspect where they cannot charge, and insinuate where they cannot accuse. The strict and unaffected ceconomy he practised in behalf of the public, as far as lay in his power, together with his aversion in his private life, to the mere glittering ex- penses of vanity, brought upon him the suspicion of too much parsimony in his temper, which they, who best knevv Mr. Legge and his affairs, know to have been ill founded. He did not transgress the bounds of his fortune, and involve his posterity in difficulties, in order to purchase himself the temporary fame of splen- dour and magnificence ; but he did full justice to the world, by living up to his rank and fortune, as well as by many private acts of beneficence, which he was too generous to divulge ; and after having evinced his disinterestedness, on many occasions, in the course of public business, he amply satisfied those, who might suspect him of parsimony, or might, from his unpre- tending manner, mistake him as wanting the spirit of Avhich he did not boast, that he valued his honour more than any other consideration. RIGHT HON. HENRY BILSON LEGGE. 361 Itwould have sufficed to mention this in general terms, without entering into a proof of it,had he not made it his dying request to the noble personage, who was best in- titled to his affection and confidence, that he would lay before the public in vindication of him, the only reasons he knew of for his dismission from office. He had ac- quiesced silently in that dismission, apprehending, that the time might come, when his irreproachable conduct and character would efface the impression of private misrepresentations. But when he found, that the hopes of a recovery, with which he was often flattered, in the course of his disease, were quite vanished, and that it would be his lot to die in a state of disgrace with a most amiable and virtuous King, he appre- hended for himself, lest his good name, which the best men have always wished to transmit to pos- terity, should suffer from a presumption easily propa- gated, that there must have been something wrong in him, to produce a dismission, which is, in the case of most individuals removed from offices of state, a punish- ment of misconduct. He was therefore anxiously desirous the world should know, that he was not turned out for any blemish in his private or public character ; and he thought the most satisfactory method of securing his posthumous reputation, was to publish the few papers, which explain his case. He considered himself intitled to do this in his own vindication, as the papers contain no secrets, either of state, or of private friendship. 362 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. They are agreeably to his desire, here laid before the world, in their original form, with only a previous short narrative of the transaction which occasioned them. Upon the duke of Bolton's accession to his title, in the year 1759, Mr. Legge was solicited to succeed his grace, as one of the representatives of the county of Southampton, his own seat in parliament chancing at that time to be vacant. He could not well have been importuned to an undertaking more unpleasant to him, and he declined it more than once, without reserve. The bustle of a popular election was unnatural to his liberal mind and manners, and a relation of that kind to a large county, in which he resided, might appear inconvenient to him, whose hands were at that time filled with public business. But he was prevailed with to accept the offer by the repeated intreaties of his friends, which were enforced by the plea, that his for- tune and character would do credit to a party, which had all his life been countenanced by government ; and with which he had ever acted, uniformly, though with un- dissembled moderation and good-humour towards the other party. And he had the further encouragement, of hoping, from the interest of the crown exerted in his favour, in conjunction with that of the then prevailing party in the county, as well as with his own personal interest, which was very considerable, that he should meet with no opposition. These hopes, however, were not realized. A compc- RIGHT HON. HENRY BILSON LEGGE. 363 titor appeared in the person of Mr. Stuart, afterwards Sir Simeon Stuart; and he soon found himself involved in the disagreeable business of a contested election. Mr. Stuart's interest was adopted by a noble lord, (Bute) with whom Mr. Legge was not at variance ; who had no apparent relation of any kind to the county ; and whom therefore Mr. Legge did not think of consulting, before he resolved to comply with the desire of his friends. After the county had been canvassed on both sides, Mr. Stuart thought fit to decline, and Mr. Legge re- ceived the following letter : — " Downing Street, Nov. 25, Monday Evening. " Dear Sir, " Lord Bute sent to me this morning, and told me, that having an opportunity of serving you, he bad embraced it and done you an act of friendship ; for that Mr. Stuart having been with him for his advice, whether to leave or pursue the election, as some of Mr. Stuart's friends thought this critical season of an invasion hanging over the kingdom to be a very im- proper time for parliamentary contests, his lordship had determined the point for relinquishing the pursuit ; in consequence of which Mr. Stuart was to acquaint you with his resolution of declining a poll. Lord B. added, that neither he, nor the greater person whose name hath been used during the competition, would ever treat you with the more coldness for what hath happened : your part having been taken under an igno- rance of their views and intentions ; that Lord B. ex- pected however, as he had a claim upon you, in right 364 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. of friendship, that you will concur with him, and give your aid to the person he shall recommend, at a future election. I answered to the last point, that I knew not, how far you would think yourself bound in honour to act with the body of whigs on such an occasion ; but if this consideration did not hinder, I was sure you would be happy to give him that or any other cAddence of your respect for him. *'You will be pleased therefore to consider well, and (if you please) with the advice of your friends, before you give an answer on this head that may tie you down, for on that answer, you plainly see, very much will depend. " I am, dear Sir, " Faithfully yours, "S. M." To this letter Mr. Legge returned the following answer : — ''Holte, Dec. 5th, 1759. " Dear M. " I return you many thanks for your letter. Since I received it, I have had an opportunity of seeing a little more of the spirit and temper of the county, and can answer it better than I could have done sooner. L r H e^ do me great justice in supposing I was totally ignorant of their concerning themselves at all in the Hampshire election, at the time my engage- ments were taken. I am obliged to Lord B. for any * Leicester House. RIGHT HON. HENRY BILSON LEGGE. 365 intentions he had to serve me, by the advice he gave to drop opposition ; but if Mr. Stuart, or his friends, had accepted the oJ[Fer I made, with the concurrence of my jfriends, at the beginning-, and as soon as I dis- covered what turn the election might take, every wish of Mr. Stuart's had been secured, the peace of the county never been interrupted, Httle less than £5000 a piece saved to us both ; and what is still of more consequence, a month's fermentation of parties been entirely prevented, which never fails to turn them all sour. Many of these good consequences had likewise been obtained, if the gentlemen had consulted, and enabled Lord B. to put an end to the contest before I left London, when you know how unwilling I w^as to push it to extremity. " As to the event of the election, there was not the least doubt about it. The county was thoroughly can- vassed, and upon as exact returns, as I believe ever are or can be made in a case of this kind, I could have given Mr. Stuart all the doubtful ones and all the neuters, in addition to his own poll, and yet have carried the election by a majority of 1400. I did not come into a single tow^n (except Alton) where it was not expected every day, that the opposition would be given up, and where almost any odds would not have been laid, that it never came to a poll. Nor do I think any consultation would have been held about dropping the affair, if all the money subscribed against me, and more, had not been expended, and all proba bility of carrying the point entirely vanished. This is 366 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. my own firm opinion and belief, and yet, whoever reads my advertisement will see, that I have acted with the utmost candour, and given my opponents credit for such motives of retreat, as I am sure will do them no dishonour. The expense indeed would have been enor- mous, if the dispute had been carried through, and so far I own there is a saving to us both ; for I am con- vinced it would have amounted to above £20,000 a piece. This is a sum I should have felt severely, and yet after my oifer to compromise had been rejected, I must and would have spent it, and could have done it ■without mortgaging my estate. I leave you to judge, what effect it would have had on Mr. Stuart. " After saying thus much, I am very far from having any personal dislike to Mr. Stuart ; on the contrary, I think he has been cruelly treated by some of his friends; and if the prevailing party in this county will receive him without opposition, I shall be very well satisfied and glad of it. But if the whigs and dissenters, who are very numerous in this county, will make a point of opposing him, it will be impossible for me to declare for him and abandon those, who have supported me, to take part with those against whom they have sup- ported me. This would not only put my own election in jeopardy, but be so ungrateful and disreputable a part for me to act, that it would in the same propor- tion make my assistance ineffectual to the person I should join with. " I am, &c. H. B. LEGGE.' RIGHT HON, HENRY BTLSON LEGGE. 367 Upon this answer, Mr. Legge received a verbal message from Lord B. by Mr. M., Dec. 12, 1759, the purport of which was, as it stands upon Mr. Legge's paper, "That he should bid adieu to the county of South- ampton at the general election, and assist, as far as lay in his power, the P of W 's nomination of two members ;" to which message a categorical answer was required, and Mr. Legge sent the following in writing on the same day : — " Mr. Legge, understanding it to be expected, that he (who never had engaged at all in the county of South- ampton, if the intentions of L r H had been in time communicated to him) shall not only refuse to be chosen himself at the next general election, but assist Lord Carnarvon and Mr. Stuart, in opposition to those who have supported Mr. Legge at the late election ; is determined to submit to any consequences rather than incur so great a disgrace." Lord B. sent a reply the same day, which Mr. M. wrote down from his mouth, in the following words: — " The instant Mr. Legge represents himself as bound in honour not to decline standing for Hamp- shire, at the next general election. Lord B. is firmly persuaded that the P will by no means desire it of him ; but he does out of real friendship to Mr. Legge beseech him to consider very seriously, whether, after triumphing over the P 's inclinations at present. Lord B. has any method left of removing prejudices, that the late unhappy occurrences have strongly im- 368 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. pressed the P with, than by being enabled to assure him, that Mr. Legge will, as far as shall be in his power, co-operate with his R H 's wishes at the next general election." Mr. Legge returned the following final answer : — '^ Though in fact Mr. Legge has been so unhappy as to find himself opposed to the P — of W 's in- clinations, yet as to intention, Mr. Legge feels himself entirely blameless ; and has too high a veneration for the P of W 's justice to think he will con- ceive lasting prejudices against any man, for resisting those inclinations, of which he was totally ignorant. " As Mr. Legge flatters himself, this consideration will induce the P of W to forgive his enter- ing into engagements with the county of Southampton, he is certain that his R H will not condemn his adhering to those engagements, when entered into. " God forbid Mr. Legge should be suspected of tri- umphing over theP of W 's inclinations ! The contrary was so much his intention, that from the mo- ment he discovered which way those inclinations lay, there was no endeavour he did not use, to avoid the dispute with honour ; nor did Mr. Legge exert himself, either in point of expense or personal application, till all compromise being rejected, he had no other part left to act. " Mr. Legge is obliged to Lord B. for the friendship he expresses towards him. Surely his Lordship can- not doubt but that Mr. Legge would be extremely glad, RIGHT HON. HENRY BILSON LEGGE. 369 if he could find himself in such a situation, as would permit him to have the honour of obeying the P of W 's commands, and seconding his wishes, with- out breaking the faith he has openly and publicly pledged to the county of Southampton. This if he were to do, he should forfeit all title to the P of W 's countenance and protection, as certainly as he knows he should forfeit his R H ^'s private good opinion." Here the correspondence ended. King George II. died the year following, and at the end of the first ses- sion of parliament, after the accession of George III. Mr. Legge was dismissed, or as he chose to express it, turned out, after having served the crown and the pub- lic, in his department, during that session, with his usual ability and fidelity. He had abundant resources in his own mind, to re- concile him to private life, and might have had his dis- grace glossed over by a favour, which he declined. He said it was his duty to submit, but not to approve. He had the more valuable and independent satisfaction, soon after the event, to be unanimously chosen to re- present the county of Southampton at the general election. The circumstances of his last illness are no further connected with this account of him, than as some of them remarkably confirmed it, by exhibiting the natural serenity of a strong and good mind, in the last and greatest of all human distresses. As he was above B B 370 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. dissembling his satisfaction at the hopes of life, which frequently appeared, so he was above regretting the loss of longer life, or dreading the approach of death, when his case was pronounced desperate. He would reason about the little difference between dying at one time or another, or of this or that disease, with a most exemplary calmness, and with the same undisturbed state of mind, with which any philosopher in perfect health, ever wrote about death. And when the sen- tence of nature against him appeared quite irrevocable, he was a shining though melancholy instance of a truth, from which great conclusions have been drawn, that the life and vigour of the human mind, may continue to the last, unimpaired by the most extreme weakness and decay of body. It would be too little to say of so excellent a man, that the memory of him will be honoured, during the lives of his survivors ; for, if eminent ability and inte- grity, manifested in offices of the highest trust and con- sequence ; if a zeal for public liberty, exerted on all proper occasions, with firmness and decency ; if all the talents and virtues which render men respectable and amiable, united in one conspicuous character, and ap- plied to the benefit of mankind, give that character any chance for permanent fame after death, it may be confidentlyhoped,that Mr. Lcgge will, in the opinion of posterity, be entitled to one of the first places among the WORTHIES of the present age. RIGHT HON. HENRV BILSON LEGGE. 37 1 Anecdote by another hand. — It is a just remark, no matter who made it, that the wisest and hest men are soonest forgotten. Every man's experience must ftir- nish him with instances of this kind; and it has heen recently exemplified in the little regard which has hcen paid to the memory of the late Mr. Legge, who has scarce ever been mentioned since his death but for the sake of some idle pun upon his name. Yet, though some perhaps might boast of more specious and orna- mental accomplishments, yet few were possessed of more useful and respectable talents. Sir Robert Wal- pole, who was no bad judge c\f men, upon his early acquaintance with Mr. Legge, gave his opinion of him in very awkward, yet in very expressive terms. He observed, that he never met ivlth a man who had so little rubbish about him. Mr. Legge's conduct justified this sentiment of Sir Robert's; for in every department he filled, he appeared to be perfect master of his office, and was at once clear, solid, judicious, and consistent. In short, Mr. Legge throughout supported the character of a sensible and moderate statesman, without being -i tool to any party, or a slave to his own passions. It may not be an unapt illustration of the correctness of the reference to Mr. Legge's classical attainments, contained in the preceding character of him by Dr. Butler, to add that the celebrated work of the pious and learned Dr. Lowth, successively Bishop of Oxford 372 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. and London, " De Sacra Poesi Hebrseorum Praelec- tiones Academicae Oxonii Habitae," — was dedicated to Mr. Legge in the following terms : Honoratissimo viro Henrico Legge Rei Navalis Britannicae Thesaurario Regiae Majestati a secretioribus consiliis Robertus Lovvth Quod se ab ineunte JEtate perpetu^ araicitii complexus fuerit ; domi forisque, in otio, in negotio, in optimarum literarum studiis, comitein, participem, socium adhibuerit ; jucundissimaque consuetudine, singulari caritate, maximis beneficiis, devinxerit, Suas has proelectiones In Sumrai Amoris Animique Gratissimi Testimonium Lubens, Merito, Dat, Dicat, Dedicat. Among the rectors of this parish, occurs the name of Richard Mountague, afterward bishop of Chiches- ter, and of Norwich, of whom we give the following memoir : — This eminent and learned divine was born at Dorney, in the county of Buckingham, and was the son of the Rev. Laurence Mountague, vicar of that place. He was educated at Eton school, on the foundation, and was elected thence to King's College, Cambridge, in 1594, where he obtained a fellowship. After taking his bachelor's degree, in 1598, and that of master of arts in 1602, he entered into orders, and obtained this BISHOP MOUNTAGUE. 373 living of Wootton-Courtenay, and also a prebend in the cathedral church of Wells. In 1610^, he published in quarto " the two Invectives of Gregory Nazianzen against Julian," with the Notes of Nonnus ; and as- sisted Sir Henry Savilc in preparing his celebrated edition of the works of St. Chrysostom. In 1613, he was chosen a fellow of Eton College, and in the same year was inducted into the rectory of Stamford Rivers, in Essex, then in the gift of Eton College. On the death of Isaac Casaubon, he was requested by the king to write some animadversions on the Annals of Ba- ronius, for which he was well qualified, having made ecclesiastical history very much his study from his earliest years. He had in fact begun to make notes on Baronius for his private use, which coming to the ears of the king, James I. himself no contemptible theolo- gian, he intimated his pleasure on the subject to Mr. Mountague, who began to prepare for the press in 1615. He was at this time chaplain to his Majesty, and the following year was promoted to the deanery of Here- ford, which he resigned soon after for the archdeaconry. In July, 1620, he proceeded bachelor of divinity, and with his fellowship of Eton held, by dispensation, a canonry of Windsor. In 1621, he preached a sermon before the King at Windsor, in which there were some expressions sup- posed by a party of his hearers to favour the Romish doctrine of invocation of saints ; and this obliged him to publish his sentiments more fully in a treatise '^ On 374 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. the Invocation of Saints," which, although he fancied it a complete defence, certainly gave rise to those sus- picions which his enemies urged more fully against him. The same year he published his " Diatribae upon the first part of Mr. Selden's History of Tythes." In this work he endeavours, and certainly not unsuc- cessfully, to convict Selden of many errors, and of oblie:ations to other authors which he has ncelected to acknowledge. The King, at least, was so much pleased with it, as to order Selden to desist from the dispute. In 1()22, he published in folio his Animadversions on the Annals of Baronius. Two years after this he became involved in various controversies and imputations on his character as a divine, which, more or less, disturbed the tranquillity of the future part of his life. They were occasioned by his opposition to some cathoHc priests and Jesuits who were executing their mission at Stamford- Rivers, of which place he was then rector ; and to a publication by him in reply to those persons, which gave great offence to the Calvinists, at that time a very numerous and powerful party. Their indignation ran so high against him, that the parliament which met on the 1 8th of June, 1625, thought proper to take up the subject, and Mr. Mountague was ordered to ajipear before the House of Commons, and being brought to the bar, the speaker told him that it was the pleasure of the House, that the censure of his books should be postponed, but that in the interim he should be com- BISHOP MOUNTAGUE. 375 mitted to the custody of the serjeant at arms ; and he was afterward obliged to give security in the sum of two tliousand pounds for his appearance. Tlie King, however, was displeased with the proceedings of the parliament against our author ; but notwithstanding very powerful intercession was made in Mr. IVIounta- gue's favour, in the parliament which met in 1626, the House of Commons resolved to exhibit articles of impeachment against liim, but it does not appear, that this impeachment was ever carried up to the Lords. . These vindictive measures on the part of the parlia- ment seem to have recommended him more strongly to the court, for in 1628, he was advanced to the bishopric of Chichester, on the death of one of his opponents, Dr. Carleton. With this preferment he was allowed to hold the rectory of Petworth, and having now a protection from his enemies, he applied himself closely to his favourite study of ecclesiastical history ; and first published his " Originum Ecclesiasticarum Appa- ratus," at Oxford, in 1635, which was followed in the next year, by his " Originum Ecclesiasticarum tomus primus,"' Lond. folio. In 1638, on the promotion of Dr. Wren, to the bishopric of Ely, Bishop Mounta- gue was translated to Norwich. Although now in a bad state of health, from an ague, he continued his researches into ecclesiastical history, and published a second volume, under the title of "Thcanthropicon ; sen de Vita JesuChristiOriginum Ecclesiasticarum, libri duo. Acccdit Gra.Torum versio, et Index utriusque 376 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. partis." Lond. 1640. He died on the 13th of April, 1641, and was interred in the chancel of Norwich Ca- thedral. After his death appeared a posthumous work, " The Acts and Monuments of the Church before Christ incarnate," 1 642, folio, with the singularity of a dedication to Jesus Christ, in latin, which he had himself prepared. Bishop Mountague was allowed by his opponents to be a man of extensive learning, particularly in ecclesias- tical history ; but of an irritable temper ; and from his attachment to the writings of the Fathers, holding some peculiar opinions, which were acceptable neither to churchmen nor sectarians. Fuller says of him, that " His great parts were attended with a tartness of writ- ing ; very sharp the nib of his pen, and much gall in the ink, against such as opposed him. However, such was the equability of this sharpness of his style, that he was impartial therein; be he ancient or modern writer, pa- pist, or protestant, that stood in his way, they should equally taste thereof." Selden was oneof those against whom he exercised not a little of this sharpness ; and yet, which is a considerable testimony in his favour, " he owns him to have been a man well skilled in ancient learning.''^^ 89 Compiled from Biograph. Britan. — Chalmers's Biograph. Diet. — Fuller's Worthies and Church History.— Harwood's Alumni Etonenses. DUNSTER. GENERAL DESCRIPTION. ANCIENT AND PRESENT STATE. — BOROUGH. MARKET AND FAIRS. CHARTERS. WOOLLEN MANUFACTURE. STATISTICS. RATES AND TAXES. POPULATION. CHARITIES. LIVING. PERPETUAL CURACY. CHURCH. MONUMENTS. HIS- TORICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL PARTS OF CHURCHES. THE CROSS. CHANCEL. HIGH ALTAR. NAVE. SCREEN. — ROOD LOFT. — FONT. PORCH. BENEDICTINE PRIORY. THE CASTLE. HAMLETS. ALCOMBE. AVILL. STANTON. MARSH. MEMOIR OF THE REV. ROBERT CROSSE. LOCAL SURNAME. GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE BARONIAL FAMILIES OF MOHUN AND LUTTRELL. XHE parish of Dunster is bounded on the north by the Bristol Channel; on the east by Carhampton; on the south by the last-named parish and Luxborough, and by Carhampton, Timberscombe, Wootton-Courte- nay, and Minehead on the west. By an actual survey made in 1822, for equalizing the poors' rates, this parish was found to contain three thousand and fourteen acres, of which sixty-nine are in Dunster Park, and partly covered with timber; of the remainder one thousand and seventy-seven acres are uncultivated commons ; one of which is called the Salt Marsh, on which the ancient 378 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. burgesses of Dunster had a right each to depasture nine ewes and a ram ; and the rest arable, meadow, pasture, and wood-land. The arable lands are of varied qualities, from very good to very bad ; the meadows are mostly watered and are generally good ; and the pasture lands, which are principally the marshes near the sea, are of fair quality. CoUinson, in his History of the County of Somerset, says "The lands of this parish are generally pasture and meadow^ and in good- ness equal to most in the kingdom ; particularly the vale east of the castle, and the rich common, containing five hundred acres, lying by the sea side. This com- mon is overflowed by the high spring tides, and thereby rendered uncommonly fertile." This statement is de- cidedly wrong, the vale which is east of the castle is in the parish of Carhampton. The rich common he talks of, is called the Salt Marsh, and measures one hundred and twenty-four acres ; so far from being fertilized by the overflowing of the high spring tides, it is seriously injured by their doing so, and in its present state is of very little value to any one. Nearly all the burgesses' rights of pasturage have been lost for want of exercis- ing them ; and when the above survey was made, not more than three or four persons claimed such burgess rights. The original deed of this grant, by the lord John de Mohun, is now in the possession of John Fownes Luttrell, esq. If, as could easily be done, and at an expense not exceeding £500, the sea were kept from overflowing this Salt Marsh, it would be worth, at DUNSTER. 379 this time, 50.5. per acre, while, in its present state, it wonld be dear at 5^. In Mr. BiUingsley's Agricultural Survey of Somersetshire, he says ^ ''On the demesne of J. F. Luttrell, esq. of Dunstcr Castle, a large tract of land in a convertible course of tillage, is manured with water. The usual rotation of crops is, 1st, wheat on the ley ; 2nd, turnips ; 3rd, barley and artificial . 1. m. 15. d. in Tiirr. Load.— Fsedera, vol. ii. p. 701. edit. 1821. 390 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. religious person of this description to depart out of the said kingdom by the aforesaid sea-port, without Hcence as aforesaid. " Witness the king at Huntingdon, the 3rd of April, 1327." In the twenty-ninth of Henry II. (1183) Richard, provost of Dunster, was amerced in the King's Ex- chequer in the sum of 10()*. 8d. for exporting corn out of England without licence.^* In the twentieth of Edward III. Dunster was rated to furnish three armed men for the wars.^^ And four years afterward the bailiffs of the same town were or- dered to send to the king's army one man at arms.^'' By an inquisition taken in the thirty-sixth of Ed- ward III. (1362) it was found that it would not be to the damage of the king to grant licence to William le Tailleur, of Dunster, and Thomas de Rivers, to enable them to enfeoff the commonalty of the town of Dun- ster, with one messuage and twenty-four acres of land, &c. in Carhampton, to hold to them and their succes- sors, burgesses of the said town for ever. In 1535, the monastery of Old Cleeve had certain annual rents issuing out of Dunster, amounting to "•' Richavdus I'racpositus dc Duncstoio r. c. de lOC.v. Sd. pro blado misso extra Angliam.— Mag. Rot. 29 Ilcn. 2. rot. '.i. Oors. ct Sumcrs. »5 Rynicr, F;cdcra, vol. 5. p. 49.'^ "« Ibid. 2-1 Edw. X DUNSTER. 391 £4 Is. out of which there was paid to Dunster Castle 4*. for the fee of Henry Dovell the bailiff, 6*. 8^. and in alms distributed for the souls of the family of Pyro and other founders, 17^. yearly. '•^'^ Anciently, like other places under castle ward, Dun- ster assumed the name of a borough ; and the burgesses possessed certain lands, and had a common seal. It formerly sent members to parliament, but we only re- tain the names of two of its representatives, namely, Walter Maurice and Thomas Cartere, who were re- turned in the thirty-fourth of Edward III. (1360.) It also enjoyed other borough privileges in the same reign. These rights are now lost. A part of the parish of Dunster, at and near the villages of Stanton and Al- combe, is within the borough of Minehead, and the householders who reside there vote at the election of members to serve in parliament for that borough. On Gallox, or Gallows Hill, in that part of the park which is in this parish, there is a circular entrenched camp, Avith a rampart of earth and a fosse, supposed to be British. On the 21st of Feb. 1735, a transport, coming from Ireland with troops, was wrecked off this coast, and nineteen soldiers, a boy, and two women were taken up dead in this parish, and buried in the churchyard the next day. 5^ Valor Ecclcsiast. 392 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Dunster is said to have been a place of great note, and a fortress of the West Saxon Kings. Its original name, Torre,^^ signified a fortified tower, but in suc- ceeding ages it was called Dimestorre, the tower of the hill, and by contraction Dunster, the additional dun, implying a ridge of mountains stretching out length- wise on the sea coast. In this parish are three hamlets : Alcombe, Marsh, and Stanton, and besides the manor of Dunster, which belongs to John Fownes Luttrell, esq. and has always been an appendage to the castle, there are three other manors, Alcombe, Stanton, and Avill. In 1776, the money expended in this parish on ac- count of the poor, was £238 6s. Id. ; and in 1785, £206 12^. In 1803, the money raised by the parish rates was £518 10*. at 3*. Ad. in the pound. In 1814, the estimated annual value of the real pro- perty in this parish, as assessed to the property tax, was — In the tithing of Dunster £1886 In the tithing of Avill 553 £2439 ^^ Tor is a primitive word, and is enumerated by Mr. Bryant, in his List of Radicals. It signifies either a hill or a tower, and many places in Greece had it in their composition. It was sometimes expressed Tar, as in Gibral/ar. Towers of old were frccjucntly light-houses, and it is not at all improbable that the Torre here mentioned war. an ancient fire-tower or light-house for the guidance of the navigation of the great a;stuary of the Severn. STATISTICAL NOTICES. ''^^^ In 1818, the county rate was— For the tithing of Dunster £110 3^ For the tithing of Avill OJ. 1 64 2 10 9} The land-tax charged npon The tithing of Dunster, is .. £105 7 9 And upon that of Avill ^2 15 4 £138 3 1 According to Mr. Collinson, the number of houses in the parish in 1791, was 190, and of inhabitants about 850, many houses being then unoccupied. In the beginning of the last century, there were nearly 400 houses here. In the year 1801, this parish, including the before- mentioned hamlets, contained 183 inhabited houses ; 36 uninhabited houses : 772 persons, namely, 370 males, (of whom 115 were employed in agricuhure) and 402 females. In the Population Abstract of 1821, the return for Dunster stands thus : — Houses inhabited 1^9 Uninhabited 9 Building Families 1^3 Of whom were employed In agriculture ^^ In trade '^ All others .. ^^ 394 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Persons 895 : — viz. Males 434 Females 461 Increase in 20 years 123 In 1815, there were one hundred and twelve poor in this parish; and in 1776, there was a work-house which would accommodate thirty persons. In the parochial returns relating to the education of the poor, made to the House of Commons in 1818, the Rev. G. H. Leigh stated that there is no school in this parish, and that the poorer classes would be grate- ful for any means of education afforded them. CHARITABLE DONATIONS. In the Fifteenth Report of the Commissioners of Charities, printed in 1826, by order of the House of Commons, there is the following account of charitable donations made to the poor of the parish of Dnnster: — '^ There appears to be a sum of £800 belonging to this parish, but how this money has been derived, can- not, now, with any certainty be collected. " It has been in the hands of some of the Luttrcll family of Dunster Castle, for a very long period. An entry respecting this money is found in the overseer's book of this parish, for the year 1752, to the following effect : — 'At a vestry held in the parish church of Dun- ster, the 26th June, 1752, according to public notice given for that purpose ; it is unanimously agreed, that CHARITIES, 395 the sum of £800 charity money, reputed to be given by Francis Eld, esquire, one of the masters of the Court of Chancery, for the use of the poor of the said parish, shall continue in the hands of Henry Fownes Luttrell, esq. he paying for the loan of the same, the sum of £'S lOs. for every £100 by the year, until the same shall be fully satisfied and paid.' In a subsequent page of the same book, the following receipt is entered: — ''Received the 21st of October, 1768, of Henry Fownes Luttrell, esq. by payment of George Gale, £27 4.9. 8^. for one year's, wanting ten days, interest of .£800 in his hands, belonging to the poor of the parish of Dunster, and due the 8th instant, when the Dunster Castle estate was discharged from the said debt; and the parishioners, at a vestry held for that purpose, on the 24th of April, 1764, agreed to leave the said principal money in the hands of the said Mr. Luttrell, and took his bond for the same, dated the said 8th day then instant, October, at three and a half per cent. ; I say received the above £27 4s. Sd. for the use of the poor of the said parish of Dunster, — t/ohn Groves.'' The above-mentioned bond was cancelled in the year 1817, and a fresh bond taken from John Fownes Lut- trell, esq. the executor of the above-named obligor, dated the 24th of March in that year; upon which said last-mentioned security the said sum still remains invested. The first entry of any payment of interest upon the 396 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. said sum of £800 is made in the overseer's book for the year 1743 ; and from that time, the interest of the said principal sum appears to have been regularly re- ceived and brought to account by the overseers of the said parish, together with the poor rates, as general parish stock. MRS. PYNCOMBE S CHARITY. This parish is one of the places where Mrs. Gertrude Pyncombe'-*^ had property, and as such became entitled to a portion of her bounty, as directed by her.* Mrs. Pyncombe having but a very small property in Dunster, it seems to have been thought sufficient to give the relief, under her bounty, to one poor person only in that parish. The treasurer to the trustees is Mr. Charter, of Bishop's Lydeard, who states, that for twenty years, during which period he has held the above 39 There '\erc two families in Devonshire of the name of Pjiicombe, one of South-Molton, and the other of Welsbear. The Pyncombes of Welsbear be- came extinct in 1672, when one of the co-heiresses married into the family of Tucker. Mrs. Gertrude Pyncombe, the last of this branch, who died unmar- ried about 1730, left a considerable estate for the augmentation of poor benefices, the endowment of schools, and other charitable purposes. A detailed account of these benefactions will be found in the Third Report of the Com- missioners of Charities, printed by order of the House of Commons. Mr. William Pyncombe, the last of the South-Molton branch, died in 169 . The Pyncombes bore for their arms — Per Pale, Gules and Azure, three helmets, Argent. — Crest, A Cubit Arm, issuing, vested. Vert, trimmed and gloved. Or, holding a spear, proper, the head, Argent, — LysoNS's Devon, part I. p. 208. ' Sec the Third Report on Charities, p. 55. VICARAGE OF DUNSTER. 397 office, he has paid that sum to a poor widow of Dun- ster parish, and that as far as he can trace, this has been the practice." The living of Dnnstcr is in tlie deanery of the same name, and akhough called in the Valor Ecclesiasticus and by Ecton and Bacon, a vicarage, is a stipendiary curacy, and is valued in the king's books at £4 13.v. Ad. which is the same sum that the prior of Dunster allowed the stipendiary vicar in 1535. In 1292, this church was valued at twelve marks. The clear yearly value was certified to the governors of Queen Anne's Bounty at £9 16*. In 17 17, Sir Hugh Stevvkley was the impropriator of the great tithes and patron of the living. It was afterward in the patronage of Lord Stawel, and on the death of the last lord in 1825, it passed to his only daughter and heiress. Lady Sherborne, whose husband. Lord Sherborne, sold it to the present John Fownes Luttrell, esq. in whom the presentation now is. The Rev. Thomas Fownes Luttrell is the present incumbent. Mr. Luttrell pays the curate £20 per annum ; and Queen Anne's Bounty produces about £20 a year more, besides the surplice fees. There was an ordination of the vicarage of Dunster made by Bishop Oliver King, which was afterward cancelled; and a new one made in 1512, by Bishop Hadrian de Castello, which appointed that the vicar and his successors should have their commons and repasts, and a fire in the winter season, with the prior 398 HISTORY OF CARIIAMPTON. of tlic cell of Dimstcr, and with the monks at their table, sitting next to the said monks, but never getting higher; at the sole charge and expense of the said cell. And that he should likewise receive an annual stipend of £4 from the prior, and should have a chamber ad- joining to the church-yard of the parish church of Dun- stcr, together with a certain meadow, and a rent of two shillings for the use of certain vats belonging to the fulling business, as also the rent of two shillings for a certain house of ancient time belonging and ap- pertaining to the vicars. And that he should likewise have all the contingent contributions of the parishion- ers for the rehearsing and publishing the bead-roll," after the service of high mass in the church of Dunstcr every Lord's day.^ DUNSTER CHURCH. The church is dedicated to St. George, and is built in the form of across, consisting of a transept, chancel, nave, side ailes, and a tower. It is a large gothic structure, being one hundred and sixty-eight feet in length, and fifty-five in breadth. The transept now serves as the chancel, and is separated from the nave by an elegant oak screen, about eleven feet high, for- 2 The bead-roll was a list of those jicrsons, whether grandees, hencfactors, or brethren, whose names were to be mentioned in the public praj'crs of the church. This list or roll was read over to iircparc the audience for such a commemoration . ^ Rcgist. WcUcn. DUNSTER CHURCH. ^599 mcrly supporting the rood loft, and ornamented with finely-carved vine hranches and grapes, and in the upper part with oak leaves and hranches. This screen contains fourteen arches of elal)orate tracery. The stairs leading to the rood-loft are in a turret on the south side of the church, the door-way of which is now walled up. There is a brass chandelier of eighteen lights, in- scribed, " Gaven by the late Jone Brewer, ten pounds towards this branch. John Hossum, Benj. Escott, churchwardens, 1740." In the windows of the north aile are some remains of ancient stained glass, namely, the head of St. James of Compostella ; a small whole length of a king, the head defaced ; the arms of Luttrell, Or, abend between six martlets, Sable, and an abbot's crozier, with a scroll, inscribed, m. Bom^ttxxt, ^ibda^ irc ©liba. The name of Wdliam Seylahe occurs in the list of abbots of Cleeve, communicated to Tanner's Notitia by Browne Willis : and he was probably the same man, deriving the cognomen of Dunster merely from the place of his birth, a usual practice with the religious. The date of his institution being 1419, and his death or removal, 1421, is a very strong argument in proof of the conjecture respecting the building of the church. On each side of the entrance to the transept there is a niche which appears to have contained a statue, and on the cast side of the transe})t Icadinc: into the south 400 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. aile of the old church, there is a fine horse-shoe shaped arch, with very rich carved oak gates, which the late vicar, Mr. Leigh, had white washed I There is a painting over the communion table re- presenting the crucifixion, but not in good style, by Mr. Phelps. The nave is divided into three ailes, but that on the north does not extend the whole length. The south aile is formed by four small clustered co- lumns, supporting five bluntly pointed arches. The windows are divided into three lights each ; and the tracery in the upper part is hexagonal, or of that style called by Mr. Rickman, perpendicular. The chancel was the original church belonging to the priory, and was also used by the vicar for the cele- bration of divine service till the year 1499, when a dis- pute took place between the monks and the parishion- ers. This being referred to the abbot of Glastonbury, Dr. Thomas Gilbert, and Thomas Tremayle, as arbi- trators, it was agreed that the vicar and his successors should have their choir distinct from that of the prior and monks, to be erected and repaired ; and, if it should so need, to be rebuilt at the expense of the parishioners, namely, in the nave of the church at the altar of St. James the apostle, which is situated on the south-side of the door leading from the choir of the monks into the nave of the church. This part is now called the old church, and has a north and south aile, formed by very bluntly pointed arches. It is shut up, stripped of all its furniture, and totally neglected. It contains a DINSTER CHURCH. 401 number of fine inoniiiiiental tombs of the families of Mohun and Lnttrcll, which are now perishing with their owners in the dust, and exhibiting a strong rebuke to the vanity of human greatness. Oh I that the voice of propriety and common decency, the voice that would command respect to the sacred- ness of the place, would call upon the living to honour the remains of the illustrious dead, then should we behold the chancel of Dunster Church restored to its former venerable appearance, and the monuments of two once baronial families renovated by a judicious and well-timed expenditure. The restoration of the table monument of the Lord John de Mohun and his lady, and of their effigies, with the necessary repara- tions of those of the Luttrells, a new floor, and some other repairs, would reflect that honour upon the living which we are so justly anxious to see paid to the memory of the dead. The tower is ninety feet high, rising from the centre of the fabric, or at the intersection of the cross, and is supported by four massive pillars. It is embattled at the top, and has low broken pinnacles at the corners -, it contains a clock, chimes, which play the 1 13th Psalm tune, at the hours of one, five, and nine ; and eight fine-toned musical hells, the oldest of which bears the date 16G8, and the newest 1782. The tenor weighs twenty-two cwt. It is the generally-received opinion that this church was built by King Henry VII. in reward for the services D D 402 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. of the Diinster men at the battle of Bosworth Field. I will not stop to dispute the claim to valour and de- votion of the Dunster men and of the family of Luttrell to the house of Lancaster; but I shall certainly dispute the claim of Henry VII. to be considered as the founder of Dunster Church. The opinion here alluded to, I think had its rise in Walton's Observations on Spen- ser's Fairy Queen, but its fallacy will be easily estimated by the attentive observer when he compares the plain, meagre, and clumsy style of this tower with the finely- proportioned and delicately-ornamented architecture of the first period of the Tudors. There is nothing in the appearance of any part of this church to give the slightest authority for such an opinion; but on the contrary, there are the strongest reasons for asserting that it was erected more than seventy years before the accession of Henry VII.; namely, about the latter end of the reign of Henry V. or the commencement of that of Henry VI. In the year 1419, (eighth Henry V.) William Pynson, by his last will, dated on Wednesday, the feast of St. Valentine the martyr, bequeaths his body to be buried in the church of St. George the martyr, at Dunster, before the image of St. Christopher; and also left forty shillings towards the new bell-tower, and twenty shillings towards one of the new bells, with six shillings and eight-pence towards the new rood loft in the said church [ad opus novi solarii Sancte Crucis in dicta ecclesia.] But the date of the building of the tower is more DUNSTER CHURCH. 403 certainly known from a coeval agreement found in the church a few years ago, and endorsed by a recent hand ; " The building of the tower of Dunster, in the twenty- first year of the reign of King Henry VI. 1443. This building was undertaken by John Marys, of Stogurscy, Somerset, and an engineer from Bristol, to be com- pleted in three years." The indorsement was copied at the discovery of this interesting document, but the agreement itself has unfortunately been mislaid. When Mr. Hamper, of Birmingham, was on a visit to his friend, the late Rev. G. H. Leigh, of Dunster, in 1808, the then Mr. Luttrell, at his request, examined his papers at the castle, for the purpose of recovering this document, but was not so fortunate as to meet with it.* The font is ancient. It is octagonal and handsome, and is sculptured on the sides in quatrefoils alternately with double roses. The quatrefoil recesses arc filled with escutcheons, bearing the emblems of the cruci- fixion ; the monogram I. H. S. in a crown of thorns ; the spear, cross, ladder, sponge, hammer, nails, and pincers ; there are also the five wounds of Christ re- presented by the hands, feet, and heart, alternately with double roses. It is just possible that some person on seeing the latter ornament, sometimes called the Tudor rose, from its being represented double, to typify the union of the two conflicting houses of York and Lan- caster, might be led to suppose that the alleged bounty < Gent. Mag. Oct. 1808. 404 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. of Henry VII. might have been applied to the furniture of the church, though not to the building itself. But even this is too weak a supposition ; for the double, or Tudor rose, is too common an ornament in ecclesiastical architecture to justify such an opinion. The roof of Dunster Church was set on fire between thirty and forty years since by some workmen engaged in repairing the lead work. The fire was fortunately discovered by Mr. Crang, a surgeon, who, on rising early to attend a sick patient, was the means of pro- curing assistance ; the flames were got under with difficulty, and the repairs cost the parish a considerable sum. On the 1 8th of October, in the eighth of Elizabeth, a complaint was made by the inhabitants of Dunster, under their seals, against Mr. Stewkley, for allowing their curate but £S per annum for officiating in his cure, which they say was too little. The original complaint is in Mr. Luttrell's possession. MONUMENTS. There was a chantry in the church of Dunster at the altar of St. Laurence, which was endowed with divers burgages in that town, valued in 1535 at £5 \s. Sd. annually, out of which there was paid a yearly rent to Dunster Castle of twenty shillings. At the dissolution, John Bailey was the priest of this chantry. In the chapel of this chantry, which is on the north- MONUMENTS. '*"^ side of the old church, there is an ancient table monu- ment, under a canopied areb, on which lie the cunAent effigies greatly mutilated, of a knight and h.s lady ot the Mohuns. These effigies are of alabaster procured f^om the beds of that stone near Watchet. Ihe hgure of the knight is almost destroyed, so that only the bust and part of the lower limbs remain He wears a helmet, around which there is a garland of vxne leaves, " and so," says Leland, " were lords of old time said to be buried." The lady lies at bis left hand, and .s re- presented in a close boddice, with a loose robe, and a reticulated head dress, with her feet resting on a dog, the emblem of nuptial fidelity. The whole is un- fortunately so much broken and decayed as totally to preclude a minute description. The knight I conjecture to be John de Mohun the second, as in the account of the possessions of the priory, there is the sum of 6*. 8d. charged as being annually distributed in alms to certain poor persons for the soul of John de Mohun. Close to this monument, there yet remains the original altar, which is probably the same as that mentioned by Collinson, dedicated to St. Laurence, at which the chantry priest offered up prayers for the souls of the deceased knight and his lady. It is further probable that this is the monument of the Lord John de Mohun, the second of that name, who died in the fourth of Edward lU. (1330) and his lady, Auda, the daughter of Sir Robert de Tibetot, for the following reasons:-!. That his father, the first 406 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. John dc Mobun, had two wives, both of whom would have been represented on his monument ; 2. That the third John de Mohun died in his father's life-time, and it is not Hkely that this monument should have been erected for him, because he was never in possession of the baronial estates ; 3. The lady of the fourth John dc Mohun, who died in the sixth of Henry IV. (1404) was buried in Canterbury Cathedral, where she has a handsome monument. I am, therefore, of opinion that this monument should be appropriated to John dc Mohun the second, and its architectural style will bear me out in this opinion. On the south side of the old church there is a stately mural monument of various kinds of marble, whereon lie the recumbent effigies of one man in armour, and two women ; another man in a kneeling attitude, in clerical costume. These are memorials of different members of the Luttrell family. In the south-aile of the old church, there is placed a handsome monument of white and grey marble, in- scribed with the name and character of Anne, the wife of Francis Luttrell, and daughter and heiress of Charles Stucley, of Plymouth, esq. who died on the 30th of October, 1780, aged 21. In a recess of the wall, on the south-side of the old church, under a plain arch, on a platform raised a little above the floor, lies the recumbent effigy of one of the MONUMENTS. 407 Everards, " a family," says Leland, " set up by the Mohuns," of whom they held lands in Carhampton and Dunster by the service of defending a certain part of the castle. This monument has been the occasion of more than one mistake. Collinson mentions it as "the figure of one of the domestics of the Luttrell family," which must be looked upon as one of his fancies ; or more likely a fancy of Mr. Rack's, who assisted him in his survey of the respective parishes of the county. But whilst he was describing this effigy as representing a domestic of the Luttrells, he, in the same page, speaks of it "as lying between two arches in the church-yard ;" following Leland in the same error, who mentions this effigy, " as lying between two arches or buttresses in the church-yard:' When the author of this work was at Dunster in September, 1828, he was particularly desirous of obtaining some information relating to the monument mentioned by Leland and Collinson as lying in the church-yard, but the oldest persons in the parish could not remember either ever having seen or heard any thing of such an effigy or tomb. There is a flat grave-stone in the floor of the old church, before where the high altar once stood, with the figure of a lady engraven upon it, having a canopy over her head, and round the edge the following inscription : — '* (©rate qtieslo pro anM tiMte (i?li|abct6 iLuttereU que ofiitt primo iJie mni^i^ ^ep^- 408 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. tfintrisK anno unti M€€€€^Vo uona^ flcsii^n tcrtio— latutf jr^pe tr pctinuijg mfsJcrct^ ti^^m brt£^tiitiiun*ep^tritO£J nolitrampnare The first division of this inscription is too obvious to need ilkistration. The latter clause may be read ^'Nunc^ Christe, te petimiis miserere: que sumus qui vcnisti rcdimcre perditus, noli dampnare redemptos." In English thus:— "Pray I beseech you for the soul of the Lady Elizabeth Luttrell, who died September the 1st, in the year of our Lord 1493. Now, O Christ, we pray Thee be merciful; Thou, who wert able to re- deem the lost, do not condemn those whom Thou hast redeemed." This lady was Elizabeth, the wife of Sir James Luttrell, knt. who was mortally wounded in the second battle of St. Alban's, 1461. She was the daughter and heiress of Sir William Courtenay, eldest brother of Sir Edward Courtenay, of Haccombe, who in the first of Henry VII. became earl of Devonshire. But Lodge, in the Peerage of Ireland, says that she was the daughter of Sir Philip Courtenay, and her mother the daughter of Lord Hungerford. She was aunt of William Courtenay, earl of Devonshire, who married a daughter of King Edward IV. It is remarkable that both Leland and CoUinson speak of this grave-stone as being in Carham])ton Church. The mistake in Lclaud may be accounted for by supposing that the transcriber of his manuscript of MONUMENTS. 409 tfee Itinerary has misplaced the paragraph ; but there can be no excuse for Collinson, in copying that error, for if he had inspected the inside of the old church, he could not have failed to have seen this stone. In the old church, there is a large vault belonging to the family of Luttrell, in which are twenty-seven coffins, most of them charged with inscriptions. There is also a brass and some other monumental remains in the chancel, to the memory of different members of the Stewkley family, who were formerly owners of, and lived at, Marsh, in this parish. In the south-aile of the present parish church there is a brass plate thus inscribed : — *'<©{ go^ cjantt prag for tje ^ovXt^ nf 3oIjn aaagtijcr, ani» ^qmsi Jis; bgf, anti 3oW aaagtijtr ftnr dfifsst <^cine, M)o^t botig*^ rci^tgctfi tmticr ftisi ^tont anno ti'ui ftlilhno CCCCIjiTObi} pnuiltimo tiie ^cptc'bns^ aptrtautJo gntcialnn it<^iutcC' c^oncm mortuor ct bita' etnna* amen/' On another brass : — "ANAGR. AMAROR. AMORIS. HUC. MODO. TUNC ILLUC. PASSIM. VESTIGIA FLECTES. AST. HIC. IN. .STERNUM. SISTE MARIA PEDEM. NE DUBITES. DUBITUR QUICQUID. DEERAT. TIBI. VIRGO. DESPICE. MORTALEM. CONJUGE. DIGNA. DEO." 410 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. "Here lyeth the body of Mary y^ daughter of John Norris, late customer of Minehead, who dyed 22 of March, 1673." Here are three ancient slabs with crosses, the me- morials probably of some of the priors, removed from the old church. In the nave there are the following monumental in- scriptions : — " Mrs. Mary Parker, May 14, 1799, aged 87." "Betty, wife of John Clement, May 10, 1774, aged 37.— Henry Clement, March 13, 1704." "Mary Wilkins, Feb. 5, 1798." "Edward, son of William and Mary Sealy, Feb. 7, 1693, aged 3. — Justine, mother of William Sealy, April 5, 1695, aged 81. — Elizabeth, daughter of Wil- liam and Mary Sealy, June 24, 1696, aged 3. — Mary, wife of William Sealy, Nov. 9, 1702, aged 44. — William, son of William and Mary Sealy, April 28, 1705, aged 23." "Mary, wife of Francis Chaplin, and daughter of William and Mary Sealy, Dec. 4, 1737, aged 57. — Elizabeth, daughter of Francis and Mary Chaplin, May 6, 1788, aged 80." "Margaret Blake, August 25, 1792, aged 82." "Robert Giles, March 12, 1703.— Elizabeth, his wife. May 5, 1705." "Nathaniel Ingram, March 7, 1749, aged 65" MONUMENTS. 411 In the chancel ;—" Prudence, daughter of Giles Poyntz, gent., and Anne, his wife, June 3, 1716, aged 19. — Elizabeth, daughter of Giles Poyntz, gent.. May 24, 1729, aged 33.— Mary Clark, wife of Luke Clark, of London, and daughter of Giles and Anne Poyntz, Sept. 29, 1726, aged 32. — Edward Poyntes, gentleman, July 29, 1583." "Elizabeth Sharp, July 11, 1769, aged 55.— Ann Wheddon, daughter of Elizabeth Sharp, Feb. 19, 1803, aged iSQ.''' ^"Elizabeth Bond, buried Dec. 28, 1791, aged 93." "George Rawle, Oct. 15, 1799, aged 56; twenty- seven years clerk of this church." On brasses in the nave are the three following inscrip- tions: — 1. "P. M. D. Hie intumulatus jacet Richardus Blackford, generosus ; obiit 2do die Februarii, 1689, circiter annum 65 aetatis suae." " Siste gradnm properans, et mortem meditare ferocem, Non fugit imperium uUa corona suum. Si virtus, probitas, vel cultus mentis adornans, Quemlibet armaret, non moriturus erat. Clarus erat patriae legibus, sinceris amicis. Nulla ferent talem sec la futura virum." Arms — Argent, a chevron, Gules, between three Etoiles of five points. 2. "Here lyeth the body of Mary Blackford, (daughter of Rich. Blackford, gent., and Elizabeth, his wife) who 41 '2 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. departed this life the 22d day of Jane, 1669, and in the 12th year of her age." Shorte was her life, longe was her payne. Create was our loss, much more her gayne. 3. '^Sacredto the memory of Thomas Abraham, sur- geon, who practised in this town nearly 40 years, and died 2nd Sept. 1828, in the 62 year of his age." The register begins thus : — " Dunster Anno Domini 15f)8, quarto die Augusti Anno Regnae Do'nse n'ae Elizabethae Reg. quadragesimo. A register boke conteyning all the weddings, christenings, and burialls, that no we are to bee founde in the former registers, sithence the beginninge of her ma*'" raigne, which was the xvijth dale of November, in the yeare of our Lord God 1559." Signed by Christopher Williams, curate, and Thomas Dennis and William Blackwell, church- wardens. A. D. Baptisms. Burials. a. d. Baptisms. Burials. 1575. . ..27 15 1775. . . . 20. . . , . 18 1600.. ..33 20 1800. . ..16... . 9 1625. . ..36.. ..34 1801.. ..15... .10 1650. . . . imperfect. 1802. . . . 22 . . , ..14 1675. . ..19.... 30 1803. . ..21.. ..12 1700. ...38.. ..23 1804. ...18... .13 1725. ...33.. ..27 1805. . ..19... .12 1750. . ..21.. ..27 There is an earlier register than this, but it is in pieces, and the leaves jumbled together; the earliest date is 1560. It is probable that it is perfect or nearly so if it were properly put together. DUNSTER CHURCH. 413 The register contains the weddings during the time that marriage was declared by the Long Parliament a civil rite. In 1697, there were eighty-six burials, but no reason is assigned for this extraordinary number. In 1644 and 1645, there are several entries of the burials of soldiers from the castle. Feb. 22, 1735. Nineteen soldiers, ahoy, and two women, with two children, were buried, having been drowned the day before. In the chancel, there are three ancient chests, two of them strongly bound with iron. The chalice bears the date of 1573; the king's arms 1660. There are several glazed tiles in the chancel and nave ; among these are a spread eagle ; a fess between six cross crosslets, three and three, birds and flowers, a lion rampant, a man on horseback tilting with a lance ; and many fragments with other designs ; and in another part of the church, a fess between three crescents. Over the west window of the south-aile, on the outside, is "God save the King. 1624. MVXX." (i. e. 1520.) In the church-yard, opposite to the west door, is the pedestal and shaft of an old cross, on three steps, and a venerable yew of large dimensions. A range of alms-houses are seen in the view, but no particulars of their foundation or endowment are given by the commissioners of charities. 414 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. INCUMBENT CURATES OF DUNSTER. [From the Parish Register and other authorities.] Richard de Keynsham, occurs in a deed thirteenth Edw. III. 1338. Robert, occurs in deeds 1369 and 1378. John Rice, buried Sept. 27, 1561. Christopher WiUiams, buried April 22, 1600. 1600. David WiUiams. 1603. Thomas Smythe, or Smith, buried April 12, 1638. 1638. Robert Browne. 1642. Robert Snelling. 1661. Richard Savin, or Saffin. 1670. John Graunt, or Grant, buried Feb. 22, 1703. 1703. WilUam Kymer. 1730. John Question. 1738. Jeremiah Davies. 1745. William Cox. Robert Norris. James Gould. 1756. Richard Bawden. 1759. William Camplin. 1773. George Henry Leigh. 1821. Thomas Fownes Luttrcll. TRINITY CHANTRY. In the seventh of Henry VII. (1491) Sir Giles CHURCHES AND THEIR PARTS. 415 Daubeny, knight, Alexander Sydenham, Richard Syden- ham, George Stukeley, and others, conveyed unto Richard Baker, chaplain, sundry houses and lands in Dunster and Carhampton, on condition that whenever mass was celebrated at the altar of the Holy Trinity, in the parish church of Dunster, he should pray for the souls of Henry Franke, Cristinahis wife, and others, and for the faithful depai-ted this life ; and for the good estate of the said Giles, Alexander, &c. In the twenty-ninth of Henry VHI. (1537) "the feoffors off the Trynyte Chauntre" granted to John Ryse, clerk, " tlier full and hole power to receive the p'fytts of the said chauntre, duryng the terme of xxij yeres ;" therewith to repair the houses belonging to it, and to maintain " an honest chapleyn to say masse and to praye for the sowles of the founders, feofers, and benefactors of the said chauntre." The altar of St. James the apostle, the chapel of St. Mary, and the " wex silver light," arc named in an- cient wills, &c. Dunster Church is the only one in the Hundred of Carhampton that is built in the form of a cross, nearly all the churches in the county of Somerset being oblong buildings, with the tower at the west end. The latin cross, or cross of the crucifixion, the form in which our cathedral and larger collegiate and parish churches are built (t) is so called to distinguish it from the Greek cross ( + ) which is equal in all its parts, and is a very common form of the churches of Italy. As Dunster Church, from its form and contruc- tion, gives me an opportunity of entering upon a brief history of the 416 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. general appropriation of the several divisions of our ecclesiastical structures, and there being no other edifice under which I can, with propriety, make such a digression, a few pages upon this subject will, it may be hoped, afford both information and amusement. During the first period of the ecclesiastical architecture of the Anglo- Saxons, the churches were built either in the square or oblong form, but generally oblong, or in the shape of a parallelogram. Sometimes there was a semicircular turning at the east-end, where the altar stood j and between the nave or body of the church and the chancel there was frequently an arch decorated with zig-zag work, or some other Saxon ornament. The towers of the early Saxon churches were never lofty j on the contrary, they were usually so low as to add very little to the effect of the building. They frequently consisted of one story, sometimes of two, and there are not wanting examples of three j but the united elevation of these, in the latest and most improved works, bears no proportion to the towers which succeeded with the pointed style. In the reign of Alfred probably, but certainly in that of Edgar (959 to 975) the Saxon architects began to build their larger churches in the form of a cross, for about the year 970 we find tran- septs or cross ailes in general use. The towers which in these buildings were placed at the intersection of the cross were also in- creased considerably in their heighth and other dimensions, whilst in the smaller churches, where there was no transept, the tower was always placed at the west end. In all likelihood an addition to the heighth of towers was suggested by the more frequent use of bells. The Chancel seems to have been considered, in all ages, as the most sacred part of the church. Anciently none were admitted into it but those of the priesthood during the oblation j and women were totally excluded. From the present remains of our old parish churches* it is natural to conclude them to have been adapted to the most solemn acts of religion. Upon entering the chancel from the transept, we observe, in our cathedrals, on either hand, the stalls, with desks before them, appropriated to the use of the choir. But as stalls are found in churches where it is improbable there should be priests HISTORY OF CHURCHES. 41/ officiating sufficient to fill perhaps a dozen or more seats, and also where no great number of the clergy had occasion to come, the choir might have been composed of such of the parishioners as should choose to sing, there being no reason for excluding the laity from thence ; since the establishment of St. Stephen's, Westminster, and several other foundations of that kind, admitted of choristers, an office not included in the seven degrees of orders in the church. Proceeding up the chancel, we ascend three steps, where once stood the high altar, and now the communion table. The altar was of stone, and consecrated by the bishop. The ends were termed its horns } that on the right being the " Cornu Epistolse," from the epistle being read there, as the gospel was on the left. The Nave is so called because it occupied the same situation in oblong and cross churches, in respect to the chancel, that the anti- choir did in the round churches, some few of which remain in Eng- land to the present day 5 and which were erected in imitation of the church of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem. But the structures of the circular form were merely the naves or anti-choirs of those churches : the choirs themselves, the portions more peculiarly appro- priated to divine service, were oblong square rooms, with side ailes, the same as we now see in our present parish churches.^ At the entrance of the chancel stands the Screen, dividing it from the " aula," or nave. This is frequently of excellent workmanship, but is too well known to need description, though it will not be 5 The Nave of a church is derived from the Teutonic tiave, signifying round; because this part was of a round form in those churches which were built by the Knights Templars, and which are still denominated " round churches." There arc four of these structures remaining in England, namely, the Temple Chiu-ch in London; St. Sepulchre's in Cambridge ; St. Sepulchre's in North- ampton ; and the church of Little Maplestead in Essex. I am inclined to believe that all our churches which are dedicated to the Holy Sepulchre, or, as we now say, St. Sepulchre, had originally circular naves. — See an in- teresting paper on round churches, in Arclia^ologia, vol. vi., by Mr. Esse-x ; — and also in Mr. Britton's Architectural Antiquities, where their history is fully treated. E E 418 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. impertinent to remark, that in the will of King Henry VI. there is mention of a Reredosse (Screen) bearing the rood-loft parting the choir and the body of the church. (Royal Wills, 302.) At the north-end of the screen, in many old churches, the entrance of a small staircase seems worthy of attention. This leads up to a door, at a moderate height from the pavement. At this door was the place of the pulpit, probably the rood-loft, as appears from the following rubrics : — " In the beginning of the collect before the epistle the sub-deacon must go through the middle of the choir into the pulpit to read the epistle." — " The epistle being read, two boys in surplices, having made obeisance at the altar, before the steps of the choir, must prepare themselves gradually to chaunt their verse."^ There was also another, for reading the gospel towards the north, in the same place by the deacon, attended by the sub-deacon ; as also by two clerks, bear- ing candles, with a third, having the censer, thuribulum. As it would be impossible for so many to perform their duty with propriety, circumscribed in the narrow limits of the present pulpit, it is reason- able to conclude that the pulpit, to which these stairs led, might be the rood-loft, particularly as it appears to have been placed over the screen, as is manifest from the will of Henry VI., and that the upper stair usually ascended nearly even with the top of the screen. From this place also the sermon was delivered, the curate being obliged to preach four times in the year, by an ecclesiastical constitution of Archbishop Peckhara's. From which reading and preaching to the people assembled in the nave, it may be concluded that the body of the church received the name of " Auditorium. "7 During the predominance of the catholic religion in England, cruci- fixes were set up in churches to recognise our Lord's passion. The place appropriated for this purpose was the rood-loft. Portable crosses or crucifixes were used by our ancestors on solemn occasions ; many of these were adorned with holy relicks and precious stones of great value. They were carried by princes in their pilgrimages and processions to the shrines of saints, and with their armies when they 6 Missale, 1515. ? Gent. Mag. Aug. 1787. HISTORY OF CHURCHES. 419 went on expeditious. The famous cross which was preserved at Holyrood House in Edinburgh, was carried by King David II. in his expedition to Ens;land, where it was taken with the king, and many of his bishops and nobles, at Nevill's Cross, near Durham, on the 27th of October, 1346, by the forces commanded by Ralph Lord NeviU and John Nevill, his son, and was offered by them at the shnne of St Cuthbcrt, with the images of the Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist, of pure and massy gold. The foot or pedestal of this cross was garnished with rich and large diamonds, precious rubies, fine turquoises, and costly emeralds. Crosses and crucifixes in those days were so much venerated by the professors of Christianity, that they were possessed by every person from the prince to the peasant, and these were more or less ornamented according to the wealth of the owners. We find them in cathedrals, churches, chapels, and oratories, and they even made a part of the dress of all ranks of people, who wore them not only as symbols of their profession of faith, but as ornaments to their per- s^ns We also find this badge of Christianity on armour, weapons, and household furniture; the private chapels and oratories of princes and nobles were furnished with crucifixes, many of which were richly ornamented with pearls and precious stones. The covers of books were richly ornamented with crucifixes and jewels, of which many instances might be given. The sign of the cross was the distinguishing badge of Christians ; the martyrs declared their faith by it before their persecutors ; and when a Christian was asked his religion, it was usual for h.m to answer by making this sign, rather than by words. In short, it was universally held by the professors of Christianity to be the most sacred of all symbols. By this they signified their assent to their decrees, laws, and ordinances j and in conveyances of property from the seventh to the end of the eleventh century, and occasionally to the middle of the twelfth, it was styled " Signum Sanctissime Crucis, Vexillum Sanctissime Crucis," &c. Our Saxon ancestors invariably confirmed their charters, and most solemn acts, by the sign of the cross, not only because this sign was 420 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. denned the most sacred of all others, and that an act or deed con- firmed by it could not be infringed, without incurring the highest dis- pleasure of the Divine Being ; but they even supposed that an instru- ment, confirmed by the sign of the cross, was binding on all mankind ; for the Saxons in their charters generally thundered the most dreadful anathemas against those who should infringe them ; even the witnesses used it as the most sacred asseveration which they could give of the truth of their testimony.^ The Fotit is discovered usually placed near the door at the west end of the church. They are to be met with of very ancient forms ; many, as may be conjectured from their decorations, seeming to have remained since the Norman, and even the Saxon times ; nor has due attention been wanting to these venerable remains of sacred antiquity, though the reason for their vast capacity is as yet, in some measure, to be freed from doubt. By a constitution of Archbishop Edmund's, the font should be placed in every church where baptism might be performed 3 also the font, or "Baptisterium," must be of stone, or other suitable material, so that the person to be baptized should be plunged into it,^ according to Lynwood ; which may be assigned as one sufficient cause of its largeness ; it should also be inclosed with- in a lattice; nor should the water be kept in it, according to the said constitution, above seven days. As the method of baptizing throws some light upon the subject, it will be worth the insertion. By the forty-second Apostolic Canon, three ablutions of one mystery were commanded on pain of being deposed ; this seems to have been the usual practice of the church. The mode of baptizing was thus, ac- cording to the practice of the Romish church : — " Let the minister baptize him with three immersions^ at the same time invoking the Holy Trinity, and saying, / baptize thee in the name of the Father (giving him one immersion) ; in the name of the Son, (immersing a second time) and in the name of the Holy Spirit (immersing a third time)."io * Paper by Mr. Astle, in ArchaDologia, vol. xiij. p. 218. ' Gibson's Codex, vol. i. p. 435. '" Gent. Mag, Aug. 1787. HISTORY OF CHURCHES. 421 The Porch is a very ancient appendage to tlie church, for Sexbur- ga, who founded the nunnery at Minster, in the Isle of Sheppey, is said to have expired in the church porch, at Milton, in Kent, in the year 680 ; and Gervase, the monk of Canterbury, in his account of the burning of Christ Church, in 1174, says that " the fire began before the gate of the church, without the porch." However the porch may have been passed over as a matter of mere ornament, it had its especial uses. In that part of the will of king Henry VI. relative to the foundation of Eton College, there is this article . — " Item, in the south-side of the body of the church, a fair large door with a porch, and the same for christening of children and weddings."ii Somner relates that, in 1299, Edward I. was married at Canterbury, to Mar- garet, sister of the king of France, by Archbishop Winchelsea, " in the porch of the church j" hi ost'io Ecclesice versus claustrum.^- The following rubric occurs in a Missal secundum usum Sarutn, printed at Paris in 1515 : — " Let the man and woman be placed be- fore the church porch, in the face of the congregation before God, and the priest and the people," &c.; which points out the use of the porch in the performance of the marriage ceremony. By the rituals under the article " Churching ^^'omen," it appears that the priest went to the door of the church, where the woman was to receive ecclesiastical benediction, kneeling down ; the twenty-third Psalia was said, with some responses, after which she was led into the church, the conclusion being made before the altar. But the most particular use of the porch was in administering the sacrament of baptism : — " The priest standing at the entrance of the church, interrogates the catechumen who stands at the church door." Here the necessary questions being asked, and prayers being said, ** the priest led him or her into the church, saying, Enter into the holy church of God, that you may receive the blessing of our Lord Jesus Christ." Nothing can be more apparent, than that the performance of these rites would have been many times impracticable, had it not been for the kind invention of the porch. '^ >i Royal Wills, p. 2/9. i-Hist. Canteib. p. 167. ''Gent. Mag. Aug. l/B/. 422 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON, PRIORY OF DUNSTER. In the reign of William the Conqueror, Sir William (le Moion, or Mohun, called the elder, according to Dugdale, founded here a priory of Benedictine monks. This house was situated on the north-west side of the castle, and on the south-east of the present church- yard, and was dedicated to the honour of St. George. It was annexed as a cell by the founder to the abbey of St. Peter, at Bath.^* Dugdale, in the Baronage, says that William de Mohun the founder, was buried in the priory at Bath ; but Leland, in the Collectanea,*^ says, that William de Mohun was buried in the priory of Dunstcr, which himself had founded ; and that William, his son and heir, was buried there likewise, as was also William III., who was the first earl of Somerset. Dugdale, however, in the former edition of the Mo- nasticon,**" has included this house in his list of Alien priories; and it is remarkable, that Strachey, in his list of religious houses in Somersetshire, should say, that '•' it was first a Priory Alien, and with others suppres- sed in the second of Henry V., and then procured to be annexed to Bath.''^^ In the first volume of the Monasticon, there is ^* Dugd. Bar. vol. i. p. 497. ex vet. cod. MS. penes Will. Mohun, cq. aur. 15815, and not John Mohun, as in Speed. '* Edit. 176<), vol. i. p. 203. >« Vol. i. p. io;i.5. '^ Sec Strachcy's List at the end of Heariic's Ilciningford, p. 656. DUNSTEK PRIORY. 423 printed a charter otlnspeximus of Ed\vardlll.,iii which that king exempUfies and confirms a former charter, granted to the monks of this Priory by John de Mohun, in the fifteenth year of the same king's reign, confirm- ing to them all the donations and gifts which his ancestors had made to the said priory. In this charter the said John de Mohun recites that his family had given to the said monks all the tithes of Dunster, as well of his vineyards as of his arable lands, mills, and markets ; the whole village of Alcombe, and all its appurtenances, containing one hide of land, free and quit of all services ; and half the tithes of the demesnes of Minehead ; all the tithes of Broadvvood, Carhamp- ton, and Newton ; half the tithes of Broomfield ; and all the tithes of Stockland and Kilton. Also two fish- eries ; one belonging to Dunster, and the other to Car- hampton; all the tithes of his mares at More, and the tenth pig of all his hogs at Dunster, Carhampton, and Kilton, whether living or dead, in the name of tithe. And also the pasture which is called Foghelerismersh ; and the land of Frakeford ; and a ferling of land called C/uddevUle, which belongs to his manor of Cutcombe; also one ferling of land which lies between La Sfeutevllte and the mill of Cowbridgc. And also all the burgages in Dunster, which his ancestors had given to the said priory, together with the release of the suit due to the Hundred Court of Minehead, which the Lord Reginald de Mohun had given thereto. Also the cjuu'ch of Kilton, with the tithes and all its appurtenances; and 424 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. the tithes of the demesnes of Screveton, Combe, and Codisford, and the whole land of Kynevorduham, (in Luxborough). And also the tithes of Exford. The land also of Hanelham, which William de Mohun had given for the good of the soul of Ralph de Mohun. Also three ferlings of land at Northcombe, free and quit of all services, and in pure and perpetual alms. This charter was dated at Dunster, on the Sunday next after the festival of the Decollation of St. John the Baptist, in the fifteenth year of the reign of King Edward III., and was witnessed by Simon de Furneaux, Edward de Estradling, Ralph de Fitzurse, Alexander Luttrell, and John de Mcmbury, knights ; John Dnr- borough, John de Bracton, Edmund Martyn, Gilbert Huish, GeoftVey de Avill, and many others. In the eiijrhteenth of Richard II., Peter de Bracton gave lands in the manor of Sparkshay, in Porlock, to this priory. In 1*292, the prior is stated to have received from the rectory of Cutcombe a yearly pension of forty shil- lings and four-pence; but this pension is not mentioned in the return of the value of the priory estates in the Valor Ecclesiaslicus, 1535. — The prior had also an annual pension of seven shillings out of the parsonage of Stogumber. The monastery of Bath received an annual pension of £6 13*. 7d. from the priory of Dunster. This pen- sion appears to have been charged on the great tithes of the parish of Carhampton ; and is accounted for in DUNSTER PRIORY. 425 the sum of £8 \0s., which seems to have been reduced by deductions to £() 13^9. 7d. This cell consisted of only four or five monks besides the prior, who was generally sent hither from the mo- nastery of Bath. At the dissolution, there were only three monks liere.^'' In the twentieth of Edward I. (1291) the spirituali- ties and temporalities of this priory amounted to £18 13*. 7d. The revenues of this priory were valued, in 1444, at £30 13*. 4d.; and in 1535, at £37 4*. 8^. Tanner and CoUinson say that the site of this house was granted in the thirty-fourth of Henry VIII. (1543) to Humphrey Colles, esq. In the same year, however^ in the abstracts from the Originalia, we find it in the possession of Margaret Luttrell, widow.'^ There is, in the augmentation office, a lease of the site of this priory or cell, with the tithes and a mill, made under the seal of the court of augmentations to John Luttrell, thirty-first Henry VIII. In the thirty-seventh of Henry VIII., John Wyncham appears to have held the site of this priory .-° IS Tanner's Notit. Monast. from MS. Corp. Christ. Coll. Cant. 13 Original. 34 Hen. VIII. p. i. Devon. Somers. " De separalibus homagiis et fidelibus Hugonis Pollard militis pro messuag., etc., in Brave et Estbuck- land in Com. Devon. Anthonii Ackeland pro Messuag., etc., in Goodlegh in Com. Devon, et Margareta Lutterell vidua; scit. Prioratus vel Cellae de Dun- stre in com. Somers." Rot. 62, C3, G4. soQrigin. 37 Hen. 8. Somers. " De homagio et fidelitatc Johannis Wyncham et al. pro scitu nupcr domus sive Prioratus de Dunster, per Licent. inde fact." Rot. 84. 426 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. A farm house now occupies the site of the late priory, on the north-east of the church-yard. In the street leading to the church, there is an an- cient huilding, now used as a malt-house, called the Nimneti/; but there is no account of such an institution in any record relating to this town ; it is therefore pro- bable that it was only part of the offices of the priory. In 1788, the Hon. Daines Barrington exhibited to the Society of Antiquaries, a seal which had been lately found near Dunster Castle. It represented a monk on his knees before the virgin and child. The inscription round it was Philippi Scelarata Dilvc XPifera. The last word to be read Christofera. This seal had probably belonged to some of the priors of Dunster."* Mr. Luttrell possesses a copy, in paper, of a grant of the prior of Bath, that one of his monks of Dunster priory, belonging to Bath, should at the prior's charge find a secular priest to say mass every day in the upper chapel of Dunster Castle, called St. Stephen's, for the souls of the ancestors and successors of Reginald Mo- hun, and the souls of all faithful men departed; and if he be hindered to say mass and preach there by reason of war, then during that time to say mass for them in St. Lawrence's Chapel within Dunster Priory ; and if there be a failure thereof, that then it shall be lawful for the said Reginald Mohun, and his heirs and the "' Archxologia, vol. ix. p. 369. 4'27 DUNSTER PRIORY. ^^' owners of the eastle to distrain the goods of the said prior until the said serviee he performed. Dated thirty- ninth Henry III. (1255). At Dunster Castle are the following papers, deeds, &c ^' A copy of the charter of Inspeximus of the deed of John Mohun, lord of Dunster, made fifteenth Ed- ward III. to the prior and monks;' &c. ; Mr. Prynne says it is dated r2th June, twentieth of Edward III. With the charter is a copy of Pope Honorius's bull of confirmation to them, with the invocation of the an- ger of God and the apostles Peter and Paul, on all in- fringers thereof ; dated 13th December, seventh year of his pontificate. « A deed of gift (by John de Mohun) directed to the baihflf and provost of Dunster, to deliver four quar- ters of wheat to the monks of Dunster ; dated in July, thirty-first of Edward III." " And John Mohun s confirmation of his father's grant, twenty-seventh of Edward III." " John Mohun granted 100^. annual rent out of his borough of Dunster, to the prior and monks of Dun- ster and their successors, in pure and perpetual frankal- moigne to pray for his soul and the souls of his ances- tors ;— and pasturage of all their cattle at Cokbrugge, and twelve loads of wood yearly, out of Marshwood Park, dated sixteenth of Edward III., and recited and confirmed thirty-third of Edward III." "And Win. dc Mohun his confirmation of several grants of his grandfather Reginald Mohun, and father 428 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. John Mohun, to the prior and monks of Dunster." (without date.) " Copy of the composition between Thomas, the prior of Bath, and the prior of Dunster, for the church of Carhampton, settled upon the prior of Dunster, with a release of 8s. 6d. rent and services granted by John de Mohun, lord of Dunster, to the prior and monks of Dunster, with a grant of common to them for all their cattle upon Croydon, of twelve loads of wood yearly, out of Marsh wood Park, sixteenth of Edward III., and a confirmation thereof by John Mohun, lord of Dun- ster, thirty-third Edward III. In the Valor Ecclesiasticus, taken in the twenty- sixth of Henry VIII., (1535) there is the following " Declaration of the extent and annual value of all and singular the lands and tenements and other possessions, with the tithes, oblations, and other issues, of divers benefices and chapels belonging to the priory of Dunster, in the time of John Griffith, prior of the same, by Sir Andrew Luttrell, knt., and Hugh Malet, esq., the King's commissioners, and Hugh Trotter and John Plompton, auditors." DEMESNE LANDS. Annual value of the demesne lands in the hands of the prior, for the use of the priory, and valued by four law- ful men 3 10 DUNSTER PRIORY. 429 Brought up £3 10 6 Out of which there is paid In alms annually distributed to certain poor persons for the soul of Sir John Mohun, knt 6 8 £3 3 10 MANOR OF ALCOMBE. Annual rents there 1 1 12 Out of which there is paid The fee of William Machyn, steward 1 The fee of J. Gryme, bailiff 1 In alms annually distributed to divers poor persons by gift of the founders 8 0—2 8 Clear £9 4 Perquisites of the courts and other casualties 10 MARSH. Annual rents there 13 4 FRAKEFORD. Annual rent of two tenements there. . 10 CUTCOMBE. Annual rent of two tenements there. .094 LUXBOROUGH. Annual rent of two tenements there. . 10 480 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Brought up £0 10 Out of which there is paid For an annual rent to the lord of Lux- borough 2 £0 8 COWBRIDGE. Annual rent of a tenement there .... I 6 8 DUNSTER. Annual rent of nine burgages there . 2 10 G WYLLALLER. An annual chief rent of the heirs of By the more there 4 MINEHEAD. Annual rent of a mediety of the de- mesne lands and agistments of the park there 1 10 Value of the spirituals undermentioned : RECTORY OF DUNSTER. Personal tithes with other casualties . 17 5 8 Out of which there is paid To the bishop for procura- tions 7 5^ For an annual stipend to the vicar there , 4 13 4 To the archdeacon for sy- nodals 2 lOJ— 5 3 8 Clear £12 2 DUNSTER PRIORY. 43 RECTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Predial tithes and other casualties . . 14 6 8 Out of which there is paid An annual pension to the prior and convent of Bath 8 10 An annual pension to the cathedral church of Wells 5 -13 10 Clear £0 16 8 RECTORY OF KILTON. Predial tithes and other casualties. ... 2 16 4 STOKEGOMER. A pension from the vicar there 7 SOUTH WALES, ABBEY OF NEATH. A pension in Exford, in the county of Somerset, per annum 3 Sum total of all the possessions afore- said, as well temporal as spiritual . . 37 4 8 Tenths ^^ 14 04 PRIORS OF DUNSTER. Robert de Sutton was made prior the 24tli of Octo- ber, 1332. He had been prior of Bath, but was re- moved by the authority of the pope's provisionary bull, and was translated to the priory of Dunster, with a pension of twenty marks." 22 Dr. Strachcy's Account of Religious Houses in the diocese of Bath and Wells, at the end of Heame's Hemingford, p. 612.-Warner'8 Hist, of Bath, p 132. • 432 HISTORY OF CARHAMFTON, William Bristow was prior in 1414, when there were four monks with him here. John Tclesford, upon Avhose death, John Henton, monk of Bath, was collated by Bishop Stafford, the priory of Bath being void, July 28, 1425."^ Thomas Brown occurs prior in 1499, when the vicara2:e of Dunster was endowed."* John Griffith was the last prior, 1535. m DUNSTER CASTLE. The first William de Mohun having seated himself in the territory which he had acquired from his victo- rious sovereign, by dispossessing its Saxon owner, AluriCjUot only rebuilt the castle, "but," says Collinson, " added largely to the buildings of the town." The "additions," however, to the buildings of the town could not be very large, for we have the authority of Domesday Book for asserting that twenty years after the Conquest, besides the castle, there were only fifteen agricultural tenants of the class called Bordars, and two millers, residing at Torre, as it was then called, the present Dunster. 23 " Cnstodia cellx dc Dunster commissa est domino Johanni Henton mo- nacho Bathon. per mortem Johannis Telesford, dat. 28 July, 1425." Reg, Stafford. See Harl. MSS. 6966. p. 156. -* " May 31, 1499, Compositio facta inter Johannem priorem Bathon. et Conv. ct Tho. Brown priorem cells de Dunster et Conv. et Will. Bonde vicar de Dunster de proportione vicarii de Dunster et aliis rebus." Reg. Oliv. King, Episc. Bath et Wells in Fine, fo. 45. DUNSTER CASTLE. 433 This place was at that lime so unimportant as a town, that there was only as much arable land belonging to it as was sufficient for one plough. Its new owner, how- ever, appears to have improved it much in value, for the Survey says, that when he received it, it was worth no more than five shillings annually, but afterward it was worth fifteen shillings per annum. In that venerable record, the manor of Torre is thus surveyed : — "William de Mohun holds Torre, and there is his castle. Aluric held it in the time of King Edward, when it was assessed to the geld for half a hide. The arable land is sufficient for one plough. There are two mills, which render ten shillings ; fifteen bordars, five acres of meadow, and thirty acres of pasture. It was formerly worth five shillings, and now it is worth fifteen shillings."'^ The ancient castle would seem to have been a quadrangular structure, and it is probable that the keep was circular.*^ Immediately on passing through the present gateway, on the right is the ancient door of the castle yet remaining, studded with iron; and on the right of this ancient door are the ruins of one of the towers which flanked the entrance into the castle. These, I believe, are all the remains now extant of this once celebrated castle of the Mohuns. « Excheq. D. vol. i. fo. 95. b. 2* The keep of Rougemont Castle, in this county, the baronial seat of the families of Harptree and Gournay, was circular. That of Walton in Gordano was octangular. F F 434 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. The baron of the ^' olden time" knowing that he was suiTOimdcd by warriors like himself, would not, in- cautiously, place his residence in a spot commanded by adjoining eminences. The bold brow of the pre- cipitous cliiF, or the lofty summit of the solitary hill, would alone afford him security in that state of de- sultory warfare in which his own inordinate aggressions, sanctioned by the practice of the feudal ages, perpetu- ally kept him ; and these were the fastnesses which he pitched upon for his residence. Dunster Castle, in conformity with this principle, is situated on a spot favourable to resistance — a steep eminence at the southern extremity of the town, overlooking and com- manding a great extent of country, together with the Bristol Channel. William de Mohun the third was one of those barons who espoused the cause of the Empress Maud, daughter of King Henry I. against King Stephen, and, besides other assistance, fortified Dunster Castle in her behalf, and made many successful incursions into the neighbouring country. In Leland's Itinerary there are the following par- ticulars relating to Dunster Castle., written by that celebrated antiquary about the year 1540. " The Mohuns builded the right goodly and strong castle of Dunster. They had Jut^a Regalia there. The dungeon of the castle of Dunster hath been <« n DUNSTER CASTLE. 435 full of goodly building. But now there is l)ut only a chapel ill good case. " Sir Hugh Luttrell did of late days repair this chapel. The fairest part of the castle well maintained is in the north-east of the court of it. "Sir Hugh Luttrell, (who died second Henry VHI.) In the time of Dame Margaret his wife, sister of the old Lord Daubcny, made a fair tower by north, coming into the castle. Sir Andrew Luttrell, son of Sir Huirli, built anew a piece of the castle wall by east. " There belongeth many privileges and knights' services to be done to this castle. There is a pretty park joining to the east part of the castle." Sir Hugh Luttrell, the first of this family who pos- sessed Dunster Castle, lived here in his old age, and kept great hospitality. He rebuilt a considerable part of the castle. George Luttrell, esq. who was sheriff of the county of Somerset in the thirty-sixth of Elizabeth, added greatly to the buildings of the castle. The present Dunster Castle was built about the middle of the reign of Queen Ehzabeth (1580.) The principal gateway is of the time of Edward HL Over the point of the arch are several escutcheons of the Luttrells and their intermarriages. During the civil commotions in the reign of Charles I. the king's army, under the marquess of Hertford, 436 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. marched into Somersetshire about the middle of June 1643^ and that nobleman took up his head-quarters at Orchard-Portman, and in three days after obtained possession of Taunton, Bridgwater, and Dunster Castle, the latter being so much stronger than both the others, that it could not have been forced; 'Wet," says Lord Clarendon, " by the dexterity of Francis Wynd bam, who wrought upon the fears of Mr. Luttrell, the owner, it was, with as little blood-shed as the others, delivered up to his majesty ; into which castle the marquess placed him as governor who took it, as he well deserved."-'^ While Colonel Wyndham was governor, the prince, afterwards Charles II., paid him a visit.^^ "Lord Digby by his letters to the prince's council signified his ma- jesty's pleasure that the prince should stay at Dunster Castle and encourage the new levies, it being (I pre- sume) not known at court that the plague which had driven him from Bristol was as hot at Dunster town, just under the castle." From hence the prince went to Barnstaple, and as Taunton was in the hands of the 27 Clarendon's History, vol. ii. p. 368. 28 In an account book of the late Rev. Dr. Henry James, rector of Crocombe, there are the following entries : — Aug. 27, 1650. Payd rate for pulling downc Dunster Castle to William Slocombe Oil 8 Sept. 5. Payd rate for pulling downe Dunster Castle to William Slocombe 5 10 June 3, 1662. Payd to Francis Hill for repayring a bridge by Dunster 1 8 fFrom the information of Mr. W. Bucknell, of Crocombe.] DUNSTER CASTLE, 437 parliamentary army, it is most likely he travelled on horseback over Exmoor Forest. A room is still shown in the castle called King Charles's room. When the siege of Taunton had been raised in the spring of the year 1646, and the garrison sufficiently recovered from the fatigues and hardships they had endured from the straitness of that siege, Colonel Blake, the governor, marched with a party of his own soldiers, and some companies from the neighbouring garrisons, to Dunster Castle. It is very probable that Colonel Blake planted his cannon at the northern end of Fore Street, and in a field adjoining the garden of the Luttrell Arms Inn, where the ground appears to have been broken for platforms at the western extremity of a ridge which would effectually cover his men from the fire of the castle itself. The shot through a timber of the yarn market was directed to the northern end of the Fore Street, but very little firing could have taken place on either side, or more of its effects would have been visible.^^ This fortress stands on an eminence of very difficult access to an army intending to besiege it, and it was defended by a garrison commanded by Colonel Wynd- ham, as zealous and resolute against the Parliament as any in the King's interest ; but Colonel Blake soon forced the Royalists to surrender, and he thus reduced *» See Claxendon's History of the Rebellion, toI. ii. pp. 213, 510. Oxford folio edition. 438 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. a large tract of country, inhabited by a numerous popu- lation, who were, however, extremely ill-affected to the parliament. This service being accomplished, Blake returned in triumph to Taunton in April, 1646.^° Diinster Castle could not have been a strong military position at this time, for it is commanded by higher ground on all sides except toward the east. It must have been a traditionary character for strength which it then had. Before the invention of artillery, and whilst its keep was standing, it was, undoubtedly, a very strong place, being situated on a steep conical hill. In December, 1648, the celebrated William Prynne, then a member of the Long Parliament, having expressed in the House of Commons, his opinion that the King had satisfactorily answered the propositions for peace, which had been made by the parliament, was two days after, with many other members, refused admittance into the House, by the soldiers. Upon this he be- came a bitter enemy to the army, and to their leader, Cromwell, and attacked them with much severity. Thus defying Cromwell in an open manner, he was on the first of July, 1650, committed close prisoner to Dunster Castle. He then insisted strongly upon Magna Charta and the liberty of the subject, which, though of little weight with Cromwell, seem at last to have been the means of procuring him his liberty ; 30Oldmixon'8 Hist, of the Stuaits, p. 303.— Life of Admiral Blake. DUNSTER CASTLE. 439 and taking again to his favourite employment, he wrote abundance of books upon reh'gious controversies and other points.^' Whilst Prynne was confined in Dunster Castle, he was so much gratified by the generous hospitality and continued kindness of Mr. Luttrell, that he exa- mined all the charters and muniments of that family, and the Mohuns, and arranged them in the most com- plete order in numerous boxes, that remain to this day. He also compiled a calendar of the whole, which is yet extant in a volume, now in the possession of Mr. Lut- trell. These papers were arranged by Prynne in thirty-nine boxes, but they are not now in the state in which he left them. The commencement of his book is as fol- lows : — " An exact kalendar and table of all writings and evidences which concern all and singular the ma- nors, lands and inheritance, of Geo. Luttrell, of Dun- ster Castle, in the county of Somerset, esq., or his ancestors on the honour, antiquity, pedigree, privi- leges, and offices of his family. Dygested for the most part into a chronologycal order and distributed into several classes, out of a confused chaos, by William Prynne, of Swainswicke, esq., during his illegal im- prisonment in Dunster Castle, in the month of Oct. Anno 1650."' Prynne ends it in these words : — " Mr. George Lut- " Chalmers's Biog. Diet. art. Prynne. — Wood's Athenae Oxon, vol. ii. 440 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. trell, esq., his pedigree, and the history of his ances- tors and family, exactly drawn out of his writings, by Wm. Prynne, of Swainswicke, esq., in the eight months of his illegal, causeless, close imprisonment in Dunster Castle, by Mr. Bradshaw and his companions at White- hall.— Feb. 18, Anno Dom. 1650. 2 Car. II." The castle, to this day the residence of the Luttrell family, stands on the south-eastern side of the conical hill called the Torr, which we mentioned in our account of the town, on which it looks down, commanding a view of the whole length of the Fore Street, beyond which is Conygar Hill,^' whose top and sides, in- cluding an area of nearly twenty-eight acres, are covered with wood. The summit of this hill is a thin ridge, on the eastern extremity of which is the shell of a tower, built by a former Mr. Luttrell, which is covered with ivy, and appears as if in ruins, and is a well-known land-mark to the navigators of the Bristol Channel; on the other end of the ridge are some artificial ruins, but they cannot be seen from the castle. To the east of the town are some fields, in which are numerous fine old oak, elm, and ash trees, and a rookery; a long row of these trees, and a low ridge of ground 32 Coneygar seems to be derived from the Anglo-Saxon Cyning, king ; and the Mxso-Gothic Garas, the same as the Latin Donius, a house — that is, the king's house or residence. Mr. Hamper has some notion that Conygre means a rabbit ground, which he says was a common appendage to manor houses ; but Mr. Hamper does not go high enough for his etymology ; besides, how does it appear that a rabbit ground was at any time an appendage to manor houses .' There is no authority for such an assertion. DUNSTER CASTLE. 441 hide from the view of the castle the road from Luxhole- bridge to the town. Further to the east is a beautiful lawn of more than three hundred acres^ of excellent pasture ground, between which and the open fields just described, runs the river, its banks studded with clumps of trees ; the southern and eastern sides of this lawn, where the ground undulates, are skirted by hanging woods ; and beyond it to the left is a tract of watered meadow, extending down to the sea. Beyond these eastward, the eye runs over a beautiful country of hill and dale, corn fields and meadows, with hedge rows, and plantations of timber, till it rests on the Quantock Hills. The spectator has also a fine view of the channel, with the trackless wanderers travers- ing its dark surface; the coast of South Wales and its mountainous interior; the Steep and Flat Holmes; the isolated terraced-hill of Brent Knoll, once one of the strongest military posts in the county; the bay of Blue Anchor, with its inn, lodging-houses, and cottages; and the high rocks on its eastern extremity, against which the sea is often seen breaking in the wildest grandeur. To the left of the lawn is the park, several miles in circumference, and in which are generally kept five or six hundred head of deer. In it are several woods; and on its highest part is an ancient camp, the ramparts of which are seen from the castle : the way up to this camp is through a deep glen, skirted on each side by timber, through which runs a small stream. Between the park and the bottom of the Torr a narrow slip of 442 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. the lawn intervenes. The west-front of the castle looks upon a lawn on the Torr, above an acre in extent ; it is quite level, and is skirted on the north and east by a wall and the ruins of one of the towers of the old castle, which once, no doubt, covered the greater part of this level ; above the wall are seen the tops of trees ; in front, in the west, are ever-greens and trees, with Grabhurst towering behind. On the left, in the south, rises the highest part of this beautiful mound, covered with ever-greens, flowering shrubs, and trees to its top, where is a bowling-green, encircled by a wall, skirted with laurustinus and other shrubs ; between the openings of which are some of the most beautiful views in the kingdom, and to which the most glowing writer could scarcely do justice ; they must be seen to be truly appreciated, and consist of endless variety of sea and land, hill and dale, wood and water, cultivated and forest, mountain and plain, rivers, roads, woods, towns, a harbour and shipping, and the cheerful countenances of a happy and hospitable people. The Torr itself, except the lawn and bowling-green, is covered with timber, and almost every variety of ever-greens and flowering shrubs, whose odour is delightful ; and among which an infinite number of singing birds de- light to harbour and build, charming the heavens with their varied, ceaseless songs, only excelled by that of the nightingale, which frequents this neighbourhood in great numbers in the season. Nearly twenty of these birds have been heard singing from one spot on DUNSTER CASTLE. 443 a fine moon-light night. The Torr is laid out in gravel walks, which encircle it from its base till they terminate in the bowling-green. Openings are left for the spec- tator to enjoy the ever-changing scenery ; from one of them, where he can see scarcely any thing else in that line, at a great height, he looks down upon the water-wheel of the mill at its foot. There are some seats and grottos by these paths. There is a rookery among the trees on the west-side, and abundance of game harbour here, especially pheasants. The bowling green is supposed to have been the site of the keep of the ancient castle of the Mohuns. The park, woods, and plantations have distinguished claims on the lovers of picturesque beauty. The present coach-entrance to the castle is from the north ; it winds round the castle up the Torr to the lawn, before the west-front. The foot-path is steep, and goes under an old embattled tower, past the inner iron-studded door of the old castle, and along by the foot of the wall to the cor- ner of the present castle, where a flight of stone steps leads up to the lawn, while the path runs round the eastern front till it joins the coach road. The ruined turrets of Kenihvorth shew that once, as the proud towers of Warwick and Berkeley do still, that as castel- lated structures, they were superior to Dunster as it now is ; but in point of local scenery they fall far short of it, as well in picturesque beauty as in stately romantic grandeur. Gilpin, in his observations on the western parts of 444 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. England," calls Dunster Castle one of the grandest ar- tificial objects he had met with ; and remarks that "in the amusing circle round the walls of the castle, he had three distinct species of landscape, a park scene, a tract of mountainous country, and a sea-coast.'"' Warner, in his " Walk through the Western Counties,"^* gives due honour to these "proud turrets, venerable woods," and other objects of admiration ; and Dr. Maton, in his Tour,^^ describes the situation of this castle as "com- manding a view of the whole valley and the sea beyond, and as having an air of grandeur that we are accus- tomed to look for in every structure of this nature, but frequently find wanting." The castle was supplied with water from a spring, over which a conduit is built, on the side of Grabhurst Hill, and which may be presumed to be the well of St. Leojiard, mentioned in ancient writings.^^ The hall is a stately room, and the visitor will be gratified with looking over it. The great stair-case is a fine example of curious old carving in oak, but it is in some degree disfigured by being painted. It would be in good taste to have the paint removed, and thus re- store the natural beauty of the wood, and shew the ingenuity of the artist to that advantage which his work so highly merits. "p. 170. 3, b. col. 2. •" Exon. D. fo. 336. G G 450 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Aluric held it in the time of King Edward, when it was assessed to the geld for half a hide. The arable land is sufficient for two ploughs. There is in the demesne one plough, and five bordars and one villan have half a plough. There is a mill which yields twenty pence annually ; and four acres of meadow, two acres of wood, and fifty acres of pasture. This place was, and is now, worth ten shillings. "^'^ The Exeter Domesday adds, " that the villan tenant resident here held twelve acres of land." It also notices "that there was one horse in this manor ."^^ In the reign of Edward III. there was a family resi- dent here which had assumed the local surname. In the fourth year of that king, GeoflFrey de Avill, or Avele, held one carucate of land in this village, of John de Mohun, as of his castle of Dunster. by the service of one knight's fee. By an incpisition taken in the fifth of Henry V. Thomas Brook, chevalier, was found to hold the manor of Avill.*"- On the 10th of August, twenty-second of Henry VIII. Sir Arthur Plantagenet, Lord Lisle, paid Sir Andrew Luttrell for the relief of half a knight's fee in this manor, held by him in right of his wife Elizabeth, of the said Sir Andrew, as of his castle of Dunster by knight's service. In the thirty-second of Henry VIII. John Stocker "» Excheq. D. vol. i. fo. 95. b. ^' Exon. D. fo. .'537. <- Inq. p. m. 3 Hen. V. No. 54. Calendar, vol. iv. p. 32. STANTON. 451 paid a fine after the death of a former John Stocker, for this place, which he held in socage by the rent ot four shillings in lieu of all services. In the thirty-sixth of Elizabeth, John Stocker paid fifty shillings to George Luttrell, esq. for the relief of half a knight's fee here.*^ This manor is now the property of Sir T. D. Acland, bart. who holds a court for it and another portion of the same in Carhampton, as mentioned in our account of that parish. There is an ancient mill belonging to this manor. In 1814, the estimated annual value of the real pro- perty in this tithing, as assessed to the property tax, was £533, and the county rate is lis. 6Jc?. STANTON. The hamlet of Stanton in this parish is situate about two miles to the west of Dunster, and a little on the left of the road leading from that place to Porlock. In Domesday Book it is thus described : — "William de Mohun himself holds Stanton. Walle** held it in the time of King Edward, when it was as- sessed to the geld for three virgates of land. The arable is sufficient for two ploughs. There are two bondmen ; five acres of meadow, and forty acres of pasture. Two villans and two bordars have one plough .^^ ••3 Vide original papers in Dunster Castle. ^* Wallo, Exon. D. « Excheq. D. vol. i. fo, !»r). h. col. 2. 452 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. The Exeter Domesday adds, " William has two virgates and a half in demesne, and the villans half a ■\argate. When Wilh'am received it, it was worth seven shillings and sixpence."^'' "To this manor is added one virgate of land, which was held by a thane in the time of King Edward for a manor. The arable land is sufficient for one plough. There is one bordar, three acres of meadow, and fifty acres of pasture. It is w^orth three shillings."^^ In the fourth of Edward III. the manor of Stanton was held by James de Audley, of John de Mohun, as of bis castle of Dunster, by the service of one knight's fee. In the first of Elizabeth, Bartholomew, son and heir of William Frye, did homage to Thomas Luttrell, esq. for one knight's fee for this manor. In the forty-third of Elizabeth, Nicholas Dow^ne did homage for this manor to George Luttrell, esq. for one knight's fee.^^ It was afterward the property of the Hall family, and was purchased by an ancestor of the present owner, J. F. Luttrell, esq. of the Rev. Hall, of Croydon, in Carbampton. This manor is in the borough of Minehead, though in the parish of Dunster. MARSH. Marsh, or Higher Marsh, is a hamlet in this parish, <""' Exon. D. fo. 338. ^7 Excheq. D. vol. i. fo. 95. b. col. 2. ■" Vide records in Dunster Castle. MEMOIR OF REV. R. CROSSE. 453 about half a mile north of the town, consisting of one farm house and several cottages. There is a marsh near this place in the parish of Carhampton, that formerly belonged to the Stewkley family. It was purchased by the late J. F. Luttrcll, esq. of the late Lord Stawel. And a place called JVIarshwood, two miles at least east from Marsh, in Dunster, which was always an appendage to the castle. With both of these, former historians have con- founded this place. MEMOIR OF THE REV. ROBERT CROSSE, M. A. The subject of this memoir was the son of William Crosse, of Dunster, at which town he was born about the year 1605, or at least, says Wood,^» in the county of Somcirset. In 1 621, being then sixteen years of age, he was entered of Lincoln College, Oxford, where em- ploying his studies in philosophy and disputations, he took the degree of bachelor of arts. In December, 1627, he was elected fellow of his college, and taking the degree of master of arts in the following year, he entered into holy orders, became an eminent tutor and a great proficient in the Aristotelian philosophy, and acquired considerable fame in the university as a learned and able man. It would appear that he afterward proceeded B. D. as in the List of the Assembly of 4« Ath. Oxon. vol. ii. p. 570. 454 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Divines, printed by Oldmixon/'^ he is styled bachelor in divinity. Being puritanically inclined, Mr. Crosse took part with the parliament in the civil wars, and in 1643 was nominated a member of the assembly of divines and subscribed the solemn league and covenant. In 1648, submitting to the parliamentary visitors, he was ap- pointed by the committee for the reformation of the university of Oxford, to succeed Dr. Sanderson, as regius professor of divinity, but refusing to accept it, he had soon afterward conferred upon him the rich vicarage of Chew-Magna in this county. In 1653, he resigned his fellowship of Lincoln College, and settled at Chew, and in the following year was con- stituted an assistant to the commissioners, appointed by parliament for the ejecting of ignorant and scandalous ministers in the county of Somerset, as the loyal part of the clergy were then called. On the restoration of Charles II. he conformed to the doctrines of the Church of England, and because no person claimed the living of Chew, he continued there to the time of his death. While Mr. Crosse remained in the university, he was esteemed a learned philosopher and divine, an able preacher, and well versed in the writings of the fathers and schoolmen. During his residence at Chew, he was attacked by the Rev. Joseph Glanvill, of Bath, with the intent to depreciate him in the estimation of the public, on account of his attachment to the Aristotelian philosophy. »" Hist, of the Stuarts, p. 531. MEMOIR OF REV. R. CROSSE. 455 After the Rev. Mr. Glanvill had settled at Bath, and had written against Aristotle and the aeadeniical mode of education, as then pursued in the university, several neighbouring scholars endeavoured to bring Mr. Crosse, who was strongly attached to the opposite opinions, to be acquainted with the former gentleman; and in 1 667, Glanvill was conducted to Mr. Crosse's house at Chew, where after the usual civilities had passed, Mr. Crosse, in an able manner, vindicated Aristotle and his philosophy ; and knowing that Mr. Glanvill was a fellow of the Royal Society, he declaimed with some severity against the proceedings of that learned body. Glanvill being somewhat surprised at this mode of argument, did not then much oppose Mr. Crosse, but he afterward, in a correspondence which took place between them, strongly contested Mr. Crosse's hypo- thesis, that Aristotle had more advantages for acquiring knowledge than the Royal Society, or all the learned men of that age had, or could have. On which a great dispute arose between them ; which was much aggra- vated by Mr. Henry Stubbe, a summer practitioner of medicine at Bath, and a great enemy of the Royal Society, who encouraged Mr. Crosse to write against Glanvill. Soon afterward Mr Crosse wrote a book which Glanvill called ii fardel, but Stubbe asserted that it was " a good and seasonable work," but nevertheless it was rejected by the licenser at Oxford, Dr. Fell, and at London, as Glanvill adds for its " incomparable railing and impertinence." Glanvill, however, obtained 456 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. a copy of" this work, and sent it to Dr. Ingelo, of Eton College, who transmitted it to London, where it was printed, and intitled, ^'^ the Chew Gazette," and dis- tributed privately, (one hundred copies only, no more being printed) "to the end," as Glanvill says, "that his opponent's shame might not be made public ; and that a specimen of the learning he shews in school scraps and little ends of verse, and children's phrases, which are all his reading, might be discovered." After this retort of Glanvill's, Mr. Crosse employed himself in writing ballads against him, and endeavoured to make him and the Royal Society appear ridiculous ; whilst some Oxford wags who seemed to be highly pleased with these controversies, composed a ballad in doggrel verse upon both, beginning " Two gospel knights. Both learned wights. And Somerset's renown-a. The one in village of the shire, But vicarage too great I fear. The other lives in town-a." &c. We have the authority of Glanvill for mentioning that Mr. Crosse wrote a work entitled " Biographia," in which he gives certain rules for writing the lives of eminent men. This was intended as a satire upon Dr. Fell's Life of Dr. Hammond, because Fell had refused to license Mr. Crosse's book against Glanvill. At length Mr. Crosse having lived to a good old age, departed this life on the 12th of December, 1683, and LOCAL SURNAME. 457 was buried in his church of Chew-Magna, leaving be- hind him, says Wood, the character of an able theologian and philosopher. Mr. Crosse published " Exercitatio Theologica de Insipicntia Rationis Humanas Gratia Christi Destitutae, in rebus fidei, 1 Cor. ii. 14. Oxon. 1655." quarto. Local surname.— I find one John de Dimsfer, prior of Bath in 1406; he died on the 6th of February, 1411, when the chapter of Bath requested permission of the bishop to choose a prior in his room, which being granted, John de Tellesford, a monk of Dunster, was elected on the 10th of March, 1411, fourteen of the Bath monks and five of the Dunster monks being present.^** John de Dunster occurs M. P. for Bath in 1330. There was a family of the name of Dunster, which resided at Donyat, near Ilminster. Of this family was John Dunster, who was born at Donyat, and was made demy of Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1598, being then sixteen years of age; perpetual fellow, 1602; afterward M. A.; proctor of the university, 1611; and at length chaplain to Archbishop Abbot, who bestowed upon him a benefice or dignity about 1613; in which year Dunster resigned his fellowship. He wrote, 1. "Caesar's Penny, a sermon on 1 Peter ii. 13, 14. Oxon. 1610," 8vo. ; and 2. "Prodromus ; or, a Literal so Warner's Hist, of Bath, p. 13.3. 458 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Exposition of Psalm Ixxix. concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, Lond. 1613, 8vo. In his younger days, being esteemed a poet by his contemporaries, he had several copies of verses printed in various books, espe- cially in that made by the society of Magdalen College, on the death of William, son of Arthur Grey, Lord Grey de Wilton, who died Feb. 18th, 1605. There was a John Dunster, who died Oct. 14th, 1625, and was buried in the church of Alh allows, Bread Street, London, who gave, inter alia, £200, which purchased £12 per annum for ever towards the repara- tion of the same ; besides £200 which he gave towards the then building thereof.^^ GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE BARONIAL FAMILY OF MOHUN, OF DUNSTER 52 Sir William Dugdale, in his history of this family j^"* says, that Sir William de Mohun accompanied William, 81 Newcourt, Repertorium, vol. i. p. 244. — Wood's Athenae Oxon. by Bliss, vol. ii. p. 142. 62 The family of Mohun appear to have borne for their arms two coats. Anciently they bore Gules, a dexter arm habited in a maimch, Ermine, the hand, Proper, holding a fleur de lys, Or. The last John de Mohun, who died about the forty-eighth of Edward III. (1374) bore for his arms. Or, a cross engrailed, Sable. Both these coats were borne by the monastery of Brewton, which this family had founded. — See Speed's Map of Somersetshire; Dug- dale's Warwickshire, 1730, p. 587 ; and Tanner's Notltia Monastica, by Nasmith, where they are engraved. The Lords Mohun, of Oakhampton, bore the latter coat. ^3 Baronage vol. i. p. 497. FAMILY OF MOHUN. 459 duke of Normandy, in the invasion of England, and was an able commander in bis army, " having then in his retinue not less than forty-seven stout knights of name and note ;" and Leland, in his Collectanea/* has given a list of their names, but he makes them fifty- seven. The latter author thus speaks of the arrival of the duke of Normandy : — " In the year of our Lord 1066, on Saturday, the feast of St. Calixtus, came William, duke of Normandy, cousin of the noble king St. Edward, son of Emma of England, and killed King Harold, and took from him his lands, by the assistance of Normans and other people of different countries ; among whom there came with him William de Mohun the elder, the noblest of all the host. The said Wil- liam de Mohun had in his retinue all the great lords hereafter named." For his great services at the battle of Hastings and afterward, he obtained from the Conqueror fifty-five manors in the county of Somerset, eleven in the county of Dorset, the manor of Clehanger, in the county of Devon, and that of Sutton, in the county of Wilts. Sir William Dugdale says, that he also held the manor of Whichford, in the county of Warwick, but this does not appear in Domesday Book. After he was settled in England, he built the castle at Dunster, which became the seat of his residence and the head of his barony. He founded a priory for Benedictine monks " Vol. i. p. 202. 460 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. at the same place, which he added as a cell to the priory of Bath, and gave thereto the church of St. George, at Dunster, as also the manor of Alcombe, with the tithes of all his vineyards'''' and arable lands at Dunster and Carhampton, and at his death was buried in the priory at Bath.^^ The barony of Mohun, similar to every other, con- sisted of the demesne lands held by the barons them- selves, and of other manors and lands granted to their dependants, to hold of them by military service, or the service of so many knights in the same manner as they held the lands of their barony of the king. Before the death of King Henry I. in 1135, this barony con- sisted of forty knights' fees of the old feoffment, and previously to the twelfth of Henry II. (1166) it had been increased by four knights' fees; for William de Mohun the fourth of that name, then returned to the barons of the exchequer, that he held forty fees of the old and four of the new feoffment,^' although two years afterward he only paid the aid for forty-one fees in all. In the nineteenth of Henry III, Reginald de Mohun accounted for the scutage of that year for thirty- four knights' fees and the fourth part of another. Upon the establishment of the Normans in England, the Conqueror conferred the estates of such of the *s There is a field in Dunster still called the Vineyards. *« CoUinson says he was buried in Dunster Church. See Leland's Collec- tanea, vol. i. p. 20.3. »7 Hearne's Liber Niger Scaccar. vol, i, pp. 91, 92. FAMILY OF MOHUN. 461 Saxon thanes, as had fallen in the battle of Hastings, on his principal followers as strict feuds ; to be held immediately of himself, by fealty, homage, and military or other honourable services. These werefeuda nohilia, and the persons to whom they were given, became by such grants, English nobles ; and when al)0ut the twentieth year of William's reign, the tenure of all the lands in England was declared to be feudal, those who held immediately of the crown by military or other honourable services constituted the nobility, or first class of persons in the kingdom. Every barony had a principal mansion or castle upon it, which was called the caput haronice, or head of the barony ; and was so appropriated to the person entitled to the barony, that a widow was not dowable of it. And where a barony descended to daughters, the caput baronicv was allotted to the eldest.^'^ In the subsequent account of this family, with a view of giving a correct statement of the extent of this barony, I have added the certificate of William de Mohun the fourth, of his knight's fees, and re- turned by him into the Court of Exchequer in 1 166, on the payment of the aid for the marriage of the king's eldest daughter ; and afterward a list of the knight's fees held of the barony of Dunster in the fourth year of King Edward III. The first William de Mohun held in his own hands, •' Cruise. 462 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. as appears from Domesday Book, the manors of Torre, (now Dunster) "where/' says the record, "is his castle;" Stockland, Sedtamtone, Cuicombe, Minehead, Alcombe, Broadwood, Stanton, Exford, [West] Quantockshead, Kilton, Newton, Wolverton, Broomfield, Lydeard [St. Lawrence] [West] Bagborough, Stoke [Pero] and Brewham, all in the county of Somerset ; and in Dorsetshire he held the manors of Spettisbury, Pnlham, and Ham [Mohun.] Besides these, which formed the demesne lands of the barony of Mohun of Dunster, the same William granted to the following persons the undermentioned manors to be held of him by military or knights' service : — To Hugh the manors of Tefesberge/^ Torweston, and Holford. To Garmund, or Warmund, the manors of Ailgi, (Vellow) and Eireton. To Robert the manor of Kibworth (jointly with Mainfred) and Leigh, in the county of Somerset, and the manor of Clehanger in Devon. This Robert also held a manor of William de Mohun, in Frome, Dorset, that was held by Alward in the time of King Edward. To Roger the manors of Street, Bratton, Ernole, [Oule Knowle] Hartrow, and Stoke [Pero.] To Turgis, Brompton [Ralph,] Combe, and Nunney. 59 Collinson calls this place Edbrook, but I think it is the present Eastbury in Carhampton. FAMILY OF MOHUN. 463 To Ogisus, Clatvvorthy, in the county of Somerset, and Winterborne, Dorset. To three soldiers (milites) the manor of Langham. To Mainfred, the manor of Kibworth, (jointly with Robert above-mentioned) Quarum, and Leigh. To Richard, Biccombe and Bradworthy. To Ralph, Avill and Heathfield. To Durand, Stowey, Oaktrow, Allercot, and Brown. To Geoffrey [Maloret,] Myne in Somerset, andTod- bere, Werne, Ewern [Courtenay,] Broad Windsor, and Mapperton in Dorset. To Nigel, [East] Quantockshead, Badialton, and a manor in Luxborough. To Dudeman, the manor of El worthy, Willet, Cole- ford, Watchet, Runnington, and Poushill. To Brictric, Shortmansford. To Ranulph, Man worthy and another manor in Luxborough, in Somerset, and Chelbury in Dorset. To Walter [Hosatus,] Sutton in Wilts. To which William de Mohun the first succeeded another William de Mohun, who with Agnes his wife, gave the church of Whichford to the canons of Brid- lington,^ in Yorkshire, which gift was afterward con- firmed by the charter of King Henry I. He likewise gave to the canons of Taunton the manor of Lydcard ^f Bridlington Priory.— Willielmus dc Moion et Uxore ejus Agnes dederunt Ecclcsiam de Wichcford.— Carta R. Henr. primi.— Men. Angl. vol. ii, p. 163. 464 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. St. Lawrence, and left issue William, the third of that name.^^ Which William de Mohun the third was one of the great harons of that time who adhered to the Empress Maud against King Stephen. In 1137, the third of Stephen, the barons of England much discontented with that prince, for having violated the engagements into which he had entered on being raised to the throne, confederated against him, under the command of Robert, earl of Gloucester, in favour of the empress and her son, afterward Henry II., to which party this William de Mohun adhered, and fortified and garrisoned his castle of Dunster, as did also William de Harptree that of Harptree; William de Lovel that of Gary; many other barons then doing the like in different parts of the kingdom. This William, by his frequent excursions, did much mischief in all that part of the country, until Henry de Tracy and the forces under him gave him a check at Barnstaple. In the sixth of Stephen, he was one of those who, with David, king of Scots, Robert, earl of Gloucester, and the rest of the empress's friends, besieged Henry de Blois, bishop of Winchester, brother of King Stephen, in the castle of Winchester, being at that time in consideration of his especial services made earl of Somerset and Dorset by the empress. *' Taunton Priory. — Ex dono Willielmi de Moioun terram de Lydiard.- Mon. Angl. vol. ii. p. 83. — Hist, of Taunton, 8vo. p. 74. FAMILY OF MOIIUN. 465 In the year 1142, this William de Mohun fonrKJed a priory for canons regular of St. Augustin, at Brewton, in this county, on the ruins of a more ancient religious house for Benedictine monks, huilt, as it has been said, about the year 1005, by Ethelwarc, earl of Cornwall. This priory, which was sometime annexed to the abbey of St. Martin, at Trouarn in Normandy, the founder endowed with his manors of Brewton and Brewham, besides many other lands in England and Normandy. At his death, which happened about 1160, he was buried in the church of this monastery, leaving issue William his son and heir, surnamed Meschin. Which William in 1166, (twelfth Henry II.) upon levying the aid for marrying the king*s daughter, cer- tified his knight's fees to be in number forty of the old feoffment, and four of the new. The following is a copy of the certificate which he returned to the barons of the exchequer on this occasion : — - " These are the knight's fees of the fee of William de Mohun, in the time of King Henry I. "William Fitz-Durand holds five knight's fees and a half. William de Elleworthe, four. Roger Arundel, three. Alexander de Badialtone, three. Hugh de Gundeville, two. Talcbot de Hathefeldc, two. Reiner Tornach, one fee and a half William de St. Leger, one. H H 466 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. GeoiFrey de Ver, one. Geoffrey Hosat, one. Ralph Husat, one. John CroCj one. Thomas de Campo Florido, one. Walter de Lega, one. Robert Waleys, (Walenois) one. Robert Fitz-GeoiFrey, one fee and a half. Robert Dumaz, half a fee. Matthew de Combe and Nicol, one. Simon Bret, (Brito) half a fee. Ralph Dacus, (Dennis) half a fee. William de Punch ardun, two fees. Robert de Bratton, one fee. Richard de Langham, one fee. Gerbert de Perci, one. Roger de Nevvburgh, one. William de Curci, one. "These are the knight's fees of the new feoffment: William de Curci holds one knight's fee. Robert Bozun, one. Luke de Campo Florido, one. Hugh de Punchardun, half a fee. Richard de London, half a fee." But though he certified his knight's fees to be forty- four in number, yet in the fourteenth of the same reign, he paid for no more than forty-one ; neither in the eighth of Richard I., upon collecting the second FAMILY Ol MOHUN. 467 and third scutages of Normandy. This William con- firmed his father's grants to the priory of Brcwton/'- and at his death was interred in that monastery, leaving issue Reginald. In the fourth of John, this Reginald de INIohun^^ was required by the king to accept of lands in England in exchange for his lands at Lyons, near Caen, in Nor- mandy. And two years afterward, having had livery of the castle of Dunster and other the lands of his in- heritance, married Alice, one of the sisters and co- heiresses of William de Briwere the younger,*^^ with whom he had for her purparty of the Briwere estates, "^ Collinson says at Dunster. — See Leland's Collectanea ubi supra ^^ Pat. Rot. 3. Joh. m. 5. — De Castro de Dunsterre firmando. — Cal. p. i. col. 1. Pat. Rot. 6 Joh. m. 10. — Rex reddidit Rcginaldo de Moyon C astrum de Dun- sterre ac alias Terras suas. — Ibid. p. ii. col. 2. TTiere is " a copy in parchment" among the muniments at Dunster Castle, " of two grants of William and Reginald Moyn, to the monks and canons of the priory of Brewton, to elect their prior out of their own house after every voydance, and to present him to them and their heirs for their approbation and admission, before the execution of his office ; their ancestors being founders of that priory, the patronage whereof afterward came to the Luttrells." (These grants are supposed by Mr. Prynne to belong to the reign of Henry III. but I am inclined to think the first is a grant of William de Mohun, called Mcschin, who died before 1202, and the other of his son, Reginald de Mohun, who died in the fifteenth of John, 12K>. J. S.) The canons presented under these grants — John de Grindleham, 1274. John Schoyle, 1418 to Hugh Lut- trell. Richard Glastonbury, 1429, to John Luttrell. John Hcnton, 1448, to the Hon. James Luttrell. William Gylbert, 1495, to Hugh Luttrell. John Elye, 15.32, to Sir Andrew Luttrell. — Prynne's Index. ^•* This Alice de Briwere is set down among the benefactors to the new cathedral church of Salisbury, having contributed thereto all the marble ne- cessary for the building thereof for twelve years. — Leland's Itinerary, vol.iii. p. 95. 468 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. the manors of Axminster, Torre_, (afterward called Torre-Mohun) Bradworthy, Ugborough, Little Cad- leigh, and many other lands and knight's fees in the counties of Cornwall, Devon, and Somerset, as also the advowson of the abbey of Torre. By this lady he had issue two sons, Reginald, his successor, and John, the founder of the Mohuns of Ham-Mohun, in the county of Dorset. This Reginald de Mohun departed this life in the fifteenth of King John, 1213, on which the wardship of Reginald his son and heir, with the benefit of his marriage and custody of his lands, was committed to Henry Fitz-Count, son of the earl of Cornwall ;^^ Alice, his widow, then surviving, Avho had for her dowry the manors of Torre, Ugborough, Cadlcigh, Halberton, Oakford, Bradworthy, and Axminster, in the county of Devon ; the manor of He [Brewers] and 4*. 7^d. rent issuing out of the manor of Trent, in the county of Somerset. This lady afterward mar- ried William Paganel. Which Reginald, commonly called Reginald de Mohun the second, was, in the twenty-sixth of Henry in., constituted chief-justice of all the forests south of Trent ; and in the thirty-sixth of the same reign, was 65 Testa deNevill, p. 167, col. 1. — Reginald de Mohun est in custodia Henr. Comitis Cornub. et Terra sua de Dunnestoir valet L. Marc, in Hundr. de Karcnton. Item, idem Reginaldus est in Custodia ejusdem H. ct Terrc de Hosinton et Chirintun valet L. Marc. — Ibid. p. 167, col. 2. FAMILY OF MOHUN. 469 uppointed governor of Sauvey Castle, in the county of Leicester. In the forty-first of the same reign, he had summons to attend the king at Bristol, well fitted with horses and arms, to march with him against the Welch. In 1246, this Reginald de Mohun, who is called by Tanner,''^ earl of Somerset, founded, by permission of Henry III. the abbey of Newenham for Cistercian monks, situate in the parish of Axminster. He en- dowed this monastery with the manor and hundred of Axminster, as also with one hundred marks per an- num, during his life, towards the fabric thereof, and likewise by his will gave seven hundred marks. He also gave them the advowson of the church of Luppit. Sir William Dugdale says that he died about the forty-first of Henry III. (1256) leaving issue by [Hawise] his first wife, who was sister of Humphrey de Bohun, earl of Hereford and Essex, (with whom he had the manor of Stretleigh) John his son and heir ; and by Isabel [de Basset] his second wife,^^ daughter of William de Ferrers, earl of Derby, and one of the co-heiresses of Sybilla, her mother, sister and co-heiress of Anselm Marshall, earl of Pembroke, William, a younger son,^" who had by the gift of his father the manors of Ottery, Stoke-Fleming, Monkton, and Gal- meton, which, with other lands, were purchased of ** Not. Monast. *' Sec Prince's Devon, under Blondy. *8 He had also a third son, Robert de Mohun, who in the fifth of F.dward I. (1277) performed military service due from his brother John. — See Palgr-wr's Writs of Military Summons, vol, i. p. 710. 470 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. William Fleming ; as also the manor of Mildenhall, in the county of Wilts, and that of Greywell, in the county of Hants. This William de Mohun'''-' purchased the manor of Norton and hundred of Stratton, and gave them to the monks of Newenham. He married Beatrix, daughter of Reginald Fitz-Peter, by whom he had two daughters, his co-heiresses, namely, Eleanor married to John de Carew, and Mary to John de Meriet, between whom the lands of which he died possessed were afterward partitioned; Beatrix, his widow, having for her dowry the manor of Mildenhall, and those of Stoke-Fleming, Galmeton, and Sturminster-MarshalL In 1277, (fifth Edward I.) this William de Mohun was summoned to perform military service in person against Llewellyn, prince of Wales, and to be at Wor- cester on the 1st of July. And in the tenth of the same king, 1282, he was again summoned to be at Worcester on the 17th of May, to go in person against the Welch; "s Mand. est Vic. Somers. quod cap. in manum R. omnes Terr, et ten. de quibus Will, de Mohnn qui de R. ten. in cap. obiit seis. — Abbrev. Rot. Orig. 10 Edw. I. rot. 14. vol. i. p. 42. R. commisit Rob. fil. Johis Custodiam Tcrrar. et ten. in Com. Bed. que fucrcnt Will, de Moun def. qui de R. tenuit in ca]). habend. ad voluntatera R. Ita quod. R. indc respondent p. annum duodecim libr. ct deceai et novum solid, etc.— Ibid. 11 Edw. I. rot. 2.— Ibid, p. 4;?. Mand. est S. Waterford Epo. Justic. Hibern. quod cap. in man. R. omnes Terr, et ten. q. fuerent Will, de Mohun def.— Ibid. ] 1 Edw. I. rot. 1. vol. i. p. 4.'5. Mand. est Vic. Soms. quod dc bonis et catal. q. fucrunt Will, de Moun nup. defuncti levari fac. decern libr. quas recepit in Wall. p. vadiis suis et quas non fco. servicio suo asportavit. Ita quod cas habeat in garder. R., &c. — Ibid, rot. 12. FAMILY OF MOHl'N. 471 and again to be at Rhudlan on the 2nd of August in the same year ; soon after which he died ; for in that year, by an inquisition post mortem, he ^vas found to be possessed of the manor of Magor, in Wales; of Luton, in Bedfordshire ; of Sturminster-Marshall, in Dorsetshire ; of Tuderton, in the county of Somerset; the manor of Grey well, in the county of Hants ; of the manor of Mildenhall ; and of the manors of Galmeton, Monkton, Ottery-Mohun, and Stoke-Fleming ; and lands in Otford, Cadeleigh, and Ugborough ; and also of divers lands and manors in Ireland.''' I now come to John, the son and heir of the last- mentioned Reginald, by his first wife. In 1277, (fifth Edw. 1.) this John de Mohun was summoned to per- form military service in person against Llewellyn, prince of Wales, and to attend the muster at Worcester on the first of July ; in pursuance of which summons he acknowledged the service of three knight's fees for the inheritance"^ of his grandfather, Reginald de Mohun, performed by himself and two knights, namely, Robert de Mohun, his brother, and Thomas de Pyn ; and also one fifth of the service due for the inheritance of the earl marshal ; and one fifth of the service theretofore due from William de Briwere, the amount whereof he knew not. His service and that of the knights ap- pearing with him, were transferred by the king to 70 See the Calendar of Inq. p. m. 10 and 12 Edw. I. vol. i. p. 73. No. 19 and p. 83. No. 22. 472 HISTORY OF CARIIAMPTON. Edmund, earl of Lancaster, to be performed under the latter in West Wales.'^^ This John died in Gascony^" in the seventh of Edw. I. (1279) and the writs of Diem clausit extremum issued upon his death are tested at Windsor on the 14th of July. By the inquisitions taken thereon, it was found that John de Mohun his son and heir, was then of the age of ten years or thereabouts ; and that at the time of his death he was seized of the castle and manor of Dunster, and fifty-five knight's fees thereto belonging; and also of the manors of Carhampton, Cutcombe, Minehead, Ile-Brewers, and Kilveton, all in the county of Somerset; Torre-Mohun, Braworth, Cadeleigh, and Ugborough, in the county of Devon; Eleanor his wife surviving, who had for her dowry twenty-seven knight's fees and a ninth part, in the counties of Somerset, Dorset, and Devon. Sir William Dugdale, in his Account of the Family of Mohun, makes this John to have married the daughter [called Joan, by Hutchins, in the History of Dorset] ^^ of Sir Reginald Fitz-Peter, and mentions another wife, Eleanor, who survived him, and had for her dower twenty-seven knight's fees and a ninth part, 71 Palgrave's Writs of Military Serv., &c. vol. i. p. 740. 72 Inq. p. m. 7 Edw. I. No. 13. — Joh. de Mohun, Dunsterre Castr. Maner- 55 Feodi eidera pertin. Carumpton Maner. Codecombe Manor. Meneheved Mancr. Kclvctcn Maner. He Bruer Maner. all in the county of Somerset; and the manor of Luton, in the county of Bedford, &c. — See Calendar of Inq. p. m. vol. i. p. 66. No. 13. 73 Vol. ii. p. 124. FAMILY OF MOHUN. 473 as above-mentioned ; bnt he docs not say whose daughter this Eleanor was, nor does he distinguish by which ot those wives he had John, the second of that name, his son and heir. There is, undoubtedly, some mistake or omission in this account. Joan Ferrers, fifth daughter of William Ferrers, earl of Derby, by Sybil, fourth daughter of William Marshall, earl of Pembroke, was certainly one of his wives, and perhaps the first ; and by her probably he had John, the aforesaid heir ; for it is certain that the lands which John de Mohun her husband had with her in marriage, namely, the manor of Sturminster-Marshall, and a third part of the hun- dred of Loosebarrow, in the county of Dorset, remained to her successors till the family of Mohun became extinct, and descended by one of the co-heiresses of the last John de Mohun of Dunster, to the Lord Strange, of Knokyn. This Joan de Ferrers was first married before the forty-eighth of Henry III. to William, son of William de Aguillon; w^hicli William, in the fifty- third of the same reign, married Margaret de Ripariis, countess of Devon, by whom he had Isabel, the wife of Hugh Bardolph ; so that Joan seems to have been divorced, and had no issue by him. William de Aguillon died in the fourteenth of Edward I. This Joan mar- ried secondly John de Mohun of Dunster, of whom we are now treating, of whom she appears to have been the first wife. Which John, his eldest son, called John de Mohun 474 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. the second/* in 1294, (twelfth Edward I.) was excepted from the general summons of persons holding by military service in the expedition made that year into Gascony. In 1297, he was summoned to perform military service in person in Flanders, and to attend the muster at Sandwich, on the 24th of November. In 1299, (twenty-seventh Edward I.) he was in the parliament then held at Westminster; and in the same year was summoned as a baron to perform military service in person against the Scots, and to be at Carlisle on the 6tli of June, from which attendance and service he was discharged, but ordered to be ready to proceed on the king's service at any time after receiving forty days' notice. In the same year he was ordered to go in person against the Scots, and to be at York on the 12th of November. In 1300, (twenty-eighth Edw. I.) he was again summoned to parliament; soon after which he was ordered by a special writ to go in person against the Scots, and to attend the muster at Carlisle on the 24th of June. He was also in the same year returned from the counties of Somerset and Dorset, as holding 7'* An inquisition taken in the fourteenth of Edward I. contains a catalogue of the knight's fees belonging to this John de Mohun in the several counties of Somerset, Devon, Dorset, Hants, Cambridge, and Warwick. — See Calendar of Inq. p. m. vol. i. p. 1)0. No. 23. By an inquisition taken in the thirty-second of Edward I. it appears that there was a John de Mohun who was in possession of the new castle of Mack- cncgan, of Grange Mohun, and of lands and tenements in Ardscoll, Ackingham, Carbury, Kildarc, the town of Disetncmyll, &c. all in Ireland. — Sec Calendar of Inq. p. m. vol. i. p. 195. No. 174. FAMILY OF MOHUN. 475 lands or rents, either in capitc or otherwise, to the amount of £400 yearly value and upwards. In the following year he was again summoned to parliament, and hy the style and title of John de Mohnn, lord of Dunster, (Dominus de Dunsterre) joined in the letter addressed to the pope, on the part as well of the per- sons named therein as of the community (commiimtas) of England. He was also summoned to go in person asrainst the Scots, and to he at Berwick on the 24th of June. In 1302, (thirtieth Edward I.) he was in the parliament held at Westminster in the same year. In the following year he was ordered to go in person against the Scots, and to he at Berwick on the 26th of May. In 1305, (thirty-third Edward I.) he was sum- moned to the parliament then held at Westminster, and also in the following year, for the purpose of treating upon an aid for making the king's eldest son a knight. Two years after he was in the parliament then held at Carlisle, and his name entered upon the roU."^ In the twenty-seventh of Edward I. he gave the king- all his lands in Ireland, as well those in the county of Kildare as elsewhere, in exchange for the manor of Long Compton, in the county of Warwick, to hold to him the said John and Auda his wife, the daughter of Sir Rohert de Tihetot, and the heirs male of their two hodies for ever. In the eighth of Edward II. he obtained a charter of ?* Palgravc's Writs of Military Service, &c. vol. i. p. "40. 476 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. freeVarren'for^hiraself and her the said Auda, through- out all their demesne lands in the manor of Garinge, in the county of Oxford ; and in the same year he had summons to be at Berwick-upon-Tweed upon the fes- tival of our lady, thence to march against the Scots. By an inquisition taken in the fourth of Edward III. on the death of this John de Mohan, it appears that the following persons held lands by military service of the barony of Dunster : — ^^ Walter de Whedon holds six oxgangs of land in Whedon, by the service of half a knight's fee. John le Bret holds of the same John de Mohun the manor of Torweston, by the service of one knight's fee. Walter de Furneaux holds the hamlet of Holford by the service of one knight's fee. John de Bures holds the manor of Ayly (now Vellow) by the service of half a knight's fee. Margaret de Botreaux holds the manor of Sherring- ton, by the service of one kniglit's fee. The prior of Taunton holds the manor of Thurlox- ton, by the service of one knight's fee. Henry Champflower holds the manor of Wyke, by the service of one knight's fee. Walter de Wilton holds the hamlet of Tokebere, by the service of three parts of a knight's fee. Nicholas de Barton holds two carucates of land in Morebath, by the service of one knight's fee. " Inq. p. m. 4 Edw. III. No. 35. FAMILY OF MOHUN. 477 William Cheyncy holds the manor of Pointington, by the service of one knight's fee. Thomas West holds the hamlet of Houndston, by the service of one knight's fee. William de Thorn holds Thorne-Falcon^ by the ser- vice of two parts of a knight's fee. Thomas dc Arundel holds the manor of Clatworthy, by the service of one knight's fee. John Durborough holds the manor of Heathfield, by the service of one knight's fee. William de Ponleshill and Hilary de Badialton hold the humlet of Badialton, by the service of one knight's fee. James de Audley holds the manor of Stanton, by the service of one knight's fee. John de Ralegh holds the manor of AUerford, by the service of one knight's fee. Philip de Columbers holds the manor of Heathfield- Columbers, by the service of half a knight's fee. Geoffrey de Avill holds one carucate of land in Avill, by the service of half a knight's fee. William Everard holds the hamlets of Owle-Knolle, Linch, and Langham, by the service of the fourth part of a knight's fee. Robert de Biccombe holds four oxgangs of land in Biccombc, by the service of the third part of a knight's fee. John de Durborough holds four oxgangs of land in Biccombe, by the service of a third part of a knight's fee. 478 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. John de Bratton holds two carucates of land in Bratton, by the service of half a knight's fee. Walter Meriet holds Biccombe, Ellesworth, Willet, and Mapperton-Bret, in the county of Dorset, by the service of four knight's fees. The same Walter holds Luxborough-Everard, Oak- trow, and Allercot, by the service of the fourth part of a knight's fee. The abbot of Cleeve holds Luxborough-Picket, by the service of half a knight's fee. Walter de Whedon holds five oxgangs of land in Whedon, by the service of the fourth part of a knight's fee. Roger Attewalle and William de Pavely hold West- Quantockshead, by the service of one knight's fee. The last-mentioned John de Mohun died, as we have already said, in the fourth of Edward III. being then seized of the manors of Dunster, Minehead, and Kilveton, in the county of Somerset ; of Torre-Mob un and Ugborough, in the county of Devon ; Grey well, in the county of Hants ; and Long-Compton and Whichford, in the county of Warwick ; leaving John his grandson, namely, son of John his eldest son, who died in his life-time, his next heir, at that time ten years of age.^^ 77 See Calendar of Inq. p. m. 4 Edw. III. vol. ii. p. 31. No. 35, for a list of his knight's fees. Inq. post Mort. -lohannls de Mohun 4 Edw. III. it was found tliat the value of the castle and manor of Dunster was £cs.v vnis. iid. ob. d upon her uncle, Robert de Gaunt, second son of Walter de Gaunt, second baron of Falkingham. He died in the ninth year of King Henry H. leaving issue Gilbert de Gaunt, called the Good, third earl of Lincoln. He was suc- ceeded, in the twenty-sixth of Henry HL by his son Gilbert, who died in the second of Edward I. (1274) leaving issue, Gilbert de Gaunt, called the fifth, who married Lora, sister of Alexander Baliol. He died without issue in the twenty-sixth of Edward I. leaving two sisters, namely, Margaret, married to William de Kerdeston, and Nichola, married to Peter de Mauley. I now return to Robert de Gaunt, second son of Gilbert de Gaunt, first baron of Falkingham. He mar- ried Alicia, daughter and co-heiress of William Pagancl, by whom he had Alicia, daughter and heiress, who married Robert de Berkeley, second son of Robert Fitz-Harding. The issue of Robert de Berkeley, (called also Robert de Weare,from his residence at Weare, near Axbridge) and Alicia de Gaunt, were Maurice de Gaunt, so called after his mother, and Eva de Berkeley, which latter married Thomas de Harj^tree, and had issue Robert de 500 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Harptree-Gournay, of whom the present earl of Egmont is the lineal and direct representative. Maurice de Gaunt was twice married, but left no issue by either marriage. He died in the fourteenth year of King Henry IH. (1229) and the estates of his mother devolved upon Sir Andrew Luttrell, and Irnham, in Lincolnshire, being the chief of them, became the head of his barony and his principal seat.^ GEOFFREY LUTTRELL, SECOND BARON OF IRNHAM. Geoifrey Luttrell, second baron of Irnham, became in the decline of life non compos mentis, and was in custody of his brother Alexander, who in the fifty-fourth year of King Henry HL was signed with the cross, for the crusade, together with Prince Edward, the king's eldest son, and many of the nobility." SIR ROBERT LUTTRELL, KNIGHT, THIRD BARON OF IRNHAM. Sir Robert Luttrell, knight, the third baron of Irn- ham, lord of Ilutton-Paganel in Yorkshire, Luttrells- town in Ireland, &c. was the son of Geoffrey, by a ^ Monast. A. vol. iii. p. 74. 7 In 1236, there was a Robert Luttrell, who was treasurer of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, and Lord Chancellor of Ireland. In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries the family of Luttrell were gi-eat benefactors to the monks and college of Sempringham, in the county of Lincoln. — Sec Peck's Hist, of Stamford, and Dugdale's Mon, Angl. FAMILV OF Ll'TTRELL 501 daughter of William de Grey.'' In the fifth year of King Edward I. (1277) Robert Luttrell, "Serviens," acknowledged the service of two knight's fees in Hutton and Irnham, performed by himself and " three servi- entes," in the expedition against Llewellin, prince of Wales ; and was to attend the muster before the con- stable and earl-marshall at Worcester, on the first of July. And in the tenth of the same reign, (1282) he was again summoned to perform military service against the Welch, and to attend the muster at Worcester on the 17th of May. In the fifteenth of the same reign, (1287) he was summoned to appear, with horses and arms, at a military covmcil at Gloucester, before Ed- mund, earl of Cornwall, on the fifteenth of July. In the nineteenth of Edward I. he was summoned to go in person against the Scots, and to attend the muster at Norham on the 3rd of June ; and in the twenty- second of the same reign he was ordered to attend the king upon urgent affairs immediately after the receipt of the writ, dated June 8. In the twenty-second of Edward I. (1294) he was excepted from the general summons of persons holding by military service, then ordered to be made for the king's expedition into Gas- cony. In the twenty-third of the same reign, (1295) he was summoned to parliament amongst the barons, and again in the following year.^ In the thirty-second s^Esc. 25 Edw. I. No, 35.— Inq. post mort. Dom. Rob. Luttrell.— Dugdale's Bar. vol. i. 5 Palgrave's Writs of Mil. Summons, vol. i. \i. 719. 502 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. year of the same king he had summons, among other great men, to attend the king, and advise in council touching important affairs of state, and on a resolution then taken for that monarch's expedition into France, had orders to be with horses and arms at Portsmouth, in September following. He had summons to par- liament among the barons,^° in the year 1295, and died in 1297, twenty-fifth of Edward I. leaving Sir Geoffrey Luttrell, knight, his son and heir, then above twenty- one years of age ; 2. Guy ; and 3. Robert Luttrell, rector of Irnham, which Robert, about the year 1303,^' gave to the priory of Sempringham, lands in Ketton andCotesmore,inthe county of Nottingham; Casterton, in the county of Rutland; and Stamford, in the county of Lincoln ; to maintain three chaplains, one in the church of St, Andrew, of Irnham, another in the chapel of St. Mary, beneath the manor he gave in Stamford, and the third in the conventual church of Sempring- ham, celebrating for his soul, and to sustain scholars, studying divinity and philosophy at Stamford.^- The said Sir Robert Luttrell, the father, died seized of certain lands and tenements in Gamston and Bridg- ford, with the advowson of the church at the latter place, which he held of Robert de Tiptoft, by the sei-vice of half a knight's fee, and a capital messuage in Gam- ston, and twelve oxgangs of land which he held in demesne at Bridgford. He also held in (xamston five ^^ Dugdale's Summons to Fail. " Men. Angl. vol. ii. j). 7!>2. '* Thoroton's Nottinghamsh. by Throsby, vol. i. p. 119. FAMILY OF LUTTKELL. 60S virgates of land of Ann ora de Pierpont, and five bovates in Huckenhall, belonging to the manor of Gamston.*^ SIR GEOFFREY LUTTRELL, KNIGHT, FOURTH BARON OF IRNHAM. This Sir Geoffrey Luttrell, knight, fourth baron of Irnham, in the twenty-fifth of Edward I. (1297) was returned from the counties of Nottingham and Derby as holding lands or rents to the amount of £20 yearly value and upwards, either in capite or otherwise, and as such was summoned to perform military service in person, with horses and arms, in Scotland, and to attend the muster at Nottingham, on the 7th of July. And in the 28th of the same reign, (1300) he was returned from the Wapentakes of Strafforth and Tickhill, in the county of York, as holding lands or rents, either in capite or otherwise, to the amount of £40 yearly value and upwards, and as such was summoned to perform military service against the Scots, and to attend the muster at Carlisle on the 24th of June. And he was also returned in like manner from the county of Lincoln, and again in the following year." In the second and fifth years of King Edward II. he had summons to attend the royal army against the Scots, soon after which he was amerced among many 13 Esch. 25 Edw. I. n. 33. — Thoroton's Nottinghamsh. vol. i. p. 119. ^* Palgrave's Writs of Mil. Summons, vol. i. p. 719. 504 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. other powerful subjeets.^' He was patron of the church of St. Andrew, at Irnhain, and also of Christ Church, in the city of York/*^ In the thirteenth of Edward II . by his deed dated at Irnham on the first Sunday after Trinity, he settled the manors of Gamston and Bridg- ford, with the advowson of the church of the latter place, with all his lands and tenements in Basingfield, and other places, which his mother, the Lady Joan, wife of Sir Robert Luttrell, held for her life, on Guy LutticU during the life of the said Geoffrey, afterwards to Andrew, son of the said Geoffrey, and to Beatrice, his wife, daughter of Geoffrey Scrope, and the heirs of their bodies ; for want of which to Geoffrey, brother of Andrew, and to Constance his wife, sister of the said Beatrice, and the heirs of their bodies, remainder to the right heirs of Geoffrey the father. There was a like settlement then made of Irnham and Saltby, and lands in Corby, Kesseby, and Haverthorp, in the county of Lincoln/^ The said Sir Geoffrey Luttrell married Agnes, daugh- ter of Sir Richard Sutton, knight, and left issue three sons, Andrew, Geoffrey, and John/^ Sir Geoffrey, the 15 One of these, the Lord Furnival, pleaded against the amerciament, he not being an immediate feodatory of the crown. He set forth that he held the manor of Whystaw of the barony of Geoffrey Luttrell. — Sec Madox's Hist, of the Exchequer. 1" Drake's Eboracum. '7 Ex. Lib. Chart, transcript, dc Tcrris Scropor. in Biblioth. Cotton, fol, Hi. — ^I'horoton, vol. i. j). 11!). IS Inq. p. mort. Galf. LuttrcJI, knt. VJ Edw. iU. No. -18 FAMILY OF LUTTRELL. 505 second son, married Constance, daughter of Lord Scrope, hut left no issue. He was one of the chief knights in the army of King Edward III. in Scotland in 1335.^5 Sir Andrew Luttrell, knight, fifth baron of Irnham, lord of Hutton-Paganel, &c. married Beatrice, daughter of Sir Geoffrey Scrope, Lord Scrope, of Masham. He gave his manors of Saltby and Berhonby, in Leicester- shire, to the abbey of Croxton.^^ Sir Andrew Luttrell, knight, sixth baron of Irnham, lord of Hutton-Paganel, East-Quantockshead, &c. son of the last Sir Andrew, married Hawisia,"^ daughter of John le Despenser." It appears that this Sir Andrew settled the manors of Gamston and Bridgford, and the advowson of the church of the latter place, and all his lands in Bridgford, Gamston, Basingfield, Normanton, Torlaston, Keyworth, and Nottingham, on himself and Hawisia, his wife, and the heirs of their two bodies, remainder to his right heirs."^ He died in the twenty- first of Richard I. (1397) leaving Sir Andrew, his son and heir. Sir Andrew Luttrell, seventh baron of Irnham, who 19 In the reign of King Edw. II. flourished John Luttrell, Chancellor of the Univorsity of Oxford, from the year 1317 to 1324. — Antiq. Oxford. ■■'0 Lodge's Peerage of Ireland, vol iii. p. 402. — Segar's Bar. 21 Inq. p. raort. Andr. Luttrell, chevalier. 22 Lodge, vol. iii. p. 403. 23 Brother of Edmund, Lord Ic Despenser, and uncle to the carl of Glou- cester. — Thorotou, vol. i. 111).— Esch. 11 Rich. II. u. 32. 506 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. dying-* in the first year of Henry IV. left his estates to his son, GeoiFrey Luttrell."^ Sir Geoffrey Luttrell, eighth baron of Irnham, settled the manor of Bridgford, and the advowson of the church, on William Belers and others^ and having no issue by his wife Maria, on his death, in the sixth of Henry V. (1417) the manors of Gamston and Bridg- ford, Hutton-Paganel, &c. and the barony of Irnham, descended to the Lady Hawisia de Belesby, relict of Thomas de Belesby, but then the wife of Geoffrey de Hilton, his sister and heiress.-*^ This Lady Hawisia, by her first husband, Thomas de Belesby, had issue one son, Thomas, who died a minor in the first of Henry VI. and a daughter Eliza- beth, heiress of her brother, married to John Pygot."'^ Her second husband was Geoffrey de Hilton, who was living in the sixth of Henry V. by whom she had one son, Geoffrey, living in the first of Edward IV. and a daughter Elizabeth. The last-mentioned Geoffrey Hilton, was fifteen years of age in the twelfth of Ed- ward IV. and died without issue, leaving Elizabeth, his sister, then married to Richard Thymelby, esq. his heir ; which Richard died seized of the moiety of the manors of Gamston and Bridgford, and the advowson '* His tomb, of wrought brass, is still to be seen in the church of St. Andrew, at Irnham. " Lodge, vol. iii. p. 403.— Inq. post. mort. And Luttrell, 1 Hen. IV. No. 27. =6Thoroton, i. 119. -7 Thoroton, i. 118.— Fin. Rot. 8 Hen. VI. m. 16. FAMILY OF LUTTRELL. 507 of the church of the latter place, leaving issue Eleanor, married to Thomas Goodhall, and Sir John Thymelby, knight, his son and heir, then upwards of forty years of age. This Sir John married Margaret, daughter of John Boys, and died in the third of Edward VI. leaving Sir Richard Thymelby, knight, his son and heir, who married Katherine, daughter of Sir Robert Tyrwhitt, knight, and had John Thymelby, esq. mar- ried to Maria, daughter of George St. Paul, esq. This John Thymelby sold all his interest in the manors of Gamston and Bridgford to Sir Henry Pierpont, knt."" From the Thymelbys the manor and barony of Irn- ham was conveyed by a female to the family of Con- quest, an heiress of which brought the manor, a few years since, to Lord Arundel of Wardour.-'^ The Luttrells of Irnham, in right of marriage, quar- tered the arms of the following ancient barons of England, namely, Mowbray, earls of Nottingham and dukes of Norfolk; the Lords Hussie, Wake, D'Eincourt, and Tateshall.^'' LUTTRELLS OF EAST-ftUANTOCKSHEAD. It has already been mentioned that Sir Andrew Luttrell, first baron of Irnham, by a deed sealed with his seal, harry of four pieces, gave to his second son, Alexander Luttrell, the manor of East-Quantocks- -s Thoiotoirs Hist. ot"Nottiiigliaiiis]i. by Tluosby, vol. i. p. 118, 111), 120. 29 Lodge, il. p. 403. a" Lodge, iii. p. 403. 508 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. head, in the county of Somerset, rendering for the same, annually, a pair of spurs and sixpence ; together with the manors of Tolland, Bagborough, Begarn- Huish, and Stockland, in the said county ; which three last-mentioned manors were then in the possession of Agnes dc Gaunt. Soon after the same Alexander released to Agnes de Gaunt all suits of court but those that were usually due to the manor of Quan- tockshcad. Who this Agnes was, or what relation she bore to Maurice de Gaunt, does not appear, nor how long she or her heirs kept possession of these manors. In the fourth year of Edward II. we find that Andrew Lut- trell, of East-Quantockshead, granted the manor of Bcgarn-Huish to Lucy, widow of Thomas de Ralegh, and her heirs, whose descendants in the male line lived at Ralegh, in Devonshire. In the fifth of King Henry III. this Sir Alexander Luttrell attended Prince Edward to the Holy Land, from which he does not appear ever to have returned. He left issue, Andrew Luttrell, his only son and successor, who died about the third year of King Edward I. (1274) leaving two sons, Andrew, who succeeded him at East-Quantockshead, and John Luttrell, of Chilton, in the county of Devon, ancestor of the Luttrells of Dunstcr Castle. Andrew, his eldest son, being then a knight, in the twenty-ninth of Edward 1. (1302), was summoned FAMILY OF LUTTJIELL. 509 from the county of Devon, to perform military ser- vice in person against the Scots, and to attend the muster at Berwick, on the 24th of June.^* He was living in the eleventh of Edward II. and was father of Alexander Luttrell, of East-Quantockshead, who, in the fourteenth of Edward III. was a knight, and in the year following was collector of the king's duties on wool, arising within the county of Somerset. The same year he agreed with the master and brethren of Gaunt's Hospital, in Bristol, that they should have the manor of Stockland, free from all claims either from him or his heirs, on their paying him and Lucia his wife, an annuity of ten pounds for their respective lives. This Lucia was his second wife. His first was Mary, daughter of Sir Thomas Trivet, knight. She was living in the thirteenth of King Edward III. and was the mother of Thomas Luttrell. Which Thomas Luttrell, in his father's life-time, married Joan, daughter of Sir John Paulton, on which marriage John de Montfort gave to them and the heirs of their bodies, the manor of Milton-Falcon- bridge, near Brewton. He died before the thirty- ninth of Edward HI. Dionysia, his second wife, surviving him, having part of his lands in dower. She afterwards married Thomas Popham, and was mother of Richard Popham, of Alfoxton. John, the only son and successor of Thomas Luttrell, 31 Palgrave's Writs of Mil. Summons, vol. i, p. 719. 510 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. was under age at the time of his father's death, and in wardship to Sir Andrew Luttrell, haron of Irn- liam, who, in the fortieth of Edward III. (1365) as- signed his right in the said wardship to Sir Baldwin Malet, of Enmore. This John, in the twentieth of King Richard II. married Joan, eldest daughter and co-heiress of Thomas Kingston ; and at the same time levied a fine on all his lands, and settled them on him- self, and the heirs of his body begotten on the said Joan. In the first of Henry IV. he was one of the knights of the Bath made at the coronation of that king, and was at the same time retained to serve him for life, having a grant of forty pounds per annum, payable out of the profits of the county of Somerset. In the fourth of Henry IV. he was sheriff of Somer- set and Dorset; in which year, being ordered to the North, to assist in suppressing the insurrection of the Percys, he disposed of his estate at Quantockshead to trustees,^- so that the inheritance of the same, in case he died without lawful issue, should accrue to his kinsman. Sir Hugh Luttrell, of Dunster Castle. And by another deed, in which he recites, that whereas he had made over his manor of Quantockshead, and other his lands in Iwode, Williton, Vexford, Bib- well, &c. to Sir Maurice Russell ; John, son of Sir John Paulet; William Paulet, and others, for the ^2 Among the muniments at Dunstsr Castle, there is " Sir John Luttrell's will in parchment, on his going to assist King Henry IV. in his wars against Sir Henry Persehays." — Prynne's Index, FAMILY OF LUTTRELL. 511 performance of his will ; he further says, that in case he dies out of England, or in the king's service, before his return, that his trustees should make an estate for life in certain lands in Williton, to Thomas Poj)ham, with remainder to Richard Popham, his maternal brother and the heirs of his body; and on default of such to William Paulet and his heirs ; and in default of such then they should sell the same, and lay out the money in such manner as they should think most meet for the souls of the testator and his ancestors, and also for the soul of John Fitz-Urse. He orders his manor of Iwode to be sold for the pay- ment of his debts, and gives a legacy of twenty pounds to Lady Cecilia Berkeley, directing his trus- tees, in case she should not accept of it, to lay it out for the health of her soul. This will bears date the 4th of June, in the fourth of Henry IV. (1402) and was proved the 4th of August following, so that it was not made long before his death, which probably happened in that year's expedition. By these means, however, the ancient inheritance of Quantockshead was preserved in the male line of this family, which otherwise would have fallen to Lady Elizabeth Harington, his cousin and next heir. By the death of this John Luttrell, the second branch of this family became extinct. 512 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. LUTTRELLS OF CHILTON. The second branch of the Luttrells (the eldest branch of the Somersetshire family) being extinct by the death of John Luttrell, of East-Quantockshead, in 1402, they were succeeded by the descendants of John,''^ younger son of Andrew Luttrell, of East-Quantocks- head, living in the time of King Edward I. Which John, in the eleventh of Edward III. had a grant from that king of certain lands and rents in Chilton, in the county of Devon, and a pardon for having purchased other lands in that place without licence. In the thirty- seventh of King Edward III. be was knight of the shire for Devon. He was twice married ; his first wife's name Rose, by whom he seems to have had no issue. His second wife was Joan, by whom he had Sir Andrew Luttrell, his successor at Quantockshead. The said Sir Andrew, who is styled of Chilton, married, in his father's life-time, the Lady Elizabeth, second daughter of Hugh Courtenay, earl of Devon- shire, and widow of Sir John Vere, knight, a younger son of Aubrey de Vere, earl of Oxford. By this 33 Lodge (Peerage of Ireland, vol. iii. p. 403) says, but erroneously, that this John was the youngest son of Geoffrey, fourth baron of Irnham. He was a knight in the parliament held at Nottingham in 13;56. He was possessed of the Isle of Lundy, in the Bristol Channel, that had belonged to the Luttrells for several generations, and which went from them to the Granvilles. He also served in the wars of France under Edward III. Lodge says that the lands which were granted to him in Devonshire had formerly 1)elonged to Bartholomew Payne. His second wife, Joan, was the daughter of the Lord Mohun of Dunstcr Castle. — Somersetshire Visit, in Br. Mus. — Inq. p. ni.dom. .loh. T^uttrcll in Turr. Lond. FAMILY OF LUTTRELL. 513 marriage the Liittrells became comiected with the royal family of England. In the thirty-third of Edward III. this lady being then called the Lady Eliza- beth Vere, kinswoman to the king, had a grant of £200 per annum, issuing out of the profits of the counties of Huntingdon and Cambridge, which grant was renewed to her and her said husband the year following. Besides this pension from the crown, which in those days Avas very considerable, it appears that she had a large dower in several manors lying in the counties of Bucks, Oxford, and Bedford, being the possessions of Sir John Vere her first husband. This enabled her to execute those great things which she did for her family, the honour and prosperity of which she very much advanced. Her husband being dead, in the forty-eighth of Edward III. she purchased the manors of Stonehall and Woodhall, wdth lands in Del)enham, in the counties of Norfolk and Suflblk; and likewise soon after the barony, honour, and manor of Dunster, together with the manors of Minehead, Car- ham pton, Kilton, and the Hundred of Garhampton, reversionary after the life of Lady Mohun, -widow of Sir John Mohun, knight, lord of those manors. She died in the sixth of Henry IV. and was succeeded in these possessions by Sir Hugh Luttrell, her son and heir by Sir Andrew Luttrell, her second husband, who had his residence at Dunster Castle, and was the pro- genitor of the several owners of that noble mansion. L L 514 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. LUTTRELLS OF DUNSTER CASTLE. It has been already mentioned in the history of the family of Moimn, that the Lady Elizabeth Luttrell had purchased, in the fiftieth of Edward III. (1375) of the Lady Mohun, widow of John, the last Lord Mohun, the reversion of the barony and manor of Dunster and other estates. Sir Hugh Luttrell was the first of this family who resided at Dunster Castle. In some public records he is styled kinsman to the king; and under that title, in the fifteenth of King Richard II. he had the grant of an annuity of £40, issuing out of lands belonging to the Alien Priory of Wenge, in the county of Bucks. This Sir Hugh Luttrell, by his mother the Lady Elizabeth, was descended from the royal family of Eng- land,^^ she being the daughter of Hugh Courtenay, 3* Sir Hugh Luttrell, by his mother, had also the blood of the royal and noble house of Courtenay flowing in his veins. The illustrious family of Cour- tenay is descended from Athon, who was of the same lineage with the dukes of Boulogne, one of whose ancestors, Ricuinus, was count of Ardenne, and a duke on the Moselle, and the fourteenth in paternal descent from Pharamond, founder of the French monarchy, a. d. 420, and the common patriarch of the kings of France. Of the same family of Boulogne were the celebrated Godfrey and Baldwin, the first kings of Jerusalem ; and from Athon de Courtenay de- scended Peter and Robert, Baldwin IL and Philip L emperors of Constantinople in the thirteenth century; and they, as well as their forefathers, had the same armorial bearings as those borne by the present Courtenays, namely. Or, three Torteaux, Gules. It is to this royal and imperial descent that the family motto alludes — Uhi lapsus? Quid feci? The Courtenays came into England with Eleanor, queen of Henry H. in the year 1151. Reginald de Courtenay, whilst living in France, had married the sister of Guy de Donjon, by whom he had William de Courtenay, who arrived FAMILY OF LUTTRELL. 515 second earl of Devonshire, by Margaret Bohun, daugh- ter of Humphrey Bohun, earl of Hereford, and Eliza- beth, sister of King Edward H. and daughter of King Edward I. by his queen, Eleanor of Castile. In the second of Henry IV. Sir Hugh Luttrell was appointed steward of the queen's household, and soon after constable of the castle of Bristol, and warden of the forest of Kingswood. In the third year of the same reign, he was lieutenant of Calais, and three years after- ward was a commissioner to array men within the county of Somerset, on an expectation that the French would assist the Welch rebels. In the third year of Henry V. he attended the king at the taking of Harfleur ; upon the surrender of which he was appointed one of the council to the lieutenant, and soon after succeeded him. In the following year, in consideration of two hundred and eighty-six pounds, he agreed to serve the king in in England with his father. By the king's influence Reginald married Matilda, daughter of Robert Fitzroy, a natural son of Henry I. but she died without issue. William, the son of Reginald, married Hawise, daughter of Robert D'Aincourt, by Matilda, daughter and sole heiresss of Robert D'A\Tinches, baron of Oakhampton, and hereditary sheriff of the county of Devon. The barony of Oakhampton was held of the crown by the service of ninety-three knights ; " and a female might claim," says Gibbon, " the manly offices of hereditary viscount or sheriff, and of captain of the royal castle of Exeter." Their son Robert married the heiress of the great family De Ripariis, de Redvers, or Rivers, and his great-grandson succeeded to the earldom of Devon- shire, possessed by that family, which earldom continued with the Courtenays till the death in 1566 of Edward Courtenay, tvs-elfth earl of Devonshire, second marquis of Exeter, and fifteenth baron of Oakhampton, which last title the family had possessed ever since it came into England. — Sir W. Pole's Collec- tions for Devon, p. 2, 3. — Cleaveland's Hist, of the House of Courtenay. — CoLUNs's Peerage, vol. vi. — Tables Genealogiques, 4to. Strasbourg, 1780. 516 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. the French wars in person for one year, together with twenty men at arms, of whom one was to be a knight, and the rest esquires, and sixty archers, all of whom were to be ready at Southampton by the 4th of May; and the next year he was appointed to treat with and take the surrender of the town of Monstreville. He was several times chosen knight of the shire for the county of Devon; and on the coronation of the queen of Henry V. he was appointed steward of her house- hold. In his old age he lived always at Danster, where he rebuilt a considerable part of the castle, and kept great hospitality. That he had great interest at court appears from a letter written by Heniy VI. to the king of Scotland, demanding satisfaction on the complaint of Sir Hugh Luttrell, for harbouring a Spanish ship that had taken one of his fishing boats, and abused his tenants at Minehead. Lodge^^ says that he was repre- sentative in parliament for the county of Somerset, in the reign of King Richard II. and successively for that county and Devon. In the early part of the reign of Henry IV. he had letters of safe conduct for his passage into Ireland. In 1403, being lieutenant of Calais, he was one of the arbitrators named by the king to decide all differences between the count of Denia and Henry Percy, earl of Northumberland, respecting the ransom of the former. He was afterward appointed ranger of the forest of Blackmore, in the county of Dorset, and 3* Peerage of Ireland, vol. iii. p. 404. FAMILY OF LUTTRELL. 517 one of the privy council to King Henry V. At the reduction of Harfleur, in 1415, the king left a strong garrison in that place, appointing his uncle, the duke of Exeter, captain ; Sir John Fastolfe, knight of the garter, lieutenant; assisted by two knights of the privy council, the baron of Carew, and this Sir Hugh Luttrell. He also served under King Henry V. at the memo- rable siege of Rouen. He died in the eighth of Henry VI. (1431) leaving issue by Catherine his vvife,^^ daughter of Sir John Beaumont, of Sherwell, in the county of Devon, and widow of Sir John Streche, Sir John Luttrell, his suc- cessor ; Robert Luttrell, second son, ancestor of the Luttrells, earls of Carhampton, in Ireland ; and Andrew Luttrell, third son. The following is the translation of a grant of the badge of Courtenay, made by Hugh Courtenay, earl of 36 Among the papers at Dunster Castle there is " A bill of receipt to Dame Elizabeth Haryngton, of ^9 16s. 2^d. paid by her to Robert Draper, clerk of Sir Hugh Luttrell's household, lord of Dunster, for the table diet of her and her family and strangers, in the said house, from the 1st of October to the last of December the same year. Dated at Porlock, in Somersctshue, 3rd Jan. 3rd of Henry VI." — Prynne's Index. In the sixth of Henry VI. Catherine, the wife of Hugh Luttrell, chevalier, had assigned for her dower the manors of Minehead and East-Quantockshead. — Inq. 6 Hen. VI. No. 4.— Cal. Inq. p. m. vol. iv. p. 470. By an inquisition taken in the fourteenth of Henry VI. Catherine Luttrell was found to hold the castle and borough of Dunster, the maner of Minehead, the manor of Carhampton, the manor of Kilvcton with the Hundred of Car- hampton and the manors of Sampford- Arundel and East-Quantockshead, with lands and manors in the county of Devon.— Inq. p, m. 14 Hen. VI. No. 30. — Calendar, vol. iv. p. 1()4. 518 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. Devonshire, to this Sir Hugh Luttrell, knight, in the seventh of Henry V. (1419.) "To all to whom these presents shall come, greeting, Hugh Courtenay, earl of Devon and baron of Oak- hampton, wisheth health in God. Know ye, that we have given and granted unto our dear and beloved cousin, Hugh Luttrell, knight, and lord of Dunster, to wear our badge, namely, a white hoar, armed, Or, with this difference only, that he put one double rose d'or in the shoulder of the said boar, to have and to hold this badge of our gift to him the said Hugh Luttrell and his heirs for ever. In testimony of which we have put our seal to this our letter, dated at Plymouth the 13th of July, in the seventh year of Henry V."^'^ It may here be observed, that Luttrell does not bear a boar, but Courtenay of Molland has for his supporters a boar and a swan ; and Luttrell's supporters are two swans.^^ By an inquisition taken on the death of this Sir Hugh Luttrell, he was found to hold the castle and borough of Dunster, the manor and Hundred of Carhampton, the manors of Minehead and Kilveton, ninety-five acres of land in Heathfield-Durborough, the manor and ad- vowson of the church of East-Quantockshead, the manor of Sampford-Arundel, with various manors and rents in the counties of Dorset, Devon, Norfolk, and Suffolk.^^ 3" Cleaveland's History of the Family of Courtenay, p. 211. '8 Note by W. Leigh, esq. " Inq. p. m. 8 Hen. VI. No. .32.— Calendar, vol. iv. p. 11.5. FAMILY OF LUTTRELL. 519 Sir John Luttrell, eldest son of Sir Hugh, was with his father in France ; and before he became of age was made one of the Knights of the Bath by King Henry IV. at his coronation in 1399, the order being then first instituted. He died in the ninth of Henry VI. one year after his father, being then possessed of the castle, borough, and manor of Dunster ; with the fair and the courts of the manor ; the hundred and manor of Carhampton ; the advowson of the priory of Brew- ton, the manors of Minehead, Kilveton, and East- Qnantockshead.*" This Sir John was twice married, first to Joan, daughter of Sir John Malet, of Enmore, by whom he had no children ; and secondly to Margaret, daughter of John, Lord Audley, by whom he had James, his only son. The said Margaret*^ died in the seventeenth of Henry VI. possessed of the third part of the castle and borough of Dunster, the manor and Hundred of Carhampton, the manor of Kilveton, and other manors and lands in the counties of Devon and Suffolk.^^ Which James Luttrell was in ward to Sir Philip Courtenay, and married Elizabeth,^^ daughter and « Inq. p. m. 9 Hen. VI. No. 51. Leland, Itin. vol ii. fo. 45. 82 Wood's Ath. Oxon. 2. p. 730. Bliss. RICHARD FITZJAMES. 635 On the 12th of March, 1482, be was elected warden of Merton College upon the resignation of John Gygur, being then and afterward esteemed a frequent preacher. Which place he keeping about twenty-five years, showed himself most worthy of it by his admirable way of go- vernment which he exercised, by his continual bene- faction thereunto,and by his endeavours, when in power, to promote his fellows. In March, 1483-4, he was made vicar of Minehead, and about that time rector of Aller, in Somersetshire ; in which last he was succeeded by Mr. Christopher Bainbridge, in the latter end of May, 1497. On the 2nd of June, 1495, he was ad- mitted almoner to King Henry VII.; and on the 28th of January, 1496, being then elected by the monks of Rochester to be bishop of that see, was consecrated thereunto at Lambeth on the 21st of May following, by Cardinal Moreton, archbishop of Canterbury, and his assistants Llandaff and Bangor. In January, 1503^ he was translated to the see of Chichester in the place of Dr. Edward Story, a Cantabrigian, (who dying in the latter end of the year 1502, was buried on the north side of the high altar in the cathedral church of Chi- chester, under a fair tomb which he a little before had built for himself) and on the 14th of March, 1505, he was nominated by the king to succeed Dr. Barons in the see of London. On the 1st of August, 1506, the temporalities of that see were restored to hini;^^ so that 8* Pat. 21 Hen. VH. p, ii. m. 9. ()3G HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. soon after being settled there, he resigned his wardenship of Merton College, which he had kept in commendam, with Rochester and Chichester, and all that time had administered the government thereof with great com- mendation. But though he was a bishop several years while warden, yet did he according to statute and cus- tom, submit himself yearly in the month of January to the scrutiny of the fellows of the said college in the chapel of St. Cross, of Halywell, near Oxford, de mora et moribus costodis. Which statute continuing in use till the time of Henry VIII. was then disused by Dr. John Chamber, warden thereof, under pretence of absence in serving his majesty as physician. Dr. Fitz- james bestowed much money in adorning the cathedral of St. Paul, as he had done before in the collegiate church belonging to Merton College, in which house he built, but not all at his own charge, the hall, with a fair dining room over it ; and a lodging room with a large vault under it, both joining on the west-side to the said hall and dining room, for the use of him whilst war- den, and his successor in that office for ever. Which hall, dining room, and lodging chamber, were made as additions to the old lodgings belonging to the wardens of the said college, and were built on the south-side of those lodgings which were erected by Henry Sever, sometime warden. Dr. Fitzjames also bestowed money in the building and finishing of St. Mary's Church, Oxford. In memory of which benefaction, his arms quartering those of Draycott, were engraven on stone RICHARD FITZJAMES. 6.37 over the north door leading from the school street to the lower end (on the north-side) of the hody of that chureh. Flis arms also with those of Cardinal Morcton, archhishop ofCanterhury, and Edmund Audley, hishop of Salisbury, were at the bottom of the stone pulpit in the said church of St. Mary, most curiously engraven, and also on the roof of the old library, (afterward a congregation house) on the north-side of St. Mary's chancel. To the reparation of which church, as also to the building of the pulpit, which consisted all of Ashlar stone, there is no doubt but that he was a be- nefactor. He also, with his brother, Sir John Fitz- james, lord chief justice of England, were the chief founders of the school house in Brewton, near which town, (at Rcdiinch, as 'tis said) they were both born. William Gilbert, abbot of Brewton, was a benefactor to it, and so was John Edmunds, D. D., abbot of Glas- tonbury. At length, after good deeds had tiod upon his heels even to heaven's gate, he gave way to fate in a good old age, in tbe beginning of 1522. Whereupon his body was buried in the nave of his own cathedral of St. Paul, under the altar of St. Paul, near to the foundation or foot of the campanile, under a marble tomb prepared and erected by him in his life-time. Afterward was a little chapel erected over the said tomb, wherein, I presume, were masses said for his soul. But when the said campanile was consumed with fire, 1651, the chapel then was consumed also. [Mag'r RicLis Fitzjames, A. M. Bath et Well. Dioc. 638 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. ordlnatur Acolitus per J. Archiaepisc. Dublin, in eccl. convent, de O'Leney, 14 kal. Maii 1471. — Reg. Ro- therham huic. Epi. Vacante nuper Hospitali Sci. Leonardi Bedef. per- munus Consecrationis dni Rici Fitzjames in Epm. RofFensem, post litem ultra le menses dnus. Epus. con- tulit eam Magro. Bernardo Andrese 4 Apr. 1498. — Reg. Smith, Ep. Lincoln. — Kennet.]*^* BANCKS OF MINEHEAD. Sir Jacob Bancks was born at Stockholm, in 1033, and came into England with his uncle, John Birkman, count of Leyenburgh, ambassador of Sweden to our court, as secretary to the embassy, in 1681. He commanded several ships from 1691 to 1696, was a brave naval officer, and was at the siege of Cork, and the action at Malaga, in which last he lost his ship. On his marriage, in 1696, with Mrs. Luttrell, (relict of Francis Luttrell, esq., of Dunster Castle, and daughter of John Tregon well, esq.) he quitted the sea-service, and was on half-pay till the time of his death, 1724, when he was the oldest officer in the navy, his commission of captain bearing date in 1690. He received the honour of knighthood in 1699, and was member of parliament for Minehead. He was in 1716 taken into custody on suspicion of being concerned in a plot with 8* Wood's Ath. Oxon. Bliss. 2. p. 720. BANCKS. 639 Count Gyllenbnrgh, the Swedish envoy, but was soon after honourably discharged. He was never natu- rahzed, as the inscription on his monument informs us. He died at London in 1724. Jacob Bancks, esq. his second son, was a most ac- complished and well-bred gentleman, his person grace- ful, his presence noble, his deportment and address engaging, polite, affable, and humane. He had a natural vivacity of spirit, and a peculiar sweetness of temper; and he studied to be agreeable without lessen- ing his dignity. He was a true lover of his country, a firm friend to the constitution in church and state, and extremely popular, especially in Dorsetshire, in which county he principally resided; and Avhere his reputation and influence exceeded those of many who were his superiors only in point of fortune. The county of Dorset, and several boroughs, courted the honour of being represented by him in parliament. At all public meetings, whether for business or diversion, he did credit to himself and his country, and was the life and soul of the company. During the whole course of his life, he possessed and preserved this popularity entire, without vanity, pride, or affectation. His generous disposition led him to revive the old English spirit of hospitality. During the recess of parliament, he spent most part of his time in the country, and kept up a good correspondence with the neighbouring gentry and clergy. He was beloved by his tenants and the honest, industrious poor, wliom he relieved and sup- 640 HTSTORY OF CARHaMPTON. ported by the truest and most rational kind of charity, that of encouraging and employing them. He was a patron of merit and virtue. His manner of obliging charmed as much as the obligation itself; and he expressed the same satisfaction in conferring a favour^ as they did who received it. He was a sincere, warm, and constant friend ; wherever he professed a friendship he wanted no solicitations, often surprising persons with favours before unthought of. It was one of the greatest pleasures of his life to serve a friend. As soon as he came to his estate he shewed his re- gard to his father's memory, by discharging a large debt which he lay under no obligation to clear, but that of honour and justice ; and this action was the founda- tion of his future reputation. His probity and integrity were inflexible ; he was a lover of truth, a strict observer of his word and the ex- actest rules of honour, from which he never deviated. Open, candid, and sincere, he scorned the mean acts of cunning, dissimulation, and design, and tempered the plainness, and simplicity of the ancient English with the politeness of the modern. On the death of Sir Peter Mews, he was chosen member for Christ-Church, Hants, and elected again in 1727, but his election was declared void. In 1734, he was chosen member for Shaftesbury, and declined the honour of representing the county, having devolved his interest therein to a friend. Having lived beloved and esteemed, full of honour BANCKS. 041 though not of days, a polypus of the heart put an end to his vahiabhi life on the 18th of February, 1737, and he was buried in the family aile in the church of Milton- Abbas, Dorsetshire. This public loss was greatly lamented, and the more so as he died unmarried, leav- ing no heir of his body to copy the virtues for which he was so conspicuous, and to enjoy the fortune of which he had made so noble and proper a use. Mr. Hutchins, to whom I am indebted for this ac- count of the family of Bancks, says that he has here endeavoured to perpetuate the memory of a friend and patron ; more especially as his heir and relation erected no monument, nor charged the stone that covers his remains with an inscription, to point out to posterity where the remains of so worthy a man are deposited. His estates, on his death, devolved upon John Strachan, esq. descended from his father's sister. This gentleman was created a baronet in 1753. In Milton-Abbas Church, Dorsetshire, there are the following monumental inscriptions to this family : — " Infra sepulta jacet Domina Maria Bancks, egregiis et animi et corporis dotibus, in unoquoque vitae statu nulli secunda, femina perpolita ; Johannis Tregonwell, armigeri, et Janae Uxoris filia, et ex asse haeres ; Fran- cisci LuttereldeDunstar-Castle,in comitatuSomersetae, armigeri, relicta ; uxor tandem Jacobi Bancks, equitis, sueciae indigenae, Angliei autem donati, cui reliquit filios Johannem et Jacobum, amplumque patrimonium. Vix puerperii pericla eluctata fuerat, cum subito in- T T ()42 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON, gruit variolarum morbus, vitaeqiie optatae inexpectatam dedit finem, Mar. 2, 170^. aetat Hoc monu- mentum ponit maestas maritus et in sui amoris, et illius bonitatis testimonium. Hie situs est Jacobus Bancks, eques, suedus natione, Anglia autem donatus, vereque Anglicanus, sincerus hujus insulae ecclesiaeque amator, in omni statu fidus utriusque defensor, in classe fortiter, in senata diligen- ter, provinciam administrans, ob. 22 Decembris, 1724, aetat. sexagesimo quarto." " Abstersis vix lacrymis, novo luctu inopinanter op- primimur; Johannes quippe filius et haeres, juvenis ingenii boni, almaeque spei, et mente et corpore vividus, nimis eheu ; praematura morte eripitur, et eodem cum patre conditorio repositus jacet, flebilis omnibus. Ob. Martii, 1724, aetat. vigesimo tertio." <§ ^ ■« e ^ I. a . ° g o « 11 6 ^ In iC o « ^ ii ^ a> rrt . r-i CO P t^ fm^ % ;- Ui -o^ • ^ a K ^ n: f^ 3 1 •4J g^- CQ -t^ » a c3 ft P CO rachan, [1 Lond( o o o -(J t^ a -*-" .s p-H o fl o y ^ O t-1 G44 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF DR. BROCKLESBY. Richard Brocklesby, an eminent physician, was the son of Richard Brocklesby, esq., of the city of Cork, by his wife, Mary Alloway, of Minehead, and was born at Minehead, where his mother happened to be on a visit to her parents, on the 1 1th of Augnst, 1722. He remained at that place mitil he was three years old, at which time he was carried to Ireland, and privately instructed in his father's house, in Cork. His parents were members of the Society of Friends, in which the doctor continued until the gaities of life drew him from a path too strait for a young man of his vivacity. At a proper age he w as sent to the school of Ballitore, in the north of Ireland, at that time kept by Abraham Shackleton, a member also of the Society of Friends, at which Edmund Burke was educated;''" and although they were not exactly contemporaries. Dr. Brocklesby being seven years older, yet this circumstance led to a s" Edmund Burke, and his brother Richard, were placed at Ballitore School, under Abraham Shackleton, in the year 1741. Edmund, being then about eleven years of age, manifested vmcommon genius. He and Richard Shackle- ton, the son of Abraham, pursued their studies together. The minds of both were strongly bent to literary acquirements ; both were endowed with a clas- sical taste, solid judgment, and keen perceptions ; and with similar disposi- tions, cheerful, affectionate, and benevolent. Between these kindred minds a friendship was formed which continued as long as they lived, notwithstanding the different spheres in which they moved. Mr. Burke entertained so large a share of affection through life for his former preceptor, that he never omitted paying him an annual visit of gratitude and respect, during a period of forty- seven years. The school of Ballitore, though kept by Quakers, was for near a century well known for having furnished the bar and the pulpit of Ireland with many eminent characters. DR. BROCKLESBY. 645 cordial friendship which continued during their lives. Having finished his classical education at Ballltore with diligejice and success, his father intending him for the medical profession, sent him to Edinburgh, whence, after attending the lectures of the professors in the different branches of medicine there, he proceeded to Leyden, and took his degree of Doctor under the cele- brated GaubiuSj^^who corresponded with him for several years afterward. His diploma bears date on the 28th of June, 1745 ; and in the same year he published his thesis '^De Saliva Sana et Morbosa." On his return from Leyden, he commenced practice in Broad Street, London ; and a dih'gent attention to his profession, with integrity and economy, soon en- abled him to surmount the difficulties which a young physician has to encounter, whilst his father assisted him with <£150 a year, a liberal allowance at that time. For the first few years after he commenced practice, he was used to say of himself, that he was determined to regulate his expenses in such a manner as to secure him from the misery of dependance, and never allow himself to have a want that was not accommodated to his income. In 1746, he published "An Essay con- cerning the Mortality of the Horned Cattle ;" and in 87 This was Jerome David Gaubius, an eminent German physician, a native of the city of Heidelberg. He was educated partly among the Jesuits, and partly in the Orphan House, at Halle, under the celebrated Professor Franke. He became afterward a pupil of the learned Boerhaavc, and professor of Me- dicine in the university of Leyden. He died Nov. 29, 1780, leaving several works of considerable value. 646 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. April, 1751, was admittfed a licentiate of the College of Physicians. He had by this time risen into reputation ; and as his manners were naturally mild and conciliating, his knowledge well founded, and his talents somewhat known as an author, he soon became acquainted with the leading men of his profession, particularly with the celebrated Dr. Mead, Dr. Leatherland, Dr. Heberden, Sir George Baker, and others. On the 28th of September, 1754, he obtained an honorary degree from the university of Dublin, and was admitted at Cambridge ad eundem on the 1 6th of December following. By virtue of this degree at Cam- bridge, he became a fellow of the College of Physicians of London on the 25th of June, 1756 ; and on the 7th of October, 1758, on the recommendation of Dr. Shaw,^^ favoured by the patronage of the late Lord Barrington, he was appointed Physician to the army. In this capacity he attended in Germany the greater part of what is called ''The Seven Years' War," where he was soon distinguished by his knowledge, his zeal, and humanity ; and particularly recommended himself to the notice of the duke of Richmond, the late earl of 38 This was Dr. Peter Shaw, an eminent physician and the author of several works which cnjoj'ed a considerable reputation in their day. He published an Abridgment of Boyle's Philosophical Works, in three volumes quarto ; and also of Lord Bacoo's Works, in the same form. He likewise translated floffraan on Mineral Waters, Stahl's Chemistry, in Boerliaave's Elemcnta Chcmica, in conjunction with Chambers. Notwithstanding these multifarious labours, he had an extensive practice, He died in 1763. His daughter mar- ried Dr, Richard Warren. DR. BROCKLESBY. G4: Pembroke, and other great men of that period. Witli the first of these noblemen this acquaintance mellowed into a friendship which only terminated with the doc- tor's life. On the 27th of October, 17G0, he was appointed physician to the hospitals for the British forces, and returned to England sometime before the peace of 1763. On his return to London, he settled in Norfolk Street, in the Strand, where he soon acquired extensive practice, and was highly esteemed for his medical knowledge, more particularly in all diseases incident to a military life. His practice increased in proportion to his reputation ; and with his half-pay, and an estate in Ireland of about £600 per annum, which devolved upon him by the death of his father, he was enabled to live in a handsome manner; and at his table were generally found some of the most distinguished per- sons for rank, learning, and abilities in the kingdom. In the course of his practice, however, not only his advice but also his purse were ever accessible to the poor, as well as to meritorious individuals who stood in need of either. Besides giving his advice to the poor of all descriptions, which he did with an active, cheer- ful, and unwearied benevolence, he had always upon his list two or three poor widows, to whom he granted small annuities; and who, on the quarter-day of receiv- ing their stipends, always partook of the hospitalities of his table. To his relations, who wanted his assist- ance in their business or professions, he was not only 648 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. liberal^ but so judicious in his liberalities as to super- sede the necessity of a repetition. To bis friend, Dr. Johnson, when it was in agitation to procure an en- largement of the pension of that great moralist, the better to enable him to visit Italy for the benefit of his health, he offered an establishment of £100 a year during his life f^ and upon Dr. Johnson's declining it, which he did in the most affectionate terms of gratitude and friendship, he made him a second offer of apart- ments in his own house, for the more immediate benefit of medical assistance.^" To his old and intimate 89 Boswell, in his Life of Dr. Johnson, (vol. iv. p. 342.) alludes to this generous offer in the following words : — " As an instance of extraordinary liberality of friendship, he (Dr. J.) told us, that Dr. Brocklopby had, upon the occasion of his intention of going to Italy for the benefit of his health, offered him a hundred a year for his life. A grateful tear started into his eye, as he spoke this in a faltering tone." The reader cannot peruse Mr. Boswell's account of this intended tour without emotions of pleasurable satisfaction. ^° It wUl not require any apology here for inserting the following account of the conversation between Dr. Brocklesby and Dr. Johnson, when the latter was at the point of death : — " About eight or ten days before Dr. J.'s death, when Dr. Brocklesby paid him his morning visit, he seemed very low and desponding, and said, " 1 have been asadying man all night." He then emphatically broke out in the words of Shakspeare, ' Canst thou not minister to a mind diseas'd ; Pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow ; Raze out the written troubles of the brain ; And with some sweet oblivious antidote, Cleanse the stuff'd bosom of that perilous stuff, Which weighs upon the heart?' To which Dr. Brocklesby readily answered from the same great poet ; ' Therein the patient Must minister to himself.' DR. imot KLESBY. ()49 frieiul, Edmund Burke, he bad many years back be- qiieathed by will the sum of one thousand pounds ; but recollecting that an event might take place, which afterward did, when such a legacy could ])e of no service to him, be, with that generous liberality for which he was always distinguished, gave it to him in advance, " ut pignus amicitiae." It was accepted as such by Mr. Burke, accompanied with a letter, which none but a man, feeling the grandeur and purity of friendship like him, could dictate. Dr. Brocklesby also cultivated a warm friendship with the celebrated John Wilkes, which continued to the end of their lives ; indeed they both died within a few days of each other. On another day after this, when talking on the subject of prayer, Dr. Brock- lesby repeated from Juvenal, ' Orandiiiu est, ut sit mens saiia in corpore sano,' and so on to the end of the tenth satire ; but in running it quickly over, he happened, in the line ' Qui spatiuni vita extrennim inter niunera ponat,' to pronounce supremum for extremum, at which Johnson's critical ear instantly took offence, and discoursing vehemently on the unmetrical effect of such a lapse, he shewed himself as full as ever of the spirit of the grammarian. Dr. Brocklesby, who could not be suspected of fanaticism, related to Mr. Boswell the following particulars : — " For some time before Dr. Johnson's death, all his fears were calmed and absorbed by the prevalence of his faith and his trust in the merits and propi- tiation o/" Jesus Christ. "He talked often to me about the necessity of faith in the*(7cry?ceof Jescs as necessary beyond all good works whatever, for the salvation of mankind. " He pressed me to study Dr. Clarke, and to read his sermons. I asked him why he pressed Dr. Clarke, an Arian ? Because, said he, he is fullest on t\ie propitiatory sacrifice." — Boswell's Life of Dr. Johnson, vol. iv. p. 412 427. G50 HISTORY OF CAKHAMPTON. ' Passing through a life thus honourably occupied in the general pursuits of his profession, and in the con- fidence and friendship of many of the first characters of the age for rank or literary attainments, the doctor reached his 73rd year, and finding those infirmities generally attached to that time of life increase upon him, he gave up a good deal of the bustle of business, as well as his half-pay, on being appointed by his old friend and patron, the duke of Richmond, physician- general to the royal regiment of artillery and corps of engineers, in March, 1794. This was a situation exactly suited to his age and inclinations, since he employed his time in occasional trips to Woolwich, and in visits to his friends and patients. In this last list he never forgot either the poor or those few re- maining friends whom he early attended as a medical man gratuitously. Scarcely any distance, or any other inconvenience, could repress this benevolent custom ; and when he heard by accident that any of this latter description of his friends were ill, and had through delicacy abstained from sending for him, he used to say, somewhat peevishly, " Why am I treated thus ? Why was I not sent for?" Though debilitated beyond his ye^rs, particularly for a man of his constant exercise and abstemious and regular manner of living, he kept up his acquaintance and friendships to the last; and in a limited degree partook of the pleasantries and convivialities of the table. The friends who knew his habits, sometimes » DR. BROCK r.ESBY- 651 indulged hiui with a nap in his arm-chair after dinner, whicli greatly refreshed him ; he would then turn to the company, and hear his full share in the conversa- tion, either by agreeable anecdotes or judicious obser- vations, entirely free from the acerbity and severity of old age. In the beginning of December, 1797, he set out on a visit to Mrs. Burke, at Beaconsfield, the long-fre- quented seat of friendship and hospitality, where the master-spirit of the age in which he lived, as well as the master of that mansion, had so often adorned, en- livened, and improved the convivial hour. On pro- posing this visit, while under so infirm a state as he was then in, it was suggested by a friend, whether a distant journey, or the lying out of his own bed, with other little circumstances, might not fatigue him too much : he instantly caught the force of this suggestion, and with his usual placidity replied, "^ My good friends, I perfectly understand your hint, and am thankful to you for it; but where is the difference whether I die at a friend's house, at an inn, or in a post-chaise ? I hope I am every way prepared for such an event, and per- haps it would be as well to elude the expectation of it." He therefore began his journey the next day, and ar- rived at Beaconsfield the same evening, where he was cordially received by the amiable mistress of the man- sion, as well as by Doctors Lawrence and King, who happened to be there on a visit. He remained at Bea- consfield until the 11th of December; but recollecting ()52 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON. that his younger nephew, Dr. Young, was to return from Cambridge to London the next day, he instantly set out for his house in town, where he partook of his last dinner with his nearest relations and friends. About nine o'clock he desired to go to bed, but going up stairs fatigued him so much, that he was obliged to sit in his chair for some time before he felt himself sufficiently at ease to be undressed. In a little time, however, he recovered himself; and as they were un- buttoning his waistcoat, he said to his elder nephew, Mr. Robert Beeby, " What an idle piece of ceremony this buttoning and unbuttoning is to me now." When he got into bed, he seemed perfectly composed, but in about five minutes afterward he quietly expired. He was interred, on the 18th of December, in the church-yard of St. Clement Danes, in a private manner, according to his request. His fortune, amounting to nearly thirty thousand pounds, after a few legacies to friends and relations, was divided between his nephew, Robert Beeby, esq., who possessed all his landed pro- perty, and Dr. Thomas Young, liis grand nephew, to whom he bequeathed about £8,000 and his valuable library. It has been already observed^ that Dr. Brocklcsby possessed a generous and benevolent heart. His phi- lanthropy was called forth on a distressing occasion in the year 1791, in which year, on the 4th of July, upwards of eighty houses were destroyed by fire at Minchead. On hearing of this severe calamity befall- DR. BROCKLESBY. 6o'S ing the place of his nativity, the doctor humanely com- missioned his nephew, Mr. Rohert Davis, to supply the houseless poor with necessaries at his expense ; and in concert with another nephew, Mr. William Davis, then residing in London, (hut since at Minehead and now at Taunton) Dr. Brocklesby opened a sub- scription for the relief of the distressed inhabitants with a donation of £50. Several bankers in London, and in the country, offering their aid on this melancholy occasion in receiving subscriptions, upwards ot .£4000 were collected from a benevolent and sympathising public, the greater part of which was raised in London. We lament, however, to add that few of the houses, none indeed for the poor, were ever re-built. The doctor's two nephews took upon them the correspon- dence with the bankers and others, and with a com- mittee, the entire management of the charity. The preceding facts may be sufficient to illustrate Dr. Brocklesby 's character ; his fame as a writer must rest on his published works, of which the following, it is believed, is a correct list : — 1. " Dissertatio Inaug. de Saliva Sana et Morbosa, Lug. Bat., 1745," cjuarto. 2. "An Essay concerning the Mortality of the Horned Cattle, 1 74 (>,'' octavo. 3. "Eulogium Medicum, sive Oratio Anniversaria Harveiana habita in Theatris CoUegii Regalis Medico- rum Londinensium, die xxiij. Octobris, 1760," quarto. 4. " CEconomical and Medical Observations from 654 HISTORY OF CARHAMPTON, 1738 to 1763, tending to the Improvement of Medical Hospitals, 1764," octavo. 5. " An Account of the Poisonous Root lately found mixed with the Gentian," Philosoph. Trans. No. 486. 6. " Case of a Lady labouring under a Diabetes," Med. Observations, No. III. 7. " Experiments relative to the Analysis and Vir- tues of Seltzer Water," ibid. Vol. IV. 8. " Case of an Encysted Tumour in the Orbit of the Eye, cured by Messrs. Bromfield and Ingram," ib. 9. "A Dissertation on the Music of the Ancients." The date of the last article does not occur, but it is believed that it was amongst his early literary amuse- ments. W^hen Dr. Young was at Leyden, one of the professors of that university, understanding that he was a grand nephew of Dr. Brocklesby's, shewed him a translation of this dissertation, in the German lan- guage. There is, in the European Magazine, for 1788, an engraved portrait of Dr. Brocklesby, a half-length, sit- ting, by Ridley, from an original painting by Copley, who also introduced the doctor into the groupe of the death of Lord Chatham, in the House of Lords. INDEX. Agriculture of the Hundred of Carhampton, 24, Alcombe, manor of, 448. Alfred, King, owner of Carhampton, 295. Algar, earl of Mercia, lord of Porlock, 91, 96 ; Edwin and Morcar, his sons, 97. Aller, in Carhampton, 303. Allerford, in Sel worthy, 195. Almsworthy, in Exford, manor of, 548. Altar tombs, 108. Apple tree, history of the introduction of into Somersetshire, 1 1 . Arundel, lords of Trevice, family of, 159 j Roger Arundel, 569. Ashley Lodge in Porlock, Lord King's seat, 132. Aure, or de Aure, family of, 64. Avallonia, isle of, the apple orchard, 1 1 . Avill, hamlet and manor of, 449. Bancks of Minehead, family of, 638. Basinges, family of, 2G7. Beacons, history of, 8 ; Dunkery Beacon, 7, Bead Roll, what, 398, note. Berkeley, Robert de, 499. Biccombc, in Timberscombe, hamlet of, 572} manor, 573j family of, ibid. Blackford in Selworthy, 196. Blake, Colonel, takes Dunster Castle, 437. Blue Anchor Rocks, 22 ; bay of, 1 8. Bordarii, introd. xv. Bossington, hamlet and tithing of, 130. Bows made of yew, 1 14. Bracton, Henry de, memoir of, 626. Bretesche of Thrubwell, family of, 300. Bridgwater, John, rector of Porlock, memoir of, 1 40. 656 INDEX. Bristol Channel, description of the southern coast of, 17 ; Watcliet pier, ibid. Brocklesby, Dr. Richard, memoir of, 644. Brown in Treborough, manor of, 270. Byam of Luccombe, family of, 1 7 1 ; memoir of Dr. Henry Byam, 1/2. Camps, intrenched residences, 13. Carhampton, Hundred of, extent and boundaries, 1 ; scenery and features of, 5 ; entrenched residences, 13 j sea-coast, 15 ; remains of ancient forests, 21 ; cultivation and husbandry, 24, 25 ; roads, 27 j population of at the conquest, and at the present time, 28 ; population results, 32 ; possessors of land in the reign of Edward the Confessor, and at the conquest, 33 ; ancient mills, 35 3 eccle- siastical jurisdiction, 36; Leland's description of the Hundred, 44 ; villages and hamlets, list of, 49. Carhampton, parish of, 285 3 general description, ibid ; vicarage and church, 290, 291 ; rates & taxes, 293 3 population, 294 j manor, 295. Chancel in churches, account of, 416. Chantries, history of, 110. Chargott-Lodge, in Luxborough, 249. Churches, history of the appropriation of the several parts, 415. Church-yards, origin of, 1 12 5 yew trees in, 113. Cider and Perry, 12. Clarke, of Bridwell, family of, 307, note. Coppice woods, in Domesday book, 206. Cotarii, Cotmanni, introd. xiii. Courtenay, family of, 343, 514. Coutances, Geoffrey, bishop of, 80. Cross-legged monuments in churches, history of, 103 3 represent persons engaged in the crusades, 107 3 tomb of Robert duke of Normandy, 104 3 monuments in the Temple Church, London, ibid i Knights Templars, 108. Crosse, Rev. Robert, memoir of, 453. Crosses in church-yards, account of, 111. Crosses and Crucifixes, 419 3 Rood-loft, 418. Culbone, parish of, 693 description of its romantic situation, 70 3 INDEX. 657 woods, 7C}, 77 ; rectory and church, 77, 79) j rates and taxes, 79 ; manor, ibid ^ Culbone cove, 19. Cutcombe, parish of, 207; vicarage and chnrch, 211, 212 j rates and taxes, 2183 population, 214 ; charities, 215 3 manor, 218. Deanery of Dunster, 42. Domesday book, account of, in trod. v. Domesday Book, illustrations of.'— Hundreds as the division of a county, 4 ; leuca, a measure of length, QQ ; custom of paying sheep as rent mVmA, ibid ; tenure in Frank-Almoigne, 198} of ancient demesne, 325 ; by castle-guard, 303 ; silvtB minutes, cop- pice woods, 206 3 valuit et valet, 218 j soldiers, 7niHtes, 222 j Pannage, 224 3 manors, 271 j ore, as a weight, 328. Dunkery Hill, 5 3 Beacon, 7. Dunster, parish of, 377 j general description, ibid; town of, 381 3 woollen manufacture, 382 3 charters of the Mohuns to, 386, 387 ; borough of, 391 3 members of parliament, ibid; called Torre, in Domesday book, 392 3 rates and taxes, ibid; population, 393 3 charities, 394 3 living, 397; church, 3983 not built by Henry VII., 402 3 font, 403 3 monuments of the Mohuns, 404 3 of the Luttrells, 406 3 Everards, ibid; monumental inscriptions, 409 3 incumbent curates, 4 14 3 Trinity chantry, i/^irf,- priory, 422 3 Dunster castle, 432. Durborough of Heathfield, family of, 282. Eastbury, in Carhampton, 299. Edgecote, in Exford, hamlet of, 548, Editha, Queen of Edward the Confessor, account of 193. Everards, of Luxborough, family of, 255. Exford, parish of, 535 3 description of, ii/(/; rectory, 539; church,5403 rates and taxes, 543 3 population, ibid; charities, 544 3 manor, 547. Exmoor Forest, 21, Exon, Domesday, Hundred of Carhampton described in, 2. Exon. Domesday, account of, introd. vii. Fairford, in Gloucestershire, account of stained glass in the church of, 166. Faleise, ^Villiam de, 34 1 . 658 INDEX. Fitzjames, Rev. R.^ memoir of, 634. Fitz-Roges, family ofj 124} cross-legged monument of Simon Fitz- Roges, in Porlock church, 101. Fitz-Urse, family of, 280. Fleet, Rev. W. epitaph on, in Selworthy church, 1 87. Font in churches, history of, 420. Gaunts, earls of Lincoln, family of, 496,498. Gilbert, AVm. memoir of, 633. Godiva, Countess, wife of Leofric, earl of Mercia, rides naked through the streets of Coventry, 96. Hadley of Withycombe, family of, 283. Heedui, a Celtic tribe, introduce the apple-tree into Somersetshire, 1 1 . Hales of Brymore, baronets, family of, 237 ; genealogical history, 238. Hales, Dr. Stephen, biographical sketch of, 142. Hody, Sir John, 221. Holnicot in Selworthy, 197. Horner in Luccombe, hamlet of, 169. Hundred Rolls, account of the Hundred of Carhampton from, 3. Hundreds, as the division of a county, history of, 4 j known in France at a more early period than in England, ibid. Iceland, account of the administration of justice in, 321. Jury, trial by, history of, 311. King, Lord, history of the family of, 133. Kitnore, the ancient name of Culboue, 70. Knoll in Selworthy, 197. Lagman, in Iceland, 321. Lahmen, Lagraetmen, what they were, 312, 313. Langhara in Luxborough, manor of, 260. Langdon, family of, 484, note. Leakey, Mrs., account of the apparition of, 625. Legge, Right Hon. H. B. biographical sketch of, 349. Leland's description of the Hundred of Carhampton, 44. Lemon tree at Dunster castle, 447 3 historical account of lemons, ibid. Leuca, a measure of length in Domesday book, ^^. INDEX. 659 Lidwiccians invade Porlock, 90. Limesi, Ralph dc, family of^ 194. Lower Mill^ in Exford, hamlet of, 548. Luccombe, family of, 157. Luccombe, parish of, 147 j description of, ilfid ; rectory and church, 150, 151 : rates and taxes, 152 ; population, 153 j charities, 154} manor, 155 j hamlets, 169. Luttrell, barons of Irnham, genealogical history of the family of, 490. Luxborough parish, 248 ; vicarage and church, 250 ; rates and taxes, 251} population, 252 5 chav'it'ies, ibid ^ manor, 253. Lynch, West, in Selvvorthy, 197. Manors, derivation of, 271. Marsh, in Carhampton, 299. Marsh in Dunster, hamlet of, 453. Marshvvood, in Carhampton, 299. Mercia, earls of, genealogical history, 92. Milites, soldiers, in Domesday book, some account of, 222. Mills, ancient, in Carhampton, list of in Domesday book, 35 ; tithe of, 136. Minehead, parish of, 578 ; general description, 579 ; town of, ibid; hamlets in, 580 ; borough, ibid; singular custom, 583 ; vicarage, 584} church, 586 j monument of Bracton, ibid; register, 590} rates and taxes, 593; population, 594 3 coi-poration and parlia- mentary representation, 595; members of parliament, 597 j cha- rities, 599 ; harbour and quay, 614; trade, 620; manor, 624; apparition of Mrs. Leakey, 625. Mohun of Dunster, genealogical history of the baronial family of, 458. Mohun, of Ham-Mohun, Dorset, 484. Mohun, of Fleet, 487. Mohun, of Oakhampton, barons, 489. Mountague, Richard, bishop of Norwich, biographical sketch of, 372. Mountain ash, a charm against witchcraft, 72, note; historical account of, ibid ; in Wales a sacred tree, 73- Nave in churches, account of, 417. Nicolls, Rev. John, biographical sketch of, 283. 4 660 INDEX. Nonyngton, Sir Baldric de, 150. Nutcombe, family of, 259, note. Oare, parish of, 53 ; rectory and church, 54 ; rates and taxes, 50 ; manor, 57. Oaktrow in Cutcombe, 228. Odo Fitz-Gamelin, 156. Okey-hole, etymology of, 228, Ore, as a weight, in Domesday book, 328. Orchards of Somersetshire, history of, 9 ; as old as the Celtic period of our history, 1 1 ; the victor's wreath, in the Pythian games, 12 ; cider and perry, ibid ; cider apples, 11. Oule-Knowle, in Carhampton, 304. Paganel, family of, 49Gj certificate of the barony of, 497. Painted or stained glass, history of, 164. Pannage, in Domesday book, history of, 224. Parish churches, commencement of, 36. Phelps, of Porlock, family of, 145. Pomeroy, family of, 57. Pope INicholas's Taxation, 40 j origin of, 41. Population of the Hundred of Carhampton, 3 1 ; comparative state of, 32 ; results, ibid. Porcarius, Porcarii, in Domesday book, 224. Porch of churches, history of, 421. Porlock, parish of, S3 } description of, 84, 85 ; invasion of the Lid- wiccians, 90 j Porlock Chace, 91; rectory and church, 97, 98 j monuments, lOOj chantry, 109 j rates and taxes, 115; popula- tion, IIC; charities, 117; manor, 122; hamlets, 127; romantic situation of Porlock, 20. Porlock wear, 127. Porlock west, 129. Possessors of land in the Hundred of Carhampton, in the reign of Edward the Confessor, and William the Conqueror, 33, 34. - Prynne William, confined by the Parliament in Dunster Castle, 439 ; arranges the charters and muniments belonging to the family of Luttrell, ibid. *♦ INDEX. 661 Pym of Brymore, family of, 229 ; biographical sketch of John Pym, 231 ; narrative of his last illness and death, 233 ; portraits of, 236. Pyncombe, family of, 396, note. Quicke, family of, 259, note. Radhuish, in Carliampton, 308. Radmen, what, 311. Redvers, carls of Devon, family of, 123. Roman law, rapid progress of the knowledge of, 631, note. Rood-loft in churches, 418. Round churches, 4 1 /'• Screen in churches, 417. Sea-coast of Somersetshire, 15. Selworthy, parish of, 182; general description, ibid; ancient en- campment, 183; rectory and church, 184, 186; rates and taxes, 190; population, 191; manor, 192; hamlets, 195. Servi, slaves, introd. xviii. Sheep, paid as rent in kind, custom mentioned in Domesday book, 66. Silvre Ulinutce, coppice w^oods, in Domesday book, 206. Silver penny, weight of since the Norman Conquest, 332. Stanton, hamlet and manor of, 451. Stoke-Pero, parish of, 199; rectory and cliurch, 201,202; manor, 204. Strange, lords of Knokyn, family of, 220. Table monuments in churches, 108 ; that of King John, at Worces- ter, the most ancient in England, 108. Tapestry, historical account of, 446. Taxation of Pope Nicholas, 4 1 . Tenure in Frank-Almoignc, 198; by Castle- Guard, 303; of ancient Demesne, 325. Tenures, introd. viii. ; tenure in villanagc, ix. Terra Regis, in Domesday book, 326. Testa de Nevill, account of the Hundred of Carhampton from, 2. Thyraelby, family of, 507. i# 662 INDEX. Tinibersoorabe, parish of, 549 ; description of, ibid} proprietors of freeholds in, 550; etymology of name, 551 j vicarage, ibid; church, 553 3 rates and taxes, 554 ; population, 555 j charities, ibid; manor, 568. Tithes, institution of, 38 j tithe of mills, 36. Tort of Oule-Knowle, family of, 306. Treborough, parish of, 263 ; rectory and church, 264, 265 ; rates and taxes, 266 ; population, ibid; manor, 267. Trial by Jury, history of, 311 ; jurors at first properly compurgators^ 313; Alfred the Great puts three of his judges to death, 315; jury at first not twelve, but gradually fell into that number, 319 ; twelve a sacred number, ibid ; the states-general in Iceland, 321. Twelve a sacred number, numerous instances of, 319. Villani, introd. ix. Wansdike, 13. Wentworth, earl of Strafibrd, 162. Withycombe, parish of, 2/3; general description, Hid; rectory and church, 276,277; rates and taxes, 278; population, i^irf,- ma- nor; 279. Wootton-Courtenay, parish of, 334 ; general description, ibid ; rec- tory and church, 334, 336 ; rates and taxes, 338 j charities, 339 ; manor, 341. Worth, of Worth, near Tiverton, family of, 259, no(e. Yew tree, history of in church-yards, 113, note; used in making bows, 114. PrinUd by J. Cbilcott, 30, Wins Street, Bristol. University of California SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1388 Return this material to the library from which it was borrowed. fill mm.T FEB Il1^iy4 O'^^*^^'-'^^ Ft APR Of ^ikiL iw / 690